Navigation apparatus, route guide method and program

• US 8,204,681 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Hirose, Chihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Joerger, Kaitlin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Suarez, Ernesto
• Application Number:
  US12/296,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/207, 701/209, 701/211, 701/213, 340/995.2, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 701/411
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00

Abstract

A navigation device provides route guidance only by voice guidance even if route guidance by a display screen is impossible. A navigation device displays on a display device a navigation screen including a map about a current position. The display device can enter a no-display state. In the navigation device, regardless of the state of the navigation screen, a route guidance method is performed. More particularly, in the display state, a guidance route is determined by a normal mode and route guidance is performed by both voice and display. In the no-display state, a guidance route including fewer movement methods is determined and route guidance is made only by voice guidance. Thus, in the no-display state where the navigation screen is not displayed, a guidance route is determined so as to enable route guidance only by voice.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a display control unit which displays a navigation screen on a display device;

a display state determining unit which determines whether a state is a display state in which the navigation screen is displayed or a no-display state in which the navigation screen is not displayed; and

a route guide unit which searches a route to a destination and executes a route guide in accordance with a guide route obtained by searching,

wherein, in the display state, the route guide unit determines the guide route and executes the route guide with a guide sound and a guide display on a display screen according to a normal mode, and

wherein, in the no-display state, the route guide unit determines the guide route so that the determined route includes fewer right and left turns than in the normal mode and executes the route guide only with the guide sound according to a no-display mode.

2. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the route guide unit determines the guide route, in the no-display mode, so that the determined route includes more straight forward advance at an intersection than in the normal mode.

3. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the route guide unit includes a route searching unit which calculates totals of link costs assigned to roads forming each route and turn costs assigned to intersections for plural routes to the destination and which determines the route having a minimum total as the guide route.

4. The navigation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the route searching unit increases, in the no-display mode, the turn cost of one of a right and a left turn at each intersection to be larger than in the normal mode.

5. The navigation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, in the no-display mode, the route searching unit decreases the link cost corresponding to a wide road to be smaller than in the normal mode and increases the link cost corresponding to a narrow road to be larger than in the normal mode.

6. The navigation apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a history storage unit which stores a number of past traveling in each road, wherein the route searching unit decreases, in the no-display mode, the link cost of a road having the number of past traveling, equal to or larger than a predetermined number, to be smaller than in the normal mode.

7. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the display state determining unit detects a change of a display state, the route guide unit changes the mode between the normal mode and the no-display mode and executes the route search again in the changed mode.

8. A route guide method comprising:

displaying a navigation screen on a display device;

determining whether a state is a display state in which the navigation screen is displayed or a no-display state in which the navigation screen is not displayed; and

searching a route to a destination and executes a route guide in accordance with a guide route obtained by searching,

wherein, in the display state, the searching step executes route search and executes the route guide with a display screen and a guide sound in accordance with an obtained guide route according to a normal mode, and

wherein, in the no-display state, the searching step executes the route search so that the searched route includes fewer right and left turns than in the normal mode and executes the route guide only with the guide sound in accordance with the obtained guide route according to a no-display mode.

9. A computer program product in a non-transitory computer-readable medium upon execution in a navigation apparatus performs the steps of:

displaying navigation screen on a display device;

determining whether a state is a display state in which the navigation screen is displayed or a no-display state in which the navigation screen is not displayed; and

searching a route to a destination and executes a route guide in accordance with the guide route obtained by searching,

wherein, in the display state, the searching step executes route search and executes the route guide with a display screen and a guide sound in accordance with an obtained guide route according to a normal mode, and

wherein, in the no-display state, the searching step executes the route search so that the searched route includes fewer right and left turns than in the normal mode and executes the route guide only with the guide sound in accordance with the obtained guide route according to a no-display mode.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which records a computer program upon execution in a navigation apparatus performs the steps of:

displaying a navigation screen on a display device;

determining whether a state is a display state in which the navigation screen is displayed or a no-display state in which the navigation screen is not displayed; and

searching a route to a destination and executing a route guide in accordance with the guide route obtained by searching,

wherein, in the display state, the searching step executes route search and executes the route guide with a display screen and a guide sound in accordance with an obtained guide route according to a normal mode, and

wherein, in the no-display state, the searching step executes the route search so that the searched route includes fewer right and left turns than in the normal mode and executes the route guide only with the guide sound in accordance with the obtained guide route according to a no-display mode.