JP2001330455A - Automobile navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid displaying an incorrect present position because of a map matching process executed, e.g. when an automobile enters a parking lot and enhance a general versatility by making it independent of map information to judge whether or not the automobile enters the parking lot. SOLUTION: When it is judged that conditions whereby the automobile is determined to be present in a specific section are satisfied, the map matching process is stopped. In other words, when the mobile body is determined to be in the specific section, more correct present position information can be obtained by outputting by directly displaying on a map the present position measured by a self-contained navigation unit or by the like manner. The detected result of parameters utilized by a positioning function of the navigation apparatus is used to judge whether or not the mobile body is present in the specific section.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation device mounted on a moving body such as an automobile and outputting various information such as the current position of the moving body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, navigation devices mounted on moving bodies such as automobiles have become widespread. In recent years, such a navigation device has various functions. As its basic functions, for example, it measures the current position of a moving car or the like, and determines the measured current position. The user is informed of the current position by displaying it on a map or the like.

[0003] When positioning the current position in a navigation device, it is well known that the GPS (Global Positio) is used.
ning System) is adopted. That is, the current position is measured based on radio waves transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites. In addition, since it is often impossible to receive radio waves from GPS satellites depending on the situation in which a car is placed, for example, in a tunnel, a self-contained navigation unit including a vehicle speed sensor and a gyro is currently used. When the position measurement by GPS is impossible, the position of the moving object is measured based on the information obtained by the self-contained navigation unit.

However, it is known that sufficient accuracy cannot be obtained in the measurement by the self-contained navigation unit at this stage due to factors such as errors in road distance and measurement errors of the self-contained navigation unit itself. For this reason, in a state where the current position is measured mainly depending only on the self-contained navigation, a technique called a map matching process is widely adopted.

[0005] In the map matching process, a position on a road which is most appropriate corresponding to the current position is specified from map information based on the current position measured by, for example, self-contained navigation. Then, for example, on a display monitor that displays the current position, the current position of the vehicle is corrected and displayed as if it were on the road identified as described above. By adopting such a method, the current position displayed on the display monitor is always on the road, so that an unnatural display such as moving a place on the map other than the road is used. Can be avoided.

[0006]

However, the above-described map matching processing has the following problems. This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
(A) shows four roads (streets) and an actual traveling locus of a certain automobile. The trajectory of the vehicle is indicated by a chain line. A quadrangular area surrounded by four roads is an underground parking lot (or a multi-story parking lot).

As shown in FIG. 11 (a), the automobile travels from left to right on a laterally extending road on the lower side of the figure, turns right on the way, and enters a multi-story parking lot. Then, the course is finely changed in the multi-story parking lot as shown in the figure, and after that, the vehicle re-enters the road from the multi-story parking lot to a road extending in the lateral direction on the lower side of the figure. Then, it is assumed that the user left the multi-story parking lot and turned left, and proceeded to the left on this road.

Here, it is assumed that the map information around the multi-story parking lot is conceptually as shown in FIG. That is, the four roads shown in FIG. 11A exist as road data as they are.

Here, as shown in FIG. 11A, if an automobile enters an underground parking lot or a multi-story parking lot, in this case, radio waves from a GPS satellite may be captured. It is usually impossible to do so. Therefore, the navigation device at this time displays the own vehicle position by the map matching process while performing the position measurement by the self-contained navigation. As a result of performing the map matching process, the displayed vehicle position is corrected so that it is on a road near the parking lot, and is displayed. For this reason, the current position is displayed on a certain road around the car, even though the car is running in the parking lot. Accordingly, the traveling locus of the own vehicle on the display screen is, for example, a locus indicated by a white line in FIG. 11C, and is significantly different from the actual traveling locus.

[0010] As described above, in the current navigation system, as in the above-mentioned underground parking lot or multi-story parking lot, the G
When a car is placed in an area where the PS radio wave is difficult to reach or cannot reach it at all, and the direction of movement within the area is large, the display output of the current position with high accuracy is provided. However, there is a problem that the inconvenience of not being able to perform is easily generated.

Here, as one countermeasure, for example, on the assumption that information on a parking lot (for example, position information on an entrance and exit of a parking lot) is registered in map information used by a navigation device, for example, When it is determined that the vehicle has passed through the entrance on the map information, it is determined that the vehicle has entered the parking area, and the map matching process may be stopped. However, in such a method, it is essential that information on the parking lot is present in the map information, and when entering a parking lot that is not registered in the map information, the map matching process is also executed. As a result, accurate position display cannot be performed.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is applied to a case where display output of the current position only by self-contained navigation is required. It is an object of the present invention to obtain as accurate positional information as possible when placed in an area. In order to achieve this object, the realization is made without depending on the specific area information in the map information.

For this reason, position measuring means for measuring the current position of the moving object based on the detection result of the predetermined detection item,
A map matching unit that performs a map matching process based on the position information and the map information of the moving object measured by the position measuring unit; Area discriminating means for judging whether a condition corresponding to being within the area is satisfied, and responding when the moving object is judged to be in a specific area by the area discriminating means. Control means for controlling the map matching processing by the map matching means to be stopped.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the moving object is in a specific area, and to stop the map matching process if a positive result is obtained. The determination as to whether or not the moving object is in a specific area is made based on the measurement result of a predetermined detection item among various detection items used by the position measuring means. That is, it is possible to determine whether or not the moving object is in a specific area by using the detection function originally provided in the position measuring means without depending on the map information.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. As the navigation device of the present embodiment, a device mounted on an automobile will be described as an example. The following description will be made in the following order. 1. Navigation device 2. Operation when entering parking lot 2-1. Overview 2-1. Processing operation

1. Navigation Apparatus FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of the entire navigation apparatus according to the present embodiment. The navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes, for example, a navigation body 2, a display monitor 3, a GPS antenna 5, an autonomous navigation unit 6, a remote controller 8, and the like.

Although the detailed configuration of the navigation body 2 will be described later, it is based on the map information read from the recording medium 9 reproduced inside the navigation body 2 and the current position information.
For example, on the display screen 3a of the display monitor unit 3, the current position of the vehicle can be displayed on a map, and a drive route and navigation information serving as various guides can be displayed.

The recording medium 9 is, for example, a CD in this case.
-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), DV
D-ROM (Digital Video Disk / Digital Versatile)
The disk is a disk such as a Disk-Read Only Memory, and the map information is stored as described above.

Display screen 3a of display monitor 3
Is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays a display image based on image information output from the navigation body 2. The receiving unit 3b is a receiving unit that receives command information sent from the remote controller 8. This received information is transmitted to the navigation body 2 as described later.

Although not shown here, the navigation device of the present embodiment may be provided with an audio output unit such as a speaker. In this case, the navigation body unit 2 outputs voice navigation information such as a predetermined point (intersection), traffic congestion, right / left turn points, and wrong route directions to the voice output unit. , A warning sound or a guide sound can be output.

A GPS (Global Positioning System) antenna 5 is provided for receiving radio waves from a GPS satellite, for example. The radio wave received by the GPS antenna 5 is demodulated as received data and taken into the navigation main body 2, and is used for measuring the current position of the own vehicle as described later.

The autonomous navigation unit 6 is a portion for detecting traveling information such as the traveling speed and the traveling direction of the own vehicle. For example, as shown in the figure, a vehicle speed for detecting a vehicle speed pulse that changes according to the traveling speed of the own vehicle. The vehicle includes a sensor 6a and a gyro 6b for detecting the traveling direction of the vehicle. The traveling information detected by the autonomous navigation unit 6 is also output to the navigation body 2 and used to measure the current position of the vehicle. In particular, such an autonomous navigation unit 6 is used when, for example, a vehicle enters a tunnel or an underground passage, and the GPS antenna 5 cannot receive radio waves from satellite communication.
Used to measure the current position of the vehicle.

The remote controller 8 is used by a user to operate the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment, and includes various operation keys, a signal generation unit for generating a command signal in response to operation of the operation keys, a command signal As an infrared intensity modulation signal.
The command output by the infrared rays is received by the receiving unit 3b.

[0024] In addition to the operation means,
For example, it may be a remote controller by radio wave transmission, a remote controller connected to the navigation main unit 2 by wire, or an operation unit provided on the housing of the navigation main unit 2 or the display monitor unit 3.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the navigation main unit 2. In FIG. 2, a positioning unit 4 is a part that measures the current position of the own vehicle, and executes, for example, a predetermined calculation process based on GPS reception data transferred from the interface 14 and travel information of the own vehicle. Thus, latitude / longitude information as position information indicating the current position of the vehicle is obtained.

A ROM (Read Only Memory) 11 stores various programs for the navigation apparatus 1 of the present embodiment to execute required processing, and various non-rewritable factory preset data. The memory 12 includes, for example, a flash memory and an EEPROM capable of storing and holding its contents even when power is not supplied.
M (Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory)
So-called backup data is stored and held. Various types of backup data are available here. For example, various types of information such as a route set by the user are stored. Further, in the present embodiment, in particular, as described later, it is determined whether or not the own vehicle has entered the parking lot.
In M11, an area for storing a "specific area entry flag" indicating whether or not the own vehicle has entered the parking lot is secured.

DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memor)
y) 13 is used as a work area of the program, and is used for storing drawing data and the like for generating image navigation information reproduced from the recording medium 9 by the disk driver 18.

An interface (I / F) 14 is provided for connecting an external device to the navigation body 2. In this case, data received from the GPS antenna 5 is input to the interface 14 via the terminal 30, and a vehicle speed pulse detected by the vehicle speed sensor of the autonomous navigation unit 6 is input via the terminal 31. You. The traveling direction information of the own vehicle detected by the gyro 6b is input via the terminal 32. The received data from the GPS antenna 5 and the traveling information (vehicle speed pulse and traveling direction information) from the autonomous navigation unit 6 are
Is transferred to the positioning section 4 via the. The positioning section 4 inputs the transferred information as a parameter (detection item) and measures the current position of the own vehicle.

The clock unit 15 measures the current date and time, and the time information is used for time management required in the navigation device 1.

The input section 16 is connected to the receiving section 3b of the display monitor section 3 via the terminal 33, and receives a command signal from the remote controller 8 received by the receiving section 3b. Then, after converting the input command signal into a format that can be transmitted by the internal bus 20, the command signal is transferred to the control unit 19 via the bus 20. Control unit 2
In the case of 0, a required control process is appropriately executed based on the input command signal.

The display driver 17 generates image information for display under the control of the control unit 19 and outputs the generated image information to the display screen unit 3 a of the display monitor unit 3 via the terminal 34. For example, based on the map information read from the recording medium 9 and the current position information of the own vehicle calculated by the positioning unit 4, an image signal indicating the current position of the own vehicle is generated and output to the display monitor unit 3.

Here, as a process for displaying the current position on the map as described above, the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment can execute a map matching process. That is, when the current position information of the own vehicle actually measured by the positioning unit 4 is associated with the map information, the current position of the own vehicle deviates from a nearby road that is assumed to be on the map information. If it is determined that the vehicle is present, the current position of the vehicle is corrected so as to be on a required road according to a predetermined rule, for example. If the display on the map is performed based on the current position of the own vehicle corrected in this way, the running locus of the vehicle is always on the road. For example, if a GPS radio wave cannot be sufficiently captured in a tunnel, an underpass, a deep mountain area, or an area where high-rise buildings are densely located, it is impossible to measure the current position by the GPS. In this case, the current position is calculated only by the parameters of the vehicle speed and the running direction obtained from the self-contained navigation unit 6, but this accuracy is low at present. However, if the above-mentioned map matching processing is executed under such circumstances,
In almost the same manner as in the actual traveling state, it is possible to display the road on the map in such a manner that the current position of the own vehicle is traced.

The disk driver 18 is a part for reproducing the recording medium 9 and is provided with a reproducing function corresponding to a media format actually used as the recording medium 9. For example, map information and the like reproduced from the recording medium 9 are transferred to the DRAM 13 via the bus 20 and held there. At a required timing, the control unit refers to the map information and uses it as display data.

The control unit 19 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Pro
cessing unit) and executes required control for each circuit unit. Thereby, various operations in the navigation device described above are realized.

2. Operation when entering parking lot 2-1. Outline Navigation device 1 of the present embodiment having the above configuration
Is capable of executing a map matching process. However, as described in the conventional example, since it is a surrounding environment in which GPS radio waves cannot be captured, that is, in a surrounding environment in which a good radio wave reception state cannot be obtained for positioning, only the self-contained navigation is used. In an area where the current position measurement is performed and the azimuth change of the moving object may be large due to the environment of the place, the map matching processing is performed, and conversely, the accurate current position cannot be displayed. Is generated. Representative examples of such places include underground parking lots and multi-story parking lots. Underground parking lots cannot capture GPS radio waves at all, and multi-story parking lots often cannot capture GPS radio waves to the extent that their current position can be accurately measured. I know from experience. In addition, when moving in a parking lot, the direction of the car generally changes frequently and becomes large. And in practical use,
When the car enters and moves into the parking lot and the map matching processing is performed, there is a problem that the behavior of the trajectory of the own vehicle position is displayed differently from the actual trajectory.

Therefore, in the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not a car is placed in a situation characteristic of a parking lot or the like as described above. When it is determined that the user is moving, the map matching process is stopped. Then, based on the current position information obtained only depending on the traveling information (vehicle speed and traveling azimuth information) obtained from the self-contained navigation unit 6, the correction is not performed by the map matching process, and for example, almost directly onto the map. Performs the mapping process of the current position. Note that such processing is hereinafter referred to as “direct mapping processing” and is distinguished from “map matching processing”.

FIG. 3 conceptually shows an apparent operation obtained by performing the map matching stop processing as described above. For example, as an actual running locus of the automobile, FIG. It is assumed that it is as shown in FIG. This is the same as the conventional example shown in FIG.
The same figure as (a) is used. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the map information recorded on the recording medium 9 is
It is assumed that this is the same as that described with reference to FIG. In the case of the present embodiment, the above-described operation is performed, so that the traveling locus displayed on the display monitor unit 3 corresponding to FIG. Is as shown in FIG. 3 (b). In this way, after the vehicle enters the parking lot, the actual traveling locus shown in FIG. 3A is used as the traveling locus in the parking lot in order to shift from the map matching process to the direct mapping process. It will almost correspond to.

2-1. Processing Operation In the present embodiment, the determination at the time of shifting from the map matching processing to the direct mapping processing includes determination of a GPS radio wave capturing state and vehicle speed information obtained from the self-contained navigation unit 6 (vehicle speed sensor 6a and gyro 6b). And travel azimuth information. In other words, for example, information for measuring the current position is used without depending on information such as a parking lot on the map information. Then, as a detection result of these pieces of information, for example, a determination is made as to whether or not a predetermined condition that the vehicle is in a parking lot is satisfied, and a map matching process and a direct mapping process are performed based on the determination result. Is switched.

With such a configuration, even if the vehicle enters a newly built parking lot which is not on the map information, for example, the current position in the parking lot can be displayed with high accuracy. Also, for example, not limited to parking lots, GPS
Even if you enter an area or place where radio waves cannot be captured and the car frequently changes direction,
The present position at this time can be displayed with high accuracy.

[0040] In the following description, the area in the above situation, such as a parking lot, will be described.
It will be called "specific area". In other words, it is an area where the GPS cannot be captured and an azimuth change of a certain magnitude or more occurs, and the direct mapping processing can present more accurate position information. On the other hand, other areas for which it is appropriate to perform other map matching processing are referred to as “normal areas”. Here, for example, a tunnel or an underpass of a general road should be determined as a normal area depending on the case. In other words, tunnels and underpasses are GP
Although it is impossible to capture S, generally, there is no extreme change in direction as compared with a parking lot. Also, the vehicle speed is not so much lower than the road outside the tunnel.

Hereinafter, a processing operation for switching between the map matching processing and the direct mapping processing according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. The process shown in these figures
This is executed by the control unit 19 of the navigation body 2.

FIG. 4 shows a processing as a main routine as a processing operation for switching between the map matching and the direct mapping processing. In the process shown in this figure, first, in step S101, it is determined whether or not the specific area entry flag f indicating whether or not the own vehicle has entered the parking lot is currently set to f = 1. When the specific area entry flag f is set to f = 1, it indicates that the own vehicle is entering a specific area represented by, for example, a parking lot, and the parking area is set to f = 0 when f = 0. Indicates that the vehicle is in a normal area other than.

The specific area entry flag f is stored in the memory 12 of the navigation main body 2. For example, even if the car is parked and the power of the navigation apparatus 1 is turned off, the contents up to that point are retained. If the power is turned on in response to, for example, turning on the engine of the automobile again, the control unit 19 determines that the specific area entry flag f By referring to the value of, it is possible to identify whether the vehicle is currently in a specific area or a normal area. Therefore, for example, when the processing shown in this figure is first executed at the time of power-on, in step S101, the value of the specific area entry flag f stored in the memory 12 corresponding to the last power-off is changed. Will refer to.

In step S101, if a negative result is obtained with the specific area entry flag f = 0, the own vehicle is regarded as being in the normal area. Thus, for example, the map matching processing is executed by the processing of the subsequent step S102.

Then, in the next step S103, a situation monitoring process is executed. The situation monitoring process here is a parameter for measuring the current position, GP
By monitoring the status of the radio wave received by the S antenna 5, the vehicle speed information detected by the vehicle speed pulse from the vehicle speed sensor 6a, and the traveling azimuth information detected by the gyro 6a, the vehicle enters the specific area. A determination process is performed to determine whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied.
Then, in the present embodiment, as the situation monitoring process, it is determined whether or not the following four conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied. Condition (1) The GPS radio wave cannot be captured for a predetermined time or more. Condition (2): The state in which the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a predetermined value continues for a predetermined time or more. Condition (3) Within a predetermined radial distance from the current position of the vehicle,
There must be no road within a predetermined heading difference from the running direction of the vehicle. Condition (4): An angular velocity equal to or greater than a predetermined value is generated as the movement of the own vehicle.

The conditions (1) to (4) are set on the following grounds. It is assumed that the specific area is a parking lot in order to make the description easy to understand. Condition (1) is, as described above,
Not only underground parking, but also multi-level parking,
This is set because it is almost impossible to continuously capture GPS radio waves. In the parking lot,
As described above, a relatively frequent and large change of direction is required, and a relatively narrow passage with pedestrians requires an automobile to operate at a low speed close to a slow speed. Condition (2) focuses on this point. The condition (3) also indicates that the direction of the car is likely to change when entering the parking lot. Therefore, when the vehicle actually enters the parking lot, for example, a road having a direction matching the traveling direction of the own vehicle in the vicinity of the surrounding area. It is set based on the fact that there is almost no case. It is also considered that satisfying the condition (3) eliminates, for example, a case where the vehicle enters a tunnel or an underpass. The condition (4) is set on the basis that a sudden change in direction of the own vehicle may occur in the parking lot.

The processing for determining whether or not each of the above-mentioned conditions (1) to (4) is satisfied will be described later. The determination result is obtained by using at least one of the three parameters of the vehicle speed information detected by the gyro 6a and the traveling direction information detected by the gyro 6a. As will be described later, in the present embodiment, condition flags f1, f2, f3, and f4 are assigned to each of the conditions (1) to (4). Then, for each condition flag, if the condition is satisfied, "1" is set, and if not, "0" is set. The condition flags f1, f2, f3, and f4 are also stored in, for example, the DRAM 13 (or the memory 12).

In this embodiment, when all of these conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, it is assumed that the own vehicle has entered a specific area. That is, if f1 = f2 = f3 = f4 = 1, then
It is to be treated as having entered a specific area. This process is performed at step S following step S103.
This is the processing of step 104. That is, as a result of the execution of the process of step S103, the condition flags f1, f2, f3, and f4 corresponding to the conditions (1) to (4) are set to either “0” or “1”, and are stored in the memory. 12 are stored in the predetermined area, but in step S104,
The condition flags f1, f2,
It is determined whether or not f3 and f4 are all "1".

If a negative result is obtained in step S104, it is determined that the vehicle has not entered the specific area in this case, and the process returns to step S101.
On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained, it is considered that the vehicle has entered the specific area. In this case, in step S105, the specific area
'1' is set and the process returns to step S101. At this time, an affirmative result is obtained in step S101, and the process proceeds to step S106 and subsequent steps. That is, processing corresponding to the case where the own vehicle enters the specific area is executed.

In step S106, control for stopping the map matching process and proceeding to the direct mapping process described above is executed. This allows
In the following, the control unit 9 does not perform correction of the current position by the map matching process, and uses the current position information obtained based on the traveling information (vehicle speed and direction) from the self-contained navigation unit 6 as it is on the map information. And the display output to the display screen 3a of the display monitor unit 3 is executed.

Then, in step S107, a situation monitoring process is performed when it is determined that the vehicle has entered the specific area, that is, under the condition that the specific area entry flag f = 1. In this case, assuming that the vehicle is currently entering the specific area, it is determined whether or not the situation has been obtained in which the vehicle has exited the specific area and entered the normal area. It is assumed that a situation determination process for making the determination is performed.

In the situation determination processing in step S107, the following two condition items (A) and (B) are determined. Condition (A): Return to a state where GPS radio waves can be captured for a predetermined time or longer. Condition (2): The vehicle speed is higher than a predetermined value. That is, assuming that the car goes out of a specific area such as a parking lot and enters a normal area such as an outdoor general road, first, the condition (1) is set so that the GPS radio wave can be captured. ) Is satisfied, and if you enter a normal area, you will normally enter a general road, and you will run at a normal speed that matches the general road,
In this case, the condition (2) is satisfied.

In this case, condition flags f5 and f6 are provided corresponding to each of the conditions (A) and (B).
It is assumed that the data is stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 13. If the condition (A) is satisfied, the condition flag f5 = 1 is set,
If not, set f5 = 0. Similarly, if the condition (B) is satisfied, the condition flag f6 = 1 is set, and if not, f6 = 0 is set.

Then, based on these results, it is determined that the vehicle has gone from the specific area to the normal area. In this case, one of the conditions (A) and (B) is satisfied. It should just be done. That is, if a result of f5 = 1 or f6 = 1 is obtained for the condition flags f5 and f6, it is recognized that the vehicle has entered the normal area. This processing is the processing of step S108.
That is, in step S108, the previous step S1
07, it is determined whether at least one of the values of the condition flags f5 and f6 obtained from the processing result of 07 is "1", and a positive result is obtained to enter the normal area. If so, the process proceeds to step S109, where "0" is set for the specific area entry flag f, and the process returns to step S101. On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained, the process returns to step S101.

By the above-described processing, for example, when it is determined that the vehicle is within the normal area, the map matching processing is executed. That is, a display operation of the current position as a normal navigation device is obtained. And condition (1)-
If the condition (4) is satisfied, the display of the current position suitable for entering the specific area can be obtained by executing the direct mapping process. On the contrary,
Condition (A) under the condition that it is assumed to be in a specific area
If any one of (B) is satisfied, it is determined that the vehicle has entered the normal area, and the process returns to the map matching process.

Here, the above-mentioned step S103 → S
In the situation monitoring processing in 104 and the determination processing based on the processing result, it is required that all of the four conditions (1) to (4) be satisfied.
In the situation monitoring process from S107 to S108 and the discrimination process based on the process result, only the two conditions of the conditions (A) and (B) are set, and if one of the conditions is satisfied, the requirement is satisfied. . That is, the latter is looser in condition than the former.

This is an operation of the navigation device that should be executed by the map matching process in consideration of the user's usage environment and the like. The direct mapping process by canceling the map matching process is performed, for example, in a parking lot or the like. It is to be treated as a special case when entering a specific area. In other words, the process from step S103 to S104 is a process of determining whether or not the vehicle has entered the specific area under the condition of being in the normal area. It is set strictly. As a result, for example, due to some temporary situation change, the direct mapping process is performed assuming that the vehicle has entered the specific area even though the vehicle is actually located in the normal area. It is what prevents. Conversely, step S
The process of 107 → S108 is a process for judging that the vehicle has entered the normal area under the condition of being in the specific area, that is, the direct mapping which is a special case processing. This is a process for returning from the process to the normal map matching process. Therefore, in this case, the condition is relaxed so that the map matching process can be returned earlier, so that there is no problem in using the navigation device in normal times.

However, depending on the processing from step S103 to step S104, it is not always necessary to determine whether all of the above conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied. That is, if the accuracy of the determination is sufficient, a part of the conditions (1) to (4) may be used. It is also conceivable that a process is performed so that any one of these conditions may be satisfied for a plurality of conditions. For example, as long as the condition (1) is satisfied, the remaining conditions (2) to (4) may be determined to be in a specific area if any one of the conditions is satisfied. It is. Regarding such a point, for example, Step S107 → S1
The same applies to the processing of step 08. For example, contrary to the case described above, if both the conditions (A) and (B) are not satisfied,
It is conceivable not to judge that the vehicle has entered the normal area, or to further include a condition having predetermined contents other than the conditions (A) and (B).

Next, step S103 shown in FIG.
As a situation monitoring process, a process of determining whether or not each of the conditions (1) to (4) is satisfied will be sequentially described. These processes are processes for setting any one of “1” and “0” for the condition flags f1, f2, f3, and f4 based on the determination result.

The process shown in FIG. 5 is a process for determining whether or not the condition (1) is satisfied.
1 is to be set. In the process shown in this figure, first, in step S201, '0' is set for the condition flag f1. Then, in the next step S202, the quality of the received data received by the GPS antenna 5 and input via the interface 14 is determined, so that the GPS
It is determined whether or not the radio wave is not captured. Here, as long as a negative result is obtained while the GPS radio wave is being captured, the GPS radio wave capture status is always monitored by the process of step S202. On the other hand, if it is determined that the GPS radio wave is not captured and a positive result is obtained, the process proceeds to step S203, and a timer T (1) provided in, for example, the control unit 19 is started. , Step S204
Proceed to.

In step S204, it is determined whether or not the GPS radio wave has been captured, and if a positive result is obtained, the timer T (1) is reset in step S205 and the process returns to step S202. Return to processing. On the other hand, if it is determined that the GPS radio wave cannot be continuously captured and a negative result is obtained, the process proceeds to step S206, and the current timer time T (1) is a predetermined time, n ( 1) Compare with second, and determine whether or not the relationship of T (1) ≧ n (1) is established. That is, the GPS radio wave as the condition (1) is kept for a predetermined time (n (1) seconds).
It is determined whether or not a state of not being captured over the above is obtained. If a negative result is obtained in step S206, step S2
The process returns to step S04, but if a positive result is obtained, the process proceeds to step S207.

The process proceeds to step S207 because the condition (1) is satisfied.
At 07, "1" is set for the condition flag f1 for which "0" has been set. Then, in this case, in the next step S208, it is checked again whether or not the GPS radio wave has returned to the captured state. Here, as long as a positive result is not obtained, the check processing as step S208 is repeated, and if the state returns to the state where the GPS radio wave is captured,
Returning to the processing of step S201, the condition flag f1 is set to "0", and the subsequent processing is executed. According to such a process, the predetermined time n
(1) If the GPS is not captured for more than seconds, it is determined that the condition (1) is satisfied and the condition flag f1 = 1 is set.

It should be noted that how long n (1) seconds as the predetermined time is set may be arbitrarily determined according to the GPS reception situation when the vehicle actually enters a parking lot or the like. However, in the present embodiment, for example, 1
It is set to about 0 seconds.

Next, the determination process corresponding to the condition (2) will be described with reference to FIG. Depending on this process,
The setting of the condition flag f2 is performed.
In the processing shown in FIG.
In the above, '0' is set for the condition flag f2. Then, in the next step S302, the current vehicle speed information detected by the vehicle speed pulse output from the vehicle speed sensor 6a is obtained, and whether or not the current vehicle speed is in the range of 0 to m (km / h) is determined. Is determined. This is for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling at a speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed actually set as, for example, m kilometers per hour. And as long as the negative result is obtained here,
By the processing in step S302, the vehicle is always waiting for the current vehicle speed to be equal to or less than m kilometers per hour. On the other hand, if the vehicle speed has been reduced to within m kilometers per hour and a positive result is obtained,
Proceeding to step S303, the timer T (2) provided in the control unit 19 is started, and then proceeding to step S304.

In step S304, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed has exceeded m kilometers per hour. If an affirmative result is obtained, the timer T is determined in step S305.
(2) is reset, and the process returns to step S302.
On the other hand, if a negative result is still obtained that the vehicle speed does not exceed m kilometers per hour, step S3
Proceed to 06.

In step S306, the current timer time T (2) is compared with a predetermined time, n (2) seconds, to determine whether or not the relationship of T (2) ≧ n (2) holds. Is determined. this is,
It is determined whether or not the condition that the low-speed traveling (or the stop state) at a speed equal to or lower than the predetermined speed, which is the condition (2), continues for a predetermined time (n (2) seconds) or more is obtained. Means that. If a negative result is obtained in step S306, step S3
The process returns to step S04, but if a positive result is obtained, the process proceeds to step S307.

The process proceeds to step S307 when condition (2) is satisfied. Therefore, step S30
In step 7, "1" is set for the condition flag f2. Also in this processing routine, in the subsequent step S308, a check is made again as to whether the vehicle speed has exceeded m kilometers per hour.
Here, unless a positive result is obtained, this step S
The checking process as 308 is repeated, and the vehicle speed becomes m / h.
If the distance exceeds the kilometers, the process returns to step S301, and "0" is set for the condition flag f2. According to such processing, the vehicle speed becomes m / h
If the state of low-speed traveling within a kilometer is continued for n (2) seconds or more that is a predetermined time, the condition flag f2 = 1 is set as satisfying the condition (2).

In this case, how to set the variable m indicating the vehicle speed and n (2) seconds as the predetermined time depends on the behavior of a general automobile when actually entering a parking lot or the like. It may be determined for reference, but as an example, m = 30 (30 km / h)
If n (2) = about 10 seconds, it can be considered that it is possible to appropriately cope with the manner of movement of the car in the parking lot.

FIG. 7 shows a judgment process corresponding to the condition (3), in which the condition flag f3 is set. In the process shown in this figure, '0' is set for the condition flag f3 in step S401. In the next step S402, based on the current position of the own vehicle and the traveling direction of the own vehicle measured by the positioning unit 4, and the surrounding map information corresponding to the own vehicle position, a radius a from the own vehicle position is calculated. It is determined whether or not there is a road within the range of meters within a direction difference b degrees from the traveling direction of the vehicle.

Here, if a negative result is obtained within a range of a radius of a meter from the position of the vehicle and a road within the azimuth difference of b degrees exists in step S402. Waiting is performed so as to repeat the processing. On the other hand, when an affirmative result is obtained, it is determined that the condition (3) is satisfied, and the process proceeds to step S403.
Proceed to. Then, in step S403, “1” is set for the condition flag f3.

In this case, after “1” is set for the condition flag f3 in step S403, the process proceeds to step S403.
In 404, a determination is made as to whether or not a road exists within a direction difference b degrees from the traveling direction of the own vehicle within a range of a radius a from the own vehicle position. As long as a negative result is obtained, this step S
This means that the vehicle is on standby by repeating the process of 404, but within a range of a meter radius from the own vehicle position, there is a change in the state where there is a road within azimuth difference b degrees with respect to the traveling azimuth of the own vehicle. If it is determined that step S4 has been performed,
01. Even with such processing, if the requirement as the condition (3) is satisfied, the condition flag f3 is set to “1”, and if the requirement is not satisfied, “0” is set. Further, a specific parameter as the condition (3), which is a radial distance a from the vehicle position,
(Meters) and heading difference b with respect to the heading of the vehicle
(Degree), for example, a = 30
(Meters) and b = 5 (degrees) are appropriate here. Of course, actually,
A value different from this may be set.

FIG. 8 shows a determination process corresponding to the condition (4), in which the condition flag f4 is set. In this process, first, in step S501, '0' is set for the condition flag f4. Then, the next step S50
In 2, it is determined whether or not an angular velocity of c (deg / s) or more has occurred as a behavior of the own vehicle. c (d
The angular velocity equal to or more than (eg / s) corresponds to a relatively rapid displacement in the traveling direction of the vehicle, which is considered to be accompanied when moving in the parking lot. Here, the angular velocity c (deg /
As s), for example, if c is set to about 5, it is considered that the behavior of the vehicle in the parking lot can be distinguished from the behavior on the general road.

As long as a negative result is obtained in step S502, for example, the process of step S502 is repeated. On the other hand, if an affirmative result is obtained, it is determined that the condition (4) is satisfied, and the process advances to step S503 to set “1” for the condition flag f4. According to the above-described processing, the condition (4) is considered to be satisfied if the angular velocity equal to or more than c (deg / s) is obtained once. For example, a predetermined number of times (for example, 2, It is also possible to determine that the condition (4) is satisfied when an angular velocity not less than c (deg / s) over three times) is obtained.

As described above, the processes shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 are executed as the status monitoring process in step S103 shown in FIG. Thus, the condition flags f1, f to be determined in step S104
The values of 2, f3 and f4 are set according to the situation corresponding to the current area where the vehicle is located. The sequence in the case where each process shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 is actually executed is performed. For example, each process may be executed in parallel and almost simultaneously. In some cases, these processes may be sequentially performed. At this time, for example, when it is determined that the condition is satisfied by a process corresponding to a certain condition, the process may be shifted to a process corresponding to another condition to be executed next for the first time.

Subsequently, step S107 shown in FIG.
The determination process as to whether or not each of the conditions (A) and (B) is satisfied, which is the status monitoring process, will be described sequentially. These processes are performed by the condition flags f5, f
6 is a process of setting any one of '1' and '0'.

The process of FIG. 9 is a process for determining whether or not the condition (A) is satisfied, and sets the condition flag f5. In this routine, first, in step S601, '0' is set for the condition flag f5. Then, in the subsequent step S602,
It is determined whether or not it has returned to a state where GPS radio waves can be captured. Here, for example, if a negative result is obtained because the vehicle is still located in the specific area,
For example, the process of step S602 is continued. On the other hand, if a positive result is obtained in step S602, the process proceeds to step S603.

In this processing, for example, even if a positive result is obtained in the above-mentioned step S602 after the GPS radio wave is captured, it is necessary to exclude a case where this is a temporary result.
(5) is started. Then, in the next step S604, a determination is made as to whether or not the state has returned to a state in which GPS radio waves are not captured. And here again GP
If an affirmative result is obtained because the S radio wave has not been captured, the timer T (5) is reset in step S605, and the process returns to step S602. However, the GPS radio is still in a state where GPS can be captured. If a negative result is obtained, the process proceeds to step S606.

At step S606, the timer time T
For (5) and a predetermined time n (5) seconds, it is determined whether or not T (5) ≧ n (5) is satisfied. This is GPS
A determination is made as to whether or not a state in which radio waves can be captured has passed a predetermined time (n (5) seconds) or more.
That is, it is determined whether or not the condition (A) is satisfied. Here, as the n (5) indicating the predetermined time, for example, n (5) = about 5 seconds may be set.

If a negative result is obtained in step S606, the process returns to step S604 and the determination according to the current GPS radio wave capturing state is performed again. If a positive result is obtained, , The condition (A) is satisfied, the condition flag f5 is set to "1", and the process ends.

The process of FIG. 10 is a process for determining whether or not the condition (B) is satisfied.
Make settings for. In this figure, "0" is set for the condition flag f6 in step S701. Then, in the subsequent step S702, the control waits until the current vehicle speed becomes d (km / h) or more. Here, for example, if the vehicle speed d is set to about d = 40 (km / h), it is considered that the inside of the parking lot can be distinguished from the general road. Then, step S70
If a positive result is obtained in 2, it is determined that the condition (B) is satisfied, and the process advances to step S703 to set '1' for the condition flag f6.

The processing shown in FIG. 9 and FIG.
Is executed as the situation monitoring process in step S107, the values of the condition flags f5 and f6 to be determined in the next step S108 are set. Also, the processing routines shown in FIGS.
For example, they may be executed simultaneously in parallel.

In the above embodiment, the conditions and various values serving as judgment factors when the conditions are satisfied are set in consideration of the case where the vehicle enters the underground parking lot or the multi-story parking lot as the specific area. However, as described above, the specific area where the direct mapping process is to be performed is not limited to the parking lot, and various conditions are assumed on the assumption that the vehicle enters some specific area in an environment other than the parking lot. And a value as a determination element may be set.

In the present invention, an example is described in which a navigation device is mounted on an automobile. However, if the navigation device is capable of performing a map matching process, the navigation device is mounted on a moving object other than the automobile. It can be applied to the device.

[0084]

As described above, according to the present invention, the map matching processing is stopped when it is determined that the moving object satisfies the condition that the moving object is located in a specific area such as a parking lot. Therefore, when it is assumed that the moving object is located in the specific area, the current position measured by the position measurement means is output as it is displayed on a map as it is, so that more accurate position information is obtained. This makes it possible to improve the reliability of the navigation device. In the present invention, in particular, the determination as to whether or not the moving object is located in the specific area uses a detection result of a predetermined parameter (detection item) used by the position measuring means. In other words, this means that it is possible to determine whether or not a specific area is present without depending on information indicating a specific area on the map information. Even if the information of the specific area where the moving object has entered does not exist on the map information due to, for example, oldness, it can be determined almost exactly that the area is the specific area. As a result, as the function of stopping the map matching process corresponding to the specific area, higher reliability can be obtained, and versatility can be given by not depending on map information.

According to the present invention, when it is determined that the vehicle is in a specific area, the area information indicating this is stored. For this reason, for example, after the power of the navigation device is stopped to park a moving object such as a car, when the power of the navigation device is turned on to start the engine, the power of the navigation device is determined based on the contents of the stored area information. Thus, control as to whether or not to execute the map matching process can be performed. For example, when the power of the navigation device is turned on, it is not necessary to execute the determination process based on the detection information from the position measuring means from the beginning, and thus the area where the moving object is placed at that time The start or stop of the map matching process according to is immediately executed.

Further, according to the present invention, when judging whether or not the area is a specific area, G is determined as a condition to be satisfied.
It is determined whether a radio wave transmitted from a positioning system such as a PS satellite cannot be captured continuously for a predetermined time or more. Alternatively, it is determined whether or not the speed of the moving object is equal to or lower than a predetermined value. Alternatively, it is determined whether or not a road having a predetermined direction difference with respect to the traveling direction of the moving object does not exist on the map information within a predetermined distance from the current position of the moving object. Further, it is determined whether or not an angular velocity equal to or higher than a predetermined value is obtained for the moving body. By judging whether or not these conditions are satisfied, for example, especially in an underground parking lot or a multi-story parking lot, the radio wave of the positioning system cannot be captured, and the change in the movement of the moving body is large and the speed is low. When an environment in which traveling is required is assumed as a specific area, it is possible to more accurately determine the specific area.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of a navigation device as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a navigation main body.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a locus of a current position on a display screen by a direct mapping process when entering an underground parking lot.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a processing operation as a main routine for switching between a map matching process and a direct mapping process according to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a situation monitoring process corresponding to a condition (1).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a situation monitoring process corresponding to a condition (2).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a situation monitoring process corresponding to a condition (3).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a situation monitoring process corresponding to a condition (4).

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a situation monitoring process corresponding to the condition (A).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a situation monitoring process corresponding to a condition (B).

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a locus of a current position on a display screen by a map matching process when entering an underground parking lot.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 navigation device, 2 navigation body,
3 Display monitor, 5 GPS antenna, 6
Autonomous navigation unit, 6a vehicle speed sensor, 6b gyro,
8 remote controller, 9 recording medium, 11 RO
M, 12 memories, 13 DRAM, interface, 15 clock unit, 16 input unit, 17 display driver,
18 disk driver, 19 control unit, 20 bus

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] June 26, 2000 (2006.2.
6)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Figure 2

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 2

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. Based on a detection result of a predetermined detection item,
Position measuring means for measuring the current position of the moving body, map matching means for performing a map matching process based on the position information of the moving body measured by the position measuring means, and map information; Area determination means for determining whether or not a condition corresponding to the case where the moving object is assumed to be in a specific area based on a measurement result of a predetermined detection item, Control means for controlling so as to stop the map matching processing by the map matching means when a moving body is determined to be within a specific area. 2. The control means stores area information indicating that the moving body is in a specific area when the moving body is in a specific area by the area determining means. 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein control for stopping map matching processing by the map matching means can be executed based on the area information. 3. 3. The area determination means determines, as one of the conditions, whether or not the radio wave transmitted from the positioning system cannot be continuously captured by the position measurement means for a predetermined time or more. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the navigation device is configured to perform the navigation. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the zone determining means determines whether or not the speed of the moving body detected by the position measuring means is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, as one of the conditions. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein 5. The current position of the moving object based on a current position of the moving object detected by the position measuring means and a traveling direction of the moving object as one of the conditions. The method according to claim 1, wherein within a predetermined distance from the vehicle, it is determined whether or not a road having an azimuth difference of a predetermined value or more with respect to the traveling direction of the moving object does not exist on the map information. Navigation device. 6. The zone determining means determines one of the conditions as to whether an angular velocity of the moving object detected by the position measuring means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein: