JP2000304556A - Preparation start time informing device and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the preparation start time informing device which automatically set proper preparation start time corresponding to a destination and give notice of the preparation start time when the destination is reached by car. SOLUTION: This device receives traffic-relative information from an information center through an FM multiplex receiver (S150). Then this traffic-relative information and map data inputted from a CD-ROM through a map data input unit are used and a process part calculates a route to the destination (S170) and estimates the time needed to reach the destination (S180), thereby setting as preparation start time the time which is the needed time and preparation time before desired arrival time (190). Further, the process part makes an alarm sound at the preparation start time to notify that the preparation start time comes.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a preparation start time notifying device for notifying that the preparation start time has come by, for example, sounding an alarm when a set preparation start time comes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When it is intended to use a motor vehicle to reach a destination, it is common practice to determine a departure time in consideration of when to arrive at the destination. Then, it is conceivable that the user decides the time to start preparation in consideration of the time required for preparation before departure. At this time, if the departure time is early in the morning, the time to start preparation is the wake-up time.

[0003]

However, when going to a destination that has never been visited, especially when traveling on a road that has never been traveled, the departure time described above is determined. It is not easy. Because
This is because it is not possible to predict at what speed the vehicle can travel because the traffic condition of the road cannot be predicted.

[0004] For this reason, if one wishes to leave early with a margin, preparations must be made early. For example, considering that the user wakes up at the preparation start time, the sleep time is reduced. Conversely, if the preparation is started late and the departure time is late, it is not possible to arrive at the destination at the desired time, which may lead to driving impatiently on the way. Such a situation is not preferable from the viewpoint of safe driving.

[0005] In addition, even if an appropriate preparation start time is known to some extent, it is often the case that the time is checked many times by checking the clock. On the other hand,
2. Description of the Related Art There is known a navigation device that sets an appropriate route from a departure place to a destination and uses the route as guidance. Some of such navigation devices have a function of calculating an estimated arrival time at a destination when the vehicle travels on a set destination route.

Accordingly, the present invention uses a technique used for a navigation device to automatically set an appropriate preparation start time according to a destination, and to inform that the preparation start time has come. It aims to provide an alarm device and contributes to safe driving.

[0007]

The preparation start time notifying device according to the first aspect of the present invention, which has been made to achieve the above-mentioned object, notifies the user when the set preparation start time comes. The feature is that the preparation start time is set as shown below.

[0008] In the preparation start time notification device of the present invention, map information is stored in the storage means. This storage means is a CD-
It may be a ROM or DVD. Then, a departure place, a destination, a desired arrival time at the destination and a preparation time are input via the input means. The preparation time is the time required for preparation before departure. This preparation time differs depending on the user. For example, one user may take one hour to depart, while another may take two hours to depart.
It is 0 minutes.

When each piece of information is input, the route setting means
A route from the starting point to the destination (destination route) is set based on the map information stored in the storage means. It is conceivable that the above-mentioned map information is, for example, link information of a link (road) connecting nodes and connection information between links used in the navigation device. In that case,
The path setting means sets the path by, for example, the Dijkstra method or a method similar thereto. For example, a route calculation cost from the current location to each node using link information for a link between nodes (evaluation value for the route)
Is calculated, and at the stage when all cost calculations to the destination are completed, a link with the minimum total cost is connected to set a route to the destination.

When the destination route is set by the route setting means in this way, the required time estimating means estimates the required time when the vehicle travels on the destination route. For example,
If the travel time, which is the time required for traveling on each link, is included in the map information as link information, the required time estimating means accumulates the travel time and calculates the required time to the destination when traveling on the destination route. presume. If the travel time is not stored as the link information, the required time estimating means estimates the time required for traveling on each link from the road type and road width of each link, and estimates the required time to the destination.

When the required time to the destination is estimated by the required time estimating means, the preparation start time setting means sets, as the preparation start time, a time preceding the desired arrival time by the required time and the preparation time. . In other words, in the present invention, the route to the destination is calculated based on the map information and the time required to reach the destination is estimated, so that the time required from the desired arrival time and the time required to prepare for the departure time are traced back. Is set as the preparation start time and is notified. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the clock to determine whether the preparation start time has come. In addition, the user starts preparation at the time when it is notified that the set preparation start time has come, and can arrive at the destination at the desired arrival time by preparing within the preparation time and departing to the destination. Probability is high. Therefore, the preparation start time does not become earlier than necessary. In particular, when the user departs to the destination early in the morning, if the user wakes up by notifying the preparation start time by this apparatus, the wake-up time does not become earlier than necessary, so that sleep time can be secured as much as possible. In addition, worrying about being able to reach the destination at the desired time is reduced. Such securing of sleep time and reduction of rush are also preferable from the viewpoint of safe driving.

In the present invention, the preparation start time is set in consideration of the preparation time input by the user. In other words, some users take one hour to depart, and others take 20 minutes to depart. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to set an appropriate preparation start time according to each user.

The above-mentioned departure place, destination, desired arrival time at the destination, and preparation time may be input by a user through input means. In that case, for example, the operation switches correspond to the input means. Further, the departure place may be provided with a GPS receiver, and based on satellite data obtained from the GPS receiver, the position where the present apparatus is installed may be set as the departure place. In this case, the operation switch group and the GPS receiver correspond to input means. However, since it is necessary to install the antenna of the GPS receiver outdoors, a configuration in which the user inputs the departure place via the operation switch is realistic.

Further, when the user inputs a departure place and a destination, the correspondence between each point on the map and at least one of a telephone number and a postal code is stored. It is preferable that a departure place and a destination can be input by inputting a telephone number or a postal code via the input means. This is advantageous in that input of a departure place and a destination is simplified.

By the way, it is possible to estimate the destination route and the required time based only on the map information, but the actual required time to the destination greatly varies depending on traffic conditions such as traffic congestion and regulation. . Therefore, it is desirable to adopt a configuration as described in claim 3.

[0016] The configuration is such that traffic-related information can be received from the outside via the receiving means. Then, the route setting means sets a destination route based on the map information and the received traffic-related information,
The required time estimating means estimates the required time based on the map information and the received traffic-related information.

For example, the receiving means is ATIS (Advanced T
Raffic Information Service) to obtain traffic-related information via a telephone line. VICS (Vehicle Information and Communicatio)
n System: a road traffic information communication system).

For example, when setting the destination route, the route setting means calculates the route calculation cost from the current location to each node using the link information for the link between the nodes as described above. It is conceivable to set the degree of congestion based on the traffic-related information obtained and calculate the route calculation cost including the degree of congestion.

The required time estimating means may include the required time between interchanges (hereinafter referred to as "IC") on the expressway in the traffic-related information.
When the route between the ICs is included in the destination route,
For the time required between the ICs, the information is used to estimate the time required to reach the destination.

According to such a configuration, the destination route and the required time to the destination are calculated in consideration of traffic conditions such as traffic congestion and regulation. Since the preparation start time based on the required time is set by the preparation start time setting means, the possibility that the user can arrive at the destination at the desired arrival time is further increased.

The adoption of such a configuration is also advantageous in that the scope of the present invention can be further increased. For example, the preparation start time notification device may be used for commuting every morning. According to the present invention, if the road used for commuting cannot be driven due to traffic restrictions or the like, another destination route is set, and the required time to the destination when traveling on that route Is estimated, and a preparation start time earlier than usual is set. Therefore, if you start preparations at the preparation start time and depart, you can arrive at the destination at the desired arrival time even if you drive around the restricted point, so that the user will not be impatient due to the detour and safe driving Can be achieved.

It is conceivable that the preparation start time is set only once. However, since the traffic situation changes from moment to moment, it is conceivable that the destination route once set may not be able to travel due to traffic congestion due to a sudden accident or the like. Therefore, it is conceivable to configure the route setting means so as to reset the destination route every time a predetermined time elapses. For example, the destination route is reset every 30 minutes. When the destination route that does not include the link that has become unable to travel is reset by the route setting means, the required time to the destination when traveling on the reset destination route is estimated by the required time estimation means. The preparation start time is set by the preparation start time setting means at a time preceding the desired arrival time by the required time and the preparation time. Therefore, even if an accident has occurred and the destination route that has been set once cannot be run, the appropriate preparation start time is reset.

If the destination route is reset every predetermined time as described above, for example, when the above-mentioned CD-ROM or DVD is used as the storage means, the map information is read every predetermined time. Access occurs. Therefore, the shorter the predetermined time is, the more frequently access occurs. For example, when trying to wake up by notifying the preparation start time, the access sound may hinder the user's sleep. However, if the predetermined time is too long, the preparation start time is not reset immediately even if an accident or the like occurs. Then, when the preparation start time is reset, a situation may occur in which the preparation start time has already passed.

Therefore, it is conceivable that the route setting means is configured to reset the destination route when the traffic-related information received by the receiving means is updated. For example, from VICS, traffic related information is 5
Sent at minute intervals. Therefore, the received traffic-related information is compared with the traffic-related information received five minutes ago, and the destination route is reset only when it is determined that the traffic-related information has been updated.

In this way, if the traffic-related information is not updated without an accident or the like, the destination route is not reset and unnecessary access is not performed. Therefore, it is less likely that the user's sleep is disturbed by the access sound. Conversely, when the traffic-related information is updated due to the occurrence of an accident or the like, the destination route is immediately reset, and the preparation start time is reset. Therefore, it is possible to quickly set an appropriate preparation start time in accordance with a change in traffic conditions.

By the way, the set preparation start time can be set earlier depending on traffic conditions. For example, when almost all roads are closed due to the influence of snow, for example, it is estimated that the time required to reach a destination in about one hour is estimated to be six hours, and the preparation start time may be set at midnight. The user may think that he / she wants to go to the destination even when he / she wakes up at that time, but conversely, the user may think that he / she does not need to go to the destination until getting up at that time.

Therefore, as set forth in claim 6,
The user is allowed to set a notification permission time, which is a time at which the notification of the preparation start time is permitted, via the input means, and is configured not to notify the preparation start time until the notification permission time is reached. Good to do. In this case, for example, if the notification permission time is set to 5:00, the preparation start time is 3:
Even if it is set to 00, it is not notified that the preparation start time has come until 5:00. Thereby, the convenience of the user is achieved.

On the premise of such a configuration, it is conceivable to configure the route setting means so as not to set the destination route until the notification permission time has passed, as described in claim 7. This is because the notification of the preparation start time is not performed until the notification permission time. Therefore, it is sufficient to set (including resetting) the destination route after the notification permission time. This eliminates unnecessary setting of the destination route and estimation of the required time. As a result, for example, access when a CD-ROM or DVD is used as the storage means can be reduced.

Incidentally, it is convenient for the user if the traffic situation can be grasped. Then, as shown in claim 8,
Further, a configuration may be provided that includes traffic information notifying means for notifying the traffic-related information received by the receiving means. The traffic information notifying means may be of any configuration as long as it notifies the user of traffic information. For example, it is conceivable that a voice is output in a state of "a traffic jam of 10 km in the vicinity of XX IC at high speed XX", and the notification is given through hearing. In addition, it is also conceivable to notify the user visually.
For example, character information such as "There is a traffic jam of 10 km near XX high speed XX" is displayed on the display device. Thereby, the convenience of the user is further improved. However, when trying to get up using the present device, visual notification is preferable to voice notification. This is because there is little possibility of disturbing sleep.

Further, as described in claim 9, the notification of the traffic-related information by the traffic information notifying means may be made together with the notification that the preparation start time has come. This is because it is convenient for the user if it is notified that the preparation start time has come, and if it is relatively early, it is particularly easy to know under what traffic conditions the preparation start time was set and notified. .

The function of realizing the route setting means, the running time estimating means and the preparation start time setting means of such a preparation start time notifying device in a computer system may be provided, for example, as a program started on the computer system side. Can be. For such a program,
For example, floppy disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-
It can be used by recording it on a computer-readable recording medium such as a ROM or a hard disk, loading it into a computer system as needed, and starting up. Alternatively, the program may be recorded in a ROM or a backup RAM as a computer-readable recording medium, and the ROM or the backup RAM may be incorporated in a computer system and used.

[0032]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a preparation start time notification device 20 as one embodiment. The preparation start time notifying device 20 includes a timer 2
2, a map data input device 24, an operation switch group 26, a display unit 28, an alarm generation unit 30, a memory device 32, a FM multiplex receiver 34, and a timing unit 22 including a processing unit 36.
Is a so-called clock, which can measure the time.

The map data input device 24 is a CD-RO
The map data stored in M24a is input. It should be noted that the map data includes data indicating the connection status of roads. By the way, it is conceivable that a DVD other than the CD-ROM 24a is used as a recording medium for storing the map data. Although these recording media are generally used in view of the amount of data, other media such as a memory card may be used.

The operation switch group 26 is composed of various switches for operating the preparation start time notifying device 20. Specifically, the user sets a departure place, a destination, a desired arrival time at the destination, A switch for inputting a preparation time, which is a time required for preparations before departure. Therefore, the operation switch group 26 corresponds to “input means”. Note that a switch for switching display contents to be displayed on the display unit 28 is also included.

The memory device 32 stores the time set in the alarm processing described later and information input by the user. Further, the memory device 32 stores a correspondence relationship that associates each point on the map with a telephone number and a postal code. Thus, the user can easily input the departure place and the destination only by operating the operation switch group 26 and inputting the telephone number or the postal code.

The display unit 28 is a color display device, and has a display screen on which map data input from the map data input unit 24 and additional data such as a destination route to be displayed on the map are superimposed. Can be displayed. Also, F
The traffic-related information received by the M multiplex receiver 34 can be displayed. Therefore, the display unit 28 corresponds to “traffic information notification means”.

The FM multiplex receiver 34 is a device for receiving information provided from the information center 10 such as VICS. A signal received from the outside via the FM multiplex receiver 34 is decoded by a decoding unit 34a provided in the FM multiplex receiver 34, input to the processing unit 36, and processed by the processing unit 36. The FM multiplex receiver 34
Corresponds to “receiving means”.

The processing unit 36 is configured as a normal computer, and has a well-known CPU, ROM, RA
M, I / O and bus lines for connecting these components are provided. The display unit 28, the alarm generation unit 30, and the FM multiplex receiver 34 are controlled in accordance with the inputs from the map data input unit 24, the operation switch group 26, and the timekeeping unit 22, and the preparation start time described later is set. To notify that the preparation start time has come and display traffic-related information.

Here, the configuration of the information center 10 will be briefly described. The information center 10 collects by an external event collection device 12 that collects external events such as road conditions from various sensors S and the like attached near the road, and various regulations and external event collection devices 12 together with a road map in the center area. A road network data storage device 14 in which various types of traffic information created based on the external events are stored;
A communication device 16 for transmitting traffic-related information and a target road such as a traffic regulation or a traffic jam are specified based on information stored in the network data storage device 14, and the information is transmitted via the communication device 16. And a control device 18 serving as a main body of the control to be performed. This information center 10
Traffic-related information shall be transmitted at minute intervals.

With this configuration, the preparation start time notifying device 20 performs the following operation. In other words, when the user operates the operation switch group 26 and inputs the positions of the departure place and the destination, the desired arrival time at the destination, and the preparation time, the processing unit 36 determines the optimal route from the departure place to the destination ( (Destination route) is automatically set, and the required time to the destination when the vehicle travels on the destination route is estimated. Then, the preparation start time is set by subtracting the required time to the destination and the preparation time required for preparation before departure from the desired arrival time. Further, when the set preparation start time comes, an alarm is sounded by the alarm generation unit 30 and the effect is notified. Therefore, the processing unit 36 corresponds to “route setting means”, “required time estimation means”, and “preparation start time setting means”.

Next, the alarm processing executed by the processing section 30 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, initial setting is performed in the first step S100. This processing is for the user to input the current time and the departure place via the operation switch group 26. If the time and the departure place have already been input, the process proceeds to S110 without performing any substantial processing. On the other hand, when the information of the current time and the departure place is not stored, for example, when the preparation start time notification device 20 is purchased, when the current time and the departure place are deleted from the memory due to a power failure, this S1 is not stored.
In the process of 00, an input wait state is set. When the user wants to reset the current time or change the departure place, the user inputs a current time and a departure place by performing a predetermined operation via the operation switch group 26 before executing the alarm processing. Becomes possible.

The following S110 is a process for the user to input a destination, a desired arrival time at the destination, a preparation time which is a time required for preparation before departure, and an alarm permission time. The user inputs these pieces of information by operating the operation switch group 26.

At S120, it is determined whether or not each of the above-mentioned information has been input by the user. If it is determined that the input has been made (S120: YES), S140
Move to. On the other hand, if it is determined that no input has been made (S
120: NO), and proceeds to S130.

At S130, the process proceeds when any of the destination, the desired arrival time at the destination, the preparation time, and the alarm permitted time has not been input, it is determined whether or not the information that has not been input is already stored. to decide. It is assumed that such information is stored in a memory as a default once input. Therefore, the user can omit the input of the information once input in the process of S110 described above. If the information that has not been input is not stored (S130: NO), this alarm processing ends. On the other hand, when the information that has not been input is stored (S130: YES), the process proceeds to S140.

In S140, it is determined whether or not the alarm permission time has come. This process determines whether the current time acquired from the clock unit 22 has passed the alarm permission time. Here, when it is determined that the alarm permission time has come (S140: YES), the process proceeds to S150. On the other hand, until the alarm permission time comes (S140:
NO), this determination processing is repeated.

At S150, traffic related information is received.
In this process, the traffic-related information transmitted from the information center 10 at an interval of 5 minutes is received via the FM multiplex receiver 34. In subsequent S160, the received traffic-related information is compared with the previously received traffic-related information to determine whether the traffic-related information has been updated. Here, when it is determined that there is an update (S160: YES), S17.
Move to 0. On the other hand, when it is determined that there has been no update (S160: NO), the process proceeds to S200 in FIG.

In S170, a destination route is set. In this process, based on the departure point and the destination input by the user, the cost is calculated by the Dijkstra method using the map data from the map data input device 24, and the route from the departure point to the destination is obtained. It is.

Specifically, the route calculation using the Dijkstra method is performed by using a CD-ROM via the map data input device 24.
The route cost (evaluation value for the route) from the departure point to each node is calculated using the link information between the nodes as the map data and the connection information between the links including the traffic regulation, which are input from 24a. Then, when all the cost calculations to the destination are completed, this is a well-known method of connecting the link having the minimum route cost and setting the destination route. The route cost calculation for each link in the Dijkstra method is performed using, for example, the following equation.

Route cost = link length × road width coefficient × road type coefficient × congestion degree Here, the road width coefficient is a coefficient set according to the road width, and the road type coefficient is a road such as a toll road. This is a coefficient set according to the type. The degree of congestion is a coefficient set according to the degree of congestion on the road, and the initial value is “1”. That is, when there is no congestion, “1” is set so as not to affect the calculation of the route cost, and the numerical value is set larger as the degree of congestion increases. The congestion degree is set based on the traffic-related information received from the information center 10 via the FM multiplex receiver 34. By adding the route costs calculated using the above equation, the route cost on the route to the destination is obtained. Then, when all the cost calculations to the destination are completed, a link with the minimum route cost is connected to set a route to the destination.

At S180, the required time to the destination when the vehicle travels on the destination route set at S170 is estimated. In this process, the required time to the destination is estimated based on the traffic-related information from the information center 10 and the map data input from the map data input device 24.

More specifically, since it is conceivable that the travel time for a link constituting a destination route or a part of the link is included in the traffic-related information, the link is driven based on the traffic-related information. Estimate the time required. For example, since the time required between ICs on a highway may be included in traffic-related information, when the route between the ICs is included in the destination route, the information is used for the time required between the ICs. On the other hand, for other links, if the travel time, which is the time required for the link to travel, is included in the map data as link information, the travel time for the link is estimated based on the travel time. If the travel time is not stored as link information, the travel time required for the link is estimated from the road type and road width of the link.

At S190, a preparation start time is set. In this processing, S18 is calculated from the desired arrival time at the destination.
The time obtained by subtracting the required time to the destination and the preparation time estimated at 0 is set as the preparation start time. In S200 in FIG. 3, it is determined whether or not the preparation start time has come. This process determines whether the current time acquired from the clock unit 22 has passed the preparation start time. Here, when it is determined that the preparation start time has come (S200:
YES), and proceeds to S210. On the other hand, when it is determined that the preparation start time has not come (S200: NO), the processing from S150 in FIG. 2 is repeated.

In S210, the alarm generator 30 is controlled to sound an alarm. Then, together with the sounding of the alarm in S210, the received latest traffic-related information is displayed on the display unit 28 in S220. When the alarm is sounded in S210, the user operates the operation switch group 26.
Is instructed to stop the alarm by operating. Therefore, in subsequent S230, it is determined whether or not the user has performed an alarm stop operation. If it is determined that an alarm stop operation has been performed (S230: YES), the present alarm processing ends. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no alarm stop operation (S230, NO), the processing from S210 is repeated.

The processing of S140 to S170 corresponds to the processing as "route setting means", the processing of S180 corresponds to the processing as "required time estimation means", and
The processing of 190 corresponds to the processing as “preparation start time setting means”. Next, effects exerted by the preparation start time notification device 20 will be described.

In the preparation start time notifying device 20, the processing section 36 executes the above-described alarm processing,
The route to the destination is calculated (S170 in FIG. 2), and the required time to the destination is estimated (S18).
0), a time obtained by subtracting the required time and the preparation time required for preparation before departure from the desired arrival time is set as the preparation start time (S190). When the preparation start time comes (S200: YES in FIG. 3), an alarm is sounded to notify that the preparation start time has come (S21).
0).

Further, the preparation start time notification device 20
An M multiplex receiver 34 is provided to receive traffic-related information from the information center 10 which is a dynamic information source (S in FIG. 2).
150). And a CD-ROM 24 serving as a static information source.
Based on not only the map data input from a through the map data input device 24 but also this traffic-related information, a destination route is set, a required time to the destination is estimated, and a preparation start time is set. . That is, the required time to the destination route and the destination is calculated in consideration of traffic conditions such as traffic congestion and regulation, and the preparation start time is set based on the required time.

Therefore, if the user starts preparation by the notification and prepares within the preparation time and departs to the destination, there is a high possibility that the user can arrive at the destination at the desired arrival time.
Therefore, it is not necessary to set the preparation start time earlier than necessary to depart early. In addition, worrying about whether the user can arrive at the destination at the desired time is reduced.
As a result, it can contribute to safe driving.

Since the preparation start time is notified, there is no need to worry about the clock to determine whether or not the time has come. Therefore, the preparation start time device 20 can also be used as a device for notifying the wake-up time, a so-called alarm clock. If the user wakes up at the notified preparation start time, the sleeping time is not wasted.

Further, the preparation start time is set in consideration of the preparation time input by the user. In other words, some users take one hour to depart, and others take 20 minutes to depart. Therefore,
According to the preparation start time setting device 20, it is possible to set an appropriate preparation start time according to each user.

The present preparation start time notifying device 20 having such a function can of course be used when a user intends to arrive at a destination which has never been visited by a desired time. However, it is also effective, for example, in commuting to a car every morning. For example, if the road used for commuting cannot be driven due to traffic restrictions, another destination route is set, and the time required to travel to the destination when traveling on that route is estimated. That is, a preparation start time earlier than usual is set.

Further, in the preparation start time notifying device 20,
Once the traffic-related information received by the FM multiplex receiver 34 is updated even after once setting the preparation start time (S160: YES in FIG. 2), the preparation start time is reset (S170 to S190). ). Therefore, even in the case where the destination route once set cannot be traveled due to an accident, an appropriate preparation start time is reset and notified.

When most roads are closed due to the influence of snow, for example, it is estimated that the time required to reach the destination, which can be reached in about 1 hour, is 6 hours, and the preparation start time is set at midnight. It is also possible. At this time, the user may think that it is not necessary to go to the destination until getting up at that time.

Therefore, in the preparation start time notifying device 20, an alarm permission time is input (FIG. 2).
Until the alarm permission time (S140: NO), the notification that the preparation start time has come is not performed. Therefore, convenience for the user is achieved. The preparation start time is not set until the alarm permission time comes. Then, even after the alarm permission time, the preparation start time is reset only when the traffic-related information is updated as described above. by this,
Unnecessary setting of the destination route and estimation of the required time are eliminated, and access to the CD-ROM 24a storing the map data can be reduced. As a result, even when sleeping until the preparation start time, the user's sleep is less likely to be disturbed by the access sound. Conversely, the preparation start time is reset when the traffic-related information is updated. Therefore, when the traffic-related information is updated due to an accident or the like, the destination route is immediately reset and the preparation start time is set. Is reset. Therefore, it is possible to quickly set an appropriate preparation start time according to a change in traffic conditions.

Further, the main preparation start time notification device 20
Then, an alarm is sounded to notify that the preparation start time has come (S210 in FIG. 3), and the received traffic-related information is displayed on the display unit 28 (S220). As a result, when it is notified that the preparation start time has come,
It is easy for the user to know what traffic condition caused the preparation start time to be set.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the traffic information is acquired from the information center 10 represented by VICS via the FM multiplex receiver 34. However, the traffic information is acquired from ATIS via a telephone line, for example. It is good also as composition which performs.

In the above-described embodiment, the user inputs the departure place via the operation switch group 26. However, the user is provided with a GPS receiver, and based on satellite data obtained from the GPS receiver. Alternatively, the position where the preparation start time notification device is installed may be set as the departure place. In this case, the operation switch group and the GPS receiver correspond to “input means”. However, since the antenna of the GPS receiver needs to be installed outdoors, the above-described configuration in which the user inputs the departure place via the operation switch group 26 is realistic.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a preparation start time notification device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a first half of an alarm process executed by a processing unit of a preparation start time notification device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a second half of an alarm process executed by a processing unit of the preparation start time notifying device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Information center 12 ... External event collection device 14 ... Road network data storage device 16 ... Communication device 18 ... Control device 20 ... Preparation start time notification device 22 ... Timekeeping unit 24 ... Map data input device 24a ... CD-ROM 26 ... Operation Switch group 28 ... Display unit 30 ... Alarm generation unit 32 ... Memory device 34 ... FM multiplex receiver 34a ... Decoder unit

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A preparation start time notifying device for notifying a user when a set preparation start time is reached, a storage means for storing map information, a departure place, a destination, and a destination. Input means for inputting a desired arrival time and a preparation time which is a time required for the user to prepare for departure, based on the map information stored in the storage means, from the departure place to the destination. Route setting means for setting a destination route, which is a route, when a destination route is set by the route setting means, the travel route is determined based on the map information stored in the storage means. Required time estimating means for estimating the required time to the destination; and, when the required time is estimated by the required time estimating means, a time preceding the desired arrival time by the required time and the preparation time. Preparation start time notification device, characterized in that it comprises a preparation start time setting means for setting as the preparation start time. 2. The preparation start time notifying device according to claim 1, wherein a correspondence relation for associating each point on the map with at least one of a telephone number and a postal code is stored, and A preparation start time notification device, wherein the departure place and the destination can be input by a user inputting the telephone number or the postal code. 3. The preparation start time notifying device according to claim 1, further comprising a receiving unit capable of receiving traffic-related information from the outside, wherein the route setting unit includes the map information and the reception information. Setting the destination route based on the traffic-related information received by the means; and the required time estimating means estimates the required time based on the map information and the traffic-related information received by the receiving means. A preparation start time notifying device characterized by being configured. 4. The preparation start time notifying device according to claim 3, wherein the route setting means is configured to reset the destination route every time a predetermined time elapses. Start time notification device. 5. The preparation start time notifying device according to claim 3, wherein the route setting means resets the destination route when the traffic-related information received by the receiving means is updated. A preparation start time notifying device characterized by being configured. 6. The preparation start time notification device according to claim 3, wherein the user sets a notification permission time via the input means, the notification permission time being a time at which the notification of the preparation start time is permitted. A preparation start time notification device, wherein the notification is not performed until the notification permission time is reached. 7. The preparation start time notifying device according to claim 6, wherein the route setting means sets the notification start time until the notification permission time is reached.
A preparation start time notifying device, wherein the destination route is not set. 8. The preparation start time notifying device according to claim 3, further comprising a traffic information notifying unit for notifying the traffic-related information received by the receiving unit. Preparation start time notification device. 9. The preparation start time notifying device according to claim 8, wherein the notification of the traffic-related information by the traffic information notifying means is performed together with the notification of the preparation start time by the preparation start time notifying means. A preparation start time notifying device characterized by being performed. 10. A program for causing a computer system to function as said route setting means, said travel time estimating means and said preparation start time setting means of the preparation start time notifying device according to any one of claims 1 to 9. Computer readable recording medium.