Navigation system, and program and storage medium for use in the same

• US 7,062,380 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Kunihiro, Kaji, Takanori, Oonishi, Kenta, Ishibashi, Noboru
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US10/743,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20040158393A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/202, 701/209, 701/210, 340/995.1, 340/995.19, 340/995.21, 340/995.27
• US Class Current: 701/210
• 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

Abstract

A navigation system that searches for a route to a destination based on stored map data that provides navigation guidance to the destination along the route, including a controller that searches for a first route to the destination as a route to be recommended based on a calculation of a search cost, detects whether the first route includes a curve, changes the search cost for any detected curve, searches for a second route to the destination based on the search cost that has been changed and employs the second route as the route to be recommended instead of the first route.

Claims

1. A navigation system that searches for a route to a destination based on stored map data that provides navigation guidance to the destination along the route, comprising:

a controller that;

detects either a curve or a greater change in altitude than a predetermined value from a previously traveled road;

stores a location of the detected curve or the detected change in altitude; and

searches for a road that bypasses the location of the detected curve or the detected change in altitude when determining another route.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein when the controller detects the curve, the controller determines a radius of curvature based on node coordinates of the previously traveled road and detects the curve based on the radius of curvature.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein when the controller detects the curve, the controller detects the curve based on the number of nodes in the previously traveled road.

4. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein when the controller detects the curve, the controller detects the curve based on a number of nodes per unit length.

5. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller detects the curve.

6. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller detects both the curve and the change in altitude.

7. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the controller selects the road that bypasses the location of the detected curve or the detected change in altitude when determining the another route.

8. A storage medium storing a set of program instructions executable on a data processing device and usable to search for a route to a destination based on stored map data and provide navigation guidance to the destination along the route, the program instructions comprising:

a routine that detects either a curve or a greater change in altitude than the predetermined value from a previously traveled road;

a routine that stores a location of the detected curve or the detected change in altitude; and

a routine that searches for a road that bypasses the location of the detected curve or the detected change in altitude when determining another route.

9. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein the curve is detected based on a number of nodes per unit length.

10. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein the routine detects the curve.

11. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein the routine detects both the curve and the change in altitude.

12. The storage medium of claim 8, wherein the routine selects the road that bypasses the location of the detected curve or the detected change in altitude when determining the another route.

13. A storage medium storing a set of program instructions executable on a data processing device and usable to search for a route to a destination based on stored map data and provide navigation guidance to the destination along the route, wherein the storage medium stores:

map data used in searching for the route and providing the navigation guidance along the route; and

program instructions, comprising;

a routine that detects either a curve or a greater change in altitude than a predetermined value from a previously traveled road;

a routine that stores a location of the detected curve or the detected change in altitude; and

a routine that searches for a road that bypasses the location of the detected curve or the detected change in altitude when determining another route.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the curve is detected based on a number of nodes per unit length.

15. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the routine detects the curve.

16. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the routine detects both the curve and the change in altitude.

17. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the routine selects the road that bypasses the location of the detected curve or the detected change in altitude when determining the another route.