JP2008232821A - On-vehicle navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle navigation system capable of controlling automatically lighting of a direction indicator, even when a guide route is not determined yet. <P>SOLUTION: This on-vehicle navigation system outputs direction indicator drive support information for bringing the direction indicator mounted on a vehicle into a drive condition indicating an advancing route changing direction in a junction point, when determined to approach the junction point existing in a traveling front side of a road under travel with a predetermined support start point, based on a road map data including information as to the junction point between the roads and a current position of the vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation apparatus that searches for a route to a destination and displays the route on a map on a monitor for route guidance.

  As the vehicle travels, the current position is detected by GPS (Global Positioning System), etc., and the current position is displayed on a display device together with a road map, and an appropriate route from the starting point to the destination The vehicle navigation device that guides the vehicle using a display device, a voice output device, or the like contributes to efficient and safe driving for the user.

  A technique for controlling a winker (direction indicator) in cooperation with a vehicle navigation device is also disclosed. For example, if you are driving on an incorrect lane (a lane that cannot travel along a guide route) in a lane change prohibited area, a new guide route is presented to the driver, and a route error occurs. A vehicle route guidance device has been devised that can perform more efficient route guidance in consideration of easy intersections (see Patent Document 1).

  In addition, a voice guidance navigation device has been devised that can alert the driver about a right or left turn if a considerable amount of time has passed since the voice guidance was given and the driver forgets to turn left or right. (See Patent Document 2).

  In addition, a lane change safety confirmation device has been devised to detect the state of the turn signal, confirm whether the lane change is safe or dangerous, and if it is dangerous, issue a warning to confirm the safety of the lane change. (See Patent Document 3).

  In addition, when the driver wants to turn left or right by operating the direction indicator in a situation where the driver should not turn left or right when the driver is informed of traffic regulation information on the road on which the vehicle is traveling A navigation device has been devised that can prevent its operation by displaying a warning (see Patent Document 4).

  Further, a navigation device has been devised that detects an operation timing based on a difference between a point where a user's winker operation is performed and a right / left turn point of a vehicle, and determines a guidance timing for route guidance based on the operation timing (patent) Reference 5).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-110236 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2751 JP-A-10-250508 JP 2001-241955 A JP 2002-188933 A

  Generally, when controlling a direction indicator in cooperation with a vehicle navigation device, if the destination is set in advance and the guide route is not fixed, the branch or lane change point is not known and the direction indicator is operated. There is a problem that can not be.

  In patent document 1, it is necessary to receive the data from a beacon and to acquire lane information. Therefore, when it is not the structure which can receive a beacon, the effect of this invention cannot be obtained.

  Moreover, in patent document 3, since the road-vehicle communication system and the vehicle-vehicle communication system become essential conditions, there exists a problem that the effect of this invention cannot be acquired in the area where these systems are not constructed | assembled.

  Further, Patent Documents 2 to 5 are controls after forgetting or detecting the operation of the direction indicator, and no treatment for the previous operation is disclosed.

  Against the background of the above problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle navigation apparatus that can automatically control lighting of a direction indicator even if a guide route is not fixed.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  A vehicle navigation apparatus for solving the above problems includes road map data storage means for storing road map data together with information relating to a junction between roads, position detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle on the road map, On the road map, based on the road identification means for identifying the road on which the vehicle is traveling along with the direction of travel, and the road map data and the current position of the vehicle, the merge that exists ahead of the road in the travel direction Junction point approach determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle has approached a predetermined support start distance, and a direction indicator mounted on the vehicle when it is determined that the vehicle has approached the support start distance And a direction indicator drive support information output means for outputting direction indicator drive support information for setting a drive state indicating a course change direction at the junction. And butterflies.

  With the above configuration, the direction indicator can be automatically controlled even when the destination is set in advance and the guide route is not fixed. Further, it is not necessary to acquire lane information or the like from the outside by a road-to-vehicle communication system, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system, or other systems, and the present invention can be configured by a vehicle navigation device alone.

  Further, the direction indicator drive support information output means in the vehicle navigation device of the present invention provides the direction indicator drive command information for automatically driving the direction indicator as the direction indicator drive support information. It can also comprise so that it may output with respect to a control part.

  The present invention detects the user's operation of the direction indicator when entering a point where the direction indicator must be operated, such as a junction of a high-standard road such as an expressway, and the like. Even when there is no operation of the direction indicator, drive control of the direction indicator is automatically performed. With the above configuration, even if the user forgets to operate the direction indicator, the direction indicator can blink to notify the behavior of the vehicle, so that the surroundings are not confused.

  Further, the direction indicator driving support information output means in the vehicle navigation device of the present invention provides direction indicator operation guidance for guiding the driver to manually drive the direction indicator as direction indicator driving support information. It can also be configured to output information.

  The present invention prompts the user to operate the direction indicator when entering the point where the direction instruction as described above has to be issued. With the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to operate the direction indicator.

  Further, the vehicle navigation device of the present invention is determined that the vehicle has completed the merging during the driving operation of the merging completion determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle has completed the merging at the merging point. In this case, it may be configured to include direction indicator stop command means for outputting direction indicator stop command information for automatically stopping the driving of the direction indicator to the drive control unit of the direction indicator. .

  Since it is necessary to pay more attention to the surroundings of the vehicle even at the time of merging, it is easy for the user to forget to return the direction indicator or to delay the return. With the above configuration, it is possible to cope with a user's forgetting to return the direction indicator and a return delay.

  Further, the merge completion determining means in the vehicle navigation device of the present invention can be configured to determine that the vehicle has completed the merge when the vehicle travels a predetermined distance from the merge point.

  With the above configuration, the completion of merging can be accurately determined.

  Further, the road map data storage means in the vehicle navigation device of the present invention provides a node where one inflow link is connected to a link having one direction of travel direction attribute as a merging point that is an output target of the direction indicator drive support information. And determining whether or not the direction indicator drive support information output means outputs the direction indicator drive support information when the vehicle is specified to be traveling on the inflow link by the running road specifying means. It can also comprise so that the direction indicator drive assistance information output determination means to perform may be provided.

  With the above-described configuration, it is possible to output the direction indicator drive support information at an appropriate timing when the vehicle is traveling on the inflow path.

  Further, the road map data storage means in the vehicle navigation device of the present invention provides a direction indicator drive assist at a point where at least one lane merges with another lane on a road including a plurality of lanes in the same direction. The direction indicator drive assistance information output means is stored when the vehicle is specified to be traveling in a lane that merges with another lane at the location by the road identification means that is stored as a merging point that is an information output target. It may be configured to include direction indicator drive support information output determination means for determining whether or not to output the direction indicator drive support information.

  With the above configuration, even when the lane in which the vehicle is traveling merges with the adjacent lane ahead, such as in a lane reduction section, the direction indicator drive support information can be output at an appropriate timing.

  Further, the road map data storage means in the vehicle navigation device of the present invention stores a section having the same number of lanes as one link, and is connected in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction to a link where the vehicle is traveling. When the number of lanes decreases and the lane in which the vehicle is traveling is not included in the next link, the direction indicator drive support information output determination means is the direction indicator drive support information output means is the direction indicator drive support information. It can also be configured to determine whether or not to output.

  With the above configuration, it can be determined whether or not the lane in which the vehicle is traveling merges with the adjacent lane ahead, and in the case of merging, the direction indicator drive support information can be output at an appropriate timing.

  Further, the road map data storage means in the vehicle navigation device of the present invention is configured such that after passing through the gate of the toll gate, the point where the merging point flows on the outflow road ahead of the gate is the merging point that is the output target of the direction indicator drive support information. In addition, among the plurality of inflow links from each gate to the merge point, the link with the smallest angle formed with the outflow link from the merge point is stored as the main link, and the vehicle is linked to the main link by the road identification means while traveling. Direction indicator drive support information output determination for determining whether or not the direction indicator drive support information output means outputs the direction indicator drive support information when it is specified that the vehicle is traveling on an inflow link different from It can also comprise so that a means may be provided.

  With the above configuration, even when the vehicle passes through the toll gate and then merges with the road ahead, the direction indicator drive support information can be output at an appropriate timing.

  Hereinafter, a vehicle navigation device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a vehicle navigation device (hereinafter abbreviated as a navigation device) 100. The navigation device 100 includes a position detector 1, a map data input device 6, an operation switch group 7, a remote control (hereinafter referred to as remote control) sensor 11, a voice synthesis circuit 24 for performing voice guidance, a speaker 15, a memory 9, and a display. 10, a transceiver 13, a hard disk device (HDD) 21, a LAN I / F (interface) 26, a control circuit 8 connected thereto, a remote control terminal 12, and the like.

  The position detector 1 is a well-known geomagnetic sensor 2, a gyroscope 3 that detects the rotational angular velocity of the vehicle, a distance sensor 4 that detects the travel distance of the vehicle, and a GPS receiver that detects the position of the vehicle based on radio waves from a satellite. Machine 5 is provided. Since these sensors 2, 3, 4, and 5 have errors of different properties, they are configured to be used while being complemented by a plurality of sensors. Depending on the accuracy, some of the sensors described above may be used, and further, a steering rotation sensor (not shown), a wheel sensor of each rolling wheel, for example, a vehicle speed sensor 23 or the like may be used. The position detector 1 corresponds to the position detection means of the present invention.

  As the operation switch group 7, for example, a touch panel 22 integrated with the display device 10 or a mechanical switch is used. The touch panel 22 is pressed when an electric circuit is wired on the screen of the display 10 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction through a gap called a spacer on a glass substrate and a transparent film, and the user touches the film. Since the voltage value changes due to short-circuiting of a part of the wiring, a so-called resistance film method for detecting this as a two-dimensional coordinate value (X, Y) is widely used. In addition, a known so-called capacitance method may be used. In addition to the mechanical switch, a pointing device such as a mouse or a cursor may be used.

  It is also possible to input various instructions using the microphone 31 and the voice recognition unit 30. In this method, a voice signal input from the microphone 31 is processed by a voice recognition technique such as a well-known hidden Markov model in the voice recognition unit 30, and converted into an operation command corresponding to the result. Various instructions can be input through the operation switch group 7, the remote control terminal 12, the touch panel 22, and the microphone 31.

  The control circuit 8 is configured as a normal computer, and connects a well-known CPU 81, ROM 82, RAM 83, I / O 84 as an input / output circuit, A / D conversion unit 86, drawing unit 87, clock IC 88, and these components. A bus line 85 is provided. The CPU 81 controls the navigation program 21p and data stored in the HDD 21. The CPU 81 controls the reading / writing of data to / from the HDD 21. In addition, a program for performing a minimum necessary operation as the navigation device 100 may be stored in the ROM 82 in a case where the data read / write control from the CPU 81 to the HDD 21 becomes impossible.

  In addition, the control circuit 8 determines the traveling road specifying means, direction indicator driving support information output means, merging point approach determining means, merging completion determining means, direction indicator stop command means, direction indicator driving support information output determination of the present invention. Corresponds to means.

  The A / D conversion unit 86 includes a well-known A / D (analog / digital) conversion circuit, and converts analog data input from the position detector 1 or the like to the control circuit 8 into digital data that can be calculated by the CPU 81, for example. It is.

  The drawing unit 87 generates display screen data to be displayed on the display 10 from road map data 21m (described later), display data, and display color data stored in the HDD 21 or the like.

  The clock IC 88 is also called a real-time clock IC, and sends or sets clock / calendar data in response to a request from the CPU 81. The CPU 81 acquires date / time information from the clock IC 88. Further, date and time information included in the GPS signal received by the GPS receiver 5 may be used. The date information may be generated based on a real-time counter included in the CPU 81.

  The memory 9 is composed of a rewritable device such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable & Programmable Read Only Memory) or a flash memory, and stores information and data necessary for the operation of the navigation apparatus 100. Has been. The memory 9 holds the stored contents even when the navigation device 100 is turned off. Further, instead of the memory 9, information and data necessary for the operation of the navigation device 100 may be stored in the HDD 21. Further, information and data necessary for the operation of the navigation device 100 may be stored separately in the memory 9 and the HDD 21.

  The display 10 is composed of a known color liquid crystal display, and includes a dot matrix LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a driver circuit (not shown) for performing LCD display control. The driver circuit uses, for example, an active matrix driving method in which a transistor is attached to each pixel so that the target pixel can be reliably turned on and off, and a display command sent from the control circuit 8 (drawing unit 87) and Display is performed based on the display screen data. Further, an organic EL (ElectroLuminescence) display or a plasma display may be used as the display 10. The display device 10 corresponds to the direction indicator drive support information output means of the present invention.

  The transceiver 13 is, for example, a VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System: registered trademark) center 14 by an optical beacon or a radio beacon output from a transmitter (not shown) provided along the road. It is a device for receiving road traffic information from or receiving FM multiplex broadcasting. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which can be connected to external networks, such as the internet, using the transmitter / receiver 13. FIG.

  The speaker 15 is connected to a well-known voice synthesis circuit 24, and the digital voice data stored in the memory 9 or the HDD 21 in accordance with a command from the navigation program 21p is converted into analog voice by the voice synthesis circuit 24 and sent out. Note that speech synthesis methods include a recording / editing method in which speech waveforms are stored as they are or after being encoded and connected as necessary, and a text synthesis method in which corresponding speech is synthesized from character input information.

  Further, by communicating with the ETC on-vehicle device 17, it is possible to capture the fee information received by the ETC on-vehicle device 17 from the roadside device (not shown) into the navigation device 100. Further, the ETC on-vehicle device 17 may be connected to an external network and communicate with the VICS center 14 or the like.

  In addition to the navigation program 21p, the HDD 21 stores so-called map matching data for improving the accuracy of position detection and road map data 21m, which is a map database including road data representing road connections. The road map data 21m stores predetermined map image information for display and road network information including link information and node information. The link information is predetermined section information constituting each road, and includes position coordinates, distance, required time, road width, number of lanes, speed limit, and the like. The node information is information defining an intersection (branch road) or the like, and is composed of position coordinates, the number of right / left turn lanes, a connecting road link, and the like. In addition, data indicating whether or not traffic is possible is set in the inter-link connection information. Furthermore, the road map data 21m also stores information related to a junction between roads. The road map data 21m corresponds to the road map data storage means of the present invention.

  In addition, in the HDD 21, auxiliary information for route guidance, entertainment information, and other data can be written independently by the user and stored as user data 21u. Data and various information necessary for the operation of the navigation device 100 are also stored as the database 21d.

  The navigation program 21p, road map data 21m, user data 21u, and database 21d can be added / updated from the storage medium 20 via the map data input device 6. The storage medium 20 is generally a CD-ROM or DVD based on the amount of data, but may be another medium such as a memory card. Moreover, you may use the structure which downloads data via an external network.

  The vehicle speed sensor 23 includes a rotation detection unit such as a known rotary encoder. For example, the vehicle speed sensor 23 is installed in the vicinity of the wheel mounting unit to detect the rotation of the wheel and send it to the control circuit 8 as a pulse signal. The control circuit 8 converts the rotation speed of the wheel into the speed of the vehicle, calculates the expected arrival time from the current position of the vehicle to a predetermined location, and calculates the average vehicle speed for each travel section of the vehicle.

  The LAN I / F 26 is an interface circuit for exchanging data with other in-vehicle devices and sensors via the in-vehicle LAN 27. Further, data may be taken from the vehicle speed sensor 23 or connected to the ETC on-vehicle device 17 via the LAN I / F 26.

  The Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication device 35 is for performing communication with a known hands-free unit 36. For example, the hands-free unit 36 can perform various operations of the navigation device 100 by voice instead of the microphone 31, and can operate and call the mobile phone terminal by linking the navigation device 100 and a mobile phone terminal (not shown). It is what.

  With this configuration, the navigation device 100 allows the user to operate the operation switch group 7, the touch panel 22, the remote control terminal 12, or from the microphone 31 when the navigation program 21 p is activated by the CPU 81 of the control circuit 8. When route guidance processing for displaying the destination route on the display 10 is selected from a menu displayed on the display 10 by voice input, the following processing is performed.

  That is, first, the user searches for a destination. The destination search method is, for example, a method of specifying an arbitrary point on the map, a method of searching from the area where the destination is located, a method of searching from the telephone number of the destination, or the name of the destination from the Japanese alphabet There are a method of searching by inputting the number of characters stored in the memory 9 as a facility frequently used by the user. When the destination is set, the current position of the vehicle is obtained by the position detector 1, and a process for obtaining an optimum guide route to the destination from the current position is performed. Then, the guidance route is displayed on the road map on the display 10 so as to guide the user to the appropriate route. As a method for automatically setting an optimum guide route, a method such as the Dijkstra method is known. In addition, at least one of the display 10 and the speaker 15 performs notification of a message according to an operation guidance or an operation state.

  FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the blinker control device 200. The turn signal control device 200 includes a turn signal operation switch 213, a LAN I / F 226, a flasher control circuit 227, a turn signal (R) 228 for turning right, a turn signal (L) 229 for turning left, and a control circuit connected to them. 280 and the like. The blinker control device 200 corresponds to the direction indicator of the present invention.

  The turn signal operation switch 213 that performs the blinking driving operation of the turn signal (R) 228 for right turn or the turn signal (L) 229 for left turn is configured as a lever switch, for example, and the winker lever 210 and the right turn signal for right turn Switch 211, a left turn signal switch 212 for turning left, a right lane change switch 214 for changing the lane to the right lane, and a left lane change switch 215 for changing the lane to the left lane Consists of. The right lane change switch 214 or the left lane change switch 215 may not be included in the turn signal operation switch 213.

  When the winker lever 210 is lightly pushed up or down, it is half-pressed and comes into contact with the contact of the right lane change switch 214 or the left lane change switch 215. Further, when the blinker lever 210 is further pressed, it is fully pressed and contacts the contact point of the right turn signal switch 211 or the left turn signal switch 212, and the contact state is fixedly held.

  The state of the turn signal operation switch 213 is input to the flasher control circuit 227, and based on this state, the blinking drive of the turn signal (R) 228 for right turn or the turn signal (L) 229 for left turn is controlled.

  When the winker lever 210 is in the half-pressed state, the auto lane change instruction state is entered, the state of the lane change switches (214 and 215) is input to the control circuit 280, and the flashing control command is issued based on the state. The turn signal (R) 228 or the turn signal (L) 229 sent to the control circuit 227 is automatically terminated after a blinking operation in a predetermined pattern.

  When the blinker lever 210 is fully pressed, the state of the turn signal switches (211 and 212) is input to the flasher control circuit 227, and the turn signal (R) 228 or the turn signal (L ) Make 229 blink continuously. When the blinker lever 210 is pushed in the opposite direction or the steering handle (not shown) is turned more than a predetermined angle to the blinker blinking side and then the blinking stop operation is performed, the turn signal (R) 228 or The turn signal (L) 229 is turned off.

  The control circuit 280 includes a well-known CPU 281, ROM 282, RAM 283, I / O 284 as an input / output circuit, a flash memory 290, and a bus line 285 for connecting these components. The CPU 281 performs control using the control program 282p and data stored in the ROM 282. The control circuit 280 corresponds to the drive control unit of the direction indicator of the present invention.

  The flash memory 290 is an electrically rewritable semiconductor storage medium and stores information and data necessary for the operation of the blinker control device 200. The flash memory 290 holds the stored contents even when the blinker control device 200 is turned off.

  The direction indicator drive control process will be described with reference to FIG. This process is included in the navigation program 21p and is repeatedly executed together with other processes of the navigation program 21p. First, the current position information of the vehicle 101 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) is acquired from the position detector 1 (S11). Next, with reference to the road map data 21m, it is checked whether or not there is a merging point in the link in the traveling direction of the vehicle 101, that is, whether there is another link connected to the currently traveling link.

  When a merge point exists (S12: Yes), the number of exit directions at the node that is the intersection of the two links is examined (S13). If there is only one exit direction (S14: Yes), it is checked whether the exit road is a main line. Whether it is a main line or not is determined based on whether the type of two links (ie, roads) is high (eg, national road> prefectural road> city road), wide width, priority road, and the like.

  When the exit road is traveling on the main line, that is, the road where the vehicle 101 joins the main line (S15: Yes), the current position information of the vehicle 101 is acquired from the position detector 1 (S16). Next, vehicle speed information of the vehicle 101 is acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 23 (S17). Then, from the distance between the current position of the vehicle 101 and the merge point and the vehicle speed of the vehicle 101, the time until the vehicle 101 reaches the merge point from the current position is estimated and calculated. As a result, when the arrival time of the vehicle 101 at the joining point is less than a predetermined value such as 5 seconds (S18: Yes), the direction indicator is driven to indicate the course changing direction at the joining point. A direction indicator drive support information output process for outputting the direction indicator drive support information for setting the state is executed (S19, described later).

  In addition to using the time from the current position of the vehicle 101 to the merge point as a condition for executing the direction indicator drive support information output process, the distance between the current position of the vehicle 101 and the merge point is, for example, It may be less than a predetermined support start distance such as 100 m.

  Finally, a direction indicator stop command information output process for outputting direction indicator stop command information for automatically stopping the driving of the direction indicator to the winker device 200 is executed (S20, described later).

  The direction indicator drive support information output process corresponding to step S19 in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. First, direction indicator state information including the state of the turn signal operation switch 213 is acquired (S31). The direction indicator state information is acquired from the winker device 200 via the in-vehicle LAN 27. The state of the turn signal operation switch 213 may be directly acquired.

  In the turn signal operation switch 213, when the winker lever 210 is not in the half-pressed state or the fully-pressed state, that is, when the winker device 200 is in the off state where it is not driven manually (S32: No), the memory 9 Alternatively, the direction indicator mode information stored in the database 21d of the HDD 21 is acquired (S33).

  The direction indicator mode is used to determine the content of the direction indicator drive support information that is output when the vehicle 101 approaches a junction point and reaches a predetermined support start distance. The direction indicator mode information can be changed by the user by an operation input from the operation switch group 7 or the like.

  When the direction indicator mode is the “automatic mode” including the direction indicator drive command information for automatically driving the winker device 200 in the direction indicator drive support information (S34: Yes), the winker device is connected via the in-vehicle LAN 27. A direction indicator drive command signal for automatically blinking the turn signal (R) 28 or the turn signal (L) 29 is output to 200 (S35). At this time, a message as shown in FIG. A similar voice message may be sent from the speaker 15.

  In the winker device 200, when the direction indicator driving support information is received, a command is sent from the control circuit 280 to the flasher control circuit 27 based on the contents thereof, and a turn signal (R) for right turn based on the command. 28 or a turn signal (L) 29 for left turn is blinked.

  Returning to FIG. 4, when the direction indicator mode is “manual mode” including direction indicator operation guidance information for guiding the driver to manually drive the winker device 200 (S <b> 34: No). A message prompting the driver to drive the blinker device as shown in FIG. 6 is output from the device 10 or the speaker 15 (S36). Next, a timer is started (S37).

  Next, direction indicator state information including the state of the turn signal operation switch 213 is acquired from the turn signal device 200 via the in-vehicle LAN 27 (S38). In the turn signal operation switch 213, when the winker lever 210 is in the half-pressed state or the fully-pressed state described above, that is, when the winker device 200 is driven manually (S39: Yes), this processing is performed. finish.

  On the other hand, when the winker device 200 is not driven manually (S39: No), the timer value exceeds a predetermined value and a predetermined time such as 2 seconds elapses (S40: Yes). ) In “automatic mode” (S41), a turn signal drive command signal for driving the turn signal (R) 28 or the turn signal (L) 29 to blink is output to the winker device 200 via the in-vehicle LAN 27 ( S35) You may do it.

  Further, in FIG. 4, the process (steps S <b> 36 to S <b> 41) when not in the “automatic mode” may not be executed. In this case, “automatic mode” is set in step S35.

  The direction indicator stop command information output process corresponding to step S20 in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the current position information of the vehicle 101 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) is first acquired from the position detector 1 (S51). Next, with reference to the road map data 21m, it is checked whether or not the vehicle 101 has joined the main line, that is, whether or not the vehicle has reached the joining point.

  When the vehicle 101 can join the main line (S52: Yes), direction indicator state information including the state of the turn signal operation switch 213 is acquired from the turn signal device 200 via the in-vehicle LAN 27 (S53).

  Then, it is checked whether or not the winker device 200 is driven. In the winker device 200, a blinking drive command is sent from the control circuit 280 to the flasher control circuit 227, and the turn signal (R) 28 or the turn signal (L) 29 is blinking. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not the winker device 200 is driven by including the contents of the control command to the flasher control circuit 227 in the direction indicator state information.

  When the winker device 200 is driven (S54: Yes), the timer is started (S55), and when the timer value exceeds a predetermined value, for example, a predetermined time such as 2 seconds elapses. (S56: Yes), the direction indicator mode information stored in the memory 9 or the database 21d of the HDD 21 is acquired (S57). When the direction indicator mode is the “automatic mode” as described above (S58: Yes), the direction indicator stop command information for automatically stopping the driving of the direction indicator with respect to the winker device 200 via the in-vehicle LAN 27. Is output (S59). At this time, a message as shown in FIG. A similar voice message may be sent from the speaker 15.

  In the winker device 200, when the direction indicator stop command information is received, a command is sent from the control circuit 280 to the flasher control circuit 27, and on the basis of the command, a turn signal (R) 28 for right turn or a turn for left turn The blinking of the signal (L) 29 is stopped.

  Returning to FIG. 7, when the direction indicator mode is the “manual mode” as described above (S <b> 58: No), a message as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the display 10, and the driver of the blinker device 200 is displayed. The drive is urged to stop (S60).

  Further, when the vehicle 101 travels a predetermined distance, for example, 30 m from the junction, it is determined that the vehicle 101 has completed the junction, and the direction indicator stop command information is output, or the driver A message that prompts the driver to stop driving the blinker device 200 may be displayed.

  FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 show examples of merging points where the processes of FIGS. 3 to 9 are executed. FIG. 10 shows an example in which an inflow road R12 (inflow link L12 on road map data 21m) joins main line R11 (main link L11 on road map data 21m) at an expressway interchange. In this case, since the median strip B11 is installed and cannot flow into the oncoming lane, the traveling direction of the vehicle 101 is uniquely determined. When the vehicle 101 travels on the inflow path R12, it is at a predetermined distance before the junction P11 (a node on the road map data 21m) with the main line R11 ahead, or the required time to the junction P11 is predetermined. When the point P12 is reached, the direction indicator drive support information corresponding to the direction indicator mode is output. In the “automatic mode”, the winker device 200 is automatically driven. Further, when the vehicle 101 travels a predetermined distance after passing through the merge point P11 or when a predetermined time has elapsed, the direction corresponding to the direction indicator mode at the traveling point P13 Indicator drive support information is output, and in the “automatic mode”, the driving of the blinker device 200 is automatically stopped.

  FIG. 11 shows an example in which the inflow path R22 merges with the main line R21 such as a main road. In this case, although the median strip is not installed on the main line R21, the link information or the node information of the road map data 21m indicates that the main line R21 (inflow link L22) from the inflow path R22 (inflow link L22) at the junction P21 (node) Since there is a restriction (S21) that allows only a left turn to the main line link L21), the traveling direction of the vehicle 101 is uniquely determined. When the vehicle 101 travels on the inflow path R22, the vehicle 101 reaches a point P22 that is at a predetermined distance before the junction P21 with the main line R21 ahead or the required time to the junction P21 is a predetermined value. Then, direction indicator drive support information corresponding to the direction indicator mode is output. In the “automatic mode”, the winker device 200 is automatically driven. Further, when the vehicle 101 travels a predetermined distance after passing through the junction P21 or when a predetermined time has elapsed, the direction corresponding to the direction indicator mode at the traveling point P23. Indicator drive support information is output, and in the “automatic mode”, the driving of the blinker device 200 is automatically stopped.

  Another example of the direction indicator drive control process in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the current position information of the vehicle 101 is acquired from the position detector 1 (S71). Next, referring to the road map data 21m, the number of lanes included in the link on which the vehicle 101 is currently traveling and the next link in the traveling direction are compared to determine the difference (S72).

  When the number of lanes decreases in the traveling direction of the vehicle 101 (S73: Yes), it is checked whether or not the lane in which the vehicle 101 is currently traveling is included in the next link. If the lane is not included in the next link (S74: Yes), the current position information of the vehicle 101 is acquired from the position detector 1 (S75). Next, vehicle speed information of the vehicle 101 is acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 23 (S76). Further, from the road map data 21m, the position data is acquired by using the connection point (node) with the next link as a joining point.

  Then, from the distance between the current position of the vehicle 101 and the merge point and the vehicle speed of the vehicle 101, the time until the vehicle 101 reaches the merge point from the current position is estimated and calculated. As a result, when the arrival time of the vehicle 101 at the junction is less than a predetermined value such as 5 seconds (S77: Yes), the direction indicator is driven to indicate the course changing direction at the junction. A direction indicator driving support information output process for outputting the direction indicator driving support information for setting the state is executed (S78, see FIG. 4).

  In addition to using the time from the current position of the vehicle 101 to the merging point as a condition for executing the direction indicator driving support information output process, the distance between the current position of the vehicle 101 and the merging point is determined in advance as follows. It may be a case where the distance is less than the predetermined support start distance.

  Finally, a direction indicator stop command information output process for outputting direction indicator stop command information for automatically stopping the driving of the direction indicator to the winker apparatus 200 is executed (S79, see FIG. 7).

  FIG. 14 shows an example of a road to which the process of FIG. 12 is applied. The vehicle 101 is traveling in the lane R32, and the lane R32 decreases forward and joins the lane R31 on the right side. On the road map data 21m, the link L31 and the link L32 are connected at a junction P31 which is also a node, and the number of lanes of the link L31 and the number of lanes of the link L32 are stored as 1 in the same traveling direction.

  Here, when the vehicle 101 reaches a point P32 at a predetermined distance before the junction point P31 or when the required time to the junction point P31 reaches a predetermined value, it corresponds to the direction indicator mode. The turn indicator driving support information is output, and in the “automatic mode”, the winker device 200 is automatically driven. Further, when the vehicle 101 travels a predetermined distance after passing through the merge point P31, or at a traveling point P33 when a predetermined time has elapsed, the direction according to the direction indicator mode Indicator drive support information is output, and in the “automatic mode”, the driving of the blinker device 200 is automatically stopped.

  Another example of the direction indicator drive control process of FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the current position information of the vehicle 101 is acquired from the position detector 1 (S91). Next, with reference to the road map data 21m, it is checked whether or not the current position of the vehicle 101 is a predetermined distance before the toll gate.

  When the current position of the vehicle 101 is a point at a predetermined distance in front of the toll gate (S92: Yes), the tracing of the travel locus is started (S93). That is, the current position of the vehicle 101 is sampled at a predetermined sampling timing. Then, when the vehicle 101 passes through the gate of the toll gate (S94: Yes), a virtual traveling path (inflow link) that connects each gate of the toll gate and a junction point on the road (outflow path) ahead of the toll gate is created. (S95).

  The meeting point is stored in advance in the road map data 21m.

  Then, the inflow link having the smallest angle with the link ahead of the merge point is set as the main line link and stored in the RAM 83 or the memory 9.

  When the travel locus of the vehicle 101 is not on the main line link but indicates a movement approaching the main line link (S96: Yes), the current position information of the vehicle 101 is acquired from the position detector 1 (S97). Next, vehicle speed information of the vehicle 101 is acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 23 (S98).

  Then, from the distance between the current position of the vehicle 101 and the merge point and the vehicle speed of the vehicle 101, the time until the vehicle 101 reaches the merge point from the current position is estimated and calculated. As a result, when the arrival time of the vehicle 101 at the joining point is less than a predetermined value such as 5 seconds (S99: Yes), the trace of the traveling locus is ended (S100). Then, a direction indicator driving support information output process for outputting direction indicator driving support information for setting the direction indicator to a driving state indicating a course changing direction at the junction is executed (S101, see FIG. 4). .

  In addition to using the time from the current position of the vehicle 101 to the merging point as a condition for executing the direction indicator driving support information output process, the distance between the current position of the vehicle 101 and the merging point is determined in advance as follows. It may be a case where the distance is less than the predetermined support start distance.

  Finally, a direction indicator stop command information output process for outputting direction indicator stop command information for automatically stopping the driving of the direction indicator to the winker device 200 is executed (S102, see FIG. 7).

  FIG. 15 shows an example of a road to which the process of FIG. 13 is applied. The vehicle 101 is going through the toll gate G3 to the junction P41. The road map data 21m stores position coordinate data of each gate (G1 to G7) of the toll gate. Further, the road ahead from the junction P41 is also stored in the road map data 21m as the data of the link L42 (outflow link).

  Further, virtual travel paths L411 to L417 (inflow links) are set from each gate toward the link L42, and an intersection of these virtual travel paths and the link L42 is defined as a confluence P41. At the confluence P41, a virtual travel path (L411) is established. To L417) and the virtual traveling road (L416 in the example of FIG. 15) having the smallest angle θ formed by the line extending the link L42 in the direction of the toll booth is the main link. The road map data 21m also stores information on the junction P41, the virtual travel paths L411 to L417, and the main line link (L416). Of course, each time the processing of FIG. 13 is executed, the virtual traveling path and the main line link may be calculated.

  Here, when the vehicle 101 passes through the gate G3 and heads for the merge point P41, it is considered that the vehicle 101 travels along the virtual travel path L413. Since the virtual travel path L413 is different from the main line link L416, when the required time from the current position of the vehicle 101 to the junction P41 reaches a predetermined value P42, the direction according to the direction indicator mode is reached. The indicator driving support information is output, and in the “automatic mode”, the winker device 200 is automatically driven. Further, when the vehicle 101 travels a predetermined distance after passing through the merge point P41, or at a traveling point P43 when a predetermined time has elapsed, the direction according to the direction indicator mode Indicator drive support information is output, and in the “automatic mode”, the driving of the blinker device 200 is automatically stopped.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the knowledge of those skilled in the art can be used without departing from the spirit of the claims. Various modifications based on this are possible.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus for vehicles. The block diagram which shows the structure of a blinker apparatus. The flowchart explaining a direction indicator drive control process. The flowchart explaining a direction indicator drive assistance information output process. The figure which shows the example of an output of direction indicator drive command information. The figure which shows the example of an output of direction indicator operation guidance information. The flowchart explaining a direction indicator stop command information output process. The figure which shows the example of an output of direction indicator stop command information. The figure which shows another example of the output of direction indicator stop command information. The figure which shows the application example of the direction indicator drive assistance information output process of FIG. The figure which shows another example to which the direction indicator drive assistance information output process of FIG. 4 is applied. The flowchart explaining another example of a direction indicator drive control process. The flowchart explaining another example of a direction indicator drive control process. The figure which shows the example of application of the direction indicator drive control processing of FIG. The figure which shows the example of application of the direction indicator drive control process of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Position detector (position detection means)
7 Operation switch group 8 Control circuit (traveling road identification means, direction indicator drive support information output means, junction point approach determination means, junction completion determination means, direction indicator stop command means, direction indicator drive support information output determination means )
10 Display (Direction indicator drive support information output means)
12 Remote control terminal 15 Speaker 21 Hard disk drive (HDD)
21m Road map data (Road map data storage means)
22 Touch panel 26 LAN I / F
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Vehicle navigation apparatus 200 Winker control apparatus (direction indicator)
280 control circuit (drive control unit of direction indicator)

Claims (9)

Road map data storage means for storing road map data together with information relating to a junction between roads;
Position detecting means for detecting a current position of the vehicle on the road map;
On the road map, a running road specifying means for specifying a road on which the vehicle is running together with a running direction;
Based on the road map data and the current position of the vehicle, a merging point that determines whether or not the merging point existing ahead in the traveling direction of the traveling road has approached a predetermined assistance start distance An approach determination means;
When it is determined that the vehicle has approached the support start distance, the direction indicator driving support information for setting the direction indicator mounted on the vehicle to a driving state indicating the course change direction at the junction. Direction indicator drive support information output means for outputting,
A vehicle navigation device comprising:   The direction indicator drive support information output means outputs the direction indicator drive command information for automatically driving the direction indicator as the direction indicator drive support information to the drive control unit of the direction indicator. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, which outputs the vehicle navigation apparatus.   The direction indicator driving support information output means outputs direction indicator operation guidance information for guiding a driver to manually drive the direction indicator as the direction indicator driving support information. Or the navigation apparatus for vehicles of Claim 2. Merging completion determining means for determining whether or not the vehicle has completed merging at the merging point;
When it is determined that the vehicle has completed merging during the driving operation of the direction indicator, direction indicator stop command information for automatically stopping the driving of the direction indicator is sent to the drive control unit of the direction indicator Direction indicator stop command means for outputting to,
The vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:   The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the joining completion determining unit determines that the vehicle has completed joining when the vehicle travels a predetermined distance from the joining point. The road map data storage means stores a node to which one inflow link is connected to a link having a one-way traveling direction attribute as the merging point that is an output target of direction indicator drive support information,
Judgment whether or not the direction indicator drive support information output means outputs the direction indicator drive support information when the running road specifying means specifies that the vehicle is traveling on the inflow link The vehicle navigation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a direction indicator drive support information output determination unit that performs the operation. The road map data storage means is a road that includes a plurality of lanes in the same direction, and at which the at least one lane merges with another lane, the merging point that is an output target of the direction indicator drive support information Remember as
When the traveling road identifying means identifies that the vehicle is traveling in a lane that merges with another lane at the point, the direction indicator driving assistance information output means is the direction indicator driving assistance information. The vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a direction indicator drive support information output determination unit that determines whether or not to output the signal. The road map data storage means stores sections having the same number of lanes as one link,
If the number of lanes of the next link connected to the link on which the vehicle is traveling decreases in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle and the lane on which the vehicle is traveling is not included in the next link, the direction indicator drive The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the support information output determination unit determines whether or not the direction indicator drive support information output unit outputs the direction indicator drive support information. The road map data storage means stores, as a merging point as an output target of the direction indicator driving support information, a point where the merging point flows on the outflow road ahead of the gate after passing through the gate of the toll gate,
Further, among the plurality of inflow links from each gate to the junction point, the link having the smallest angle with the outflow link from the junction point is stored as a main link,
The direction indicator drive support information output means outputs the direction indicator drive support information when the vehicle is specified to be traveling on an inflow link different from the main link by the running road specifying means. The vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a direction indicator drive support information output determination unit that determines whether or not the vehicle is in a directional state.

Images