NAVIGATION DEVICE, NAVIGATION METHOD, AND NAVIGATION PROGRAM

• US 20120166083A1
• Filed: 12/15/2011
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: SATO, Yuji, OKABE, Hidefumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,924,153 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/518
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• 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 navigation apparatus and method are provided. The navigation apparatus includes an image acquiring part that acquires an image of a road feature from a vehicle camera. The apparatus also includes a correction distance table that stores a correction distance to correct a difference between a position of a vehicle when the feature disappears from an imaging area of the camera and a guidance output reference position that is a position of the vehicle when the feature disappears from a driver'"'"'s view. Further, a judging part is included and judges, based on the image acquired by the image acquiring part and the correction distance stored in the correction distance table, whether the vehicle has arrived at the guidance output reference position. Lastly, the apparatus includes a guidance part that provides guidance regarding the traffic light at a predetermined position having the guidance output reference position as a reference.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

an image acquiring unit that acquires an image from an image-capturing unit, which is mounted in a vehicle to capture an image of a feature on a road;

a correction distance storing unit that stores a correction distance to correct a difference between a first vehicle position, which is a position of the vehicle when the feature disappears from an imaging area of the image-capturing unit, and a second vehicle position, which is a position of the vehicle when the feature disappears from a driver'"'"'s view, the correction distance being along a travel direction of the vehicle;

a judging unit that judges based on the image acquired by the image acquiring unit and the correction distance stored in the correction distance storing unit whether the vehicle has arrived at the second vehicle position; and

a guidance unit that, if the judging unit has judged that the vehicle has arrived at the second vehicle position, provides guidance regarding the feature at a predetermined position having the second vehicle position as a reference.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein

the correction distance is a distance from the second vehicle position to a position of the feature, and

the judging unit determines the position of the feature based on the image acquired by the image acquiring unit, and if the vehicle has arrived at a position by the correction distance before the determined position of the feature along the travel direction of the vehicle, judges that the vehicle has arrived at the second vehicle position.

3. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein

the correction distance is a distance from the first vehicle position to the second vehicle position, and

the judging unit determines, based on the image acquired by the image acquiring unit, a position where the feature has disappeared from the imaging area of the image-capturing unit, and if the vehicle has arrived at a position by the correction distance ahead of the determined position along the travel direction of the vehicle, judges that the vehicle has arrived at the second vehicle position.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein

the correction distance storing unit stores the correction distance according to a travel speed of the vehicle, and

the judging unit determines the travel speed of the vehicle in a predetermined method, acquires the correction distance according to the determined travel speed from the correction distance storing unit, and performs judgment based on the acquired correction distance.

5. The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein

the correction distance storing unit stores the correction distance according to a travel speed of the vehicle, and

the judging unit determines the travel speed of the vehicle in a predetermined method, acquires the correction distance according to the determined travel speed from the correction distance storing unit, and performs judgment based on the acquired correction distance.

6. The navigation device according to claim 3, wherein

the correction distance storing unit stores the correction distance according to a travel speed of the vehicle, and

the judging unit determines the travel speed of the vehicle in a predetermined method, acquires the correction distance according to the determined travel speed from the correction distance storing unit, and performs judgment based on the acquired correction distance.

7. A navigation method comprising the steps of:

storing, in a storing unit, a correction distance to correct a difference between a first vehicle position, which is a position of a vehicle when a feature disappears from an imaging area of an image-capturing unit mounted in the vehicle to capture an image of the feature on a road, and a second vehicle position, which is a position of the vehicle when the feature disappears from a driver'"'"'s view, the correction distance being along a travel direction of the vehicle;

acquiring the image captured by the image-capturing unit;

judging based on the image acquired at the image acquiring step and the correction distance acquired from the storing unit whether the vehicle has arrived at the second vehicle position; and

if it has been judged at the judging step that the vehicle has arrived at the second vehicle position, providing guidance regarding the feature at a predetermined position having the second vehicle position as a reference.

8. The navigation method according to claim 7, further comprising:

determining the position of the feature based on the image acquired by the image acquiring unit, and if the vehicle has arrived at a position by the correction distance before the determined position of the feature along the travel direction of the vehicle, judging that the vehicle has arrived at the second vehicle position,

wherein the correction distance is a distance from the second vehicle position to a position of the feature.

9. The navigation method according to claim 7, further comprising:

determining, based on the image acquired by the image acquiring unit, a position where the feature has disappeared from the imaging area of the image-capturing unit, and if the vehicle has arrived at a position by the correction distance ahead of the determined position along the travel direction of the vehicle, judging that the vehicle has arrived at the second vehicle position,

wherein the correction distance is a distance from the first vehicle position to the second vehicle position.

10. The navigation method according to claim 7, further comprising:

determining the travel speed of the vehicle in a predetermined method, acquiring the correction distance according to the determined travel speed from the correction distance storing unit, and performing judgment based on the acquired correction distance,

wherein the correction distance storing unit stores the correction distance according to a travel speed of the vehicle.

11. A navigation program causing a computer to execute the method of claim 7.