Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
227 words
A vehicle navigation method in which a position of a vehicle is dead-reckoned when a predetermined distance is traveled by the vehicle, a most probable candidate road satisfying a predetermined condition is obtained from the dead-reckoned vehicle position and by map matching processing, the vehicle position is corrected to a position on a most probable candidate road, and the map matching processing is thereafter continued by dead-reckoning the vehicle position, said method comprising: monitoring whether a point from which two or more branch roads extend has been passed; obtaining a most probable candidate road and a candidate road different from the most probable candidate road and satisfying said predetermined condition by map matching processing after passing the point; correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to a position on the most probable candidate road to regard the corrected position as an actual vehicle position; correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to be a position on the other candidate road, to set the corrected position as a temporary vehicle position; thereafter executing map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position and map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position when the predetermined distance is traveled; and continuing map matching processing by setting the temporary vehicle position as the actual vehicle position when the map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position finds no road satisfying said predetermined condition.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
227 words
A vehicle navigation method in which a position of a vehicle is dead-reckoned when a predetermined distance is traveled by the vehicle, a most probable candidate road satisfying a predetermined condition is obtained from the dead-reckoned vehicle position and by map matching processing, the vehicle position is corrected to a position on a most probable candidate road, and the map matching processing is thereafter continued by dead-reckoning the vehicle position, said method comprising: monitoring whether a point from which two or more branch roads extend has been passed; obtaining a most probable candidate road and a candidate road different from the most probable candidate road and satisfying said predetermined condition by map matching processing after passing the point; correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to a position on the most probable candidate road to regard the corrected position as an actual vehicle position; correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to be a position on the other candidate road, to set the corrected position as a temporary vehicle position; thereafter executing map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position and map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position when the predetermined distance is traveled; and continuing map matching processing by setting the temporary vehicle position as the actual vehicle position when the map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position finds no road satisfying said predetermined condition.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined condition is if a coefficient value, calculated using a distance from the dead-reckoned vehicle position to the road and an angle between a vehicle bearing and a direction of the road at the dead-reckoned vehicle position, is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
95 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined condition is if the road is at a distance from the dead-reckoned vehicle position equal to or less than a predetermined value and at an angle from a vehicle bearing at the dead-reckoned position equal to or less than a predetermined value, and if a coefficient value, calculated using a distance from the dead-reckoned vehicle position to the road and an angle between the vehicle bearing and a direction of the road at the dead-reckoned vehicle position, is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a road having a smallest value of the coefficient is set as a most probable candidate road, while a road having a next smallest value of the coefficient is set as another candidate road.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said point is a branching point at which an angle between the associated branching roads is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising: monitoring the distance between the actual vehicle position and the temporary vehicle position; and terminating map matching based on the temporary vehicle position when the distance becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
42 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising: monitoring whether map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position finds no road satisfying said condition; and stopping map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position if no such road is found.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
50 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising: monitoring whether the distance traveled from the branching point is equal to or larger than a predetermined value; and stopping map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position when the distance traveled becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined value.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
224 words
A vehicle navigation method in which a position of a vehicle is dead-reckoned when a predetermined distance is traveled by the vehicle, a most probable candidate road satisfying a predetermined condition is obtained from the dead-reckoned vehicle position and by map matching processing, the vehicle position is corrected to be a position on the most probable candidate road, and the map matching processing is thereafter continued by dead-reckoning the vehicle position, said method comprising: monitoring whether a point from which two or more branch roads extend has been passed; obtaining a most probable candidate road and a second candidate road satisfying said predetermined condition by map matching processing after passing the point; correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to a position on the most probable candidate road to regard the corrected position as an actual vehicle position; correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to a position on the second candidate road to set the corrected position as a temporary vehicle position; thereafter executing first map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position and second map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position when the predetermined distance is traveled; and continuing the first map matching processing by setting the temporary vehicle position as the actual vehicle position when the map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position finds no road satisfying said predetermined condition.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
224 words
A vehicle navigation method in which a position of a vehicle is dead-reckoned when a predetermined distance is traveled by the vehicle, a most probable candidate road satisfying a predetermined condition is obtained from the dead-reckoned vehicle position and by map matching processing, the vehicle position is corrected to be a position on the most probable candidate road, and the map matching processing is thereafter continued by dead-reckoning the vehicle position, said method comprising: monitoring whether a point from which two or more branch roads extend has been passed; obtaining a most probable candidate road and a second candidate road satisfying said predetermined condition by map matching processing after passing the point; correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to a position on the most probable candidate road to regard the corrected position as an actual vehicle position; correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to a position on the second candidate road to set the corrected position as a temporary vehicle position; thereafter executing first map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position and second map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position when the predetermined distance is traveled; and continuing the first map matching processing by setting the temporary vehicle position as the actual vehicle position when the map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position finds no road satisfying said predetermined condition.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
54 words
A method according to claim 9, wherein said predetermined condition is if a coefficient value, calculated using a distance from the dead-reckoned vehicle position to the road and an angle between a vehicle bearing and a direction of the road at the dead-reckoned vehicle position, is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
95 words
A method according to claim 9, wherein said predetermined condition is if the road is at a distance from the dead-reckoned vehicle position equal to or less than a predetermined value and at an angle from a vehicle bearing at the dead-reckoned position equal to or less than a predetermined value, and if a coefficient value, calculated using a distance from the dead-reckoned vehicle position to the road and an angle between the vehicle bearing and a direction of the road at the dead-reckoned vehicle position, is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein a road having a smallest value of the coefficient is set as a most probable candidate road while a road having a next smallest value of the coefficient is set as a second candidate road.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 9, wherein said point is a branching point at which an angle between the associated branching roads is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
74 words
A method according to claim 9, wherein, provided that a road on which map matching is to be performed by the first map matching processing is found, the second map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position stops when the distance between the actual vehicle position obtained by the first map matching processing and the temporary vehicle position obtained by the second map matching becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
40 words
A vehicle position correction method according to claim 9, wherein the second map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position stops when the second map matching processing finds no candidate road on which map matching is to be performed.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
59 words
A vehicle position correction method according to claim 9, wherein, provided that a road on which map matching is to be performed by the first map matching processing is found, the second map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position stops when the distance traveled from the branching point becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
71 words
A vehicle position correction method according to claim 9, wherein the second map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position stops if in the second map matching processing a coefficient value, calculated from a distance from the dead-reckoned vehicle position to the road and an angle between a vehicle bearing and a direction of the road at the dead-reckoned vehicle position, is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
227 words
A vehicle navigation apparatus, having a self-contained navigation sensor, where a most probable candidate road satisfying a predetermined condition is obtained from a dead-reckoned vehicle position and by map matching processing and the vehicle position is corrected to a position on a most probable candidate road, and the map matching processing is thereafter continued by dead-reckoning the vehicle position, said apparatus comprising: means for monitoring whether a point from which two or more branch roads extend has been passed; means for obtaining a most probable candidate road and a candidate road different from the most probable candidate road and satisfying said predetermined condition by map matching processing after passing the point, correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to be a position on the most probable candidate road, to regard the corrected position as an actual vehicle position, and correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to be a position on the other candidate road, to set the corrected position as a temporary vehicle position; means for executing map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position and map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position each other time the predetermined distance is traveled; and means for continuing map matching processing by setting the temporary vehicle position as the actual vehicle position when the map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position finds no road satisfying said predetermined condition.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
227 words
A vehicle navigation apparatus, having a self-contained navigation sensor, where a most probable candidate road satisfying a predetermined condition is obtained from a dead-reckoned vehicle position and by map matching processing and the vehicle position is corrected to a position on a most probable candidate road, and the map matching processing is thereafter continued by dead-reckoning the vehicle position, said apparatus comprising: means for monitoring whether a point from which two or more branch roads extend has been passed; means for obtaining a most probable candidate road and a candidate road different from the most probable candidate road and satisfying said predetermined condition by map matching processing after passing the point, correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to be a position on the most probable candidate road, to regard the corrected position as an actual vehicle position, and correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to be a position on the other candidate road, to set the corrected position as a temporary vehicle position; means for executing map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position and map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position each other time the predetermined distance is traveled; and means for continuing map matching processing by setting the temporary vehicle position as the actual vehicle position when the map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position finds no road satisfying said predetermined condition.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
222 words
A vehicle navigation apparatus, having a self-contained navigation sensor, where a most probable candidate road satisfying a predetermined condition is obtained from a dead-reckoned vehicle position and by map matching processing, and the vehicle position is corrected to a position on the most probable candidate road, and the map matching processing is thereafter continued by dead-reckoning the vehicle position, said apparatus comprising: means for monitoring whether a point from which two or more branch roads extend has been passed; means for obtaining a most probable candidate road and a second candidate road satisfying said predetermined condition by map matching processing after passing the point, correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to be a position on the most probable candidate road to regard the corrected position as an actual vehicle position, and correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to a position on the second candidate road to set the corrected position as a temporary vehicle position; means for executing first map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position and second map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position each time the predetermined distance is traveled; and means for continuing the first map matching processing by setting the temporary vehicle position as the actual vehicle position when the map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position finds no road satisfying said predetermined condition.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
222 words
A vehicle navigation apparatus, having a self-contained navigation sensor, where a most probable candidate road satisfying a predetermined condition is obtained from a dead-reckoned vehicle position and by map matching processing, and the vehicle position is corrected to a position on the most probable candidate road, and the map matching processing is thereafter continued by dead-reckoning the vehicle position, said apparatus comprising: means for monitoring whether a point from which two or more branch roads extend has been passed; means for obtaining a most probable candidate road and a second candidate road satisfying said predetermined condition by map matching processing after passing the point, correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to be a position on the most probable candidate road to regard the corrected position as an actual vehicle position, and correcting the dead-reckoned vehicle position to a position on the second candidate road to set the corrected position as a temporary vehicle position; means for executing first map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position and second map matching processing based on the temporary vehicle position each time the predetermined distance is traveled; and means for continuing the first map matching processing by setting the temporary vehicle position as the actual vehicle position when the map matching processing based on the actual vehicle position finds no road satisfying said predetermined condition.