JP2003161630A - Route guiding method and navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to change an entrance or an exit of a freeway and select a desired route. <P>SOLUTION: The navigation system searches one or more routes 57, 58 when completing the search of route in a state in which freeways are given, priority or while running on the guided route in the case that the entrance of freeway is changed toward the side of the destination, or the exit of freeway is changed toward the side of the departure place in accordance with demands for changing the entrance or the exit of the freeway, displays information 55, 56 representing the running distance, the running time and the freeway fee of each route up to the destination, and carries out route guiding in accordance with a route selected among the displayed routes. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a route guidance method and a navigation device, and more particularly to a route guidance method and a navigation device for preferentially selecting a highway to search for a route from a starting point to a destination.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A navigation device detects the position of a vehicle, reads out map data around the vehicle position from a map storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, draws a map image on a display screen, and draws a predetermined image on the map image. Draw the vehicle mark on the spot. As the current position changes due to the movement of the vehicle, the vehicle mark is fixed at a predetermined position on the screen and the map is scrolled so that the map information around the vehicle position can always be seen at a glance. In addition, the navigation device searches for an optimum route from the starting point to the destination as a guide route, displays the guide route on the screen, and guides the driver to the destination. According to this route guidance function, when the vehicle reaches the vicinity of the intersection, an enlarged view of the intersection is displayed to indicate the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the traveling direction is indicated by voice so that the vehicle does not go in the wrong direction at the intersection. I have to.

When searching for a route to a destination, there are a search mode for preferentially selecting an expressway or a toll road and a search mode for preferentially selecting an ordinary road. The high-speed priority search mode allows the vehicle to travel as fast as possible or through toll roads (hereinafter referred to as "highways"). The optimal route from the departure point to the highway entrance, the optimal route from the destination to the highway exit, and the above Search for a highway route from the highway entrance to the highway exit, then route →
The route → is used as a guide route from the starting point to the destination.

[0004]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] According to the route searched in the high-speed priority mode (referred to as a recommended route), it is possible to reach the highway from the place of departure in the shortest time or in the shortest distance, and further, from the highway to the destination. It can be reached in time or the shortest distance. However, even if the expressway entrance is changed to the destination or the expressway exit is changed to the departure, there may be no significant difference in time. In these cases, the high-speed fare is low even though there is not much difference in time, so that it is considered that most users use the route with the high-speed fare lower than the recommended route as the guide route. However, since the conventional navigation device does not teach the above information, there is a problem that it is not possible to select, as the guide route, a route that does not differ much in time and has a low high-speed charge. From the above,
An object of the present invention is to search for a plurality of routes when changing the entrance or exit of a highway, display time information to each destination, distance information, and highway toll information, and select a desired route. To do so.

[0005]

The present invention is a navigation device for preferentially selecting a highway to search for a route from a starting point to a destination. At the time, a means for requesting a change in the expressway entrance or a change in the exit, a route search means for searching for one or more routes when the expressway entrance is changed toward the destination or the expressway exit is changed toward the departure place ,
Display means for displaying traveling distance information, traveling time information, high-speed toll information on each route, means for selecting a desired route from the displayed routes, route guidance for guiding the route according to the selected route Means. According to such a navigation device, when the route search is completed with priority on the high speed, or when the route is guided, the highway entrance is changed or the exit is changed, the highway entrance is changed to the destination or the highway is changed. Search for one or more routes when the exit is changed toward the departure point, display mileage information to the destination of each route, traveling time information, high speed toll information, and select the route from the displayed routes Can be routed according to.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION (A) Display Example by the Route Search Method of the Present Invention FIG. 1 shows a display example by the route search method of the present invention. Departure point (current vehicle location) in route search with high speed priority
The shortest time or the shortest distance from the highway entrance (Koriyama Minami)
Route to the destination, the route from the destination to the expressway exit (spring) in the shortest time or the shortest distance, the above expressway entrance
Expressway route from (Koriyama Minami) to the highway exit (spring),
And search for the route of → → route →
Obtain as a recommended route from the origin to the destination. When the route search based on the high-speed priority is completed, the recommended route 52 from the current position (departure point) to the destination is displayed as shown in FIG.
The travel time / highway toll information 51 is displayed, and further, a menu item 53 as to whether the highway entrance / exit is changed is displayed.

When changing the expressway entrance, refer to FIG.
"Yes" to "Do you want to change IC" in (a)?
Select. Then, although not shown, a menu item for selecting "highway entrance" and "highway exit" is displayed. If you want to see the mileage information, travel time information, and highway fare information when the expressway entrance is changed, select "Expressway entrance".

As a result, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), candidates (Koriyama, Motomiya, Nihonmatsu) to be the entrances to the expressway are obtained, a route through each candidate is searched, and the route to the destination of each route is traveled. The distance / traveling time / highway charge information 55 is displayed.
In Fig. 1 (b), a plurality of expressway entrance candidates (Koriyama, Motomiya, Nihonmatsu) and travel distance / traveling time / highway toll information of a route with each candidate as an expressway entrance are requested in response to a request to change the expressway entrance. 55 and a schematic route 57 from the vehicle position to the selected highway entrance (Koriyama) are displayed. Figure 1
When the desired expressway entrance is selected and determined in (b), the route passing through the entrance becomes the guide route.

On the other hand, if one wants to see the mileage information, the travel time information, and the highway toll information when the expressway exit is changed,
"Yes" to "Do you want to change IC" in (a)?
Select, and then select “Highway exit”. As a result, as shown in Fig. 1 (c), the candidates for the highway exit (Sendai Minami, Sendai Miyagi) are sought, the route that passes through each candidate is searched, and the distance traveled to the destination on each route / travel The time / highway charge information 56 is displayed. In Figure 1 (c),
Depending on the expressway exit change request, multiple expressway exit candidates (Sendai Minami, Sendai Miyagi) and the travel distance / travel time / highway toll information 56 of the route with each candidate as a highway exit
And an outline route 58 from the selected highway exit (Sendai Miyagi in the figure) to the destination is displayed. If the desired highway exit is selected and determined in FIG. 1 (c), the route passing through the exit becomes the guide route.

(B) Candidate determination method When a highway entrance change request is made, the entrance candidates are the distance from the present position to the expressway, the time from the present position to the expressway, and the time required from the present position to the destination. ,
It is decided based on one of the set interchange numbers. Method of determining entrance candidate based on distance from current position to highway If the distance from the current position to highway entrance is equal to or less than the sum of the distance to the highway entrance of the recommended route and the set distance, the highway The entrance is a candidate for entrance. As shown in Fig. 2, the distance to the recommended highway entrance (point A) is 15k.
m, set distance is 30km, the distance to the expressway is 45k
Expressway entrances of m or less are entrance candidates, and in FIG. 2, expressway entrances B and C are entrance candidates.

Method for determining entrance candidates based on the time from the current position to the expressway The required time from the present position to the expressway entrance is equal to or less than the sum of the required time to the expressway entrance of the recommended route and the set time. In this case, the expressway entrance becomes an entrance candidate. As shown in Figure 3, if the required time to the expressway entrance (point A) of the recommended route is 15 minutes and the set time is 30 minutes, the expressway entrance with the required time to the expressway is 45 minutes or less It becomes an entrance candidate, and in FIG. 3, the expressway entrances B and C become entrance candidates.

Method for determining entrance candidate based on required time from current position to destination The required time from the current position to a destination passing through a predetermined expressway entrance is defined as the required time to the destination on the recommended route and the set time. If the time is less than or equal to the added time, the expressway entrance becomes an entrance candidate. If the required time for the recommended route is 1 hour 30 minutes and the set time is 30 minutes, and if the required time when the expressway entrance is changed is within 2 hours, the expressway entrance will be an entrance candidate.

Method of determining entrance candidates by the number of set interchanges (IC number) A predetermined number of expressway entrances are set as candidate entrances regardless of distance or required time. That is, the set number of expressway entrances closer to the destination than the expressway entrance on the recommended route is set as the candidate entrance. In Fig. 1 (a), if the set number is 3, Koriyama near the destination from the highway entrance "Koriyama Minami" of the recommended route,
Motomiya and Nihonmatsu are candidates for highway entrances.

Although the above is the case of determining the candidate for the expressway entrance, the candidate for the expressway exit can be similarly determined. Determining exit candidates based on the distance from the destination to the highway If the distance from the destination to the highway exit is less than or equal to the distance from the recommended route destination to the highway exit plus the set distance, The highway exit is an exit candidate. Determining exit candidates based on the time from the destination to the highway The required time from the destination to the highway exit is less than or equal to the time required from the recommended route destination to the highway exit plus the set time In this case, the expressway exit is an exit candidate.

Method of Determining Entrance Candidate Based on Time Required from Current Position to Destination The time required from the current position to a destination passing through a predetermined expressway exit is calculated as the time required to reach the destination on the recommended route and the set time. If the time is less than or equal to the added time, the highway exit becomes an exit candidate. Method of deciding exit candidates based on the number of interchanges (IC) set A number of pre-set highway exits are set as exit candidates regardless of distance or required time. That is, the set number of highway exits closer to the departure place than the highway exits on the recommended route are set as candidate exits. In FIG. 1 (a), if the number of settings is 2, the highway exit "Izumi" of the recommended route will be Sendai Minami and Sendai Miyagi, which are close to the departure place, as highway exit candidates.

(C) Configuration of Navigation Device FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the navigation device of the present invention. In the figure, 11 is a map storage medium for storing map information, for example,
DVD (digital video disc), 12 is a DVD control unit for controlling reading of map information from the DVD, 13 is a position measuring device for measuring the current vehicle position, and 14 is map information around the vehicle position read from the DVD. Map information memory,
Reference numeral 15 denotes a remote controller for performing various settings and instructions by menu selection, as well as operations such as address input and enlargement / reduction,
Reference numeral 16 is a remote control interface.

Reference numeral 17 is a CPU (navigation control unit) for controlling the entire navigation device, and 18 is a ROM for storing various software and fixed data. As software, interchange change software (IC
Modified software) SF1, guided route search software SF2, route guidance software SF3, and the like.
19 is a work RAM for temporarily storing the guide route data and various processing results, 21 is a display controller for generating a map image / guide route, 22 is a video RAM for storing an image generated by the display controller, 23
Is a menu / list generating unit that generates various menus and lists, 24 is an image combining unit that combines and outputs various images, 25 is a display device (monitor) that displays the images output from the image combining unit, and 26 is an intersection It is a voice guidance unit that provides voice guidance about the distance to and the direction of travel.

(D) IC Change Processing FIG. 5 is an IC change processing flow of the present invention. When the destination is set and route search is requested, the navigation control unit
The (CPU) 17 performs a route search process according to the route search software SF2 (step 101). When the search for the recommended route is completed, it is checked whether the route search processing is performed in the high speed priority mode (step 102). If it is not the high speed priority mode, route guidance is performed according to the recommended route (step 110).

On the other hand, if the route search processing is performed in the high speed priority mode, the travel distance / required time / high speed charge to the destination of the recommended route is calculated (step 103), and these travel distance / required time / high speed charge information 51 is calculated. And outline of all recommended routes 5
2 is displayed as shown in FIG. In addition, the outline of all the recommended routes is the route from the current location to the expressway entrance,
Include a route from the highway exit to the destination, multiple ICs from the highway entrance to the destination, and multiple ICs from the highway exit to the departure place. Further, the IC change necessity menu 53 is displayed (step 104).

Next, check if IC change is required.
If not required (step 105), route guidance is performed according to the recommended route (step 110). However, if an IC change is requested, a menu item (not shown) for specifying whether the change of the expressway entrance IC or the change of the expressway exit IC is displayed, and the user uses the menu to enter the change. Change or
It is specified whether the exit is changed (step 106). If the expressway entrance IC is changed, the entrance candidate is obtained by one of the methods described in the candidate determination method in the section (B), one or more routes passing through these entrance candidates are searched, and each route is searched. Calculate the distance traveled to the destination / required time / expressway toll and use this information 55 as the recommended route distance / required time /
Display with high-speed toll information 51 as shown in FIG. 1 (b)
(Step 107).

On the other hand, if the expressway exit IC is changed,
The exit candidate is obtained by one of the methods described in the candidate determination method in the section (B), one or more routes passing through these exit candidates are searched, and the traveled distance / required time to the destination of each route. / Calculate the highway toll and use this information 56 together with the recommended route mileage / required time / highway toll information 51.
It is displayed as shown in (c) (step 108). The user selects the most preferable route by referring to the traveled distances, required times, and high-speed tolls of the displayed multiple routes. When the entrance is changed, the navigation control unit 5 passes through the changed expressway entrance from the current position and arrives at the general route 5 on the way to the expressway.
7 is displayed as shown in FIG. 1B, and if the exit is changed, a schematic route 58 from the middle of the expressway to the destination through the changed expressway exit is shown in FIG. 1C. Is displayed (step 109), and thereafter, the route is guided according to the selected route (step 110).

In the above, although the interchange is changed (process) after the route search process is completed, it is possible to change the expressway entrance and exit by requesting the IC change by remote control operation even during route guidance. For example, if an IC change request is generated by a remote control while running, the steps after step 106 in FIG. 5 are performed to change the entrance and exit of the expressway. In step 106, if there is an IC change request while traveling on a general road, it is automatically regarded as a change request for the expressway entrance, and if there is an IC change request while traveling on the expressway, it is automatically regarded as a change request for the expressway exit. Considering this, the processing of steps 107 and 108 and subsequent steps is performed.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the route search is completed with priority on the high speed or when the route is guided, the highway entrance is changed toward the destination by a change request of the highway entrance or a change request of the exit. Alternatively, search for one or more routes when the expressway exit is changed toward the departure point, display mileage information to the destination of each route, travel time information, highway toll information, and select from the displayed routes Since the route is guided according to the designated route, the user can determine the guided route by comparing one of the highway entrances and exits with one such as how much the fare is and how long it takes. That is, it depends on the user whether he wants to reduce the high-speed charge as much as possible or wants to arrive early, but according to the present invention, information is provided so that the user can make a final decision on route determination, and the route selected by the user Can be routed according to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a display example according to a route search method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an entrance candidate determination process based on a distance from a current position to an expressway.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an entrance candidate determination process based on a time required from a current position to an expressway.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a navigation device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an IC change processing flow of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

51 Recommended mileage, required time, high-speed toll 52 Outline of all recommended routes 53 IC change necessity menu 55 Distances, required times, high-speed fare 56 for multiple routes passing through each entrance candidate 56 Driving distances, required times, and highways tolls of multiple routes passing through 57 Approximate route that passes through the changed expressway entrance and reaches the middle of the highway 58 Destination after passing through the changed highway exit from the middle of the highway Outline route to

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Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A route guidance method in a navigation device for preferentially selecting a highway to search for a route from a starting point to a destination, wherein the route search is completed by high-speed priority, or when the route guidance travels. Depending on the request to change the entrance or the exit, change the expressway entrance closer to the destination, or change the expressway exit closer to the departure place, search for one or more routes, and drive to the destination of each route A route guidance method characterized by displaying distance information, traveling time information, and high-speed toll information and guiding the route according to the route selected from the displayed routes. 2. A plurality of entrance candidates for a highway and a rough route from a current vehicle position included in the selected route to a highway entrance are displayed together with the travel distance information, travel time information, and highway toll information. 2. The route guidance method according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The traveling distance information and traveling time information of the plurality of expressway exits and the general route from the expressway exits included in the selected routes to the destination are requested by a change request of the expressway exits. The route guidance method according to claim 1, wherein the route guidance is displayed together with the high-speed toll information. 4. The route searched by the change request for the entrance of the expressway is such that the travel distance to the expressway entrance of the route is the distance to the expressway entrance of the recommended route searched by the priority of high speed and the set distance. The route guidance method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the route is less than or equal to the distance obtained by adding 5. The route searched by the change request for the entrance of the expressway is the required travel time to the expressway entrance of the route, and the required travel time to the expressway entrance of the recommended route searched by the priority of high speed. The route guidance method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the route is a route that is equal to or shorter than a time including a set time. 6. The route searched by the change request for the entrance of the expressway is the required travel time to the destination of the route,
The route guidance method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the route is a route that is equal to or shorter than a time obtained by adding a required traveling time to a destination of the recommended route searched by the high-speed priority and a set time. 7. The route searched by the change request for the exit of the expressway is such that the travel distance from the expressway exit of the route to the destination is from the expressway exit of the recommended route searched by priority to high speed to the destination. The route guidance method according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the route is a route that is equal to or less than the sum of the distance and the set distance. 8. The route to be searched by the change request of the exit of the expressway is such that the required travel time from the expressway exit of the route to the destination is from the expressway exit of the recommended route searched by priority to high speed. The route guidance method according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the route is a route that is equal to or less than a time obtained by adding a required traveling time up to and a set time. 9. The route searched by the change request for the exit of the highway is the travel time required to reach the destination of the route.
The route guidance method according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the route is a route that is equal to or shorter than a time required for the recommended route searched by the high-speed priority to reach the destination and a set time. 10. A navigation device that preferentially selects a highway to search for a route from a starting point to a destination, and when the route search is completed by high-speed priority or when the route is guided, a request to change the highway entrance is made. Alternatively, a means for requesting a change of exit, a route search means for changing one or more routes when the highway entrance is changed toward the destination, or when the highway exit is changed to the departure point, the destination of each route Display means for displaying mileage information, travel time information, high-speed toll information, means for selecting a desired route from the displayed routes, and route guiding means for guiding the route according to the selected route. Characteristic navigation device.