JP2003121159A - Navigation apparatus and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation apparatus for informing the shining of direct sunlight into a driver's seat of a driver in advance. SOLUTION: Based on information for indicating the altitude and azimuth of the sun corresponding to current date/time and information for indicating change in the advance direction of an own car that are stored at a sun locus storage section 18, it is judged whether the direct sunlight shines into the driver' s seat or not, and from which direction the direct sunlight shines in. Further, the navigation apparatus 100 reads voice information in response to the judgment result from a non-illustrated memory at an information-processing section 30, and converts the read voice information to an analog voice signal via a voice information-outputting section 44 before outputting to a speaker 46.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation device mounted on a vehicle for guiding directions to a destination and a program therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a navigation device has a GPS.
(Global Positioning Systems) Receives the signal transmitted from the satellite to detect the current position of the vehicle, and based on the map data recorded in the recording device of the navigation device,
The detected current position of the own vehicle and the road shape of the map data are matched, and the current position of the own vehicle is displayed on the map of the navigation screen. Then, when the user sets a destination, etc., the recommended route to the set destination is searched based on the detected current position, and the searched route is displayed on the map of the navigation screen. Guide to the ground.

[0003]

However, the conventional navigation device described above has the following problems. If it is a sunny day, direct sunlight may suddenly insert into the driver's seat while driving, but at this time, the driver will be blind for a moment due to direct sunlight, making it difficult to check the front. .

For this reason, if direct sunlight enters the driver's seat,
The driver takes a quick action by taking off the sun visor or wearing sunglasses, but it is not preferable for safe driving to perform such an operation during driving.

Whether or not the direct sunlight is inserted into the driver's seat after changing the traveling direction is determined based on the position (altitude, azimuth) of the sun, which differs depending on the date and time, and the traveling direction after the change. Although the conventional navigation device can detect the current traveling direction of the vehicle, it is difficult to notify the driver in advance whether direct sunlight will be inserted into the driver's seat after the traveling direction is changed. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device capable of notifying the driver in advance that direct sunlight will be inserted into the driver's seat when the traveling direction is changed.

[0007]

The invention according to claim 1 is
In a navigation device that constantly detects the current position of the own vehicle and searches for a recommended route to the destination, when changing the traveling direction, a traveling direction calculating means for calculating the traveling direction after the change in advance, and date and time Based on the sun position information stored in advance, the sun position determining means for determining the current sun position, the traveling direction of the vehicle calculated by the traveling direction calculating means, and the sun position determining means Based on the current sun position, direct sunlight determining means for determining whether or not direct sunlight will be inserted into the driver's seat after the course change, and when it is determined by the direct sunlight determining means that direct sunlight is to be inserted into the driver's seat And a notification means for notifying the driver of that fact.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A navigation device 100 to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

First, the structure will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a navigation device 100 to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device 100 includes a GPS antenna 11, a reception unit 12, a vehicle position detection unit 14, a map information storage unit 16, and a sun locus storage unit 1.
8, a vehicle behavior detection unit 20, an information processing unit 30, an information output unit 40, and the like.

Here, the navigation device 100 has the function of the navigation device according to claim 1, and the information processing section 30 includes the traveling direction calculation means, the sun position determination means, and the direct sunlight determination according to claim 1. The information output unit 40 has the function of the notifying unit according to claim 1.

The antenna 11 is an antenna for receiving GPS signals transmitted from GPS satellites. GP received
The S signal is transmitted to the information processing unit 30, and the absolute current position (latitude, longitude) of the own vehicle can be detected based on this GPS signal.

In addition to the GPS signal, the antenna 11 receives a long wavelength standard radio signal that carries time data operated by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. The time data managed by the receiving unit 12 is automatically updated at any time by the time data of the long wavelength standard radio signal.

The receiving section 12 demodulates the signal (GPS signal, long-wavelength standard radio signal) received by the antenna 11 and extracts GPS information and time data as analog data.

The vehicle position detecting unit 14 calculates a relative position change of the own vehicle based on an angular velocity signal detected by a vehicle speed sensor 22 and a steering angle sensor 24, which will be described later, and a vehicle speed pulse signal, and an information processing unit. Output to 30.

The map information storage unit 16 stores map information files, road information files and the like. For example, the map information file records the map data used for navigation display, roads, facilities, etc., and the road information file stores road attributes (road names, one-way streets, etc.), road connections, etc. Data is recorded.

The sun locus storage unit 18 stores the sun locus for each date and time, that is, information indicating the altitude and direction of the sun.

The vehicle behavior detecting section 20 comprises a vehicle speed sensor 22, a steering angle sensor 24, etc. for detecting the current behavior of the vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 22 detects the vehicle speed pulse signal output according to the rotation of the wheels,
The steering angle sensor 24 detects the current speed of the own vehicle, and the steering angle sensor 24 detects the angular speed of the own vehicle (the rotation angle in the horizontal direction per unit time) to detect the amount of change in the moving direction.

The information processing section 30 includes a built-in memory (not shown).
Various system programs stored in are read and executed to centrally control each unit of the navigation device 100.
In addition, various application programs for navigation stored in the memory are read out, various processes such as a current position detection process and a direct sunlight warning process (see the flowchart shown in FIG. 2) described later are executed, and the process result is output as information. Output via the unit 40.

A removable recording medium (CD (Compact Disc)) on which the above-mentioned various system programs, various application programs, and various data are recorded in advance.
Alternatively, it may have a configuration capable of reproducing data of a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or the like. In this case, the information processing unit 3
0 reads and executes various programs recorded on the recording medium.

That is, the information processing section 30 includes the receiving section 12
Based on the current position data of the own vehicle input from, map data showing a certain range of area including the current position is read from the map information storage unit 16 and output to a display screen (not shown) of the display unit 42.

In parallel with the map display process, the information processing unit 30 receives the relative position data of the own vehicle input from the vehicle position detection unit 14 and the absolute position of the own vehicle input from the reception unit 12. Based on the data, the position (estimated position) on the two-dimensional coordinates is sequentially calculated for each constant traveling distance or for each constant traveling time and collated with the map data, and then the display unit 42.
The estimated position of the road on the map displayed in is corrected and displayed.

The information processing unit 30 stores time data managed by the receiving unit 12 when the traveling direction of the vehicle changes,
Relative position data of the own vehicle calculated by the vehicle position detection unit 14, behavior data of the own vehicle indicating the current speed and the change amount of the moving direction detected by the vehicle speed sensor 22 and the steering angle sensor 24, respectively, Based on the data indicating the altitude and direction of the sun recorded in the trajectory storage unit 18,
In addition to determining whether direct sunlight is coming into the driver's seat, if further direct sunlight is coming in, from the front, to the right 45
It is determined from which direction from the left or 45 degrees to the left the direct sunlight enters.

The information processing unit 30 determines that the direct sunlight is inserted when the sun is located within a range of an altitude of 30 degrees from the horizon and a range of 90 degrees to the left and right around the traveling direction of the vehicle, and further, When the sun is located within a range of 20 degrees to the left and right of the vehicle traveling direction, it is determined to be forward, and when the sun is located within a range of 20 to 90 degrees to the right of the vehicle traveling direction, it is determined to be 45 degrees to the right. If the sun is positioned in the range of 20 degrees to 90 degrees to the left centering on the traveling direction of the host vehicle, it is determined to be 45 degrees left. The angles serving as the above-described determination standards can be set appropriately according to the vehicle type and the like.

When the driver is exposed to direct sunlight, the information processing section 30 reads voice information indicating that the driver is exposed to direct sunlight and character data indicating the content of the voice information from the built-in memory, and the voice information and the characters are read. The data is output to the voice information output unit 44 and the display unit 42, respectively.

This voice information differs depending on the direction in which the direct sunlight is inserted. For example, when the direct sunlight is inserted from the front, the voice information announces that "the direct sunlight comes from the front", and the direct 45 ° right When sunlight comes in, it is the voice information that announces that "the direct sunlight will come from 45 degrees to the right", and when the direct sunlight comes from 45 degrees to the left, the voice information that announces that "the direct sunlight comes from 45 degrees to the left" Is. The voice information read from the built-in memory is converted into an analog voice signal by the voice information output unit 44, and then the driver is notified via the speaker 46.

The contents of the announcement can be arbitrarily set as long as it can be clearly heard from the front, 45 degrees to the right, or 45 degrees to the left that direct sunlight is coming in.

The information output section 40 comprises a display section 42, a voice information output section 44, a speaker 46 and the like. The display unit 42 includes a display device (not shown) such as a color liquid crystal display, and displays various display information for navigation input from the information processing unit 30 and character information indicating the content of the voice information, and the voice information. The output unit 44 converts the audio information input from the information processing unit 30 into an analog audio signal and outputs the analog audio signal to the speaker 46.

Next, the operation of the navigation device 100 to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. A program for implementing each function described in the flowchart of FIG. 2 below is stored in the built-in memory of the information processing unit 30 in the form of a readable program code, and the information processing unit 30 , The operation according to this program code is sequentially executed. Also, not shown CD, DV
It is also possible to execute the operation peculiar to the navigation device 100 by utilizing the program / data externally supplied from the D control unit or the like.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the direct sunlight warning process performed by the navigation device 100 to which the present invention is applied.

Here, it is assumed that the driver is driving during a sunny day. The information processing unit 30 confirms the current traveling direction of the own vehicle by the vehicle speed sensor 22 and the steering angle sensor 24 (step S10).

Next, the information processing section 30 is operated by the steering angle sensor 2
After detecting the amount of change in the moving direction of the vehicle (change in traveling direction) based on the detection result of step 4 (step S12), the traveling direction of the vehicle after the course change indicated by the detection result and the receiving unit 1 are detected.
Based on the current date / time information managed by 2 and the sun altitude and azimuth information stored in the sun locus storage unit 18, it is determined whether direct sunlight will be inserted into the driver's seat after the course is changed. In addition, when the direct sunlight is inserted, it is determined from which direction, from the front, the right 45 degrees, or the left 45 degrees, the direct sunlight is inserted (step S).
16).

Next, the information processing section 30 proceeds to step S16.
When it is determined that the direct sunlight is inserted at the stage (step S16; Yes), it is determined whether or not the driver is notified of this (step S18), and when it is determined that the direct sunlight is not inserted (step S18). (S16; No), it is determined whether or not there is an instruction to end this direct sunlight warning process (step S30).

If there is an instruction to end the direct sunlight warning processing (step S30; Yes), the information processing section 30.
Ends this alarm process and does not give an instruction to end the direct sunlight alarm process (step S30; N).
o), the process proceeds to step S10 and the above process is repeated.

In the step S18, if the driver has been notified that the direct sunlight is coming in (step S18; Ye)
s), the information processing section 30 proceeds to step S10 and repeats the above processing, and when the driver has not been notified (step S).
18; No), based on the determination result performed in step S16, it is determined whether or not direct sunlight is inserted from the front (step S20).

When the direct sunlight is inserted from the front (step S20; Yes), the information processing section 30 reads, for example, the voice information that announces "the direct sunlight is coming from the front" from the memory, and the read voice information is voiced. The information output unit 44 converts the analog voice signal to a speaker 46 and outputs the analog voice signal to the speaker 46 to notify the driver by voice, and displays the character data of the announcement on the display unit 42 to the driver. After notification (step S
22) and the process proceeds to step S30.

When the direct sunlight does not come in from the front (step S20; No), the information processing section 30 determines the step S.
Based on the result of the determination made in 16, it is determined whether or not direct sunlight is inserted from the right 45 degrees (step S24).

When the direct sunlight is inserted from the right 45 degrees (step S24; Yes), the information processing section 30 reads, from the memory, the voice information that announces that the direct sunlight will come from the right 45 degrees, for example. The voice information is converted into an analog voice signal by the voice information output unit 44, the analog voice signal is output to the speaker 46 to notify the driver of the fact by voice, and the character data of the announcement is displayed on the display unit 42. Then, the driver is notified (step S26), and the process proceeds to step S30.

When the direct sunlight is inserted from the left 45 degrees (step S24; No), the information processing section 30 reads from the memory the voice information that announces that the direct sunlight will come from the left 45 degrees, for example, and reads it. The voice information is converted into an analog voice signal by the voice information output unit 44, the analog voice signal is output to the speaker 46 to notify the driver of the fact by voice, and the character data of the announcement is displayed on the display unit 42. Then, the driver is notified (step S28), and the process proceeds to step S30.

As described above, the navigation device 100 to which the present invention is applied, the information indicating the sun altitude and direction corresponding to the current date and time stored in the sun locus storage unit 18 and the traveling direction of the vehicle. Based on the information indicating the change, it is determined whether or not the direct sunlight is inserted into the driver's seat, and from which direction the direct sunlight is inserted when the direct sunlight is inserted. Further, the navigation device 100 reads the audio information corresponding to the determination result from a memory (not shown) of the information processing unit 30, converts the read audio information into an analog audio signal through the audio information output unit 44, and then outputs the audio information to the speaker 46. Along with outputting, the character data indicated by the voice information is displayed on the display unit 42.

Therefore, since it is possible to notify the driver in advance that the direct sunlight will be inserted into the driver's seat due to the change in the traveling direction during driving, the sun visor should be lowered or the sunglasses should be put on the direct sunlight to be inserted after the change. You can do it in advance. Therefore, the driver's eyes will not be closed due to sudden sunlight coming in suddenly, and the driver will not be able to confirm the front direction, thereby improving safety during driving.

The description in this embodiment shows an example of the navigation device according to the present invention.
It is not limited to this. The detailed configuration and detailed operation of the navigation device 100 according to the present embodiment can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the opening direction of the road after the course change, which is indicated by a direction indicator (not shown), is calculated in advance, and based on the calculated data, whether or not the direct sunlight is inserted into the driver's seat after the course change. It may be configured to be able to determine.

Further, it may be so arranged that the change in the traveling direction due to the curve of the road on which the vehicle is traveling is calculated in advance, and whether or not the direct sunlight is inserted into the driver's seat can be determined based on the calculated change in the traveling direction.

Further, a configuration may be adopted in which whether or not to execute the warning processing of the direct sunlight is selected and input depending on the weather. In this case, the driver inputs in advance whether or not the weather is fine, and the input determines whether or not to perform the alarm process.

Further, in the present embodiment, the character data indicating the contents of the voice information is displayed on the display unit 42 when the direct sunlight is inserted into the driver's seat when the traveling direction is changed, but it is not limited to the character data. Alternatively, the driver may be notified by the color of the screen, blinking, or the like. For example, if direct sunlight comes in from the front, blink the entire screen in red,
When inserting from the right 45 degrees, blink the entire screen in blue,
When inserting from the left 45 degrees, it may be configured to blink in yellow.

[0046]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a navigation device capable of notifying the driver in advance that direct sunlight will enter the driver's seat when the traveling direction is changed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a navigation device 100 to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a direct sunlight warning process by the navigation device 100 to which the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 navigation device 11 antenna 12 Receiver 14 Vehicle position detector 16 Map information storage 18 Sun locus storage 20 Vehicle behavior detector 22 Vehicle speed sensor 24 Steering angle sensor 30 Information Processing Department 40 Information output section 42 Display 44 voice information output unit 46 speakers

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2C032 HC08                 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AC02 AC04                       AC06 AC13 AC14 AC18                 5H180 AA01 BB13 BB15 FF04 FF05                       FF22 FF25 FF27 FF32                 5J062 AA03 BB01 CC07 HH05

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A navigation device for constantly detecting a current position of a vehicle and searching for a recommended route to a destination, and a traveling direction calculating means for calculating the traveling direction after the change when the traveling direction is changed. , Sun position determining means for determining the current sun position based on the sun position information stored in advance for each date and time, the traveling direction of the vehicle calculated by the traveling direction calculating means, and the sun position determination Based on the current sun position determined by the means, the direct sunlight determining means for determining whether or not the direct sunlight is inserted into the driver's seat after the course change, and the direct sunlight is inserted into the driver's seat by the direct sunlight determining means. If it is determined that the above, a navigation device comprising: a notification means for notifying the driver of that fact. 2. The advancing direction calculating means calculates in advance the advancing direction after the advancing direction change based on the advancing direction of the host vehicle before the advancing direction change and the steering angle when the advancing direction is changed. The navigation device according to claim 1. 3. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the traveling direction calculation means calculates in advance the opening direction of the road after the course change, which is instructed by the direction indicator of the own vehicle. 4. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the traveling direction calculating means calculates in advance the traveling direction of the vehicle due to the bend of the road on which the vehicle is running. 5. A function of constantly detecting the current position of the own vehicle on a computer to search for a recommended route to a destination, a function of previously calculating the changed traveling direction when changing the traveling direction, and a date. And a function of determining the current sun position based on the sun position information stored in advance for each time, the calculated traveling direction of the own vehicle, and the current sun position determined by the sun position determining means. Based on the above, the function to determine whether or not direct sunlight will be inserted into the driver's seat after the course change and the function to notify the driver to that effect if it is determined that direct sunlight will be inserted into the driver's seat are realized. A program to let you. 6. A computer-readable storage medium for further realizing the function of calculating in advance the traveling direction after the traveling direction is changed based on the traveling direction of the vehicle before the traveling direction is changed and the steering angle when the traveling direction is changed. The program according to claim 5. 7. The program according to claim 5 or 6, for causing a computer to further realize in advance a function of calculating in advance the opening direction of the road after the course change, which is instructed by the turn indicator of the own vehicle. 8. The program according to any one of claims 5 to 7, for causing a computer to further realize in advance a function of calculating a traveling direction of the own vehicle due to a curve of a road on which the vehicle is running.