JP2005321277A - Navigation device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To intelligibly report a direction for a vehicle to advance in to a driver at a guidance point during route guidance. <P>SOLUTION: When the vehicle approaches a guidance point such as an intersection on a guidance route, the right/left turning direction of the vehicle at the guidance point is guided by the turning direction of a steering wheel 30 by executing a turn/return operation wherein the steering wheel 30 is turned a prescribed angle in a direction, in which the vehicle has to turn right or left, and immediately returned to its original position. Since the driver always holds the steering wheel 30 while driving the vehicle, the driver can easily comprehend the direction in which the vehicle has to advance from the turning direction of the steering wheel 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation apparatus having a route guidance function for guiding a route to a destination.

  A vehicle navigation device generally has a route guidance function. When this route guidance function is executed, the vehicle position approaches a predetermined guidance point such as an intersection, a branch point, an expressway entrance, or an exit at which the vehicle should turn left or right. When this occurs, the screen display of the display device is switched to an enlarged guide map near the guide point. At the same time, for example, a voice guidance such as “Leave XXm left” is performed.

In order to provide guidance that is easier for the driver to understand at the time of this route guidance, for example, a navigation device described in Patent Document 1 is known. In this navigation device, when displaying an enlarged guide map near an intersection as a guide point, if the angle formed by the exit road at the intersection is equal to or smaller than a predetermined angle, the enlarged guide map is further enlarged in the horizontal direction and displayed. .
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-83518

  However, even if an enlarged guide map enlarged in the horizontal direction is displayed, the driver cannot watch the display screen while the vehicle is driving. Therefore, the driver needs to turn his / her line of sight toward the display device for a short time and instantly determine the direction to proceed. For this reason, it is conceivable that the driver cannot correctly recognize the direction to proceed.

  In addition to the display of the enlarged guide map, the conventional navigation device guides the direction to proceed by voice. However, when listening to music or radio broadcasting in the passenger compartment while driving, the guidance voice may be difficult to hear.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described points, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle navigation device that can more easily understand the direction in which a vehicle should travel at a guidance point during route guidance. And

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle navigation device according to claim 1 is provided.
Current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle;
Storage means for storing road map data;
A guide route setting means for setting a guide route to the destination based on the road map data;
A steering wheel mechanically separated from the steering wheel;
Steering control means for guiding a right / left turn direction at the guide point by rotating the steering wheel in a direction in which the vehicle should make a right / left turn when the current position of the vehicle approaches a right / left turn guide point in the guide route; It is characterized by providing.

  Thus, according to the vehicle navigation device of the first aspect, when the current position of the vehicle approaches the guide point to be turned left or right in the guide route, the steering wheel is rotated in the direction to make the right or left turn. To guide the direction of turning left and right at the guidance point. Since the driver always holds the steering wheel while driving the vehicle, the driver can experience the rotation of the steering wheel. Accordingly, the direction in which the vehicle should travel can be communicated to the driver more easily.

  The steering wheel is mechanically separated from the steering wheel, and the steering wheel is not steered by the rotation of the steering wheel by the steering control means.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the steering control means rotates the steering wheel by a predetermined angle in a direction in which the vehicle should turn left or right, and then rotates the steering wheel in the opposite direction by the same angle to set the rotational position of the steering wheel to the original position. It is preferable to execute the rotation / return operation to return to the initial position. Thus, by rotating the steering wheel in the opposite direction so as to return to the original position, a situation in which only the steering wheel remains rotating even though the traveling direction of the vehicle does not change is avoided. Can reduce the sense of incongruity.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the steering control means execute the rotation / return operation a plurality of times at a predetermined guidance timing. This is to tell the driver the direction to turn more clearly.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the steering control means has a plurality of guidance timings with respect to the same guidance point, and at each guidance timing, the angle at which the steering wheel is rotated and the number of rotation / return operations to be performed. It is preferable to change at least one of the above. Thus, the driver can recognize not only the direction to turn left and right at the guidance point, but also the degree of approach to the guidance point.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the steering control unit includes a steering angle detection unit that detects a steering angle of the steering wheel, and the steering control unit performs steering when the steering angle detected by the steering angle detection unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle. It is preferable to stop the rotation of the wheel. If the steering angle detected by the steering angle detection means is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle, it may be considered that the driver is turning on a curve or the like by steering the steering wheel, for example. In such a case, if the steering wheel is rotated, it may become an obstacle to the steering operation of the driver. Therefore, in a situation where the driver is regarded as steering the steering wheel, it is preferable to stop the rotation of the steering wheel by the steering control means.

  For the same reason, the steering angle detecting means for detecting the steering angle of the steering wheel as described in claim 6 is provided, and the steering control means is configured to guide the steering wheel in a direction to turn left or right at the guide point. During rotation, when it is detected that the driver's steering is started from the steering angle detected by the steering angle detection means, it is preferable to stop the rotation of the steering wheel at that time.

  Next, a vehicle navigation apparatus according to 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 a vehicle navigation apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the vehicle navigation device 20 of the present embodiment includes a position detector 1, a map data input device 6, an operation switch group 7, a display device 9, an audio output device 10, a remote control sensor 11, and these. A connected navigation ECU 8 is provided. Further, in the present embodiment, the steering control device 13 is connected to the navigation ECU 8, and the navigation ECU 8 determines the direction to turn right or left at a guidance point such as an intersection at a predetermined guidance timing during route guidance. An instruction signal is output to the steering control device 13 so as to be guided through the steering wheel.

  The navigation ECU 8 is configured as a normal computer, and includes a well-known CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, and a bus line for connecting these configurations. In the ROM, a program to be executed by the navigation ECU 8 is written, and a CPU or the like executes predetermined arithmetic processing according to this program.

  The position detector 1 is a well-known geomagnetic sensor 2, gyroscope 3, vehicle speed sensor (distance sensor) 4, and GPS for GPS (Global Positioning System) that detects the position of the vehicle based on radio waves from a satellite. It has a receiver 5. Since these have errors of different properties, they are configured to be used while being complemented by a plurality of sensors. The navigation ECU 8 detects the current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle based on signals from the sensors and the like of the position detector 1. Depending on the accuracy of each sensor, the position detector 1 may be configured as a part of the above, or another sensor may be used.

  The map data input device 6 is a device that inputs map data necessary for drawing a road map, such as road map data including node data and link data, landmark data such as place names, to the navigation ECU 8. The map data input device 6 includes a storage medium for storing map data. As the storage medium, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM or the like is generally used depending on the amount of data to be stored. A rewritable medium such as a hard disk may be used.

  Here, the configuration of node data and link data will be described. The node data includes a node ID with a unique number for each node where a plurality of roads intersect, merge and branch, a node coordinate, a node name, a connection link ID in which the link IDs of all links connected to the node are described, It consists of data such as intersection type, presence / absence of traffic lights, regulation information, and node cost. The link data includes a link ID with a unique number for each road, link length, node coordinates of start and end points, highway, toll road, general road, urban / suburban road, road width, number of lanes, It consists of data such as link travel time, legal speed limit and link cost. That is, the link of the link data is obtained by dividing each road on the map into a plurality of nodes by nodes indicating intersections, branching points, etc., and defining two nodes as links.

  With these node data and link data, it is possible to draw a road on a map or to search for a guide route from the departure point to the destination using a known method such as the Dijkstra method.

  The operation switch group 7 is configured as, for example, a touch switch or a mechanical switch integrated with a display device 9 described later, and is used for various inputs. For example, the navigation device 20 of the present embodiment has a route guidance function in addition to a normal navigation function for displaying the current position of the vehicle and a map around it, and the operation switch group 7 is used to set the guidance route. It is possible to specify a starting point, a waypoint, and a destination. The starting point is the current position of the vehicle unless otherwise specified, and the waypoint can be specified arbitrarily.

  When the starting point and the destination are specified, the navigation ECU 8 searches for a guidance route from the starting point to the destination using a known method such as the Dijkstra method. When the operation of the operation switch group 7 is instructed to start route guidance based on the searched guidance route, the navigation ECU 8 starts route guidance. The navigation device 20 is also provided with a remote controller (remote controller) 12 as a device for performing various inputs. When the remote controller 12 is operated, the remote control sensor 11 receives the operation signal and inputs it to the navigation ECU 8. To do.

  The display device 9 is configured by a liquid crystal display, and is input to the screen of the display device 9 from, for example, the vehicle position mark corresponding to the current vehicle position input from the position detector 1 and the map data input device 6. A road map around the vehicle generated by the map data is displayed. At the time of the route guidance described above, a road map in which the guidance route is highlighted is displayed on the screen of the display device 9.

  For example, when the route guidance is being performed, the voice output device 10 outputs a voice that guides the direction to be taken.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, by outputting an instruction signal from the navigation ECU 8 to the steering control device 13, when the vehicle approaches a guidance point such as an intersection on the guidance route, the steering wheel is set in a direction to turn right or left. The vehicle is rotated and returned to the original position by rotating it at an angle, and the vehicle turns right and left at the guide point. Since the driver always holds the steering wheel during the driving of the vehicle, the driver can easily grasp the direction to proceed from the rotation direction of the steering wheel.

  The configuration of the steering control device 13 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of the steering control device 13.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the steering control device 13 includes a reaction force generation motor 32 that is connected to the shaft of the steering wheel 30 and applies a reaction force according to the vehicle speed and the steering angle to the steering wheel 30. A steering angle sensor 31 is provided to detect the steering angle of the steering wheel 30.

  The steering control device 13 includes a steering ECU 33, and the steering ECU 33 generates a reaction force to be applied to the steering wheel 30 by a reaction force generation motor 32 based on detection signals from the vehicle speed sensor 4 and the steering angle sensor 31. For example, the steering ECU 33 outputs a control signal to the reaction force generation motor 32 so that the reaction force increases as the vehicle speed increases and the reaction force increases as the steering angle of the steering wheel 33 increases.

  A steering force generation motor 34 is connected to the steering ECU 33. The steering force generation motor 34 changes the direction of the front wheel 38 that is a steering wheel in accordance with a control signal from the steering ECU 33. For example, the screw portion is formed so that the tip of the drive shaft of the steering force generation motor 34 and the steering rack 35 are engaged with each other, whereby the rotational force of the steering force generation motor 34 is converted into the left and right movements of the steering rack 35. The Tie rods 36 are attached to both ends of the steering rack 35, and the direction of the front wheels 38 is changed by the tie rods 36 via the knuckle arm 37. The steering ECU 36 detects the steering angle of the steering wheel 30 by means of the steering angle sensor 31, and controls the steering force generation motor 34 so that the steering wheel 30 changes the direction of the front wheel 38 by an angle corresponding to the steering amount. Output a control signal.

  The steering control device 13 has the above-described configuration, and the steering wheel 30 and the front wheel 37 that is a steering wheel are mechanically separated. Therefore, even if the steering ECU 33 rotates the steering wheel 30 through the reaction force generating motor 32 by a predetermined angle in order to guide the right / left turn direction at the guide point, the direction of the front wheel 38 does not change, and the traveling state of the vehicle Will not be affected.

  Next, processing for performing guidance in the right / left turn direction by rotation of the steering wheel 30 regarding the characteristic portion of the present embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S100, it is determined whether a departure route, a destination, etc. are designated and a guidance route is set, and whether route guidance is being performed according to the guidance route. At this time, if it is determined that route guidance is being performed, the process proceeds to step S110, where the set guidance route is compared with the current position.

  In step S120, based on the comparison result between the guide route and the current position, it is determined whether it is the guide timing for the guide point. For example, it is determined that it is the guidance timing when the current position is approaching a predetermined distance with respect to guidance points such as intersections, branch points, highway entrances and exits in the guidance route. If it is determined that it is not the guide timing, the process returns to step S100, and if it is determined that the guide timing is reached, the process proceeds to step S130.

  In step S130, the display device 9 displays an enlarged guide map indicating the direction to be advanced at the guidance point, and the voice output device 10 informs the right and left turn directions at the guidance point by voice.

  Next, in step S140, based on the detection signal of the steering angle sensor 31, it is determined whether or not the steering wheel 30 is being operated. At this time, when the steering angle of the steering wheel 30 belongs to a predetermined angle range from the neutral position and the vehicle is considered to be traveling substantially straight, it is determined that the driver is not operating the steering wheel 30. The reason for making such a determination is that when the driver operates the steering wheel 30 to turn the vehicle, the steering wheel 30 is rotated to guide the right / left turn direction, and the driver's steering operation is performed. This is to prevent obstruction.

  Therefore, if it is determined in step S140 that the steering operation is being performed, the process proceeds to step S160, and a steering stop process for the right / left turn direction by the steering is performed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the steering operation is not being performed, the process proceeds to step S150, and the steering wheel 30 is rotated by a predetermined angle to guide the right / left turn direction at the guide point. The driver can surely recognize the right / left turn direction at the guide point by experiencing the rotation of the steering wheel 30.

  The guidance in the direction of turning left and right by the rotation of the steering wheel 30 will be described in detail. The steering ECU 33 acquires, from the navigation ECU 20 of the navigation device 20, information related to the direction to turn left or right at the guidance point using an instruction signal. Based on this information, the steering ECU 33 rotates the steering wheel 30 to the right by a predetermined angle when turning right, and rotates it by a predetermined angle to the left when turning left. Thus, by rotating the steering wheel 30 in the same direction as the direction to turn left and right, the driver can surely recognize the right and left turn direction.

  After rotating by a predetermined angle, the steering ECU 33 immediately rotates the steering wheel in the opposite direction by the same angle and returns it to the original position. By this returning operation, a situation in which only the steering wheel 30 remains rotating even though the traveling direction of the vehicle does not change is avoided, and the driver's uncomfortable feeling can be reduced.

  Further, the rotation / return operation of the steering wheel 30 described above is executed a plurality of times (for example, twice). As a result, the driver can be more clearly informed of the right / left turn direction at the guidance point.

  Furthermore, when the navigation device 20 guides the direction to turn left and right multiple times with respect to the same guidance point, the angle at which the steering wheel 30 is rotated and the number of executions of the rotation / return operation at each guidance timing. And at least one of them is changed. FIG. 4 shows an example in which the rotation angle of the steering wheel 30 is changed. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the guidance timing is 700 m before, 300 m before, and 100 m before the intersection as the guide point. It is said. Then, as the distance to the guide point becomes shorter, the rotation angle of the steering wheel 30 is increased (10 degrees → 15 degrees → 20 degrees). In this way, the driver can recognize not only the direction to turn left and right at the guide point but also the degree of approach to the guide point from the rotation / return operation of the steering wheel 30. Note that the rotation angle of the steering wheel 30 may be constant and the number of executions of the rotation / return operation may be changed, or both the rotation angle of the steering wheel 30 and the number of executions of the rotation / return operation may be changed.

  In step S170, it is determined whether or not the driver has started the operation of the steering wheel 30 during the rotation / return operation of the steering wheel 30, that is, during the guidance of the left / right turn direction by the steering wheel 30. As described above, during the operation of the steering wheel 30 by the driver, the rotation / return operation of the steering wheel 30 should not be performed so as not to hinder the operation. Therefore, it is monitored whether the steering operation is started during the guidance in the right / left turn direction by the steering wheel 30.

  When the steering wheel 30 is rotated / returned by the reaction force generation motor 32, the steering angle change can be detected by the steering angle sensor 31. When the change in the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 31 deviates from the steering angle change due to the rotation / return operation by a predetermined angle or more, it is determined that the steering operation by the driver is started.

  If it is determined in step S170 that the steering operation has been started, the process proceeds to step S180, and the rotational driving of the steering wheel 30 by the reaction force generation motor 32 is immediately terminated.

  In step S190, it is determined whether or not the current position has arrived at the destination. If it is determined that the current position has not yet arrived at the destination, the processing from step S100 is repeated.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the vehicle navigation apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are made without departing from the gist of the present invention. be able to.

  For example, the user may be able to change the rotation angle and number of executions of the steering wheel in the left / right turn direction guidance using the rotation / return operation of the steering wheel. Thereby, the rotation / return operation of the steering wheel can be performed according to the preference of each user.

  Also, if you are traveling on a well-known road, you may find it troublesome to guide the direction of turning left and right. Therefore, a switch that sets whether to execute the turning direction using the steering wheel 30 should be provided. Also good.

It is a lineblock diagram showing a schematic structure of a navigation device for vehicles concerning an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a steering control device 13. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process for performing route guidance. It is a figure which shows the example which changed the rotation angle of the steering wheel 30 for every guidance timing in the left-right turn direction guidance by rotation and return operation | movement of a steering wheel.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Position detector 6 ... Map data input device 7 ... Operation switch group 8 ... Navigation ECU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Display apparatus 10 ... Audio | voice output apparatus 11 ... Remote control sensor 12 ... Remote control 13 ... Steering control apparatus 20 ... Vehicle navigation apparatus

Claims (6)

Current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle;
Storage means for storing road map data;
A guide route setting means for setting a guide route to the destination based on the road map data;
A steering wheel mechanically separated from the steering wheel;
When the current position of the vehicle approaches a guide point to turn left or right in the guide route, the steering wheel rotates the steering wheel in the direction to turn right or left, thereby guiding the right or left turn direction at the guide point. And a vehicle navigation device.   The steering control means rotates / returns the steering wheel to the original position by rotating the steering wheel by a predetermined angle in the direction in which the vehicle should turn left or right and then rotating the steering wheel in the opposite direction by the same angle. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the steering control means executes the rotation / return operation a plurality of times at a predetermined guidance timing.   The steering control means has a plurality of guidance timings for the same guidance point, and at each guidance timing, changes at least one of an angle for rotating the steering wheel and the number of executions of the rotation / return operation. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the navigation device for a vehicle is used. A steering angle detecting means for detecting a steering angle of the steering wheel;
5. The steering control unit according to claim 1, wherein the steering control unit stops rotation of the steering wheel when a steering angle detected by the steering angle detection unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle. The vehicle navigation apparatus described. A steering angle detecting means for detecting a steering angle of the steering wheel;
When the steering control means detects that the driver's steering is started from the steering angle detected by the steering angle detection means during rotation of the steering wheel so as to guide the direction to turn left or right at the guide point. 5. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at the time, the steering wheel is stopped rotating.

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