Navigation apparatus and method with traffic ranking and display
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A traffic display apparatus, comprising:
- a memory that stores traffic information for a network of roads, the network of roads composed of stored links, each stored link having corresponding stored traffic information; and
a controller that;
searches for a guidance route to a specified destination, the guidance route composed of a plurality of the stored links;
based on the stored traffic information, calculates a first plurality of congestion degrees for each of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route, each congestion degree for each of the plurality of stored links corresponding to each of different time periods of a day;
calculates a total distance of the guidance route;
calculates an accumulated congestion distance by adding link lengths of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route that have a congestion level equal to or greater than a predetermined level based on the calculated congestion degree for each of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route;
calculates a congestion distance ratio by dividing the accumulated congestion distance by the total distance of the guidance route;
estimates a single congestion degree for the entire guidance route at each of the different time periods of the day based on the congestion distance ratio; and
simultaneously displays the guidance route on a map and a time axis;
wherein;
the time axis depicts each of the estimated single congestion degrees for the entire guidance route at each of the different time periods of the day;
the time axis allows the selection of a particular time period of the day; and
the calculated congestion degree for each of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route at the selected time period is depicted on the displayed guidance route.
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Abstract
A navigation apparatus and method store traffic information and searches for a guidance route to a specified destination. The apparatus and method calculate congestion degrees for the guidance route based on a factor by time period and the stored traffic information and display the guidance route and the congestion degrees by time period.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A traffic display apparatus, comprising:
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a memory that stores traffic information for a network of roads, the network of roads composed of stored links, each stored link having corresponding stored traffic information; and a controller that; searches for a guidance route to a specified destination, the guidance route composed of a plurality of the stored links; based on the stored traffic information, calculates a first plurality of congestion degrees for each of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route, each congestion degree for each of the plurality of stored links corresponding to each of different time periods of a day; calculates a total distance of the guidance route; calculates an accumulated congestion distance by adding link lengths of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route that have a congestion level equal to or greater than a predetermined level based on the calculated congestion degree for each of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route; calculates a congestion distance ratio by dividing the accumulated congestion distance by the total distance of the guidance route; estimates a single congestion degree for the entire guidance route at each of the different time periods of the day based on the congestion distance ratio; and simultaneously displays the guidance route on a map and a time axis; wherein; the time axis depicts each of the estimated single congestion degrees for the entire guidance route at each of the different time periods of the day; the time axis allows the selection of a particular time period of the day; and the calculated congestion degree for each of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route at the selected time period is depicted on the displayed guidance route. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 16)
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8. A traffic display method, comprising:
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storing traffic information for a network of roads, the network of roads composed of stored links, each stored link having corresponding stored traffic information; searching for a guidance route to a specified destination, the guidance route composed of a plurality of the stored links; based on the stored traffic information, calculating a plurality of congestion degrees for each of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route, each congestion degree for each of the plurality of links corresponding to each of different time periods of a day; calculating a total distance of the guidance route calculating an accumulated congestion distance by adding link lengths of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route that have a congestion level equal to or greater than a predetermined level based on the calculated congestion degree for each of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route; calculating a congestion distance ratio by dividing the accumulated congestion distance by the total distance of the guidance route; estimating a single congestion degree for the entire guidance route at each of the different time periods of the day based on the congestion distance ratio; simultaneously displaying the guidance route on a map and a time axis, the time axis depicts each of the estimated single congestion degrees for the entire guidance route at each of the different time periods of the day; allowing the selection of a particular time period of the day on the time axis; and depicting the calculated congestion degree for each of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route at the selected time period on the displayed guidance route. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17)
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15. A traffic display apparatus, comprising:
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means for storing traffic information for a network of roads, the network of roads composed of stored links, each stored link having corresponding stored traffic information; means for searching for a guidance route to a specified destination, the guidance route composed of a plurality of the stored links; means for calculating, based on the stored traffic information, a plurality of congestion degrees for each of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route, each congestion degree for each of the plurality of links corresponding to each of different time periods of a day; means for calculating a total distance of the guidance route; means for calculating an accumulated congestion distance by adding link lengths of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route that have a congestion level equal to or greater than a predetermined level based on the calculated congestion degree for each of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route; means for calculating a congestion distance ratio by dividing the accumulated congestion distance by the total distance of the guidance route; means for estimating a single congestion degree for the entire guidance route at each of the different time periods of the day based on the congestion distance ratio; means for simultaneously displaying the guidance route on a map and a time axis, the time axis depicts each of the estimated single congestion degrees for the entire guidance route at each of the different time periods of the day; means for allowing the selection of a particular time period of the day on the time axis; and means for depicting the calculated congestion degree for each of the plurality of stored links constituting the guidance route at the selected time period on the displayed guidance route.
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Specification