Vehicle navigation apparatus and storage medium
AssigneeAisin Aw Co., Ltd.
InventorsMitsuhiro Nimura, Kiyohide Kato, Yasunobu Ito
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A navigation apparatus reduces route search time while providing guidance in conformity with drivers' preferences, by selectively conducting either a full-range route search or a more limited, local area search, in accordance with detected conditions and responsive to occurrence of an off-route event. For example, the full-range route search is conducted pursuant to a determination that the vehicle has gone straight at a predetermined number of certain intersections where current guidance has directed a turn.
Claims12
A vehicle navigation apparatus for providing guidance comprising:
- search means for searching to predetermine a route to a destination from a starting location or a present position;
- off-route recognition means for recognizing deviations of the vehicle from current guidance;
- selecting means for selecting between a re-search, in a first mode, of road data limited to a limited area closely surrounding a detected present position of the vehicle to determine a return route for return to the predetermined route and, responsive to a predetermined plural number of said deviations, a re-search in a second mode of second road data covering a wide area greater than said limited area, said wide area extending from the detected present position to the destination, to determine a new route from the detected present position to the destination;
- re-search means for conducting a re-search in the mode selected by said selection means;
- and
- guidance means for outputting guidance in accordance with the predetermined route, the return route and the new route.
A vehicle navigation apparatus comprising:
- present position detection means for detecting a present position of the vehicle;
- search means for searching to predetermine a route to a destination from a starting location or the detected present position;
- off-route recognition means for recognizing a condition wherein the vehicle has deviated from current guidance;
- off-route criterion judgement means for judging whether or not the recognized condition satisfies a predetermined criterion;
- selecting means for selecting, in accordance with said judgement, between a re-search in a first mode of road data limited to a limited area closely surrounding a detected present position of the vehicle to determine a return route for return to the predetermined route and a re-search in a second mode of second road data covering a wide area greater than said limited area, said wide area extending from the detected present position to the destination, to determine a new route from the detected present position to the destination;
- re-search means for conducting a re-search in the mode selected by said selection means;
- and
- guidance means for outputting guidance in accordance with the predetermined route, the return route and the new route.
A storage medium having encoded thereon a program for execution of a routine comprising:
- searching to predetermine a route to a destination from a starting location or a present position;
- recognizing a condition wherein the vehicle has deviated from current guidance;
- judging whether or not the recognized condition satisfies a predetermined criterion;
- selecting, in accordance with said judgement, between a re-search in a first mode of road data limited to a limited area closely surrounding a detected present position of the vehicle to determine a return route for return to the predetermined route and a re-search in a second mode of second road data covering a wide area greater than said limited area, said wide area extending from the detected present position to the destination, to determine a new route from the detected present position to the destination;
- conducting a re-search in the mode selected by said selection means;
- and
- outputting guidance in accordance with the predetermined route, the return route and the new route.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.