Positional information use apparatus

• US 7,840,345 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2007
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Miyoshi, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US11/798,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20080010009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/117, 701/207, 340/995.13, 340/988, 340/995.28, 340/593.13
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A vehicular swept path processor and a map matching processor calculate a current position of a subject vehicle. A gyro sensor and a steering sensor output detection signals. A POI recognition processor makes a determination as to whether the vehicle stopped off at a POI or not based on the calculated current position and the outputted detection signals. When the determination is affirmatively made, i.e., the vehicle is determined to have stopped off at the POI, the POI recognition processor calculates a recognition confidence degree relative to an accuracy in the determination. A vehicle control ECU controls an in-vehicle device such that the in-vehicle device performs a predetermined operation corresponding to the POI in a mode according to the calculated recognition confidence degree.

Claims

1. A positional information use apparatus for a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a position calculation unit configured to calculate a current position of the vehicle;

a POI storing unit configured to store POI positional information on a position of a Point Of Interest (POI);

an acquisition unit configured to acquire state information on a change in a heading direction of the vehicle, the acquisition unit being a sensor configured to detect a heading direction of the vehicle;

an area determination unit configured to make an area determination, based on the calculated current position, as to whether the vehicle is present within a predetermined stop-off determination area, which is defined based on the stored POI positional information, for determining a stop-off of the vehicle at the POI;

a stop-off determination unit configured to make a stop-off determination, based on the acquired state information on the change in the heading direction of the vehicle, as to whether the vehicle stops off at the POI when the area determination is affirmatively made;

a confidence degree calculation unit configured to calculate a confidence degree in an accuracy in the affirmatively made stop-off determination by evaluating at least one predetermined parameter for confidence evaluation; and

an in-vehicle device control unit communicative with an in-vehicle device and configured to control the in-vehicle device according to the calculated confidence degree such that the in-vehicle device performs a predetermined operation corresponding to the POI when the stop-off determination is affirmatively made and the calculated confidence degree shows the accuracy but not when the stop-off determination is affirmatively made and the confidence degree does not show the accuracy.

2. The positional information use apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a map data storing unit configured to store map data, wherein

the position calculation unit computes a current position matched to be present on a road based on the stored map data, and

the area determination unit makes an area determination, based on the calculated current position present on the road, as to whether the vehicle is present within a predetermined stop-off determination area, which is defined on the road adjacent to the POI.

3. The positional information use apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the confidence degree calculation unit evaluates, as the predetermined parameter for confidence evaluation, an accuracy in calculation by the position calculation unit and then calculates the confidence degree based on the evaluated accuracy.

4. The positional information use apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the POI storing unit stores a value of a user evaluation regarding the POI, the user evaluation regarding the POI being the predetermined parameter for confidence evaluation evaluated by the confidence degree calculation unit,

the apparatus further comprising:

an evaluation reception unit configured to receive an evaluation relative to the affirmatively made stop-off determination and to change the stored value of the user evaluation based on the received evaluation, wherein

the confidence degree calculation unit calculates the confidence degree based on the stored value of the user evaluation regarding the POI.

5. The positional information use apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the stop-off determination unit is further configured to make a stop-off determination as to whether the vehicle stops off at the POI when the area determination is affirmatively made, by determining that the sensor for detecting the heading direction of the vehicle outputs a detection value exceeding a predetermined value.

6. The positional information use apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the sensor for detecting the heading direction of the vehicle includes a gyro sensor which outputs a detection signal based on acceleration of rotational movement of the vehicle;

the stop-off determination unit makes the stop-off determination as to whether the vehicle stops off at the POI when the area determination is affirmatively made,

when a magnitude of the acceleration of the rotational movement of the vehicle towards the position of the POI detected by the gyro sensor exceeds the predetermined value.

7. The positional information use apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the sensor for detecting the heading direction of the vehicle includes a steering sensor which outputs a detection signal based on an operation amount of a steering wheel of the vehicle,

the stop-off determination unit makes the stop-off determination as to whether the vehicle stops off at the POI when the area determination is affirmatively made, when an operation amount of the steering wheel detected by the steering sensor exceeds the predetermined value.

8. The positional information use apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the accuracy in calculation by the position calculation unit as the predetermined parameter for confidence evaluation which the confidence degree calculation unit evaluates is a map accuracy, which is an index indicating an accuracy of a map for map matching in proximity of the corresponding POI.

9. The positional information use apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the accuracy in calculation by the position calculation unit as the predetermined parameter for confidence evaluation which the confidence degree calculation unit evaluates is a GPS reception strength, which is an index indicating a reception strength of a satellite electrical wave in a GPS receiver in the vehicle.

10. The positional information use apparatus of claim 1, wherein the in-vehicle device control unit is further configured to selectively control the in-vehicle device between in a usual mode and in a restricted mode by determining whether the calculated confidence degree in the accuracy in the affirmatively made stop-off determination by evaluating the predetermined confidence evaluation parameter is greater than a predetermined value,

the usual mode being executed when the calculated confidence degree is equal to or greater than the predetermined value,

the restricted mode being executed when the calculated confidence degree is less than the predetermined value.

11. A method for controlling an in-vehicle device in a vehicle when determining a stop-off at a spot of the vehicle, comprising the steps of:

storing spot positional information on a position of a spot;

calculating a current position of the vehicle;

acquiring state information on a change in a heading direction of the vehicle by using a sensor configured to detect a heading direction of the vehicle;

making an area determination, based on the calculated current position, as to whether the vehicle is present within a predetermined stop-off determination area, which is defined based on the stored spot positional information, for determining a stop-off of the vehicle at the spot;

making a stop-off determination, based on the acquired state information on the change in the heading direction of the vehicle, as to whether the vehicle stops off at the spot when the area determination is affirmatively made;

calculating a confidence degree in an accuracy in the affirmatively made stop-off determination by evaluating at least one predetermined parameter for confidence evaluation; and

controlling an in-vehicle device according to the calculated confidence degree such that the in-vehicle device performs a predetermined operation corresponding to the POI when the stop-off determination is affirmatively made and the calculated confidence degree shows the accuracy but not when the stop-off determination is affirmatively made and the confidence degree does not show the accuracy.