Abstract: There is provided a driving assistance device in which when driving assistance for a vehicle is provided, a travel path of the vehicle that takes into account traffic congestion conditions for each lane can be generated and driving assistance based on the travel path can be appropriately provided. Specifically, a planned travel route on which the vehicle travels is obtained, traffic congestion conditions for each lane on the planned travel route are obtained, a travel path recommended for the vehicle to travel along on a road included in the planned travel route is generated using map information including at least information about markings and the traffic congestion conditions for each lane, and driving assistance for the vehicle is provided based on the generated travel path.

Abstract: There are provided a route search device and a computer program that can search for a recommended route for a user to move to a destination from a parking location after the user parks a vehicle in a parking lot. Specifically, a parking lot network is obtained which is a network representing a route that can be selected in a parking lot by the user with moving means used after getting out of the vehicle; an in-building network is obtained which is a network representing a route that can be selected in a building by the user with the moving means used after getting out of the vehicle; and a recommended route from a parking location where the vehicle is parked in the parking lot to a destination present in the building is searched using a network obtained by connecting the parking lot network to the in-building network.

Abstract: Provided is a driving assistance device/program enabling selection of an appropriate parking space for parking a vehicle. A lane network which is a network representing movement into lanes that can be selected by a vehicle, a parking network which is a network representing a course that can be selected by the vehicle in a parking lot, an after-getting-out-of-vehicle network which is a network representing a course that can be selected by a user with moving means used after getting out of the vehicle are obtained, a moving cost required for movement to a destination, including movement by the vehicle to a parking space in the parking lot and movement from the parking space to the destination by the moving means used after getting out of the vehicle, is calculated using the networks, and a parking space in which the vehicle is parked is selected using the calculated moving cost.

Abstract: There is provided a technique for acquiring information on an obstacle regardless of whether an operation of avoiding the obstacle has been performed. An obstacle information acquisition system includes an image obtaining part that obtains a shot image of a road on which a vehicle is traveling; an image recognizing part that detects an obstacle on a road and a lane from the image; and an obstacle information acquiring part that acquires obstacle information in which a location of the obstacle is associated with the image, based on a passable width of a lane where the obstacle is located in the image.

Abstract: There are provided a driving assistance device and a computer program that can identify a recommended travel path to a parking lot that is where to park a vehicle and can appropriately provide driving assistance. Specifically, it is configured to obtain a parking lot in which a vehicle is parked at a destination, generate a travel path recommended for the vehicle to travel along from a travel start point to an entrance to the parking lot, using at least highly accurate map information 16 including information about lanes, facility information 17 including information about the entrance to the parking lot, and connection information 18 indicating a connection relationship between lanes included in an entry road and the entrance to the parking lot, and provide driving assistance for the vehicle based on the generated travel path.

Abstract: Provided is a drive assistance device preventing an unrecommended lane when a vehicle travels, enabling appropriate provision of driving assistance. Specifically, candidates for a way of moving into a selectable lane when the vehicle moves along a planned travel route are identified and obtained by using map information. Then, for a candidate that involves a lane change among the obtained candidates for a way of moving into a lane, a lane change start location at which a lane change starts and a lane change end location at which the lane change ends are set at a location close to a destination on a priority basis, and manner of moving into a lane for the vehicle that is recommended when the vehicle moves is selected from among the candidates for a way of moving into a lane, taking into account the set lane change start location and lane change end location.

Abstract: Provided is a drive assistance device and a computer program that can generate, based on information about section lines on roads, a travel path for a vehicle that takes into account restrictions, etc., on the roads, and can appropriately provide drive assistance. Specifically, it is configured to obtain a planned travel route along which a vehicle travels, generate, using high-precision map information including at least information about section lines, a static travel path which is a travel path along which the vehicle is recommended to travel on a road included in the planned travel route, and provide drive assistance for the vehicle based on the static travel path.

Abstract: A map updating system includes: an update processing unit for performing update processing by reading data required in the update processing from a cache area of a memory when the data are stored in the cache area and from a map database when the data are not stored in the cache area; a cache storage unit for storing the data read by the update processing unit in the cache area; a processing memory capacity determination unit for determining a processing memory capacity, which is a capacity of the memory required as an update processing area, on the basis of the content of map data to be subjected to the update processing; and a cache capacity determination unit for determining a cache capacity, which is a capacity of the memory allocated to the cache area, on the basis of the processing memory capacity.

Abstract: A map updating system includes: an update processing unit for performing update processing by reading data required in the update processing from a cache area of a memory when the data are stored in the cache area and from a map database when the data are not stored in the cache area; a cache storage unit for storing the data read by the update processing unit in the cache area; a processing memory capacity determination unit for determining a processing memory capacity, which is a capacity of the memory required as an update processing area, on the basis of the content of map data to be subjected to the update processing; and a cache capacity determination unit for determining a cache capacity, which is a capacity of the memory allocated to the cache area, on the basis of the processing memory capacity.

Abstract: A road map display device including a road map information memory for memorizing road map data on a two-dimensional coordinate and a detection device for detecting a present position and a travel direction of an automotive vehicle, wherein the two-dimensional coordinate of the road map data is read out from the information memory in accordance with the present position and travel direction of the vehicle detected by the detection device and displayed in the form of a plane view on a screen of a display unit.

Abstract: A vehicle navigation apparatus for searching for a route from an inputted place of departure to an inputted destination and performing guide, the apparatus comprising: a registration unit for associating a traveled route with a place of departure and a destination and thus registering the traveled route; a judgment unit for judging whether the same place of departure and destination as a place of departure and a destination of a registered route are inputted or not; a route search unit for reading out information of the registered route when it is judged by the judgment unit that the same place of departure and destination are inputted, and lowering weighting in searching for the route so as to search for the route; and a control unit for performing guide of the route found by the search by the route search unit. Thus, route guide preferred by a user can be performed.

Abstract: The map data may be updated on a specified area basis. This may shorten the time for updating the map data as well as lowers the cost of map data update. A navigation system comprising a data center 51 for distributing map data about a designated area upon receipt of a data-distribution request; an on-board device 14 having a data storage that stores map data, for updating the map data about the designated area with new map data distributed from the data center; and wherein the map data distributed from the data center has a layered structure in which the map data in a lowest-layer represents the designated area while the map data in a higher-layer represents a wider area that includes a smaller area represented by a lower-layer map data.

Abstract: A road map display device including a road map information memory for memorizing road map data on a two-dimensional coordinate and a detection device for detecting a present position and a travel direction of an automotive vehicle, wherein the two-dimensional coordinate of the road map data is read out from the information memory in accordance with the present position and travel direction of the vehicle detected by the detection device and displayed in the form of a plane view on a screen of a display unit.

Abstract: A vehicle navigation apparatus for searching for a route from an inputted place of departure to an inputted destination and performing guide, the apparatus comprising: a registration unit for associating a traveled route with a place of departure and a destination and thus registering the traveled route; a judgment unit for judging whether the same place of departure and destination as a place of departure and a destination of a registered route are inputted or not; a route search unit for reading out information of the registered route when it is judged by the judgment unit that the same place of departure and destination are inputted, and lowering weighting in searching for the route so as to search for the route; and a control unit for performing guide of the route found by the search by the route search unit. Thus, route guide preferred by a user can be performed.

Abstract: A road map display device including a road map information memory for memorizing road map data on a two-dimensional coordinate and a detection device for detecting a present position and a travel direction of an automotive vehicle, wherein the two-dimensional coordinate of the road map data is read out from the information memory in accordance with the present position and travel direction of the vehicle detected by the detection device and displayed in the form of a plane view on a screen of a display unit.

Abstract: The map data may be updated on a specified area basis. This may shorten the time for updating the map data as well as lowers the cost of map data update. A navigation system comprising a data center 51 for distributing map data about a designated area upon receipt of a data-distribution request; an on-board device 14 having a data storage that stores map data, for updating the map data about the designated area with new map data distributed from the data center; and wherein the map data distributed from the data center has a layered structure in which the map data in a lowest-layer represents the designated area while the map data in a higher-layer represents a wider area that includes a smaller area represented by a lower-layer map data.

Abstract: A road map display device including a road map information memory for memorizing road map data on a two-dimensional coordinate and a detection device for detecting a present position and a travel direction of an automotive vehicle, wherein the two-dimensional coordinate of the road map data is read out from the information memory in accordance with the present position and travel direction of the vehicle detected by the detection device and displayed in the form of a plane view on a screen of a display unit.

Abstract: A road map display device including a road map information memory for memorizing road map data on a two-dimensional coordinate and a detection device for detecting a present position and a travel direction of an automotive vehicle, wherein the two-dimensional coordinate of the road map data is read out from the information memory in accordance with the present position and travel direction of the vehicle detected by the detection device and displayed in the form of a plane view on a screen of a display unit.

Abstract: Even when the present position does not exist on a guide road after deviation from an established guide route, a guide road is identified and a more advantageous route is identified. Furthermore, only a minimum amount of required data are displayed on the map picture. The searching again is executed by taking the direction of progress of the car into consideration. Street names of the roads are displayed on the guide map, enabling a guide route to be easily recognized. A particular area is specified by a postal code number or by a telephone number, and the streets or the facilities in the specified area are displayed. This makes it easier to search the destination.

Abstract: A map display device is presented including an information memory device for storing map data, a display device for displaying a map based on map data stored in the information memory device, and a display control device, which has a coordinate transformation device for transforming coordinates on a curved plane into coordinates on a projected plane, for controlling the readout of map data from the information memory device and the map display on the display device. The display control device relates coordinates on the map to coordinates on the curved plane with respect to a coordinate transformation reference point, transforms coordinates on the curved plane into coordinates on the projected plane using the coordinate transformation device, and displays a map on the display device by using the coordinates transformed on the projected plane. Therefore, the device enables a driver to obtain the same sense of distance unaffected by the direction by using the present position.