JP2007256032A - Navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation system which allows the designation of a route to be subjected to route guidance by tracing roads with the recognition of road congestion. <P>SOLUTION: When a route 34 to be subjected to route guidance is designated by tracing roads 21a, 21b, 22a to 22c displayed on a map 20, when a congested road is traced, congestion information 35 is displayed on a display monitor 16, and a voice 36 indicating that the traced road is congested is output from a speaker. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device that can specify a route to a destination by tracing a displayed road.

2. Description of the Related Art A navigation device that sets a road desired to pass as a route by tracing a road displayed on a display screen with a finger or a touch pen when setting a pass route to a destination is known (Patent Document 1). .
JP 2000-111354 A

  In the navigation device described in Patent Document 1, a traced road is set as a route unless the route cannot be set due to traffic restrictions such as one-way traffic or traffic closure. For this reason, if you know that there is a traffic jam, trace the road you did not select and set the route, and notice that you should trace another road for the first time while traveling on the set route There is a point.

(1) The navigation device of the invention of claim 1 acquires a display monitor for displaying a map, a trace route storage means for storing a route traced on the map displayed on the display monitor, and traffic congestion information on the road. If the route traced on the map is congested based on the traffic jam information acquisition means and the traffic jam information, the guidance is based on the notification means for notifying the traffic jam information and at least the route stored in the trace route storage means And a guide route setting means for setting a route.
(2) In the navigation device according to claim 1, when the route traced on the map is congested, the navigation device according to claim 1 cancels the route including the congestion route stored in the tracing route storage means. It further comprises cancellation means.
(3) According to the invention of claim 3, in the navigation device according to claim 1, when the route traced on the map is congested, detour route search means for searching for a detour route that detours the congested route is provided. Further, the guide route setting means is characterized in that the guide route is set by a part of the route stored in the trace route storage means and the searched detour route.
(4) The invention according to claim 4 is the navigation device according to claim 3, in which after the guidance route is set by a part of the route stored in the tracing route storage means and the searched detour route, the notification is performed. When the traffic jam is resolved, the route stored in the tracing route storage means is set as the guide route instead of the guide route newly set as the detour route.
(5) The invention of claim 5 is the navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising traffic information receiving means for receiving traffic information, and the traffic jam information acquiring means is provided by the traffic information receiving means. The traffic information is acquired from the received traffic information.
(6) The invention according to claim 6 is the navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the traffic jam information acquisition means acquires the traffic information from the statistically processed past traffic jam information. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, when the traced road is congested, the traffic information is notified to the user. Therefore, it is possible to trace the road while recognizing the traffic congestion of the road, and it is possible to set a route taking into account the traffic congestion of the road as the guidance route.

-First embodiment-
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the navigation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The navigation device 1A in FIG. 1 is configured such that when a road on the map displayed on the display monitor 16 is traced, the road can be designated as a route for guiding the route (hereinafter referred to as a guide route). The navigation device 1A includes a control circuit 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a current location detection device 14, an image memory 15, a display monitor 16, a speaker 17, an input device 18, a touch panel 19, a VICS (road traffic information system) information receiving unit 111, and a disk drive. 112. The disk drive 112 is loaded with a DVD-ROM 113 in which map data to be displayed on the display monitor 16 is recorded.

  The touch panel 19 is a transparent touch switch laminated on the surface of the display monitor 16, and an image displayed on the display monitor 16 is displayed through the touch panel 19. The touch panel 19 sends a signal corresponding to the operation position on the touch panel 19 to the touch panel control unit 110, and the touch panel control unit 110 calculates the pressed position of the touch panel 19.

  The control circuit 11 includes a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits, and performs various controls by executing a control program stored in the ROM 12 using the RAM 13 as a work area. When the control circuit 11 performs a predetermined route search process based on the map data stored in the DVD-ROM 113, the processing result is displayed on the display monitor 16 as a recommended route.

  The current position detection device 14 is a device that detects the current position of the vehicle. For example, a vibration gyro 14a that detects the traveling direction of the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor 14b that detects the vehicle speed, and a GPS signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite. It consists of a GPS sensor 14c and the like. 1 A of navigation apparatuses determine the display range of a map, a route search start point, etc. based on the present location of the vehicle detected by this present location detection apparatus 14, and display the present location on a map.

  The image memory 15 stores image data to be displayed on the display monitor 16. This image data includes road map drawing data and various graphic data, which are appropriately generated based on the map data stored in the DVD-ROM 113. The navigation apparatus 1A can perform map display and the like by using the image data generated in this way.

  The display monitor 16 provides the user with various information such as a road map near the vehicle position as a screen display based on various information such as map data. The speaker 17 outputs sound for guiding various input operations of the user and guiding the route to the user. The input device 18 has an input switch for the user to set various commands, and is realized by a remote controller or the like. The user sets the destination by manually operating the input device 18 in accordance with an instruction on the display screen of the display monitor 16. Further, by operating the input device 18, it is possible to switch between a search mode in which a recommended route is set by route search and a route manual input mode in which a guide route is set by tracing the road.

  As described above, the touch panel 19 is a transparent panel provided on the monitor screen of the display monitor 16, and the display screen displayed on the display monitor 16 is displayed through the touch panel 19. Further, when the display screen of the display monitor 16 is pressed, the touch panel 19 is pressed. The touch panel 19 has an input function like the input device 18. When the map screen, various buttons, display menu, or the like displayed on the display monitor 16 is pressed with a finger, the touch panel 19 is pressed, and the touch panel controller 110 calculates the pressed position. Then, the control circuit 11 sets a destination at the calculated pressing position or executes processing defined in various buttons and display menus.

  Further, when the road displayed on the display monitor 16 is traced with a finger, the touch panel 19 is pressed, and the traced road is designated as a guide route. Trajectory lines are displayed on the traced roads, and the trajectory lines are displayed by changing the display form, for example, display color and line width, from other roads.

  When the destination is set by the user, the navigation device 1A performs a route calculation from the current location detected by the GPS sensor 14c to the destination based on a predetermined algorithm. A route (hereinafter referred to as a recommended route) obtained by searching for a route in this way is displayed on the screen separately from other roads by changing the display form, for example, the display color. Thereby, the user can recognize the recommended route on the map on the screen.

  The navigation device 1A instructs the user in the direction of travel using a screen or voice so that the vehicle can travel according to the guidance route or the recommended route, thereby guiding the route of the vehicle.

  The VICS information receiving unit 111 receives VICS information supplied from a VICS information center (not shown) and outputs it to the control circuit 11. The VICS information includes traffic information such as road closures, traffic restrictions, and traffic jam information for each road link. By using the traffic information for each link, it is possible to display the traffic information superimposed on the road on the map. The VICS information is transmitted to the navigation device 1 mainly from a radio beacon installed on an expressway, an optical beacon installed mainly on a general road, or FM multiplex broadcasting.

  The disk drive 112 reads map data for displaying a map on the display monitor 16 from the loaded DVD-ROM 113. The map data includes map display data, route search data, and the like. The route search data includes road link information and node information stored in the map data. The map display data has map data of a plurality of scales from wide areas to details, and the scale of the display map can be changed according to a user request. The map data may be read from a recording medium other than the DVD-ROM 113, such as a CD-ROM or a hard disk.

  Next, an operation for designating a guidance route by tracing the road displayed on the display monitor 16 of the navigation device 1A according to the first embodiment of the present invention with a finger will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2A shows a map 20 around the guidance route. It is assumed that roads 21a, 21b, and 22a to 22c are displayed on the map 20, and the road is congested in the section 23. FIG. 2B shows the links L1 to L10 and the nodes N1 to N10 of the roads 21a, 21b, and 22a to 22c displayed on the map 20 of FIG. It is assumed that the VICS information received from the VICS information receiving unit 111 includes information that the link L7 is congested, the distance of the congested traffic is 300 m, and the transit time is 30 minutes.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a display screen displayed on the display monitor 16 when the guidance route is designated by tracing the section 23 where the road is congested with a finger. A confirmation button 31 and a cancel button 32 are displayed at the lower right of the display screen. The description of the confirm button 31 and the cancel button 32 will be described later.

  It is assumed that the user moves his / her finger as indicated by an arrow 33 to trace a part of the road 22a and the road 21b and specify the guide route 34. When a part of the roads 22a and 21b is traced with a finger, a locus line is displayed on the part. When the section 23 of FIG. 2 where the road is congested is traced, as shown in FIG. 3, the traffic information 35 “congestion 300 m, transit time 30 minutes” is displayed. The traffic jam information 35 is displayed as a balloon from the jammed section 23. Then, the traffic information 36 is output from the speaker 17 by voice as “This road is congested”.

  By tracing the congested section 23, it is found that the section 23 is congested. Therefore, it is necessary to redesignate the guide route that avoids the congested section 23. A guidance route 42 that avoids the congested section 23 is designated as follows. The cancel button 32 is pressed to enable the cancel process. When the cancel process is enabled, the traced trace line is deleted. The trajectory line displayed on the guide route 34 is traced with a finger to cancel the intersection 37. The cancel button 32 is pressed again to invalidate the cancel process. When the cancel process is disabled, the trace line is not erased even if the trace line is traced. After canceling a part of the guide route 34, as shown in FIG. 4, the road is traced again in the direction of the arrow 41 from the intersection 37, and the guide route 42 that avoids the congested section 23 is designated. A trajectory line is displayed on the guide route 42 that avoids the traffic jam. When the confirm button 31 is pressed, the designated guidance route 42 is set as a route guidance route.

  Next, the guidance route designation processing of the guidance route in the navigation device 1A according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described using the flowcharts of FIGS. The processing of FIGS. 5 and 6 is executed in the control circuit 11 by a program that starts when the route manual input mode is selected.

  In step S501, it is determined whether or not the display screen of the display monitor 16 is pressed, that is, the touch panel 19 is pressed and the touch panel 19 outputs an operation signal. If an operation signal is detected, an affirmative determination is made in step S501, and the process proceeds to step S502. If no operation signal is detected, a negative determination is made in step S501, and the process proceeds to step S508.

  In step S502, a corresponding link corresponding to the pressed position of the touch panel 19 is determined and stored in the RAM 13. Corresponding links are determined as follows. That is, the pressing position on the touch panel 19 is calculated based on the operation signal, and further the pressing position on the map is calculated. Then, from the map data stored in the DVD-ROM 113, nodes within a predetermined range from the pressed position on the map are extracted. A link connected to the extracted node is extracted, and the distance from the link to the pressed position on the map is calculated. Then, the link having the smallest calculated distance is determined as the corresponding link.

  In step S503, a locus line is displayed on the road corresponding to the corresponding link. In step S504, traffic jam information is acquired from the VICS information received by the VICS information receiving unit 111.

  In step S505, it is determined whether there is traffic jam information on the corresponding link. If there is traffic jam information, an affirmative determination is made in step S505, and the process proceeds to step S506. If there is no traffic jam information, a negative determination is made in step S505, and the process proceeds to step S508. In step S506, the traffic jam information 35 is displayed on the display monitor 16. In step S507, the traffic jam information 36 is output from the speaker 17.

  In step S508, it is determined whether the cancel button 32 has been pressed. If the button is pressed, an affirmative determination is made in step S508, and the process proceeds to step S601 in FIG. If not pressed, a negative determination is made in step S508, and the process proceeds to step S509.

  In step S509, it is determined whether the confirmation button 31 has been pressed. If the button is pressed, an affirmative decision is made in step S509 and the process proceeds to step S510. If not pressed, a negative determination is made in step S509, and the process returns to step S501. In step S510, guidance information for instructing to turn right or left at the guidance intersection is created from the corresponding link information stored in the RAM 13. In step S511, route guidance is started based on the created guidance information. Then, the routing process ends.

  In step S601 of FIG. 6, the traffic jam information 35 displayed on the display monitor 16 is deleted. In step S602, it is determined whether the touch panel 19 is pressed. If it is pressed, an affirmative decision is made in step S602, and the process proceeds to step S603. If not pressed, a negative determination is made in step S602, and step S602 is repeated.

  In step S603, the corresponding link is determined by the same method as in step S502 of FIG. 5, and the determined corresponding link is deleted from the RAM 13. In S604, the locus line corresponding to the corresponding link is deleted. In step S605, it is determined whether the cancel button 32 is pressed again. If the button is pressed, an affirmative determination is made in step S605, and the process returns to step S501 in FIG. If not pressed, a negative determination is made in step S605, and the process returns to step S602.

The navigation device 1A according to the first embodiment described above has the following operational effects.
(1) When the road traced with a finger is congested, the traffic information 35 and 36 is notified to the user. Therefore, when the guide routes 34 and 42 are designated, road congestion can be recognized, so that the guide route 42 can be set in consideration of road congestion.

(2) When a congested road is designated as a guidance route, a part of the already designated guidance route can be canceled and the guidance route can be designated again. Therefore, even if a congested road is designated as a guidance route, it is not necessary to redesignate the guidance route from the beginning.

-Second Embodiment-
With respect to the navigation device 1B according to the second embodiment of the present invention, an operation in which the user designates a guidance route will be described with reference to FIGS. The configuration of the navigation device 1B in the second embodiment is the same as that of the navigation device 1A in the first embodiment.

  In the navigation device 1A of the first embodiment, the user specifies the guidance route 42 that bypasses the traffic jam section 23 by tracing the road. However, in the navigation device 1B of the second embodiment, the traffic jam zone 23 is automatically set. A guidance route that bypasses is designated. As in the first embodiment, it is assumed that there is a traffic jam section 23 in FIG. 2 around the route that the user wants to pass.

  FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a display screen displayed on the display monitor 16 when a guidance route is designated by tracing a road before a traffic jam section 23. A map 20 is displayed on the display monitor 16 as in FIG. A confirmation mark 31 is displayed at the lower right of the display screen of the display monitor 16. When the user traces the roads 21a, 21b, and 22a to 22c and designates the guidance route 72, a trajectory line is displayed on the roads 21b and 22a that designate the route.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, when the user traces the road 21b further along the arrow 81 and traces the traffic jam zone 23, the traffic jam information 35 of the zone 23 is displayed. "This is output". Then, a part of the locus line is automatically canceled. If the user further traces the road 21b along the arrow 81 and passes through the traffic congestion section 23, a bypass route 82 that bypasses the traffic congestion section 23 is searched as shown in FIG. Is done. In order to be able to distinguish from the trajectory line displayed by tracing the road, the trajectory line of the detour route 82 is displayed in a manner different from the trajectory line displayed by tracing the road.

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the road 21b is further traced along the arrow 91, a guide route 92 is designated for the traced road. When the confirmation button 31 is pressed, the guidance routes 72 and 92 and the detour route 82 are set as routes for route guidance.

  Next, route designation processing in the navigation device 1B according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described using the flowcharts of FIGS. The processing of FIGS. 10 and 11 is executed in the control circuit 11 by a program that starts when the route manual input mode is selected. Steps common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In step S1001 of FIG. 10, it is determined whether or not the display screen of the display monitor 16 is pressed, that is, the touch panel 19 is pressed and the touch panel 19 outputs an operation signal. If an operation signal is detected, an affirmative determination is made in step S1001 and the process proceeds to step S502 as in FIG. If no operation signal is detected, a negative determination is made in step S1001 and the process proceeds to step S1004. In step S1002, it is determined whether there is traffic jam information on the corresponding link. If there is traffic jam information, an affirmative decision is made in step S1002 and the process proceeds to step S506 as in FIG. If there is no traffic jam information, a negative determination is made in step S1002 and the process proceeds to step S1004.

  In step S1003, the speaker 17 outputs information indicating that a route for avoiding traffic congestion is to be searched. In step S1004, it is determined whether the confirmation button 31 has been pressed. If the button is pressed, an affirmative decision is made in step S1004 and the process proceeds to step S510. If not pressed, a negative determination is made in step S1004, and the process returns to step S1001.

  In step S1101 of FIG. 11, a predetermined number of intersections are returned from the corresponding link L7 corresponding to the pressed position, for example, the two links are returned to the corresponding intersections (L2, L3 in FIG. 2B). The locus lines L6 and L7) are deleted (corresponding to FIG. 8A). The corresponding links (L2, L3, L6, L7 in FIG. 2B) stored in the RAM 13 are also deleted. In step S1102, the corresponding link stored in the RAM 13 after erasure, that is, the earliest link L1 in the guidance route 72 after erasure (corresponding to FIG. 8A) is extracted.

  In step S1103, the end point node N2 (see FIGS. 2 and 8B) in the traveling direction of the pressed position is set as the start point of the route search in the earliest corresponding link L1. In step S1104, the link cost of the corresponding link L7 with traffic jam information is increased in order to prevent a detour route described later from passing through the corresponding link L7 with traffic jam. In step S1105, a corresponding link corresponding to the pressed position is determined. In step S1106, it is determined whether or not there is traffic jam information in the corresponding link newly determined in step S1105. If there is traffic jam information, an affirmative determination is made in step S1106, and the process returns to step S1104. If there is no traffic jam information, a negative determination is made in step S1106, and the process proceeds to step S1107.

  In step S1107, the corresponding link is stored in the RAM 13. In step S1108, the node N9 on the pressing start side of the corresponding link L10 is set as the end point of the route search. In step S1109, a route calculation is performed between the start point set in step S1103 and the end point set in step S1108, and the detour route 82 is searched for a route. In step S1110, the link of the detour route 82 is stored in the RAM 13, and the locus line is displayed. In step S1111, a locus line is displayed on the corresponding link.

The navigation device 1B according to the second embodiment described above has the following operational effects.
(1) When a congested road is traced with a finger, a part of the guide route 72 stored in the RAM 13 is canceled. Then, a bypass route 82 that bypasses the congested road from the earliest part of the guide route 72 that remains without being canceled is searched and designated as a route to guide the route. Therefore, it is possible to set a guidance route that bypasses the congested road without re-designating the route even if the congested road is traced.

The navigation devices 1A and 1B of the above embodiment can be modified as follows.
(1) Although the traffic congestion information of the link has been acquired from the VICS information, it is not limited to the VICS information as long as it is traffic information transmitted by wireless means.

(2) The traffic congestion information of the link may be acquired from the traffic statistical information stored in the DVD-ROM 113 or the like. Here, the traffic statistics information is obtained by statistically processing traffic information such as traffic jams that occurred in the past for each date, day of the week, and time. For example, on a predetermined road, it is information that, on the past, an average of 1 km of traffic jam occurs between 10:00 am and 12:00 on Sunday in the past, and it takes 30 minutes to pass. By using such information, it is possible to statistically predict road congestion at times when roads are expected to pass, and convenience is improved. For example, by using the above information, it is possible to predict that a 1 km traffic jam will be encountered when passing the predetermined road between 10:00 am and 12:00 on Sunday.

(3) When the congestion of the guidance route before the detour is resolved after the detour route is automatically searched, the route may be changed from the detour route to the canceled guidance route. This is because if the traffic congestion on the road is resolved, no detour route is necessary.

  A detour route changing process in the guide route will be described with reference to FIG. Here, it is assumed that the congested link causing the search for the detour route and the information on the guide route designated by tracing the road at that time are stored in the RAM 13 in advance in association with the detour route. In step S1201, traffic jam information is acquired from the VICS information received from the VICS information receiving unit 111. In step S1202, the traffic jam information of the link that caused the bypass route search, that is, the link avoided by the bypass route is extracted from the acquired traffic jam information. In step S1203, it is determined whether the congestion of the link for which the congestion has been notified is eliminated in the guidance route. If it is resolved, an affirmative decision is made in step S1203, and the process proceeds to step S1204. If not resolved, a negative determination is made in step S1203, and the process returns to the start. In step S1204, the detour route is changed to a guidance route designated by tracing the road. In step S <b> 1205, the display monitor 16 displays that the detour route has been changed to the original guidance route, and outputs from the speaker 17.

  The present invention memorizes the route traced on the map displayed on the display monitor, acquires road traffic jam information, and based on the acquired traffic jam information, the route traced on the map is jammed As long as the traffic jam information is notified and the guidance route is set based on at least the stored route, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

The correspondence between the elements of the claims and the embodiments will be described.
The tracing route storage means of the present invention corresponds to the control circuit 11 and the RAM 13, and the traffic jam information acquisition means corresponds to the control circuit 11. The notification means corresponds to the control circuit 11, the display monitor 16, and the speaker 17, and the guidance path setting means corresponds to the control circuit 11, the RAM 13, the touch panel 19, and the touch panel control unit 110. The canceling means corresponds to the control circuit 11, the RAM 13, the touch panel 19 and the touch panel control unit 110, and the detour path searching means corresponds to the control circuit 11. The traffic jam information receiving unit corresponds to the VICS information receiving unit 111. In addition, the above description is an example to the last, and when interpreting invention, it is not limited to the correspondence of the component of said embodiment and the component of this invention at all.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the map of the periphery of a guidance path | route. It is a figure for demonstrating the display screen displayed when the guidance route is designated by tracing the area where traffic is congested with a finger. It is a figure for demonstrating the display screen when the guidance path | route which avoided the congestion area is designated after canceling the guidance path | route which passes through the area where traffic congestion is carried out. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the guidance route designation | designated process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the cancellation process of the designated guidance path | route in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the display screen displayed when the route in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is traced with a finger | toe and the guidance path | route is designated. It is a figure for demonstrating the detour route which detours the area which is congested in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the detour route which detours the area which is congested in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the guidance route designation | designated process in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the route search process of a detour route. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the change process of a guidance route.

Explanation of symbols

1A Navigation device 11 Control circuit 16 Display monitor 17 Speaker 18 Input device 19 Touch panel 20 Map 23 Congested section 37 Intersection 82 Detour route 110 Touch panel controller 111 VICS information receiver 112 Disk drive 113 DVD-ROM

Claims (6)

A display monitor that displays a map;
Trace route storage means for storing a route traced on the map displayed on the display monitor;
Traffic information acquisition means for acquiring road traffic information,
When the route traced on the map is congested based on the traffic jam information, a notification means for informing the traffic jam information,
A navigation apparatus comprising: a guidance route setting means for setting a guidance route based on at least a route stored in the tracing route storage means. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
The navigation apparatus further comprising cancellation means for canceling a route including the congestion route stored in the tracing route storage means when the route traced on the map is congested. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
When the route traced on the map is congested, further comprising a detour route search means for searching for a detour route that detours the congested route,
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guidance route setting means sets the guidance route based on a part of the route stored in the tracing route storage means and the searched bypass route. The navigation device according to claim 3,
After the guidance route is set by a part of the route stored in the tracing route storage means and the searched detour route, when the notified traffic jam is resolved, a new setting is made for the detour route. A navigation device characterized in that, instead of the guided route, a route stored in the tracing route storage means is set as a guidance route. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A traffic information receiving means for receiving traffic information;
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the traffic jam information acquiring unit acquires traffic jam information from the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving unit. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The navigation apparatus characterized in that the traffic information acquisition means acquires traffic statistics information obtained by statistically processing past traffic information.

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