Navigation system, route searching method, and map information guide method

• US 7,047,129 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2005
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Uotani, Kazushi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US11/072,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20050165547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 701/204, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 340/995.13, 340/995.23, 340/995.27
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• 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

A route searching section 33 determines whether the area of the current position is an urban area or a suburban area, sets a predetermined area S or a predetermined time Δt responsive to the determination result, and determines the presence or absence of restriction on each time restriction road depending on whether or not a time restriction road exists in the predetermined area S centering around the current position and whether or not the restriction time period of the time restriction road overlaps the time period in the predetermined time Δt from the current time to. If the route searching section determines the presence of restriction, it searches for a route avoiding the time restriction road.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

map information acquisition section for acquiring map information,

traffic restriction information acquisition section for acquiring traffic restriction information,

time information acquisition section for acquiring current date, day of week, and time information,

output section for providing a user with the map information or the traffic restriction information by display or voice,

restriction time determination section, if a time restriction road exists in a guide area, for determining a difference between a restriction time period of the time restriction road and the current time, and

output mode selector for selecting an output mode of the time restriction road varying depending on the determination result, wherein

said output section guides the user through the time restriction road according to the selected output mode.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein, when said restriction time determination section determines that the current time is within a period of time preceding the restriction time period of the time restriction road, said output mode selector selects a first output mode to highlight the time restriction road.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein

said first output mode highlights the time restriction road as a warning of a future time restriction, and

when said restriction time determination section determines that the current time is within the restriction time period of the time restriction road, said output mode selector selects a second output mode to highlight the time restriction road.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said first output mode highlights the time restriction road in yellow and said second output mode highlights the time restriction road in red.

5. A map information guide method comprising:

a map information acquisition step of acquiring map information,

a traffic restriction information acquisition step of acquiring traffic restriction information,

a time information acquisition step of acquiring current date, day of week, and time information,

an output step of providing a user with the map information or the traffic restriction information by display or voice,

a restriction time determination step, if a time restriction road exists in a guide area, of determining a difference between a restriction time period of the time restriction road and the current time, and

an output mode selection step of selecting an output mode of the time restriction road varying depending on the determination result, wherein

the output step guides the user through the time restriction road according to the selected output mode.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, when said restriction time determination step determines that the current time is within a period of time preceding the restriction time period of the time restriction road, said output mode selection step selects a first output mode to highlight the time restriction road.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein

said first output mode highlights the time restriction road as a warning of a future time restriction, and

when said restriction time determination step determines that the current time is within the restriction time period of the time restriction road, said output mode selection step selects a second output mode to highlight the time restriction road.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said first output mode highlights the time restriction road in yellow and said second output mode highlights the time restriction road in red.