Patent ID: 7536259
Filing Date: 2009-05-19
Classification: G01C,G08G

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for navigating a vehicle, comprising: an input device operable to set a destination; a location detector operable to detect a current location of the vehicle; at least one receiver operable to acquire traffic information, including an existence of a traffic obstacle on an optimum route from the current location to the destination; and a controller operable to search for the optimum route from the current location to the destination and a detour having at least one of the shortest time to the destination and the shortest distance to the destination in order to detour around the traffic obstacle when the existence of the traffic obstacle is detected; and the controller operable to perform guidance related to the detour a prescribed distance before a branching point that branches from the optimum route to the detour, wherein the detour having the shortest time to the destination is an optimum detour route: and wherein the controller is further operable to search among a plurality of detours for detouring around the traffic obstacle for a last detour route to the destination branching from a branching site on the optimum route nearest the traffic obstacle, the controller further operable to select one of the optimum detour route and the last detour route based on a branching site distance between the branching point for the optimum detour route on the optimum route and the branching point for the last detour route and a required time difference between a required running time from the current location via the optimum detour route to the destination and a required running time from the current location via the last detour route to the destination.