Voice route-guidance system and method having a function for judging approachment to a decision point

• US 5,793,631 A
• Filed: 03/06/1995
• Issued: 08/11/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Atsushi, Kishi, Hiroshi, Ito, Toru, Nimura, Mitsuhiro, Hiyokawa, Toyoji, Katoh, Shinichi, Maekawa, Kazuteru, Nanba, Akimasa, Ohara, Shigekazu
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US08/400,005
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 364/444, 364/449, 364/443, 364/424.02, 364/424.01, 364/450, 364/457, 364/449.1, 364/449.2, 364/449.3, 364/449.4, 364/449.5, 364/449.8, 364/444.1, 364/444.2, 364/424.029, 364/424.027, 364/424.028, 364/454, 364/453, 340/990, 340/995, 340/988, 73/178 R, 342/450, 342/451, 342/457
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0373 Voice control in general G10L
• 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: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• 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 route-guidance system for vehicles which terminates its route-guidance when the vehicle arrives at the destination and even if the present position of the vehicle is measured with low accuracy. An approach judging unit judges that the vehicle approaches a point spaced apart from a destination by a predetermined distance. A guidance termination judging unit further judges whether or not there is a point in which the route-guidance should be carried out between the present vehicle position and the destination. From these judgments, the system judges that the vehicle approaches the point spaced apart from the destination by the predetermined distance and also that all the route-guidance has been terminated. Thus, a termination unit terminates the route-guidance.

Claims

1. A route-guidance system for a vehicle comprising:

means for storing data relating to a route from a start position to a destination;

means for continuously detecting a present position of said vehicle;

approach judgement means for judging that said vehicle has reached a location spaced before said destination by a predetermined distance by continuously monitoring a distance between said detected present position and said destination and comparing said monitored distance to said predetermined distance;

guidance termination judging means for judging whether a final route-guidance has been performed; and

guidance terminating means for terminating said route-guidance and providing a message which indicates a relationship between said present position and said destination to place an operator of said vehicle on notice that said route-guidance is terminated responsive to said vehicle reaching said location spaced before said destination and said final route-guidance having been performed.

2. A route-guidance system according to claim 1, wherein said approach judgement means takes into account at least one of:

a predetermined inaccuracy of said means for detecting said present position of said vehicle; and

a predetermined inaccuracy of said stored data with respect to a position of said destination.

3. A method of guiding a vehicle under a route-guidance, said method comprising steps of:

storing data relating from a start position to a route to a destination;

continuously detecting a present position of said vehicle;

judging that said vehicle has reached a location spaced before said destination by a predetermined distance by continuously monitoring a distance between said detected present position and said destination and comparing said monitored distance to said predetermined distance;

judging whether a final route-guidance has been performed; and

terminating said route-guidance and providing a message which indicates a relationship between said present position and said destination to place an operator of said vehicle on notice that said route-guidance has terminated responsive to said vehicle reaching said location spaced before said destination and said final route-guidance having been performed.

4. A method of guiding a vehicle under a route-guidance according to claim 3, wherein said step of judging that said vehicle has approached said location spaced before said destination by said predetermined amount takes into account at least one of:

a predetermined inaccuracy of said step of detecting said present position of said vehicle; and

a predetermined inaccuracy of said stored data with respect to a position of said destination.

5. A route-guidance system for a vehicle comprising:

means for storing data relating to a route from a start position to a destination;

means for continuously detecting a present position of said vehicle; and

route-guidance control means for controlling a route guidance of said route-guidance system on a basis of said present position of said vehicle and on a basis of said data relating to said route, said control means including;

approach judgement means for detecting that a distance between said present vehicle position and said destination is at not greater than a predetermined value to judge whether said vehicle is approaching said destination, and

means for terminating said route-guidance and providing a message which indicates a relationship between said present position and said destination to place an operator of said vehicle on notice that said route-guidance has terminated responsive to said approach judgement means judging that said vehicle is approaching said destination.

6. A route-guidance system according to claim 5, wherein said route-guidance control means and said approach judgement means take into account at least one of:

a predetermined inaccuracy in said means for detecting said present position of said vehicle; and

a predetermined inaccuracy in said stored data with respect to a position of said destination.

7. A route-guidance system for a vehicle comprising:

means for storing data relating to a route from a start position to a destination;

means for continuously detecting a present position of said vehicle; and

route-guidance control means for controlling a route guidance on a basis of said present position of said vehicle and on a basis of said data relating to said route, said control means including;

means for checking said data stored in said means for storing data to judge whether a final route-guidance has been issued, and

means for terminating said route-guidance and providing a message which indicates a relationship between said present position and said destination to place an operator of said vehicle on notice that said route-guidance has terminated before said vehicle reaches said destination responsive to said means for checking said data judging that said final route-guidance has been issued.

8. A route-guidance system according to claim 7, wherein said route-guidance control means and said means for terminating said route-guidance with a message take into account at least one of:

a predetermined inaccuracy in said means for detecting said present position of said vehicle; and

a predetermined inaccuracy in said stored data with respect to a position of said destination.

9. A route-guidance system for a vehicle comprising:

means for storing data relating to a route from a start position to a destination;

means for continuously detecting a present position of said vehicle; and

route-guidance control means for controlling a route guidance on a basis of said present position of said vehicle and on a basis of said data relating to said route, said control means including;

approach judgement means for detecting that a distance between said present position of said vehicle and said destination is not greater than a predetermined value to judge that said vehicle is approaching said destination,

final guidance judgement means for checking said data stored in said route-storing means to judge whether a final guidance to said destination has been issued responsive to said detected distance between said present position of said vehicle and said destination being not greater than a predetermined value, and

means for terminating said route-guidance and providing a message which indicates a relationship between said present position and said destination to place an operator of said vehicle on notice that said route-guidance has terminated responsive to said vehicle is approaching said destination and said final guidance having been issued.

10. A route-guidance system according to claim 9, wherein said approach judgement means, said final guidance judgement means, and said means for terminating said route-guidance all take into account at least one of:

a predetermined inaccuracy in said means for detecting said present position of said vehicle; and

a predetermined inaccuracy in said stored data with respect to a position of said destination.

11. A route-guidance system for a vehicle comprising:

means for setting a desired transit point;

means for storing data relating to a route from a start position to a destination via said transit point;

means for continuously detecting a present position of said vehicle; and

means for controlling route-guidance based on said present position of said vehicle and based on said route to a destination via said transit point, said controlling means including;

means for comparing said detected present position of said vehicle with said transit point to judge whether said vehicle has passed through said transit point,

said controlling means issuing route-guidance from said present position of said vehicle to said transit point responsive to said vehicle having not yet passed said transit point, and

said controlling means issuing route-guidance from said present position of said vehicle to said destination responsive to said vehicle having passed through said transit point.

12. A route-guidance system according to claim 11, wherein said means for comparing said detected position of said vehicle with said transit point takes into account at least one of:

a predetermined inaccuracy in said means for detecting said present position of said vehicle; and

a predetermined inaccuracy in said stored data with respect to a position of said destination.

13. A route-guidance system for a vehicle comprising:

means for storing data relating to a route from a start position to a destination;

means for continuously detecting a present position of said vehicle;

control means for controlling route-guidance based on said present position of said vehicle and based on said data relating to said route to said destination; and

restart directing means for directing a restart of said route-guidance;

said control means including;

means for detecting that a distance between said present position of said vehicle and said destination is not greater than a predetermined value to judge that said vehicle is approaching said destination,

means for terminating said route guidance responsive to said distance being not greater than said predetermined value, and

means for judging whether said present position of said vehicle is on said route to said destination,

wherein route-guidance by said control means is started again after being terminated by said terminating means responsive to an instruction from said restart directing means if said detection means does not detect that a distance between said present position of said vehicle and said destination is not greater than said predetermined value and said judging means judges that said vehicle is on said route.

14. A route-guidance system according to claim 13, wherein said means for detecting that said distance between said present position of said vehicle and said destination takes into account at least one of:

a predetermined inaccuracy in said means for detecting said present position of said vehicle; and

a predetermined inaccuracy in said stored data with respect to a location of said destination.

15. A method of guiding a vehicle using route-guidance, said method comprising steps of:

storing data relating to a route from a start position to a destination;

continuously detecting a present position of said vehicle; and

controlling said route-guidance on a basis of said present position and on a basis of said vehicle and said data relating to said route, said step of controlling said route-guidance including steps of;

judging whether said vehicle is approaching said destination by detecting that a distance between said present vehicle position and said destination is not greater than a predetermined value, and

terminating said route-guidance and providing a message which indicates a relationship between said present position and said destination to place an operator of said vehicle on notice that said route-guidance has terminated responsive to said vehicle being judged to be approaching said destination.

16. A route-guidance system according to claim 15, wherein said step of judging takes into account at least one of:

a predetermined inaccuracy in said step of detecting said present position of said vehicle; and

a predetermined inaccuracy in said stored data with respect to a location of said destination.

17. A method of guiding a vehicle using route-guidance, said method comprising steps of:

storing data relating to a route from a start position to a destination;

continuously detecting a present position of said vehicle; and

controlling said route-guidance on a basis of said present position of said vehicle and on a basis of said data relating to said route, said step of controlling said route-guidance including steps of;

judging whether a final route-guidance has been issued using said stored data relating to said route to said destination, and

terminating said route-guidance and providing a message which indicates a relationship between said present position and said destination to place an operator of said vehicle on notice that said route-guidance has terminated before said vehicle reaches said destination responsive to said final route-guidance having been issued.

18. A route-guidance system according to claim 17, wherein said step of controlling said route-guidance takes into account at least one of:

a predetermined inaccuracy in said step of detecting said present position of said vehicle; and

a predetermined inaccuracy in said stored data with respect to a location of said destination.

19. A method of guiding a vehicle using route-guidance, said method comprising steps of:

storing data relating to a route from a start position to a destination;

continuously detecting a present position of said vehicle; and

controlling said route-guidance on a basis of said present position of said vehicle and on a basis of said data relating to said route, said step of controlling said route-guidance including steps of;

judging that said vehicle is approaching said destination by detecting that a distance between said present position of said vehicle and said destination is not greater than a predetermined value,

judging whether a final guidance to said destination has been issued by checking said stored data relating to said route to said destination responsive to said detected distance between said present position of said vehicle and said destination being not greater than a predetermined value, and

terminating said route-guidance and providing a message which indicates a relationship between said present position and said destination to place an operator of said vehicle on notice that said route-guidance has terminated responsive to said vehicle being judged to be approaching said destination and said final guidance to said destination having been issued.

20. A route-guidance system according to claim 19, wherein said step of judging that said vehicle is approaching said destination, and said step of judging whether or not said final guidance to said destination has been issued, take into account at least one of:

a predetermined inaccuracy in said step of detecting said present position of said vehicle; and

a predetermined inaccuracy in said stored data with respect to a location of said destination.

21. A method of guiding a vehicle using route-guidance, said method comprising steps of:

setting a desired transit point;

storing data relating to a route from a start position to a destination via said transit point;

continuously detecting a present position of said vehicle; and

controlling said route-guidance based on said present position of said vehicle and based on said route to a destination via said transit point, said step of controlling said route-guidance including steps of;

judging whether said vehicle has passed through said transit point by comparing said detected present position of said vehicle with said transit point,

issuing route-guidance from said present position of said vehicle to said transit point responsive to said vehicle having not yet passed said transit point, and

issuing route-guidance from said present position of said vehicle to said destination responsive to said vehicle having passed through said transit point.

22. A route-guidance system according to claim 21, wherein said step of judging that said vehicle has passed through said transit point takes into account at least one of:

a predetermined inaccuracy in said step of detecting said present position of said vehicle; and

a predetermined inaccuracy in said stored data with respect to a location of said destination.

23. A method of guiding a vehicle using route-guidance, said method comprising steps of:

storing data relating to a route from a start position to a destination;

continuously detecting a present position of said vehicle;

controlling said route-guidance based on said present position of said vehicle and based on said data relating to said route to said destination, said step of controlling said route-guidance including steps of;

judging that said vehicle is approaching said destination by detecting that a distance between said present position of said vehicle and said destination is not greater than a predetermined value,

terminating said route guidance responsive to said distance being not greater than said predetermined value, and

judging whether said present position of said vehicle is on said route to said destination,

restarting said route-guidance after said route-guidance was previously terminated in said terminating step responsive to a failure to detect that a distance between said present position of said vehicle and said destination is not greater than said predetermined value and a determination that said vehicle is on said route to said destination.

24. A route-guidance system according to claim 23, wherein said step of judging that said vehicle is approaching said destination takes into account at least one of:

a predetermined inaccuracy in said step of detecting said present position of said vehicle; and

a predetermined inaccuracy in said stored data with respect to a location of said destination.