Route searching apparatus

• US 7,433,780 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2004
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Machino, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEISKOPF, MARIE
• Application Number:
  US10/773,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20050055158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,702 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/202
• 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 21/3658 Lane guidance

Abstract

A route searching apparatus includes a map data acquiring unit for acquiring map data defined by nodes and road links, a route searching unit for searching for a route to a destination in consideration of road links corresponding to specific roads, on which determination of whether or not a vehicle is allowed to travel can be performed according to a condition of the vehicle before the condition of the vehicle is set, the road links being included in the map data acquired by the map data acquiring unit, and an output unit for outputting the route searched for by the route searching unit.

Claims

1. A route searching apparatus comprising:

a map data acquiring unit for acquiring map data defined by nodes and road links;

a route searching unit for searching for and determining a route to a destination in consideration of road links corresponding to specific roads including car pool lanes, on which determination of whether or not a vehicle is allowed to travel can be performed according to a condition of the vehicle, the route searching unit prompting a driver of the vehicle of the condition of the vehicle including the number of people in the vehicle prior to displaying the determined route, the user setting the condition of the vehicle, and the route searching unit displaying the determined route or performing a new route search and determined based on the conditions set, the road links being included in the map data acquired by said map data acquiring unit; and

an output unit for outputting the route searched for by said route searching unit to a display,

wherein said route searching unit searches for the route to the destination while counting road links corresponding to specific roads included in the map data acquired by said map data acquiring unit as targets to be searched for,

when the condition of the vehicle that is input thereto in response to the message meets requirements for permission to drive in the specific road, said route searching unit sends the route acquired through the route searching to said output unit for display, whereas when the condition of the vehicle that is input thereto in response to the message doesn'"'"'t meet the requirements for permission to drive in the specific road, said route searching unit performs a new search for the route to the destination by excluding a road link corresponding to the specific road from targets to be searched for and outputs the searched-for route to said output unit for display.

2. A route searching apparatus comprising:

a map data acquiring unit for acquiring map data defined by nodes and road links;

a route searching unit for searching for and determining a route to a destination in consideration of road links corresponding to specific roads including car pool lanes, on which determination of whether or not a vehicle is allowed to travel can be performed according to a condition of the vehicle, the route searching unit prompting a driver of the vehicle of the condition of the vehicle including the number of people in the vehicle prior to displaying the determined route, the user setting the condition of the vehicle, and the route searching unit displaying the determined route or performing a new route search and determination based on the condition set, the road links being included in the map data acquired by said map data acquiring unit; and

an output unit for outputting the route searched for by said route searching unit to a display,

wherein said route searching unit searches for the route to the destination by excluding the road links included in the map data acquired by said map data acquiring unit and corresponding to the specific roads from targets to be searched for,

when the condition of the vehicle that is input thereto in response to the message doesn'"'"'t meet requirements for permission to drive in the specific road, said route searching unit delivers the route acquired through the route searching to said output unit for display, whereas when the condition for the vehicle that is received in response to the message meets the requirements for permission to drive in the specific road, said route searching unit performs a new search for the route to the destination while counting a road link corresponding to the specific road as targets to be searched for and outputs the search-for route to send output unit for display.