JP2004077397A - Traffic information receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a traffic information receiver to plainly provide AM-band traffic information in the form of images as well as in the form of voices by utilizing a screen display also. <P>SOLUTION: The traffic information receiver is provided with a display control section 8 which controls a display 7 to display a navigation screen when the AM-band traffic information is received. Even when the user of this receiver sets a display 7 to display an audio screen, the user can confirm the state of a road in the form of images as well as in the form of voices, because a navigation picture is displayed on the display 7 by automatically switching the audio screen to the navigation screen when the user presses a traffic information button to set a state where the user can listen to the traffic information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a traffic information receiving apparatus, and is particularly suitable for use in an in-vehicle traffic information receiving apparatus that receives traffic information broadcasted by an AM band traffic information broadcasting station.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Most of recent vehicles are equipped with various electronic devices. The mounted electronic devices include, for example, an audio device that reproduces music recorded on a CD (compact disk), MD (mini disk), cassette tape, or the like, a radio tuner that reproduces a received radio broadcast, a received television There are a television tuner that reproduces a John broadcast, a navigation device that guides a vehicle to travel and enables a driver to easily reach a desired destination.
[0003]
In an integrated device equipped with various electronic devices such as an audio device, a radio tuner, a TV tuner, and a navigation device, a single display device is used to appropriately switch and display an audio screen, a radio screen, a television screen, a navigation screen, and the like. It is supposed to.
[0004]
With the above-described radio tuner, it is possible to receive and listen to various types of traffic information, including traffic congestion on the road, occurrence of falling objects and accident vehicles, and construction. This traffic information is broadcast by a dedicated AM wave of 1620 KHz / 1629 KHz via an antenna installed on the side of the road. This traffic information is broadcast only in a specific section of the road, and the section is usually marked with "traffic information". In most cases, the driver can directly call the traffic information broadcasting station without switching to the radio mode by operating a predetermined button while looking at the road sign.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the integrated device equipped with the various electronic devices, the driver can listen to the AM traffic information by operating the traffic information button. However, there is a problem in that it is only possible to hear traffic information as voice, and it is difficult to understand as an image how and where the traffic congestion continues and where construction and accident vehicles exist.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem. Traffic information broadcasted by an AM band traffic information broadcasting station can be understood not only as audio but also as an image using a screen display. The purpose is to make it easy to provide.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the traffic information receiving apparatus of the present invention controls the navigation information to be displayed on the display means when receiving the traffic information broadcast by the AM band traffic information broadcasting station. I do. As a result, for example, even if the audio screen is displayed on the display means, when receiving traffic information, the screen automatically switches to the navigation screen, and it is possible to check the road conditions as images as well as voices It becomes.
[0008]
Specifically, when an operation for instructing reception of traffic information is performed and the user can listen to the traffic information, the display automatically switches to the navigation screen. In addition, when it is detected that the vehicle has reached the point where the traffic information is broadcast using the map information of the navigation device, the screen is automatically switched to the navigation screen. At this time, the traffic information is automatically received at the same time as the switching to the navigation screen, and it is possible to confirm the road condition by both voice and image.
[0009]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
(1st Embodiment)
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the traffic information receiving device according to the first embodiment.
[0010]
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a navigation device that guides a vehicle so that a driver can easily reach a desired destination. Reference numeral 2 denotes an audio device which reproduces music or the like recorded on a CD / MD / cassette tape or the like. A radio tuner 3 receives and reproduces AM and FM radio broadcasts. The radio tuner 3 can receive traffic information broadcasted by an AM band 1620 KHz / 1629 KHz traffic information broadcasting station via an antenna installed on the side of the road.
[0011]
Reference numeral 4 denotes an operation unit such as a remote controller (remote controller), which is used by a user to set various information on the navigation device 1, the audio device 2, and the radio tuner 3 and to perform various operations. (Buttons, joysticks, etc.). The user issues an instruction to receive traffic information by operating a traffic information button on the remote controller 4. The traffic information button is also provided on the main body of the radio tuner 3, and it is possible to receive traffic information by operating this button. In any case, the traffic information broadcasting station can be directly called by operating the traffic information button.
[0012]
Reference numeral 5 denotes a sound generator, which is a sound of the navigation device 1 (such as a sound of an intersection guide or a sound of various operation guides), a sound of the audio device 2 (a sound reproduced from a CD / MD / cassette tape, etc.), and a radio tuner. 3 (sound of the received radio broadcast). Reference numeral 6 denotes a speaker that outputs the sound generated by the sound generation unit 5 to the outside.
[0013]
A display unit (display) 7 displays various information on a screen. In the present embodiment, the navigation screen provided by the navigation device 1, the audio screen provided by the audio device 2, and the radio screen provided by the radio tuner 3 are appropriately switched and displayed using one display 7. I do.
[0014]
The navigation screen displays map data near the current position of the vehicle detected using a self-contained navigation sensor or a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, and displays a vehicle position mark indicating the vehicle position at a predetermined position on the screen. Display them superimposed. Then, as the current position changes due to the movement of the vehicle, the vehicle position mark is moved on the screen, or the vehicle position mark is fixed to a predetermined position on the screen and the map data in the vicinity is scrolled, Be able to see at a glance where the vehicle is currently traveling.
[0015]
The audio screen displays information such as the type of resource such as a CD / MD / cassette tape, the title of the disc, the name of the song currently being played, the track number, the playing time, the current volume, and the type of playback mode. On the radio screen, information such as AM / FM discrimination, current reception frequency, and current volume is displayed.
[0016]
Reference numeral 8 denotes a display control unit, which controls screen display on the display 7. The display control unit 8 has a screen switching unit 8a as a function. The screen switching unit 8a switches and displays a corresponding screen in principle according to which of the navigation device 1, the audio device 2, and the radio tuner 3 is used. That is, the display is switched to the navigation screen when the use of the navigation apparatus 1 is selected, the audio screen when the use of the audio apparatus 2 is selected, and the radio screen when the use of the radio tuner 3 is selected. I do.
[0017]
However, the screen switching unit 8a controls the navigation screen to be displayed when the traffic information is received, regardless of what has been displayed on the display 7 until then. That is, when the user presses the traffic information button while the audio screen or the radio screen is displayed on the display 7, the screen switching unit 8a performs control so that the screen is switched to the navigation screen and displayed. Conversely, when the user releases the traffic information button after the navigation screen is displayed on the display 7 by such switching, the screen switching unit 8a switches the navigation screen to the original audio screen or radio screen and displays the navigation screen. To control.
[0018]
FIG. 2 shows an example of a screen switching operation by the screen switching unit 8a. As shown in FIG. 2, it is assumed that use of the audio device 2 is selected by operating the remote controller 4, an audio screen is displayed on the display 7, and an audio reproduction signal is output from the speaker 6. When the user presses the traffic information button in such a state, the received traffic information is output from the speaker 6. At this time, the screen switching unit 8a switches the audio screen previously displayed on the display 7 to the navigation screen. Thereafter, when the user releases the traffic information button, the original audio reproduction signal is output from the speaker 6. At this time, the screen switching unit 8a switches the navigation screen displayed on the display 7 to the original audio screen by the previous switching.
[0019]
Although the switching between the audio screen and the navigation screen is shown here, the same applies to the switching between the radio screen and the navigation screen. Although not shown in FIG. 1, other electronic devices such as a TV tuner, a DVD player, a video CD, and a VTR are provided, and when these screens are switched and displayed on the display 7, these screens are displayed. Control is performed so as to switch and display the navigation screen in the same manner.
[0020]
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a specific configuration example of the navigation device 1. Note that, in FIG. 3, components denoted by the same reference numerals as those illustrated in FIG. 1 have the same functions as each other, and thus redundant description will be omitted here.
In FIG. 3, reference numeral 11 denotes a map storage medium such as a DVD-ROM, which stores various map data necessary for map display, route finding, and the like. Here, the DVD-ROM 11 is used as a recording medium for storing map data, but another recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a hard disk may be used. A DVD-ROM control unit 12 controls reading of map data from the DVD-ROM 11.
[0021]
The map data recorded on the DVD-ROM 11 is managed in a hierarchy of units called levels, from a high-level map for overlooking a wide area to a low-level map describing a narrow area in detail. Each level is divided in units of a rectangular area called a section divided by predetermined longitude and latitude. The map data of each section is specified by specifying a section number, and can be read out.
[0022]
The map data for each section includes drawing units consisting of various data required for map display, road units consisting of data necessary for various processes such as map matching, route search, and route guidance, and detailed data of intersections. And an intersection unit comprising: The above-described drawing unit includes background layer data necessary for displaying buildings or rivers, character layer data necessary for displaying municipalities, road names, and the like, and a road traffic information center (VICS center). ) Includes data of a VICS conversion layer necessary to specify a corresponding road based on the road traffic information sent from the VICS conversion layer.
[0023]
The above-described road unit corresponds to a node corresponding to a point where a plurality of roads intersect, such as an intersection or a branch, and a road or a lane connecting a certain node on the road with another node adjacent thereto. Including links. Also, this road unit includes a VICS link correspondence flag indicating whether or not the link corresponds to a VICS link (a link capable of receiving road traffic information) managed by the VICS center.
[0024]
Reference numeral 13 denotes a position measuring device that measures the current position of the vehicle, and includes a self-contained navigation sensor 13a, a GPS receiver 13b, a position calculation CPU 13c, and the like. The self-contained navigation sensor 13a includes a vehicle speed sensor (distance sensor) that outputs one pulse every predetermined traveling distance, and an angular velocity sensor (relative direction sensor) such as a vibrating gyro that detects the rotation angle (movement direction) of the vehicle. Including. The self-contained navigation sensor 13a detects the moving distance of the vehicle based on the output of the vehicle speed sensor, and detects the relative position and direction of the vehicle based on the moving distance and the output of the angular velocity sensor.
[0025]
The GPS receiver 13b receives radio waves transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites with a GPS antenna, and performs three-dimensional positioning processing or two-dimensional positioning processing to calculate the absolute position and azimuth of the vehicle. The position calculation CPU 13c calculates an absolute vehicle position (estimated vehicle position) and a vehicle direction based on data on the relative position and direction of the vehicle output from the self-contained navigation sensor 13a.
[0026]
A map information memory 14 temporarily stores map data read from the DVD-ROM 11 under the control of the DVD-ROM control unit 12. That is, the DVD-ROM control unit 12 inputs the information on the current position of the vehicle from the position measurement device 13 and outputs an instruction to read out map data in a predetermined range including the current position of the vehicle, thereby displaying the map and the guidance route. The map data necessary for the search is read from the DVD-ROM 11 and stored in the map information memory 14.
[0027]
Reference numeral 15 denotes a remote control interface, which receives an infrared signal from the remote control 4 according to the operation state. Reference numeral 16 denotes a beacon transceiver, which performs two-way communication via a radio wave mainly with a radio beacon transceiver installed on an expressway, and communicates with an optical beacon transceiver mainly installed on a general road. By performing two-way communication between them via light, traffic information and the like transmitted from the VICS center are received.
[0028]
The traffic congestion information includes the number of the VICS link managed by the VICS center, the distance from the start point (one end of the VICS link) for specifying the position where the traffic starts, the section of the traffic congestion, for example, when the vehicle speed is below a certain speed. It contains various types of information such as the degree of traffic congestion, which indicates two types of conditions, namely, "congestion" and "congestion" in which the vehicle hardly moves.
[0029]
A processor (CPU) 17 controls the entire navigation device 1. Reference numeral 18 denotes a ROM, which stores various programs (such as a guidance route search processing program). Reference numeral 19 denotes a RAM, which temporarily stores data obtained in various processes and data obtained as a result of various processes.
[0030]
The above-described CPU 17 uses the map data stored in the map information memory 14 to search for a guidance route with the lowest cost from the departure point to the destination according to the guidance route search processing program stored in the ROM 18. I do. The CPU 17 also performs a process of guiding the vehicle to the destination based on the data of the searched guidance route. In other words, while the vehicle is running, the guidance route is drawn differently from other roads on the map screen and is drawn thicker, or when the vehicle approaches a guidance intersection on the guidance route within a certain distance, the traveling direction is guided. Or
[0031]
Reference numeral 20 denotes a guidance route memory, which stores data of the guidance route searched by the CPU 17. The guidance route data stores the position of each node and an intersection identification flag indicating whether each node is an intersection, corresponding to each node from the departure point to the destination.
[0032]
Reference numeral 21 denotes an intersection enlarged view memory, which temporarily stores enlarged map data of all the intersections to be guided along the guidance route (an enlarged view of an intersection for guiding a vehicle to a destination, a destination, and an image of a traveling direction arrow). To be stored. The data of the intersection enlarged view is also appropriately read from the DVD-ROM 11 under the control of the DVD-ROM control unit 12.
[0033]
The above-described display control unit 8 selectively reads out data included in the map area drawn on the display 7 at that time from the data of the guide route stored in the guide route memory 20 and superimposes the data on the map image. The guidance route is drawn with a predetermined color and emphasized thickly. Further, when the own vehicle approaches within a predetermined distance from the guidance intersection located ahead of the guidance route, an image of the guide map of the approaching intersection is generated based on the intersection enlarged map data stored in the intersection enlarged map memory 21. And output.
[0034]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a navigation screen switched by the screen switching unit 8a of the display control unit 8. In FIG. 4, RD is a road, CM is a vehicle position mark, SB, SO, and SR are arrows indicating a traffic congestion state based on VICS road traffic information, and are displayed beside the road RD. Arrow SB is displayed in blue, indicating that the section is clear. The arrow SO is displayed in orange and indicates that the section is congested. The arrow SR is displayed in red, indicating that the section is congested.
[0035]
As described above, when switching to the navigation screen and displaying it when receiving the traffic information by the AM broadcast, a screen is added based on the VICS road traffic information, taking into account the traffic congestion information around the own vehicle position. At this time, it is preferable to use a high-level map for displaying the navigation screen displayed at a large scale and overlooking the largest possible area. This is because, when the received traffic information indicates that traffic congestion or the like is occurring several kilometers ahead, the location of the traffic congestion can be confirmed on the switched navigation screen.
[0036]
In practice, it is uncertain how far the traffic information of AM broadcast will convey the traffic congestion information. Therefore, the scale may be determined so as to display the range from the current position to several kilometers away from the current location as a default. When the data of the guide route is stored in the guide route memory 20, the data of the guide route is compared with the VICS road traffic information received by the beacon transceiver 16, and the VICS road traffic information is used to check the traffic congestion. The navigation screen may be displayed by dynamically changing the scale so as to include at least a section on the guidance route where the presence of the is known. In this case, there is a high possibility that the congestion section indicated by the VICS road traffic information matches the congestion section transmitted by the AM broadcast traffic information. Therefore, in this way, even if the congested section reported by the received traffic information is far ahead, it can be confirmed on the navigation screen.
[0037]
In addition, the screen display of the display 7 is divided into two, and a map around the own vehicle position is displayed on one screen, and a map including a congested section indicated by VICS road traffic information is displayed on the other screen. May be. This makes it possible to display a detailed map with a reduced scale both in the vicinity of the vehicle position and in the vicinity of the traffic congestion section several kilometers away.
[0038]
As described in detail above, according to the present embodiment, when the traffic information button is pressed and the user can hear the traffic information by the AM broadcast, the navigation screen is automatically switched and displayed. . As a result, the navigation screen can be used effectively when receiving traffic information, and the traffic congestion status and the like can be confirmed by both voice and image, and the traffic congestion status and the like can be provided in an easily understandable manner as an image. .
[0039]
(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the traffic information receiving device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific configuration example of the navigation device 10 shown in FIG. In FIGS. 5 and 6, components denoted by the same reference numerals as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 have the same functions as each other, and thus redundant description is omitted here.
[0040]
In FIG. 5, the navigation device 10 stores information for specifying a local point on which AM band traffic information is broadcast, in association with the map data of the navigation device 10. That is, in the configuration of the navigation device 10 shown in FIG. 6, the map data recorded on the DVD-ROM 31 includes information for specifying a point where traffic information is broadcast. Under the control of the DVD-ROM control unit 12, the map data including the information indicating the traffic section of the traffic information is read from the DVD-ROM 31 in a predetermined range including the current position of the vehicle detected by the position measuring device 13. It is output and stored in the map information memory 14.
[0041]
Here, an example has been described in which the information indicating the broadcast section of the traffic information is included in the map data of the DVD-ROM 31 in advance, but such information may be arbitrarily registered later. For example, by operating the remote controller 4 to scroll the map screen, moving the cursor to an arbitrary road position and giving a registration instruction, the specified position is registered as a traffic information broadcast section. The broadcast section of the traffic information registered in this case is stored in a memory not shown in FIG. When a hard disk is used as a recording medium for map data, the registered broadcast section of traffic information may be stored in the hard disk in association with the map data.
[0042]
The CPU 17 of the navigation device 10 determines the traffic information based on the information indicating the broadcast section of the traffic information included in the map data stored in the map information memory 14 and the current position of the vehicle detected by the position measuring device 13. Is detected whether or not the vehicle has arrived at the broadcast point. The display control unit 8 controls the navigation screen to be displayed when it is detected that the vehicle has reached the broadcast point of the traffic information, regardless of what has been displayed on the display 7 until then.
[0043]
That is, when the vehicle arrives at the broadcast point of the traffic information while the audio screen or the radio screen is displayed on the display 7, the screen switching unit 8a of the display control unit 8 switches the audio screen or the radio screen to the navigation screen. Is controlled to be displayed. Conversely, after the navigation screen is displayed on the display 7 by such switching, when the vehicle passes the broadcast point of the traffic information, the screen switching unit 8a switches the navigation screen to the original audio screen or radio screen and displays it. Control so that
[0044]
As shown in FIG. 5, the second embodiment further includes a reception control unit 9. The reception control unit 9 controls the radio tuner 3 to receive the traffic information when the CPU 17 of the navigation device 10 detects that the vehicle has reached the broadcast point of the traffic information. Thereby, the display on the display 7 is automatically switched to the navigation screen, the traffic information of the AM is automatically received, and the sound is output from the speaker 6. On the other hand, when the vehicle passes the broadcast point of the traffic information, the display on the display 7 is returned to the original audio screen or radio screen, and those sounds are output again from the speaker 6.
[0045]
As described above in detail, according to the second embodiment, when the navigation device 10 detects that the vehicle has reached the broadcast point of the traffic information, the navigation device 10 automatically switches and displays the navigation screen, Traffic information is automatically received. Thereby, for example, even when the driver overlooks the sign of "traffic information", the traffic information can be automatically received. It is possible to confirm both by voice and image.
[0046]
Each of the embodiments described above is merely an example of a specific embodiment for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted in a limited manner. . That is, the present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit or main features thereof.
[0047]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when receiving the traffic information broadcast by the AM-band traffic information broadcasting station, the navigation information is controlled to be displayed on the screen of the display means. Therefore, the traffic information can be provided not only as sound but also as an image by effectively using the navigation screen.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a traffic information receiving device according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen switching operation by a screen switching unit.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the navigation device illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a navigation screen switched by a screen switching unit.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a traffic information receiving device according to a second embodiment.
6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the navigation device shown in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation apparatus 2 Audio apparatus 3 Radio tuner 4 Remote control 5 Audio generation part 6 Speaker 7 Display part (display)
Reference Signs List 8 display control unit 8a screen switching unit 9 reception control unit 10 navigation device 11 DVD-ROM
12 DVD-ROM control unit 13 Position measurement device 13a Self-contained navigation sensor 13b GPS receiver 13c Position calculation CPU
14 Map information memory 15 Remote control interface 16 Beacon transceiver 17 CPU
18 ROM
19 RAM
20 Guidance route memory 21 Intersection enlarged view memory 31 DVD-ROM

Claims (5)

Display means for switching and displaying information from various electronic devices on a screen,
A traffic information receiving means for receiving traffic information broadcast by an AM band traffic information broadcasting station;
And a display control means for controlling information of a navigation device, which is one of the various electronic devices, to be displayed on a screen of the display means when receiving the traffic information. Operating means for instructing reception of the traffic information,
2. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein when the traffic information is instructed by the operation of the operation device, information of the navigation device is displayed on a screen of the display device. The traffic information receiving device according to 1. Broadcast point storage means for storing information for specifying a local point broadcasting the traffic information in association with the map information of the navigation device,
Arrival detection means for detecting that the vehicle has reached the broadcast point stored by the broadcast point storage means,
The display control means controls the information of the navigation device to be displayed on the screen of the display means when the arrival detection means detects that the vehicle has reached the broadcast point. The traffic information receiving device according to claim 1. When the arrival detecting means detects that the vehicle has arrived at the broadcast point, the traffic information receiving means includes a reception control means for controlling to receive the traffic information. Item 3. The traffic information receiving device according to Item 3. 5. The display control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the traffic information is received, the display control unit controls to display navigation information representing a wide range over a predetermined scale on a screen of the display unit. 6. The traffic information receiving device according to 1.

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