Route guidance apparatus and method

• US 6,718,262 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Mobile Communications Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Mieko, Hasegawa, Tamotsu, Kubota, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/379,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20030149525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/211, 701/213, 340/990, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• 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 database stores map data including road network data and landmark data. A route search unit searches for a route from a departure point to a destination point from the road network data stored in said database. A road pattern analysis unit analyzes a road pattern of the route by referring to the road network data, and obtains road pattern data as the analysis result. A route guidance information generation unit generates route guidance information of the route using the road pattern data and the landmark data along the route. A presentation unit presents the route guidance information.

Claims

1. A pedestrian route guidance apparatus, comprising:

a database configured to store map data including road network data and landmark data;

a route search unit configured to search for a route from a departure point to a destination point from the road network data stored in the database, and to divide the route into a departure area, a destination area, and an intermediate area, wherein the departure area is a route area from the departure point to a first target point, the destination area is a route area from a last target point to the destination point, and the intermediate area is a junction area excluding the departure area and the destination area from the route;

a road pattern analysis unit configured to analyze a road pattern of the route by referring to the road network data, wherein said road pattern includes the number of routes extending from a junction point to outside of the junction area, an angle difference between a direction of entering route to the junction point and each direction of other routes from the junction point, and a width of each route, and to obtain road pattern data as the analysis result;

a route guidance information generation unit configured to generate route guidance information of the route using the road pattern data and the landmark data along the route; and

a presentation unit configured to present the route guidance information.

2. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the road network data includes a plurality of nodes and a plurality of arcs each connecting two nodes;

wherein node data of each node includes a node identifier, a node name, a number of arcs connecting the node, and an arrangement of arc identifiers connecting the node; and

wherein arc data of each arc includes an arc identifier, positions of starting point and end point of the arc, an arc name, and an arc width.

3. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the landmark data includes a landmark identifier, a landmark name, a class of a landmark, a priority degree, and a position of the landmark.

4. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an input unit configured to input the departure point and the destination point by a user.

5. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said road pattern analysis unit calculates a first angle difference between the entering direction to the junction point and a direction of advance route from the junction point, and respectively calculates a second angle difference between the entering direction and each direction of the other routes.

6. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said road pattern analysis unit calculates a third angle difference between the advance direction from the junction point and a direction of a second route connected from the junction point in counterclockwise direction, and calculates a fourth angle difference between the advance direction and a direction of a third route connected from the junction point in clockwise direction.

7. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said road pattern analysis unit calculates a ratio of road widths of the entering route and the advance route, and calculates a ratio of a maximum road widths of other routes and a maximum road widths of the entering route and the advance route.

8. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 6, wherein if the third angle difference and the fourth angle difference are approximately 45°

, said road pattern analysis unit decides the junction pattern as a Y-crossing.

9. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 6, wherein if the third angle difference and the fourth angle difference are approximately 90°

, said road pattern analysis unit decides the junction pattern as a T-crossing.

10. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein said road pattern analysis unit includes a decision dictionary configured to store an expression of route guidance in correspondence with a combination of the first angle difference and each second angle difference for each number of routes, and

wherein the expression of route guidance represents for a pedestrian how to advance in the junction area.

11. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein said database previously stores a plurality of expression models as a route guidance sentence pattern each corresponding to the expression of route guidance in the decision dictionary;

and

wherein said route guidance information generation unit retrieves the expression of route guidance corresponding to the combination of the first angle difference and the second angle difference of the number of routes from the decision dictionary, and selects the expression model corresponding to the expression of route guidance from said database.

12. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said route guidance information generation unit sets a landmark search area corresponding to the selected expression model around the junction, extracts landmark search data in the landmark area from said database, and adds the landmark data to the selected expression model to generate a route guidance sentence.

13. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein said database previously stores a plurality of presentation patterns as a route segment each corresponding to the expression of route guidance in the decision dictionary;

and

wherein said decision dictionary respectively stores addresses of the presentation patterns corresponding to expressions of route guidance.

14. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said route guidance information generation unit retrieves the address of the presentation pattern corresponding to the expression of route guidance from the decision dictionary, selects the presentation pattern corresponding to the address from said database, and connects each selected presentation pattern from the departure point to the destination point in order to generate a simplified map.

15. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the presentation pattern is one of bit map data and vector data.

16. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 15, wherein if the presentation pattern is the vector data, said route guidance information generation unit eliminates an unnecessary arrow and an unnecessary line from a connected vector route.

17. The route guidance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if four routes exist in front of a station and form a closed loop, said road pattern analysis unit decides an area surrounded by the four routes as a station rotary.

18. A pedestrian route guidance method, comprising:

storing map data including road network data and landmark data in a database;

searching for a route from a departure point to a destination point from the road network data stored in the database;

dividing the route into a departure area, a destination area, and an intermediate area, wherein the departure area is a route area from the departure point to a first target point, the destination area is a route area from a last target point to the destination point, and the intermediate area is a junction area excluding the departure area and the destination area from the route;

analyzing a road pattern of the route by referring to the road network data, wherein the road pattern includes the number of routes extending from a junction point to outside of the junction area, an angle difference between a direction of entering route to the junction point and each direction of other routes from the junction point, and a width of each route;

obtaining road pattern data as the analysis result;

generating route guidance information of the route using the road pattern data and the landmark data along the route; and

presenting the route guidance information.

19. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer readable program code embodied in said product for causing a computer to execute pedestrian route guidance, said computer readable program having;

a first program code to store map data including road network data and landmark data in a database;

a second program code to search for a route from a departure point to a destination point from the road network data stored in the database;

a third program code to divide the route into a departure area, a destination area, and an intermediate area, wherein the departure area is a route area from the departure point to a first target point, the destination area is a route area from a last target point to the destination point, and the intermediate area is a junction area excluding the departure area and the destination area from the route;

a fourth program code to analyze a road pattern of the route by referring to the road network data, wherein the road pattern includes the number of routes extending from a junction point to outside of the junction area, an angle difference between a direction of entering route to the junction point and each direction of other routes from the junction point, and a width of each route;

a fifth program code to obtain road pattern data as the analysis result;

a sixth program code to generate route guidance information of the route using the road pattern data and the landmark data along the route; and

a seventh program code to present the route guidance information.