JP2001082971A - Navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it easier to detect a desired facility by mechanically reading coded information and to conduct navigation by use of that information. SOLUTION: Two-dimensional codes 50 are displayed on the signboard 51 of a facility or the like. Information related to the facility, such as the facility ID, the name of a company, the name of a chain, the type of industry, the name of a store, telephone number, address, coordinate data, regular holiday, business hours, and service items, is recorded on the two-dimensional codes 50. Facility search requirements are set in a navigation device body 62 to initiate the search of the facility. When a two-dimensional code reader 27 reads the two-dimensional codes 50, one determines whether or not information related to the facility included in the codes read meets the preset facility search requirements. When the search requirements are met, a display device 26 and a speaker 28 announce that the facility searched has been found.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation device for guiding a facility.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a navigation apparatus which sets a destination to a public facility or a commercial facility, calculates a recommended route to the facility, and provides route guidance. At this time, the arrival guidance to the destination facility is performed when the vehicle arrives near the destination. Specifically, it is performed when the position coordinate data of the target facility stored in the ROM or the like of the navigation device substantially matches the position coordinate data of the current position detected by the GPS or the like. In addition, the fact that the vehicle has arrived near the destination is displayed on the display and notified by voice.

[0003] Therefore, unless the detection accuracy of the current position is high, the target facility cannot be reached. Therefore, as a method of detecting the current position, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-14479
In 8, draw a barcode that records location information on the road,
A technique is disclosed in which the bar code is read when a vehicle passes over the bar code to obtain a current position. According to this technique, the current position can be accurately recognized simply by drawing a barcode on the road.

[0004]

However, even if the current position can be accurately recognized, a sign or a signboard of the target facility cannot be found, and the target facility may not be reached. For example, when many facilities, signboards, and the like are densely located around the target facility, it is very difficult to find the target facility from among them.
In addition, even if the facilities, signboards, etc. are not crowded, the target facility may be inadvertently overlooked and passed.

[0005] For this reason, despite having reached the vicinity of the target facility by navigation, after all,
The user must go around the destination many times in search of the destination facility and its signboard, and the arrival at the destination facility may be delayed. In addition, in the case of a vehicle, since driving while searching for a target facility or a signboard therefor, a situation unfavorable for safe driving such as a slow driving or an inattentive driving may occur.

Accordingly, the present invention reads the coded information described on the facility or the signboard of the facility to inform the user of the discovery of the target facility, and to provide various coded information on the facility. It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation device capable of performing navigation using the navigation device.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention
In the navigation device described above, the search condition setting means sets the search condition of the facility in accordance with the input from the user. As an input mode from the user, search conditions displayed on various display devices are selected by various input devices,
It is conceivable to directly input voice or the like.

In order to search for a code satisfying the search condition set by the search condition setting means, the code reading means reads the code. This code is posted at a location having a predetermined positional relationship with the facility. For example, examples of a facility having a predetermined positional relationship include a facility guidance display and a signboard. These signs, etc., are the facility itself, a position adjacent to the facility, a position in a predetermined direction from the facility,
It is installed at a position at a predetermined distance from the facility and at a position having a predetermined route with the facility.

Then, the judging means judges whether or not the information on the facility read by the code reading means satisfies the search condition set by the search condition setting means. Further, when the determining means determines that the search condition is satisfied, the notifying means notifies the content of the notification when the predetermined condition is satisfied. The content of notification at the time of condition satisfaction may be, for example, notification indicating that a code corresponding to the search condition has been found, or notification of the search condition. Further, a part or all of the content of the code read by the code reading means may be notified, or a combination of these may be used.

The foregoing has been a general description, but the details will be described below in order to further facilitate understanding of the present invention. The facility search condition set by the search condition setting means includes information and conditions related to the facility. "Information about facility" includes, for example, coordinate data such as latitude and longitude of the facility, an ID unique to the facility, a facility name, a company name, a store name, a chain store name, a facility type, a business type, a telephone number, a location address, a handling item, and regular holidays. , Business hours, available credit cards and other payment methods are available. Of course, as long as the information is related to the facility, any information may be used without being limited to the above example.

"Condition" is a conditional expression used for determination by the determination means. For example, as long as the search condition is any where "sake" is present, a facility that includes "sake" may be searched. At this time, “sake” corresponds to the information on the facility, and “include” corresponds to the condition. Conversely, a search condition such as “do not include” “alcohol” is also conceivable. In this case, “not included” is a condition.

In some cases, it is desired to set a combination of information on facilities as a search condition. For example, it is conceivable to recognize a voice such as "Sake and tobacco are available, preferably a convenience store", and use the voice as a search condition. in this case,
“Sake”, “tobacco”, and “convenience store” are information on facilities, and the condition of their combination is a condition.

The search conditions for the facility have been described above.
Here, the facility may be a building or a location, and may be a predetermined location. Examples of facilities include, for example, highways, toll roads, intersections, stations, airports,
Parks, ferries, road stations, golf courses, ski slopes, campsites, amusement parks, stadiums, racetracks, marina,
Historic sites, castles and castle ruins, shrines and temples, animal and botanical gardens, aquariums, motor sports, supermarkets, department stores, convenience stores, car supplies stores, hotels, hot springs, government offices, police stations, hospitals, halls, theaters, museums, museums, etc. No.

In the above brief description, the search condition setting means sets the search condition in accordance with the user's input. However, if there is no user's input, the search condition setting means sets the preset condition. You may. As this condition, for example, a condition that all facilities are not searched or a condition that all facilities are searched may be considered.

[0015] The code read by the code reading means is an electronically readable code including information on facilities. Therefore, the code is posted at a position where the code can be read from the navigation device, and information on the corresponding facility is recorded. For example, when a code is written on a signboard of a facility or the like, information on the facility is recorded in the code. As information of this facility, for example,
The items listed in the example of the information on the facility described above are used.

The determining means determines whether or not the information on the facility included in the code read by the code reading means satisfies the search condition. When the search condition and the information on the facility completely match, the search condition is satisfied. May be determined, or it may be determined that the search condition is satisfied when some of the search conditions match. This is because if the search condition is too narrow, a facility that satisfies all the conditions may not be found.

As the notification means, a display device, an audio output device, or both of them may be used. In a current on-vehicle navigation device, it is common to provide guidance by visually and audibly by displaying a screen and outputting sound, and thus such a configuration is easily adopted. In particular, when implemented as an in-vehicle navigation device, it is considered preferable that at least notification by voice is secured. This is because there is an advantage in the case of notifying by voice that the driver does not need to shift his / her viewpoint to the display device, so that safe driving is more preferably ensured.

[0018] In addition, as for the content of the notification, the user can directly or indirectly notify the user of the fact that the code has been found, so that the user can display the target facility where the code is posted or a signboard of the facility. You can see that it was discovered. At this time, if further notified together with the search condition, the search condition set by the user can be reconfirmed, and
It can be seen that a facility corresponding to the search condition actually exists. In addition, when a plurality of search conditions are set, it becomes possible to distinguish which search condition corresponds to the found facility. Further, if a part or all of the content of the code is notified, the user can simultaneously obtain the information included in the code. Of course, the content of the notification is not limited to the content exemplified above, and for example, a notification related to another navigation function may be performed.

By such notification, the user finds a facility or a signboard of the facility that satisfies the search condition by using the present apparatus, and knows that the facility actually exists. In particular, if a facility, a signboard, or the like is notified at a position visible to the user, an actual facility, signboard, or the like can be found immediately.

With the above configuration, the user does not need to move while searching for the target facility or its signboard. Therefore, in particular, if this device is used as an in-vehicle navigation device, searching for the target facility and its signboard, etc.
There is no longer any need for slow driving or inattentive driving, and the driver can concentrate on driving. Furthermore, since the information is read electronically, oversight is reduced, and the vicinity of the destination is not repeatedly visited. As a result, the time required for finding the facility can be reduced. Further, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the target facility is not found even though the vehicle has reached the vicinity of the target facility.

The electronically readable code read by the code reading means may be, for example, a character or a character that can be recognized as a character, or a mark of a store that can be recognized as an image. However, a bar code is actually used. It is a target. However, the amount of information that can be recorded on a barcode is at most about 20.
Since the information is about characters, only a small part of the above-mentioned examples of the facility information can be entered. Therefore,
As described in claim 2, a two-dimensional code may be used as the code read by the code reading means.

A two-dimensional code is easy to read by a machine, and has a larger amount of information than a bar code. In the case of a QR code, which is an example of a two-dimensional code, there is a case where information of about 2000 characters is entered. Therefore, many of the items described as examples of the information on the facility described above can be included.

Therefore, it is possible to finely set the search conditions. Also, it is possible to simultaneously notify a lot of information other than the search conditions stored in the two-dimensional code. As a result, various information regarding the facility can be obtained, and it can be used as a material for determining whether to stop at the facility. on the other hand,
On the facility side, information on the facility can be provided to the user of the present navigation device by putting the feature points of the facility, advertisements, and the like in the code. And since this code can be rewritten on the facility side,
The information provided can be changed freely.

Also, a signboard or the like on which the code is described can be temporarily installed. For example, it can be used for providing information and navigating about facilities installed for a limited time, such as event venues. Now, according to the above configuration, if there is a facility that matches the conditions on the way to the destination, if you want to drop in, the facility that matches the search conditions is automatically found on the route to the destination. can do. Therefore, when any request is generated while the user is moving, the facility that satisfies the request can be automatically searched and found, which is very convenient.

However, there are times when you are heading to a particular destination and need to find that facility. In this case, it is preferable to make it as in claim 3. That is, information that can specify a destination is set as a search condition, and when the search condition is satisfied, the notification unit notifies that the vehicle has arrived at the destination.

The input and setting of these destinations are performed by the destination setting means, and the search condition setting means sets information which can specify the destination set by the destination setting means as search conditions. At this time, the destination may be input by text from the menu or by voice. As the information that can specify the destination, for example, a facility ID that can uniquely determine the facility, a unique name assigned to each facility, or the like can be used. When the information included in the code read by the code reading means satisfies the search condition, it is notified that the vehicle has arrived at the destination facility.

Therefore, since the user is notified that he or she has arrived at the destination facility, it is possible to distinguish between a case where a facility satisfying the search condition is found on the way to the destination and a case where the facility of the destination is found. So that the user does not pass by the destination. Further, for example, if the destination is notified together with the name of the destination, when a plurality of destinations are set, they are not confused.

As described above, when heading for a destination, it is necessary to know the route to the vicinity of the destination. If it is known that there is a destination facility in the area already known, it is possible to go to the vicinity of the facility, but if the place is completely unknown, it is impossible to reach the vicinity of the facility. Therefore, it is preferable to provide route guidance to the destination as described in claim 4. The route guidance is performed by, for example, displaying the route from the current location to the destination on a display device or the like, and notifying the route by voice or the like. The route at the time of performing the route guidance is performed so as to reach the destination set by the destination setting unit from the current position detected by the current position detecting unit. In addition,
The current position detecting means is constituted by, for example, a GPS. If you arrive near the destination by route guidance,
The notification means may notify that the vehicle has arrived near the destination.

By the route guidance as described above, it is possible to reach the vicinity of the destination even in a place that is completely unknown. In addition, by arriving near the destination, the possibility that the code of the destination facility can be read by the code reading means increases, so that the facility can be more easily found.

However, there is a case where the code of the destination facility cannot be found before arriving near the destination. For example, when there is no signboard of the destination facility along the road guided by the route guidance, or when the place where the notification of arrival to the vicinity of the facility is found in the route guidance is before the place where the code is posted, etc. It is.

In such a case, it is advisable to guide a road near the destination. As the road near the destination, for example, a road around the destination position, a main road close to the destination position, or the like may be guided.
This is because facilities that are generally difficult to find often have signs and the like installed around the facilities, and guide signs and the like are often installed on major roads. in this way,
By guiding the road in the vicinity of the destination, it is easy to find a signboard or the like on which the code is posted, and as a result, the time required for finding the facility can be reduced.

When the destination is set and searched as described above, the reading of the code may be always performed during the operation of the navigation device. It may be performed after entering a predetermined area based on the ground. By doing so, power for reading is not required until near the destination, and as a result, power consumption in the navigation device can be suppressed. Further, since the reading process and the like are not executed, the processing time required for this process can be used for other processes.

As for the timing of the notification by the notification means, it is desirable that the notification is made before the place where the code is posted. The notice of the code is often displayed on a signboard or the like together with a display that allows the human to recognize the facility, for example, a mark indicating the facility, a letter notation, a map, etc. And so on. However, when the vehicle speed is high and the processing cannot be performed in time, it is not always possible to notify the user in front of these signboards.

Therefore, when the vehicle has passed the code posting position, it is advisable to notify that fact. Passage of the code posting position is determined by the passage determination means. For example, if the determination unit determines that the code read by the code reading unit satisfies the search condition set by the search condition setting unit, it is determined that the code cannot be read by the code reading unit. Is also good. Alternatively, for example, when the code reading unit reads the code, the distance to the code may be measured, and the determination may be made by detecting that the vehicle has traveled that distance. In the case where the current position detecting means uses a configuration, the passage of the code posting position may be determined by the current position detecting means.

As described above, when the user is notified that the vehicle has passed the bulletin board position, the user can find a signboard or the like of the target facility by returning to the front or looking back. Therefore, there is no inconvenience such as searching forward despite passing a signboard or the like on which a code is posted.

By the way, if the code of the destination facility is, for example,
If the location of the code matches the facility, such as when it is posted on the wall of the facility itself, when it is also written on a sign attached to the facility, when there is a sign etc. along the road adjacent to the facility, When adjacent, the user can immediately find the target facility.

However, if a guide sign or signboard of the target facility is installed at a location away from the target facility and the code of the target facility is posted there, even if the discovery of the code is notified, the code is not displayed. Furthermore, it is necessary to search for a facility according to the description of the guide sign and the like. Therefore, as in claim 8,
It is good to distinguish and notify whether it is a guide sign or the like at a location away from the facility or a signboard or the like adjacent to the facility. In order to make this distinction, information for enabling the two to be distinguished is put in the code, and the code read by the code reading means includes information indicating that the code exists at a place away from the facility. In such a case, the notification means may notify that effect.

In this way, the user can be informed that there is a guide sign of the facility by the notification, so that the location of the facility can be known by looking at the guide sign. In addition, despite the fact that it has only found a guide sign, etc., at a location distant from the facility, it misidentifies that the target facility is located adjacent to the signboard, etc. with the code, and the target facility around the signboard, etc. The inconvenience of searching for facilities is eliminated.

Further, as described in claim 9, the positional relationship between the facility and the place where the code is posted may be notified. In other words, information indicating the positional relationship between the facility and the posting location of the code is recorded and posted on the code, and when the code is read, the notification unit notifies the positional relationship included in the code. Here, examples of the positional relationship include information such as a distance to a facility, a route, and a required time. For example, it is information such as "turn right at the next intersection and go 2 km ahead". By notifying the user of such a positional relationship, the distance to the facility, the route, the required time, and the like can be notified.

The function of realizing the determination means in the navigation device in a computer system can be provided, for example, as a program activated on the computer system side. In the case of such a program, for example, it can be used by recording it on a computer-readable recording medium such as a floppy disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, or a hard disk, and loading and activating the computer system as needed. it can. In addition, the ROM or the backup RAM is used to record the program as a computer-readable recording medium, and the ROM or the backup RAM is stored.
The AM may be incorporated in a computer system and used.

[0041]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It is needless to say that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following examples, and can take various forms as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram when applied as a car navigation system 1. The navigation device 1 of the present embodiment communicates with a position detector 12 that detects the current position of a vehicle and data communication with an information distribution center 4 via a wireless telephone line in order to collect various road traffic information. Device 18, an external information input / output device 19, and an operation switch group 20 for inputting various commands to the device
Remote control sensor 2 for inputting a signal from a remote control terminal (not shown) (not shown) capable of inputting various commands similar to those of the operation switch group 20.
1, a map data input device 22, an external memory 24, a display device 26 for performing various displays such as a map display screen and a TV screen, a speaker 28, a calendar clock 29,
The above-described position detector 12, operation switch group 20, map data input device 22, and two-dimensional code reader 27 (reading unit 2)
7a and the analyzing unit 27b) and various processes are executed in response to inputs from a remote controller (not shown), and a communication device 18, an external information input / output device 19, an external memory
Navigation control circuit 3 for controlling display device 26 and speaker 28
0.

The position detector 12 is a GPS (Global Positi
a GPS receiver 12a that receives a transmission radio wave from an artificial satellite for an oning system via a GPS antenna and detects the position, direction, speed, and the like of the vehicle, and a gyro that detects the magnitude of rotational motion applied to the vehicle. The vehicle includes a scope 12b, a vehicle speed sensor 12c including a vehicle speed sensor and a wheel sensor for detecting the traveling distance of the vehicle, and a geomagnetic sensor 12d for detecting an absolute azimuth based on geomagnetism. Each of the sensors 12a to 12d has an error having a different property, and is configured to be used while complementing each other. Depending on the accuracy, only a part of the above-described sensors 12a to 12d may be used. Alternatively, the steering angle of the vehicle obtained from the rotation difference between the left and right steering wheels may be accumulated to change the direction. A sensor or the like to be obtained may be used.

The communication device 18 is provided with a radio telephone device such as a portable telephone or a car telephone which can be connected to a public telephone network, and a procedure determined via the radio telephone device in accordance with a command from the navigation control circuit 30. A connection with an information distribution center, which is an external information source, is performed, data from the navigation control circuit 30 is encoded into a form that can be transmitted via a wireless telephone device, and data input via the wireless telephone device is encoded. And a modem for decoding the data into a form that can be processed by the control circuit 30.

On the other hand, the external information input / output device 19 receives an FM broadcast signal via a radio antenna (not shown) or a VICS (Vehicle Information Format) disposed near a road.
ion and Communication System) Receives a radio beacon signal and an optical beacon signal from a fixed station for service. The received information is sent to the navigation control circuit 30 for processing. In addition, information can be transmitted to the outside.

Next, as the operation switch group 20, a touch switch which is formed integrally with the display device 26 and is set on a display screen, a mechanical key switch provided around the display device 26, and the like are used. The touch switch is composed of an infrared sensor that is arranged vertically and horizontally on the screen of the display device 26. For example, when the infrared light is interrupted by a finger or a touch pen, the interrupted position becomes a two-dimensional coordinate value (X, Y). ). by this,
As will be described later, a predetermined instruction can be input by directly touching the display screen.

Next, the map data input device 22 is a device for inputting, from a storage medium, various data including so-called map matching data for improving the accuracy of position detection and road data representing road connections. is there. As a storage medium, a CD-ROM is generally used because of its data amount, but another medium such as a DVD, a hard disk, or a memory card may be used. The road data forms a map by connecting a plurality of nodes such as intersections with links, and for each link, a unique number (link ID) for specifying the link and a link indicating the length of the link It stores link information including data on length, x and y coordinates of the start and end of the link, road width of the link, and road type (indicating road information such as toll roads).

The display device 26 is a color display device in the present embodiment, and has a screen showing a mark indicating the current position of the vehicle detected by the position detector 12 and a map data input device 22.
The input road data and additional data such as a guide route, a name, and a mark to be displayed on a map can be displayed in a superimposed manner. Also, a display for notification for guidance to be described later can be performed.

The speaker 28 notifies the user of audio information for various kinds of guidance processed by the navigation control circuit 30. Next, the navigation control circuit 30 includes a CPU, ROM, RA
M, which is mainly composed of a well-known microcomputer, and stores a current position of the vehicle based on each detection signal from the position detector 12, a map near the current position read through the map data input device 22, and the like. A destination selection process for selecting a destination facility in accordance with the operation of the operation switches 20 and the remote controller based on the process displayed on the display screen and the facility index data stored in the map data input device 22, Automatically selects the best route to the land,
A so-called navigation process such as a route guidance process for providing guidance according to the selected route is executed. As a technique for automatically setting the optimum route, a technique such as the Dijkstra method is known. Then, the guidance route is displayed on the road map on the display device 26 so as to guide the driver to an appropriate route.

The destination is set by inputting the facility name, telephone number, address, latitude and longitude, etc. from the operation switch group 20 or a remote controller (not shown) via the remote control sensor 21 and mapping the coordinate position corresponding to the input information to a map. The CPU of the navigation control circuit 30 obtains the information based on the information from the information input device 22. The coordinate position of the destination is stored in the RAM of the navigation control circuit 30.
Is stored in

Conventionally, when the vehicle arrives at the destination set as described above, the current position of the vehicle based on each detection signal from the position detector 12 and the coordinate position corresponding to the destination are within a predetermined range. Judgment was made based on things such as entering,
In the present embodiment, it is possible to determine whether the vehicle has arrived at the destination even by using the two-dimensional code reader 27. Specifically, for example, a two-dimensional code 50 is written on a signboard 51 shown in FIG. 2, and the two-dimensional code 50 is read by the two-dimensional code reading device 27 of the navigation device 1 mounted on the vehicle 60. The information on the facilities included in the read code information is compared with the information on the facilities at the destination by the navigation control circuit 30 in the navigation body 62, and if they match, it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the destination. Of the display device 26 and the speaker 28.

The information stored in the two-dimensional code 50 includes facility ID, company / chain name, business type, store name, telephone number, location, coordinate data, regular holiday, Business hours, handling items, etc.
The facility ID is an ID unique to each facility. The chain name is the name of the commercial facility where the chain operates,
For example, a franchise name or the like. The type of business records facility types such as retail stores, restaurants, car supply stores, hospitals, and government offices. The store name is, for example, XX store or XX hospital. In addition, the coordinate data stores the absolute position as if it was also stored using a conventional barcode, for example, expressing north latitude and east longitude as `` xx degrees xx minutes xx seconds '' respectively. is there. This coordinate data may be the coordinates of the place where the two-dimensional code is posted, or the coordinates of the facility recorded in the two-dimensional code. If the coordinate data is used unified as indicating one of the coordinates, or if the data is not unified, further, information for distinguishing whether the coordinate data is the data of the posting place or the data of the facility Add. Also, the coordinate data of the posting place and the coordinate data of the facility may be both described in a distinguishable format.

Regarding regular holidays and business hours, if the fixed day of the week is a regular holiday, the data may be "every day of the week". Business hours and the like may be recorded. The two-dimensional code 50 may include information on facilities other than the above. For example, information on the contents of an event or the like at a facility, an advertisement such as a sale, information on a payment means such as a credit card to be handled, and the like.

All of this information is one two-dimensional code 5
0 is stored. Here, the two-dimensional code 50 will be described. In this embodiment, a QR (Quick Response) code is employed as an example of the two-dimensional code 50. As exemplified in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 3, the QR code is composed of bright (white) or dark (black) cells arranged in two vertical and horizontal directions. This Q
The R code has three positioning symbols A, C, and D. When optically reading a QR code, first, these three positioning symbols A, C, and D are detected. The positioning symbols A, C, and D have a specific ratio of light and dark, regardless of the scanning direction, and 1 (dark): 1 (bright):
3 (dark): 1 (bright): 1 (dark).
Therefore, if this specific ratio is detected, the positioning symbols A, C, and D can be detected. Note that Q
The R code includes timing cells E, in which bright and dark cells are alternately arranged between the positioning symbols A, C, D.
Because of having F, the center position of another cell is further determined from the center position of this timing cell and decoded.
It is to be noted that the QR code as the two-dimensional code 50 shown in FIG. 2 is only for showing the outline thereof, and that the cells are not arranged to represent the example of the stored information described in FIG. Keep it.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the two-dimensional code 50 stores an amount of information corresponding to 150 to 200 characters in kanji code. Although the conventional barcode cannot store the information at all, the QR code can store up to about 1800 characters, which is sufficient.

On the other hand, the two-dimensional code reader 27 for reading the two-dimensional code 50 includes a control unit 27b, a reading unit 27a, and the like. The control unit 27b includes a CPU,
The computer system is configured as a computer system having a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, and the like.
The image of is taken. Then, it decodes the captured image and outputs it to the navigation control circuit 30 via the communication I / F. The reading unit 27a includes a CCD camera, and outputs a video signal of the two-dimensional code 50 written on the surface of the signboard 51 based on an instruction from the control unit 27b. The output video signal is recorded in the image memory by the control unit 27b.
The control unit 27b searches for a bit pattern corresponding to the two-dimensional code in the image memory. If there is a bit pattern corresponding to the two-dimensional code, the code is decoded and sent to the navigation control circuit 30. A configuration for reading a two-dimensional code (QR code) as shown here is well known to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the processing performed by the navigation control circuit 30 for searching for a destination based on information read from the two-dimensional code 50 via the two-dimensional code reader 27. And will be described with reference to FIG. In the first step S100 in FIG. 4, the destination is set from the facility name. The facility name is input via the remote control sensor 21 from the operation switch group 20 shown in FIG. At this time, the navigation control circuit 30 retrieves the corresponding facility-specific facility ID from the map data input device 22 and stores it in a RAM (not shown) in the navigation control circuit.

Then, in S110, a route to the destination is calculated and route guidance is started. For this route calculation, a method such as the Dijkstra method is employed. In addition,
In the route calculation using the Dijkstra method, a route cost (evaluation value for the route) from the current location to each node is calculated by using link information for links between nodes and connection information between links including traffic regulation. This is a well-known method of setting a recommended route by connecting a link having a minimum route cost when all cost calculations to a destination are completed. The route cost calculation for each link in the Dijkstra method is performed using, for example, the following equation.

Route cost = link length × road width coefficient × road type coefficient × congestion degree Here, the road width coefficient is a coefficient that is set according to the road width, and the road type coefficient is a road such as a toll road. This is a coefficient set according to the type. The degree of congestion is a coefficient set according to the degree of congestion on the road, and the initial value is “1”. That is, when there is no congestion, “1” is set so as not to affect the calculation of the route cost, and the numerical value is set larger as the degree of congestion increases. By adding the route costs calculated using the above equation, the route cost on the route to the destination is obtained. Then, when all the cost calculations to the destination are completed, a link having the minimum route cost is connected to set a recommended route to the destination.

At S120, the value of each sensor of the position detector 12 is input. Then, in S130, S
Based on the values of the sensors of the position detector 12 input at 120, the coordinates of the current position are calculated by a known method. Then S
At 140, it is determined whether the two-dimensional code reader 27 has read the two-dimensional code. If the two-dimensional code has been read (S140: YES), the process proceeds to S150. On the other hand, if the two-dimensional code has not been read (S14
0: NO), and returns to S120.

In S150, the facility ID unique to the facility is extracted from the read information of the two-dimensional code, and is compared with the facility ID of the target facility stored in the memory in S100. As a result of the comparison, when both facility IDs match (S150:
YES), it is determined that the two-dimensional code of the destination facility has been read, and the flow shifts to S160. If the facility IDs do not match (S150: NO), it is determined that the facility is not the target facility, and S1 is determined.
Return to 20.

At S160, a notification of arrival guidance at the destination is notified. FIG. 5A shows an example of the notification of the destination arrival guidance. Here, a map around the facility is displayed on the display device 26, and a mark indicating the location of the facility is displayed thereon. In addition, "I arrived at the destination XX convenience store XX store."
Is displayed in characters. Further, in addition to the notification by the display, the speaker 28 also notifies by sound such as "Arrival at the destination XX convenience store XX store." Then, the guidance process ends.

According to the above embodiment, it is possible to easily reach the vicinity of the destination by route guidance, and to automatically find and notify the destination facility, so that the user needs to know the route to the facility. There is no need to go around and look for signs at facilities. That is, the user can immediately find the destination facility by searching for a signboard or the like at a place where the destination arrival has been notified. If the two-dimensional code is posted in a size that is visible to the user, the user can find the signboard of the facility more quickly by searching for the signboard with the code.

Therefore, if the present device is used as an on-vehicle navigation device, in particular, the driver does not need to search for the destination facility or its signboard and perform a lazy driving or an inattentive driving, and the driver can concentrate on driving. it can. Also, since the code is automatically read, there is no oversight of the signboard, etc.
There is no need to go around the destination many times. As a result, the time required for finding the facility can be reduced. Further, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the destination facility is not found even though the vehicle has reached the vicinity of the destination facility. This is particularly effective when the two-dimensional code 50 is written on a signboard 51 of a complex facility such as a building 70 shown in FIG.

In this case, the two-dimensional code 50 is read one by one from the top or bottom of the building 70. [Another embodiment or another embodiment] (1) In the above embodiment, the destination is set from the facility name. However, the name of the facility can be changed from the operation switch group 20 or a remote controller (not shown) via the remote control sensor 21.
It can also be done by inputting an address, telephone number, latitude and longitude. In this case, the navigation control circuit 30 retrieves the facility ID unique to the facility corresponding to the input information from the map data input device 22 and records it in a RAM (not shown) in the navigation control circuit.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the two-dimensional code reader 27 is always operated during the route search.
However, it is conceivable that the reading of the two-dimensional code is not performed until the position is within a predetermined range from the destination. That is, in FIG. 4, after calculating the current location in S130, it is determined whether the current location is within a predetermined range from the destination by comparing the coordinates of the destination with the coordinates of the current location,
If it is not within the predetermined range, the process returns to S120, and if it is within the predetermined range, the process proceeds to S140. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the reading of the two-dimensional code until it is within a predetermined range from the destination, thereby suppressing power consumption of the apparatus and contributing to prevention of running out of battery. Further, it is conceivable that the function of the control unit 27b in FIG. 2 is integrated into the navigation control circuit 30 to perform the function. In this case, the processing load on the navigation control circuit 30 can be significantly reduced. .

If the read two-dimensional code does not correspond to the destination facility and falls outside the above-mentioned predetermined range again, the driver can be informed that he / she has moved away from the destination by reporting the fact. (3) In the process for searching for a destination, S13 in FIG.
0 is used to calculate the current location. At this time, when the current location has reached the vicinity of the destination, route guidance for a road near the destination may be started. For example, on a road within a range of 100 m from the destination, route guidance is performed so that the vehicle travels in order of increasing road width. This makes it easier to find the target facility.

(4) The case where guidance is performed by setting a destination has been described above. However, there is a case in which a facility that satisfies a search condition is simply provided without setting a destination. The processing performed by the navigation control circuit 30 for searching for a facility that matches the search condition based on information read from the two-dimensional code 50 via the two-dimensional code reader 27 will be described with reference to FIG. This will be described with reference to FIG. 5 according to a flowchart.

In the first step S200 of FIG. 7, the conditions of the facility to be searched are set. Fig. 2
Items as shown in the information storage example. The search condition is input from the menu displayed on the display device 26 via the operation switch group 20 or a remote controller (not shown) via the remote control sensor 21. The input search condition is stored in a RAM (not shown) in the navigation control circuit.

At S210, it is determined whether the two-dimensional code reader 27 has read the two-dimensional code. If the two-dimensional code has been read (S210: YES), S2
Move to 20. On the other hand, if the two-dimensional code has not been read (S210: NO), S210 is repeated until the two-dimensional code is read.

In S220, it is determined whether or not the information of the read two-dimensional code satisfies the search condition stored in the memory in S200. As a result of the determination, when the search condition is satisfied (S220: YES), the process proceeds to S230. If the search condition is not satisfied (S220: NO), S21
Return to 0.

In step S230, a notification of guidance for finding a search facility is provided. An example of this notification is shown in FIG. Here, a map around the facility is displayed on the display device 26, and a mark indicating the location of the facility is displayed thereon. In addition, the words "Search conditions: Convenience store / liquor / tobacco facility found." Also, in addition to displaying the information, the speaker 28 "The facility was found.
Alcohol and tobacco. "

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, the name of the facility, which is information for specifying the facility, and the information on the location and the location of the facility are generally written on the signboard 51 of the facility. . In addition, products, services,
Other facility information, such as business hours, may also be posted. For example, in FIG. 2, ABCDEF is shown as a facility name, and in FIG. 6, XX bank, XX dentistry, XX sports center, X
X restaurant is described. As the facility location information, for example, in FIG. 6, locations in the building are shown, such as 5F, 4F, and 2F. In the case of FIG. 2, if the signboard 51 is adjacent to this facility, there is no need to write the signage, but if the signboard is in a remote place, "500 m ahead"
May be written. In addition, as other facility information, for example, in FIG. 2, 24OPEN and sake are described.

As can be seen from the above example, this sign 5
Since only part of the facility information can be described in No. 1, the details of the facility could not be understood without visiting the facility. However, according to the search of the present navigation device, since a lot of information as shown in the example of the stored information in FIG. 2 can be entered in the two-dimensional code 50, it is possible to accurately notify the user of the intended facility. it can.

The process of setting the search conditions as described above and searching for a facility that satisfies the conditions can be a function of the apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG.
Even if the configuration of the apparatus is simplified and the position detector 12 and the map data input unit 22 shown in FIG. 1 are omitted, a facility that matches the search condition can be found. With such a configuration, the size of the device can be significantly reduced. For example, the navigation control circuit 30, the speaker 18, the display device 26, the operation switch group 20, the two-dimensional code reader 2
7 may be used.

(5) As described above, when a search for a destination or a facility that satisfies the search conditions is performed and a relevant signboard or the like is found, the user is in front of the signboard or the like. It is desirable to inform. For example, in FIG. 6, when XX dentistry is set as the destination or when "dentistry" is set as the search condition, the user should be notified before passing this signboard.

However, there is a case where the notification is made after passing through the signboard 51 because the processing in the navigation control circuit 30 or the like is not in time. In this case, it is preferable to notify that the vehicle has passed the posting position. It is checked whether the two-dimensional code read in S140 and S210 immediately before the notification in S160 in FIG. 4 and S230 in FIG. 7 can be read again. If it loads again,
Since it is in front of the signboard, normal notification is performed. On the other hand, if it cannot be read again, it also notifies that it has passed the posting position along with the normal notification.

The passing of the posted position is determined by comparing the coordinate data of the two-dimensional code posted position read by the two-dimensional code reading device 27 with the current position calculated based on the value of the position detector 12. Alternatively, the two-dimensional code reading device 27 may measure the distance to the two-dimensional code posting position, and calculate and determine the traveling distance based on the vehicle speed sensor 12c.

(6) Like the facility (building 70) in FIG.
If the place where the two-dimensional code is posted is adjacent to the facility,
You can find the facility immediately. But, for example,
Like a guide sign a few kilometers before the facility,
When a two-dimensional code is posted in a place away from the facility, information indicating that the two-dimensional code is posted in a place away from the facility is included in the two-dimensional code, and when the code is read, the notification is made. Good. The processing in this case is performed in S1 of FIG.
If the information indicating that the information is posted at a position distant from the facility is included in 60 and S230 of FIG. 7, this is also notified.

In this case, it is preferable that the positional relationship between the facility and the posting place is further recorded in a two-dimensional code, and the positional relationship is notified at the same time. (7) When the information of the facility related to the date and time is included as in the business hours in the storage information example of FIG. 2, the current date and time input from the calendar clock 29 shown in FIG. Various processes can be performed by comparing the information with the facility information. For example, the business hours are compared with the current date and time, and if the current date and time are not within the business hours, it is possible not to notify even if the facility satisfies the search condition. In this way, it is possible to prevent a facility that is not operating from being notified.

(8) Although a CCD camera is used as a reading device, other code reading devices may be used. Further, a plurality of code readers may be provided. For example, one unit may be provided for each of the front, rear, left and right. When a camera is used, zooming may be performed when a two-dimensional code is found. Alternatively, the camera itself may be moved. The two-dimensional code is not always installed at a fixed height, and the left and right positions in the traveling direction of the vehicle change as the vehicle travels. Therefore, if the camera of the code reading device is configured to be movable, and an appropriate condition is set and the code reading device is moved up, down, left and right periodically, the number of missed readings is reduced. This operation may be made to move faster when the vehicle speed is high. According to such a configuration, it becomes easier to find the code.

(9) Although the ID unique to the facility is searched from the map data input unit 22, it may be searched from a ROM or a RAM (not shown) of the navigation control circuit 30. Further, information for specifying a facility such as a facility ID can be input via the external information input device 19 or the communication device 18. In this way, a new facility can always be specified.

(10) In the above-described embodiment, the QR code has been described as an example of the two-dimensional code 50.
The same applies to other two-dimensional codes. Also,
Barcodes and other electronically readable codes are also applicable, although the amount of information is limited.

(11) In the above-described embodiment, the operation switch group 20 and the remote controller are used for inputting an instruction and the like from the user. However, the instruction input may be made, for example, by voice input. In that case, a voice recognition device is added. In other words, the audio data of the user input via the microphone is sequentially subjected to acoustic analysis to extract an acoustic feature (for example, cepstrum), and time-series acoustic feature data obtained by this acoustic analysis is obtained. And
This time-series data is divided into several sections by a well-known DP matching method, HMM (Hidden Markov Model), a neural network, or the like, and a word corresponding to each section stored as dictionary data is determined.
Then, a high-order comparison target pattern having a high degree of coincidence is obtained as a recognition result, and the navigation ECU 30 is notified of, for example, a destination required for navigation processing or a command for executing processing such as route setting. . As a result of such processing, if this voice recognition device is used, it is possible to instruct a destination in route setting performed by the navigation ECU 30 by voice input without manually operating the operation switch group 20.

In this way, the communication between the navigation device and the user can be almost performed via voice, in addition to the above-mentioned voice notification, so that the vehicle can be used while driving. Can also ensure safety.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a navigation device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a signboard on which a two-dimensional code is posted and a navigation device mounted on a vehicle.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a QR code as a two-dimensional code.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a destination search process executed by the navigation control circuit according to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of a notification for a destination search and a notification for a facility search.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which a two-dimensional code is displayed on a signboard of a complex facility (building).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a facility search process executed by the navigation control circuit according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 navigation device 4 information distribution center 12 position detector 12a GPS receiver 12b gyroscope 12c vehicle speed sensor 12d geomagnetic sensor 18 communication device 19 external information input / output device 20 operation switch group 21 remote control Sensor 22 Map data input device 24 External memory 26 Display device 27 Two-dimensional code reader 27a Reading unit 27b Analysis unit 28 Speaker 29 Calendar clock 30 Navigation control circuit 50 Two-dimensional code 51 Signboard 60 ... vehicle 62 ... navigation body 70 ... building A, C, D ... positioning symbols E, F ... timing cell

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page F term (reference) 2C032 HB06 HC01 HC27 HC31 HD03 HD16 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AB09 AC01 AC02 AC04 AC06 AC18 5H180 AA01 BB02 BB04 BB05 BB13 BB15 CC04 FF04 FF05 FF12 FF13 FF22 FF25 FF25 FF27 FF27 FF25 FF27 FF25 FF27 FF27 FF25 FF25 FF27 FF25 FF25 FF27 FF27

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A search condition setting means for setting a search condition of a facility, a code reading means for reading an electronically readable code which is posted at a location having a predetermined positional relationship with the facility and includes information on the facility. Means, determining means for determining whether the information on the facility read by the code reading means satisfies the search condition set by the search condition setting means, and satisfying the search condition by the determining means And a notifying means for notifying the content of the notification when a predetermined condition is satisfied when the determination is made. 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said code reading means reads a two-dimensional code. 3. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising destination setting means for setting a destination, wherein said search condition setting means includes a destination set by said destination setting means. A search condition that can specify a facility, and the notifying unit notifies the user that the vehicle has arrived at the destination as the notification content when the condition is satisfied. 4. The navigation device according to claim 3, further comprising: a current position detecting means for detecting a current position; and providing route guidance from the current position detected by the current position detecting means to a destination set by the destination setting means. A navigation device comprising: route guidance means. 5. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein said route guidance means further guides a road near a destination. 6. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein the current position detected by the current position detection means enters a predetermined area based on the destination set by the destination setting means. And a code reading unit that starts reading a code. 7. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising: a passage determination unit that determines whether the code reading unit has passed a posting position of the code read by the code reading unit. The navigation device, when the passage determination unit determines that the vehicle has passed, notifies the user of predetermined notification content at the time of passage. 8. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said notifying means includes, in the code read by said code reading means, information indicating that said code exists at a location remote from a facility. If included, the navigation device is notified as the notification content when the condition is satisfied. 9. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein said notifying means includes a code read by said code reading means including information indicating a positional relationship between a facility and a posting place. Is a navigation device for notifying the positional relationship as the notification content when the condition is satisfied.