Vehicular navigation system and storage medium

• US 6,226,590 B1
• Filed: 08/07/1998
• Issued: 05/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Koji, Fukaya, Takaharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US09/131,332
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/213, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 342/357.06, 342/357.08, 342/357.13
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• 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 vehicular navigation system is described as including a present position detector for detecting the present position of a vehicle; an input device for inputting information necessary for computing a guidance route; an output device for outputting information for route guidance; an information storage unit containing stored road information including branch data and link data and other data necessary for providing the guidance; a route search section for searching for a guidance route on the basis of the information input by the input means; a route information storage unit for storing the guidance route information registered by the route search section; and guide control section for outputting guidance information for a next guide branch to the output means, on the basis of the guidance route and the present position detected by the present position detector. The guide control section acquires the information for the next guide intersection from the route information storage unit and acquires information for roads at the guide branch from the road information held by the information storage unit, and determines the guidance information for the next guide intersection on the basis of an identified admission road to the guide intersection and the link data of the road information.

Claims

1. A vehicular navigation system comprising:

present position detecting means for detecting the present position of a vehicle;

input means for inputting information necessary for a route search;

guidance information storage means containing stored road information including intersection data and link data;

route search means for searching the road information to determine a guidance route on the basis of the information input by said input means;

output means for outputting guidance information for the guidance route;

route information storage means for storing the information for the guidance route determined by said route search means; and

guide control means for outputting guidance information for a next intersection to said output means on the basis of the guidance route and the present position detected by said present position detecting means,

wherein said guide control means acquires the guidance information for the next intersection from said route information storage means and information for link data of the next intersection from the road information of said guidance information storage means, and determines a guidance instruction for the next intersection on the basis of a road identified as an admission road to the next intersection and the link data of the next intersection.

2. A vehicular navigation system comprising:

present position detecting means for detecting the present position of a vehicle;

input means for inputting information necessary for a route search;

guidance information storage means containing stored road information including intersection data and link data;

route search means for searching the road information to determine a guidance route on the basis of the information input by said input means;

output means for outputting guidance information for the guidance route;

route information storage means for storing the information for the guidance route determined by said route search means; and

guide control means for outputting guidance information for a next intersection to said output means on the basis of the guidance route and the present position detected by said present position detecting means,

wherein said guide control means acquires the guidance information for the next intersection from said route information storage means and information for a road joining the next intersection from the road information of said guidance information storage means, determines a guidance instruction for the next intersection on the basis of a road identified as an admission road to the next intersection and the link data of said road information, and skips a road having a link attribute in the determination of the guidance instruction.

3. A vehicular navigation system comprising:

present position detecting means for detecting the present position of a vehicle;

input means for inputting information necessary for a route search;

guidance information storage means containing stored road information including intersection data and link data;

route search means for searching the road information to determine a guidance route on the basis of the information input by said input means;

output means for outputting guidance information for the guidance route;

route information storage means for storing the information for the guidance route determined by said route search means; and

guide control means for outputting guidance information for a next intersection to said output means on the basis of the guidance route and the present position detected by said present position detecting means,

wherein said guide control means acquires the guidance information for the next intersection from said route information storage means and information for a road joining the next intersection from the road information of said guidance information storage means, determines a guidance instruction for the next intersection on the basis of a road identified as an admission road to the next intersection and the link data of said road information, and registers a road having no link attribute as a road departing the next intersection.

4. A storage medium having programs packaged therein for searching for a route to a destination from a starting place or a present location and for providing guidance along the searched route, said programs comprising routines for:

identifying a next guide intersection on the searched route;

acquiring data for all roads departing the identified next guide intersection, said data including link data for each departing road characterizing each departing road as either having an intersection link attribute or not having an intersection link attribute;

registering one of the roads as departing the guide intersection point on condition that the road has no intersection link attribute; and

determining a guidance instruction for the next guide intersection based on the one registered road.

5. A storage medium according to claim 4, wherein said routines, in determining the guidance instruction, skip any road among the acquired roads which is characterized as having the intersection link attribute.

6. A vehicular navigation system comprising:

present position detecting means for detecting the present position of a vehicle;

input means for inputting information necessary for a route search;

guidance information storage means containing road information stored therein, said road information including intersection data describing guide intersections, road data describing road segments and link data indicating whether or not a road segment is internal to an intersection;

route search means for determining a guidance route on the basis of the information input by said input means;

route information storage means for storing the information on the guidance route determined by said route search means; and

guide control means for selectively retrieving information for a next intersection on the guidance route from said route information storage means, for identifying an admission road segment by which the guidance route enters the next guide intersection, for retrieving road information on another road segment joining the next guide intersection from the road data stored in the information storage means, for examining the link data for the another road segment, for identifying a road segment departing the next guide intersection as suitable for guidance based on said examination of the link data, and for determining a guidance instruction for the next guide intersection based on the identified admission road segment and the identified departing road segment; and

output means for outputting guidance information for the guidance route selectively retrieved from said guidance information storage means.

7. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 6,

wherein a road segment identified by the link data as being internal to an intersection is treated by said guide as ineligible for identification as the departing road segment.

8. A vehicular navigation system according to claim 6,

wherein each road segment is characterized by the link data as either having or not having a link attribute indicative of a road segment internal to an intersection, wherein road segments characterized as having the link attribute are treated by said guide control means as ineligible for identification as the departing road segment and wherein said guide control means registers a road segment not having the link attribute as the identified departing road segment.