Method of searching for guidance route in navigation device

• US 6,859,724 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Komatsu, Michihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US10/260,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20030078727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-215, 701 24- 26, 340/988, 340/990, 340/994, 340/995.1, 707/102, 705/400, 705/417, 342/457.13, 342/443, 342/457
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries

Abstract

A guidance route search method in a navigation device is provided for searching for a guidance route which leads to a destination through a road that meets a user'"'"'s needs. A first route from a starting point to a destination is searched for or retrieved, and intersections included in the first route are displayed in list form. When a user designates a desired intersection from the intersections included in the first route, and a travel direction of a vehicle beyond the intersection, the navigation device sets low a link cost of a road which leads from the designated intersection in the designated travel direction, and performs another route search for a route (second route) leading from the intersection to the destination. The navigation device connects the resultant second route and a portion of the first route between the starting point and the designated intersection, to provide the final guidance route.

Claims

1. A method of searching for a guidance route from a starting point to a destination in a navigation device, comprising:

when an intersection and a travel direction of a vehicle beyond the intersection are designated by a user, reducing a link cost of a road which leads from the designated intersection in the designated direction in response to the user designation; and

searching for a guidance route from the starting point to the destination through said intersection.

2. The guidance route search method according to claim 1, wherein said travel direction is designated by selling a direction of an arrow for indicating a travel direction by an operation of a key.

3. The guidance route search method according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where travel of the vehicle in the travel direction designated by a user is prohibited, a message describing the prohibition is displayed.

4. The guidance route search method according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the travel of the vehicle in the travel direction designated by the user is prohibited, said travel direction is rendered unselectable.

5. The guidance route search method according to claim 1, wherein, after the user designates the intersection to pass through and the travel direction beyond said intersection, the guidance route is searched for that leads from the starting point to the destination through said intersection.

6. A method of searching for a guidance route from a starting point to a destination in a navigation device, comprising:

searching for a first route from the starting point to the destination;

when a specific intersection from one or more intersections included in said first route and a travel direction of a vehicle beyond said specific intersection are designated by a user, searching for a second route that leads from said specific intersection in said designated travel direction up to the destination;

connecting said second route and the portion of said first route, that extends between the starting point and said specific intersection, to form the guidance route; and

displaying the guidance route as a combination of said portion of said first route and said second route.

7. The guidance route search method according to claim 6, wherein, after searching for the first route, a plurality of intersections included in said first route is displayed on a display in list form.

8. The guidance route search method according to claim 7, wherein the specific intersection and the travel direction are designated by voice instruction.

9. The guidance route search method according to claim 7, wherein on said display is displayed an enlarged view of said specific intersection, and the travel direction is designated with reference to said enlarged view.

10. The guidance route search method according to claim 9, wherein the names of a plurality of streets branching from said specific intersection are displayed, and one of said street names is selected, thereby designating the travel direction.

11. The guidance route search method according to claim 9, wherein arrow-icons, each of which indicates a travel direction, are displayed in the vicinity of said specific intersection, and one of the arrow-icons is selected, thereby designating the travel direction.

12. The guidance route search method according to claim 9, wherein the travel direction is designated by means of a touch panel mounted on a screen of the display.

13. A method of searching for a guidance route in a navigation device, comprising:

identifying a starting point and a destination;

receiving a designation from a user for at least one intersection and, for each designated intersection, a travel direction of a vehicle beyond the intersection;

reducing a link cost of a road corresponding to the designated travel direction from a designated intersection in response to the user designation; and

searching for a guidance route from the starting point to the destination through the at least one designated intersection.

14. The guidance route search method according to claim 13, wherein the travel direction is designated by a user selecting one of a displayed road branching from the designated intersection and a displayed icon that indicates a travel direction from the designated intersection.

15. A method of searching for a guidance route in a navigation device, comprising:

identifying a starting point and a destination;

searching for a first route from the starting point to the destination;

identifying at least one intersection along the first route;

receiving a designation from a user for at least one of the identified intersections and, for each designated intersection, a travel direction of a vehicle beyond the intersection;

searching for a second route that passes through the at least one designated intersection and associated designated travel direction, to the destination;

connecting the second route and the portion of the first route, that extends between the starting point and the beginning of the second route, to form the guidance route; and

displaying the guidance route as a combination of said portion of said first route and said second route.

16. The guidance route search method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one designated intersection is selected by a user from a plurality of intersections along the first route that are displayed to the user.

17. The guidance route search method according to claim 15, wherein the travel direction is designated by a user selecting one of a displayed road branching from the designated intersection and a displayed icon that indicates a travel direction from the designated intersection.