Route search system

• US 8,265,867 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MEL NavIP LLC (Ni, Wang & Massand, PLLC)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Arita, Hidekazu, Ohi, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US12/083,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20090254267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,189 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/410, 701/409, 701/408, 701/420, 701/533, 340/995.19, 340/995.21
• US Class Current: 701/410
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality

Abstract

A route search system includes a map data storing means 2 storing a roadmap data containing, as the attribute of a road, whether the road is a road located within a flat-rate pay area where a fixed fare is charged on a mobile unit regardless of the number of times the mobile unit enters the area if the entries are made within a fixed time period; a flat-rate pay area transit recording means 4b, when the current position detected by a position detecting means 1 comes to a road in the flat-rate pay area represented by the attribute of the roadmap data stored in the map data storing means, storing that the mobile unit has transited the flat-rate pay area; an input means 3 inputting whether to permit transit across the flat-rate pay area; and a route calculating means 4a, when it is inputted by the input means that the transit thereof is not permitted, if the flat-rate pay area transit recording means stores that the mobile unit has transited the flat-rate pay area, calculating the optimum route to the destination within routes also containing roads located within the flat-rate pay area on the basis of the roadmap data stored in the map data storing means.

Claims

1. A route search system comprising:

a map data storing unit which stores a roadmap data containing, as the attribute of a road, whether the road is a road located within a flat-rate pay area where a fixed fare is charged on a mobile unit transiting the area regardless of the number of times the mobile unit transits the area within a fixed period of time;

a position detecting unit which detects the current position of the mobile unit;

a flat-rate pay area transit recording unit which stores that the mobile unit has transited the flat-rate pay area, when the current position detected by the position detecting unit came to be on a road located within the flat-rate pay indicated by the attribute of the roadmap data stored in the map data storing unit;

an input unit which inputs whether to permit the transit of the flat-rate pay area for each of first and second operation modes separately set by first and second users, the first and second users being different from one another; and

a route calculating unit which is programmed to;

select the first operation mode when the route search system is employed by the first user,

calculate the optimum route to the destination within routes also including roads within the flat-rate pay area on the basis of the roadmap data stored in the map data storing unit, when operating according to the first operation mode regardless of whether it has been inputted by the input unit for the first operation mode that the transit of the flat-rate pay area is not permitted, if the flat-rate pay area transit recording unit stores that the mobile unit has transited the flat-rate pay area while operating in the first operation mode,

switch from the first to the second operation mode when the person employing the route search system changes from the first user to the second user, and

if the switch to the second operation mode occurs while the flat-rate pay area transit recording unit stores that the mobile unit transited the flat-rate pay area within the fixed period of time while operating in the first operation mode, calculate the optimum route to the destination within routes also including roads within the flat-rate pay area on the basis of the roadmap data stored in the map data storing unit while operating in the second operation mode, even if it is inputted by the input unit that the transit of the flat-rate pay area is not permitted upon operating in the second operation mode.

2. The route search system according to claim 1, further comprising an external information acquiring unit which acquires the charging information of the flat-rate pay area from outside,

wherein the route calculating unit calculates the optimum route to the destination according to the charging information acquired by the external information acquiring unit.