JP2011257234A - Navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve safer navigation when a drive mode is switched from automatic drive to manual drive while a vehicle is in automatic drive on an automatic travel route.SOLUTION: When a subject vehicle is determined to be traveling on an automatic travel route (S120:YES), it is determined that branch guidance timing should be changed (that is, the timing is made earlier) and the branch guidance timing is changed (S150). For example, the branch guidance is usually performed 700 m short of a branch on an expressway and, after the change, the branch guidance is performed 1,500 m short of the branch on the expressway. When the subject vehicle is determined not to be traveling on an automatic travel route (S120:NO), it is determined that there is no need to change (that is, to make earlier) the branch guidance timing. Then, travel route selection point guidance for guiding a travel route selection point on the route is performed (S130) at prescribed timing (branch guidance timing) before reaching the point.

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device that searches for an appropriate route from a current location to a destination in accordance with conditions specified by a user, sets the searched route, and performs route guidance.

  The current position that moves as the car travels is displayed on the monitor together with the road map, or an appropriate route from the current location to the destination is searched according to the conditions specified by the user, and the searched route is set. At the same time, navigation devices that perform route guidance are known and contribute to smoother driving.

By the way, in recent years, a route (hereinafter referred to as an automatic travel route) in which the driver can automatically operate the vehicle by an auxiliary device attached to the vehicle without driving the vehicle has been studied.
For example, in Patent Document 1, distance marks having a predetermined magnetic arrangement are provided at predetermined intervals using magnetic nails arranged on a vehicle travel route, and the number of wheel rotations during traveling from the start point is set. Each time a distance mark is detected, the travel distance of the vehicle is calculated on the basis of the distance to the distance represented by the product of the number of detections of the distance mark and the distance between the distance marks, and based on the corrected travel distance. The point of detecting the traveling position of the vehicle is described. Note that the travel route of the vehicle on which the above-described magnetic nails are arranged functions as an automatic travel route.

JP 09-184738 A

When switching from automatic operation to manual operation during automatic operation of the automatic travel route as described above, this switching is preferably performed safely.
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and the object of the present invention is to perform safer navigation when switching from automatic operation to manual operation during automatic operation of an automatic travel route. It is to provide a possible navigation device.

  According to the navigation device according to claim 1 made to solve the above-mentioned problem, the road map information acquisition means can acquire road map information, and the route calculation means is the current position specified by the current position specifying means. A route from the position to the destination set by the destination setting means is calculated with reference to the road map information acquired by the road map information acquisition means. The road map information includes information related to a travel route selection point that is a point where a travel route can be selected, such as a branch point or an intersection, and information related to an automatic travel route that is a route capable of automatic travel. Then, the route guidance unit performs route guidance for guiding the route calculated by the route calculation unit. The route guidance means described above can execute the route selection point guidance for guiding the route selection point on the route as route guidance at a predetermined timing before the arrival.

  When the determination unit determines that the vehicle is traveling on the automatic travel route on the route, and the determination unit determines that the vehicle is traveling on the automatic travel route, the setting unit displays the travel route by the route guide unit. Advance the timing to execute the selected point guide.

  As described above, when it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on the automatic traveling route, the timing for executing the traveling route selection point guidance is advanced, thereby switching the automatic traveling route from the automatic operation to the manual operation during the automatic operation. In this case, safer navigation can be realized.

  In this case, it is conceivable that the timing for executing the route selection point guidance by the route guidance means described above is advanced at least by the time required to switch the vehicle on which the navigation device is mounted from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode ( Claim 2).

In this way, safer navigation can be realized.
In addition, the time required to reach the travel route selection point from the current position is calculated, and when the calculated travel time is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the travel route selection point guidance by the route guidance means is executed. (Claim 3)

Even in this way, safer navigation can be realized.
The predetermined value can be changed in accordance with an instruction from the user (claim 4). In this way, the convenience for the user can be improved and it can contribute to the realization of safer navigation.

Schematic configuration diagram of the navigation system 1 of the present embodiment Flow chart showing guidance timing change processing

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[1. Description of Configuration of Navigation System 1]
In FIG. 1, a navigation system 1 includes a position detector 10, a media drive 11, a map data input device 12, an operation switch group 13, a remote control sensor 14, a remote control terminal (hereinafter referred to as a remote control) 14a, An external memory 15, a display unit 16, a voice recognition unit 17, a speaker 18, a transceiver 19, and a navigation ECU (ECU: electronic control unit) 20 that is connected to and controls each of these devices. I have.

  The navigation ECU 20 is configured as a normal computer, and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, and a bus line (all not shown) for connecting these configurations.

  The navigation ECU 20 performs predetermined processing (based on various information input from the position detector 10, the map data input device 12, the operation switch group 13, the remote control sensor 14, the external memory 15, the voice recognition unit 17, the transceiver 19, and the like. For example, map scale change processing, menu display selection processing, destination setting processing, route search execution processing, route guidance start processing, current position correction processing, display screen change processing, volume adjustment processing, and the like are executed. Since each of these processes follows a known technique, a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  The position detector 10 is a known geomagnetic sensor 10a, gyroscope 10b, distance sensor 10c, and GPS receiver 10d for GPS (Global Positioning System) that detects the current position of the vehicle based on radio waves from the satellite. have. Since these sensors have errors of different properties, they are configured to be used while being complemented by a plurality of sensors. Depending on the accuracy, a part of the above may be used, and further, a steering rotation sensor, a vehicle sensor for each rolling wheel, or the like may be used.

The position detector 10 corresponds to current position specifying means in the claims.
The media drive 11 is loaded with a storage medium (not shown), and updates road map data stored in the storage medium, so-called map matching data for improving the accuracy of position detection, various data including landmark data, and the like. Data can be read from the storage medium into the navigation system 1. As a storage medium, a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM is generally used because of the amount of data, but a memory card, HDD, or the like may be used.

  The map data input device 12 stores road map data (road map information) read from the storage medium via the media drive 11 described above, map matching data, various data including landmark data, and the like. It is a device that inputs to the navigation ECU 20. Note that the road map data includes information on points (traveling route selection points) at which traveling routes such as branch points and intersections can be selected, and information on automatic traveling routes that are routes capable of automatic traveling. An HDD, flash memory, or the like may be used as a data storage medium. The map data input device 12 may store data that should not be erased even after the power is turned off, or may store customized data or music data input in accordance with a user instruction.

The map data input device 12 corresponds to the road map information acquisition means in the claims.
For example, a touch switch or a mechanical switch integrated with the display unit 16 is used as the operation switch group 13, and various functions (for example, map scale change, menu display selection, destination setting, route, etc.) are provided to the navigation ECU 20 by switch operation. Search, route guidance start, current position correction, display screen change, volume adjustment, etc.) are executed.

  The remote control 14a is provided with a plurality of operation switches (not shown), and various command signals are input to the navigation ECU 20 via the remote control sensor 14 by the switch operation. This causes the navigation ECU 20 to execute various functions as described above. The operation switch group 13 and the remote controller 14a can cause the navigation ECU 20 to execute the same function by any switch operation.

The remote controller 14a and the operation switch group 13 correspond to destination setting means.
By the way, when a desired destination is set via the remote controller 14a or via the operation switch group 13, the navigation ECU 20 selects an optimum route from the current position detected by the position detector 10 to the destination. Automatically search and set and display guidance routes. As a method for automatically setting an optimal route, a method such as the Dijkstra method is known. The navigation ECU 20 corresponds to the route calculation means in the claims.

  The set route is displayed on the display unit 16 based on information (road map data) from the map data input device 12. More specifically, a map (road map) based on the road map data is displayed on the display unit 16, and a current position mark indicating the current position detected by the position detector 10 is displayed on the displayed map. The route to the destination is superimposed and displayed. Information such as the current time and traffic jam information can also be displayed on the display unit 16.

The navigation ECU 20 corresponds to route guidance means in the claims.
The display unit 16 is capable of full-color display and can be configured using a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like.

The voice recognition unit 17 collates, for example, an operator's input voice input through a microphone (not shown) and lexical data (comparison target pattern) in a recognition dictionary (not shown) stored therein, and the degree of matching is the highest. Is input to the navigation ECU 20 as a recognition result. Based on the information (recognition result) from the voice recognition unit 17, the navigation ECU 20 performs predetermined processing (for example, map scale change processing, menu display selection processing, destination setting processing, route search execution processing, route search processing) Guidance start processing, current position correction processing, display screen change processing, volume adjustment processing, etc.).

The speaker 18 notifies the vehicle compartment of, for example, voice for route guidance, explanation of screen operation, or voice recognition result under the control of the navigation ECU 20.
The transceiver 19 receives traffic information, weather information, facility information, advertisement information, etc. provided from the outside (for example, an infrastructure such as a VICS system or a server such as the Internet), and transmits vehicle information, user information, etc. to the outside. It is a device to do. Information received from the outside is input to the navigation ECU 20. If necessary, the information processed by the navigation ECU 20 can be output to the outside via the transceiver 19.

  The data for determining the automatic travel route may be acquired from the map data input device 12 from the road map data as described above, or may be acquired from the transmitter / receiver 19 from the outside. When the navigation ECU 20 searches for a route, it refers to the data for determining the automatic travel route, and determines whether the road to be calculated corresponds to the “automatic travel route”. In addition, when it is recognized that the vehicle is traveling automatically, such as by acquiring an information flag that controls automatic traveling, the guidance timing when the set route leaves the automatic traveling route is determined in advance. By being able to carry out, it is possible to travel more safely when switching from automatic driving to manual driving, and it is possible to provide guidance timing that matches each person's feeling.

[2. Explanation of guidance timing change process]
Next, the guidance timing change process executed by the navigation ECU 20 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

This process is executed independently from the other processes by the navigation ECU 20.
First, in the first step S110, various types of information according to actual travel are input and road map data is acquired.

  In continuing S120, it is judged whether the own vehicle is drive | working the automatic driving | running route. If it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on an automatic travel route (S120: YES), it is determined that the branch guidance timing needs to be switched (that is, advanced), and the branch guidance timing is switched (S150). For example, the guidance is usually executed 700 m before the highway, but after the change, the guidance is executed 1500 m before the highway. The branch guidance timing after the change may be set uniformly, but is preferably set so as to advance at least the time required to switch the vehicle from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode. Then, after executing this process, the process proceeds to S130 described later.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle is not traveling on the automatic travel route (S120: NO), it is determined that it is not necessary to switch (that is, advance) the branch guidance timing, and the process proceeds to S130 as it is.

  In S130, the route selection point guidance for guiding the route selection point on the route is executed at a predetermined timing (branch guidance timing) before the arrival. If the branch guidance timing is switched in S120, guidance is executed at the branch guidance timing after switching.

  In subsequent S140, it is determined whether or not the guidance executed in S130 is guidance related to the destination. If it is determined that the guidance executed in S130 is not guidance related to the destination (S140: NO), the guidance is repeatedly executed until the guidance point matches the destination, and the process returns to S110. On the other hand, when it is determined that the guidance executed in S130 is guidance related to the destination (S140: YES), it is determined that the guidance may be terminated, and this processing is terminated.

Note that the processing of S120 corresponds to the determination means in the claims. Further, the process of S150 corresponds to the setting means in the claims.
[3. Effects of the embodiment]
(1) As described above, according to the navigation ECU 20 of the present embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle is traveling along the automatic travel route, the automatic travel route is automatically driven by advancing the timing for executing the travel route selection point guidance. When switching from automatic operation to manual operation, safer navigation can be realized.

  (2) Further, according to the navigation ECU 20 of the present embodiment, the branch guidance timing after the change is set to be advanced at least by the time required to switch the vehicle from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode. Therefore, safe navigation can be realized.

[4. Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It is possible to implement in the following various aspects.

  (1) In the above embodiment, when it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on an automatic travel route (S120: YES), it is determined that the branch guidance timing needs to be switched (that is, advanced), and the branch is performed. The guidance timing is switched (S150). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and guidance may be executed when the time required to reach the travel route selection point becomes smaller than a predetermined value. That is, the time required to reach the travel route selection point from the current position is calculated, and guidance regarding the travel route selection point is executed when the calculated required time is less than or equal to a predetermined value. Even in this way, safer navigation can be realized.

  (2) The predetermined value for evaluating the calculated required time may be changed via the remote controller 14a or the operation switch group 13 in accordance with an instruction from the user. In this way, the convenience for the user can be improved and it can contribute to the realization of safer navigation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Navigation system, 10 ... Position detector, 10a ... Geomagnetic sensor, 10b ... Gyroscope, 10c ... Distance sensor, 10d ... GPS receiver, 11 ... Media drive, 12 ... Map data input device, 13 ... Operation switch group, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Remote control sensor, 14a ... Remote control, 15 ... External memory, 16 ... Display part, 17 ... Voice recognition unit, 18 ... Speaker, 19 ... Transceiver, 20 ... Navigation ECU

Claims (4)

A current position specifying means capable of specifying the current position;
Destination setting means for setting the destination;
Road map information acquisition means capable of acquiring road map information including information on a travel route selection point that is a place where a travel route can be selected and information on an automatic travel route that is a route capable of automatic travel;
Route calculating means for calculating a route from the current position specified by the current position specifying means to the destination set by the destination setting means with reference to the road map information acquired by the road map information acquiring means When,
Route guidance means for performing route guidance for guiding the route calculated by the route calculation means;
A navigation device comprising:
The route guidance means can execute the route selection point guidance for guiding the route selection point on the route as the route guidance at a predetermined timing before reaching the route guidance unit,
further,
Determining means for determining that the vehicle is traveling on the automatic traveling route on the route;
A setting means for advancing the timing of executing the route selection point guidance by the route guidance means when the judgment means determines that the vehicle is traveling on the automatic travel route;
A navigation device comprising: The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
In the case where the setting means determines that the automatic route is being traveled by the determining means, at least the navigation device is mounted at a timing for executing the route selection point guidance by the route guiding means. A navigation device characterized in that the vehicle is advanced by an amount of time required for switching the vehicle from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. A current position specifying means capable of specifying the current position;
Destination setting means for setting the destination;
Road map information acquisition means capable of acquiring road map information including information on a travel route selection point that is a place where a travel route can be selected and information on an automatic travel route that is a route capable of automatic travel;
Route calculating means for calculating a route from the current position specified by the current position specifying means to the destination set by the destination setting means with reference to the road map information acquired by the road map information acquiring means When,
Route guidance means for performing route guidance for guiding the route calculated by the route calculation means;
A navigation device comprising:
The route guidance means can execute the route selection point guidance for guiding the route selection point on the route as the route guidance at a predetermined timing before reaching the route guidance unit,
further,
A determination means for determining that the vehicle is traveling along the automatic travel route on the route;
The route guidance means calculates the time required to reach the travel route selection point from the current position when the determination means determines that the vehicle is traveling on the automatic travel route. The navigation device characterized in that when the required time is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the route guidance means performs the route selection point guidance. The navigation device according to claim 3,
A navigation device comprising a changing means for changing the predetermined value in accordance with an instruction from a user.

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