Vehicle-guiding device for recognizing curved road and leading vehicle along curved road aurally

• US 5,444,629 A
• Filed: 07/19/1993
• Issued: 08/22/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kishi, Hiroshi, Ito, Toru, Yokoyama, Shoji, Kuroda, Kenji, Morimoto, Kyomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US08/092,815
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 364/443, 364/444, 364/449, 73/178 R, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0968 Systems involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice

Abstract

A voice expression selection processing section recognizes a route from data from a route memory. When a vehicle has reached a junction, it is judged whether or not a curved road is present at the junction on the basis of connecting road number data from a junction data storage section, connecting angle data and connecting road width data. The content of the voice expression is changed in accordance with a case where the curved road is present or another case where the curved road is absent. Particularly, when the curved road is present, the direction of this curved road is added as a base of the voice expression. Therefore, the voice expression which matches with the feeling of a driver can be carried out to achieve suitable car guidance.

Claims

1. A device for leading a vehicle along a route to a destination by issuing voice guidance at junctions of said route, said device comprising:

map information storage means for storing map information including information about structures of said junctions;

judging means for judging, before said vehicle reaches a junction on a current road of said route, whether or not said junction on said route includes a curved road on a basis of said map information, said curved road being connected to said junction at an angle less than a predetermined angle, said angle of said curved road being measured with respect to directions of said current road and said curved road;

voice expression deciding means for deciding, before said vehicle reaches said junction on said route, a guidance voice expression on a basis of said direction of said curved road; and

voice outputting means for outputting a voice in accordance with said guidance voice expression decided by said voice expression deciding means.

2. The device for leading a vehicle along a route to a destination by issuing voice guidance at junctions of said route according to claim 1, said device further comprising:

a route memory for memorizing said route to said destination of said vehicle; and

present position recognizing means for recognizing a present position of said vehicle;

said judging means judging whether or not a curved road is present at a next junction, when said vehicle reaches a predetermined distance before said next junction on said route.

3. The device for leading a vehicle along a route to a destination by issuing voice guidance at junctions of said route according to claim 2, wherein said voice expression deciding means decides said guidance voice expression so that no voice is output by said voice outputting means when said judging means judges that said junction includes a curved road and said curved road is on said route.

4. The device for leading a vehicle along a route to a destination by issuing voice guidance at junctions of said route according to claim 2, wherein said voice expression deciding means decides said guidance voice expression in accordance with an angle between directions of said curved road and another road when said junction includes a curved road but said curved road is not on said route.

5. The device for leading a vehicle along a route to a destination by issuing voice guidance at junctions of said route according to claim 2, wherein:

said information about structures of junctions includes road width data and connecting angle data of roads connected to said junctions; and

said judging means judges whether or not said junction on said route includes said curved road on a basis of said road width data and said connecting angle data.

6. The device for leading a vehicle along a route to a destination by issuing voice guidance at junctions of said route according to claim 2, wherein:

said information about structures of junctions includes curved road data, said curved road data including information regarding whether or not roads connected to junctions on said route are curved roads; and

said judging means judges whether or not said junction on said route includes a curved road on a basis of said curved road data.

7. The device for leading a vehicle along a route to a destination by issuing voice guidance at junctions of said route according to claim 2, further comprising:

a voice data storage section for storing a plurality of voice guidance expressions for each junction;

said voice outputting means reading one of said voice expressions from said voice data storage section on a basis of said guidance voice expression decided by said deciding means, and said voice outputting means then outputting said read one of said voice expressions.

8. The device for leading a vehicle along a route to a destination by issuing voice guidance at junctions of said route according to claim 2, further comprising display guide means for displaying said route on a display to guide said vehicle, whereby said voice guidance and display guidance are carried out together.

10. The device for leading a vehicle along a route to a destination by issuing voice guidance at junctions on curved roads of said route according to claim 1, wherein said judging means changes said predetermined angle in accordance with widths of roads connected to said junction.

11. The device for leading a vehicle along a route to a destination by issuing voice guidance at junctions on curved roads of said route according to claim 1, wherein said judging means changes said predetermined angle in accordance with angles between roads connected to said junction.

9. A device for leading a vehicle along a route to a destination by issuing voice guidance a junctions of said route, said device comprising:

map information storage means for storing map information including information about structures of said junctions;

judging means for judging whether or not a junction on said route includes a curved road on a basis of data regarding roads connected to said junction;

voice expression deciding means for deciding a guidance voice expression on a basis of said curved road; and

Voice outputting means for outputting a voice in accordance with said guidance voice expression decided by said voice expression deciding means, when said vehicle approaches said junction;

wherein said voice expression deciding means judges whether or not said decided guidance voice expression is confusing from said map information in accordance with a road on said route connected at said junction, and if said guidance voice expression is judged to be confusing, said voice expression deciding means adds a confirm guidance voice expression with said decided guidance voice expression, said confirm guidance voice expression being an expression urging a driver of said vehicle to confirm the decided guidance voice expression with said guidance displayed in a display.

12. A device for leading a vehicle along a route to a destination by issuing voice guidance at junctions on curved roads of said route, said device comprising:

map information storage means for storing map information including information as to whether or not each junction includes a curved road, wherein said curved road is connected to a junction at an angle less than a predetermined angle;

judging means for judging, before said vehicle reaches said junction on said route, whether or not said junction on said route includes a curved road on a basis of said map information;

voice expression deciding means for deciding, before said vehicle reaches said junction on said route, a guidance voice expression on a basis of an angle measured from a direction of said curved road; and

voice outputting means for outputting a voice in accordance with said guidance voice expression decided by said voice expression deciding means.