JP2001141489A - Communication type navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To decrease an anxiety by finding and navigating an effective substitution route when a vehicle deviates from a searched route. SOLUTION: When the vehicle deviates from the route, a return route is searched for at the side of the vehicle. When the vehicle deviates from the route in a direction from an intersection C123 to a road R224, the return route becomes C133→R134→C134→R234→C124→R233→C113. When a total length of the return route exceeds 1 km, the searching is carried out again at a center. The researching for the route is carried out at the center even when the return route cannot be discovered.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a communication type navigation system for providing data necessary for route guidance from a center side to a mobile side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a widely used navigation system, a navigation device is mounted on a moving body, for example, a vehicle, and a CD-ROM and a DVD-ROM are provided for each vehicle.
Route guidance and the like are performed using map data stored in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, in such a system, it is necessary to continually purchase a new recording medium corresponding to the construction or abolition of a road. Further, if the type of the recording medium is different or the format is different even if the type is the same, the navigation device itself must be replaced.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-19588 discloses that a map image and optimum route data necessary for guiding a vehicle to a destination are transmitted from a center (base) side to a vehicle side. A navigation system is disclosed. According to this system, communication is performed between the data transmission system on the center side and the navigation device of the vehicle on the mobile side. The data transmission system has a database that stores data necessary for guiding a vehicle to a destination. Then, based on a request from the vehicle-side navigation device, necessary data is read from the database and a map image is created. Further, a route search is performed to create optimal route data. The created map image and data indicating the optimum route are transmitted from the data transmission system to the vehicle. In the navigation device of the vehicle, the corresponding display is performed based on the map image and the optimum route data transmitted from the system side.

[0004]

By the way, when the vehicle travels to the destination, it suffices to travel on the searched optimum route without error, but there is a possibility that the vehicle actually deviates. In addition, it may not be possible to travel on the searched route as a result of a traffic accident or temporary traffic regulation.
Considering such a case, the driver can safely drive the car if he / she can reach the destination without hesitation even if he deviates from the search route.

[0005] Even if the re-search or the return search can be performed using the road data stored in the storage device of the vehicle, the alternative route is relatively long or relatively narrow. There may be a case where a road having a road width is included, a relatively large number of intersections are included, or the number of right / left turns is relatively large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation system capable of finding an effective alternative route when the vehicle deviates from a search route.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the return route set by using the data on the moving side is determined by a predetermined route condition (for example, the upper limit of the road length in the set route, the road length in the set route). (The upper limit of the width, the upper limit of the number of intersections in the set route, or the upper limit of the number of right and left turns in the set route)
It is characterized in that a route re-search is executed using data held by the center side. By using the new data on the center side which is not on the moving side, an alternative route with appropriate conditions such as a relatively short distance, a relatively wide road width, a relatively small number of intersections, and a relatively small number of right / left turns can be obtained. Searching and guidance based on it are possible. The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail. In the following embodiment, a vehicle is assumed as a moving side, and a case where the present invention is applied to a vehicle navigation system will be described as an example.

<Overall Configuration of System> First, the overall configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a navigation system according to the present embodiment. The navigation system of the present embodiment includes a center device 10 on the center side and an in-vehicle navigation device 100 on the moving side.

To begin with, from the center device 10, the transmitting / receiving unit 12 is a communication device including a transmitting device and a receiving device, and is for transmitting / receiving data to / from the on-vehicle navigation device 100. Car phones, mobile phones,
A communication system such as a PHS may be used. The arithmetic processing unit 14 is configured around a CPU. Memory 18
Stores various programs and data.

The memory 18 searches for and extracts a route search program 20 for searching for a route from the designated departure point to the destination, a return route search program 22 for searching for a return route, and guidance data to be transmitted to the vehicle. Various programs executed by the center device 10 are stored, such as a data search and edit program 24 for editing and editing, and a system control program 26 for controlling and managing the entire operation. The memory 18 also has a working area used for executing those programs.

The database 30 includes intersection data 32 in which data relating to intersections is accumulated, road data 34 in which data relating to roads is accumulated, node data 36 in which data relating to node points are accumulated, and guidance data 38 in which data of route guidance are accumulated. Data necessary for route search and route guidance are stored respectively.

The specific contents are as follows. For example, assume a road network as shown in FIG. In the drawing, intersections I to IV are shown, and is a road. The intersection data 32 in such a road network is, for example, as shown in FIG.
It becomes as shown in. In the illustrated example, corresponding to each of the intersection numbers I to IV, the intersection name, the latitude and longitude of the intersection, the smallest road number of the road where the intersection is the starting point, and the intersection as the end point It includes the data of the smallest road number and the presence / absence of a signal among the roads.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the intersection number "I" has an intersection name of "Kanda", a latitude of "aaa", and a longitude of "nnn". In addition, the smallest road number among the roads starting from the intersection "I" is, and the smallest road number among the roads starting from the intersection is. Furthermore, there is a signal at the intersection "I". Intersections with other numbers are also as illustrated.

The road data 34 is, for example, as shown in FIG. In the example shown in the figure, the intersection number of the starting point, the intersection number of the ending point, the number of the next road of the road having the same starting point, and the next of the road having the same ending point correspond to each of the road numbers Road number, road thickness, prohibition information (road number for which entry is prohibited), guidance unnecessary information (road number for which guidance is not required because entry is prohibited), speed limit, number of nodes, and head of node sequence data The address and the length of the road are included. Of these, the thickness of the road is
For example, they are represented by numbers 0, 1, 2,... According to the number of lanes.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the starting point is an intersection I and the ending point is an intersection II. Also,
A road having the same starting point and having the next number is a road having the same ending point and having the next number. The road thickness is 1, there is no prohibition information, and the guidance unnecessary information has a speed limit of 50 km, the number of nodes is 15, the head address is 100, and the road length is 150 m. On the other hand, for roads with numbers, road numbers are prohibited. This means that at the intersection number IV in FIG. 2, it is not possible to enter from the numbered road to the numbered road due to the prohibition of turning right and left. Therefore, the number of roads that can be entered is only the number, so that guidance to the numbered road is unnecessary.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, the node data 36 includes an address, latitude and longitude, and its attribute corresponding to each node point. A node point is a feature point on a road, and a plurality of nodes collectively form a unit of a road number. That is, the node data is 1 on the road.
If data that relates to points and connects nodes is called an arc, a road is represented by connecting an arc between each of a plurality of node rows. For example, regarding the road number, the number of nodes is 15 and the head address of the node data is 10 based on the road data shown in FIG.
Since it is 0, the road with the number is constituted by the nodes of addresses 1OO to 114.

Returning to FIG. 1, the guide data 38 includes various guide data such as map data of each intersection and road, landmark data indicating major facilities, and voice guide data.

Next, the on-vehicle navigation device 100 will be described. The arithmetic processing unit 101 is mainly composed of a CPU. The memory 102 displays a route and a landmark on the display unit 106 based on the route data and the guidance data transmitted from the center device 100, and outputs a route guidance voice from the voice output unit 107. Programs executed by the arithmetic processing unit 101, such as a return processing program (route departure detection program and return route search program) 152 for detecting deviation from a route and searching for a return route, and a control program 154 for controlling the overall operation. Is stored.

The memory 102 functions as a working area that is appropriately used when executing the program, and further includes, for example, route / guidance data (route data and guidance data) 160 transmitted from the center device 10 and a vehicle-specific ID. Data 162, vehicle position data (longitude / latitude) 164 measured by the position measurement unit 104, and the like are also stored.

The vehicle position data 164 includes the position measurement unit 1
04, a plurality of past position data is included in addition to the current position data measured at predetermined time intervals. For example, position data of measurement points included in a certain distance or position data of a certain number of measurement points are stored. When the position is newly measured by the position measurement unit 104, the latest position data is stored and the oldest stored position data is deleted. By connecting these multiple location data,
The traveling locus of the vehicle can be obtained. This running track is
It is used for so-called map matching for specifying the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

Next, the position measuring unit 104 is a so-called GP
For measuring the position of the vehicle using S etc.,
It is provided with a GPS receiver that receives signals from a plurality of GPS satellites and measures the absolute position of the vehicle, a speed sensor and a direction sensor for measuring the relative position of the vehicle, and the like. Speed sensors and direction sensors are used for autonomous navigation. The relative position measured by these sensors is used for obtaining a position in a tunnel where the GPS receiver cannot receive radio waves from the satellite, or for correcting a positioning error of an absolute position measured by the GPS receiver. You.

The input unit 105 includes various switches, a touch panel attached to the display surface of the display unit 106, a remote controller, a data input device using voice recognition, and the like. In the touch panel, when a user touches an icon or the like displayed on the display unit 106 with a finger, corresponding data or an instruction is input. In a data input device using voice recognition, when a user utters a voice, data or a command corresponding to the voice is input.

The display unit 106 is a display such as a liquid crystal display or a CRT, and has a touch panel as described above. The transmission / reception unit 108 is a communication device for transmitting and receiving data to and from the center device 10, and is configured by communication devices including a transmission device and a reception device. In this case, similarly to the center side, a system such as a car phone, a mobile phone, and a PHS may be used.

<Operation on Center Device Side> Next, the operation of the center device 10 will be described. 6 and 7 show, as a flowchart, the operation of the route search and guidance data transmission process in the center device 10. When requesting the center device 10 for route guidance, the vehicle-mounted navigation device 100 transmits to the center device 10 the data of the current vehicle position (or departure place) measured by the position measuring unit 104 and the destination specified by the user. 108.
At this time, an ID for identifying the own vehicle is transmitted at the same time. Then, the center device 10 receives the data of the current position and the destination received from the vehicle by the transmission / reception unit 12 and transmits the data to the arithmetic processing unit 14. The communication mode between the center device 10 and the in-vehicle navigation device 100 is performed by, for example, packet switching or circuit switching.

In the arithmetic processing unit 14 of the center device 10, the system control program 26 stored in the memory 18
Is running. And, by receiving the data,
The route search program 20 stored in the memory 18 is executed to perform a route search (step S10). The route search is performed with reference to the intersection data 32, the road data 34, and the node data 36 of the database 30 described above.
This route search processing is well-known, for example,
This is performed by the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3297 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-173298, and a recommended route is set under conditions such as making the route having the shortest overall route the optimum route.

The search route data 27 as a search result is stored in the memory 18 (step S12). FIG. 8 shows the contents of the search route data 28 generated as a result of the route search. This search route data 27 includes FIG.
The intersection column data shown in FIG. 7A and the node column data shown in FIG. The intersection row data is composed of data such as an intersection name, an intersection number, a turning angle, a distance, and the like. By sequentially calling and listing road numbers constituting a route, it is possible to specify a road on which the vehicle travels. On the other hand, the node string data is composed of data such as longitude and latitude, intersection number, attribute, angle, distance, and the like representing the position of the node point. The node string data may be data of only intersections requiring guidance excluding intersections that do not require guidance.

Next, the arithmetic processing unit 14 of the center device 10
Executes the return route search program 22. First, a counter n for an intersection and a counter i for a road are set (steps S14 and S16). And
The n-th intersection Cn included in the searched route is detected (Step S18). Next, the detected intersection Cn
, Which are not included in the searched route, are detected (step S20). Next, from the road Ri, the intersection Cn + on the search route ahead of the intersection Cn
Search for a path connected to 1, Cn + 2,..., That is, a return path (step S22). The search result is stored in the memory 18 as the return route data 28 (step S2).
4). This return route search is performed for all roads connected to the intersection Cn (step S26, step S36). Further, the above-described processing is performed for all the intersections included in the searched route (step S2).
8, step S34).

The arithmetic processing unit 14 executes the data search / edit program 24 in the memory 18, refers to the search route data 27 and the return route data 28, and provides guidance data of the searched route and the return route to the database 30. The data is retrieved from the data 38 and extracted and edited to create the extracted guidance data 29 (step S30). This extraction guidance data 29
Along with the route data 27 and 28 and the corresponding vehicle ID,
It is transmitted to the in-vehicle navigation device 100 by the transmission / reception unit 12 (step S32).

FIG. 9 is an example of an intersection and a road including the searched route. In the figure, C represents an intersection, and R represents a road. The searched route is, for example, as indicated by a bold line,... R121 → C121 → R122 → C122 → R
123 → C123 → R223 → C112 → R112 → C
113 → R113,... The return route in this example is as shown in FIG. For example, at intersection C12
Focusing on No. 1, the connecting road outside the search route is R2
03, R204. Of these, R203 is C
111 → R202 → C101 → R102 → C102 → R
Since the vehicle is connected to the intersection C112 through a route 222, the route is a return route. R204 is C131 → R1
Intersection C via the route 32 → C132 → R121
Since it is connected to the switch 122, this is also a return path.

Similarly, focusing on the intersection C122, there is R121 as a connecting road outside the search route. R12
1 is connected to the next intersection C123 through a route of C132 → R133 → C133 → R224,
It becomes a return route. The same applies to other intersections. Such route data and guidance data on the search route and the return route shown in FIG. 10 are transmitted to the vehicle side together with the ID of the vehicle that has requested the route guidance.

<Operation on the in-vehicle navigation device side>
Next, the operation of the in-vehicle navigation device 100 will be described. 11 and 12 show the in-vehicle navigation device 1
The operation of the route guidance process at 00 is shown as a flowchart. In the vehicle-mounted navigation device 100,
The control program 154 is executed by the arithmetic processing unit 101. In this state, when the transmission / reception unit 108 receives the above-described route / guidance data from the center device 10 (step S
(Yes in 40), the arithmetic processing unit 101 stores the received route / guidance data 160 in the memory 102 (step S).
42).

When the user instructs the start of guidance by the input unit 105 (Yes in step S44), the route guidance program 150 in the memory 102 is executed by the arithmetic processing unit 10
First, the current position of the vehicle is acquired by the position measuring unit 104 (step S46). If the position corresponds to the read position of the route / guide data 160 acquired from the center device 10 (Yes in step S48), the corresponding route / guide data 160 is read (step S5).
0), route guidance is executed (step S52). In addition,
If it does not correspond to the reading position, the guidance is executed without reading the data (No in step S48). Specifically, a route map and landmarks are displayed on the display unit 106, and corresponding voice guidance is output from the voice output unit 107 when the vehicle turns right or left at an intersection.

The guidance operation along such a route continues until the vehicle arrives at the destination (step S54) unless the vehicle deviates from the route (step S56).
It is performed based on.

The arithmetic processing unit 101 executes the return processing program 152 to compare the current vehicle position of the position measuring unit 104 with the route data of the route / guidance data 160, and if the vehicle has deviated from the route for some reason. Then, that fact is detected (Yes in step S56). Then, the arithmetic processing unit 101 detects the intersection Cn that has passed just before the departure (step S58), and also detects the intersection on the route ahead. As a result, when the intersection Cn + 1 next to the intersection Cn is detected in the searched route (Yes in step S60), the return route from the current vehicle position to the next intersection Cn + 1 (other than the searched route) (Step S62).

If the return route cannot be searched (No in step S64), a return route is searched for the next intersection on the search route (steps S68 and S60). On the other hand, when the return route is searched (Ye in step S64)
s), determine whether the return route is appropriate.
For example, it is determined whether the route length of the route is within 1 km (step S100). As a result, the total length of the return route is 1 km
If it is within the range (Yes in step S100), it is determined that the return route is an appropriate return route, and the return route is displayed on the display unit 106 together with the original route transmitted from the center side to provide route guidance (step S52).

However, if the return route is not within 1 km (No in step S100), the center device 10 is requested to search again (step S102). That is, the in-vehicle navigation device 100 transmits information such as the current position of the vehicle to the center device 10, and the center device 10 again searches for a route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination (FIGS. 6 and 7). Then, route guidance on the vehicle side is performed based on the resulting alternative route (FIG. 11). When the vehicle arrives at the destination, the route guidance ends (see FIG. 12, step S54).
Yes, S66). When the return route cannot be searched at all (No in step S60), the center device 10 is similarly requested to perform a search again (step S102).

For example, as shown in FIG.
When the vehicle deviates from the route in the direction of road R124 from 23,
By following the return route of C134 → R233 → C113, it is possible to reach the intersection C113 on the search route. However, as shown in FIG. 14, when the vehicle deviates from the intersection C123 in the direction of the road R224, C133
→ R134 → C134 → R234 → C124 → R233
→ C113 is the return route, but if the total length of this return route exceeds 1 km, the center will search again.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, (1) When the vehicle deviates from the route, the return route is searched on the vehicle side. (2) When an appropriate return route is found, navigation is performed along the return route. (3) When a return route cannot be found, or when an appropriate return route cannot be found, the route is searched again on the center side.

Even if the vehicle deviates from the route, a return route, which is an alternative route, is immediately searched, and the return route allows the vehicle to return to the original route, so that the driver's anxiety can be reduced. In addition, since the search for the return route is performed on the vehicle side, when the vehicle deviates from the route, compared with the case where the center performs the re-search,
Re-guidance at the time of route departure can be performed quickly, and communication costs can be reduced. Conversely, when the vehicle deviates from the route, road conditions such as traffic congestion and traffic regulation can be taken into account, and a high-quality alternative route can be obtained as compared with the case where the vehicle is re-searched.

The present invention has many embodiments, and various modifications can be made based on the above disclosure. For example, the following is also included. (1) In the above embodiment, a distance of 1 is used as an appropriate return path.
km, but in addition to such distance, road width,
The suitability of the return route may be determined based on the number of intersections and the number of right / left turns. For example, relatively short distances, relatively wide road widths,
In other words, a route with a relatively small number of intersections and a relatively small number of right and left turns is set as a return route. Of course, those elements may be combined.

(2) The display of the search route and the return route on the display unit 106 can be various, but the following are some examples. Example 1 ... The original searched route is displayed, and when the vehicle deviates from the searched route and runs on the return route, the return route is displayed. Example 2 In addition to the search route indicated by the bold line, the return route is also displayed by a thin line, and when traveling on the return route, the return route is highlighted.

(3) In the above embodiment, the intersection data is prepared in the database on the center side. However, instead of the intersection data, intersections of a plurality of roads may be handled as intersections. This has the advantage that it is not necessary to transmit the data of the intersection number and the intersection coordinates to the vehicle. Even without such data such as the intersection number, the position of the intersection can be detected from the intersection of the road data (such as the longitude and latitude coordinate data indicating the road shape) of the recommended route and the return route. The road data, the intersection data, and the node data shown in the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and may be appropriately changed as needed. Further, the format of the data and the like may be similarly changed as appropriate.

(4) In the above embodiment, all the route / guidance data extracted on the center side is transmitted from the center side to the vehicle side at the start of the route guidance. You may make it transmit according to a travel position. If the departure point and the destination are very far apart, the route / guidance data will be considerable. By dividing and transmitting the data, the data storage capacity of the vehicle-mounted navigation device can be reduced.

(5) The route / guidance data transmitted from the center may be added with data obtained from the VICS or the like on the vehicle. Even when the VICS information is taken into account when the route / guidance data is generated on the center side, the road conditions may have changed when the vehicle actually runs. Therefore, it is convenient to receive the VICS information on the vehicle side during traveling and use it for route guidance.

(6) The above embodiment is an application of the present invention to a vehicle, but is applicable to various mobile objects such as portable mobile terminals.

[0047]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When the vehicle deviates from the route, the return route is searched on the moving side, and the center re-searches for the route only when there is no return route or when the return route is not appropriate. Thus, there is an effect that an effective alternative route can be found when the vehicle deviates from, and anxiety can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a road network.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of intersection data.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of road data.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of node data.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation on the center side.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation on the center side.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of search route data.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an intersection and a road including a searched route.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of search route and return route data.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation on the vehicle side.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation on the vehicle side.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an appropriate return path.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an inappropriate return path.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Center apparatus 12 ... Transceiving part 14 ... Operation processing part 18 ... Memory 20 ... Route search program 22 ... Return route search program 24 ... Data search and edit program 26 ... System control program 27 ... Search route data 28 ... Return route data 29 ... Extracted guidance data 30 ... Database 32 ... Intersection data 34 ... Road data 36 ... Node data 38 ... Guidance data 100 ... In-vehicle navigation device 101 ... Calculation processing unit 102 ... Memory 104 ... Position measurement unit 105 ... Input unit 106 ... Display unit 107 ... Voice output unit 108 Transmission / reception unit 150 Route guidance program 152 Return processing program 154 Control program 160 Route / guidance data 162 ID data 164 Vehicle position data C Intersection M Vehicle mark R Road

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G09B 29/10 G09B 29/10 A (72) Inventor Takashi Sugawara 2-19-12 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo No. Equos Research Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Satoshi Kitano 2-19-12 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Yamakawa 2-19, Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo No. 12 F-term in Equos Research Co., Ltd. (reference) 2C032 HB25 HC05 HC08 HD03 HD24 2F029 AA02 AB07 AB13 AC02 AC09 AC13 AC16 AC18 AD01 5H180 AA01 BB05 BB13 FF12 FF13 FF14 FF22 FF32 FF38

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An in-vehicle device for setting a route using road data in an on-vehicle storage device; holding more road data including road data in the on-vehicle storage device, and setting the route using the road data. Information center capable of transmitting the guidance data of the route to the in-vehicle device; determining means for determining whether or not the route set in the in-vehicle device conforms to the route condition for setting the set route as the guidance target route Transmitting means for transmitting route guidance data from the information center to the in-vehicle device when the determining means determines that the route set by the in-vehicle device does not conform to the route condition; Receiving means for receiving route guidance data transmitted to the in-vehicle device; guidance executing means for performing guidance using the route guidance data received by the receiving means;
A communication navigation system for a vehicle, comprising: 2. The route condition includes at least an upper or lower limit of a road length in a set route, an upper or lower limit of a road width in a set route, an upper or lower limit of the number of intersections in the set route, or a set route. 2. The communication navigation system for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the upper limit or the lower limit of the number of right / left turns in the vehicle is set. 3. A setting means for setting a route using road data in a storage device mounted on a vehicle; determining whether the set route meets a route condition for setting the set route as a guidance target route. Determining means; when the determining means determines that the set route does not conform to the route condition,
Receiving means for communicating with the information center and receiving route guidance data from the information center; guidance executing means for performing guidance using the route guidance data received by the receiving means; Communication type navigation system for vehicles. Detecting means for detecting that the vehicle has deviated from the route to be guided; means for setting a route using road data in a storage device mounted on the vehicle when the detecting means detects vehicle departure; 4. The communication system for a vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising: the determination unit performs determination on the route set by the unit.