Navigation devices, methods and programs

• US 9,026,351 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Morimoto, Kyomi, Hayashi, Seiji, Saitou, Yutaka, Burguet, Frederic, Petti, Stephane
• Primary Examiner(s): KANAAN, MAROUN P
• Application Number:
  US12/318,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20090171566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,324 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre

Abstract

Navigation devices, methods, and programs set a destination, find an on-street parking zone that is in the vicinity of the destination, and find a route, by modifying a search cost for a road, that will arrive at the destination by way of a road having the on-street parking zone. The devices, methods, and programs acquire parking information that pertains to the on-street parking zone and find the route by modifying the search cost based on the parking information. The devices, methods, and programs find the route when the vehicle has reached a specified distance from the destination.

Claims

1. A navigation device for installation in a vehicle, comprising:

a memory; and

a controller specifically configured to;

set a destination;

find an on-street parking zone that is in a different location from the destination and that is in the vicinity of the destination, the on-street parking zone being an area where parking is available on a strip along the street;

find a route that will arrive at the destination by way of a road having the on-street parking zone;

acquire parking information that pertains to the on-street parking zone, the parking information including information that pertains to a length of the strip of the on-street parking zone;

identify a link corresponding to the street having the on-street parking zone;

modify a search cost of a route including the identified link by lowering a link cost of the identified link by an amount corresponding to the length of the strip of the on-street parking zone, the amount by which the link cost is reduced being larger the longer the length of the strip of the on-street parking zone; and

search for a route to the destination based on the modified search cost.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is specifically configured to:

search for the route when the vehicle has reached a specified distance from the destination.

3. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is specifically configured to:

predict a time of arrival at the destination; and

modify the search cost based on the parking information and on the time of arrival.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein

the parking information further includes information that pertains to at least one of a time period when the on-street parking zone can be used, a use fee, a distance from the on-street parking zone to the destination, a continuousness of the on-street parking zone, a vacant space probability, and a user restriction.

5. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein

the controller lowers a link cost for a link on which an on-street parking zone is provided to the extent that the distance from the on-street parking zone to the destination is short.

6. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein

the controller lowers a link cost for a link on which an on-street parking zone is provided to the extent that the use fee for the on-street parking zone is low.

7. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein

the controller lowers a link cost for a link on which an on-street parking zone is provided to the extent that the vacant space probability for the on-street parking zone is high.

8. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein

the controller, in a case where an on-street parking zone is provided that extends over two or more connected links, lowers a link cost for each of the connected links.

9. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is specifically configured to:

specify an on-street parking zone that satisfies a specified condition; and

find another route by way of another road having the on-street parking zone that satisfies the specified condition.

10. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the controller provides guidance, based on the parking information, to the on-street parking zone that is located on the route.

11. A navigation method that is implemented by a navigation device, the method comprising:

setting a destination;

finding an on-street parking zone that is in a different location from the destination and that is in the vicinity of the destination, the on-street parking zone being an area where parking is available on a strip along the street;

finding a route that will arrive at the destination by way of a road having the on-street parking zone;

acquiring parking information that pertains to the on-street parking zone, the parking information including information that pertains to a length of the strip of the on-street parking zone; and

modifying a search cost of a route including the identified link by lowering a link cost of the identified link by an amount corresponding to the length of the strip of the on-street parking zone, the amount by which the link cost is reduced being larger the longer the length of the strip of the on-street parking zone; and

searching for a route to the destination based on the modified search cost.

12. The navigation method according to claim 11, further comprising:

search for the route when the vehicle has reached a specified distance from the destination.

13. The navigation method according to claim 11, further comprising:

predicting a time of arrival at the destination; and

modifying the search cost based on the parking information and on the time of arrival.

14. The navigation method according to claim 11, further comprising providing guidance, based on the parking information, to the on-street parking zone that is located on the route.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program usable to find on-street parking, the program comprising:

instructions for setting a destination;

instructions for finding on-street parking zone that is in a different location from the destination and that is in the vicinity of the destination, the on-street parking zone being an area where parking is available on a strip along the street; and

instructions for finding a route that will arrive at the destination by way of a road having the on-street parking zone;

instructions for acquiring parking information that pertains to the on-street parking zone, the parking information including information that pertains to a length of the strip of the on-street parking zone; and

instructions for modifying a search cost of a route including the identified link by lowering a link cost of the identified link by an amount corresponding to the length of the strip of the on-street parking zone, the amount by which the link cost is reduced being larger the longer the length of the strip of the on-street parking zone; and

instructions for searching for a route to the destination based on the modified search cost.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, the program further comprising:

instructions for providing guidance, based on the parking information, to the on-street parking zone that is located on the route.

17. A navigation device for installation in a vehicle, comprising:

a memory storing links representing roads and on-street parking zones, each on-street parking zone being associated with a link; and

a controller specifically configured to;

set a destination;

receive an input indicating a desired characteristic of an on-street parking zone, the on-street parking zone being an area where parking is available on a strip along the street, the desired characteristic being a minimum length of the strip of the on-street parking zone;

identify at least one stored on-street parking zone having the desired characteristic that is in a different location from the destination and that is within a specified distance of the destination;

identify a link corresponding to the street having the on-street parking zone;

modify a search cost of a route including the identified link by lowering a link cost of the identified link by an amount corresponding to the length of the strip of the on-street parking zone, the amount by which the link cost is reduced being larger the longer the length of the strip of the on-street parking zone;

search for a route to the set destination based on the modified search costs;

determine whether the route found by the search includes at least one link associated with an identified on-street parking zone;

when the route found by the search includes at least one link associated with an identified on-street parking zone, provide guidance based on the route found by the search; and

when the when the route found by the search does not include at least one link associated with an identified on-street parking zone, modify the route to include a link associated with an identified on-street parking zone that is closest to the set destination and provide guidance based on the modified route.