Navigation system, navigation apparatus, method and server

• US 8,855,915 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Furuhata, Shunichiro, Sobue, Tsuneo, Takano, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRUSHABER, FREDERICK M
• Application Number:
  US13/670,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20130116919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 701/408
• US Class Current: 701/408
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

A navigation system comprises a detection part for detecting a location and a speed of a navigation apparatus, a voice message weight storage part for storing voice message weight association information, which associates a weight with each of multiple voice messages, a rule storage part for storing priority rule information denoting a rule for deciding a priority for each of multiple voice messages, a priority decision part for deciding a priority for each of the multiple voice messages based on the priority rule information, and a voice output part for outputting from the navigation apparatus multiple voice messages in a sequence conforming to the decided priority. The rule denoted by the priority rule information is a rule for deciding the priority for each voice message based on the detected location and speed of the navigation apparatus, and the weight of each voice message denoted by the voice-weight association information.

Claims

1. A navigation system, comprising:

a navigation apparatus configured to carry out guidance by outputting a voice message;

a location and speed detector, configured to detect a location and a speed of the navigation apparatus;

a voice message weight storage, configured to store voice message weight association information, which associates a weight with each of multiple voice messages;

a rule storage, configured to store priority rule information denoting a rule for deciding a priority for each of the multiple voice messages;

a priority decision module, configured to decide a priority for each of the multiple voice messages based on the priority rule information;

a voice output, configured to output the multiple voice messages from the navigation apparatus in a sequence conforming to the decided priority,

a server configured to communicate with the navigation apparatus, the server including a reference driving performance information transmitter configured to send reference driving performance information to the navigation apparatus, wherein the reference driving performance information is driving performance characteristics information constituting a reference;

the navigation apparatus includes;

a characteristics acquisition receiver configured to acquire driving performance characteristics of a driver, who drives a vehicle including the navigation apparatus; and

an evaluation score calculator configured to calculate an evaluation score of the driver based on the reference driving performance information and the driving performance characteristics of the driver;

wherein a rule denoted by the priority rule information is a rule for deciding a priority for each voice message based on;

the detected location and speed of the navigation apparatus, the weight of each of the voice messages denoted by the voice message weight association information, and the evaluation score of the driver.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein:

the server further includes;

a message weight transmitter, configured to send the voice message weight association information to the navigation apparatus, and

a rule transmitter, configured to send the priority rule information to the navigation apparatus,

the navigation apparatus further includes the voice message weight storage and the rule storage,

the voice message weight storage is further configured to receive voice message weight association information from the server, and

the rule storage is further configured to receive priority rule information from the server.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the navigation apparatus further includes the priority decision module and the voice output.

4. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein:

a weight is associated with each type of the voice messages in the voice message weight association information, and

the type of the voice messages includes any one or more of;

route guidance information, hazard location information, or business information.

5. The navigation system according to claim 4, wherein the rule denoted by the priority rule information is a rule for each type of the voice messages.

6. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein:

the characteristics acquisition receiver is further configured to acquire steering characteristics, braking characteristics, and acceleration characteristics of a driver as the driving performance characteristics of the driver, and

the evaluation score calculator is further configured to calculate a steering evaluation score, a braking evaluation score, and an acceleration evaluation score based on the driving performance characteristics of the driver.

7. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein:

the navigation apparatus further includes a characteristics transmitter, configured to send the driving performance characteristics of the driver to the server, and

the server is further configured to calculate the reference driving performance information based on the driving performance characteristics of the driver acquired from multiple navigation apparatuses coupled to the server.

8. A navigation apparatus configured to provide voice guidance by outputting a voice message, comprising:

a location and speed detector, configured to detect a location and a speed of the navigation apparatus;

a voice message weight storage, configured to store voice message weight association information, which associates a weight with each of multiple voice messages;

a rule storage, configured to store priority rule information denoting a rule for deciding a priority for each of the multiple voice messages;

a priority decision module, configured to decide a priority for each of the multiple voice messages based on the priority rule information;

a voice output, configured to output the multiple voice messages from the navigation apparatus in a sequence conforming to the decided priority,

a reference driving performance information storage, configured to store reference driving performance information, which is driving performance characteristics information constituting a reference;

a characteristics acquisition receiver, configured to acquire driving performance characteristics of a driver, who drives a vehicle including the navigation apparatus; and

an evaluation score calculator configured to calculate an evaluation score of the driver based on the reference driving performance information and the driving performance characteristics of the driver,

wherein a rule denoted by the priority rule information is a rule for deciding a priority for each voice message based on the detected location and speed of the navigation apparatus, the weight of each of the voice messages denoted by the voice message weight association information, and the evaluation score of the driver.

9. The navigation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

a weight is associated with each type of the voice messages in the voice message weight association information, and

the type of the voice messages includes any one or more of;

route guidance information, hazard location information, or business information.

10. The navigation apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the rule denoted by the priority rule information is a rule for each type of the voice messages.

11. The navigation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the characteristics acquisition receiver is further configured to acquire steering characteristics, braking characteristics, and acceleration characteristics of a driver as the driving performance characteristics of the driver, and

the evaluation score calculator is further configured to calculate a steering evaluation score, a braking evaluation score, and an acceleration evaluation score based on the driving performance characteristics of the driver.