JP2000088591A - Navigator for vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically set a joining position between a plurality of vehicles carrying navigators. SOLUTION: A position detector 10 detects the current position of own vehicle. A transmitter-receiver 18 acquires the current position data of own vehicle and the current position data of other vehicle. A navigation ECU 16 sets a mid position between both vehicles to guide along a route as a new destination, based on the current position data of own vehicle and the current position data of the other vehicle, and supplies a calculated joining position as destination data to the other vehicle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation system, and more particularly to a function for a plurality of vehicles to join at the same point.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a vehicular navigation apparatus which displays map data and a current position of a vehicle on a display device and provides a guide route to a destination. For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-62183, a technique has been proposed in which communication is performed between a plurality of vehicles equipped with a navigation device, and course information changed and set in one vehicle is transmitted to another vehicle. .

[0003]

However, when a plurality of vehicles travel while communicating with each other, it is often the case that they want to join at a point convenient for both vehicles. In the above conventional technology, the course information changed and set in a certain vehicle is simply transmitted to another vehicle, and at which point the vehicle should be merged must be determined separately based on the course information by each vehicle. There is a problem that it is complicated and cannot always be joined at an optimum position. Further, even if the junction is determined once, the set junction may become inappropriate due to a change in traffic conditions thereafter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular navigation device that allows a plurality of vehicles to always easily join at an appropriate position. is there.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a position obtaining means for obtaining own vehicle position data and other vehicle position data, and the own vehicle position data and other vehicle position data. Control means for calculating a merging position from the own vehicle and the other vehicle based on the vehicle and setting the same as new destination data of the own vehicle, and supplying the new destination data to the other vehicle.

In a second aspect based on the first aspect, the control means recalculates the merging position after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of this embodiment. The position detection device 10 includes a GPS, a vehicle speed sensor, a direction sensor, and the like, detects the current position of the own vehicle, and supplies the current position to the navigation ECU 16.

The operating device 12 is a device for inputting a destination or a waypoint. The operating device 12 is provided, for example, near the driver's seat of the vehicle and supplies the input destination data to the navigation ECU 16.

The storage device 14 stores map data, and is composed of, for example, a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM.

The navigation ECU 16 is composed of a microcomputer, displays map data read from the storage device 14 on a display device (not shown), and superimposes the position data supplied from the position detection device 10 on the map data. . Further, a route to the destination supplied from the operation device 12 is searched for and presented to the vehicle driver as a guide route. The method of presentation is arbitrary such as displaying an arrow on a display device or notifying by voice.

The transmission / reception device 18 transmits the current position data of the own vehicle detected by the position detection device 10 to another vehicle to be merged, receives the current position data of the other vehicle transmitted from the other vehicle, and performs navigation. Supply to ECU16. The transmission and reception of the position data can be performed directly with another vehicle, or can be performed via an information center or the like. The transmitting / receiving device 18
It can be composed of a car phone or an infrared transceiver.

The navigation ECU 16 which has received the current position data of the other vehicle from the transmission / reception device 18, based on the own vehicle position data and the other vehicle position data, determines the shortest distance from the confluence point of the own vehicle and the other vehicle, specifically, from both vehicle positions. A merging position that can be reached in time is calculated, this merging position is set as new destination data, and a route from the current position to the destination is searched again. As a search method, a known Dijkstra method or the like can be used. After calculating the merging point, the transmitting / receiving device 1
8, the merging position data is supplied to other vehicles as new destination data. The navigation ECU of the other vehicle that has received the merging position data sets the merging point as a new destination and searches for a route in the same manner as the navigation ECU 16 of the own vehicle, and presents the obtained route as a guide route to the driver. .

FIG. 2 shows a processing flowchart in this embodiment. When a plurality of vehicles (for example, two vehicles) want to join, a vehicle to be a communication master among these vehicles is determined (S101). The vehicle serving as the communication master can be set arbitrarily, and the communication master vehicle has the authority to determine the junction of a plurality of vehicles.

After the communication master vehicle is determined, the vehicle that has become the communication master transmits the current position data of another vehicle to the transmission / reception device 1.
8 (S102). Acquisition of the current position data of another vehicle can be performed, for example, by transmitting a request signal requesting that the communication master transmit the current position data to another vehicle. Of course, all vehicles may always transmit the current position data of their own vehicle at predetermined time intervals. After receiving the current position data of the other vehicle, the vehicle that has become the communication master receives, based on the acquired current position data of the other vehicle and the current position data of the own vehicle detected by the position detection device 10 of the own vehicle, from the respective vehicles. The merging position (destination) that can be reached in the shortest time is calculated (S103). If the two vehicles are on the same road, the merging position can be obtained by calculating the intermediate point.If the two vehicles are not on the same road, the positions of the two vehicles are represented by a straight line. In conclusion, it can be obtained by searching for a point on a nearby road closest to the midpoint. Of course, it is also possible to calculate the merging position in consideration of not only the current position of both vehicles but also the vehicle speed of both vehicles.

After calculating the merging position of the vehicle, the vehicle serving as the communication master sets the calculated merging position as a new destination, searches for a route to this destination, and executes route guidance (S104). . Also, the vehicle that has become the communication master transmits the merged position calculated in the process of S103 to the other vehicle, that is, the vehicle that has transmitted its current position data, as destination data. It is preferable to transmit a destination change request signal at the same time as transmitting the destination data (S105). Other vehicles that have received the destination data and the request signal for changing the destination set the obtained destination data as a new destination, search for a route to this destination, that is, a merging position, and provide route guidance. (S
106).

As described above, if a merging position is calculated for a certain vehicle, and the vehicle is set as a new destination for a plurality of vehicles and route guidance is performed, the plurality of vehicles can surely merge at this merging position. Also, the shortest merging position may fluctuate with time due to a change in traffic conditions and the like. For example, when two vehicles A and B merge, although the vehicle A is traveling smoothly, the traveling speed of the vehicle B is reduced due to traffic congestion,
Even after a certain period of time, the current position may hardly change. In such a case, if the merging position is fixed, it takes a long time before the two vehicles can merge (the vehicle B cannot easily reach the merging position).

Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not a fixed time (for example, 15 minutes) has elapsed after the calculation of the merging position (S107). If the fixed time has elapsed, the vehicle that has become the communication master again is determined. The current position information of the other vehicle is obtained using the transmission / reception device 18 (S108). Then, the merging position is calculated again based on the acquired other vehicle position data and the current position data of the own vehicle obtained again by the position detecting device 18 (S109), and when the calculated merging position is different from the previous merging position. Sets the re-combined position as a new destination and executes route guidance (S110). Also,
The recomputed junction position is transmitted to other vehicles as new destination data (S111). The other vehicle that has received the destination data sets the destination data as a new destination and executes route guidance (S112).

The above processing is repeatedly executed until the vehicle reaches the vicinity of the merging position, and finally, both vehicles merge at the merging position (S113).

FIG. 3 schematically shows how the merging position is set in this embodiment. FIG. 3A shows the current positions of the vehicles A and B at a certain time and the destination P (joining position) determined. FIG. 3 (B)
FIG. 3A shows a state of recalculation of the merging position after a lapse of a predetermined time from FIG. Vehicle A travels smoothly and the current position changes greatly from A-1 to A-2, but vehicle B moves from position B-1 to B due to traffic congestion (or a traffic accident).
It is assumed that only a slight change to −2 has occurred. In this case, the merging position is not the original destination P, but the positions A-2 and B-.
The position is reset to the position Q which is an intermediate ground of the second. Therefore, for the vehicle B, the merging position is reset to the near side, and as a result, both vehicles can merge in a short time.

As described above, in the present embodiment, a certain vehicle grasps the position data of the own vehicle and the other vehicle, determines an optimum merging point for both vehicles, sets the merged point as the destination of the own vehicle, and sets the other vehicle as the destination. And the destination data is supplied to the vehicle, so that both vehicles can easily and surely join together in a short time.

In the present embodiment, the time interval for recomputing the merging position is not fixed but is gradually shortened (at first, 15 times).
Minutes, then 10 minutes, then 5 minutes ...).

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, the merging point of a plurality of vehicles is automatically set, so that both vehicles can easily and surely merge.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a processing flowchart according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of resetting a merging point according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 position detecting device, 12 operating device, 14 storage device, 16 navigation ECU, 18 transmitting / receiving device.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A position acquiring means for acquiring own vehicle position data and other vehicle position data, and calculating a merging position of the own vehicle and another vehicle based on the own vehicle position data and other vehicle position data to newly generate the own vehicle. Control means for setting new destination data as well as supplying new destination data to another vehicle. 2. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit recalculates the merging position after a predetermined time has elapsed.