Vehicle navigation apparatus providing proper guidance for off-road net conditions

• US 6,453,235 B1
• Filed: 07/09/1999
• Issued: 09/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.), Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.), Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sato, Yoshikazu, Shishido, Kan, Endo, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US09/350,775
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/212, 701/213, 701/214, 701/215, 701/216, 701/217, 701/221, 701/23, 701/26, 701/208, 340/988, 340/989, 340/990, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993, 340/994, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635

Abstract

A vehicle navigation apparatus that does not output an inappropriate or irrelevant guidance picture display or spoken guidance even when the vehicle enters an area off the roads (e.g. a parking lot, campus, factory, or facility grounds, or park) stored in the apparatus'"'"' road map data base, and which provides a correct guidance picture display and a correct spoken guidance for navigation to a destination. When the apparatus detects entry of the vehicle into such an area off the roads stored in the map data base, a guidance picture is changed to a map picture, and the apparatus stops correcting the vehicle position by map matching. When the apparatus detects an exit of the vehicle from such an area, the apparatus restarts correcting the vehicle position by map matching and a map picture is changed to a guidance picture.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus which displays a guidance picture for navigating a vehicle to a destination, said navigation apparatus comprising:

a map data base storing road network data and map data for a first predetermined area;

a vehicle position corrector means coupled to said map database and which obtains, by map matching processing, a most probable candidate road satisfying a predetermined condition, which corrects a vehicle position to a point on the most probable candidate road, and thereafter continues the map matching processing each time a predetermined distance is traveled by the vehicle;

a detector which detects an entry of the vehicle into a second area off any road in the road network data wherein said second area is included in said first predetermined area; and

a display control means coupled to the detector for changing the guidance picture to a map picture showing a map image surrounding the vehicle position and a vehicle position mark when the vehicle is detected entering said second area;

wherein said vehicle position corrector means stops correcting the vehicle position by the map matching processing when the vehicle is detected entering said second area.

2. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second detector coupled to said display control means and which detects an exit of the vehicle from said second area, wherein, when the vehicle is detected existing said second area, said vehicle position corrector means restarts correcting the vehicle position by the map matching processing and said display control means changes the map picture to the guidance picture.

3. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second area is off any road in the road network data and is one of a facility grounds, a parking lot, a campus, and a park.

7. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein entry into said second area is determined if the heading of the vehicle is changed by an angle equal to or larger than a predetermined angle if the vehicle speed at the time of a change in the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined speed and if no map matching candidate road exists.

8. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein entry into said second area is determined if a heading of the vehicle is changed by an angle equal to or larger than a predetermined angle, if a vehicle speed at the time of a change in the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined speed, if a directional difference from a direction of travel of the vehicle is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, and if no candidate road is within a predetermined distance of the vehicle position.

9. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein entry into said second area is determined if a heading of the vehicle is changed by an angle equal to or larger than a predetermined angle, if a vehicle speed at a time of a change in the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed, and if a ratio of a distance to a map matching candidate road to a straight distance on a traveled road is equal to or larger than a predetermined value.

10. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a self-contained navigation sensor, and entry into said second area is determined if a heading of the vehicle is changed by an angle equal to or larger than a predetermined angle, if a vehicle speed at a time of a change in the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed, and if a ratio of a distance to a map matching candidate road to a straight distance on a traveled road is equal to or larger than a detection error of the self-contained navigation sensor.

11. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein entry into said second area is determined if a heading of the vehicle is changed by an angle equal to or larger than a predetermined angle, if a vehicle speed at a time of a change in the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined speed, and if a ratio of a distance to a map matching candidate road to a straight distance on a traveled road is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, and if a distance from the vehicle position to the candidate road is equal to or larger than a predetermined value.

12. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a self-contained navigation sensor and entry into said second area is determined if a heading of the vehicle is changed by an angle equal to or larger than a predetermined angle, if a vehicle speed at a time of a change in the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed, and if a ratio of a distance to a map matching candidate road to a straight distance on a traveled road is equal to or larger than a detection error of the self-contained navigation sensor, and if a distance from the vehicle position to the candidate road is equal to or larger than a predetermined value.

13. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exit from said second area is determined if a vehicle speed is higher than a predetermined speed, and if a map matching candidate road exists.

14. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exit from said second area is determined if a vehicle speed is higher than a predetermined speed, and if a directional difference from the direction of travel of the vehicle is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, and if a candidate road exists within a predetermined distance of the vehicle position.

4. A navigation apparatus which calculates a guided route from a starting point to a destination and stores the guided route in a memory, and which displays a guidance picture for navigating a vehicle to the destination according to the guided route, said navigation apparatus comprising:

a map data base storing road network data and map data for a first predetermined area;

a vehicle position corrector means coupled to said map database for obtaining by map matching processing, a most probable candidate road satisfying a predetermined condition, and correcting the vehicle position to a point on the most probable candidate road, and for thereafter continuing the map matching processing each time a predetermined distance is traveled;

a route calculator means coupled to said vehicle position corrector means for calculating a guided route from the present vehicle position to the destination when the vehicle deviates from the guided route;

a detector coupled to said map database and which detects an entry of the vehicle into a second area off any road in the road network data, wherein said second area is included in said first predetermined area; and

a display control means coupled to said detector for changing a guidance picture to a map picture showing a map image surrounding the vehicle position and a vehicle position mark when the vehicle is detected entering said second area,

wherein, when the vehicle is detected entering said second area, said vehicle position corrector means stops correcting the vehicle position by the map matching processing and said route calculator means stops calculating the guided route.

5. A navigation apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a second detector coupled to said display control means and which detects an exit of the vehicle from said second area, wherein, when the vehicle is detected exiting said second area, said vehicle position corrector means restarts correcting the vehicle position by the map matching processing and said route calculator means newly calculates a guided route from the present vehicle position to the destination if the vehicle is not on the guided route, and said display control means displays a guidance picture for navigating the vehicle to the destination along the newly calculated guided route.

6. A navigation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said second area is off any road in the road network data and is one of a facility grounds, a parking lot, a campus and a park.