JP2007078464A - Navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To propose a navigation system for providing users with new benefit with ETC discount reflected therein. <P>SOLUTION: This navigation system is equipped with a means for extracting toll roads being the object of ETC discount from a selected route and an ETC discount execution means for providing information so that a passage plan for the extracted ETC discount object toll roads satisfies ETC discount conditions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation system.

Modes for searching for routes in the navigation system include, for example, “recommended route”, “general road priority route”, “toll road priority route”, “distance priority route”, “time priority route”, and the like. In the various modes, not only “toll road priority route” but also “recommended route” or “time priority route” is selected, toll roads are often included in the selected route.
One of the concerns when users use toll roads is the toll (toll road fee). Patent Document 1 proposes a navigation system that notifies the user of the toll.
In the navigation system disclosed in Patent Document 2, a toll is calculated in consideration of a discount to be applied when traveling on a toll road, and this can be guided.
Reference should be made to Patent Document 3 for disclosing a technique related to the present invention.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-141982 JP 2005-18247 A JP 2005-69857 A

Recently, with the widespread use of ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System), a fee discount specific to ETC-applied vehicles (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “ETC discount” in this specification) is provided.
Examples of ETC discount services provided at the time of filing this application include late night discounts, early morning night discounts, and commuting discounts by the Japan Highway Public Corporation.
The conditions for applying the above-mentioned midnight discount are as follows.
Time conditions: Driving between midnight and 4am.
The early morning and night discounts are as follows.
Time condition: Driving between 22:00 and 6am.
Distance condition: Total usage distance is 100 km or less.
The commuting discount is as follows.
Time conditions: 6:00 am to 9:00 am, 5 pm to 8 pm Pass through the entrance or exit toll booth Distance condition: Total usage distance is 100 km or less.
It is difficult for the driver who is driving to judge such ETC discount conditions independently.
Further, in the above-described prior art, it has not been considered that the ETC discount is reflected in the navigation system.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a user with a new benefit reflecting an ETC discount.

The present invention achieves the above object as follows. That is,
Means for extracting toll roads subject to ETC discount from the selected route;
ETC discount execution means for providing guidance so that the traffic prospects of the extracted ETC discount target toll road satisfy the ETC discount conditions;
A navigation system comprising:

  According to the navigation system configured as described above, when the ETC discount target toll road is included in the route selected by the navigation system, guidance is performed so that the traffic prospects of the toll road satisfy the ETC discount condition. Here, the traffic prospect refers to the designation of the entrance / exit toll gate on the ETC discounted toll road and the scheduled passage time at each designated toll gate. In addition, the traffic distance is specified by designating the entrance / exit toll gate. The scheduled passage time satisfies the time condition of the ETC discount service, and the traffic distance also satisfies the distance condition. To do so, not only change the route to adjust the toll gate passage time and travel distance (which will change the toll gate), but also limit the traveling speed even on the same route, and in some cases stop guidance By doing so, the toll gate passage time can be adjusted.

The ETC discount conditions include a distance condition and a time condition as described above.
When creating a traffic prospectus, it is preferable to first check the entrance / exit toll booth to meet the distance requirements first. When the travel distance of the extracted ETC discounted toll road does not satisfy the ETC discount distance condition (when the former exceeds the latter), change the entrance toll gate and / or exit toll gate and run The distance can satisfy the distance condition (for example, 100 km or less).
With the change of the toll booth, the scheduled transit time is also changed. Therefore, the ETC discount time condition is confirmed. That is, it is confirmed whether or not it is possible to pass either the entrance toll gate or the exit toll gate within the ETC discount implementation time. When the time condition is not satisfied, travel speed adjustment (including stoppage), route re-search, etc. are performed so that the passing time of the toll gate falls within the ETC discount implementation time.

  Even if the traffic prospects are created as described above, there are cases where the toll roads subject to ETC discounts cannot pass according to the traffic prospects due to various accidents (traffic congestion, etc.) while the vehicle is running. For this reason, for example, the passage time of a toll booth designated in the traffic prospectus is predicted with a predetermined interval as a reference, and this is compared with the scheduled passage time of the toll booth in the traffic prospectus. If the two do not match, the ETC discount execution means recalculates the traffic prospects and corrects them.

  Needless to say, the navigation system to which the present invention is applied is not limited to a car navigation system fixed to a vehicle, but can be applied to a navigation system using a mobile phone, a PAD machine, and a portable personal computer.

According to another aspect of the present invention, by specifying a destination and a desired arrival time, a suitable scheduled departure time is calculated, and the above-mentioned ETC toll discount is applied to a car navigation system having a function of providing guidance. The function was reflected.
The system for calculating the preferred scheduled departure time can be performed as follows, for example. In other words, the time schedule (predicted passage time of each point) obtained when searching for the route from the departure point (current location) to the destination is shifted so that the predicted arrival time at the destination coincides with the desired arrival time at the destination. The departure time changed at that time can be set as the scheduled departure time.
As described above, the calculation performed when the scheduled departure time is specified can use the general route search calculation as it is, except for the shift of the time schedule. Therefore, the toll discount function by ETC described above can be reflected in the calculation.

There are time restrictions to enable ETC discounts, so if you execute a traffic prospect that satisfies the ETC discount conditions, the scheduled departure time will be changed compared to a normal route that does not consider ETC discounts There is.
In this invention, giving priority to the effect of reducing tolls by ETC discount, the route on which ETC discount is executed (second route) is given priority over the route on which ETC discount is not executed (first route). It is said. However, it is practical when there is a large difference between the scheduled departure time when the ETC discount is not reflected (first scheduled departure time) and the scheduled departure time when the ETC discount is reflected (second scheduled departure time). If not, a reference value (threshold time) is set for the difference between the first scheduled departure time and the second scheduled departure time, and the guidance reflecting the ETC discount is given only when the difference is within the threshold time. I am doing so.

In view of the above, the second aspect of the present invention is defined as follows. That is,
First route calculation means for calculating the first route from the departure point to the destination, the first toll, and the first scheduled departure time based on the designated destination and the desired arrival time. When,
The second route from the departure point to the destination, the second toll including the ETC discount, and the second scheduled departure time are calculated so that the traffic prospects of the ETC discounted toll road satisfy the ETC discount condition Second path calculating means for
If the difference between the first scheduled departure time and the second scheduled departure time is within a predetermined threshold time, the second toll and the second scheduled departure time are displayed with priority. A navigation system characterized by

In the navigation system, it is preferable to display that when the ETC discount is effectively reflected.
This is because when the ETC discount is effectively reflected, the scheduled departure time is often changed compared to the normal case (when the ETC discount is not reflected). That is, it is preferable to leave the choice of the user to pursue the economic convenience of toll discount or the time convenience of scheduled departure time.
Therefore, it is preferable to be able to display the toll and scheduled departure time for a normal route (first route) that does not reflect the ETC discount.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on examples.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation system 1 of the present invention.
The control unit 3 includes a dedicated CPU, and various devices to be described later are connected to the control unit 3 through a bus line.
The position specifying unit 4 specifies the current position of the vehicle on which the navigation system 1 is mounted, and includes a GPS signal receiving unit, a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor, and other sensors. The display 5 displays the contents of the map and guidance, and the voice output unit outputs voice guidance. The input unit 7 constitutes an interface with the user, and includes various input buttons, sticks, and the like. The communication interface 8 can be connected to the Internet via a communication device such as a mobile phone.

The memory device 10 comprises a hard disk, and a control program is stored in the program storage area. The CPU constituting the control unit 3 reads this control program and controls the entire system.
The map data storage area 13 stores various content data including map information for navigation. Among them, the ETC discount target toll road information storage unit 131 stores the ETC discount target toll road and its ETC discount conditions. Since information on these ETC discounts may be changed, it is preferable to constantly update the information via the communication interface 8.
The map data storage area 13 stores data related to toll road tolls (including ETC discount fees), and data such as speed limits and traffic lights necessary for calculating arrival times.

Next, the operation of the navigation system 1 will be described below.
In performing guidance using the navigation system 1, a destination is first set as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2 (step 1). This navigation system searches the route from the current position to the destination for each of the five guidance modes "recommended route", "general road priority route", "toll road priority route", "distance priority route", and "time priority route". And stored in a predetermined area of the memory device 10. When the route is determined, the toll fee and the expected arrival time of the toll road included in the route are specified. And as shown in FIG. 3, each guidance mode, a toll, and the estimated arrival time are displayed on the display 5 (step 2). For example, the “recommended route” selection mode is designated by the user (step 3).
In this embodiment, when the designated route (primary search route) includes a toll road (step 4), the ETC toll discount mode can be selected, and the mode selection screen is displayed on the display 5. Is done. When the toll discount mode is selected, the toll discount mode is executed (steps 5 and 6).
When the toll road is not included in the primary search route or when the ETC toll discount mode is not selected, guidance is executed based on the primary search route (steps 4, 5 and 7).

The operation in the ETC toll discount mode will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG.
In step 11, the setting status of the ETC card is confirmed. When the ETC card is not set, guidance for setting the ETC card is output via the display 5 and the audio output unit 6.
In step 13, referring to the contents of the ETC discount target toll road information storage area 131 of the memory device 10 from the toll roads included in the primary search route, toll roads to be subject to ETC discount are extracted.

In step 15, it is verified whether or not the travel distance of the extracted ETC discount target toll road meets the distance condition of the ETC discount. For example, a commuting discount by the Japan Highway Public Corporation imposes a distance condition of 100 km. The traffic distance is specified from the entrance toll gate and exit toll gate of the ETC discount target toll road.
If the travel distance does not satisfy the ETC discount distance condition, the toll gate is changed in step 16 so that the travel distance satisfies the ETC discount distance condition.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, if the distance between the entrance toll gate A and the exit toll gate B on the ETC discount target toll road of the primary search route is 120 km, the distance condition for commuting discount is not satisfied. The exit toll gate B is changed to the exit toll gate C in front of it, and the traffic distance is set to 95 km (see FIG. 5B).

In step 17, the passage times of the toll stations A and C are calculated, and it is verified whether or not the passage times satisfy the time condition for ETC discount. For example, in the above-mentioned commuting discount, it is sufficient to pass either toll gate A or toll gate C within a predetermined time zone (6: 00-9: 00, 17: 00-20: 00).
In the case of normal operation from the current position according to the primary search route, when the scheduled passage times of the toll gates A and C are not within the predetermined time, the route is searched again in step 18.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, if the scheduled passage times of the toll gate A and the toll gate C are 15:30 and 16:40, respectively, the above commuting discount time condition is not satisfied. Therefore, guidance is provided to stop for about 20 minutes at PA (parking area) on the toll road. As a result, the passing time at the exit toll booth falls within the time conditions for the commuting discount (see FIG. 6B).
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6C, by changing the entrance toll booth A to be the entrance toll booth D, it becomes possible to delay the entire operation time. In this case, it is also possible to verify the traffic distance and change the exit toll gate within a range that satisfies the traffic distance condition (the exit toll gate is returned to C in the example of FIG. 6C).

FIG. 7 explains the route re-search operation in step 18 in detail.
In steps 41, 42, 43, and 44, the route re-search operation is prevented from falling into an infinite loop. In this embodiment, when the number of times of route re-searching is k = 5, an ETC discount-impossible guidance is presented to the user, and guidance is executed based on the original primary search route (step 44).

In step 45, it is determined whether the predicted passage time of each toll gate on the currently valid route is later than the ETC discount traffic time condition. When the predicted passage time is earlier than the passage time condition, Step 47 and Step 49 are executed, and for example, route correction as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C is performed.
On the other hand, if the estimated transit time is later than the transit time requirement, as shown in step 51, a “time priority” route search is performed on condition that the toll gate specified in step 15 passes. When a new toll road is included in the “time priority” route (step 53), the passage fee of the new toll road is compared with the ETC discount fee (step 55), and the former amount is the latter If it is below, the route searched here is adopted as a new route. If the former amount exceeds the latter, the new toll road is removed and the route is searched again.

  In this way, when the traffic prospects (entrance toll gate and exit toll gate and their passing times) for receiving the ETC discount are designated, a new route reflecting the traffic prospects is created. For example, in the example of FIG. 6B, in the original route (primary search route), the exit toll gate C and the vehicle is stopped between 16:15 and 16:35 in the PA (parking area) of the toll road. Thus, the route is changed (new route) (step 19).

Next, in step 21, the estimated arrival time when the vehicle is operated according to the new route is calculated and notified to the user by a method such as displaying on the display 5.
If the predicted destination arrival time by the new route is not acceptable for the user, the new route can be canceled (step 35). In this case, guidance is executed based on the original primary search route (step 37).
If the execution of the new route is accepted by the user, the new route is determined (step 25). Then, guidance is executed based on the new route (step 27).

  Even if the vehicle is operated according to the guidance based on the new route, the operation may not be performed as scheduled due to a traffic jam, an accident or the like. Thus, in this embodiment, during guidance execution using the new route (step 29), each tollgate A is operated when the vehicle is operated according to the new route based on the current position of the vehicle at predetermined time intervals. , B passing time is predicted (step 31). The predicted passage time is compared with the passage time in the service plan. If they do not match, the currently valid new route is canceled and the process returns to step 15 to perform the optimum route search again. For example, when the estimated passing time of the exit toll gate C becomes 17:50 due to a traffic jam, the temporary stop at the PA in FIG. 6B is cancelled.

  In the navigation system of the embodiment configured as described above, it is possible to perform route guidance in consideration of ETC discount according to the user's selection. Therefore, a new benefit can be provided to the user.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment corresponding to the second aspect of the present invention.
When the destination is set in step 60, an arrival time designation mode selection screen is displayed on the display 5 (step 61). When this arrival time designation mode is not selected (step 61, N), the process proceeds to step 2 in FIG. 2 and the operations after step 2 are executed.
When the arrival time designation mode is selected (step 61, Y), the desired arrival time at the destination is designated at step 62. In step 63, route search in each guidance mode is performed. Since the desired arrival time of the destination is specified in this route search, the time difference between the expected arrival time calculated when the route search is performed and the desired arrival time is calculated, and the time difference is compared with the current time. To specify the scheduled departure time. Further, the toll for the toll road included in the route is calculated with reference to the toll data included in the map data storage area 13 (step 65). The results are summarized as shown in FIG.

Next, in step 67, a route search is performed so that the ETC toll discount is valid. More specifically, the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 is executed.
In FIG. 10, in step 81, toll roads that are subject to ETC discount are extracted from the route searched in step 65. In step 83, it is verified whether or not the travel distance of the extracted ETC discount target toll road matches the distance condition of the ETC discount. If the travel distance does not satisfy the ETC discount distance condition, the toll gate is changed in step 85 so that the travel distance satisfies the ETC discount distance condition.

  In step 86, a time schedule for traveling along the route in which the distance condition is adjusted in steps 83 and 85 is calculated. This time schedule refers to the estimated passage time of each point (tollgate and others), including the departure time and estimated arrival time. In step 87, the time schedule is shifted so that the expected arrival time of this time schedule matches the designated desired arrival time. That is, the estimated passage time at each point is changed by the difference between the estimated arrival time and the desired arrival time.

  In step 88, it is verified whether or not the passage time of the toll gate satisfies the time condition for ETC discount in the shifted time schedule. If such a time condition is not satisfied, the route is re-searched in step 89. The calculation in step 89 is substantially the same as the flowchart shown in FIG. In step 89, the guidance step 42 in FIG. 7 is omitted. When the route is changed, the time schedule shifted as described above is also changed.

When the route reflecting the ETC discount (second route) is created in this way (step 91), the toll when traveling along the second route (second toll, ETC discount is reflected) Is calculated (step 93).
Further, the scheduled departure time (second scheduled departure time) is specified with reference to the time schedule shifted in step 87 and changed in steps 88 and 89 (step 95).

Returning to FIG. 8, the second route, the second toll fee, and the second scheduled departure time obtained by executing the flowchart of FIG. 10 with the ETC discount enabled are summarized as shown in FIG. (Step 69). In FIG. 11, an ETC mark is attached to a route for which the ETC discount is valid.
In step 71, the first and second scheduled departure times are compared. As a result of the comparison, when the difference between the two is smaller than the threshold time (30 minutes in this embodiment), the second route, the second toll, and the second scheduled departure time are preferentially displayed. It is preferable that the threshold time can be arbitrarily set and changed by the user.
For example, when FIG. 9 and FIG. 11 are compared, the two modes of the recommended route and the distance priority route satisfy the condition of step 71 (the time difference between the first and second scheduled departure times is 15 minutes). The second route for which the ETC discount is valid, the second toll, and the second scheduled departure time are adopted (step 73). On the other hand, in the mode of the toll road priority route and the time priority route, the difference between the first and second scheduled departure times is 45 minutes, so the first route that does not reflect the ETC discount, the first toll, The first scheduled departure time is adopted (step 77). In the system program, the result shown in FIG. 11 is adopted because the time difference is within 30 minutes in the results shown in FIGS. 9 and 11 even in the general road priority route mode.

FIG. 12 shows a summary of the results of executing step 71 for each mode path. An ETC mark is attached to a valid ETC discount. Then, it is displayed on the display 5 in the state of FIG. The user selects a preferred route from the menu shown in FIG.
In the navigation system of this embodiment, the arrival of the departure time is notified to the user when a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) before the scheduled departure time of the route selected by the user. As a notification method, a buzzer may be used. It is also possible to call a designated mobile phone or send an e-mail via the communication interface 8.
In FIG. 12, for example, when the ETC mark of the recommended route is clicked (designated) (step 75), as shown in FIG. 13, the first route that does not reflect the ETC discount, the first toll, and the first scheduled departure time Can be displayed. Thereby, the user can confirm the change of the time by validating ETC discount.

  In the above example, guidance is provided for the first route, the first toll, and the first scheduled departure time when the ETC discount is not considered for the route subject to the ETC discount. Conversely, by designating the route not reflecting the ETC discount in FIG. 12, the second route reflecting the ETC discount, the second toll, and the second scheduled departure time are displayed. (See FIG. 14).

  The present invention is not limited to the description of the embodiments and examples of the invention described above. Various modifications may be included in the present invention as long as those skilled in the art can easily conceive without departing from the description of the scope of claims.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the navigation system. FIG. 3 shows a display mode of the display. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the navigation system. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a route guided by the navigation system. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a route guided by the navigation system. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the navigation system. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the navigation system of another embodiment. FIG. 9 shows the first route, the first toll, and the first scheduled departure time in each mode when the ETC discount is not considered. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the detailed calculation in step 67 of FIG. FIG. 11 shows the second route, the second toll, and the second scheduled departure time in each mode when the ETC discount is valid. FIG. 12 shows the mode of each mode displayed on the display of the navigation system of this embodiment. The display mode when the ETC discount mode is disabled in the recommended route mode is shown. The display mode when the ETC discount mode is enabled in the toll road priority route mode is shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation system 3 Control part 4 Position specific part 5 Display 6 Audio | voice output part 7 Input part 8 Communication interface 10 Memory device

Claims (7)

Means for extracting toll roads subject to ETC discount from the selected route;
ETC discount execution means for providing guidance so that the traffic prospects of the extracted ETC discount target toll road satisfy the ETC discount conditions;
A navigation system comprising: The ETC discount execution means is a toll gate change guide for adjusting the travel distance and / or a speed for time adjustment so that the traffic prospects of the extracted ETC discount target toll road satisfy the ETC discount conditions. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein adjustment guidance is performed. Means for calculating a traffic prediction of the ETC discount target toll road while traveling on the selected route;
Means for comparing the traffic prediction with the traffic prospects;
The navigation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the traffic prediction deviates from the traffic prospect, the traffic prospect is corrected. First route calculation means for calculating the first route from the departure point to the destination, the first toll, and the first scheduled departure time based on the designated destination and the desired arrival time. When,
The second route from the departure point to the destination, the second toll including the ETC discount, and the second scheduled departure time are calculated so that the traffic prospects of the ETC discounted toll road satisfy the ETC discount condition Second path calculating means for
If the difference between the first scheduled departure time and the second scheduled departure time is within a predetermined threshold time, the second toll and the second scheduled departure time are displayed with priority. A navigation system characterized by The navigation system according to claim 4, wherein when the second toll and the second scheduled departure time are displayed, the fact that the ETC discount is valid is also displayed. 6. The navigation system according to claim 5, further comprising means for displaying the first toll and the first scheduled departure time. The navigation system according to claim 4, further comprising means for changing the threshold time.

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