Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-20
2002-09-24
Beaulieu, Yonel (Department: 3663)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S200000, C701S201000, C701S210000, C340S995190
Reexamination Certificate
active
06456932
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a route selecting method, a route selecting system, and a recording medium, and more particularly, to a method used for a car navigation system for automatically selecting an optimum route between a departure point and a destination point which are designated on a map, a system using the method, and a medium having a program for carrying out the method recorded thereon.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, navigation systems for guiding vehicles have rapidly started to spread as electronic techniques have been developed. The navigation systems include one comprising a route selecting system for automatically selecting an optimum route from a departure point to a destination point (for example, a shortest distance arrival route or a minimum time arrival route) in order to improve the driving convenience of a user. The conventional route selecting system will be simply described.
In the conventional route selecting system, an example of a method of finding an optimum route for guiding a vehicle is a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 59-105113 (1984-105113) entitled “Method of Automatically Guiding Vehicle” (hereinafter referred to as a first conventional method). The first conventional method is for finding an optimum route between a departure point and a destination point from data representing a network of roads by using a Dijkstra method, or the like, which is one of optimum route determining methods. The theory of the Dijkstra method is described in “Data Structure and Algorithm” (BAIFUKAN CO., LTD, issued in 1990, pp. 179 to pp. 183) written by A. V. Eiho et al. and translated by Ono, for example.
In contrast with the above-mentioned first conventional method, an example of a method of finding an optimum route to which travel experience of a user is added is a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No 8-20108(996-201088) entitled “On-vehicle Navigation Device having Route Searching Function” (hereinafter referred to as a second conventional method). In the second conventional method, an evaluation value of a road on which a user travels is changed depending on the frequency of travel and is stored. A road having a small evaluation value is selected in preference when a route is searched for the next time.
Another example of a method of finding an optimum route to which another opinion of a user is added is a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 11-64030 (1999-64030) entitled “Navigation Device” (hereinafter referred to as a third conventional method). In the third conventional method, a correction made by a user is reflected on an optimum route found by searching based on a departure point to a destination point is stored, and the route reflecting the correction is presented as a shortest route when the route from the same departure point to the same destination point is searched for again.
In a case where the evaluation value of the road on which the user travels is changed, as in the conventional second method, when a route different from the route at the time of changing the evaluation value (a route which differs in a departure point and/or a destination point) is searched for, a route forcedly using a road having an experience of travel (having a small evaluation value) may, in some cases, be selected.
In a case where the route reflecting the user correction is stored, as in the third conventional method, even for route searching that may utilize such user-corrected route, if a departure point and/or a destination point differs from that of the user-corrected route, a route which does not reflect the user-correction may be selected.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a route selecting method capable of selecting a route in which a road on which a user has traveled is suitably reflected, a system using the method, and a recording medium having a program for executing the method recorded thereon.
The present invention has the following features to solve the problem above.
A first aspect of the present invention is directed to a route selecting method for selecting an optimum route on a map in the travel of a vehicle. The route selecting method comprises searching for an optimum route between two points using map data required to select a route, collecting traveling tracks on which the vehicle travels, comparing the optimum route searched for and the traveling tracks collected, to store only different route parts on the traveling tracks as section traveling routes, when a user is guided, comparing the optimum route searched for and all the section traveling routes stored, to examine whether the section traveling route crossing the optimum route (hereinafter referred to as a crossing section traveling route) exists, replacing, with respect to the crossing section traveling route examined, a section on the optimum route which crosses the crossing section traveling route with a corresponding part of the crossing section traveling route, to generate a guiding route, and guiding the user using the guiding route generated.
As described above, in the first aspect, the section traveling route is stored only in the section in which the vehicle travels upon deviating from the optimum route is stored, and the user is guided, when the optimum route capable of using the section is searched for the next time, on a route obtained by replacing the route in the section with the stored section traveling route. Consequently, a route in which a road on which the user once traveled is suitably reflected is found depending on current circumstances, thereby making it possible to guide the user.
Preferably, the guiding step comprises displaying, when the guiding route is displayed, the optimum route together with the guiding route in such a manner that they can be distinguished.
Both the guiding route including the route on which the user once traveled and the optimum route in calculation are thus displayed, thereby making it possible for the user to refer to not only the guiding route, but also the optimum route.
Preferably, the storing step comprises deleting, with respect to the section traveling route already stored (hereinafter referred to as existing section traveling route), the existing section traveling route when the vehicle newly travels on a different route in the same section (from the same start point to the same end point) as and different from the existing section traveling route.
Accordingly, when the vehicle travels on a new route different from the existing section traveling route (the section traveling route on which the vehicle once traveled), data representing the existing section traveling route is deleted, thereby making it possible for the route on which the-vehicle once traveled, but has not recently traveled, not to be reflected in the guiding route.
Preferably, the storing step comprises accumulatively storing the number of times the vehicle travels on the section traveling route together with the section traveling route, and the generating step comprises using, for the replacement, only the crossing section traveling route on which the vehicle travels not less than a particular number of times.
The number of times the vehicle travels on the section traveling route and the section traveling route are thus recorded together, and the section traveling route is reflected in the guiding route only when the vehicle travels the section traveling route not less than a particular number of times, thereby making it possible to prevent the route or the like at which the vehicle accidentally uses from being reflected in the guiding route.
Preferably, the storing step comprises reducing, with respect to the existing section traveling route, the number of times the vehicle travels on the existing section traveling route when the vehicle newly travels on a different route in the same section as the existing section traveling route.
Accordingly, when
Beaulieu Yonel
Donnelly Arthur D.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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