Navigation device, navigation method and program

• US 8,744,755 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US12/973,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20110166775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 701/411, 701/412, 701/417, 701/425, 701/426, 701/432, 701/438, 701/454, 701/457, 701/467
• US Class Current: 701/417
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement

Abstract

There is provided a navigation device including a position information acquisition section which acquires a current position, a final destination setting section which sets a final destination, a stop-off genre setting section which sets a genre of a facility to be stopped at, a stop-off point selection section which selects a stop-off point based on a route to the final destination, and a route guidance section which performs notification of a route to the stop-off point at a branch point between the route to the final destination and the route to the stop-off point, shows a route to the stop-off point when entering the route to the stop-off point from the branch point, and switches a guidance destination to the final destination when arriving at the stop-off point.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

a processor configured to;

acquire position information of a current position;

set a final destination;

set a genre of a facility to be stopped at before arriving at the final destination;

select a stop-off point from among facilities included in the genre set based on a route from the current position to the final destination;

search for the route from the current position to the final destination and a route from the current position to the stop-off point;

perform notification of the route to the stop-off point at a branch point between the route to the final destination and the route to the stop-off point while showing the route to the final destination;

when detecting that the position information of the current position enters the route to the stop-off point from the branch point, automatically switch a guidance destination to the stop-off point and show the route to the stop-off point; and

when detecting arrival at the stop-off point based on the position information, automatically switch the guidance destination to the final destination.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising

a display configured to display a display screen in which the current position and a route to the guidance destination are superimposed on map information,

wherein the processor is further configured to cause the display section to display a screen in which an arrow indicating a direction that leads to the stop-off point is superimposed at the branch point between the route to the final destination and the route to the stop-off point on the display screen.

3. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein when the processor detects the arrival at the stop-off point, the processor is further configured to select a stop-off point again from among facilities included in the genre set based on a route from a current position at a time point of the detection to the final destination.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein when processor detects that the route to the final destination is selected at the branch point, the processor is further configured to select a stop-off point again from among facilities included in the genre set based on a route from a current position at a time point of the detection to the final destination.

7. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein the route to the stop-off point is highlighted in a first manner and the route to the final destination is highlighted in a second manner different from the first manner.

16. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein the navigation device is at least one of a mobile phone, a portable music reproduction device, a portable video processing device, a portable game device, and a portable imaging device.

19. The navigation device according to claim 1,

wherein the genre includes a kind of facility.

20. The navigation device according to claim 19,

wherein the kind of facility includes at least one of a convenience store and a gas station.

5. A navigation method, comprising:

causing a processor to execute predetermined procedures, the procedures including;

setting a final destination;

setting a genre of a facility to be stopped at before arriving at the final destination;

searching for a route from a current position to the final destination;

selecting a stop-off point from among facilities included in the genre based on the searched route to the final destination;

searching for a route from a current position to the selected stop-off point;

showing the route to the final destination;

performing notification of a branch point between the route to the final destination and the route to the stop-off point;

automatically switching a guidance destination to the stop-off point and showing the route to the stop-off point when detecting that a current position enters the route to the stop-off point from the branch point; and

automatically switching the guidance destination to the final destination when detecting arrival at the stop-off point based on position information of a current position.

8. The navigation method according to claim 5, the procedures further including:

displaying a display screen in which the current position and a route to the guidance destination are superimposed on map information, and

displaying a screen in which an arrow indicating a direction that leads to the stop-off point is superimposed at the branch point between the route to the final destination and the route to the stop-off point on the display screen.

9. The navigation method according to claim 5, the procedures further including:

selecting a stop-off point again from among facilities included in the genre set based on a route from a current position at a time point of the detection to the final destination when detecting the arrival at the stop-off point.

10. The navigation method according to claim 5, the procedures further including:

selecting a stop-off point again from among facilities included in the genre set based on a route from a current position at a time point of the detection to the final destination when detecting that the route to the final destination is selected at the branch point.

11. The navigation method according to claim 5,

wherein the route to the stop-off point is highlighted in a first manner and the route to the final destination is highlighted in a second manner different from the first manner.

17. The navigation method according to claim 5,

wherein processor is at least part of a mobile phone, a portable music reproduction device, a portable video processing device, a portable game device, and a portable imaging device.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as:

a position information acquisition section which acquires position information of a current position,

a final destination setting section which sets a final destination,

a stop-off genre setting section which sets a genre of a facility to be stopped at before arriving at the final destination,

a stop-off point selection section which selects a stop-off point from among facilities included in the genre set by the stop-off genre setting section based on a route from the current position to the final destination,

a route search section which searches for the route from the current position to the final destination and a route from the current position to the stop-off point, and

a route guidance section which performs notification of the route to the stop-off point at a branch point between the route to the final destination and the route to the stop-off point while showing the route to the final destination, when detecting that the position information of the current position acquired by the position information acquisition section enters the route to the stop-off point from the branch point, automatically switches a guidance destination to the stop-off point and shows the route to the stop-off point, and when detecting arrival at the stop-off point based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition section, automatically switches the guidance destination to the final destination.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium storing the program according to claim 6, further causing the computer to function as:

a display section which displays a display screen in which the current position and a route to the guidance destination are superimposed on map information in accordance with a control of the route guidance section,

wherein the route guidance section causes the display section to display a screen in which an arrow indicating a direction that leads to the stop-off point is superimposed at the branch point between the route to the final destination and the route to the stop-off point on the display screen.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium storing the program according to claim 6,

wherein when the route guidance section detects the arrival at the stop-off point, the stop-off point selection section selects a stop-off point again from among facilities included in the genre set by the stop-off genre setting section based on a route from a current position at a time point of the detection to the final destination.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium storing the program according to claim 6,

wherein when the route guidance section detects that the route to the final destination is selected at the branch point, the stop-off point selection section selects a stop-off point again from among facilities included in the genre set by the stop-off genre setting section based on a route from a current position at a time point of the detection to the final destination.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium storing the program according to claim 6,

wherein the route to the stop-off point is highlighted in a first manner and the route to the final destination is highlighted in a second manner different from the first manner.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium storing the program according to claim 6, wherein the computer is at least one of a mobile phone, a portable music reproduction device, a portable video processing device, a portable game device, and a portable imaging device.