JP2005077299A - Navigation system and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation system capable of indicating a proper guidance route in response to various objective criteria. <P>SOLUTION: A route extraction processing section 105 extracts respectively a plurality of running routes connecting from a place of departure to a destination from base map data 103, by using specified information 102 of an objective section, and generates route candidate data 106 showing each extracted running route. A route evaluation processing section 109 identifies a weighting value for evaluation from a weighting data table 108 for evaluating routes by purposes, in accordance with objective criteria specified in specified information 107 for objective criteria, and then evaluates each running route of the route candidate data 106 by using this weighting value. A route decision processing section 111 determines as a guidance running route in accordance with route evaluation value data 110. Then, a route display processing section 112 displays the guidance running route determined by the route decision processing section 111. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation system and a program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, navigation systems that are installed and used in vehicles (such as automobiles) have been widely used.
For example, when a departure point and a destination are designated by a user, the navigation system appropriately searches for a guidance route from the departure point to the destination, and displays the guidance route obtained by the search on a map image on a monitor. indicate. In addition, the navigation system combines and displays a host vehicle symbol indicating the current position of the host vehicle (own vehicle) on a map image showing the guidance route.
The user can easily reach the destination by driving the vehicle along the guidance route while grasping the current position of the vehicle with the vehicle symbol on the map image.

  In order to search for a guidance route, such a navigation system stores in advance road network information including, for example, section information which is an element of each road called a link and intersection / branch point information called a node. ing. Then, from these stored road network information, a combination of a link and a node such that the distance from the starting point to the destination is the shortest distance or the required time is the shortest time is searched, and the guide route As presented.

And the technique regarding the display of such a navigation system is also disclosed (for example, refer patent document 1).
JP 7-159194 A (page 3-4, FIG. 1)

As described above, the conventional navigation system searches for a guide route that has the shortest distance and the shortest time when searching for a guide route from the departure point to the destination.
However, the guidance route searched in this way often does not always satisfy the user. In other words, since the purpose and conditions for traveling are different for each user, even if the guidance route with the shortest distance and the shortest time is uniformly presented, various problems occur when traveling along the guidance route.

For example, as an example of user's needs, a) If you want a driving route with the least fuel consumption (energy saving), b) Because the user (driver) is a beginner or an elderly person unfamiliar with driving, There are cases where the driver wants a driving route with as few turns as possible and lane changes as much as possible, and c) because the passenger is an infant or a sick person and wants a driving route that is as comfortable as possible.
In such a case, if you drive along the suggested shortest distance or shortest time guide route, it is against energy saving, it is difficult for beginners to drive, and it is more than necessary for infants due to shaking etc. It will be painful.

In other words, even if the user desires energy saving, for example, if a guidance route such as crossing a mountain with many ups and downs is searched, even if it is the shortest distance or the shortest time, it is contrary to energy saving. It will be.
In addition, when the driver is a beginner or the like, for example, if a guidance route that frequently uses right turns or lane changes is searched, the beginner or the like is forced to drive with a high degree of difficulty. The driver may give up driving along the way.
Furthermore, when a passenger is an infant or the like, if a guidance route such as an unpaved road having a large (large) road surface unevenness is searched, the infant or the like may cry due to poor riding comfort.

  That is, the conventional navigation system has a problem that an appropriate guidance route according to various objective conditions is not presented.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a navigation system and a program capable of presenting an appropriate guidance route according to various objective conditions.

In order to achieve the above object, a navigation system according to the first aspect of the present invention provides:
A traffic network information storage unit configured to include a plurality of nodes and links defining a traffic network, and to store traffic network information in which predetermined determination items are set for each node and link;
Weight information storage means for storing a weight value for each determination item of the traffic network information corresponding to a plurality of objective conditions;
Objective condition acquisition means for acquiring arbitrarily specified objective conditions;
Route search means for searching traffic network information stored in the traffic network information storage means and searching for a plurality of travel routes connecting at least two points;
Route evaluation means for evaluating each travel route searched by the route search means according to a weight value of the weight information storage means corresponding to the objective condition acquired by the objective condition acquisition means;
Route determining means for determining one moving route according to the evaluation result of each moving route by the route evaluating means;
It is characterized by providing.

  According to this invention, the objective condition acquisition means acquires arbitrarily specified objective conditions (for example, energy saving, safe driving in accordance with driver characteristics, etc.). The route search means searches the traffic network information stored in the traffic network information storage means, and searches for a plurality of travel routes connecting at least two points (for example, a departure place and a destination). The route evaluation means evaluates each travel route searched by the route search means according to the weight value of the weight information storage means corresponding to the objective condition acquired by the objective condition acquisition means. Then, the route determination means determines one movement route (that is, a guidance route) according to the evaluation result of each movement route by the route evaluation means. As a result, an appropriate guidance route can be presented according to various objective conditions.

In order to achieve the above object, a navigation system according to the second aspect of the present invention provides:
Basic map data defining basic items of a plurality of nodes and links constituting a transportation network;
Judgment map data defining items for judging multiple nodes and links;
A weight data table that defines weight data for each determination item of the determination map data in correspondence with a plurality of objective conditions;
Destination section setting means for setting a destination section consisting of a departure place and a destination;
Objective condition acquisition means for acquiring arbitrarily specified objective conditions;
A route extracting means for extracting a plurality of travel routes connecting the target sections set by the target section setting means from the basic map data;
Route evaluation means for evaluating each of the travel routes extracted by the route extraction means according to weight data in the weight data table corresponding to the objective condition acquired by the objective condition acquisition means;
Route determination means for determining a guidance route that conforms to a specified target condition in accordance with the evaluation result of each travel route by the route evaluation means;
It is characterized by providing.

  According to the present invention, the destination section setting means sets a destination section composed of a departure place and a destination. The objective condition acquisition means acquires arbitrarily specified objective conditions (for example, energy saving and safe driving according to the driver's characteristics). The route extraction means extracts a plurality of travel routes connecting the target sections set by the target section setting means from the basic map data. The route evaluation means evaluates each travel route extracted by the route extraction means according to the weight data in the weight data table corresponding to the objective condition acquired by the objective condition acquisition means. The route determination means determines a guidance route that matches the target condition according to the evaluation result of each travel route by the route evaluation means. As a result, an appropriate guidance route can be presented according to various objective conditions.

  The node determination item may include at least one of the presence / absence of a signal, the number of road intersections, the visibility, and the number of accidents per year.

  The determination items of the link include at least one-way presence / absence, high-speed / general road distinction, congestion degree, number of signals, maximum curve curvature, road width, number of accidents per year, maximum gradient, average gradient, and road surface unevenness level. Any of the above may be included.

  The objective condition may include at least one of energy saving, safe driving according to the driver's characteristics, and comfortable driving according to the characteristics of the passenger.

  The route determination unit may present an evaluation result of each travel route by the route evaluation unit and determine an arbitrarily selected travel route.

In order to achieve the above object, a navigation system according to the third aspect of the present invention provides:
A navigation system in which a plurality of terminals and servers are connected via a network,
The server
A determination map data generating means for generating determination map data defining items for determination of a plurality of nodes and links constituting a transportation network;
Determination map data transmission means for transmitting the determination map data generated by the determination map data generation means to the terminals, respectively.
Each terminal is
Basic map data defining basic items of multiple nodes and links;
A weight data table that defines weight data for each determination item of the determination map data in correspondence with a plurality of objective conditions;
Determination map data receiving means for receiving determination map data transmitted from the server;
Destination section setting means for setting a destination section consisting of a departure place and a destination;
Objective condition acquisition means for acquiring arbitrarily specified objective conditions;
A route extracting means for extracting a plurality of travel routes connecting the target sections set by the target section setting means from the basic map data;
Route evaluation means for evaluating each of the travel routes extracted by the route extraction means according to weight data in the weight data table corresponding to the objective condition acquired by the objective condition acquisition means;
Route determination means for determining a guidance route that conforms to a specified target condition according to the evaluation result of each travel route by the route evaluation means,
It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, in the server, the determination map data generation means generates determination map data that defines determination items for a plurality of nodes and links constituting the traffic network, and transmits determination map data. The means transmits the map data for determination to each terminal. On the other hand, in each terminal, the determination map data receiving means receives the determination map data transmitted from the server, and the route extraction means has a plurality of travel routes connecting the target sections set by the target section setting means. The route evaluation means extracts each travel route extracted from the basic map data according to the weight data of the weight data table corresponding to the objective condition acquired by the objective condition acquisition means, and the route determination means However, in accordance with the evaluation result of each traveling route, a guidance route that matches the designated target condition is determined. As a result, an appropriate guidance route can be presented according to various objective conditions.

Each terminal is
A measuring means for measuring predetermined measurement data accompanying movement;
Movement data generation means for generating movement data corresponding to nodes and links, the measurement data measured by the measurement means;
Moving data transmitting means for transmitting the moving data generated by the moving data generating means to the server;
The server
It further comprises mobile data receiving means for receiving mobile data transmitted from each terminal,
The determination map data generation means may generate determination map data by analyzing the movement data received by the movement data reception means.

In order to achieve the above object, a program according to the fourth aspect of the present invention provides:
A destination section setting step for setting a destination section consisting of a departure point and a destination, a destination condition acquiring step for acquiring a destination condition specified arbitrarily, and the destination section set by the destination section setting step are connected to a computer. A route extraction step for extracting a plurality of travel routes from predetermined traffic network information, and each of the travel routes extracted by the route extraction step in a weight data table corresponding to the target condition acquired by the target condition acquisition step. A route evaluation step for evaluating each according to the weight data, and a route determination step for determining a guidance route suitable for the specified target condition according to the evaluation result of each travel route in the route evaluation step are performed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to present an appropriate guidance route according to various objective conditions.

  A navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a navigation system applied to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, this system is configured by connecting a vehicle-mounted terminal 1 mounted on a user's vehicle (vehicles Va, Vb, etc.) and a management server 2 via a wireless communication network 9.

  The in-vehicle terminal 1 includes, for example, a navigation device having a communication function. As shown in FIG. 2, the CPU 11, the RAM 12, the storage device 13, the display device 14, the disk drive 15, the input device 16, and the like. A communication device 17 and a sensor group 18 are included.

A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11 controls the entire in-vehicle terminal 1 by executing a program read out to a RAM 12 (a program execution area 12a described later), for example.
Specifically, the CPU 11 executes a navigation process, which will be described later, searches for a plurality of travel routes to the destination, and evaluates each travel route according to the travel purpose (travel conditions). Then, the travel route with the highest evaluation (or the travel route selected by the user in consideration of the evaluation) is determined as the guide travel route, and the user is appropriately guided to the destination along the guide travel route. .

A RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 includes, for example, a dynamic RAM and the like, and secures (stores) a program execution area 12a and a work area 12b.
In the program execution area 12a, a program executed by the CPU 11 is appropriately read from the storage device 13 (a program storage area 13a described later) and stored. The work area 12b appropriately stores work data and the like necessary when the CPU 11 executes the program.

The storage device 13 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a non-volatile memory, a hard disk, or the like, and secures a program storage area 13a, a data storage area 13b, and the like.
In the program storage area 13a, various programs including navigation processing described later are stored in advance. The data storage area 13b stores various data corresponding to each program in advance.

The display device 14 includes, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and displays various images generated by the CPU 11.
Specifically, the display device 14 displays a setting image (such as a list of place names or a map image) for allowing the user to set a destination or the like when the CPU 11 executes navigation processing described later, Display a selection image (purpose list, etc.) for allowing the user to select (condition).
In addition, after the guide route to the destination is determined, the road on the map image indicating the guide route is painted with a specific color (colored), and the vehicle (self-vehicle) of the vehicle is displayed on the map image. A navigation image in which the own vehicle symbol indicating the current position is superimposed is displayed.

The disk drive 15 is loaded with a disk d made of, for example, a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and reads map data, table data, and the like stored in the disk d.
First, the map data includes road network information that defines the road network in addition to the map image for display. As an example, the road network information includes node information shown in FIG. 3 and link information shown in FIG.

The node information is information that defines a node to be an intersection, a branch point, etc., and as shown in FIG. 3, the node number, link connection information, location information, presence / absence of a signal, number of road intersections, prospects, and annual Includes information such as the number of accidents. Each node is managed by a node number.
Note that the link connection information and the position information in FIG. 3 are basic data items used for searching a travel route. Information such as the presence / absence of a signal, the number of road intersections, the prospects, and the number of accidents per year are data items for determination used for determining a multipurpose route.

The link information is information that defines a link that becomes a section road connecting nodes, and as shown in FIG. 4, the link number, node connection information, section distance, one-way, high speed, congestion degree, number of signals It includes information such as maximum curve curvature, road width, number of lanes, number of accidents per year, maximum slope, average slope, and road surface irregularities. Each link is managed by a link number.
Note that the node connection information and the section distance in FIG. 4 are basic data items used for searching a travel route. In addition, information such as one-way traffic, high speed, traffic congestion, number of signals, maximum curve curvature, road width, number of lanes, number of accidents per year, maximum gradient, average gradient, and road surface irregularities are used to determine multipurpose routes. This is a data item for judgment.

On the other hand, the table data includes, as an example, the purpose-specific route evaluation weight data table shown in FIG.
This purpose-specific route evaluation weight data table is a table that defines weight values for evaluating travel routes corresponding to various travel purposes (travel conditions). As shown in FIG. Weight values for determining factors such as traffic congestion, number of signals, road width, maximum curve curvature, number of lanes, number of accidents per year, maximum gradient, average gradient, and road surface unevenness are defined for each purpose of travel.
In FIG. 5, as an example of the driving purpose, there are energy saving (priority for energy saving), characteristics of the driver (beginners and poor at narrow roads, etc.), and characteristics of the passenger (physical constitution for infants and sickness). include.
Here, the case where the purpose-specific route evaluation weight data table is stored in the disk d has been described. However, instead of the disk d, it is stored in advance in the storage device 13 (data storage area 13b). May be.

Returning to FIG. 2, the input device 16 includes, for example, a key switch disposed on the operation panel of the in-vehicle terminal 1, and inputs various instruction information in accordance with a user operation.
In addition, the input device 16 may be a remote controller (remote controller), a touch panel disposed on the front surface of the display device 14, or the like.

  The communication device 17 includes, for example, a transmission / reception unit for performing wireless communication suitable for the wireless communication network 9, and transmits / receives various data to / from the management server 2 via the wireless communication network 9.

The sensor group 18 includes various sensors installed in the user's vehicle (vehicles Va, Vb, etc.), and appropriately measures various data in the vehicle.
Specifically, the sensor group 18 includes a travel distance sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a position sensor (GPS; Global Positioning System), a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a fuel consumption meter, an inclination center, and the like. The sensor group 18 supplies the measured data to the CPU 11 as appropriate.

  On the other hand, the management server 2 is a server that manages the in-vehicle terminal 1 described above. As shown in FIG. 6, the CPU 21, the RAM 22, the storage device 23, the disk drive 24, the display device 25, A communication device 26 and an input device 27 are included.

  For example, the CPU 21 controls the entire management server 2 by executing a program read into the RAM 22 (a program execution area 22a described later).

  The RAM 22 secures, for example, a program execution area 22a and a work area 22b. The program executed by the CPU 21 is appropriately read and stored in the program execution area 22a, and work data and the like are appropriately stored in the work area 22b.

  The storage device 23 includes, for example, a hard disk and secures a program storage area 23a and a data storage area 23b. Various programs are stored in the program storage area 23a, and various data corresponding to the programs are stored in the data storage area 23b.

  The disk drive 24 includes, for example, a recordable (data writable) disk d such as a CD or a DVD, map data (map image for display, road network information defining a road network, etc.), and a table. Write out data (such as weight data table for route evaluation by purpose). The disk d in which the map data and the table data are written in the disk drive 24 is used in the above-described in-vehicle terminal 1 (disk drive 15).

  The display device 25 is composed of, for example, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), an LCD, or the like, and displays information indicating the operation status of the management server 2.

  The communication device 26 includes, for example, a modem or NIC (Network Interface Card) that can be connected to the wireless communication network 9, and transmits / receives various data to / from each in-vehicle terminal 1 via the wireless communication network 9.

  The input device 27 includes, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and inputs various information according to an operation of an operator who operates the management server 2.

  Next, the logical configuration (functional configuration) of the in-vehicle terminal 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

As shown in the figure, the in-vehicle terminal 1 includes a destination section setting / update processing unit 101, destination section designation information 102, basic map data 103, multipurpose route determination map data 104, a route extraction processing unit 105, a route, Candidate data 106, purpose condition designation information 107, purpose-specific route evaluation weight data table 108, route evaluation processing unit 109, route evaluation value data 110, route determination processing unit 111, route display processing unit 112, Is composed of.
Note that the target section setting / update processing unit 101, the route extraction processing unit 105, the route evaluation processing unit 109, the route determination processing unit 111, and the route display processing unit 112 in FIG. It becomes.

The destination section setting / updating processing unit 101 specifies a departure place, a destination, and the like based on inputs from the input device 16 and the sensor group 18, and generates destination section designation information 102. For example, when the name of each place of the departure place and the destination and each position on the map are input from the input device 16, the destination section setting / update processing unit 101, based on the input information, Search for nodes and links corresponding to each of. Then, the node and link obtained by the search are stored in the work area 22b as the target section designation information 102.
Further, the target section setting / update processing unit 101 updates the target section specifying information 102 based on the input from the sensor group 18. For example, when a change in the current position (deviation from a guided travel route, which will be described later) is detected from a position sensor (GPS) or the like of the sensor group 18, the contents of the target section designation information 102 (the node corresponding to the departure place and Link).

  The destination section designation information 102 is a node corresponding to each of the departure point and the destination set (generated) by the destination section setting / update processing unit 101 (or updated in the case of deviation from the guidance travel route). And link information.

  The basic map data 103 includes basic information in the map data supplied from the disk d. For example, the basic map data 103 includes basic data items in the node information shown in FIG. 3 and basic data items in the link information shown in FIG.

  The multipurpose route determination map data 104 includes information for determining a multipurpose route out of the map data supplied from the disk d. For example, the multipurpose route determination map data 104 includes a determination data item in the node information shown in FIG. 3 and a determination data item in the link information shown in FIG.

  The route extraction processing unit 105 uses the destination section designation information 102 to extract a travel route connecting from the departure point to the destination from the basic map data 103, and generates route candidate data 106 indicating the extracted travel route. For example, the route extraction processing unit 105 searches (extracts) a plurality of travel routes from the departure point to the destination from the basic map data 103 with priority on distance and time. In addition to this, a plurality of travel routes may be extracted in order of a small number of links.

  The route candidate data 106 is information indicating a travel route (a plurality of travel routes from the departure point to the destination) extracted by the route extraction processing unit 105. For example, the route candidate data 106 represents each traveling route by an array of node numbers and link numbers.

The purpose condition specifying information 107 is information for specifying a purpose condition (traveling purpose) input from the input device 16.
For example, the purpose condition designation information 107 includes priority on energy saving, a beginner / elderly driver, a driver who is not good at a narrow road, an infant / sick person is a passenger, a passenger who is easily drunk, and the like. , Comprising information specifying any of the objective conditions.

  The purpose-specific route evaluation weight data table 108 is a data table as shown in FIG. That is, it is a table that defines weight values for evaluating route candidate data (each travel route) corresponding to various travel purposes (travel conditions).

  The route evaluation processing unit 109 specifies an evaluation weight value from the purpose-specific route evaluation weight data table 108 according to the purpose condition specified in the purpose condition specifying information 107, and uses this weight value to determine the route candidate data 106. Evaluate each driving route. Specifically, the route evaluation value data 110 evaluated according to the objective condition is generated by multiplying the corresponding weight data by the data items for determination of each node and link constituting each travel route.

  The route evaluation value data 110 is data indicating an evaluation result by the route evaluation processing unit 109. That is, it is evaluation value data indicating the result of evaluation of each travel route in the route candidate data 106 according to the designated target condition.

The route determination processing unit 111 determines the travel route with the highest evaluation value as the guided travel route according to the route evaluation value data 110.
In addition to automatically determining the guided travel route according to the evaluation value, any travel route may be arbitrarily selected by the user considering the evaluation. In this case, for example, the route determination processing unit 111 presents the evaluation value of the route evaluation value data 110 in association with each travel route, and determines the travel route selected by the user as the guided travel route.

The route display processing unit 112 displays the guided travel route determined by the route determination processing unit 111.
For example, when displaying the map image, the route display processing unit 112 paints the road corresponding to the determined guided travel route with a specific color (color-coded), so that the user can guide the guided travel route on the map image. Is displayed in an identifiable manner.

  The operation of the navigation system (in-vehicle terminal 1) according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the navigation process executed by the in-vehicle terminal 1. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a route evaluation process called from the navigation process.

  These processes are executed by the CPU 11 after the target program stored in the storage device 13 (program storage area 13a) is read out to the RAM 12 (program execution area 12a), for example.

First, the CPU 11 acquires a target condition (traveling purpose) (step S11).
For example, the CPU 11 gives priority to energy saving to the display device 14 such as a driver who is a beginner / elderly driver, a driver who is not good at a narrow road, a passenger who is an infant / sick person, a passenger who is easily drunk, and the like. A list is displayed, and any objective condition selected by the user via the input device 16 is acquired.

CPU11 produces | generates the destination area designation | designated information which shows the node and link corresponding to each of a departure place and a destination (step S12).
For example, when the name of each place of the departure place and the destination and each position on the map are input from the input device 16 by the user's operation, the CPU 11 uses the node information shown in FIG. 3 and the link information shown in FIG. The node and the link corresponding to each of the departure place and the destination are searched, and the destination section designation information is generated.

The CPU 11 searches for the route candidate from the departure place to the destination from the map data on the disk d using the generated destination section designation information (step S13).
For example, the CPU 11 gives priority to distance and time from the node information (basic data item) shown in FIG. 3 and the link information (basic data item) shown in FIG. To extract. In addition to this, a plurality of travel routes may be extracted in order of a small number of links.

  The CPU 11 executes route evaluation processing (step S14). That is, the CPU 11 evaluates each searched travel route according to the target condition. Details of the route evaluation processing will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9, the CPU 11 selects one travel route from the extracted travel routes (step S21).
The CPU 11 selects one determination element in the purpose-specific route evaluation weight data table (step S22). That is, the CPU 11 determines the section distance, the degree of congestion, the number of signals, the road width, the maximum curve curve, the number of lanes, the number of accidents per year, the maximum gradient, the average gradient, and the road surface in the purpose-specific route evaluation weight data table shown in FIG. One judgment element is selected from among the unevenness of.

The CPU 11 selects one node or link from the travel route selected in step S21 (step S23). That is, one is selected from the nodes or links constituting the travel route.
The CPU 11 multiplies the judgment element selected in step S22 by the weight value in the designated target condition and the value of the judgment element in the node or link selected in step S23 (step S24).
For example, in the weight data table for purpose-specific route evaluation shown in FIG. 5, “distance distance” is selected as the determination element, “priority for energy saving” is specified as the purpose condition, and in the link information shown in FIG. When “link 1” (link number) is selected, the CPU 11 sets “−0.9” (section distance and energy saving priority) in FIG. 5 and “5.16” (section distance) in FIG. Multiply

The CPU 11 adds the multiplication result to the evaluation value related to the selected determination element (step S25).
Then, the CPU 11 determines whether there is another link or node (step S26). That is, the CPU 11 determines whether or not multiplication of all the nodes and links constituting the travel route has been completed for one determination element.

When determining that there is another link or node, the CPU 11 returns the process to step S23 and repeatedly executes the processes of steps S23 to S26 described above.
On the other hand, when determining that there is no other link or node, the CPU 11 determines whether there is another determination element (step S27). That is, the CPU 11 determines whether or not multiplication has been completed for all the determination elements.

When the CPU 11 determines that there are other determination elements, the CPU 11 returns the process to step S22 and repeatedly executes the processes of steps S22 to S27 described above.
On the other hand, when it is determined that there are no other determination elements, the CPU 11 adds the evaluation values of the respective determination elements to obtain the evaluation value of the travel route (step S28).
Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not there is another travel route (step S29). That is, it is determined whether or not evaluation for all travel routes has been completed.

  When determining that there is another travel route, the CPU 11 returns the process to step S21 and repeatedly executes the processes of steps S21 to S29 described above. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no other travel route, the CPU 11 finishes the route evaluation process and returns the process to the navigation process of FIG.

Returning to FIG. 8, the CPU 11 determines a guided travel route according to the evaluation result of the route evaluation process (step S15).
For example, the CPU 11 compares the evaluation values of the travel routes and determines the travel route having the highest evaluation value as the guide travel route.
In addition to automatically determining the guided travel route according to the evaluation value, the evaluation result may be presented and the travel route may be selected by the user. For example, the CPU 11 displays an outline of each travel route and an evaluation value of each travel route by the route evaluation process on the display device 14, and displays the travel route selected by the user via the input device 16 as a guided travel route. Determine as.

The CPU 11 displays the determined guided travel route (step S16).
For example, when displaying a map image on the display device 14, the CPU 11 displays a road indicating the determined guided travel route with a specific color (colored). And the own vehicle symbol which shows the present position of the own vehicle is synthesize | combined on the map image by which the guidance driving | running route was displayed color-coded.
That is, the user drives the vehicle along the guidance route while grasping the current position of the vehicle with the vehicle symbol on the map image. Note that the CPU 11 appropriately displays an image or the like on the display device 14 in front of an intersection (node) where a right or left turn is required according to the guided travel route, and follows the guided travel route. User driving may be assisted.

In parallel with these, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the host vehicle deviates from the guided travel route (step S17).
For example, the CPU 11 compares the current position information obtained from the position sensor (GPS) of the sensor group 18 and the guide travel route (position information of nodes etc. constituting the guide travel route), It is determined whether or not the vehicle deviates from the guided travel route.

If the CPU 11 determines that the host vehicle deviates from the guided travel route, the CPU 11 updates the target section designation information in order to re-search the travel route (step S18).
For example, when the CPU 11 acquires the current position from the position sensor (GPS) of the sensor group 18 after the vehicle deviates from the guidance travel route, the CPU 11 departs from the node information shown in FIG. 3 and the link information shown in FIG. The node and link corresponding to the location (current location) are searched, and the target section designation information is updated.
And CPU11 returns a process to step S13, and performs the process after step S13 mentioned above again. That is, route candidates (a plurality of travel routes) are searched again, route evaluation is performed for each travel route, and a guide travel route is determined and displayed.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S17 that the own vehicle has not deviated from the guidance travel route, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the own vehicle has arrived at the destination (step S19).
For example, the CPU 11 compares the current position information obtained from the position sensor (GPS) or the like of the sensor group 18 with the position information of a node or the like corresponding to the destination of the destination section specifying information, It is determined whether or not it has arrived at the ground.

When determining that the destination has not arrived at the destination, the CPU 11 returns the process to step S16 and repeatedly executes the processes of steps S16 to S19 described above.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the destination has been reached, the CPU 11 ends the navigation process.

  As described above, an appropriate guidance route can be presented according to various objective conditions by the navigation processing (route evaluation processing) described above.

In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which multipurpose route determination map data (node information determination data items shown in FIG. 3 and link information determination data items shown in FIG. 4) is created in advance. However, data obtained from each vehicle (vehicles Va, Vb, etc.) on which the in-vehicle terminal 1 is mounted may be aggregated to create (update) multipurpose route determination map data.
Hereinafter, a navigation system that can appropriately create (update) multipurpose route determination map data will be described.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 10 is a block diagram for explaining a logical configuration (functional configuration) of a navigation system applied to the second embodiment of the present invention.
The navigation system is characterized in that the management server 2 obtains travel data from the in-vehicle terminal 1 (each in-vehicle terminal 1) and creates (updates) multipurpose route determination map data.

First, the in-vehicle terminal 1 will be described. As illustrated, the in-vehicle terminal 1 includes basic map data 120, multipurpose route determination map data 121, a current position determination processing unit 122, a current state determination processing unit 123, and a travel data creation / transmission processing unit 124. , Travel data 125.
The physical configuration of the in-vehicle terminal 1 is the same as that in the first embodiment (FIG. 2) described above. Then, the current position determination processing unit 122, the current state determination processing unit 123, and the travel data creation / transmission processing unit 124 in FIG. 10 are physically the processing contents of the CPU 11.

  The basic map data 120 includes, for example, the basic data items in the node information shown in FIG. 3 and the basic data items in the link information shown in FIG.

  The multipurpose route determination map data 121 includes, for example, the determination data items in the node information shown in FIG. 3 and the determination data items in the link information shown in FIG. The multipurpose route determination map data 121 is supplied as created (updated) by the management server 2.

  The current position determination processing unit 122 determines (identifies) a node or link corresponding to the current position from the basic map data 120 based on current position information obtained from a position sensor (GPS) or the like of the sensor group 18.

The current state determination processing unit 123 determines (specifies) the state of the currently traveled road according to data obtained from various sensors in the sensor group 18.
For example, when the current state determination processing unit 123 obtains the inclination of the traveling road from the inclination sensor of the sensor group 18, the current state determination processing unit 123 sequentially accumulates corresponding to the links. Then, the maximum gradient data (maximum value) and average gradient data (average value) in the link are specified based on the accumulated gradient.
Further, when the acceleration is obtained from the acceleration sensor of the sensor group 18, the current state determination processing unit 123 sequentially accumulates the acceleration, and based on the accumulated acceleration maximum value and average value, the road surface unevenness level data is obtained. Identify.

Furthermore, when the measurement data is obtained from the gyro sensor and the vehicle speed sensor of the sensor group 18, the current state determination processing unit 123 sequentially accumulates the measurement data, and based on the maximum value of the accumulated measurement data, etc. Specify the maximum curve curvature data.
In addition to the data obtained from the sensor group 18, the current state determination processing unit 123 distinguishes between highways / general roads, presence / absence of one-way traffic, road width, prospects, and the like based on user selection input. May be specified.

The travel data creation / transmission processing unit 124 aggregates various data specified by the current state determination processing unit 123 to create the travel data 125. For example, traveling data 125 including data such as maximum gradient, average gradient, road surface unevenness, maximum curve curvature, high speed, one-way street, road width, and line-of-sight is created.
In addition, the travel data creation / transmission processing unit 124 transmits the travel data 125 to the management server 2 at a predetermined timing. For example, the travel data creation / transmission processing unit 124 periodically accesses the management server 2, and transmits travel data 125 that has not been transmitted to the management server 2 at that time.

  The travel data 125 includes, for example, data such as maximum gradient, average gradient, road surface unevenness, maximum curve curvature, high speed, one-way, road width, and line of sight, and is associated with a link or a node, respectively.

Next, the management server 2 will be described. As shown in the figure, the management server 2 includes travel data 201, a data analysis / aggregation processing unit 202, and multipurpose route discrimination map data 203.
The physical configuration of the management server 2 is the same as that of the first embodiment (FIG. 6) described above. The data analysis / aggregation processing unit 202 in FIG. 10 is physically the processing content of the CPU 21.

  The travel data 201 is data transmitted from each in-vehicle terminal 1 and includes, for example, data such as maximum gradient, average gradient, road surface unevenness, maximum curve curvature, high speed, one-way, road width, and line of sight. ing.

The data analysis / aggregation processing unit 202 analyzes / aggregates the travel data 201 and creates (updates) the multipurpose route determination map data 203.
For example, the data analysis / aggregation processing unit 202 includes each travel data element (data such as maximum gradient, average gradient, road surface unevenness, maximum curve curvature, high speed, one-way, road width, and line of sight that constitute the travel data 201). Is stored in units of links and nodes, and the accumulated travel data elements are averaged. Then, the multipurpose route determination map data 203 is created based on the averaged travel data elements.
That is, the data analysis / aggregation processing unit 202 performs the determination data item in the node information shown in FIG. 3 and the determination data item in the link information shown in FIG. 4 based on the averaged travel data element. Set the value to. If a value has already been set, it is updated as appropriate.

The multipurpose route determination map data 203 is created (updated) by the data analysis / aggregation processing unit 202. The determination data item in the node information shown in FIG. 3 and the determination in the link information shown in FIG. It consists of data items.
The multipurpose route determination map data 203 is distributed to each in-vehicle terminal 1 at a predetermined timing.

  The operation of the navigation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the travel data creation / transmission process performed by the in-vehicle terminal 1. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining data analysis / aggregation processing performed by the management server 2.

  First, with reference to FIG. 11, the traveling data creation / transmission process performed by the in-vehicle terminal 1 will be described. This processing is executed by the CPU 11 after the target program stored in the storage device 13 (program storage area 13a) is read out to the RAM 12 (program execution area 12a), for example.

First, the CPU 11 specifies a link or node corresponding to the current position (step S31).
For example, the CPU 11 determines from the node information (basic data item) shown in FIG. 3 and the link information (basic data item) shown in FIG. 4 according to the current position information obtained from the position sensor (GPS) of the sensor group 18. Identify the link or node corresponding to the current location.

  The CPU 11 determines whether or not there has been a movement in units of nodes or links (step S32). That is, it is determined whether or not a movement across the nodes or links has occurred as the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle terminal 1 travels.

When determining that there is no movement, the CPU 11 accumulates various data acquired from the sensor group 18 at regular intervals in association with the current link or node (step S33).
For example, various measurement data acquired from an inclination sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, and the like of the sensor group 18 are sequentially stored in association with the link or node corresponding to the current position.
Then, after accumulating various data, the CPU 11 returns the process to step S31 described above.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S32 that there has been a movement, the CPU 11 creates travel data corresponding to the link or node before the movement based on the accumulated data (step S34).
For example, the CPU 11 determines the maximum gradient data (maximum value) or average gradient data (average value) in the link based on the accumulated inclination (data of the inclination obtained from the inclination sensor of the sensor group 18 and accumulated). Is identified.
Further, the CPU 11 identifies road surface unevenness level data on the link based on the maximum value or average value of the accumulated acceleration (accelerated acceleration data obtained from the acceleration sensor of the sensor group 18).

Further, the CPU 11 specifies data of the maximum curve curvature in the link based on the maximum value of the accumulated measurement data (measurement data obtained and accumulated from the gyro sensor and the vehicle speed sensor of the sensor group 18).
In addition to the data obtained from the sensor group 18, the CPU 11 distinguishes between highways / general roads at links and nodes, presence / absence of one-way traffic, road width, and prospect based on user selection input. Identify the data.
Then, the CPU 11 creates travel data including data such as the maximum gradient, average gradient, road surface unevenness, maximum curve curvature, high speed, one-way street, road width, and line-of-sight.

CPU11 transmits the produced travel data regularly to the management server 2 (step S35).
In this way, the travel data created by each in-vehicle terminal 1 is transmitted to the management server 2.

  Next, a data analysis / aggregation process performed by the management server 2 will be described with reference to FIG. This process is executed by the CPU 21 after the target program stored in the storage device 23 (program storage area 23a) is read out to the RAM 22 (program execution area 22a), for example.

First, the CPU 21 waits for execution of subsequent processing until it receives travel data sent from any of the in-vehicle terminals 1 (step S41).
That is, it waits until it receives the travel data sent by the travel data creation / transmission process described above.

  When the traveling data is received, the CPU 21 accumulates each traveling data element for each link and node (step S42). That is, data such as maximum gradient, average gradient, road surface unevenness, maximum curve curvature, high speed, one-way traffic, road width, and line-of-sight constituting travel data is accumulated in units of links and nodes.

The CPU 21 determines whether or not a sufficient amount of data has been accumulated (step S43). That is, it is determined whether or not a predetermined amount of data has been accumulated for each link and node.
If the CPU 21 determines that there is not sufficient accumulation, the CPU 21 returns the process to step S41 and repeatedly executes the processes of steps S41 to S43 described above.

On the other hand, if it is determined that sufficient accumulation has been obtained, the CPU 21 averages the accumulated travel data elements and creates (updates) multipurpose route determination map data based on this (step S44).
That is, the CPU 21 sets values in the determination data items in the node information shown in FIG. 3 and the determination data items in the link information shown in FIG. 4 based on the averaged travel data elements. If a value has already been set, it is updated as appropriate.

The CPU 21 determines whether or not a predetermined regular delivery timing (time) has arrived (step S45).
If the CPU 21 determines that it is not the regular distribution timing, it returns the process to step S41 and repeatedly executes the processes of steps S41 to S45 described above.

On the other hand, when it is determined that it is the regular distribution timing, the CPU 21 transmits the updated multipurpose route determination map data to each in-vehicle terminal 1 (step S46).
In this manner, the multipurpose route determination map data created (updated) by the management server 2 is transmitted to each in-vehicle terminal 1.
Each vehicle-mounted terminal 1 uses the created (updated) multi-purpose route determination map data and the like to perform the above-described navigation processing (route evaluation processing), so that appropriate information can be obtained according to various objective conditions. A guidance route can be presented.

In the above embodiment, the in-vehicle terminal 1 mounted on the vehicle has been described as an example. However, the terminal that performs the navigation process (route evaluation process) is not limited to the in-vehicle terminal, and is arbitrary. For example, the portable terminal etc. which a pedestrian etc. carry may be sufficient.
The object to which the user moves is not limited to the road network, and can be applied to various traffic networks (networks such as railways and airplanes) as appropriate.

  Note that the navigation system according to the embodiment of the present invention can be realized by using a normal computer system regardless of the dedicated device. For example, a navigation system that executes the above-described processing can be configured by installing the program from a medium (a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, or the like) that stores a program for executing any of the above-described programs in a computer. .

A method for supplying the program to the computer is arbitrary. For example, you may supply via a communication line, a communication network, a communication system, etc. As an example, the program is posted on a bulletin board (BBS) of a communication network, and the program is superimposed on a carrier wave and distributed via the network.
Then, the above-described processing can be executed by starting this program and executing it in the same manner as other application programs under the control of the OS.

  As described above, according to the present invention, an appropriate guidance route can be presented according to various objective conditions.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the navigation system which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of a vehicle-mounted terminal. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of node information. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of link information. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the weight data table for objective route evaluation. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of a management server. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a logical structure of a vehicle-mounted terminal. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the navigation process performed with a vehicle-mounted terminal. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the route evaluation process performed with a vehicle-mounted terminal. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the logical structure of the navigation system which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the driving | running | working data creation / transmission process performed with a vehicle-mounted terminal. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the data analysis / aggregation process performed in a management server.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Car-mounted terminal, 2 ... Management server, 9 ... Wireless communication network, 11 ... CPU, 12 ... RAM, 13 ... Memory | storage device, 14 ... Display apparatus, 15 * ..Disk drive, 16 ... input device, 17 ... communication device, 18 ... sensor group, 21 ... CPU, 22 ... RAM, 23 ... storage device, 24 ... disk Drive, 25 ... display device, 26 ... communication device, 27 ... input device, d ... disk

Claims (9)

A traffic network information storage unit configured to include a plurality of nodes and links defining a traffic network, and to store traffic network information in which predetermined determination items are set for each node and link;
Weight information storage means for storing a weight value for each determination item of the traffic network information corresponding to a plurality of objective conditions;
Objective condition acquisition means for acquiring arbitrarily specified objective conditions;
Route search means for searching traffic network information stored in the traffic network information storage means and searching for a plurality of travel routes connecting at least two points;
Route evaluation means for evaluating each travel route searched by the route search means according to a weight value of the weight information storage means corresponding to the objective condition acquired by the objective condition acquisition means;
Route determining means for determining one moving route according to the evaluation result of each moving route by the route evaluating means;
A navigation system comprising: Basic map data defining basic items of a plurality of nodes and links constituting a transportation network;
Judgment map data defining items for judging multiple nodes and links;
A weight data table that defines weight data for each determination item of the determination map data in correspondence with a plurality of objective conditions;
Destination section setting means for setting a destination section consisting of a departure place and a destination;
Objective condition acquisition means for acquiring arbitrarily specified objective conditions;
A route extracting means for extracting a plurality of travel routes connecting the target sections set by the target section setting means from the basic map data;
Route evaluation means for evaluating each of the travel routes extracted by the route extraction means according to weight data in the weight data table corresponding to the objective condition acquired by the objective condition acquisition means;
Route determination means for determining a guidance route that conforms to a specified target condition in accordance with the evaluation result of each travel route by the route evaluation means;
A navigation system comprising: The item for judging the node includes at least one of the presence / absence of a signal, the number of road intersections, the visibility, and the number of accidents per year,
The navigation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The determination items of the link include at least one-way presence / absence, high-speed / general road distinction, congestion degree, number of signals, maximum curve curvature, road width, number of accidents per year, maximum gradient, average gradient, and road surface unevenness level. Any of the
The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The objective condition includes at least one of energy saving, safe driving according to the characteristics of the driver, and comfortable driving according to the characteristics of the passenger.
The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The route determination means presents an evaluation result of each travel route by the route evaluation means, and determines an arbitrarily selected travel route.
The navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: A navigation system in which a plurality of terminals and servers are connected via a network,
The server
A determination map data generating means for generating determination map data defining items for determination of a plurality of nodes and links constituting a transportation network;
Determination map data transmission means for transmitting the determination map data generated by the determination map data generation means to the terminals, respectively.
Each terminal is
Basic map data defining basic items of multiple nodes and links;
A weight data table that defines weight data for each determination item of the determination map data in correspondence with a plurality of objective conditions;
Determination map data receiving means for receiving determination map data transmitted from the server;
Destination section setting means for setting a destination section consisting of a departure place and a destination;
Objective condition acquisition means for acquiring arbitrarily specified objective conditions;
A route extracting means for extracting a plurality of travel routes connecting the target sections set by the target section setting means from the basic map data;
Route evaluation means for evaluating each of the travel routes extracted by the route extraction means according to weight data in the weight data table corresponding to the objective condition acquired by the objective condition acquisition means;
Route determination means for determining a guidance route that conforms to a specified target condition according to the evaluation result of each travel route by the route evaluation means,
A navigation system characterized by that. Each terminal is
A measuring means for measuring predetermined measurement data accompanying movement;
Movement data generation means for generating movement data corresponding to nodes and links, the measurement data measured by the measurement means;
Moving data transmitting means for transmitting the moving data generated by the moving data generating means to the server;
The server
It further comprises mobile data receiving means for receiving mobile data transmitted from each terminal,
The determination map data generation means analyzes the movement data received by the movement data reception means and generates determination map data;
The navigation system according to claim 7. A destination section setting step for setting a destination section consisting of a departure point and a destination, a destination condition acquiring step for acquiring a destination condition specified arbitrarily, and the destination section set by the destination section setting step are connected to a computer. A route extraction step for extracting a plurality of travel routes from predetermined traffic network information, and each of the travel routes extracted by the route extraction step in a weight data table corresponding to the target condition acquired by the target condition acquisition step. A program for executing a route evaluation step that evaluates each according to weight data, and a route determination step that determines a guidance route that meets a specified target condition according to the evaluation result of each travel route obtained by the route evaluation step.

Images