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

• US 9,151,636 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2012
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Sato, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ziaeianmehdizadeh, Navid
• Application Number:
  US13/821,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20130166206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions

Abstract

A guidance prompt used for guidance for a guide branch point ahead of a movable object is selected from among a plurality of potential guidance prompts, based on whether a distance from a guidance starting point where guidance starts to a guidance ending point by which guidance is required to be finished is greater than a distance traveled by the movable object while guidance is being spoken. The selected guidance prompt is then set as the guidance prompt for the guide branch point, and guidance for the guide branch point by the set guidance prompt is performed when the movable object reaches the guidance starting point associated with the set guidance prompt.

Claims

1. A travel guidance system comprising:

a memory that stores;

guidance prompts; and

a travel guidance program; and

a processor configured by the stored guidance program to;

set a guide route along which a movable object is guided;

set a guide branch point on the guide route;

obtain a position of a first branch point that is closer to a point of departure of the guide route than the guide branch point;

obtain a position of a second branch point that is closer to the point of departure than the first branch point;

access the memory and select from the stored guidance prompts a plurality of potential guidance prompts that provide guidance along the guide route for the guide branch point;

select one of the plurality of potential guidance prompts as a guidance prompt for the guide branch point by;

setting, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts, a guidance starting point that is a point where spoken guidance starts and a guidance ending point that is a point by which the spoken guidance is required to be finished, the guidance starting point being defined by a position between the first branch point and the second branch point, based on one of the first branch point and the second branch point, and the guidance ending point being defined by a position based on one of the first branch point and the guide branch point;

determining, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts, a guidance distance, which is a distance from the set guidance starting point for the potential guidance prompt to the guidance ending point for the potential guidance prompt;

determining, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts, whether its determined guidance distance is greater than a speaking travel distance, which is a distance traveled by the movable object while performing spoken guidance using the potential guidance prompt; and

selecting, as the predetermined guidance prompt, one of the potential guidance prompts for which it is determined that the guidance distance is greater than the speaking travel distance; and

perform guidance for the guide branch point by outputting the spoken guidance for the selected predetermined guidance prompt on a speaker.

2. The travel guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured by the stored guidance program to preferentially select, as the predetermined guidance prompt, the potential guidance prompt in which the guidance starting point is closer to the point of departure, when there are a plurality of potential guidance prompts for which it is determined that the guidance distance is greater than the speaking travel distance.

3. The travel guidance system according to claim 1, wherein, in the plurality of potential guidance prompts, the first branch point is used for performing the guidance for the guide branch point and phrases referring to the first branch point differ from one another.

4. The travel guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured by the stored guidance program to set, as the guidance starting point, a point located a predetermined distance away from the one of the first branch point and the second branch point, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts.

5. The travel guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured by the stored guidance program to:

set a point as the guidance ending point that is closer to the guide branch point than the first branch point, for at least one of the potential guidance prompts, from among the plurality of potential guidance prompts, and

set a point as the guidance ending point that is closer to the point of departure than the first branch point, for another potential guidance prompt other than the at least one potential guidance prompt, from among the plurality of potential guidance prompts.

6. The travel guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured by the stored a guidance program to:

set a continued guidance required point between the guidance starting point and the guidance ending point, for a specific potential guidance prompt, from among the plurality of potential guidance prompts;

determine whether the guidance distance is greater than the speaking travel distance, and a distance from the guidance starting point to the continued guidance required point is less than the speaking travel distance; and

select the specific potential guidance prompt as the predetermined guidance prompt when it is determined that the guidance distance is greater than the speaking travel distance, and the distance from the guidance starting point to the continued guidance required point is less than the speaking travel distance.

7. The travel guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured by the stored guidance program to obtain position information of traffic lights along the guide route, wherein

the position of the first branch point is defined by a position of a first traffic light near the first branch point;

the position of the second branch point is defined by a position of a second traffic light near the second branch point; and

the position of the guide branch point is defined by a position of a third traffic light near the guide branch point.

8. The travel guidance system according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of the potential guidance prompts identify at least one of the first branch point, the second branch point, and the guide branch point by respectively using at least one of the first traffic light, the second traffic light, and the third traffic light.

9. A travel guidance method comprising:

setting, with a processor, a guide route along which a movable object is guided;

setting, with the processor, a guide branch point on the guide route;

obtaining, with the processor, a position of a first branch point that is closer to a point of departure of the guide route than the guide branch point;

obtaining, with the processor, a position of a second branch point that is closer to the point of departure than the first branch point;

accessing, with the processor, a memory that stores guidance prompts and selecting from the stored guidance prompts a plurality of potential guidance prompts that provide guidance along the guide route for the guide branch point;

selecting, with the processor, one of the plurality of potential guidance prompts as a guidance prompt for the guide branch point by;

setting, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts, a guidance starting point that is a point where spoken guidance starts and a guidance ending point that is a point by which the spoken guidance is required to be finished, the guidance starting point being defined by a position between the first branch point and the second branch point, based on one of the first branch point and the second branch point, and the guidance ending point being defined by a position based on one of the first branch point and the guide branch point;

determining, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts, a guidance distance, which is a distance from the set guidance starting point for the potential guidance prompt to the guidance ending point for the potential guidance prompt;

determining, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts, whether its determined guidance distance is greater than a speaking travel distance, which is a distance traveled by the movable object while performing spoken guidance using the potential guidance prompt; and

selecting, as the predetermined guidance prompt, one of the potential guidance prompts for which it is determined that the guidance distance is greater than the speaking travel distance; and

performing, with the processor, guidance for the guide branch point by outputting the spoken guidance for the selected predetermined guidance prompt on a speaker.

10. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program for performing a travel guidance function, the program comprising instructions for:

setting a guide route along which a movable object is guided;

setting a guide branch point on the guide route;

obtaining a position of a first branch point that is closer to a point of departure of the guide route than the guide branch point;

obtaining a position of a second branch point that is closer to the point of departure than the first branch point;

accessing a memory that stores guidance prompts and selecting from the stored guidance prompts a plurality of potential guidance prompts that provide guidance along the guide route for the guide branch point;

selecting one of the plurality of potential guidance prompts as a guidance prompt for the guide branch point by;

setting, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts, a guidance starting point that is a point where spoken guidance starts and a guidance ending point that is a point by which the spoken guidance is required to be finished, the guidance starting point being defined by a position between the first branch point and the second branch point, based on one of the first branch point and the second branch point, and the guidance ending point being defined by a position based on one of the first branch point and the guide branch point;

determining, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts, a guidance distance, which is a distance from the set guidance starting point for the potential guidance prompt to the guidance ending point for the potential guidance prompt;

determining, for each of the plurality of potential guidance prompts, whether its determined guidance distance is greater than a speaking travel distance, which is a distance traveled by the movable object while performing spoken guidance using the potential guidance prompt; and

selecting, as the predetermined guidance prompt, one of the potential guidance prompts for which it is determined that the guidance distance is greater than the speaking travel distance; and

performing guidance for the guide branch point by outputting the spoken guidance for the selected predetermined guidance prompt on a speaker.