JP4707091B2 - Traffic information guidance device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a traffic information guide device that automatically presents traffic information at a registered point by registering an intersection and a time zone in advance in an area where the vehicle travels steadily for use in selecting a traveling road. .

  In recent years, it has become widespread that navigation devices are mounted on vehicles, and various high-function navigation devices are commercially available one after another, and research and development of higher-performance navigation devices are underway. Such a navigation device has a route guidance function that supports a user to move to an unguided point at a low cost.

  However, when a lot of people who use a vehicle have to be guided by a navigation device, it is time to go to an unfamiliar land or an unguided place on the geography or road. In such a case, the navigation device Although it is an extremely effective means, in most cases when traveling on a daily basis, round trips between home and work, round trips to the shops or shopping streets that are always around, and round trips to close friends, various For example, when a vehicle is used regularly as described above, the route guidance by a navigation device is not often required.

  In such a range where the vehicle is regularly used, the route guidance by the navigation device as described above is not necessary in many cases, but for example, when traveling on the commuting route to home and work, or for shopping When traveling to a certain point such as a supermarket, there is an intersection that is sometimes congested on the road that is considered to be the most preferable, and it is a little detour but knows the way to go without passing through the intersection If you actually want to leave by car, you may be wondering whether it is better to take the closest route or to take another route even on a detour.

  In that case, even in the conventional navigation device, regardless of whether or not the guidance route is being guided, the current traffic situation is acquired from the outside and presented to the user. Current traffic information provided from the outside for the purpose includes FM multiplexing / radio wave / optical beacons represented by VICS, and road traffic information broadcasting using a conventional AM band. The traffic information acquired from VICS is classified into levels. Level 1 is used for the purpose of displaying information such as traffic jams as characters. Level 2 is used for the purpose of displaying information such as traffic jams as images. It is used for the purpose of route determination for route guidance, detour search, and the display of traffic conditions on roads on a map screen.

  In particular, according to the level 2 or level 3 information, in the case of accident or regulatory information, a landmark indicating the occurring event is displayed at a corresponding point on the map, and in the case of traffic information, according to the transmitted link travel time. The traffic information can be guided to the user by changing the color of the arrow line along the road in accordance with the congestion situation between specific intersections.

  Therefore, a user of a vehicle equipped with a navigation device having such a function must be installed in the vehicle at the time of departure when traffic information regarding the intersection, which is sometimes crowded as described above, is provided by VICS or the like. The current congestion state of the intersection can be known by starting up the navigation device, capturing traffic information with VICS, and outputting the traffic congestion information regarding the intersection with the various means as described above.

  As mentioned above, in addition to when you are worried about whether the intersection on the route you are going to travel is quite crowded, it may be that there is a point under construction on the route that you are going to drive. Even if the user makes various guesses, such as whether an accident has occurred and traffic has become impossible, the road information based on the above traffic information The use of the congestion state guide is effective information for the user to determine a more accurate travel route by himself / herself.

  Thus, for the navigation device, in addition to the function of guiding the user reliably and safely along the guidance route to the unknown land, and further providing various related facility information, the vehicle is steadily operated as described above. It can be said that the function of guiding traffic information is also an important function in the living area to be used.

In addition, it is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below to display the degree of congestion for each lane in association with a traffic jam location when presenting the traffic jam information as described above in the navigation device.
JP-A-6-348997

  According to the conventional navigation device as described above, on the map display of the congestion situation of the road, all the displayed roads among the roads for which the traffic information is provided are displayed by the arrow line along the road. It becomes.

  However, when a user moves to a specific facility within the area of life as described above, the user looks at the map screen to determine the road congestion / traffic accident occurrence state when determining the travel route to that facility. Try to grasp. However, when a considerable number of roads are displayed as described above, congestion information is also displayed for roads that do not need to be known, and it is difficult for the user to grasp the congestion situation of the road that the user originally wants to know. There's a problem.

  Also, when moving within the living area, the user often knows roughly the crowded place and the time of crowding, which is determined from the usual daily life, and the arrival time to the destination specially Unless the user is aware of the travel route, the user does not need the congestion information displayed along the road on the map. On the other hand, when it is necessary to be aware of the arrival time at the destination and the travel route, such as when going to work or returning home, the congestion information of the road to be used is particularly necessary.

  In other words, it is desirable to provide information on road congestion only in specific cases as described above when guiding congestion. However, when capturing traffic information with a conventional navigation device, when switching from a display screen of a normal navigation device to a display of presence / absence of congestion information guidance using a map or the like, a user operates a remote controller or the like to sequentially guide It is necessary to select the function to implement and activate the final congestion information guidance display. For this reason, there is a problem that the operation as described above needs to be performed every day when the vehicle travels every day like the commuting as described above, and the operation is troublesome.

  Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to provide a traffic information guidance device that can display traffic information in an easily viewable manner without requiring a lot of time for capturing the traffic information in an area where the vehicle travels steadily. .

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention generally has the following configuration. That is, the traffic information guide device of the present invention is a road having a VICS link connected to an intersection (confirmation time) to be confirmed with an intersection (confirmation intersection) in which the congestion state is to be confirmed in addition to the conventional navigation system. The means to set and store the VICS link ID together, the means to judge the congestion status based on the traffic information for the confirmed intersection while the current time is the confirmation time, and the congestion status for the confirmed intersection It has means to do.

  The operation of the traffic information guidance apparatus constituted by such functional means will be briefly described. The user designates a confirmation intersection by indicating a specific intersection displayed on the map. The traffic information guide device designated with the confirmation intersection prompts the confirmation time input for the confirmation intersection, and the user sets the confirmation time. The confirmation time has a time range, and the setting here may be done by specifying the confirmation start time and the confirmation time, or set the time range that the user confirms in advance as a basic setting You can keep it. In any case, the confirmation time has a certain time width around a specific time.

  When the above settings are completed, the device searches the database used in the navigation system for all roads connected to the designated intersection, and determines whether the road is related to the VICS information. Check. If it is a road related to the VICS information, the VICS link ID in the VICS system is acquired from the database and stored in association with the confirmed intersection. When there are a plurality of items, the plurality is stored.

  Furthermore, the traffic information guide device of the present invention monitors the current time in the same manner as a normal navigation system performs. When the current time enters the time zone of the confirmation time, the device collects the congestion status of the VICS link ID connected to the corresponding confirmation intersection from the VICS information and guides the user based on the congestion status.

  As a guidance method, for example, only a road connected to the intersection on the map is displayed by a line drawing expressing traffic congestion information, and in addition to that, every time the display changes, a change is transmitted to the user by sound, and further a voice In this case, it is determined by guiding the situation of the road as the situation in the vicinity of the intersection, but various other methods can be employed.

  Next, examples of contents to be guided are shown. When four VICS links are connected to a confirmed intersection and the congestion status (either smooth, moderate or congested, etc.) classified into three from the VICS system is notified for each road, the majority of VICS links In the case of traffic jams, we will inform you that the vicinity of the intersection is congested, if it is less than half, we will inform you that the intersection is slightly congested, and if there is no congested VICS link, we will inform you that it is smooth. Or the content of making guidance unnecessary is conceivable.

  Furthermore, if it can be estimated that the vehicle will enter the intersection from now on, it may be possible to provide guidance with a weight on the degree of congestion of the corresponding VICS link ID. It is also possible to set the guidance content and guidance method for the congestion situation at the intersection.

More specifically, the traffic information guide device according to the present invention which has the above-described general configuration and operates is configured as follows. That is, the traffic guidance device according to the present invention inputs a traffic condition confirmation registration processing means for registering a congestion confirmation intersection for confirming a congestion situation in advance and a time zone for confirming the congestion for each congestion confirmation intersection, and traffic information from the outside. Traffic information input means, and traffic information including congestion status input by the traffic information input means, select only the traffic information corresponding to the intersection registered by the congestion status confirmation registration means and the congestion confirmation time zone of each intersection A congestion guidance processing means for performing congestion guidance output, and the congestion status confirmation registration processing means displays a congestion confirmation intersection registration list for inputting a time zone for confirming congestion for the registered congestion confirmation intersection. Confirmation intersection registration list display means is provided, and the congestion confirmation intersection registration list display means confirms a plurality of congestions for the same congestion confirmation intersection. It characterized in that it allowed the input of the time zone to be.

  Further, in another traffic guide device according to the present invention, in the traffic guide device, the congestion guidance processing unit calculates a congestion degree by a predetermined calculation method based on the traffic information input by the traffic information input unit. Degree calculation means, and congestion guidance output is performed according to the calculation result of the calculation means.

  Another traffic guide device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the traffic guide device, the congestion guidance processing means outputs a congestion guidance output for each congestion confirmation intersection when the congestion state changes. .

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the traffic information input means is a means for inputting VICS information, and the congestion status confirmation registration processing means corresponds to the VICS link ID. It is characterized by registering a congestion confirmation intersection.

  Further, another traffic guidance device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the traffic guidance device, the congestion status confirmation registration processing means sets a congestion confirmation intersection by instructing an intersection on the displayed map. To do.

  The traffic information guidance device according to the present invention provides a map by eliminating the display of congestion information on unnecessary roads by guiding only the congestion situation for a designated intersection only to the time zone designated by the user. This makes it easy to see the display screen, and it is possible to quickly grasp the congestion situation at the required intersection, and it is possible to guide only the congestion information of the necessary intersection by voice, so the user can make unnecessary guidance There is no need to pay attention and it is possible to travel on the road more safely.

  The present invention aims to guide only the congestion situation at the designated intersection to only the time zone designated by the user, and the congestion confirmation intersection for confirming the congestion situation in advance and the congestion confirmation intersection. Among the traffic information including the congestion status entered by the traffic information input means, the traffic information input means for inputting traffic information from the outside, and the traffic information input by the traffic information input means. This is realized by including an intersection registered by the registration means and a congestion guidance processing means for selecting only traffic information corresponding to the congestion confirmation time zone of each intersection and outputting congestion guidance.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The traffic information guidance device according to the present invention can be implemented by various devices as long as it can capture traffic information and guide traffic jam information etc. at pre-registered intersections and guidance times. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a form used by being incorporated in a navigation device to be used. Hereinafter, the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In addition, the function part which performs each function in FIG. 1 can also be said to be a means which performs each function.

  In the navigation apparatus shown in FIG. 1, as in the prior art, a ROM in which software for comprehensively performing various predetermined functions is recorded in the system control unit 10, a CPU and a RAM for processing the software, etc. Are provided, and the respective functional units connected thereto are associated and controlled comprehensively. In the illustrated navigation apparatus, a vehicle position detection unit 13 is connected to the system control unit 10 and position data of the GPS receiver 14 is input, and a travel distance / orientation detection unit using a vehicle speed sensor or an angle sensor as required. The current position of the vehicle is accurately detected by inputting the movement data of the vehicle.

  In addition, a VICS information input unit 15 including a VICS receiver is provided, and VICS information is captured from a beacon, FM broadcast, or the like. In the present invention, by taking in this VICS information in particular, it is possible to obtain the traffic information of the guide time at the intersection registered in advance as will be described later.

  In the instruction signal input unit 16, an instruction signal for the remote controller 17 or the like by the user in the navigation device is input. Further, a signal from the voice recognition unit 18 that inputs a user instruction signal through a process of recognizing the user's voice as necessary is also input to the instruction signal input unit 16.

  The guidance route guide unit 20 calculates the optimum guidance route from the own vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection unit 13 to the destination inputted by the user from the support signal input unit 16, and safely guides the vehicle to the destination. In order to do this, various guidance such as intersection left and right turn guidance is performed. The data fetching unit 21 fetches necessary map data, facility information, etc. from a map / information data recording medium 22 such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or hard disk, and the data recording medium is like a hard disk. When data can be easily written, data can be input to the data recording medium so that data imported from outside or data processed by other functional units can be read and used later. I have to.

  Voice output from the voice output unit 23 to the speaker 24 enables various information such as guidance route guidance and congestion information output. In addition, the image output unit 25 outputs an image to the monitor 26 and displays various information such as a map screen, a vehicle position, a guidance route, and a congestion status display.

  The navigation apparatus according to the present invention further includes a congestion status confirmation setting registration processing unit 11 and a registered intersection congestion guidance processing unit 12. The congestion status confirmation setting registration processing unit 11 is provided with a congestion intersection instruction unit 32 for instructing an intersection for which the user wants to be informed of the congestion situation in advance, and instructs the intersection input by various means at the instruction signal input unit 16. The signal is output to the congestion confirmation intersection map display unit 31 to display the intersection designated by the user. The signal of the crowded intersection instruction unit 32 is also output to the congestion confirmation intersection registration list display unit 33. The congestion confirmation intersection registration list display unit 33 displays the data registered up to now and inputs the next instruction signal. Is displayed.

  In the congestion confirmation time input unit 34, an input for designating a time for performing the guidance of the congestion status is performed by the various means in the instruction signal input unit 16 for the intersection instructed by the congestion intersection instruction unit 32. At this time, an input such as “..hours..minutes.about..hours..minutes” is performed with an arbitrary time width. The signal is output to the congestion confirmation intersection registration list display section 33. The congestion confirmation intersection registration list display section 33 inputs and displays the congestion guidance time corresponding to the intersection designated by the congestion intersection instruction section 32.

  In the registration deletion instruction section 37, the user refers to the list displayed in the congestion confirmation intersection registration list display section 33, and gives an instruction regarding an intersection for which registration is desired to be deleted. In the congestion status confirmation registration processing unit 35, the user inputs the congestion confirmation intersection input as described above, the time at which the congestion status guidance is provided at the intersection, and the intersection to be deleted specified by the registration deletion instruction unit 37. When this is confirmed, registration is performed in the congestion confirmation intersection confirmation data registration storage unit 36 and stored.

  The congestion confirmation intersection registration data registration storage unit 36 stores the latest data input or deleted as described above, and uses the data in the registered confirmation intersection congestion guidance processing unit 12 described later. The stored data at this time is set and stored in accordance with the VICS link ID of the road having the VICS link, thereby making it easy to use the captured VICS information as described later.

  In the traffic information input unit 40 of the registered confirmed intersection congestion guidance processing unit 12, the traffic information captured by the VICS information input unit 15, the traffic information via the Internet from the Internet information input unit separately installed in the vehicle, Input information captured by various communication means such as communication. In the current time input unit 41, the current time is input from a timekeeping function unit provided in a normal navigation device.

  The registered congestion confirmation intersection traffic information selection unit 42 reads the data stored in the congestion confirmation intersection confirmation data registration storage unit 36 in the congestion state confirmation setting registration processing unit 11 and outputs each of the various traffic information. For the registered intersections, the congestion status data corresponding to each registered congestion guidance time is selected, and when there is corresponding congestion information data, the data is output to the congestion status display unit 43 to be monitored 26. On the map screen or separately as traffic information.

  The congestion status data selected as described above by the registered congestion confirmation intersection traffic information selection unit 42 is further output to the congestion level calculation unit 44, and the congestion level calculation unit 44 calculates a preset congestion level. To calculate the degree of congestion for each intersection, and output the calculation result to the intersection degree congestion degree calculation result storage unit 45. As a calculation method of the degree of congestion, it can be performed in various ways, but when there are four links for a specific intersection, it is determined as “congested” when congestion is detected by a majority, that is, two or more, When there is only one, it may be determined that “somewhat crowded”.

  In the registered confirmed intersection congestion state change detection unit 46, the traffic information selected by the registered congestion confirmed intersection traffic information selecting unit 42 and the congestion for each registered intersection stored in the intersection-specific congestion degree calculation result storage unit 45. Whether or not the congestion status has changed is monitored based on the degree data, for example, when the congestion has occurred from a non-congested state or when the congestion level has changed, for example, when the congestion status has changed. In the congestion status voice output unit 47, a voice such as “Pawn” or a user such as “the congestion status has changed” draws attention from the speaker 24 via the voice output unit 23. Output audio.

  In the embodiment of the traffic information guidance apparatus according to the present invention constituted by the functional blocks as described above, for example, in order according to the respective operation flows of the registration process for checking the congestion status in FIG. 2 and the intersection congestion status guidance process in FIG. Can be operated. These operations will be described below with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. 1 and the examples of FIGS. In the example of the congestion status confirmation registration process shown in FIG. 2, it is first determined whether or not to perform the congestion status confirmation registered intersection deletion process (step S1). This determination is made when the function for performing the registration process for checking the congestion status is selected, and the registration process is performed according to an instruction that is a registration process for deleting what has already been registered on the selection screen for selecting a new registration process. Can be determined.

  In step S1, when an input to the effect that the user does not delete what has already been registered as described above is performed, in the example of FIG. 2, a map screen display for setting the congestion confirmation intersection registration is performed. (Step S2). The map screen for setting the congestion confirmation intersection registration can be displayed in various modes. For example, a map of a living area where the host vehicle that is set in advance normally travels is displayed. Next, in the map display of the living area as described above, the user instructs an intersection for which the congestion state is to be confirmed (step S3).

  This processing can be performed by inputting an instruction to the map displayed on the congestion confirmation intersection map display unit 31 in the congestion confirmation intersection instruction unit 32 in the congestion state confirmation setting registration processing unit 11 of FIG. In this case, for example, the process is performed as shown in FIG. FIG. 4A shows an example of setting an intersection for confirming the congestion status in the commuting route from home S to company D. In this map example, the congestion status is guided. This is an intersection that is necessary when considering various routes between the home S and the company D as an intersection for confirming the congestion situation, and not when the intersection is congested depending on the situation. There is an example in which three intersections A, B, and C are indicated as intersections for which it is desired to check the congestion situation because there are times when the degree of congestion varies depending on the situation. In particular, for the intersection B, an example in which the user currently indicates this by operating the cursor of the remote controller or the like is shown. It should be noted that an identifiable mark such as a mark as shown in the figure is preferably given to the intersection designated by the user.

  In the example of the operation flow of FIG. 2, it is then determined whether or not all the congestion confirmation intersections have been instructed (step S4). If it is determined that not all intersections have been instructed yet, the process returns to step S3 again to instruct a new congestion confirmation intersection on the map. This determination can be made by detecting whether or not the user has made an input to perform the next operation.

  If it is determined that all intersections have been instructed here, the congestion confirmation intersection registration list is displayed in the example of the operation flow of FIG. 2 (step S5). The list displayed at this time can be displayed in various forms, but may be displayed as shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 4 (b), A, B, and C are listed as intersections for confirming the previously instructed congestion status, and a list for inputting start time and end time for confirmation at each intersection is displayed. An example is shown. Further, in the illustrated example, the input of the start time and the end time has already been completed for the intersections A and C, and the state where the input for the intersection B is currently performed is shown. Such list display is performed by the congestion confirmation intersection registration list display unit 33 in the congestion state confirmation setting registration processing unit 11 in the example of FIG.

  Next, in step S6, the start time and end time for checking each congestion check intersection during the list display as described above are input by operating the remote controller or the like. When inputting the start time and the end time, each time can be directly input as described above, and various other modes can be used. For example, by registering “30 minutes” as the confirmation time zone in advance, the start time When “7:30” is input, the end time may be automatically set to “8:00”. In addition, by inputting the standard time to reach each intersection, the start time and the end time may be input by data such as “15 minutes before and after that” registered in advance at each intersection. Such time input can be performed by the congestion confirmation time input unit 34 in the congestion status confirmation setting registration processing unit 11 of FIG. 1 inputting the time into the display part of the congestion confirmation intersection registration list display unit 33.

  Next, in step S7, it is determined whether or not confirmation times have been input for all intersections that have not been input. If it is determined that input has not yet been completed for all intersections, the process returns to step S6 and has not yet been input. For the intersection, the confirmation time is input by the confirmation method as described above. In the example shown in FIG. 4B, the confirmation start time and end time are not input for the intersection B, and thus it is detected whether there is an intersection that has not yet been input. As a result, the determination in step S7 can be performed.

  When it is determined in step S7 that the input of the confirmation times to all the intersections has been completed, the congestion confirmation data is determined and registered (step S8). In the example shown in FIG. 4, an input display section for “setting” is provided in the intersection congestion status confirmation list, and the user places the cursor on this section and performs a determination operation to confirm and register in step S8. An example is shown. This processing is performed in the congestion status confirmation registration processing unit 35 in the congestion status confirmation setting registration processing unit 11 in the example of FIG.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 2, it is subsequently determined whether or not an operation for deleting the registered congestion confirmation intersection is performed (step S9). If it is determined that a deletion operation is to be performed, an intersection that does not require congestion in the list is designated (step S10). In the example of FIG. 1, this processing is performed by processing in which the registration deletion instruction unit 37 in the congestion status confirmation setting registration processing unit 11 inputs to the display of the congestion confirmation intersection registration list display unit 33.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not all the intersections that do not require confirmation of congestion have been instructed (step S11). If there is an unnecessary intersection that has not been instructed yet, the process returns to step S10 to continue the instruction of the intersection that does not require confirmation. If it is determined that all the intersections that do not require congestion confirmation have been instructed, registration deletion is confirmed and executed (step S12). This determination can be made by, for example, detecting whether or not an instruction for “deletion” has been issued on the intersection congestion status confirmation list screen of FIG. Similarly to the new registration process, this process is also performed in the congestion status confirmation registration processing unit 35 in the congestion status confirmation setting registration processing unit 11 in the example of FIG. The data registered in this way is updated and stored in the congestion confirmation intersection confirmation data registration storage unit 36 of FIG. 1, and is used in the congestion guidance process. This data can be stored in various ways, but as described above, the intersection on the map can be stored in correspondence with the link ID of the VICS information so that the subsequent correspondence with the VICS information can be easily performed. Can be.

  In the example of FIG. 2, in step S1 as the first process, it is determined whether or not the intersection that has been registered for the congestion status confirmation is to be deleted, and when it is determined that the deletion process is to be performed, that is, the user However, when an input indicating that the current process is not a new registration process but a deletion process is performed, a congestion confirmation intersection registration list is displayed in step S13 as in step S5, and the process proceeds to step S10. Then, the registered intersection is deleted as described above. Further, when it is determined in step S9 that the registered intersection deletion process is not performed, that is, when only the new registration process is performed, as in the case after the registration deletion confirmation and execution process in step S12 is performed. This process ends (step S14).

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, first, a map display for new congestion confirmation intersection registration as shown in FIG. 4A is performed, and after registration of all congestion confirmation intersections is completed, An example is shown in which an intersection congestion status confirmation list as shown in b) is displayed and the start time and the end time for performing congestion confirmation for each intersection are input by various methods. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 screen is divided into left and right, a map screen similar to FIG. 4A is displayed on the left side in the figure, and an intersection congestion status registration list similar to FIG. 4B is displayed on the right side in the figure. You may do it.

  When displaying these, when the intersections of both screens are linked and the intersection is indicated on the map screen, the intersection part in the list is displayed in a different color from the other intersection parts, and conversely during the input processing in the list Can be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner by making the corresponding intersections flash on the map screen.

  In the above-described embodiment, for example, the congestion confirmation intersection is set for the route from the home S to the company D, but conversely, when returning from the company D to the home S, it does not pass through the crowded intersection as well. In addition, when it is desired to guide a busy intersection, for example, a setting as shown in FIG. 6 can be performed. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 6, in addition to the intersections A, B, and C, the return route from the company D to the home S is instructed the same intersection X as the intersection A and the same intersection Y as the intersection B. In this example, a new intersection Z is indicated, and the congestion confirmation time zone is all set from 16:00 to 20:00. When inputting such a congestion confirmation time zone, the confirmation time and the time zone may be appropriately shifted in each congestion confirmation intersection list in consideration of the travel time.

  In the figure, the same intersection as the intersection A is displayed as the intersection X. However, on the data for managing this, it is possible to manage it as, for example, the intersection A, and a plurality of congestion confirmation time zones existing at this intersection. . In this embodiment, since a plurality of times can be set in advance for a plurality of points as described above, once the user performs the above setting for an intersection for which congestion is to be confirmed, a congestion situation guidance process as will be described later, At that time, it is possible to automatically know only the congestion situation at the necessary intersection.

  After inputting the intersection where you want to guide the congestion situation as described above and the time zone you want to do the guidance, for example, by processing sequentially according to the operation flow of the intersection congestion situation guidance process as shown in FIG. The desired guidance can be given. In the example shown in FIG. 3, first, the accessory switch (Acc SW) of the vehicle is turned on (step S21) to start up the apparatus and input road traffic information (step S22). This is performed by inputting the VICS information received by the VICS information input unit 15 in the traffic information input unit 40 of the registered confirmed intersection congestion guidance processing unit 12 in the navigation device of FIG.

  Next, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the congestion information on the registered congestion confirmation intersection registered as described above is selected from the various road traffic information that has been input (step S23). Thereafter, the presence / absence of congestion information is determined for the registered congestion confirmation intersection whose current time is the confirmation time among these congestion information (step S24). These processes are performed by the registered congestion confirmation intersection traffic information processing unit 12 in the registered confirmation intersection traffic guidance processing unit 12 in FIG. 1 from the traffic information input by the traffic information input unit 40. This is done by associating the intersections stored in the registration storage unit 36 with the data of the congestion confirmation time zone.

  When it is determined in step S24 that there is congestion information, in the illustrated embodiment, it is determined whether or not the congestion status of the currently busy intersection is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. A mark indicating the presence is displayed (step S26). If it is not equal to or greater than the predetermined value, a mark indicating “congestion” is displayed on the link portion of the intersection (step S27). Such display can be performed by the congestion status display unit 43 of the registration confirmation intersection congestion guide processing unit 12 in FIG. 1, and various methods such as displaying various arrows are adopted as the display method at that time. be able to.

  Next, in the example shown in FIG. 3, it is determined whether or not there is a change in the congestion status of the registered congestion confirmation intersection from the previous guidance process (step S28). In this process, the congestion degree calculation unit 44 of the registered confirmed intersection congestion guidance processing unit 12 in FIG. 1 calculates the congestion degree for each intersection based on the data of the current traffic information, and this is calculated as the congestion degree calculation result storage unit 45 for each intersection. The registered confirmation intersection congestion state change detection unit 46 compares the stored data with the congestion degree of each intersection calculated by the first congestion degree calculation unit 44 thereafter, and the degree of congestion for each intersection. This can be done by determining the presence or absence of the change.

  If there is an intersection where the degree of congestion has changed, the changed situation is guided by voice (step S29). For example, the congestion guidance intersections A, B, and C set as shown in FIG. 7 (a) as in the example shown in FIG. 7 are shown by the thick arrows in FIG. When congestion as shown in the figure occurs, such a display is performed on the map screen. Here, the confirmation intersection B shows that the inflow from two roads is congested, and C indicates that the inflow from one direction is congested. When there is an intersection where the degree of congestion changes in this way, a sound that draws attention to the user such as “Pawn” is output. Attention is paid to the navigation device by the voice output as described above, and the user goes to the point D from the voice output display using a route using the confirmed intersection A where there is no congested road. Can decide. In addition, the congestion is displayed only for roads connected to the confirmed intersection, and the congestion status is not displayed for other roads. As a result, the user can easily obtain information on only the intersections he / she cares about. Note that a method may be adopted in which the congestion status of all the roads is displayed while the congestion status of the confirmation intersection is displayed by voice.

  The voice output can be implemented in various ways, such as "Crowded intersection has occurred", "Congestion status has changed", etc. A predetermined sound may be output. This voice output is activated by the detection result of the registered check intersection congestion state change detection unit 46 in the congestion check voice output unit 47 in the registered check intersection congestion guide processing unit 12 in FIG. Operate.

  Note that the audio output is set to ON / OFF so that such audio output is not performed when the user feels that the audio output is in the way due to various conditions of each user. A function may be provided. Further, the voice output may be performed only once when a crowded intersection is detected from a state where there is no congestion at the crowded intersection, for example.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, when it is determined that there is no congestion information at the registered congestion confirmation intersection having the current time as the confirmation time after the step S29, the vehicle accessory switch (Acc SW) ) Determines whether or not it has been turned off, and when the accessory switch by the key switch operation is not turned off due to the vehicle still arriving at the destination or the like, the process returns to step S22 again, and each congestion guide for the registered intersection Continuation of congestion status guidance processing during the time period. Further, when it is determined in the previous step S30 that the accessory switch of the vehicle has been turned off, this process is terminated (step S31).

  The traffic information guide device according to the present invention can be implemented in various modes in addition to the above-described guidance method. For example, even when it is detected that a congestion check intersection that is crowded during vehicle travel has occurred, When it is detected that the intersection is not related to the current vehicle position based on the data on the current position of the vehicle and the traveling direction of the vehicle, voice guidance or the like can be avoided.

  In addition, when displaying the guidance of the congestion status, the normal VICS information display screen is displayed during normal driving, and when the predetermined congestion guidance time zone registered in advance is reached, two screens are displayed, A guidance display may be performed. In addition, the above-described guidance display according to the present invention is performed only when there is a crowded intersection as described above. Furthermore, in the guidance of the crowded state, an event such as an accident, construction, festival, etc. Guidance output can be performed by various methods such as guiding the cause.

  The traffic information guide device according to the present invention is mounted as a function in the navigation device as in the above embodiment, and has various other functions as long as it has a function of detecting the current location, a function of capturing traffic information, and a simple map display function. The present invention can be applied to a device to provide a traffic guidance device according to the present invention.

It is a functional block diagram of the Example of this invention. It is an operation | movement flowchart when performing the registration process for congestion condition confirmation in the Example. It is an operation | movement flowchart when performing the intersection congestion condition guidance process in the Example. It is a figure which shows the example at the time of the registration process for congestion condition confirmation in the Example. It is a figure which shows the other example at the time of the registration process for congestion condition confirmation in the Example. It is a figure which shows the further another example at the time of the registration process for congestion condition confirmation in the Example. It is a figure which shows the example of the intersection congestion condition guidance process in the Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 System control part 11 Congestion status confirmation setting registration processing part 12 Registered confirmation intersection traffic congestion guidance processing part 15 VICS information input part 31 Congestion confirmation intersection map display part 32 Congestion confirmation intersection instruction part 33 Congestion confirmation intersection registration list display part 34 Congestion Confirmation time input section 35 Congestion status confirmation registration processing section 36 Congestion confirmation intersection confirmation data registration storage section 37 Registration deletion instruction section 40 Traffic information input section 41 Current time input section 42 Registered congestion confirmation intersection traffic information selection section 43 Congestion status display Unit 44 Congestion degree calculation unit 45 Intersection congestion degree calculation result storage unit 46 Registered confirmation intersection congestion state change detection unit 47 Congestion state voice output unit

Claims (5)

Congestion status confirmation registration processing means for registering a congestion confirmation intersection for confirming the congestion status in advance and a time zone for confirming congestion for each congestion confirmation intersection;
Traffic information input means for inputting traffic information from outside,
Out of the traffic information including the congestion status input by the traffic information input means, only the traffic information corresponding to the intersection and the congestion confirmation time zone of each intersection registered by the congestion status confirmation registration processing means is selected and a congestion guidance output is made. A congestion guidance processing means to perform ,
The congestion status confirmation registration processing means includes a congestion confirmation intersection registration list display means for displaying a congestion confirmation intersection registration list for inputting a time zone for confirming congestion for the registered congestion confirmation intersection, and registers the congestion confirmation intersection registration. A traffic information guide device characterized in that the list display means can input a plurality of time zones for confirming a plurality of congestions at the same congestion confirmation intersection .   The congestion guidance processing means includes congestion degree calculation means for calculating a congestion degree by a preset calculation method based on traffic information input by the traffic information input means, and performs congestion guidance output according to a calculation result of the calculation means. The traffic information guide device according to claim 1.   2. The traffic information guide device according to claim 1, wherein the congestion guidance processing means outputs a congestion guidance for each congestion confirmation intersection when the congestion state changes. The traffic information input means is means for inputting VICS information,
The traffic information guide device according to claim 1, wherein the congestion status confirmation registration processing means registers a congestion confirmation intersection corresponding to a VICS link ID.   The traffic information guide device according to claim 1, wherein the congestion status confirmation registration processing means sets a congestion confirmation intersection by instructing an intersection on the displayed map.

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