Vehicle navigation system having position correcting function and position correcting method

• US 6,963,801 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2002
• Issued: 11/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Esaki, Motoharu, Oka, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US10/234,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20040204830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/207, 701/208, 701/211, 701/23, 342/357.01, 342/357.13, 340/988
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

A vehicle navigation system includes a map matching module and a voice recognition module. When the voice recognition module recognizes a user'"'"'s voice input specifying an exit of a parking garage, the map matching module sets a current position of a vehicle to the specified position on a map. When the voice recognition module recognizes “high,” which indicates a elevated road, the current position is set onto the elevated road on the map. Likewise, the current position is set to a specific position on the map when the voice recognition module recognizes a user'"'"'s voice input specifying a correct current position.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

a position determination unit for generating original position data indicating an original position of a vehicle;

a memory device storing map data;

a map matching means for matching a current position of the vehicle to a road on a map utilizing the map data of the memory device; and

a voice recognition means for recognizing a voice input,

wherein the map matching means initially sets the original position specified by the position determining unit as the current position of the vehicle on the map,

wherein the map matching means sets an input position specified by the voice input as the current position of the vehicle on the map, after setting the original position as the current position, when the voice input specifying the input position is inputted by a user and recognized by the voice recognition means, and

wherein the voice input identifies the input position relative to the original position.

2. The vehicle navigation system as in claim 1, wherein the map matching means sets the current position of the vehicle to near an exit of a parking garage on the map when a voice input specifying the exit of the parking garage is recognized by the voice recognition means.

3. The vehicle navigation system as in claim 1, wherein the map matching means sets the current position of the vehicle on a road on the map chosen between an elevated road and a ground-level road that are in parallel to each other when a voice input specifying the road is recognized by the voice recognition means.

4. The vehicle navigation system as in claim 1, wherein the map matching means sets the current position of the vehicle on a road of the map chosen between a toll road and a local road that are in parallel to each other when a voice input specifying the road is recognized by the voice recognition means.

8. The vehicle navigation system as in claim 1, wherein the input position is a specific location on the map.

9. The vehicle navigation system as in claim 8, wherein the specific location is one of:

near an exit of a parking garage, and on an elevated road, and on a ground level road.

18. The vehicle navigation system as in claim 8, wherein the specific location is one of:

on a toll road, and on a local road.

5. A current position correcting method for a vehicle navigation system having a map matching module and a voice recognition module comprising steps of:

determining an original position of a vehicle on a map based on original position data received from a position determination unit;

receiving a voice input specifying an input position of a vehicle to the voice recognition module, after the step of determining an original position;

recognizing the received input position;

sending the voice input to the map matching module; and

setting the input position specified by the voice input as a current position of the vehicle on a map,

wherein the voice input identifies the input position relative to the original position.

6. The current position correcting method as in claim 5, further comprising the step of:

determining whether the input position indicates a specific location,

wherein the step of sending the voice input to the map matching module is performed when the input position is determined as such a specific location.

7. The current position correcting method as in claim 6, wherein the specific location is one of:

near an exit of a parking garage, on an elevated road, and on a ground level road.

17. The current position correcting method as in claim 6, wherein the specific location is one of:

on a toll road, and on a local road.

10. A position correcting method for a vehicle navigation system, comprising:

determining an original position of the vehicle on the map based on original position data received from a position determination unit;

receiving a voice input including voice position information for a vehicle, after the step of determining an original position;

recognizing the received voice position information; and

setting a new position of a vehicle on a map based on the received voice position information,

wherein the voice position information identifies the new position relative to the original position.

11. The position correcting method as in claim 10, wherein the voice position information identifies a specific location on the map.

12. The position correcting method is in claim 11, wherein the specific location is one of:

an exit of a parking garage, and on an elevated road, and on a ground level road.

13. The position correcting method as in claim 10, wherein the original position data identified the vehicle as being on a toll road and the voice position information identifies the vehicle as being on a local road adjacent to the toll road.

14. The position correcting method as in claim 10, wherein the original position data identified the vehicle as being on a local road and the voice position information identifies the vehicle as being on a toll road adjacent to the local road.

15. The position correcting method as in claim 10, wherein the original position data identified the vehicle as being on an elevated road and the voice position information identifies the vehicle as being on a ground level road beneath the elevated road.

16. The position correcting method as in claim 10, wherein the original position data identified the vehicle as being on a ground level road and the voice position information identifies the vehicle as being on an elevated road above the ground level road.

19. The position correcting method is in claim 11, wherein the specific location is one of:

on a toll road, and on a local road.