JP2003279361A - Car navigation system and method and program for navigation - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide navigation technique i.e., a car navigation system, its method, and a program for navigation for presuming the position of a vehicle on board a navigation apparatus rapidly with high precision, even just after the vehicle goes out of a place, such as an underground parking lot or the like where a GPS wave cannot be received, by combining information on the entrances of an underground parking lot, etc., with a signal receiving condition in a GPS receiver. <P>SOLUTION: A map data base 16 is a means for storing road map data, etc., for route retrieval and map display by the use of a CD-ROM, etc., and is also a storage means for storing information 17 on the positions of the entrances of objects where reception of GPS waves is difficult. An object in this embodiment is an underground parking lot. A position correcting portion 45 corrects the position of the vehicle on board a navigation apparatus, on the basis of position information 17 on the nearest exit stored in the map data base 16, when a GPS wave becomes receivable, while an autonomous positioning portion 42 detects the position of the vehicle by autonomous positioning. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention combines information on the entrance and exit of an underground parking lot with the signal reception status of a GPS receiver to quickly provide information even immediately after leaving a place where GPS radio waves cannot be received, such as an underground parking lot. In addition, the present invention relates to a navigation technique for estimating the vehicle position with high accuracy, that is, a car navigation system and method, and a car navigation program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vehicle such as an automobile, a computer is used to estimate the position of the vehicle in real time,
A car navigation system is known as a device that outputs guidance guidance along an optimum route to a destination.

In the car navigation system, the estimation of the position of the vehicle, which is indispensable for guidance, is generally based on (1) GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning using satellite radio waves and (2) input of vehicle speed pulse and gyro sensor. Autonomous navigation positioning is combined, and further, (3) based on the coordinates of the vehicle position estimated by these, processing (map matching) for identifying the corresponding road or the like on the map is performed.
Of these, absolute position correction using GPS positioning eliminates vehicle speed pulses and gyro sensor integration errors.

However, when a vehicle enters an underground parking lot or a tunnel, GPS radio waves, which are signals from GPS satellites, cannot be received. During that time, the car navigation system estimates the vehicle position using only the vehicle speed pulse and the gyro sensor. If there is map data in the underground parking lot, for example, the vehicle position estimation by map matching is also combined with it.

[0005]

However, in a place where absolute position correction cannot be performed by the GPS positioning system, such as in an underground parking lot, the vehicle speed pulse and the gyro sensor integration error increase. Especially in the passages of underground parking lots,
There is a steep slope to move between different levels,
In many car navigation systems equipped with a single-axis (horizontal axis) gyro sensor, the error increases because the relationship between the number of vehicle speed pulses input and the horizontal movement distance is different from that in the horizontal state. Also, since there are few car navigation systems that have map information of underground parking lots in a database, it is difficult to perform position correction by map matching.

Due to these factors, when the vehicle goes out of the underground parking lot to the ground, the vehicle position estimated by the car navigation system has a large error, and the GPS positioning system receives the radio wave from the satellite. It is not corrected until two-dimensional or three-dimensional positioning is performed. Moreover,
In a high-rise building street, etc., the GPS radio wave reception environment is poor, so it takes longer than usual to perform GPS positioning operation. As a result, the user of the car navigation system can use the GPS
There was a problem that the accurate position could not be grasped for about 1 minute until the positioning was completed. Further, in high-rise buildings and the like where the radio wave environment is poor, the GPS positioning itself has a large error, so that there are cases where it remains largely displaced from the true vehicle position even after GPS positioning.

The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to provide information on the entrance and exit of an underground parking lot and the signal reception status of the GPS receiver. By combining them, it is possible to provide a navigation technology, that is, a car navigation system and method, and a car navigation program for promptly and accurately estimating the vehicle position immediately after leaving the place where GPS radio waves cannot be received, such as an underground parking lot. .

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a car navigation system according to claim 1 is a GPS system.
At least a satellite positioning unit that detects the position of the vehicle by satellite positioning using radio waves, an autonomous positioning unit that detects the position of the vehicle by autonomous positioning when the satellite positioning is not possible, and at least an object that is difficult to receive the GPS electromagnetic waves. A storage unit that stores position information about the exit, and a correction that corrects the vehicle position based on the position information of the nearest exit stored in the storage unit when the GPS radio wave can be received during the autonomous positioning. Means and are provided.

The invention of claim 10 is the invention of claim 1 which is grasped from the viewpoint of a method.
In a navigation method that uses S radio waves to guide a route, position information is stored in advance in a storage means for at least an exit of an object that is difficult to receive GPS radio waves, and the vehicle position is determined by satellite positioning using GPS radio waves. A satellite positioning step for detecting, an autonomous positioning step for detecting the vehicle position by autonomous positioning when the satellite positioning is not possible, and a GPS radio wave that can be received during the autonomous positioning and is stored in the storage means. It is characterized by including a correction step of correcting the position of the own vehicle based on the position information of the nearest exit.

A nineteenth aspect of the invention captures the inventions of the first and tenth aspects from the viewpoint of a computer program, and navigation by performing route guidance using GPS radio waves from GPS satellites by controlling the computer. In the computer program, the program causes the computer to store position information of at least an exit of the object that is difficult to receive the GPS radio wave in a storage unit in advance, and to detect the own vehicle position by satellite positioning using the GPS radio wave. When the satellite positioning cannot be performed, the vehicle position is detected by autonomous positioning, and when the GPS radio wave can be received during the autonomous positioning, based on the position information of the nearest exit stored in the storage means. The feature is that the vehicle position is corrected.

According to a second aspect of the invention, satellite positioning means for detecting the position of the vehicle by satellite positioning using GPS satellites, and GP
In a car navigation system provided with an autonomous positioning means for detecting the own vehicle position by autonomous positioning using at least one of a signal from a gyro sensor and a vehicle speed pulse when the own vehicle position cannot be detected using S satellites. , A storage unit for storing position information of an entrance / exit of an object such as an underground parking lot where GPS radio waves from the GPS satellite are hard to receive, and a GPS radio wave which is a signal from the GPS satellite during detection of the vehicle position by the autonomous positioning unit. When receiving
A correction unit that corrects the position of the own vehicle based on the exit position information stored in the storage unit.

The invention of claim 11 is the invention of claim 2 which is grasped from the viewpoint of a method, and a satellite positioning step for detecting the position of the own vehicle by satellite positioning using a GPS satellite,
An autonomous positioning step of detecting the vehicle position by autonomous positioning using at least one of a signal from a gyro sensor or a vehicle speed pulse when the vehicle position cannot be detected using a GPS satellite,
The position information of the entrance / exit of an object such as an underground parking lot where it is difficult to receive GPS radio waves from GPS satellites is stored in advance in the storage means, and is a signal from the GPS satellites during the vehicle position detection by the autonomous positioning step. When the GPS radio wave is received, a correction step of correcting the position of the own vehicle based on the position information of the exit stored in the storage means is included.

The invention of claim 20 captures the inventions of claims 2 and 11 from the viewpoint of a program of a computer. By controlling the computer, the own vehicle position is detected by satellite positioning using a GPS satellite. A satellite positioning step and an autonomous positioning step of detecting the vehicle position by autonomous positioning using at least one of a signal from a gyro sensor or a vehicle speed pulse when the vehicle position cannot be detected using a GPS satellite In the navigation program, the program causes the computer to store in advance in the storage means the position information of the entrance / exit of an object such as an underground parking lot in which GPS radio waves from GPS satellites are hard to be received, and the autonomous positioning step is performed. GP which is a signal from a GPS satellite while detecting the position of the own vehicle
When the S radio wave is received, a correcting step for correcting the position of the own vehicle is executed based on the position information of the exit stored in the storage means.

In these modes, the position information of where the entrance / exit is, or at least the position information of the exit is prepared in advance for a predetermined object such as an underground parking lot where it is difficult to receive GPS radio waves. And when the vehicle that is in the autonomous positioning, that is, in the underground parking lot, goes out to the ground or a place where the radio wave reception condition is good,
Make a correction to move the vehicle position to a nearby exit position. This allows you to capture the signal from one satellite
Accurate estimation of the position of the vehicle can be realized faster than waiting for a two-dimensional or three-dimensional positioning operation using PS.

The satellite positioning referred to here is not limited to the case where the autonomous positioning is not used at all, and at least four GPS radio waves can be received to identify the three-dimensional position, but in order to improve the position accuracy, a gyro or a vehicle speed pulse is used. Including the case of using the autonomous positioning by. On the other hand, the autonomous positioning means uses the GPS
It is a position detecting means when no signal from the satellite is obtained. Further, the present invention is applicable not only to an underground parking lot but to a GPS
It can also be applied to high-rise buildings and multi-storey parking lots where it is difficult to receive radio waves.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the car navigation system according to the first or second aspect, the GPS radio wave cannot be received at all, and the object is within a predetermined distance by referring to the storage means. When there is an entrance, the autonomous positioning means and the correction means are activated.

The twelfth aspect of the invention captures the invention of the third aspect from the viewpoint of a method. In the navigation method of the tenth or eleventh aspect, the GPS radio wave cannot be received at all, and When the entrance of the object is within a predetermined distance by referring to the storage means, the autonomous positioning step and the correction step are started.

The invention of claim 21 is the invention of claims 3 and 12 as viewed from the viewpoint of a computer program. In the navigation program of claim 20, the program is stored in the computer.
When no PS radio wave can be received and the entrance of the object is within a predetermined distance by referring to the storage means, the autonomous positioning step and the correction step are started.

In these modes, when no GPS radio wave can be received, if the entrance of the object such as an underground parking lot can be confirmed near from the information in the storage means, it is regarded as having entered the object. While starting autonomous positioning,
Since the correction means is activated in preparation for leaving the object,
Smooth and reliable operation according to the state is realized.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the car navigation system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the correction means has a predetermined distance from an exit in which the vehicle position before position correction is stored in the storage means. If it is within the range, the position of the own vehicle is corrected to the position of the exit.

The thirteenth aspect of the invention captures the invention of the fourth aspect from the viewpoint of a method. In the navigation method according to any one of the tenth to twelfth aspects, the correction step is performed before the position correction. When the vehicle position is within a predetermined distance from the exit stored in the storage means, the own vehicle position is corrected to the position of the exit.

A twenty-second aspect of the invention captures the inventions of the fourth and thirteenth aspects from the viewpoint of a computer program. In the navigation program of the twentieth or twenty-first aspect, the program corrects the position on the computer. When the previous vehicle position is within a predetermined distance from the exit stored in the storage means, the vehicle position is corrected to the position of the exit.

In these aspects, if it is known that there is an exit near the location based on the location information in the storage means, it is possible to quickly correct the location by a simple process of replacing the own vehicle location with the location information of the exit. .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the car navigation system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the correction means outputs one signal from a GPS satellite while the vehicle position is being detected by the autonomous positioning means. However, it is characterized by correcting the position of the own vehicle when received.

The invention of claim 14 is based on claims 10 to 13.
In the navigation method according to any one of items 1 to 5, when the correction step receives even one signal from a GPS satellite during the vehicle position detection by the autonomous positioning step,
The feature is that the position of the own vehicle is corrected.

The invention of claim 23 is from claim 20 to claim 22.
In the navigation program according to any one of the above, the program causes the computer to correct the vehicle position when any one signal from a GPS satellite is received during the vehicle position detection by the autonomous positioning step. And

In these modes, if one or more GPS radio waves are received without waiting for the reception of two or three GPS radio waves, the vehicle position is corrected by considering it as an exit. The time lag is reduced and agile navigation operation enables smooth usability.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the car navigation system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the correcting means changes a signal from a GPS satellite at every predetermined time after switching from satellite positioning to autonomous positioning. It is characterized by determining whether or not has been received.

The invention of claim 15 is obtained by considering the invention of claim 6 as a method. In the navigation method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, the correction step is performed from satellite positioning to autonomous positioning. It is characterized by determining whether or not a signal from a GPS satellite is received every predetermined time after switching to.

[0030] The invention of claim 24 is the invention of claims 6 and 15 which is grasped from the viewpoint of a computer program. In the navigation program according to any one of claims 20 to 23, the program is the computer. In addition, after switching from satellite positioning to autonomous positioning, it is determined whether or not a signal from a GPS satellite is received every predetermined time.

In these modes, after the satellite positioning is switched to the autonomous positioning, that is, after entering the underground parking lot or the like, a simple operation of periodically monitoring the presence or absence of GPS radio waves causes the exit of the exit. The vehicle position can be corrected without fail without fail.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the car navigation system according to any of the first to fourth aspects, the satellite positioning means performs the autonomous positioning in addition to the satellite positioning even when the satellite positioning is possible. It is characterized in that it is configured to be used together.

The invention of claim 16 is obtained by considering the invention of claim 7 as a method. In the navigation method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, the satellite positioning step is performed by the satellite positioning. It is characterized in that the autonomous positioning is used together with the satellite positioning even when possible.

The invention of claim 25 is obtained by considering the inventions of claims 7 and 16 as a computer program. In the navigation method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, the program is stored in the computer. In the satellite positioning step, the autonomous positioning is used in addition to the satellite positioning even when the satellite positioning is possible.

In these modes, not only when no GPS radio wave can be received, but also when one or more GPS radio waves can be received, it is possible to realize highly accurate vehicle position estimation by using the autonomous positioning together. For example, when only one to three GPS radio waves can be received, the vehicle position can be estimated with a certain accuracy by using the GPS positioning together with the autonomous positioning.

The invention of claim 8 is the car navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the object which is difficult to receive GPS radio waves is an underground parking lot.

The invention of claim 17 is obtained by considering the invention of claim 8 as a method. In the navigation method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, the G
An object that is difficult to receive PS radio waves is an underground parking lot.

In these modes, by applying to the underground parking lot, comfortable navigation operation can be realized by accurate vehicle position estimation even in the center of a large city where land is precious and there are many underground parking lots.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the car navigation system according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the object which is difficult to receive the GPS radio wave is a multi-storey parking lot.

The invention of claim 18 is obtained by considering the invention of claim 9 as a method. In the navigation method according to any one of claims 10 to 17, the G
The object that is difficult to receive PS radio waves is a multi-storey parking lot.

In these modes, by applying the multi-storey parking lot, the comfortable navigation operation can be realized by accurately estimating the own vehicle position even in the center of a large city where the land is precious and there are many multi-storey parking lots.

[0042]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present embodiment is realized by controlling a computer with a program, but in this case, the implementation modes of the hardware and software can be changed in various ways. Therefore, in the following description, the present invention and the embodiment will be described. Virtual circuit blocks that realize each function are used.

[1. Configuration] The present embodiment relates to a car navigation system (hereinafter referred to as "this system") and a navigation method executed on this system, and can be understood as a navigation program for realizing these.

Of these, as shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. 1, this system includes a car navigation system body 1
5, a display device 10 such as a liquid crystal display panel and an input device 11 such as a remote control unit or panel switch
, GPS receiver 12, gyro sensor 14, CD
A map database 16 using a medium such as -ROM or DVD-ROM or a drive device is connected.

Further, the car navigation system body 1
The CPU 18 provided in the memory 5 includes a memory 6 (ROM, DR
Based on the control by the navigation program while utilizing (AM, SRAM, etc.), it plays the role of each of the following parts shown in FIG.

That is, the satellite positioning section 41 is a satellite positioning means for detecting the position of the own vehicle by satellite positioning using GPS radio waves which are signals from GPS satellites. Autonomous positioning unit 42
Is an autonomous positioning means for detecting the vehicle position by autonomous positioning using the signal from the gyro sensor 14 and the vehicle speed pulse 13 when the satellite positioning unit 41 cannot perform satellite positioning using GPS satellites.

The satellite positioning referred to here is not limited to the case where the autonomous positioning is not used at all, and at least four GPS radio waves can be received and the three-dimensional position can be specified. Including the case of using the autonomous positioning by. On the other hand, the autonomous positioning unit 42 uses the GP
It is a position detecting means when no signal from the S satellite is obtained. That is, the satellite positioning unit 41 may be configured to use the autonomous positioning in addition to the satellite positioning even when the satellite positioning is possible.

The current position calculation unit 43 is a unit for calculating the current position in the form of longitude and latitude based on the result of at least one of satellite positioning and autonomous positioning. The map matching unit 44 is a unit that collates where the current position calculated in this way corresponds to an element such as a road on the road map data.

The map database 16 is a CD-R.
This is a means for storing road map data for route search and map display using the OM or the like.
It is also a storage unit that stores position information (also referred to as "underground parking lot entrance / exit position information" or simply "position information") 17 regarding each entrance / exit of an object for which PS radio waves are difficult to receive. Here, the object in this embodiment is an underground parking lot.

In addition, the position correction unit 45 includes the autonomous positioning unit 42.
Is a means for correcting the vehicle position based on the position information 17 of the nearest exit stored in the map database 16 when GPS radio waves can be received during the vehicle position detection by the autonomous positioning.

The process of detecting exit from the exit of the underground parking lot is preferably started when entering the entrance. Specifically, the control unit 46 cannot receive any GPS radio wave. In addition, when the entrance to the underground parking lot is located within a predetermined distance by referring to the map database 16, the autonomous positioning unit 41 and the position correction unit 45 are activated. In addition, after the satellite positioning is switched to the autonomous positioning (that is, after entering the underground parking lot) in this way, the position correction unit 45 determines whether or not the signal from the GPS satellite is received every predetermined time. Is configured.

Further, the position correcting section 45 is configured to correct the own vehicle position to the position of the exit when the position of the own vehicle before the position correction is within a predetermined distance from the exit stored in the map database 16. ing. Further, the position correction unit 45
It is configured to correct the position of the own vehicle when any signal from a GPS satellite is received while the position of the own vehicle is being detected by the autonomous positioning unit 41.

The input section 47 is a section for processing information input such as destination designation and operation instruction from the input device 11, and the route search section 48 calculates an optimum route to a given destination. The guide output unit 4
Reference numeral 9 is a part for outputting route guidance such as turning to the left or right for traveling along the route according to the current position from the display device 10 or a voice synthesis circuit (not shown).

[2. Operation] In the present embodiment configured as described above, the current position of the vehicle is obtained as follows. [2-1. Calculation of Current Position] As an outline, in the car navigation system main body 15, the CPU 18 inputs the GPS receiving unit 12, the vehicle speed pulse 13, the gyro sensor 14, and the map matching by the map database 16 to determine the own vehicle position at regular intervals. The estimation process is executed to estimate the vehicle position.

Specifically, the satellite positioning section 41 detects the position of the vehicle by satellite positioning using GPS radio waves received by the GPS receiver 12, and the autonomous positioning section 42 detects the satellite positioning section 41.
When satellite positioning cannot be performed using GPS satellites,
The vehicle position is detected by autonomous positioning using the signal from the gyro sensor 14 and the vehicle speed pulse 13. As for satellite positioning, a mode may be used in which the GPS receiving unit 12 calculates up to a positioning position such as longitude and latitude and the role of the satellite positioning unit 41 is fulfilled.

In this case, in FIG. 1, the GPS receiver 1
The "reception status" from 2 is from which satellite the GPS radio wave, that is, the signal radio wave is received, and the "positioning" is the positioning position calculated based on the signal radio wave.

Then, based on the result of at least one of the satellite positioning and the autonomous positioning, the current position calculation unit 43 calculates the current position in the form of longitude and latitude. In addition, the map matching unit 44, the current position calculated in this way,
It collates which of the elements such as roads on the road map data corresponds.

[2-2. Entry into Underground Parking Lot] Also, in the own vehicle position estimation process executed at regular intervals, a process of determining whether or not the vehicle is in the underground parking lot is performed. That is, the control unit 46 of the car navigation system body 15
Is regarded as having entered the underground parking lot when no GPS radio wave can be received and when there is an entrance to the underground parking lot within a predetermined distance by referring to the map database 16,
The autonomous positioning unit 41 and the position correction unit 45 are activated.

Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that a car enters the underground parking lot 27 from the entrance 21. In this case, it is assumed that the map database 16 stores the position information 17 regarding the entrance and exit of the underground parking lot. The position information 17 may have any specific format, and includes, for example, information such as "exit, entrance, or exit" and "latitude / longitude" information.

Then, in the process of determining whether or not the user is in the underground parking lot, as shown in the flowchart of FIG.
When GPS signals cannot be received on all channels of the receiver 12 (step 11), the map database 1
The underground parking lot entrance / exit position information 17 in 6 is searched to see if there is an underground parking lot entrance within a predetermined distance (step 12).

At this time, if the entrance position is within a predetermined distance from the estimated own vehicle position (step 13), the current own vehicle position is determined to be in the underground parking lot (step 13), and the autonomous positioning unit 41 and position correction are performed. The section 45 starts to operate and returns to the own vehicle position estimation processing again. When the entrance position is not within the predetermined distance from the estimated own vehicle position (step 13)
For example, when the entrance is changed and the database is old, there is radio interference, a shield, a breakdown, etc., and it is not determined that the underground parking lot is inside.

[2-3. Position correction when exiting] And,
After switching from satellite positioning to autonomous positioning as described above (that is, after entering the underground parking lot), the position correction unit 45
It is determined whether or not a signal from a GPS satellite is received every predetermined time. Then, the position correction unit 45 uses the autonomous positioning unit 4
When even one GPS radio wave can be received during the autonomous positioning by 2, if the vehicle position at that time is within a predetermined distance from the nearest exit stored in the map database 16, the position information 17 of the exit is obtained. Correct the vehicle position to the position indicated by.

For example, in the case of FIG. 2, it is assumed that the car exits the underground parking lot 27 using the exit A. GPS at this time
It is assumed that the actual position of the vehicle when the receiver 12 receives a signal from the satellite even with one channel is the position P, the car navigation system body 15 is the vehicle speed pulse 13, and the position estimated using the gyro sensor 14 is the position P2.

In this case, the position correction unit 45 of the car navigation system body 15 is in an active state after it is determined in step 14 of FIG. 3 that the vehicle is inside the underground parking lot. As an actual process, an underground parking lot exit process as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is performed in the own vehicle position estimation process executed at predetermined time intervals.

In this process (FIG. 4), when the estimated vehicle position is determined to be in the underground parking lot (step 21), G
If there is any one of the channels of the PS receiver 12 that is receiving the signal from the satellite (step 2)
2) Determining that the vehicle has gone to the ground, canceling the determination that the vehicle position is inside the underground parking lot (step 23), exit information of the underground parking lot where the vehicle is currently located, that is, the current position The closest exit information is searched from the underground parking lot entrance / exit position information 17 in the map database 16 (step 24).

At this time, the "entrance / exit" is judged to be the exit. That is, the “entrance” is not included in the selection candidates, but the “entrance / exit” in which the exit and the entrance are shared is included in the candidates. In step 26, if the exit does not exist within the predetermined distance from the estimated own vehicle position, for example, the entrance has changed and the database is old, there is radio interference, a shield, a breakdown, or the like. , No modification is made.

Then, the exit position information is obtained from the exit information, and the distance from the estimated own vehicle position is calculated (step 25). If this distance is less than or equal to the predetermined set value shown in FIG. 2, that is, the set radius r (step 26), the position correction unit 45 moves the estimated own vehicle position to the exit A (step 27), and the own vehicle Approach the true position of. At this time, as the estimated vehicle traveling direction, the one estimated by the vehicle position estimation processing is used as it is.

Here, since it takes about 10 seconds for the GPS receiver to capture a signal from one satellite when the vehicle goes out on the ground, the GPS receiver performs positioning operation in this embodiment. After that (about 1 minute), it is possible to get closer to the true position earlier than the conventional system that corrects the vehicle position.

[3. [Effect] As described above, in the present embodiment, the position information of where the entrance / exit is, or at least the position information of the exit is prepared in advance for a predetermined object such as an underground parking lot where it is difficult to receive GPS radio waves. Then, during autonomous positioning, that is, when a vehicle in an underground parking lot or the like exits on the ground or in a place where radio wave reception is good, correction is performed to move the own vehicle position to a nearby exit position. As a result, by only capturing the signal from one satellite, it is possible to realize accurate vehicle position estimation earlier than waiting for a two-dimensional or three-dimensional positioning operation using GPS.

Further, in the present embodiment, if no GPS radio wave can be received, and if the entrance of the object such as the underground parking lot can be confirmed nearby from the information in the storage means, it means that the object has entered. Assuming that the autonomous positioning is started and the correction means is activated in preparation for leaving the object, a smooth and reliable operation according to the state is realized.

Further, in the present embodiment, if it is known that there is an exit near the location based on the location information in the storage means, it is possible to quickly correct the location by a simple process of replacing the own vehicle location with the location information of the exit. Becomes

Further, in this embodiment, two or three GPs are used.
If you receive even one S radio wave without waiting for S radio wave reception, it will be regarded as an exit and the position of your vehicle will be corrected, so the time lag for position correction when you leave the underground parking lot etc. will be reduced, and agile navigation operation will ensure smooth usability. Is realized.

Further, in this embodiment, after the satellite positioning is switched to the autonomous positioning, that is, after entering the underground parking lot or the like, the exit is made by a simple operation of periodically monitoring the presence or absence of GPS radio waves. In this case, the own vehicle position can be surely corrected without omission.

Further, in the present embodiment, not only when no GPS radio wave can be received, but also when one or more GPS radio waves can be received, highly accurate estimation of the vehicle position can be realized by using the autonomous positioning together. It For example, when only one to three GPS radio waves can be received, the vehicle position can be estimated with a certain accuracy by using the GPS positioning together with the autonomous positioning.

Further, in the present embodiment, by applying the underground parking lot as a target, a comfortable navigation operation can be realized by accurate vehicle position estimation even in the center of a large city where land is precious and there are many underground parking lots. .

[4. Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and includes other embodiments as illustrated below. For example, the application target of the present invention is not limited to an underground parking lot, a place where GPS signals cannot be received and map matching cannot be performed,
In particular, unlike ordinary roads, the route of movement is not constant, and it can be used in a place where it is possible to travel in a wide area in all directions, such as a tunnel. Similarly, the present invention can be applied to a multi-storey parking lot as an object that is difficult to receive GPS radio waves. As a result, a comfortable navigation operation can be realized by accurately estimating the vehicle position even in the center of a large city where the land is precious and there are many multistory parking lots.

[0077]

As described above, according to the present invention, by combining the information about the entrance and exit of an underground parking lot and the signal reception status of the GPS receiver, it is possible to receive GPS radio waves from a place such as an underground parking lot. It is possible to provide a navigation technology for quickly and accurately estimating the position of the own vehicle even immediately after the vehicle exits, that is, a car navigation system and method, and a car navigation program.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a vehicle entering and advancing in an underground parking lot in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure relating to determination as to whether or not an underground parking lot is used in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure regarding an underground parking lot exit in the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Display device 11 ... Input device 12 ... GPS receiver 121 ... GPS antenna 13 ... Vehicle speed pulse 14 ... Gyro sensor 15 ... Car navigation system body 16 ... Map database 17 ... Location information 18 ... CPU 41 ... Satellite positioning unit 42 ... Autonomous positioning unit 43 ... Current position calculation unit 44 ... Map matching unit 45 ... Position correction unit 47 ... Input section 48 ... Route search unit 49 ... Guidance output section

Continued front page    F term (reference) 2C032 HB02 HB22 HC08 HC15 HC31                       HD16 HD30                 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AC02 AC04                       AC14 AD01                 5H180 AA01 BB13 FF04 FF05 FF07                       FF22 FF27 FF33                 5J062 AA01 AA03 BB01 CC07 EE01                       FF04

Claims (25)

[Claims] 1. A satellite positioning means for detecting a vehicle position by satellite positioning using GPS radio waves, an autonomous positioning means for detecting a vehicle position by autonomous positioning when the satellite positioning is not possible, and reception of the GPS radio waves. A storage unit that stores position information about at least an exit of a difficult object; and when the GPS radio wave becomes receivable during the autonomous positioning, the storage unit stores the position information based on the position information of the nearest exit stored in the storage unit. A car navigation system comprising: a correcting means for correcting a vehicle position. 2. A satellite positioning means for detecting a vehicle position by satellite positioning using a GPS satellite and at least one of a signal from a gyro sensor or a vehicle speed pulse when the vehicle position cannot be detected using a GPS satellite. In a car navigation system equipped with an autonomous positioning means for detecting the position of the own vehicle by autonomous positioning using GPS, store the position information of the entrance / exit for an object such as an underground parking lot where GPS radio waves from GPS satellites are difficult to receive. When a GPS radio wave, which is a signal from a GPS satellite, is received while the vehicle position is detected by the storage unit and the autonomous positioning unit, the vehicle position is corrected based on the exit position information stored in the storage unit. A car navigation system comprising: a correcting means. 3. When the GPS radio wave cannot be received at all and the entrance of the object is within a predetermined distance by referring to the storage means, the autonomous positioning means and the correction means are activated. The car navigation system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that. 4. The correcting means corrects the vehicle position to the position of the exit when the position of the vehicle before position correction is within a predetermined distance from the exit stored in the storage means. The car navigation system according to claim 1. 5. The correction means corrects the vehicle position when any one signal from a GPS satellite is received while the vehicle position is being detected by the autonomous positioning means. The car navigation system according to any one of 1. 6. The correction unit determines whether or not a signal from a GPS satellite has been received at predetermined time intervals after switching from satellite positioning to autonomous positioning. The car navigation system described in Crab. 7. The satellite positioning means is configured to use the autonomous positioning in addition to the satellite positioning even when the satellite positioning is possible. Car navigation system described. 8. The object which is difficult to receive the GPS radio wave is
The car navigation system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is an underground parking lot. 9. The object which is difficult to receive the GPS radio wave is
9. The car navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the car navigation system is a multi-storey parking lot. 10. A navigation method for guiding a route using GPS radio waves from GPS satellites, wherein position information is stored in advance in a storage means for at least an exit of an object that is difficult to receive the GPS radio waves. A satellite positioning step of detecting the own vehicle position by the satellite positioning used, an autonomous positioning step of detecting the own vehicle position by the autonomous positioning when the satellite positioning cannot be performed, and the GPS radio wave can be received during the autonomous positioning. In this case, the navigation method further comprises a correcting step of correcting the position of the vehicle based on the position information of the nearest exit stored in the storage means. 11. A satellite positioning step of detecting a vehicle position by satellite positioning using a GPS satellite and at least one of a signal from a gyro sensor or a vehicle speed pulse when the vehicle position cannot be detected using a GPS satellite. In a navigation method including an autonomous positioning step of detecting the position of the vehicle by autonomous positioning using, the location information of the entrance / exit is stored in advance in a storage unit for an object such as an underground parking lot where GPS radio waves from GPS satellites are difficult to receive. When the GPS radio wave which is a signal from a GPS satellite is received while the vehicle position is being detected by the autonomous positioning step, the vehicle position is corrected based on the exit position information stored in the storage means. A navigation method comprising the step of: 12. The autonomous positioning step and the correction step are started when no GPS radio wave can be received and the entrance of the object is within a predetermined distance by referring to the storage means. The navigation method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that. 13. The correcting step corrects the own vehicle position to the position of the exit when the position of the own vehicle before the position correction is within a predetermined distance from the exit stored in the storage means. The navigation method according to claim 10. 14. The correction step corrects the vehicle position when any one signal from a GPS satellite is received during the vehicle position detection by the autonomous positioning step. Navigation method according to any one of. 15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the correcting step determines whether or not a signal from a GPS satellite is received at predetermined time intervals after switching from satellite positioning to autonomous positioning. The navigation method described in. 16. The navigation method according to claim 10, wherein the satellite positioning step uses the autonomous positioning together with the satellite positioning even when the satellite positioning is possible. 17. The navigation method according to claim 10, wherein the object that is difficult to receive GPS radio waves is an underground parking lot. 18. The navigation method according to claim 10, wherein the object that is difficult to receive the GPS radio waves is a multi-storey parking lot. 19. By controlling a computer,
In a navigation program for guiding a route using GPS radio waves from GPS satellites, the program causes the computer to store position information of at least an exit of an object that is difficult to receive the GPS radio waves in a storage unit in advance. When the vehicle position is detected by satellite positioning using GPS radio waves, the vehicle position is detected by autonomous positioning when the satellite positioning is not possible, and when the GPS radio waves can be received during the autonomous positioning, the memory is stored. A navigation program characterized in that the position of the vehicle is corrected based on the position information of the nearest exit stored in the means. 20. By controlling a computer,
A satellite positioning step of detecting a vehicle position by satellite positioning using a GPS satellite, and an autonomous positioning using at least one of a signal from a gyro sensor or a vehicle speed pulse when the vehicle position cannot be detected using a GPS satellite. In the navigation program for executing the autonomous positioning step of detecting the own vehicle position by the program, the program provides the computer with position information of the entrance and exit of an object such as an underground parking lot where GPS radio waves from GPS satellites are hard to receive. When the GPS radio wave, which is a signal from a GPS satellite, is received during the vehicle position detection by the self-positioning step, it is stored in advance in the storage means, and based on the exit position information stored in the storage means, A navigation program characterized by executing a correction step for correcting a vehicle position. 21. When the computer cannot receive any of the GPS radio waves and there is an entrance of the object within a predetermined distance by referring to the storage means, the program causes the autonomous positioning step and 21. The navigation program according to claim 20, wherein the correction step is started. 22. The program causes the computer to correct the own vehicle position to the position of the exit when the position of the own vehicle before position correction is within a predetermined distance from the exit stored in the storage means. 22. The navigation program according to claim 20 or 21. 23. The program causes the computer to correct the vehicle position when any one of the signals from GPS satellites is received during the vehicle position detection in the autonomous positioning step. 22. The navigation program according to any one of 22. 24. The program causes the computer to determine whether or not a signal from a GPS satellite is received every predetermined time after switching from satellite positioning to autonomous positioning. The navigation program according to any one of 1. 25. Any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the program causes the computer to use the autonomous positioning together with the satellite positioning even when the satellite positioning is possible in the satellite positioning step. The navigation method described in.