JP2004271231A - Navigation system and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation system etc. capable of reports useful for a user. <P>SOLUTION: In the case that 10 km are set at a distance setting part, 10 minutes at a time setting part 84, and OR at a condition setting part 86, a condition for accentuated speech guidance is a condition for issuing an accentuated beep sound and performing accentuated speech guidance when the distance of 10 km set at the distance setting part 82 is exceeded or when the time of 10 minutes set at the time setting part 84 is exceeded. In the case that a time difference is 15 minutes and a distance difference is 12 km in the case of making a left turn and that a time difference is 12 minutes and a distance difference is 9 km in the case of making a straight movement, accentuated speech guidance is performed since the time exceeds 10 minutes in either case of the left turn and the straight movement to satisfy the condition for accentuated speech guidance. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a navigation device for guiding a route to a destination.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a navigation apparatus having a function of calculating a recommended route to a destination set by a user and notifying a driver of guidance information necessary for traveling in accordance with the recommended route. For example, in such a navigation device, the current position of the vehicle is detected, a map around the current position stored in the storage device, a recommended route and a mark indicating the current position are superimposed and displayed on a display device, or an intersection is displayed. Information necessary for traveling along the recommended route is provided by performing voice guidance indicating the direction of the recommended route in front of the vehicle.
[0003]
However, there is a case where the driver does not drive according to the guidance of the navigation device by mistake or intentionally. As described above, there has been known a navigation apparatus that, when detecting that the vehicle deviates from the recommended route, notifies the user of the deviation, recalculates the recommended route, and reports guide information according to the recommended route.
[0004]
There is also known a car navigation device that outputs a recommendation degree of each branch destination when approaching a branch point while traveling on a recommended route (for example, see Patent Document 1). This car navigation device searches for a recommended route when proceeding to each road that is not a recommended route road, and evaluates poor road conditions between the current recommended route and the recommended route when traveling to each road, The recommended degree of each branch destination is displayed as a percentage, for example, "60% right turn", "30% straight ahead", "10% left turn", or "Make sure to turn right" or "turn right if possible" based on this recommended degree. Please output it as voice.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-131069
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in this car navigation device, the relative recommendation degree between each road is only output according to the poor road conditions when the road branches to each road at the branch point. However, there is a problem that it is not possible to know whether or not the vehicle has been obtained, and it is not possible to know how much detour will occur when the vehicle travels on a road that is not recommended. Therefore, it is considered that the guidance of the degree of recommendation may be regarded as useless to the driver.
[0007]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device or the like that can provide a user with more useful notification than before.
[0008]
Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention
The navigation device according to claim 1, which has been made to solve the above-described problem, is a navigation device that obtains a recommended route to a destination, and reports guidance information necessary for traveling according to the recommended route, The permissible degree of circuitousness input by the user is stored. Then, at the branch point on the recommended route, at least one of the required time and the required distance to the destination when proceeding to the road of the recommended route, and the required time to the destination when proceeding to a road other than the recommended route On the basis of at least one of the time and the required distance, the degree of detour when the vehicle travels on a road other than the recommended route is calculated. If the degree of detour when traveling to a road other than the calculated recommended route exceeds the allowable degree of detour inputted from the stored user, the allowable degree of detour is determined. To avoid entering a road that exceeds.
[0009]
Therefore, the user himself / herself can set in advance the allowable degree of circuitousness. Then, only when the set tolerance is exceeded, a notification is made to avoid entering a road that exceeds the tolerance. Therefore, the notification is performed based on the tolerance set by the user himself / herself, so that the user can well understand the meaning of the content of the notification. In other words, useful information for the driver can be provided, and a convenient navigation function according to the driver's intention can be provided.
[0010]
The recommended route, the branch point, the required time, and the required distance can be obtained by, for example, a configuration of a known navigation device. For example, the navigation device includes a destination input unit for a user to input a destination, a map information obtaining unit for obtaining map information including road data, and a current position obtaining unit for obtaining a current position. Based on the map information and the current position information acquired by the above, the recommended route, the branch point, the required time, and the required distance can be obtained. The notification may be, for example, display on a display device, output of sound, or both.
Further, the “notification for avoiding approach to a road exceeding the tolerance” by the notification means is to find the next branch point (for example, an intersection), and determine the distance or time to reach the branch point by a predetermined value or less. It is good to do it when it becomes. In this way, the driver is notified at an appropriate timing to determine the traveling direction.
[0011]
The “branch points on the recommended route” may be all the branch points existing on the recommended route, or may be some branch points. For example, it may be a branch point where the course needs to be changed on the recommended route.For example, the recommended route is not notified while the straight route is going straight, and only when the recommended route needs to change the course such as a right turn or a left turn. This notification may be performed.
[0012]
The degree of circuitousness is determined by the difference between the time required to reach the destination when the vehicle travels on the recommended route and the time required to reach the destination when the vehicle travels on a road other than the recommended route. Or at least one of the difference distance between the required distance to the destination when the vehicle travels on the recommended route road and the required distance to the destination when the vehicle travels on a road other than the recommended route. be able to.
[0013]
For example, at a branch point on the recommended route, the calculation means calculates a difference between a required time to the destination when the vehicle travels on the road of the recommended route and a required time to the destination when the vehicle travels on a road other than the recommended route. The time is calculated as the degree of circuitousness when traveling to a road other than the recommended route, and the storage means sets the time of this difference, that is, the time that can be allowed even if circuitous, as the degree of circuitousness. , Based on the input from the user. In this way, a notification is made to avoid entering a road that exceeds the allowable time entered by the user.
[0014]
Similarly, for example, at a branch point on the recommended route, the calculating unit calculates a required distance to the destination when the vehicle travels on the road of the recommended route and a required distance to the destination when the vehicle travels on a road other than the recommended route. The distance of the difference is calculated as the degree of detour when the vehicle travels on a road other than the recommended route. The tolerance is stored based on the input from the user. In this way, a notification is made to avoid entering a road that exceeds the allowable distance input by the user.
[0015]
The permissible distance and permissible time may be combined to determine the degree of detour. That is, for example, when the allowable degree of circuitousness exceeds both the allowable distance and the allowable time input by the user, or when the allowable degree of circuitousness exceeds either the allowable distance and the allowable time input by the user. And can be.
[0016]
By the way, the notification mode in the case of performing the notification for avoiding the approach to the road exceeding the tolerance is the notification of the notification of the guidance information necessary for traveling along the recommended route, as described in claim 3. The notification may be provided as a notification mode different from the mode. In this way, for example, the driver does not miss the normal route guidance information. In particular, according to the fourth aspect, it is possible to effectively prevent the driver from overlooking. For example, an emphasized beep sound or emphasized voice guidance different from a normal beep sound or voice guidance may be used.
[0017]
As described in claim 5, when each means in the navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is realized by a computer system, for example, it may be provided as a program started (executed) by the computer system. it can. In the case of such a program, for example, the program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a hard disk, a ROM, and a RAM, and is loaded into a computer system as needed and activated. It can also be used by loading and starting via a network.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. It is needless to say that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following examples, and can take various forms within the technical scope of the present invention.
[0019]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the navigation device 1 according to the embodiment. The navigation device 1 includes a position detector 21 for detecting a current position of the vehicle, an operation switch group 22 for inputting various instructions from a user, and a remote control terminal capable of inputting various instructions similarly to the operation switch group 22. (Hereinafter, referred to as a remote controller) 23a, a remote controller sensor 23b for inputting a signal from the remote controller 23a, an external information input / output device 24, and input of map data and the like from an external storage medium on which map data and various kinds of information are recorded. A map data input device 25, a display device 26 for performing various displays such as a map display screen and a TV screen, an audio output device 27 for outputting various guide voices and the like, and for storing various data. External memory 28, an on-board ETC device 29 for taking in charge information and the like received from the on-road ETC device, the above-described position detector 21, A switch group 22, a remote controller 23 a, an external information input / output device 24, a map data input device 25, an external memory 28, and various processes are executed in response to inputs from an on-board ETC device 29. It has a remote control sensor 23b, an external information input / output device 24, a map data input device 25, a display device 26, an audio output device 27, an external memory 28, and a control circuit 30 for controlling the on-board ETC device 29.
[0020]
The position detector 21 receives a transmission radio wave from a GPS (Global Positioning System) artificial satellite via a GPS antenna, and detects a position, a direction, a speed, and the like of the vehicle, and a GPS receiver 21a, which is added to the vehicle. A gyroscope 21b for detecting the magnitude of the rotational movement, a distance sensor 21c for detecting the distance traveled from the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle, and the like, and a geomagnetic sensor 21d for detecting the traveling direction from the geomagnetism are provided. I have. Each of the sensors 21a to 21d has an error having a different property, and is configured to be used while complementing each other. Note that, depending on the accuracy, a part of the sensors described above may be used, or a rotation sensor of the steering wheel or a wheel sensor of each rolling wheel may be used.
[0021]
As the operation switch group 22, a touch panel provided on a display screen, a mechanical key switch provided around the display device 26, and the like are used integrally with the display device 26. The touch panel and the display device 26 are laminated and integrated. There are various types of touch panels such as a pressure-sensitive type, an electromagnetic induction type, a capacitance type, and a combination thereof. You may.
[0022]
The external information input / output device 24 receives an FM broadcast signal via a radio antenna (not shown) or receives a radio wave from a fixed station for a VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) service disposed near the road. A beacon signal and an optical beacon signal are received. The received information is sent to the control circuit 30 for processing. It is also connected to a mobile phone (not shown) and has a function of acquiring information from an information center and connecting to the Internet to acquire information from a server on the Internet.
[0023]
The map data input device 25 is a device for inputting various data including so-called map matching data, map data, and mark data for improving the accuracy of position identification. As a recording medium for these data, a CD-ROM or DVD is generally used because of the amount of data, but other media such as a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk or a memory card may be used.
[0024]
The road data in the map data forms a map by connecting a plurality of nodes such as intersections with links, and for each link, a unique number (link ID) for identifying the link, a length of the link, Length, the x and y coordinates of the start and end of the link, the road width of the link, the road type (indicating road information such as toll roads), and the road ID for specifying the road (for example, national road ○) Link information including data for specifying a road such as a highway). In the map data, place name information, traffic information, and facility information are stored together with their coordinates (x, y coordinates).
[0025]
The display device 26 is a color display device, such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or a CRT, but any of them may be used. The display screen of the display device 26 includes a mark indicating the current position specified from the current position of the vehicle detected by the position detector 21 and the map data input from the map data input device 25, a guidance route to the destination, and a name. And additional data such as marks, marks of various facilities, etc. can be displayed in a superimposed manner. In addition, facility guides and the like can be displayed. The voice output device 27 can output voices of facility guides and various types of guidance input from the map data input device 25 and read-out voices of information acquired via the external information input / output device 24.
[0026]
The control circuit 30 is mainly composed of a well-known microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, and a bus line connecting these components, and based on a program stored in the ROM and the RAM. The current position of the vehicle is calculated as a set of coordinates and traveling direction based on each detection signal from the position detector 21, and a map or the like near the current position read via the map data input device 25 and a mark indicating the current position of the vehicle. Based on the map display processing for displaying on the display device 26 by superimposing and the point data stored in the map data input device 25, the facility to be the destination is selected according to the operation of the operation switch group 22 and the remote controller 23a, etc. A route calculation for automatically obtaining a recommended route from the position to the destination is performed, and route guidance information is provided based on the recommended route in the map data input device 25. Luo performing read, view route guidance information on the display device 26, the route guidance process and outputs from the audio output device 27. As a method for automatically setting the recommended route, a method such as the Dijkstra method is known.
[0027]
FIG. 2 is an example of a screen drawn on the display device 26 by the map display processing and the route guidance processing by the control circuit 30.
That is, a map 61 around the current position, a mark 62 indicating the current position of the vehicle, a recommended route 63 which is route guidance information, an estimated arrival time 64 at the destination, a distance 65 from the current position of the vehicle to the destination, The lane information 66, the display content switching button 67, and the distance 68 to the next branch point are displayed in an overlapping manner. The estimated time of arrival at the destination, the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the destination, and the distance to the next branch point are known based on the signal from the position detector 21 and the map data input from the map data input unit 25. Is determined by the processing of
[0028]
Then, when the distance to the next branch point becomes a predetermined distance (for example, when the distance to the next branch point 69 (the distance 68 to the branch point) becomes 100 m as shown in the screen 70), A branch point process shown in FIG. 4 to be described later is executed.
Note that, if an enhanced voice guidance condition setting instruction is input from the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a prior to the branch point processing, the control circuit 30 displays the enhanced voice guidance condition setting screen 80 shown in FIG. Display on 10.
[0029]
The screen 80 is a screen for setting a condition (emphasized voice guidance condition) for performing the emphasized beep sound and the emphasized voice guidance in the branch point processing. As shown in FIG. 3, the screen 80 includes a distance setting unit 82, a time setting unit 84, and a condition setting unit 86. These components are configured so that their values can be changed according to an instruction from the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a. The distance setting unit 82 is a part that sets a distance that allows detour, that is, how much detour is permitted than the distance 65 from the current position of the vehicle to the destination in FIG. The time setting section 84 is a section for setting the time during which the circuit is allowed to make a detour, that is, how much time the circuit is allowed to make a circuit than the expected arrival time 64 at the destination in FIG. The condition setting section 86 is a section for setting how to use the two conditions of the distance setting section 82 and the time setting section 84. The setting of this usage includes an OR setting and an AND setting. When the OR setting is set, when the distance exceeds the distance set in the distance setting unit 82 or exceeds the time set in the time setting unit 84, the emphasized voice guidance condition that the emphasized beep sound and the emphasized voice guidance are performed. It becomes. On the other hand, when the setting is set to the AND setting, when the distance exceeds the distance set in the distance setting unit 82 and the time exceeds the time set in the time setting unit 84, the emphasis beep sound and the emphasized voice guidance are performed. This is the voice guidance condition. When a setting instruction is input from the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a, the enhanced voice guidance condition is stored in the external memory 28. In this embodiment, the description will be made assuming that the information is stored in the external memory 28. However, the information may be stored in the RAM of the control circuit 30 or an external storage device via the external information input / output device 24.
[0030]
Next, the branch point processing will be described with reference to FIG. In the branch point processing, first, an intersection enlarged view display processing is performed as shown in S110 of FIG. The intersection enlarged view display process is a process of displaying a map 71, which is a map enlarged from the map 61 of the screen 60 of FIG. 2, as shown in a screen 70 of FIG. 2, and further displaying an enlarged view 72 near the current position. is there.
[0031]
In S120 of FIG. 4, it is determined whether or not the emphasized voice guidance condition set on the screen 80 of FIG. 3 and stored in the external memory 28 is satisfied. If the condition is satisfied (S120: YES), the process proceeds to S130. To provide enhanced voice guidance. On the other hand, if the condition is not satisfied (S120: NO), the process proceeds to S140, and normal guidance is performed. The normal voice guidance is performed by outputting normal route guidance information at the branch point from the voice output device 27. For example, after a beep sound of “pawn”, a sound “turn right at intersection XX” is output.
[0032]
Next, the processing of S120 and S130 will be described in further detail, taking the case of the screen 70 of FIG. 2 as an example.
In S120, the possible route at the branch point 69 is calculated based on the road data input from the map data input device 25. The branch point 69 is obtained by extracting a branch point where the course of the recommended route 63 is changed (in this case, a right turn). In the example of the branch point 69, it is required that, in addition to the route of the right turn, which is the recommended route 63, straight and left turns can be taken as the route. Then, the travel time to the destination when the vehicle travels on the road of the recommended route 63 (the right-turn route on the screen 70) and the travel time on the road other than the recommended route 63 (the left-turn route and the straight route on the screen 70). Calculate the difference time of the required time to the destination in. In addition, the required distance to the destination when traveling on the road of the recommended route 63 (the right-turn route in the screen 70) and the travel distance to a road other than the recommended route 63 (the left-turn and straight-side route in the screen 70) , The distance of the difference of the required distance to the destination is calculated. Then, it is determined whether or not the difference time and the difference distance satisfy the emphasized voice guidance condition.
[0033]
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the distance setting unit 82 sets 10 km, the time setting unit 84 sets 10 minutes, and the condition setting unit 86 sets an OR setting, the emphasized voice guidance condition is set in the distance setting unit 82. If the distance exceeds 10 km or the time set in the time setting unit 84 exceeds 10 minutes, the condition is that enhanced beep sound and enhanced voice guidance are performed. Here, as a calculation result, when the difference when turning left is 15 minutes and the distance is 12 km, when the difference is straight when the time is 12 minutes and when the distance is 9 km, the time for both the left turn and straight ahead is 10 minutes. Satisfies the above-described emphasized voice guidance condition. Therefore, the process shifts to S130 to perform emphasized voice guidance. This emphasized voice guidance performs a process of outputting, from the voice output device 27, an emphasized beep sound such as “ping pawn” and a voice saying “If you do not make a right turn, you will make a large detour.
[0034]
As described above, the emphasized voice guidance is performed only when the emphasized voice guidance condition set by the user (driver) is satisfied. That is, according to the navigation device 1, the user can set “a large detour” considered by the user, and the enhanced beep sound and the enhanced voice guidance are performed only when the set value is exceeded. Therefore, the user can understand the meaning of the emphasized voice guidance well. Therefore, it is possible to provide an enhanced voice guidance useful to the driver, and to provide a convenient navigation function according to the driver's intention.
[0035]
In particular, since the emphasized beep sound and the emphasized voice guidance different from the normal beep sound and the voice guidance are performed, it is possible to effectively prevent the driver from overlooking.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a navigation device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a map display and a recommended route display displayed on a display device, and an example of route guidance information.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a condition setting screen displayed on a display device.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a branch point process.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Navigation apparatus 10 ... Display apparatus 21 ... Position detector 21a ... GPS receiver 21b ... Gyroscope 21c ... Distance sensor 21d ... Geomagnetic sensor 22 ... Operation switch group 23a ... Remote control 23b ... Remote control sensor 24 ... External information input / output device 25 ... Map data input device 26 ... Display device 27 ... Sound output device 28 ... External memory 29 ... ETC on-board unit 30 ... Control circuit 60 ... Screen 61 ... Map 62 ... Mark indicating the current position of the vehicle 63 ... Recommended route 64 ... Estimated arrival Time 65: Distance from the current position of the vehicle to the destination 66 ... Lane information 67 ... Display content switching button 68 ... Distance to the next branch point 69 ... Branch point 70 ... Screen 71 ... Map 72 ... Enlarged view 80 ... Emphasis sound Guide condition setting screen 82: distance setting unit 84: time setting unit 86: condition setting unit

Claims (5)

Recommended route calculating means for obtaining a recommended route to the destination;
A notification device for notifying guidance information necessary for traveling in accordance with the recommended route calculated by the recommended route calculation unit,
Storage means for storing an allowance of the degree of circuitousness input from the user;
At a branch point on the recommended route, at least one of a required time and a required distance to the destination when traveling to the road of the recommended route, and the destination when traveling to a road other than the recommended route. Calculating means for calculating a degree of circuitousness when traveling to a road other than the recommended route, based on at least one of the required time and the required distance,
The notifying unit is configured to include a case where, among the degrees of detours when the vehicle travels on a road other than the recommended route calculated by the calculation unit, the degree of detour exceeds the tolerance of the stored degree of detours. A notification for avoiding entry into a road exceeding the tolerance. The navigation device according to claim 1,
The degree of detour is the difference between the required time to the destination when traveling to the road of the recommended route and the required time to the destination when traveling to a road other than the recommended route, or Using at least one of the difference distance between the required distance to the destination when traveling to the road of the recommended route and the required distance to the destination when traveling to a road other than the recommended route. A featured navigation device. The navigation device according to claim 1 or 2,
The notifying unit sets a different notification mode between a notification mode of notification of guidance information necessary for traveling in accordance with the recommended route and a notification mode of notification for avoiding an approach to a road exceeding the tolerance. A navigation device for providing notification. The navigation device according to claim 3,
The notification mode of the notification for avoiding the approach to the road exceeding the tolerance is a notification mode that is more emphasized than the notification mode of the notification of the guide information necessary for traveling according to the recommended route. Navigation device. A program for causing a computer to implement the function as the navigation device according to claim 1.

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