Navigation system and path search method

摘要

A map data memory unit stores therein the road data of roads which belong to management areas, for each of the management areas of predetermined extent and shape and for each of hierarchies corresponding of sorts of the roads. A path search/guidance control unit searches for the path which extends from a current point decided by a positioning unit, to a destination point set by a set input unit. The path search is made in such a way that nodes connecting with the roads in higher hierachies and paths extending to the nodes are searched for from the current point and from the destination point, sequentially in the respective hierarchies from the hierachies corresponding to the current point and the destination point up to the hierachy corresponding to a distance between the point of departure and the destination point.