Navigation apparatus, method, and program

1. A navigation apparatus for providing guidance to a vehicle user, comprising:

a memory that stores map/road data including information on parking lots;

a sensor unit that provides position information on a position of the vehicle;

an output unit that outputs guidance information; and

a controller that:

processes the position information and the map/road data to generate guidance information;

makes a first determination whether the vehicle enters a first threshold area around a target destination;

makes, in response to the first determination, a second determination that the vehicle has not been parked before a parking notification output condition is fulfilled; and

outputs parking notification information on the output unit in response to the second determination, the parking notification information informing the driver of a location of a parking lot; and

when a type of the target destination is a parking lot and before the vehicle enters the parking lot, terminates a process for outputting the parking notification information including the second determination,

wherein the parking notification output condition is at least one of:

a lapse of a time period after the vehicle enters the first threshold area;

a traveling of a predetermined distance after the vehicle enters the first threshold area;

a predetermined number of times of entering or exiting of a second threshold area, the second threshold area being smaller than the first threshold area; and

entering of the first threshold area if the first threshold area is smaller than a predetermined value.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller:

starts an automatic parking notification process in response to the first determination; and

makes the second determination as part of the automatic parking notification process.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller provides guidance to the target destination until the parking notification output condition is fulfilled.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the controller makes a third determination whether the vehicle enters a second threshold area around the target destination, the second threshold area being smaller than the first threshold area.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the parking notification output condition is at least one of:

a lapse of a time period after the vehicle enters the first threshold area;

a traveling of a predetermined distance after the vehicle enters the first threshold area;

a predetermined number of times of entering or exiting of the second threshold area; and

entering of the first threshold area, if the first threshold area is smaller than a predetermined value.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller makes a third determination whether the vehicle enters a second threshold area around the target destination, the second threshold area being smaller than the first threshold area.

7. A navigation method for providing guidance to a vehicle user, comprising:

accessing, with a processor, stored map/road data including information on parking lots;

providing, with the processor, position information on a position of the vehicle;

outputting, with the processor, guidance information; and

processing, with the processor, the position information and the map/road data to generate guidance information;

making, with the processor, a first determination whether the vehicle enters a first threshold area around a target destination;

making, with the processor, in response to the first determination, a second determination that the vehicle has not been parked before a parking notification output condition is fulfilled; and

outputting, with the processor, parking notification information in response to the second determination, the parking notification information informing the driver of a location of a parking lot; and

when a type of the target destination is a parking lot and before the vehicle enters the parking lot, terminating, with the processor, a process for outputting the parking notification information including the second determination,

wherein the parking notification output condition is at least one of:

a lapse of a time period after the vehicle enters the first threshold area;

a traveling of a predetermined distance after the vehicle enters the first threshold area;

a predetermined number of times of entering or exiting of a second threshold area, the second threshold area being smaller than the first threshold area; and

entering of the first threshold area if the first threshold area is smaller than a predetermined value.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

starting an automatic parking notification process in response to the first determination; and

making the second determination as part of the automatic parking notification process.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising providing guidance to the target destination until the parking notification output condition is fulfilled.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising making a third determination whether the vehicle enters a second threshold area around the target destination, the second threshold area being smaller than the first threshold area.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the parking notification output condition is at least one of:

a lapse of a time period after the vehicle enters the first threshold area;

a traveling of a predetermined distance after the vehicle enters the first threshold area;

a predetermined number of times of entering or exiting of the second threshold area; and

entering of the first threshold area, if the first threshold area is smaller than a predetermined value.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising making a third determination whether the vehicle enters a second threshold area around the target destination, the second threshold area being smaller than the first threshold area.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program executable on a data processing device, the program comprising:

instructions for accessing stored map/road data including information on parking lots;

instructions for providing position information on a position of the vehicle;

instructions for outputting guidance information; and

instructions for processing the position information and the map/road data to generate guidance information;

instructions for making a first determination whether the vehicle enters a first threshold area around a target destination;

instructions for making, in response to the first determination, a second determination that the vehicle has not been parked before a parking notification output condition is fulfilled; and

instructions for outputting parking notification information in response to the second determination, the parking notification information informing the driver of a location of a parking lot; and

instructions for, when a type of the target destination is a parking lot and before the vehicle enters the parking lot, terminating a process for outputting the parking notification information including the second determination,

wherein the parking notification output condition is at least one of:

a lapse of a time period after the vehicle enters the first threshold area;

a traveling of a predetermined distance after the vehicle enters the first threshold area;

a predetermined number of times of entering or exiting of a second threshold area, the second threshold area being smaller than the first threshold area; and

entering of the first threshold area if the first threshold area is smaller than a predetermined value.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the parking notification information informs the driver of a location of a parking lot that is not full.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the parking notification information is not output if the vehicle is parked.

16. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the parking notification information informs the driver of a location of a parking lot that is not full.

17. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the parking notification information is not output if the vehicle is parked.