Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
  • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
  • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
  • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
  • G01C21/3453—Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
  • G01C21/3484—Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles

Definitions

• the invention relates to a navigation system able to search for a preferred route taking into account the route selection tendency of a user.
• JP-A-2004-45054 describes an on-board navigation system that can learn in detail the preferences and driving habits of the user, and search for a route by calculating the cost according to the information learned.
• This navigation system is provided with means for obtaining and storing information indicating the road characteristics of a road section for which a first route obtained by a search for the shortest route to a destination and a second route actually traveled by the user are different.
• the navigation system performs a route search by calculating the cost to the destination based on that information.
• the information indicating the characteristics of the road section includes information regarding the number of left and right turns, the number of traffic lights, and the distance for which traffic is backed up in the road section, as well as the distance of the road section and the type of road in the road section.
• the learning results of the preferences and driving habits of the user are only stored in memory inside the navigation system and are not shown to the user so the user is unable to know or confirm those learning results (i.e., the information learned).
• the learning results are shown to the user, they may make the user uneasy.
• the foregoing navigation system does not enable the user to edit them. Therefore, with the foregoing navigation system, there is no way to change the learning results if the learning accuracy is poor. This may result in learning results that do not match the users' preferences and the like continuing to be reflected in route searches.
• This invention thus provides a navigation system provided with means for showing a user analysis results for a route selection tendency.
• a first aspect of the invention relates to a navigation system that includes route selection tendency analyzing means for analyzing a route selection tendency of a user from a characteristic of a driving route when the user selects the driving route, and analysis results presenting means for generating the route selection tendency analyzed by the route selection tendency analyzing means as analysis results to be presented to the user.
• the navigation system having this structure may also include displaying means for displaying the analysis results generated by the analysis results presenting means.
• the route selection tendency analyzed by the route selection tendency analyzing means may be edited by the user.
• the navigation system having the foregoing structure may also include a storage device in which is stored the route selection tendency analyzed by the route selection tendency analyzing means, a user interface that receives a change request from the user, and route selection tendency changing means for editing the analyzed route selection tendency in the storage device according to the change request from the user via the user interface.
• the navigation system having the foregoing structure may also include preferred route searching means for searching for a preferred route, reflecting the analyzed route selection tendency and/or the edited route selection tendency.
• the analyzed route selection tendency may be expressed by a combination of demanded preference levels that indicate the levels of preference the user has for various route selection references, and the preferred route searching means may search for a preferred route giving priority to a route selection reference for which the demanded preference level is relatively high compared with another route selection reference.
• the analyzed route selection tendency may be expressed by a combination of demanded preference levels that indicate the levels of preference the user has for various route selection references, and the preferred route searching means may search for a preferred route giving priority to the edited route selection reference when the demanded preference level for at least one of the various route selection references has been changed to a high level by the user through editing.
• the route selection tendency may be analyzed for each user.
• a second aspect of the invention relates to a navigation system control method.
• This control method includes the steps of analyzing a route selection tendency of a user when the user selects a route; searching for a preferred route, reflecting the analyzed route selection tendency; and presenting the preferred route and the analyzed route selection tendency to the user.
• the foregoing navigation system control method may also include the steps of editing the route selection tendency presented to the user, based on the wishes of the user; and searching for a preferred route, reflecting the edited route selection tendency.
• the route selection tendency may be set by a combination of demanded preference levels that indicate the levels of preference the user has for various route selection references
• the control method may also include the step of searching for a preferred route giving priority to a route selection reference, from among the various route selection references, for which the demanded preference level has been changed to a high level by the user through editing, when the route selection tendency presented to the user has been edited.
• This invention makes it possible to obtain a navigation system provided with means for showing a user analysis results for a route selection tendency.
• FIG 1 is a system block diagram of a navigation system according to one example embodiment of the invention
• FIG 2 is a chart showing one example of preference level information stored in a map database
• FIG 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a route selection tendency analysis routine executed in a route selection tendency analyzing portion of a navigation ECU;
• FIG 4 is a view of an example of a route selection tendency display generated by a route selection tendency display generating portion;
• FIG 5 is a view of an example of the route selection tendency display shown in FIG 4 after being edited
• FIG 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a preferred route search routine that reflects the route selection tendency of a user, which is executed by a preferred route searching portion;
• FIG 7 is a view of an example in which the preferred route and the preference levels for that preferred route are shown together with the route selection tendency display;
• FIG 8 is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of the process in step S204 in FIG 6;
• FIGS. 9A and 9B are views showing an editing example of the route selection tendency, with FIG 9A showing an example of the route selection tendency before editing and FIG 9B showing an example of the route selection tendency after editing;
• FIG 10 is a view showing a frame format of preferred route A according to the route selection tendency shown in FIG 9A in which editing is not performed, and a preferred route B according to the route selection tendency in FIG 9B in which editing is performed;
• FIG 11 is a flowchart illustrating another specific example of the process in step
• FIG 12 is a view showing an example of multiple route selection references of the route selection tendency.
• FIG 1 is a system block view of a navigation system 1 according to one example embodiment of the invention.
• the navigation system 1 of this example embodiment is structured around an electronic control unit 20 (hereinafter referred to as
• the navigation ECU 20 is formed by a microcomputer and includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, I/O (i.e., input/output ports) and the like.
• This navigation ECU 20 is connected to a map database 22, a display unit 24, a user interface 26, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 28, and a selection tendency database 30, and the like.
• a GPS Global Positioning System
• the map database 22 is formed of a hard disk drive (HDD), for example, in which map data is stored.
• This map data includes various information such as coordinate information for nodes corresponding to intersections and junction points and branching points of expressways, information about links that connect adjacent nodes, information about the width of the road corresponding to each link, information about the type of road, e.g., national highway, prefectural highway, expressway, and the like, corresponding to each link, travel restriction information for each link, and travel restriction information between links, and the like.
• HDD hard disk drive
• the map database 22 retains information indicating the characteristics of each link (hereinafter this information will be referred to as "preference level information").
• the preference level information of each link includes information indicating preference levels for scenery, road width, and road condition, as shown in FIG 2.
• This preference level information may be stored in the map database 22 when map data is stored, by determining the preference levels for each link beforehand.
• each preference level is set to a value between 1 and 5, with 5 being the highest (i.e., most preferable).
• the method by which the preference levels are set is arbitrary.
• the preference level for scenery for that link may be set high.
• the preference level for road width may in principle be set higher the wider the road is.
• the preference level for road condition may be set higher the better the road condition is, based on factors such as the condition of the pavement, whether the road has bumps or potholes or has been patched up in places, whether rainwater pools up in places, and the like.
• the preference level information may be fixed information, or it may be variable information that is periodically provided and updated by wireless communication from an external facility (such as a center), for example.
• an external facility such as a center
• scenery which changes with the seasons, such as autumn leaves and cherry blossoms, as well as the road condition which changes with changes in the condition of the pavement from road work may be reflected in the preference level information.
• the preference level for scenery may also be set for each season taking into account scenery that changes with the seasons, such as autumn leaves and cherry blossoms.
• the display unit 24 may be a liquid crystal display, for example, arranged in the instrument panel.
• the display on the display unit 24 is controlled by the navigation ECU 20.
• a route selection tendency display generated by a route selection tendency display generating portion 2OB, which will be described later, of the navigation ECU 20 is output and displayed on the display unit 24.
• a map rendered based on map data in the map database 22 is displayed on the display unit 24 under the control of the navigation ECU 20.
• an operation menu image, an image captured by an on-board camera, or a TV picture or the like may also be displayed on the display unit 24.
• the display unit 24 in this example embodiment may function as displaying means.
• the user interface 26 includes inputting means such as a remote control or a touch switch (e.g., an icon) on the display unit 24.
• the user typically the driver
• the user is able to edit the route selection tendency, which will be described later, by inputting various instructions via the user interface 26.
• the GPS receiver 28 receives a signal from a satellite via a GPS antenna (not shown), determines the position and speed of the vehicle, and supplies the results (hereinafter referred to as "position results") to the navigation ECU 20 as vehicle position information.
• the positioning method may be any method such as independent positioning or relative positioning (including interference positioning).
• the position results may be corrected based on output from various sensors, not shown, such as a vehicle speed sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like, as well as various information received via a beacon receiver or an FM multiplex receiver, also not shown. Further, the position results may also be appropriately corrected at unscheduled times using map data in the map database 22, which will be described later, by known map matching technology.
• the selection tendency database 30 stores and retains the route selection tendency analyzed by a route selection tendency analyzing portion 20A, which will be described later, of the navigation ECU 20. This will be described in detail later. Incidentally, the selection tendency database 30 in this example embodiment functions as a storing device.
• the navigation ECU 20 has, as its main functional portions, the route selection tendency analyzing portion 2OA, the route selection tendency display generating portion 2OB, a route selection tendency changing portion 2OC, and a preferred route searching portion 2OD, as shown in FIG 1.
• the functions of these portions 2OA to 20D are realized based mainly on, for example, data and programs stored in the ROM of the navigation ECU 20. The functions of these portions 2OA to 20D will now be described in order.
• the route selection tendency analyzing portion 2OA analyzes the selection tendency when the user selects a route (hereinafter this tendency will be referred to as "route selection tendency"), based on the characteristics of past driving routes used by the user.
• the route selection tendency is expressed by the combination of demanded preference levels that indicate the levels of preference the user has for various route selection references. These demanded preference levels may also be considered indices that indicate the degree of importance (i.e., priority level) that the user places on the various route selection references when the user selects a route.
• the demanded preference level for each kind of route selection reference is assigned a numerical value between 1 and 5, corresponding to the preference level which is between 1 and 5 as described above.
• a higher demanded preference level for a route selection reference means that the user places greater priority on the preference level of that route selection reference.
• FIQ 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a route selection tendency analysis routine executed in the route selection tendency analyzing portion 2OA of the navigation ECU 20.
• the route selection tendency analysis routine shown in FIG 3 may be executed when route guidance by the navigation system 1 to a destination ends, for example.
• step SlOO it is determined whether the vehicle has deviated from the guided route set by the navigation system 1 during the course of route guidance to the destination. That is, it is determined whether the user has taken another route instead of following the guided route. If it is determined in step SlOO that the vehicle has deviated from the guided route, the process proceeds on to step S 102. Otherwise, this cycle of the routine directly ends without executing route selection tendency analysis.
• step S 102 the route selection tendency of the user is analyzed based on the characteristics of the route after the deviation (hereinafter this route will be referred to as the "deviation route").
• this route will be referred to as the "deviation route”.
• the reason for analyzing the route selection tendency based on the characteristics of the deviation route in this step is because it is highly likely that the deviation route has characteristics that the guided route does not, which are important to the user. Therefore, the route selection tendency is accurately analyzed.
• the route selection tendency analyzing portion 2OA reads the preference level information for each link of the deviation route from the map database 22 and evaluates the demanded preference levels for the various route selection references based on the read preference level information. The evaluation of the demanded preference levels for the route selection references is performed for each route selection reference.
• the route selection tendency analyzing portion 2OA may make an analysis that there is a route selection tendency which gives priority to driving time (i.e., that the demanded preference level for driving time is high). Or, more precisely, the route selection tendency analyzing portion 2OA evaluates the fraction by which the time is shorter (i.e., (Ldepan / V de part) + (Luminal / Vnominai)). If that fraction is substantially 1, the demanded preference level for driving time may be set to 3, which is the middle level. If that fraction is less than 1/2, the demanded preference level for driving time may be set to 5, which is the highest level.
• the demanded preference level for driving time may be set to 4, which is a high level. Conversely, if that fraction is greater than 2, the demanded preference level for driving time may be set to 1, which is the lowest level. If that fraction is in between those two (i.e., greater than 1 but equal to or less than 1/2), the demanded preference level for driving time may be set to 2, which is a low level.
• Vd e par t may be the average value of the actually measured values of the vehicle speed when driving along the deviation route.
• V nom i n ai rnay be the average value of the vehicle speed when driving along the normal route, or a value that is based on traffic information or statistics.
• the route selection tendency analyzing portion 2OA may analyze the demanded preference levels for scenery, road width, and road condition in the route selection tendency by comparatively evaluating those preference levels of the deviation route against those preference levels of the normal route, similar to the demanded preference level for driving time. That is, the route selection tendency analyzing portion 2OA may analyze the route selection tendency by calculating the preference level for each route selection reference of the normal route, and comparing the preference levels of the deviation route to the preference levels of the normal route.
• the route selection tendency analyzing portion 20A may make an analysis that the demanded preference level for scenery is high if the preference level Pdepan for scenery of the deviation route is higher than the preference level Pno m inai for scenery of the normal route, even if the preference level P depa n for scenery of the deviation route is not that high, for example.
• the route selection tendency analyzing portion 2OA may make an analysis that the demanded preference level for scenery is low if the preference level Pdepait for scenery of the deviation route is lower than the preference level P n o m i n ai for scenery of the normal route, even if the preference level P de p a i t for scenery of the deviation route is fairly high, for example.
• step S 104 the current user (typically the driver) is identified, taking into account that there may be more than one user per vehicle.
• the user may be identified (specified) based on image recognition by an on-board camera, or weight detection results from a seat sensor or the like, or based on user recognition results of an immobilizer or the like.
• step S 106 the analysis results of the route selection tendency obtained in step S 102 are stored in the selection tendency database 30 for the user identified in step S 104.
• the route selection tendency of the user is analyzed (i.e., learned) based on the characteristics (preference level information) of the deviation route.
• the route selection tendency can be analyzed as long as the vehicle deviates from the guided route at least once.
• the route selection analysis tendency is analyzed each time the vehicle deviates from the guided route.
• the finalized route selection tendency may be derived by averaging the route selection tendencies (i.e., the demanded preference levels for the route selection references) obtained from a plurality of deviations.
• the route selection tendency analyzing portion 2OA in this example embodiment may function as route selection analyzing means.
• the route selection tendency display generating portion 2OB generates a route selection tendency display indicating the route selection tendency of the user, based on route selection tendency data in the selection tendency database 30, and outputs that route selection tendency display to the display unit 24 to show the user the route selection
• the route selection tendency display generating portion 2OB outputs a route selection tendency display showing the route selection tendency of this user to the display unit 24.
• the route selection tendency display may be output in response to a request made by the user via the user interface 26, for example, or when the destination for route guidance is input by the user via the user interface 26, for example. This enables the user to confirm or know the analyzed route selection tendency (i.e., the analysis results).
• FIG 4 is a view of an example of a route selection tendency display generated by the route selection tendency display generating portion 2OB.
• the analyzed route selection tendency shows that the demanded preference levels for driving time, scenery, and road width are 2, 1.8, and 1, respectively, which are relatively low, while the demanded preference level for road condition is 4, which is relatively high. Accordingly, in this case, the user is able to see that the navigation system 1 is making an analysis in which a route is selected giving priority to road condition without much concern for driving time, scenery, or road width.
• the mode of the route selection tendency display is not limited to a vertically scaled display as shown in FIG 4. That is, the mode of display is arbitrary, and for example, may also be a graph display of another mode such as a cobweb chart, or simply a numerical display.
• the route selection tendency display may also include a text display such as "ANALYSIS RESULTS", as shown in FIG 4, so that the user can recognize that the display is showing the analysis results.
• the route selection tendency display generating portion 20B in this example embodiment may function as analysis results presenting means.
• the route selection tendency changing portion 2OC changes or corrects the route selection tendency data in the selection tendency database 30 according to a change request by the user via the user interface 26, for example, in order to allow the user to edit the route selection tendency analyzed by the route selection tendency analyzing portion 2OA.
• the route selection tendency data in the selection tendency database 30 may be able to be edited with a slider bar on the route selection tendency display shown in FIG 4.
• the route selection tendency data in the selection tendency database 30 may be changed by the user changing the position indicating the demanded preference level (i.e., the position of a bullet or black circle) on the route selection tendency display.
• the user looks at the route selection tendency display shown in FIG 4 and decides to instead select a route giving a higher priority to driving time, scenery, and road width without much concern for road condition, he or she can set the route selection tendency to reflect that by changing the position indicative of the demanded preference levels (i.e., the position of the bullets) on the route selection tendency display up or down accordingly, as shown in FIG 5.
• the user is able to edit the route selection tendency data in the selection tendency database 30.
• the route selection tendency data in the selection tendency database 30 may be stored together with edit history data showing what has been edited and how it has been edited.
• the route selection tendency changing portion 20C in this example embodiment may function as route selection tendency changing means.
• the preferred route searching portion 2OD searches for a preferred route that reflects the route selection tendency of the user, based on the route selection tendency database in the selection tendency database 30.
• FIG 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a preferred route search routine that reflects the route selection tendency of a user, which is executed by a preferred route searching portion 2OD.
• the routine in FIG 6 is executed in connection with the setting of a destination when a destination for route guidance is input by the user via the user interface 26, for example.
• step S200 the preferred route searching portion 2OD specifies the current user (typically the driver) of the vehicle.
• step S202 the preferred route searching portion 2OD selects the route selection tendency for the user identified in step S200 from the selection tendency database 30.
• step S204 the preferred route searching portion 2OD searches for a preferred route from the current vehicle position to the destination, reflecting the route selection tendency selected in step S202. For example, if the route selection tendency selected in step S202 shows high demanded preference levels for driving time, scenery, and road width and a low demanded preference level for road condition, as shown in FIG.
• the preferred route searching portion 2OD searches for a preferred route giving a higher priority to the preference levels of the time, scenery, and road width than to the preference level of the road condition. As a result, it is possible to search for an appropriate preferred route that reflects the route selection tendency of the user.
• the preferred route found from this kind of search may be displayed on the display unit 24. If the user approves the preferred route that is displayed by pushing an OK button or the like on the user interface 26, for example, the preferred route is set as the guided route, and the route guidance thereafter is executed based on that guided route.
• the preferred route preference levels that are calculated for that preferred route may also be displayed together with the preferred route. This enables the user to know beforehand the preference levels of the preferred route that are being presented, and thus helps the user determine whether to approve the preferred route. Also, when the user specifies a portion of the preferred route when it is being displayed, the preference levels for the specified portion may be calculated and displayed.
• a display showing the route selection tendency of the user used in the search for the preferred route may also be displayed together with the preference levels of the preferred route that are calculated for the preferred route, as shown in FIG 7, for example.
• a route selection tendency display may also be displayed together with the preference levels of the preferred route that are calculated for the preferred route, as shown in FIG 7, for example.
• the preference levels of the preferred route that are calculated for that preferred route may be displayed and the portions where the preference level for scenery is high along the preferred route may be highlighted.
• scenic information such as a mark indicating locations with good view of Mt. Fuji, for example
• the preferred route searching portion 2OD in this example embodiment functions as preferred route searching means.
• FIG 8 is a flowchart illustrating a specific example of the process in step S204 in FIG 6 (i.e., a preferred route search routine that reflects the route selection tendency).
• step S300 the preferred route searching portion 2OD determines whether there is a route selection reference whose demanded preference level has been changed to a high level through editing. That is, the preferred route searching portion 2OD determines, based on the route selection tendency data (and the editing history data thereof) in the selection tendency database 30, whether at least one demanded preference level for the route selection references, i.e., driving time, scenery, road width, and road condition, of the route selection tendency has been edited by the user. If the determination in step S300 is YES, the process proceeds on to step S304. If the determination in step S300 is NO, the process proceeds on to step S302.
• the preferred route searching portion 20D searches for a preferred route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination giving priority to the route selection reference(s) having a high demanded preference level(s). For example, in a case with a route selection tendency such as that shown in FIG 9A, the preferred route searching portion 20D searches for a preferred route while giving priority to driving time, which is the selection reference with a high demanded preference level. That is, the preferred route searching portion 2OD searches for the shortest preferred route (such as route A in FIG 10, for example). Incidentally, at this time, the preferred route searching portion 2OD may also search for the preferred route that will take the least amount of time (i.e., the route with the lowest cost) taking into account traffic information and the number of traffic lights along the route.
• the preferred route searching portion 2OD may also search for the preferred route that will take the least amount of time (i.e., the route with the lowest cost) taking into account traffic information and the number of traffic lights along the route.
• step S304 the preferred route searching portion 2OD searches for a preferred route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination giving priority to the route selection reference(s) whose demanded preference level(s) has (have) been changed to a high level(s) through editing.
• the preferred route searching portion 2OD searches for a preferred route giving priority to scenery, road width, and road condition, which are all route selection references whose demanded preference levels have been changed to high levels through editing.
• the preferred route searching portion 2OD will search for a preferred route with nice scenery and roads that are wide and in good condition (such as route B in FIG 10, for example). Also, in this case, the demanded preference levels for scenery and road condition are higher than the demanded preference level for road width, so the preferred route searching portion 20D will search for a preferred route giving priority to the preference levels for scenery and road condition over the preference level for road width.
• FIG 11 is a flowchart illustrating another specific example of the process in step S204 in FIG 6 (i.e., a preferred route search routine that reflects the route selection tendency).
• step S400 the preferred route searching portion 2OD searches for a plurality of possible preferred routes from the current position of the vehicle to the destination (hereinafter these routes will simply be referred to as "possible preferred routes"). At this time, the preferred route searching portion 2OD searches for the shortest possible preferred route together with other preferred routes that are no more than a predetermined amount longer than the shortest possible preferred route.
• the preferred route searching portion 2OD reads preference level information related to each link of the plurality of possible preferred routes obtained in step S400 from the map database 22, and calculates each preference level for the plurality of possible preferred routes.
• 20D may also calculate the preference levels for scenery, road width, and road condition for each possible preferred route by adding up those preference levels for each link of each possible preferred route and then averaging them for each possible preferred route.
• the preferred route searching portion 20D may also calculate the preference level for driving time for each possible preferred route by calculating the total length of the links
• the preferred route searching portion 20D may evaluate the ratios of the total link lengths of the other possible preferred routes to the total link length of the shortest possible preferred route. If the ratio for a possible preferred route is within a range of 1 to 1.2, the preferred route searching portion 20D may assign a preference level of 4, which is a high level, to the driving time for that possible preferred route. If the ratio for a possible preferred route is within a range of
• the preferred route searching portion 20D may assign a preference level of 3, which is a middle level, to the driving time for that possible preferred route. If the ratio for a possible preferred route is within a range of 1.4 to 1.6, the preferred route searching portion 2OD may assign a preference level of 2, which is a low level, to the driving time for that possible preferred route. If the ratio for a possible preferred route is within a range of 1.6 to 2.0 (2.0 being the maximum value, for example), the preferred route searching portion 20D may assign a preference level of 1, which is the lowest level, to the driving time for that possible preferred route.
• step S404 the preferred route searching portion 20D compares the preference levels for each possible preferred route calculated in step S402 with the demanded preference levels of the route selection tendency of the user in the selection tendency database 30, and evaluates the degree to which the preference levels for each possible preferred route match the demanded preference levels of the user (hereinafter is degree will be referred to as the "degree of match ⁇ ").
• k is a constant that corresponds to the number of route selection references, so in this example k is 4.
• ⁇ 0.75.
• ⁇ 1 - 1/k • m ⁇ ⁇ wj • I Pl (i) - p o (i)
• w is a weighting coefficient for each route selection reference.
• Route selection references with higher demanded preference levels may be more heavily weighted. For example, with a route selection reference having a high demanded preference level (such as a route selection reference having a demanded preference level of 3.5 or higher), Wj may be set to 1, and with a route selection reference having a low demanded preference level (e.g., a route selection reference having a demanded preference level of less than 3.5), Wj may be set to 0 (i.e., a route selection reference having a low demanded preference level may be ignored).
• the preference levels for driving time, scenery, road width, and road condition for a given possible preferred route are 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively
• the demanded preference levels for the route selection references (i.e., driving time, scenery, road width, and road condition) of the route selection tendency are 2, 1, 4, and 5, respectively
• a route selection reference in which the demanded preference level has been changed to a high level (such as level 4 or higher) by editing may be weighted more heavily.
• Wj may be set to 1.
• route selection references having high demanded preference levels such as a route selection reference having a demanded preference level of 3.5 or higher
• W J may be set to 0.
• the reason for setting Wj to 0 for the route selection reference having a low demanded preference level is because the preference level of that route selection reference is not an important factor for the user when selecting the route so it is preferable to completely exclude the demanded preference level for that route selection reference.
• the influence of the road condition on the degree of match ⁇ is preferably kept to a minimum.
• step S406 the degrees of match ⁇ of the possible preferred routes derived in step S404 are compared and the possible preferred route having the highest degree of match ⁇ is used as the preferred route. Accordingly, the preferred route that is used is displayed on the display unit 24 and if the user pushes an OK button or the like to approve this preferred route that is displayed, the preferred route is set as the guided route and route guidance thereafter is executed based on this guided route. Alternatively, all of the possible preferred routes, or a plurality of possible preferred routes having at least a predetermined degree of match, may be displayed in order from the highest to the lowest degree of match ⁇ . At this time, the preference levels of each possible preferred route may also be displayed.
• the route selection tendency may be corrected taking into account the differences between the preference levels of the possible preferred route with the highest degree of match ⁇ and the preference levels of the selected possible preferred route.
• the navigation system 1 of the example embodiment described above yields the following beneficial effects in particular.
• the route selection tendency of the user is analyzed from the characteristics of that deviation route and the analysis results are shown to the user.
• the user is able to confirm and see for him or herself how the navigation system 1 analyzed his or her route selection tendency. This eliminates any uncertainty that the user may have that stems from not knowing how the navigation system 1 analyzed the route selection tendency.
• the user when the displayed analysis results of the route selection tendency are inappropriate, the user an edit them as necessary. This make it possible to prevent a situation in which a preferred route search is performed based on inappropriate route selection tendency analysis results. Also, the user can edit the route selection tendency according to the situation or how he or she feels at that time before driving, which increases the degree of freedom and flexibility of a preferred route search.
• the route selection tendency analysis and the like is performed for each user so a search for a preferred route that matches the route selection tendency of each user is made possible.
• the user does not necessarily have to be a single user. That is, the route selection tendency analysis and the like may also be performed for a user group that consists of a plurality of users.
• the route to a destination may be determined by the driver alone, or it may be determined by a group decision with other occupants, for example.
• a search can be performed for a preferred route that more closely matches the wishes of the user by searching for a preferred route giving priority to the route selection reference(s) related to that editing. This is because often times a route selection reference edited to have a high demanded preference level is a route selection preference that the user is particularly interested in.
• the route selection tendency analysis and the like may be performed for each time of day (i.e., morning, day, night) or each season (i.e., each of the four seasons). This is because the route selection tendency of the user may change depending on the time of day or the season.
• the preferred route may be searched for based on a route selection tendency analyzed by time of day or season, corresponding to the time of day or the season when the preferred route search is being performed.
• the route selection tendency analysis and the like may also be performed separately for drives on the weekends than it is for commuting during the week.
• the original route selection tendency is overwritten with the edited route selection tendency.
• example selection references i.e., driving time, scenery, road width, and road condition
• route selection references such as whether there are hills, whether there is traffic, whether there are toll roads, whether there are right/left turning points, and the like may also be used, as shown in FIG 12.
• the demanded preference level for each route selection reference may be analyzed in a manner such that i) the demanded preference level for hills decreases as the number of hills along a deviation route increases, ii) the demanded preference level for traffic decreases as the congested section (or hold up time) along a deviation route becomes longer, iii) the demanded preference level for toll roads decreases as the number of toll roads along a deviation route increases (i.e., as the charges increase), and iv) the demanded preference level for left/right turn points decreases as the number of left/right turn points increases along a deviation route.
• the demanded preference level for each route selection reference may be evaluated by comparing (by comparative assessment) the length and the average gradient of the hill section of the deviation route to the length and the average gradient of a corresponding section of the normal route.
• This also applies to route selection references other than hills.
• preference level information corresponding to each of the route selection references may be stored in the map database 22 in order to enable analysis of the demanded preference levels for these route selection references relating to an arbitrary route.
• the preference level information for traffic may be generated based on statistics for the amount of traffic in each link, or it may be determined based on traffic information obtained in real time because it is based on traffic congestion which is a dynamic state.
• the foregoing example embodiment assumes that a plurality of users use a single vehicle and the user is identified taking into account the fact that the route selection tendency differs for each user. However, the identification of the user may also be omitted assuming that the user does not change.
• the route selection tendency is analyzing when the vehicle deviates from the guided route.
• the route selection tendency may also be analyzed based on the manner in which the guided route is set. For example, with a structure that displays a plurality of possible preferred routes and the user then selects one of those possible preferred routes to use as the guided route, the route selection tendency may also be analyzed according to the manner in which the user selects the guided route.

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• 2007
  • 2007-05-11 JP JP2007127153A patent/JP2008281488A/ja active Pending
• 2008
  • 2008-05-09 WO PCT/IB2008/001162 patent/WO2009053792A2/en active Application Filing

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