Apparatus and program for navigation

• US 8,285,472 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2008
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sasano, Takanori
• Primary Examiner(s): BEAUCHAINE, MARK J
• Application Number:
  US12/153,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20080294330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,603 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 701/410, 701/411, 701/414, 701/416, 701/428, 701/429, 701/431, 701/432, 701/438, 701/439, 455/457, 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/995.11, 340/995.12, 340/995.13, 340/995.19, 340/995.2, 340/995.26, 340/995.27
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn

Abstract

A navigation apparatus acquires a traffic event and accordingly determines whether or not to change a guiding route to a destination. Based on an affirmative determination, the navigation apparatus displays icons corresponding to traffic events causing the affirmative determination near a road containing the traffic event in a map image in a representation mode for an image of the traffic event different from a normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event. In this manner, the navigation apparatus changes the guiding route to the destination dynamically depending on information about traffic events on roads and allows a user to recognize a cause of changing the guiding route.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus for displaying a guiding route on an image display apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a routing unit for determining the guiding route using route cost calculation;

a traffic event acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring a traffic event on a road;

a traffic event display control unit for controlling the image display apparatus so as to display a traffic event image representing a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit near a road containing the traffic event on a map image in a normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image; and

a determination unit for building a cost for a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit into the route cost calculation and determining possibility of changing a guiding route based on a result of the route cost calculation,

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus based on an affirmative determination of the determination unit so as to display simultaneously on the map image;

(i) a post-change guiding route, (ii) a pre-change guiding route, and (iii) a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event on the pre-change guiding route causing the affirmative determination near a road containing the traffic event on the map image, in a first another representation mode of the traffic event image different from the normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image.

2. The navigation apparatus of claim 1,

wherein a traffic event causing the affirmative determination from the determination unit exists on the guiding route.

3. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the post-change guiding route and the pre-change guiding route are both signified when simultaneously displayed on the same map image.

4. A navigation apparatus for displaying a guiding route on an image display apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a routing unit for determining the guiding route using route cost calculation;

a traffic event acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring a traffic event on a road;

a traffic event display control unit for controlling the image display apparatus so as to display a traffic event image representing a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit near a road containing the traffic event on a map image in a normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image; and

a determination unit for building a cost for a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit into the route cost calculation and determining possibility of changing a guiding route based on a result of the route cost calculation,

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus based on an affirmative determination of the determination unit so as to display simultaneously on the map image;

(i) a post-change guiding route, (ii) a pre-change guiding route, and (iii) a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event on the pre-change guiding route causing the affirmative determination near a road containing the traffic event on the map image, in a first another representation mode of the traffic event image different from the normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image,

wherein the determination unit includes a first partial determination unit and a second partial determination unit,

wherein the first partial determination unit uses the route cost calculation having a cost for a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit and determines whether or not there is an alternative route less costly than a current guiding route,

wherein the second partial determination unit responds to a possible affirmative determination from the first partial determination unit and determines whether or not the alternative route is longer than a current guiding route by an amount smaller than a reference value,

wherein the determination unit determines capability of changing a guiding route based on an affirmative determination of the second partial determination unit,

wherein the determination unit determines incapability of changing a guiding route based on a negative determination of the second partial determination unit,

wherein, based on a negative determination of the second partial determination unit, the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus so as to display the traffic event image corresponding to the traffic event causing the alternative route to be less costly than the guiding route near the road containing the traffic event on the map image in a second another representation mode for the traffic event image, and

wherein the second another representation mode differs from the normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image and the first another representation mode for the traffic event image.

5. A navigation apparatus for displaying a guiding route on an image display apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a routing unit for determining the guiding route using route cost calculation;

a traffic event acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring a traffic event on a road;

a traffic event display control unit for controlling the image display apparatus so as to display a traffic event image representing a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit near a road containing the traffic event on a map image in a normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image;

a determination unit for building a cost for a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit into the route cost calculation and determining possibility of changing a guiding route based on a result of the route cost calculation,

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus based on an affirmative determination of the determination unit so as to display simultaneously on the map image;

(i) a post-change guiding route, (ii) a pre-change guiding route, and (iii) a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event on the pre-change guiding route causing the affirmative determination near a road containing the traffic event on the map image, in a first another representation mode of the traffic event image different from the normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image; and

a storage medium for storing a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit in association with a special avoidance identifier indicating exclusion of the traffic event from a guiding route,

wherein the routing unit excludes a road containing a traffic event associated with the special avoidance identifier in the storage medium from the guiding route regardless of a route cost for the road, and

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus so as to display the guiding route and a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event associated with the special avoidance identifier in the storage medium near a road containing the traffic event on a map image in a third another representation mode that differs from the normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image.

6. A navigation apparatus for displaying a guiding route on an image display apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a routing unit for determining the guiding route using route cost calculation;

a traffic event acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring a traffic event on a road;

a traffic event display control unit for controlling the image display apparatus so as to display a traffic event image representing a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit near a road containing the traffic event on a map image in a normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image; and

a determination unit for building a cost for a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit into the route cost calculation and determining possibility of changing a guiding route based on a result of the route cost calculation,

a storage medium for storing a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit in association with a special avoidance identifier indicating exclusion of the traffic event from a guiding route,

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus based on an affirmative determination of the determination unit so as to display simultaneously on the map image;

(i) a post-change guiding route, (ii) a pre-change guiding route, and (iii) a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event on the pre-change guiding route causing the affirmative determination near a road containing the traffic event on the map image, in a first another representation mode of the traffic event image different from the normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image,

wherein the routing unit excludes a road containing a traffic event associated with the special avoidance identifier in the storage medium from the guiding route regardless of a route cost for the road, and

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus so as to display the guiding route and a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event associated with the special avoidance identifier in the storage medium near a road containing the traffic event on a map image in a third another representation mode that differs from the normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image,

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus so as to display a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event associated with the special avoidance identifier in the storage medium near a road containing the traffic event on a map image in the third representation mode for the traffic event image even after the guiding route is hidden.

7. A navigation apparatus for displaying a guiding route on an image display apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a routing unit for determining the guiding route using route cost calculation;

a traffic event acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring a traffic event on a road;

a traffic event display control unit for controlling the image display apparatus so as to display a traffic event image representing a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit near a road containing the traffic event on a map image in a normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image; and

a determination unit for building a cost for a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit into the route cost calculation and determining possibility of changing a guiding route based on a result of the route cost calculation,

a storage medium for storing a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit in association with a special avoidance identifier indicating exclusion of the traffic event from a guiding route,

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus based on an affirmative determination of the determination unit so as to display simultaneously on the map image;

(i) a post-change guiding route, (ii) a pre-change guiding route, and (iii) a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event on the pre-change guiding route causing the affirmative determination near a road containing the traffic event on the map image, in a first another representation mode of the traffic event image different from the normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image,

wherein the routing unit excludes a road containing a traffic event associated with the special avoidance identifier in the storage medium from the guiding route regardless of a route cost for the road, and

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus so as to display the guiding route and a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event associated with the special avoidance identifier in the storage medium near a road containing the traffic event on a map image in a third another representation mode that differs from the normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image,

wherein, when the routing unit performs a route cost calculation to find a route cost in including a road containing a traffic event associated with the special avoidance identifier in the guiding route to be smaller than a route cost in excluding the road from the guiding route by a standard cost difference or more, the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus to display a traffic event image corresponding to the traffic event near the road in a fourth another representation mode for the traffic event image together with the guiding route determined by the routing unit, and

wherein the fourth another representation mode differs from the normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image and the third another representation mode for the traffic event image.

8. A navigation apparatus for displaying a guiding route on an image display apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a routing unit for determining the guiding route using route cost calculation;

a traffic event acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring a traffic event on a road;

a traffic event display control unit for controlling the image display apparatus so as to display a traffic event image representing a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit near a road containing the traffic event on a map image in a normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image; and

a determination unit for building a cost for a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit into the route cost calculation and determining possibility of changing a guiding route based on a result of the route cost calculation,

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus based on an affirmative determination of the determination unit so as to display simultaneously on the map image;

(i) a post-change guiding route, (ii) a pre-change guiding route, and (iii) a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event on the pre-change guiding route causing the affirmative determination near a road containing the traffic event on the map image, in a first another representation mode of the traffic event image different from the normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image,

wherein a traffic event causing the affirmative determination from the determination unit exists on the guiding route,

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus to display a traffic event on the guiding route in a representation mode capable of making a distinction between a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event circumvented by an alternative route to substitute the guiding route and a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event not circumvented by the alternative route.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions for execution by a navigation apparatus, the instructions including a computer-implemented method for the navigation apparatus for displaying a guiding route on an image display apparatus, comprising:

determining, in a routing unit, the guiding route using route cost calculation;

sequentially acquiring, in a traffic event acquisition unit, a traffic event on a road;

controlling, in a traffic event display control unit, the image display apparatus so as to display a traffic event image representing a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit near a road containing the traffic event on a map image in a first representation mode; and

building, in a determination unit, a cost for a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit into the route cost calculation and determining possibility of changing a guiding route based on a result of the route cost calculation,

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus based on an affirmative determination of the determination unit so as to display simultaneously on the map image;

(i) a post-change guiding route, (ii) a pre-change guiding route, and (iii) a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event on a pre-change guiding route causing the affirmative determination near a road containing the traffic event on the map image, in a second representation mode different from the first representation mode.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein

the post-change guiding route and the pre-change guiding route are both signified when simultaneously displayed on the same map image.

11. A navigation apparatus for displaying a guiding route on an image display apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a routing unit for determining the guiding route using route cost calculation;

a traffic event acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring a traffic event on a road;

a traffic event display control unit for controlling the image display apparatus so as to display a traffic event image representing a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit near a road containing the traffic event on a map image; and

a determination unit for building a cost for a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit into the route cost calculation and determining whether or not to change a guiding route based on a result of the route cost calculation,

wherein the routing unit performs a route cost calculation having a cost for a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit to change the guiding route based on an affirmative determination of the determination unit, and

wherein, when the traffic event image displayed by the traffic event display control unit exists on a guiding route before being changed by the routing unit and does not exist on a guiding route after being changed by the routing unit, the traffic event display control unit changes a representation mode of the traffic event image that is different from a current representation mode before changing the guiding route, and simultaneously displays the traffic event image together with a post-change guiding route.

12. The navigation apparatus of claim 11, wherein

both (i) the post-change guiding route, and (ii) the traffic event image that existed on the guiding route before being changed and does not exist on the post-change guiding route, are simultaneously displayed on the same map image.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions for execution by a navigation apparatus, the instructions including a computer-implemented method for the navigation apparatus for displaying a guiding route on an image display apparatus, comprising:

determining, in a routing unit, the guiding route using route cost calculation;

sequentially acquiring, in a traffic event acquisition unit, traffic event on a road;

controlling, in a traffic event display control unit, the image display apparatus so as to display a traffic event image representing a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit near a road containing the traffic event on a map image; and

building, in a determination unit, a cost for a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit into the route cost calculation and determining whether or not to change a guiding route based on a result of the route cost calculation,

wherein the routing unit performs a route cost calculation having a cost for a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit to change the guiding route based on an affirmative determination of the determination unit, and

wherein, when the traffic event image displayed by the traffic event display control unit exists on a guiding route before being changed by the routing unit and does not exist on a guiding route after being changed by the routing unit, the traffic event display control unit changes a representation mode of the traffic event image that is different from a current representation mode before changing the guiding route, and simultaneously displays the traffic event image together with a post-change guiding route.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein

both (i) the post-change guiding route, and (ii) the traffic event image that existed on the guiding route before being changed and does not exist on the post-change guiding route, are simultaneously displayed on the same map image.

15. A navigation apparatus for displaying a guiding route on an image display apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a routing unit for determining the guiding route using route cost calculation;

a traffic event acquisition unit for sequentially acquiring a traffic event on a road;

a traffic event display control unit for controlling the image display apparatus so as to display a traffic event image representing a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit near a road containing the traffic event on a map image in a normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image; and

a determination unit for building a cost for a traffic event acquired by the traffic event acquisition unit into the route cost calculation and determining possibility of changing a guiding route based on a result of the route cost calculation,

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus based on an affirmative determination of the determination unit so as to display simultaneously on the map image;

(i) a post-change guiding route, (ii) a pre-change guiding route, and (iii) a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event on a pre-change guiding route causing the affirmative determination near a road containing the traffic event on the map image, in a first another representation mode of the traffic event image different from the normal representation mode assigned to the traffic event image,

wherein the traffic event display control unit controls the image display apparatus to display an image for highlighting an alternative route to substitute the guiding route and a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event existing on the guiding route and to hide a traffic event image corresponding to a traffic event existing elsewhere than the guiding route.

16. The navigation apparatus of claim 15, wherein

the post-change guiding route and the pre-change guiding route are both signified when simultaneously displayed on the same map image.