JP2008145235A - Navigation apparatus, navigation method, and navigation program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation apparatus, a navigation method, and a navigation program for easy-to-understand presentation of the traffic information of an arbitrary section which its user desires to know. <P>SOLUTION: The navigation apparatus for presenting traffic information representing a required travel time on a map, is equipped with a route search portion for searching for a route reaching a destination from the place of departure; an input portion which receives from the user, designation of an arbitrary section on the route searched for by the route search portion; a section route search portion for calculating the accumulated time cost value of the section designated by the input portion; a traffic information image generation portion for generating a traffic information image, representing a required travel time for the section by using the accumulated time cost calculated by the section route search portion; and a display controller for superimposing and displaying on the map the traffic information image that represents the required travel time generated by the traffic information image generating portion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device, a navigation method, and a navigation program. More specifically, the present invention relates to a navigation device, a navigation method, and a navigation program that presents traffic information that represents travel time on a map.

In recent years, traffic information display devices that superimpose and display information such as traffic congestion and traffic regulations provided by the traffic information center via FM multiplex broadcasting, radio / optical beacons, telephone networks, etc. on a map with characters and simple figures are widely spread. is doing. For example, an arrow parallel to the road is drawn on the side of the road, the congestion degree is expressed by the color of the arrow (for example, traffic congestion is red), and the congestion length is expressed by the length of the arrow (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-85395

  However, in the prior art, traffic information related to a point for which information is provided from the traffic information center is only displayed, and traffic information related to a point ahead of the point for which information is provided is not displayed. Therefore, the user has not been able to know traffic information regarding a point ahead of the point where the information is received.

  The present application has been made in view of the above problems. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device, a navigation method, and a navigation program that easily presents traffic information of an arbitrary section that a user wants to know.

  The first aspect of the present invention is directed to a navigation device that presents traffic information representing travel time on a map. The present invention includes a route search unit that searches for a route from a departure point to a destination, an input unit that accepts designation of an arbitrary section on the route searched by the route search unit, and a section specified by the input unit. A section route search unit that calculates the accumulated time cost value, a traffic information image generation unit that generates a traffic information image that represents the travel time required for the section using the accumulated time cost value calculated by the section route search unit, and traffic information A display control unit that superimposes and displays a traffic information image representing the travel time generated by the image generation unit on the map.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the section route search part calculates an accumulated time cost value by periodically searching for a route while displaying a map.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a traffic information image generation part changes the display color and / or character color of a traffic information image according to a congestion degree.

  In addition, based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit, the information acquisition unit that acquires all or a part of the traveling speed, the type of road that is traveling, the scale of the map display, and the CPU usage rate, It is preferable that the traffic information image generation unit further includes a time interval setting unit that sets a time interval for generating the traffic information image.

  The traffic information image is preferably a signboard-type image.

  The second aspect of the present invention is directed to a navigation method for presenting traffic information on a map. The present invention includes a route search step for searching for a route from a departure place to a destination, an input step for accepting designation of an arbitrary section on the route searched in the route search step from a user, and a section specified in the input step A section route search step for calculating a cumulative time cost value of the vehicle, a traffic information image generation step for generating a traffic information image representing a travel time required for the section using the cumulative time cost value calculated in the section route search step, A display control step of superimposing and displaying a traffic information image representing the travel time generated in the information image generation step on the map.

  The third aspect of the present invention is directed to a navigation program executed by a computer of a navigation device that presents traffic information on a map. The present invention provides a computer with a route search step for searching a route from a departure point to a destination, an input step for accepting designation of an arbitrary section on the route searched by the route search step from a user, and an input step A section route search step for calculating a cumulative time cost value of the section, and a traffic information image generation step for generating a traffic information image representing the travel time of the section using the cumulative time cost value calculated in the section route search step And a display control step of superimposing and displaying the traffic information image representing the travel time generated in the traffic information image generation step on the map.

  As described above, according to each aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a navigation device, a navigation method, and a navigation program that easily present traffic information of an arbitrary section that a user wants to know.

(Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a navigation device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. An example in which the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment is installed in an automobile will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a navigation apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the navigation device 1 includes a control unit 11, a map information storage unit 12, a positioning unit 13, an input unit 14, an output unit 15, a working area unit 16, and a past traffic information storage unit 17. The control unit 11 includes a traffic information provision desired point / section management unit 111, a route search unit 112, a signboard generation unit 113, and a traffic information display control unit 114. The output unit 15 includes a display device 151. In the drawings, components not related to the present invention are omitted.

  The control unit 11 includes a CPU and MPU, a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that control the operation of the entire navigation apparatus 1. The control unit 11 may proceed with processing while reading and writing information necessary for processing in a memory (typically, RAM) as the working area unit 16. A detailed operation representing the processing content will be described later.

  The map information storage unit 12 is, for example, an HDD, a DVD, or a flash memory in which map information such as road and intersection data is stored. Not limited to this, information stored in the map information storage unit 12 may be downloaded as appropriate from a center facility (for example, a server device) via a communication unit (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 2, road and intersection data are stored in the map information storage unit 12 as a node data table (A), a link data table (B), and a road type data table (C).

  The nodes stored in the node data table (A) are points where roads branch in several directions, such as intersections and junctions. Position information such as latitude and longitude is connected to each node, and will be described later. It consists of the number of links and link IDs. The link stored in the link data table (B) represents a road connecting the nodes, the ID of the start node, the ID of the end node, and the link cost (units are meters or kilometers). Or the width of the link (the unit is the road width in meters or the like), the road type, or the like.

  Here, the link cost is used as a cost value when the route search unit 112 described later performs a route search. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the link cost is the link transit time. The value of the road type, which is one of the attributes of the link data table (B), can be identified by the road type data table (C), and does not overlap each road type such as an expressway or a general road. have.

  Not only road information that can restore such a road network, but also background data (rivers, green spaces, etc.), facility information (for example, information for managing the location of family restaurants and gas stations), name information, etc. are also map information. It is included in the storage unit 12.

  The positioning unit 13 is installed in a vehicle in which the navigation apparatus 1 is installed, and measures the current position, speed, direction, and part or all of the current time, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, A vehicle speed sensor, a gyro (angular velocity) sensor, or an acceleration sensor. The GNSS receiver is, for example, a GPS receiver or a Galileo receiver, which receives radio waves from a plurality of satellites and demodulates them to measure the absolute position of the receiver. In particular, either single positioning or relative positioning (a method using a carrier phase integrated value or a differential method) may be used. A GNSS receiver and various sensors are used singly or in combination for positioning the current position, speed, and direction.

  The input unit 14 is a push switch, a touch panel, a remote controller, a microphone for recognizing a user's voice and converting it into input information to the map display device, or a voice recognition engine for inputting an instruction from the user. . In particular, in the present embodiment, the user inputs arbitrary point information or arbitrary section information for which traffic information is desired to be provided via the input unit 14.

  The display device 151 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or an organic EL display that displays an image according to display image data created by the control unit 11.

  The past traffic information accumulating unit 17 is, for example, an HDD for accumulating the accumulated time cost value searched in the past by the route search unit 112 of the control unit 11 described later in detail. The past traffic information accumulating unit 17 may be integrated with the map information storage unit 12 to form a single component.

  Next, a traffic information display example displayed on the display device 151 by the operation of the entire control unit 11 will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating a traffic information display example displayed on the display device 151 by the operation of the entire control unit 11. In FIG. 3, signs 22, 23, and 24, a setting button 25, an UP button 26, a DOWN button 27, and a close button 28 are superimposed on the map 21.

  When the setting button 25 is pressed, a transition is made to a setting screen where the user can input a point / section for which traffic information is desired to be provided. When the UP button 26 and the DOWN button 27 are pressed, point / section information that is not currently displayed on the map is sequentially scrolled and displayed. The UP button 26 and the DOWN button 27 may be replaced with a slider bar or the like.

  When the close button 28 is pressed, the signboards 22, 23, 24, the setting button 25, the UP button 26, the DOWN button 27, and the close button 28 are hidden. In addition, a button representing traffic information re-display may be arranged on the map 21 for a case where it is desired to display again. The signboard display position may be moved to a place preferred by the user instead of being arranged on the right side of the screen as shown in FIG. Further, the position of the host vehicle measured by the positioning unit 13 may be displayed on the map 21. Moreover, it may be controlled to display the signboard only when the point where the traffic information displayed on the signboards 22, 23, 24 is desired to be provided is displayed on the map 21. In addition, when the navigation apparatus displays an enlarged intersection view when approaching a guidance target intersection during route guidance, display of a signboard may be suppressed. Thus, it is desirable to lower the priority of the signboard display than the display of the basic function as the navigation device. The background color of the signboards 22, 23, and 24 may be transmitted to make the map 21 visible. In addition, when the information displayed on a signboard is point information, the required time information displayed on a signboard changes with the movement of the own vehicle position. On the other hand, when the information displayed on the signboard is section information, the required time information displayed on the signboard changes with the passage of time. As shown in FIG. 3, the information related to the required time and the section passage time shown in the signboards 22, 23, and 24 is calculated by the route search unit 112 described later performing a route search.

  Next, components of the control unit 11 will be described. The traffic information provision desired point / section management unit 111 has a function of managing a point / section where the user desires to provide traffic information. This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing information managed by the traffic information provision desired point / section management unit 111. The traffic information provision desired point / section setting screen shown in FIG. 4 transitions when the setting button 25 in FIG. 3 is pressed.

  In the traffic information provision desired point / section setting screen shown in FIG. 4, a search button 31 from a map, a search button 32 from an intersection name, a search button 33 from a route, a search button 34 automatically, a detailed setting button 35, a delete button 36, and return Button 37 is displayed. The registered spot / section name represents spot / section information registered as a place where the user desires to provide traffic information, and a plurality of settings can be set. In addition, it is possible to set either default display or no default display for each set registration point / section. Here, when the default display is set, a signboard representing traffic information is displayed by default as shown in FIG. On the other hand, if the default display is not set, the signboard representing the traffic information shown in FIG. 3 is not displayed by default. The user can register by using any one of a button 31 for searching for a point / section for which traffic information is desired to be provided from a map, a button 32 for searching from an intersection name, a button 33 for searching from a route, and a button 34 for searching automatically. For example, when the search button 31 from the map is pressed, a map screen as shown in FIG. 5 is displayed, and an arbitrary point / section can be registered by a touch operation.

  FIG. 5 is an example of a screen indicating that a point / section for which provision of traffic information is desired is searched from a map. In FIG. 5, when “Register” is pressed, the pressed intersection is registered as a point where traffic information is desired. In addition, when the user wants to input section information, the user registers each section as a section for which the provision of traffic information is desired by sequentially pressing a button as a start position and an end position. In FIG. 5, it is desirable that the button to be the end position is toned down if the point to be the start position has not been determined. Further, in FIG. 5, it is desirable to highlight an intersection in order to more clearly distinguish that a user can select a point when searching for a point where traffic information can be provided on the map. As a highlighting method, a method of arranging a large circle or a large square at an intersection may be used.

  On the other hand, when the search button 32 from the intersection name in FIG. 4 is pressed, it is possible to search for the intersection name by narrowing down the area from prefectures nationwide. Instead of narrowing down by area, an intersection name may be input by directly inputting a character string using a software keyboard or the like as the input unit 14.

  In addition, when the search from the route button 33 in FIG. 4 is pressed, if the route set as the destination is displayed, traffic information is provided from the name of an intersection existing on the route and a part of the passing road. Desired points / sections can be registered.

  When the automatically search button 34 in FIG. 4 is pressed, it is possible to search for point / section information for automatically providing traffic information. As an automatic search method, a user's travel history is accumulated in a storage means (not shown), and intersections / sections with a high travel frequency are automatically extracted as points where traffic information is provided. As another method, information on intersections / sections where traffic congestion is normal is acquired and automatically extracted via communication means (not shown). In addition, the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving means (not shown) may be accumulated, and the one with high appearance frequency may be extracted. Further, the automatic searching method is not limited to the method described here.

  Next, when the detailed setting button 35 in FIG. 4 is pressed, the screen changes to a detailed setting screen as shown in FIG. 6, and detailed settings relating to a point / section where traffic information is desired to be provided can be made. FIG. 6 is an example of a screen on which detailed settings relating to points / sections where traffic information is desired to be provided can be made. As shown in FIG. 6, items that can be set in detail include “display at start-up”, “number of signboards displayed on the screen”, “arrangement order”, “update frequency”, and the like. “Display at start-up” is a setting to be displayed when the navigation device is started (for example, the car accessory / + B power is turned on). When set to “Yes”, the setting screen shown in FIG. By default display, all set signs can be displayed. The “number of signboards displayed on the screen” can set how many signboards representing the traffic information shown in FIG. 3 are displayed. Here, if the number of “signboards to be displayed on the screen” is smaller than the default display number on the setting screen shown in FIG. 4, the UP button 26 / DOWN button 27 shown in FIG. Will be displayed. “Arrangement order” can be set in what order the signboards representing the traffic information shown in FIG. 3 are arranged and displayed. For example, if “close order” is set, the items are sorted and displayed in the order of distance from the current location of the vehicle. In addition, it may be sorted by “the shortest time order”. With “update frequency”, the update frequency of the required time information displayed on the signboard representing the traffic information shown in FIG. 3 can be set. Note that the update frequency can be automatically determined. For example, the update frequency may be varied by referring to all or part of the traveling speed of the host vehicle, the type of road on which the host vehicle is traveling, the scale of the map display, the CPU usage rate, and the like. Thereby, since the content displayed on the signboard is not updated unnecessarily, the load on the entire navigation device 1 can be suppressed.

  Incidentally, the delete button 36 in FIG. 4 is a button for deleting the registered point / section information for which provision of traffic information is desired. For example, the registered point is deleted when the focus is on. The return button 37 in FIG. 4 is a button for returning to a menu top screen (not shown) or returning to a map.

  The route search unit 112 departs from the current position measured by the positioning unit 13 as the departure point, the point desired to provide the traffic information described above as the destination and / or the start position of the arbitrary section desired to provide the traffic information described above. It has a function of calculating a cumulative time cost by searching for a route using the map information stored in the map information storage unit 12 with the place and end position as the destination. In a normal navigation device, the route to the destination specified by the user and the required time may be calculated. However, the route search unit 112 according to the present embodiment can route the arbitrary point / section to be displayed as a signboard. Perform a search. In particular, the route search unit 112 periodically performs route search when displaying map information. Thereby, the required time information displayed on the signboard is appropriately updated and displayed.

  Next, the operation of the route search unit 112 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which road information stored in the map information storage unit 12 is restored as a road network composed of nodes and links. By using the road network restored in this way, the shortest time path and required time to an arbitrary point are calculated by following the nodes and links in order. The required time is calculated by cumulatively adding the link cost (link passage time). Now, when the current position is point A, there are a plurality of ways to get to point B. For example, when the route 1 and the route 2 are found in order, the accumulated time cost of the route 1 is 23, and the accumulated time cost of the route 2 is 14. At this time, the route 2 having a small cost value is adopted. Of course, when another route with a smaller accumulated time cost is found, the search is expanded while adopting the newly found route. Of course, the search does not extend in the direction of running backwards in one way. As such a search method, a route search method represented by a known Dijkstra method may be used. Note that the latest information on the link cost for route search may always be obtained via the communication means. For example, it may be acquired from probe information distributed after processing data such as position and time collected through other vehicles. This makes it possible to calculate the required time with high accuracy. The accumulated time cost value calculated by the route search unit 112 is stored in the past traffic information storage unit 17 so that it can be referred to in the future.

  Next, the signboard generation unit 113 has a function of generating the signboards 22, 23, and 24 shown in FIG. The signboard is composed at least of information on a point / section where traffic information is desired to be provided and a required time (passing time). The signboard generation unit 113 has a function of determining the signboard display color or signboard character color in association with the degree of traffic congestion of today against the degree of traffic congestion in the past. For example, when the degree of traffic congestion today is worse than usual, the character color of the signboard can be changed to red. Thereby, the user can grasp intuitively how crowded today is compared with usual. The traffic information display control unit 114 has a function of superimposing and displaying the signboard generated by the signboard generation unit 113 on a map as shown in FIG.

  The operation of the control unit 11 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 8 is an operation flowchart showing an operation of displaying traffic information on the display device 151 by the operation of the entire control unit 11. In FIG. 8, first, the control unit 11 determines whether or not registration of a point / section where the user desires to provide traffic information has been completed (step S <b> 11). If it is determined in step S11 that the process has not been completed, the control unit 11 ends the process. On the other hand, when it determines with having completed, the control part 11 determines whether it became the signboard display timing of traffic information (step S12).

  If it is determined in step S12 that the signboard display timing has not come, the control unit 11 returns the process to step S12. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S12 that the signboard display timing has come, the control unit 11 extends from the current location to a point where the user desires to provide traffic information and / or a section where the user desires to provide traffic information. A route search from the start position to the end position is performed, and the accumulated time cost is calculated (step S13).

  The accumulated time cost calculated in step S13 is set as the required time information of the signboard shown in FIG. Next, a signboard is generated using the information on the point / section where the user wants to provide traffic information and the required time information obtained as a result of step S13 (step S14). Then, the signboards are superimposed and displayed on the map according to the number and arrangement order of the signboards set on the detailed setting screen in FIG. 6 (step S15).

  FIG. 9 is an operation flow diagram showing an operation in which the signboard generation unit 113 determines the signboard display color or the signboard character color. The operation flow in FIG. 9 is performed between step S13 and step S14 in the operation flow in FIG. In FIG. 9, first, the control unit 11 determines whether or not past traffic information is accumulated in the past traffic information accumulation unit 17 (step S21). Once the past traffic information is registered as a point / section for which provision of traffic information is desired, accumulated time cost values are sequentially accumulated.

  If it is determined in step S21 that the data is not accumulated, the control unit 11 determines a predetermined display color and ends the process. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S21 that it has been accumulated, the control unit 11 compares the past accumulated time cost value with the current accumulated time cost value, and determines the current degree of congestion (step S22). Next, the control part 11 determines the display color according to the present congestion degree (step S23). For example, if the degree of congestion does not change compared to the past, orange can be used, red if it is congested, and blue if it is smooth.

  In the present invention, a software program (in the embodiment, a program corresponding to the flowchart shown in the figure) is supplied to the apparatus, and the computer of the apparatus reads the supplied program. And the case where it is achieved by executing. Therefore, in order to implement the functional processing of the present invention on a computer, the program itself installed in the computer also implements the present invention. That is, the present invention also includes a navigation program for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a navigation device, a navigation method, and a navigation program that easily present traffic information of an arbitrary section that a user wants to know.

  The configuration described in the above embodiment is merely a specific example and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. Any configuration can be employed within the scope of the effects of the present application.

  The present invention is useful as a device or system for displaying traffic information such as a personal computer or a mobile phone.

The block diagram which shows the whole structure of the navigation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the table memorize | stored in the map information storage part 12 Schematic diagram showing an example of traffic information display Schematic diagram showing information managed by the traffic information provision desired point / section management unit 111 Sample screen showing searching for a point / section where you want to provide traffic information from a map Sample screen that allows you to make detailed settings for points / sections for which you want to provide traffic information Diagram showing how the road network is restored Operation flow diagram showing operation to display traffic information Operation flow diagram showing operation for determining signboard display color or signboard character color

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation apparatus 11 Control part 12 Map information storage part 13 Positioning part 14 Input part 15 Output part 16 Working area part 17 Past traffic information storage part 21 Map 22, 23, 24 Signboard 25 Setting button 26 UP button 27 DOWN button 28 Close button 31 Search button from map 32 Button search from intersection name 33 Search button from route 34 Automatic search button 35 Detailed setting button 36 Delete button 37 Back button 111 Traffic information provision desired point / section management unit 112 Route search unit 113 Signboard generation unit 114 Traffic information display control unit 151 Display device

Claims (7)

A navigation device that presents traffic information representing travel time on a map,
A route search unit that searches for a route from the departure point to the destination,
An input unit that receives designation of an arbitrary section on the route searched by the route search unit from a user;
An interval route search unit for calculating an accumulated time cost value of an interval designated by the input unit;
A traffic information image generating unit that generates a traffic information image representing the travel time of the section using the accumulated time cost value calculated by the section route searching unit;
A navigation apparatus comprising: a display control unit that superimposes and displays a traffic information image representing the travel time generated by the traffic information image generation unit on the map.   The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the section route search unit calculates an accumulated time cost value by periodically searching for a route while displaying a map.   The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the traffic information image generation unit changes a display color and / or a character color of the traffic information image according to a degree of congestion.   Based on information acquired by the information acquisition unit, the information acquisition unit that acquires all or a part of the travel speed, the type of road that is traveling, the scale of the map display, and the CPU usage rate, the traffic information The navigation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a time interval setting unit that sets a time interval at which the image generation unit generates a traffic information image.   The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the traffic information image is a signboard-type image. A navigation method for presenting traffic information on a map,
A route search step for searching for a route from the starting point to the destination;
An input step of accepting designation of an arbitrary section on the route searched in the route search step from the user;
A section route search step for calculating an accumulated time cost value of the section specified in the input step;
A traffic information image generation step for generating a traffic information image representing a travel time of the section using the accumulated time cost value calculated in the section route search step;
A navigation method comprising: a display control step of superimposing and displaying on the map a traffic information image representing the required travel time generated in the traffic information image generation step. A navigation program executed by a computer of a navigation device that presents traffic information on a map,
In the computer,
A route search step for searching for a route from the starting point to the destination;
An input step of accepting designation of an arbitrary section on the route searched in the route search step from the user;
A section route search step for calculating an accumulated time cost value of the section specified in the input step;
A traffic information image generation step for generating a traffic information image representing a travel time of the section using the accumulated time cost value calculated in the section route search step;
A navigation program for executing a display control step of superimposing and displaying on the map a traffic information image representing the required travel time generated in the traffic information image generation step.

Images