JP2006258583A - Navigation device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation device for a vehicle capable of updating or correcting a traveling guide content by a simple method, and realizing a traveling guide suitable for a driver, without imposing a cost burden on a user. <P>SOLUTION: This device is equipped with a map data storage means 6a for storing map data including crossing data; and an edition data storage means 6b for editing data related to a crossing guide at a crossing corresponding to crossing data designated from among the map data, and storing an edition result as new crossing data. When the crossing data are stored in the edition data storage means 6b, a crossing guide to be performed relative to the crossing is executed based on the crossing data stored in the edition data storage means 6b in preference to the crossing data stored in the map data storage means 6a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle navigation apparatus that is installed in a vehicle such as an automobile, displays a current position, and displays a route to a destination is known. As the vehicle travels, the current position is detected by GPS (Global Positioning System), etc., and the current position is displayed on the display device together with the road map, and an appropriate route from the current position to the destination is displayed. A vehicle navigation device that is set and guided by a display device, an audio output device, or the like contributes to efficient and safe driving for the driver. With this device, it is less likely to get lost and it is possible to drive comfortably.

  In these vehicle navigation devices, road map information required for guidance and guidance information for guidance by voice or the like at the time of route guidance are transmitted to an external medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, or a hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as a hard disk drive). , Abbreviated as HDD), etc., and by reading the necessary data from the data stored in these, for example, route display to the destination and guidance for turning left and right when entering the intersection, etc. Travel guidance is provided. However, the road map information changes with the passage of time. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for changing / updating road map information of a vehicle navigation device so as to cope with such changes in road map information, and various other techniques have been developed. .

JP 2004-361324 A

  However, if the road conditions change due to road construction performed along with secular change, new road construction / removal, etc., the vehicle navigation apparatus may clearly give wrong guidance. In such a case, data relating to road map information needs to be updated. However, updating such data is expensive and cannot be performed frequently.

  In addition, the travel guidance is configured so that a widely accepted travel guidance is realized, but on the other hand, some people may feel uncomfortable with some of the general guidance. is there. For example, when the vehicle navigation apparatus guides a “right turn” as an intersection guide at an intersection, it is easier for a person to understand that the guidance is “straight ahead”. When guidance with a sense of incongruity is given while driving on an unfamiliar road, the driver feels great anxiety, and it is desirable that guidance that gives a sense of incongruity be corrected as much as possible.

  However, such a sense of incongruity comes from the experience and sensibility of the individual, and there is no device that can reflect the personal preference of the current vehicle navigation device.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and enables to update / correct travel guidance contents in a simple manner without imposing a cost burden on the user, and to realize travel guidance suitable for the driver. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle navigation device that can perform the above-described operation.

  The present invention is a vehicle navigation apparatus for solving the above-described problems. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1 is a map data storage unit that stores map data including intersection data, and provides guidance for an intersection at the intersection with respect to the intersection data specified from the map data. Data editing means for editing related data, editing data storage means for storing the editing result of the intersection data by the data editing means as new intersection data, and the intersection data is stored in the editing data storage means. In this case, the intersection guidance means for executing the intersection guidance for the intersection based on the intersection data stored in the edit data storage means in preference to the intersection data stored in the map data storage means; It is characterized by having.

  According to the above configuration, when the user desires to change the intersection guidance, the user designates the intersection to be changed, and inputs the correction of the guidance to the vehicle navigation device, so that the data editing means The intersection data is edited based on the contents, the edited data storage means stores it, and the intersection guidance means can execute the guidance based on the stored data. That is, it is possible to correct an arbitrary intersection guidance by a user without incurring a cost like updating map data, and a vehicle navigation apparatus that realizes an intersection guidance reflecting the user's preference can be constructed.

  The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a display unit that displays a road map based on the map data, wherein the data editing unit is configured to display a content of the road map displayed on the display unit to a user. Edit the intersection data corresponding to the intersection guidance executed by the intersection guide means under the specified conditions. It is possible to input the contents and edit the intersection data based on the input.

  According to the above configuration, the user can specify an intersection whose guidance should be corrected and an approach road and an exit road with respect to the intersection while viewing the road map displayed on the display means. Is easy to input.

  The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising route search means for executing a route search to a destination, wherein the data editing means is a state in which a route to the destination is searched by the route search means. In this case, the intersections on the route are sequentially designated in accordance with the route, the user is inquired about the necessity / unnecessity of editing the intersection data, and when the user needs to edit the intersection data, the route is When the user traces, the user can input editing contents of the intersection data corresponding to the intersection guidance executed by the intersection guidance means at the designated intersection, and the intersection data can be edited based on the input. Yes.

  At the time of route search, a guidance route is displayed on the display screen, but there may be an intersection for which guidance is to be corrected in the displayed guidance route. In such a case, it is only necessary to specify the intersections on the guide route along the guide route in order and edit the guidance contents. Also, since the guide route is determined, the user must enter the approach road at each intersection.・ There is no need to specify an exit road.

  In the vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 4, when the intersection to be edited is designated, the data editing unit causes the intersection guidance unit to execute intersection guidance in the current setting at the intersection, The user can be inquired about necessity / unnecessity of editing the intersection data.

  According to the above configuration, since the actual intersection guidance is performed before editing, it is possible to reconfirm to the user whether or not the intersection guidance at the designated intersection is really necessary to be corrected. Can be prevented.

  6. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the data editing means, after editing the intersection data, causes the intersection guidance means to execute intersection guidance based on the edited intersection data, and allows the user to edit the intersection data. Can be queried as to whether or not

  According to the above configuration, since the actual guidance is performed after editing, it is possible to confirm to the user whether or not the intersection guidance based on the edited intersection data has been performed correctly, and the intersection guidance is based on the erroneous editing result. Can be prevented.

  7. The vehicular navigation apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the data editing means edits the intersection data by changing the direction guidance at the designated intersection to an arbitrary direction guidance, allowing / not allowing passage at the designated intersection. It may include at least one of a correction for changing the guidance and a correction of information on the presence / absence of a traffic signal at a designated intersection.

  The main contents of intersection guidance are related to the above direction guidance, the presence or absence of traffic lights, and whether or not traffic is allowed at intersections. At least if these guidance can be corrected, intersection guidance without discomfort will be realized. Can do.

  The vehicle navigation device according to claim 7, wherein after the intersection data is edited by the data editing unit, the edited intersection data is transmitted to an external data server via a predetermined communication unit. It may be.

  According to the said structure, the intersection data edited by the user can be transmitted to an external data server via communication means, such as the internet. For example, when the map data is provided to the user and the external data server is an administrator, the correction information is accumulated in the data server, so that the number of users corrected for each correction content can be known. it can. Thereby, for example, with respect to intersection guidance with a high correction frequency, the correction content can be reflected in the map data to be provided next time.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle navigation apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle navigation apparatus of the present invention. 1 includes a position detector 1, a data storage unit 6, an operation switch group 7, a remote control (hereinafter referred to as remote control) sensor 11, a voice output device 15 for performing voice guidance, an external memory 9, A display device 10, a communication unit 19, a voice input device 30, a control circuit 8 connected to these, and a remote control terminal 12 are provided.

  The position detector 1 includes a known geomagnetic sensor 2, a gyroscope 3, a distance sensor 4, and a GPS receiver 5 for GPS that detects the position of the vehicle based on radio waves from a satellite, and the current position of the vehicle Is detected. Since these sensors 2, 3, 4, and 5 have errors of different properties, they are configured to be used while being complemented by a plurality of sensors. Depending on the accuracy, some of the sensors described above may be used.

  In this embodiment, the data storage unit 6 is configured as a hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as HDD). The data storage unit 6 includes a map data storage unit 6a as a partial storage area, and stores various types of map data required for route search and travel guidance. Moreover, the edit data storage part 6b is provided as a different storage area, and the edited intersection data mentioned later are memorize | stored. The map data storage unit 6a may be configured by a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, or a memory card, and a DVD player, a CD player, or the like that reads data from them. The edit data storage unit 6b may be any erasable / rewritable storage unit that retains at least the stored contents, and may be configured to use, for example, a flash memory. In this embodiment, the map data storage unit 6a of the HDD 6 corresponds to map data storage means, and the edit data storage unit 6b corresponds to edit data storage means.

  The map data stored in the map data storage unit 6a is necessary for performing so-called map matching data for improving the accuracy of position detection, road data that is detailed information of roads to be displayed, and driving guidance. Guidance data etc. are included. Of these, the road data is information for constructing a predetermined road map for display, and includes road name, road position coordinates, road shape, direction, distance, road width, number of lanes, road type, speed limit, and required time. Intersections (branch roads) based on road segment information such as topography, road facilities and buildings, intersection position coordinates, number of right / left turn lanes, connecting roads, connecting road availability, and other signals Contains information that defines Of these pieces of information, data related to intersection guidance corresponds to intersection data. In addition, the guidance data includes information defining points for guidance, voice information for actual guidance, and the like.

  As the operation switch group 7, for example, a touch switch or a mechanical switch integrated with the display device 10 is used. The touch switch is composed of infrared sensors that are finely arranged vertically and horizontally on the screen of the display device 10. For example, when the infrared ray is cut off with a finger, a touch pen, or the like, the cut-off position becomes a two-dimensional coordinate value (X, Y). Various instructions can be input by the operation switch group 7 and the remote control terminal 12. The operation switch group 7 and the remote control terminal 12 also have input means for allowing the user to input edit contents in order to edit data.

  The voice input device 30 is voice input means such as a microphone, and receives voice input and is input to the voice recognition unit 86 of the control circuit 8 for signal processing. Thus, the device can be used to indicate a destination or the like in the same manner as when the operation switch group 7 or the remote controller 12 is operated. The voice input device 30 can also be used as the input means.

  The display device 10 is configured by a color liquid crystal display, and the road map is displayed on the screen of the display device 10 based on the map data stored in the data storage unit 6 and input from the position detector 1. The vehicle current position mark, the information received from the information center 14, and additional data such as a guidance route to be displayed on the map are displayed in an overlapping manner. A button for performing the switching operation is displayed. The display device 10 corresponds to display means.

  The vehicle navigation apparatus 100 can be connected to the external network 18 via the communication unit 19, and is connected to the external data server 20, the dedicated information center 14 and the like via communication means such as the Internet. In addition, data can be transmitted and received between the vehicle navigation device 100 and the vehicle navigation device 100. As a result, it is possible to connect to an information center 14 such as VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System), receive information provided from the information center 14, and transmit information to the information center 14. At this time, information received from the outside, such as road traffic information, is processed in the control circuit 8.

  Further, the external memory 9 stores data necessary for the operation of the vehicle navigation device 100. The external memory 9 may be any storage means that can be erased and rewritten even if the ignition switch of the vehicle is turned off (that is, the vehicle navigation device 100 is turned off) and retains the stored contents. A flash memory or the like can be used.

  The control circuit 8 as a control unit is configured as a normal computer, and includes a voice recognition unit 86 in addition to the well-known CPU 81, ROM 82, RAM 83, and I / O 84, as shown in FIG. A bus line 85 connecting these components is provided. The control circuit 8 corresponds to a data editing unit or an intersection guide unit that edits intersection data based on the input from the input unit.

  The CPU 81 performs control based on programs and data stored in the ROM 82 and RAM 83. As shown in FIG. 2, the ROM 82 stores an operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) 82s, a navigation program (hereinafter referred to as navigation program) 82p operating on the OS 82s, and an intersection guidance correction program 82a. In addition, the navigation program 82p and the intersection guidance correction program 82a operate on the OS 82s with the work memory 83w as a work area. Furthermore, the work memory 83s of the OS 82s is formed in the RAM 83.

  The control circuit 8 realizes functions as a map data acquisition unit 8a, a map matching unit 8b, a route calculation unit 8c, a route guidance unit 8d, a drawing unit 8e, and a screen control management unit 8f shown in FIG. When the navigation program 82p is activated by the CPU 81 of the control circuit 8, various programs (not shown) corresponding thereto are appropriately executed. The navigation device 100 for a vehicle having such a configuration is configured such that after the navigation program 82p is started, the driver operates the operation switch group 7 or the remote control terminal 12, and the route is displayed from the menu displayed on the display device 10. When the search process is selected, the following process is performed.

  That is, when the user inputs a destination and the destination is set, the current location data of the vehicle is acquired based on the satellite data obtained from the GPS receiver 5, and the map data acquisition unit 8a further acquires the data storage unit 6 Map data is acquired from the map data storage unit 6a, and the map matching unit 8b specifies the current location of the vehicle on the road map from the current location data and the road shape data of the map data. At this time, the drawing unit 8e displays a road map on the screen of the display device 10 based on the map data acquired by the map data acquisition unit 8a. Then, the route calculation unit 8c calculates a guide route to the destination based on the current location data and the specified destination position data, and the drawing unit 8e displays the guide route on the screen. When the guidance route is calculated, the route guidance unit 8d calculates the point on the guidance route where guidance should be performed and the content of travel guidance performed at that point based on the map data. When a vehicle equipped with the vehicle navigation device 100 starts traveling and reaches a point where guidance is to be provided, the screen control management unit 8f displays a road map showing the current location of the vehicle, a schematic diagram of an expressway, an intersection When approaching the vicinity, an enlarged view of the intersection is appropriately displayed on the drawing unit 8e, and travel guidance by voice or the like is executed at a predetermined point based on the calculation result. In the case of performing an operation by voice, the user inputs the operation voice / destination setting voice from the voice input device 30 such as a microphone, and the voice identification unit 86 determines the operation content from the input voice, and the CPU 81 Executes processing based on the operation content. At that time, the operation content is talked back from the voice output device 15 so that the user can confirm the recognized operation content.

  The route search performed by the route calculation unit 8c calculates a recommended route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination according to specified conditions such as toll road priority, general road priority, distance priority, and the like. This is done by the Dijkstra method.

  Next, intersection guidance that the vehicle navigation apparatus 100 performs as part of travel guidance will be described. When a traveling vehicle approaches a predetermined distance from an intersection to be guided (hereinafter referred to as a guidance target intersection), the voice output device 15 uses voice to travel in the intersection, information on the intersection, and the like. Communicated to the user. Such intersection guidance is mainly performed for the purpose of guiding the user to a destination according to the route after the route is determined. For example, it is guided as “Xm ahead, right direction”.

  Such intersection guidance is performed in such a manner that an approaching road and an exiting road to the guidance target intersection are identified from the guidance route, and predetermined guidance content determined by them is selected. In the map data storage unit 6a, as intersection-related data (intersection data), an intersection, a combination of an approach road and an exit road that can be set for the intersection, and voice guidance contents corresponding to the combination are mutually stored. In this embodiment, intersection data is stored as shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 6 is a table of intersection data regarding the intersections in FIGS. 3 and 4. For example, in the case of intersection guidance at the intersection A in FIG. 3, among the connected roads a <b> 1 to a <b> 4, the entry road is a <b> 1 and the exit road is a <b> 3. Is designated from the data table shown in FIG. 6A, the guidance content Z5 in FIG. 5A is designated, and a guidance “turn right” is given. The guidance content shown in FIG. 5A is defined by the direction in which the exit direction from the intersection is directed to the traveling direction from the current location to the intersection as shown in FIG. 5B. Is.

  In the vehicle navigation apparatus 100 according to the present invention, when the content of such intersection guidance is incorrect due to secular change, or when the user actually feels uncomfortable when he / she is actually guided, such guidance content is provided by the user. Can be corrected. For example, when guidance is given from the road a1 to the road a3 at the intersection A as shown in FIG. 3, it is guided as “right front” in the default setting, but some users guide “straight ahead”. Some people find it easier to accept. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, such information is not reflected in the map data when the road b <b> 2, which has been able to pass through among the roads b <b> 1 to b <b> 3 connected at the intersection B, cannot be passed during construction. There is. In this case, even if it is impossible to pass, it is displayed on the display screen so that it can go straight, so the user does not notice that the road cannot go straight until it actually enters the intersection. In the present invention, the content of the intersection guidance can be arbitrarily changed by the user by executing the intersection guidance correction program 82a by the CPU 81 of the control circuit 8 in such a case. Hereinafter, the specific correction method is demonstrated using a flowchart.

  First, the state of the vehicle navigation device 100 is switched to the travel guidance correction mode by performing a predetermined operation by an input means such as pressing a predetermined switch of the operation switch group 7 or a button of the remote control terminal 12. By this switching, the intersection guidance correction program 82a stored in the ROM 82 is activated, and processing according to the flowchart of FIG. 7 is executed.

  When the intersection guidance correction program 82a is activated, first, in S101, the current vehicle navigation device 100 is in a state before the route search or after the route search is performed, that is, the guidance route is displayed on the display device 10. It is determined whether the current state (during route guidance) or the state where the route is only displayed (demo mode). In the former case, the process proceeds to S102, and in the latter case, the process proceeds to S103.

  In the former case where route guidance is not provided, the correction program P1 shown in FIG. 8 is executed in S101. When the correction program P1 is executed, first, in S201, a condition input process for causing the user to specify an intersection to be corrected (hereinafter referred to as a correction target intersection) and an approach road and an exit road to the intersection is executed. Here, as shown in FIG. 9A, the user designates the intersection A as a correction target by the cursor 50 on the display screen, and further enters the approach road a1 from among the roads a1 to a4 connected to the intersection A. And the exit road a3 are designated in order.

  Next, in S202, guidance content confirmation processing is performed in which the intersection guidance in the current setting is executed based on the conditions (correction target intersection A, approach road a1, exit road a3) designated in S201, and the user confirms the guidance content. Do. This guidance content confirmation processing is performed based on an intersection guidance program 82q, which will be described later. If the designated correction target intersection has already been corrected, the corrected intersection guidance is not corrected. If there is, the default intersection guidance is performed. The intersection guidance program 82q will be described later. In S203, after confirming the guidance content in the current setting, the user is caused to determine whether or not the guidance content needs to be corrected. The determination result is input from the input means. At this time, if it is not determined to be corrected, the process proceeds to S209. If it is determined to be corrected, a flag indicating that there is a correction is set in the intersection data of the specified correction target intersection, and then the process proceeds to S204.

  In S204, the contents of the intersection guidance performed under the conditions specified in S201 are corrected. Specifically, the contents of the direction guidance corresponding to the intersection / entry road / exit road specified in S201, the information on the presence / absence of the signal at the intersection, and the pass / fail information of the road connected to the intersection And change the guidance contents in order.

  The content of the direction guidance is changed by selecting the guidance content of the desired content with the cursor 50 from the list 40 displayed on the screen as shown in FIG. When the cursor is selected, the guidance content corresponding to the condition specified in S201 in the intersection data table shown in FIG. 6A is changed to the guidance content selected by the cursor. Here, the intersection data regarding the correction target intersection A shown in FIG. 6A is changed as shown in FIG.

  To change the information on the presence or absence of signals at the intersection, select the traffic light mark at the correction target intersection on the screen as shown in FIG. 9C and switch the display state of the traffic light mark. To do. When it is changed, the data relating to the presence or absence of the intersection data signal shown in FIG. 6B is changed. Here, it is assumed that no change has been made.

  Changes in the information on whether roads connected to the intersection are permitted or not can be changed on the screen as shown in FIG. 9D according to a predetermined voice guidance. This is done by selecting the road whose state is to be changed by selecting the cursor and switching the display state of the road. When the change is made, the data relating to whether or not the intersection data shown in FIG. 6B is allowed to pass is updated. Here, the intersection data relating to the correction target intersection A is changed as shown in FIG. 10B.

  The intersection data changed as described above is stored not in the map data storage unit 6a but in the editing data storage unit 6b in this embodiment. In addition, when the intersection targeted for correction this time has already been corrected, the data stored in the edit data storage unit 6b is overwritten. When the saving is completed, in order to actually confirm the intersection guidance with the corrected setting in S205, the guidance content confirmation processing similar to S202 is performed, and it is determined in S206 whether or not the correction made in S205 is correct. . Whether re-correction is necessary or not is determined by inputting with a predetermined switch of the operation switch group 7, a button of the remote control terminal 12, or the like.

  If the correction is not performed correctly and re-correction is necessary, the data stored in the edit data storage unit 6b is deleted in S204, and the process returns to S204 to correct the intersection guidance content again. If the correction is correct, the user is caused to determine whether or not the correction content is transferred to the external data server 20 in S207, and if it is transferred, this is transferred in S208. Then, it progresses to S209. The external data server 20 can be managed by the creator of the map data used in the vehicle navigation apparatus 100, so that the creator can determine which intersection data is how many users. It is possible to tabulate whether or not it has been corrected. Thereby, the creator of the map data can reflect these aggregation results on newly distributed / sold map data, and can provide map data that is easier for the user to use.

  In S209, a process for causing the user to determine whether or not there is a correction target intersection to be corrected is executed. The user inputs the determination result using an input unit such as a predetermined switch of the operation switch group 7 or a button of the remote control terminal 12. If it is determined that there is no correction target intersection, the program ends here, and the vehicle navigation device 100 is returned from the correction mode to the normal mode. If it is determined that there is a correction target intersection, the process proceeds to S202.

  Next, if the route is in either the route guidance or the demo mode after the route calculation (the latter case), the correction program P2 shown in FIG. 11 is executed in S103. When the correction program P2 is executed, first, in S301, the intersections existing on the calculated route are determined as N = 1, 2, 3,... (N = 1 to N), and the parameter a is set to a = 1. And Thereby, in this correction program P2, intersections are designated in the order of the route, and processing is performed in order until the correction of the last intersection N is completed.

  In S302, an intersection a is designated as the correction target intersection, and in S303, it is determined whether a is a = N + 1. If a = N + 1, it is determined that correction processing has been completed for all intersections on the route, and the process proceeds to S310. If not, the process proceeds to S304.

  In S304, intersection guidance with the current setting at the correction target intersection designated in S302 is performed, and guidance content confirmation processing similar to S202 is executed in order to make the user confirm the guidance content. Since the intersection guidance performed here is guidance based on the guidance route that has already been calculated, the approach road and the exit road are automatically set from the route. In S305, the user is determined whether or not the intersection guidance confirmed in S304 needs to be corrected. The determination result is input by the user using a predetermined input unit, for example.

  If it is determined that there is no need for correction based on the result of S305, the process proceeds to S309, the parameter a is reset to a = a + 1, and the process returns to S302. If it is determined that correction is necessary, the process proceeds to S306, and the intersection guidance is corrected for the correction target intersection designated in S302. The approach road and the exit road are automatically specified from the calculated guide route. The correction process here is the same process as S205 of the correction program P1, and the intersection data related to the correction target intersection designated in S302 is changed, and the map data storage unit 6a (FIG. 1) shown in FIG. The intersection data is corrected to the intersection data shown in FIG. 13, and the corrected intersection data is stored in the edit data storage unit 6b (FIG. 1), and the process proceeds to S307.

  In S307, guidance content confirmation processing for actually confirming the intersection guidance with the corrected setting is performed, and the user is determined in S308 whether or not the correction made in S306 is correct. The determination result is input by the user using a predetermined input unit, for example.

  If the correction is not performed correctly and re-correction is necessary, the data stored in the edit data storage unit 6b is deleted in S306, and the process returns to S306 to correct the intersection guidance content again.

  If the correction is correct, the parameter a is reset to a = a + 1 in S309, and the process returns to S302. Thereby, the intersection on the calculated route can be designated in the route order, and the intersection data of the designated intersection can be corrected each time. Here, as shown in FIG. 12, the intersections A to F on the route from the current location 60 to the destination 61 are designated in the order of E → D → B → A → F, and each intersection data is edited. Then, the intersection data of FIG. 6 stored in the map data storage unit 6a is corrected to the intersection data of FIG. 13 and stored in the editing data storage unit 6b. Note that intersection C is not included as a correction target because intersection guidance is not executed in the current route guidance.

  If a = N + 1 in S303, it is assumed that corrections at all intersections on the guidance route have been completed, and the process proceeds to S310. In S310, the user determines whether or not to transfer the correction contents so far to the external data server 20, and in the case of transferring, proceeds to S311 and transfers it. Thereafter, the correction program P2 ends.

  When these correction programs P1 or P2 end, the intersection guidance correction program 82a ends. Thereby, the edit data storage unit 6b stores the intersection data related to the intersection whose guidance content is corrected among the intersection data stored in the map data storage unit 6a. The map data storage unit 6a is not modified with any other data except that a flag is set for the intersection data stored in the edit data storage unit 6b.

  Next, the intersection guidance according to the present invention, which is made in a manner reflecting the intersection data corrected by the above-described intersection guide correction program 82a, will be described. In the vehicle navigation apparatus 100 of the present invention, when the navigation program 82p is executed to perform intersection guidance, the intersection guidance program 82q of FIG. 2 is executed. When an intersection to be guided is specified in S401, the program 82q determines whether or not to perform the changed intersection guidance for the intersection in S402. Here, the determination is made based on whether or not a correction flag is set in the map data storage unit 6a. At this time, if the flag is not set, the process proceeds to S402 to read the intersection data in the map data storage unit 6a, and if the flag is set, the process proceeds to S403 to read the intersection data from the edit data storage unit 6b. In S405, intersection guidance is executed based on the read intersection data. Thereby, at the intersection designated in S401, if the guidance content is corrected by the user, the corrected intersection guidance is performed, and if not, the default intersection guidance is performed. The intersection guidance program 82q is also used for guidance content confirmation processing in S202, S205, S304, and S307 of the correction programs P1 and P2.

  As described above, in the vehicle navigation device of the present invention, the intersection guidance can be changed by the user, and the intersection guidance can be realized in accordance with the user's feeling without changing the map data.

  In addition, according to the configuration of the vehicle navigation device of the present invention, all the intersection data stored in the edit data storage unit 6b is erased, and all the flags with correction in the map data storage unit 6a are all returned to the original state. Intersection guidance can be easily returned to the default state. Therefore, a default button for returning all changed intersection guidance to the default state may be provided as an input means in the vehicle navigation apparatus of the present invention.

  Moreover, the vehicle navigation apparatus of the present invention may register a plurality of users and realize intersection guidance for each registered user. In this case, for example, a user registration unit for registering a plurality of users and a registered user switching unit for switching between a default setting and each user setting corresponding to the registered user are provided, and an editing data storage unit is provided for each registered user. The data editing means can be realized by storing the edited intersection data in the editing data storage means corresponding to the user selected by the user switching means. Thereby, a plurality of users can receive intersection guidance according to their preferences.

  The correction of the intersection guidance according to the present invention can be applied not only to the intersection guidance at the time of route guidance, but also to the intersection guidance performed at times other than the route guidance. For example, when a predetermined distance is approached to the guidance target intersection while traveling, information to be transmitted to the user regarding the intersection is guided by voice by the voice output device 15. In this case, as in the above embodiment, the intersection data stored in the map data storage unit 6a as shown in FIG. 6 is edited, and the edited intersection data is stored in the edited data storage unit 6b. Guidance can be modified.

  The present invention is not limited to the vehicle navigation apparatus having the configuration of the above-described embodiment. For example, the guidance content of the intersection guidance is calculated based on the calculation result by calculating the angle between the approach road and the exit road to the intersection. It can also be applied to a vehicle navigation apparatus having a configuration different from that of the above-described embodiment, such as determining the guidance contents of intersection guidance by a predetermined calculation. The vehicle navigation apparatus of the present invention is configured such that map data storage means for storing map data including data related to intersection guidance and edited data storage means for data edited regarding intersection guidance exist independently. Therefore, the data related to the intersection guidance stored in the editing data storage means can be stored by editing only necessary parameters without considering the relation with other roads. Even if such editing is performed, the map data Since the data stored in the storage means is always maintained, processing other than intersection guidance is not affected by such editing. Therefore, even if the guidance content is determined based on the calculation, the present invention can be applied.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described, these are only illustrations, this invention is not limited to these, A various change is possible unless it deviates from the meaning of a claim. .

1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle navigation device as one embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram for demonstrating a control part. The 1st explanatory view explaining intersection guidance. The 2nd explanatory view explaining intersection guidance. Explanatory drawing which shows the list of the direction guidance in an intersection. The figure explaining the intersection data memorize | stored in a map data memory | storage part. The flowchart which shows the flow of an intersection guidance correction program. The flowchart which shows the flow of the correction program P1. Explanatory drawing explaining the change procedure of the intersection guidance based on the correction program P1. The 1st figure explaining the intersection data memorize | stored in an edit data memory | storage part. The flowchart which shows the flow of the correction program P2. Explanatory drawing explaining the change procedure of the intersection guidance based on the correction program P2. The 2nd figure explaining the intersection data memorize | stored in an edit data memory | storage part. The flowchart which shows the flow of an intersection guidance program.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Position detection part 6 Data storage part 6a Map data storage part 6b Edit data storage part 8 Control circuit 20 External data server 100 Vehicle navigation apparatus

Claims (7)

Map data storage means for storing map data including intersection data;
Data editing means for editing data related to intersection guidance at the intersection for the intersection data designated from the map data;
Editing data storage means for storing the result of editing the intersection data by the data editing means as new intersection data;
When the intersection data is stored in the edit data storage means, the intersection guidance performed for the intersection is stored in the edit data storage means in preference to the intersection data stored in the map data storage means. And an intersection guide means to be executed based on the intersection data,
A vehicle navigation device comprising: Display means for displaying a road map based on the map data;
The data editing means allows the user to specify an intersection that needs to be edited from the road map displayed on the display means, and further specify an approach road and an exit road at the intersection, and the specified 2. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the content of editing the intersection data corresponding to the intersection guidance executed by the intersection guidance means is input under the conditions, and the intersection data is edited based on the input. Having route search means for performing route search to the destination,
In the state where the route to the destination is searched by the route search unit, the data editing unit sequentially designates intersections on the route according to the route, and the necessity of editing the intersection data is determined by the user. If the user needs to edit the intersection data, the edited contents of the intersection data corresponding to the intersection guidance executed by the intersection guide means at the designated intersection when the route is traced are displayed. The navigation apparatus for vehicles according to claim 1 or 2 which makes a user input and edits the intersection data based on the input.   When an intersection to be edited is designated, the data editing means causes the intersection guidance means to execute the intersection guidance in the current setting at the intersection, and inquires the user of necessity / unnecessity of the intersection data editing. The vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The data editing means, after editing the intersection data, causes the intersection guidance means to execute intersection guidance based on the edited intersection data, and inquires of the user whether or not the editing has been properly performed. 5. The vehicle navigation device according to any one of 1 to 4.   The editing of the intersection data by the data editing means is a modification to change the direction guidance at the designated intersection to an arbitrary direction guidance, a modification to change the guidance of whether to pass or not at the designated intersection, and the designated intersection. The vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, including at least one of corrections of the presence / absence of the traffic signal. 7. The intersection data according to claim 1, wherein after the intersection data is edited by the data editing means, the edited intersection data is transmitted to an external data server via a predetermined communication means. Vehicle navigation device.

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