Patent ID: 7346450

Claim:
A vehicle navigation apparatus provided in a vehicle, comprising: a map data storage unit for storing map data; a display unit to display at least a vehicle current position and a map around the vehicle current position using the map data stored in the map data storage unit; a position data measurement unit for measuring data on the vehicle current position; a travel locus calculation unit for calculating a travel locus of the vehicle based on the data on the vehicle current position measured by the position data measurement unit; a map matching processing unit for performing a map matching processing by comparing a shape of each road in the map data stored in the map data storage unit with a shape of the travel locus calculated by the travel locus calculation unit and estimating a travel road where the vehicle is traveling; a display control unit for displaying a vehicle mark indicating the vehicle current position and the map around the vehicle current position on the display unit such that the vehicle current position exists on the travel road estimated by the map matching processing unit; a stop area setting unit for setting a stop area in an arbitrary area in the map data; and a stop unit for, when the vehicle current position stands in the stop area set by the stop area setting unit, stopping the map matching processing performed by the map matching processing unit.