Toyota Files Patent for Navigation System to Guide Drivers to Charging Facilities

Strategic Insights -

A patent application by Toyota engineers Yuto Kaida and Hikaru Sugahara aims to provide an information processing device that guides drivers to charging facilities at roadside rest stops. The system detects when a vehicle enters a rest area with a charging station and outputs a guidance screen displaying the route to the facility. The device can also adjust the screen's scale as the vehicle approaches the charging station and provide information on roads that lead to or away from the facility. This technology seeks to improve the user experience for electric and hybrid vehicle owners by making it easier to find charging stations.

Key Takeaways:

  • The patent application describes an information processing device that detects a vehicle's entry into a roadside rest facility with a charging station and outputs a guidance screen.
  • The guidance screen displays the route to the charging facility and includes a graphical user interface (GUI) component indicating the route from the vehicle's current position to the charging station.
  • The device can adjust the scale of the guidance screen as the vehicle approaches the charging station.
  • The system also provides information on roads that lead to or away from the charging facility.
  • The claims of the patent application cover several aspects of the information processing device, including its ability to detect entry, output a guidance screen, and adjust the screen's scale.
  • The inventors' summary emphasizes the importance of providing technology that can suitably guide users to charging facilities installed at roadside rest facilities.
  • Toyota aims to improve the user experience for electric and hybrid vehicle owners by making it easier to find charging stations.

Statistics:

  • Patent application filed on January 9, 2025 (U.S. Patent Application Number 20250237516).
  • Patent application posted online on July 24, 2025.
  • The information processing device can detect entry of a vehicle into a roadside rest facility where a charging facility is installed.
  • The device requires a control unit to execute detecting entry and outputting a guidance screen in accordance with detecting the vehicle entering the roadside rest facility.

Sources:

  • KAIDA, Yuto; SUGAHARA, Hikaru. Information Processing Device. U.S. Patent Application Number 20250237516, filed January 9, 2025 and posted July 24, 2025.
  • Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2021-063766 (JP 2021-063766 A).