Travel guidance system, travel guidance apparatus, travel guidance method, and computer program

• US 9,062,987 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Sato, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Assistant Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jaime
• Application Number:
  US13/538,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20130006523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701/408, 701/410, 701/412, 701/418, 701/422, 701/423, 701/425, 701/428, 701/431, 701/433, 701/437, 701/466, 701/468
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions

Abstract

A travel guidance system including a navigation-route setting unit; a traffic-light-position acquiring unit that acquires a position of an exit-side traffic light at a preceding junction that is located closer to a departure place of a navigation route than a guidance junction; a movable-body-position acquiring unit that acquires a position of a movable body; a guidance-starting-point acquiring unit, the guidance starting point being determined from a position of the movable body relative to the exit-side traffic light at the preceding junction; a passage determining unit that determines whether the movable body has passed through the guidance starting point from the position of the movable body and the position of the guidance starting point; and a junction guiding unit that starts the guidance on the guidance junction when the passage determining unit determines that the movable body has passed through the guidance starting point.

Claims

1. A travel guidance system comprising:

a navigation-route setting unit configured to set a navigation route along which a movable body is guided and sets a guidance junction on the navigation route, wherein the movable body is a vehicle;

a traffic-light-position acquiring unit configured to acquire a position of an exit-side traffic light at a preceding junction that is located closer to a departure place of the navigation route than the guidance junction;

a movable-body-position acquiring unit configured to acquire a position of the movable body;

a guidance-starting-point acquiring unit configured to acquire a position of a guidance starting point, the guidance starting point being determined from a position of the movable body relative to the exit-side traffic light at the preceding junction and serving as a point where guidance on the guidance junction starts;

a passage determining unit configured to determine whether or not the movable body has passed through the guidance starting point from the position of the movable body and the position of the guidance starting point;

a junction guiding unit configured to start the guidance on the guidance junction when the passage determining unit determines that the movable body has passed through the guidance starting point,

a vehicle-information acquiring unit configured to acquire vehicle information relating to the vehicle; and

a switching-point determining unit configured to determine a switching point at which a state of the exit-side traffic light at the preceding junction is switched from visible to invisible to an occupant of the vehicle from the vehicle information, and

the guidance starting point is the switching point.

2. The travel guidance system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a feature detecting unit configured to detect a feature on a departure place side of the navigation route at the preceding junction;

a distance calculating unit configured to calculate a travel distance of the movable body after the feature detecting unit detects the feature; and

a feature-distance acquiring unit configured to acquire a feature distance serving as a distance between the feature and the guidance starting point, wherein

the passage determining unit is configured to determine whether or not the movable body has passed through the guidance starting point from the travel distance and the feature distance.

3. The travel guidance system according to claim 2, wherein

the feature detecting unit is configured to detect the feature formed on a road on which the movable body travels from an image captured by an image capturing unit attached to the movable body, and

the passage determining unit is configured to determine that the movable body has passed through the guidance starting point when a distance obtained by adding the travel distance to a distance between the feature and the movable body when the feature is detected by the feature detecting unit becomes more than or equal to the feature distance.

4. The travel guidance system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a feature-information acquiring unit configured to acquire feature information of the feature detected by the feature detecting unit and positional information associated with the feature, wherein

the feature-distance acquiring unit is configured to acquire the feature distance from the feature information and positional information relating to the exit-side traffic light at the preceding junction.

5. The travel guidance system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a feature-information acquiring unit configured to acquire feature information of the feature detected by the feature detecting unit and positional information associated with the feature, wherein

the feature-distance acquiring unit is configured to acquire the feature distance from the feature information and positional information relating to the exit-side traffic light at the preceding junction.

6. The travel guidance system according to claim 2, wherein the feature is a road surface marking formed on a road surface on which the movable body travels.

7. The travel guidance system according to claim 6, wherein the feature detecting unit is configured to detect a stop line as the road surface marking.

8. A travel guidance apparatus comprising:

a navigation-route setting unit configured to set a navigation route along which a movable body is guided and sets a guidance junction on the navigation route, wherein the movable body is a vehicle;

a traffic-light-position acquiring unit configured to acquire a position of an exit-side traffic light at a preceding junction that is located closer to a departure place of the navigation route than the guidance junction;

a movable-body-position acquiring unit configured to acquire a position of the movable body;

a guidance-starting-point acquiring unit configured to acquire a position of a guidance starting point, the guidance starting point being determined from a position of the movable body relative to the exit-side traffic light at the preceding junction and serving as a point where guidance on the guidance junction starts;

a passage determining unit configured to determine whether or not the movable body has passed through the guidance starting point from the position of the movable body and the position of the guidance starting point;

a junction guiding unit configured to start the guidance on the guidance junction when the passage determining unit determines that the movable body has passed through the guidance starting point; and

a display configured to display the guidance junction;

a vehicle-information acquiring unit configured to acquire vehicle information relating to the vehicle; and

a switching-point determining unit configured to determine a switching point at which a state of the exit-side traffic light at the preceding junction is switched from visible to invisible to an occupant of the vehicle from the vehicle information, and

the guidance starting point is the switching point.

9. A travel guidance method comprising the steps of:

setting a navigation route along which a movable body is guided, and setting a guidance junction on the navigation route, wherein the movable body is a vehicle;

acquiring a position of an exit-side traffic light at a preceding junction that is located closer to a departure place of the navigation route than the guidance junction;

acquiring a position of the movable body;

acquiring a position of a guidance starting point, the guidance starting point being determined from a position of the movable body relative to the exit-side traffic light at the preceding junction and serving as a point where guidance on the guidance junction starts;

determining whether or not the movable body has passed through the guidance starting point from the position of the movable body and the position of the guidance starting point; and

starting the guidance on the guidance junction when it is determined that the movable body has passed through the guidance starting point;

acquiring vehicle information relating to the vehicle; and

determining a switching point at which a state of the exit-side traffic light at the preceding junction is switched from visible to invisible to an occupant of the vehicle from the vehicle information, and

the guidance starting point is the switching point.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a computer program causing a computer to perform the functions of:

setting a navigation route along which a movable body is guided, and setting a guidance junction on the navigation route, wherein the movable body is a vehicle;

acquiring a position of an exit-side traffic light at a preceding junction that is located closer to a departure place of the navigation route than the guidance junction;

acquiring a position of the movable body;

acquiring a position of a guidance starting point, the guidance starting point being determined from a position of the movable body relative to the exit-side traffic light at the preceding junction and serving as a point where guidance on the guidance junction starts;

determining whether or not the movable body has passed through the guidance starting point from the position of the movable body and the position of the guidance starting point; and

starting the guidance on the guidance junction when it is determined that the movable body has passed through the guidance starting point;

acquiring vehicle information relating to the vehicle; and

determining a switching point at which a state of the exit-side traffic light at the preceding junction is switched from visible to invisible to an occupant of the vehicle from the vehicle information, and

the guidance starting point is the switching point.