Navigation system, recording medium recording computer program, and current position calculation method

• US 9,157,753 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2014
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Xu, Zhuoyuan, Manzen, Shoichi, Koide, Ayaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US14/523,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20150127247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 701/411
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance

Abstract

When a narrow-angle branch point PA at which a road branches at a narrow angle gets closer, routes from the narrow-angle branch point to all points a-c reachable by traveling for a distance L after passing of the narrow-angle branch point in a current traveling direction. When the narrow-angle branch point is passed, processing to calculate, as a matching degree of each route, a matching degree between each of the gradients G1-G3 of routes R1-R3, which are indicated by map data, and history Ang of an inclination angle of a vehicle is performed until a route with a matching degree equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold is generated or until a distance L is traveled after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point. When the route with the matching degree equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold is generated, a current position is calculated on the route.

Claims

1. A navigation system mounted in an automobile to calculate a current position of the automobile, comprising:

a storage unit configured to store map data indicating a two-dimensional map in longitude and latitude and a gradient of a road;

an inclination angle calculation unit configured to detect an inclination angle of the automobile;

a measurement unit configured to measure a position in longitude and latitude directions of the automobile; and

a current position calculation unit configured to perform first current position calculation processing to calculate a position on the road as a current position by map-matching between a position measured by the measurement unit and the two-dimensional map in longitude and latitude indicated by the map data,

wherein when the current position passes a narrow-angle branch point which is a branch point at which the road branches at a narrow angle, the current position calculation unit is configured to calculate all routes which can be traveled after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point in a current traveling direction, and after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point, the current position calculation unit is configured to stop the first current position calculation processing and to start second current position calculation processing,

wherein the second current position calculation processing is processing to calculate a degree of certainty of each route as a route currently traveled according to a matching degree between a gradient of each route indicated by the map data and the inclination angle detected by the inclination angle calculation unit until a degree of certainty equal to or higher than a predetermined level is calculated in respect to any of the routes, and to calculate a position on a route, in which the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated, as the current position when the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated in respect to any of the routes, and

when there is a different branch point in a position, within a predetermined distance from the narrow-angle branch point, on a road branching at the narrow-angle branch point, all routes include a plurality of routes which goes to the different branch point from the narrow-angle branch point and respectively goes to a plurality of roads branching at the different branch point.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein each of the routes is a route from the narrow-angle branch point to a point reachable by traveling for a predetermined distance after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point in the current traveling direction.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the current position calculation unit is configured to calculate, as the current position, a position moved, for a distance traveled after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point, on the route in which the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated in the second current position calculation processing.

4. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the first current position calculation processing is configured to calculate, as the current position, a position on a road which position is reachable by traveling the road from a position previously calculated as the current position, and

when calculating, as the current position, a position on the route in which the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated in the second current position calculation processing, the current position calculation unit is configured to stop the second current position calculation processing and to resume the first current position calculation processing.

5. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein when a predetermined distance is traveled after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point and before the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated in respect to any of the routes in the second current position calculation processing, the current position calculation unit is configured to stop the second current position calculation processing and to resume the first current position calculation processing.

6. The navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising a guidance route guiding unit configured to set a guidance route to a destination and to guide the set guidance route,

wherein until the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated in respect to any of the routes after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point in the second current position calculation processing, the current position calculation unit is configured to calculate a position on the guidance route as the current position when the guidance route is set, and to calculate a position on a route, in which the highest degree of certainty is calculated, as the current position when no guidance route is set.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program read and executed by a computer mounted in an automobile,

wherein the computer program causes the computer to function as:

a storage unit which stores map data indicating a two-dimensional map in longitude and latitude and a gradient of a road;

an inclination angle calculation unit configured to detect an inclination angle of the automobile;

a measurement unit configured to measure a position in longitude and latitude directions of the automobile; and

a current position calculation unit configured to perform first current position calculation processing to calculate a position on the road as a current position by map-matching between a position measured by the measurement unit and the two-dimensional map in longitude and latitude indicated by the map data, and

wherein when the current position passes a narrow-angle branch point which is a branch point at which the road branches at a narrow angle, the current position calculation unit calculates all routes which can be traveled after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point in a current traveling direction, and after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point, the current position calculation unit stops the first current position calculation processing and starts a second current position calculation processing,

wherein the second current position calculation processing is processing to calculate a degree of certainty of each route as a route currently traveled according to a matching degree between a gradient of each route indicated by the map data and the inclination angle detected by the inclination angle calculation unit until a degree of certainty equal to or higher than a predetermined level is calculated in respect to any of the routes, and to calculate a position on a route, in which the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated, as the current position when the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated in respect to any of the routes, and

wherein when there is a different branch point in a position, within a predetermined distance from the narrow-angle branch point, on a road branching at the narrow-angle branch point, the all routes include a plurality of routes which goes to the different branch point from the narrow-angle branch point and respectively goes to a plurality of roads branching at the different branch point.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein each of the routes is a route from the narrow-angle branch point to a point reachable by traveling for a predetermined distance after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point in the current traveling direction.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the current position calculation unit calculates, as the current position, a position moved, for a distance traveled after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point, on the route in which the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated in the second current position calculation processing.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the first current position calculation processing is to calculate, as the current position, a position on a road which position is reachable by traveling the road from a position previously calculated as the current position, and

when calculating, as the current position, a position on the route in which the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated in the second current position calculation processing, the current position calculation unit stops the second current position calculation processing and resumes the first current position calculation processing.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein when a predetermined distance is traveled after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point and before the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated in respect to any of the routes in the second current position calculation processing, the current position calculation unit stops the second current position calculation processing and resumes the first current position calculation processing.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the computer program causes the computer to function further as a guidance route guiding unit configured to set a guidance route to a destination and to guide the set guidance route,

wherein until the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated in respect to any of the routes after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point in the second current position calculation processing, the current position calculation unit calculates a position on the guidance route as the current position when the guidance route is set, and calculates a position on a route, in which the highest degree of certainty is calculated, as the current position when no guidance route is set.

13. A current position calculation method to calculate, in a navigation system mounted in an automobile, a current position after the automobile passes a narrow-angle branch point which is a branch point at which a road branches at a narrow angle, the method comprising:

a first step in which the navigation system calculates all routes which can be traveled after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point in a current traveling direction when the current position passes the narrow-angle branch point which is the branch point at which the road branches at a narrow angle; and

a second step in which while detecting an inclination angle of the automobile, the navigation system calculates, after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point, a degree of certainty of each route as a route currently traveled according to a matching degree between a gradient of each route, which is indicated by map data indicating a two-dimensional map in longitude and latitude and a gradient of the road, and the inclination angle, which is detected by the navigation system, until a degree of certainty equal to or higher than a predetermined level is calculated in respect to any of the routes, and calculates, as a current position, a position on a route in which the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated when the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated in respect to any of the routes,

wherein when there is a different branch point in a position, within a predetermined distance from the narrow-angle branch point, on a road branching at the narrow-angle branch point, the all routes include a plurality of routes which goes to the different branch point from the narrow-angle branch point and respectively goes to a plurality of roads branching at the different branch point.

14. The current position calculation method according to claim 13, wherein each of the routes is a route from the narrow-angle branch point to a point reachable by traveling for a predetermined distance after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point in the current traveling direction.

15. The current position calculation method according to claim 13, wherein the navigation system calculates, as the current position, a position moved, for a distance traveled after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point, on the route in which the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated in the second step.

16. The current position calculation method according to claim 13, further comprising a third step in which the navigation system sets a guidance route to a destination and guides the guidance route,

wherein in the second step, until the degree of certainty equal to or higher than the predetermined level is calculated in respect to any of the routes after the passing of the narrow-angle branch point, the navigation system calculates a position on the guidance route as the current position when the guidance route is set and calculates a position on a route, in which the highest degree of certainty is calculated, as the current position when the guidance route is not set.