In-vehicle navigation apparatus

• US 7,302,342 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2006
• Issued: 11/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Tsurumi, Kiyoshi, Kobayashi, Nobuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith; Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Chuong
• Application Number:
  US11/376,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20060212216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 3409951-99528, 701/201, 701207-208, 701117-119, 701202-206, 342/357.13
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0968 Systems involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn

Abstract

When a first one-way traffic road becomes partially impassable because of roadworks, a second one-way traffic road temporarily replaces the first road and is used in a direction opposite to an original trafficable direction. This second road is registered as a replacing road based on traffic information from the VICS center. When the second road registered as the replacing road is present within a given area surrounding the current position of a relevant vehicle, map matching is executed without considering the original trafficable direction of the second road. This allows the second road to be designated as a travel road through the map matching even when the relevant vehicle travels in a direction opposite to the original trafficable direction of the second road.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus in a vehicle, comprising:

a position detector configured to facilitate detecting a current position of the vehicle;

an advancing direction detecting unit configured to facilitate detecting an advancing direction of the vehicle;

a road data storage unit configured to facilitate storing road data, where a road includes at least one link, each link assigned information indicating a position of the each link, wherein a link corresponding to a one-way traffic road is assigned one-way traffic information including a trafficable direction;

a map matching unit configured to facilitate extracting a link within an area surrounding the detected current position from the road data storage unit to designate a travel road that the vehicle travels from a map-matching candidate road that includes the extracted link, wherein a certain road including the extracted link is excluded from the map-matching candidate road when the extracted link included in the certain road is assigned one-way traffic information indicating a trafficable direction not agreeing with the detected advancing direction; and

a registering unit configured to facilitate executing registration to register a one-way traffic road temporarily used in a direction opposite to a trafficable direction, wherein

the map matching unit is configured to facilitate regarding a link included in the registered one-way traffic road as a link assigned no one-way traffic information.

2. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a designating unit configured to facilitate designating a destination; and

a route computing unit configured to facilitate retrieving a route to the designated destination from a current position detected by the position detector, wherein

the route computing unit is configured to stop retrieving another route when the vehicle departs from the retrieved route and the registered one-way traffic road is designated as the travel road.

3. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the registering unit is configured to register,

a road allowing the vehicle to travel in a direction opposite to a trafficable direction of the road as a replacing road, and

a road temporarily impassable as a replaced road corresponding to the replacing road, and

the map matching unit is configured to check if both a link included in the replacing road and a link included in the replaced road are included within the area surrounding a current position detected by the position detector, and

the map matching unit is configured, if both are included, to stop regarding the link included in the replacing road as the link assigned no one-way traffic information.

4. The navigation apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the map matching unit is configured to check if both the link included in the replacing road and the link included in the replaced road are included within the area surrounding a current position detected by the position detector, and

the map matching unit is configured, if both are included and if the replacing road has been a travel road, to designate the travel road as the replaced road.

5. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a releasing unit configured to release the registration executed by the registering unit.

6. A navigation apparatus in a vehicle, comprising:

a position detector configured to facilitate detecting a current position of the vehicle;

an advancing direction detecting unit configured to facilitate detecting an advancing direction of the vehicle;

a road data storage unit configured to facilitate storing road data, where a road includes at least one link, each link assigned information indicating a position of the each link, wherein a link corresponding to a one-way traffic road is assigned one-way traffic information including a trafficable direction;

a map matching unit configured to facilitate extracting a link within an area surrounding the detected current position from the road data storage unit to designate a travel road that the vehicle travels from a map-matching candidate road that includes the extracted link, wherein a certain road including the extracted link is excluded from the map-matching candidate road if the extracted link included in the certain road is assigned one-way traffic information indicating a trafficable direction not agreeing with the detected advancing direction;

a registering unit configured to facilitate executing registration to register a one-way traffic road temporarily used in a direction opposite to a trafficable direction;

a designating unit configured to facilitate designating a destination; and

a route computing unit configured to facilitate retrieving a mute to the designated destination from a current position detected by the position detector,

wherein the route computing unit is configured to stop retrieving another route if the vehicle departs from the retrieved route and the registered one-way traffic road is designated as the travel road,

wherein the map matching unit is configured to facilitate regarding a link included in the registered one-way traffic road as a link assigned no one-way traffic information,

wherein the registering unit is configured to register

a road allowing the vehicle to travel in a direction opposite to a trafficable direction of the road as a replacing road, and

a road temporarily impassable as a replaced road corresponding to the replacing road,

wherein the map matching unit is configured to check if both a link included in the replacing road and a link included in the replaced road are included within the area surrounding a current position detected by the position detector, and

wherein the map matching unit is configured, if both are included, to stop regarding the link included in the replacing road as the link assigned no one-way traffic information.