Abstract: Provided is a route through which a user can smoothly travel and on which an evaluation of traveling environment is reflected. A route search system includes a user input receiving unit which uses a delay time from an expected travel time as an index indicating comfort of a route and selects a factor such as traffic conditions and pedestrians set as a condition that a user desires avoidance, a delay time calculation unit which calculates a delay time from an expected arrival prediction time according to map information, traffic information, and traveling environment information so as to reduce a delay as far as possible due to the selected factor, and calculates a cost based on the delay time, and a route search unit which calculates a cost of a link used for a route search from the delay time, and searches a route by using the calculated cost.

Abstract: A road link string conversion method for converting first road link string data included in first map data into second road link string data included in second map data: deciding whether or not first coordinates-of-position strings corresponding to the first road link string data correspond to the second road link string data; constructing a second coordinates-of-position string by combining together the first coordinates-of-position strings decided as not corresponding to the second road link string data; establishing correspondence between the second coordinates-of-position string and the second road link string data; and converting the first road link string data including the first coordinates-of-position strings decided as not corresponding to the second road link string data, to the second road link string data to which the second coordinates-of-position string corresponds.

Abstract: A route information supply system comprises a reception module which receives information on a current position and a destination from a terminal device by communication, a map data storage module storing at least detailed map data and summary map data, a traffic information storage module which stores traffic information, a route search module which searches for a guidance route based on the current position and the destination, a map information generation module which generates map information on an area containing the searched route by use of the map data storage module, and an output module which outputs the generated map information to the terminal device. When an event satisfying a prescribed condition regarding the traffic information exists in the area, the map information generation module generates map information on an area in the vicinity of a point where the event has occurred by use of the detailed map data.

Abstract: A traffic state predicting apparatus, which predicts congestion states of parts of a link based on limited information (the travel time for the link), comprises storage means that stores link data including a link length of each link forming part of a road on a map and parameters including, for each link, a smooth traffic speed indicting being smooth, a congested traffic speed indicating being congested, and a congestion reference position which is a reference position for a congested section; means that acquires a predicted travel time for the link; and congestion degree classified section calculating means that obtains sections classified according to their level of congestion in the link with use of the predicted travel time and the parameters.

Abstract: A route search device includes: map data; a derived route acquisition section that acquires a first derived route from an origin point to a destination; a route correction region acquisition section that acquires a route correction region; a place to be passed through setting section that sets a place to be passed through in the route correction region; a start point and end point setting section that sets a start point and an end point in the route correction region; a corrected route acquisition section that acquires a corrected route; and a route correction section that corrects the first derived route to a second derived route from the origin point to the destination, constituted by a route from the origin point to the start point, the corrected route, and a route from the end point to the destination.

Abstract: A route planning device includes: a search unit that searches for a plurality of facilities located near the minimum-cost route from a current position to the destination, where the battery can be charged; a guided route calculation unit that sets a waypoint on the minimum-cost route via which the moving object can be guided to each facility, and calculates a guided route from the waypoint to the each facility and a first power requirement indicating an amount of power required to travel through the guided route; and a facility designating unit that designates a target facility to which the moving object is to be guided, based upon third power requirements each calculated by adding a second power requirement, indicating an amount of power required to allow the moving object to travel from the current position to the waypoint, to the first power requirement and remaining power in the battery.

Abstract: A position coordinate based route transmitted from a server is reconstructed as a route of link numbers or node numbers in map data of navigation apparatus without error. A route guidance server searches a route from a start point to end point designated by a navigation apparatus; selects all or a part of nodes included in the searched route as route nodes; sets complementary points to the respective selected route nodes on the route and at a distance longer than a predetermined distance from the respective route nodes; and transmits information including coordinate information on the route nodes and complementary points as route information to the navigation apparatus. Then, based on the coordinate information on the route nodes and complementary points transmitted from the server, the navigation apparatus identifies the route nodes and road links connecting the route nodes by identification numbers in map data the navigation apparatus it self has.

Abstract: A server device 1 included in the route-search system 7 comprises a guided-navigation-route-search section 130 for searching a route starting from a departure point and reaching a destination; and a preparatory-route-search section 140 for searching a preparatory route in view of a possible deviation of the vehicle from a navigation route. The server device 1 transmits information on the navigation route and the preparatory route to the navigation device 2. When detecting the deviation of the vehicle, the navigation device 2 selects one of preparatory routes having nodes closest to the current position of the vehicle. The navigation device 2 searches a supplementary route connecting the current position of the vehicle to the nodes, and combines the preparatory route with the supplementary route to create a new route for continuing navigating the vehicle to the destination.

Abstract: A traffic information processing apparatus for alleviating the problem of discrepancy between a plurality of traffic information which may be acquired from different sources is disclosed. In the case where a plurality of traffic information are acquired, the information are corrected into reference traffic information selected from the plurality of the traffic information. For example, the traffic information processing apparatus acquires first traffic information (VICS information) used for the navigation process and second traffic information (probe traffic information) having a different source from the first traffic information. From the first and second traffic information, the traffic information for a common object is extracted, and based on the difference between them, the correcting information used for correcting the second traffic information is generated.

Abstract: In a center apparatus, a feature space projection processing unit performs a feature space projection process for probe data corresponding to a road section which are stored in a current probe data storage unit to extract the feature data, and a change point detecting unit; an event section partitioning unit and an event assigning unit determine a road section corresponding to the feature data, and assign the event information to the determined road section; and an event information distributing unit distributes the event information assigned to the road section. In a vehicle-installed terminal apparatus, a probe data partitioning unit and an orthogonal component decomposition unit performs processes of partitioning and orthogonal component decomposition of the probe data using a feature score vector obtained from the center apparatus, to thereby reduce the probe data to be uplinked.

Abstract: An automobile navigation apparatus, that has a rewritable recording medium and capability to updates the map data base by obtaining latest map data, records the map data in the recording means and comprises updating data acquisition means that acquires updated data of a map to which updating procedure is added, an information interpreting means that interprets the updating procedure information, and a map data updating means that searches over said map data base and updates said map data base on the basis of the results of such interpretation and manages the map data by using attributions that indicates additional information of the map elements which are composed into a table as the records thereof so that the row record of the table is classified by the attribution which indicates the additional information of the map element.

Abstract: An automobile navigation apparatus, that has a rewritable recording medium and capability to updates the map data base by obtaining latest map data, records the map data in the recording means and comprises updating data acquisition means that acquires updated data of a map to which updating procedure is added, an information interpreting means that interprets the updating procedure information, and a map data updating means that searches over said map data base and updates said map data base on the basis of the results of such interpretation and manages the map data by using attributions that indicates additional information of the map elements which are composed into a table as the records thereof so that the row record of the table is classified by the attribution which indicates the additional information of the map element.

Abstract: A probe center server (10) previously performs filtering to determine whether or not a projection norm of a link in a feature space can be interpolated, and notifies a probe terminal (20) to preferentially collect and upload detected probe data for the link whose missing data can not be interpolated.

Abstract: A traffic situation is predicted based on the correlation in the traffic situation between road sections. A base vector generation unit generates the base vectors constituting a feature space representing the correlation between a plurality of links by making a principal component analysis for the necessary time in the past recorded in a necessary time database. A projection point trajectory generation unit records a projection point trajectory of projecting the necessary time in the past recorded in the necessary time database to the feature space in a projection point database.

Abstract: A traffic situation is predicted based on the correlation in the traffic situation between road sections. A base vector generation unit generates the base vectors constituting a feature space representing the correlation between a plurality of links by making a principal component analysis for the necessary time in the past recorded in a necessary time database. A projection point trajectory generation unit records a projection point trajectory of projecting the necessary time in the past recorded in the necessary time database to the feature space in a projection point database.

Abstract: In an on-vehicle terminal system operating a plurality of operating systems, control of peripheral devices connected to the on-vehicle terminal system can be continued even if one of the operating systems is stopped. A second operating system monitors an operating status of a first operating system using an OS status monitoring function. When the first operating system stops, a list recording allocation of the peripheral devices is updated to switch the allocation to the second operating system. By doing so, an interrupt signal from a peripheral device is allocated to the second operating system, and accordingly the second operating system can control the peripheral device.

Abstract: A route searching method is provided which allows drivers having mutually similar traveling purposes and preferences to find highly convenient routes by sharing their route searching know-how. A center apparatus (1) collects probe data received from an in-vehicle terminal apparatus (5). A preference parameter creating unit (14) calculates, based on the probe data, road usage frequencies according to preference items such as vehicle type, driver age and gender, and travel purpose which can be factors for route selection and stores the calculated road usage frequencies as preference parameters in a preference parameter database (15). A route searching unit (513) included in the in-vehicle terminal apparatus (5) requests the center apparatus (1) to transmit a preference parameter similar to user attribute information (519), adjusts link costs according to the preference parameter received from the center apparatus, and determines a minimum-cost route to a destination.

Abstract: When receiving a traffic information providing request, a traffic information providing apparatus analyzes which area's traffic information is requested based on the received request information. Traffic information of road links located in the requested area is read from the traffic information, and it is determined whether the road links' traffic information is similar or not. Similar links configure a link group, and traffic information corresponding to the link group is created. Traffic information of the configured link group is delivered to an in-vehicle information apparatus.

Abstract: In the present invention a traffic information providing apparatus makes a vehicle location and a running date a starting point, and predicts arrival time to each link included in a designated area, based on current traffic information provided by a traffic information center; meteorological forecast information provided by a meteorological information center; and statistical traffic information acquired from a traffic information data base where past traffic information is stored, thereby produces meteorological consideration traffic prediction information of the link, and sends the produced meteorological consideration traffic prediction information to a car navigation device. Then the car navigation device is configured to receive the produced meteorological consideration traffic prediction information and to search a guidance route, based on the produced meteorological consideration traffic prediction information.

Abstract: The present invention provides, in a car navigation system, a unit of notifying a user of the update contents of map data prior to the downloading of the map data. A vehicle-mounted terminal sets a difference update area in accordance with a selection made by a user and sends a difference update request to a map updating server. If an update mode in this case is “update after outline display”, the vehicle-mounted terminal downloads an outline update map from the map updating server. The outline update map is displayed on a display unit of a display. Here, when a download start button displayed on the display unit is depressed, the vehicle-mounted terminal downloads a detailed update map from the map updating server. The detailed update map is then displayed on the display unit of the display. Furthermore, an updating process is performed on the map data stored in a terminal DB.