JP4621976B2 - Vehicle navigation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation apparatus that searches for an optimum route to a destination designated by a user.

  As the vehicle travels, the current position is detected by GPS (Global Positioning System), etc., and the current position is displayed on the display device together with the road map, and an appropriate route from the current position to the destination is displayed. A vehicle navigation device that is set and guided by a display device, a voice output device, or the like contributes to efficient and safe driving for a user (see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-9-292251

  In the conventional route search function, a route search is performed according to road parameters (costs) stored in advance in the vehicle navigation device, and a route desired by the user is learned by learning a road on which the user normally passes. There is something close.

  However, if there is no highway interchange near the current position of the vehicle, for example, if a route search to the destination is performed, it is not possible to search for the interchange and the route to the destination using only the general road Explore. Further, by changing the road parameters stored in the navigation device or using the learned route, it is possible to search for a route passing through a toll road, not a route using only a general road. However, the route that passes through the closest interchange from the current location may not be the route desired by the user.

  The route search function in the conventional route re-search performs the partial route search from the current position deviating from the initial route to the initial searched route using the above road parameters, and connects the partial route and the remaining initial route. There is a method and a method of performing an overall search from the current position deviating from the initial route to the destination. However, when the user cannot follow the search route of the navigation system because of some purpose or a change in road conditions, there is a problem that route guidance by repeated route re-search is troublesome.

  Against the background of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle navigation device that enables a user to search and guide a desired route.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

The present invention provides a vehicle navigation apparatus for solving the above-described problems. That is, according to claim 1, in the vehicle navigation system for guiding a vehicle based on the previously searched route by displaying the current position of the vehicle on an electronic map, and search means for searching for a route to the destination, predetermined An interchange history storage means for storing at least the interchange usage history corresponding to the position or direction of the destination when using a route including the interchange with respect to the past route history of the vehicle actually traveling to the destination A search means for reading interchange history information stored in the interchange history storage means corresponding to the position or direction of the destination when searching for a route to the destination. If there is a history of use of the interchange, the destination must be included to include the interchange. Determining a route as searched route configured as a vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim.

  The present invention, for example, stores and learns interchanges used in the past for each traveling direction from the current location to the destination, so that the user's desired route can be used using the learned interchanges when going in the same direction thereafter. The purpose is to search for and guide. With the above configuration, a route desired by the user can be guided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the conventional route search method, when a route search is performed under the condition of using a highway or the condition of using a road on which a user often travels, the departure location or the current position S2 of the vehicle is used by the user. A route C22 is searched from the general road R22 that travels frequently to the departure IC or the interchange IC22 that is closest to the current location of the vehicle to the highway H22 to the destination P2. Further, when a route search is performed under the condition that the expressway is not used, a route C23 from the starting point or the current position S2 of the vehicle to the general road R23 to the destination P2 is searched. In this case, when the user wants to travel on the route C21 including the interchange IC 21, the interchange IC 21 must be set as a waypoint condition when searching for the route.

  Further, in the related art, when the route C22 or the route C23 is searched and the user travels on the general road R21, the user is notified that the vehicle is off the route and the route C22 or the route C23 is determined from the current position of the vehicle. Search for a route to return to.

However, in the present invention, the route is re-searched using the user's intention, that is, the traveling direction of the vehicle as the most important parameter for the route search. That is, when the route C22 or the route C23 is searched and the user is traveling on the general road R21 and has used the interchange IC 21 in the past, the route is searched again as follows.
(1) When the route search is performed under the condition of using the expressway, the route C21 from the current position of the vehicle to the general road R21 to the interchange IC21 to the expressway H21 to the destination P2 is searched again.
(2) When a route search is performed under the condition that the highway is not used, a route (not shown) from the current position of the vehicle to the general road R21 to the general road R21 or another general road to the destination P2 is searched again.
Then, when going from the departure point or the current position S2 of the vehicle to the destination P2, the route (1) or (2) is searched.

According to claim 2, in addition to the vehicle navigation device of claim 1, when a past interchange history is read by the reading means corresponding to the position or direction of the predetermined destination , Selection means for allowing the user of the navigation device to select whether or not to determine the route including the interchange, and the search means follows the selection by the selection means, and the past interchange read by the reading means as the search route It can also be configured as a vehicle navigation device that determines whether the route includes a route different from the route including the route.

  With the above configuration, when the user deviates from the searched route many times, the user can recognize that he / she wants to go in the deviated direction and can perform route search giving priority to the route in that direction. . Therefore, when the user cannot follow the search route of the navigation system due to some purpose or a change in road condition, repeated reroute is not performed, and the problem that the route guidance is troublesome as in the prior art is solved. . In addition, since the user can select which route to travel, it is possible to perform route search and route guidance as desired by the user.

  In the example of FIG. 2, when heading from the departure point or the current position S2 of the vehicle to the destination P2, a desired route is selected from the route (1) or (2), the route C22, and the route C23. And route guidance is performed based on the selected route.

  According to claim 3, the interchange history storage means in the vehicle navigation device of the present invention has a configuration in which the ride interchange and the descend interchange used in the past are stored in pairs according to the position or direction of the destination. You can also

  With the above configuration, it is possible not only to store the history of using the interchange, but also to store the actual use history of the interchange by storing the boarding / exiting direction, and to perform a detailed route search. It becomes possible.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the search means in the vehicle navigation apparatus according to the present invention allows the user to search for a route passing through the ride interchange stored in the interchange history storage means and a route passing through the descending interchange. The route predicted to be desired is displayed on the electronic map, and the selection means allows the user to select whether to use the ride interchange and the exit interchange stored in the interchange history storage means, and based on the selection. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the search route is finally determined.

  With the above configuration, whether or not to use an interchange can be selected on an electronic map, so it is possible to select a used interchange and re-search for a route in a shorter time than when a selection menu screen is called and a selection operation is performed. Thus, the operation load on the navigation device for the user is also reduced. It is possible to perform route search and route guidance as desired by the user.

According to claim 5, in the vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, it is determined whether the vehicle has deviated from the searched route by comparing the searched route with the actual traveling route of the vehicle. A deviation determining means for determining, a traveling direction specifying means for specifying the traveling direction of the vehicle, and a traveling for detecting a change in the traveling direction of the vehicle when the current location of the deviating vehicle is within a predetermined range from the searched route. and direction change detecting means, when the traveling direction of the vehicle has changed more than a predetermined number of times, re-search of a new route to the destination in preference to traveling to the departure direction of the vehicle than induced to return to the search path It is possible to adopt a configuration including re-searching means for performing the above.

  If you stop by a store that is off the route while traveling, or if there are traffic restrictions such as detours due to events such as accidents or festivals, the route to the destination will be re-searched by the conventional Dijkstra method etc. Is done. For example, when the vehicle is moving north from north to south, if there is traffic restriction ahead and it is necessary to make a detour, turn left (westward) → right (northward) → right turn (eastward) → left before the traffic restriction point Travel like (north) and finish the detour and return to the original search route. That is, the traveling direction of the vehicle has changed four times. In this case, since the destination has not changed and the user does not want to travel on another route, the user only feels troublesome if a re-search is performed each time the traveling direction of the vehicle changes.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, when the number of deviations does not reach a predetermined number, the route to the destination is not re-searched, so that the user does not feel bothered by unnecessary route re-search.

  According to claim 6, the vehicle navigation device according to claim 5 newly re-searches the route to the destination by giving priority to traveling in the departure direction of the vehicle rather than the guidance for returning to the searched route. Re-search selection means for selecting whether or not the vehicle has deviated from the searched route, and a new re-search for the route to the destination is made with priority given to traveling in the departure direction of the vehicle. In this case, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the re-search means re-searches the route to the destination with priority given to traveling in the departure direction of the vehicle over the guidance for returning to the searched route.

  With the above configuration, when the number of departures does not reach the predetermined number of times or before the number of departures reaches the predetermined number of times, the route can be re-searched, and the driver's intention can be quickly dealt with. By quickly re-searching for a desired route, the driver can concentrate on driving the vehicle without feeling anxiety or stress even when driving in a geographically unguided place.

Moreover, the navigation apparatus for vehicles for solving the said subject can also be comprised as follows. That is, in a vehicle navigation apparatus that displays a current location of a vehicle on an electronic map and guides the vehicle based on a previously searched route, search means for searching for a route to the destination, the search route, and an actual vehicle Deviation determination means for determining whether the vehicle has deviated from the searched route by comparing with the travel route, deviation number determination means for determining whether the number of departures has reached a predetermined number, and the number of departures When it is determined that the predetermined number of times has been reached, re-search means for re-searching the route to the destination in preference to traveling in the departure direction of the vehicle over guidance to return to the search route; It is comprised as a vehicle navigation apparatus characterized by including.

  In FIG. 3, when the route C11 is searched as a route from the departure point S1 to the destination P1 in the route search according to the conventional technique, the user does not travel the route C11 but travels the zigzag route T1. The route re-search is performed every time the traveling direction of the vehicle is changed. In the above configuration, the route re-search is performed only when the number of times the traveling direction of the vehicle has changed exceeds a predetermined value. Since the user on the extension searches for the route C12 that the user wants to travel, the user does not feel bothered by re-searching and displaying the route that the user does not want to travel.

In addition, the vehicle navigation apparatus of the present invention selects whether or not to re-search for a route to the destination by giving priority to traveling in the departure direction of the vehicle over guidance for returning to the search route. The vehicle is determined to have deviated from the search route, and when the selection to re-search for the route to the destination with priority given to traveling in the departure direction of the vehicle is made, It is possible to adopt a configuration in which re-searching of a route to a destination is newly performed with priority given to traveling in the departure direction of the vehicle over guidance for returning to the searched route.

  With the above configuration, when the number of departures does not reach the predetermined number of times or before the number of departures reaches the predetermined number of times, the route can be re-searched, and the driver's intention can be quickly dealt with. By quickly re-searching for a desired route, the driver can concentrate on driving the vehicle without feeling anxiety or stress even when driving in a geographically unguided place.

  When the purpose of providing a vehicle navigation device that enables a user to search for a desired route and provide guidance is deviated from the original searched route, the user prioritizes the route in the direction that has continued to deviate. This is realized by a vehicle navigation device that performs a route search.

  Hereinafter, a vehicle navigation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a vehicle navigation apparatus (hereinafter abbreviated as a navigation apparatus) 100. The navigation device 100 includes a position detector 1, a map data input device 6, an operation switch group 7, a remote control (hereinafter referred to as remote control) sensor 11, a speaker 15 for performing voice guidance, a semiconductor memory device 9, a display device 10, and the like. Are connected to a control circuit 8, a remote control terminal 12, and a hard disk device (HDD) 21.

  The position detector 1 has a known geomagnetic sensor 2, a gyroscope 3, a distance sensor 4, and a GPS receiver 5 for GPS that detects the position of the vehicle based on radio waves from a satellite. Since these sensors 2, 3, 4, and 5 have errors of different properties, they are configured to be used while being complemented by a plurality of sensors. Depending on the accuracy, a part of the sensors described above may be used, and further, a steering rotation sensor, a wheel sensor of each rolling wheel, or the like may be used.

  The map data input device 6 is a device for inputting various data including so-called map matching data for improving the accuracy of position detection and road data representing road connections from the storage medium 20. As a storage medium, a CD-ROM or DVD is generally used because of the amount of data, but another medium such as a memory card may be used.

  The map data stores predetermined map image information for display and road network information including link information and node information. The link information is predetermined section information constituting each road, and includes position coordinates, distance, required time, road width, number of lanes, speed limit, and the like. The node information is information that defines an intersection (branch road) and the like, and includes position coordinates, the number of right / left turn lanes, a connection destination road link, and the like. In addition, data indicating whether or not traffic is possible is set in the inter-link connection information.

  As the operation switch group 7, for example, a touch switch or a mechanical switch integrated with the display device 10 is used. The touch switch is composed of infrared sensors that are finely arranged vertically and horizontally on the screen of the display device 10. For example, when the infrared ray is cut off with a finger, a touch pen, or the like, the cut-off position becomes a two-dimensional coordinate value (X, Y). A pointing device such as a mouse or a cursor may be used. Various instructions can be input by the operation switch group 7 and the remote control terminal 12.

  In addition to the operation switch group 7 and the remote control terminal 12, it is also possible to input various instructions using the voice recognition unit 30. In this method, when a voice is input from a microphone 31 connected to the voice recognition unit 30, the voice signal is subjected to voice recognition processing by a known voice recognition technique, and converted into an operation command corresponding to the result. .

  The transceiver 13 is a device for receiving road traffic information from, for example, a VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) center 14.

  Further, by connecting a mobile communication device such as a mobile phone 17 or a car phone to the communication unit 19, it is possible to connect to an external network and connect to the Internet or the like. Furthermore, by communicating with an ETC (Automatic Toll Collection System, ETC: Electronic Toll Collection) vehicle-mounted device 16, the fee information received by the ETC vehicle-mounted device 16 from the ETC road device can be taken into the navigation device 100. Moreover, it is also possible to connect with an external network by the ETC onboard equipment 16. A configuration for communicating with the VICS center 14 via the cellular phone 17 or the ETC vehicle-mounted device 16 may be adopted.

  The control circuit 8, which is the search means, reading means, departure frequency determination means, departure determination means, and re-search means of the present invention, is configured as a normal computer, and is a well-known CPU 81, ROM 82, RAM 83, and input / output circuit. An I / O 84 and a bus line 85 connecting these components are provided. The CPU 81 controls the navigation program 21p and data stored in the HDD 21. The CPU 81 controls the reading / writing of data to / from the HDD 21.

  The HDD 21 may be configured to store map data. In addition, the user can independently write data to the HDD 21 in addition to auxiliary information for route guidance, entertainment information, and the like. The contents of these data can be rewritten by operating the operation switch group 7 and the remote control terminal 12 or by inputting voice from the microphone 31. It is also possible to read the map data from the storage medium 20 using the map data input device 6 and update the contents of the HDD 21. Moreover, the structure which records the data received via in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network) 22 which exchanges data between the other control apparatuses in a vehicle may be taken.

  The semiconductor memory device 9 is composed of a rewritable semiconductor such as a RAM or a flash ROM, and stores information and data necessary for the operation of the navigation device 100. The semiconductor storage device 9 is configured to retain the stored contents even when the accessory switch of the vehicle is turned off (that is, the navigation device 100 is turned off).

  Further, information and data necessary for the operation of the navigation device 100 may be stored in the HDD 21 instead of the semiconductor memory device 9. Further, information and data necessary for the operation of the navigation device 100 may be stored separately in the semiconductor storage device 9 and the HDD 21. In this case, since the access speed to the semiconductor storage device 9 is higher than that of the HDD 21, a relatively frequent read / write frequency is stored in the semiconductor storage device 9, and a relatively low read / write frequency is stored in the HDD 21. Good. The contents stored in the semiconductor memory device 9 may be backed up and saved in the HDD 21.

  The display device 10 is constituted by a known color liquid crystal display, and performs screen display by a driver circuit (not shown) included in the display device 10 based on a display instruction from the control circuit 8. On the screen of the display device 10, the vehicle current position mark input from the position detector 1, the map data input from the storage medium 20, and additional data such as a guide route displayed on the map are displayed in a superimposed manner. At the same time, a menu button for setting route guidance, guidance during route guidance, and a screen switching operation is displayed on this screen.

  The speaker 15 is connected to a well-known voice synthesis circuit 24 (not shown) connected to the I / O 34 of the control circuit 8, and the voice synthesis circuit 24 converts the digital voice data stored in the semiconductor storage device 9 or the HDD 21 in accordance with a command from the navigation program 21p. In FIG. 2, the sound is converted into analog sound and sent to the speaker 15.

  The vehicle speed sensor 23 includes a rotation detection unit such as a known rotary encoder. For example, the vehicle speed sensor 23 is installed in the vicinity of the wheel mounting unit to detect the rotation of the wheel and send it to the control circuit 8 as a pulse signal. The control circuit 8 converts the number of rotations of the wheel into the speed of the vehicle, calculates the current position of the vehicle and the expected arrival time to a predetermined location, and calculates the average vehicle speed for each travel section of the vehicle. A method of acquiring vehicle speed data from other in-vehicle devices via an in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network) 22 may be used.

  With this configuration, when the navigation program 21p is activated by the CPU 81 of the control circuit 8, the navigation device 100 can be operated by the user operating the operation switch group 7 or the remote control terminal 12 or inputting voice from the microphone 31. When the route guidance process for displaying the destination route on the display device 10 is selected from the menu displayed on the display device 10, the following processing is performed.

  That is, when the user inputs a destination based on the map on the display device 10, the current position of the vehicle is obtained based on the satellite data obtained from the GPS receiver 5, and the optimum position from the current position to the destination is determined. A process for obtaining a route is performed. Then, the guidance route is displayed on the road map on the display device 10 so as to guide the user to the appropriate route. As a method for automatically setting an optimal route, a method such as the Dijkstra method is known. In addition, at least one of the display device 10 and the speaker 15 provides a notification according to the guidance during operation or the operation state.

  In the Dijkstra method, using the above-mentioned link information, node information, and inter-link connection information, a route evaluation value (route calculation cost) from the current location to each node is calculated, and all route evaluation values to the destination are calculated. When the calculation is completed, a link to the smallest total evaluation value is connected and a route to the destination is set. The evaluation value in this case is set according to the road length, road type, road width, number of lanes, right / left turn at the intersection, presence / absence of traffic lights, and the like. For example, the evaluation value is lower as the road width is wider, and the evaluation value is lower as the number of lanes is larger.

(Direction type route search process 1)
The direction type route search process will be described with reference to FIG. This process is included in the navigation program 21p executed by the CPU 81, and is repeatedly executed together with other processes of the navigation program 21p.

  Referring to the travel locus storage area secured in the semiconductor storage device 9 or the HDD 21, whether or not there is a toll road used in the past between the current position of the vehicle and the destination using the map data, that is, in the travel locus It is checked whether the position of the vehicle is stored on the toll road included between the current position and the destination. As a result, when there is a corresponding toll road (S11: Yes), the route is re-searched to use an interchange (IC) that has been used in the past on the toll road in the traveling direction of the vehicle. (S12).

  In the example of FIG. 2, the route C23 is searched on the condition that the toll road is not used in the initial route search. However, since the vehicle is traveling on the general road R21, the vehicle on the general road R21 is determined based on the travel locus of the vehicle. When it was investigated whether there was a toll road used in the past between the current position of the car and the destination P2, the travel path included the expressway H21, which is a toll road, on the extension of the travel direction of the vehicle Therefore, the route is searched again so that the interchange IC 21 that has been used in the past is used, and as a result, the route C21 is searched again.

  Note that the vehicle travel locus is for detecting the position of the vehicle for each unit time or unit distance and storing it in a travel locus storage area secured in the semiconductor storage device 9 or the HDD 21.

  Further, the traveling direction of the vehicle can be obtained from the current position of the vehicle and the traveling locus of the vehicle. For example, a straight line approximation is performed using the current position of the vehicle and the positions of the five latest vehicles stored in the travel locus storage area, and the direction in which the current position of the vehicle is located is set as the travel direction.

  It is possible to obtain information on whether or not an interchange was used, and on which interchange the vehicle traveled in the up or down direction and the exit at which the interchange was exited, depending on the travel locus and travel direction of the vehicle. This information is stored in the travel locus storage area every time the interchange is used. The contents of the information include use date / time, use interchange, distinction of getting on / off, distinction of traveling direction (up / down), number of times of use for each getting on / off / traveling direction, required time, and the like. The semiconductor storage device 9 or the HDD 21 corresponds to the interchange history storage means of the present invention.

(Direction type route search process 2)
Another example of the directional route search process will be described with reference to FIG. Since this process is a modification of the process described with reference to FIG. 4, a detailed description of the same part as in FIG. 4 is omitted.

  When there is a toll road used in the past between the current position of the vehicle and the destination (S21: Yes), for example, the interchange (IC) used with the toll road is blinked on the map displayed on the display device 10. A selection screen for determining whether to use the toll road and the interchange used is displayed on the display device 10 as a subwindow. For example, touch buttons “Use” and “Not use” are displayed in the sub-window, and the user selects a button to be selected.

  When the “use” button is pressed (S22: Yes), which interchange blinking on the display device 10 is used is selected (S23). As a selection method, either a method of selecting an interchange to be used from a list of interchanges displayed in a sub window on the display device 10 or a method of touching a blinking interchange may be used. For example, when a map as shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the display device 10, the interchange IC 21 is touched for selection.

  When the interchange to be used is touched and selected, the route is re-searched to use the selected interchange (S24). In the example of FIG. 2, a route C21 using the highway H21 is searched for as a route from the selected interchange IC 21 to the destination P2.

  In the toll roads and interchanges used in the past from the travel trajectory, it is possible to determine whether the toll road is in the up / down direction, or in the interchange. Therefore, in the above-described re-search example 1 and re-search example 2, in the example of FIG. 2, the route for entering the highway H21 through the interchange IC21 was searched in the re-search process while traveling on the general road R21. If the track is only used to get off the interchange IC21 after getting off the expressway H21, a subwindow is displayed on the display device 10, and the IC21 is used only at the exit in the subwindow to check whether it is on the expressway H21. A message to the effect is displayed. Then, touch buttons “Use” and “Do not use” are displayed together with the message display, and the user selects one of them. When “not use” is selected, the route search is performed again under the condition that the highway H21 is not used.

  The selection of the interchange may be performed by operating the operation switch group 7 and the remote control terminal 12 or by inputting voice from the microphone 31. The display device 10, the operation switch group 7, the remote control terminal 12, and the microphone 31 correspond to selection means of the present invention.

  If there are multiple previously used interchanges between the current position of the vehicle and the destination, which almost match the direction of travel of the vehicle, the route that includes the interchange with the highest frequency of past use is among those interchanges. An automatic search may be performed.

(Direction type route search processing 3)
Still another example of the directional route search process will be described with reference to FIG. This process is included in the navigation program 21p executed by the CPU 81, and is repeatedly executed together with other processes of the navigation program 21p.

  When the distance from the current guidance route of the vehicle to the store or the section of the traffic regulation, that is, the range of the detour distance is determined in advance, and the traveling direction of the vehicle changes within the range (for example, within 2 km) by a predetermined number of times (S31) : Yes), the route is re-searched between the predetermined traveling direction of the vehicle and the destination (S32). Of course, when re-searching for a route, as described above, when there is an interchange used in the past, the route may be re-searched to use the interchange.

(Direction type route search process 4)
Still another example of the directional route search process will be described with reference to FIG. This process is included in the navigation program 21p executed by the CPU 81, and is repeatedly executed together with other processes of the navigation program 21p.

  When the traveling direction of the vehicle changes and deviates from the guidance route, a sub-window is displayed on the display device 10, and a new search for a route to the destination is newly performed in the sub-window giving priority to the current traveling direction of the vehicle. A message is displayed to select whether or not to perform. Along with the message display, touch-type buttons for “re-search” and “do not perform re-search” are displayed, and the user selects one of them. When “Research” is selected (S41: Yes), the route to the destination is researched (S42), and guidance is performed based on the research route.

  The selection of whether or not to re-search for the route to the destination with priority given to the current traveling direction of the vehicle may be performed by operating the operation switch group 7, the remote control terminal 12 or by voice input from the microphone 31. . The display device 10, the operation switch group 7, the remote control terminal 12, and the microphone 31 correspond to the re-search selection means of the present invention.

  It is also possible for the user to set whether or not to perform the above-described directional route search processes 1 to 4 in the navigation device 100. In other words, the function setting menu of the navigation device 100 is displayed from the menu displayed on the display device 10 by the operation of the operation switch group 7 or the remote control terminal 12 or the voice input from the microphone 31, and the route is displayed from the menu screen. A setting screen related to re-search is selected and displayed, and whether or not each re-search is performed is set. The set contents are stored in a predetermined area of the semiconductor storage device 9 or the HDD 21.

  For example, when the direction-type route search process 2 and the direction-type route search process 3 are used in combination, if the traveling direction of the vehicle changes more than a predetermined number of times (FIG. 6, S31: Yes), the current position of the vehicle is changed to the destination. When there is a toll road that has been used in the past (FIG. 5, S21: Yes), a selection screen as to whether to use the toll road and the used interchange is displayed on the display device 10 as a subwindow. When the interchange to be used is touched and selected (FIG. 5, S23), the route is searched again so as to use the selected interchange (FIG. 5, S24).

  Further, when the direction type route search process 3 and the direction type route search process 4 are used in combination, when the traveling direction of the vehicle changes and deviates from the guide route, a sub-window is displayed on the display device 10, A message for selecting whether or not to re-search for a route to the destination with priority given to the current vehicle traveling direction is displayed on the sub-window. If “Research” is selected here (FIG. 7, S41: Yes), the route to the destination is researched (FIG. 7, S42). On the other hand, when “Do not perform re-search” is selected (FIG. 7, S41: No), the number of times the traveling direction of the vehicle has changed is counted, and when the traveling direction has changed a predetermined number of times (FIG. 6). , S31: Yes), the route is re-searched between the predetermined traveling direction of the vehicle and the destination (FIG. 6, S32).

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to them, and the knowledge of those skilled in the art can be used without departing from the scope of the claims. Various modifications based on this are possible.

The block diagram which shows the structure of a navigation apparatus. The figure for demonstrating the concept of a direction type route search process. The figure for demonstrating the concept of another process of a direction type route search process. The flowchart for demonstrating direction type route search processing (direction type route search processing 1). The flow figure for explaining direction type route search processing (direction type route search processing 2). The flow figure for explaining direction type route search processing (direction type route search processing 3). The flow figure for explaining direction type route search processing (direction type route search processing 4).

Explanation of symbols

1 Position detector 7 Operation switch group (selection means, re-search selection means)
8 Control circuit (searching means, reading means, departure frequency determination means, departure determination means, re-search means)
9 Semiconductor memory device (interchange history storage means)
10 Display device (selection means, re-search selection means)
21 Hard disk device (interchange history storage means)
31 Microphone (selection means, re-search selection means)
100 Navigation device

Claims (6)

In a vehicle navigation apparatus for displaying a current location of a vehicle on an electronic map and guiding the vehicle based on a previously searched route,
Search means for searching for a route to the destination;
Interchange history storage means for storing at least an interchange use history corresponding to the position or direction of the destination when using a route including an interchange with respect to a past route history on which the vehicle has actually traveled to a predetermined destination. ,
During the route search to the predetermined destination, and a reading means for reading the history information interchange stored in the interchange history storage means in correspondence with the position or direction of the destination,
The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the search means determines the route to the destination as a search route so as to include the interchange when there is a past use history of the interchange by the reading. In addition to the vehicle navigation device of claim 1,
When past interchange history in correspondence with the position or direction of the predetermined destination is read by the reading means,
Selection means for allowing the user of the navigation device to select whether to determine the route including the interchange as the search route ,
The search means is a vehicle navigation apparatus that determines whether the search route is a route including a past interchange read by the read device or a route different from the search route according to the selection by the selection device. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the interchange history storage unit stores a ride interchange and a descend interchange used in the past in pairs according to the position or direction of the destination. The search means, the interchange history storage means in the path passing through the ride interchange stored, and electronic map a route the user is expected to wish by searching for a route that passes through the down Interchange Displayed above
Said selection means, said user on to select whether to use the interchange history the ride interchange and the down interchange stored in the storage means, the search path is determined ultimately based on the selection The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 3. The vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
And determining deviation determining means for determining whether the vehicle has deviated from the search path by comparing the traveling path of the actual vehicle and the searched route,
Traveling direction specifying means for specifying the traveling direction of the vehicle;
Travel direction change detecting means for detecting a change in the travel direction of the vehicle when the current location of the deviating vehicle is within a predetermined range from the searched route;
When the traveling direction of the vehicle has changed more than a predetermined number of times, re-searched again newly the route to the destination in preference to traveling to the departure direction of the vehicle than induced to return to the search path Search means;
A vehicle navigation device including: Comprising a re-search selecting means for selecting whether to re-search for a new path of the to the destination in preference to traveling to the departure direction of the vehicle than induced to return to the search path,
If the vehicle is determined to have deviated from the searched route, and re-search selecting performing route to travel preferentially to newly the destination to the departure direction of the vehicle is made,
Wherein the re-search means, the vehicle according to claim 5 also performs a re-search of the route to the newly the destination in preference to traveling to the departure direction of the vehicle than induced to return to the search path Navigation device.

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