Course guidance system, course guidance method, and course guidance program

• US 8,489,322 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2012
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyajima, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): FREJD, RUSSELL WARREN
• Application Number:
  US13/357,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 701408-412, 701/431, 701/437, 701/532, 701/533, 340/995.1, 340/995.19, 340/995.2
• US Class Current: 701/411
• 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 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities

Abstract

Course guidance systems, methods, and programs determine that a vehicle is exiting from a facility to an out-of-facility road via an exit lane, and determine an estimated connection angle of the exit lane at an exit/entrance node. The systems, methods, and programs generate course guidance information based on the determined estimated connection angle when the vehicle is determined to be exiting. Based on the vehicle location information and the road information, the systems, methods, and programs detect whether an actual traveling road and the guidance road differ. Based on the vehicle location information and the road information, the systems, methods, and programs correct the estimated connection angle at the exit/entrance node based on a relative angle between the actual traveling road and the guidance road, and record the corrected estimated connection angle.

Claims

1. A course guidance system, comprising:

a controller that;

acquires vehicle location information indicating a current location of a vehicle;

acquires road information including information on a road link and information on an exit/entrance node, the road link indicating an out-of-facility road, the exit/entrance node indicating a location of an exit/entrance of a facility having an exit lane connected to the out-of-facility road at the exit/entrance node;

determines that the vehicle is exiting from the facility to the out-of-facility road;

determines an estimated connection angle of the exit lane at the exit/entrance node;

generates course guidance information based on the determined estimated connection angle when the vehicle is determined to be exiting, the course guidance information being guidance on a traveling direction to a guidance road, the guidance road forming part of a guidance route on which the vehicle will travel after exiting from the exit lane;

based on the vehicle location information and the road information, detects whether an actual traveling road and the guidance road differ, the actual traveling road being a road on which the vehicle will travel after exiting from the exit lane;

when the actual traveling road and the guidance road differ, based on the vehicle location information and the road information, corrects the estimated connection angle at the exit/entrance node based on a relative angle between the actual traveling road and the guidance road; and

records the corrected estimated connection angle.

2. The course guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

when it is detected a predetermined number of times that the traveling road differs from the guidance road at the exit/entrance node, corrects the estimated connection angle at the exit/entrance node based on the relative angle between the traveling road and the guidance road each of the predetermined number of times.

3. The course guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

determines the corrected estimated connection angle when the corrected estimated connection angle is recorded;

or

when the corrected estimated connection angle is not recorded, uses a predetermined initial estimated connection angle.

4. The course guidance system according to claim 1, wherein:

the road information further includes information on an intersection node indicating an intersection of a plurality of roads; and

the controller, when the exit/entrance node is located within a predetermined distance from the intersection node, detects whether the actual traveling road and the guidance road differ.

5. The course guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

acquires the recorded estimated connection angle;

calculates an entering angle from the exit lane to the guidance road; and

provides course guidance based on the calculated entering angle.

6. A navigation device comprising the course guidance system according to claim 1.

7. A course guidance method, executed on a computer comprising:

acquiring vehicle location information indicating a current location of a vehicle;

acquiring road information including information on a road link and information on an exit/entrance node, the road link indicating an out-of-facility road, the exit/entrance node indicating a location of an exit/entrance of a facility having an exit lane connected to the out-of-facility road at the exit/entrance node;

determining that the vehicle is exiting from the facility to the out-of-facility road;

determining an estimated connection angle of the exit lane at the exit/entrance node;

generating course guidance information based on the determined estimated connection angle when the vehicle is determined to be exiting, the course guidance information being guidance on a traveling direction to a guidance road, the guidance road forming part of a guidance route on which the vehicle will travel after exiting from the exit lane;

based on the vehicle location information and the road information, detecting whether an actual traveling road and the guidance road differ, the actual traveling road being a road on which the vehicle will travel after exiting from the exit lane;

when the actual traveling road and the guidance road differ, based on the vehicle location information and the road information, correcting the estimated connection angle at the exit/entrance node based on a relative angle between the actual traveling road and the guidance road; and

recording the corrected estimated connection angle.

8. The course guidance method according to claim 7, further comprising:

when it is detected a predetermined number of times that the traveling road differs from the guidance road at the exit/entrance node, correcting the estimated connection angle at the exit/entrance node based on the relative angle between the traveling road and the guidance road each of the predetermined number of times.

9. The course guidance method according to claim 7, further comprising:

determining the corrected estimated connection angle when the corrected estimated connection angle is recorded;

or

when the corrected estimated connection angle is not recorded, uses a predetermined initial estimated connection angle.

10. The course guidance method according to claim 7, wherein:

the road information further includes information on an intersection node indicating an intersection of a plurality of roads; and

the method further comprises, when the exit/entrance node is located within a predetermined distance from the intersection node, detecting whether the actual traveling road and the guidance road differ.

11. The course guidance method according to claim 7, further comprising:

acquiring the recorded estimated connection angle;

calculating an entering angle from the exit lane to the guidance road; and

providing course guidance based on the calculated entering angle.

12. The course guidance method according to claim 7, wherein the method is implemented by a navigation device.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable course guidance program, the program comprising:

instructions for acquiring vehicle location information indicating a current location of a vehicle;

instructions for acquiring road information including information on a road link and information on an exit/entrance node, the road link indicating an out-of-facility road, the exit/entrance node indicating a location of an exit/entrance of a facility having an exit lane connected to the out-of-facility road at the exit/entrance node;

instructions for determining that the vehicle is exiting from the facility to the out-of-facility road;

instructions for determining an estimated connection angle of the exit lane at the exit/entrance node;

instructions for generating course guidance information based on the determined estimated connection angle when the vehicle is determined to be exiting, the course guidance information being guidance on a traveling direction to a guidance road, the guidance road forming part of a guidance route on which the vehicle will travel after exiting from the exit lane;

instructions for, based on the vehicle location information and the road information, detecting whether an actual traveling road and the guidance road differ, the actual traveling road being a road on which the vehicle will travel after exiting from the exit lane;

instructions for, when the actual traveling road and the guidance road differ, based on the vehicle location information and the road information, correcting the estimated connection angle at the exit/entrance node based on a relative angle between the actual traveling road and the guidance road; and

recording the corrected estimated connection angle.

14. The storage medium according to claim 13, the program further comprising:

instructions for, when it is detected a predetermined number of times that the traveling road differs from the guidance road at the exit/entrance node, correcting the estimated connection angle at the exit/entrance node based on the relative angle between the traveling road and the guidance road each of the predetermined number of times.

15. The storage medium according to claim 13, the program further comprising:

instructions for determining the corrected estimated connection angle when the corrected estimated connection angle is recorded;

or

instructions for, when the corrected estimated connection angle is not recorded, uses a predetermined initial estimated connection angle.

16. The storage medium according to claim 13, wherein:

the road information further includes information on an intersection node indicating an intersection of a plurality of roads; and

the program further comprises instructions for, when the exit/entrance node is located within a predetermined distance from the intersection node, detecting whether the actual traveling road and the guidance road differ.

17. The storage medium according to claim 13, the program further comprising:

instructions for acquiring the recorded estimated connection angle;

instructions for calculating an entering angle from the exit lane to the guidance road; and

instructions for providing course guidance based on the calculated entering angle.