Navigation apparatus and navigation processing method

• US 7,920,964 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2006
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Xanavi Informatics Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nomura, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sample; Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US11/508,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,686 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A navigation apparatus includes: a map data obtaining unit that obtains map data; a navigation processing unit that executes navigation processing by using the obtained map data; a search data obtaining unit that obtains search data; a specific data detection unit that detects specific data for a specified search target by using the obtained search data; a correspondence table obtaining unit that obtains a correspondence table indicating correspondence between identification information used to identify individual road units into which each road is divided in predetermined units and map data road unit information related to map data road units defined in the map data individually corresponding to the road units; and a map position determining unit that determines a position of the specified search target in the map data based upon the specific data for the specified search target having been detected and the correspondence table having been obtained.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus, comprising:

a map data obtaining unit that obtains map data;

a navigation processing unit that executes navigation processing by using the map data having been obtained;

a search data obtaining unit that obtains search data;

a specific data detection unit that detects specific data for a specified search target by using the search data having been obtained;

a correspondence table obtaining unit that obtains a correspondence table indicating correspondence between identification information used to identify individual road units into which each road is divided in predetermined units and map data road unit information related to map data road units defined in the map data individually corresponding to the road units; and

a map position determining unit that determines a position of the specified search target in the map data based upon the specific data for the specified search target having been detected and the correspondence table having been obtained, wherein;

the identification information includes road inherent information assigned permanently to each road unit to identify each road unit;

the specific data corresponding to each of various search targets, which are included in the search data, contain the identification information used to identify a road unit at which the search target is located; and

the map position determining unit obtains the map data road unit information from the correspondence table having been obtained, which corresponds to the identification information contained in the specific data for the specified search target having been detected, and identifies the map data road unit in the map data based upon the map data road unit information having been obtained.

2. A navigation apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein:

the specific data for each of various search targets, which are included in the search data, contain information related to positions of at least a start point and an end point of the map data road unit corresponding to the road unit, in addition to the identification information; and

the map position determining unit also determines the directionality of the map data road unit in the map data by using the information related to the positions of at least the start point and the end point contained in the specific data for the specified search target having been detected.

4. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the identification information does not change if the road does not change, even if search data is updated or the map data is updated.

5. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the correspondence table is not updated if the map data is not updated, even if the search data is updated.

6. A navigation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the correspondence table is updated if the map data is updated.

7. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the specific data for the specified search target includes a set of the road inherent information corresponding to the road unit where the specified search target is located; and

the map position determining unit obtains a set of the map data road information of the map data road unit corresponding to the set of road inherent information by referring to the correspondence table, and determines a position of the specified search target in the map data based upon the set of map data road information.

8. A navigation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the specific data further includes house number information; and

the map position determining unit determines a position of the specified search target in the map data based upon the set of map data road information and the house number information.

9. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the map data road unit information includes map data road information assigned to each map data road unit to identify each map data road unit.

3. A navigation processing method comprising:

obtaining search data;

obtaining map data;

detecting specific data for a specified search target by using the search data having been obtained;

establishing a correspondence between the search data and the map data by using a correspondence table indicating correspondence between identification information used to identify individual road units into which each road is divided in predetermined units and map data road unit information related to map data road units defined in the map data individually corresponding to the road units; and

executing navigation processing by using the search data having been obtained, the map data having been obtained, and the correspondence having been established, wherein;

the identification information includes road inherent information assigned permanently to each road unit to identify each road unit;

the specific data corresponding to each of various search targets, which are included in the search data, contain the identification information used to identify a road unit at which the search target is located;

the map data road unit information, which corresponds to the identification information contained in the specific data for the specified search target having been detected, is obtained from the correspondence table; and

the map data road unit is identified in the map data based upon the map data road unit information having been obtained.

10. A navigation processing method according to claim 3, wherein:

the map data road unit information includes map data road information assigned to each map data road unit to identify each map data road unit.