JP2002365066A - Traffic information receiver for navigation - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To minimize reading of information from a traffic information center where communication expenses become large when reading information from the traffic information center for providing wide range of traffic information by telephone in addition to traffic information at a specific region obtained by the conventional VICS receiver. SOLUTION: A narrow area traffic information system information-fetching section 18 fetches traffic information by FM multiplex broadcasting from a VICS center or light beacons and electric wave beacons. A wide area traffic information system information-fetching section 23 connects to the traffic information center 21 directly by a cellular phone that has been carried into a vehicle or through the Internet, transmits such information as the current position of the vehicle, and the destination, and fetches the traffic information or the like from the traffic information center. When a narrow zone traffic information system information or no useful information is present in the read information or in severe traffic congestion or the like, the traffic information center is accessed immediately or by extending an access interval to read traffic information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traffic information receiving device for navigation which can receive and use traffic information in a vehicular navigation device. The present invention relates to a traffic information receiving device for navigation, which can access a traffic information center by a mobile phone or the like and receive the traffic information separately from the traffic information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a navigation device, a GPS is used.
Using a receiver, the actual vehicle speed and traveling direction are obtained, the current position is detected, map data near the current position is read from a data recording medium such as a DVD-ROM, and the current position is displayed on an image display device such as a liquid crystal display. By displaying the centered map, it is possible to easily know which point is currently running. Furthermore, by setting a destination or a waypoint, the optimal guidance route from the current location is searched based on the map-related data, and the guidance route is displayed on the map superimposed, and the intersection of right and left turns is enlarged and displayed. In addition, travel guidance is provided by voice or the like.

In a navigation device, F
Road traffic information such as traffic congestion, accidents and regulations provided by a road traffic information communication system (VICS) can be incorporated using M multiplex broadcasting and beacons.
This VICS is available in three types, Level 1 to Level 3, and can display road traffic information at a desired level according to the situation and purpose.

That is, Level 1 is a character information display mode in which sections, travel time information, trouble information, service information, general FM character information, and the like can be displayed in the information area of the display screen by characters. Level 2 is a simple figure display mode in which a simple figure of a congestion monitoring road is drawn, and information on traffic congestion and obstacles is displayed on the simple figure. Level 3 is a map information display mode in which information such as traffic congestion, accidents and regulations is displayed by changing the color of roads on the map. These pieces of information are updated and provided at intervals of 5 minutes.
The data is recorded while being updated in the CS data buffer as needed.

As described above, particularly at VICS level 3, information such as traffic congestion, accidents and regulations can be periodically taken in and displayed on a road on a map. Can be used when there is a detour to a congested road, etc., and even when driving as it is, it is possible to grasp a certain degree of situation ahead, change the future action schedule etc. , Some action can be taken.

[0006]

By using such a VICS, when the own vehicle enters a congested or congested area in an area where the VICS can be received, the VICS is used.
It is very convenient to be able to know this traffic congestion state at the time of reception. However, the transmitted information updates the data at 5 minute intervals.
Next, the same display must be performed based on the same data until the information on the changed traffic congestion is received.

[0007] In addition, depending on traffic conditions, the vehicle may not travel at all for a while, while 1 km
The vehicle may travel 2 km, or the vehicle may temporarily reach a steady speed for a few kilometers. As described above, the traffic congestion condition changes at any time, and the vehicle position and the vehicle speed also change.
Since the ICS information is only taken in at regular intervals at the beacon installation position, the situation of traffic congestion cannot be known in real time. For this reason, there is a problem that the user is dissatisfied with the display of the traffic congestion, and that it is not possible to consider an alternative route corresponding to the traffic congestion or to take an appropriate measure such as a change in a future action schedule.

Furthermore, when FM multiplex broadcasting is used when using the above-mentioned VICS information, the traffic information being broadcast is in the range of 20 to 50 km of the broadcasting station, so that a wide range of traffic conditions can be grasped to some extent. It is suitable for, but detailed traffic information is not available. At that point, optical beacons and radio beacons can obtain detailed information, but the information transmitted is limited to the vicinity of the beacon and a predetermined distance along the direction of travel, and the number of beacon locations gradually increases Although there are many places that have not been established yet, the range of use is still limited, and it is expected that many years will be required in order to be able to obtain traffic information on general roads nationwide. ing.

For this reason, when traveling on a relatively low-traffic road in an area other than an urban area and going to enter a national road or a major prefectural road, the state of the road must be checked before entering the national road or the major prefectural road. When the user knows and tries to pass through the bypass if necessary, the data transmitted by FM multiplex broadcasting alone cannot know the traffic situation around the road to which he or she wants to enter in detail. Also,
Since a beacon is often not installed on such a thin general road, the traffic condition on the road as described above cannot be known by the beacon. In addition, beacons are unlikely to be installed on such narrow general roads in the future, so for people living in such areas, vehicles traveling on such main roads will not be available. The received VICS information cannot be obtained from now on.

Also, when going out for a drive from the house, VICS information by FM multiplex broadcasting can be obtained in the parking lot of the house, but the content of the information is limited, and the beacon cannot be received. , It is not possible to obtain detailed information as transmitted in a beacon. Therefore, for example, when setting a route to the destination as described above, in accordance with an appropriate determination of whether to pass through a highway or a general road, or in response to traffic conditions on a main road in the vicinity of a house, It is not possible to determine an appropriate route setting, such as whether to proceed in a direction directly passing the bypass road of the road from the house or whether to consider the vehicle after entering the main road for the time being.

As means for solving such problems of the VICS system, for example, ATIS (Advanced Traffic
infomation Service), by obtaining data from almost the same information sources as those used in the traffic information providing system by VICS, it is possible to provide detailed traffic information of specified specific points, There is a system that can provide other information by adding it. In this system, data can be transmitted and received directly via a general telephone line or dial Q2, via the Internet via a general telephone line or a mobile phone, or via a dedicated line for corporate use. Also, via the Internet, i-mode, which has become widespread in recent years, can be used with mobile phones.

The department that provides traffic information corresponding to individual requests to specific users by using such various communication lines is further provided by a department other than the department that provides traffic information such as the ATIS. It is anticipated that the number of departments that provide various types of added value to traffic information by using data from the same information sources as VICS, and that will be provided especially by using the Internet, is expected to increase. The emergence of a department that provides information at low cost is also expected. Hereinafter, a section that provides such traffic information is collectively referred to as a “traffic information center”.

When fetching and using traffic information from the traffic information center as described above, the user separately purchases software that can process transmitted data in addition to a subscription fee to this system. In addition, when using the traffic information, pay a predetermined amount of data to ATIS,
In addition, communication fees are paid for the communication means used, and the amount of internet connection used is paid to a provider or the like when going through the Internet.

When traffic information is fetched and displayed on the mobile phone via the Internet, for example, via the Internet using such a broadband traffic information system, a screen as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. Information can be displayed. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 6A, while displaying a map centering on a specific point, traffic congestion information is displayed on the map in the same manner as the current VICS. As shown in FIG. 7B, traffic regulation information of an area near the point is displayed as traffic related information as traffic related information. Further, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), the required time in consideration of traffic congestion can be displayed for a predetermined specific section, and other information such as parking lot vacancy information is shown in FIG. 7 (b). ). Note that such a display format differs depending on software installed in a device for processing data such as traffic information even when the same information source is used.

By the way, even if the means for providing traffic information is a relatively wide range like an FM broadcast receiver as in the above-mentioned conventional VICS system, the range in which the information can be received is limited by the broadcast station. 20km-50k from the location
m, and when a beacon is used, only a predetermined limited range of traffic information can be provided in the traveling direction of each vehicle from the transmitter of the beacon radio wave. Can be referred to as a “narrow area wireless traffic information system”. On the other hand, a system that updates and accumulates nationwide traffic information data like the traffic information center described above so that it can provide traffic information of a specific area according to the user's request is It can be said "with broadband wireless traffic information system".

In the "narrow-band wireless traffic information system", the traffic information providing section mechanically transmits traffic information regardless of the reception status of the other party, and any user can have a receiver. Since this can be received, it is called a "traffic information system for unspecified persons" in the sense of a traffic information system that does not specify the recipient, whereas the "broadband wireless traffic information system" is used for This is a system that provides traffic information to specific people, who can sign a contract with a traffic information center that provides information and receive the traffic information corresponding to the user's current location, destination, etc. It is sometimes called "specific person traffic information system."

[0017] The above-mentioned system currently used in the broadband wireless traffic information system has an advantage that a user can always obtain desired traffic information specific to the user, but the user can use this system for traffic information. Every time you want to get information, it is necessary to manually send the data of the current location and destination and obtain predetermined traffic information.If the person who performs the operation is a driver, it is also necessary from the viewpoint of safe driving There's a problem.

Further, when it is desired to obtain traffic information that is appropriate for the individual user as much as possible, it is necessary to access the traffic information center frequently. Because of the large amount of money, it is desirable to use the minimum necessary. Further, in order to reduce the work of the driver frequently accessing the traffic information center as described above, in addition to accessing the traffic information center by the operation of the user, a means for periodically accessing the traffic information center by using a timer is added. Is also conceivable. However, the cost of accessing the traffic information center is charged depending on, for example, the number of connections, the connection time, or the amount of data transferred. Expenses such as communication costs increase. Also, if the number of connections is increased, there is a problem that the line to the traffic information center becomes congested. On the other hand, if the time interval is lengthened, desired information cannot be obtained. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to set an appropriate time interval particularly in accordance with the traffic condition.

Accordingly, the present invention relates to a broadband traffic information system which is capable of storing a wide range of traffic information from a traffic information center and wirelessly providing traffic information of an area designated by a user from the center.
With a minimum connection to the traffic information center,
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a navigation traffic information receiving device that can automatically provide appropriate traffic information to a user.

[0020]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a navigation traffic information receiving apparatus according to the present invention narrows down traffic information of a specific area by receiving FM multiplex broadcasting or receiving from a beacon transmitter. A broadband traffic information system information acquisition unit connected to a traffic information center capable of providing wide-area traffic information, and receiving and capturing telephone traffic information of the area desired by the user by telephone A capture time storage unit for recording the time at which information was captured by the broadband traffic information system information capture unit, and a time from the time at which information was last captured by the broadband traffic information system recorded in the capture time storage unit. A broadband traffic information system access elapsed time detecting unit for detecting an elapsed time, wherein the broadband traffic information system information acquiring unit includes the broadband traffic information system. When it is detected that has passed a predetermined time from capturing the last wideband traffic information Temu access elapsed time detecting unit, in which so as to receive information from the traffic information center.

Further, another navigation traffic information receiving apparatus according to the present invention further comprises: an acquisition time storage section for recording the time at which the information was acquired by the narrowband traffic information system information acquisition section; A narrow-band traffic information system access elapsed time detecting unit that detects an elapsed time from a time at which information was last captured in the narrow-band traffic information system recorded in the storage unit, and the broadband traffic information system information capturing unit includes: When the narrow-band traffic information system access elapsed time detecting unit detects that a predetermined time or more has elapsed after capturing the last narrow-band traffic information, the information is received from the traffic information center. is there.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided another navigation traffic information receiving apparatus, wherein the access time setting unit for setting an access time to the broadband traffic information system and the narrowband traffic information system information capturing unit. A useful information search unit for searching whether or not useful information exists for the user in the information or the information captured by the broadband traffic information system information capturing unit, wherein the access time setting unit includes: When the search unit detects that useful information does not exist for the user, the access time interval is set long. After that, when it is detected that useful information exists for the user, the access unit returns to the original predetermined access time interval. It is like that.

Further, another navigation traffic information receiving apparatus according to the present invention further comprises an access time setting unit for setting an access time to the broadband traffic information system, and an average vehicle speed detecting unit, The unit sets the access time interval to be long when the average vehicle speed detected by the average vehicle speed detection unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and thereafter returns to the original predetermined access time interval when the average vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value. It was done.

[0024] In another traffic information receiving apparatus for navigation according to the present invention, the broadband traffic information system information take-in unit may include information similar to the information required by the user obtained by the broadband traffic information system in a narrow band. When the information is obtained by the traffic information system, the information is not taken in from the traffic information center.

Further, another navigation traffic information receiving apparatus according to the present invention includes a vehicle starting operation detecting means for detecting an operation at the time of starting the vehicle, and the broadband traffic information system information taking section includes: When the detecting means detects the operation at the time of starting the vehicle, the information is immediately received from the traffic information center prior to the operation of the broadband traffic information system information taking section.

[0026]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the main functional blocks of a navigation device 1 to which the present invention is applied and the interrelationships among the functional blocks.
Various functional blocks and various devices are connected to a system control unit 40 including a U, a ROM in which a program is recorded, and a RAM in which data is temporarily recorded, so that the navigation device operates comprehensively.

Various systems can be considered as a system for obtaining traffic information using a traffic information center. In particular, as a mode of a navigation device used in this system, a VICS function is used for a conventionally used navigation device. With and without, with VICS receiver but without FM multiplex receiver or beacon receiver, using a dedicated terminal different from the conventional navigation device and similar to the conventional navigation device One that performs a function or one that captures data from an external information center, including map data, and further retrieves guidance route data to perform only minimal guidance is conceivable. In the following embodiments of the present invention, a standard navigation device that has been used conventionally will be described as an example.

In the example of this device, the GPS signal 26
And a self-contained navigation sensor 28 comprising a distance sensor, an angle sensor, and the like of the vehicle. The system control unit 40 uses the signal to generate a current position and a traveling direction of the vehicle in a vehicle position signal generation unit 29. Signal is generated. Based on the current position signal, the map information reading unit 31 converts the map data near the current position of the vehicle into a map and a DVD-R recording various related information such as facility information.
The map is read out from an information storage medium such as the OM 30, a predetermined map is formed by the map drawing unit 32 based on the read map data, and a map image around the vehicle position is drawn on the screen of the image display device 36 by 3D display or the like. I have. Also, by displaying the vehicle position mark superimposed on the map image, scrolling the map image according to the movement of the vehicle, or by fixing the map image to the screen and moving the vehicle position mark,
At a glance you can see where the vehicle is currently traveling.

The map data stored in the map information storage medium such as the DVD-ROM 30 is divided into longitude and latitude widths of appropriate sizes according to various scale levels. Are stored as a coordinate set of the node represented by. A road is composed of a connection of two or more nodes, and the map data displays a road layer including a road list, a node table, an intersection configuration node list, and the like, and roads, buildings, facilities, parks, rivers, and the like on a map screen. Data such as background layers and the like, and information data for displaying characters and map symbols such as administrative division names such as municipal names, road names, intersection names, and facility names.

In the navigation apparatus 1, a guide route calculation unit 33 obtains a guide route so that the user can easily travel to a desired destination without making a mistake on a road. With this route guidance function, the most appropriate route from the departure point to the destination using the map information and the route via the input via point as needed, taking into account conditions such as time, distance, fee, etc. Search automatically. Also,
The searched route is stored as a guide route, and the guide route is displayed on the map image by drawing the guide route in a different color from the other routes while the vehicle is running.

An intersection guidance creating section 34 is provided, and when the vehicle approaches an intersection to change the course on the guidance route within a certain distance, the intersection is enlarged and displayed to indicate the direction to change the course. For example, the user can be guided to the destination by drawing and the like on the image display device 36 and guiding the user to turn right or left by voice from the voice output device 37. In addition, for example, a remote controller, a touch panel of an image display device, an operation switch, and a use that has been widely used in recent years so that a user can arbitrarily set various functions of the navigation device 1 and perform an arbitrary operation. An operation signal input unit 35 including a voice recognition device for recognizing a voice such as a user's operation instruction is provided, and a signal is input to the system control unit 35.

The navigation apparatus 1 of the present invention is provided with a traffic information acquisition processing unit 10 in particular. Obtain road traffic information provided by the traffic information providing organization 12 or vacant information of parking lots in various places, and create VICS information by adding other original information 13;
It is provided by various means.

As one of the means, there is a means of providing using FM multiplex broadcasting, which provides traffic information within a range of about 20 to 50 km radius of a radio wave with a radius of about 20 to 50 km centered on each FM broadcasting station in various parts of the country. Are received by the FM multiplex broadcast receiver 15. In addition, traffic information is mainly provided from an optical beacon transmitter provided on the road side of a general road. On the vehicle side which receives the traffic information by the optical beacon receiver 16, the traffic information in the traveling direction of the vehicle is about 30 km, and about 1 km behind. Have obtained. Further, traffic information is mainly provided from a radio beacon transmitter to vehicles on the highway, and the vehicle receiving the radio wave beacon receiver 17 obtains traffic information about 200 km in the traveling direction and about 1 km behind. ing.

Some of these means for providing traffic information can provide traffic information to a relatively wide range of vehicles, such as FM multiplex broadcasting. For example, traffic information of Kobe cannot be obtained in Yokohama by the VICS system. In this regard, when traffic information is obtained by a beacon, its range is particularly limited. From such a point of view, the above-mentioned VICS system is a system for providing information to a user of a predetermined limited band, and in that respect, can be called a "narrow band traffic information system". In order to receive such traffic information, the navigation device 1 uses an FM multiplex broadcast receiver 1.
5. An optical beacon receiver 16 and a radio wave beacon receiver 17 are provided, and the information received by these is taken in by a narrow band traffic information system information taking section 18.

On the other hand, in the present invention, as means for obtaining traffic information, VICS from the VICS information center is used.
In addition to the information, information from the traffic information center 21 can be obtained by the mobile phone 22. When this information is obtained by the mobile phone 22,
In addition to transmitting and receiving data by directly connecting to the traffic information center 21 by telephone, for example, using the Internet network, connecting to the provider with the mobile phone 22,
Similarly, data can be provided from the traffic information center 21 connected to the Internet network.

As described above, the traffic information center 21 has an ATIS (Advanced Traffic information Service).
This traffic information center obtains the same information as that used in the traffic information providing system by VICS from the Japan Road Traffic Information Center,
Other original information 20 is provided as appropriate. Such traffic information centers can easily obtain, process, and provide data due to the development of the Internet network.
A similar traffic information center is planned to be established, including a service for providing traffic information by an existing vehicle information provider.

The traffic information center 21 as described above collects traffic information nationwide in principle, and can select and provide traffic information at any point nationwide in response to a request from a user. Has become. Therefore, by connecting to the traffic information center via the Internet by a mobile phone mounted on the vehicle and transmitting the vehicle position data, it is possible to obtain traffic information near the vehicle position from the traffic information center. In addition, by the same means, it is possible to know the traffic information of that point by specifying any point in the whole country, and it is possible to provide the traffic information on that route by transmitting the current location and destination Becomes As described above, the information of the traffic information center can provide traffic information that is not limited to a specific area, and can be called a “broadband traffic information system” in that respect. In the navigation device 1, this information is captured by the broadband traffic information system information capturing unit 23.

The traffic information acquisition processing unit 10 further includes a useful information retrieval unit 25, and acquires the information of the narrow band traffic system information acquisition unit 18 and the wide band traffic information system information acquired as described above. A search is performed to determine whether there is information useful for the user, such as whether there is traffic information near the current position of the user in the information of the unit 23. If useful information is present, the information is stored in the traffic information storage unit 24 with the fetched time together with the fetched time. When useful information does not exist, it is possible not to store this information. Further, it is determined that the area near the current location of the vehicle does not need to take traffic information, and the traffic information center is determined. In order not to take frequent traffic information from 21,
Make adjustments such as lengthening the capture time interval. The adjustment of the capture time interval is performed by the access time setting unit 19.
Perform in.

The traffic information fetch processing unit 10 includes an access elapsed time detecting unit 11, and the time when the narrow band traffic information system information fetching unit 18 last fetches the VICS information is used. The unit 23 reads the last time the information was taken in from the traffic information center 21 from the traffic information storage unit 24 with the time taken in, and detects how much time has passed since that time. Thus, for example, monitoring is performed so as not to perform an operation of taking in information from the traffic information center within a predetermined time after the information is taken in by the broadband traffic information system information taking section 23, and the traffic information center is unnecessarily frequently used. 21 is prevented from being accessed. Similarly, narrowband traffic information system information acquisition unit 1
8 so that it is possible to determine whether or not a predetermined time has passed since the information was taken in, such as when the accessory switch of the vehicle was turned on. When it is determined that the traffic information is present, the traffic information can be immediately taken in from the traffic information center 21 by the broadband traffic information system.

In the navigation apparatus according to the present invention having the above-described functional blocks, in particular, the traffic information fetch processing unit 10 can be sequentially operated in accordance with, for example, the operation flow shown in FIG. Hereinafter, this operation flow will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG. 1 and the like.
In this traffic information fetching process, first, it is determined whether or not information necessary for the narrow band traffic information system can be obtained (step S1).

In this determination, in the narrowband traffic information system, for example, when neither FM multiplex broadcast nor beacon can be received, or when FM multiplex broadcast can be received but the beacon cannot be received, the user can use, for example, a general user. When you need detailed traffic information on the road,
When it is determined that the information required by the user cannot be physically obtained by the narrow-band traffic system, the process jumps to step S5, and the traffic information fetching process by the broadband traffic information system described later. I do.

If it is determined in step S1 that the information required by the narrow-band traffic information system is physically available, the process proceeds to step S2, where the information is obtained by the broadband traffic information system. It is determined whether or not the information similar to the necessary information can be obtained by the narrowband traffic information system. Here, for example, the point where the vehicle currently exists is a local municipality, and ordinary VICS information does not provide traffic information of the area, whereas a broadband traffic information system uses a unique traffic information acquisition means of a traffic information center. It has been determined that information of the same kind as the necessary information obtained by the broadband traffic information system cannot be obtained by the narrowband traffic information system, such as when the traffic information of the area can be provided. In some cases, the process proceeds to step S5 in the same manner as step S1, and the traffic information taking process by the broadband traffic information system is started.

On the other hand, when it is determined that information similar to the necessary information obtained by the broadband traffic information system can be obtained also in the narrowband traffic information system, the previous narrowband traffic information system receives traffic information. The received reception time data is read (step S3). This can be performed by the system control unit 40 of FIG. 1 reading out the latest import time of the traffic information captured by the narrowband traffic information system recorded in the traffic information storage unit 24 with capture time. .

It is to be noted that the traffic information storage unit 24 with capture time as described above can store, for example, data having contents as shown in FIG. 5, and in this example, depending on the type of the information receiving system. Broadband traffic information system A and narrowband traffic information system B are divided into points A1-1 to A1-m and B1- of the received information taken in for each system.
1 to B1-m, the contents of which are A2-1 to A2-m and B, respectively.
2-1 to B2-m and store other information as A3-
1 to A3-n and B3-1 to B3-n are recorded as times A4 and B4 at which the respective information is taken.

Next, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time t1 has elapsed since the reception of the narrowband traffic information system (step S4). At this time, an arbitrary time can be set as the predetermined time t1, but since the update of the traffic information provided by the narrowband traffic information system is performed every 5 minutes, the predetermined time t1 is reduced to 5 minutes. When it is determined that 5 minutes or more have elapsed, for example, when the vehicle is about to start from the garage for the first time in the morning, or when the vehicle has been parked for a long time and is going to run again, When it is determined that traffic information has not been captured in the narrowband traffic information system for a while, new traffic information is immediately captured from the broadband traffic information system. To start.

At this time, the reception time data of the broadband traffic information system is read out first (step S5). This processing is performed in the same manner as described above.
0 can be obtained by updating the traffic information fetched by the broadband traffic information system recorded in the traffic information storage unit 24 with the fetched time to the latest one and reading the fetched time stored therein. As described above, in this operation flow, the capture time of the narrow area traffic information system and the capture time of the broadband traffic information are necessary. As shown in the figure, data which can identify which system the traffic information to be recorded is taken by is recorded. However, when processing such as displaying these traffic information is performed, they are used integrally.

Next, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time t2 has elapsed since the reception of the broadband traffic information system (step S6). An arbitrary time can be set for the predetermined time t2. However, this time is also set to, for example, 5 minutes. When it is determined that 5 minutes or more have not elapsed, the data is updated even if traffic information is taken in too frequently. In some cases, the communication is not performed, and the communication cost increases. Therefore, the user waits until the predetermined time t2 elapses. Further, when the predetermined time t2 has elapsed, a process of acquiring traffic information from the broadband traffic information system is performed (step S7).

With such a restriction on access to the broadband traffic information system, when a period during which traffic information is not fetched from the narrowband traffic information system continues in a normal traveling state of the vehicle, the broadband traffic information system is not used. It is possible to automatically take in traffic information at appropriate time intervals. Next, the time at which the traffic information was fetched in this manner is updated and recorded in the memory, and is used as new data to be read later in step S5.

Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the traffic information fetched from the broadband traffic information system in this way contains useful information for the user. here,
For example, the traffic information center 21 which collects information so that the point where the vehicle currently exists is a general road in the mountains and covers as much as possible the traffic information on the general road,
If there is no traffic information for the area and the traffic information center provides traffic information near the vehicle for the time being and the traffic information is not meaningful to the user, the imported broadband traffic information system It is determined that the traffic information does not include useful information for the user, and thereafter the access time to the broadband traffic information system is set to be longer than the predetermined value t2, for example, 10 minutes. It is set (step S10).

Thus, when it is determined that appropriate traffic information is not provided in the area where the vehicle currently exists, it is useless to access the broadband traffic information system at regular time intervals. The interval can be set longer. The determination as to whether or not the useful information is included in the captured information as described above is performed by the useful information search unit 25 in FIG. 1 using the data captured by the broadband traffic information system information capture unit 23. This is done by searching. After the operation in step S10 is completed, the process returns to step S1 and repeats the same operation.

When it is determined in step S9 that the captured traffic information contains useful information for the user, the captured data is stored in memory (step S11). This operation is performed by the system control unit 40 in FIG. 1 recording the traffic information in the traffic information storage unit 24 with the capture time. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the captured information is based on the broadband traffic information system. The presence and the time at which this information was taken are also recorded in association with each other. Next, the access time to the broadband traffic information system is set to a default value (step S12).

In this operation, after the access time to the broadband traffic information system is set longer than the predetermined value in step S10, the operation returns to step S1 and the same operation is repeated. Thereafter, the operation is used in step S9. When it is determined that there is useful information for the user, in step S12, processing is performed to restore the set values changed as described above. Therefore, step S1
When the set value of the access time is not changed and the default value is not passed, the setting of the default value is continued in this step S12 without particularly changing the value.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S4 that the predetermined time t1 has not elapsed since the reception of the narrowband traffic information system, for example, since the traffic information has not been received for more than 5 minutes since the last time, the data is received. Since it has not been updated, it is in a normal VICS reception standby state, and therefore, the processing for taking in traffic information from the narrowband traffic information system is continued as it is (step S1).
3). After the traffic information is captured in this process, the record of the time at which the traffic information was captured is updated, and the process proceeds to step S9, where the information captured here includes useful information for the user as described above. It is determined whether or not it has been performed.

Similarly to the above, when there is no useful traffic information related to the traveling of the user's vehicle in the traffic information fetched from the narrowband traffic information system, the time interval for accessing the broadband traffic information system is set. It is set longer than a predetermined value (step S10) so as to prevent unnecessary access to the broadband traffic information system that requires communication costs. When it is determined that useful information is present, the information is stored in memory (step S11), and the access time of the broadband traffic information system is set to a predetermined value (step S12).

By performing the above operation, when the vehicle is started up and the accessory switch is turned on, if the traffic information has not been obtained for a predetermined time or more, the broadband traffic information system is immediately accessed, and the necessary traffic information is obtained. In addition, the latest traffic information can be taken from the broadband traffic information system while preventing excessive access to the traffic information center.

On the other hand, when collecting traffic information using the above-described system, for example, when traveling using VICS information obtained from a beacon, the vehicle is caught in a heavy traffic and travels very quickly. When there is no state,
It may take a considerable time, for example, 10 minutes, from receiving a roadside beacon to receiving the next beacon. At that time, it is determined in step S4 that the predetermined time t1 has elapsed since the reception of the narrowband traffic information system, and the wideband traffic information system reception processing is performed at predetermined time intervals from step S5. However, even if traffic information is fetched at intervals of, for example, 5 minutes during such heavy traffic, communication costs are useless because it is not considered that there is a significant change in traffic information.

As a countermeasure, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, as a process of acquiring information from the broadband traffic information system in step S7 of FIG.
It is determined whether the speed is lower than a predetermined speed such as m / h (step S7-1). This predetermined speed can be set arbitrarily. In this determination, when it is determined that the average vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined speed, the access time to the broadband traffic information system is extended corresponding to the average vehicle speed (step S7-2). In this stretching, for example, when the average vehicle speed for 5 minutes is 20 km / h, the intervals are 7 minutes, similarly, when the average vehicle speed is 10 km / h, the intervals are 10 minutes, and when the average vehicle speed is 5 km / h, the intervals are 15 minutes. Set as follows.

Thereafter, access is made to the traffic information center, traffic information is fetched from the broadband traffic information system (step S7-3), and the operation proceeds to step S8 in FIG. 2 to perform the same operation as described above. However, in the subsequent step S6, t2 in the determination as to whether or not the predetermined time t2 has elapsed since the reception of the broadband traffic information system is the extended time as described above, and the information is fetched until the time elapses. No action is taken. If it is determined in step S7-1 that the average vehicle speed is not lower than the predetermined speed, the process directly proceeds to step S8 in FIG. In this way, by frequently accessing the traffic information center during traffic jams, unnecessary information is not taken in, and communication costs can be reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the navigation apparatus accesses the traffic information center at a predetermined interval in principle has been described. However, it is difficult to know how the predetermined interval is charged and how much the fee is charged. . In particular, with the spread of mobile phones in recent years, various types of information such as i-mode have been provided by mobile phones, and users frequently use mobile phones, resulting in enormous fees. Therefore, when using various functions using a mobile phone, it becomes a headache.

As a countermeasure, the user assigns priorities to various services to be used with a wireless communication device such as a mobile phone in advance, and further reduces the fee to be paid in one month by, for example, 3
It is conceivable to provide a function of automatically allocating the number of times that each service can be accessed and the connection time and performing a calculation as a function of a mobile phone or the like to be used by inputting such as 1,000 yen. In addition, in the above setting, when the user inputs an appropriate number of times of scheduled connection and scheduled time of connection, the charge is automatically displayed, and the user can easily perform the above setting. You may do it.

It is difficult to completely set the above settings from the beginning so as to meet the user's wishes. However, when the user first makes appropriate settings and uses them, each of the previously set The user is notified of the number of times the service has been allocated, or the status of the service when the time is reached, so that the user becomes aware that the allocation for a particular service was not appropriate, and then adjusts this, and the user gradually adjusts this. The most appropriate assignment will be made to the individual.

When a wireless communication device such as a mobile phone having such a communication management function is used for taking in traffic information from a traffic information center in a navigation device as described above, a communication fee within a range of a communication fee allocated in advance. Thus, by assigning the navigation device to a time when the user normally uses the navigation device, it is possible to obtain a standard time interval for automatically accessing the traffic information center.

In the above embodiment, as a basic operation of the present invention, the broadband traffic information system information fetching unit always performs the operation when the time at which the information was previously fetched from the broadband traffic information system has not passed for a predetermined time or more. The system does not take in information from the traffic information center, but especially when starting the vehicle, apart from the basic operation described above, immediately accesses the traffic information center immediately and gives priority to the latest traffic information. May be set so as to be able to take in.

At this time, means for detecting whether the accessory switch is turned on is provided as means for detecting the start of the vehicle, and the processing of the operation flow as shown in FIG. 4, for example, is performed. This operation flow is processed prior to step S1 in FIG. 2. When a vehicle start operation such as first detecting that the accessory switch is turned on is detected (step S21), the broadband traffic information system is immediately executed. The traffic information center is accessed by the information acquisition unit, and information is acquired from the broadband traffic information system (step S).
22). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S8 in FIG. 2, and thereafter, processing is performed according to the operation flow in FIG.

By performing such processing, the start operation of the vehicle can be performed without repeating the various determinations as shown in FIG. 2 at the time of starting the vehicle and regardless of whether or not the traffic information data is stored. The first time you go, call the Broadband Traffic Information Center for the time being, take in the traffic information and present it, eliminating the delay of the first traffic information presented by the navigation device performing many operation processes can do.

[0066]

As described above, the navigation traffic information receiving apparatus according to the present invention transmits traffic information of a specific area to FM.
Connects to the Narrowband Traffic Information System Information Capture Unit, which receives multiplex broadcasts or receives from beacon transmitters and captures them, and a Traffic Information Center that can provide wide-area traffic information. A broadband traffic information system information capturing unit, a capturing time storage unit for recording the time at which information was captured by the broadband traffic information system information capturing unit, and a broadband traffic information system information capturing unit recorded in the capturing time storage unit. A broadband traffic information system access elapsed time detecting unit for detecting an elapsed time from a time at which information was last captured in the broadband traffic information system, wherein the broadband traffic information system information acquiring unit includes: When the time detector detects that a predetermined time has elapsed since the last broadband traffic information was acquired, the traffic information center , So that traffic information can be captured using a broadband traffic information system in addition to traffic information from a narrowband traffic information system, and more accurate and detailed traffic information can be captured. At the same time, the traffic information center can be connected by telephone using the broadband traffic information system, and the interval for taking in the traffic information can be set to a predetermined time, thereby eliminating waste of communication costs due to excessive access to the traffic information center. be able to.

Further, another navigation traffic information receiving apparatus according to the present invention further comprises an acquisition time storage unit for recording the time at which the information was acquired by the narrowband traffic information system information acquisition unit; A narrow-band distress information system access elapsed time detecting unit for detecting an elapsed time from a time at which information was last captured by the narrow-band traffic information system recorded in the storage unit, and the broadband traffic information system information acquiring unit includes: When the access elapsed time detection unit detects that a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the last narrowband traffic information was acquired, the information is received from the traffic information center. If information from the narrow-band traffic system has not been taken for a long time, such as when the accessory switch of the vehicle is turned on, By phone from the broadband traffic information system can incorporate the latest traffic information, there is no need to wait for the narrow-band traffic information system according to the traffic information uptake.

In another navigation traffic information receiving apparatus according to the present invention, an access time setting section for setting an access time to the broadband traffic information system and the narrowband traffic information system information fetching section. A useful information search unit for searching whether or not useful information exists for the user in the information or the information captured by the broadband traffic information system information capturing unit, wherein the access time setting unit includes: When the search unit detects that useful information does not exist for the user, the access time interval is set to be long. Thereafter, when it is detected that useful information exists for the user, the access unit returns to the original predetermined access time interval. Traffic information from a narrowband traffic information system, such as when a vehicle is traveling on a general road in the mountains,
Alternatively, if the traffic information from the broadband traffic information system does not include traffic information that requires special guidance in the area where the user is traveling and the surrounding area, set a longer time interval for connecting to the traffic information center. And no unnecessary communication costs are paid. At that time,
When useful information exists for the user in the traffic information from these traffic information systems, the time interval can be returned to the original time interval, and the traffic information can be appropriately taken in.

Further, another navigation traffic information receiving apparatus according to the present invention further comprises an access time setting section for setting an access time to the broadband traffic information system, and an average vehicle speed detecting section, The unit sets the access time interval to be long when the average vehicle speed detected by the average vehicle speed detection unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and thereafter returns to the original predetermined access time interval when the average vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value. For example, the distance traveled during a heavy traffic congestion is small even after a long period of time. In such a case, the communication cost by accessing the traffic information center at regular access time intervals and importing traffic information Wasteful expenditure can be prevented. Further, when the traffic congestion is resolved and the vehicle speed becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined vehicle speed, the normal access time can be automatically returned to, and the traffic information can be appropriately taken in.

Further, in another traffic information receiving apparatus for navigation according to the present invention, the broadband traffic information system information taking section may be configured so that information similar to the information required by the user obtained in the broadband traffic information system has a narrow band. When information is obtained from the traffic information system, information is not taken in from the traffic information center, so when the narrowband traffic information system can obtain information similar to the information required by the user in the broadband traffic information system, Since it is possible to prevent at least access to the traffic information center which requires communication costs, it is possible to prevent unnecessary communication costs from being spent.

Further, another navigation traffic information receiving apparatus according to the present invention includes a vehicle start operation detecting means for detecting an operation at the time of vehicle start, and the broadband traffic information system information taking section includes the vehicle start operation. When the detecting means detects the operation at the time of starting the vehicle, the information is immediately received from the traffic information center prior to the operation of the broadband traffic information system information take-in unit, so that various determinations can be made at the time of starting the vehicle. Without repetition, the broadband traffic information can be immediately taken in and presented, and it is possible to eliminate delays in the traffic information initially presented by the navigation device performing many operation processes.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an operation flow chart showing another example of the processing for taking in information from the broadband traffic information system in the operation flow chart of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart showing another operation performed at the time of starting the vehicle in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing storage contents of a traffic information storage unit with fetch time according to the embodiment;

6A and 6B show examples of traffic information and the like provided by the broadband traffic information system, and FIG. 6A shows an example of traffic congestion guidance;
Shows an example of traffic-related information guidance.

7A and 7B show examples of traffic information and the like provided by the broadband traffic information system, FIG. 7A shows an example of guidance for a specific section required time, and FIG. 7B shows an example of guidance of parking space availability information as other information.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation apparatus 10 Traffic information acquisition processing part 11 Access elapsed time detection part 12 Traffic information providing organization 14 VICS center 15 FM multiplex broadcasting receiver 16 Optical beacon receiver 17 Radio beacon receiver 18 Narrow band traffic information system information acquisition part Reference Signs List 19 access time setting unit 21 traffic information center 22 mobile phone 23 broadband traffic information system information acquisition unit 24 traffic information storage unit with acquisition time 25 useful information search unit 27 GPS receiver 33 guidance route calculation unit 36 image display device 37 voice Output device

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C032 HB02 HB22 HB23 HB24 HB25 HC08 HC14 HC15 HC16 HC22 HC23 HC24 HC25 HC31 HD03 HD23 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AC02 AC04 AC06 AC14 AC18 5H180 AA01 BB02 BB04 BB13 FF15 FF13 FF15 FF18 FF25 FF27 FF32

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A narrow-band traffic information system information take-in unit for receiving traffic information of a specific area by receiving FM multiplex broadcast or a beacon transmitter, and a traffic information center capable of providing wide-area traffic information. A broadband traffic information system information take-up unit for connecting and receiving traffic information of a region desired by a user by telephone, and a take-in time for recording the time when the information was taken in by the wide-band traffic information system information take-up unit A storage unit, and a broadband traffic information system access elapsed time detecting unit that detects an elapsed time from a time at which information was last captured in the broadband traffic information system recorded in the capture time storage unit, The system information acquisition unit has passed a predetermined time since the last broadband traffic information was acquired by the broadband traffic information system access elapsed time detection unit. When it has been detected that, the navigation traffic information receiving apparatus characterized by receiving information from the traffic information center. 2. An acquisition time storage unit for recording a time at which information is acquired by the narrowband traffic information system information acquisition unit; and a last information in the narrowband traffic information system recorded in the acquisition time storage unit. And a narrowband traffic information system access elapsed time detecting unit for detecting an elapsed time from the time at which the narrowband traffic information system access has been captured. 2. The navigation traffic information receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information is received from the traffic information center when it is detected that a predetermined time or more has elapsed since the narrowband traffic information was taken. 3. An access time setting unit that sets an access time to the broadband traffic information system; and information acquired by the narrowband traffic information system information acquisition unit, or information acquired by the broadband traffic information system information acquisition unit. The information includes a useful information search unit for searching whether or not useful information exists for the user.The access time setting unit determines that there is no useful information for the user in the useful information search unit. 2. The traffic information for navigation according to claim 1, wherein the access time interval is set to be long when detected, and thereafter, when it is detected that useful information exists for the user, the access time interval is returned to the original predetermined access time interval. Receiver. 4. An access time setting unit for setting an access time to the broadband traffic information system, and an average vehicle speed detecting unit, wherein the access time setting unit determines that an average vehicle speed detected by the average vehicle speed detecting unit is predetermined. 2. The navigation traffic information receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the access time interval is set longer when the value is equal to or less than the predetermined value, and thereafter, when the average vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value, the access time interval is returned to the original predetermined access time interval. 5. The broadband traffic information system information acquisition unit, when information similar to the information required by the user obtained by the broadband traffic information system is obtained by the narrowband traffic information system, the information is received from the traffic information center. 2. The navigation traffic information receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the capturing is not performed. 6. A vehicle starting operation detecting means for detecting an operation at the time of starting the vehicle, wherein the broadband traffic information system information taking section detects the operation when the vehicle starting operation detecting means detects an operation at the time of starting the vehicle. 2. The navigation traffic information receiving device according to claim 1, wherein information is immediately received from the traffic information center prior to the operation of the broadband traffic information system information acquisition unit.