Vehicular navigation system

• US 5,905,451 A
• Filed: 04/24/1997
• Issued: 05/18/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sakashita, Naohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US08/839,983
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 701/203, 701/204, 701/205, 701/206, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 345/146
• US Class Current: 340/988
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases

Abstract

A vehicular navigation system capable of establishing a path to a destination to include a road frequently used by the user. First, the present position of the vehicle is located. A road map containing the present position is displayed on the viewing screen of the navigation system. A decision is made as to whether the present position is proximate to any registered location. If so, a nearby road is selected as a road to be used by the vehicle. The path is established to include this nearby road. The navigation system guides the user through this path.

Claims

1. A vehicular navigation system comprising:

present position detecting means for detecting a present position of a vehicle;

path data storage means for storing data about roads forming a path to a destination;

path establishing means for establishing said path from a starting place to said destination using the data about said roads forming said path;

path guiding means for guiding a user through said established path;

registered location storage means for storing data about registered locations including said data used by said path establishing means; and

actual road storage means for storing data about an actually used road in said registered location storage means, based upon said detected present position, said actually used road being a road that is actually used by the vehicle and located proximate to one of said registered locations;

wherein said path establishing means is for establishing said path to said destination using the data about said actually used road stored in said registered location storage means where said starting place is proximate to said registered location.

2. The vehicular navigation system of claim 1, further comprising registration permitting means for permitting the user to perform a registration operation, whereby said registered locations are stored in said registered location storage means.

3. A vehicular navigation system of claim 1, further comprising means for determining whether said vehicle is near the destination based on whether the present position is within a given distance from any of said registered locations.

4. A vehicular navigation system of claim 1, wherein said path is established from data about said roads forming said path and data stored by said actual road storage means.

5. A vehicular navigation system comprising:

present position-detecting means for detecting a present position of a vehicle;

path data storage means for storing data about roads forming a path to a destination;

path establishing means for establishing said path from a starting place to said destination using the data about said roads forming said path;

path guiding means for guiding a user through said established path;

registered location storage means for storing data about registered locations; and

entry point processing means for detecting from said detected present position an entry point at which the vehicle enters one of said roads forming said path during vehicle travel, and for storing said entry point as a starting place in said registered location storage means during vehicle travel;

wherein said path establishing means is for establishing said path to said destination from said starting place stored in said registered location storage means where said starting place is proximate to one of said registered locations.

6. The vehicular navigation system of claim 5, wherein said entry point processing means is for storing a starting place detected while the user is being guided through said path in said registered location storage means for each one of different directions in connection with said registered locations.

7. The vehicular navigation system of claim 5, further comprising present position selecting means for selecting present positions where the vehicle comes to a stop more frequently than a predetermined frequency, taking said selected present positions as said registered locations, and storing said selected positions in said registered location storage means.

8. The vehicular navigation system of claim 5, further comprising registration permitting means for permitting the user to perform a registration operation, whereby said registered locations are stored in said registered location storage means.

9. A vehicular navigation system comprising:

present position-detecting means for detecting a present position of a vehicle;

path data storage means for storing data about roads forming a path to a destination;

path establishing means for establishing said path from a starting place to said destination using the data about said roads forming said path;

path guiding means for guiding a user through said established path;

registered location storage means for storing data about registered locations; and

departure processing means for, when said vehicle departs from said roads forming said path at a departure position, detecting said departure position from said present position during vehicle travel and storing said departure position in said registered location storage means during vehicle travel;

wherein said path establishing means is for establishing said path to said destination from said starting place stored in said registered location storage means while taking said departure position stored in said registered location storage means as the destination where said destination is proximate one of said registered locations.

10. The vehicular navigation system of claim 9, wherein said departure processing means is for storing said departure position as the destination detected while the user is being guided through said path in said registered location storage means for each one of different directions in connection with said registered locations.

11. The vehicular navigation system of claim 9, further comprising registration permitting means for permitting the user to perform a registration operation, whereby said registered locations are stored in said registered location storage means.

12. A vehicular navigation system comprising:

present position-detecting means for detecting a present position of a vehicle;

path data storage means for storing data about roads forming a path to a destination;

path establishing means for establishing said path from a starting place to said destination using the data about said roads forming said path;

path guiding means for guiding a user through said established path;

registered location storage means for storing data about registered locations; and

departure processing means for, when said vehicle departs from said roads forming said path at a departure position, detecting said departure position from said present position and storing said departure positioning said registered location storage means;

wherein said oath establishing means is for establishing said path to said destination from said starting place stored in said registered location storage means while taking said departure position stored in said registered location storage means as the destination where said destination is proximate one of said registered locations;

further comprising present position selecting means for selecting present positions where the vehicle comes to a stop more frequently than a predetermined frequency, taking said selected present positions as said registered locations, and storing said selected positions in said registered location storage means.

13. A vehicular navigation system for use in a vehicle, said system comprising:

path data storage means for storing data about roads forming a path to a destination;

used road data storage means for storing data about first roads of roads actually used by the vehicle, said first roads being used by said vehicle more frequently than a predetermined frequency; and

path establishing means for establishing the path from a starting place to a destination using the data about said roads forming the path and the data about said first roads, and for guiding a user through said path.

14. The vehicular navigation system of claim 13, further comprising actual road processing means for storing the data about said roads actually used by said vehicle, selecting second roads actually used by said vehicle more frequently than a predetermined frequency within a given period of time, and storing data about said second roads.

15. The vehicular navigation system of claim 14, further comprising deleting means for deleting data about the actually used roads from said road data storage means after a lapse of said given period of time.

16. A path setting apparatus comprising:

path data storage means in which data about roads forming a path to a destination are stored;

path establishing means for establishing said path from a starting place to said destination using the data about paid roads forming said path such that said established path has a minimum cost; and

registered location storage means for storing registered locations and data about registered roads proximate said registered locations;

wherein said path establishing means is for establishing said path to said destination using the data about said roads forming said path and the data about said registered roads in such a way that a cost of using said registered roads located proximate one of said registered road locations is smaller than a cost of using any other road included in said path.

17. A vehicular navigation system comprising:

present position detecting means for detecting a present position of a vehicle;

path data storage means for storing data about roads forming a path to a destination;

path establishing means for establishing said path from a starting place to said destination using the data about said roads forming said path;

path guiding means for guiding a user through said established path;

registered location storage means for storing data about registered locations including said data used by said path establishing means; and

actual road storage means for storing data about an actually used road in said registered location storage means, based upon said detected present position, said actually used road being a road that is actually used by the vehicle and located proximate to one of said registered locations;

wherein said path establishing means is for establishing said path from said starting place to said destination using the data about said roads forming said path and the data about said actually used road.

19. A vehicular navigation system of claim 17, further comprising means for determining whether said vehicle is near the destination based on whether the present position is within a given distance from any of said registered locations.

20. The vehicular navigation system of claim 17, wherein said actual road storage means is for storing data about said actually used road in said registered location storage means until said actually used road meets one of said roads forming said path where said actually used road is not included in said roads forming said path.

21. The vehicular navigation system of claim 20, wherein said path establishing means is for selecting a path having a minimum cost as said path from said starting place to said destination, for calculating a cost of using said actually used road based on the data about said actually used road to be smaller than a cost of using any other road included in said path and located proximate to one of said registered locations, and for calculating said cost of using said actually used road.

18. The vehicular navigation system of claim 18, wherein said path establishing means is for selecting a path having a minimum cost as said path from said starting place to said destination, for calculating a cost of using said actually used road based on the data about said actually used road to be smaller than a cost of using any other road included in said path and located proximate to one of said registered locations, and for calculating said cost of using said actually used road.

22. A vehicular navigation system comprising:

present position detecting means for detecting a present position of a vehicle;

path data storage means for storing data about roads forming a path to a destination;

path establishing means for establishing said path from a starting place to said destination using the data about said roads forming said path;

path guiding means for guiding a user through said established path;

registered location storage means for storing data about registered locations including said data used by said path establishing means;

actual road storage means for storing data about an actually used road in said registered location storage means, based upon said detected present position, said actually used road being a road that is actually used by the vehicle and located proximate to one of said registered locations; and

present position selecting means for selecting present positions where the vehicle comes to a stop more frequently than a predetermined frequency, taking said selected present positions as said registered locations, and storing said selected positions in said registered location storage means.

23. A vehicular navigation system of claim 22, further comprising means for determining whether said vehicle is near the destination based on whether the present position is within a given distance from any of said registered locations.