JP2010286258A - Navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation system for determining to which existing road connection should be made appropriately when an expressway and a general road exist vertically in parallel when returning from a new road to an existing road. <P>SOLUTION: When an expressway and a general road exist vertically in parallel at a returning place, an average speed when traveling on a new road is compared with that when traveling on an existing road to determine to which existing road the new road has been connected. If ETC gate information is received when traveling on the new road, it is determined to which existing road connection has been made, based on the received ETC gate information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device that updates road information of map data.

  Conventionally, there is a navigation device that records a travel locus from the existing road of map data stored in the aircraft until it returns to the existing road, and automatically adds the recorded travel locus to the map data as a new road. Are known. For example, the navigation device described in Patent Document 1 additionally updates a travel locus in map data as a new road when map matching for positioning the vehicle position on a road on a map is impossible. In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the existing road and the new road at the departure point where the map matching is impossible due to the departure from the existing road and the return point where the map matching is possible again after returning to the existing road. And connect. As a result, even if the map data stored in the navigation device is old, the travel locus of the vehicle that has left the existing road is additionally updated to the map data as a new road, and route calculation and route guidance including this new road are executed. Will be able to.

JP 2006-125883 A

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when there are two adjacent existing roads in parallel at the return point where the new road returns to the existing road, the existing road is connected to which one. I can't specify. Specifically, when returning from a new road updated to map data to an existing road, if there are highways and general roads in parallel at the return destination, which road will return to? It cannot be determined by map matching that positions the vehicle position on a road on a planar map. If the vehicle position is positioned on one of the existing roads in the map matching calculation, there is a problem that roads that are not actually connected are connected to each other. As a result, it may not be possible to search for an optimum route in the route search, or wrong guidance may be given in guiding the route to the destination, which may cause a disadvantage to the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. For example, when returning from a new road to an existing road, even if an expressway and a general road exist in parallel in the vertical direction, the existing road It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation device that can determine whether a connection is correct.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is that the map updating means adds to the map data as a new road a travel locus until the map update unit leaves the existing road stored in advance as map information and returns to the existing road. An updated navigation device for connecting a new road and an existing road at a return point where the road connecting means has returned from the new road to the existing road, the road connecting means being a highway as an existing road at the return point When a road and a general road are in close proximity and parallel to each other, the travel history information of the vehicle when traveling on the new road and the travel history of the vehicle when traveling on the existing road It is characterized by determining by comparing with information. According to the present invention, it is possible to correctly connect a new road and an existing road even when a highway and a general road exist in the vicinity of the return point where the new road returns to the existing road. . For this reason, there is no disadvantage to the user.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, the travel history information includes new roads and road type information of existing roads. This makes it possible to determine the connection more accurately.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the car navigation apparatus of a present Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the driving | running | working locus | trajectory in which a map matching is impossible from a leaving point to a return point in a present Example. In a present Example, it is explanatory drawing which shows an effect | action when the driving | running | working locus which cannot be map-matched is updated as a new road. In a present Example, it is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example when the connection of a new road and the existing road cannot be specified. In a present Example, it is explanatory drawing which shows an effect | action when a new road and the general road of the existing road are connected. In a present Example, it is explanatory drawing which shows an effect | action when a new road and the highway of the existing road are connected. In a present Example, it is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of the drawing displayed on the map when the same kind of roads are connected in the leaving point. In a present Example, it is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of the drawing displayed on a map when different roads are connected in the leaving point. It is a flowchart which shows the connection determination process in a present Example. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of the connection determination process using the ETC gate information in a present Example. It is a flowchart which shows the subroutine of the connection determination process using the travel history information in a present Example.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an example in which the navigation device of the present invention is applied to a car navigation device mounted on a vehicle will be described. The present invention is not limited to the following examples, and can take various forms as long as they are within the technical scope of the present invention.
(Example)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a car navigation apparatus 1 of the present embodiment. The car navigation apparatus 1 includes an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection system) vehicle-mounted device 10, a map data storage unit 20, a travel locus recognition unit 30, an operation switch group 40, a display device 50, and a control unit 60. Yes.

  The ETC in-vehicle device 10 transmits / receives information (ETC gate information) necessary for toll collection to and from the toll terminal installed at the toll gate on the toll road via the ETC antenna 11 by wireless communication. Perform receipt processing. Specifically, first, toll collection information such as a vehicle type and tollgate information transmitted from the electronic device at the entrance toll gate is received and stored. Next, the fee collection information is transmitted to the electronic device at the exit toll gate, and the billing information transmitted from the electronic device at the exit toll gate is received to perform the fee collection processing. The ETC gate information received from the toll terminal includes not only the information related to the toll collection process but also the location information of the toll gate, the time when the information was received, and the like. The ETC gate information is stored in the ETC in-vehicle device 10.

  The map data storage unit 20 stores route data 21 and drawing data 22 as map data. As the storage medium of the map data storage unit 20, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a hard disk, a memory, or the like can be used.

  The route data 21 stores road map information as network information of nodes and links connecting the nodes for route search. Based on the route data 21, the control unit 60 performs an optimum route calculation using a known Dijkstra method or the like.

  The drawing data 22 includes road data 22a and background data 22b as information necessary for drawing a map on the display device 50. The road data 22a includes latitude / longitude information corresponding to each road on the map, a node number, a link number, a road shape, a road type, and the like. The background data 22b is data for drawing roads, railroads, buildings, private land, parking lots, etc., or the topography of the sea, rivers, etc. on the map. It is configured to be identifiable.

  The travel locus recognition unit 30 includes a host vehicle position detection unit 31 that detects the vehicle position, a travel locus storage unit 32 that stores the vehicle travel locus, and a map matching processing unit 33 that positions the vehicle position on a road on the map. And.

  The own vehicle position detection unit 31 receives a radio wave transmitted from a GPS (Global Positioning System) artificial satellite via a GPS antenna 31a, and detects a vehicle speed and the like, and a GPS receiver 31b. And a gyro sensor 31d capable of detecting the magnitude of the rotational motion applied to the vehicle with a three-dimensional axis. Each of the sensors 31b to 31d has an error of a different property, and is configured to detect the vehicle position while complementing each other. In addition, as a sensor which detects a position, you may comprise only a part of sensor mentioned above. Further, a geomagnetic sensor for detecting a traveling direction from geomagnetism, a steering rotation angle sensor, or the like may be used in combination. Based on these detection signals, the current host vehicle position is calculated as a set of coordinates and traveling directions.

  The traveling locus storage unit 32 stores the locus of the own vehicle position detected by the own vehicle position detection unit 31 as a traveling locus.

  The map matching processing unit 33 collates the own vehicle position detected by the own vehicle position detection unit 31 with the traveling locus stored in the traveling locus storage unit 32 and the road data 22a stored in the map data storage unit 20. Then, the vehicle position is positioned on the road on the map (map matching).

  The operation switch group 40 is configured integrally with the display device 50, and uses a touch panel installed on the display screen, button switches provided around the display device 50, and the like. Note that the touch panel and the display device 50 are laminated and integrated, and the touch panel includes a pressure-sensitive method, an electromagnetic induction method, a capacitance method, or a combination of these, and any of them may be used. .

  The display device 50 is a color display device such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), and any of them may be used. On the display screen of the display device 50, a map constituted by the drawing data 22, a mark indicating the current position specified on the map by the map matching processing unit 33, a guide route to the destination, etc. are displayed on the map. Overlaid. In addition, symbol data, names, landmarks, and the like of various facilities may be displayed superimposed on the map.

  The control unit 60 is configured around a known microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, a bus line connecting these components, and the like. Then, based on a program stored in a ROM or the like, a map display process for displaying a map or the like in a range instructed by an operation by the operation switch group 40 on the display device 50, or an optimum route from the current position to the destination A route guidance process that automatically calculates and provides route guidance is performed.

  Further, the control unit 60 includes a map data update unit 61. The map data update unit 61 includes a road determination unit 61a, a connection determination unit 61b, and a data generation unit 61c. Map data is stored in the map data storage unit 20 by storing the data generated by the data generation unit 61c. Perform additional updates.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the road determination unit 61a is configured such that the vehicle trajectory while the vehicle has traveled on a position off the existing road on the map, that is, while map matching is impossible, is map data. It is determined whether it is a new road to be updated. If the point on the existing road just before map matching becomes a departure point, and the point on the existing road just after map matching becomes a return point again, the determination of whether it is a new road, The determination is made based on the travel history information of the vehicle while traveling from the departure point to the return point.

  Specifically, for example, the determination is made based on the average speed of the vehicle while traveling from the departure point to the return point, and information such as whether the vehicle is parked or travels over a river or a track. When the average speed of the vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed and the vehicle is not parked in the meantime, or when the vehicle travels over a river or a track, it is determined that the road is a new road. In addition, when the average speed of the vehicle is very high (for example, 70 km / h or more), or when the vehicle passes through the ETC gate and the ETC in-vehicle device 10 receives the ETC gate information, the new road is not a general road. Determined to be a highway.

  The connection determination unit 61b determines whether the new road determined by the road determination unit 61a is connected to the existing road. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the existing road leaves the existing road and enters the new road, and the return point that leaves the new road and returns to the existing road. And new road. In addition, if the new road only passes across the existing road, map matching is not possible even if the vehicle location is on the existing road, so it is determined that the vehicle has returned to the existing road. There is no. That is, when it is unclear whether the new road and the existing road are actually connected, the two are not connected.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, at the return point to the existing road with respect to the travel path determined as the new road, the existing highway and the general road exist in parallel vertically as the return destination existing road. The connection determination in this case will be described. In this case, which existing road the vehicle has returned to at the return point cannot be determined by map matching that positions the vehicle position on the road on the flat map. Therefore, it is determined which existing road the new road is connected to based on the travel history information of the vehicle when traveling before and after the return point.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5, a case of connecting to a general road will be described. When the new road is a general road and connects to the general road at the return point, the difference between the average speed when driving on the new road and the average speed when driving on the existing road after that is both on the general road Because it is, it becomes small. On the other hand, when the new road is an expressway and is connected to a general road at the return point, the vehicle passes through the ETC gate, and the ETC in-vehicle device 10 receives the ETC gate information. The ETC gate information obtained at this time includes information indicating that the passed ETC gate is the exit of the expressway. Further, the difference between the average speed when traveling on a new road, which is an expressway, and the average speed when traveling on an existing road after that is considered that the average speed of the existing road is about 30 km / h slower. In addition, since the speed limit of the general road is 60 km / h or less, the average speed of the vehicle is 60 km / h or less. The average speed when traveling on an existing road is the average speed when traveling 1 km from the return point.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, a case of connecting to a highway will be described. When the new road is a general road and is connected to the expressway at the return point, the vehicle passes through the ETC gate, and the ETC on-vehicle device 10 receives the ETC gate information. The ETC gate information obtained at this time includes information indicating that the passed ETC gate is the entrance to the expressway. Further, the difference between the average speed when traveling on a new road and the average speed when traveling on an existing road after that is considered to be that the average speed of an existing road that is a highway is about 30 km / h faster. On the other hand, when the new road is an expressway and is connected to the expressway at the return point, the vehicle may pass through the ETC gate. At that time, the ETC in-vehicle device 10 receives the ETC gate information. The ETC gate information obtained at this time includes information indicating that the passed ETC gate is a highway relay point. Further, the difference between the average speed when traveling on a new road and the average speed when traveling on an existing road is small because both are traveling on a highway. The average speed of the existing road is likely to be 60 km / h or higher because the existing road is a highway.

  The data generation unit 61c creates data necessary for updating a new road based on the information determined by the road determination unit 61a and the connection determination unit 61b. Specifically, first, based on the determination in the road determination unit 61a, the road data of the new road and the drawing for drawing the new road on the map are generated. Next, based on the information determined by the connection determination unit 61b, by newly connecting links or nodes that are not connected to each other with links or nodes corresponding to new roads. The route data 21 is newly generated. At this time, a drawing corresponding to the connection state between the new road and the existing road is generated.

  FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 show specific examples of drawing displayed on a map when a new road and an existing road are connected at a return point. 7A shows a case where a general road (new road) is connected to a general road (existing road), and FIG. 7B shows a case where a highway (new road) is connected to a highway (existing road). A specific example is shown. 8A is a case where a general road (new road) is connected to a highway (existing road), and FIG. 8B is a case where a highway (new road) is connected to a general road (existing road). A specific example of the case is shown. As shown in FIG. 8, even when the planar traveling locus is the same, the drawing is displayed according to the connection between the roads (so that the elevated is displayed above).

  Next, the connection determination process described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 9, 10, and 11. Note that the processing shown in this flowchart is executed according to a computer program stored in the control unit 60.

The connection determination process is started when the vehicle is traveling on a new road that has already been updated or a route that is updated as a new road. First, in step S90 in FIG. 9, it is determined whether or not ETC gate information has been received. When the vehicle passes the ETC gate and receives the ETC gate information (step S90: Yes), the process proceeds to step S91, and the ETC gate information is stored. When the ETC gate information is not received (step S90: No), the process proceeds to step S92.
In step S92, it is determined whether the vehicle has returned from the new road to the existing road. When returning from the new road to the existing road (step S92: Yes), the process proceeds to step S93, and when not (step S92: No), the process returns to step S90.

  In step S93, it is determined whether the new road and the existing road are already connected at the return point. When already connected (step S93: Yes), this process is complete | finished, and when not connected (step S93: No), it transfers to step S94.

  In step S94, it is determined whether a highway and a general road exist in parallel in the vertical direction as existing roads to be returned to. When the highway and the general road exist on the map data in parallel in the vertical direction (step S94: Yes), the process proceeds to step S95. If the highway and the general road do not exist in parallel in the vertical direction (step S94: No), the return destination existing road can be identified by map matching, so the process proceeds to step S98, and the new road at the return point And the existing road.

  In step S95, it is determined whether the ETC gate information received near the return point is stored. The vicinity of the return point is, for example, within 300 meters from the return point, or within 3 minutes to reach the return point, which can be determined from the position information of the return point, the arrival time, and the ETC gate information. it can. When the ETC gate information received near the return point is stored (step S95: Yes), the process proceeds to step S96. When the ETC gate information is not received because there is no ETC gate or because the user does not use the ETC (step S95: No), the process proceeds to step S97.

  In step S96, a connection determination processing subroutine using ETC gate information is executed. The specific process of the connection determination process subroutine using ETC gate information will be described later. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S99.

  In step S97, a connection determination processing subroutine using travel history information is executed. Note that specific processing of the connection determination processing subroutine using the travel history information will be described later. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S99.

  In step S99, the map data is updated based on the connection determination result determined in the flowchart, and the process is terminated.

  Next, the connection determination processing subroutine using the ETC gate information in step S96 in FIG. 9 will be described using the flowchart in FIG.

  First, when the road determination processing subroutine using ETC gate information starts, in step S961 in FIG. 10, the ETC in-vehicle device 10 receives and stores the ETC gate passed through the exit of the expressway based on the stored ETC gate information. It is determined whether information indicating that is included. When the ETC gate is the exit of the highway (step S961: Yes), the process proceeds to step S962. If the ETC gate is not the exit of the expressway (step S961: No), the ETC gate is an entrance or a relay point of the expressway, and thus the process proceeds to step S963.

  In step S962, the new road and the general road are connected at the return point, and this process ends. In step S963, the new road and the highway are connected at the return point, and this subroutine is terminated.

  Next, the connection determination processing subroutine using the travel history information in step S97 in FIG. 9 will be described using the flowchart in FIG.

  First, when a road determination processing subroutine using travel history information is started, in step S971 in FIG. 11, the difference between the average speed when traveling on a new road and the average speed when traveling on an existing road is 15 km / h. Determine if it is less than. When the difference in average speed is small, it can be determined that the new road and the existing road are of the same road type. When the difference in average speed is less than 15 km / h (step S971: Yes), the process proceeds to step S972. When the difference in average speed is 15 km / h or more (step S971: No), the process proceeds to step S975. To do.

  In step S972, it is determined whether the road type of the new road is a highway. If the new road has been updated as a highway (step S972: Yes), the process proceeds to step S973, the new road is connected to the highway at the return point, and this subroutine is terminated. When the new road is not a highway but is updated as a general road (step S972: No), the process proceeds to step S974 to connect the new road and the general road at the return point, and this subroutine is finished. .

  In step S975, it is determined whether or not the average speed when traveling on an existing road is 30 km / h or more faster than the speed when traveling on a new road. When it becomes 30 km / h or more faster (step S975: Yes), since it is determined that the new road is connected to the expressway, the process proceeds to step S973. When that is not right (step S975: No), it transfers to step S976.

  On the other hand, in step S976, it is determined whether or not the average speed when traveling on the existing road is slower than the speed when traveling on the new road by 30 km / h or more. When it becomes late | slower 30 km / h or more (step S976: Yes), since it determines with the new road having connected with the general road, it transfers to step S974. When that is not right (step S976: No), it transfers to step S977.

  In step S977, it is determined whether the average speed of the vehicle after returning to the existing road is 60 km / h or more. If it is 60 km / h or higher (step S977: Yes), there is a high possibility that the existing road is a highway, so the process proceeds to step S973. If it is 60 km / h or lower (step S977: No), the existing road Since there is a high possibility that the road is a general road, the process proceeds to step S974.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a highway and a general road exist in parallel at the return point where the new road returns to the existing road, the new road is connected to which existing road. You can decide whether to do it. Specifically, by comparing an average speed when traveling on a new road and an average speed when traveling on an existing road, it is determined which existing road the new road is connected to. When ETC gate information is received when traveling on a new road, it is determined which existing road is connected based on the received ETC gate information. Therefore, even when a highway and a general road exist in parallel at the return point, the new road and the existing road can be correctly connected. As a result, roads that are not actually connected are connected to each other, so that a wrong route is searched for or wrong guidance is not caused to the user.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car navigation apparatus 10 ETC vehicle equipment 20 Map data memory | storage part 21 Path | route data 22 Drawing data 30 Traveling track recognition part 31 Own vehicle position detection part 32 Traveling track memory | storage part 33 Map matching process part 40 Operation switch group 50 Display apparatus 60 Control part 61 Map data update unit 61a Road determination unit 61b Connection determination unit 61c Data generation unit

Claims (2)

Map update means for leaving the existing road stored in advance as map information and adding and updating the travel locus until returning to the existing road to the map data as a new road;
A navigation device comprising road connecting means for connecting the new road and the existing road at a return point where the new road has returned to the existing road,
When the road connecting means travels on the new road, when the highway and a general road exist in close proximity and in parallel as the existing road at the return point, the road connecting means connects to the new road. A navigation device characterized in that the determination is made by comparing the travel history information of the vehicle and the travel history information of the vehicle when traveling on the existing road. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
The navigation apparatus, wherein the travel history information includes road type information of the new road and the existing road.

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