Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Takeshi Yagyu

Yoshiki Ueyama

Makoto Fushimi

Atsushi Yamashita

Kiyomi Sakamoto

Teruaki Ata

Hiroyuki Hamada

Yasuhiro Nakamura

Yasuhiro Ihara

In a navigation apparatus, a CPU searches for a plurality of routes from a starting point to a destination. These routes share the same starting point and the destination, but vary in their course along the way. Then for route selection, the CPU refers to position information provided by a locator to determine on which of the routes the user is now moving. In this manner, the navigation apparatus can automatically select one route from several derived through the route search.

Navigation apparatus

In a navigation apparatus Anavil, a CPU searches for a plurality of routes from a starting point to a destination. Those route share the same starting point and the destination, but vary in course on the way. Then for route selection, the CPU refers to position information provided by a locator to determine which route the user is now moving. In this manner, the navigation apparatus can automatically select one route from several others derived through route search.

A route selecting method, a route selecting system, and a recording medium select a route in which a road on which a user has traveled is suitably reflected. A section traveling route generation portion receives a traveling track of a vehicle detected by a current position and traveling track detection portion and an optimum route searched for by an optimum route searching portion, and compares the traveling track and the optimum route, to extract different road sections as section traveling routes. A section traveling route storage portion stores the extracted section traveling route and its attribute information. A crossing section examination portion first examines, in the case of guiding, whether or not the section traveling route taken as a section a part, between two arbitrary points, of the optimum route searched for by the optimum route searching portion exists in the section traveling route storage portion, and extracts the section traveling route from the section traveling route storage portion when the section traveling route does exist. A guiding route generation portion replaces the part, between the two points, of the optimum route with the section traveling route on the basis of the optimum route and the extracted section traveling route to generate a guiding route.

Route selecting method, route selecting system, and recording medium

In a route selection process, an optimal route searcher refers to a traffic light flag included in route selecting data stored in a second storage to see whether a target intersection has any traffic light or not. When the optimal route searcher determines that the target intersection has a traffic light s, a traffic light cost calculator calculates a traffic light cost relevant to a waiting time due to the traffic light s. Based on the traffic light cost thus calculated by the traffic light cost calculator , the optimal route searcher calculates a passage cost relevant to a time taken for passing the target intersection. In this manner, with consideration for the waiting time due to the traffic light, a time for going through an entire route can be estimated with higher correctness, thereby rendering the route thus searched more optimal.

Route selection method and system

In areas where composite intersection traffic regulation exits, nodes and links for use in the conventional network are separated into a plurality of nodes and links, respectively. For example, one node is separated into N1a to N1c, and one link is separated into L1a to L1c. Then, the whole road network is represented by separating the network into a road network (L1a, L2a, L3a, L4a, L5a, N1a, N2a) in view of entering links (L1a, L3a) which the composite intersection traffic regulation does not affect, and road networks .alpha. (L1b, L2b, L3b, L4b, N1b, N2b) and .beta. (L1c, L2c, L3c, L5c, N1c, N2c) in view of entering links (L4b, L5c) which the composite intersection traffic regulation affects, and one-way traffic regulations are set on suitable links to allow for a representation of the composite intersection transfer regulation. Use of such map data enables selections which are compliant with the composite intersection traffic regulation without requiring a specific processing at the time of the search processing.

Method and apparatus for searching a route

A route selection data storage unit 7 stores route selection data which are created from original data describing a detailed road system. When a plurality of crossings and a plurality of roads which are expressed on the road system in the original data satisfy prescribed conditions, these crossings and roads are integrated with each other respectively and recorded in the route selection data. The route selection data include a passage link table, so that links which are deleted by integration of the crossings are not missed. The passage link table records links which are deleted due to the integration of the crossings but passed in practice with reference to approach and escape links as to the respective crossings integrated with each other. An optimum route search unit 6 searches for the optimum route between a starting place and a destination which are designated by a position detection unit and/or a spot input unit 5 through the route selection data. When the optimum route obtained through the search passes through the integrated crossings, the optimum route search unit 6 supplements the deleted links with corresponding passage links recorded in the passage link table.

Route selection system and method utilizing integrated crossings, a

Road network data is divided into a plurality of road network areas and one or a plurality of routes are obtained between the divided road network areas. The obtained routes are stored into a route data storage device 1. When a starting point and a destination are specified from a point input device 2, an area investigating device 3 investigates two road network areas to which the points belong. A route retrieving device 4 retrieves the route data corresponding to the combination of the obtained two road network areas from the route data storage device 1. A peripheral route searching device 8 searches for connecting routes in the road network areas to which the starting point and the destination belong, on the basis of the road network data stored in the road network data storage device 7. Further, the peripheral route searching device 8 produces the entire route from the starting point to the destination by using the route data retrieved from the route data storage device 1 and the connecting routes searched for in the vicinities of the starting point and the destination and presents the route to a user through an output device 6. This way, routes between arbitrary two road network areas are obtained in advance and stored as route data. When a starting point and a destination are specified, the route data between the corresponding road network areas are retrieved and a route from the starting point to the destination is presented on the basis of the retrieved route data. Thus the route can be searched for in an instant.

An optimum route searching device 5 conducts a search in a predetermined area on road network data on a lower hierarchical level to obtain minimum arrival costs to individual nodes in the search area and then selects a node located on an upper hierarchical level existing in from the search area. Then the optimum route searching device 5 obtains a remaining cost to a node common with the upper hierarchical level which first appears on the upper hierarchical level existing link. Then the optimum route searching device 5 obtains a minimum arrival cost from the starting point of the search to the common node on the basis of the minimum arrival cost to the selected node and the remaining cost to the common node. The minimum arrival cost to the common node obtained at this time is used as initial conditions for a route search performed on the road network data on the upper hierarchical level. This makes it possible to shift the search results on the lower hierarchical level to the upper hierarchical level without causing an abnormal route such as a U-turn path and a bypass path.

A route connecting a point and another point on a network is derived in advance with respect to entire pairs of two points, and the route is stored with a transit point placed on the route in a memory. When a route between two points is retrieved, the route is divided by the transit point, and a route in each division is retrieved. Subsequently, plural routes of the divisions are connected and thus the route between the two points is derived.

Route selection method and apparatus therefor

The present invention involves road network recording device for recording positions and connection relation of intersection and roads, location setting device for setting departure point and destination point, search start and endpoint setting device for setting a plurality of search start points or search end points, by using a specific range on a map on the basis of the departure point or destination point set by the location setting device, search device for searching a recommended route from the search start point to the search end point set by the search start and end, point setting device from the information in the road network recording device according to a specific rule, and output device for putting out the route obtained by the search device.

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Osaka, Japan

Takeshi Yagyu