Route guidance system having voice guidance capability

• US 7,010,427 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2004
• Issued: 03/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ebi, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US10/817,932
• Publication Number:
  US 20040204828A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

In a route guidance system, when depression of a PTT switch is detected in the middle of voice guidance of respective guidance landmarks located in a guidance route, recognition of a voice command inputted through a microphone is initiated, When the recognized voice command is identified as one of a next setting command and a return setting command, the voice guidance of the guidance landmarks is sequentially provided starting from a corresponding one of a previous guidance landmark and a next guidance landmark in consistency with the one of the next setting command and the return setting command. When the recognized voice command is other than the next setting command and the return setting command, setting and/or resetting of the guidance route are performed based on the type of the corresponding guidance landmark and the recognized command.

Claims

1. A route guidance system for a vehicle, the route guidance system comprising:

a route setting means for setting a guidance route to a destination;

a voice guidance means for providing voice guidance of respective guidance landmarks located in the set guidance route before starting driving of the vehicle along the guidance route;

an instructing means for requesting an editing operation of a currently guided portion of the guidance route while the voice guidance means is providing the voice guidance of the respective guidance landmarks located in the guidance route set by the route setting means, wherein the currently guided portion of the guidance route corresponds to a current one of the guidance landmarks currently guided by the voice guidance means;

a command input means for inputting a voice command, wherein the voice command indicates details of the editing operation, which is requested from the instructing means to edit the currently guided portion of the guidance route; and

an editing means for performing the editing operation of the currently guided portion of the guidance route based on the details of the editing operation, which is indicated by the voice command inputted from the command input means.

2. The route guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the voice guidance means provides the voice guidance of the respective guidance landmarks in a sequence, which coincides with a sequence of the guidance landmarks arranged from a start point to the destination in the guidance route set by the route setting means.

3. The route guidance system according to claim 1, further comprising a switch for requesting the voice guidance of the respective guidance landmarks from the voice guidance means.

4. The route guidance system according to claim 1, wherein:

when the currently guided portion of the guidance route, which corresponds to the current one of the guidance landmarks currently under the voice guidance and for which the editing operation is requested from the instructing means, is one of a road and an intersection, the command input means is enabled to receive a detour command as the voice command, wherein the detour command is for detouring the one of the road and the intersection; and

when the currently guided portion of the guidance route, which corresponds to the current one of the guidance landmarks currently under the voice guidance and for which the editing operation is requested from the instructing means, is the one of the road and the intersection, and the voice command inputted to the command input means is the detour command, the editing means requests the route setting means to newly set a new guidance route, which detours the one of the road and the intersection and which leads the vehicle to the destination.

5. The route guidance system according to claim 1, wherein:

when the currently guided portion of the guidance route, which corresponds to the current one of the guidance landmarks currently under the voice guidance and for which the editing operation is requested from the instructing means, is an intersection, the command input means is enabled to receive one of a straight through command for proceeding straight through the intersection, a right turn command for turning right at the intersection, a left turn command for turning left at the intersection, and a U-turn command for making a U-turn at the intersection as the voice command; and

when the currently guided portion of the guidance route, which corresponds to the current one of the guidance landmarks currently under the voice guidance and for which the editing operation is requested from the instructing means, is the intersection, and the voice command inputted to the command input means is the one of the straight through command, the right turn command, the left turn command and the U-turn command, the editing means requests the route setting means to newly set a new guidance route, which takes a corresponding course at the intersection and which leads the vehicle to the destination, wherein the corresponding course corresponds to the one of the straight through command, the right turn command, the left turn command and the U-turn command and thus is a corresponding one of the proceeding straight through the intersection, the turning right at the intersection, the turning left at the intersection and the making the U-turn at the intersection.

6. The route guidance system according to claim 1, wherein:

when the currently guided portion of the guidance route, which corresponds to the current one of the guidance landmarks currently under the voice guidance and for which the editing operation is requested from the instructing means, is a way point, the command input means is enabled to receive a delete command as the voice command, wherein the delete command is for deleting the way point from the guidance route; and

when the currently guided portion of the guidance route, which corresponds to the current one of the guidance landmarks currently under the voice guidance and for which the editing operation is requested from the instructing means, is the way point, and the voice command inputted to the command input means is the delete command, the editing means requests the route setting means to newly set a new guidance route, from which the way point is deleted and which leads the vehicle to the destination.

7. The route guidance system according to claim 1, wherein:

when the currently guided portion of the guidance route, which corresponds to the current one of the guidance landmarks currently under the voice guidance and for which the editing operation is requested from the instructing means, is one of a highway interchange and a boat slip, the command input means is enabled to receive one of an inbound setting command and an outbound setting command as the voice command, wherein the inbound setting command is for changing the one of the highway interchange and the boat slip to a corresponding one of a next highway interchange and a next boat slip located next to the one of the highway interchange and the boat slip in an inbound direction, and the outbound setting command is for changing the one of the highway interchange and the boat slip to a corresponding one of a next highway interchange and a next boat slip located next to the one of the highway interchange and the boat slip in an outbound direction; and

when the currently guided portion of the guidance route, which corresponds to the current one of the guidance landmarks currently under the voice guidance and for which the editing operation is requested from the instructing means, is the one of the highway interchange and the boat slip, and the voice command inputted to the command input means is the one of the inbound setting command and the outbound setting command, the editing means requests the route setting means to change the one of the highway interchange and the boat slip to the corresponding one the next highway interchange and the next boat slip located next to the one of the highway interchange and the boat slip in a corresponding one of the inbound direction and the outbound direction in consistency with the one of the inbound setting command and the outbound setting command.

8. The route guidance setting system according to claim 1, wherein:

the command input means is enabled to receive one of a destination setting command and a way point setting command as the voice command regardless of a type of the currently guided portion of the guidance route, which corresponds to the current one of the guidance landmarks currently under the voice guidance and for which the editing operation is requested from the instructing means, wherein the destination setting command is for setting the current one of the guidance landmarks as a new destination, and the way point setting command is for setting the current one of the guidance landmarks as a new way point; and

when the voice command, which is inputted to the command input means, is one of the destination setting command and the way point setting command, the editing means requests the route setting means to newly set the currently guided portion of the guidance route as a corresponding one of the new destination and the new way point in consistency with the one of the destination setting command and the way point setting command and also to newly set a new guidance route, which leads the vehicle to the destination that is lately set.

9. The route guidance setting system according to claim 1, wherein:

the command input means is enabled to receive one of a next setting command and a return setting command as the voice command regardless of a type of the currently guided portion of the guidance route, which corresponds to the current one of the guidance landmarks currently under the voice guidance and for which the editing operation is requested from the instructing means, wherein the next setting command is for providing the voice guidance of a next one of the guidance landmarks, which is scheduled to be guided right after the current one of the guidance landmarks, and thereafter for sequentially providing the voice guidance of the rest of the guidance landmarks located after the next one of the guidance landmarks along the guidance route, and the return setting command is for providing the voice guidance of a previous one of the guidance landmarks, which has been guided right before the current one of the guidance landmarks, and thereafter for sequentially providing the voice guidance of the rest of the guidance landmarks located after the previous one of the guidance landmarks along the guidance route; and

when the voice command, which is inputted to the command input means, is the one of the next setting command and the return setting command, the editing means requests the voice guidance means to provide the voice guidance of a corresponding one of the next one of the guidance landmarks and the previous one of the guidance landmarks in consistency with the one of the next setting command and the return setting command and thereafter to sequentially provide the voice guidance of the rest of the guidance landmarks located after the corresponding one of the next one of the guidance landmarks and the previous one of the guidance landmarks along the guidance route.

10. The route guidance setting system according to claim 1, wherein:

when the currently guided portion of the guidance route, which corresponds to the current one of the guidance landmarks currently under the voice guidance and for which the editing operation is requested from the instructing means, is the destination, the command input means is enabled to receive a delete command as the voice command, wherein the delete command is for deleting the destination from the guidance route; and

when the currently guided portion of the guidance route, which corresponds to the current one of the guidance landmarks currently under the voice guidance and for which the editing operation is requested from the instructing means, is the destination, and the voice command inputted to the command input means is the delete command, the editing means deletes the destination and ends the editing operation after resetting the guidance route, which is set by the route setting means.