JP2004340641A - Navigation system and navigation method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To store a by-pass route traveling for evading congestion to set a traveling route efficiently. <P>SOLUTION: This navigation system has a route searching means for searching the traveling route based on a road data, and a storage means for storing a by-pass data as to the by-pass route traveling for evading the congestion in the past. The route searching means searches the traveling route, referring to the by-pass data stored in the storage means, in the navigation system. In the navigation system, the route is set efficiently using by-pass history in the past, because the route searching means searches the traveling route, referring to the traveling route traveling in the past. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a navigation device. In particular, according to the present invention, when the vehicle detours on a congested road, the detour (detour route) is stored, and the route that passes through this detour is used in the subsequent traveling route search, so that the vehicle can travel efficiently. The present invention relates to a navigation device that can be used.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Recent navigation devices can receive road information transmitted from, for example, a road traffic information center (hereinafter, referred to as a VICS center) and know traffic jam information on a road on which a vehicle is traveling. Further, there is also provided a navigation apparatus having a function of, for example, proposing a detour to avoid the traffic jam information when the traffic jam information is acquired from a VICS center or the like while traveling, or presenting a time to a traffic jam point.
[0003]
For example, Patent Literature 1 proposes a navigation device that focuses on the fact that the state of traffic congestion on a road changes every moment, and predicts and responds to traffic congestion at the time when a vehicle actually passes a traffic congestion point. I have. Such a navigation device is effective for the user because route guidance or the like can be performed according to the time when the vehicle actually reaches the congestion point.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-365068 A
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
At present, traffic congestion information provided from a VICS center via a radio beacon installed on a highway or an optical beacon installed on a general road is local. Therefore, when the vehicle approaches the traffic congestion point considerably, the navigation device confirms that there is traffic congestion, and at that time, an optimal detour (detour route) is searched. Generally, such a detour route is set in order to avoid the congestion at hand, so that the route actually traveled by the vehicle as a whole is a wasteful route. That is, the vehicle often travels on a wasteful (high cost) route compared to the route setting when the detour route is run from the beginning.
[0006]
In the case of the navigation device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the time at which the vehicle arrives at the traffic congestion point is predicted and responded, so that the route can be set with less waste than in the case pointed out above. However, this navigation device only repeats the same operation when it travels on the same road later and encounters the same traffic jam.
[0007]
That is, in the conventional navigation device, the proposed detour in the case of traffic congestion is not stored, and the same proposal is repeated again in the same situation thereafter. However, the user often travels on the same road repeatedly. If you encounter a natural traffic jam (congestion that occurs regularly) on a certain road and you can avoid the traffic jam in a short time through the detour route, then if a driving route using the detour is set, Therefore, the vehicle can be driven at low cost. However, there is a situation in which the conventional navigation device is not configured to utilize a detour that has traveled during a traffic jam.
[0008]
Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, store a detour that the vehicle has traveled in order to avoid traffic congestion, and use this detour in later navigation to efficiently use the detour. Another object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device for setting a proper traveling route.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The above object has a route search means for searching for a traveling route based on road data, and a storage means for storing detour data related to a detour that has avoided traffic congestion in the past, wherein the route search means is stored in the storage means. This is achieved by a navigation device that searches for a traveling route with reference to the obtained detour data. According to the present invention, since the route search means searches for a traveling route also by referring to a detour that has traveled in the past, it is possible to perform efficient route setting using a past detour history. As will be described in detail later, this detour may be automatically recognized by the navigation device. However, the user inputs that the user is traveling on the detour from an input device such as a remote controller and receives detour data. It may be created and used.
[0010]
The route search means may change a part of the travel route initially searched to a detour that has been traveled in the past and use the route as a basic travel route, but search for a route including the detour as a basic travel route. Is more desirable. If a route that passes through a detour is searched as a basic traveling route, an efficient traveling route that can cope with traffic congestion can be set.
[0011]
Vehicle position detection means for detecting the position of the vehicle; travel route confirmation means for confirming whether or not the vehicle has traveled the route searched by the route search means based on the detection by the vehicle position detection means; When it is confirmed that the vehicle has traveled on the detour by the route confirmation means, the detour is stored in the storage means, and the search result is corrected so as to be preferentially handled in the subsequent route search by the route search means. It is desirable to further include a search route correction unit. With this configuration, it is possible to automatically set a traveling route including a detour that has traveled in the past. Since the detour that the vehicle traveled during the traffic jam is stored and used for setting a subsequent travel route, a travel route that can cope with the traffic jam can be set more efficiently.
[0012]
It is preferable that the apparatus further includes a road information acquisition unit that acquires road information, and the route search unit searches for the detour on the basis of traffic congestion information from the road information acquisition unit. In this case, a route search unit searches for a detour while utilizing traffic information transmitted from an external traffic information center such as a VICS center, and can use the detour for subsequent vehicle driving. Become.
[0013]
It is preferable that the search route correcting means is configured to allow the detour to be stored in the storage means only when the required time to the destination is shorter than the initial travel route. With this setting, a detour route that can reduce the time can be reliably used.
[0014]
Even if the departure point and the destination are different, the searched route correction means may determine that the travel route searched by the route search means is related to the detour stored in the storage means. It is desirable to set so that the search result is corrected so that is given priority. With this setting, the stored detour can be effectively used. In addition, it is preferable that the search route correction unit causes the route search unit to search again for a low-cost route when the detour is adopted. Thereby, an efficient traveling route using the detour can be proposed to the user.
[0015]
The road information obtained by the road information obtaining means includes exceptional congestion information and natural congestion information caused by a traffic accident, road construction, and the like. Is preferably set so that the detour used at that time is not stored in the storage means. With this setting, it is possible to suppress unnecessary storage of a detour based on the exceptional traffic information. Further, the search route correction means further includes a timekeeping unit for confirming at least the date and time, and in the case of natural traffic congestion, the date and time information on which the vehicle traveled is stored in the storage means as part of the detour data. It is desirable to keep it. Further, the road information of the road information acquisition unit includes information on a new road, and when the travel route searched by the route search unit includes the new road, the search route correction unit gives priority to the detour route. It is preferable to make settings so as to cancel unnecessary handling.
[0016]
Further, the road information of the road information acquisition means includes information on a newly established road, and when the road information acquisition means acquires the new road information affecting the vehicle traveling, the route re-search by the route search means is performed. The information processing apparatus may further include a correction updating unit that executes and corrects a correction result by the search route correcting unit. In this case, the once corrected route search result is further updated based on the latest road information. Therefore, it is possible to search for a more preferable traveling route based on traffic information that affects the traveling of the vehicle such as opening of a new road.
[0017]
Further, the present invention also provides a navigation method in which when the vehicle travels on a detour, the detour is stored, and in a subsequent route search, a traveling route including the detour is treated with priority over an initial traveling route. Including. In this navigation method, it is desirable to store the information only when the time required for the detour to reach the destination from the initial traveling route is reduced.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. The navigation device 1 includes a disk driver 11, an operation unit 12, a communication device 13, a vehicle speed sensor 14, a GPS receiver 15, a gyro sensor 16, a VICS sensor 17, a reverse sensor 18, a navigation controller 20, a display 40, and a speaker 41. I have.
[0019]
The disk driver 11 reads data and programs from various types of map data necessary for map display, route search, and the like, and from a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD, or HDD that stores programs as necessary. The operation unit 12 is a remote controller and input keys for the user to input various instructions to the navigation controller 20. The communication device 13 is a vehicle-mounted telephone or the like for communicating with a service center (a service center of a maker or another institution). The vehicle speed sensor 14 outputs a vehicle speed in accordance with a pulse generated at every fixed traveling distance. The GPS receiver 15 receives a GPS signal sent from a GPS satellite and detects the current vehicle position and the current vehicle direction. More specifically, the GPS receiver 15 receives radio waves transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites, performs three-dimensional positioning processing or two-dimensional positioning processing, calculates the absolute position and direction of the vehicle, Is output together with the positioning time. The gyro sensor 16 is a sensor for detecting the direction of the vehicle. The vehicle direction is calculated by sampling a predetermined number of directions obtained from the current vehicle position and the vehicle position one sampling time ΔT ago.
[0020]
The VICS sensor 17 receives traffic information provided from a VICS center via an optical beacon, a radio beacon, or the like. When a vehicle passes under a transmitter that transmits the optical beacon or the radio beacon, road information is transmitted from the transmitter to the vehicle. This road information includes transmitter position data. The reverse sensor 18 outputs a signal indicating that the vehicle is moving backward. The vehicle speed sensor 14, the gyro sensor 16, and the reverse sensor 18 enable autonomous navigation and complement navigation using GPS. The navigation device 1 accurately grasps the position of the vehicle using these sensors.
[0021]
The display 40 displays a map image around the own vehicle together with a vehicle position mark, a departure point mark, a destination mark, and the like based on the image data output from the navigation controller 20, and displays a guide route and a detour route on this map. And the like. The speaker 41 outputs various messages to the user based on audio data output from the navigation controller 20.
[0022]
The navigation controller 20 includes a buffer memory 21, interfaces (I / F) 22 to 28, a control unit 29, a map drawing unit 30, an operation screen / mark generation unit 31, a route storage unit 32, a route drawing unit 33, and a mark storage unit 34. , A mark drawing unit 35, an image synthesizing unit 36, a backup memory 37, an audio output unit 38, and a connection ID storage unit 39. The buffer memory 21 temporarily stores map data and programs read from the recording medium by the disk driver 11. The interfaces 22 to 28 are connected to the operation unit 12, the communication device 13, the vehicle speed sensor 14, the GPS receiver 15, the gyro sensor 16, the VICS sensor 17, and the reverse sensor 18, respectively, and form an interface with the control unit 29.
[0023]
The control unit 29 is configured by a microcomputer, for example, and controls the entire navigation controller 20. For example, the control unit 29 processes the GPS signal of the GPS receiver 15 and the output signals of the vehicle speed sensor 14, the gyro sensor 16, and the reverse sensor 18 and the VICS sensor 17 for the autonomous navigation to determine the own vehicle position and the own vehicle direction. Various processes related to navigation, such as calculating or searching for a route from the departure point to the destination under the search conditions set using the read map data, are executed.
[0024]
The map drawing unit 30 performs a map image drawing process using the map data read into the buffer memory 37. The operation screen / mark generation unit 31 generates various menu screens (operation screens) and various marks such as a vehicle position mark and a cursor according to the operation status. The route storage unit stores the data of the guidance route searched by the control unit 29. Specifically, the route storage unit 32 stores data on all nodes (coordinates of points displayed in latitude and longitude) from the starting point to the destination of the guidance route searched by the control unit 29 and changes the data during the search. The data of the guidance route is stored. The control unit 29 has a timekeeping function, and causes the route storage unit 32 to store data in which a route traveled by the vehicle is associated with the month, day, time, day of the week, and the like.
[0025]
The route drawing unit 33 reads the data (node sequence) of the guide route from the route storage unit 32 and draws the guide route in a color and a line width different from those of other roads. The mark storage unit 34 relates to icons of a predetermined shape (brand icons, category icons, and the like) provided as information indicating the position of the target property on the map screen, and marks of a simple shape provided in place of the icons. Data is stored in advance. The mark drawing unit 35 performs a drawing process of the data read from the mark storage unit 34 under the control of the control unit 29. The image synthesizing unit 36 synthesizes images output from the map drawing unit 30, the operation screen / mark generation unit 31, the route drawing unit 33, and the mark drawing unit 35 and outputs them to the display 40.
[0026]
The audio output unit 38 outputs an audio signal to the speaker 41 based on a signal from the control unit 29. The connection ID storage unit 39 stores addresses, connection IDs, passwords, and the like of service centers of manufacturers and other organizations. The backup memory 37 is composed of a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM or a flash memory, and backs up various data to be backed up. As described above, the navigation device 1 has a normal function for guiding the mounted vehicle to the destination.
[0027]
Further, as will be described below, the navigation device 1 has a new configuration in which a detour used to avoid the traffic jam is stored and used in subsequent navigation. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram shown so that the characteristic configuration included in the navigation device 1 can be easily understood. The outline of the characteristic configuration included in the navigation device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that such a new configuration is realized by the existing units shown in FIG. The details will be described later.
[0028]
The navigation device 1 includes a vehicle position detection unit 2, a road information acquisition unit 3, a route search unit 4, a traveling route confirmation unit 5, a search route correction unit 6, a storage unit 7, and a timing unit 8. The vehicle position detecting means 2 detects the position of the own vehicle on which the navigation device 1 is mounted, and supplies the detection signal to the route searching means 4 and the traveling route confirming means 5. The road information acquisition unit 3 supplies the traffic congestion information acquired from outside to the route search unit 4. The route searching means 4 searches for an efficient (low cost) traveling route from the departure point to the destination, and also searches for a traveling road based on the information supplied from the vehicle position detecting means 2 and the road information acquiring means 3. If there is congestion, an efficient detour is searched from the current position of the vehicle.
[0029]
The traveling route confirmation unit 5 confirms whether or not the vehicle has actually traveled on the detour searched by the route searching unit 4. For this traveling confirmation, the traveling route confirmation unit 5 uses the detection signal of the vehicle position detection unit 2 and the search result of the route search unit 4. When the vehicle actually travels on the detour searched by the route searching means 4, the search route correcting means 6 outputs a search result which preferentially treats the detour in the subsequent route searching by the route searching means 4. Control. That is, when the search route correcting unit 6 receives from the traveling route confirmation unit 5 a signal indicating that the vehicle has actually traveled on the detour searched by the route searching unit 4, the route passing through the detour is regarded as a new basic route. The search result of the route search means 4 is corrected so as to be as follows.
[0030]
When receiving a signal indicating that the vehicle has actually traveled on the detour searched by the route search means 4 from the traveling route confirmation means 5, the search route correction means 6 stores the detour in the storage means 7. Then, the search route correction means 6 monitors the search operation by the route search means 4 and corrects and stores the search result if the route setting is related to the detour stored in the storage means 7. Control is performed so that a route including a detour is a basic route. Therefore, the user can run a preferable route including a road capable of coping with traffic congestion from the beginning. That is, according to the navigation device 1, efficient (low cost) route setting is executed from the beginning using the past detour history. It is desirable that the search route correction means 6 be configured to check the date and time, the day of the week, and the like from the timekeeping means 8 and to grasp the situation in which the user has traveled on the detour. This will be described later.
[0031]
Each of the units 2 to 8 shown in FIG. 2 is realized by each unit included in the navigation device 1 shown in FIG. That is, the vehicle position detecting means 2 is realized by the vehicle speed sensor 14, the GPS receiver 15, the gyro sensor 16, and the reverse sensor 18. The road information acquisition means 3 is realized by the VICS sensor 17. The route searching means 4, the traveling route checking means 5, the searched route correcting means 6, and the clocking means 8 are realized by the control unit 29. The storage unit 7 is realized by the route storage unit 32. The general operation when each means shown in FIG. 2 functions is as described above, but the content of the search route correction executed by the control unit 29 which is the main part will be described in more detail below.
[0032]
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state of the search route correction performed by the control unit 29. FIG. 3A shows an initial guidance route when the control unit 29 functions as the route search means 4 and searches from the departure place (Start) to the destination (Goal). If there is no congestion, the vehicle will travel on this guide route RU1. Next, FIG. 3B shows a case where the VICS sensor 17 obtains information indicating that a traffic jam TG has occurred on the guide route RU1, and the control unit 29 functions as the route search means 4 to avoid this. The case where the route is searched and the detour DR is guided is shown. The user can avoid congestion by traveling on the detour DR. The congestion handling up to this point is the same as that of the conventional navigation device.
[0033]
Here, in the conventional navigation device, when the vehicle arrives at the destination through the steps shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the traveling history is reset. Thus, for example, if the user travels the same route a few days later and also encounters congestion, a detour route is similarly searched based on the information at that time regardless of past travel. . However, since the detour route set to avoid traffic congestion is for avoiding traffic congestion, there is a lot of waste when viewed on the entire route on which the vehicle has traveled. That is, the conventional navigation device repeats such waste.
[0034]
In response to this, the control unit 29 of the navigation device 1 corrects the search route as shown in FIG. At this time, the control unit 29 functions as the traveling route confirmation unit 5 and the search route correction unit 6. When the control unit 29 confirms that the vehicle has traveled on the detour DR, the control unit 29 causes the route storage unit 32 to store the detour DR. Then, for example, in the subsequent route search, if the destination is the same, this detour DR is corrected to a search result that preferentially proposes. That is, as shown in FIG. 3 (C), when the user travels on the detour DR, the control unit 29 thereafter determines the search result so as to adopt the route traveling on this detour DR as the basic route BR. Fix it. This basic route BR may be a part of the initial route that is simply a route in which the detour DR is changed, but it is more desirable that the basic route BR be re-searched on the assumption that the detour route DR is passed. By performing the search in this way, the detour route DR is efficiently incorporated into the traveling route, so that the route setting can be performed without waste as a whole.
[0035]
It is preferable that the above-described correction of the search route by the control unit 29 be performed only when the time required to reach the destination is reduced by the vehicle traveling on the detour DR. In order to confirm the time effect when the vehicle travels on the detour DR in this way, the control unit 29 itself may have a timekeeping function, or may be separately provided in the navigation device 1. This is because even if the vehicle travels on the detour route DR to avoid traffic congestion, it is less meaningful to forcibly perform the search route correction unless the required time is shortened. In this regard, the control unit 29 may be set to automatically execute the correction of the search route when the required time is shortened. Further, a confirmation message as to whether or not the route passing through the detour DR may be set as the basic route may be displayed on the display 40 in FIG.
[0036]
Further, even when another (new) route is searched, the control unit 29 similarly corrects the search result when traveling on a road on which the detour DR has already been set in another route. This will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 4A to 4D are views for explaining the contents executed by the control unit 29 when a different driving route is searched and the road RU1 on which the detour route DR is set is included. It is. As shown in FIG. 4A, even when the departure point (Start) and the destination (Goal) are different, the road RU1 traveled before that is often included. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, when there is a history that the detour route DR has been set on the road RU1, that is, when the detour route DR is stored in the route storage unit 32, the control unit 29 As shown in FIG. 4C, priority is given to a route search result using the detour DR avoiding the congested road TG. With such a configuration, the detour route DR stored in the route storage unit 32 can be effectively used even when traveling on different routes.
[0037]
However, as shown in FIG. 4D, it is desirable that the control unit 29 is set so as to re-search for a route when the detour DR is adopted. By setting in advance in this way, a more efficient basic route BR including the bypass route DR can be set instead of the route ER included first. As described above, since the control unit 29 corrects the search route by using the past traffic jam avoidance history, the navigation device 1 can set an efficient route while avoiding the traffic jam and propose an optimal traveling route.
[0038]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the navigation operation by the navigation device 1. The superior points of the navigation device 1 are more clearly understood from this flowchart. This flowchart is started, for example, by a user's route search instruction from the operation unit 12, and is executed by the control unit 29. The control unit 29 starts a route search (S102) and searches for an efficient route. Then, the control unit 29 confirms whether or not the searched route passes through a past congestion point. That is, the control unit 29 checks whether the searched route travels on a congested road corresponding to the detour DR stored in the route storage unit 32.
[0039]
If it is the first search route, this step (S) 102 becomes no (NO), and the process of step 200 is started. Here, assuming that the route searched by the control unit 29 is the first time, processing after step 200 will be described first. The control unit 29 acquires congestion information from the VICS center from the sensor 17 (S201), and continues monitoring whether there is congestion on the traveling route (S202). If it is confirmed in this step 202 that there is a traffic jam, a predicted time calculation based on the traffic jam is calculated (S203), and an effective detour route for avoiding the traffic jam is searched for and guided to the user by the display 40 or the like. . At the same time, measurement of the elapsed time is started (S204).
[0040]
In the next step 205, the control unit 29 confirms whether or not the user has traveled on the proposed detour using the signal from the GPS receiver 15 or the like. After confirming that the user is traveling on the detour presented in step 205, it is confirmed whether or not the time has been reduced by this detour (S206). This step 206 is incorporated as a more preferred form as described above. Only when the time can be reduced by adopting the detour, priority is given to the subsequent route search.
[0041]
When the control unit 29 confirms that the time has been shortened by the vehicle traveling on the detour, the control unit 29 stores the detour as an effective traffic jam avoidance history in the route storage unit 32 (S207). Then, when the route guidance has been completed (S208), the processing of this flowchart ends. After the above processing, the effective detour is stored in the route storage unit 32.
[0042]
Now, in a state where the predetermined detour is stored in the route storage unit 32 as described above, this flowchart is started again and the route search is started (S101). Then, it is determined whether the searched route is the same as the previous route or the searched route passes through the road on which the detour is set (S102). Then, when the search route passes through this detour, the search is performed again as it passes through this detour (S103), and a more efficient route is specified (S104, S105). Thereafter, the processing after step 200 described above is executed. Note that the processing in steps 104 and 105 is more preferable processing for searching for an efficient route when passing through a detour. The flow may proceed from step 103 to step 200.
[0043]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a navigation device 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows a characteristic configuration corresponding to FIG. 2 described above. The same parts as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The navigation device 100 includes a correction updating unit 9 for further updating the search result corrected by the search route correcting unit 6. The correction updating means 9 is a means added so as to cope with a case where a new road is opened, for example.
[0044]
In the above-described embodiment, no consideration is given to the opening of a new road. Therefore, even when a new road is opened beside a road on which a detour is set, a situation in which a search result employing a detour is given priority without considering this road may be assumed. In order to suppress the occurrence of such a situation, a correction updating unit 9 for further correcting the search route corrected by the search route correction unit 6 with reference to information acquired from the VICS sensor 17 or the like is provided. It is an embodiment. In the case of the present navigation device 100, it can be provided as a more preferable navigation device that can cope with ever-changing road conditions. It should be noted that the correction updating means 9 included in the navigation device 100 can also be realized by the control unit 29 described above.
[0045]
As a modification of the first embodiment, when the road information of the road information acquisition unit includes information on a new road, the search route modification unit 6 performs preferential treatment of the detour. Even when the setting is not made, an effect similar to that of the second embodiment can be obtained.
[0046]
Regarding the two embodiments described above, it is desirable that the correction of the search route by the control unit 29 be set in consideration of the month, day, day of the week, time, etc., in which the vehicle has traveled on the detour route DR. For example, traffic is generally congested at the end of the month. If you happen to run on a road on such a day, you will encounter traffic on other roads on other days. In addition, roads are exceptionally congested when road works are performed or traffic accidents occur. In order to cope with such an exceptional traffic jam, a confirmation message as to whether or not the detour route DR is used as a subsequent basic route is displayed on the display 40 in FIG. Is desirably set so as to follow the user's instruction. Similarly, some users may have traveled on the road because the detour route was presented by the navigation device, but may not want to travel next time. In order to cope with such a case, it is necessary to display a confirmation message on the display 40 of FIG. 1 so as to confirm the intention of the user whether the detour DR is used as the subsequent basic route. Is desirable.
[0047]
The navigation device according to the above-described embodiment includes a vehicle position detecting unit 2, a road information acquiring unit 3, a traveling route checking unit 5, and the like as a configuration for storing a detour, and searches and stores a detour. It is a device that performs automatically and does not burden the user. However, when the vehicle deviates from the proposed initial travel route, the user is inquired, "Is it a detour for traffic congestion?", And if the user responds "High" with a device such as a remote controller, this is stored as a detour A configuration in which the information is stored in a unit may be adopted.
[0048]
Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention described in the appended claims.・ Change is possible.
[0049]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, a detour that a vehicle has traveled during a traffic jam is stored and used for setting a subsequent travel route, so that navigation that can efficiently guide a travel route corresponding to the traffic jam is provided. An apparatus can be provided. In particular, only when the time required to reach the destination is reduced, it is possible to propose a traveling route that can surely reduce the time by storing the detour in the storage unit.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram shown so that a characteristic configuration included in the navigation device shown in FIG. 1 can be easily understood.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a state of correction of a search route executed by a control unit included in the navigation device.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a content executed by a control unit when a new route search includes a road set by a detour.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation performed by the navigation device.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a navigation device according to a second embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1,100 Navigation device
2 Vehicle position detecting means
3 Road information acquisition means
4 Route search means
5 Driving route confirmation means
6 Search route correction means
7 Storage means
8 Timekeeping means
9 Modification and update means
14 Vehicle speed sensor
15 GPS receiver
16 Gyro sensor
17 VICS sensor
18 Reverse sensor
29 Control unit
32 route storage

Claims (13)

Route search means for searching for a driving route based on road data;
Storage means for storing detour data related to a detour that has avoided traffic congestion in the past,
The navigation device, wherein the route search means searches for a traveling route with reference to the detour data stored in the storage means. 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the route search unit changes a part of the initially searched travel route to the detour and sets the route as a basic travel route. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the route searching means searches a route including the detour as a basic traveling route. Vehicle position detecting means for detecting the position of the vehicle;
Travel route confirmation means for confirming whether or not the vehicle has traveled the route searched by the route search means based on the detection by the vehicle position detection means;
When it is confirmed that the vehicle has traveled on the detour by the traveling route confirmation means, the detour is stored in the storage means, and the search result is preferentially handled in the subsequent route search by the route search means. 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising: a search route correcting unit that corrects the search route. 5. The navigation apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising road information acquisition means for acquiring road information, wherein said route search means searches for said detour based on traffic congestion information from said road information acquisition means. 5. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein the search route correction unit stores the detour in the storage unit only when a required time to a destination is shorter than an initial traveling route. 6. . Even if the departure point and the destination are different, the searched route correction means may determine that the travel route searched by the route search means is related to the detour stored in the storage means. 5. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein the search result is corrected so as to preferentially handle. The road information obtained by the road information obtaining means includes exceptional traffic information and natural traffic information caused by traffic accidents, road works, and the like. The navigation device according to claim 5, wherein the detour used at that time is not stored in the storage means. The search route correction unit further includes a timer unit for confirming at least the date and time, and stores the date and time when the vehicle traveled as part of the detour data in the storage unit when natural traffic congestion occurs. The navigation device according to claim 8, wherein The road information of the road information acquisition unit includes information on a new road, and when the travel route searched by the route search unit includes the new road, the search route correction unit performs preferential treatment of the detour. 6. The navigation device according to claim 5, wherein the navigation device is canceled. The road information of the road information acquisition means includes information on a new road. The navigation apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a correction updating unit that corrects a correction result obtained by the search route correction unit. A navigation method characterized by storing a detour when traveling on a detour, and prioritizing a traveling route including the detour over an initial traveling route in a subsequent route search. The navigation method according to claim 12, wherein the detour is stored only when a required time from an initial traveling route to a destination is shortened.

Images