Travel guiding apparatus for vehicle, travel guiding method for vehicle, and computer-readable storage medium

• US 8,504,293 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2010
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Tomoaki, Nakamura, Masaki, Maura, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US12/911,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20110144907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/514
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching

Abstract

A travel guiding apparatus, method, and program for a vehicle store map information and marker pattern identification information used to identify a marker pattern for each road type, wherein the marker pattern is a pattern of a marker included in a lane marking. The apparatus, method, and program determine a type of road on which the vehicle is traveling and detect the maker pattern on the road. The apparatus, method, and program again determine the type of the road based on the detected marker pattern and change the type of determined road from a road other than an expressway to an expressway, if the first detected type of road is a road other than an expressway and the type of road detected based on the marker pattern is an expressway.

Claims

1. A travel guiding apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

a non-transitory memory that stores;

map information; and

marker pattern identification information used to identify a marker pattern for each road type, the marker pattern identification information indicating a pattern of a marker included in a lane marking; and

a controller that;

makes a first determination of a road type of a road on which the vehicle is traveling based on a current position of the vehicle and the stored map information;

detects the maker pattern on the traveled road;

makes a second determination of the road type of the traveled road based on the detected marker pattern and the stored marker pattern identification information;

changes the first determined road type from a road other than an expressway to an expressway when the first determined road type is a road other than an expressway, and the second determined road type is an expressway; and

does not change the first determined road type from a road other than an expressway to an expressway based on the second determined road type when the first determined road type is an expressway.

2. The travel guiding apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

changes the first determined road type when;

the second determined road type is determined to be an expressway a predetermined number of times successively, and

the detected marker pattern has a length equal to or longer than a predetermined distance.

3. The travel guiding apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

detects a speed of the vehicle; and

makes the second determination of the road type when the speed of the vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed.

4. The travel guiding apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the marker is composed of a white line drawn on a road.

5. The travel guiding apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein

the marker pattern is one of a length of the white line, a length of a blank between the white lines, and a sum of the length of the white line and the length of the blank adjacent to the white line.

6. A travel guiding method for a vehicle, comprising:

accessing a memory storing;

map information; and

marker pattern identification information used to identify a marker pattern for each road type, the marker pattern identification information indicating a pattern of a marker included in a lane marking;

performing, with a controller, a first road type determination of a road type of a road on which the vehicle is traveling based on a current position of the vehicle and the accessed map information;

detecting, with the controller, the maker pattern on the traveled road;

performing, with the controller, a second determination of the road type of the traveled road based on the detected marker pattern and the accessed marker pattern identification information;

changing, with the controller, the first determined road type from a road other than an expressway to an expressway when the first determined road type is a road other than an expressway and the second determined road type is an expressway; and

not changing the first determined road type from a road other than an expressway to an expressway based on the second determined road type when the first determined road type is an expressway.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage device that stores computer-executable instructions for performing a travel guiding method for a vehicle comprising:

accessing a memory storing;

map information; and

marker pattern identification information used to identify a marker pattern for each road type, the marker pattern identification information indicating a pattern of a marker included in a lane marking;

performing, with a controller, a first road type determination of a road type of a road on which the vehicle is traveling based on a current position of the vehicle and the accessed map information;

detecting, with the controller, the maker pattern on the traveled road;

performing, with the controller, a second determination of the road type of the traveled road based on the detected marker pattern and the accessed marker pattern identification information;

changing, with the controller, the first determined road type from a road other than an expressway to an expressway when the first determined road type is a road other than an expressway and the second determined road type is an expressway; and

not changing the first determined road type from a road other than an expressway to an expressway based on the second determined road type when the first determined road type is an expressway.