Navigation apparatus and storage medium therefor

• US 6,795,769 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2001
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisan AW Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamada, Kunihiro, Kaji, Takanori, Ishibashi, Noboru
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomac G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Donnelly, Arthur D.
• Application Number:
  US09/953,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20030028318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/200, 701/201, 701/206, 701/210, 340/990, 340/995, 731/78.R
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed is a navigation apparatus for a vehicle, which detects a present location of a mobile body, searches for a route to a destination based on map data and roads ranked in accordance with a degree of details of roads, and outputs information of the searched route. An optimal route from a present location to a destination is searched for using the map data every predetermined time or every predetermined distance. A storage medium incorporates a program that has the capabilities of the navigation apparatus.

Claims

1. A navigation system for searching for a route to a destination, comprising:

a present-location detector which detects a present location;

a memory which holds information necessary for route searching including map data hierarchized in accordance with a degree of details of roads;

an output interface which outputs route information; and

a controller which searches for a route based on present-location information detected by the present-location detector and the map data and outputs the route information to the output interface,

wherein the controller newly searches for an optimal route from a present location to the destination based on the map data every predetermined time or every predetermined distance.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller outputs both information of a newly searched route and information of a present route to the output interface.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller compares a newly searched route with a present route and outputs information of the newly searched route to the output interface if a travel time for the newly searched route or a travel distance of the newly searched route is smaller than a travel time for the present route or a travel distance of the present route.

4. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller compares a newly searched route with a present route, and changes a guided route to the newly searched route and outputs information of the newly searched route to the output interface automatically or based on a manual instruction if a travel time for the newly searched route or a travel distance of the newly searched route is smaller than a travel time for the present route or a travel distance of the present route.

5. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller outputs information of a difference between a newly searched route and a present route to the output interface.

6. The navigation system according to claim 2, wherein the controller outputs information of a difference between the newly searched route and the present route to the output interface.

7. The navigation system according to claim 3, wherein the controller outputs information of a difference between the newly searched route and the present route to the output interface.

8. The navigation system according to claim 4, wherein the controller outputs information of a difference between the newly searched route and the present route to the output interface.

9. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller computes a distance from a present location detected by the present-location detector to a route branch point at which a newly searched route branches from a present route, and outputs information of the newly searched route to the output interface if the distance is smaller than a predetermined value.

10. The navigation system according to claim 2, wherein the controller computes a distance from a present location detected by the present-location detector to a route branch point at which a newly searched route branches from a present route, and outputs information of the newly searched route to the output interface if the distance is smaller than a predetermined value.

11. The navigation system according to claim 3, wherein the controller computes a distance from a present location detected by the present-location detector to a route branch point at which a newly searched route branches from a present route, and outputs information of the newly searched route to the output interface if the distance is smaller than a predetermined value.

12. The navigation system according to claim 4, wherein the controller computes a distance from a present location detected by the present-location detector to a route branch point at which a newly searched route branches from a present route, and outputs information of the newly searched route to the output interface if the distance is smaller than a predetermined value.

13. The navigation system according to claim 5, wherein the controller computes a distance from a present location detected by the present-location detector to a route branch point at which a newly searched route branches from a present route, and outputs information of the newly searched route to the output interface if the distance is smaller than a predetermined value.

14. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller newly searches for an optimal route from the present location to the destination based on the map data every predetermined time.

15. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller newly searches for an optimal route from the present location to the destination based on the map every predetermined distance.

16. A navigation system for searching a route to a destination, comprising:

a present-location detector which detects a present location;

a memory which holds information necessary for route searching including map data hierarchized in accordance with a degree of details of roads;

an output interface which outputs route information;

a controller which newly searches a route based on present-location information detected by the present-location detector and the map data every predetermined time or every predetermined distance and outputting the route information to the output interface; and

an input interface which selects a route,

wherein the controller outputs both a presently guided route and a newly searched route to the output interface when the newly searched route is different from the presently guided route, and guides based on a route selected by the input interface.

17. A method for searching a route from a present location to a destination comprising:

determining the present location;

searching for a route to the destination based on map data hierarchized in accordance with a degree of details of roads; and

outputting information of the searched route,

wherein an optimal route from a present location to the destination is newly searched every predetermined time or every predetermined distance.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising outputting both information of a newly searched route and information of a present route.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

comparing a newly searched route with a present route; and

if a travel time of the newly searched route is less than a travel time of a present route or a travel distance of the newly searched route is less than a travel distance of the present route, outputting information of the newly searched route.

20. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

comparing a newly searched route with a present route; and

if a travel time of the newly searched route is less than a travel time of a present route or a travel distance of the newly searched route is less than a travel distance of the present route, changing the newly searched route to a guided route either automatically or in response to a manual instruction; and

outputting information of the guided route.

21. The method according to claim 17, further comprising outputting information of a difference between a newly searched route and a present route.

22. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether a distance from a present location to a route branch point at which the newly searched route branches from the output route is less than a predetermined value;

if the distance from the present location to the route branch point is smaller than the predetermined value, determining whether either a travel time or travel distance of the newly searched route is respectively less than a travel time or travel distance of the output route; and

if the travel time of the newly searched route is less than the travel time of the output route or the travel distance of the newly searched route is less than the travel distance of the output route, outputting the newly searched route.

23. The method according to claim 17, wherein the optimal route from a present location to the destination is newly searched every predetermined time.

24. The method according to claim 17, wherein the optimal route from a present location to the destination is newly searched every predetermined distance.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

selecting a route for guidance; and

guiding based on the selected route.

26. The method according to claim 17, embodied in a set of instructions, the instructions comprising a program embedded in a storage medium.

27. A navigation system for searching for a route to a destination, comprising:

a present-location detecting means for detecting a present location;

an information storage means for holding information necessary for route searching including map data hierarchized in accordance with a degree of details of roads;

a route searching means for searching for a route based on present-location information detected by the present-location detecting means and the map data hierarchized in accordance with the degree of details of roads and stored in the information storage means;

an output means for outputting route information; and

a control means for outputting the route information to the output means,

wherein the route searching means newly searches for an optimal route from a present location to the destination based on the map data every predetermined time or every predetermined distance.

28. The navigation system according to claim 27, wherein the route searching means newly searches for an optimal route from the present location to the destination based on the map data every predetermined time.

29. The navigation system according to claim 27, wherein the route searching means newly searches for an optimal route from the present location to the destination based on the map every predetermined distance.

30. A navigation system for searching a route to a destination, comprising:

a present-location detecting means for detecting a present location;

a storage means which holds information necessary for route searching including map data hierarchized in accordance with a degree of details of roads;

an output means for outputting route information;

a route searching means for newly searching a route based on present-location information detected by the present-location detecting means and the map data every predetermined time or every predetermined distance; and

an input means for selecting a route,

wherein the output means outputs both a presently guided route and a newly searched route when the newly searched route is different from the presently guided route, and guides based on a route selected by the input means.