JP2002236027A - Car navigation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the reliability for running support by displaying the presence of roads with obstacles to the passage of a vehicle at all times, while referring to information on the vehicle involved, such as the overall height thereof and by giving warnings about the approach of the vehicle to the roads. SOLUTION: A control part, provided in the car navigation apparatus, obtains information on the vehicle including data of the overall height, the total weight and the width of thereof from a memory part (step A1) and information on the limits to the vehicle for each of roads from a map data (step A2). Then, the control part compares the information on the vehicle with the information on the limits of the vehicle (limits in height, weight and width) for each of the roads (steps A3, A5 and A7) and changes the setting of display color for the roads subject to any of the limits to that differing from the normal setting (steps A4, A6 and A8). In the drawing of road patterns, based on the map data, the roads subject to the information on the limits of the vehicle are drawn in display color set by the steps A4, A6 and A8 (step A9).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a car navigation system for assisting a vehicle in traveling based on map data including a group of road data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a car navigation system of this type, generally, restrictions such as a total height and a total weight of vehicles that can pass through each road are not displayed.
If a vehicle accidentally enters such a road, it will become impossible to pass through it, wasting time and increasing the possibility of causing a collision accident. There is a problem that medium and large vehicles have a high possibility of causing the above situation. In order to cope with such a problem, a car navigation device as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 2822650 has been conventionally provided. In this method, when a route setting operation such as inputting a start point and a goal point of a vehicle is performed, an optimum traveling route in a road network obtained from map data stored in a storage device is calculated and displayed. In addition to the map data, the vehicle storage information (traffic regulation and load regulation data) of the road is stored in the storage device, and the optimum traveling route is obtained. At this time, a route is selected that excludes the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional car navigation device, the vehicle restriction information on the road is effective only when the route setting operation is performed. Even if you go and show the optimal traveling route, if you deviate from that route, you may accidentally enter the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information, so it is impossible to pass through the entered road It was not possible to say that the vehicle limit information on the road was being used to the fullest extent, as wasted time wasted and the possibility of causing a collision accident was increased.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a first object of the present invention is to identify a road on which traffic is impeded by vehicles.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a car navigation device which can always be displayed while referring to vehicle information such as the total height of the vehicle and can prevent a vehicle from erroneously entering the road. The purpose of this is that when a vehicle tries to travel on a road that has an obstacle in its traffic, an alert can be issued in advance while referring to vehicle information such as the total height of the vehicle, and the vehicle can be mistakenly placed on that road. An object of the present invention is to provide a car navigation device capable of effectively preventing a situation of entering.

[0005]

To achieve the first object, the means described in claim 1 can be adopted. According to this means, when displaying the road map on the display unit based on the map data including the road data group stored in the storage means, the control unit acquires the vehicle information about the vehicle, And the vehicle restriction information stored in the storage means in a state added to each road data, and if there is road data corresponding to the restriction indicated by the vehicle restriction information, Then, control is performed to display a road corresponding to the road data in a state where it can be distinguished from other roads. In other words, the display unit displays the road on which traffic is impeded by the vehicle at all times while referring to the vehicle information of the vehicle. The reliability of the driving support is improved, for example, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the vehicle enters by mistake.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the display color of the road corresponding to the restriction indicated by the vehicle restriction information is changed to a color different from that of the other roads. Be improved.

[0007] To achieve the second object, a third aspect is provided.
Can be adopted. According to this means, the control unit obtains the vehicle information about the vehicle and adds the vehicle information to the road data corresponding to the currently running road in the road data group stored in the storage unit. The vehicle control information is compared with the vehicle restriction information, and if the vehicle information corresponds to the restriction item indicated by the vehicle restriction information to be compared, control for generating an alarm is performed. That is, when the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling is the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information (when the vehicle information corresponds to the restriction indicated by the vehicle restriction information on the currently traveling road), an alarm is issued. As a result, it is possible to effectively prevent a situation where the vehicle continues to travel while erroneously entering the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information, and the reliability of the traveling support is increased.

According to the fourth aspect, the control unit includes:
When the road ahead connected to the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling is the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information (that is, the vehicle information is indicated by the vehicle restriction information on the road ahead connected to the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling) (If applicable)
In addition, since a warning is issued to prevent the vehicle from entering the road, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the vehicle erroneously enters the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information before and effectively.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 1 schematically shows the entire electrical configuration of a car navigation device by combining functional blocks. In FIG. 1, a car navigation device 1 includes a position detection unit 2, a map data input unit 3, a switch information input unit 4, a memory unit 5, a display unit 6, a voice output unit 7, a data communication unit 8, and the like. And is connected to the control unit 9.

[0010] Of these, the position detector 2 is composed of a GPS sensor, a gyro sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, and the like, which are used to obtain vehicle position information based on radio waves from GPS satellites, as is well known. This is a part that detects the current position, traveling direction, altitude, and the like of the vehicle with high accuracy. still,
Depending on the required detection accuracy, it is not necessary to provide all of the above-mentioned sensors, but it is sufficient to provide any one of them, and it is also possible to employ a sensor other than the above.

A map data input unit 3 is a map data recording medium (storage means) storing various data such as map data, data for searching for destinations associated therewith (destination data, so-called town page data, etc.), and synthetic voice data. ), And a large-capacity storage medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM is used as the map data recording medium.

At this time, the map data includes a road shape,
Road data group such as road width and road name, building data group,
In addition to a terrain data group and the like, data for reproducing the map on the screen of the display unit 6 and character data for displaying main place names, building names, and the like in characters are included. . In particular, the map data storage medium stores vehicle restriction information as data related to the gist of the present invention. This vehicle restriction information includes restrictions such as the total height, the gross vehicle weight, and the total width of the passing vehicle (that is, the upper limit value of the height of a passing vehicle (height limit),
In order to indicate the upper limit of the total weight of the vehicle that can pass (weight limit), the upper limit of the width of the vehicle that can pass (vehicle width limit), etc., it is information arranged for each type of these restrictions. Each data corresponding to each road is added as information indicating the content of the restriction. Of course, some roads have no restrictions on passing vehicles, and vehicle restriction information is not added to the roads.

Although not shown in detail, the switch information input unit 4 includes a mechanical switch provided near the screen of the display unit 6 and a touch panel provided on the screen of the display unit 6. ) Can input various commands such as setting a destination for a route guidance operation and selecting a scale of a road map displayed on the display unit 6 using the switch information input unit 4. ing. If necessary, a remote controller having a function equivalent to that of the switch information input section 4 may be provided.

The memory unit 5 includes, for example, a ROM, a RAM, and an EEPROM. The ROM stores programs related to navigation, and the RAM, which functions as a working area, stores a map obtained through the map data input unit 3. Data is temporarily stored and EE
The PROM stores data that needs to be retained even when the power is turned off (vehicle information, which will be described later).

The display section 6 is composed of, for example, a full-color liquid crystal display. On the screen, a map around the current location of the vehicle is normally displayed on a scale which is selected and set, and the display of the vehicle is superimposed on the display. A current position mark indicating the current position and the traveling direction is selectively displayed. The display unit 6 also displays an input screen for the user to perform various inputs such as a destination, various messages, and the like. Further, when executing the route search and route guidance functions to the destination, a mark indicating a route to be advanced in superposition on the map, a destination, a landmark around the route, and the like are also displayed.

The audio output unit 7 is provided with the map data input unit 3
Based on the synthesized voice data obtained through the above, a voice guide at the time of route guidance and a voice guide for operation explanation are output. The data communication unit 8 has a function of two-way communication with an external device, and includes, for example, a mobile phone, a car phone, or a beacon transceiver.

The control unit 9 has a software configuration, and includes a map data acquisition unit 10, a map matching unit 11, a route calculation unit 12, a route guidance unit 13, and a drawing unit 1.
4. The function of each processing unit of the screen control management unit 15 and the communication control unit 16 is realized.

Of these, the map data acquisition unit 10
The map data necessary for the processing operation in each of the processing units is acquired from the map data input unit 3 and provided to the processing units. The map matching unit 11 determines the current position of the vehicle on the road based on the current position information of the vehicle detected by the position detection unit 2 and the road shape data of the map data acquired from the map data input unit 3. Determine if it exists.

The route calculation unit 12 includes a map matching unit 1
1 to the destination designated by the user through the switch information input unit 4 from the departure point designated by the user through the switch information input unit 4 to an appropriate route under designated conditions (for example, toll roads). (Priority, general road priority, distance priority, etc.), and the calculation (search) is performed using a well-known Dijkstra method or the like.

The route guidance unit 13 includes the route information to the destination calculated by the route calculation unit 12, the road shape information included in the map data acquired through the map data acquisition unit 10, and the position information such as intersections and railroad crossings. For example, route guidance data necessary for guidance on the screen display of the display unit 6 or voice guidance by the voice output unit 7 (for example, guidance for turning right or left at an intersection, caution guidance that there is a railroad crossing, etc.) is created. Has become.

The drawing unit 14 draws (records) a road map of various scales for indicating the current position and the like, a schematic diagram of an expressway, an enlarged view near an intersection, and the like in the video RAM in accordance with an instruction of the screen control management unit 15. Then, it is displayed on the screen of the display unit 6. These maps are drawn based on the map data obtained by the map data obtaining unit 10, and the main place names and building names are also displayed in characters based on the character data in the map data. I have. At the time of route guidance, the current position and the destination are displayed on the map, the route to be traveled is displayed in a color different from other colors, and various landmarks are also displayed. In addition to this, as a function directly related to the gist of the present invention, a function is set in which the own vehicle changes the display color of the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information to a state in which the display color can be distinguished from the others and displays the road. Details of this function will be described later.

Here, when the car navigation system 1 is mounted on a vehicle, vehicle information such as the total height, vehicle weight, vehicle width, height including the load, the weight of the load, and the weight of the occupant of the vehicle are provided. Is required to be input and stored in the car navigation device 1 side. In order to perform such an initial setting operation, the screen control management unit 15 displays a vehicle information input screen on the display unit 6. The vehicle information input through this input screen is stored in an EEPROM in the memory unit 5. Is stored. In the above-mentioned vehicle information, the data of the total height, the weight of the vehicle, and the width of the vehicle are type-certified data and are fixed. At this time, it is also possible to perform an initial setting operation on the maker or dealer side and input the information.

The communication control section 16 is for controlling access to the Internet through the data communication section 8 and the like, whereby various kinds of information can be obtained from outside.

With the above configuration, a location function for displaying the current position of the vehicle on the road map on the screen of the display unit 6 with the processing operation by the control unit 9 as the center,
A function of route search and route guidance for finding and providing an optimal route to a destination set by a user is realized.

Now, the flowchart of FIG.
Of control related to the gist of the present invention, that is, a process example for controlling to change the road display color based on the vehicle restriction information obtained from the map data when drawing the map data is shown. This will be described below. In FIG. 2, first, the EEPR in the memory unit 5
From the vehicle information stored in the OM as described above, the total height of the vehicle (the height including the load, if any), the total weight of the vehicle (for example, the sum of the vehicle weight, the load, and the passenger weight) ), And acquires each data of the vehicle width (step A1).

Next, vehicle restriction information for each road is obtained from the map data (step A2), and the vehicle restriction information for each road is compared with the vehicle information in steps A3, A5,
Execute A7. In this case, in step A3, it is individually determined for each road whether or not the total height of the vehicle indicated by the vehicle information exceeds the height limit (height dimension of a traversable vehicle) indicated by the vehicle restriction information. If “NO”, the process proceeds to a step A5, but if “YES”, the display color setting for the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information (the road caught by the height restriction) is set to the normal setting. After executing step A4 for setting to a different state (for example, a state in which the tone is reduced to an achromatic color), the process proceeds to step A5.

In step A5, it is individually determined for each road whether or not the gross vehicle weight indicated by the vehicle information exceeds the weight limit (total weight of traversable vehicles) indicated by the vehicle restriction information. In the case of "NO", the process proceeds to step A7, but in the case of "YES", the display color setting for the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information (the road caught by the weight restriction) is the normal setting. Step A6 for setting to a different state (for example, an achromatic tone down state)
Then, the process proceeds to Step A7.

In step A7, it is determined individually for each road whether or not the vehicle width indicated by the vehicle information exceeds the vehicle width limit (width of a traversable vehicle) indicated by the vehicle restriction information. In the case of "", the process proceeds to step A9 of the control content described later, but in the case of "YES", the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information (the road that is caught by the vehicle width restriction)
After the step A8 for setting the display color setting for the item to a state different from the normal setting (for example, the state of being achromatically toned down), the process proceeds to step A9.
In this embodiment, the display colors of the roads corresponding to the above-mentioned restrictions (height restriction, weight restriction, vehicle width restriction) are the same, respectively. By making them different from each other, the contents of the restrictions may be simultaneously displayed, or the contents of each of the above restrictions may be displayed using characters or figures.

In step A9, a road pattern to be displayed on the screen of the display unit 6 is drawn based on the map data (actually stored in the video RAM). The road corresponding to the information is drawn in the display color set in the above steps A4, A6, A8. Then, after the execution of step A9, a series of processing ends.

In short, according to the configuration of the present embodiment described above, the total height, vehicle weight, and vehicle width of the vehicle equipped with the car navigation device 1 are stored in the EEPROM of the memory unit 5 in accordance with the initial setting operation. , Including the load,
Vehicle information such as the weight of the load and the weight of the passenger is stored. Then, the control unit 9 controls the display unit 6 based on the map data including the road data group stored in the map data recording medium.
When displaying a road map on the vehicle, the vehicle information is stored in the memory unit 5.
And vehicle restriction information stored on the map data recording medium in a state where it is added to each road data (restrictions such as the total height, gross vehicle weight, and total width of passing vehicles. And the road information corresponding to the restriction indicated by the vehicle restriction information exists.
Control is performed to display a road corresponding to the road data in a state where it can be distinguished from other roads. In other words, the display unit 6 always displays a road with an obstacle in the traffic of the vehicle while referring to vehicle information such as the total height and the vehicle weight of the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the vehicle erroneously enters the road, that is, a situation in which the vehicle cannot pass through the road and wasteful time is spent, or a possibility of causing a contact accident is increased. In addition, the display unit 6 is configured such that the display color of a road having an obstacle in vehicle traffic as described above is changed to a color different from that of other roads, so that the visibility is improved. become.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and only the portions different from the first embodiment will be described below. That is, FIG. 3 shows a processing example for performing warning guidance based on a comparison between the vehicle restriction information obtained from the map data and the vehicle information stored in the EEPROM in the memory unit 5 among the control contents of the control unit. It is shown. In FIG. 3, first, from the vehicle information stored in the memory unit 5, the total height of the vehicle (the height including the load, if any), the total vehicle weight (for example, the vehicle weight and the load, Each data of a vehicle width is acquired (total with a passenger weight) (step B1).

Next, vehicle restriction information on the road on which the vehicle is traveling and the road ahead connected to the road is acquired from the map data (step B2), and the vehicle restriction information and the vehicle information for each road are obtained. Steps B3 and B to be compared
5. Execute B7.

In this case, in step B3, the total height of the vehicle indicated by the vehicle information is determined by the height restriction indicated by the vehicle restriction information on the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling and the road ahead (the height dimension of a traversable vehicle). Is determined, and if “NO”, the process proceeds to Step B5.
In the case of "YES", after performing the height warning guidance step B4 for issuing a voice warning about the existence of the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information (the road caught by the height restriction) through the voice output unit 7, the process proceeds to step B5. Transition. In this case, if the currently running road is caught by the height restriction, it is desirable to include, for example, a content for instructing to detour to another road during the voice warning. Also, if the road ahead of the road connected to the currently running road is caught by the height restriction, an audio warning for deterring entry to the road (for example, a content that instructs to avoid entering the road may be issued. ).

In step B5, it is determined whether or not the gross vehicle weight indicated by the vehicle information exceeds the weight limit (total weight of traversable vehicles) indicated by the vehicle restriction information for the currently traveling road and the road ahead. In the case of "NO", the process proceeds to step B7. In the case of "YES", an audio warning about the existence of the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information (the road caught by the weight restriction) is issued. After executing the weight warning guidance step B6 issued through the audio output unit 7, the process proceeds to step B7. In this case, when the currently traveling road is caught by the weight limitation, it is desirable to include, for example, a content for instructing to make a detour to another road during the voice warning. In addition, when a road ahead in front of the road that is currently running is caught by the weight limitation, an audio alarm for suppressing entry to the road is generated.

In step B7, it is determined whether or not the vehicle width indicated by the vehicle information exceeds the vehicle width limit (the width of a traversable vehicle) indicated by the vehicle restriction information for the currently running road and the road ahead. Is determined, and in the case of “NO”, the flow proceeds to step B9 of the control contents described later, but “Y”
In the case of "ES", the process proceeds to step B9 after executing the weight warning guidance step B6 for issuing a voice warning about the existence of the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information (the road caught by the vehicle width restriction) through the voice output unit 7. I do. in this case,
When the road on which the vehicle is currently running is caught by the vehicle width limitation, it is desirable to include a content for instructing to detour to another road during the voice warning. Also, if the road ahead in front of the currently running road is caught in the vehicle width limit,
It is configured to generate an audio warning for improving the approach to the road. In step B9, a warning display for displaying the specific contents of each audio warning as described above on the display unit 6 is drawn (actually stored in the video RAM). Is completed.

In short, according to the configuration of the second embodiment described above, the control unit 9 determines that the vehicle on which the vehicle is currently traveling is a road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information (the vehicle information indicates that the vehicle is currently traveling). An audio warning will be issued when the vehicle falls under the restriction indicated by the vehicle restriction information on the road), effectively preventing situations in which the vehicle continues to run while accidentally entering the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information become able to. In addition, the control unit 9 determines that the road ahead in which the vehicle is connected to the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling is the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information (that is, the vehicle information is The vehicle restriction information indicated by the vehicle restriction information), an audible alarm is issued to deter entry to the road, so that the vehicle may accidentally enter the road corresponding to the vehicle restriction information. The situation can be deterred effectively beforehand.

(Other Embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the following modifications or extensions are possible. When the vehicle is provided with a storage element (for example, a memory chip for storing vehicle specification data) that stores fixed vehicle information such as the total height, gross vehicle weight, and total width of the vehicle. By taking in the vehicle information from the storage element, the initial setting operation for storing the vehicle information in the memory unit 5 can be simplified. The vehicle restriction information can include restrictions such as vehicle load (dangerous goods, poisonous substances, etc.). In this case, data indicating the contents of the load is input as vehicle information during the initial setting operation. Will do. Further, a configuration may be provided in which a control unit having both a display function as in the first embodiment and an alarm function as in the second embodiment is provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an overall configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing control contents of a control unit.

FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2, showing a second embodiment of the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a car navigation device, 2 is a position detection unit, 3 is a map data input unit, 6 is a display unit, and 9 is a control unit.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G09B 29/10 G09B 29/10 A F-term (Reference) 2C032 HB02 HB05 HB22 HB24 HB25 HC22 HC27 HC31 HD03 HD23 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AB12 AB13 AC02 AC09 AC12 AC14 AC18 AC19 5H180 AA01 BB13 CC12 FF04 FF05 FF22 FF25 FF27 FF35 LL01 LL07 LL08 LL11

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A display unit, a position detection unit that detects a current position of a vehicle, a storage unit that stores map data including a road data group, and the display unit based on the map data stored in the storage unit. And a control unit that displays a road map on the road map screen and superimposes and displays the current position detected by the position detection unit on the road map screen. The control unit has a function of acquiring vehicle information, and stores map data to which vehicle restriction information indicating restrictions on vehicles that can pass therethrough, and displays a road map on the display unit. The vehicle information is compared with the vehicle restriction information added to the road data. If the vehicle information includes road data corresponding to the restriction indicated by the vehicle restriction information, the road information is determined. A car navigation system and displaying the road corresponding to the data in the discriminable state from other roads. 2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs display control for changing a display color of a road corresponding to the restriction indicated by the vehicle restriction information to a color different from that of another road. Item 2. The car navigation device according to item 1. 3. A display unit, a position detection unit for detecting a current position of the vehicle, a storage unit storing map data including a road data group, and the display unit based on the map data stored in the storage unit. And a control unit that displays a road map on the road map screen and superimposes and displays the current position detected by the position detection unit on the road map screen. The controller stores map data to which vehicle restriction information indicating restrictions on vehicles that can pass is added, and the control unit has a function of acquiring vehicle information, and the vehicle information and the vehicle correspond to a road on which the vehicle is currently traveling. A car navigation system which compares vehicle restriction information added to road data and issues an alarm when the vehicle information corresponds to a restriction indicated by the vehicle restriction information. Shon apparatus. 4. The control unit compares the vehicle information with vehicle restriction information added to road data corresponding to a road ahead of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling, and determines whether the vehicle information is a vehicle restriction. 4. The car navigation device according to claim 3, wherein when a restriction corresponding to the information is satisfied, a warning is issued to deter entry to the road.