NAVIGATION DEVICE AND NAVIGATION PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20160069701A1
• Filed: 11/16/2015
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: KATO, Noriko
• Granted Patent: US 9,719,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A navigation device includes a travel road specification portion acquiring a current location of a vehicle and specifying a travel road actually traveled by the vehicle, a continuity determination portion determining an existence of a continuity between the travel road and a first road connected to an end point of the travel road, and an extension road designation portion. The end point of the travel road is defined as a reference end point, the travel road is defined as a reference road, and the first road is defined as a determination target road. The extension road designation portion designates the first road as a first extension road when the continuity determination portion determines that the continuity exists between the first road and the travel road.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

a travel road specification portion acquiring a current location of a vehicle and specifying a travel road actually traveled by the vehicle;

a continuity determination portion determining an existence of a continuity between the travel road and a first road connected to an end point of the travel road, wherein the end point of the travel road is defined as a reference end point, the travel road is defined as a reference road, and the first road is defined as a determination target road; and

an extension road designation portion designating the first road as a first extension road when the continuity determination portion determines that the continuity exists between the first road and the travel road.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein the continuity determination portion determines whether the continuity exists between the first extension road and a second road that is connected to an end point of the first extension road, the end point of the first extension road is located on an opposite side of the first extension road from the travel road,

wherein, when the continuity determination portion determines that the continuity exists between the second road and the first extension road, the extension road designation portion designates the second road as a second extension road, and

wherein the end point of the first extension road, which is located on the opposite side of the first extension road from the travel road, is defined as the reference end point, the first extension road is defined as the reference road, and the second road is defined as the determination target road.

3. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein, when a road guidance is not needed at the reference end point, the continuity determination portion determines that the continuity exists between the reference road and the determination target road connected to the reference end point.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein the continuity determination portion determines whether the continuity exists between the reference road and the determination target road according to a scale of the reference road connected to the reference end point and a scale of the determination target road.

5. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein, when at least a part of a name of the reference road is equal to a part of a name of the determination target road, the continuity determination portion determines that the continuity exists between the reference road and the determination target road.

6. The navigation device according to claim 5,

wherein, when the continuity determination portion determines whether the name of the reference road is equal to the name of the determination target road, the continuity determination portion takes a description fluctuation of the names into consideration.

7. The navigation device according to claim 5,

wherein the name of the reference road includes a first proper noun,

wherein the name of the determination target road includes a second proper noun, and

wherein, when the first proper noun is equal to the second proper noun, the continuity determination portion determines that the continuity exists between the reference road and the determination target road.

8. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein, when the current location of the vehicle corresponds to one link of a double linked road, the travel road specification portion specifies both the one link and an other link of the double linked road as the travel road.

9. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein the extension road designation portion designates the first extension road and the second extension road to be distinguishable from the travel road.

10. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein the extension road designation portion designates the first extension road and the second extension road to be distinguishable from each other using a coefficient, the coefficient is correlated with a distance from the travel road to each of the first extension road and the second extension road.

11. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein the extension road designation portion designates a plurality of extension roads including the first extension road and the second extension road based on a predetermined connection count and a continuity determination performed by the continuity determination portion.

12. The navigation device according to claim 11,

wherein the extension road designation portion sets the predetermined connection count according to a scale of the travel road.

13. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein the travel road specification portion specifies the travel road and a travel times of the travel road traveled by the vehicle, and

wherein the extension road designation portion sets, based on the travel times of the travel road, a designation times of extension roads including the first extension road and the second extension road.

14. The navigation device according to claim 13,

wherein the extension road designation portion sets, based on a coefficient correlated with the travel times of the travel road, the designation times of extension roads including the first extension road and the second extension road.

15. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein the travel road specification portion specifies the travel road and determines whether a retrieved guidance route includes the travel road, and

wherein the extension road designation portion determines a designation times of extension roads including the first extension road and the second extension road based on whether the retrieved guidance route includes the travel road.

16. The navigation device according to claim 15,

wherein the extension road designation portion designates the extension roads distinguishable from each other based on whether the retrieved guidance route includes the travel road.

17-37. -37. (canceled)