JP2006242643A - Navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the usability of navigation information. <P>SOLUTION: This navigation device 10 is equipped with a complementary information acquisition part 19a for acquiring complementary information (such as road attribute information and hindrance factor information) serving as complements to navigation from the driving condition of one's own vehicle, and an output control part 19c for performing control so that navigation information (such as a present position picture and a route guidance picture) is outputted based on the complementary information acquired by the acquisition part 19a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device that outputs navigation information based on current position information and map information.

  Conventionally, position information that identifies the current position of the host vehicle is detected by a positioning method that uses inertial navigation or GPS (Global Positioning System) alone or in combination, and based on this position information and previously read map information. In addition, a navigation device that outputs navigation information to the current position or destination of the host vehicle is known.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, when the host vehicle travels in a location that does not exist as a road on the map information, the locus of the coordinates of the vehicle location is recorded, and the locus is recorded as a new road in the map information storage medium. There has been disclosed a car navigation device that allows recorded road information to be used by being superimposed on already written map information.

  Here, in such a car navigation device, as “map information”, each piece of connection information between nodes constituting the road and road attribute information (for example, road width, road type, road lane number, road lane type, etc.) Or information such as a road speed limit) is stored in association with each other.

JP-A-8-271272

  However, in the above-described prior art (Patent Document 1), for a specific road (for example, a large road such as an expressway or a national road), the width of the road, the type of road, the number of road lanes, the road lane Most of the road attribute information such as type and road speed limit is stored, but other roads are stored only for a few items. There is a problem that detailed information on the road cannot be provided, and only navigation information provided to the user can be provided with low usability.

  In particular, when outputting navigation information related to a new road that does not exist on the map information, there is no way to collect road attribute information for the new road, and the route of the new road obtained from the trajectory of the host vehicle is output as navigation information. I can only do it.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems (problems) caused by the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device that can improve the usability of navigation information.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a navigation device according to the invention of claim 1 is a navigation device that outputs navigation information based on current position information and map information, and is a traveling of a host vehicle. And supplementary information acquisition means for acquiring supplementary information to be supplemented for navigation from the situation, and output control means for controlling to output the navigation information based on the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquisition means. It is characterized by that.

  The navigation device according to the invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the above invention, the supplementary information acquisition means acquires the supplementary information by estimating a road condition of a traveling road from a traveling condition of the host vehicle. To do.

  The navigation device according to a third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the output control means generates drawing information representing road conditions acquired as the supplementary information by the supplementary information acquiring means. To do.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the invention, the supplementary information acquisition means includes, as the supplementary information, a road width, a road type, a number of road lanes, a road lane type, a road lane type, Obtaining road attribute information consisting of regulation speed, road height restriction, road travel fee, whether or not the road is tunneled, or the intersection of the travel point, and the output control means is the supplementary information acquisition means The navigation information is controlled to be output based on one or a plurality of the road attribute information acquired by the above.

  Further, in the navigation device according to the invention of claim 5, in the above invention, the supplementary information acquisition means acquires, as the supplementary information, inhibition factor information that becomes a factor inhibiting road travel, and the output control means Is controlled to output the navigation information based on the obstruction factor information acquired by the supplementary information acquisition means.

  Further, in the navigation device according to the invention of claim 6, in the above invention, the output control means is configured such that the content of the supplementary information acquired on the road by the supplementary information acquisition means is within an allowable range for a predetermined number of times. The navigation information is controlled to be output based on the supplementary information.

  Further, in the navigation device according to the invention of claim 7, in the above invention, the output prohibition target storage means for storing a road whose navigation information is created based on the supplementary information and whose position information is to be stored. The output control means outputs the navigation information created based on the supplementary information when the road stored by the output prohibition target storage means is included in the navigation information output target. It is characterized by not controlling.

  In the navigation device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the output control means is created based on the navigation information created based on the current position information and map information, and the supplementary information. It is characterized in that control is performed so as to distinguish and output the display mode from the navigation information.

  According to the present invention, since supplementary information that is supplementary to navigation is acquired from the traveling state of the host vehicle and the navigation information is output based on the acquired supplemental information, the user is informed of the road. It is possible to provide a navigation device that can provide detailed information and can improve the usability of navigation information.

  Further, according to the present invention, the supplementary information is obtained by estimating the road condition of the traveling road from the traveling condition of the own vehicle and acquiring the supplementary information reflecting the actual road condition of the traveling road in detail. There is an effect that a navigation device that can do this is obtained.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the drawing information representing the road situation acquired as supplementary information is generated, the drawing information reflecting the road situation of the actual driving road in detail can be output, There is an effect that a navigation device capable of improving the usability of the navigation information can be obtained.

  Further, according to the present invention, the supplementary information includes road width, road type, road lane number, road lane type, road regulation speed, road height limit, road travel fee, travel road Because it was decided to obtain road attribute information consisting of whether or not the tunnel or the intersection of the travel point, and to output navigation information based on one or more of the acquired road attribute information, The attribute information of the road itself can be provided to the user, and the navigation device capable of effectively improving the usability of the navigation information can be obtained.

  Further, according to the present invention, as the supplementary information, the inhibition factor information that becomes a factor inhibiting road travel is acquired, and the navigation information is output based on the acquired inhibition factor information. Thus, it is possible to provide a navigation device capable of providing information related to the road driving environment to the user and effectively improving the usability of the navigation information.

  Further, according to the present invention, if the content of the supplemental information acquired on the road is acquired with a variation within an allowable range for a predetermined number of times, control is performed so that navigation information is output based on the supplemental information. As a result, the reliability of the supplementary information can be ensured, and the navigation device capable of further improving the usability of the navigation information can be obtained.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the road to which the navigation information created based on the supplementary information is to be output and the position information of the road are stored, and the stored road is included in the output of the navigation information. In this case, since the navigation information generated based on the supplementary information is controlled so as not to be output, the navigation device can define for each road whether or not the navigation information output control based on the supplementary information is possible. The effect that is obtained.

  According to the present invention, the navigation information created based on the current position information and the map information and the navigation information created based on the supplementary information are controlled to be output in a distinguished manner. Therefore, there is an effect that a navigation device capable of distinguishing information sources from which navigation information is created can be obtained.

  Exemplary embodiments of a navigation device according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following, after describing the outline and features of the navigation device according to the present invention, the navigation device according to the first embodiment will be described. Finally, various modified examples (second embodiment) will be described as other embodiments. I will explain.

(Overview and features)
First, the outline and features of the navigation device according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the navigation device 10 outputs navigation information based on current position information and map information. Specifically, the current position screen shows a map around the current position of the host vehicle. In addition, a route guidance screen showing a route to a desired destination is displayed, and a voice guidance regarding the geographical situation around the current position and the route guidance to the desired destination is output by voice.

  Here, the navigation device 10 according to the present invention acquires supplementary information that is supplementary to navigation from the traveling state of the host vehicle, and performs control to output navigation information based on the acquired supplemental information. "Is the main feature. Usability of navigation information can be improved by such" output control processing ".

  This main feature will be specifically described. In the navigation device 10, supplementary information that supplements navigation is acquired from the traveling state of the host vehicle. Specifically, the traveling state of the own vehicle (that is, the fluctuation width of the own vehicle position, the speed of the own vehicle, the interval between the stop positions of the own vehicle, the trajectory of the own vehicle, the ETC, the light ON / OFF state, and the blinker operation instruction) As supplementary information to supplement navigation from road information (for example, road width, road type, road lane number, road lane type, road regulation speed, road driving fee, And the obstruction factor information (for example, change in actual usable lane, frequency of stop points, etc.) is estimated and acquired.

  And this navigation apparatus 10 is controlled to output navigation information based on the supplement information acquired in this way. Specifically, the “current position screen” in which road attribute information and inhibition factor information not stored in the map information are added to the map information around the current position of the host vehicle, and road attributes not stored in the map information Control is performed so as to output navigation information such as a “route guidance screen” indicating a route to a desired destination for which a route has been set reflecting information and inhibition factor information.

  In this way, by acquiring the road attribute information and the inhibition factor information from the traveling state of the host vehicle as supplementary information to supplement navigation, by controlling to output the navigation information based on the acquired supplementary information, The user can be provided with detailed information on the road (for example, attribute information of the road itself and information related to the traveling environment of the road).

  Therefore, in the above-described prior art example, the road attribute information is not stored only for a specific road (for example, a large road such as an expressway or a national road), but the navigation performance is determined based on the traveling state of the host vehicle. Since supplementary information (that is, road attribute information, obstruction factor information, etc.) to be supplemented is acquired and navigation information is output based on the acquired supplementary information, detailed information on the road is given to the user. As described above, the usability of navigation information can be improved. In particular, even when navigation information related to a new road that does not exist on the map information is output, detailed information on the road can be provided to the user.

  Next, a navigation device according to the first embodiment will be described. Here, after describing the configuration of the navigation device according to the first embodiment, the procedure of various processes of the navigation device will be described.

(Configuration of navigation device)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the navigation device 10 includes an input unit 11a, an output unit 11b, a GPS receiver 12, a vehicle speed sensor 13, an ETC 14, an in-vehicle camera 15, a light 16, a winker 17, A storage unit 18 and a control unit 19 are provided.

  Among these, the input unit 11a is an instruction input unit such as a hard switch or a touch panel for inputting various types of information. For example, it accepts route settings, and selects and sets supplementary information (selects items for capturing supplementary information). Reception and setting of the display mode of supplemental information (display mode same as or different from the display mode of map information) are performed.

  The output unit 11b is an output display unit such as a monitor that outputs various types of information. For example, the output unit 11b outputs navigation information (that is, a “current position screen” or a “route guidance screen”) output by the output control unit 19c. .

  The GPS receiver 12 receives information from a GPS artificial satellite, acquires time information, and specifies position information of the host vehicle. Further, the GPS receiving unit 12 outputs the specified position of the own vehicle to the control unit 19 (the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a and the route setting unit 19b).

  The vehicle speed sensor 13 is a sensor that detects the speed of the host vehicle, and outputs the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 13 to the control unit 19. An ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) 14 is a fee settlement machine that exchanges fee information by wireless communication between an antenna installed at a toll booth or the like and the vehicle-mounted device, and notifies the control unit 19 of the fee settlement information.

  The in-vehicle camera 15 is a camera that images the environment outside the host vehicle, and an image captured by the in-vehicle camera 15 is output to the control unit 19. The light 16 is a light installed in the vehicle such as a headlamp, and an “ON / OFF” state by the light 16 is output to the control unit 19. In addition, the winker 17 is a direction indicator that receives an operation instruction such as a direction instruction or a hazard from the driver and performs a blinking operation. The operation instruction of the winker 17 is also output to the control unit 19.

  The storage unit 18 is a storage unit (storage unit) that stores data and programs necessary for various processes performed by the control unit 19, and includes a supplementary information estimation table 18a, a supplementary information storage unit 18b, and map information 18c.

  Among these, the supplementary information estimation table 18a is a table that stores supplementary information in association with each traveling situation of the host vehicle. Specifically, as shown in FIG. A road width estimation table that stores road widths (for example, “2.5 m to 3.0 m”) in association with (for example, “0 m or more to less than 0.5 m”), as shown in FIG. And a road type estimation table that stores a road type (for example, “general road”) in association with an interval (for example, “0 km or more to less than 1 km”) between positions where the host vehicle stops.

  The supplementary information storage unit 18b is a storage unit that stores supplementary information serving as supplementary navigation. Specifically, each of the connection information between the nodes indicating the road configuration of the map information stored in the map information storage unit 18c, and , Supplementary information (for example, road attribute information and inhibition factors) of a plurality of generations acquired by the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a (for example, generations such as “first time”, “second time”,... Information, etc.) in association with each other.

  Here, if the supplement information acquired by the supplement information acquisition unit 19a is supplement information of a new road that does not exist on the map information stored by the map information storage unit 18c, the host vehicle acquired from the GPS receiver 12 The connection information between the nodes indicating the road configuration is created based on the trajectory, and the created connection information between the nodes and the acquired supplementary information are stored in association with each other. This “supplemental information” is written by the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a, and when the supplementary information flag is set to “OFF” and a predetermined condition described later is satisfied, Set to “ON”.

  The map information storage unit 18c is storage (storage) means for storing each piece of connection information between nodes constituting a road and initial road attribute information in association with each other as map information. The “initial road attribute information” referred to here is stored for a specific road (for example, a large road such as an expressway or a national road) when the map information is written in the map information storage unit 18c. Indicates the road attribute information.

  The control unit 19 is a processing unit that has a control program such as an OS (Operating System), a program that defines various processing procedures, and an internal memory for storing necessary data, and executes various processes using these. Particularly, those closely related to the present invention include a supplementary information acquisition unit 19a, a route setting unit 19b, and an output control unit 19c.

  Among these, the supplement information acquisition part 19a is a process part which acquires supplement information used as the supplement of navigation from the driving | running | working condition of the own vehicle. Specifically, “road attribute information” indicating road-specific characteristics and “inhibition factor information” that is a factor that impedes road travel are acquired from the traveling state of the host vehicle.

  More specifically, when the host vehicle is traveling, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a acquires the speed information of the host vehicle from the vehicle speed sensor 13, and averages the speed of the host vehicle to obtain the regulated speed of the road. presume. Note that when averaging the speed of the host vehicle, various averaging processes such as an arithmetic average and a weighted average can be performed. For example, in the first embodiment, the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed. A weighted average for weighting is adopted. Further, subtraction or addition of a predetermined value (for example, “10 Km”, “20 Km”, etc.) to the “average speed” estimated in this way may be performed in accordance with the driving characteristics of the driver.

  When the host vehicle is not running, the type of road is estimated based on the interval between the positions where the host vehicle has stopped (that is, the distance between the stop position stopped immediately before and the stop position). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2-2, referring to the supplementary information estimation table 18a, if the interval between the positions where the host vehicle is stopped is “0 km or more and less than 1 km”, the road type is set to “general”. If the distance between the positions where the host vehicle is stopped is “1 km or more and less than 2 km”, the road type is estimated as “national road”, and the position where the host vehicle is stopped is “2 km”. If it is “above”, the type of road is estimated as “highway”. Note that if the interval between the positions where the host vehicle stops is less than a predetermined distance, it is estimated that the traffic is “congested” and the estimation result may be ignored.

  Furthermore, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a monitors the “ON / OFF” state of the light 16. At this time, when the “ON” state of the light 16 is detected for a predetermined monitoring time (for example, “3 seconds”) in “daytime”, it is estimated that the road is “tunnel”. The reason for providing such “monitoring time” is to distinguish it from “passing” for other vehicles. Here, it is determined whether or not the “ON” state of the light 16 is continued for a predetermined monitoring time. However, whether or not the “ON” instruction of the light 16 is continued for a predetermined monitoring time. You may make it monitor.

  Further, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a monitors the operating state of the blinker 17. At this time, when the continuous operation of the blinker is detected for a predetermined monitoring time (for example, “5 seconds”), it is estimated that the travel point is an “intersection”. The reason for providing such “monitoring time” is to distinguish between a lane change by the own vehicle and a right / left turn at the intersection by the own vehicle. Here, it is determined whether or not the operation state of the winker 17 is continued for a predetermined monitoring time. However, it is monitored whether or not the operation instruction of the winker 17 is continued for a predetermined monitoring time. You may do it.

  Further, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a monitors the presence / absence of a charge settlement notification from the ETC 14. At this time, when a charge settlement notification is received from the ETC 14, it is estimated that the road is a “toll road”.

  Further, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a calculates the fluctuation width of the own vehicle position from the trajectory of the own vehicle acquired from the GPS receiver 12, and estimates the width of the road based on the fluctuation width of the own vehicle position. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2A, referring to the supplementary information estimation table 18a, if the fluctuation width of the vehicle position is “0 m or more and less than 0.5 m”, the road width is set to “2”. .5m to 3.0m ", and if the fluctuation width of the vehicle position is" 0.5m to less than 1.0m ", the road width is estimated to be" 3.0m to 3.5m " Further, if the fluctuation width of the vehicle position is “1.0 m or more and less than 1.5 m”, the road width is estimated as “3.5 m to 4.0 m”. The supplementary information estimation table 18a preferably holds road width values according to the vehicle width and the driving characteristics of the driver.

  Further, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a estimates the number of lanes on the road based on the trajectory of the host vehicle acquired from the GPS receiver 12. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3-1, if the trajectory of the host vehicle is moving “one vehicle” in the left-right direction, the number of lanes on the road is estimated as “2 lanes”. As shown in FIG. 5, if the trajectory of the host vehicle has moved “two vehicles” in the left-right direction, the number of road lanes is estimated as “three lanes”. Note that the lane change is estimated only when the operating state of the blinker 17 (however, the continuous operation within “5 seconds”) is detected, and the number of lanes on the road is estimated only when the lane change is performed. good.

  Further, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a estimates the lane type based on the trajectory of the host vehicle acquired from the GPS receiver 12. Specifically, when the lighting operation of the “left direction” of the blinker 17 is continuously detected for “5 seconds” or more and the locus of the own vehicle is detected as shown in FIG. Estimating that the lane type is “straight-turn / left-turn lane”, the “right” lighting operation of the blinker 17 is continuously detected for “5 seconds” or more, and the trajectory of the own vehicle is shown in FIG. When such a trajectory is detected, it is estimated that the type of the traveling lane is “right turn lane”. In addition, the reason why the “lane type” estimation condition is that the lighting operation of the “left direction” of the blinker 17 is continuously detected for “5 seconds” or more is whether the vehicle has made a right or left turn at the “intersection”, Alternatively, to distinguish whether the road is only “curved” left and right.

  Furthermore, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a estimates changes in the actual usable lane on the road based on the trajectory of the host vehicle acquired from the GPS receiver 12. Specifically, when it is detected that the vehicle has continuously traveled only in the same lane for a predetermined number of times (for example, “3 times including past generations”) or more when traveling on the road, Estimate that the number of possible lanes has decreased. Such a decrease in the actual usable lane occurs when road construction is regularly performed on the road, as shown in FIG.

  Further, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a estimates the frequency of stop points on the road based on an image obtained by capturing the environment outside the host vehicle with the in-vehicle camera 15. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the image captured by the in-vehicle camera 15 is subjected to image recognition processing, and the vehicle stops such as “diamond marking” or “pause” indicating that there is a pedestrian crossing or a bicycle crossing zone. Detect the road marking that causes the problem.

  Then, when the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a detects a road marking related to vehicle stoppage for a predetermined number of times (for example, five times) or more in a predetermined section (for example, a “3 km” section) of the road, Estimate that the frequency of location is high.

  In this way, from the running situation of the vehicle to the road situation of the running road (for example, from the speed of the own vehicle to the regulated speed of the road, from the interval of the position where the own vehicle has stopped, from the road type, from the “ON / OFF” state of the light 16 Whether the road is tunneled, whether the blinker 17 is in operation, whether it is an intersection of the travel point, the fee required for traveling on the road from the ETC (fee settlement machine) 14, the fluctuation of the vehicle position from the trajectory of the vehicle, Supplemental information is obtained by estimating the number of lanes, the type of lane of the road, changes in the actual usable lane on the road, and the frequency of stopping points on the road from an image of the environment outside the vehicle. Since the drawing information representing the acquired road situation is generated, the drawing information reflecting the road situation of the actual driving road in detail can be output.

  Here, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a acquires the road attribute information acquired through the above-described series of processes (that is, road width, road type, road lane number, road lane type, road regulation speed, road travel). For example, whether the road is required to be tunneled or the intersection of the travel point) and the obstruction factor information (that is, the change in the actual usable lane and the frequency of the stop point) are written and stored in the supplementary information storage unit 18b. To do.

  At this time, the content of the supplemental information on the road is determined within a tolerance within a predetermined number of times (for example, three generations including the capture information and the last two generations of supplemental information stored in the supplementary information storage unit 18b). If acquired, the “supplemental information flag” is set to “ON” and the supplementary information in the supplementary information storage unit 18b is updated.

  More specifically, if the content of each item of the road attribute information and the obstruction factor information is acquired within a tolerance within a predetermined number of times on the road, the “supplemental information flag” of the acquired supplemental information is set to “ Set to “ON” to update the supplementary information storage unit 18b. The “variation in the allowable range” means that “error”, “classification”, and “possibility” that are permitted when each item of the road attribute information and the inhibition factor information is “numerical value”. "Incorrect answer rate" indicates that the plurality of generations of supplementary information stored in the supplementary information storage unit 18b are compared with each other or in total.

  For example, when the supplementary information acquired on the road is “road width” and the variation in the allowable range is “0.5 m”, the numerical value acquired this time is “3.0 m to 3.5 m” ( In this case, the representative value is “3.25 m”.) The numerical values of the past two generations are “3.0 m to 3.5 m” (similarly, the representative value is “3.25 m”), “3.5 m. ˜4.0 m ”(similarly, the representative value is“ 3.75 m ”), it is determined that the error of the past three generations is within“ 0.5 m ”, and the numerical value“ 3 ”acquired this time .0m to 3.5m "as the latest generation supplementary information, the supplementary information flag is set to" ON "and updated to the supplementary information storage unit 18b. The supplementary information is updated for each item in the road attribute information and the obstruction factor information.

  Further, the content of the supplementary information on the road acquired by the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a is set to a predetermined number of times (for example, three generations including the captured information and the supplement information of the past two generations stored in the supplementary information storage unit 18b). ), Or when the predetermined number of times cannot be acquired due to variations within the allowable range, or the supplement information on the road acquired by the supplement information acquisition unit 19a is stored by the map information storage unit 18c. In the case of supplementary information of a new road that does not exist on the map information, the “supplemental information flag” of the acquired supplementary information is set to “OFF” and the supplementary information storage unit 18b is updated or the supplementary information of the acquired supplementary information The “supplemental information flag” is set to “OFF” and a new writing process is performed in the supplemental information storage unit 18b.

  The route setting unit 19b is based on the supplementary information stored in the supplementary information storage unit 18b, the current position information acquired from the GPS receiver 12, and the map information stored in the map information storage unit 18c. It is a processing unit for setting. Specifically, the route setting is performed by searching for the “optimum route” to a predetermined destination based on the supplementary information in which the “supplemental information flag” is set to “ON” and the current position information and map information. To do. The “optimum route” here refers to a route having the shortest distance, a route having the shortest time, or a route having the minimum cost.

  The output control unit 19c outputs navigation information based on the supplemental information stored in the supplementary information storage unit 18b, the current position information acquired from the GPS receiver 12, and the map information stored in the map information storage unit 18c. It is a processing part to control to.

  More specifically, the map information for the map information around the current position of the host vehicle is stored in the map information based on the supplement information, the current position information, and the map information in which the “supplement information flag” is set to “ON”. To the desired destination where the route is set by reflecting the supplementary information by the “current position screen” created by adding additional supplementary information (that is, road attribute information and obstruction factor information) or the route setting unit 19b A “route guidance screen” indicating the route is output as navigation information.

  In this way, as supplementary information, road width, road type, road lane number, road lane type, road regulation speed, road height limit, road travel fee, road tunnel availability Alternatively, by acquiring road attribute information such as the availability of an intersection of the travel point and controlling to output navigation information based on one or more of the acquired road attribute information, the attribute of the road itself to the user Information can be provided, and usability of navigation information can be effectively improved.

  In addition, as supplementary information, obstruction factor information that becomes a factor that obstructs road driving is acquired, and control is performed so that navigation information is output based on the acquired obstruction factor information, so that the user can be in a road driving environment. Such information can be provided, and the usability of navigation information can be effectively improved.

  In addition, if the content of the supplement information acquired on the road is acquired within a tolerance within a predetermined number of times, control is performed so that navigation information is output based on the supplement information. The reliability of information can be ensured, and the usability of navigation information can be further improved.

  Further, the output control unit 19c performs control so as to distinguish and output display modes of navigation information created based on current position information and map information and navigation information created based on supplementary information.

  The distinction between the “display modes” will be described. FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating an example of a “current position screen” created based on map information. At this time, for example, when a “tunnel” penetrating “A mountain” shown in the figure is newly provided, the “current position screen” created based on the map information and the supplementary information is shown in FIG. The “current position screen” as shown in FIG. Further, in the “current position screen” created by distinguishing the display modes of the navigation information created based on the map information and the navigation information created based on the supplementary information, the “current position screen” as shown in FIG. The “current position screen” will be output. The “display mode” can be distinguished by any method as long as it can distinguish the information to be created, such as color display, line display, or hatch display. good.

  As described above, the navigation information created based on the current position information and the map information and the navigation information created based on the supplementary information are controlled so as to be output separately. It is possible to distinguish the information source that is the creation source.

(Processing procedures)
Next, various procedures of the navigation device according to the first embodiment will be described. Here, after describing the “supplemental information acquisition process” for acquiring supplementary information, the “output control process” that is the main feature will be described.

(Supplementary information acquisition process)
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a procedure of supplemental information acquisition processing. This “supplemental information acquisition process” is a process performed at predetermined intervals when the navigation device is activated.

  As shown in the figure, when the host vehicle is traveling (Yes at step S801), the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a acquires the speed information of the host vehicle from the vehicle speed sensor 13, and averages the speed of the host vehicle. The road speed limit is estimated (step S802).

  In addition, when the host vehicle is not running, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a refers to the supplementary information estimation table 18a, and determines the interval between the positions where the host vehicle has stopped (that is, the stop position immediately before the stop position and the stop position). The road type is estimated based on the distance (step S803).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, referring to the supplementary information estimation table 18a, if the interval between the positions where the host vehicle is stopped is “0 Km or more and less than 1 Km”, the road type is “general road”. If the distance between the positions where the own vehicle is stopped is “1 km or more and less than 2 km”, the road type is estimated as “national road”, and the distance between the positions where the own vehicle is stopped is “2 km or more”. If there is, the road type is estimated as “highway”.

  Then, the supplemental information acquisition unit 19a monitors the “ON / OFF” state of the light 16 (step S804). At this time, when the “ON” state of the light 16 is detected for a predetermined monitoring time (for example, “3 seconds”) in “daytime” (Yes in step S804), it is estimated that the road is “tunnel”. (Step S805).

  Subsequently, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a monitors the operating state of the winker 17 (step S806). At this time, when the continuous operation of the blinker is detected for a predetermined monitoring time (for example, “5 seconds”) (Yes at Step S806), it is estimated that the travel point is an “intersection” (Step S807).

  Thereafter, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a monitors the presence / absence of a charge settlement notification from the ETC 14 (step S808). At this time, when a charge settlement notification is received from the ETC 14 (Yes in step S808), it is estimated that the road is a “toll road” (step S809).

  And the supplementary information acquisition part 19a calculates the fluctuation width of the own vehicle position from the locus of the own vehicle acquired from the GPS receiver 12, and estimates the width of the road based on the fluctuation width of the own vehicle position ( Step S810).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, referring to the supplementary information estimation table 18 a, if the fluctuation width of the vehicle position is “0 m or more and less than 0.5 m”, the road width is set to “2.5 m”. 3.0 m ”, and if the fluctuation width of the vehicle position is“ 0.5 m to less than 1.0 m ”, the road width is estimated to be“ 3.0 m to 3.5 m ”. If the fluctuation width of the vehicle position is “1.0 m to less than 1.5 m”, the road width is estimated to be “3.5 m to 4.0 m”.

  Subsequently, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a estimates the number of lanes and the lane type of the road based on the trajectory of the own vehicle acquired from the GPS receiver 12 (step S811). For example, as shown in FIG. 3-1, if the trajectory of the host vehicle has moved “one vehicle” in the left-right direction, the number of lanes on the road is estimated as “two lanes”, and as shown in FIG. On the other hand, if the trajectory of the host vehicle has moved “two vehicles” in the left-right direction, the number of road lanes is estimated as “three lanes”.

  Further, when the “leftward” lighting operation of the winker 17 is continuously detected for “5 seconds” or more and the trajectory of the own vehicle is detected as shown in FIG. 4A, Assuming that the type is “straight / left turn lane”, the lighting operation of the “right direction” of the winker 17 is continuously detected for “5 seconds” or more, and the trajectory of the own vehicle is as shown in FIG. When the trajectory is detected, it is estimated that the type of the travel lane is “right turn lane”.

  Thereafter, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a estimates the change in the actual usable lane on the road based on the trajectory of the host vehicle acquired from the GPS receiver 12 (step S812). At this time, if it is detected that the vehicle has continuously traveled only in the same lane for a predetermined number of times (for example, “3 times including past generations”) or more when traveling on the road (Yes in step S812), It is estimated that the actual usable lane has decreased (step S813).

  And the supplementary information acquisition part 19a estimates the frequency of the stop location in the said road based on the image by which the vehicle exterior environment of the own vehicle was imaged with the vehicle-mounted camera 15 (step S814). At this time, when a road marking related to vehicle stoppage is detected a predetermined number of times (for example, 5 times) or more in a predetermined section (for example, a “3 km” section) of the road (Yes in step S814), the stop location on the road Is estimated to be high (step S815).

  Here, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a determines the content of the supplementary information on the road a predetermined number of times (for example, three generations including the captured information and the supplementary information of the past two generations stored in the supplementary information storage unit 18b). Is acquired with a variation within an allowable range (Yes in step S816), the “supplemental information flag” is set to “ON” and the supplementary information in the supplementary information storage unit 18b is updated (step S817), and the process is terminated. .

  Further, the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a sets the “supplemental information flag” of the acquired supplementary information when the content of the supplementary information on the road cannot be acquired with a variation within an allowable range for a predetermined number of times (No in step S816). Set to “OFF” to update the supplementary information storage unit 18b, or set the “supplemental information flag” of the acquired supplementary information to “OFF” and perform a new writing process in the supplementary information storage unit 18b (step S818). ).

  As described above, in the navigation device according to the first embodiment, “road attribute information” indicating road-specific characteristics and “inhibition factor information” that is a factor that inhibits road travel are acquired from the traveling state of the host vehicle. To be able to.

(Output control processing)
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the output control process. This “output control process” is a process that is recursively performed at predetermined intervals when the navigation apparatus is activated.

  As shown in the figure, when a predetermined period has elapsed (Yes in step S901), the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a performs “road attribute information” indicating road-specific characteristics from the traveling state of the host vehicle and traveling on the road. A “supplemental information acquisition process” is performed to acquire “inhibition factor information” that is a factor of inhibition (step S902).

  Here, when the route guidance is set (Yes at Step S903), the output control unit 19c reflects the supplementary information by the route setting unit 19b to the desired destination where the route is set. A “route guidance screen” indicating the route is output as navigation information (step S904).

  When the route guidance is not set (No at Step S903), the output control unit 19c displays the supplemental information, the current position information, and the map information in which the “supplemental information flag” is set to “ON”. Based on the map information around the current position of the host vehicle, supplementary information (that is, road attribute information and obstruction factor information) that is not stored in the map information is added as the navigation information. Output (step S905).

  Note that this “output control process” is performed repeatedly until the navigation apparatus 10 is powered off from steps S901 to S905.

  As described above, according to the navigation apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, “road attribute information” indicating road-specific characteristics from the travel state of the host vehicle and “inhibition factor information that is a factor that inhibits road travel” ”And the navigation information is output based on the acquired“ road attribute information ”and“ inhibition factor information ”, so that the user can obtain attribute information on the road itself and information on the driving environment of the road. And the usability of navigation information can be effectively improved. Furthermore, even when navigation information relating to a new road that does not exist on the map information is output, detailed information on the road can be provided to the user.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention can be implemented in various different embodiments in addition to the above-described first embodiment within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It may be.

  For example, in the present invention, when the navigation information created based on the supplementary information is stored as a road to be output prohibited and the position information of the road, the stored road is included in the navigation information output target. The navigation information generated based on the supplementary information may be controlled so as not to be output.

  Specifically, for example, if the output prohibition targets are defined as “highways” and “national roads”, the “highways” and “national roads” that are output prohibitions and the “highways” and “national roads” are configured. Connection information between nodes to be stored. When these roads (ie, “highway” and “national road”) are included in the navigation information output target, navigation information created based on the supplementary information stored in the supplementary information storage unit 18b. Is controlled so as not to output. The “output prohibition target” may be initially set, or may be designated by the user via the input unit 11a.

  That is, the navigation information created based on the supplementary information is stored as a road to be output prohibited and the position information of the road, and the stored road is included in the navigation information output target as supplementary information. By controlling so as not to output the navigation information created based on it, it is possible to define for each road whether or not navigation information output control based on supplementary information is possible.

  In the first embodiment, both “road attribute information” and “inhibition factor information” are acquired, and the navigation information is output based on the acquired “road attribute information” and “inhibition factor information”. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be implemented by acquiring supplementary information of only one of “road attribute information” or “inhibition factor information”.

  In the first embodiment, the “road attribute information” includes road width, road type, road lane number, road lane type, road regulation speed, road travel fee, road tunnel availability. Alternatively, whether or not the intersection of the travel point is possible, “inhibition factor information”, the change of the actual usable lane and the frequency of the stop point is obtained, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other “ “Road attribute information” or “inhibition factor information” may be acquired. For example, road height restriction information or the like may be acquired from an image captured by the in-vehicle camera 15 as road attribute information. It should be noted that the present invention may be implemented by acquiring arbitrary items of “road attribute information” and / or “inhibition factor information”.

  In the first embodiment, the navigation information is output based on the supplement information stored in the supplement information storage unit 18b only when the supplement information flag is set to “ON”. It is not limited, and when supplementary information that is not stored in the map information is acquired, navigation information may be output based on the supplementary information without performing filtering processing such as a supplementary information flag. In addition, when supplementary information that is not stored in the map information is acquired, whether or not navigation information output control based on this supplementary information is possible may be confirmed and output.

  In the first embodiment, the supplementary information acquired by the supplementary information acquisition unit 19a is stored in the supplementary information storage unit 18b. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the supplementary information is stored in the map information. You may make it memorize | store in the memory | storage part 18c.

  In the first embodiment, the navigation screen (for example, “current position screen”, “route guidance screen”, etc.) is displayed as the navigation information output. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, voice guidance related to guidance may be output based on supplementary information.

  In addition, among the processes described in this embodiment, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or the processes described as being performed manually can be performed. All or a part can be automatically performed by a known method. In addition, the processing procedure, control procedure, specific name, and information including various data and parameters shown in the above-mentioned document and drawings can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

  Further, each component of each illustrated apparatus is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of distribution / integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or a part thereof may be functionally or physically distributed or arbitrarily distributed in arbitrary units according to various loads or usage conditions. Can be integrated and configured. Further, all or any part of each processing function performed in each device may be realized by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or may be realized as hardware by wired logic.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a navigation device according to a first embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the information memorize | stored in a supplementary information estimation table. It is a figure which shows an example of the information memorize | stored in a supplementary information estimation table. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating estimation of the number of lanes of a road. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating estimation of the number of lanes of a road. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating estimation of the lane classification of a road. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating estimation of the lane classification of a road. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the change of the actual usable lane in a road. It is a figure which shows an example of the road marking used as the factor which stops a vehicle. It is a figure which shows an example of the present position screen produced based on map information. It is a figure which shows an example of the present position screen produced based on map information and supplementary information. It is a figure which shows an example of the present position screen produced distinguishing the display mode. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a supplement information acquisition process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of an output control process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Navigation apparatus 11a Input part 11b Output part 12 GPS receiver 13 Vehicle speed sensor 14 ETC
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Car-mounted camera 16 Light 17 Winker 18 Storage part 18a Supplementary information estimation table 18b Supplementary information storage part 18c Map information storage part 19 Control part 19a Supplementary information acquisition part 19b Route setting part 19c Output control part

Claims (8)

A navigation device that outputs navigation information based on current position information and map information,
Supplementary information acquisition means for acquiring supplementary information that supplements navigation from the traveling state of the host vehicle;
Output control means for controlling to output the navigation information based on the supplement information acquired by the supplement information acquisition means;
A navigation device characterized by comprising:   The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supplementary information acquisition unit acquires the supplementary information by estimating a road condition of a traveling road from a driving condition of the host vehicle.   The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output control unit generates drawing information representing road conditions acquired as the supplementary information by the supplementary information acquisition unit. The supplementary information acquisition means includes, as the supplementary information, road width, road type, road lane number, road lane type, road regulation speed, road height limit, road travel fee, travel road Road attribute information including at least one of whether or not the tunnel of the road or the intersection of the traveling point,
The output control means controls to output the navigation information based on one or more of the road attribute information acquired by the supplementary information acquisition means. The navigation device described in 1. The supplementary information acquisition means acquires inhibition factor information that becomes a factor that inhibits driving on the road as the supplementary information,
The navigation according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the output control means controls to output the navigation information based on the inhibition factor information acquired by the supplementary information acquisition means. apparatus.   The output control means outputs the navigation information based on the supplementary information when the supplementary information obtained on the road by the supplementary information obtaining means is acquired with a variation within an allowable range for a predetermined number of times. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the navigation device is controlled to do so. Further comprising an output prohibition target storage means for storing a road whose output prohibition is navigation information created based on the supplementary information and position information of the road;
The output control means controls so as not to output the navigation information created based on the supplementary information when the road stored by the output prohibition target storage means is included in the navigation information output target. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein   The output control means performs control to distinguish and output display modes of navigation information created based on the current position information and map information and navigation information created based on the supplementary information. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that

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