JP2003101462A - Navigation device, navigation method and navigation program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To guide a radio communication machine user into a call available area and enable the user to perform urgent communication in an early stage when a mobile radio communication machine is in the outside of a call available area. SOLUTION: A navigation device has the mobile radio communication machine 42 transmitting/receiving data to/from a prescribed fixed base station or the repeating station, a usable area storage means 22 storing the call available area of the radio communication machine 42 as map data, a present position detection means 34 detecting the present position of the radio communication machine 42, a map information storage means 24 storing map information, a display means 14 displaying map information and a route display means displaying a route where the radio communication machine 42 can reach the earliest the call available area when the present position of the radio communication machine 42 is in the outside of the call available area based on a detection result by the present position detection means 34 and the storage contents of the map information storage means 24 and the usable area storage means 22 by using map information.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation device in a wireless communication device mounted on a mobile body such as a mobile phone or an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, mobile phones, in-vehicle wireless communication devices and the like have been popularized at an accelerated rate due to their excellent mobility, but they are not available in all regions. Therefore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-93497, it is known to judge whether or not the mobile phone can be used at the current position and the remaining usable time up to the unusable area, and notify the user of the judgment result. Has been.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, whether or not the mobile phone can be used at the current position is informed, but it is in an unusable area, and an emergency occurs due to an accident or an emergency. There is no disclosure of a specific processing method for recovering the usable state when using a mobile phone, a vehicle-mounted wireless communication device, or the like.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a mobile radio communication device for transmitting / receiving with a predetermined fixed base station or its relay station outside the communication range. Sometimes, due to an accident or an emergency,
If the user wants to use the wireless communication device urgently, it is possible to guide the user of the wireless communication device into a callable area without wasting time so that an emergency contact can be made early.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, the navigation device according to the first configuration of the present invention is
A mobile wireless communication device that performs transmission / reception with a predetermined fixed base station or its relay station, and a callable area indicating an area where the wireless communication device can transmit / receive with the predetermined fixed base station or its relay station are stored as map data. Usable area storage means for
Current position detection means for detecting the current position of the wireless communication device, map information storage means for storing map information, display means for displaying the map information, detection result by the current position detection means and the map information storage When it is detected that the current position of the wireless communication device is outside the callable range based on the means and the stored content of the usable range storage means,
And a route display means for displaying on the display means the route by which the wireless communication device can reach the earliest in the callable area using the map information.

According to the above configuration, when the wireless communication device is out of the callable area, the map of the route that allows the wireless communication device to reach the earliest in the callable area is given to the user of the wireless communication device. Information makes it possible to provide.

The navigation device according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises operation detecting means for detecting whether or not the user of the wireless communication device has requested the operation of providing the path, and the operation detecting means provides the path. The route display means is configured to display the route on condition that the requested operation is detected.

According to the above arrangement, the route can be displayed only when the user of the wireless communication device needs it.

In the navigation device according to the third aspect of the present invention, the wireless communication device is a vehicle-mounted wireless communication device, and further, an accident detection means for detecting whether or not an accident has occurred in the vehicle, The route display unit displays the route on condition that the detection unit has detected the occurrence of the accident.

According to the above construction, an accident occurs in the vehicle,
It becomes possible to automatically display the above-mentioned route when it becomes necessary to make an emergency contact.

In the navigation device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the wireless communication device is a portable terminal device that can be taken out of the vehicle, and the route through which the wireless communication device can quickly reach the communication range It is configured to further include a transmitting unit that transmits the information of 1 to the mobile terminal.

According to the above configuration, when the vehicle is immovable, it is possible to transmit the route information that allows the vehicle to reach the callable area earliest to the portable terminal device that can be taken out of the vehicle.

A navigation method according to a fifth aspect of the present invention comprises a step of detecting a current position of a movable wireless communication device which transmits and receives to and from a predetermined fixed base station or its relay station, and a current position of the wireless communication device. Is outside the communication range, and when it is determined that the wireless communication device is outside the communication range, a step of searching for a region having a predetermined electric field strength or more closest to the current position in terms of distance. Detecting all paths that can reach an area having a predetermined electric field strength or more, and selecting a path that can reach the area having a predetermined electric field strength or more earliest from the paths, And displaying the selected route to the user of the wireless communication device.

According to the above configuration, when the wireless communication device is out of the callable area, the user of the wireless communication device is provided with the route through which the wireless communication device can reach the callable area earliest. It becomes possible.

A program according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is
A procedure for detecting the current position of a movable wireless communication device that is incorporated in a navigation device including a computer and that transmits and receives to and from a predetermined fixed base station or its relay station, and the current position of the wireless communication device is outside the communication range. A procedure for determining whether or not there is a wireless communication device, when the wireless communication device is determined to be out of the communication range, a procedure for searching an area having a predetermined electric field strength closest to the current position or more, and the predetermined electric field strength The procedure of detecting all the routes that can reach the above area, and selecting the route that can reach the area of the predetermined electric field strength or more earliest from the above routes, and the selected route And a procedure for displaying to a user of the wireless communication device, and the navigation device.

According to the above configuration, when the wireless communication device is out of the communication range, the user of the wireless communication device is provided with a route by which the wireless communication device can reach the communication range earliest. It becomes possible.

[0017]

According to the present invention, when the movable wireless communication device is out of the communication range, if the user wants to use the wireless communication device urgently due to an accident or an emergency, the most By displaying the route that can be reached earlier on the display device, it becomes possible to make the wireless communication device user reach the callable area earlier and make an emergency contact.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Three embodiments in which a navigation device according to the present invention is applied to a vehicle will be described below with reference to the drawings. <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of a navigation device as a first embodiment of the present invention. The navigation controller 2 generally controls various calculations and displays described below. Power switch 8, TV switch 4, NAVI switch 6, screen scroll switch 1
0 and the destination set switch 12 are switches operated by the user, and as shown in FIG. 2, an electrostatic discharge device that allows input operation by touch operation on the peripheral portion of the screen of the display (display means) 14. The power switch 8 is provided as a touch switch of a capacitance type or the like, and the power switch 8 is for turning on / off the power of the navigation device.
The switch 4 is for causing the navigation device to function as a television receiver, and includes the NAVI switch 6
Is for causing the navigation device to function as navigation, and the screen scroll switch 10
Is for scrolling the display screen vertically and horizontally, and the destination set switch 12 is for setting a destination in the navigation operation. The speaker 16 outputs voice information such as route guidance by voice from the navigation controller 2. The display (display means) 14 is a display such as a liquid crystal display, and as shown in FIG.
A navigation screen such as the current position is displayed.

The DVD (map information storage means) 24 is a storage medium in which road map information is stored in advance. When the road map information is distributed from outside the vehicle, a rewritable storage medium is adopted. The CD-ROM (usable area storage means) 22 is a mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42.
The electric field distribution information (cell phone call range information) that indicates the electric field strength distribution state when using is stored in a storage medium in advance, but if this electric field distribution information is distributed from outside the vehicle, it can be rewritten. Adopt a different storage medium. The electric field distribution information is in a format corresponding to the road map information so that it can be determined whether or not the mobile phone can be used at each position on the road map information stored in the DVD (map information storage means) 24. The information is stored, for example, information indicating whether or not the electric field strength is at a level at which communication is possible, for each area that is finely divided by latitude and longitude of the earth. The GPS antenna 34 is provided in the vehicle or the navigation controller, receives the current position information, and displays the current position information on the display (display means) 14 when the navigation device functions as the navigation by the NAVI switch 6. The TV antenna 36 is provided in the vehicle or the navigation controller, receives the TV broadcast radio wave, and when the navigation device functions as the TV receiver by the TV switch 4, displays the TV broadcast reception video on the display (display means) 14. To do.

Mobile phone (movable radio communication device) 42
Is a mobile phone as a normal mobile phone, in which a user can make a call via a fixed base station or its relay station, and can receive the electric field distribution information or the road map information from an information distribution center. Is. The holder 44 sends various data sent from the navigation controller 2 to the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 or various data received from the mobile phone antenna 46 to the navigation controller 2 or the mobile phone (movable). Wireless communication device) 42.

Next, an outline of the operation of the navigation device according to the first embodiment will be described first. GPS
The current position detected by the (current position detection means) is within the communication range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 or the electric field strength read from the CD-ROM (usable range storage means) 22. If it is determined based on the distribution information and is within the communication range, if there is a destination setting depending on whether the destination is set by the destination set switch 12,
The recommended route to the destination (FIG. 2 or 4) is displayed, and when the destination is not set, the detected current position (FIG. 6) is displayed on the map of the display (display means) 14, respectively. . On the other hand, the current position detected by the GPS (current position detection means) is the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 4
If it is outside the callable area of 2 and there is a destination setting, the recommended route to the destination and the earliest from the current position to the callable area of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 The guide routes that can be reached are displayed in different colors on the map of the display (display means) 14 (FIG. 5), and when the destination is not set, the mobile phone (movable wireless communication Only the guide route to the callable area of the device) 42 is displayed on the map of the display (display means) 14 (FIG. 7).

The details will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Power is supplied to the navigation controller 2 by the power switch 8, and the NAVI switch 6
When is turned on, the navigation process is started. First, the current position is detected by GPS (current position detection means), and the road map information around the detected current position is recorded on the DVD.
(Map information storage means) 24 is read. The road map information may be stored in advance in a storage medium such as a DVD (map information storage means) 24 as described above, or may be stored in an on-vehicle mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 and an information center. It may be delivered by regular communication with (not shown). The road map information around the current position and the read current position is, as shown in FIG. 2 or 4,
Displayed on the display (display means) 14 (S10
1).

Then, it is judged by the destination set switch 12 whether the destination (indicated by a star in FIG. 2) has already been set (S301). If the destination has been set, the present setting is made. Based on the location and road map information, time priority is displayed to show the route to reach the destination in the shortest time avoiding the congested road, distance priority is displayed to show the route with the shortest distance to the destination, toll roads such as expressways The recommended route from the current position to the destination is set according to one of the setting conditions such as cost priority for displaying the route to reach the destination at low cost without using (S501),
The recommended route is highlighted in red (thick line in FIGS. 4 and 5) (S701), and at the same time, the current position of the vehicle is also marked on the map (FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7). Indicated by a triangle).

Further, within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle (for example, within 50 m) based on the current position of the vehicle and the road map information.
It is determined whether or not there is a branch road (S901), and when the branch road is detected, the route is guided to the recommended road on the branch road in the map displayed on the display (display means) 14 for guiding the route. , The arrow (the arrow in FIGS. 4 and 5) is overwritten and displayed (S1101), and voice guidance in the traveling direction is performed (S1301). When the branch road is not detected, the arrow display processing on the branch road (S) is performed.
1101) and the voice guide process (S1101) are not performed, and the process proceeds to S1501 to determine whether or not the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) described below is within the communication range.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S301 that the destination is not set, only the current position of the vehicle is displayed on the map based on the current position and the road map information, as shown in FIG. Then, in step S15, it is determined whether or not the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) below is within the communication range.
Move to 01.

As described above, when the destination has been set, after the display processing of the current position, the destination, and the recommended route to the destination is performed, or when the destination is not set. After the display processing of only the current position is performed, the current position of the vehicle, the road map information read from the DVD (map information storage means) 24, and the road map information read from the CD-ROM (usable area storage means) 22. Based on the obtained electric field intensity distribution information, it is determined whether or not the current position of the vehicle is within the communication range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 (S).
1501). Note that the electric field intensity distribution information is the electric field distribution information for each type of each mobile phone or mobile phone company in advance,
It is stored in a D-ROM (usable area storage means) 22 or the like, and the type of the mobile phone mounted on the vehicle is automatically detected using radio waves output from the mobile phone, or the user manually inputs the type. , Using distribution information according to the type. In addition,
The electric field distribution information for each mobile phone may be periodically updated by communication with the information distribution center.

If it is determined in S1501 that the vehicle is out of the call range, all roads existing between the current position of the vehicle and the call range are extracted, and the extracted roads will be described later. By the method described above, a road that allows the vehicle to reach the callable area earliest is selected and set as a guide route (S1701). Then, the set guidance route to the call area is highlighted in a color different from the color indicating the recommended route to the destination, for example, blue (indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 5 or 7) ( With S1901), for example, as shown in FIG. 5 or 7, the mobile phone is currently out of the service area. If you select the blue route, you can reach the service area fastest. And that according to the guide route highlighted in blue, the message notifying that the user can reach the callable area in the shortest time is overwritten (S2101) (FIG. 5 shows the case where the destination is set, FIG. Indicates the case where the destination is not set). It should be noted that, in guiding the route into the callable area, it is assumed that no direction is indicated by an arrow in the branch road in the map displayed on the display (display means) 14, and the display becomes complicated, so that the driver misunderstands. I'm avoiding that.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S1501 that the vehicle is within the communication range, it is further determined whether the previous determination was outside the communication range (S230).
1) In the case of NO, that is, when it is in the callable area both last time and this time, no processing is performed and the route guidance display according to the destination is performed and the processing is completed. If YES, that is, the last time Is outside the call range, and when it is inside the call range this time, the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42
However, after the display of the guide route into the callable area highlighted in blue on the map of the display (display means) 14 is stopped (S2501), the processing is completed.

Next, setting of the guide route described in S1701 will be described. First, from the detected current position of the vehicle, a callable area within a radius of 1 km, that is, C
In the electric field strength distribution information read from the D-ROM (usable area storage means) 22, it is judged whether or not there is an area having a predetermined electric field strength or more (S171 and S173).
If it does not exist, 1 km is added to the radius (S17
7), similarly to the above, it is again determined whether or not there is a region having a predetermined electric field strength or more within the expanded radius (S173), and the same as above until the presence of a region having a predetermined electric field strength or more is detected. (S177) and determination of whether or not a region having a predetermined electric field strength or more exists within the enlarged radius is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined in S173 that a region having a predetermined electric field strength or more exists within a predetermined radius Nkm from the current position, all routes existing from the current position of the vehicle to a callable range within a predetermined radius Nkm From among the above, select the route that can be reached earliest considering the distance, gradient, traffic conditions, etc. of each route (S175),
This is set as a guide route to the call coverage area.

It should be noted that the highlighting of the guide route to the callable area is updated every predetermined time (for example, every 5 minutes) set to the extent that the driver is not bothered.

Further, a predicted arrival time to the coverage area is calculated when the route is the earliest to reach the coverage area, and the deviation from the calculated predicted arrival time is within a predetermined time (for example, within 3 minutes, Alternatively, the longer the predicted arrival time is within a predetermined time set to a longer value.), Other routes may be highlighted together. In that case, the time taken to arrive within the coverage area is also displayed beside each highlighted route, and the direction indication by the arrow on the branch road is performed to avoid complicated display. I will not.

In the above embodiment, the guide route to the mobile phone call range is provided both when the route is guided to the destination and when the route is not guided to the destination. However, it is also possible to highlight the guidance route into the communication range of the mobile phone only when the route guidance to the destination is not performed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the vehicular navigation has been described as an example, but needless to say, the present invention can be applied not only to vehicular navigation but also to pedestrian portable navigation.

Second Embodiment Next, FIG. 10 shows a system configuration diagram of a navigation apparatus as a second embodiment of the present invention. The system configuration of the navigation device according to the second embodiment is the system configuration of the navigation device according to the first embodiment with a call range guidance switch (operation detecting means) 51 added. The callable area guidance switch (operation detection means) 51 is operated by the user when the vehicle is outside the callable area of the mobile phone, and thus reaches the earliest reachable area of the mobile phone from the current vehicle position. 1 for displaying the route that can be performed on the display (display means) 14.
As shown in FIG. 1, it may be a touch switch such as a capacitance type touch switch that is provided in the peripheral portion of the screen of the display (display means) 14 and can perform an input operation by a touch operation, or a navigation remote controller (not shown) or the like. May be selected and executed by. In that case, in order to eliminate the trouble of constantly displaying a switch that is rarely used, a call range guidance switch (operation detecting means) 5
1 may not be always displayed, and may be displayed / erased in synchronization with ON / OFF of a message display to the effect that a vehicle to be described later is not within the communication range.

Next, an outline of the operation of the navigation device as the second embodiment will be described first. GPS
The current position detected by the (current position detection means) is within the communication range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 or the electric field strength read from the CD-ROM (usable range storage means) 22. If it is determined based on the distribution information and within the callable area, the destination setting is performed depending on whether the destination set switch 12 sets the destination, regardless of the state of the callable area guidance switch (operation detecting means) 51. If there is, a recommended route to the destination is displayed on the map of the display (display means) 14 (FIG. 4 or FIG. 11),
If the destination is not set, the detected current position is
It is displayed on the map of the display (display means) 14 (FIG. 6). On the other hand, when the current position detected by the GPS (current position detecting means) is outside the callable range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42, the callable range guiding switch (operation detecting means) 51 , If pressed,
Regardless of whether the destination is set or not, the highlighting of the recommended route to the destination is cancelled, and the guide route that can reach the range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) from the current position earliest is It is displayed on the map of the display (display means) 14 (FIG. 7). Further, the current position is outside the callable range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42, and the callable range guiding switch (operation detecting means) 51 is
If not pressed, a warning is displayed on the display (display means) 14 to operate the call range guidance switch (operation detection means) 51, and whether or not the destination is set by the destination set switch 12 is displayed. Depending on,
If the destination is set, the recommended route to the destination is (FIG. 8). If the destination is not set, the detected current position is (FIG. 9) and the display (display means) 14 is displayed. Each is displayed on the map.

The details will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the power supply switch 8 supplies power to the navigation controller 2 and the NAVI switch 6 is turned on, the navigation process is started.
First, the current position is detected by GPS (current position detecting means), and the road map information around the detected current position is DV.
It is read from D (map information storage means) 24. The road map information may be stored in advance in a storage medium such as a DVD (map information storage means) 24 as described above, or may be stored in an on-vehicle mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 and an information center. It may be delivered by regular communication with (not shown). The current position and the read road map information around the current position are displayed on the display (display means) 14 as shown in FIG. 4 (S102).

Next, it is judged by the destination set switch 12 whether the destination has already been set (S
302), if the destination has been set, based on the current position and the road map information, time priority for displaying a route for avoiding a congested road and reaching the destination in the shortest time,
According to any setting conditions such as distance priority to display the route with the shortest distance to the destination, cost priority to display the route to reach the destination at low cost without using toll roads such as highways, the current position From the destination to the destination is set (S502), and the current position of the vehicle and D
Road map information read from VD (map information storage means) 24 and CD-ROM (usable area storage means) 22
Based on the electric field intensity distribution information read out from the cell phone, it is determined whether the current position of the vehicle is within the communication range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 (S1502). In addition,
As the electric field intensity distribution information, the electric field distribution information for each type of each mobile phone or each mobile phone company is stored in advance in a CD-ROM (usable area storage means) 22 or the like, and the type of the mobile phone mounted on the vehicle is determined. It is automatically detected using a radio wave output from a mobile phone, or the user manually inputs the type and uses distribution information according to the type. The electric field distribution information for each mobile phone may be periodically updated by communication with the information distribution center.

If it is determined in S1502 that the vehicle is within the communication range, it is further determined whether the previous determination was outside the communication range (S2302).
In the case of NO, that is, when the call is in the callable range both last time and this time, no processing is performed and the route guidance display according to the destination is performed, so that the process proceeds to S702 below, and if YES, that is, the last time If it is outside the call range and is within the call range this time, the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42
However, the display of the guide route into the callable area highlighted in blue (indicated by a dashed-dotted line in FIG. 7) on the map of the display (display means) 14 is stopped because the call is recovered. After (S2502), the process proceeds to S702 below for route guidance display according to the destination.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S1502 that the vehicle is out of the call range, it is detected whether or not the call range guidance switch (operation detecting means) 51 is in the ON state (S3102). That is, when the vehicle is outside the callable range and the user does not operate the callable range guidance switch (operation detecting means) 51, for example, as shown in FIG. When you operate the call range guidance switch, the fastest route to reach the area is displayed. ”
A message notifying that the call is out of range is overwritten on the display screen (S3302), and then the process proceeds to the following S702 for route guidance display according to the destination. Further, in S3102, when it is detected that the callable area guidance switch (operation detection means) 51 is in the ON state, that is, the vehicle is outside the callable area, the user can talk to the callable area guidance switch (operation). When the detection means 51 is operated, the process proceeds to step S1702 described below in order to set a guide route for the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 into the communication range.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S302 that the destination is not set, it is determined whether the detected current position is within the communication range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) (S402). ), If it is within the call range,
Only the current position of the vehicle is displayed on the map as shown in FIG. 6 and the process is completed. If it is determined in step S402 that the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) is out of the call range, it is further detected whether the call range guidance switch (operation detection means) 51 is operated. (S602), when the callable area guidance switch (operation detecting means) 51 is operated, in order to set the guidance route of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 into the callable area, the operation proceeds to S1702 below. Transition. On the other hand, S602
In the call area guidance switch (operation detection means) 5
When it is determined that 1 has not been operated, for example, as shown in Fig. 9, "Currently out of service area of mobile phone.
When you operate the call range guidance switch, the fastest route to reach the area is displayed. A message notifying that the call is out of range is overwritten on the display screen (S3502), and the process ends.

The destination is set by the destination set switch 12, and the current position of the vehicle is within the communication range of the mobile phone (movable radio communication device) 42 or outside the communication range and the communication range guidance switch (operation). Detection means) 51
If is not pressed, the process proceeds to S702, and the recommended route from the current position to the destination set in S502 is highlighted in red (indicated by a thick line in FIGS. 4 and 8). At the same time (S702), the current position of the vehicle is displayed on the map as a mark (indicated by a triangle mark in FIGS. 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9), and thereafter, the route to be guided to the user Is set to be the above recommended route to the destination (S802), and because of the guide processing at the branch road, S902
Move to.

On the other hand, if the current position of the vehicle is outside the callable range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 and the callable range guidance switch (operation detecting means) 51 is pressed, S1702. Then, all the roads existing between the current position of the vehicle and the communication area are extracted, and the road that allows the vehicle to reach the communication area earliest for each extracted road is selected. The guide route is set by the same method as described in the embodiment (S1702).
Then, the highlighting of the recommended route from the current position to the destination is stopped (S1802), and the guide route that can reach the earliest callable area set in S1702 is displayed on the map of the display (display means) 14, For example, it is highlighted in blue (indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 7) (S1
902). In addition, for example, as shown in Fig. 7, it is out of the callable area, such as "Currently out of the usable range of the mobile phone. If you select the blue route, you can reach the area within the earliest." According to the highlighted guide route, a message notifying that the user can reach the communication range in the shortest time is overwritten and displayed (S2102), and thereafter,
The route to be guided to the user is set to be the guide route to the inside of the callable area (S2202), and the process proceeds to S902 for the guide processing at the branch road.

In S802 or S2202, either the recommended route to the destination or the guide route to the inside of the communication area is set as the route to be guided to the user, and then the current position of the vehicle and the road are set. Based on the map information, it is determined whether or not a branch road exists within a predetermined distance (for example, within 50 m) in front of the vehicle of the recommended route to the destination (or the guide route to the callable area) (S9).
02), when a branch road is detected, on the branch road in the map displayed on the display (display means) 14 in order to lead to the recommended route to the destination (or the guide route to the communication range), In order to guide the route, the arrow is overwritten (S1102) (the arrow in FIG. 4 indicates the case where the recommended route to the destination is set as the guide target route), and voice guidance in the traveling direction is performed (S1302). ).

It should be noted that the highlighting of the guide route that can reach the callable area earliest is at a predetermined time (for example, every 5 minutes) set so as not to bother the driver.
Shall be updated to.

Further, a predicted arrival time to the coverage area is calculated when a route along the earliest reachable path is calculated, and a deviation from the calculated predicted arrival time is within a predetermined time (for example, within 3 minutes, Alternatively, the longer the predicted arrival time is within a predetermined time set to a longer value.), Other routes may be highlighted together. In that case, the time taken to arrive within the coverage area is also displayed beside each highlighted route, and the direction indication by the arrow on the branch road is performed to avoid complicated display. I will not.

Alternatively, a predicted arrival time within the coverage area is calculated when a route that can reach the earliest within the coverage area is calculated, and a deviation from the calculated predicted arrival time is within a predetermined time (for example, within 3 minutes, Or, the longer the predicted time is, the shorter the predetermined time that is set to a longer value.) Other routes are also selected together, and the predicted arrival time to the destination at the time of entering the coverage area for each selected route. May be calculated, and the route with the shortest calculation result may be displayed.
According to this, it is possible to prevent the user from leaving the destination more than necessary.

In the above embodiment, the mobile phone (movable radio communication device) is used both when the route is guided to the destination and when the route is not guided to the destination. It was decided to highlight the guidance route to the callable area of, but only when the route guidance to the destination is not carried out, the guidance route to the callable area of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) is emphasized. It may be displayed.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the vehicular navigation has been described as an example, but needless to say, the present invention can be applied not only to vehicular navigation but also to pedestrian portable navigation.

<Third Embodiment> Next, FIG. 13 shows a system configuration diagram of a navigation apparatus as a third embodiment of the present invention. The system configuration of the navigation device as the third embodiment is obtained by adding a G sensor (accident detection means) 61 and a transfer switch 63 to the system configuration of the navigation device as the first embodiment. G
The sensor (accident detection means) 61 is provided on the peripheral portion of the vehicle body and outputs a signal when an acceleration of a predetermined value or more is detected,
It detects the occurrence of an accident. Transfer switch 63
Is operated by the user, the map information (route guidance information) displayed on the navigation display (display means) 14 is transmitted by the transmission means provided in the navigation controller 2 to the mobile phone (movable radio). As shown in FIG. 14, a touch switch, such as a capacitance type touch switch, is provided in the peripheral portion of the screen of the display (display means) 14 and can be input by touch operation. Alternatively, it may be selected and executed by a navigation remote controller (not shown) or the like.

Next, an outline of the operation of the navigation device according to the third embodiment will be described first. GPS
Whether the current position of the vehicle detected by the (current position detection means) is within the communication range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 or CD-ROM (usable range storage means) 22
It is determined based on the electric field strength distribution information read out from the destination set switch 12 if it is within the communication range regardless of whether an accident has occurred or if it is outside the communication range and no accident has occurred. The recommended route to the destination (FIG. 4) or the current position (FIG. 6) is displayed on the map of the display (display means) 14 depending on whether or not the destination is set by. On the other hand, the current position of the vehicle detected by the GPS (current position detection means) is outside the communication range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device), and the occurrence of an accident is detected by the G sensor (accident detection means) 61. If it is detected, the recommended route to the destination is canceled regardless of whether the destination is set or not, and the earliest from the current position of the vehicle to the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) communication area. The guide route that can be reached is highlighted on the map of the display (display means) 14 (FIG. 7). In addition, the guide route into the communication range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) displayed on the display (display means) 14, the recommended route to the destination, or the image data of the current position is the user. Is transmitted to the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) by pressing the transfer switch 63.

The details will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the power supply switch 8 supplies power to the navigation controller 2 and the NAVI switch 6 is turned on, the navigation process is started.
First, the current position is detected by GPS (current position detecting means), and the road map information around the detected current position is DV.
It is read from D (map information storage means) 24. The road map information may be stored in advance in a storage medium such as a DVD (map information storage means) 24 as described above, or may be stored in an on-vehicle mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 and an information center. It may be delivered by regular communication with (not shown). The current position and the read road map information around the current position are displayed on the display (display means) 14 as shown in FIG. 4 (S103).

Then, it is judged by the destination set switch 12 whether the destination has already been set (S).
303), if the destination is set, the time priority is given to display a route for avoiding a congested road and reaching the destination in the shortest time based on the current position and the road map information,
According to any setting conditions such as distance priority to display the route with the shortest distance to the destination, cost priority to display the route to reach the destination at low cost without using toll roads such as highways, the current position From the destination to the destination is set (S503), and the current position of the vehicle and D
Road map information read from VD (map information storage means) 24 and CD-ROM (usable area storage means) 22
Based on the electric field intensity distribution information read out from the vehicle, it is determined whether the current position of the vehicle is within the communication range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 (S1503). In addition,
As the electric field intensity distribution information, the electric field distribution information for each type of each mobile phone or each mobile phone company is stored in advance in a CD-ROM (usable area storage means) 22 or the like, and the type of the mobile phone mounted on the vehicle is determined. It is automatically detected using a radio wave output from a mobile phone, or the user manually inputs the type and uses distribution information according to the type. The electric field distribution information for each mobile phone may be periodically updated by communication with the information distribution center.

If it is determined in S1503 that the vehicle is within the communication range, it is further determined whether the previous determination was outside the communication range (S2303).
In the case of NO, that is, when the call is in the callable range both last time and this time, the process is not performed and the route guidance display according to the destination is performed. Therefore, the process proceeds to S703 below, and if YES, that is, the last time If it is outside the call range and is within the call range this time, the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42
However, the display of the guide route into the callable area highlighted in blue (indicated by a dashed-dotted line in FIG. 7) on the map of the display (display means) 14 is stopped because the call is recovered. After (S2503), since the route guidance is displayed according to the destination, the process proceeds to S703 below.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S1503 that the vehicle is out of the communication range, it is determined by the G sensor (accident detection means) 61 whether a vehicle collision has occurred (S3203), and the collision occurs. If not,
That is, when the vehicle is out of the communication range and no collision of the vehicle has occurred, the process proceeds to the following S703 for the route guidance display according to the destination. In addition, the above S3
In 203, when a vehicle collision is detected by the G sensor (accident detection means) 61, that is, when the vehicle is outside the communication range and the vehicle collision is detected,
In order to set a guide route for the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 into the callable area, the process proceeds to S1703 below.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S303 that the destination is not set, it is determined whether or not the current position is within the communication range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) (S403). If it is within the communication range, only the current position of the vehicle is displayed on the map as shown in FIG. 6, and the process proceeds to S4303 for image transfer processing. Also,
If it is determined in S403 that the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) is out of the coverage area, the G sensor (accident detection means) 61 further determines whether a vehicle collision has occurred. (S4103), when a collision occurs, a mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 4
In order to set up a guide route to the callable area of 2, the following S1
Move to 703. On the other hand, if it is determined in S4103 that a vehicle collision has not occurred, then the flow shifts to S4303 for image transfer processing.

The destination is set by the destination set switch 12, and the current position of the vehicle is within the communication range of the mobile phone (movable radio communication device) 42 or outside the communication range and the G sensor (accident detection means). If it is determined by 61 that no vehicle collision has occurred, S703.
In step S703, the recommended route from the current position to the destination set in S503 is highlighted in red (indicated by a thick line in FIG. 4) (S703) and the current position of the vehicle is also displayed on the map. A mark is displayed (indicated by a triangle mark in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7), and thereafter, the route to be guided to the user is set as the above recommended route to the destination (S
803), the process proceeds to S903 because of the guide processing on the branch road.

On the other hand, it is determined by the G sensor (accident detection means) 61 that the current position of the vehicle is outside the communication range of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 and that a vehicle collision has occurred. In this case, the process proceeds to S1703, all the roads existing between the current position of the vehicle and the coverage area are extracted, and the road that allows the vehicle to reach the coverage area earliest for each extracted road is selected. The guide route is set by the same method as described in the first embodiment (S1703). Then, the highlighting of the recommended route from the current position to the destination is stopped (S1803), and S17
The guide route that can reach the earliest callable area set in 03 is highlighted on the map of the display (display means) in, for example, blue (indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 7) (S1903). Further, for example, FIG.
As shown in, “The cell phone is currently out of service area.
Select the blue route to get to the area the fastest. A message indicating that the call is out of the coverage area and that the guide route highlighted in blue indicates that the user can reach the coverage area in the shortest time is overwritten (S2).
103) and thereafter, the route to be guided to the user is set to be the guide route to the inside of the callable area (S220).
3), the process proceeds to S903 because of the guide processing on the branch road.

In S803 or S2203, either the recommended route to the destination or the guide route to the callable area is set as the route to be guided to the user, and then the current position of the vehicle and the road are set. Based on the map information, it is determined whether or not a branch road exists within a predetermined distance (for example, within 50 m) in front of the vehicle of the recommended route to the destination (or the guide route to the callable area) (S9).
03), when a branch road is detected, on the branch road in the map displayed on the display (display means) 14 in order to lead to the recommended route to the destination (or the guide route to the communication area), In order to guide the route, the arrow is overwritten and displayed (S1103) (the arrow in FIG. 4 indicates the case where the recommended route to the destination is set as the guide target route) and voice guidance in the traveling direction is performed (S1303). ).

Further, after the processing of S1303 or in S403, it is determined that the current position is within the communication range, or in S4103, the vehicle collides with the current position outside the communication range. If it is determined that there is not, the process proceeds to S4303 and the image transfer process is performed. First, it is determined whether the transfer switch 63 is pressed (S
4303), if not pressed, the process ends. On the other hand, when the transfer switch 63 is pressed, it is determined whether any one of the recommended route to the destination or the guide route to the communication area is set as the guide target route (S4503). , If the guide target route is set, the entire route of the guide target route (that is, if the guide target route is the above recommended route to the destination, the recommended route to the destination or a call is possible) If it is the above guide route to the inside of the area, image data including map data that displays the guide route to the callable area) is displayed (S4703). If the guide target route is not set, the current position is set. The currently displayed image data including the map data to be displayed (S4903),
The transmission means provided in the navigation controller 2 transmits to the mobile phone (movable radio communication device) 42 via Bluetooth via the holder 44 by short-distance radio communication or the like, and the process is completed.

It should be noted that the highlighting of the guide route that can reach the callable area earliest is at a predetermined time (for example, every 5 minutes) set so as not to bother the driver.
Shall be updated to.

Further, the predicted arrival time to the coverage area is calculated when the route is the earliest to reach the coverage area, and the deviation from the calculated predicted arrival time is within a predetermined time (for example, within 3 minutes, Or, the longer the predicted arrival time is within the predetermined time set to a longer value.) Other routes are also selected together, and the predicted arrival at the destination at the time of entering the coverage area for each selected route. The time may be calculated and the route with the shortest calculation result may be displayed. According to this, it is possible to prevent the user from leaving the destination more than necessary.

In the above embodiment, the mobile phone (movable radio communication device) is used both when the route is guided to the destination and when the route is not guided to the destination. It was decided to highlight the guidance route to the callable area of, but only when the route guidance to the destination is not carried out, the guidance route to the callable area of the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) is emphasized. The display may be performed.

Further, when an accident occurs in the vehicle, the call range guidance switch (operation detecting means) 51 is displayed as a touch switch in the display screen of the navigation, and the vehicle is operated on condition that the switch is operated. May select and display the route that can reach the callable area earliest.

From the above, when the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 is out of the callable range, the mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 42 can reach the callable range earliest. By displaying the route on the display (display means) 14 using the map information,
The user of the wireless communication device can reach the callable area without wasting time, and can make an emergency contact quickly.

Further, a callable area guidance switch (operation detecting means) 51 is provided, and only when the callable area guidance switch (operation detecting means) 51 is operated, the guidance route to the callable area is displayed (display means). Since it is supposed to be displayed on 14, the above guide route can be displayed only when the user wants to know the guide route to the communication range.
It is possible to prevent the driver from feeling annoyed by the display of the navigation device being complicated due to the display of the guide route in the unnecessary callable area.

Further, by providing the G sensor (accident detection means) 61, when the vehicle is outside the communication range of the mobile phone (movable radio communication device) 42 and an accident occurs, the mobile phone is automatically operated. Since the route that can reach the callable area of the (movable wireless communication device) 42 earliest is displayed on the display (display means) 14, the time can be set within the callable area without bothering the user. It is possible to reach without waste, and it is possible to make an emergency contact quickly.

Further, even when the vehicle becomes immovable due to the occurrence of an accident in the vehicle, the user operates the transfer switch 63 to bring out the route information that enables the earliest arrival in the communication range to the outside of the vehicle. Since it is possible to send to the portable terminal, it is possible for the user who gets off to reach within the callable area on foot while checking the route information transmitted to the portable terminal,
It is possible to make emergency contact without wasting time.

[0068]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a navigation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a display example of the navigation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the navigation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an example of a display screen of the navigation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a display screen of the navigation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a display screen of the navigation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a display screen of the navigation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an example of a display screen of the navigation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a display screen example of the navigation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a system configuration diagram of a navigation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a display example of the navigation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a navigation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a system configuration diagram of a navigation device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a display example of the navigation device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a navigation device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... Navigation controller 12 ... Destination switch 14 ... Display (display means) 22 ... CD-ROM (usable area storage means) 24 ... DVD (map information storage means) 34 ... GPS (current position detecting means) 42 ... Mobile phone (movable wireless communication device) 51 ... Talkable area induction switch (operation detection means) 61 ... G sensor (accident detection means) 63 ... Transfer switch

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Makoto Kyogoku             3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Mazda             Within the corporation (72) Inventor Katsuya Taiso             3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Mazda             Within the corporation (72) Inventor Hidekazu Sasaki             3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Mazda             Within the corporation (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Yoshida             3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture Mazda             Within the corporation F term (reference) 2F029 AA02 AB07 AB12 AB13 AC02                       AC09 AC14 AC18 AC19                 5H180 AA01 BB05 BB13 EE08 FF05                       FF22 FF25 FF27 FF35 FF40                 5K067 AA25 AA35 BB03 BB04 BB36                       EE02 EE06 EE10 FF03 FF23                       HH22 HH23 JJ52 JJ56                 5K101 KK08 KK14 LL12 MM01 MM07                       NN18 NN21

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A movable wireless communication device that transmits and receives to and from a predetermined fixed base station or its relay station, and a callable area indicating an area in which the wireless communication device can send and receive to and from a predetermined fixed base station or its relay station. Available area storage means for storing as map data, current position detection means for detecting the current position of the wireless communication device, map information storage means for storing map information, display means for displaying the map information, When it is detected that the current position of the wireless communication device is outside the communication range based on the detection result of the current position detection unit and the stored contents of the map information storage unit and the usable range storage unit, A navigation device comprising: a route display means for displaying on the display means, using the map information, a route through which the wireless communication device can reach the earliest in the callable area. 2. The navigation device includes operation detecting means for detecting whether or not a user of the wireless communication device has requested operation of providing the route, and the operation detecting means performs the operation of requesting to provide the route. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the route display means is configured to display the route on the condition that it is detected that the route is detected. 3. The wireless communication device is a vehicle-mounted wireless communication device, and further comprises accident detection means for detecting whether or not an accident has occurred in the vehicle, and the accident detection means has detected the occurrence of an accident. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the route display means displays the route under the condition. 4. The transmission for transmitting to the mobile terminal the information about the route that the wireless communication device can reach the earliest in the communication range, wherein the radio communication device is a portable terminal that can be taken out of the vehicle. The navigation device according to claim 3, wherein the navigation device is configured to further include means. 5. A step of detecting the current position of a movable wireless communication device that transmits and receives to and from a predetermined fixed base station or its relay station, and whether or not the current position of the wireless communication device is outside the communication range. Determining step, when it is determined that the wireless communication device is out of the communication range, a step of searching for an area having a predetermined electric field strength or more closest to the current position in distance, and reaching an area having the electric field strength or more Detecting all possible routes, and selecting a route that can reach the area having the predetermined electric field strength or more earliest from the routes, and selecting the selected route from the wireless communication device. A step of displaying to a user. 6. A procedure for detecting a current position of a movable wireless communication device which is incorporated in a navigation device including a computer and transmits / receives to / from a predetermined fixed base station or its relay station, and a current position of the wireless communication device is detected. , A procedure for determining whether the wireless communication device is out of the communication range, and a step of searching an area having a predetermined electric field strength or more closest to the current position when the wireless communication device is determined to be out of the communication range. Detecting all routes that can reach a region having a predetermined electric field strength or more, and selecting a route that can reach the region having a predetermined electric field strength or more earliest from the routes, A program for causing the navigation device to execute a procedure of displaying a selected route to a user of the wireless communication device.