JP2002277271A - Navigation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cope with important and interruption information by a single request switch, at the same time, to give priority to the important information under specific conditions, to cancel a request function to the interruption information, and to output the guidance information of the important and interruption information in voice again merely by allowing an operator to operate the single request switch. SOLUTION: The navigation apparatus has a guidance point judgment means for judging that a vehicle position 51 approaches a guidance point 52, a voice output control means for outputting the guidance information in voice, and a request function control means for giving priority to the important information in the guidance information as compared with the interruption information for outputting the important information in voice again according to the request from the operator when the vehicle position 51 approaches the guidance point 52.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a navigation device mounted on a vehicle, when an operator such as a driver operates a predetermined input unit to set a destination, the destination and a current position detection processing unit are used. A route from the current position to the destination is searched for based on the detected current position of the vehicle, and the searched route is guided. Therefore, the operator:
The vehicle can run according to the route guidance.

[0003] In recent years, navigation devices that provide route guidance by voice have become widespread. For example, as the vehicle approaches an intersection where the course should be changed, "700 m
Go right at the XX intersection. , "300 m ahead, rightward", "shortly rightward", etc., to output guidance information by voice. In this case, the operator can receive route guidance while continuing driving without moving his or her line of sight to the display screen of the navigation device.

[0004] Further, when the operator misses the guidance information output as voice, when the operator operates a request switch provided on the operation panel of the navigation device or a remote controller, the guidance information is again output as voice. There is also provided a navigation device having a request function to perform the request (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-254443). In this case, since the vehicle moves and the current position changes between the time when the sound is first output and the time when the sound is output again, the vehicle moves in accordance with the change in the current position, that is, in accordance with the progress of the vehicle. The contents of the guidance information are modified. For example, if the guidance information output first as voice is "700 m ahead, turn right at intersection XX", and if the vehicle travels 100 m before being output again as a voice by the request function, the voice output is output again. The information is "600 m ahead, turn right at the XX intersection."

Thus, the operator can obtain route change information at an intersection or the like while continuing driving without moving his / her line of sight.

[0006] Even if the guide information is missed, the guide information appropriately corrected in accordance with the progress of the vehicle is output again by voice by the request function, so that the course change information can be reliably obtained.

[0007]

However, in the conventional navigation device, the request function is
It is provided for important information that is important for the operation of the vehicle, such as diversion information.

In recent years, however, in addition to important information, navigation systems have not been very important for the operation of vehicles, such as VICS information such as traffic congestion information and traffic regulation information, and facility information on shops and restaurants nearest to the current location. The guide information of the embedded information is also output by voice. And even if the guide information of the interrupt information may be missed, the request information does not generally correspond to the interrupt information, so that the interrupt information is not output again by voice.

In order to make the request function correspond to interrupt information, it is necessary to provide a request switch corresponding to each piece of interrupt information. That is, in addition to the conventional request switch corresponding to important information, a request switch corresponding to VICS information, a request switch corresponding to facility information, and the like need to be provided.

However, when the number of request switches increases, it becomes difficult to identify each request switch, and the operator feels troublesome. Further, a large number of request switches occupy the area of the operation panel and the remote controller of the navigation apparatus main body, and the operation panel and the remote controller of the navigation apparatus main body become large and the operability is reduced.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the conventional navigation apparatus, and allows important information and interrupt information to be handled by a single request switch. By providing a navigation device that cancels a request function for interrupt information and allows an operator to output voice information of important information and interrupt information again by simply operating a single request switch. The purpose is to:

[0012]

For this purpose, in the navigation apparatus of the present invention, a guide point determining means for determining that the vehicle position has approached a guide point, a voice output control means for outputting guide information by voice, Request function control means for, when there is a request from the operator when the vehicle position approaches the guide point, giving priority to important information in the guide information over interrupt information and outputting voice again.

In another navigation apparatus according to the present invention, the important information is information on the guide point, and the interrupt information is VICS information and information on a registered facility.

In still another navigation device according to the present invention, the request function control means further comprises: when the request for the interrupt information satisfies a predetermined condition when the vehicle position approaches the guide point. The interruption information is output again by voice, and when the interruption information is not satisfied, the important information is output again by voice.

[0015] In still another navigation device of the present invention, the predetermined condition may be that the request is made within a predetermined time after the interrupt information is output as voice, or that the interrupt information is The progress of the vehicle position after the voice output is that the request has been made within a certain distance.

In the navigation program according to the present invention, a computer is used for navigation, and guide point determining means for determining that the vehicle position has approached a guide point,
Voice output control means for outputting guidance information by voice, and when the vehicle position approaches the guidance point, if there is a request from an operator, priority is given to important information in the guidance information over interrupt information and again. It functions as request function control means for outputting voice.

[0017]

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

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the navigation device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing functions of the navigation device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 14 denotes a navigation device as a computer.
Is a current position detection processing unit 15 for detecting the current position, and a data recording unit 1 as a recording medium on which road data and the like are recorded.
6. Navigation processing unit 17, input unit 34, display unit 35, audio input unit 36, audio output unit 3, which performs various arithmetic processing such as navigation processing based on the input information.
7 and a communication unit 38, and the navigation processing unit 1
7, a vehicle speed sensor 41 is connected.

The current position detection processing unit 15
GPS (Global Positioning system)
stem) 21, a geomagnetic sensor 22, a distance sensor 23,
It comprises a steering sensor 24, a beacon sensor 25, a gyro sensor 26, an altimeter not shown, and the like.

The GPS 21 detects a current position on the earth by receiving radio waves generated by artificial satellites, and the geomagnetic sensor 22 detects a direction in which the vehicle is facing by measuring geomagnetism. ,
The distance sensor 23 detects a distance between predetermined positions on a road and the like. Examples of the distance sensor 23 include a sensor that measures the number of revolutions of a wheel (not shown) and detects a distance based on the number of revolutions, a sensor that measures acceleration, and detects the distance by integrating the acceleration twice. Can be used.

The steering sensor 24 detects a rudder angle.
For example, an optical rotation sensor, a rotation resistance sensor attached to a rotating portion of a steering wheel (not shown),
An angle sensor or the like attached to a wheel is used.

The beacon sensor 25 receives the position information from the beacon disposed along the road and detects the current position. The gyro sensor 26 detects a rotational angular velocity of the vehicle, that is, a turning angle. As the gyro sensor 26, for example, a gas rate gyro, a vibration gyro, or the like is used. Then, by integrating the turning angle detected by the gyro sensor 26, the direction in which the vehicle is facing can be detected.

The GPS 21 and the beacon sensor 25 can independently detect the current position. The current position can also be detected by combining the distance detected by the distance sensor 23 and the azimuth detected by the geomagnetic sensor 22 and the gyro sensor 26. The current position can also be detected by combining the distance detected by the distance sensor 23 and the steering angle detected by the steering sensor 24.

The data recording unit 16 stores a map data file, an intersection data file, a node data file,
A database including a road data file, a photograph data file, and a facility information data file in which facility information such as hotels, gas stations, and sightseeing spots in each region are recorded. Each of the data recording units 16 includes data for searching for a route and the display unit 35.
Display a guide map along the searched route on the screen of the searched, display a characteristic photograph at the intersection or route, a top view, etc., the distance to the next intersection, the traveling direction at the next intersection, etc. Various data for displaying and displaying other guidance information are recorded. The data recording unit 16 also records various data for outputting predetermined information by the audio output unit 37.

The intersection data file records intersection data relating to each intersection, the node data file records node data relating to node points, and the road data file records road data relating to roads. The road condition is represented by the road data. The node data constitutes at least the position and shape of a road in the map data recorded in the map data file, and includes actual branch points (including intersections, T-shaped roads, etc.) and node points. , And data indicating links connecting the respective node points. The node point indicates at least the position of a turning point on the road.

According to the road data, the width of the road itself, the gradient, the cant, the bank,
The condition of the road surface, the number of lanes on the road, the point where the number of lanes decreases, the point where the width decreases, etc.
Intersections, T-shaped intersections, corner entrances, etc., and road attributes include railroad crossings, expressway exit rampways, tollgates on expressways, downhill roads, uphill roads, road types (national roads, general roads, expressways, etc.) Are respectively constituted.

The navigation processing unit 17
CPU 3 for controlling the entire navigation device 14
1. A RAM 32 used as a working memory when the CPU 31 performs various arithmetic processing, and a control program for searching for a route to a destination, driving guidance along the route, determining a specific section, and the like. The navigation processing unit 17 includes an input unit 34, a display unit 35, a voice input unit 36, and a voice output unit 37.
And the communication unit 38 are connected.

Here, the program includes a computer for navigation, guide point determination means for determining that the vehicle position is approaching a guide point, voice output control means for outputting voice guidance information, and the vehicle. When the position approaches the guide point, a navigation program functioning as a request function control unit for giving priority to important information in the guide information and outputting voice again when interrupted by a request from an operator is also included. . The computer-readable recording medium on which the navigation program is recorded is not only a semiconductor memory but also a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic drum, a CD-ROM, an MD, a DVD-RO.
It includes all types of recording media such as M, optical disk, MO, IC card, optical card, and memory card.

The data recording unit 16 and the ROM 3
Reference numeral 3 includes a magnetic core (not shown), a semiconductor memory, and the like. The data recording unit 16 and the ROM 3
3. Magnetic tape, magnetic disk, floppy disk, magnetic drum, CD-ROM, MD, DVD-RO
Various storage media such as M, optical disk, MO, IC card, optical card, and memory card can be used. The storage medium may be installed in the navigation device 14 in advance, or may be appropriately replaced by a driver or the like.

In the present embodiment, the ROM 33
Various programs are recorded in the data recording unit 16.
Although various types of data are recorded on the external storage medium, programs and data can be recorded on the same external storage medium. In this case, for example, a flash memory (not shown) may be provided in the navigation processing unit 17, and the program and data may be read from the external storage medium and written to the flash memory. Therefore, the program and data can be updated by exchanging the external storage medium. Further, a control program or the like of an automatic transmission control device (not shown) can be recorded in the external storage medium. As described above, it is possible to activate programs recorded on various recording media and perform various processes based on data. The external storage medium is a magnetic tape, magnetic disk, floppy disk, magnetic drum, CD-ROM, MD, DVD-R
Any type of OM, optical disk, MO, IC card, optical card, memory card, etc. may be used.

The communication section 38 is for transmitting and receiving various data to and from an FM transmitter, a telephone line, and the like. For example, traffic jams, traffic accidents, and the like received by an information sensor (not shown) and the like are provided. Road information, GPS2
Various data such as D-GPS information for detecting the first detection error is received. In addition, at least a part of the program and data for realizing the function of the present invention is
And can be recorded in a flash memory or the like.

An operation guide is displayed on the display unit 35.
An operation menu, guidance of operation keys, a route from the current position to the destination, guidance information along the route, and the like are displayed. As the display unit 35, a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, a hologram device that projects a hologram on a windshield, or the like can be used.

The voice input section 36 is constituted by a microphone (not shown) or the like, and can input necessary information by voice. Further, the audio output unit 37
Is provided with a voice synthesizer and a speaker (not shown), and outputs sound information, for example, guide information and speed change information composed of voice synthesized by the voice synthesizer from a speaker, an earphone, headphones, or the like, and notifies the operator. In addition, in addition to the voice synthesized by the voice synthesizer, various sounds,
Various guidance information recorded in advance on a tape, a memory, or the like can be output from a speaker.

In this embodiment, the audio output unit 37
Is a point where it is necessary to provide guidance to change the course of the vehicle or change the lane, such as an intersection, an interchange, a road junction, a highway entrance / exit, a railroad crossing, a sharp curve, etc. Just before the point, guidance information about a course change or a lane change is output as voice. For example, as the vehicle approaches an intersection where the course should be changed, "700
From there, turn right at the XX intersection. ", 300 m ahead, right direction", "shortly right direction", etc., to output guidance information by voice.

The voice output unit 37 provides information important for the operation of the vehicle, such as guidance information on route change and lane change, that is, VICS information such as congestion information and traffic regulation information, as well as important information. Guidance information that is not so important for the operation of the vehicle, such as facility information on the nearest store or restaurant from the current position, that is, interrupt information is also output as voice.

The input section 34 is used to correct the position at the start of traveling and to input a destination. Operation keys and operation menus displayed on the screen of the display section 35 are displayed. And the like. Therefore, input can be performed by pressing (touching) the operation switch. Note that a keyboard, a mouse, a barcode reader, a light pen, and the like, which are provided separately from the display unit 35, may be used as the input unit 34. Further, as the input unit 34, by radio waves or infrared rays,
It is desirable to use a remote controller or the like for remote operation that can be operated from a remote place.

The input section 34 has a request switch. If the operator operates the request switch when the guide information output from the voice output unit 37 is missed, the guide information is output again by voice. The request switch is provided in the navigation device body or the remote controller, but may be a normal button switch, a touch panel switch, or a voice input switch. Is also good.

In the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of functions, the navigation device 14 operates the guide point determining means 27 for determining that the vehicle has approached the guide point and the request switch, that is, there is a request. Function control means 2 for outputting voice and guidance information again by voice
8. Request buffer memory 42 for temporarily storing voice-guided guidance information, and voice output unit 37
Has an audio output control means 29 for controlling the operation of.

The request function control means 28
Controls the request function of operating the request switch to output the guidance information again by voice when the operator misses the guidance information output by voice. The guidance information output as voice by the audio output unit 37 is stored in the request buffer memory 42, and when there is a request, read out from the request buffer memory 42 and output again as audio by the audio output unit 37. It has become.

Here, the request function control means 28
If the guidance information is interrupt information, the guidance point determination means 2
When it is determined that the vehicle is not approaching the guide point, when the request is made, the command is issued to the audio output control means 29 to output the interrupt information again by voice. If it is determined that the request does not satisfy the predetermined condition, a command is issued to the voice output control means 29 so that the interrupt information is not output again by voice.

When the guidance information is output again by voice based on the request function, the request function control means 28 determines whether the vehicle has moved between the time when the voice was first output and the time when the voice was output again, and Since the position changes,
The contents of the guidance information are modified according to the progress of the vehicle. For example, if the guidance information output first as voice is "700 m ahead, turn right at intersection XX" and the vehicle has traveled 100 m before the voice is output again by the request function, the voice output guidance will be output again. The information is "600 m ahead, turn right at the XX intersection."

The voice output control means 29 outputs the voice information to the voice output unit based on commands from the guide point determination means 27, the request function control means 28, and the like, and conditions set in advance. 37 is controlled.

Here, in the navigation device 14, stores, restaurants, parking lots, historic sites, gas stations, recreational facilities, public facilities, and the like are registered in advance as registered facilities. In this case, the location of the registered facility on the map and information (name, characteristics, etc.) of the registered facility are stored in the data recording unit 16 or a storage unit such as the ROM 33. It is preferable that the registered facility can be appropriately registered by an operator, and it is preferable that information about the registered facility can be stored, for example, with any content such as music, images, and voice.

When the vehicle approaches a predetermined distance from the registered facility, the audio output control means 29 causes the audio output unit 3
7 outputs the information of the registered facility by voice. When the navigation device 14 supports VICS, the voice output control unit 29 causes the voice output unit 37 to output VICS information such as traffic congestion information and traffic regulation information.

When the guide point determining means 27 determines that the vehicle has approached within a predetermined distance from the guide point, the guide point voice output control means 29 causes the voice output section 37 to provide the guidance as described above. Output the information by voice.

Next, the navigation device 14 having the above-described configuration will be described.
Will be described.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the navigation device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method of outputting guidance information again by voice in response to a request in the embodiment of the present invention. 1 flowchart, FIG.
FIG. 5 is a second flowchart illustrating a method of outputting voice guidance information again in response to a request in the embodiment of the present invention.

First, a navigation initialization processing means (not shown) of the CPU 31 (FIG. 2) performs navigation initialization processing,
Initialize various programs recorded in 33.

Subsequently, when an operator such as a driver or a passenger of the vehicle operates the input unit and presses a destination setting operation menu (not shown), the destination setting processing means (not shown) of the CPU 31 Performs the setting process and provides the operator with the input unit 3
The operation of Step 4 is instructed. When the operator performs a predetermined input according to the instruction, the destination setting processing means displays a destination input field on the destination input screen.

Next, when the operator operates the input section 34 and inputs a destination in the input field, the destination setting processing means sets the destination. Subsequently, a route search processing unit (not shown) of the CPU 31 performs a route search process to search for a route from the current position to the destination. In this case, it is possible to select a route search condition such as to prioritize a toll road or a general road, and select the route search condition by operating the input unit 34 by an operator. Then, the route search processing means searches for a route according to the route search conditions.

Next, the destination setting processing means determines a route to be currently guided according to the guidance order. Then, a display control unit (not shown) of the CPU 31 performs a setting process of the display screen of the display unit 35 according to the determined route. As a result, route guidance information is displayed on the display screen.

Various kinds of guidance information such as the guidance information of the route and the guidance information of the registered facility are output by the audio output unit 37. Thereby, the operator can obtain various information while continuing the driving without moving the line of sight.

First, as shown in FIG.
The case where 1 is located in the section A will be described.
Here, the section A is a predetermined distance (for example, 700 m) from the guide point 52 (here, the intersection where the vehicle changes course).
This is a section that is far away, and is a section where the guide point determination unit 27 determines that the vehicle is not approaching the guide point. On the other hand, the section B is a section within a predetermined distance from the guide point 52,
This is a section where the guide point determination means 27 determines that the vehicle is approaching the guide point. Here, the predetermined distance is fixed (for example, 700 m), but this distance may be changed according to the speed of the vehicle. For example, this distance can be increased when the speed of the vehicle is high, and can be reduced when the speed of the vehicle is low. Further, the section A may be set based on the time required for the vehicle to reach the guide point instead of the distance.

Here, the vehicle position 5 which is the current position of the vehicle
While the communication unit 1 is moving on the route 55, the communication unit 3
It is assumed that VICS information (information related to the traffic congestion section 54) on the route 55 is received via the communication route 8 shown in FIG. Then, the audio output control unit 29 causes the audio output unit 37 to output guidance information based on the VICS information as audio. For example, "There is a congestion section 2 km ahead. The length of the congestion is 200 m."
Thus, the guidance information is output by voice. The guidance information output by voice is stored in the request buffer memory 42.
Is stored in The type of the guidance information, the vehicle position 51 at the time when the guidance information is output, and the like are also stored.

When the VICS information is not received and the vehicle position 51 enters within a predetermined distance from the first registered facility 53, the audio output control means 29 causes the audio output unit 37 to
To output guidance information on the registered facility by voice. For example, the guidance information is output as speech such as "There is a parking lot 200 m ahead of the right." This voice-output guidance information is also stored in the request buffer memory 42 together with the vehicle position 51 at the time when the guidance information is output.

When the operator misses the VICS information or the guidance information about the registered facility, that is, a part or all of the interrupt information, and operates the request switch of the input unit 34, the request function control means 28 Judge that there is. Since the requested guide information is interrupt information, the request function control means 28 refers to the judgment of the guide point judgment means 27. In this case, since the vehicle position 51 is within the section A, the guide point determination means 27 determines that the vehicle is not approaching the guide point.

Therefore, the request function control means 28
Commands the voice output control means 29 to read out the voice-outputted guidance information from the request buffer memory 42 and output the voice-guided guidance information again. Since the vehicle position 51 has moved and changed between the time when the sound is first output and the time when the sound is output again, the request function control unit 28 sets the vehicle position 51 in accordance with the progress of the vehicle position 51. Modify the contents of the guidance information.

The request buffer memory 4
The interrupt information stored in 2 is desirably deleted after a lapse of a predetermined time from the previous output, or when the vehicle position 51 is more than a predetermined distance from a registered facility or a congested section. If the interrupt information is stored in the request buffer memory 42 for a long time, for example, if there is a request after the vehicle position 51 has passed the first registration facility 53, the first registration Since the guidance information on the facility 53 is output again by voice, the operator is confused.

As described above, when the interrupt information stored in the request buffer memory 42 has been output for a predetermined time since the last time it was output, or when the vehicle position 51 is more than a predetermined distance from the registered facility or the congested section. By erasing, old and unnecessary interrupt information is not output as voice, and confusion of the operator can be prevented.

Next, a case where the vehicle position 51 is located in the section B which is a section within a predetermined distance from the guide point 52 will be described.

In this case, when the vehicle position 51 enters the section B, the guide point determining means 27 determines that the vehicle is approaching the guide point 52, and issues a command to the voice output control means 29 to provide guidance. The guidance information on the point 52 is, for example, “700
From there, turn right at the XX intersection. ". The information on the guide point 52 is, for example, “300 m” corresponding to the progress of the vehicle position 51.
Ahead, right. ","It's almost right. " The information on the guide point 52 output as the voice is stored in the request buffer memory 42.

If the operator misses part or all of the guidance information on the guidance point 52,
When the request switch of the input unit 34 is operated, the request function control unit 28 determines that there is a request. Also, since the requested guide information is important information, the request function control means 28 issues a command to the voice output control means 29 without referring to the determination of the guide point determination means 27, and The guidance information relating to 52 is read out from the request buffer memory 42 and is output again by voice. Since the vehicle position 51 has moved and changed between the time when the sound is first output and the time when the sound is output again, the request function control unit 28 sets the vehicle position 51 in accordance with the progress of the vehicle position 51. The contents of the guidance information relating to the guidance point 52 are corrected.

When the vehicle position 51 is located in the section B, the navigation device 14
Upon receiving the ICS information, the audio output control unit 29 causes the audio output unit 37 to output guidance information based on the VICS information. The guidance information output as a voice is stored in the request buffer memory 42.

When the VICS information is not received and the vehicle position 51 is within a predetermined distance from the second registered facility 56, the audio output control means 29 causes the audio output unit 37 to
To output guidance information on the registered facility by voice. This voice-output guidance information is also stored in the request buffer memory 42.

When the operator misses a part or all of the interrupt information and operates the request switch of the input unit 34, the request function control means 2
8 determines that there is a request. Since the requested guide information is interrupt information, the request function control means 28 refers to the judgment of the guide point judgment means 27. In this case, since the vehicle position 51 is within the section B, the guide point determination means 27 determines that the vehicle is approaching the guide point.

Therefore, the request function control means 28
Determines whether the request satisfies a predetermined condition. In this case, the predetermined condition is, for example,
A certain period of time (for example, 5 to
The request is made within 10 seconds, and the progress of the vehicle position 51 after the interrupt information is output as a sound is made within a certain distance (for example, 50 m).

When it is determined that the request satisfies the predetermined condition, for example, when it is determined that the request has been made within a certain period of time after the interrupt information is output as voice, the request function control means 28 Issues a command to the audio output control means 29, reads out the interrupt information output as audio from the request buffer memory 42, and outputs the audio again. Since the vehicle position 51 has moved and changed between the time when the sound is first output and the time when the sound is output again, the request function control unit 28 sets the vehicle position 51 in accordance with the progress of the vehicle position 51. Modify the contents of the interrupt information.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the request does not satisfy the predetermined condition, for example, when it is determined that the request has been made after a certain period of time has elapsed since the interrupt information was output as voice, the request function control means 28 Causes the guidance information relating to the guidance point 52, which is important information, to be output as voice. In this case, the guidance information about the guidance point 52 stored in the request buffer memory 42 is read out once by voice, and the contents of the guidance information about the guidance point 52 are corrected according to the progress of the vehicle position 51, The sound may be output again, or the guidance information on the normal guide point 52 may be output as sound in accordance with the progress of the vehicle position 51.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the request for the interrupt information satisfies the predetermined condition when the vehicle position 51 is within the predetermined distance from the guide point 52, the interrupt information is re- If not, the guidance information relating to the guide point 52, which is important information, is outputted by voice.

Therefore, both the important information and the interrupt information can be output as voices with a single request switch, and when the vehicle position 51 is within a predetermined distance from the guide point 52, the important information is given priority. As a result, the operator can repeatedly hear the information that has been overlooked without feeling bothersome, and does not overlook important information.

In the present embodiment, the number of request switches is one, but a plurality of request switches may be provided.
In this case, each of the plurality of request switches corresponds to the plurality of pieces of guidance information.

For example, when there are two request switches, the first request switch corresponds to the guidance information about the guide point, the VICS information, and the guidance information about the registered facility, and the second request switch corresponds to the destination. , Guidance information on road names, guidance information on mileage from the departure point, and guidance information on time. For the first request switch, the guidance information regarding the guide point is set as important information, the VICS information and the guidance information regarding the registered facility are set as interrupt information, and the important information is preferentially output as voice. For the second request switch,
The guide information relating to the destination is regarded as important information, the guide information relating to the road name, the guide information relating to the mileage from the departure point, and the guide information relating to the time are set as interrupt information, and the important information is prioritized and output as voice.

As described above, a plurality of request switches are provided, each request switch corresponds to a plurality of guide information including important information and interrupt information, and voice information is output with priority given to the important information. By setting to, even if there is a lot of guidance information output by voice,
By operating only a few request switches, the operator can repeatedly hear the missed guide information, and does not miss important information.

Next, the flowchart will be described.
First, the first flowchart will be described. Step S1: The navigation device 14 determines the vehicle position 5
1 is detected. Step S2: It is determined whether or not the VICS information on the route 55 has been received. If it has been received, the process proceeds to step S3, and if it has not been received, the process proceeds to step S5. Step S3: Output guidance information based on VICS information as interruption information by voice. Step S4: The interrupt information output as audio is stored in the request buffer memory 42. Step S5: It is determined whether or not the vehicle position 51 is within a predetermined distance from the registered facility 53. If so, the process proceeds to step S6; otherwise, the process returns to step S1. Step S6: The guidance information on the registered facility as the interruption information is output by voice.

Next, a second flowchart will be described. Step S7: It is determined whether there is a request. When there is a request, the process proceeds to step S8, and when there is no request, the process returns to step S7. Step S8: It is determined whether or not the vehicle position 51 is within the section B. If it is within the section B, the process proceeds to step S9; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S11. Step S9: It is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the voice output of the interrupt information. If elapsed, step S
The process proceeds to step S10, and if not, the process proceeds to step S12. Step S10: Guidance information on the guidance point 52 as important information is output as voice. Step S11 The interruption information stored in the request buffer memory 42 is output as audio again. Step S12: The interruption information stored in the request buffer memory 42 is output as audio again.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified based on the gist of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

For example, the present invention provides a computer for navigation, guidance point determination means for determining that a vehicle position is approaching a guidance point, voice output control means for outputting guidance information by voice, and When approaching the guide point, when there is a request from the operator, priority information in the guide information is prioritized to interrupt information, and a navigation program to function as request function control means for outputting voice again.

Further, the present invention provides a computer for navigation, a guide point determining means for determining that the vehicle position has approached a guide point, a voice output control means for outputting voice guidance information, and A computer having a navigation program recorded thereon that functions as request function control means for causing important information in the guide information to be prioritized to interrupt information and outputting sound again when there is a request from an operator when approaching the guide point; It includes a readable recording medium.

[0080]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, in the navigation device of the present invention, the guide point determining means for determining that the vehicle position has approached the guide point, and the guidance information are output by voice. A voice output control means for controlling the requesting function, wherein when the vehicle position approaches the guide point, when there is a request from the operator, important information in the guide information is prioritized to interrupt information and voice output is again performed. Means.

In this case, both the important information and the interrupt information can be output as a voice by the request switch, and when the vehicle position is within a predetermined distance from the guide point, the important information is given priority and the voice is output. Therefore, the operator can repeatedly hear the information that has been overlooked without feeling bothersome, and does not overlook important information.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation of a navigation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a navigation device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating functions of the navigation device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a first flowchart illustrating a method for outputting voice guidance information again in response to a request in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a second flowchart illustrating a method of outputting voice guidance information again in response to a request in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 14 Navigation Device 27 Guide Point Determination Means 28 Request Function Control Means 51 Vehicle Position 52 Guide Point

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Minoru Otake 6-18 Okamachi Harayama, Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Aisin AW Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Koichiro Hori 6-18 Okamachi Harayama Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture Aisin・ F-term in AW Corporation (reference) 2C032 HB22 HC08 HC15 HC16 HC31 HD03 HD07 HD11 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AC02 AC04 AC14 AC18 5H180 AA01 BB02 BB04 BB05 BB12 BB13 FF04 FF05 FF12 FF13 FF22 FF25 FF25

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A guide point determining means for determining that a vehicle position is approaching a guide point; a voice output control means for outputting guide information by voice; and c. A navigation device having request function control means for giving priority to important information in the guide information to interrupt information and outputting voice again when there is a request from the operator when approaching the point. 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the important information is information on the guide point, and the interrupt information is VICS information and information on a registered facility. 3. The request function control means, when the vehicle position approaches the guide point, when the request for the interrupt information satisfies a predetermined condition, outputs the interrupt information again by voice, and does not satisfy the request. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the important information is output again by voice in the case. 4. The predetermined condition is that the request is made within a predetermined time after the interrupt information is output as voice, or the progress of the vehicle position after the interrupt information is output as voice. 4. The navigation device according to claim 3, wherein the request is made within a certain distance. 5. A computer for navigation, (b) guide point determining means for determining that the vehicle position is approaching a guide point, (c) a voice output control means for outputting voice guidance information, and (D) functioning as request function control means for giving priority to important information in the guide information to interrupt information and outputting voice again when there is a request from the operator when the vehicle position approaches the guide point; Let navigation program.