Dynamic route guidance apparatus

• US 6,098,016 A
• Filed: 12/01/1997
• Issued: 08/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishihara, Fuminari
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US08/982,265
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/212, 701/200-201, 701/23, 701/206, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle route guide system in which a vehicle transmits a destination to a control center, and the control center obtains an optimum route in consideration of current traffic conditions and notifies the vehicle of the route. In order to avoid a detour from a desirable route to the destination, the vehicle itself searches a route to the destination, and transmits destination data on a link to the control center. The link is located nearest to the destination among all UTMS links on the searched route, the UTMS links being controlled by the control center. Receiving the data, the control center calculates a recommended route which includes the notified link as a tailing link, and informs the vehicle of the route. The vehicle combines the searched route and the informed route into a final guiding route.

Claims

1. A route guidance apparatus comprising:

memory which stores road data and map data;

a searching processor which searches for a route leading to a desired destination by utilizing the map data; and

a transmitter which transmits data on a road overlapping with the route searched to a control center, as guiding destination data,

wherein the control center obtains a recommended route based on the guiding destination data, and informs a vehicle of the recommended route.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the road data is link data, and

the transmitter transmits to the control center link data regarding a link which is located nearest to the desired destination among all links on the route searched, as the guiding destination.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the link data transmitted by the transmitter to the control center is link data on a route from a present position of the vehicle to the desired destination.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the link data by the transmitter to the control center is link data on a link having at least one end overlapping with the route searched.

5. The route guidance apparatus of claim 2, wherein if two lines overlap with the route searched, the transmitting means transmits to the control center link data regarding the link located nearest to the guiding destination.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a processor which replaces a part of the route searched with a corresponding part of the recommended route transmitted by the control center, the recommended route replacement part covering from a present position of the vehicle to an overlapping point of the road data and the route searched.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the road data is node data and link data, and

the transmitter transmits to the control center node data regarding a nearest node as the guiding destination data when all links including the nearest node as a tailing end allow further proceeding therefrom toward the desired destination, the nearest node being located nearest to the desired destination among all nodes on the searched route.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the road data is node data and link data, and

the transmitter transmits to the control center link data on a link which directs opposite to a link which solely does not allow further proceeding therefrom toward the desired destination among all links including the nearest node as a tailing end, the nearest node being located nearest to the desired destination among all nodes on the searched route.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the road data is node data and link data, and

the transmitter transmits to the control center link data on any links which allow further proceeding therefrom toward the desired destination on condition that a link located nearest to the desired destination of all the links on the search route is farther away from a node located nearest to the desired destination of all the nodes on the searched route by more than a predetermined distance, when a plurality of links among all links including the nearest node do not allow further proceeding therefrom toward the desired destination.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the road data is node data and link data, and

the transmitter transmits to the control center link data on a link which is a thoroughfare among all links which allow further proceeding therefrom toward the desired destination, as the guiding destination data, when a plurality of links among all links including a nearest node located nearest to the desired destination among all the nodes of the search route do not allow further proceeding therefrom toward the desired destination.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the road data is node data and link data, and

the transmitter transmits to the control center link data regarding a link which goes in a direction substantially matching with a direction from a present position of a vehicle to the guiding destination, among all links which allow further proceeding therefrom toward the desired destination, as the guiding destination data, when a plurality of links among all links including the nearest node as a tailing end do not allow further proceeding therefrom toward the desired destination, the nearest node being located nearest to the desired destination among all nodes on the searched route.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the road data is node data and link data, and

the transmitter transmits to the control center link data regarding a link with a fastest traveling speed among all links which allow further proceeding therefrom toward the desired destination, as the guiding destination data, when a plurality of links among all links including a nearest node located nearest to the desired destination of all the nodes on the searched route do not allow further proceeding therefrom toward the desired destination.

13. The route guidance apparatus of claim 1, wherein a flag is used to indicate when a road overlaps the route searched.

14. A dynamic route guidance apparatus comprising:

means for storing road data held by a control center and map data;

means for searching for a route leading to a desired destination by utilizing the map data; and

means for transmitting to the control center data on a road overlapping with the route searched, as guiding destination data,

wherein the control center obtains a recommended route based on the guiding destination data, and informs a vehicle of the recommended route.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

the means for searching replaces a part of the route searched with a corresponding part of the recommended route transmitted by the control center, the part covering from a present position of a vehicle to an overlapping point with the road for the road data held by the control center.

16. The route guidance apparatus of claim 14, wherein the recommended route is determined based on travel time, connection or tollgate costs, or traffic condition information.