JP2005300225A - Navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation device for providing useful information on a route with appropriate timing. <P>SOLUTION: This navigation device 1 searches for a route from a place of departure to a destination, designates time by using an input device 14, locates a position on the route to be reached at the designated time, retrieves restaurants existing on the periphery of the located position, and displays, on a monitor 16, the restaurants existing on the periphery of the located position together with a road map. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device that displays a situation around a point specified on a route.

  A vehicle navigation device that displays information for assisting driving of a vehicle by a driver is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-214883 A

  However, in the conventional navigation apparatus, useful information on the route is not necessarily provided at an appropriate timing.

The invention of claim 1 is applied to a navigation device, and includes route search means for searching for a route from a departure place to a destination, time specification means for specifying time, and a point on the route arriving at the specified time. It is characterized by comprising specifying means for specifying and display means for displaying the situation around the specified point.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the navigation device according to the first aspect further comprises facility search means for searching for facilities around the specified point, and the display means displays the facility searched for on the display device. It is characterized by this.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the second aspect, the display means displays the facility searched for the facility on one screen of two-screen display.
The invention according to claim 4 is the navigation device according to claim 2, further comprising screen switching means for switching to the facility display screen for displaying the facility searched for the facility, wherein the display means is switched to the facility display screen by the screen switching means. When it is, the facility searched for the facility is displayed.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, the specifying unit updates a specific point on the route arriving at a specified time at a predetermined timing, and the facility searching unit Is characterized in that a facility search around the updated specific point is performed every time the specific point is updated.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the fourth aspect, when the screen switching means switches to the facility display screen, the specifying means updates a specific point on the route arriving at a specified time, and searches for the facility. The means is characterized by searching for facilities around the updated specific point.
The invention according to claim 7 is the navigation device according to claim 4, further comprising a facility display screen storage means for storing data for displaying the facility searched for the facility, the specifying means at a predetermined timing, The specific point on the route arriving at the specified time is updated, and the facility search means searches for the facility around the updated specific point and displays the facility searched for each time the specific point is updated. Data for the facility display screen is stored in the facility display screen storage means. When the display means is switched to the facility display screen by the screen switching means, the facility search is performed using the data stored in the facility display screen storage means. The facility is displayed on a display device.
The invention according to claim 8 is the navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays a road map around the specified point.
The invention of claim 9 is applied to a navigation control program, and causes a computer to realize the function of the navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
It is possible to easily grasp the situation of a point on the route arriving at a specified time. In particular, it is possible to easily grasp a road map and facility information around the point.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the in-vehicle navigation device 1. The navigation device 1 includes a control device 11, a current location detection device 12, a DVD drive device 13, an input device 14, a memory 15, a monitor 16, a first screen display memory 17, a second screen display memory 18, and the like.

  The control device 11 includes a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits. The current position detection device 12 is a current position detection device that detects the current position of the vehicle. For example, a direction sensor that detects the traveling direction of the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed, or a GPS that detects a GPS signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite. It consists of sensors. The DVD drive device 13 is loaded with a recording medium 19 and reads map data and the like. In the present embodiment, the recording medium 19 is a DVD-ROM. It may be a CD-ROM or other recording medium.

  The memory 15 stores vehicle position information and the like detected by the current location detection device 12, and stores node information and link information on a recommended route calculated by the control device 11. The memory 15 is a working area of the control device 11. The input device 14 is a device used when inputting a destination or the like of a vehicle during route search. It is also used when inputting a designated time described later. A remote controller may be used, or a touch panel provided on the screen of the monitor 16 may be used.

  The monitor 16 is a display device that displays a map, a recommended route, and various information. The monitor 16 may be provided integrally as a part of the navigation apparatus body, or may be provided separately as a housing. Furthermore, only the monitor 16 may be connected to the navigation apparatus main body by a cable or the like and provided at a separated position.

  The control device 11 uses the current location information of the vehicle detected by the current location detection device 12 and the map data and search data stored in the recording medium 19 to display a road map, calculate a route (route search), and guide the route. Various navigation processes such as facility search are performed. Various processing programs executed by the control device 11 are incorporated in a ROM (not shown) provided in the control device 11.

  The map data stored in the recording medium 19 is information relating to the map, such as background (for map display) data, road (for locator) data, route search data (network data), route guidance data (intersection name / road). Name, direction name, direction guide facility information, etc.). The background data is data for displaying the background of a road or a road map. The road data is data used for specifying the position (current location) of the vehicle on the road, map matching, and the like. The route search data is data including branch information that is not directly related to the road shape, and is mainly used when calculating (route search) a recommended route. The route guidance data is data including names of intersections and the like, and is used when a recommended route is guided to a driver or the like based on the calculated recommended route.

  The road data (locator data) is link string data when a road is represented by the concept of a link, a node, and a link string, for example. A node is an intersection or a specified point on the road. A link corresponds to a road between nodes, and a link row represents one road by a plurality of links. The link string data has known contents.

  The search data stored in the recording medium 19 is data that is used when searching for a desired point instead of setting it on a map. For example, when setting a route search destination, the name of a facility, a telephone number, an address, or the like is input to obtain the location of the facility using search data. The control device 11 sets a point obtained using the search data as a destination, for example, and performs processing such as route search. It is also used for facility search around the specified point (described later).

  Search data includes name (reading) search data, telephone number search data, address search data, and the like as types. The name search data is data used to specify the position on the map by the facility name, and a data file is created for each category (genre) in each prefecture. The category includes, for example, “station”, “airport”, “ferry”, “department store”, “hotel” and the like. Each file stores search tree (tree) data and entity data that can be searched by name.

  The telephone number search data is data used to specify the position on the map by the telephone number, and a data file is created in units of two digits of the area code. Each file stores search tree data and entity data that can be searched by telephone number. The address search data is data used for specifying a position on a map by an address, and a data file is created for each municipality in each prefecture. Each file stores search tree data and entity data that can be searched by address. The substance data of each search data includes data such as name information, telephone number information, address information, and position information of each facility. The position information in the search data is position coordinate data specified by latitude and longitude.

  The navigation device 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above searches for a route, specifies a point on the route that arrives at a specified time, searches for a facility at the specified point, and searches for the facility Is displayed on the road map. Hereinafter, this content is demonstrated in detail.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of processing of the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment. The control device 11 executes a predetermined program. In step S <b> 1, the current location (vehicle position) of the vehicle is detected using the current location detection device 12. In step S2, the user is allowed to set a destination using the input device 14 or the like. In step S3, the route search data stored in the recording medium 19 is read based on the destination set in step S2 and the current location detected in step S1, and a route search from the current location to the destination is performed. The current location of the vehicle is the starting point for route search. In step S4, route guidance is started based on the route searched in step S3.

  In step S <b> 5, the user inputs a specified time using the input device 14. For example, “12:00”, “18:00”, “arbitrary time”, and the like are displayed on the monitor 16 to allow the user to select the designated time. When the arbitrary time is selected, a screen on which the arbitrary time can be input is displayed, and the input device 14 is used to input the arbitrary time. Since “12:00”, “18:00”, and the like are often selected for lunch, dinner, and the like, the time can be designated by an easy operation.

  In step S6, the current location of the vehicle is detected again using the current location detection device 12. In step S7, a point on the route where the vehicle is predicted to arrive at the time designated in step S5 is specified. The point on the route is identified by the following procedure, for example. First, the current time is acquired from a timer (not shown), and the difference from the designated time input in step S5 is obtained. The travel distance is estimated by multiplying the difference by the average vehicle speed. By following the predicted travel distance on the route from the current location, a predicted point on the route arriving at the specified time can be specified.

  As the average vehicle speed, an average of vehicle speeds immediately before the time point of executing step S7 (within a predetermined time) is obtained. Or it is good also considering the vehicle speed at the time of performing step S7 as an average vehicle speed. The vehicle speed is detected by a vehicle speed sensor of the current location detection device 12. Further, when the vehicle is stopped, calculation is performed using, for example, 40 Km / H set as a default value of the average vehicle speed.

  In step S8, a facility search around the identified point is performed. The facility search is performed using the search data described above. However, what category of facility to search for is specified in advance by the user. For example, the designation is performed when the designated time is input in step S5. That is, in step S5, the facility to be displayed is set according to the user's designation. In the facility search, for example, a facility existing within a predetermined radius from a specified point is extracted. Since the search data has the coordinate value (position data) of each facility, the facility having the coordinate value within the predetermined range is extracted from the coordinate value of the specified point. As the search data, for example, name (reading) search data is used. Other telephone number search data and address search data may be used. In addition, facility search data may be provided.

  In step S9, the map data around the specified point is read from the recording medium 19, the map display data of the road map around the specific point is generated, and the generated map display data is stored in the second screen display memory 18. To do. Further, the data regarding the extracted facility is stored in the second screen display memory 18 in order to display the extracted facility icon on the road map around the specific point. That is, the extracted facility icon is overwritten on the road map around the specific point stored in the second screen display memory 18.

  In step S 10, the road map around the specific point and the extracted facility icon stored in the second screen display memory 18 are displayed on the monitor 16. At this time, the monitor 16 is assumed to be in the two-screen display mode.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of two-screen display. The left screen 101 displays a normal road map, a vehicle current location mark 102, and a route 103 searched for a route in step S3. The route 103 is highlighted by changing the color or making the line thick so that it can be distinguished from other roads. The display data for the left screen 101 is stored in the first screen display memory 17. In the right corner of the left screen 101, the current time 109 is displayed.

  The right screen 104 is a facility display screen, in which the road map around the specific point and the extracted facility icon are displayed at the corresponding positions. The display data for the right screen 104 is stored in the second screen display memory 18 described above. In the example of FIG. 3, a route 105 on the extension line of the route 103 on the left screen 101 is displayed, and a specific point mark 106 representing a specific point is shown. A designated time 107 is displayed next to the specific point mark 106. Further, extracted facility icons 108 are displayed at three locations. In the example of FIG. 3, “restaurant” is designated as the facility category, and an icon indicating the restaurant is displayed.

  The user can grasp the following contents by viewing the display of FIG. From the left screen 101, a road map around the current traveling can be grasped together with the current location 102. The current time is 10:42. By looking at the right screen 104, it is possible to grasp a road map around a point that arrives at a designated time around 12:00, that is, about 1 hour and 20 minutes from now, and the positions of restaurants in the vicinity. This makes it easy to determine in advance where to have lunch.

  In step S11, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since entering step S11. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process of step S11 is repeated, and if it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process returns to step S6 to repeat the process. Step S11 is a timer for updating a specific point at a predetermined timing.

  here. The two-screen display will be further described. The two-screen display of the present embodiment is performed according to various conditions. For example, it is conceivable to always display two screens when performing the processing of the present embodiment. That is, when searching for a facility at a point arriving at a specific time on the route, it is conceivable to use the two-screen display mode as a basis. It is also conceivable that the user switches from the one-screen display to the two-screen display by pressing a two-screen display button (not shown) of the input device 14. Further, it is conceivable that the display is switched from the one-screen display to the two-screen display every time a certain time elapses or the vehicle travels a predetermined distance, and returns to the one-screen display when the two-screen display is performed for a predetermined time.

  Next, an example of switching the screen and displaying the facility display screen in the single screen display will be described. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the processing. The process of FIG. 4 differs from the process of FIG. 2 only in the process of step S10, so only the different processes are shown.

  After the process of step S9 in FIG. 2, the process proceeds to step S21 in FIG. In step S21, it is determined whether or not there has been a screen switching instruction to the facility display screen. The screen switching instruction is given by the user using the input device 14. That is, the user gives an instruction using the input device 14 when he / she wants to see the state of the point of arrival at the specified time when the route is being guided on the normal route guidance screen. If it is determined in step S21 that there is a switching instruction, the process proceeds to step S22. If it is determined that there is no switching instruction, the process proceeds to step S23.

  In step S <b> 22, the road map around the specific point and the extracted facility icon are displayed on the monitor 16 using the second screen display memory 18. A display similar to that on the right screen 104 in FIG. 3 is made, but the entire screen is displayed. In step S 23, a road map around the current location, that is, a normal route guidance screen is displayed on the monitor 16 using the first screen display memory 17. Although the same display as that of the left screen 101 in FIG. 3 is performed, the entire screen is displayed.

  After the processing of step S22 and step S23, the process proceeds to step S11 of FIG. In this way, the road map around the specific point and the extracted facilities can be confirmed on one screen as necessary.

  If it is determined in step S21 that a switching instruction has been given, the process may proceed from step S6 to step S9 in FIG. 2 before proceeding to step S22. Thereby, the arrival point can be predicted under the latest conditions when the switching instruction is given, and the facility search at the more accurate arrival point can be performed.

  In step S21, it is determined by a vehicle speed sensor or the like that the vehicle is stopped. When the vehicle is stopped, the process proceeds to step S22 and the second screen is displayed. Since the vehicle is stopped, the map can be moved while allowing operations such as scrolling of the map display. When vehicle driving is resumed during the scroll operation, the state is stored in the second screen display memory so that when the vehicle stops again, scrolling can be resumed from the middle. Is also possible. However, if the arrival point changes after the vehicle travels, the facility search around this new arrival point is displayed when the vehicle stops.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a situation in which a traveling state changes depending on a traffic congestion state or a construction state, and an arrival prediction point also changes. FIG. 5A shows how the vehicle is flowing smoothly. For example, at 9:00, an average vehicle speed of 50 km / H is detected at a point 201, and a scheduled arrival point 202 at 12:00 is calculated and shown. FIG.5 (b) shows a mode that it is caught in a traffic jam after that and is driving slowly. For example, at 11:00, an average vehicle speed of 10 km / H is detected at a point 203, and the scheduled arrival point at 12:00 is changed to a point 204.

  In the above description, the average vehicle speed of 50 km / h is detected at the point 201. However, the estimated arrival point may be calculated at an average vehicle speed (for example, 40 km / h) that is expected based on the legal speed of the road (for example, 60 km / h) instead of the actual vehicle speed.

  FIG. 5C is a diagram illustrating a search result of restaurants near the point 202 that is scheduled to arrive at 12:00 as of 9:00. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing search results for restaurants near the point 204 that is scheduled to arrive at 12:00 as of 11:00. 5 (c) and 5 (d) show a screen display example slightly different from FIG. 3, but is similar in that the facility search result around the point specified as arriving at the specified time is displayed. .

When the navigation device 1 described above is used, the following effects are obtained.
(1) It is possible to easily grasp the situation of a point on the route that arrives at a specified time. In particular, it is possible to easily grasp a road map and facility information around the point.

(2) When a restaurant category is designated as a facility, meal planning during travel can be easily performed. That is, restaurant information of a point arriving at that time can be easily obtained simply by designating the time at which the user wants to eat.

(3) When the time is specified, the time 12:00 and 18:00 that are often used for lunch and dinner can be displayed and selected, so that the time can be easily specified.

(4) Since the screen memory used for normal road map display and display during route guidance and the facility display screen memory are provided separately, the facility search can be performed and updated as needed. In addition, when the two-screen display mode is used, it is possible to always grasp the situation of the point of arrival at the specified time.

(5) Since the traveling situation always changes depending on the traffic congestion situation or construction situation, the predicted arrival point always changes. In the present embodiment, since the predicted point of arrival at the specified time is specified using the immediately preceding average vehicle speed, the accurate predicted point of arrival can always be specified according to the traveling situation. As a result, it is possible to acquire an accurate situation of the predicted arrival point.

(6) A normal route guidance screen and a facility display screen at a specific point can be switched and viewed in a single screen display. Thereby, the facility of a specific point can be grasped | ascertained by the big screen display as needed. Moreover, since the facility display screen is constantly updated at a predetermined timing, it is possible to always grasp the latest state of the specific point. Further, since the second screen display memory 18 which is a facility display screen memory is provided, the facility display screen can be displayed immediately even when switching. That is, since the latest facility search result is always obtained on the back screen, switching is performed immediately and smoothly. In addition, when the screen display is switched, the specific point can be updated under the latest conditions, so that the situation of the specified point can be grasped more accurately.

(7) Since the mark 106 indicating the point of arrival at the specified time is displayed on the facility display screen, the specific point can be visually grasped on the road map. In addition, since the designated time 107 at that time is also displayed, it is possible to grasp at which time the scheduled arrival point is.

(8) Since the facility display is displayed as an icon, the facility can be grasped at a glance, and the position can also be grasped on the road map.

  In the above embodiment, an example of a restaurant has been described as a facility category, but it is not necessarily limited to this content. It may be a hotel, department store, or other facility.

  In the above embodiment, an example of a restaurant is described as a facility category using the input device 14, but it is not necessarily limited to this content. It may be a hotel, department store, or other tourist facility.

  Although the example of the navigation device mounted on the vehicle has been described in the above embodiment, it is not necessarily limited to this content. The present invention can also be applied to a portable navigation device.

  In the above embodiment, the program executed by the navigation device 1 has been described as an example already installed in the navigation device 1, but it is not necessary to limit to this content. You may make it provide these programs with recording media, such as DVD and CD-ROM. In this case, it is necessary for each device to read data from those recording media. Further, these programs may be provided via a transmission medium such as a communication line represented by the Internet. In other words, the program can be converted into a signal on a carrier wave that carries the transmission medium and transmitted.

  In the above embodiment, an example of a dedicated navigation device mounted on a vehicle has been described, but it is not necessarily limited to this content. The navigation apparatus may be realized by executing the control program for the navigation apparatus 1 described above on a personal computer. In that case, the current location detection device 13 and the like may be connected to a predetermined I / O port of the personal computer.

  In the above embodiment, an example of a planar map has been described, but it is not necessarily limited to this content. The present invention can also be applied to a so-called bird's-eye view displayed obliquely from above.

  Although various embodiments and modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these contents. Other embodiments conceivable within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention are also included in the scope of the present invention.

It is a block diagram of a navigation apparatus. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of a process of a navigation apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of 2 screen display. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process which switches a screen and displays a facility display screen in 1 screen display. It is a figure which shows a mode that a driving | running | working condition changes with the traffic congestion condition of a road, the condition of construction, etc., and an arrival prediction point also changes.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation apparatus 11 Control apparatus 12 Present location detection apparatus 13 DVD drive apparatus 14 Input apparatus 15 Memory 16 Monitor 17 Memory for 1st screen display 18 Memory for 2nd screen display 19 Recording medium

Claims (9)

A navigation device,
A route search means for searching for a route from the departure place to the destination;
A time designation means for designating a time;
Specifying means for specifying a point on the route that arrives at the specified time;
A navigation device comprising: display means for displaying a situation around the specified point. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
A facility search means for searching for facilities around the identified point;
The navigation device, wherein the display means displays the facility searched for the facility on a display device. The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein
The navigation device characterized in that the display means displays the facility searched for the facility on one screen of two-screen display. The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein
Screen switching means for switching to a facility display screen for displaying the facility searched for the facility;
The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays the facility searched for the facility when the screen switching means switches to the facility display screen. The navigation device according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The specifying means updates a specific point on the route arriving at the specified time at a predetermined timing,
The facility searching means searches for facilities around the updated specific point each time the specific point is updated. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein
The specifying unit updates a specific point on the route arriving at the specified time when the screen switching unit switches to the facility display screen,
The facility search means searches for facilities around the updated specific point. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein
A facility display screen storage means for storing data for displaying the facility searched for the facility;
The specifying means updates a specific point on the route arriving at the specified time at a predetermined timing,
The facility search means searches for facilities around the updated specific point each time the specific point is updated, and stores data for displaying the facility searched for the facility in the facility display screen storage means. Remember,
The display means, when switched to the facility display screen by the screen switching means, displays the facility searched for the facility on the display device using the data stored in the facility display screen storage means. A navigation device characterized by that. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays a road map around the identified point.   The navigation control program which makes a computer implement | achieve the function of the navigation apparatus in any one of Claim 1 to 8.

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