Navigation device having route guidance to parking spot close to border

• US 7,668,646 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2005
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sasano, Takanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sriraman, Nikhil
• Application Number:
  US11/290,555
• Publication Number:
  US 20060122770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 701/210, 701/200, 701/201, 701/206, 340/994, 340/995.23, 340/995.27
• US Class Current: 701/206
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

A navigation device mounted on an automotive vehicle includes geographical map data, a position detector such as a global navigation system and a device for calculating a driving route from a starting point or a present position to a destination. When the vehicle is going to cross a border such as a national border, the driving route is calculated to include a parking spot close to the border. A driver of the vehicle is guided to temporarily park at the parking spot to obtain local information including traffic regulations in a country he/she is going to enter. Since the local information is given to the driver while he is parking, the driver is able to concentrate on obtaining the local information in detail without sacrificing driving safety.

Claims

1. A navigation device for use in an automotive vehicle, comprising:

input means for inputting map information and a destination into the navigation device;

control means for

calculating a driving route from a starting point to the inputted destination based on the inputted map information,

determining whether a border is included in the driving route that the automotive vehicle is going to cross, both sides of the border having regulations and customs including different traffic regulations, and

when the border is included in the driving route,

locating a parking spot that is close to the border, the parking spot being defined as a spot where the automotive vehicle is able to be parked, and

recalculating a new driving route that includes the located parking spot close to the border;

guiding means for guiding a driver according to one of the driving route calculated by the control means and the new driving route recalculated by the control means; and

feeding means for feeding local information regarding customs and regulations including traffic regulations on the side after the automotive vehicle crosses the border,

the guiding means for further providing the local information fed by the feeding means to the driver while the automotive vehicle stops at the parking spot where the automotive vehicle is able to be parked at least temporarily,

the control means for further determining whether the vehicle stops at the parking spot, and

the guiding means for further providing the local information fed by the feeding means to the driver when the control means determines that the vehicle stops at the parking spot.

2. The navigation device as in claim 1, further including means for obtaining positional information which is necessary to specify a position of the automotive vehicle, and the means for obtaining positional information further for specifying the starting point to the control means for calculating the driving route.

4. The navigation device as in claim 2, further comprising the parking spot included in the driving route being located at a position before the border.

6. The navigation device as in claim 1, wherein the guiding means for further providing the local information to the driver when the automotive vehicle stops at a place which is located within a predetermined distance from the border before the automotive vehicle reaches the parking spot.

7. The navigation device as in claim 6, wherein

the guiding means for further ceasing the local information being provided to the driver at the parking spot.

13. The navigation device as in claim 1, wherein

the parking spot included in the driving route is located at a position after the border.

14. The navigation device as in claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying the driving route including the border and the parking spot.

3. A navigation device for use in an automotive vehicle, comprising:

positional means for obtaining positional information and specifying a position of the automotive vehicle;

input means for inputting map information into the navigation device; and

calculating means for

calculating a driving route based on the position of the automotive vehicle, the map information, and a past locus of the driving route, from a present position specified by the positional means to a destination,

detecting a border that the automotive vehicle is going to cross included in the calculated driving route, both sides of the border having regulations and customs including different traffic regulations, and

finding a parking spot included in the calculated driving route based on the detected border, the parking spot being defined as a spot where the automotive vehicle is able to park at least temporarily;

guiding means for guiding a driver according to the driving route calculated by the calculating means; and

feeding means for feeding local information regarding customs and regulations including traffic regulations to the navigation device,

the guiding means for further providing the local information fed by the feeding means to the driver while the automotive vehicle stops at the parking spot,

the calculating means for further determining whether the vehicle stops at the parking spot, and

the guiding means for further providing the local information fed by the feeding means to the driver when the calculating means determines that the vehicle stops at the parking spot.

5. The navigation device as in claim 3, further comprising the parking spot included in the calculated driving route being located at a position before the border.

8. The navigation device as in claim 3, further comprising display means for displaying the driving route including the border and the parking spot.

9. A navigation device for use in an automotive vehicle, comprising:

means for memorizing map information;

means for obtaining positional information for specifying a present position of the vehicle;

determining means for determining that the vehicle is approaching a border memorized in the map information, regulations and customs being different between both sides of the border;

calculating means for calculating a driving route that includes a parking spot close to the border, the parking spot being defined as a spot where the automotive vehicle is able to be parked at least temporarily, based on the approaching border determined by the determining means;

obtaining means for local information regarding customs and regulations including traffic regulations in the side after the automotive vehicle crosses the border;

guiding means for providing the local information obtained by the obtaining means to a driver while the automotive vehicle stops at the parking spot; and

means for determining whether the vehicle stops at the parking spot included in the driving route,

the guiding means for further providing the local information fed by the feeding means to the driver while it is determined that the vehicle stops at the parking spot.

10. The navigation device as in claim 9, wherein:

the calculating means further for recalculating the driving route from the present position to a new destination;

the determining means for further determining whether the recalculated driving route crosses the border;

the calculating means further for recalculating the driving route that includes the parking spot close to the border based on the border of the recalculated driving route determined by the determining means.

11. The navigation device as in claim 9, further comprising:

the determining means for further determining that the vehicle is approaching the border based on a past locus of the driving route; and

the calculating means for further calculating another driving route from the present position to the parking spot located close to a border.

12. The navigation device as in claim 9, further comprising display means for displaying the driving route including the border and the parking spot.

15. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions for execution by a computer, the instructions, which, when executed, would cause the computer to perform the steps of:

calculating a driving route from a starting point to an input destination based on input map information;

determining whether the driving route includes a border, the border having two sides existing before and after the vehicle crosses the border, the two sides of the border having different traffic regulations from each other;

determining whether the vehicle is going to cross the border;

recalculating, when determining that the vehicle is going to cross the border, a new driving route including a spot close to the border, the spot at which the vehicle is able to be parked at least temporarily;

guiding a driver according to the recalculated driving route including the spot;

determining whether the vehicle stops at the spot included in the recalculated driving route; and

notifying the driver, while it is determined that the vehicle stops at the spot included in the recalculated driving route, with different traffic regulations in the side existing after the vehicle crosses the border.