JP2011107025A - Navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation system capable of recognizing a spot or a section seeing a prescribed landmark from a vehicle window before running on a retrieved route. <P>SOLUTION: The navigation system includes retrieving the route 51, displaying a map 50 displaying the retrieved route 51 on a display monitor, displaying a one's own vehicle position mark 52 displaying a position of a vehicle on the displayed map 50, and displaying the section 53 capable of carrying out target recognition of a prescribed landmark on the map 50 when moving the one's own vehicle position mark 52 along the route 51 in route simulation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus capable of performing route simulation.

  A navigation device to which a route simulation function is added is known as a prior art (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-21373 A

  Before traveling on the searched route, the user may want to know where on the searched route the landmark can be seen from the car window. In the navigation device described in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the position where a predetermined landmark can be seen from the vehicle window is not known even if route simulation is performed.

  The navigation device of the invention of claim 1 includes a search means for searching for a route, a map display control means for displaying a map on which the route searched by the search means is displayed on a display monitor, and a display monitor before the actual travel. The vehicle's position mark that displays the vehicle's position is moved along the route displayed on the route, and the route simulation control means for simulating the vehicle's route and the landscape object that can be seen from the running road are visible. Storage means for storing in association with a point or a section, and the route simulation control means displays a road of the point or section stored in the storage means in a display form different from other roads when performing route simulation of the host vehicle route. It is characterized by displaying.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to recognize a spot or a section where a predetermined landmark can be seen from the vehicle window before traveling on the searched route.

It is a figure for demonstrating the landscape target object visual information collection system in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the landscape target object visible link data in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the screen of the route simulation in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart figure for demonstrating the landscape guidance process in route simulation.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a landscape object visible information collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the landscape object is a landmark that can be seen from a remote location, such as Mt. Fuji, Tokyo Tower, or Yokohama Landmark Tower. The landscape object visible information collection system of FIG. 1 includes a navigation device 1 and an information center 2 provided in each of a plurality of vehicles. The navigation device 1 and the information center 2 are connected via a communication network 3.

  In this landscape object visible information collection system, when a driver of a probe car sees a predetermined landscape object from the car window, the navigation apparatus 1 uses the visually recognized landscape object, the visually recognized direction, and the vehicle position. To the information center 2. Information on the visually recognized scenery object and the visually recognized direction may be transmitted to the information center 2 through the voice of the driver of the probe car. Moreover, when the candidate of a landscape object and the candidate of the direction visually recognized are displayed on the navigation apparatus 1, and a user selects the direction in which the landscape object visually recognized from the displayed candidate and the landscape object were visually recognized. The selected landscape object and the selected direction may be transmitted to the information center 2. As for the position of the vehicle, information on the current location detected by the navigation device 1 may be transmitted to the information center 2.

  The information center 2 can edit the information on the landscape object, the information on the direction in which the landscape object is viewed, and the information on the position of the vehicle transmitted from the navigation device 1 provided in the probe car, and can visually recognize the landscape object. Landscape object visible link data, which is information on the position on the road, is created. Then, the created landscape object visible link data is distributed to the navigation device 1 provided in the probe car or other vehicle. The information center 2 distributes the landscape object visible link data updated every predetermined time.

  The landscape object visible link data will be described with reference to FIG. First, the structure of map road data will be described. The road data has link information and node information. For example, two intersections are set as a start point node and an end node, and the intersection position coordinates are stored as position data of the start point node and the end node. A link between both nodes is called a link, and the link is managed by a link number (link ID). Each node is also managed by a node number. In order to specify the road shape (link shape) between the start point node and the end node, an interpolation node may be provided between the start point node and the end node. The interpolation node also has position data.

  The landscape object visible link data 4 includes information on the link ID 43 corresponding to the position where the landscape object is visually recognized and information on the direction 44 in which the landscape object is visually recognized with respect to the forward direction of the link. It is classified by each. A landscape ID 41 is assigned to each landscape object 42. In addition to the information of the link ID 43 and the information of the direction 44 to be visually recognized, the information of the reception date 45 when the information center 2 receives the information transmitted from the driver of the probe car used when creating the information. Is added.

  The landscape object visible link data 4 is created as follows. First, based on the landscape object information transmitted by the driver of the probe car, the landscape object 42 in which the information of the link ID 43 and the information of the visually recognized direction 44 is stored is determined. The link corresponding to the position of the vehicle transmitted by the driver of the probe car is searched, and the link ID of the searched link is set as the link ID 43 of the landscape object visible link data 4.

  Based on the information on the traveling direction of the vehicle and the information on the visually recognized direction of the object transmitted by the driver of the probe car, information on the visually recognized direction 44 is created. For example, when the vehicle is traveling in the forward direction of the link and receives information that the direction in which the landscape object is viewed is right, the information on the visually recognized direction 44 is set to the right. On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling in the reverse direction of the link and receives information that the direction in which the scenery object is viewed is right, the information in the visually recognized direction 44 is set to the left. The information center 2 can detect the traveling direction of the vehicle by transmitting the vehicle position information to the information center 2 as needed.

  With reference to FIG. 3, the structure of the navigation apparatus 1 by one Embodiment of this invention is shown. The navigation device 1 can perform route simulation on the searched route. The route simulation is to perform route guidance in a pseudo manner. For example, the navigation device 1 displays a map on which the searched route is displayed on the display monitor 16, and moves the vehicle position mark displayed on the map along the route. Moreover, the navigation apparatus 1 can transmit the information of the visually recognized landscape object to the information center 2 or receive the landscape object visible link data 4 using the communication device 110. The navigation device 1 includes a control circuit 11, ROM 12, RAM 13, current location detection device 14, image memory 15, display monitor 16, speaker 17, input device 18, microphone 19, communication device 110, and data storage device 111.

  The control circuit 11 includes a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits, and performs various controls by executing a control program stored in the ROM 12 using the RAM 13 as a work area. In addition, the control circuit 11 performs a predetermined route search process based on the map data stored in the data storage device 111. Then, the processing result is displayed on the display monitor 16 as a recommended route.

  The current location detection device 14 is a device that detects the position of the vehicle. The current location detection device 14 includes a vibration gyro 14a, a vehicle speed sensor 14b, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor 14c, and the like. The vibration gyro 14a detects the traveling direction of the vehicle, the vehicle speed sensor 14b detects the vehicle speed, and the GPS sensor 14c detects a GPS signal from a GPS satellite. The navigation device 1 determines a map display range, a route search start point, and the like based on the current location of the vehicle detected by the current location detection device 14. In addition, the current location on the map is displayed with the vehicle position mark.

  The image memory 15 stores image data to be displayed on the display monitor 16. The image data includes road map drawing data and various graphic data, which are appropriately generated in the control circuit 11 based on the map data stored in the data storage device 111.

  The data storage device 111 is configured by a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory or a hard disk or a nonvolatile recording medium, and stores landscape object visible link data and map data received by the communication device 110.

  The map data includes map display data, route search data, and the like. The map display data and the route search data include road link information and node information stored in the map data. The map display data has map data of a plurality of scales from wide areas to details, and the scale of the display map can be changed according to a user request. The map data may be read from a recording medium other than the data storage device 110, such as a DVD-ROM or a CD-ROM.

  The display monitor 16 displays various information such as a map near the current location based on various information such as map data. The speaker 17 outputs sound for instructing the user to perform various input operations and for guiding the route. The microphone 19 inputs a voice uttered by the user. The input device 18 has operation keys for the user to set various commands and input search conditions, and is realized by a button switch on the operation panel, a hard switch around the panel, or the like. The user sets the destination by operating the input device 18 in accordance with an instruction on the display screen of the display monitor 16 or a voice instruction from the speaker 17.

  When the destination is set by the user, the navigation device 1 performs a route calculation from the current location detected by the current location detection device 14 to the destination based on a predetermined algorithm. The route thus obtained (hereinafter referred to as a recommended route) is displayed on the screen in a manner different from other roads by changing the display form, for example, the display color. Thereby, the user can recognize the recommended route on the map on the screen. Further, the navigation device 1 instructs the user in the direction of travel using a screen or voice so that the vehicle can travel according to the recommended route, thereby guiding the route of the vehicle.

  The communication device 110 is a device that performs wireless communication toward the network 3. Thereby, information can be transmitted to and received from the information center 2. As described above, the navigation device 1 uses the communication device 110 to transmit the visually recognized landscape object, the visually recognized direction, and the position of the vehicle to the information center 2 or to transmit the landscape object visible link data 4. Can be received.

  With reference to FIG. 4, the screen in the display monitor 16 of the route simulation in one embodiment of the present invention will be described. On the screen, a map 50 is displayed. On the map 50, a recommended route 51, a host vehicle position mark 52 indicating the position of the vehicle, and a landscape object visible link 53 are displayed. The name 54 of the landscape object of the landscape object visible link 53 is also displayed. The landscape object visible link 53 indicates a section in which a predetermined landscape object can be visually recognized, and is displayed based on the landscape object visible link data 4.

  For example, the landscape object visible link 53 is displayed in a different display form such as a color different from other links, a different thickness, etc. so that it can be distinguished from other links on the map. The viewing direction of the landscape object may be displayed.

  In the route simulation, the navigation device 1 moves the vehicle position mark 52 along the recommended route 51, and outputs the route guidance sound from the speaker 17 when the vehicle position mark 52 reaches the guidance point. Further, when the vehicle position mark 52 reaches the landscape object visible link 53, a guidance sound for guiding the landscape object and the direction in which the landscape object is seen is output from the speaker 17. For example, when Tokyo Tower is visible on the right hand, a sound “You can see Tokyo Tower on the right hand” is output from the speaker 17. This guidance voice is created based on the landscape object 42 of the landscape object visible link data 4 and the direction 44 visually recognized with respect to the forward direction of the link.

  Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5, a route simulation landscape guidance process according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The process of FIG. 5 is executed in the control circuit 11 by a program that starts when the route simulation is started.

  In step S101, the display monitor 16 displays a map on which the recommended route, the vehicle position mark, and the landscape object visible link are displayed. Here, the own vehicle position mark is moved on the recommended route. The landscape object visible link is displayed on the map based on the link ID 43 of the landscape object visible link data 4. In step S102, the position of the vehicle position mark is detected. In step S103, it is determined whether or not the position of the vehicle position mark is on the landscape object visible link. If the position of the vehicle position mark is on the landscape object visible link, an affirmative determination is made in step S103, and the process proceeds to step S104. If the position of the vehicle position mark is not on the landscape object visible link, a negative determination is made in step S103, and the process proceeds to step S107.

  In step S104, the traveling direction of the vehicle position mark is detected. In step S105, based on the traveling direction of the vehicle position mark, the landscape object 42 of the landscape object visible link data 4 and the direction 44 visually recognized with respect to the forward direction of the link of the landscape object visible link data 4, Create a guidance voice. A landscape guidance voice is a voice for guiding a landscape object and a direction in which the landscape object can be visually recognized. For example, if the vehicle position mark is traveling in the forward direction of the link, the landscape object 42 is “Tokyo Tower”, and the direction visually recognized with respect to the forward direction of the link is “right” A landscape guidance voice is created saying "You can see Tokyo Tower on your right." When the own vehicle position mark is traveling in the reverse direction of the link, the landscape guidance voice is created with the visually recognizing direction 44 reversed in the front-back and left-right directions.

  In step S106, the landscape guidance sound created in step S105 is output from the speaker 17. In step S107, it is determined whether or not the position of the vehicle position mark has reached the destination. If the destination is reached, an affirmative determination is made in step S107, and the landscape guidance process ends. If the destination has not been reached, a negative determination is made in step S107, and the process returns to step S102.

The navigation device 1 according to the above embodiment has the following effects.
(1) The route 51 is searched, the map 50 on which the searched route 51 is displayed is displayed on the display monitor 16, and the position of the vehicle along the route 51 displayed on the display monitor 16 before the actual traveling. The vehicle position mark 52 for displaying the vehicle is moved, the vehicle route is simulated, a landscape object that can be visually recognized from the running road is stored in association with a visible point or section 53, and the vehicle route is routed. When the simulation is performed, the stored road of the point or section 53 is displayed in a display form different from other roads. Thus, before traveling on the searched route, it is possible to recognize a section where a predetermined landmark can be seen from the vehicle window, which is convenient.

(2) When performing route simulation of the vehicle route, the name of the landscape object is displayed. Thereby, it is possible to recognize the scenery object seen from the car window, which is convenient.

(3) When a route simulation of the own vehicle route is performed, when the vehicle position mark reaches a road in a point or section where the scenery object can be visually recognized, the name and the scenery object are visually recognized for the corresponding scenery object. The direction that can be done is guided by voice. Thereby, before driving | running | working the searched path | route, the landscape object which can be visually recognized and the direction which can visually recognize the landscape object can be recognized, and it is convenient.

The navigation apparatus 1 of the above embodiment can be modified as follows.
(1) You may make it change the display form of a landscape object visible link according to the reception date 45 of the landscape object visible link data 4, ie, the freshness of data (old data or new data). When a vehicle passes through a landscape object visible link of old data, the driver may not see the landscape object because of the new building, and the possibility can be recognized by route simulation.

(2) A point where a landscape object is visually recognized may be displayed on a map, and when the vehicle position mark reaches the point by route simulation, a landscape guidance sound may be output from the speaker 17. In addition, the section where the landscape object is visually recognized is displayed by connecting the points where the landscape object is visually recognized, and when the vehicle position mark reaches the section in the route simulation, the landscape guidance sound is output from the speaker 17. May be. Furthermore, the display form of the point or the section may be changed according to the freshness of the data transmitted from the information center 2.

  For example, in the case of data several years ago, a high-rise building is newly constructed, and there is a possibility that a landscape object cannot be seen from the above point. Therefore, in the case of old data, it is displayed in a semi-transparent or light color. That is, the older the data, the lower the visibility on the display screen.

(3) If it is the information of the landscape object transmitted by the occupant of the probe car, the information used for creating the landscape object visible link data 4 is the information of the landscape object transmitted by the driver of the probe car. It is not limited.

(4) The navigation device 1 receives the landscape object visible link data distributed from the information center 2 and the data storage device 111 stores it, but the landscape object visible link data is not necessarily stored in the information center 2. It is not necessary to receive more, and the data storage device 111 may store landscape object visible link data in advance.

(5) Information related to landscape objects is output on the route simulation screen, but when the above-mentioned scenery viewable points and sections are included in the display area during actual driving by route guidance, You may make it display on a display monitor by making the road of a point and a section differ from the display form of other roads. Also in this case, it is preferable to display the name of the landscape object and the viewing direction. Further, when the vehicle position reaches the point or section, the name of the scenery object, the viewing direction, and the like may be voice-guided.

(6) Moreover, when starting the route simulation, the navigation apparatus 1 may determine whether or not to implement the above-described landscape guidance process based on a user operation. Furthermore, although the navigation apparatus 1 made the display form of the landscape object visible link 53 different from others about all types of landscape objects, it specified the landscape object of a type based on a user's operation, and said landscape The display form of the landscape object visible link 53 for the object may be different from the others. In this case, in order to specify the type of landscape object based on the user's operation, for example, “sightseeing park”, “theme park”, “castle / castle ruins”, and other types of landscape objects are displayed on the display monitor 16. And the type of the landscape object that makes the display form of the landscape object visible link 53 different from the others may be specified in accordance with the operation of the input device 18 performed by the user thereafter.

  It is also possible to combine one or a plurality of embodiments and modifications. It is possible to combine the modified examples in any way.

  The above description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation apparatus 2 Information center 11 Control circuit 16 Display monitor 17 Speaker 50 Map 51 Recommended route 52 Own vehicle position mark 53 Landscape object visible link 110 Communication apparatus 111 Data storage apparatus

Claims (7)

Search means for searching for a route;
Map display control means for displaying on a display monitor a map on which the route searched by the search means is displayed;
Route simulation control means for simulating the vehicle route by moving a vehicle position mark that displays the position of the vehicle along the route displayed on the display monitor before actual traveling;
Storage means for storing a landscape object that can be viewed from a running road in association with a visible spot or section;
The said route simulation control means displays the road of the said point or area memorize | stored in the said memory | storage means in the display form different from another road, when carrying out route simulation of the said own vehicle path | route. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
The route simulation control means displays the name of the landscape object stored in the storage means when performing route simulation of the host vehicle route. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
When the route simulation control means performs route simulation of the vehicle route, when the vehicle position mark reaches the road of the point or section stored in the storage means, the name of the corresponding landscape object, A navigation device characterized by further comprising a landscape guidance voice output means for guiding a direction in which a landscape object can be visually recognized by voice. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The map display control means is configured such that, as the data of the point or section is older, the visibility on the display screen is lowered as the point or section is displayed. A featured navigation device. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The said map display control means displays the road of those spots and sections so that it may differ from the display form of other roads, when the scenery viewable spot and sections are displayed on the display screen at the time of actual driving by route guidance. A navigation device characterized by that. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The navigation apparatus characterized in that the map display control means provides voice guidance of the name of the landscape object, the viewing direction, and the like when the vehicle position reaches the point or section during actual traveling by route guidance. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The landscape object information stored in the storage means is updated with information periodically distributed from an information center that collects data related to the landscape object from a plurality of vehicles, edits and stores the data as the landscape object information. A navigation device characterized by the above.

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