Navigation apparatus, method and program for vehicle

• US 8,024,115 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Hayashida, Atsushi, Soube, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): LICHTI, MATTHEW L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Diacou; Ari M
• Application Number:
  US11/504,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050134A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,862 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36, 701/49, 701/200, 701/201, 701/205, 701207-211, 701/214, 701300-302, 340/995.1, 34099516-99524, 340/995.27, 340/995.28, 382/104
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance

Abstract

An onboard navigation apparatus provides travel guidance on a road including a plurality of roadways heading in the same direction. The road specifically includes a special roadway such as a carpool lane having no exits to other roads, an ordinary roadway having exits to the other roads and a predetermined traveling-path changing area provided as a sole area allowing a vehicle to change a traveling path thereof between the special roadway and the ordinary roadway. The apparatus determines a present position of a vehicle, determines whether the detected position is in the special roadway or in an ordinary roadway. The apparatus provides, in addition to normal travel guidance, information on the traveling-path changing area existing ahead of the vehicle on a display, when the detected position is in the special roadway.

Claims

1. An onboard navigation apparatus for a vehicle traveling along a plurality of roadways heading in the same direction, the onboard navigation apparatus comprising:

a map data input means for inputting road data of the roadways including a special roadway, an ordinary roadway, and other roads, the special roadway having no exits to the other roads, the ordinary roadway having exits to the other roads and a predetermined traveling-path changing area provided between areas where the vehicle is not permitted to change a traveling path between the special roadway and the ordinary roadway despite the ordinary roadway and the special roadway being adjacent, as a sole area allowing the vehicle to change the traveling path thereof between the special roadway and the ordinary roadway, the onboard navigation apparatus comprising;

a control configured to carry out predetermined navigation processing by using the road data including information on the predetermined traveling-path changing area;

a sign/mark detector configured to detect at least one of a road sign and a road mark, which indicates the special roadway;

a present-position determiner configured to determine a present position of the vehicle; and

a guidance provider configured to provide guidance to a user of the vehicle,

the predetermined navigation processing in the control is configured to set a guiding route including the special roadway and provide driving guidance for the guiding route to the user through the guidance provider on the basis of the present position determined by the present-position determiner, the control is configured to

(1) determine whether the vehicle is traveling on the special roadway on the basis of a detection result generated by the sign/mark detector and the road data of the roadways inputted by the map data input means,

(2) provide the user with special-roadway-specific guidance customized to the special roadway to include the predetermined traveling-path changing area in which the vehicle should change its traveling path from the special roadway to the ordinary roadway in order to travel in accordance with the guiding route, when the vehicle is determined as traveling on the special roadway, and

(3) provide the user with ordinary guidance not customized to the special roadway, when the vehicle is determined as no longer traveling on the special roadway,

the control being configured, after providing the user with special-roadway-specific guidance customized to the special roadway to include the predetermined traveling-path changing area in which the vehicle should change its traveling path from the special roadway to the ordinary roadway in order to travel in accordance with the guiding route, to

(4) determine, after passing by the predetermined traveling-path changing area included in the guidance, whether the vehicle is no longer traveling on the special roadway, and

(5) set a new guiding route and provides driving guidance for the new guiding route to the user, when the vehicle is determined as still traveling on the special roadway after passing by the predetermined traveling-path changing area included in the guidance customized to the special roadway.

2. The onboard navigation apparatus according to claim 1,

the guidance provider further being configured, when the special roadway includes traveling-path changing areas allowing the vehicle traveling on the ordinary roadway to change its traveling path from the ordinary roadway to the special roadway and the traveling-path changing areas include a specific traveling-path changing area through which the vehicle cannot move from the ordinary roadway to the special roadway in order to travel in accordance with the guiding route, to provide guidance showing the specific traveling-path changing area to the user to suggest the user not to change the traveling path from the ordinary roadway to the special roadway through the specific traveling-path changing area as the vehicle passes by a location separated from the specific traveling-path changing area by a predetermined distance, approaching the specific traveling-path changing area.

3. The onboard navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the guidance provider includes at least a display means for displaying information; and

the control is configured, when the vehicle is traveling on the special roadway, to display information, which can be recognized by the user as information indicating that the vehicle is traveling on the special roadway, or to change already displayed information to information having a display format recognizable to the user; and

the control is configured, when the vehicle is no longer traveling on the special roadway, to discontinue the display of the information or restores the format of the already displayed information back to its original format.

4. The onboard navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the road data includes information associating the traveling-path changing area with an exit through which the vehicle is allowed to change from the ordinary roadway to the other road after changing its driving path from the special roadway to the ordinary roadway through the traveling-path changing area; and

on the basis of the road data, the control displays information included in the road data as the information associating the exit with the traveling-path changing area existing within a predetermined range ahead of the vehicle to the user when the vehicle is traveling on the special roadway.

5. The onboard navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the sign/mark detector has a photographing member mounted on the vehicle; and

on the basis of a picture taken by the photographing member, the sign/mark detector recognizes a sign or mark of a road as an indicator showing that the road is the special roadway.

6. The onboard navigation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the road sign or the road mark is a mark drawn on the surface of the special roadway by using paint; and

the photographing member is installed at such a position that the photographing member is positioned to take a picture of a road mark existing ahead of the vehicle.

7. The onboard navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the sign/mark detector is configured to detect an exit from the ordinary roadway to the other road; and

the control is configured to determine whether the vehicle is traveling on the special roadway on the basis of a detection result generated by the sign/mark detector as a result of detection of an exit provided at a location where the exit exists in accordance with the road data as the exit from the ordinary roadway to the other road.

8. The onboard navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the special roadway is a road on which the vehicle is prohibited from traveling unless the vehicle satisfies a special condition; and

the ordinary roadway is a road on which the vehicle is allowed to travel without regard to the special condition.

9. The onboard navigation apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the special roadway is a carpool lane on which the vehicle is allowed to travel when the vehicle has at least a passenger besides the driver.