Control information storage apparatus and program for same

• US 7,899,589 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2007
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Kazunao
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kim T
• Application Number:
  US11/808,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20080004761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701207-208, 701212-214, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/25
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

A navigation apparatus stores control information used for controlling a vehicle in a portion of a road between two intersections (i.e., an exit from an intersection) in a form that is associated with each of plural links in road data. For example, a stop line at an entrance to an intersection is detected as a control end point, and a point at an exit from an intersection is detected as a control start point. In addition, a travel locus of the vehicle is stored as control information associated with the control start point and the control end point based on an absolute position of the vehicle. The control information is output to a vehicle control unit when the vehicle travels the road with the control information available for use by the control unit. In this manner, the control unit of the navigation apparatus precisely controls the vehicle based on a shape of the road in a real world.

Claims

1. A control information storage apparatus comprising:

a position detector that detects a current position of a vehicle;

an information storage that stores a travel locus of the vehicle based on the current position of the vehicle as control information to be utilized for controlling the vehicle at an exit from an intersection;

a control point detection unit that detects an exit point from the intersection as a control start point for starting a control of the vehicle;

an object detection unit that detects a featured object on a road;

a map acquisition unit that acquires map data for representing a road by using a node that is positioned in an intersection and a link that connects the nodes, wherein

the information storage stores the control start point detected by the control point detection unit as the control information,

the control point detection unit detects a detection point where the vehicle passes by an object that is closest to a point where a link that corresponds to a road traveled by the vehicle is changed from among plural locations of featured objects detected by the object detection unit, and

the control point detection unit detects the detection point as the control start point.

2. The control information storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information storage stores the travel locus that starts at the control start point detected by the control point detection unit.

3. The control information storage apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

an information output unit that outputs to an external device the control information stored by the information storage.

4. The control information storage apparatus of claim 3, wherein the information output unit outputs the control information to a vehicle control unit for controlling the vehicle.

5. The control information storage apparatus of claim 4 further comprising:

a timing notification unit that notifies a vehicle pass-through timing marked by a time when the vehicle passes the control start point as a timing when the vehicle enters into a road that is associated with the travel locus stored in the information storage.

6. The control information storage apparatus of claim 5, wherein the information output unit outputs the control information to the vehicle control unit after performing a modification process.

7. The control information storage apparatus of claim 6, wherein the information output unit outputs the control information after performing the modification process for each of the vehicle control unit.

8. The control information storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control point detection unit detects a point where a steering wheel of the vehicle fulfills a predetermined condition as the control start point.

9. The control information storage apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a map acquisition unit that acquires map data for representing a road by using a node that is positioned in an intersection and a link that connects the nodes, wherein the control point detection unit detects a point where a link that corresponds to a road traveled by the vehicle is changed as the control start point.

10. The control information storage apparatus of claim 9, wherein the map data include a road that specifies plural nodes for single intersection, and the control point detection unit regards only one of plural changes of the link as a link change point when the plural changes of the link are detected in the single intersection.

11. The control information storage apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control point detection unit detects the plural changes of the link in the single intersection when one of the plural changes of the link is succeeded by another link change in an interval that is equal to or smaller than one of a predetermined time and a predetermined distance.

12. The control information storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control point detection unit detects a point where the vehicle passes the featured object detected by the object detection unit as the control start point.

13. The control information storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object detection unit detects an indicative object that indicates a position of an intersection as the featured object.

14. The control information storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object detection unit starts a detection operation for detecting the featured object when the vehicle reaches a proximity of an intersection that exists ahead of the vehicle.

15. The control information storage apparatus of claim 14, wherein the object detection unit detects the featured object that accords with a kind of the intersection ahead of the vehicle.

16. The control information storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information storage stores the control information respectively for plural travel directions of a road.

17. The control information storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information storage stores a driving operation of a driver of the vehicle as the control information.

18. The control information storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control point detection unit detects a point where the vehicle enters into the intersection as a control end point for ending the control of the vehicle, and the information storage stores the control end point detected by the control point detection unit as the control information.

19. The control information storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information storage stores a travel locus that ends at the control end point detected by the control point detection unit.

20. The control information storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the position detector, the information storage, and the control point detection unit are formed by a computer.