Navigation apparatus, position information registration method and program thereof

• US 7,680,591 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2005
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagata, Koji, Sakamoto, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Algahaim, Helal A
• Application Number:
  US11/175,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020387A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• Field of Search: 701/35, 701/213, 701/200, 701/207
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities

Abstract

A navigation apparatus that includes a position information acquiring unit acquiring position information of a parking position; a parking information acquiring unit acquiring information as to a parking time in the parking position; and a memory storing the position information acquired by the position information acquiring unit when it is judged on the basis of the information as to the parking time acquired by the parking information acquiring unit that its parking time exceeds a predetermined time.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus, comprising:

position information acquiring means for acquiring position information of a parking position;

parking information acquiring means for acquiring information as to a parking time in the parking position; and

memory means for storing the position information acquired by said position information acquiring means when the parking time acquired by said parking information acquiring means is equal to or greater than a second predetermined time value, for not storing the position information acquired by said position information acquiring means when the parking time acquired by said parking information acquiring means is less than a first predetermined time value which is less than the second predetermined time value, and for storing the position information acquired by said position information acquiring means when the parking time acquired by said parking information acquiring means is equal to or greater than the first predetermined time value and is less than the second predetermined time value and when a user provides an indication to store the respective position information,

in which the respective parking time or times which are equal to or greater than the first predetermined time value and less than the second predetermined time value are stored along with the respective indication or indications provided by the user, and

in which a value of a time domain associated with the parking time which is equal to or greater than the first predetermined time value and less than the second predetermined time value is automatically varied by a learning function by use of the stored respective parking time or times and respective indication or indications.

2. The navigation apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

search means for searching frequencies of storage of position information per each position information stored in said memory means.

3. The navigation apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said memory means stores the information as to the parking time together with the position information of the parking position, and said navigation apparatus further comprising;

search means for searching position information based on the information as to the parking time.

4. A position information registering method, comprising:

a position information detecting step of detecting position information of a movable vehicle by use of a position detecting unit;

a measuring step of measuring a parking time of the vehicle by use of a parking time measuring unit;

a judgment step of judging whether to register the position information detected in said position information detecting step based on a duration of the parking time measured in said measuring step by use of an arithmetic unit; and

a registration step of registering the position information judged to be registered in said judgment step,

said judgment step judges not to register the position information when the parking time measured in said measurement step does not reach a first threshold value, and to register the position information in a case when the parking time reaches a second threshold value which is greater than the first threshold value, and

the position information registering method further comprising a confirmation step of confirming with a user whether to register the position information when the parking time reaches the first threshold value and does not reach the second threshold value,

in which the respective parking time or times which are equal to or greater than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value are stored along with respective confirmation or confirmations provided by the user, and

in which a value of a time domain associated with the parking time which is equal to or greater than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value is automatically varied by a learning function by use of the stored respective parking time or times and respective confirmation or confirmations.

5. The position information registering method as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

said measuring step measures a parking time as an elapsed time from OFF to ON of an accessory power supply of the vehicle.

6. The position information registering method as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

said measuring step measures an elapsed time from activation of a parking brake of the vehicle until release thereof as the parking time.

7. A computer program stored on a storage medium which is executable by a computer apparatus for acquiring position information of a vehicle, said program comprising:

a parking information acquiring function that acquires information as to a parking time in a parking position of the vehicle, and

a memory function that stores the position information of the parking position when the parking time acquired by said parking information acquiring function is equal to or greater than a second predetermined time value, stores the position information when the parking time acquired by said parking information acquiring function is less than a first predetermined time value which is less than the second predetermined time value, and stores the position information when the parking time acquired by said parking information acquiring function is equal to or greater than the first predetermined time value and is less than the second predetermined time value and when a user provides an indication to store the respective position information,

in which the respective parking time or times which are equal to or greater than the first predetermined time value and less than the second predetermined time value are stored along with the respective indication or indications provided by the user, and

in which a value of a time domain associated with the parking time which is equal to or greater than the first predetermined time value and less than the second predetermined time value is automatically varied by a learning function by use of the stored respective parking time or times and respective indication or indications.

8. A navigation apparatus, comprising:

a position information acquiring unit configure to acquire position information of a parking position;

a parking information acquiring unit configure to acquire inquiring information as to a parking time in the parking position; and

a memory unit configure to store the position information acquired by said position information acquiring unit when the parking time acquired by said parking information acquiring unit is equal to or greater than a second predetermined time value, for not storing the position information acquired by said position information acquiring unit when the parking time acquired by said parking information acquiring unit is less than a first predetermined time value which is less than the second predetermined time value, and for storing the position information acquired by said position information acquiring unit when the parking time acquired by said parking information acquiring unit is equal to or greater than the first predetermined time value and is less than the second predetermined time value and when a user provides an indication to store the respective position information,

in which the respective parking time or times which are equal to or greater than the first predetermined time value and less than the second predetermined time value are stored along with the respective indication or indications provided by the user, and

in which a value of a time domain associated with the parking time which is equal to or greater than the first predetermined time value and less than the second predetermined time value is automatically varied by a learning function by use of the stored respective parking time or times and respective indication or indications.