Navigation system

• US 20080091339A1
• Filed: 10/03/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakada, Takayasu, Nagase, Kenji, Tomita, Hiroshi, Ishikawa, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 8,364,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A navigation system includes an information center and a navigation device installed in a probe vehicle. The information center stores limiting information for specifying a content of probe information in accordance with predefined factors, specifies a predefined factor corresponding to a navigation device, selects the limiting information based on the specified predefined factor, transmits the selected limiting information to the navigation device, and receives the corresponding probe information transmitted from a navigation device. The navigation device receives the limiting information from the information center, collects probe information, selects only the probe information specified by the received limiting information for transmission to the information center, and transmits the selected probe information to the information center.

Claims

1. A navigation device for use with an information center that receives probe information transmitted from the navigation device, the information center configured to store limiting information for specifying a content of the probe information to be transmitted in accordance with predefined factors, specify a predefined factor corresponding to the navigation device, select the limiting information based on the specified predefined factor, and transmit the selected limiting information to the navigation device, the navigation device comprising:

a receiver that receives the limiting information;

a controller that;

collects probe information; and

selects only the probe information specified by the limiting information for transmission to the information center; and

a transmitter that transmits the selected probe information to the information center.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the predefined factor is at least one of a region, season, time and date, day of the week, and road category.

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

a memory that stores a history of received limiting information corresponding to a receiving condition;

wherein the controller;

judges whether the same limiting information has been received under a same receiving condition for a predefined number of times; and

if the same limiting information has been received under the same receiving condition for the predefined number of times, and if the receiving condition is met, selects the probe information for transmission to the information center based on the same limiting information.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the information center is configured to receive destination distance information transmitted from the navigation device and select limiting information that enables or disables the navigation device to transmit the probe information based on the received distance information, wherein:

the controller calculates a distance to a preset destination; and

the transmitter transmits the calculated distance to the information center as the destination distance information.

5. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the receiver is a cellular receiver and the transmitter is a cellular transmitter.

6. A navigation system comprising:

the navigation device of claim 1; and

the information center.

7. An information center, for use with a navigation device installed in a probe vehicle, the information center comprising:

a receiver that receives probe information transmitted from the navigation device;

a memory that stores limiting information for specifying the probe information to be received from the navigation device in accordance with predefined factors; and

a controller that;

specifies a predefined factor corresponding to the navigation device; and

selects the limiting information based on the specified predefined factor; and

a transmitter that transmits the selected limiting information to the navigation device, wherein the navigation device is configured to receive the limiting information, collect probe information, select only the probe information specified by the received limiting information for transmission to the information center, transmit the selected probe information to the information center.

8. The information center according to claim 7, wherein the predefined factor is at least one of a region, season, time and date, day of the week, and road category.

9. The information center according to claim 7, wherein:

the receiver receives destination distance information transmitted from the navigation device; and

the controller selects the limiting information such that the limiting information enables or disables the navigation device to transmit the probe information based on the received distance information.

10. The information center according to claim 7, wherein the controller:

detects abnormal probe information whose content for a specified link differs from a content for the specified link in probe information received from other navigation devices within a predetermined time period; and

upon detection of the abnormal probe information, selects the limiting information such that the limiting information directs the navigation device that has transmitted the abnormal probe information to stop transmitting further probe information.

11. The information center according to claim 7, wherein the receiver is a cellular receiver and the transmitter is a cellular transmitter.

12. An method for requesting information from a navigation device, comprising:

storing limiting information for specifying a content of probe information to be received in accordance with predefined factors;

specifying a predefined factor corresponding to the navigation device;

selecting limiting information for the navigation device based on the specified predefined factor;

transmitting the selected limiting information to the navigation device;

receiving probe information transmitted from the navigation device, the received information corresponding only to the selected limiting information.