Navigation device

• US 8,958,982 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Sempuku, Tsuyoshi, Hori, Takeyuki, Harada, Sachiko, Sano, Yoko
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US13/702,806
• Publication Number:
  US 20130096822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 701/410, 701/411, 701/424, 701/425, 701/426, 701/437, 701/438, 701/440, 701/467, 701/468, 701/300, 340/989, 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/995.14, 340/995.18, 340/995.19, 340/995.2, 340/995.23, 340/995.24
• US Class Current: 701/409
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects

Abstract

Disclosed is a navigation device including: a target candidate extracting unit for extracting target candidates located along a guidance route from a map database on a basis of a vehicle position, the guidance route, and intersection information about a target intersection for guidance; a target determining unit for determining a target on a basis of knowledge about target determination from among the target candidates extracted by the target candidate extracting unit; a guidance sentence generating unit for generating a guidance sentence by using the target determined by the target determining unit; and a sound output unit for outputting voice guidance on a basis of the guidance sentence generated by the guidance sentence generating unit.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

a target candidate extracting unit for extracting a plurality of target candidates located along a guidance route from a map database on a basis of a vehicle position, the guidance route, and intersection information about a target intersection for guidance, wherein each of the extracted target candidates is a guidance target which solely exists, for each type of targets, alongside the guidance route in a section extending from the vehicle position to a point located at a predetermined distance from the target intersection for guidance;

a target determining unit for determining whether or not each of said target candidates extracted by said target candidate extracting unit should be used as a target on a basis of a positional relationship between said each of the target candidates and the target intersection for guidance;

a guidance sentence generating unit for generating a guidance sentence by using said target determined by said target determining unit; and

a sound output unit for outputting voice guidance on a basis of said guidance sentence generated by said guidance sentence generating unit.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said target determining unit determines said target on a basis of said intersection information about the target intersection for guidance, information about a section extending from said target intersection for guidance to each of the target candidates, or an order of priorities respectively assigned to the target candidates.

3. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said target determining unit determines said target on a basis of whether said target intersection for guidance has a traffic signal, whether or not said target intersection for guidance is a highway entrance, a distance between said target intersection for guidance and each of the target candidates, a number of intersections existing between said target intersection for guidance and each of the target candidates, or an order of priorities respectively assigned to the target candidates.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said navigation device includes a structure determining unit for acquiring map data from said map database on a basis of said vehicle position, said guidance route, and said intersection information about the target intersection for guidance, and for determining whether or not said map data is information about a predetermined structure, and said target determining unit determines the predetermined structure as a target candidate.

5. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said navigation device includes a structure determining unit for acquiring map data from said map database on a basis of said vehicle position, said guidance route, and said intersection information about the target intersection for guidance, and for determining whether or not a road or railroad crossing said guidance route is above said guidance route on a basis of at least one of information about an altitude of the road crossing said guidance route, information about an altitude of the railroad crossing said guidance route, an order in which said road and said guidance route are to be drawn, and an order in which said railroad and said guidance route are to be drawn to determine whether or not said road or railroad is an elevated object, and said target determining unit determines the elevated object as a target candidate.

6. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said navigation device includes a distinctive road determining unit for acquiring map data from said map database on a basis of said vehicle position, said guidance route, and said intersection information about the target intersection for guidance, and for determining whether or not a road is a predetermined distinctive road on a basis of a connection angle of said road, a difference in altitude between points on said road, a width of said road, or a number of lanes of said road, and said target determining unit determines the predetermined distinctive road as a target candidate.

7. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said navigation device includes a driving operation determining unit for acquiring map data from said map database on a basis of said vehicle position, said guidance route, and said intersection information about the target intersection for guidance, and for determining whether a predetermined driving operation will occur on a basis of information about traffic restrictions on a road, and said target determining unit determines the predetermined driving operation as a target candidate.

8. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said navigation device includes a visual information determining unit for determining whether predetermined visual information exists on a basis of said vehicle position, said guidance route, and said intersection information about the target intersection for guidance, and said target determining unit determines the predetermined visual information as a target candidate.

9. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein said navigation device includes a communication unit for receiving structure information from outside said navigation device, and said structure determining unit determines whether or not said structure information received by said communication unit is information about a predetermined structure on a basis of said structure information.

10. The navigation device according to claim 6, wherein said navigation device includes a communication unit for receiving distinctive road information from outside said navigation device, and said distinctive road determining unit determines whether or not said distinctive road information received by said communication unit is information about a predetermined distinctive road on a basis of said distinctive road information.

11. The navigation device according to claim 7, wherein said navigation device includes a communication unit for receiving driving operation information from outside said navigation device, and said driving operation determining unit determines whether or not said driving operation information received by said communication unit is information about a predetermined driving operation on a basis of said driving operation information.

12. The navigation device according to claim 8, wherein said navigation device includes a communication unit for receiving receives visual information from outside said navigation device, and said visual information determining unit determines whether or not said visual information received by said communication unit is predetermined visual information on a basis of said visual information.