Patent ID: 8175800

Claim:
A route guidance system, comprising: a current location detection section that detects a current location of a host vehicle as a host vehicle location; route search processing means for searching for a route to a destination, based on the detected host vehicle location and for specifying the route determined by a search as a specified route; and guidance processing means for settling a route guidance point at a specified location on the specified route in advance of a guidance location for which route guidance is to be provided and that executes route guidance for the guidance location when the vehicle arrives at the route guidance point, wherein the guidance processing means includes: branch number computation means for computing the number of branches in the specified route between the host vehicle and the guidance location; point guidance processing means for outputting route guidance by voice to a driver of the host vehicle, based on the computed number of the branches, during an announcement time period extending from the start to the end of the outputting of the route guidance by voice, when the host vehicle comes to the set route guidance point; vehicle speed detection means for detecting speed of the host vehicle; guidance suspension conditions determination processing means for determining whether or not guidance suspension conditions are applicable, based on an announcement period travel distance that is computed based on the announcement time period and the vehicle speed, wherein the guidance suspension conditions are determined to be applicable when the route guidance point is within the announcement time period travel distance; and guidance suspension processing means for, responsive to a determination that the guidance suspension conditions are applicable, suspending the route guidance which is based on the computed number of branches.