IP Library Granted Patent US 8,831,876
Granted Patent B2
US 8,831,876 · App. 13/518,591 · Granted Sep 9, 2014

Navigation device, route guidance method, and program

Inventors: Arata Hayashi (Kanagawa, JP); Naoki Shimizu (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,831,876
App. No.
13/518,591
Granted
Sep 9, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

Disclosed is technology for providing guidance in a manner that facilitates travel along a guidance route when there is a road which has a carpool lane. A navigation device ( 100 ) is provided with: a current-location calculation means for calculating the current location of a moving body; a recommended route search means for searching for a recommended route to a destination; a guidance-point setting means for setting a guidance point in the recommended route; and a guidance information notification means for notifying predetermined guidance information when a moving body reaches a set guidance point. When predetermined conditions are fulfilled, the guidance-point setting means sets in a road which has a carpool lane a guidance point for notifying information for guidance from said road to a branch road, before the guidance point that would be set in a road that does not have a carpool lane.

Claims (48)

1. A navigation device comprising:

a current position calculation unit configured to calculate a current position of a moving object,

a recommended route search unit configured to search for a recommended route to a destination,

a guidance point setting unit configured to set a guidance point, at which guidance information to guide the moving object is output, on the recommended route a first distance before a point where guidance becomes necessary, and

a guidance information announcing unit configured to display on a screen or output from a speaker the guidance information, when a moving object reaches the set guidance point, wherein,

when a distance between a leaving point where the moving object should exit carpool lanes and a branching point where a road with carpool lanes branches off is shorter than a predetermined distance, the guidance point setting unit sets the guidance point to a second distance that is shorter than the first distance before the point where guidance becomes necessary.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1 , wherein,

the guidance point setting unit sets the guidance point to the second distance, in the case where the number of lanes on the road provided with the carpool lane is equal to or more than a predetermined number.

3. The navigation device according to claim 1 , further comprising a traffic congestion information acquiring unit configured to acquire traffic congestion information, wherein,

the guidance point setting unit sets the guidance point to the second distance in the case where traffic is congested on the road provided with the carpool lane.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1 , further comprising,

an imaging unit configured to take an image of a road surface of a lane on which a moving object is traveling, and

a lane determining unit configured to determine whether or not the moving object is traveling on the carpool lane,

when the distance between the leaving point where the moving object should exit carpool lanes and the branching point where the road with carpool lanes branches off is shorter than the predetermined distance, the guidance point setting unit sets the guidance point to a given distance before guidance point has been set.

5. A route guidance method in a navigation device, comprising:

a current position calculating step of calculating, by a calculation unit, a current position of a moving object,

a recommended route searching step of searching, by a route search unit, for a recommended route to a destination,

a guidance point setting step of setting, by a setting unit, a guidance point, at which guidance information to guide the moving object is output, on the recommended route a first distance before a point where guidance becomes necessary, and

a guidance information announcing step of displaying on a screen or outputting from a speaker the guidance information, when a moving object reaches the set guidance point, wherein,

when a distance between a leaving point where the moving object should exit carpool lanes and a branching point where a road with carpool lanes branches off is shorter than a predetermined distance, the guidance point setting step sets the guidance point to a second distance that is shorter than the first distance before the point where guidance becomes necessary.

6. A navigation device comprising:

a current position calculation unit configured to calculate a current position of a moving object,

a recommended route search unit configured to search for a recommended route to a destination,

a guidance point setting unit configured to set a guidance point, at which guidance information to guide the moving object is output, on the recommended route a first distance before a point where guidance becomes necessary, and

a guidance information announcing unit configured to display on a screen or output from a speaker the guidance information, when a moving object reaches the set guidance point, wherein,

when a distance between a merging point where the moving object merges over a road with carpool lanes and an entering point where the moving object enters into carpool lanes is shorter than a predetermined distance, the guidance point setting unit sets the guidance point to a second distance that is shorter than the first distance before the point where guidance becomes necessary.

7. A navigation device comprising:

a current position calculation unit configured to calculate a current position of a moving object,

a recommended route search unit configured to search for a recommended route to a destination,

a guidance point setting unit configured to set a guidance point, at which guidance information to guide the moving object is output, on the recommended route a first distance before a point where guidance becomes necessary, and

a guidance information announcing unit configured to display on a screen or output from a speaker the guidance information, when a moving object reaches the set guidance point, wherein,

when a distance between a merging point where the moving object merges over a road with carpool lanes and a branching point where a road with carpool lanes branches off is shorter than a predetermined distance, the guidance point setting unit does not display on a screen or output from a speaker the guidance information.

8. The navigation device according to claim 7 , wherein,

the guidance point setting unit does not display on a screen or output from a speaker the guidance information when the distance between the merging point and the branching point is equal to or longer than the predetermined distance but shorter than a second distance, and the number of lanes on the road is equal to or more than a predetermined number.

9. The navigation device according to claim 7 , further comprising a traffic congestion information acquiring unit configured to acquire traffic congestion information, wherein,

when traffic is congested on a route from the merging point to the branching point even though the distance between the merging point and the branching point is shorter than the predetermined distance, the guidance point setting unit configures a setting to display on a screen or output from a speaker the guidance information at the set guidance point.

10. A route guidance method in a navigation device, comprising:

a current position calculating step of calculating a current position of a moving object,

a recommended route searching step of searching for a recommended route to a destination,

a guidance point setting step of setting a guidance point, at which guidance information to guide the moving object is output, on the recommended route a first distance before a point where guidance becomes necessary, and

a guidance information announcing step of displaying on a screen or outputting from a speaker the guidance information, when a moving object reaches the set guidance point, wherein,

when a distance between a merging point where the moving object merges over a road with carpool lanes and a branching point where a road with carpool lanes branches off is shorter than a predetermined distance, the guidance point setting step does not display on a screen or output from a speaker the guidance information.

11. A route guidance method in a navigation device, comprising:

a current position calculating step of calculating, by a calculation unit, a current position of a moving object,

a recommended route searching step of searching, by a route search unit, for a recommended route to a destination,

a guidance point setting step of setting, by a setting unit, a guidance point, at which guidance information to guide the moving object is output, on the recommended route a first distance before a point where guidance becomes necessary, and

a guidance information announcing step of displaying on a screen or outputting from a speaker the guidance information, when a moving object reaches the guidance point wherein,

when a distance between a merging point where the moving object merges over a road with carpool lanes and an entering point where the moving object enters into carpool lanes is shorter than a predetermined distance, the set guidance point is set to a second distance that is shorter than the first distance before the point where guidance becomes necessary.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 26, 2026
From: CLARION CO., LTD.
To: FAURECIA CLARION ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 073914/0953 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 26, 2026
From: FAURECIA CLARION ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
To: NEONAV LLC
Reel/Frame 073915/0232 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 31, 2012
From: HAYASHI, ARATA; SHIMIZU, NAOKI
To: CLARION CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 028881/0703 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2009-298075 · Dec 28, 2009 · national
JP 2009-298076 · Dec 28, 2009 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20120316775A1 · Dec 13, 2012