JP2007024605A - Navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation device capable of implementing efficient route guidance by enhancing an amount of information due to voice output so as to alleviate a burden on drivers. <P>SOLUTION: The navigation unit 2 includes a guidance-content creating section 26a for creating both information on a first guiding direction that drivers should be informed of and information of the spot (a first guide point information) where vehicle operation should be implemented by drivers corresponding to the first guidance direction concerned, based on a predetermined route information and spot information and creating information of the spot (a second guide point information) where vehicle operation should be implemented by drivers corresponding to the second guidance direction which should be informed of next to the first guidance direction and the second guidance direction concerned; and a guiding-voice controlling section 26b for selecting whether the sense of direction/sense of distance control (sound image localization control) to a single guiding direction according to the distance between the first guidance spot and the second guidance spot or the sense of direction/sense of distance control (sound image localization control) to each of a plurality of guiding directions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides a navigation apparatus for performing route guidance of a host vehicle by performing sound image localization control that localizes a sound image of a guidance voice for notifying guidance content based on preset scheduled route information and position information of the host vehicle in a guidance direction. About.

  Conventionally, a navigation device that registers a planned route of the host vehicle and performs route guidance by voice has been realized. This navigation device identifies an intersection where the host vehicle makes a right or left turn based on a planned route, map information, and the current position, and notifies the driver in advance to drive the host vehicle along a set route. .

  At this time, both the screen display and the voice output are used together for the notification to the driver. However, since it is not preferable to watch the display while driving the vehicle, the notification by voice is very useful. Thus, in such a navigation device, it is required to increase the amount of information in voice output and realize effective route guidance without placing a burden on the vehicle operation by the driver.

  Against the background of such a request, the vehicle is routed by performing sound image localization control that localizes the sound image for notifying the guidance content in the guidance direction based on the preset route information and the position information of the vehicle. Navigation devices have been developed.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, the direction of the voice is used as information by controlling the guidance voice of the navigation device to be heard from the relative angle direction with respect to the driver. Similarly, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for outputting sound data by localizing a sound image in the direction of road guidance, and Patent Document 3 also changes the localization direction of the notification sound according to the route situation. A technique for performing route guidance is disclosed.

JP 7-57190 A JP-A-6-176296 JP-A-8-110237

  However, the above-described conventional techniques (Patent Documents 1, 2 and 3) merely localize the sound images for notifying the guidance contents sequentially in the respective guidance directions even when the route guidance is continuously performed in different directions. For this reason, a situation occurs in which the driver's ease of hearing is hindered due to an increase in the amount of information by voice output (that is, voice output control that gives a sense of direction in the guidance direction). As a result, the vehicle operation may be confused, such as misrecognizing the direction of the course.

  For example, when performing voice guidance such as “turn right at the next intersection and turn left at the next signal”, the voice is output from the right direction and immediately after that, the voice is output from the left direction. Will be aware of the leftward information heard later. In other words, information by text (speech content) can be easily recognized as time-series information on the driver side, but information on the direction of the sound cancels the previous information, and the time-series information Since it is difficult to recognize, a complicated change in the voice direction imposes the effort of “remembering the order of the direction in which the sound was heard” on the driver side.

  As described above, in the above-described conventional technology, the amount of information is increased by voice output (that is, voice output control that gives a sense of direction in the guidance direction is performed), so that the driver can easily hear. There is a problem that effective route guidance cannot be performed.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems (problems) of the prior art, and by increasing the amount of information by voice output without imposing a burden on the driver, effective route guidance is achieved. An object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device that can be used.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a navigation device according to the invention of claim 1 is a guide voice for notifying guidance contents based on preset scheduled route information and position information of the host vehicle. A navigation device that performs sound image localization control for localizing a sound image in a guidance direction to guide the route of the host vehicle, the first guidance voice corresponding to the first guidance position, and the second corresponding to the second guidance position When the first guidance direction at the first guidance position is different from the second guidance direction at the second guidance position. Depending on the distance between the first guidance position and the second guidance position, the first guidance voice and the sound image of the second guidance voice are localized in a single guidance direction, The first guiding direction and the second guiding direction Further comprising a sound image control means for determining whether to localization respectively characterized.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the navigation apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the sound image control means determines that the sound image localization control is to be performed in each of a plurality of guiding directions. A relative distance to the driver of the sound image when performing sound image localization control in the first guidance direction based on the distance between the vehicle and the position of the host vehicle, and the first guidance position and the second guidance position The relative distance of the sound image to the driver when sound image localization control is performed in the second guidance direction based on the distance between the two is determined.

  The navigation device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the navigation device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the sound image control means guides the front position of the driver or the position where the navigation device is mounted in the guidance direction. The sound image localization control is performed as a reference position.

  The navigation device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention further comprises speaker setting means for setting a speaker used when performing the sound image localization control according to the first, second or third aspect of the invention, wherein the sound image control means comprises: Sound image localization control is performed using a speaker set by the speaker setting means.

  The navigation device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the navigation device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the speaker setting means performs a setting using a front speaker or a setting using a front speaker and a rear speaker when performing the sound image localization control. It is characterized by having.

  The navigation device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the navigation device according to the fourth or fifth aspect, further comprising a seating status detection unit that detects a seating status of a passenger in the host vehicle, wherein the speaker setting unit includes the speaker setting unit, A speaker used when performing the sound image localization control is set according to a detection result of the occupant's presence status by the presence status detection means.

  The navigation device according to a seventh aspect of the invention is the navigation device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the sound image control means takes the course opposite to the route guidance by the navigation device. Further, the present invention is characterized in that a sound image notifying that the route has been deviated and / or that the route should be corrected is localized in a guidance direction to be route-guided.

  The navigation device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the navigation device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the sound image control means accepts a blinker operation instruction during the sound image localization control. For example, the sound image localization control is stopped.

  A navigation device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the navigation device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein when a sound image localization control is performed by the sound image control means, an operation instruction of a blinker is received. The voice output control means for stopping the voice output of the guidance voice for notifying the guidance content is further provided.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, if the sound output control means accepts a blinker operation instruction while the sound image localization control is being performed by the sound image control means. For example, the voice output level of the guidance voice for notifying the guidance content is controlled to be lower than the normal voice output level.

  The navigation device according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is the navigation device according to the ninth or tenth aspect, wherein the voice output control means notifies the guidance contents when the guidance direction to be routed is the front direction. Control is performed such that voice output is not performed.

  According to the present invention, the first guidance voice corresponding to the first guidance position and the second guidance voice corresponding to the second guidance position are output continuously, and When the first guiding direction at one guiding position is different from the second guiding direction at the second guiding position, depending on the distance between the first guiding position and the second guiding position, Since it was decided to determine whether the sound images of the first guidance voice and the second guidance voice are localized in a single guidance direction or in the first guidance direction and the second guidance direction, respectively. It is possible to increase the amount of information by voice output without placing a burden on the user, and to obtain a navigation device capable of performing effective route guidance.

  Further, according to the present invention, when it is determined that the sound image localization control is performed in each of the plurality of guidance directions, the sound image localization is performed in the first guidance direction based on the distance between the first guidance position and the position of the host vehicle. Driving the sound image when performing sound image localization control in the second guiding direction based on the distance between the first guiding position and the second guiding position by determining the relative distance of the sound image to the driver when performing the control Since the relative distance to the person is determined, even when the route guidance is continuously performed in different directions, the direction control to the guidance voice related to the first guidance position and the guidance voice related to the second guidance position are performed. It is possible to obtain a navigation device capable of distinguishing the directional sense control to the time series. Further, in relation to this, by outputting the guidance voice related to the second guidance position that is output next to the voice output of the guidance voice related to the first guidance position with a delay compared to the normal time, the user ( That is, it becomes possible to more effectively support the driver) recognizing changes in a plurality of voice directions with different time series.

  In addition, according to the present invention, sound image localization control is performed using the front position or the position where the navigation device is mounted for the driver as the guidance direction reference position, so that the user's sense and preference are met. There is an effect that a navigation device capable of selecting the guide direction reference position is obtained.

  In addition, according to the present invention, a speaker used for sound image localization control is set, and sound image localization control is performed using the set speaker. Therefore, any speaker is used for direction sense / distance control. It is possible to obtain a navigation device that can be set as a speaker.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the setting using the front speaker or the setting using the front speaker and the rear speaker is performed when the sound image localization control is performed, the user can feel the direction in consideration of the passenger sitting on the rear seat. There is an effect that a navigation device capable of setting the sense of distance can be obtained.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the presence of the occupant in the own vehicle is detected, and the speaker used when performing sound image localization control according to the detection result of the occupant's presence is set. There is an effect that it is possible to obtain a navigation device that can automatically provide a sense of direction and a sense of distance according to the presence status. In particular, by providing a speaker to be used for directional and distance control according to the seating status of each front seat and rear seat, it is possible to automatically provide direction and distance control that takes into account the passenger seated in the rear seat. Is possible.

  Further, according to the present invention, when the host vehicle takes a course contrary to the route guidance by the navigation device, a sound image for notifying that the vehicle has deviated from the route and / or that the route should be corrected is route-guided. Since it is localized in the direction of power guidance, it is notified by voice output that it has deviated from the route and / or the route should be corrected, and the direction to be originally traveled can be emphasized by the virtual sound source. It is possible to obtain a navigation device capable of effectively increasing the amount of information due to.

  In addition, according to the present invention, if a winker operation instruction is received during sound image localization control, the sound image localization control is stopped, so that the direction in which the user should proceed is recognized. In this case, it is possible to obtain a navigation device that can prevent unnecessary direction feeling and distance feeling control.

  In addition, according to the present invention, if the winker operation instruction is accepted while the sound image localization control is being performed, the voice output of the guidance voice for notifying the guidance content is stopped, so the user should proceed. When the direction is recognized, there is an effect that a navigation device capable of stopping the voice guidance accompanied by the direction sense / distance control can be obtained.

  Further, according to the present invention, if a winker operation instruction is received while sound image localization control is being performed, the voice output level of the guidance voice for notifying the guidance content is compared with the normal voice output level. Since the control is performed so as to be lowered, there is an effect that a navigation device can be obtained in which the user can recognize the direction / distance control not to bother when the user recognizes the direction to travel.

  Also, according to the present invention, when the guidance direction to be route guidance is the front direction, control is performed so as not to output the guidance voice for notifying the guidance content. When it recognizes, there exists an effect that the navigation apparatus which can prevent inhibiting the comfort at the time of vehicle travel is 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, the concept of terms used in the present embodiment will be described first, then the outline and features of the navigation system according to the present invention will be described, and then the navigation system according to the present embodiment 1 will be described. In addition, various modifications (Example 2) will be described as other examples.

(Explanation of terms)
Hereinafter, the concept of terms used in this embodiment will be briefly described. “Directional sense control” used in the present embodiment refers to voice output control that gives a navigation voice (guidance voice) a sense of direction in the guidance direction, and “distance sense control” refers to navigation voice (guidance voice). ) Is a voice output control that gives a sense of distance to a point (for example, a guide point such as an intersection, a signal, or a junction point on a road) where a guidance instruction (for example, an instruction for vehicle operation such as turning right or left, or turning) is to be executed. Point to. It should be noted that when such “direction control” and “distance control” are performed in combination, they are described as “direction / distance control”.

  In addition, the “guide point” used in the present embodiment refers to a point where it is determined that voice guidance should be given to the driver based on the planned route, current position, and map information of the host vehicle. Indicates a point (for example, a guide point such as an intersection or a road junction) at which a guidance instruction (for example, an instruction such as turning right or left or turning) is to be executed.

(Overview and features)
First, the outline and features of the navigation device according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the navigation system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the navigation system 1 performs sound image localization control that localizes the sound image of the guidance voice that notifies the guidance content based on the preset route information and the position information of the host vehicle in the guidance direction. To guide the route of the vehicle.

  Here, the navigation system 1 according to the present invention has a first guidance voice corresponding to the first guidance position (first guide point) and a second guidance voice corresponding to the second guidance position (second guide point). When the guidance voice is continuously output and the first guide direction at the first guide point is different from the second guide direction at the second guide point, the first guide point Depending on the distance between the first guide point and the second guide point, the sound images of the first guide voice and the second guide voice are localized in a single guide direction, or the first guide direction and the second guide direction. The main feature is that it determines whether or not each is localized, and this series of processing increases the amount of information by voice output without burdening the driver, so that effective route guidance can be performed. ing

  This main feature will be specifically described. In the navigation system 1, if the distance between the first guide point and the second guide point is within a predetermined distance (that is, the guide voice having a medium distance between the guide points). If the distance is within the output point “300 m”), it is determined that the sound image localization control is performed in a single guiding direction, and the distance between the first guide point and the second guide point is not within the predetermined distance (ie, When the distance between the guide points is longer than the guide voice output point “300 m” at the middle distance and within the guide voice output point “700 m” at the long distance), the sound image localization control is performed for each of the plurality of guide directions. Decide to execute.

  That is, in this navigation system 1, even if the sense of distance control is performed on each of the guidance voice related to the first guide point and the guidance voice related to the second guide point, the direction control to the guidance voice related to the first guide point If it is difficult to distinguish the direction control to the guidance voice related to the second guide point in time series, the sound image of the guidance voice related to the first guide point and the guidance voice related to the second guide point A decision is made to perform sound image localization control to fix the sound image in the first sound direction (first guidance direction).

  On the other hand, by performing the sense of distance control on the guidance voice related to the first guide point and the guidance voice related to the second guide point, the direction control to the guidance voice related to the first guide point and the second guide point When it is easy to distinguish the direction control to the guidance voice in time series, the sound image of the guidance voice according to the first guide point is localized in the first voice direction (first guidance direction), and the first A decision is made to perform sound image localization control that localizes the sound image of the guidance voice related to the two guide points in the second voice direction (first guidance direction).

  In this way, by determining whether the guidance direction as the sound image localization target is single or plural according to the distance between the first guide point and the second guide point, Only when it is easy to distinguish the directional control and the directional control to the guidance voice related to the second guide point in time series, the sound image localization control can be executed in each of the plurality of guidance directions, It is possible to increase the amount of information by voice output (that is, to perform voice output control that gives a sense of direction in the guidance direction) without hindering the listener's ease of hearing.

  Therefore, in the example of the prior art described above, when performing route guidance in different directions in succession, the sound image for notifying the guidance content is sequentially localized in each guidance direction, which hinders ease of hearing on the driver side. The driver determines whether to use a single or a plurality of guidance directions as the sound image localization target according to the distance between the first guidance position and the second guidance position, instead of causing the situation to be generated. The amount of information by voice output can be increased without imposing a burden on the user, and effective route guidance can be performed as with the main feature described above.

  Next, the navigation system according to the first embodiment will be described. Here, after describing the configuration of the navigation system according to the first embodiment, procedures of various processes of the navigation system will be described.

(Configuration of navigation system)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the navigation system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the navigation system 1 includes a navigation unit 2, an audio unit 3, a speaker control unit 4, and speakers SP1 to SP4.

  Among these, the navigation unit 2 includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit 21, a route setting unit 22, a winker 23, a speaker setting unit 24, a seat load sensor 25, and a control unit 26. Here, the GPS receiving unit 21, the route setting unit 22, the blinker 23, the speaker setting unit 24, the seat load sensor 25, and the control unit 26 may be configured by a microcomputer or the like, or may be configured by an electronic circuit. Further, this configuration is classified according to each function, and the physical configuration may be integrated or distributed in whole or in part.

  The GPS receiver 21 receives information from a GPS artificial satellite, acquires time information, and specifies position information of the host vehicle. In addition, the GPS receiving unit 21 outputs the identified position of the host vehicle to the guide content creating unit 26a.

  The route setting unit 22 is a processing unit that receives a user input from a user (for example, a driver) and sets and stores a planned route of the host vehicle. In addition, the route setting unit 22 outputs the set route and map information to the guide content creation unit 26a.

  The speaker setting unit 24 is a processing unit that sets a speaker to be used when sound image localization control is performed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the speaker setting screen 300 has a touch panel from a user (that is, a driver). If the user presses the “Front Speaker” button via the user interface, etc., the “Front Speaker” button is set as the speaker used for direction and distance control, and the “Front Speaker + Rear Speaker” button is set. Is received, “front speaker + rear speaker” is set to be a speaker used for sense of direction / distance control. Such setting may be realized in conjunction with the position selector.

  In this way, the setting to use the front speaker or the setting to use the front speaker and the rear speaker when performing the direction feeling / distance feeling control, the direction feeling / distance feeling control in consideration of the passenger sitting on the rear seat by the user. Can be set.

  In addition, when the speaker setting unit 24 receives a press of an “Auto” button from a user (that is, a driver) via a user interface such as a touch panel, the speaker setting unit 24 and a seat load sensor 25 installed on each passenger's seat By setting a speaker to be used in conjunction with the sense of direction / distance control, the sense of direction / distance control according to the occupant's presence can be automatically provided.

  For example, if the occupant is present only in the front seat, the “front speaker + rear speaker” is set to be a speaker that is used for direction and distance control, and the occupant is present in both the front seat and rear seat. When the person is present, the “front speaker” is set to be a speaker used for direction sense / distance control. In this way, by setting the speakers used for direction and distance control according to the seating status of each front seat and rear seat, it automatically provides direction and distance control that takes into account the passenger seated in the rear seat. It becomes possible to do.

  Further, the speaker setting unit 24 sets an arbitrary speaker as a speaker to be used for directional / distance control by receiving a press of a button corresponding to each of the speakers SP1 to SP4 along with a press of the “Manual” button. You can also.

  The control unit 26 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 guide content creation unit 26a, a guide voice control unit 26b, and a guide display control unit 26c.

  Among these, the guide content creation unit 26 a is a processing unit that creates content to be notified to the driver of the host vehicle based on outputs from the GPS reception unit 21 and the route setting unit 22. Specifically, information on a place where voice guidance should be performed next to the driver is stored as first guide point information, and information on a place where voice guidance should be performed next to the first guide point is used as second guide point information. Remember. Here, the guide point is a place where it is determined that voice guidance should be given to the driver based on the planned route of the host vehicle, the current position, and the map information. This determination, that is, the determination of “where the guidance voice should be output” is the same as that of the prior art, and will not be described here.

  More specifically, the content of the first guide point information is distance information from the current position of the host vehicle to the place (first guide point), and direction information indicating the direction that the host vehicle should take at the place. Similarly, the content of the second guide point information is distance information from the first guide point to the place (second guide point) and direction information indicating the direction that the host vehicle should take at the place. The distance information in the second guide point information may be information indicating the distance from the current position of the host vehicle to the second guide point.

  For example, when the vehicle turns right at an intersection 300 m ahead from the current position and turns left at a signal after a right turn, the first guide point is an intersection 300 m ahead and the second guide point is a signal after a right turn. .

  The guide content creation unit 26a determines the route guidance content using the first guide point information and the second guide point information. Further, of the route guidance, the content output by voice is output to the guide voice control unit 26b, and the content displayed on the display is output to the guide display control unit 26c.

  Based on the output of the guide content creation unit 26a, the guide voice control unit 26b determines from which direction the guide voice is output to the driver, and transmits it to the speaker control unit 4. In addition, the guide display control unit 26c transmits the content to be displayed on the display to the audio unit 3 based on the output of the guide content creation unit 26a. The description of “directional feeling / distance control” (that is, sound image localization control) and “directional feeling / distance control corresponding to various settings” in the guide voice control unit 26b will be described later.

  The audio unit 3 includes a main control unit 31, an audio output control unit 32, and a display 33 therein. Here, the main control unit 31 and the audio output control unit 32 may be configured by a microcomputer or the like, or may be configured by an electronic circuit. In addition, this configuration is divided according to each function, and the physical configuration may be integrated.

  The main control unit 31 is a control unit that controls the audio unit 3 as a whole. For example, if the audio unit 3 is a DVD player, the main control unit 31 reads out music information stored on a DVD disc and outputs the music information to the audio output control unit 32. At the same time, video information and the like are read and displayed on the display 33. Further, the audio output control unit 32 transmits the music information output by the main control unit 31 to the speaker control unit 4. The audio unit 3 is not limited to a DVD player, and may have a function such as a compact disc, a hard disk, a radio, and a television.

  Here, the display 33 is shared with the route guidance image display by the navigation unit 2. Therefore, the main control unit 31 has a function of causing the display 33 to display the content received from the guide display control unit 26 c inside the navigation unit 2. That is, the main control unit 31 performs integrated management of the display 33 as well as reading and outputting information from various media.

  The speaker control unit 4 includes a main control unit 41, a codec 42, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 43, and an amplifier 44 therein. The main control unit 41, the codec 42, and the DSP 43 may be configured by a microcomputer or the like, or may be configured by an electronic circuit. In addition, this configuration is divided according to each function, and the physical configuration may be integrated.

  The audio information received from the guide audio control unit 26b in the navigation unit 2 and the music information received from the audio output control unit 32 in the audio unit 3 are subjected to predetermined digital compression processing. Therefore, the codec 42 decodes the audio information and the music information by the A / D unit 42a included therein, and outputs the decoded audio data to the DSP 43 as sound data.

  The main control unit 41 is a control unit that controls the speaker control unit 4 as a whole. Specifically, the main control unit 41 performs integrated control of audio output from the navigation unit 2 and music output from the audio unit 3 to determine which speaker. Controls how much audio and music playback is performed from.

  The DSP 43 determines the output content from each speaker based on the output of the main control unit 41, performs digital signal processing on the output of the A / D unit 42 a, and performs a DA converter unit (D / A unit) inside the codec 42. 42b). The output of the D / A section 42b is adjusted in output intensity by the amplifier 44 and is reproduced as voice or music from the speakers SP1 to SP4.

  The speakers SP1 to SP4 are arranged in the vehicle interior, for example, as a right front speaker, a left front speaker, a right rear speaker, and a left rear speaker. These speakers can output sound so that sound can be heard from the driver in a desired direction and a desired distance by controlling the output intensity of each speaker. In this way, the sound that is output so as to be heard from the virtual position to the driver is hereinafter referred to as “sound image”, and the virtual position is referred to as “sound image position”.

  The “sound image position” is determined by the guide voice control unit 26 b, and the speaker output for realizing the sound image position is adjusted by the main control unit 41 and the DSP 43. The guide voice control unit 26b determines the position of the sound image from the distance information and direction information of the first guide point and the distance information and direction information of the second guide point.

  Next, “direction feeling / distance control” (that is, sound image localization control) in the guide voice control unit 26b will be described. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a specific example of sound image localization control. In the figure, three sound image creation ranges 51, 52, and 53 are set for the driver 50. The sound image creation range 51 is used when guiding vehicle operations in the vicinity of the current position of the host vehicle. The sound image creation range 52 is used when guiding vehicle operations at a medium distance from the current position of the host vehicle, for example, 300 m ahead. Furthermore, the sound image creation range 53 is used when guiding vehicle operation at a long distance from the current position of the host vehicle, for example, 700 m ahead.

  The sound image creation range 51 has a movement start position 51a and a direction change position 51b therein. When the sound image is localized in the sound image creation range 51, first, the sound image is localized at the movement start position 51a, and the sound image position is moved together with the sound output. Thereafter, the moving direction of the sound image is changed from the direction change position 51b, thereby indicating in which direction the host vehicle should travel by the moving direction of the sound image.

  In the sound image creation range 51, the moving direction of the sound image is “front”, “right front”, “left front”, “right direction”, “left direction”, “right rear”, “left rear”, “rear”. It corresponds to 8 directions. For example, when notifying the driver to change the course in the “right direction” at the next intersection, voice information “next intersection is right front” is created, and the sound image position is set as shown in the sound image GV1. Sound localization is started at the movement start position 51a and the sound image position is moved during the output of the sound information to change the movement direction from the direction change position 51b to the right front.

  Similarly, the sound image creation range 52 has a movement start position 52a and a direction change position 52b inside, and when the sound image is localized, the sound image is first localized at the movement start position 52a and the sound image position is set together with the sound output. The moving direction of the sound image is changed from the direction change position 52b. Also in the sound image creation range 52, the moving direction of the sound image is “front”, “right front”, “left front”, “right direction”, “left direction”, “right rear”, “left rear”, “ This corresponds to the eight directions “backward”.

  Further, the sound image creation range 53 has a movement start position 53a and a direction change position 53b inside thereof. When the sound image is localized, the sound image is first localized at the movement start position 53a and the sound image position is moved together with the sound output. The moving direction of the sound image is changed from the direction change position 53b. Also in the sound image creation range 53, the moving direction of the sound image is “front”, “right front”, “left front”, “right direction”, “left direction”, “right rear”, “left rear”, “ This corresponds to the eight directions “backward”. Note that the sound image creation range 53 may be a point fixed to the driver 50. In that case, the sound output from the sound image creation range 53 is not accompanied by the movement of the sound image.

  Further, the size of the sound image creation range 51 is larger than that of the sound image creation range 52. Furthermore, the distance d20 from the driver 50 to the movement start position 52a of the sound image creation range 52 and the distance d21 from the direction change position 52b are the distance d10 from the driver 50 to the movement start position 51a of the sound image creation range 51, and the direction change. Each is larger than the distance d11 to the position 51b. Similarly, the size of the sound image creation range 52 is larger than the sound image creation range 53, and the distance d30 from the driver 50 to the movement start position 53a of the sound image creation range 53 and the distance d31 to the direction change position 53b are: It is larger than the distance d20 from the driver 50 to the movement start position 52a of the sound image creation range 52 and the distance d21 from the direction change position 52b.

  Therefore, when guiding the vehicle operation in the vicinity of the own vehicle, the sound is heard near the driver 50, and the moving amount of the sound image is increased, and when guiding the vehicle operation at a medium distance, The sound is heard at a medium distance from the driver 50, and the moving amount of the sound image is small. Further, when guiding the vehicle operation at a long distance, the sound is heard from a distance, and the moving amount of the sound image becomes smaller or does not move.

  Therefore, the driver 50 can recognize information about the guided route not only by the contents of the voice but also by the movement of the sound image. Further, even for guidance voices to “right rear”, “left rear”, and “rear”, after the sound image position moves forward from the movement start positions 51a and 52a, it goes straight to the direction change positions 51b and 52b. Since the direction changes, the direction can be guided in accordance with the actual behavior of the host vehicle, and voice can be output from the front of the driver 50. Therefore, the amount of information in voice output can be increased without burdening the driver 50, and effective route guidance can be performed.

  Here, direction sense / distance control (that is, sound image localization control) in the case where route guidance in different directions is continuously performed will be described. Whether the guide voice control unit 26b performs direction sense / distance control in a single guidance direction according to the distance between the first guide point and the second guide point when performing route guidance in different directions continuously. Alternatively, it is determined whether to perform direction feeling / distance control for each of a plurality of guiding directions.

  More specifically, the guide voice control unit 26b outputs a guidance voice output when the distance between the first guide point and the second guide point is within a predetermined distance (that is, the distance between the guide points is medium). If the distance is within the point “300 m”), it is determined that the direction / distance control is executed in a single guiding direction, and the distance between the first guide point and the second guide point is not within the predetermined distance. (That is, when the distance between the guide points is longer than the guidance voice output point “300 m” at the middle distance and within the distance of the guidance voice output point “700 m” at a long distance)・ Determined to execute the sense of distance control.

  That is, even if the sense of distance control is performed on each of the guidance voice related to the first guide point and the guidance voice related to the second guide point, the direction sense control to the guidance voice related to the first guide point and the second guide point When it is difficult to distinguish the direction control to the guidance voice in time series, the sound image of the guidance voice related to the first guide point and the sound image of the guidance voice related to the second guide point are converted to the first voice direction. A decision is made to execute the sense of direction / distance control that is fixed in the (first guiding direction).

  After that, when it is determined that the direction / distance control is performed in a single guidance direction, the guide voice control unit 26b performs the first guidance based on the distance between the first guide point and the current position of the host vehicle. Sound image data is created by determining the relative distance of the sound image to the driver when performing direction sense control in the direction. In this way, instead of handling the first guide point and the second guide point independently, by fixing the sense of direction / distance control in the necessary operation direction (guidance direction) at the nearest guidance position, the course direction It is possible to reliably transmit the minimum necessary information without causing confusion in vehicle operation such as misrecognition of the vehicle.

  On the other hand, by performing the sense of distance control on the guidance voice related to the first guide point and the guidance voice related to the second guide point, the direction control to the guidance voice related to the first guide point and the second guide point When it is easy to distinguish the direction control to the guidance voice in time series, the sound image of the guidance voice according to the first guide point is localized in the first voice direction (first guidance direction), and the first A decision is made to execute direction sense / distance control that localizes the sound image of the guidance voice related to the two guide points in the second voice direction (first guidance direction).

  Then, when the guide voice control unit 26b determines to perform the direction feeling / distance control in each of the plurality of guidance directions, the first guidance based on the distance between the first guide point and the current position of the host vehicle. When determining the relative distance of the sound image to the driver when performing the direction control in the direction, and performing the direction control in the second guidance direction based on the distance between the first guide point and the second guide point Sound image data is created by determining the relative distance of the sound image to the driver.

  As described above, the relative distance to the driver of the sound image when the direction control is performed in the second guidance direction based on the distance between the first guide point and the second guide point, and the direction feeling / distance control is performed. Even when the route guidance is continuously performed in different directions, the directional control to the guidance voice related to the first guide point and the directional control to the guidance voice related to the second guide point are time-sequentially performed. Can be distinguished. Further, in this regard, by outputting the guidance voice related to the second guide point that is output next to the voice output of the guidance voice related to the first guide point with a delay compared to the normal time, the user (ie, It is possible to more effectively support a driver) recognizing changes in a plurality of different voice directions in time series.

  Next, “directional feeling / distance control corresponding to various settings” in the guide voice control unit 26b will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in the directional / distance control setting screen 400, the user (that is, the driver) accepts pressing of the “ON” button or the “OFF” button via a user interface such as a touch panel. Thus, ON / OFF setting of “direction feeling / distance feeling control” can be performed.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, when the “automatic selection” button is pressed in the “continuous voice guidance mode”, direction / distance control is performed in a single guidance direction, or a plurality of guidance is performed. A setting that automatically determines whether to perform direction sense / distance control for each direction is applied, and when pressing the “fixed forward direction” button in “continuous voice guidance mode” is accepted, A setting in which the direction feeling / distance control is uniformly performed in the guidance direction is applied.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, when a pointing operation of the hot spot button “stop only direction / distance control” is received on the direction / distance control setting screen 500, the direction / distance If a winker operation instruction is accepted during the control, a setting for canceling the sense of direction / distance control can be applied.

  In this way, if the direction indicator / distance control instruction is received during the direction sense / distance control, the direction in which the user should proceed is recognized by stopping the direction sense / distance control. In this case, it is possible to prevent unnecessary direction feeling and distance feeling control.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, when the pointing operation of the hot spot button “direction feeling / distance control while reducing the volume of the guide voice” is accepted on the direction feeling / distance control setting screen 500, Controls the voice output level of the guidance voice that informs the guidance content to be lower than the normal voice output level if the direction indicator / distance control is performed and a winker operation instruction is accepted. You can apply settings to

  At this time, the sense of direction / distance control is performed with the sound output level lowered. Then, when the operation of the winker 23 is released (that is, when it is determined that the traveling direction change of the host vehicle is completed), the voice output level of the guidance voice is returned to the normal voice output level.

  In this way, if the direction indicator / distance control is performed and the winker operation instruction is received, the voice output level of the guidance voice for notifying the guidance content is lower than the normal voice output level. By controlling in such a manner, when the user recognizes the direction to travel, it is possible to keep the direction and distance control to a level that is not bothersome.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, when a pointing operation of the hot spot button “Mute the volume of the guide voice” is accepted on the direction / distance control setting screen 500, the direction / distance control is performed. If a winker operation instruction is accepted while the user is in the middle of a call, a setting for canceling the voice output of the guidance voice for notifying the guidance content can be applied. At this time, the volume of the guidance voice is muted in stages so that the user does not feel uncomfortable.

  In this way, if the direction indicator / distance control is being performed and the winker operation instruction is received, the direction of the user's direction is recognized by stopping the voice output of the guidance voice to notify the guidance content. In this case, it is possible to stop the voice guidance accompanied by the direction feeling / distance control.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, in the sense of direction / distance control setting screen 500, the route guidance is performed by accepting the pressing of the “ON” button or “OFF” button of “Voice notification when driving along a road”. When the power guidance direction is the front direction, it is possible to select whether or not to apply a setting for performing control so as not to output the guidance voice for notifying the guidance content.

  Such a setting (OFF setting of “sound notification when driving along the road”) is provided when the user is comfortably driving along the road and recognizes the direction to travel (straight forward direction). This is because the probability of being present is sufficiently high, and the direction / distance control does not require voice notification itself.

  As described above, when the guidance direction to be route guidance is the front direction, when the user recognizes the direction to travel by controlling not to output the guidance voice for notifying the guidance content, It becomes possible to prevent the comfort during traveling of the vehicle from being hindered.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, by accepting pressing of the “driver center” button or “navigation center” button of “center position of direction and distance control”, It is possible to apply a setting for performing a sense of direction and a sense of distance using the position where the navigation unit 2 is mounted as a guide direction reference position.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the driver 50 performs the direction feeling / distance control with the front position as the guidance direction reference position, or as shown in FIG. Direction sense / distance control can be performed using the mounted position as a guide direction reference position.

  As described above, by performing the direction feeling / distance control with the front position or the position where the navigation unit 2 is mounted on the driver 50 as the guidance direction reference position, guidance according to the sense / preference of the user is performed. It becomes possible to select the direction reference position.

  In addition, when the own vehicle takes a course against the route guidance by the navigation system 1, the guide voice control unit 26 b provides a sound image for notifying that the vehicle has deviated from the route and / or that the route should be corrected. Localize in the direction of guidance to be done.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when a course deviating from the route set by the route setting unit 22 is taken, the virtual sound source is placed in the direction to be originally traveled (rearward), and the fact that the route has deviated and / or Alternatively, the fact that the route should be corrected can be notified by voice output, and the direction (backward) that should be originally advanced can be emphasized by the virtual sound source, and the amount of information by voice output can be effectively increased. The warning sound (that is, a sound indicating that the route has been deviated and / or that the route should be corrected) may be fixed in the immediately preceding guidance direction (left direction) and localized.

  Next, communication between the navigation unit 2 and the speaker control unit 4 will be described. Communication between the navigation unit 2 and the speaker control unit 4 may be performed using an in-vehicle LAN function or may be directly wired. When direct wiring is performed, wiring corresponding to each of the “route guidance audio signal”, “sound image direction designation signal”, and “audio output mute signal” is performed from the navigation unit 2.

  Among these, the “route guidance voice signal” is a signal indicating the waveform of the voice to be output, and this signal may be an analog signal or a digital signal. Further, the “sound image direction designation signal” is a signal indicating the creation position of the sound image and the content of movement, and text data or binary data can be used. Furthermore, the “audio output mute signal” is a signal for requesting the output of a route guidance audio signal, that is, a request for a decrease in reproduction output of music information output by the audio unit 3 or the like, or stop of reproduction. Etc. can be used.

(Processing procedures)
Next, a processing procedure of the navigation system according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing specific processing contents of the guide voice control unit. The flow shown in FIG. 8 is recursively executed when the navigation unit 2 operates.

  First, the guide content creation unit 26a creates guide point information from the position of the host vehicle and the planned route (step S801). Subsequently, the guide content creation unit 26b determines whether or not the first guide point exists in the vicinity of the host vehicle (step S802).

  If the first guide point exists in the vicinity of the host vehicle (Yes at step S802), the guide voice control unit 26b sets the sound image creation range of the guide voice related to the first guide point to a short distance, that is, the sound image creation range 51. Is selected (step S805). On the other hand, if the first guide point does not exist in the vicinity of the host vehicle (No at Step S802), the guide content creation unit 26a determines whether the first guide point exists within 300 m from the host vehicle (Step S802). S803).

  If the first guide point exists within 300 m from the host vehicle (Yes at step S803), the guide voice control unit 26b sets the sound image creation range of the guide voice related to the first guide point to a medium distance, that is, the sound image creation range. 52 is selected (step S806). On the other hand, if the first guide point does not exist within 300 m from the own vehicle (No at Step S803), the guide content creation unit 26a determines whether or not the first guide point exists within 700 m from the own vehicle ( Step S804).

  If the first guide point exists within 700 m from the host vehicle (Yes in step S804), the guide voice control unit 26b sets the sound image creation range of the guide voice related to the first guide point to a long distance, that is, the sound image creation range. 53 is selected (step S807). On the other hand, if the first guide point does not exist within 700 m from the host vehicle (No at step S804), the guide content creation unit 24 ends the process.

  After the setting of the sound image creation range (step S805, step S806, step S807) is completed, the guide voice control unit 26b determines whether the distance between the first guide point and the second guide point is within 300 m (step). S808).

  If the distance between the first guide point and the second guide point is not within 300 m (No at Step S808), the guide voice control unit 26b sets the sound image creation range of the voice guidance related to the second guide point to a long distance, that is, The sound image creation range 53 is selected (step S809).

  Then, the guide voice control unit 26b determines the relative distance of the sound image to the driver when performing the direction control in the first guidance direction based on the distance between the first guide point and the current position of the host vehicle. Then, based on the distance between the first guide point and the second guide point, sound image data is created by determining the relative distance of the sound image to the driver when the direction control is performed in the second guidance direction (step S810). .

  On the other hand, if the distance between the first guide point and the second guide point is within 300 m (Yes at step S808), the guide voice control unit 26b relates to the sound image of the guide voice related to the first guide point and the second guide point. The sound image of the guidance voice is fixed in the first voice direction (first guidance direction) (step S811).

  And the guide voice control part 26b determines the relative distance with respect to the driver | operator of the sound image at the time of performing direction control in a 1st guidance direction based on the distance of a 1st guide point and the present position of the own vehicle. Sound image data is created (step S810).

  After completing the creation of the sound image data (step S810), the guide voice control unit 26b outputs the sound image data to the speaker control unit 4 and ends the process.

  As described above, according to the navigation system 1 according to the first embodiment, the guidance direction that is the target of sound image localization is single or plural according to the distance between the first guidance position and the second guidance position. By determining whether or not, the amount of information by voice output can be increased without imposing a burden on the driver, and effective route guidance can be performed.

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

  For example, in the first embodiment, the embodiment in which the seat load sensor 25 detects the occupant's seating state has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image is captured with respect to the image captured by the in-vehicle camera. Recognition may be performed to detect the occupant's presence status, or the presence / absence of the occupant may be detected by opening and closing the door.

  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-described 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.

  As described above, the navigation device according to the present invention is useful for route guidance by voice, and is particularly suitable for increasing the amount of information in voice and improving the guidance effect.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a navigation system according to a first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing explaining the specific example of sound image localization control. It is a figure which shows an example of a speaker setting screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a direction feeling / distance feeling control setting screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a direction feeling / distance feeling control setting screen. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the driver center which made the front position with respect to the driver | operator the guidance direction reference position. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the navigation center which made the position where a navigation unit is mounted the guidance direction reference position. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the direction feeling / distance control performed at the time of a route departure or a route correction. It is a flowchart which shows the specific processing content of a guide audio | voice control part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation system 2 Navigation unit 3 Audio unit 4 Speaker unit 21 GPS receiving part 22 Path setting part 23 Winker 24 Speaker control part 25 Seat load sensor 26 Control part 26a Guide content creation part 26b Guide voice control part 26c Guide display control part 31 Main Control unit 32 Audio output control unit 33 Display 41 Main control unit 42 Codec 43 DSP
44 Amplifier 50 Driver 51, 52, 53 Sound image creation range 51a, 52a, 53a Movement start position 51b, 52b, 53b Direction change position GV1-GV6 Sound image SP1-SP4 Speaker

Claims (11)

A navigation device that guides a route of the host vehicle by performing sound image localization control that localizes a sound image of a guidance voice for notifying guidance content based on preset schedule route information and position information of the host vehicle in a guidance direction,
The first guidance voice corresponding to the first guidance position and the second guidance voice corresponding to the second guidance position are continuously output, and at the first guidance position When the first guiding direction and the second guiding direction at the second guiding position are different, the first guiding direction and the second guiding position depend on the distance between the first guiding position and the second guiding position. Sound image control means for determining whether the sound image of one guidance voice and the second guidance voice is localized in a single guidance direction or in the first guidance direction and the second guidance direction, respectively. A navigation device characterized by comprising.   When the sound image control means determines to perform the sound image localization control in each of a plurality of guidance directions, the sound image localization in the first guidance direction based on the distance between the first guidance position and the position of the host vehicle. Determining the relative distance of the sound image to the driver when performing control, and performing sound image localization control in the second guidance direction based on the distance between the first guidance position and the second guidance position; The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a relative distance of the sound image to the driver is determined.   3. The sound image control unit according to claim 1, wherein the sound image control unit performs the sound image localization control with respect to the driver using a front position or a position where the navigation device is mounted as a guide direction reference position. 4. Navigation device. Further comprising speaker setting means for setting a speaker used when performing the sound image localization control;
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the sound image control means performs sound image localization control using a speaker set by the speaker setting means.   The navigation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the speaker setting unit has a setting using a front speaker or a setting using a front speaker and a rear speaker when performing the sound image localization control. It further comprises an attendance status detecting means for detecting an attendance status of an occupant in the own vehicle,
The said speaker setting means sets the speaker used when performing said sound image localization control according to the detection result of the occupant's presence state by the said presence state detection means. Navigation device.   The sound image control means should be route-guided with a sound image notifying that the vehicle has deviated from the route and / or that the route should be corrected when the vehicle has taken a course against the route guidance by the navigation device. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the navigation device is localized in a guiding direction.   8. The sound image control unit according to claim 1, wherein the sound image control unit stops the sound image localization control when receiving an operation instruction of a blinker while performing the sound image localization control. 9. Navigation device.   When the sound image localization control by the sound image control means is being performed, if a winker operation instruction is accepted, the sound image control means further includes a sound output control means for stopping the sound output of the guidance sound for notifying the guidance content. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.   If the sound output control means receives a blinker operation instruction while the sound image localization control is being performed by the sound image control means, the sound output level of the guidance sound for notifying the guidance content is output as a normal sound output. The navigation device according to claim 9, wherein the navigation device is controlled so as to be lower than a level.   11. The voice output control means according to claim 9 or 10, wherein when the guidance direction to be route-guided is a front direction, the voice output of the guidance voice for notifying the guidance content is not performed. The navigation device described.

Images