JP2002296062A - Navigation device and method and software for navigation - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation technique capable of setting, quickly by a simple operation, a facility suitable for the next destination by taking a preceding destination into consideration. SOLUTION: A condition decision part 45 is a part for executing condition decision which becomes a momentum for retrieving other candidates, to put it concretely, a part for determining whether a vehicle reaches the set destination or its periphery or not, and for allowing a candidate retrieval part 46 to start operation when determined as yes or when a prescribed operation is executed. The candidate retrieval part 46 retrieves other facilities of the same kind as the present destination or having a prescribed relation therewith as destination candidates from map information based on the condition decision by the condition decision part 45. A presentation selection part 48 presents the retrieved candidates on a map, allows a user to select some from the plural displayed candidates by a prescribed operation, and informs a destination designation part 41 of the selected candidate, to allow the designation part to set the candidate as the new destination.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in navigation technology, and more particularly, to a facility which is suitable for a next destination as viewed from a destination so far, which can be quickly set by a simple operation. Things.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of automobiles and the development of information processing technology, navigation devices mounted on vehicles to provide road guidance have rapidly become widespread. A navigation device calculates and sets the optimal route to a specified destination based on map data representing roads and the like, and sequentially detects the position of the vehicle using GPS or autonomous navigation, while displaying a map or synthesized voice. Is used to guide the driver to turn right or left.

Conventionally, a destination in such a navigation device has to be designated by a cursor on a map, or by manually retrieving required facilities by a condition retrieval function such as a region, a type, and a name. There has been known an example of picking up facilities around the position of the vehicle in order to save labor in searching.

[0004] Recently, there has been proposed a real destination suitable for walking, as well as a parking lot in the vicinity thereof which can be simultaneously set as a destination for route calculation. In this case, both points are displayed on a map. An icon or the like indicating a destination is placed in the list, but only the calculated destination is targeted for guidance.

Further, in the conventional navigation device, when the vehicle arrives at or near a destination for calculation or the like, an announcement such as "Destination" or "Near the destination" is issued, and the guidance process is completed. Was.

[0006]

By the way, even if a user decides and sets a destination on his / her own will, at the time when the user arrives at or near the destination, the destination parking lot is full. Depending on the circumstances, it is often the case that the same or alternative destination needs to be set, and the user may change his mind on the way and want to change to a different parking lot.

However, even in such a case, in the above-described prior art, the user himself / herself creates a new purpose by following the same operation procedure as at the time of first departure, such as using a cursor or using a search function. It is necessary to search for and set the ground, and there is a problem that the operation is complicated.

[0008] The present invention has been proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and its object is to provide a simple facility suitable for the next destination as viewed from the previous destination. An object of the present invention is to provide a navigation technology that can be set quickly by operation, that is, a navigation device and method, and navigation software.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a navigation apparatus for storing map information indicating where and what roads and facilities are provided, A designation means for designating a facility as a destination from; a means for calculating and setting a route to the designated destination; a means for detecting a current position of the vehicle; and a map which is detected on a map based on the map information. Means for displaying the current position in a superimposed manner, means for performing route guidance based on the set route, means for determining whether or not the vehicle has reached the set destination or in the vicinity thereof, It is determined that the vehicle has arrived at or near the destination, or
When at least one condition among the predetermined operations has been performed, a means for searching from the map information for another facility having the same type or a predetermined association with the destination as a destination candidate, A presentation means for presenting a candidate on the map, and a means for setting the candidate as a new destination when the candidate is selected by a predetermined operation, is provided.

A navigation method according to a fifth aspect of the present invention captures the invention according to the first aspect from the viewpoint of a method, in which map information indicating where and what roads and facilities are located is stored in advance, and Among them, a process of designating a facility as a destination, a process of calculating and setting a route to a designated destination, a process of detecting a current position of a vehicle, and a process of detecting a current position of a vehicle on a map based on the map information. Means for displaying the current position in a superimposed manner, a process of performing route guidance based on the set route, a process of determining whether or not the vehicle has reached the set destination or in the vicinity thereof, It is determined that the vehicle has arrived at or near the destination, or
When at least one condition among the predetermined operations has been performed, a process of searching from the map information for another facility having the same type or a predetermined association with the destination as a destination candidate, A process of presenting a candidate on the map, and when the candidate is selected by a predetermined operation,
And setting the candidate as a new destination.

[0011] The navigation software according to the eighth aspect is obtained by grasping the inventions according to the first and fifth aspects from the viewpoint of computer software. The navigation software uses map information indicating where and what roads and facilities are located. By controlling, a designation of a facility as a destination from among the facilities is accepted, a route to the designated destination is calculated and set, a current position of the vehicle is detected, and a map is displayed on the map based on the map information. To display the detected current position in a superimposed manner, and to perform route guidance based on the set route,
It is determined whether the vehicle has reached the set destination or the vicinity thereof, and it is determined that the vehicle has reached the destination or the vicinity thereof, or at least one of a predetermined operation has been performed. When the condition is satisfied, another facility having the same type or a predetermined association with the destination is searched from the map information as a candidate for the destination, and the searched candidate is presented on the map, and the candidate is determined as a predetermined one. When selected by the above operation, the candidate is set as a new destination.

[0012] In these modes, the next destination candidate suitable for the destination is searched and presented at or near the destination by an automatic or predetermined operation. Is set as a new destination. For this reason, even if the parking lot is full or if you change your mind on the way, for some reason, you lose the meaning of the destination or want to change it on the way, determine the next candidate facility compared to the conventional destination setting The time and labor involved can be greatly reduced, and driving safety is further improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the navigation device according to the first aspect, further comprising means for selecting any one of the plurality of candidates displayed.

In this aspect, a plurality of candidates are displayed simultaneously or sequentially on a map, and any one of them is freely selected, thereby realizing effective navigation according to the circumstances and intentions of the user.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the first aspect, the search or presentation of the candidates is performed in an order based on a short distance from the current position. And

[0016] The invention of claim 6 captures the invention of claim 3 from the viewpoint of a method, and in the navigation method according to claim 5, the search or presentation of the candidate is performed by determining the distance or the distance from the current position. It is characterized in that it is performed in the order based on the above.

[0017] In these embodiments, the candidates closer to the current position are preferentially presented, so that the additional drive burden is easily minimized.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the first or second aspect, the designation means designates a destination for route calculation and a second destination different from the destination. And searching or presenting the candidates in an order based on at least one of the proximity to the current position and / or the proximity to the second destination. It is characterized by having been done.

[0019] The invention of claim 7 captures the invention of claim 4 from the viewpoint of a method. In the navigation method of claim 5 or 6, the destination for route calculation and the destination are A designation of a different second destination is received, and the search or presentation of the candidate is based on at least one of the proximity to the current position and the proximity to the second destination. It is characterized in that it is performed in order.

In these embodiments, candidates are presented in priority order in consideration of the distance to the true destination such as a department store suitable for walking, in addition to the distance to the current position, so that the additional driving burden is minimized. In addition, the disadvantage of having to travel an unexpectedly long distance as a result of the destination change is effectively avoided. Note that the distance from the current position and the distance to the destination may be simply added or weighted according to the degree of importance.

[0021]

Next, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiments") will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present embodiment can be realized by controlling the computer with software. However, in this case, the way of realizing the hardware and software can be variously changed. Therefore, in the following description, each function of the present invention and the embodiment will be described. Is used.

[1. Configuration] The present embodiment relates to a navigation device of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as "the present device") and a navigation method executed on the present device. The navigation software itself and a CD-ROM on which such software is recorded. ROM, flash memory, R
It can also be grasped as a recording medium such as an OM chip package. For example, downloading such software to a navigation device of each vehicle via a communication network such as a mobile phone network and causing the navigation device to execute the software is also an aspect of the present invention. .

[1-1. Overall Configuration] First, the present apparatus includes the following elements shown in the functional block diagram of FIG.
That is, the absolute position / azimuth detecting unit 1 calculates, for example, the absolute position coordinates and azimuth on the ground surface of the current position of the vehicle (referred to as the own vehicle) on which the apparatus is mounted, that is, the own vehicle position. , For receiving GPS radio waves transmitted from GPS satellites with an antenna or a receiver. The relative azimuth detecting unit 2 is a part for detecting the relative azimuth of the own vehicle using a gyro or the like. The vehicle speed detector 3 is a part that calculates the speed of the own vehicle by processing a vehicle speed pulse obtained from the vehicle.

The main CPU and its peripheral circuits 4
Is a part that functions as a control circuit that controls the entire apparatus. The memory group M is various memories necessary for the operation of the present apparatus. For example, the ROM 5 for storing a program is accessed by the main CPU when the present apparatus is started.
Dynamic RAM that provides a work area, etc.
(DRAM) 6 is loaded with a main program.
The SRAM 7 for backing up information such as settings is backed up by a battery even when the main power is off, and provides memory contents when the main power is turned on.
The display VRAM 8 stores bitmap data of an image to be displayed on the display unit 10.

The display section 10 is a section for outputting various information such as a map and an operation menu through a liquid crystal display screen (not shown) and voice synthesis. This is the part for inputting. The user interface unit 9 is a user interface that connects the display unit 10 and the input unit 11 to the main CPU and its peripheral circuits 4 using an I / O control circuit, a device driver, and the like.

The CD / DVD-ROM control unit 12
Is a means for reading various data such as road map data recorded on a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM from a database or the like, and is a means for previously storing map information indicating where and what roads and facilities are located.

The FM multiplex reception and processing unit 13
This is a part for performing processing for receiving M broadcast waves and extracting desired data such as VICS service traffic information from the broadcast waves, and the traffic information includes congestion information. The optical / beacon receiving and processing unit 14 uses the beacon identification information and the VICS
This part receives and processes information such as traffic information of the service. The voice recognition unit 15 is a part that recognizes a word such as a command word from an input utterance of the user.

[1-2. Role of Main CPU and its Peripheral Circuit] Furthermore, the main CPU and its peripheral circuit 4
The software is configured to function as the following components shown in FIG. 1 by the operation of the software described above. That is, the current position detection unit 40 is a means for calculating the current position of the own vehicle, that is, the own vehicle position. Specifically, the current position detecting unit 40 calculates the own vehicle position by combining GPS navigation positioning and autonomous navigation positioning. It is configured as follows.

Here, in the GPS navigation positioning, the current position is calculated using information obtained from the absolute position / azimuth detecting unit 1 based on radio waves from artificial satellites. In the autonomous navigation positioning, the current position is calculated using information obtained from the relative azimuth detecting unit 2 and the vehicle speed detecting unit 3 based on the geomagnetism and the speed of the own vehicle.

The destination designating section 41 is a designating means for designating a facility as a destination from the facilities included in the map information, and is a destination for route calculation (referred to as a computational destination). ) And a second destination different from this destination (called a true destination). The route setting unit 42 is means for calculating and setting a route to a designated destination. The map display unit 43 is a means for displaying the detected current position on a map based on the map information, and the guide unit 44 is configured to display a screen or a synthesized voice based on the set route. This is a means for providing route guidance.

The condition judging section 45 is a part for making a condition judgment which triggers a search for another candidate. Specifically, the vehicle arrives at or near a set calculation destination. It is determined whether or not, and when the determination is made or a predetermined operation is performed, the candidate search unit 46 starts the operation.

The candidate search unit 46 includes a condition determination unit 45
Is a means for searching, from the map information, other facilities having the same kind or a predetermined association with the current destination as candidates for the destination based on the condition judgment by the above. In addition, the presentation selection unit 48
Presents the searched candidates on the map, causes the user to select one of a plurality of displayed candidates by a predetermined operation, and notifies the destination specifying unit 41 of the selected candidate. This is a means for setting the candidate as a new destination.

The order determining section 47 is a section for determining the order of presentation of candidates. More specifically, the order determining section 47 controls at least one of the candidate searching section 46 and the presentation selecting section 48 to search or present candidates. Are performed in an order based on at least one of the proximity to the current position and the proximity to the true destination.

[2. Operation] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the present embodiment configured as described above, FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 show display examples, and FIG. 6 shows a principle diagram of a criterion for determining a suitable facility. In this embodiment, as a precondition, a true destination such as a department store suitable for walking and a destination for route calculation such as a parking lot can be set at the same time. It is assumed that a place is set and a route to a calculated destination is calculated and set by the route setting unit 42.

That is, the guide unit 44 performs a navigation process (step 01 in FIG. 2) such as a right / left turn guidance on a screen display as exemplified in FIG. In FIG. 3, the black arrowhead indicates the result of the current position of the vehicle, the flag A indicates the calculated destination, the flag B indicates the true destination, and the thick broken line indicates the set route.

As a result of the navigation processing, when the vehicle reaches the destination (step 02 in FIG. 2), the condition determination section 45 determines that, and as shown in FIG. 4, a "go to next parking lot" button B1. Is automatically displayed at any position on the screen. Note that the “reach to the destination” referred to here may be not only the time when the user actually arrives at the calculated destination on the screen and the guidance is completed, but also the time when the vehicle approaches the vicinity (for example, 100 m before). These may be selectable by setting in advance.

When the parking lot is crowded, for example, when the user presses the "go to next parking lot" button B1 by the touch sensor function of the screen (step 0).
4, 05), the candidate search unit 46 picks up a plurality of parking lots near the true destination from the database (step 06), and the presentation selection unit 48 sets the corresponding position on the map as shown in FIG. Are displayed as icons (step 07), and a "calculation" button B2 and a "next candidate" button B3 are also displayed on the screen (step 08).

The rank determining unit 47 determines the parking lot most suitable as the next candidate from the plurality of candidates, and highlights the parking lot by lighting up or blinking (step 09). FIG. 5 shows only the lit-up candidate P for simplicity of description.

In the determination of suitability,
Based on the coordinate values of all the candidates, the own vehicle position, and the coordinate values of the true destination, for each candidate, "distance from own vehicle position to candidate (distance moved by car) + candidate to true destination" (The distance traveled by walking) ”is calculated, and the smallest one is determined as the most suitable candidate. In this case, each distance is preferably an actual travel distance, but may be a linear distance.

For example, in the example of FIG. 6, the parking lots P1, P2 and P3 are searched as candidates, and the parking lot P1 has a distance of 330 m from the true destination B and a distance of 510 from the current position.
m, and the total is 840 m. Similarly, the parking lot P2 has a total of 1,170 m, and the parking lot P3 has a total of 1,020 m. For this reason, the parking lot P1 with the smallest total distance is lit up first, and when the user presses the "next candidate" button B3, the parking lot P3 with the next smallest total distance is lit up, and the farthest parking lot P2 Is the last candidate. Also,
It is also desirable that the walking distance be weighted several times as much as the walking distance with respect to the distance traveled by car, and that the weight can be set by the user.

For each candidate such as a parking lot, it is desirable to display accompanying information such as a name, the number of parked cars, and a 24-hour open mark at the same time as lighting up (FIG. 5). When the user sets the lit-up parking lot as the destination (step 1 in FIG. 2).
1) When the "Calculate" button B2 (FIG. 5) on the screen is pressed (step 12 in FIG. 2), the candidate point whose icon is lit up is set as a new destination, and the candidate facility is displayed. After calculating the route, navigation (guidance)
The process is restarted (Step 01).

On the other hand, if the illuminated facility does not meet the user's request (step 11), the user presses the "next candidate" button B3 (FIG. 5) on the screen (step 10 in FIG. 2), and the next Since the lighting is switched to a suitable parking lot candidate (step 09), the user can continue to operate until the parking lot he needs is lit up.
Steps 09 and 10 are repeated, and when the icon of a satisfactory candidate is lit up, the “Calculate” button B2
(FIG. 5).

Also, during the route guidance, the "go to next parking lot" button B1 as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed at an arbitrary place on the screen, and this button B1 is always displayed even before reaching the destination or its vicinity. By pressing the button, the candidate search from step 06 in FIG. 2 may be started.

[3. Effect] As described above, in the present embodiment, the next destination candidate suitable for the destination is searched and presented by the automatic or predetermined operation at or near the destination, and the predetermined selection is made. It is easily and quickly set as a new destination by operation. For this reason, even if the parking lot is full or if you change your mind on the way, for some reason, you lose the meaning of the destination or want to change it on the way, determine the next candidate facility compared to the conventional destination setting The time and labor involved can be greatly reduced, and driving safety is further improved.

In this embodiment, a plurality of candidates are displayed simultaneously or sequentially on a map, and any one of them is freely selected, thereby realizing effective navigation according to the circumstances and intentions of the user. .

Further, in this embodiment, candidates are presented in a priority order in consideration of the distance to the true destination such as a department store suitable for walking, in addition to the distance to the current position, so that the additional driving burden is minimized. In addition to the limitation, the inconvenience of walking an unexpectedly long distance as a result of the destination change is effectively avoided.

[4. Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but includes other embodiments as exemplified below. For example, in the above embodiment, only the parking lot is shown as the type of facility, but the type of facility is not limited to the parking lot, and the present invention can be applied to a desired target such as a convenience store or a bank.
In addition, the facility to be searched is not limited to the same type as the destination so far. For example, a candidate search based on a certain relevance is possible, such as presenting a supermarket as a candidate based on a convenience store. .

In the above embodiment, an example in which a calculation destination and a true destination are set has been described. Needless to say, the present invention is also applicable to a case where only one calculation destination is set. Applicability is applicable, and in this case, the determination of suitability may be made simply based on the proximity of the distance between the current position and the candidate. In this case as well, the candidate closer to the current position is preferentially presented, so that the additional drive burden is easily minimized.

It is of course possible to combine an example in which only one destination is set and an example in which the "go to next parking lot" button is always displayed.

[0050]

As described above, according to the present invention, a navigation technique, that is, a navigation apparatus and a method capable of quickly setting a facility suitable as a next destination from a previous destination by a simple operation, is provided. In addition, since navigation software can be provided, the usability of navigation is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a screen display example during navigation in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display when a destination is reached in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display when a searched candidate is lit up in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a principle diagram showing criteria for determining a suitable candidate in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Absolute position / azimuth detection part 2 ... Relative azimuth detection part 3 ... Vehicle speed detection part 4 ... Main CPU and its peripheral circuit 5 ... ROM 6 ... DRAM 7 ... SRAM 8 ... VRAM 9 ... User interface 10 ... Display part 11 ... Input Unit 12 CD-ROM control unit 13 FM multiplex reception and processing unit 14 Optical / beacon reception and processing unit 15 Voice recognition unit 40 Current position detection unit 41 Destination designation unit 42 Route setting unit 43 Map Display unit 44 Guide unit 45 Condition determination unit 46 Candidate search unit 47 Order determination unit 48 Presentation selection unit M Memory group

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Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A means for storing map information indicating where and what roads and facilities are present in advance, a designating means for designating a facility as a destination from the facilities, Means for calculating and setting a route; means for detecting the current position of the vehicle; means for superimposing and displaying the detected current position on a map based on the map information; Means for providing guidance; means for determining whether or not the vehicle has reached the set destination or its vicinity; and whether or not it has been determined that the vehicle has reached the destination or its vicinity, or a predetermined operation. When at least one of the conditions is fulfilled, means for searching from the map information other facilities having the same kind or a predetermined association with the destination as candidates for the destination, and Earth And presenting means for presenting on, if the candidate is selected by a predetermined operation, the navigation apparatus characterized by comprising means for setting the candidate as a new destination, a. 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising means for selecting one of the plurality of candidates to be displayed. 3. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the search or presentation of the candidates is performed in an order based on a short distance from the current position. 4. The designating means is configured to accept designation of a destination for route calculation and a second destination different from the destination. 3. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the navigation is performed in an order based on at least one of a proximity to a current position and a proximity to the second destination. . 5. A process in which map information indicating where and what roads and facilities are located is stored in advance, a process of designating a facility as a destination from the facilities, and a route to the designated destination Calculating the current position; processing for detecting the current position of the vehicle; means for superimposing and displaying the detected current position on a map based on the map information; and road guidance based on the set route. And a process of determining whether or not the vehicle has reached the set destination or the vicinity thereof; and determining whether or not the vehicle has reached the destination or the vicinity thereof, or performing a predetermined operation. When at least one of the conditions has been fulfilled, a process of searching the map information for another facility having the same type or a predetermined association with the destination as a destination candidate, and above And Shimesuru process, when the candidate is selected by a predetermined operation, the navigation method characterized by comprising a process of setting the candidate as a new destination, a. 6. The navigation method according to claim 5, wherein the search or presentation of the candidates is performed in an order based on a short distance from the current position. 7. A designation of a destination for route calculation and a second destination different from the destination are received, and the search or presentation of the candidate is performed based on the proximity of the distance to the current position and 7. The navigation method according to claim 5, wherein the steps are performed in an order based on at least one of a distance to the second destination. 8. Using a map information indicating where and what roads and facilities are located, by controlling a computer, a facility as a destination is received from the facilities, and the designated destination is designated. To calculate and set a route to the vehicle, detect the current position of the vehicle, display the detected current position on a map based on the map information, and perform route guidance based on the set route. Determining whether or not the vehicle has reached the set destination or the vicinity thereof; and determining whether or not the vehicle has reached the destination or the vicinity thereof, or at least one of a predetermined operation is performed. When the condition of the above is satisfied, another facility having the same kind or a predetermined association with the destination is searched from the map information as a candidate of the destination, and the searched candidate is presented on the map. A navigation software, wherein when the candidate is selected by a predetermined operation, the candidate is set as a new destination.