JP2010038713A - Navigation system, its method, and its program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation system, a method, and a navigation program capable of accurately grasping traffic conditions and contributing to the implementation of a safe and smooth travel environment by variably displaying the display mode of accident icons according to a time elapsed since the occurrence of accidents and only by glancing the accident icons. <P>SOLUTION: When the navigation system displays square accident icons 13a-13c on a display device 2 on the basis of accident information included in VICS information, the navigation system changes the size of the appearance of the icons in three stages such as in accident icons 13a, 13b and 13c by an icon size selection part 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation technique for displaying an accident icon based on accident information received from the outside, and in particular, a navigation apparatus, method and program for enabling an elapsed time since the occurrence of an accident to be grasped at a glance. It is about.

  In recent years, in the field of in-vehicle navigation devices, road traffic information (hereinafter referred to as VICS information) distributed from a road traffic information communication system (VICS) is a registered trademark of the Vehicle Information and Communication System Foundation. A technique of receiving and displaying the traffic condition of a road changing every moment on a display screen is widely adopted.

  There are three types of display levels of VICS information: levels 1 to 3. Among these, the level 1 information is character information using characters and numbers regarding the traffic jam information, the required time to a predetermined point, and the like. The level 2 information is simple graphic information presented using simple graphics regarding traffic jam information, required time to a predetermined point, and the like.

  The level 3 information is information that informs the user of traffic congestion information and regulation / accident information more finely by displaying a graphic with a larger amount of information than the simple graphic used in level 2. For example, in the level 3 traffic jam information, a figure composed of colored arrows is displayed to present not only the traffic jam position but also the traffic jam degree.

  Level 3 regulation / accident information is composed of regulation information and accident information. If the information is regulation information, the regulation icon is displayed, and if it is accident information, the accident icon is superimposed on the map information on the display screen. In this way, the location where the regulation or accident occurred can be pinpointed.

  Further, the level 3 accident information includes detailed information about the accident, such as the time when the accident occurred, the scale of the accident, the accident contents such as rear-end collision and rollover, and completion of the accident processing. Detailed information on these accidents can be displayed by placing the cursor on the accident icon and popping up a detailed information screen. In addition, in the accident information of level 3, when the accident process is completed, the accident process completion information for notifying the fact is included.

  As media for distributing the above VICS information, there are optical beacons, radio wave beacons, and FM multiplex broadcasting using FM broadcast radio waves. Among these, optical beacons are mainly used on ordinary roads and radio beacons are mainly used on highways. FM multiplex broadcasting is used as a distribution medium for a wide area.

  Such navigation devices that use VICS information are able to grasp the current state of traffic conditions in real time, and thus are highly demanded, and various technologies have been proposed. For example, a technique (Patent Document 1) that can grasp VICS information without error is known.

  In addition, with the spread of navigation devices, the amount of information received by drivers is currently increasing, and high quality is required for technologies that support driver judgment. For this reason, there are various needs for the technology that makes it easy to grasp the contents of information simply by looking at the display mode by improving the display mode of the information displayed on the display screen. Technology is presented.

  As specific examples in which the display mode of information on the display screen is improved, there are technologies such as Patent Documents 2 and 3. In the technique described in Patent Document 2, a normal average expected travel time (for example, a default travel cost set in the navigation device) is used as a reference value, and the current predicted travel time derived from VICS information is as follows: It is determined whether it is longer or shorter than the reference value, and the display form is changed based on the determination result.

  According to this technology, the driver can easily recognize whether the time required to arrive at the destination takes longer or shorter than usual and only by looking at the display form of the estimated required time. . Therefore, the burden on the driver when judging the traffic situation can be reduced.

  The technique described in Patent Document 3 is a technique for displaying statistical traffic jam information according to temporal factors such as day of the week and time zone in a manner superimposed on map information in a different display form according to traffic jam conditions. Furthermore, the traffic jam is predicted as a future traffic jam situation, and the driver can easily recognize the predicted traffic jam transition.

According to such technology, it is possible to predict the timing for eliminating traffic jams with high accuracy, so that it is expected that traffic jams will soon be resolved, but it is possible to prevent problems such as guiding to a detour that makes a detour. Can do. Therefore, it is possible not only to guide to a detour, but to obtain a realistic and flexible route guidance by accurately grasping the traffic situation.
JP 2002-228461 A JP 2006-90887 A JP-A-2005-62162

  By the way, of the VICS information, accident information is information that conveys sudden changes in traffic conditions, and is one of the most important information for ensuring the safety and smoothness of the driving environment. Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that the user of the navigation device pays the utmost attention to the accident information.

  However, in the conventional navigation technology, the following points have been problems regarding the display of accident information. That is, in the navigation apparatus that has received the accident information by VICS, the accident icon is displayed in a superimposed manner on the map screen. At this time, the accident icon merely indicates the position where the accident occurred.

  Of course, the location of the accident is important because it is information that informs the occurrence of the accident, but for the driver who is aware of the accident, the most important information is the time when the accident occurred. is there. This is because if the accident occurrence time can be known, the driver can make a prediction as to the magnitude of the impact of the accident on the traffic situation.

  In other words, if the driver is immediately after the accident, it is unlikely that the regulation or congestion due to the accident will be released or resolved in a short time, and the driver will decide that it is more appropriate to select a route that avoids the point where the accident occurred. be able to. On the other hand, if a certain amount of time has passed since the accident occurred, it is better to wait for the traffic condition to recover and maintain the current route than to avoid the accident point and choose a detour However, if the travel time is short as a result, it can be predicted empirically.

  However, as already described, the level 3 accident information in the VICS information includes the accident occurrence time information. To display the accident occurrence time information, place the cursor on the accident icon. The detailed information screen must pop up. However, since the cursor operation cannot be performed while the vehicle is running, it is necessary for the driver to stop the vehicle once in order to obtain information on the occurrence time of the accident.

  Therefore, while driving the vehicle, should we choose a route that avoids the point of occurrence of the accident, or whether it is more appropriate to maintain the current route even after waiting for the recovery of the traffic situation deteriorated by the accident, It was very difficult to make a decision. In addition, when a plurality of accidents occur in the same time zone within a certain area, a plurality of accident icons are displayed on the same map screen. In this case, even if only two accident icons are displayed at the same time, it is necessary to move the cursor to each accident icon in order and grasp the occurrence time of each accident. It is very troublesome because it is not possible to select the route.

  As described above, in the prior art, when the driver recognizes the occurrence of the accident, the operability for the driver to know the occurrence time of the accident is low. Therefore, anxiety and confusion to the driver are likely to increase, which is a problem. In other words, regarding navigation technologies including those corresponding to VICS, it is important that the driver recognizes information contents at a glance. Therefore, in the field of navigation technology, there is a demand for improving the safety and smoothness of the driving environment by assisting the understanding of the information content displayed on the display screen to assist the driver in determining the situation of the driving environment.

  The present invention has been proposed in view of the situation as described above, and its purpose is to display the accident occurrence time by changing the display mode of the accident icon according to the elapsed time since the occurrence of the accident. Navigation device and method that do not require troublesome operations to grasp, and can accurately grasp the traffic situation by simply looking at the accident icon, thereby contributing to the realization of a safe and smooth driving environment And providing a navigation program.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention of claim 1 includes map information storage means for storing map information, accident information receiving means for receiving accident information including accident occurrence time information from the outside, The map information is extracted from the map information storage means and displayed on the display screen, and an accident icon representing the occurrence of an accident is displayed on the display screen based on the accident information received by the accident information receiving means. The navigation apparatus provided with the screen display control means for controlling the display in a superimposed manner has the following characteristics.

  That is, the current time information acquisition means for acquiring current time information and the occurrence time information of the accident from the accident information reception means, and the current time information from the current time information acquisition means, and based on the two time information An elapsed time calculating means for calculating an elapsed time from the time when the accident occurred to the current time, and changing the display mode of the accident icon according to the length of the elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculating means, Accident icon display mode changing means for sending an instruction regarding the icon display mode to the screen display control means is provided.

  The invention of claim 9 captures the invention of claim 1 from the viewpoint of a method, and includes a map information storing step for storing map information by using a computer, and an accident occurrence time information. Accident information receiving step for receiving accident information to be received from the outside, the map information stored in the map information storage step is taken out and displayed on the display screen, and the accident information received in the accident information receiving step A screen display control step for superimposing and controlling an accident icon representing the occurrence of an accident on the map information displayed on the display screen, a current time information acquisition step for acquiring current time information And receiving the accident occurrence time information received in the accident information receiving step, and the current time information acquisition step An elapsed time calculation step for receiving the acquired current time information and calculating an elapsed time from the time when the accident occurred to the current time based on the two time information, and the length of the elapsed time calculated in the elapsed time calculation step According to this, the display mode of the accident icon is changed, and an accident icon display mode change step for sending an instruction regarding the display mode of the accident icon to the screen display control step is included.

  The invention of claim 10 captures the inventions of claims 1 and 9 from the viewpoint of a program. By using a computer, a map information storage function for storing map information and an accident occurrence time information are provided. Accident information reception function for receiving accident information included from outside, and the accident information received by the accident information reception function while taking out the map information stored by the map information storage function and controlling the display on the display screen Current time information for acquiring current time information in a navigation program for realizing on a computer a screen display control function for superimposing and controlling an accident icon representing the occurrence of an accident on the map information displayed on the display screen based on And receiving the occurrence time information of the accident received by the acquisition function and the accident information reception function, and the current time information acquisition machine The elapsed time calculation function that receives the current time information acquired at the time and calculates the elapsed time from the time when the accident occurred to the current time based on the two time information, and the elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculation function The display mode of the accident icon is changed according to the length of the accident icon, and the accident icon display mode changing function for sending an instruction regarding the display mode of the accident icon to the screen display control function is realized in a computer. .

  In the inventions of claims 1, 9, and 10 as described above, the elapsed time calculating means receives the accident occurrence time information from the accident information receiving means and the current time information from the current time information acquiring means, respectively. Based on the above, the elapsed time from the time when the accident occurred to the current time is calculated. The accident icon display mode changing unit changes the accident icon display mode according to the elapsed time length calculated by the elapsed time calculating unit, and sends an instruction regarding the accident icon display mode to the screen display control unit. . The screen display control means receives an instruction from the accident icon display mode change means, and changes the accident icon display mode step by step according to the length of the elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculation means. Display superimposed on information.

  According to such an invention, unlike the prior art, a driver using the navigation device can easily view the accident icon on the display screen without taking the trouble of performing the cursor operation after stopping the vehicle. Just by looking, it is possible to infer the time when the accident occurred from the display mode.

  For this reason, it is possible to predict the recovery timing of the traffic situation deteriorated by the accident with high accuracy. Therefore, whether the route that avoids the accident point should be selected even while the vehicle is running, or whether it is wise to maintain the current route because the accident process will be completed after a while. Can be achieved accurately and quickly.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the first aspect, the accident icon display mode changing means is configured to display the accident icon as the length of the elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculating means increases. This is characterized in that the size on the appearance is reduced stepwise.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the first or second aspect, the accident icon display mode changing means is configured to increase the length of the elapsed time calculated by the accident elapsed time calculating means. The accident icon is configured to increase in transparency step by step.

  In such inventions of claims 2 and 3, the accident icon display mode changing means gradually reduces the size of the accident icon in accordance with the length of time elapsed since the occurrence of the accident. Or, by increasing the transparency of the accident icon in stages and making the display of the accident icon thinner, the impression received from the display mode of the accident icon tends to match the image that the influence of the accident becomes smaller over time . Therefore, the driver who sees the accident icon on the display screen can more intuitively estimate the accident occurrence time.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the accident information receiving means is configured to detect the accident from road traffic information transmitted by an optical beacon, a radio beacon, or FM multiplex broadcasting. It is characterized by being configured to acquire information. In the invention of claim 4, accident information is acquired from road traffic information transmitted by optical beacon, radio wave beacon, or FM multiplex broadcasting, so that VICS can be supported.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the current time information acquisition means is configured to obtain the current time information from a clock unit incorporated in the navigation device or the road traffic information. It is characterized by being comprised so that it may acquire. In the above invention of claim 5, since the current time information is acquired from the clock unit or road traffic information incorporated in the navigation device, there is no need to bother to provide the current time information acquisition means, and the configuration can be simplified. .

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the accident information includes accident processing completion information for notifying that the accident processing has been completed. When the information receiving means receives the accident processing completion information, the screen display control means is configured to delete the display of the accident icon after a preset duration has elapsed. .

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the sixth aspect, the elapsed time calculating means receives accident processing completion information from the accident information receiving means, and an accident from when the accident occurs until the accident processing ends. The screen display control means performs display control by increasing the display time of the accident icon in proportion to the length of the accident period calculated by the elapsed time calculation means. It is configured as described above.

  In the inventions of claims 6 and 7, when the accident information receiving means receives the accident processing completion information, the screen display control means does not erase the display of the accident icon almost simultaneously with the reception of the accident processing completion information. The display of the accident icon is continued until a preset duration time elapses. For this reason, even after the accident processing is completed, even if the influence of the accident remains and traffic jams continue, the fact that the accident has occurred can be notified to the driver, and there is no fear of causing unnecessary anxiety or confusion to the driver.

  By the way, with regard to the accident period from the start of receiving accident information until receiving the accident processing completion information of the accident, if the length is long, it can be estimated that the scale of the accident is large. Often it becomes enormous. On the other hand, if the accident period is short, there is a high possibility that the impact on the traffic situation due to the accident is minimal.

  Therefore, in the invention of claim 7, the elapsed time calculating means receives the accident processing completion information from the accident information receiving means, thereby calculating the accident period from the occurrence of the accident to the end of the accident processing. The screen display control means can extend the display duration time of the accident icon in proportion to the length, that is, the magnitude of the influence on the traffic situation. As a result, if it can be estimated that the impact of the accident is significant even after the accident processing is completed, the driver can be informed for a long time that the accident has occurred, and the anxiety and confusion given to the driver can be reliably eliminated. .

  The invention according to claim 8 is the navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a departure place specifying means for specifying a departure place, a destination designation means for specifying a destination, and the departure place. Route search means for searching for a route to the destination is provided, and the screen display control means displays the accident icon only for an accident that exists on or near the route searched by the route search means. It is characterized by being configured to control.

  In the invention of claim 8 above, the accident icon is displayed by narrowing down only the accidents existing on the route searched by the route search means, thereby preventing the alert icon away from the route from being alerted. It is possible to improve the safety by suppressing the dispersion of attention to the icons.

  According to the present invention, by displaying the accident icon by changing the display mode according to the elapsed time from the occurrence of the accident, it is not necessary to perform a troublesome operation to know the occurrence time of the accident, and Thus, it is possible to provide a navigation apparatus, method, and navigation program that can accurately grasp traffic conditions and thereby contribute to the realization of a safe and smooth driving environment.

  Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a virtual circuit block for realizing each function in the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a display screen in the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, the triangle mark on the road data indicates the vehicle position.

  FIG. 3 is an icon size conversion table of accident icons in the present embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the present embodiment. In addition, although this embodiment is implement | achieved by controlling the computer provided with the peripheral device with the program, the implementation | achievement aspect of the hardware and program in this case can be variously changed.

  In addition to the navigation device and the method thereof, the present invention can be grasped as the above-mentioned program, and also as a computer-readable recording medium recording the program. The program is a CPU or various chip sets incorporated in the navigation device. By utilizing such a physical processing device, the effects of the present invention are realized.

(1) Configuration of this Embodiment (1-1) Outline of Configuration As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device of this embodiment includes a navigation control device 1, a display device 2, an HDD control unit 3, and GPS reception. It comprises a machine 4, a VICS information receiver 5, an autonomous navigation sensor 6, and a remote controller 10.

  A feature of the navigation device of the present embodiment is that when the square accident icons 13a to 13c (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) are displayed on the display device 2 based on the accident information included in the VICS information, the process from the occurrence of the accident. The point is that the appearance size is changed in three stages, such as accident icons 13a, 13b, and 13c, according to time.

(1-2) HDD control unit 3
Next, each component of the navigation device will be described. The HDD control unit 3 is means for reading out various data such as a navigation program stored in a hard disk (mass storage device), map information including road data for route search and various points information from the database.

  The point information included in the map information includes the coordinates of the point, the name of the point, the type of the point, the data for the search list such as the address and the telephone number, the type of road that the point is in contact with, etc. . The interface data required for the navigation program includes menus, lists, buttons, guidance displays (direction, distance, time, etc.), various marks (landmarks, icons, current position, travel locus, etc.), etc. Yes.

  Further, various storage media can be used as the storage locations for the above-described programs and data, and it is possible to freely design which storage media to store a part or all of. Accordingly, not only the main program but also a part of navigation interface data may be stored in advance in a ROM or the like installed on the navigation control apparatus 1 side. In addition to the configuration using the hard disk, the CD-ROM control unit, the DVD-ROM control unit, and the like may use data read from the CD-ROM and DVD-ROM.

(1-3) GPS receiver 4 and autonomous navigation sensor 6
The GPS receiver 4 and the autonomous navigation sensor 6 are means for sequentially detecting the own vehicle position, and the GPS receiver 4 is a part that receives a GPS signal transmitted from a GPS satellite.

  The autonomous navigation sensor 6 includes a gyro that detects the relative direction of the vehicle by geomagnetism and a vehicle speed pulse sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, the vehicle position is obtained by combining the other GPS navigation positioning by the GPS receiver 4 and the autonomous navigation positioning by the autonomous navigation sensor 6.

(1-4) Input / Output Unit The display device 2 is a touch panel system and functions as an information input / output unit. A touch panel 2a is provided as input means, and a display screen 2b and a speaker 2c are provided as output means.

  As an input means for inputting a command request from the user, there is a remote controller 10 provided separately from the navigation control device 1 in addition to the touch panel 2a. These input means use an I / O control circuit or a device driver incorporated therein to transmit signals between the display screen 2b and the speaker 2c of the display device 2 serving as output means and the navigation control device 1. It is configured to communicate.

  When the display device 2 functions as an output unit, various information such as a map, a route, an operation menu, a search list, and point information is visually presented on the display screen 2b, and a synthesized voice is output from the speaker 2c. Is output and guidance guidance controlled by the route guidance control unit 9 is performed.

(1-5) VICS information receiver 5
The VICS information receiver 5 receives identification information and VICS information of each beacon from an FM multiplex receiving unit that receives FM broadcast waves and receives VICS information from the broadcast waves, and an optical beacon and radio wave beacon installed on a road shoulder or the like. It comprises a receiving light / radio wave beacon receiving unit. The VICS information receiver 5 determines the type of the received VICS information, such as whether the received regulation / accident information is regulation information or accident information.

(1-6) Navigation control device 1
Next, the navigation control device 1 that is a control part of the present embodiment will be described. The navigation control device 1 is configured to realize the role as the following eight parts.

  That is, the navigation screen display control unit 8, the route guidance control unit 9, the man-machine interface control unit 11, the map matching control unit 12, the elapsed time calculation unit 14, and the icon size selection unit 15.

(1-7) Navigation screen display control unit 8
Among these, the navigation screen display control unit 8 is a part that extracts map information from the HDD control unit 3 and controls display on the display screen 2 b of the display device 2. Further, the navigation screen display control unit 8 receives an instruction from an icon size selection unit 15 of an accident icon 13 to be described later, and displays the accident icon 13 or the regulation icon of the instructed size on the display screen 2b of the display device 2. This is a part for superimposing display control on the map information.

(1-8) Route guidance control unit 9
The route guidance control unit 9 receives the vehicle position information from the map matching control unit 12, searches for the route to the destination input by the user from there, and provides route guidance based on the searched route. The part to control. Note that the departure place is not limited to the own vehicle position, and may be any place designated by the user. The algorithm for route calculation in the route guidance control unit 9 can also be selected as appropriate.

(1-9) Man-machine interface controller 11
The man-machine interface control unit 11 performs various searches from the user such as facility search performed via the remote controller 10 serving as an input means or the touch panel unit 2a of the liquid crystal display device 2 and designation of a destination by cursor designation on a map. This is the part that accepts command requests. In addition, a clock is incorporated in the man-machine interface control unit 11, and current time information is acquired using this clock.

(1-10) Map matching control unit 12
The map matching control unit 12 is a part that receives a signal for detecting the vehicle position from the GPS receiver 4 and the autonomous navigation sensor 6 and performs a map matching process for matching the detected vehicle position on the map information.

(1-11) Elapsed time calculation unit 14
Next, the elapsed time calculation unit 14 and the icon size selection unit 15 which are main parts of the present embodiment will be described. The elapsed time calculation unit 14 receives the occurrence time information included in the accident information from the VICS information receiver 5, and also receives the current time information from the clock of the man-machine interface control unit 11, and the accident is detected based on these two time information. This is the part that calculates the elapsed time from the time of occurrence to the current time.

(1-12) Icon size selection unit 15
The icon size selection unit 15 has an “elapsed time-icon size conversion table” illustrated in FIG. 3, and the accident icons 13 a to 13 c (FIG. 2) according to the length of the elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculation unit 14. 3) is selected, and an instruction regarding the display mode of the selected accident icons 13 a to 13 c is sent to the navigation screen display control unit 8.

  In the present embodiment, the icon size selection unit 15 changes the appearance size of the accident icons 13a to 13c in three stages. That is, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, there are three types of icon sizes of the accident icons 13a to 13c, large, medium, and small, and when the elapsed time is less than 60 minutes, the accident icon 13a having a large icon size, When the elapsed time is 60 minutes or more and less than 120 minutes, the accident icon 13b has a medium icon size, and when the elapsed time is 120 minutes or more, the accident icon 13c has a small icon size.

(2) Operation | movement of this embodiment Next, the display operation | movement of the accident icon in this embodiment which has the above structure is demonstrated with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, when the VICS information receiver 5 receives the received level 3 regulation / accident information, it determines whether the received information is accident information or regulation information (information determination step S101).

  When the VICS information received by the VICS information receiver 5 is level 3 accident information (Yes in the information determination step S101), the elapsed time calculation unit 14 acquires accident occurrence time information included in the accident information. (Accident occurrence time acquisition step S102). Next, the elapsed time calculation unit 14 acquires the current time from the clock of the man-machine interface control unit 11 (current time acquisition step S103). Then, the elapsed time calculation unit 14 subtracts the time when the accident occurred from the current time, and calculates the elapsed time from the occurrence of the accident to the present (elapsed time calculation step S104).

  Subsequently, the icon size selection unit 15 determines the sizes of the accident icons 13a to 13c according to the “elapsed time-icon size conversion table” (accident icon display mode changing step S105). Further, the icon size selection unit 15 gives an instruction to the navigation screen display unit 9 to display the accident icons 13a to 13c of the determined size in a superimposed manner on the map information on the display screen 2b of the display device 2. (Accident icon display mode instruction step S106).

  When the VICS information received by the VICS information receiver 5 is not level 3 accident information but restriction information (No in information determination step S101), a medium size restriction icon is displayed on the display screen 2b of the display device 2. Is instructed to be superimposed on the map information on the navigation screen display unit 9 (regulation icon display mode instruction step S107).

  As described above, in this embodiment, the elapsed time calculation unit 14 receives the accident occurrence time information from the VICS information receiver 5 and the current time information from the clock of the man-machine interface control unit 11, respectively. From the information difference, the elapsed time of the accident from the occurrence of the accident to the present is calculated.

  And the icon size selection part 15 determines the display mode of the accident icons 13a-13c based on the "elapsed time-icon size conversion table" according to the length of the elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculation part 14, and this An instruction to display the accident icons 13a to 13c on the map information is sent to the navigation screen display control unit 9.

  Finally, the navigation screen display control unit 9 receives instructions from the icon size selection unit 15 and changes the display mode of the accident icons 13a to 13c according to the length of the elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculation unit 14. The display is superposed on the map information on the display screen 2b of the display device 2 while changing.

  That is, the accident icon 13a having a large icon size shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the display screen 2b of the display device 2 as the accident icon 13b having the medium icon size if the elapsed time of the accident exceeds 60 minutes. Is done. In addition, when the elapsed time of the accident exceeds 120 minutes, the accident icon 13b having the medium icon size is further reduced to become the accident icon 13c having the small icon size on the display screen 2b of the display device 2. Will be displayed.

(3) Operational effects of the present embodiment The operational effects of the present embodiment as described above are as follows. That is, the accident icons 13a to 13c can be displayed in a superimposed manner on the map information on the display screen 2 of the display device 2 while gradually reducing the accident icons 13a to 13c according to the length of the elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculation unit 14. .

  Therefore, the driver using the navigation device can estimate the time when the accident occurred from the size of the accident icons 13a to 13c by just looking at the accident icon on the display screen. As in the prior art, a special operation for grasping the accident occurrence time is not required without taking the trouble of performing the cursor operation after stopping the vehicle.

  For this reason, it is possible to accurately grasp the traffic situation just by glancing at the accident icon, and to predict the recovery timing of the traffic situation deteriorated by the accident with high accuracy. In other words, whether to choose a route that avoids the point of occurrence of the accident while driving the vehicle, or whether it is wise to maintain the current route because the accident processing will be completed after a while. And can be done quickly. As a result, it is possible to obtain good safety and smoothness in the driving environment.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the icon size selection part 15 reduces the magnitude | size on the external appearance of accident icon 13a-13c according to the length of the elapsed time of an accident, accident icon 13a-13c. The impression received from the display form is consistent with the image that the influence of the accident becomes smaller as the elapsed time of the accident becomes longer. Therefore, the driver who sees the accident icon displayed on the display screen 2a can intuitively recognize the occurrence time of the accident.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, VICS information is acquired from the VICS information receiver 5, and this is taken in by the elapsed time calculation unit 14, so that it is possible to cope with VICS accurately. In addition, in the present embodiment, since the current time information can be acquired from the clock of the man-machine interface control unit 11, it is not necessary to provide a current time information acquisition unit, and the configuration can be simplified.

(4) Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the specific configuration of each element can be changed as appropriate, and the latest data is provided via a wireless communication network. The present invention can also be applied to a navigation device.

(4-1) Other embodiment 1
For example, as the length of the elapsed time calculated by the accident elapsed time calculation unit 14 becomes longer, the icon size selection unit 15 does not change the size of the appearance, but gradually changes the transparency of the accident icons 13d to 13f. It may be configured to be larger (see FIG. 5).

  According to such an embodiment, according to the length of the elapsed time from the occurrence of the accident, the transparency of the accident icons 13d to 13f is increased stepwise, and the display of the accident icons 13d to 13f becomes lighter. . In other words, the impression received from the display mode of the accident icons 13d to 13f easily matches the image that the accident has on the traffic situation, and the driver who has seen the accident icons 13d to 13f more intuitively determines the accident occurrence time. Recognizable.

  By the way, when changing the display style of the accident icon, when changing the size of the appearance, the accident icon immediately after the accident must be displayed to a certain extent, and the accident occurrence position is displayed as a pinpoint. It's easy to overdo it. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment in which the transparency of the accident icons 13d to 13f is changed, the icon size can be set smaller in advance even for the accident icon indicating that the accident has just occurred. The occurrence position can be displayed as a pinpoint.

(4-2) Other embodiment 2
When the accident process is completed, the VICS level 3 accident information has accident process completion information for notifying that the accident process has been completed. Therefore, as another embodiment of the present invention, when the VICS information receiver 5 receives this accident processing completion information, after the navigation screen display control unit 9 has passed a preset duration, an accident icon You may comprise so that the display of 13a-13c may be erase | eliminated.

  In such an embodiment, even when the VICS information receiver 5 receives the accident processing completion information, the navigation screen display control unit 9 does not erase the display of the accident icon almost simultaneously with the reception of the accident processing completion information. The accident icon continues to be displayed until a preset duration has elapsed.

  Therefore, even if the traffic situation is such that traffic congestion continues due to the influence of the accident after receiving information that the accident processing has been completed by the VICS information receiver 5, the fact that the accident has occurred in the past is shown to the driver. You can be sure. As a result, the driver can demonstrate excellent safety without feeling uneasy or confused.

(4-3) Other embodiment 3
The improvement example of said embodiment is shown. That is, when the VICS information receiver 5 receives the accident processing completion information, it is defined as an accident period from when the VICS information receiver 5 starts receiving the accident information until the accident processing completion information of the accident is received, An embodiment in which the length of the accident period is calculated by the elapsed time calculation unit 14 is also included.

  In this embodiment, the elapsed time calculation unit 14 is configured to receive the accident processing completion information from the VICS information receiver 5 and calculate the accident period from the occurrence of the accident to the end of the accident processing. The screen display control unit 9 is configured to control the display by increasing the display time of the accident icons 13 a to 13 c in proportion to the length of the accident period calculated by the elapsed time calculation unit 14.

  Generally, regarding the accident period from the start of the reception of accident information to the reception of the accident processing completion information of the accident, it can be estimated that if the length is long, the scale of the accident is large. Therefore, the impact on the traffic situation is enormous, and if the accident period is short, the impact on the traffic situation due to the accident is likely to be negligible.

  Therefore, in the above embodiment, the accident period is calculated by the elapsed time calculation unit 14, and the navigation screen display control unit 9 is proportional to the magnitude of the influence of the traffic situation assumed from the length of the accident period. Thus, the display duration of the accident icon can be extended. According to such an embodiment, when it can be estimated that the influence of the accident is large, the driver can be informed of the occurrence of the accident for a long period of time after receiving the accident processing completion information, and the driver can be notified. It is possible to surely eliminate the anxiety and confusion given.

  In addition, the navigation screen display control part 9 can also change the display mode of the accident icons 13a to 13c by changing the display color or the like when the accident process completion information is received. In this case, it can be clarified that the accident processing has already been completed, and the driver can accurately grasp the current situation of the accident.

(4-4) Other embodiment 4
Furthermore, as another embodiment of the present invention, the navigation screen display control unit 9 may be configured to display and control an accident icon only for an accident that exists on the route searched by the route guidance control unit 9. .

  In this embodiment, when the thick line in FIG. 6 is a route searched by the route guidance control unit 9, only the accident icon 13c existing on the route is displayed. Therefore, the accident icons 13a and 13b that do not exist on the route are hidden, and the driver's attention can be smoothly directed to the accident icon 13c. As a result, the driver can easily make a judgment on the traffic situation, and the safety is further improved.

The functional block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus in typical embodiment which concerns on this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display screen of this embodiment. The conversion table of the icon size of the accident icon in this embodiment. The flowchart which shows the flow of operation | movement in this embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display screen of other embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display screen of other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Navigation control apparatus 2 ... Display apparatus 2a ... Touch panel 2b ... Display screen 2c ... Speaker 3 ... HDD control part 4 ... GPS receiver 5 ... VICS information receiver 6 ... Autonomous navigation sensor 8 ... Navigation screen display control part 9 ... Route Guidance control unit 10 ... remote control 11 ... man-machine interface control unit 12 ... map matching control units 13a to 13f ... accident icon 14 ... elapsed time calculation unit 15 ... icon size selection unit

Claims (10)

Map information storing means for storing map information, accident information receiving means for receiving accident information including accident occurrence time information from the outside, and taking out the map information from the map information storing means and controlling display on the display screen And navigation provided with screen display control means for superimposing and controlling an accident icon representing the occurrence of an accident on the map information displayed on the display screen based on the accident information received by the accident information receiving means. In the device
Current time information acquisition means for acquiring current time information;
Accident occurrence time information is received from the accident information receiving means, current time information is received from the current time information acquisition means, and an elapsed time from the time when the accident occurred to the current time is calculated based on the two time information. Elapsed time calculation means,
Accident icon display mode change means for changing the display mode of the accident icon according to the length of the elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculation means and sending an instruction regarding the display mode of the accident icon to the screen display control means. A navigation apparatus comprising:   The accident icon display mode changing means is configured to gradually reduce the appearance size of the accident icon as the length of the elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculating means becomes longer. The navigation device according to claim 1.   The accident icon display mode changing means is configured to increase the transparency of the accident icon stepwise as the length of the elapsed time calculated by the accident elapsed time calculating means increases. The navigation device according to claim 1 or 2.   The said accident information receiving means is comprised so that the said accident information may be acquired from the road traffic information transmitted by an optical beacon, an electric wave beacon, or FM multiplex broadcasting, The any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The navigation device described in 1.   5. The current time information acquisition unit is configured to acquire the current time information from a clock unit incorporated in a navigation device or the road traffic information. 6. The navigation device described.   The accident information includes accident processing completion information for notifying that the accident processing has been completed. When the accident information receiving means receives the accident processing completion information, the screen display control means is preset. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the display of the accident icon is erased after a lapse of a continuous time. The elapsed time calculating means is configured to receive accident processing completion information from the accident information receiving means, and calculate an accident period from the occurrence of an accident to the end of the accident processing,
The screen display control means is configured to control the display by increasing the display time of the accident icon in proportion to the length of the accident period calculated by the elapsed time calculation means. Item 7. The navigation device according to Item 6. A departure place designation means for designating a departure place;
A destination designation means for designating a destination;
A route search means for searching for a route from the departure place to the destination,
8. The screen display control means is configured to display and control the accident icon only for an accident existing on or near the route searched by the route search means. The navigation device according to any one of the above. Map information storing step for storing map information by using a computer, accident information receiving step for receiving accident information including accident occurrence time information from outside, and the map stored in the map information storing step Information is taken out and displayed on the display screen, and an accident icon representing the occurrence of an accident is superimposed on the map information displayed on the display screen based on the accident information received in the accident information receiving step. A screen display control step for performing a navigation method,
A current time information acquisition step for acquiring current time information;
Receives the occurrence time information of the accident received in the accident information reception step, receives the current time information acquired in the current time information acquisition step, and from the time when the accident occurred to the current time based on the two time information An elapsed time calculating step for calculating the elapsed time of
Change the display mode of the accident icon according to the length of the elapsed time calculated in the elapsed time calculation step, and change the display mode of the accident icon to send an instruction regarding the display mode of the accident icon to the screen display control step A navigation method comprising steps. Map information storing function for storing map information by using a computer, accident information receiving function for receiving accident information including accident occurrence time information from the outside, and the map stored by the map information storing function Information is extracted and displayed on the display screen, and an accident icon indicating the occurrence of an accident is superimposed on the map information displayed on the display screen based on the accident information received by the accident information receiving function. In a navigation program for causing a computer to perform a screen display control function,
Current time information acquisition function for acquiring current time information;
Receives the occurrence time information of the accident received by the accident information reception function, receives the current time information acquired by the current time information acquisition function, and from the time when the accident occurred to the current time based on the two time information An elapsed time calculation function to calculate the elapsed time of
Changing the display mode of the accident icon according to the length of the elapsed time calculated by the elapsed time calculation function, and changing the display mode of the accident icon for sending an instruction regarding the display mode of the accident icon to the screen display control function A navigation program characterized by causing a computer to realize a function.

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