JP2011095062A - Navigation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation apparatus for informing a user of a POI (point of interest) preferable not to be missed other than a last POI to a destination among a specified type of the POIs along a route. <P>SOLUTION: The navigation apparatus includes: a control circuit 11 for searching the route to the destination; an input apparatus 18 for specifying the type of the POI; a GPS sensor 14 for detecting a current location; and a FM multiple broadcast receiving section 112 for obtaining road traffic information. The control circuit 11 detects the nearest POI to the current location among the specified type of the POIs along the searched route, detects the next nearest POI to the current location among the specified type of the POIs along the searched route, calculates a distance between the nearest POI and the next nearest POI, and informs the user of the nearest POI if the calculated distance is a predetermined value or above, and there is the predetermined road traffic information between the nearest POI and the next nearest POI. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device that detects facilities (hereinafter referred to as POI (Point Of Interest) or facilities of interest) such as stores, hospitals, toilets, and gas stations along a searched route.

  2. Description of the Related Art A navigation device that searches for a route to a destination and notifies positional information of the last facility until the destination is reached among facilities of a specified genre along the route is known as a prior art (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-340582 A

  Among the designated types of POIs along the route, there are POIs that should not be overlooked other than the last POI to the destination. The navigation device described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that such POI is not notified.

  The navigation device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a search means for searching for a route to the destination, a type specifying means for specifying the type of the facility of interest, a current location detecting means for detecting the current location, and a route searched by the search means. A first POI detection unit that detects a facility of interest closest to the current location detected by the current location detection unit, and a search by the search unit. A second POI detection means for detecting a next attention facility closest to the current location detected by the current location detection means among the attention facilities that are along the route and specified by the type designation means; The distance for calculating the distance between the facility of interest detected by the first POI detection means and the facility of interest detected by the second POI detection means A calculation means, a road traffic information acquisition means for acquiring road traffic information, a target facility whose distance calculated by the distance calculation means is greater than or equal to a predetermined value and detected by the first POI detection means, And POI notifying means for notifying the noticed facility detected by the first POI detecting means when predetermined road traffic information exists between the noticed facility detected by the POI detecting means. .

  According to the present invention, it is possible to notify the user of a POI that is preferably not missed except for the last POI up to the destination among the designated types of POIs along the route.

It is a block diagram for demonstrating the structure of the navigation apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the POI alerting | reporting process in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the inquiry screen which inquires the setting of a waypoint.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This navigation device 1 can be used as a portable navigation device in addition to being used as a vehicle-mounted navigation device. The navigation device 1 includes a control circuit 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor 14, an image memory 15, a display monitor 16, a speaker 17, an input device 18, a touch panel 19, a touch panel control unit 110, a data storage device 111, An FM multiplex broadcast receiving unit 112, a power supply unit 113, and a battery 114 are included.

  The control circuit 11 includes a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits, and performs various controls by executing a control program stored in the ROM 12 using the RAM 13 as a work area. In addition, the control circuit 11 performs a predetermined route search process based on the map data stored in the data storage device 111. The processing result is displayed on the display monitor 16 as a route.

  The GPS sensor 14 receives GPS signals transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites, and detects the current location of the navigation device 1. Based on the current location detected by the GPS sensor 14, the display range of the map, the starting point of the route search, and the like are determined. Further, the current location detected by the GPS sensor 14 is displayed on the map as a vehicle position mark.

  The image memory 15 stores image data to be displayed on the display monitor 16. The image data includes road map drawing data and various graphic data, which are appropriately generated in the control circuit 11 based on the map data stored in the data storage device 111.

  The data storage unit 111 includes a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory or a hard disk or a nonvolatile recording medium, and stores map data and the like.

  The map data includes map display data, route search data, POI data, and the like. The map display data and the route search data include road link information and node information. The map display data has map data of a plurality of scales from wide areas to details, and the scale of the display map can be changed according to a user request. The POI data includes information such as the POI name, POI type, address, telephone number, and position coordinates. The type of POI is a POI category such as a gas station, a convenience store, or a family restaurant. The map data may be read from a recording medium other than the data storage device 111, such as a DVD-ROM or CD-ROM.

  The touch panel 19 is a transparent touch switch laminated on the surface of the display monitor 16, and an image displayed on the display monitor 16 is displayed through the touch panel 19. The touch panel 19 outputs a signal corresponding to the pressed position on the touch panel 19 to the touch panel control unit 110. The touch panel control unit 110 calculates the pressed position of the touch panel 19 and outputs the calculation result to the control circuit 11. When various buttons and display menus displayed on the display monitor 16 are pressed, the touch panel 19 is pressed, and processing defined in the pressed various buttons and display menu is executed.

  The display monitor 16 displays various information such as a map near the current location and a list of music titles based on various information such as map data. The speaker 17 outputs sound for instructing the user to perform various input operations and for guiding the route. The input device 18 has operation keys for the user to set various commands and input search conditions, and is realized by a button switch on the operation panel, a hard switch around the panel, or the like. The user sets the destination by operating the input device 18 in accordance with an instruction on the display screen of the display monitor 16 or a voice instruction from the speaker 17.

  When the destination is set by the user, the navigation apparatus 1 performs a route calculation from the current location detected by the GPS sensor 14 to the destination based on a predetermined algorithm. The route obtained in this way is displayed on the screen separately from other roads by changing the display form, for example, the display color. Thereby, the user can recognize the route on the map on the screen. In addition, the navigation device 1 instructs the user in the direction of travel using a screen or voice so that the vehicle can travel according to the route, thereby guiding the route of the vehicle.

  The FM multiplex broadcast receiving unit 112 receives the FM multiplex broadcast and acquires road traffic information from the FM multiplex broadcast. Road traffic information is distributed from road traffic information providers using FM multiplex broadcasting.

  The power supply unit 113 stabilizes the power supplied from the battery 114 built in the navigation device or converts it to a predetermined voltage value. The battery 114 is, for example, a manganese dry battery or a lithium ion secondary battery.

  Next, the POI notification process in one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2 is executed in the control circuit 11 by a program that starts when route guidance is started. Here, it is assumed that the type of POI to be notified is specified in advance by the user. For example, a POI type input screen for inputting the POI type may be displayed on the display monitor 16 so that the user can select the POI type from the POI type input screen by operating the input device 18 or the touch panel 19. A POI whose type is designated by the user is hereinafter referred to as a designated POI.

  In step S101, the designated POI along the searched route is detected based on the position coordinates of the POI stored in the POI data. In step S102, the current location of the vehicle is detected using the GPS sensor 14. In step S103, the nearest designated POI on the traveling direction side with respect to the current location detected in step S102 is detected. In step S104, the nearest next designated POI on the destination side next to the nearest designated POI is detected. In step S105, the distance between the latest designated POI and the next designated POI is calculated.

  In step S106, it is determined whether or not the distance calculated in step S105 is greater than or equal to a set value. This set value is a value set in advance by the user. If the calculated distance is greater than or equal to the set value, an affirmative determination is made in step S106, and the process proceeds to step S107. If the calculated distance is less than the set value, a negative determination is made in step S106, and the process proceeds to step S111.

  In step S107, road traffic information is acquired using the FM multiplex broadcast receiving unit 112. In step S108, based on the acquired road traffic information, it is determined whether or not there is a traffic jam between the latest designated POI and the next designated POI. If there is a traffic jam between the most recently designated POI and the most recent next designated POI, an affirmative decision is made in step S108 and the process proceeds to step S109. If there is no traffic jam between the most recent designated POI and the most recent next designated POI, a negative determination is made in step S108, and the process proceeds to step S111.

  In step S109, the user is notified of the latest designated POI. For example, when the designated POI is a toilet, the speaker 17 outputs a voice saying “If you miss the next toilet, you cannot go to the toilet for a while. If the designated POI is a gas station, the speaker 17 outputs a voice saying, “If you miss the next gas station, you cannot refuel for a while, so it is recommended that you stop by the next gas station.” If the designated POI is a convenience store, the speaker 17 will output a voice saying, “If you miss the next convenience store, you will not be able to purchase lunch or drink for a while. .

  In step S110, the current location of the vehicle is detected. In step S111, it is determined whether the vehicle has arrived at the destination. If the vehicle has arrived at the destination, an affirmative determination is made in step S111, and the POI notification process is terminated. If the vehicle has not arrived at the destination, a negative determination is made in step S111, and the process returns to step S103.

The navigation device 1 according to the above embodiment has the following operational effects.
(1) The route to the destination is searched, the POI (target facility) type is specified, the current location is detected, and the specified location along the route and the specified POI (target facility) is the current location. On the other hand, the nearest designated POI (attention facility) and the next designated POI (attention facility) nearest to the current location are detected, and the latest designated POI (attention facility) and the next designated POI (attention facility) are detected. ) To obtain road traffic information, and the calculated distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and the nearest designated POI (attention facility) and the nearest next designated POI (attention facility) When there is predetermined road traffic information between the two, the latest designated POI (focused facility) is notified. This notifies the user of a designated POI (attention facility) that should not be overlooked other than the last designated POI (attention facility) up to the destination in the designated POI (attention facility) of the designated type along the route. can do.

(2) By selecting a desired type from the facility type input screen, the type of POI (focused facility) to be notified to the user can be specified. Thereby, it is possible to notify the user of an appropriate type of designated POI (focused facility).

The navigation device of the above embodiment can be modified as follows.
(1) In the above embodiment, the POI notification process is started when route guidance starts. However, the POI notification process may be started after a predetermined time has elapsed since the ignition switch of the vehicle was turned on. As a result, it is possible to prevent notification of a designated POI that does not need to be notified for a while after the vehicle starts to travel. For example, since the user is expected to go to the toilet before the vehicle travels, the user may not be notified of the toilet for a while, for example, for one hour after the vehicle travels. In this case, the navigation device includes detection means for detecting on / off of the ignition switch of the vehicle and a timer for measuring time. In this case, the navigation device detects the nearest designated POI after the first predetermined time has elapsed since the on-state of the ignition switch was detected, and the latest predetermined POI after the second predetermined time had elapsed after the on-state of the ignition switch was detected. The next designated POI is detected.

(2) In the above embodiment, the user designates the POI type. However, when the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank of the vehicle falls below a predetermined value, the gasoline station may be designated as the designated POI and the POI notification process may be started. As a result, it is possible to prevent forgetting to designate the gas station as the designated POI even though the fuel in the fuel tank of the vehicle is low. In this case, the navigation device includes detection means for detecting the remaining amount of fuel in the fuel tank of the vehicle. That is, the navigation device designates a gas station as the POI type when the remaining amount of fuel falls below the first predetermined value, and when the remaining amount of fuel falls below the second predetermined value, When the designated POI is detected and the remaining amount of fuel becomes equal to or less than the third predetermined value, the most recent next designated POI is detected.

(3) The notified designated POI may be set as a waypoint, route search to the destination via the waypoint may be further performed, and route guidance of this route may be performed. For example, when the designated POI is notified, an inquiry screen 20 for inquiring to set the designated POI as a waypoint is displayed on the display monitor 16 as shown in FIG. The inquiry screen 20 displays a YES button 21 for inputting the user's consent and a NO button 22 for inputting the user's rejection. As shown in FIG. 3, when the user presses the YES button 21, the notified designated POI is set as a waypoint, and a route that reaches the destination via the waypoint is searched. Then, route guidance for the newly searched route is started, and POI notification processing is newly started from step S101. On the other hand, when the user presses the NO button 22, the POI notification process is continued without setting a waypoint and performing a route search.

(4) Road traffic information serving as a trigger for notifying a user of a designated POI is not limited to traffic jam information. For example, snow road information, chain regulation information, road freezing information, slow driving information, and the like may be used.

(5) Although the designated POI is notified by sound output from the speaker 17, the designated POI may be notified by an image displayed on the display monitor 16. Further, the designated POI may be notified by sound and image.

  It is also possible to combine one or a plurality of embodiments and modifications. It is possible to combine the modified examples in any way.

  The above description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation apparatus 11 Control circuit 14 GPS sensor 16 Display monitor 17 Speaker 20 Inquiry screen 21 YES button 22 NO button 112 FM multiplex broadcast receiver

Claims (5)

Search means for searching for a route to the destination;
Type designation means for designating the type of facility of interest;
Current location detection means for detecting the current location;
A first facility that detects a facility of interest that is closest to the current location detected by the current location detection device among the facilities of interest that are along the route searched by the search device and that are of the type specified by the type specification device. POI detection means of
Detecting the next notable facility closest to the current location detected by the current location detecting unit among the noted facilities that are along the route searched by the searching unit and are of the type specified by the type specifying unit. Second POI detection means;
A distance calculating means for calculating a distance between the noted facility detected by the first POI detecting means and the noted facility detected by the second POI detecting means;
Road traffic information acquisition means for acquiring road traffic information;
The distance calculated by the distance calculation means is not less than a predetermined value, and between the attention facility detected by the first POI detection means and the attention facility detected by the second POI detection means. A navigation apparatus comprising POI notification means for notifying a facility of interest detected by the first POI detection means when predetermined road traffic information exists. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
An ignition switch detecting means for detecting the ON of the ignition switch of the vehicle;
A time measuring means for measuring an elapsed time after the ignition switch is turned on,
The first POI detection means detects the nearest facility of interest after a first predetermined time has elapsed since detection of the ignition switch being turned on,
Prior to the second POI detecting means, the next next facility of interest is detected after a second predetermined time has elapsed since the ignition switch was detected to be turned on. The navigation device according to claim 1 or 2,
The navigation device characterized in that the type designation means designates the type of facility selected by the user from the facility type input screen. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
Comprising a remaining amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of fuel in the vehicle;
The type designation means designates a gas station as the type of the facility of interest when the remaining amount of fuel detected by the remaining amount detection means is equal to or less than a first predetermined value,
The first POI detection unit detects the nearest facility of interest when the remaining amount of fuel detected by the remaining amount detection unit becomes equal to or less than a second predetermined value;
Before the second POI detecting means, when the remaining amount of fuel detected by the remaining quantity detecting means becomes equal to or less than a third predetermined value, the nearest next facility of interest is detected. Navigation device. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Comprising a waypoint setting means for setting the facility of interest notified by the POI notification means as a waypoint;
The search means further searches for a route to the destination via the waypoint set by the waypoint setting means after the waypoint is set by the waypoint setting means. apparatus.

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