Navigation device

• US 8,406,999 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2009
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nexgen Control Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Koyasu, Takehiko, Kohno, Atsushi, Yamazaki, Wataru, Kawana, Yuta, Satou, Fumitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US12/991,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 701/426, 701/438, 701/408, 701/532, 701/533, 701/117, 340/995.16, 340/905, 340/995.1, 705/13
• US Class Current: 701/426
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096855 where the output is provided in a suitable form to the driver details on I/O arrangements for onboard navigation computers G01C21/36

Abstract

A navigation device includes a map information acquiring unit 47 and 48 for acquiring map information, a positioning unit 46 for measuring a vehicle position, an input unit 34 and 45 for inputting a search condition for a search for facilities which are search objects, a facility searching unit 50 for, when the vehicle position measured by the positioning unit is located on a dedicated road whose exits and entrances are predetermined, searching through the map information acquired by the map information acquiring unit for facilities existing on the dedicated road and facilities existing at a predetermined distance or less from an exit of the dedicated road, those facilities satisfying the search condition inputted from the input unit, and a display unit 32 and 43 for displaying the facilities searched for by the facility searching unit in order of increasing distance from the vehicle position measured by the positioning unit.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

a map information acquiring unit for acquiring map information;

a positioning unit for measuring a vehicle position;

a route determining unit for determining a route from a place of departure to a destination;

an input unit for inputting a search condition for a search for facilities which are search objects;

a facility searching unit for, when the vehicle position measured by said positioning unit is located on a dedicated road whose exits and entrances are predetermined, searching through the map information acquired by said map information acquiring unit for facilities existing on said dedicated road and facilities existing at a predetermined distance or less from an exit of said dedicated road, those facilities satisfying the search condition inputted from said input unit; and

a display unit for displaying the facilities searched for by said facility searching unit in order of increasing distance from the vehicle position measured by said positioning unit, wherein said facility searching unit changes the predetermined distance from the exit of said dedicated road according to both the vehicle position measured by said positioning unit and a setting state of the route determined by said route determining unit to carry out the search.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the facilities existing on the dedicated road and the facilities existing at the predetermined distance or less from the exit of said dedicated road, those facilities being searched for by the facility searching unit, while distinguishing between the facilities existing on the dedicated road and the facilities existing at the predetermined distance or less from the exit of said dedicated road.

3. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the facility searching unit changes the predetermined distance from the exit of the dedicated road according to the search condition inputted from the input unit to carry out the search.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the facility searching unit changes the predetermined distance from the exit of the dedicated road according to a distance from the vehicle position measured by the positioning unit to the exit of the dedicated road to carry out the search.

5. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the facility searching unit changes the predetermined distance from the exit of the dedicated road according to whether or not the route determined by said route determining unit is set to carry out the search.

6. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the facility searching unit changes the predetermined distance from the exit of the dedicated road according to a distance from the destination to the exit of the dedicated road to carry out the search when the route determined by said route determining unit is set.

7. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the facility searching unit changes the predetermined distance from the exit of the dedicated road according to a road use charge of the dedicated road which increases when going out of the exit of the dedicated road to carry out the search when the route determined by said route determining unit is set.

8. The navigation device according to claim 7, wherein the input unit inputs an amount of money which will be spent in a facility searched for, and the facility searching unit changes the road use charge of the dedicated road which increases when going out of the exit of the dedicated road according to the search condition or the amount of money which is inputted by said input unit.

9. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit changes order in which to display the facilities existing on the dedicated road according to crowdedness of service areas or parking areas existing on the dedicated road.

10. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit changes order in which to display the facilities existing on the dedicated road according to crowdedness of the facilities existing on the dedicated road.