JP2007101408A - System, method and program for search route, and computer-readable recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To listen to and view contents maximally, in a route until destination. <P>SOLUTION: A route search system 100 has a function of receiving an electric wave including information about broadcast contents (hereinafter, to be referred to as content information) from a broadcast tower, and a reception area acquiring section 101 acquires the reception area of the electric wave from the broadcast tower. A route candidate search section 102 searches one or more route candidates on which a mobile object can move up to the destination, and a reception-area passage rate calculating section 104 calculates the reception-area passage rates, each of which representing the ratio of the distance of the corresponding route candidate in the reception area, to the total distance of the route candidate searched by the route candidate search section 102. A route-selecting section 107 selects a route having a high reception-area passage rate calculated by the reception-area passage rate calculating section 104 among the route candidates searched by the route candidate search section 102. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a route search device, a route search method, a route search program, and a computer-readable recording medium for searching for a route in movement of a moving object. However, the use of the present invention is not limited to the above-described route search device, route search method, route search program, and computer-readable recording medium.

  Conventionally, in a car navigation device or the like that guides a vehicle to a destination point, an optimum route from the current point to the destination point is searched, and the driver is guided to the driver by means such as a map display or voice guidance, Guide the vehicle to the destination.

  Until now, in route search performed by car navigation devices, etc., the current location information and information on each location stored in advance (for example, road distance, road width, traffic jam information, etc.) Evaluate various routes from to the destination. And the proposal which selects the path | route most excellent in evaluation among these paths | routes as an optimal path | route, and displays the selected optimal path | route as a progress path | route is proposed (for example, refer patent document 1 below).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-309595

  However, according to the above prior art, the selection of the optimal route does not consider the reception area where the navigation device receives radio waves with respect to the broadcasting tower that transmits radio waves to the navigation device. In some cases, the situation is poor. Therefore, in a navigation device that can view content or the like using received radio waves, if an optimal route including an area where radio wave reception is poor is selected, the user may not be able to view content satisfactorily on the optimal route. As mentioned.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the route search device according to the invention of claim 1 has a function of receiving radio waves including information related to broadcast content (hereinafter referred to as “content information”) from the broadcast tower. A route search device comprising: a reception area acquisition unit that acquires a reception area of radio waves from the broadcast tower; a search unit that searches for one or more route candidates that a moving body moves to a destination point; and the search unit. A calculation unit that calculates a reception area passage rate that is a ratio of a length that the route candidate passes through the reception area with respect to a total length of the searched route candidate, and the route candidate searched by the search unit, Selecting means for selecting a route having a high reception area passage rate calculated by the calculating means.

  A route search method according to a sixth aspect of the invention is a route search method including a step of receiving a radio wave including content information from a broadcast tower, wherein a reception area acquisition for acquiring a radio wave reception area from the broadcast tower is provided. A search step for searching for one or more route candidates that the mobile body moves to the destination point, and a length for which the route candidate passes through the reception area with respect to a total length of the route candidates searched by the search step. A calculation step of calculating a reception area passage rate that is a ratio, and a selection step of selecting a route with a high reception area passage rate calculated by the calculation step from the route candidates searched by the search step. It is characterized by that.

  A route search program according to a seventh aspect of the invention causes a computer to execute the route search method according to the sixth aspect.

  A computer-readable recording medium according to an eighth aspect of the invention records the route search program according to the seventh aspect.

  Exemplary embodiments of a route search device, a route search method, a route search program, and a computer-readable recording medium according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment)
(Functional configuration of route search device)
A functional configuration of the route search apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the route search apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, the route search device 100 has a function of receiving radio waves including information related to content (hereinafter referred to as “content information”) from a broadcast tower, and includes a reception area acquisition unit 101 and a route candidate search unit 102. A calculation unit 103, a route selection unit 107, a content information designation unit 108, a broadcast time zone information acquisition unit 109, an arrival time input unit 110, and a road traffic information reception unit 111. . The calculation unit 103 includes a reception area passage rate calculation unit 104, a scheduled arrival time calculation unit 105, and a broadcast time content rate calculation unit 106.

  The reception area acquisition unit 101 acquires the reception area of radio waves from the broadcast tower. The reception area may be, for example, a reception area based on a reception state of a radio wave transmitted by the broadcast tower with respect to one or more broadcast towers in a predetermined range from the point where the moving body is located to the destination point. In addition, the reception area is an area having a radius corresponding to the reception state of the radio wave with the broadcast tower as the center, and may be calculated based on a theoretical value or set by an actual traveling survey. The reception state of the radio wave is, for example, the intensity of the radio wave transmitted from the broadcast tower, the presence or absence of a shield, and the like.

  The reception area acquisition unit 101 may acquire the reception area from, for example, an external server that records information about the broadcast tower such as the position information of the broadcast tower and the reception area. In addition, the reception area may be acquired by previously recording position information of the broadcast tower and information regarding the broadcast tower such as the reception area on a recording medium (not shown). Further, the reception area may be acquired with respect to the specified content based on content information specified by the content information specifying unit 108 described later.

  The route candidate search unit 102 searches for one or more route candidates to the destination point. The route candidates can be, for example, a route from the starting point (or the current point) to the destination point, and there are countless numbers. Then, the route candidate search unit 102 outputs the searched route candidate to the calculation unit 103 described later.

  The calculation unit 103 calculates at least one of a reception area passage rate, a scheduled arrival time, and a broadcast time content rate for one or more route candidates searched by the route candidate search unit 102. The reception area passage rate calculation unit 104 calculates the reception area passage rate of one or more route candidates searched by the route candidate search unit 102. The reception area passage rate is, for example, the ratio of the length that each route candidate passes through the reception area with respect to the total length of the route candidates.

  The scheduled arrival time calculation unit 105 calculates the scheduled arrival time at which the mobile body reaches the destination point for one or more route candidates searched by the route candidate search unit 102. The scheduled arrival time may be calculated using, for example, road traffic information received by the road traffic information receiving unit 111. The road traffic information is information including, for example, road regulations and traffic jams. In the present embodiment, the planned arrival time is calculated. However, a planned arrival time zone having a certain width, a time required to reach the destination point, and the like may be calculated.

  The broadcast time content calculation unit 106 calculates the broadcast time content of one or more route candidates searched by the route candidate search unit 102 for one or more route candidates searched by the route candidate search unit 102. The broadcast time content rate is, for example, a ratio in which the broadcast time zone acquired by the broadcast time zone information acquisition unit 109 described later is included in the scheduled passage time zone that passes through the reception area in the route candidate. The scheduled passage time zone may be calculated from, for example, an entry time or an exit time of the reception area, or may be calculated using road traffic information received by a road traffic information receiving unit 111 described later. Moreover, when passing through a plurality of reception areas intermittently, a scheduled passage time zone may be calculated for each reception area.

  The route selection unit 107 selects, from the route candidates searched by the route candidate search unit 102, a route candidate having a high reception area passing rate calculated by the calculation unit 103 as a route. In addition, when a time at which the moving body reaches the destination point is input by the arrival time input unit 110 described later, the planned arrival time calculated by the planned arrival time calculation unit 105 is selected from among route candidates earlier than the arrival time. The route candidate having a high reception area passage rate may be selected as the route. Further, in selecting a route, instead of selecting a route candidate having a high reception area passage rate, a route candidate having a high broadcast time content rate calculated by the broadcast time content rate calculating unit 106 may be selected as a route. When there are a plurality of route candidates having the same reception area passage rate and broadcast time content rate, the route candidate having the shortest distance to the destination point or the route candidate having the earliest scheduled arrival time may be selected.

  The content information specifying unit 108 receives specification of content information that the user desires to view. The content information may be specified for a plurality of contents, and the content information specifying unit 108 outputs the specified content information to the reception area acquiring unit 101 and the broadcast time zone information acquiring unit 109. The broadcast time zone information acquisition unit 109 acquires broadcast time zone information including the start time and end time of the specified content based on the content information input from the content information specification unit 108. The broadcast time zone information may be acquired by, for example, the content information itself or may be acquired from outside by communication.

  The arrival time input unit 110 receives an input of a time when the moving body reaches the destination point. The time to reach the destination point may be, for example, a time at which the user wants to reach the destination point, or may be configured to be input from an operation unit (not shown). The road traffic information receiving unit 111 receives road traffic information. The road traffic information is information including, for example, road regulations and traffic jams.

(Processing contents of route search device)
Next, the contents of processing of the route search apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the contents of processing of the route search apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the flowchart of FIG. 2, the route search device 100 first determines whether or not a destination point setting has been accepted (step S <b> 201). For example, the user may set the destination point from an operation unit (not shown). Here, after receiving the setting of the destination point and receiving it (step S201: Yes), the reception area acquisition unit 101 acquires the reception area of the radio wave from the broadcast tower (step S202).

  The reception area is acquired in step S202 by, for example, setting a reception area based on the reception state of radio waves transmitted by the broadcast tower for one or more broadcast towers in a certain range from the starting point (or current point) to the destination point. It is good also as a structure to acquire. The reception area is an area having a radius corresponding to the reception state of the radio wave with the broadcast tower as the center, for example, which may be calculated based on a theoretical value or set by an actual traveling survey. A configuration obtained from the above or a configuration obtained from a recording medium (not shown) may be used. The reception state of the radio wave is, for example, the intensity of the radio wave transmitted from the broadcast tower, the presence or absence of a shield, and the like. Further, based on the content information specified by the content information specifying unit 108, a reception area of a broadcast tower that transmits radio waves including the specified content information may be acquired.

  Subsequently, the route candidate search unit 102 searches for one or more route candidates to the destination point (step S203). The route candidates can be, for example, a route from the starting point (or the current point) to the destination point, and there are countless numbers. The reception area passage rate calculation unit 104 calculates the reception area passage rate of the route candidate based on the reception area acquired in step S202 and the route candidate searched in step S203 (step S204). The reception area passage rate is, for example, the ratio of the length that each route candidate passes through the reception area with respect to the total length of the route candidates.

  Next, the route selection unit 107 selects a route candidate having a high reception area passage rate calculated in step S204 from the route candidates searched in step S203 (step S205), and ends the series of processes. . Further, when the arrival time input unit 110 inputs the time at which the mobile body reaches the destination point, the candidate area passing rate of the route candidate whose estimated arrival time calculated by the estimated arrival time calculation unit 105 is earlier than the arrival time is shown. High route candidates may be selected as a route.

  In step S204, instead of calculating the reception area passage rate, the broadcast time content rate calculation unit 106 may calculate the broadcast time zone content rate of the route candidate searched in step S203. In this case, the route selection unit 107 selects a route candidate having a high broadcast time zone content rate as a route from the route candidates searched in step S203 (step S205), and ends a series of processing. Note that the present embodiment only needs to be configured to calculate at least one of the reception area passage rate and the broadcast time content rate, and when there are a plurality of route candidates having the same reception area passage rate and the broadcast time content rate. A route candidate with the shortest distance to the destination point or a route candidate with the earliest scheduled arrival time may be selected.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the reception area based on the reception state of the radio wave including the content information from the broadcast tower is acquired, and the reception area passing rate or the Route candidates with high broadcast time content are selected as routes. Therefore, the user can maximize the viewing of content on the route to the destination point.

  Example 1 of the present invention will be described below. In the first embodiment, an example in which the route search device of the present invention is implemented by a navigation device mounted on a moving body such as a vehicle (including a four-wheeled vehicle and a two-wheeled vehicle) will be described.

(Hardware configuration of navigation device)
The hardware configuration of the navigation apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example of a hardware configuration of the navigation device according to the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 3, a navigation device 300 is mounted on a moving body such as a vehicle, and includes a navigation control unit 301, a user operation unit 302, a display unit 303, a position acquisition unit 304, a recording medium 305, and a recording medium. The decoding unit 306, the voice output unit 307, the communication unit 308, the route search unit 309, the route guidance unit 310, the voice generation unit 311, the speaker 312, and the route candidate information calculation unit 313 are configured. .

  The navigation control unit 301 controls the entire navigation device 300. The navigation control unit 301 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes predetermined arithmetic processing, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various control programs, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that functions as a work area of the CPU. ) Or the like.

  The navigation control unit 301 determines which map on the map based on the information on the current position acquired by the position acquisition unit 304 and the map information obtained from the recording medium 305 via the recording medium decoding unit 306 at the time of route guidance. Whether the vehicle is traveling in the position is calculated, and the calculation result is output to the display unit 303.

  The navigation control unit 301 inputs / outputs information related to route guidance with the route search unit 309, the route guidance unit 310, and the voice generation unit 311 during route guidance, and displays information obtained as a result of the display unit 303 and Output to the audio output unit 307. In addition, the navigation control unit 301 inputs / outputs content information received by communication of the communication unit 308 described later, and outputs information obtained as a result to the display unit 303 and the audio output unit 307.

  In addition, the navigation control unit 301 acquires a broadcast tower viewable area from the outside via the communication unit 308 described later. The viewable area is, for example, an area where radio waves transmitted from the broadcast tower can be received, and has a radius corresponding to the reception state of the radio waves with the broadcast tower as the center. Further, it may be calculated based on a theoretical value, set by an actual traveling survey, or an area that is difficult to receive may be taken into account depending on the presence or absence of a shield. Then, the navigation control unit 301 outputs the acquired viewable area information to the route search unit 309 and the route candidate information calculation unit 313. Note that the broadcast tower position information and viewable area may be recorded in advance in a recording medium 305 to be described later. The viewable area may be acquired based on an instruction input from the user operation unit 302. The input instruction is, for example, designation of a program desired to be viewed when the user desires to view specific content.

  In addition, the navigation control unit 301 acquires the program information of the content that has received the designation of the program desired to be viewed via the communication unit 308 described later. Then, the navigation control unit 301 outputs the acquired program information to the route search unit 309 and the route candidate information calculation unit 313. The program information may be information including, for example, a broadcast station that transmits radio waves related to the program, a broadcast tower of the broadcast station, a broadcast time zone including a broadcast start time and an end time, and the like. For example, the program information may be acquired at the same time as receiving radio waves of content information. In addition, the program information may be acquired by using an electronic program guide published externally. Note that the program information may be recorded in advance on a recording medium 305 described later.

  The user operation unit 302 acquires information input by a user operating operation means such as a remote controller, a switch, and a touch panel, and outputs the acquired information to the navigation control unit 301. Information input by the operation of the user operation unit 302 includes, for example, information on a destination point and a departure point of a route to be searched, designation of a program desired to be viewed for specific content that the user desires to watch, The desired arrival time and the like desired for arrival are listed.

  The display unit 303 includes, for example, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), a TFT liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, a plasma display, and the like. Specifically, the display unit 303 can be configured by, for example, a video display interface connected to a video I / F (interface) or a video I / F. Specifically, the video I / F includes, for example, a graphic controller that controls the entire display device, a buffer memory such as a VRAM (Video RAM) that temporarily stores image information that can be displayed immediately, and a graphic controller. Based on the output image information, the display device is configured by a control IC or the like. The display unit 303 displays traffic information, map information, information on route guidance, content related to video output from the navigation control unit 301, and various other information.

  The position acquisition unit 304 includes a GPS receiver and various sensors, and acquires information on the current position of the moving body (current position of the navigation device 300). The GPS receiver receives radio waves from a GPS satellite and obtains a geometric position with respect to the GPS satellite. GPS is an abbreviation for Global Positioning System, and is a system for accurately obtaining a position on the ground by receiving radio waves from four or more satellites. The GPS receiver includes an antenna for receiving radio waves from GPS satellites, a tuner for demodulating the received radio waves, an arithmetic circuit for calculating the current position based on the demodulated information, and the like.

  The various sensors are various sensors such as a vehicle speed sensor, an angular velocity sensor, and an acceleration sensor that are mounted on the moving body or the navigation device 300. From the information output from these sensors, the movement displacement, moving speed, and moving direction of the moving body are determined. Ask. Thus, the position of the moving body can be recognized with higher accuracy by using the output information of the various sensors together with the information obtained from the received radio wave of the GPS receiver.

  Various control programs and various information are recorded on the recording medium 305 in a state readable by a computer. The recording medium 305 can be realized by, for example, an HD (Hard Disk), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a CD (Compact Disk), or a memory card. Note that the recording medium 305 may accept writing of information by the recording medium decoding unit 306 and record the written information in a nonvolatile manner.

  The recording medium 305 stores map information used for route search and route guidance. The map information recorded in the recording medium 305 includes background data representing features (features) such as buildings, rivers, and the ground surface, and road shape data representing road shapes. It is drawn in two or three dimensions on the display screen. When the navigation device 300 is guiding a route, the map information read from the recording medium 305 by the recording medium decoding unit 306 and the mark indicating the position of the moving body acquired by the position acquisition unit 304 are displayed on the display unit 303. The Rukoto.

  The background data includes background shape data representing the shape of the background and background type data representing the type of the background. The background shape data includes, for example, feature representative points, polylines, polygons, feature coordinates, and the like. The background type data includes, for example, text data representing the name, address, and telephone number of a feature, and type data of a feature such as a building, river, or ground surface.

  The road shape data is a road network having a plurality of nodes and links connecting the nodes. The node indicates an intersection where a plurality of roads such as a three-way road such as a T-shaped road, a cross road, and a five-way road intersect. The link indicates a road. Some links have shape interpolation points, and curved roads can be expressed by these shape interpolation points.

  The road shape data further includes traffic condition data. The traffic condition data includes, for example, the presence or absence of signals and pedestrian crossings, the presence or absence of highway doorways and junctions, the length (distance) of each link, vehicle width, direction of travel, road type (highway) , Toll roads, general roads, etc.). The traffic condition data stores past traffic information obtained by statistically processing past traffic information based on seasons, days of the week, large holidays, and time. The navigation device 300 obtains information on the currently occurring traffic jam based on the road traffic information received by the communication unit 308, and can predict the traffic jam situation at the designated time based on the past traffic jam information.

  In the first embodiment, the map information is recorded on the recording medium 305. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The map information may be recorded on a server outside the navigation device 300. In that case, the navigation apparatus 300 acquires map information from a server via a network through the communication unit 308, for example. The acquired information is stored in a RAM or the like.

  The recording medium decoding unit 306 controls reading / writing of information with respect to the recording medium 305.

  The audio output unit 307 reproduces sound such as guidance sound by controlling output to the connected speaker 312. There may be one speaker 312 or a plurality of speakers 312. The audio output unit 307 includes, for example, a D / A converter that performs D / A conversion of audio digital information, an amplifier that amplifies an audio analog signal output from the D / A converter, and A / D conversion of audio analog information. And an A / D converter that performs the above.

  The communication unit 308 acquires various information from the outside. For example, the communication unit 308 is an FM multiplex tuner, a VICS (registered trademark) / beacon receiver, a wireless communication device and other communication devices, and other communication via a communication medium such as a mobile phone, a PHS, a communication card, and a wireless LAN. Communicate with the device. Alternatively, a device capable of performing communication by radio waves or television broadcasts or satellite broadcasts may be used.

  Information acquired by the communication unit 308 includes traffic information such as traffic jams and traffic regulations distributed from the road traffic information communication system center, traffic information acquired by businesses in their own way, other publicly available data on the Internet, and Content etc. For example, the communication unit 308 may request traffic information from a server that accumulates national traffic information and the like via a network, and acquire the requested information. Moreover, the structure which receives the information regarding content, such as an image | video or an audio | voice, from the radio wave by radio broadcasting, or radio waves, such as television broadcasting and satellite broadcasting, may be sufficient.

  The route search unit 309 uses the map information acquired from the recording medium 305 via the recording medium decoding unit 306, the traffic information acquired via the communication unit 308, and the like to optimize the route from the departure point to the destination point. Search for a route. Here, the optimum route is a route that best matches the user's request.

  As the departure point of the route searched by the route search unit 309, a current position acquired by the position acquisition unit 304 or a departure point designated by the user from the user operation unit 302 is set. Further, the destination point designated by the user or the facility searched from the map data by genre search or the like is set as the destination point.

  The route search in the route search unit 309 can be set by the user with search conditions such as road type, distance, and fee. In addition, the route search unit 309 may be configured to search for a plurality of route candidates that pass through the viewable area of the broadcast tower in a predetermined range of the destination point, and to select the optimum route. For example, an optimal route may be selected based on route candidate information calculated by a route candidate information calculation unit 313 described later. The calculation of route information will be described later.

  The route guidance unit 310 includes the optimum route information searched by the route search unit 309, the position information of the moving body acquired by the position acquisition unit 304, and the map information obtained from the recording medium 305 via the recording medium decoding unit 306. Based on the above, route guidance information for guiding the user to the destination point is generated. The route guidance information generated at this time may be information that considers the traffic jam information received by the communication unit 308. The route guidance information generated by the route guidance unit 310 is output to the display unit 303 via the navigation control unit 301.

  The voice generation unit 311 generates various types of voice information such as guidance sounds. That is, based on the route guidance information generated by the route guidance unit 310, the virtual sound source corresponding to the guidance point is set and the voice guidance information is generated, and this is output to the voice output unit 307 via the navigation control unit 301. To do.

  The route candidate information calculation unit 313 calculates route candidate information based on the viewable area information input from the navigation control unit 301 and the program information. The route candidate information is, for example, information including a viewable area coverage rate, a predicted arrival time, and a viewable time coverage rate in one or more route candidates searched in a predetermined range of the destination point. The viewable area coverage is, for example, the ratio of the length that each route candidate passes through the viewable area to the entire length of the route candidate. The predicted arrival time is, for example, the time for reaching each destination candidate for each route candidate. Also, the viewable time coverage is, for example, a ratio in which the broadcast time zone of the content for which the designation of the desired viewing program is accepted is included in the scheduled passage time zone passing through the viewable area in the route candidate. Note that the predicted arrival time and scheduled passage time zone may be calculated using traffic information such as traffic congestion and traffic restrictions acquired by the communication unit 308.

  The reception area acquisition unit 101 and the broadcast time zone information acquisition unit 109, which are functional configurations of the route search apparatus 100 according to the embodiment, are route candidate search unit 102 by the navigation control unit 301, the recording medium 305, and the communication unit 308. And the route selection unit 107 are calculated by the route search unit 309, the reception area passage rate calculation unit 104, the scheduled arrival time calculation unit 105, and the broadcast time content rate calculation unit 106 included in the calculation unit 103 are calculated as route candidate information calculation units. By 313, the content information specifying unit 108 and arrival time input unit 110 are realized by the user operation unit 302, and the road traffic information receiving unit 111 is realized by the communication unit 308.

  Next, the inside of the vehicle in which the navigation device 300 according to the first embodiment is mounted will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the interior of the vehicle on which the navigation device according to the first embodiment is mounted.

  In FIG. 4, the interior of the vehicle includes a driver seat 411, a passenger seat 412, and a rear seat 413. A display device () is provided around the driver seat 411 and the passenger seat 412. A display unit 303) 421a, an audio device (speaker 312) 422, and an information reproducing device 423a are provided.

  The passenger seat 412 is provided with a display device 421b and an information reproducing device 423b toward the passenger of the rear seat 413, and an acoustic device (not shown) is provided behind the rear seat 413. Yes. Each information reproducing device 423 (423a, 423b) may have a structure that can be attached to and detached from the vehicle.

  Next, the viewable area in the broadcast tower according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a viewable area in the broadcast tower according to the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 5, the broadcast tower 501 has a circular viewable area 502 having a radius r503 with the broadcast tower 501 as the center. The radius r503 is, for example, a length based on a reception state when the navigation apparatus 300 receives radio waves from the broadcast tower 501. The length based on the reception state may be calculated as a theoretical value with respect to the strength of the radio wave, for example, or the content information included in the radio wave is received in advance by receiving the radio wave from the broadcast tower 501 through an actual traveling survey. It may be determined by determining whether or not the user can view.

  The viewable area 502 includes a shield 504 and an unviewable area 505. The shield 504 is, for example, a mountain or a building that blocks the radio wave from the broadcast tower 501. The unviewable area 505 is a range in which the radio wave from the broadcast tower 501 is blocked by the shield 504 in the viewable area 502.

(Contents of processing of navigation device 300)
Next, the contents of the process of the navigation device 300 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the process performed by the navigation device according to the first embodiment. In the flowchart of FIG. 6, first, the navigation control unit 301 determines whether or not a destination point setting has been accepted (step S <b> 601). Here, after receiving the setting of the destination point and receiving the setting (step S601: Yes), the communication unit 308 acquires the viewable area 502 within a predetermined range (step S602). The viewable area 502 within a predetermined range is an area where the radio waves transmitted from the broadcast tower 501 in an area having a predetermined range angle with respect to the direction from the current point of the vehicle to the destination point can be received, for example.

  Subsequently, the route search unit 309 searches for a route candidate to the destination point (step S603). Then, the route candidate information calculation unit 313 calculates the viewable area coverage of the route candidate searched in step S603 based on the viewable area 502 acquired in step S602 (step S604). The viewable area coverage is, for example, the ratio of the length of each route candidate passing through the viewable area 502 to the total length of the route candidates.

  Next, the route search unit 309 selects a route candidate having a high viewable area coverage based on the viewable area coverage calculated in step S604 (step S605). For selection of a route candidate having a high viewable area coverage rate, for example, a predetermined threshold value may be set, and a route candidate that is equal to or greater than the threshold value may be selected. Alternatively, a route candidate with the highest viewable area coverage may be selected, or a route candidate with a viewable area coverage within a predetermined range may be selected from the route candidates with the highest viewable area coverage.

  Subsequently, the route search unit 309 determines whether there is only one route candidate for the route candidate selected in step S605 (step S606). If there is only one route candidate selected in step S605 (step S606: Yes), the route search unit 309 selects the route candidate selected in step S605 as a route to the destination point. (Step S607), a series of processing ends.

  If there is not one route candidate in step S606 (step S606: No), the route candidate information calculation unit 313 predicts the arrival time at which the destination point is reached for each route candidate selected in step S605. Is calculated (step S608). Then, the route search unit 309 selects a route candidate with an earlier predicted arrival time calculated in step S608 as a route to the destination point (step S607), and ends the series of processes.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 6, the calculation of the predicted arrival time in step S608 may be performed for all route candidates simultaneously with the search for the route candidates in step S603. In that case, in step S605, a route candidate having an early predicted arrival time and a high viewable area coverage ratio may be selected. Further, the predicted arrival time may be calculated using traffic information such as traffic jams and traffic restrictions acquired by the communication unit 308.

  In addition, the determination in step S606 and the calculation in step S608 need only calculate the route selection conditions in step S607 when there are a plurality of route candidates having the same viewable area coverage ratio, and the predicted arrival time It is not limited to. The route selection condition may be, for example, a configuration in which the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the destination point is the shortest, or if a toll road is included, a route with a low travel fee is selected. May be. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which the route candidate selected about each condition is displayed on the display part 303 etc., and a user can select.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 6, the viewable area 502 is acquired by the communication unit 308. However, the theoretical value is calculated based on the position information of the broadcast tower 501 registered in the recording medium 305 in advance. It is good. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which records the result of driving | running | working investigation beforehand on the recording medium 305, and reads it out as needed.

  Next, an outline of a route search result in the navigation device 300 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a route search result according to the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 7, the navigation device 300 searches for one or more route candidates. The route candidates are searched for, for example, route candidates 721 to 724 that pass through the viewable areas 709 to 712 of the broadcast towers A704 to D707 in the range of a predetermined range angle 703 from the departure point 701 to the destination point 702. Broadcasting tower A 704, broadcasting tower B 705, broadcasting tower C 706, and broadcasting tower D 707 are in the range from starting point 701 to predetermined range angle 703, and viewable areas 709 to 712 are set respectively. The range angle 703 may be, for example, about 120 °, and the broadcasting towers A704 to D707 existing up to the destination point 702 are selected according to the range of the range angle 703. In addition, the navigation device 300 can select a route from one or more route candidates 721 to 724 from the departure point 701 to the destination point 702.

  The viewable area 709 of the broadcast tower A704 includes a departure point 701 and is adjacent to the viewable area 710 of the broadcast tower B705. The viewable area 711 of the broadcast tower C706 includes a destination point 702 and is adjacent to the viewable area 710 of the broadcast tower B705. The viewable area 712 of the broadcast tower D707 is independent of the viewable areas 709 to 711 of the other broadcast towers A704 to C706.

  In the route candidates 721 to 724, the route candidates 723 and 724 have portions that pass outside the range of the viewable areas 709 to 712. The route candidates 721 and 722 do not pass through the viewable areas 709 to 712 and pass through the viewable areas 709 to 711 in all routes.

  In addition, for the route candidates 721 to 724, the viewable area coverage ratio, which is the ratio of the length that each of the route candidates 721 to 724 passes through the viewable areas 709 to 712 with respect to the total length of the route candidates 721 to 724, The route candidate 723 is higher than the route candidate 724. In addition, the viewable area coverage of the route candidates 721 and 722 is higher than the viewable area coverage of the route candidate 724, and the viewable area coverage of the route candidates 721 and 722 is approximately the same. ing. Here, for the route candidates 721 and 722, the predicted arrival times from the departure point 701 to the destination point 702 are compared, and in this figure, the route candidate 721 to the destination point 702 becomes the route.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, a broadcast tower viewable area is acquired within a predetermined range to a destination point, and a route candidate having a high viewable area coverage rate is selected from a plurality of route candidates. It can be a route to a destination point. Therefore, the user can reach the destination point by maximally viewing the content information by the radio wave of the broadcast tower.

  In addition, according to the first embodiment, for a route candidate having the same viewable area coverage rate, a route to the destination point can be selected based on other conditions such as predicted arrival time. Therefore, it is possible to view the content information to the maximum and efficiently search for a route to the destination point.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the second embodiment, an example will be described in which the navigation device 300 described in the first embodiment receives an input of a desired arrival time from a user to a destination point. Note that the hardware configuration of the navigation device 300 according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. Further, the interior of the vehicle in which the navigation device 300 according to the second embodiment is mounted is substantially the same as that in FIG. The viewable area in the broadcast tower according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as that in FIG.

(Contents of processing of navigation device 300)
Here, the content of the process of the navigation apparatus 300 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the process performed by the navigation device according to the second embodiment. In the flowchart of FIG. 8, first, the navigation control unit 301 determines whether or not setting of a destination point has been received (step S801). Here, after receiving the setting of the destination point and receiving the setting (step S801: Yes), the communication unit 308 acquires the viewable area 502 within a predetermined range (step S802). The viewable area 502 within a predetermined range is an area where the radio waves transmitted from the broadcast tower 501 in an area having a predetermined range angle with respect to the direction from the current point of the vehicle to the destination point can be received, for example.

  Subsequently, the user operation unit 302 receives an input of a desired arrival time at the destination point (step S803). The desired arrival time is a time at which the user desires to reach the destination, and a message that prompts input may be displayed on the display unit 303 or the like to accept the input. Then, the route search unit 309 searches for a route candidate that can reach the destination by the desired arrival time input in step S803 (step S804), and the route candidate information calculation unit 313 allows viewing that is acquired in step S802. Based on the area 502, the viewable area coverage of the route candidate searched in step S804 is calculated (step S805). The viewable area coverage is, for example, the ratio of the length of each route candidate passing through the viewable area 502 to the total length of the route candidates.

  Next, the route search unit 309 selects a route candidate having a high viewable area coverage rate based on the viewable area coverage rate calculated in step S805 (step S806). For selection of a route candidate having a high viewable area coverage rate, for example, a predetermined threshold value may be set, and a route candidate that is equal to or greater than the threshold value may be selected. Alternatively, a route candidate with the highest viewable area coverage may be selected, or a route candidate with a viewable area coverage within a predetermined range may be selected from the route candidates with the highest viewable area coverage.

  Subsequently, the route search unit 309 determines whether there is only one route candidate for the route candidate selected in step S806 (step S807). If there is only one route candidate selected in step S806 (step S807: Yes), the route search unit 309 selects the route candidate selected in step S806 as a route to the destination point. (Step S808), a series of processing ends.

  If there is not one route candidate in step S807 (step S807: No), the route candidate information calculation unit 313 predicts the arrival time at which the destination point is reached for each route candidate selected in step S806. Is calculated (step S809). Then, the route search unit 309 selects the route candidate with the earliest arrival time calculated in step S809 as the route to the destination point (step S808), and ends the series of processes.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 8, the search for route candidates in step S804 is configured to search for route candidates that can reach the destination point by the desired arrival time. However, a plurality of route candidates are searched regardless of the desired arrival time. In selecting a route candidate in step S806, a route may be selected from route candidates that can reach the destination point by the desired arrival time.

  Note that the calculation of the predicted arrival time in step S809 may be performed for all route candidates simultaneously with the search for the route candidates in step S804. In that case, in step S806, a route candidate having an early predicted arrival time and a high viewable area coverage may be selected. Further, the predicted arrival time may be calculated using traffic information such as traffic jams and traffic restrictions acquired by the communication unit 308.

  In addition, the determination in step S807 and the calculation in step S809 may be performed so long as the route selection condition in step S808 is calculated when there are a plurality of route candidates having the same viewable area coverage ratio. It is not limited to. The route selection condition may be, for example, a configuration in which the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the destination point is the shortest, or if a toll road is included, a route with a low travel fee is selected. May be. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which the route candidate selected about each condition is displayed on the display part 303 etc., and a user can select.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 8, the viewable area 502 is acquired by the communication unit 308. However, the theoretical value is calculated based on the position information of the broadcast tower 501 registered in the recording medium 305 in advance. It is good. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which records the result of driving | running | working investigation beforehand on the recording medium 305, and reads it out as needed.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to accept an input of a desired arrival time at a destination point and to select a route candidate having a high viewable area coverage rate as a route to the destination point. Accordingly, the user can reach the destination by maximally viewing the content information by the radio waves of the broadcast tower without departing from the time at which the user wants to reach the destination.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the third embodiment, an example in which the user desires to view a specific content in the navigation device 300 described in the first embodiment will be described. The hardware configuration of the navigation device 300 according to the third embodiment is substantially the same as that shown in FIG. Also, the interior of the vehicle in which the navigation device 300 according to the third embodiment is mounted is substantially the same as that in FIG. The viewable area in the broadcast tower according to the third embodiment is substantially the same as that shown in FIG.

(Contents of processing of navigation device 300)
Here, the contents of the process of the navigation device 300 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the process performed by the navigation device according to the third embodiment. In the flowchart of FIG. 9, first, the navigation control unit 301 determines whether or not a destination point setting has been received (step S <b> 901). Here, after receiving the setting of the destination point and receiving the setting (step S901: Yes), the user operation unit 302 receives the designation of the desired viewing program (step S902). The program desired to be viewed is, for example, a specific program that the user desires to view, and a message that prompts input may be displayed on the display unit 303 or the like to accept the input.

  Subsequently, the communication unit 308 acquires the program information of the desired viewing program input in step S902 (step S903). The program information may be information including, for example, a broadcast station that transmits radio waves related to the program, a broadcast tower 501 of the broadcast station, a broadcast time zone that includes a broadcast start time and an end time, and the like. For example, the program information may be acquired at the same time as receiving radio waves of content information. In addition, the program information may be acquired by using an electronic program guide published externally. The program information is acquired by the communication unit 308, but may be recorded in the recording medium 305 in advance.

  Then, the communication unit 308 acquires a viewable area 502 within a predetermined range (step S904). The predetermined range viewable area 502 can receive, for example, the radio wave of the broadcast tower 501 that transmits the radio wave related to the program to be viewed in an area having a predetermined range angle with respect to the direction from the current point of the vehicle to the destination point. It is an area.

  Subsequently, the route search unit 309 searches for a route candidate to the destination point (step S905). Then, the route candidate information calculation unit 313 calculates the viewable time coverage of the route candidate searched in step S905 based on the viewable area 502 acquired in step S904 (step S906). The viewable time coverage rate is, for example, a ratio in which the broadcast time zone of a program for which designation of a desired program is received is included in the scheduled passage time zone that passes through the viewable area 502 in the route candidate.

  Next, the route search unit 309 selects a route candidate having a high viewable time coverage rate based on the viewable time coverage rate calculated in step S906 (step S907). For selection of a route candidate with a high viewable time coverage rate, for example, a predetermined threshold value may be set, and a route candidate that is equal to or greater than the threshold value may be selected. Alternatively, a route candidate with the highest viewable time coverage rate may be selected, or a route candidate with a viewable time coverage rate within a predetermined range may be selected from the route candidates with the highest viewable time coverage rate.

  Subsequently, the route search unit 309 determines whether there is one route candidate for the route candidate selected in step S907 (step S908). If there is only one route candidate selected in step S907 (step S908: Yes), the route search unit 309 selects the route candidate selected in step S907 as a route to the destination point. (Step S909), a series of processing ends.

  In addition, when there is not one route candidate in step S908 (step S908: No), the route candidate information calculation unit 313 predicts the arrival time to reach the destination point for each of the route candidates selected in step S907. Is calculated (step S910). Then, the route search unit 309 selects the route candidate with the early predicted arrival time calculated in step S910 as the route to the destination point (step S909), and ends the series of processes.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 9, there may be a plurality of viewing-desired programs for which designation is accepted in step S902. In this case, the viewable time coverage ratio may be calculated for a plurality of programs. More specifically, when there is a grace period between programs in a plurality of programs desired to be viewed, the route candidate that becomes the shortest route is selected without passing through the viewable area 502 during that time period. May be. Further, if it is before the program start time, a route candidate that becomes the shortest route to enter the viewable area 502 at the program start time may be selected.

  Note that the calculation of the predicted arrival time in step S910 may be performed for all route candidates simultaneously with the search for the route candidates in step S905. In that case, in step S907, a route candidate having an early predicted arrival time and a high viewable time coverage ratio may be selected. Further, the predicted arrival time may be calculated using traffic information such as traffic jams and traffic restrictions acquired by the communication unit 308.

  In addition, the determination in step S908 and the calculation in step S910 may be performed so long as the route selection condition in step S909 is calculated when there are a plurality of route candidates having the same viewable time coverage rate. It is not limited to. The route selection condition may be, for example, a configuration in which the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the destination point is the shortest, or if a toll road is included, a route with a low travel fee is selected. May be. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which the route candidate selected about each condition is displayed on the display part 303 etc., and a user can select.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 9, the viewable area 502 is acquired by the communication unit 308. However, the theoretical value is calculated based on the position information of the broadcast tower 501 registered in the recording medium 305 in advance. It is good. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which records the result of driving | running | working investigation beforehand on the recording medium 305, and reads it out as needed.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, a program viewable area is acquired for a broadcast tower that transmits a program that a user desires to view. Then, by comparing the passage time zone that passes through the program viewable area and the broadcast time zone of the program that you want to view, the program viewable time coverage rate is calculated from a plurality of route candidates, and the program viewable time coverage rate is calculated. A high route candidate can be a route to the destination point. Therefore, the user can reach the destination point by maximally viewing the desired program.

  In addition, for route candidates having the same program viewable time coverage rate, the route to the destination can be selected based on other conditions such as predicted arrival time. Therefore, it is possible to view the program desired to be viewed to the maximum and efficiently search for a route to the destination point.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the reception area based on the reception state of the radio wave including the content information from the broadcast tower is acquired, and the reception area passing rate and the broadcast time are obtained from a plurality of route candidates to the destination point. Route candidates with high content are selected as routes. Therefore, the user can maximize the viewing of content on the route to the destination point.

  Further, according to the present invention, the broadcast tower viewable area is acquired within a predetermined range to the destination point, and a route candidate having a high viewable area coverage rate is selected from a plurality of route candidates as a route to the destination point. can do. Therefore, the user can reach the destination point by maximally viewing the content information by the radio wave of the broadcast tower. In addition, for route candidates with the same viewable area coverage rate, a route to the destination point can be selected based on other conditions such as predicted arrival time. Therefore, it is possible to view the content information to the maximum and efficiently search for a route to the destination point.

  In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to accept an input of a desired arrival time at the destination point and to select a route candidate with a high viewable area coverage rate as a route to the destination point. Therefore, the user can reach the destination by maximally viewing the content information by the radio waves of the broadcast tower without exceeding the time at which the user wants to reach the destination.

  In addition, the present invention only needs to have at least one of the functions according to the first, second, and third embodiments. For example, the present invention has the functions of the second and third embodiments. The user can specify the television program that the user wants to watch on the route that can reach the destination by the desired arrival time, and can travel to the destination where the television program can be viewed as much as possible.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the contents and television programs described above, but can also be applied to a radio wave reception area of a radio tower that transmits traffic information and the like. By traveling along a route that can receive the reception area of the radio tower to the maximum, traffic information can be acquired accurately and quickly, and safe driving and comfortable driving can be achieved.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to an in-vehicle route search device, and can be applied to a reception area of a base station such as a mobile phone, so that it can travel on a route that can receive radio waves from a mobile phone, and can be highly versatile. .

  The route search method described in this embodiment can be realized by executing a program prepared in advance on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, and is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. The program may be a transmission medium that can be distributed via a network such as the Internet.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a functional structure of the route search apparatus concerning this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the process of the route search apparatus concerning this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the navigation apparatus concerning the present Example 1. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example inside the vehicle by which the navigation apparatus concerning the present Example 1 is mounted. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the viewable area in the broadcast tower concerning Example 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the process of the navigation apparatus concerning the present Example 1. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the route search result concerning the present Example 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the process of the navigation apparatus concerning the present Example 2. 14 is a flowchart showing the contents of processing of the navigation device according to the third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Route search device 101 Reception area acquisition part 102 Path candidate search part 103 Calculation part 104 Reception area passage rate calculation part 105 Planned arrival time calculation part 106 Broadcast time content rate calculation part 107 Route selection part 108 Content information designation part 109 Broadcast time zone Information acquisition unit 110 Arrival time input unit 111 Road traffic information reception unit

Claims (8)

A route search device having a function of receiving radio waves including information on broadcast content (hereinafter referred to as “content information”) from a broadcast tower,
A reception area acquisition means for acquiring a reception area of radio waves from the broadcast tower;
Search means for searching for one or more route candidates that the moving body moves to the destination point;
A calculation means for calculating a reception area passage rate that is a ratio of a length of the route candidate passing through the reception area to a total length of the route candidate searched by the search means;
A selection unit that selects a route having a high reception area passage rate calculated by the calculation unit from among the route candidates searched by the search unit;
A route search apparatus comprising:   The reception area acquisition unit acquires, for one or more broadcast towers in a predetermined range from a point where the mobile body is located to the destination point, a reception area based on a reception state of radio waves transmitted from the broadcast tower. The route search device according to claim 1, wherein: An input means for receiving an input of an arrival time at which the moving body reaches a destination point;
The calculation means calculates a planned arrival time at which the mobile object moves and arrives at the destination point through the route candidate searched by the search means,
The said selection means selects the path | route with the high reception area passage rate calculated by the said calculation means from among the said route candidates whose said scheduled arrival time is earlier than the said arrival time, The Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Route search device. A designation means for accepting designation of the content information desired by the user;
Broadcast time zone information obtaining means for obtaining broadcast time zone information including a start time and an end time of the content information designated by the designation means,
The reception area acquisition means acquires the reception area of the broadcast tower that transmits radio waves including the content information specified by the specification means,
The calculation means is acquired by the broadcast time zone information acquisition means for the route candidate searched for by the search means with respect to a scheduled passage time zone passing through the reception area acquired by the reception area acquisition means. To calculate the broadcast time content rate, which is the ratio of the broadcast time zone,
3. The route search according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects a route having a high broadcast time content ratio calculated by the calculation unit from among route candidates searched by the search unit. apparatus. A receiving means for receiving road traffic information including at least traffic jam information;
The route search apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit uses the road traffic information received by the reception unit as the calculation information. A route search method including a step of receiving radio waves including content information from a broadcast tower,
A reception area acquisition step of acquiring a reception area of radio waves from the broadcast tower;
A search step for searching for one or more route candidates that the moving body moves to the destination point;
A calculation step of calculating a reception area passage rate that is a ratio of a length of the route candidate passing through the reception area to a total length of the route candidate searched by the search step;
A selection step of selecting a route with a high reception area passage rate calculated by the calculation step from among route candidates searched by the search step;
A route search method comprising:   A route search program causing a computer to execute the route search method according to claim 6. A computer-readable recording medium on which the route search program according to claim 7 is recorded.

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