Navigation device having in-tunnel position estimation function

• US 8,965,687 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2011
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Matsuo, Shigeru, Tanaka, Katsuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alharbi, Adam
• Application Number:
  US13/577,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20130018578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/431
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/168 Driving aids for parking, e.g. acoustic or visual feedback on parking space
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A navigation device that includes a map data base in which map information is stored and a positioning unit that determines a current position based upon a radio wave signal received from a satellite, contains: a tunnel detection unit that detects a tunnel that is present ahead on a road where the navigation device is moving; a travel data acquisition unit that acquires travel data of another vehicle from an information center; and a position estimation unit that in case the tunnel detection unit detects a presence of a tunnel ahead on a road and the travel data acquisition unit acquires from the information center travel data of another vehicle that has traveled through the detected tunnel, estimates a current position of the navigation device in the detected tunnel using a travel speed in the detected tunnel in the acquired travel data as a movement speed of the navigation device.

Claims

1. A navigation device that includes a map data base in which map information is stored and a positioning unit that determines a current position based upon a radio wave signal received from a satellite, comprising:

a tunnel detection unit that detects a tunnel that is present ahead on a road where the navigation device is moving;

a travel data acquisition unit that acquires travel data of another vehicle from an information center; and

a position estimation unit that in case the tunnel detection unit detects a presence of a tunnel ahead on a road where the navigation device is moving and the travel data acquisition unit acquires from the information center travel data of another vehicle that has traveled through the detected tunnel, estimates a current position of the navigation device in the detected tunnel using a travel speed in the detected tunnel in the acquired travel data as a movement speed of the navigation device;

wherein

the travel data acquired from the information center include position information of another vehicle and time information of measurement of the position information; and

if the acquired travel data include sets of travel data by a plurality of vehicles, the position estimation unit sorts sets of speed information of sections that each correspond to the tunnel in each set of travel data in order of proximity to an inlet of the tunnel, calculates speed information for each of sections divided by the position information, and determines latest speed information in each of the divided sections as a movement speed of the navigation device in each of the divided sections of the tunnel.

2. A navigation device according to claim 1, wherein:

for a section in the tunnel where speed data cannot be acquired from travel data of the other vehicle, speed information, which is speed data into which traffic information pertaining to the tunnel has been converted, is acquired from the information center and is determined as a movement speed of the navigation device.

3. A navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an inter-vehicle communication unit that performs data transmission and reception with another vehicle, wherein;

in case the tunnel detection unit detects a presence of a tunnel ahead on a road where the navigation device is moving, the inter-vehicle communication unit performs communication with another vehicle that is traveling in a same direction on a same road and the position estimation unit determines a travel speed received from the other vehicle as a movement speed of the navigation device.

4. A position estimation method for a navigation device that comprises a map data base in which map information is stored and a positioning unit that determines a current position based upon a radio wave signal received from a satellite, comprising:

detecting a tunnel that is present within a predetermined distance ahead on a road where the navigation device is moving;

in case a presence of a tunnel is detected ahead on a road where the navigation device is moving, acquiring from an information center travel data of another vehicle that has traveled through the detected tunnel; and

estimating a current position of the navigation device in the tunnel using a travel speed in the tunnel in the acquired travel data as a movement speed of the navigation device;

wherein

the travel data acquired from the information center include position information of another vehicle and time information of measurement of the position information; and

if the acquired travel data include sets of travel data by a plurality of vehicles, sets of speed information of sections that correspond to the tunnel in each set of travel data are sorted in order of proximity to an inlet of the tunnel, speed information is calculated for each of sections divided by the position information, and latest speed information in each of the divided sections is determined as a movement speed of the navigation device in each of the divided sections of the tunnel.

5. A position estimation method for a navigation device according to claim 4, wherein:

for a section in the tunnel where speed data cannot be acquired from travel data of the other vehicle, speed information, which is speed data into which traffic information pertaining to the tunnel that has been converted, is acquired from the information center and determined as a movement speed of the navigation device.

6. A position estimation method for a navigation device according to claim 4, wherein:

in case a presence of a tunnel is detected ahead on a road where the navigation device is moving, communication with another vehicle that is traveling in a same direction on a same road is performed by an inter-vehicle communication in which transmission and reception of data is further performed with a vehicle, and a travel speed received from the other vehicle is determined as a movement speed of the navigation device.