Navigation system and method for navigating route to destination

• US 20090112458A1
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Nakai, Yuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,869 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents

Abstract

A navigation system includes: an information center; a navigation device of a vehicle communicating with the information center; a communication unit transmitting information of a destination to the information center; a center side transmission unit searching positional information of the destination in a database of the information center and transmitting the positional information to the navigation device; a calculation unit of the navigation device calculating a first route to the destination; a navigation side transmission unit transmitting first route calculation result to the information center; and a determination unit of the information center calculating a second route to the destination, comparing second route calculation result with the first route calculation result, and determining whether the navigation device guides a route to the destination based on the first or second route calculation result.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

an information center that is disposed outside of a vehicle;

a navigation device that is arranged in the vehicle, and communicates with the information center by data communication;

a communication unit that is arranged in the navigation device, and transmits information about a destination to the information center;

a center side transmission unit that is arranged in the information center, searches positional information of the destination in a database of the information center, and transmits the positional information to the navigation device;

a calculation unit that is arranged in the navigation device, sets the destination based on the positional information input from the information center, and calculates a first route to the destination;

a navigation side transmission unit that is arranged in the navigation device, transmits first route calculation result to the information center; and

a determination unit that is arranged in the information center, sets the destination based on the positional information, calculates a second route to the destination, compares second route calculation result with the first route calculation result input from the navigation device, and determines whether the navigation device guides a route to the destination based on the first or second route calculation result.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1,

wherein the first route calculation result includes a first distance between a current position of the vehicle and the destination,

wherein the second route calculation result includes a second distance between the current position of the vehicle and the destination, and

wherein the determination unit determines that the navigation device guides the route to the destination based on the second route calculation result when a difference between the first distance and the second distance is larger than a predetermined value.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1,

wherein the first route calculation result includes a first travel time from a current position of the vehicle to the destination,

wherein the second route calculation result includes a second travel time from the current position of the vehicle to the destination, and

wherein the determination unit determines that the navigation device guides the route to the destination based on the second route calculation result when a difference between the first travel time and the second travel time is larger than a predetermined value.

4. The navigation system according to claim 1,

wherein the navigation device guides the route to the destination based on information input from the information center when the determination unit determines that the navigation device guides the route to the destination based on the second route calculation result,

wherein the navigation device guides the route to the destination based on information stored in the navigation device when the determination unit determines that the navigation device guides the route to the destination based on the first route calculation result,

wherein the information stored in the navigation device provides further information than the information input from the information center,

wherein the navigation device inputs whether an user of the navigation device selects the first route calculation result or the second route calculation result, and

wherein the navigation device guides the route based on the first route calculation result when the user selects the first route calculation result and even when the determination unit determines that the navigation device should guides the route to the destination based on the second route calculation result.

5. The navigation system according to claim 1,

wherein the navigation device inputs whether an user of the navigation device resets the destination when the determination unit determines that the navigation device should guides the route to the destination based on the second route calculation result.

6. A method for navigating route to a destination comprising:

transmitting information about the destination from a navigation device in a vehicle to an external information center;

calculating a first route from a current position of the vehicle to the destination by the navigation device;

transmitting first route calculation result from the navigation device to the information center;

calculating a second route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination by a server in the information center;

comparing second route calculation result with the first route calculation result by using the server; and

determining whether the navigation device guides a route to the destination based on the first or second route calculation result,

wherein the first route calculation result includes a first travel time from the current position of the vehicle to the destination,

wherein the second route calculation result includes a second travel time from the current position of the vehicle to the destination, and

wherein the determination unit determines that the navigation device guides the route to the destination based on the second route calculation result when a difference between the first travel time and the second travel time is larger than a predetermined value.