JP2008064613A - Navigation apparatus, and control method and control program of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation apparatus for instantaneously enabling a user to discriminate what area in which the user exists and what warning information is generated if warning information is generated on a route, and its control method and control program. <P>SOLUTION: The control method includes: a step S4 for receiving the warning information generated so as to call for vigilance when a disaster is likely to occur; a step S5 for discriminating whether the route is included in the area in which the warning information is generated; and a step S8 for mapping the corresponding warning information to the route by using an icon previously mapped to each item in the warning information and displaying the icon on a map screen if it determines that the route is included in the area. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device that searches for a route to an arbitrarily set destination and performs route guidance for the host vehicle according to the route, a control method thereof, and a control program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a navigation device that searches for a route to an arbitrarily set destination, displays the route on a map screen, and guides the route of the host vehicle according to the route. In this type of navigation device, there has been proposed a device that acquires related information (for example, weather information) on a route to a destination and displays the weather information on a map screen (for example, Patent Literature). 1).
JP 2005-181272 A

However, in the conventional configuration, although the outline of the weather on the route (for example, it is clear or raining) is displayed, the details of the weather (for example, how much rain is falling) are displayed. Is not to be done. Therefore, even when warning information such as heavy rain warning is issued in a predetermined area on the route, the user can only display that the area is raining on the map screen. Could not recognize that a heavy rain warning had been issued in the area and was exposed to sudden heavy rain.
On the other hand, when warning information is issued, it may be possible to notify the user by displaying details of the warning information as character information on a map screen. However, if the alarm information is displayed on the map screen, the map screen becomes complicated and the visibility is lowered, so that it is difficult to determine which alarm information is issued in which area. is there.
For this reason, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and when warning information is issued on a route, the user can instantly determine which warning information is issued in which area. It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation device, a control method thereof, and a control program that can be discriminated.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a navigation device that searches for a route to an arbitrarily set destination, displays the route on a map screen, and provides route guidance for the host vehicle according to the route. , Information receiving means for receiving alarm information that is issued in order to call for warning when there is a possibility of a disaster, and determining whether or not the route is included in the area where the received alarm information is issued The determination means and the alarm information corresponding to the case where it is determined that the route is included in the area are associated with the route by using an icon previously associated with each item of the alarm information. An alarm display control means for displaying on a map screen is provided.

  In this case, the information receiving means may receive the alarm information every predetermined time or every time the own vehicle passes a predetermined location. Moreover, when the said several area is displayed on the same screen, the said alarm display control means is good also as a structure which changes the display mode of the said icon for every said area. Moreover, it is good also as a structure provided with the alerting | reporting means which alert | reports the audio | voice corresponding to the said information for warning displayed on the said map screen via the said icon.

  In addition, based on the determination result of the determination unit, the display mode of the route included in the area where the warning information is emitted is different from the route included in another area where the warning information is not generated. It is good also as a structure provided with the route display control means to display. The warning information may include at least one of a weather warning, a weather warning, earthquake information, tsunami forecast, or volcano information.

  The present invention also provides a navigation device control method that searches for a route to an arbitrarily set destination, displays the route on a map screen, and provides route guidance for the host vehicle according to the route. Receives warning information that is issued to call attention when there is a possibility of occurrence, determines whether or not the route is included in the area where the warning information is issued, and the route is included in the area The alarm information corresponding to the case where it is determined to be detected is displayed on the map screen in association with the route by using an icon previously associated with each item of the alarm information. .

  Further, the present invention searches for a route to an arbitrarily set destination, displays the route on a map screen, and controls a navigation device that performs route guidance of the host vehicle according to the route by a computer. In the control program, to receive warning information that is issued in order to call for warning when there is a possibility of a disaster, to determine whether or not the route is included in the area where this warning information is issued, Information for warning corresponding to a case where it is determined that a route is included in the area is displayed on the map screen in association with the route using icons pre-associated with each item of the information for warning. It was made to be characterized.

  According to the present invention, when alarm information is issued on the route, an icon corresponding to each item of the alarm information is displayed so that the user has what alarm information in which area. It is possible to instantly determine whether it is emitted. Therefore, since the user can know in advance the alarm information that is issued on the route to be traveled, the user can travel more safely by traveling assuming this alarm information.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device 10 according to the present embodiment. The navigation device 10 is a device that is mounted on a vehicle and has a navigation function and a facility search function for performing route guidance of the vehicle.
The navigation device 10 includes a GPS unit 11, a gyro unit 12, a vehicle speed detection unit 13, an FM reception unit 14, a beacon reception unit 15, a display unit 16, an instruction input unit 17, and a user interface unit 18. A sound report unit (notification unit) 19, a control unit (discriminating unit, alarm display control unit, route display control unit) 20, an information storage unit 21, an external recording device control unit 22, and a communication control unit 23. I have.

The GPS unit 11 receives a GPS radio wave from a GPS satellite via a GPS antenna, obtains a position coordinate indicating the current location of the vehicle and a traveling direction from a GPS signal superimposed on the GPS radio wave, and calculates the GPS signal. The date and time information (year, month, date, hour, minute, etc.) at the current location of the vehicle is obtained by calculation from the date and time information included in the current time and the time difference between the current location of the vehicle and the information is output to the control unit 20.
The gyro unit 12 detects the relative azimuth of the vehicle with a gyro sensor and outputs it to the control unit 20. The vehicle speed detection unit 13 obtains the vehicle speed by calculation based on the vehicle speed pulse PS of the vehicle and outputs it to the control unit 20.

The FM receiver 14 receives FM multiplex broadcast waves via the FM antenna 14A, acquires VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) information superimposed on the FM multiplex broadcast waves, performs predetermined processing, and performs control processing 20 Output to. The beacon receiving unit 15 receives beacon information via the beacon antenna 15 </ b> A, performs a predetermined process, and outputs it to the control unit 20. The FM receiving unit 14 and the beacon receiving unit 15 acquire warning information together with traffic information such as traffic jam information and accident information as the VICS information and beacon information. This warning information is issued in order to call for warning when there is a possibility of a disaster. Specifically, weather warnings, weather warnings, earthquake information, Includes tsunami forecast or volcano information.
The weather warning is a forecast that calls for warning when there is a possibility of a serious disaster due to the weather condition. Seven warnings, heavy rain warning, flood warning, heavy snow warning, storm warning, storm snow warning, wave warning and storm surge warning including. The weather warning is a forecast that calls for attention when there is a possibility of a disaster due to weather conditions. Heavy rain warning, flood warning, heavy snow warning, strong wind warning, wind and snow warning, wave warning , High tide warning, heavy fog warning, thunder warning, dry warning, avalanche warning, icing warning, snow landing warning, snow melting warning, frost warning and low temperature warning.
The earthquake information is issued to call for warning when an earthquake occurs or when an earthquake is expected to occur, and there is a possibility that a disaster will occur due to this earthquake. The tsunami forecast is issued to call for caution when a tsunami is expected to occur after an earthquake, and includes a tsunami warning and tsunami warning. . In addition, when volcanic eruption is expected, the volcano information is issued to call for warning when there is a risk of a disaster due to the volcanic eruption. In this configuration, the FM receiver 14 and the beacon receiver 15 function as information receiving means for receiving alarm information.

  As the display unit 16, for example, a liquid crystal display device with a touch panel is applied, and under the control of the control unit 20, various types of information such as map information indicating the searched guidance route or facility is displayed on the display unit 16. The instruction input unit 17 includes an operation detection unit that detects operations of various operators and a touch panel included in the navigation device 10, a reception unit that receives a transmission signal from a remote controller (not shown), and the like. Various instructions are output to the control unit 20. The user interface unit 18 is an I / O control circuit, a driver, or the like, and is an interface that connects the display unit 16, the instruction input unit 17, and the control unit 20. The sound report unit 19 includes a speaker and an amplifier, and reports various sounds under the control of the control unit 20. Thus, the sound report unit 19 functions as a notification unit that notifies the user of various information.

  The control unit 20 controls the entire navigation device 10, and is composed of a CPU and its peripheral circuits. The CPU reads various data such as a control program stored in the ROM 30, and via the instruction input unit 17. Control processing of each unit of the navigation device 10 is performed in accordance with the input user instruction. The DRAM 31 is a memory used for the work area of the CPU, and the SRAM 32 is a non-volatile memory, and is backed up by a battery or the like while the main power source of the apparatus such as a vehicle accessory power source is off. Keep the contents. The VRAM 33 is a memory in which display data for the display unit 16 is stored.

  The information storage unit 21 is a storage unit that stores map data. Specifically, the information storage unit 21 is a reading device that can read the data stored in a disk-shaped recording medium such as a hard disk device, a CD-ROM, or a DVD-ROM. Etc. apply. The map data is composed of a plurality of sections divided into meshes, and each section corresponds to a polygon (polygon) that forms the boundary of each administrative section (city, ward, town, village, etc.). Polygon data is associated. Each polygon data is associated with a corresponding administrative code (address name). In this configuration, the polygon data can be used to identify each area where warning information is issued. The information storage unit 21 stores an icon associated with each item of the alarm information (for example, a heavy rain warning, a lightning warning) in advance, and the information storage is performed under the control of the control unit 20. The data is read from the unit 21 and displayed on the map screen of the display unit 16 in a superimposed manner. Furthermore, the information storage unit 21 stores in advance voice information for specifying each area (for example, the Tokyo 23-ku eastern district) and voice data corresponding to each item of the alarm information. Yes.

  The external recording device control unit 22 records / reads data to / from an external recording medium connected to the navigation device 10 under the control of the control unit 20, and the external recording medium is, for example, Memory Stick (registered trademark), memory card, and CF card (registered trademark) are applied.

  The communication control unit 23 accesses the information center and the Internet through a wireless communication device (for example, a mobile phone) 40 connected to the navigation device 10 under the control of the control unit 20, and performs various operations through the wireless communication network. Receive information. In this configuration, the alarm information can be acquired by communicating with a specific site on the Internet, and the communication control unit 23 and the mobile phone 40 function as information receiving means.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
First, when a user inputs a destination via the instruction input unit 17 and instructs a route search, the control unit 20 searches for a route from the current location of the host vehicle to the destination (step S1). The control unit 20 displays the searched route on the map screen (step S2), and starts route guidance for the vehicle along the route (step S3).
Subsequently, the control unit 20 acquires the alarm information described above (step S4). Specifically, the control unit 20 uses a mobile phone 40 connected to the communication control unit 23 to connect to a specific site (for example, a site of the Japan Meteorological Agency) on the Internet and is presented on this site. Get alarm information. Here, in the present embodiment, when alarm information is received for the first time after route search, it is necessary to acquire alarm information issued in a wide area. For this reason, it is desirable to use the communication control unit 23 and the mobile phone 40 that can acquire information through the Internet, rather than the FM receiving unit 14 and the beacon receiving unit 15 that receive information in a relatively narrow range.
In addition, when acquiring alarm information from the next time onward, the control unit 20 mainly operates the FM receiving unit 14 and the beacon receiving unit 15 to receive alarm information in a relatively close area of the host vehicle. Control. Of course, even in this case, the control unit 20 may be controlled to connect to the Internet via the communication control unit 23 and the mobile phone 40 at regular intervals and acquire alarm information from the Internet. .

  Subsequently, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the area where the received alarm information is issued includes at least a part of the searched route (step S5). Specifically, a section of map data corresponding to one node forming the route information is read from the information storage unit 21, and it is determined in which polygon on the one section the latitude and longitude of this node are included. Then, by acquiring the administrative code (address) corresponding to the polygon including this node, it is determined whether or not the node is included in the area where the alarm information is issued. This series of processing is executed for all nodes on the route.

In this determination, if the area does not include the searched route at all (step S5; No), an alarm is not issued on the route to the destination at this point, so that the fact is notified. (Step S6). Specifically, a sentence “No alarm is currently being issued in the area around the searched route” is displayed on the map screen, and the sound reporting unit 19 notifies that fact by voice. And the control part 20 returns a process to step S4.
On the other hand, in this determination, when the area includes at least a part of the searched route (step S5; Yes), the control unit 20 extracts warning information issued to the area ( In step S7), an icon corresponding to the extracted alarm information is read from the information storage unit 21 and displayed on the map screen, and voice information corresponding to the alarm information is displayed by the alarm unit 19. Notification is made (step S8).

Here, the aspect which displays the icon corresponding to this information for warnings in the area where the information for warnings was emitted is demonstrated. For example, when the heavy rain warning is issued in the area A including the route 50, the control unit 20 reads the icon 51 corresponding to the heavy rain warning from the information storage unit 21 as shown in FIG. 51 is displayed on the map screen corresponding to the area A. The icon 51 is preferably displayed on the route 50 or around the route 50. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 41 indicates the host vehicle position, and reference numeral 42 indicates a road different from the route 50.
In the present embodiment, the display of the alarm information icon is performed for each area when a plurality of areas are displayed on the same screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, an area B and an area C separated by a boundary line 45 are displayed on the map screen. A heavy rain warning and a heavy rain warning and a thunder warning are displayed in this area B. If it is issued, the control unit 20 reads out the icons 51 and 52 corresponding to the heavy rain warning and the lightning warning from the information storage unit 21, respectively, and displays the icon 51 on the map screen corresponding to the area B. The icons 51 and 52 are displayed on the map screen corresponding to the area C. In FIG. 4, reference numerals 43 and 44 indicate roads different from the route 50.
In this case, the alarm information issued to each area is displayed in the same manner with the icons corresponding to the alarm information. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, icons 51 and 52 corresponding to heavy rain warnings and lightning warnings issued to area C are displayed surrounded by a frame 53 of the same color (for example, red). . On the other hand, the icon 51 displayed in the area B is displayed as it is without being surrounded by a frame. According to this configuration, even when a large number of various icons corresponding to alarm information are displayed in a plurality of areas, the icons corresponding to each area are displayed in the same manner, so which area has which Whether such alarm information is issued can be determined instantaneously. Therefore, since the user can know in advance the information for warning issued to the area where the vehicle will travel from now on, the user can travel more safely.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the control unit 20 displays the route mode included in the area where the alarm information is issued differently from the route mode included in another area where the alarm information is not issued. You may make it do. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, when two areas D and E are displayed on the map screen and alarm information (for example, heavy rain alarm) is issued only in this area E, the control unit 20 blinks and displays the route portion 55 included in the area E. According to this, the positional relationship between the area where the alarm information is issued and the host vehicle can be determined instantaneously. Since the user can know in advance the distance to this area together with the alarm information that is issued to the area where the vehicle will travel from now on, the user can travel more safely.

  Then, the control part 20 returns a process to step S4, and repeatedly performs this step S4 thru | or step S7.

  According to the present embodiment, in a navigation device that searches for a route 50 to an arbitrarily set destination, displays the route 50 on the map screen, and provides route guidance for the host vehicle according to the route 50, Is received to call for warning when there is a possibility of occurrence of a warning, it is determined whether or not the route 50 is included in the area A from which the warning information is issued. If it is determined that the alarm information is issued to the area A including the route 50, the map 51 is displayed in the area A using the icon 51 previously associated with the heavy rain alarm of the alarm information. Since it is displayed above, the user can instantly determine that a heavy rain warning is being issued in area A. Therefore, since the user can know in advance the heavy rain warning that is being issued to the area A where he will travel from now on, for example, traveling at a reduced speed or parking in front until the rain is lighter will make it safer You can travel to.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the communication control unit 23 receives the alarm information every predetermined time via the mobile phone 40, so that the received alarm information can be displayed in real time. Moreover, according to this embodiment, since the beacon receiver 15 receives alarm information every time the host vehicle passes a predetermined location, the received beacon information can be displayed in real time.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when a plurality of areas are displayed on the same screen, the control unit 20 changes the icon display mode for each area. Even if a large number of various icons corresponding to the business information are displayed, the icons corresponding to the areas B and C are displayed in the same manner. It can be instantly determined that a heavy rain warning and a lightning warning are being issued. Therefore, since the user can know in advance the information for warning issued to the area where the vehicle will travel from now on, the user can travel more safely.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, since the alarm part 19 which alert | reports the audio | voice corresponding to the alarm information displayed via the icon on the map screen is provided, what alarm information is emitted in which area. Since it is notified by voice together with vision, it can be reliably transmitted by the user.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the control unit 20 is included in the area where the alarm information is issued based on the determination result of whether or not the route is included in the area where the alarm information is issued. Since the display mode of the route is displayed differently from the route included in another area where the alarm information is not issued, the positional relationship between the area where the alarm information is issued and the host vehicle is instantaneously determined. be able to. Since the user can know in advance the distance to this area together with the alarm information that is issued to the area where the vehicle will travel from now on, the user can travel more safely.

  Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the present embodiment, as information receiving means for receiving alarm information, the FM receiver 14 and beacon receiver 15 that receive VICS information and beacon information, and alarm information from a site on the Internet are acquired by communication. Although the configuration including the communication control unit 23 and the mobile phone 40 has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto, and includes any one of a terrestrial digital broadcast receiving unit, a BS digital broadcast receiving unit, a CS digital broadcast receiving unit, and a digital radio receiving unit. The alarm information superimposed on each broadcast wave may be received. According to this configuration, a wide range of alarm information can be received without bothering to connect to the Internet, and the alarm information can be promptly displayed on the map screen.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the control program for controlling the navigation device 10 is stored in advance in the ROM 30 constituting the control unit 20 has been described. However, the recording program such as various magnetic disks, optical disks, and memory cards is used. The control program can be recorded in advance, read from these recording media, and installed. It is also possible to provide a communication interface such as the communication control unit 23 and the mobile phone 40, and to download, install, and execute a control program via a network such as the Internet or a LAN. By configuring in this way, it becomes possible to configure a navigation device with higher functionality and higher reliability in terms of software.

  In the present embodiment, the icons 51 and 52 corresponding to the warning information issued in the same area C are displayed surrounded by the same color frame 53. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, A configuration surrounded by the same line type (for example, a broken line or a solid line) or a configuration surrounded by a frame having the same shape (such as a triangle or a quadrangle) may be used. Further, in the present embodiment, the route portion 55 included in the area where the alarm information is emitted is blinked to be distinguished from the route included in another area where the alarm information is not issued. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as long as the identification is possible, the route and color included in another area may be changed and displayed.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, it is set as the structure which alert | reports the information for warning emitted from the area currently displayed on the map screen from the sound report part 19, but it is not restricted to this, On the map screen Even if it is not displayed, it is good also as a structure which alert | reports the information for warning of the other area (for example, area where a vehicle passes next) adjacent to the said area. Further, a switch capable of selecting whether or not to perform voice notification from the sound report unit 19 may be provided.

Moreover, it is good also as a structure provided with the emergency earthquake notification means which receives emergency earthquake information as alarm information. This emergency earthquake information is used to predict and notify an earthquake occurrence time, earthquake magnitude (magnitude), seismic intensity, etc. from the initial tremor of the earthquake.
When this emergency earthquake information is received, the control unit 20 determines whether or not a route is included in an area where an earthquake is expected to occur. If included, the display unit 16 displays, for example, “ About 20 seconds from now, an earthquake with a seismic intensity of about 3 will occur in the traveling area, ”and the sounding unit 19 notifies the user by voice. According to this, since the user recognizes that an earthquake will occur in advance, the vehicle can be stopped, for example, on the road shoulder before the earthquake occurs, and the occurrence of an accident can be prevented in advance. . In particular, when the vehicle is running on the coastline, there is a risk of a tsunami following the earthquake. Even in this case, the vehicle is recognized after the earthquake has converged because the occurrence of the earthquake is recognized in advance. Can be moved as high as possible from the coast.

It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the navigation apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is the flowchart which showed the procedure which displays the information for warning which received. It is the schematic diagram which displayed the information for warning on the map screen. It is the schematic diagram which displayed the information for warnings emitted to the several area on the map screen. It is the schematic diagram displayed differently from the display mode of the path | route contained in another area in the display mode of the path | route contained in the area where the information for warning was emitted.

Explanation of symbols

10 navigation device 14 FM receiver (information receiving means)
15 Beacon receiver (information receiving means)
19 Report sound part (notification means)
20 control unit (discriminating means, alarm display control means, route display control means)
21 Information storage unit 23 Communication control unit (information receiving means)
40 Mobile phone (information receiving means)
50 route 51 icon 52 icon

Claims (8)

In a navigation device that searches for a route to an arbitrarily set destination, displays the route on a map screen, and guides the route of the vehicle according to the route.
Information receiving means for receiving alarm information issued to call for warning when there is a possibility of a disaster, and determination for determining whether or not the route is included in the area where the received alarm information is issued Means and information corresponding to a warning when the route is determined to be included in the area, the icon associated with each item of the warning information in advance, and the map in association with the route. A navigation device comprising alarm display control means for displaying on a screen.   The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information receiving unit receives the warning information every predetermined time or every time the own vehicle passes a predetermined location.   3. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein when a plurality of the areas are displayed on the same screen, the alarm display control unit changes a display mode of the icon for each area.   The navigation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a notification unit that notifies a voice corresponding to the warning information displayed on the map screen via the icon.   Based on the determination result of the determination means, the display mode of the route included in the area where the warning information is issued is different from the route included in another area where the warning information is not generated. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a route display control means for displaying.   The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the warning information includes at least one of a weather warning, a weather warning, earthquake information, tsunami forecast, or volcano information. In a control method for a navigation device that searches for a route to an arbitrarily set destination, displays the route on a map screen, and guides the route of the vehicle according to the route.
Receives warning information that is issued to call attention when there is a possibility of a disaster, determines whether or not the route is included in the area where the warning information is issued, and the route is the area The alarm information corresponding to the case where it is determined that the alarm information is included is displayed on the map screen in association with the route by using an icon previously associated with each item of the alarm information. A method for controlling a navigation device. In a control program for searching for a route to an arbitrarily set destination, displaying the route on a map screen, and controlling a navigation device that performs route guidance of the host vehicle according to the route by a computer,
Information for warning that is issued to call for warning when there is a possibility of a disaster is received, whether or not the route is included in the area where the information for warning is issued, and the route is the area The alarm information corresponding to the case where it is determined to be included in the information is displayed on the map screen in association with the route by using an icon previously associated with each item of the alarm information. A control program for a navigation device.

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