JP2008241391A - Navigation device and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a display easy to see by determining a usable smart IC without any particular display setting operation such as non-display and displaying such a particular smart IC, as to map depiction for navigation. <P>SOLUTION: It is determined whether or not an own vehicle can use ETC by a use determination means 34 while a usable smart IC is extracted by a smart IC extraction means 35 based on use allowing conditions on smart ICs stored in a use allowing condition storage means 32 and information on the own vehicle stored in an own vehicle information storage means 33. Where the ETC is determined to be usable by the use determination means 34, only the landmark of the smart IC extracted by the extraction means 35 is displayed on a map display part 31 which is a smart IC display means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement in navigation technology.

  With the development of information processing and wireless communication technology in recent years, an automatic toll collection system (“ETC”) that collects tolls at expressway interchanges (referred to as “ICs”) by wireless communication between in-vehicle devices and roadside devices. Is called ”). In order to use such an ETC, it is necessary to correctly set an on-board ETC device or an ETC card (referred to as an “ETC device” in the present application) on the vehicle side.

Also, on the premise of using vehicles with ETC devices as described above, introduction of so-called smart ICs for unattended operation using only ETC has been attempted, but since smart ICs are relatively simple equipment, they can be handled. Limited vehicles may be restricted. Conventionally, such smart ICs have also been displayed on a map according to the IC.
JP 2006-275663 A

  However, conventionally, the smart IC is displayed in the same manner as a normal IC regardless of whether the ETC device is set correctly and whether the smart IC is compatible with the vehicle. For this reason, there is a possibility of accidental entry to an unusable smart IC due to a different type from a normal IC, and the screen is crowded with unnecessary information, so there is a potential demand for improved display. It was done.

  In addition, there has been known a proposal to restore the display according to conditions such as a reduction in the remaining amount of fuel after accepting a setting to hide from a user such as a driver depending on the type of landmark such as a gas station (for example, The judgment conditions are limited to those relating to the vehicle itself such as fuel and continuous running time, and the display control content is premised on the non-display setting.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to determine a smart IC that can be used without special display setting operations such as non-display in navigation map drawing. It is to make the display easy to understand by displaying only the smart IC.

  Based on the above object, the invention according to claim 1 relates to a usable condition storage means for storing a usable condition of the smart IC and a property of the own vehicle in the navigation device for guiding the route from the departure place to the destination. Vehicle information storage means for storing information; use determination means for determining whether the vehicle can use the automatic toll collection system; use conditions for smart ICs stored in the use condition storage means; If it is determined that the automatic toll collection system is usable by the smart IC extraction means for extracting a usable smart IC from the information on the own vehicle stored in the vehicle information storage means, and the use determination means, the smart Smart IC display means for displaying only the landmarks of the smart IC extracted by the IC extraction means.

  The invention according to claim 5 captures the invention according to claim 1 from the viewpoint of a method, and stores the conditions under which the smart IC can be used in the control method of the navigation device that guides the route from the departure place to the destination. Use condition storage means, and own vehicle information storage means for storing information relating to the attributes of the own vehicle, and by a calculation control unit of the computer, use determination means, smart IC extraction means, smart IC display means, The use determination means determines whether the vehicle can use the automatic toll collection system, and the smart IC extraction means can use the smart IC stored in the usable condition storage means. The smart IC that can be used is extracted from the conditions and the information of the own vehicle stored in the own vehicle information storage means, and the use determining means extracts the automatic fee collection system. If Temu is determined to be used, in said smart IC display means, and characterized in that display only landmark smart IC said extracted with smart IC extraction means.

  In these aspects, by displaying only the smart ICs that are determined to be usable without any special display setting operation such as non-display, it is possible to reduce unnecessary information and make the display easy to understand. Can be prevented from being confused.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the first aspect, the vehicle information storage means stores at least one of the size, the vehicle weight, and the vehicle type of the vehicle.

  The invention of claim 6 captures the invention of claim 2 from the viewpoint of a method. In the control method of the navigation device according to claim 5, the size of the vehicle, It is characterized in that at least one of heavy and vehicle types is stored in advance.

  In these aspects, it is possible to realize highly accurate display processing adapted to each individual vehicle by determining whether the smart IC can be used uniformly or for each smart IC based on the size, weight, and model of the vehicle. It becomes.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the navigation apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the use determining means confirms whether a device for using a predetermined automatic toll collection system is connected to the own vehicle. It has a confirmation means.

  The invention of claim 7 captures the invention of claim 3 from the viewpoint of a method. In the control method of a navigation device according to claim 5 or 6, the operation control unit connects the connection determination unit with the use determination unit. A device confirmation unit is realized, and the connected device confirmation unit confirms whether a device for using a predetermined automatic toll collection system is connected to the own vehicle.

  In these aspects, by checking whether a device for using the automatic toll collection system, which is essential for smart ICs, is connected to the host vehicle, it is possible to perform smart operations without requiring the user to perform extra operations such as display settings. Control relating to the display of the IC can be realized easily and accurately.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the third aspect, the connected device confirmation means includes a connected device availability confirmation means for confirming whether or not the device is usable. .

  The invention of claim 8 captures the invention of claim 4 from the viewpoint of a method. In the control method of the navigation device according to claim 7, the calculation control unit causes the connected device confirmation means to connect the connected device. In addition to realizing the availability confirmation unit, the connected device availability confirmation unit confirms whether or not the device is usable.

  In these aspects, the automatic toll collection system device is set correctly, such as the power supply and automatic toll collection system card installed, and it can be used without asking the user for any extra operation under any circumstances. A reliable automatic toll collection system can be used and judged.

  According to the present invention as described above, only smart ICs that are determined to be usable can be displayed on a map without special display setting operations such as non-display, thereby reducing unnecessary information and making the display easy to understand. It is possible to prevent confusion between an IC and a normal IC.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that assumptions common to the explanation in the background art and problems are omitted as appropriate.

[1. Constitution〕
A navigation device (hereinafter referred to as “this device”) in the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle and guides a route from a departure place to a destination. As shown in FIG. 1, a display unit 1 such as a liquid crystal panel is used. A user interface unit 2 such as an LED display and switches, an arithmetic control unit 3 that is a main CPU and its peripheral circuits, a memory 4 such as a RAM and a ROM, and a voice output unit 5 such as a voice synthesis circuit and a speaker. And an HDD control unit 6 and an ETC control unit 7.

  Among these, the HDD control unit 6 is a control unit of an external storage device such as an HDD or a DVD-ROM, and is used to read road map data used for route search and map display from a map database (map DB) or the like. The ETC control unit 7 is connected to the ETC vehicle-mounted device, and is a part that detects a state such as a power source or an ETC card set.

  Moreover, in this apparatus, each element 30-37 shown in FIG. 1 is implement | achieved by controlling the arithmetic control part 3 with a predetermined | prescribed program, but these implement | achieve each function effect | action of this embodiment which is mentioned later. Processing means to be executed.

  Among these, the usable condition storage means 32 is a part for storing the usable condition (usable condition) of the smart IC as general or individual information of the smart IC. Typically, the usable condition storage means 32 is a road in the HDD control unit 6. This is realized by recording the map data as information for each smart IC.

  The own vehicle information storage means 33 is a part for storing information related to the attributes of the own vehicle. Typically, the own vehicle information storage means 33 is provided in the memory 4 or the like. At least one of them is stored in advance.

  It should be noted that navigation processing such as detection of the vehicle position by the current position detection unit 30 using a positioning system such as a gyroscope or GPS, designation of a destination by facility search or map scrolling, route search or guidance guidance is the main feature of the present invention. Since it is the same as the conventional one, not the feature, it is omitted.

[2. (Overview of action)
In the present apparatus as described above, the use determination unit 34 determines whether or not the vehicle can use the ETC, while the smart IC extraction unit 35 determines the use conditions of the smart IC stored in the use condition storage unit 32. When the smart IC that can be used is extracted from the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information storage means 33 and the use determination means 34 determines that the ETC can be used, the smart IC extraction means 35 Only the extracted smart IC landmarks are displayed on the map display unit 31 which is smart IC display means.

  When determining whether the ETC can be used, the connected device confirmation unit 36 provided in the use determination unit 34 accesses the ETC control unit 7 to confirm whether a predetermined ETC device is set in the own vehicle. In addition, the connected device availability confirmation unit 37 provided in the connected device confirmation unit 36 confirms whether or not the device is usable.

  The processing and determination include (1) determination of whether the vehicle can use ETC, (2) extraction of smart ICs in the map area to be displayed, and (3) individual smart ICs. There may be factors such as whether the car can be used, but the context and combination of these, and the sharing of processing between the use determination means 34 and the smart IC extraction means 35 are only appropriate for explanation. Since the implementation can be changed as appropriate, the implementation shown here is merely an example.

[3. (Example of flow and display)
Next, a specific screen display example (FIGS. 2 and 3) corresponding to the above operation and a flowchart (FIG. 4) of the processing procedure will be shown. That is, the ETC control unit 7 is in a state where the ETC device is correctly set (referred to as “ETC connected”), typically, the ETC on-board unit is connected, the power is turned on, and the ETC card is correctly set. And the result is stored in the memory 4 as if the ETC connection state, that is, whether the ETC is connected or not.

  Then, the HDD control unit 6 reads the map DB, and when there is smart IC information in the read data (step S1 in FIG. 4), the ETC connection state on the memory 4 is read and determined. If the smart IC usage conditions and the vehicle information are collated, and as a result of the determination, the ETC is connected and the ETC is available because the smart IC is compatible with attributes such as the vehicle type of the vehicle. (Step S2 in FIG. 4) A display indicating that the smart IC on the map can be used, for example, a normal display as illustrated in FIG. 2 or a highlighted display is performed (Step S3).

  The normal display as shown in FIG. 2 is the same as the conventional display. However, the smart IC cannot be used because the conventional smart IC can only be displayed on the map with the same landmarks as other normal ICs. Even in the state, it was confusing with a normal IC, but in the present embodiment, such difficulty is solved by the display as shown in FIG.

  That is, when the ETC is not connected, or when the smart IC does not correspond to the attributes such as the model of the own vehicle and the ETC cannot be used (step S2), the smart IC is not required. As shown, a message indicating that the device cannot be used is displayed (step S4).

  As a display example in this case, it is typical that the smart IC icon on the map is not displayed (broken line in FIG. 3), but other sizes and types such as icons and fonts are usually used. It is also possible to make it difficult to stand out (for example, gray out) different from the previous design. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the smart IC from being replaced with a normal IC, and it is possible to reduce the information unnecessary for the driver from the screen and improve the visibility.

[4. effect〕
As described above, in this embodiment, only smart ICs that are determined to be usable can be displayed without a special display setting operation such as non-display, thereby reducing unnecessary information and making the display easy to understand. It is possible to prevent confusion between an IC and a normal IC.

  Further, in the present embodiment, by determining whether the smart IC can be used uniformly or for each smart IC based on the size, weight, and vehicle type of the vehicle, a highly accurate display process suitable for each vehicle is performed. It becomes feasible.

  In the present embodiment, the connected device confirmation unit 36 confirms whether the ETC device essential for the smart IC is connected to the vehicle, without requiring the user to perform an extra operation such as display setting. Control relating to the display of the smart IC can be realized easily and accurately.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the connected device availability confirmation unit 37 confirms whether the ETC device is correctly set, such as the power supply or ETC card, and can be used. It is possible to achieve reliable ETC use and determination without asking.

[5. Other embodiments]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, The thing illustrated below and other embodiment other than that are included. For example, as an element for determining whether or not the ETC can be used, an ETC card validity period, an operation time zone for each smart IC, or the like may be added.

  In addition, including the case where the ETC device is installed in the vehicle but the navigation device is not linked as described above, the display setting of the smart IC can be hidden by the user's intention, or conversely, the display can be always displayed. You may implement as follows. In this way, it is possible to provide a comfortable usability suitable for the purpose and circumstances of the user, but these are not essential.

  In addition, the configuration in FIG. 1, the screen examples in FIGS. 2 and 3, the flowchart in FIG. 4, the contents thereof and the corresponding description above are merely examples, and it is needless to say that changes can be appropriately made. .

The figure which shows the structure of embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the example of a map display in case ETC can be used by smart IC in embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the example of a map display in case ETC cannot be used by smart IC in embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which illustrates the process sequence in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Display part 2 ... User interface part 3 ... Operation control part 4 ... Memory 5 ... Audio | voice output part 6 ... HDD control part 7 ... ETC control part 30 ... Current position detection part 31 ... Map display part 32 ... Usable condition storage means 33 ... Own vehicle information storage means 34 ... use judgment means 35 ... smart IC extraction means 36 ... connected device confirmation means 37 ... connected device availability confirmation means

Claims (8)

In a navigation device that guides the route from the starting point to the destination,
Usable condition storage means for storing usable conditions of the smart IC;
Vehicle information storage means for storing information relating to the attributes of the vehicle;
A usage determination means for determining whether the vehicle can use the automatic toll collection system;
Smart IC extracting means for extracting a usable smart IC from the usable conditions of the smart IC stored in the usable condition storage means and the information on the own vehicle stored in the own vehicle information storage means;
Smart IC display means for displaying only the landmarks of the smart IC extracted by the smart IC extraction means when the use determination means determines that the automatic fee collection system is usable;
A method for controlling a navigation device, comprising: The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the own vehicle information storage unit stores at least one of a size, a vehicle weight, and a vehicle type of the own vehicle. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the use determination unit includes a connected device confirmation unit that confirms whether a device for using a predetermined automatic toll collection system is connected to the host vehicle. . The navigation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the connected device confirmation unit includes a connected device availability confirmation unit that confirms whether or not the device is usable. In the control method of the navigation device that guides the route from the departure place to the destination,
Usable condition storage means for storing usable conditions of the smart IC;
Vehicle information storage means for storing information relating to the attributes of the vehicle;
Have
The calculation control unit of the computer realizes the use determination means, the smart IC extraction means, and the smart IC display means,
The use determination means determines whether the vehicle can use the automatic toll collection system,
The smart IC extraction unit extracts a smart IC that can be used from the smart IC use condition stored in the use condition storage unit and the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information storage unit. And
A navigation device characterized in that, when it is determined by the use determining means that an automatic fee collection system is usable, the smart IC display means displays only the smart IC landmark extracted by the smart IC extracting means. Control method.   6. The navigation apparatus control method according to claim 5, wherein at least one of a size, a vehicle weight, and a vehicle type of the vehicle is stored in the vehicle information storage unit in advance. The calculation control unit realizes a connected device confirmation unit in the use determination unit,
The method for controlling a navigation device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the connected device confirmation means confirms whether a device for using a predetermined automatic toll collection system is connected to the host vehicle. By the arithmetic control unit, in the connected device confirmation means, realizing the connected device availability confirmation means,
The method for controlling a navigation device according to claim 7, wherein the connected device availability confirmation unit confirms whether or not the device is usable.

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