JP2012202819A - Route guiding device, route guiding method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a route guiding device, a route guiding method, and a program, which allow a user to visually recognize passing branch points and to accurately recognize a guide branch point so as to be capable of traveling in accordance with a guided route.SOLUTION: A route guiding device comprises: branch guide start point setting means for setting a branch guide start point, from which a guide of forward guide branch points on a route to a destination starts, at a predetermined point forward of the guide branch point; visuality determination means for determining whether passing branch points existing from the branch guide start point to the guide branch point can visually be recognized at a point a predetermined distance ahead of the branch guide start point on the route, on the basis of the currently traveled lane; and guide means for, if it is determined through the visuality determination means that the passing branch points existing from the branch guide start point to the guide branch point can visually be recognized, giving a guide to the guide branch point using the number of the passing branch points at the branch guide start point.

Description

  The present invention relates to a route guidance device, a route guidance method, and a program for performing route guidance.

Conventionally, various techniques for guiding a route to a destination have been proposed.
For example, it reads the position of the guidance intersection and the vehicle position on the searched route, calculates the distance from the vehicle position to the guidance intersection, and arrives at the route guidance point that is a preset distance away from the guidance intersection. Determine if you did. When the vehicle reaches the route guidance point, the intersection data and the feature data are read out, and the number of traffic lights and the number of intersections where there is a stop line of each intersection from the route guidance point to the guidance intersection is calculated. Calculate as a number. Next, the number of intersections is read, the guidance phrase corresponding to the number of intersections is read, and the route is configured to output the voice with a guidance phrase such as “the second signal is to the left”. There is a guidance system (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-275455 A

  However, according to the route guidance system described in Patent Document 1 described above, regardless of the visibility of the features on the road such as traffic lights and road markings by the traveling lane, the intersection of the intersection passing from the route guidance point to the guidance intersection Route guidance with numbers. For this reason, the user may miss the passing intersection, erroneously count the passing intersection, and may not be able to travel according to the searched route.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and allows a user to visually recognize a passing branch point, accurately recognize a guidance branch point, and travel along a route. It is an object to provide a route guidance device, a route guidance method, and a program.

  In order to achieve the object, the route guidance device according to claim 1 includes route acquisition means for acquiring a route to a destination, and a branch guidance start point for starting guidance of a front guide branch point on the route. A branch guidance start point setting unit that sets a predetermined location before the branch point, and a travel lane acquisition unit that acquires a current travel lane that is currently traveling at a predetermined distance before the branch guide start point on the route. And a visibility determination means for determining whether or not a passing branch point existing between the branch guidance start point and the guidance branch point is visible based on the current travel lane, and the visibility determination means If it is determined that a passing branch point existing between the branch guidance starting point and the guidance branch point is visible, the number of passing branch points is used at the branch guidance starting point. And guide means for guiding the said guide branch point, characterized by comprising a. The passage branching point being visible means that the feature provided at the passage branching point (the feature constituting the branch) is visible.

  A route guidance device according to claim 2 is the route guidance device according to claim 1, wherein a passing branch point exists between the branch guidance start point and the guidance branch point via the visibility determining means. Is determined to be invisible, the guide means guides the vehicle so as to move from the current travel lane to a visible lane where the passing branch point is visible.

  A route guidance device according to claim 3 is the route guidance device according to claim 2, wherein the route guidance device according to claim 2 determines whether or not the vehicle has traveled to the visually recognizable lane guided through the guidance device; When it is determined that the vehicle has not moved to the visually recognizable lane guided through the guide unit, the guide unit is based on a distance from the branch guide start point to the guide branch point at the branch guide start point. And guiding the guidance branch point.

  Furthermore, the route guidance device according to claim 4 is the route guidance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the feature acquisition is to acquire the feature provided at the passing branch point on the route. Means for determining whether or not the passing branch point is visible based on a feature provided at the passing branch point on the route.

  The route guidance method according to claim 5 includes a route acquisition step for acquiring a route to a destination, and a branch guidance start point for starting guidance for a guidance branch point ahead on the route acquired in the route acquisition step. A branch guidance start point setting step that is set at a predetermined location before the guidance branch point, and a current travel lane that is currently traveling at a point that is a predetermined distance before the branch guide start point that is set in the branch guidance start point setting step. A travel lane acquisition step for acquiring the travel lane, and based on the current travel lane acquired in the travel lane acquisition step, from the branch guidance start point on the route set in the branch guidance start point setting step to the guidance branch point And a visibility determination step for determining whether or not a passing branch point is visible and exists between the branch guidance start point and the guidance branch point in the visibility determination step. A guidance step of guiding the guidance branch point using the number of passing branch points at the branch guidance start point when it is determined that the overbranch point is visible. .

  Furthermore, the program according to claim 6 is a program for obtaining a route to a destination on a computer, and a branch guidance start point for starting guidance for a front guidance branch point on the route obtained in the route obtaining step. A branch guidance start point setting step for setting a predetermined location in front of the guidance branch point, and a current travel that is currently running at a predetermined distance from the branch guidance start point set in the branch guidance start point setting step. Based on the travel lane acquisition step for acquiring the lane and the current travel lane acquired in the travel lane acquisition step, the branch guidance start point on the route set in the branch guidance start point setting step to the guide branch point A visibility determination step for determining whether or not a passing branch point existing in the middle is visible, and from the branch guidance start point to the guidance branch point in the visibility determination step A guidance step of guiding the guidance branch point using the number of passage branch points at the branch guidance start point when it is determined that a passing branch point existing between them is visible. It is a program.

  In the route guidance device according to claim 1, the route guidance method according to claim 5, and the program according to claim 6, the current traveling lane that is currently traveling passes between the branch guidance start point and the guidance branch point. In the case of a travel lane where the branch point can be visually recognized, the user can accurately recognize the guide branch point and travel according to the route by counting the number of passing branch points guided at the branch guidance start point. It becomes possible.

  In the route guidance device according to claim 2, when the current traveling lane that is currently traveling is a traveling lane in which a passing branch point existing between the branch guidance start point and the guidance branch point is not visible, the user It is possible to move to a visually recognizable lane where the passing branch point is visible according to the guidance at a point a predetermined distance before the branch guidance start point. Then, the user surely visually recognizes the passing branch point passing from the branch guidance start point to the guidance branch point, accurately counts the number of passing branch points guided at the branch guidance start point, and determines the guidance branch point. It becomes possible to recognize the vehicle and travel along the route.

  Further, in the route guidance device according to claim 3, the user starts the branch guidance even when the passing branch point existing between the branch guidance start point and the guidance branch point has not moved to the visually recognizable lane. The guidance branch point can be recognized according to the distance guided at the point, and the vehicle can travel along the route.

  Furthermore, in the route guidance device according to the fourth aspect, the features (such as road markings such as boundary lines and stop lines, rubber poles, soundproofing) provided at the passing branch point between the branch guide start point and the guide branch point. Therefore, it is possible to quickly determine the visibility of the passing branch point by the user and to improve the determination accuracy. be able to.

It is the block diagram which showed the navigation apparatus which concerns on a present Example. It is a figure which shows an example of a branch point visibility determination table. It is a main flowchart which shows the branch point guidance process which guides a guidance branch point. FIG. 4 is a sub-flowchart showing a sub-process of “lane guidance determination process” in FIG. 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example which guides a guidance branch point.

  Hereinafter, a route guidance device, a route guidance method, and a program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings based on an embodiment in which the navigation device is embodied.

[Schematic configuration of navigation device]
First, a schematic configuration of the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a current location detection processing unit 11 that detects the current position of the host vehicle, a data recording unit 12 that records various data, and input information. On the basis of the navigation control unit 13 for performing various arithmetic processes, the operation unit 14 for receiving operations from the operator, the liquid crystal display 15 for displaying information such as a map to the operator, and voice regarding route guidance and the like. A communication device 17 that communicates between a speaker 16 that outputs guidance, a road traffic information center (not shown), a map information distribution center, and the like via a mobile phone network, etc., and a touch panel that is mounted on the surface of the liquid crystal display 15 18. The navigation control unit 13 is connected to a vehicle speed sensor 21 that detects the traveling speed of the host vehicle.

  Hereinafter, each component constituting the navigation device 1 will be described. The current location detection processing unit 11 includes a GPS 31, a direction sensor 32, a distance sensor 33, and the like, and the current position of the own vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “own vehicle position”). )), It is possible to detect the direction of the vehicle, the travel distance, and the like indicating the direction of the vehicle.

  The data recording unit 12 includes an external storage device and a hard disk (not shown) as a recording medium, a map information database (map information DB) 25 stored in the hard disk, a branch point visibility database (branch point visibility DB). 27) and a driver (not shown) for reading predetermined programs and the like and writing predetermined data to the hard disk.

  The map information DB 25 stores navigation map information 26 used for travel guidance and route search of the navigation device 1. In addition, in the branch point visibility DB 27, is it possible to visually recognize various objects installed at intersections on roads, branch points to toll gate exits on toll roads, etc. from the lane on the lane where the host vehicle is traveling? A branch point visibility determination table 51 (see FIG. 2), which will be described later, is stored for storing whether or not each lane is associated with each lane.

  Here, the navigation map information 26 is composed of various information necessary for route guidance and map display. For example, new road information for specifying each new road, map display data for displaying a map, Search for intersection data related to intersections, node data related to node points, link data related to roads (links), search data for searching routes, facility data related to POI (Point of Interest) such as stores that are a type of facility, and points. Search data and the like.

  The navigation map information 26 stores feature data related to features on the road. This feature is a display object that is installed or formed on the road in order to provide various driving information to the driver or to perform various driving guidance. (Paint), crosswalks, manholes, etc. This display line includes stop lines for stopping the vehicle, and lane markings such as “Chuo Road Center Line”, “Clane Border Line”, “Vehicle Road Outer Line”, “Train Zone”, etc. It is.

  In addition, on the road signs, there are arrows indicating the direction of travel in each lane, characters that give notice of temporary stop points such as “Stop”, direction signs that provide direction guidance such as “XX direction”, and branching roads. Rubber poles, soundproof walls, etc. are included. And as the feature data, the coordinate position indicating the position of each feature (for example, latitude and longitude), the type of each feature, the height of the direction sign, the direction name of each traveling direction of the intersection on the direction sign, Stores image information and the like representing each feature as an image.

  Node data includes actual road branch points (including intersections, T-junctions, etc.), node point coordinates (positions) set for each road according to the radius of curvature, etc., nodes A node attribute indicating whether or not is a node corresponding to an intersection, a connection link number list which is a list of link IDs which are identification numbers of links connected to the node, and a list of node numbers of nodes adjacent to the node via the link Data related to the adjacent node number list etc. are recorded.

  The link data includes a link ID for specifying a link for each link constituting the road, a link length indicating the link length, a travel time, and a coordinate position of the start point and end point of the link (for example, latitude and longitude). ), The road width to which the link belongs, the number of lanes of the road, the lane number, the position information of the lane, etc., in relation to the road type, in addition to general roads such as national roads, prefectural roads, narrow streets, highway automobile national roads, urban highways Data representing toll roads such as roads, general toll roads, and toll bridges are recorded.

  In addition, as search data, data used for searching and displaying a route to a set destination is recorded, and costs for passing through a node (hereinafter referred to as node cost) and roads are configured. Cost data used for calculating a search cost including a link cost (hereinafter referred to as a link cost), route display data for displaying a guidance route selected by the route search on a map of the liquid crystal display 15, and the like. It is configured.

  In addition, as facility data, names, addresses, telephone numbers, and coordinates on the map for POIs such as hotels, amusement parks, palaces, hospitals, gas stations, parking lots, tourist facilities, service areas, parking areas, interchanges, etc. Data such as a location (for example, latitude and longitude) and a facility icon for displaying the location of the facility on a map are stored together with a facility ID for specifying the POI.

  In addition, the contents of the map information DB 25 and the branch point visibility DB 27 are updated by downloading update information distributed via the communication device 17 from an information distribution center (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation control unit 13 constituting the navigation device 1 is a working device that controls the entire navigation device 1, the CPU 41 as the control device, and the CPU 41 performs various types of arithmetic processing. An internal storage device such as a RAM 42 that is used as a memory and stores route data when a route is searched, a ROM 43 that stores a control program, and a flash memory 44 that stores a program read from the ROM 43 In addition, a timer 45 for measuring time is provided.

The ROM 43 stores a program such as a branch point guidance process (see FIG. 3) for guiding a guidance branch point on a searched route searched from a starting point to a destination, which will be described later.
Further, the navigation control unit 13 is electrically connected to peripheral devices (actuators) of the operation unit 14, the liquid crystal display 15, the speaker 16, the communication device 17, and the touch panel 18.

  The operation unit 14 is operated when correcting the current position at the start of traveling, inputting a departure point and a destination, or searching for information about facilities, and is configured from various keys and a plurality of operation switches. The The navigation control unit 13 performs control to execute various corresponding operations based on switch signals output by pressing the switches.

  Further, the liquid crystal display 15 includes map information currently traveling, map information around the destination, operation guidance, operation menu, key guidance, search route from the current location to the destination, guidance information along the search route, traffic Information, news, weather forecast, time, mail, TV program, etc. are displayed.

  In addition, the speaker 16 outputs voice guidance or the like for guiding traveling along the recommended route based on an instruction from the navigation control unit 13. Here, examples of the voice guidance to be guided include “the second branch is to the left” and “200 m ahead is to the left”.

  The communication device 17 is a communication means such as a mobile phone network that communicates with an information distribution center (not shown). The latest version of updated map information, an update branch point visibility determination table, etc. Send and receive. In addition to the information distribution center, the communication device 17 receives traffic information including information such as traffic jam information transmitted from the road traffic information center and the service area congestion.

  The touch panel 18 is a transparent panel-like touch switch mounted on the display screen of the liquid crystal display 15, and inputs various instruction commands by pressing buttons or a map displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal display 15. It is configured to be able to. Note that the touch panel 18 may be configured by an optical sensor liquid crystal method or the like that directly presses the screen of the liquid crystal display 15.

Here, an example of the branch point visibility determination table 51 stored in the branch point visibility DB 27 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the branch point visibility determination table 51 includes “branch point features” and “travel lanes from the branch point side”. The “running lane from the branch point side” is the first lane from the branch point side of the travel lane, that is, the “first lane” indicating that the branch point is connected, from the branch point side. “Second lane” representing the second lane, “third lane” representing the third lane from the branch point side, “fourth lane” representing the fourth lane from the branch point side 4 or more lanes ".

  This “branch point feature” stores the type of feature provided at the branch point. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, “road marking only” stored in “features at a branch point” includes lane boundary lines, lane markings such as diversion zones, arrows indicating traveling directions, “stop”, etc. This indicates that only road markings such as letters for announcing a temporary stop point are provided at the branch point. In addition, the “rubber pole” stored in the “feature at the branch point” is not only a road marking such as a lane boundary line, a lane marking such as a current lane, but also a rubber pole provided at the branch point. Represents.

  In addition, the “soundproof wall or direction sign” stored in the “feature at the bifurcation point” is not only a road marking such as a lane boundary line, a lane marking such as a current lane, and a rubber pole, but also a soundproof wall or This indicates that a direction sign is provided at the branch point.

  In addition, in the “running lane from the branch point side” corresponding to each “feature at the branch point”, the driver has “first lane”, “second lane”, “third lane”, “fourth lane”. When each of the above travels, the visibility of the feature stored in each “branch point feature” by the driver is stored.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, “◯” indicating that the “first lane” can be visually recognized is stored in correspondence with “road marking only” of “feature at the branch point”, and “second “X” indicating that it cannot be visually recognized is stored in “lane” to “fourth lane or more”. In other words, when only a road marking such as a lane boundary line, a lane marking such as a lane, or an arrow indicating the direction of travel is provided at a branch point, driving on the first lane from the branch point side It is stored that only the person can visually recognize the feature provided at the branch point.

  Corresponding to the “rubber pole” of the “feature at the branch point”, “◯” indicating that it is visible in the “first lane” and “second lane” is stored, and “third lane” is stored. , “×” indicating that the image cannot be visually recognized in “fourth lane or more” is stored. That is, when the rubber pole is provided at the branch point, only the driver traveling on the first and second lanes from the branch point side can visually recognize the feature provided at the branch point. The fact is remembered.

  Corresponding to the “soundproof wall or direction sign” of the “feature at the branch point”, “◯” indicating that it is visible in “first lane” to “fourth lane or more” is stored. ing. In other words, if a soundproof wall or direction sign is provided at the branch point, it is remembered that the driver traveling in all the lanes of the travel lane can visually recognize the feature provided at the branch point. Has been.

  The branch point visibility determination table 51 may be provided for each road width, time zone, day of the week, and weather. Thereby, it becomes possible to determine the visibility of the feature provided at the branch point with high accuracy.

[Branch point guidance processing]
Next, FIG. 3 to FIG. 3 show a branching point guidance process that is executed by the CPU 41 of the navigation apparatus 1 configured as described above and guides a guidance branch point on the searched route searched from the departure point to the destination. 5 will be described. Note that the program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 is executed by the CPU 41 at regular intervals (for example, every 10 msec to 100 msec).

As shown in FIG. 3, first, in step (hereinafter abbreviated as “S”) 11, the CPU 41 detects the vehicle position based on the detection result of the current location detection processing unit 11 and stores it in the RAM 42. Then, the CPU 41 executes a determination process for determining whether or not the vehicle position is within a predetermined distance (for example, within about 1 km) from the vehicle position to the front guide branch point on the searched route.
If it is determined that the distance from the vehicle position to the front guide branch point on the searched route is not within a predetermined distance (S11: NO), the CPU 41 ends the process.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from the vehicle position to the front guidance branch point on the searched route (S11: YES), the CPU 41 proceeds to the process of S12. In S <b> 12, the CPU 41 executes a “lane guidance determination process” sub-process for determining travel guidance for the travel lane.

Here, the sub-process of the “lane guidance determination process” will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, in S111, the CPU 41 passes on the traveling lane side from a front guide branch point on the searched route to a point a predetermined distance before (for example, a point about 500 m before). If there is a passing branch point, the coordinate data (for example, latitude and longitude data) of the passing branch point is read from the navigation map information 26 and sequentially stored in the RAM 42.

  Subsequently, in S112, the CPU 41 stores whether or not the coordinate data of the passing branch point is stored in the RAM 42, that is, whether there is a passing branch point from the front guide branch point on the searched route to a point a predetermined distance ahead. A determination process for determining whether or not is executed. When it is determined that the coordinate data of the passing branch point is not stored in the RAM 42 (S112: NO), the CPU 41 proceeds to the process of S113.

  In S113, the CPU 41 obtains the coordinate data (for example, latitude and longitude data) of the predetermined location (for example, a point about 500 m before) on the searched route before the guidance branch point in the navigation map information 26. And stored in the RAM 42 as coordinate data of “guidance start point” at which guidance of the guidance branch point is started. Further, the CPU 41 reads the passing branch point flag and the lane flag from the RAM 42, sets the passing branch point flag and the lane flag to OFF, stores them again in the RAM 42, ends the sub-process, returns to the main flowchart, and returns to S13. Move on to processing.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the coordinate data of the passing branch point is stored in the RAM 42 (S112: YES), the CPU 41 proceeds to the process of S114. In S114, the CPU 41 reads the coordinate data of the foremost passing branch point on the search path from the RAM 42, and the coordinate data (for example, about 50 m before) of the coordinate data (for example, about 50 m before) from the passing branch point. For example, latitude and longitude data) is read out from the navigation map information 26 and stored in the RAM 42 as coordinate data of “guidance start point” at which guidance of the guidance branch point is started. Further, the CPU 41 reads the passing branch point flag from the RAM 42, sets the passing branch point flag to ON, and stores it again in the RAM 42.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when there is a passing branch point 62 at a point about 500 m before the guidance branch point 61, the CPU 41 determines the coordinates on the search route 63 about 50 m before the passing branch point 62. The data is stored in the RAM 42 as coordinate data of the guidance start point 65. Further, the CPU 41 reads the passing branch point flag from the RAM 42, sets the passing branch point flag to ON, and stores it again in the RAM 42.

  In S115, the CPU 41 detects the vehicle position based on the detection result of the current position detection processing unit 11, reads the lane number of the current traveling lane currently traveling from the vehicle position from the navigation map information 26, Store in the RAM 42. As the lane numbers, “first lane”, “second lane”, “third lane”,... In order from the first lane on the lane of the driving lane toward the lane on the center of the road. It is given and stored in the navigation map information 26.

  Subsequently, in S116, the CPU 41 sequentially reads the coordinate data of each passing branch point from the RAM 42, and sequentially reads the feature data having the coordinate data of each passing branch point as the coordinate position from the navigation map information 26. Then, the CPU 41 stores the type of the feature included in the feature data in the RAM 42 in association with each passing branch point.

  In S117, the CPU 41 reads the current traveling lane that is currently traveling from the RAM 42 and sets it as the “running lane from the branching point side” of the branching point visibility determination table 51, and the land corresponding to each passing branching point. The type of the object is sequentially read from the RAM 42, and the “visibility” corresponding to the “branch point feature” in the branch point visibility determination table 51 is read from the branch point visibility determination table 51, and “ It is stored in the RAM 42 as “visibility”.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the current driving lane is the second lane 66 and the feature type of the passing branch point 62 is “road marking only” of the lane boundary line 67 and the diversion zone 68, The CPU 41 reads “X” indicating that the feature provided at the passage branch point cannot be visually recognized from the branch point visibility determination table 51 and stores it in the RAM 42 as “visibility” of the passage branch point 62.

  Also, for example, the current driving lane is the “second lane”, and the type of feature at the passing branch point is a “road marking” such as a lane boundary line, a division line such as a current basin, an arrow indicating a traveling direction, and “ In the case of “rubber pole”, the CPU 41 reads “◯” indicating that the feature provided at the passage branch point is visible from the branch point visibility determination table 51, and “visibility” of the passage branch point. Is stored in the RAM.

  Subsequently, in S118, the CPU 41 reads out the “visibility” of each passing branch point from the RAM 42, and all “visibility” indicates that the feature provided at the passing branch point is visible. Is determined, that is, determination processing for determining whether or not all passing branch points are visible. If all “visibility” is “◯” indicating that the feature provided at the passing branch point is visible (S118: YES), the CPU 41 reads the lane flag from the RAM 42. The lane flag is set to OFF and stored again in the RAM 42. Then, the sub-process is terminated, the process returns to the main flowchart, and the process proceeds to S13.

  On the other hand, when all the “visibility” is not “◯” indicating that the feature provided at the passing branch point is visible (S118: NO), the CPU 41 reads the lane flag from the RAM 42, After this lane flag is set to ON and stored again in the RAM 42, the process proceeds to S119. In S119, after extracting the passing branch point that is “x” indicating that “visibility” cannot be visually recognized, the CPU 41 stores the “feature type” stored in correspondence with the invisible branching point in S116. Are read from the RAM.

  Then, the CPU 41 uses the “feature type” as the “branch point feature” in the branch point visibility determination table 51, and the “lane” indicates that “visibility” is visible, and The lane closest to the current travel lane is read from “travel lane from the branch point side” of the branch point visibility determination table 51 and stored in the RAM 42 as a “recommended lane”. Further, the CPU 41 calculates the number of lanes moving from the current travel lane to the recommended lane, and stores it in the RAM 42 as “the number of moving lanes”.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the current driving lane is the second lane 66 and the feature type of the passing branch point 62 is “road marking only” of the lane boundary line 67 and the diversion zone 68, The CPU 41 has “◯” lanes indicating that “visibility” corresponding to “only road markings” in the branch point visibility determination table 51 is visible, and the lane closest to the current travel lane is “ “First lane” is read, and the first lane 71 is stored in the RAM 42 as “recommended lane”. Further, the CPU 41 calculates “1” as the number of lanes moving from the second lane 66 to the first lane 71 and stores it in the RAM 42 as the “number of moving lanes”.

  Thereafter, in S120, the CPU 41 reads the “number of moving lanes” from the RAM 42, and calculates a distance necessary for moving from the current traveling lane to the “recommended lane”. For example, the distance required to move from the current driving lane to the next lane (one lane) is about 150 m. From the second lane onward, the required distance is increased by 100 m each time the moving lane increases by one lane. To calculate. Therefore, when the “number of moving lanes” is “1”, the distance required to move from the current travel lane to the “recommended lane” is about 150 m. When the “number of moving lanes” is “2”, the distance required to move from the current traveling lane to the “recommended lane” is about 250 m.

  Then, the CPU 41 sets the coordinate data (for example, the latitude and the like) on the search route before the distance necessary for moving from the current travel lane to the “recommended lane” with respect to the “guidance start point” coordinate data stored in S114. Longitude data.) Is read from the navigation map information 26 and stored in the RAM 42 as coordinate data of “notification point of lane guidance” for notifying the guidance of lane movement, and then the sub-processing is ended and the process returns to the main flowchart. The process proceeds to S13.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the “number of moving lanes” is “1”, the CPU 41 moves from the second lane 66 that is currently traveling to the first lane 71 that is the “recommended lane”. The necessary distance is about 150 m, and the coordinate data on the search route 63 that is about 150 m before the guidance start point 65 is stored in the RAM 42 as the coordinate data of the lane guidance notification point 72, and then the sub-processing is terminated to complete the main processing. Returning to the flowchart, the process proceeds to S13.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3, in S <b> 13, the CPU 41 executes determination processing for determining whether or not to perform lane guidance for guiding the user to move from the current travel lane to the “recommended lane”. Specifically, the CPU 41 reads the lane flag from the RAM 42 and, if the lane flag is set to ON, determines that the lane guidance for guiding the user to move from the current travel lane to the “recommended lane” is performed.

Then, when it is determined that the lane guidance for guiding the user to move from the current travel lane to the “recommended lane” is not performed, that is, when the lane flag read from the RAM 42 is set to OFF (S13: NO). The CPU 41 proceeds to the process of S16 described later.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the lane guidance for guiding the user to move from the current travel lane to the “recommended lane” is performed, that is, when the lane flag read from the RAM 42 is set to ON (S13: YES), CPU41 transfers to the process of S14.

  In S <b> 14, the CPU 41 detects the vehicle position based on the detection result of the current location detection processing unit 11. Then, the CPU 41 reads from the RAM 42 the coordinate data of the “lane guidance notification point” for notifying the lane movement guidance, and determines whether or not the vehicle position has passed the “lane guidance notification point” on the searched route. Execute the judgment process. When it is determined that the vehicle position does not pass the “lane guidance notification point” on the searched route (S14: NO), the CPU 41 executes the process of S14 again.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle position has passed the “lane guidance notification point” on the searched route (S14: YES), the CPU 41 proceeds to the process of S15. In S <b> 15, the CPU 41 reads the “recommended lane” from the RAM 42, provides voice guidance through the speaker 16 so as to move to the “recommended lane”, and displays it on the liquid crystal display 15. Further, the CPU 41 reads out the lane flag from the RAM 42, sets the lane flag to OFF, and stores it again in the RAM 42.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the CPU 41 determines that the vehicle position has passed the lane guidance notification point 72, the CPU 41 reads the first lane 71 stored as the “recommended lane” from the RAM 42, and To move to the lane 71, the voice guidance is given via the speaker 16 as “Please move to the leftmost lane”. Further, the CPU 41 reads out the lane flag from the RAM 42, sets the lane flag to OFF, and stores it again in the RAM 42.

  Subsequently, in S <b> 16, the CPU 41 detects the vehicle position based on the detection result of the current location detection processing unit 11. And CPU41 reads the coordinate data of the "guidance start point" which starts guidance of a guidance branch point from RAM42, and the determination process which determines whether the own vehicle position passed the "guidance start point" on a search route | route is carried out. Execute. And when it determines with the own vehicle position not passing through the "guidance start point" on a search route (S16: NO), CPU41 performs the process of S16 again.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle position has passed the “guidance start point” on the searched route (S16: YES), the CPU 41 proceeds to the process of S17. In S17, the CPU 41 executes a determination process for determining whether or not there is a passing branch point passing before the guidance branch point. Specifically, the CPU 41 reads the passing branch point flag from the RAM 42, and determines that there is a passing branch point if the passing branch point flag is set to ON.

If it is determined that there is no passing branch point passing before the guidance branch point, that is, if the passing branch point flag read from the RAM 42 is set to OFF (S17: NO), the CPU 41 will be described later. The process proceeds to S22.
On the other hand, when it is determined that there is a passing branch point passing before the guidance branch point, that is, when the passing branch point flag read from the RAM 42 is set to ON (S17: YES), the CPU 41 performs S18. Move on to processing.

  In S <b> 18, the CPU 41 detects the vehicle position based on the detection result of the current location detection processing unit 11. And CPU41 reads the driving | running | working lane on the search path | route where the own vehicle position is located from the navigation map information 26, and memorize | stores in RAM42 as the present driving | running lane currently drive | working.

  Subsequently, in S19, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the host vehicle is traveling in a lane in which a passing branch point can be visually recognized, that is, whether or not the vehicle is traveling in a lane in which a feature provided at the passing branch point is visually recognized. A determination process is performed to determine whether or not. Specifically, the CPU 41 reads out the current traveling lane and the “recommended lane” from the RAM 42, and determines whether both lanes match or whether the current traveling lane is a lane closer to the passing branch point than the “recommended lane”. A determination process for determining is executed. When the “recommended lane” is not stored in the RAM 42 (when all “visibility” is “◯” in S118 (S118: YES)), in this S19, the CPU 41 , “Recommended lanes” are calculated.

  If it is determined that the current travel lane matches the “recommended lane”, or if it is determined that the current travel lane is a lane closer to the passing branch point than the “recommended lane” (S19: YES), CPU41 determines with the own vehicle driving | running | working the lane which can visually recognize a passage branch point, and transfers to the process of S20. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the “recommended lane” and the “current travel lane” read from the RAM 42 are the same in the first lane 71, the host vehicle 73 can visually recognize the passing branch point 62. It is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a long lane, and the process proceeds to S20.

In S20, the CPU 41 counts the number of coordinate data of passing branch points stored in the RAM 42 in S111, and sets the number as “the number of passing branch points”.
Subsequently, in S21, the CPU 41 uses the count value obtained by adding “1” to the “number of passing branch points” as the number of branches up to the guidance branch point, and creates voice guidance for guiding the guidance branch point based on this branch number. Then, voice guidance is provided through the speaker 16. Further, the CPU 41 reads the passing branch point flag from the RAM 42, sets the passing branch point flag to OFF, stores it again in the RAM 42, and ends the processing.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the CPU 41 sets the count value “1” obtained by counting the coordinate data of the passing branch point 62 as the “number of passing branch points”. Then, the count value “2” obtained by adding “1” to the “number of passing branch points” is set as the number of branches up to the guide branch point 61, and the “second” that guides the guide branch point 61 by this branch number “2”. The voice guidance of “It is the exit to the left” is created, and the voice guidance is made through the speaker 16. Further, the CPU 41 reads the passing branch point flag from the RAM 42, sets the passing branch point flag to OFF, stores it again in the RAM 42, and ends the processing.

  On the other hand, in S19, the CPU 41 reads the current travel lane and the “recommended lane” from the RAM 42, and when the current travel lane is a lane in the lane center side of the “recommended lane” (S19: NO), the CPU 41 Then, it is determined that the host vehicle is not traveling in a lane where the passing branch point can be visually recognized, and the process proceeds to S22. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the “recommended lane” read from the RAM 42 is the first lane 71 and the “current travel lane” is the second lane 66, the CPU 41 determines that the host vehicle 75 is passing through a branch point 62. (S19: NO), the process proceeds to S22.

  In S <b> 22, the CPU 41 detects the vehicle position based on the detection result of the current location detection processing unit 11. Then, the CPU 41 calculates the distance from the vehicle position to the guidance branch point from the link data of the navigation map information 26, and sets the distance as “distance from the guidance start point to the guidance branch point”.

  Subsequently, in S <b> 23, the CPU 41 creates a voice guidance for guiding the “distance from the guidance start point to the guidance branch point”, and performs voice guidance via the speaker 16. Further, the CPU 41 reads the passing branch point flag from the RAM 42, sets the passing branch point flag to OFF, stores it again in the RAM 42, and ends the processing.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the distance from the current position of the host vehicle 75 to the guidance branch point 61 is about 500 m, the CPU 41 guides the guidance branch point 61 “500 m ahead is in the left direction. ”Is created, and voice guidance is provided via the speaker 16. Further, the CPU 41 reads the passing branch point flag from the RAM 42, sets the passing branch point flag to OFF, stores it again in the RAM 42, and ends the processing.

  As described above in detail, in the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment, the CPU 41 visually recognizes a passing branch point where the current traveling lane that is currently traveling exists between the guidance start point and the front guidance branch point. In the case of a possible travel lane, the guidance branch point is guided by the number of branches from the guidance start point to the guidance branch point. Accordingly, the user can travel along the route by accurately recognizing the guidance branch point by counting the passing branch point according to the number of voice guided branches.

  Further, the CPU 41 determines the visibility of the passing branch point existing between the guidance start point and the front guide branch point by the branch point visibility determination table 51 at the current travel lane and each passing branch point. Since it is determined based on (road surface markings such as boundary lines and stop lines, rubber poles, soundproof walls, direction signs, etc.), the visibility of each passing branch point by the user can be quickly determined, The determination accuracy can be improved.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 41 determines that the current traveling lane that is currently traveling is a traveling lane in which a passing branch point existing between the branch guidance start point and the guidance branch point is not visible, the current traveling lane The distance required to move from the “recommended lane” to the “recommended lane” is calculated, and the “lane guidance notification point” is set a short distance from the guidance start point. Then, the CPU 41 provides voice guidance to move to the “recommended lane” when the vehicle position passes the “notification point for lane guidance”.

  Accordingly, the user can move to a “recommended lane” where the passing branch point can be visually recognized according to the guidance at a point a predetermined distance before the guidance start point. And the user surely visually recognizes the passing branch point passing from the guidance start point to the guidance branch point, accurately counts the number of branches guided at the guidance start point, and reliably recognizes the guidance branch point. It is possible to travel along the route.

  Further, if the current travel lane that is running when the guidance start point is passed is not the “recommended lane” that is voice-guided when the “lane guidance notification point” is passed, To the guidance branch point ". As a result, even when the user has not moved to the “recommended lane” where the passing branch point existing between the guidance start point and the guidance branch point is visible, the guide branch point according to the distance guided at the guidance start point. Can be recognized and can travel along the route.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, Of course, various improvement and deformation | transformation are possible within the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.

1 Navigation device 15 Liquid crystal display 16 Speaker 25 Map information DB
26 Navigation map information 27 Branch point visibility DB
41 CPU
42 RAM
43 ROM
51 Branch point visibility judgment table 61 Guide branch point 62 Passing branch point 63 Search route 65 Guidance start point 66 2nd lane 67 Lane boundary 68 Current basin 71 1st lane 72 Lane guidance notification point

Claims (6)

Route acquisition means for acquiring a route to the destination;
A branch guidance start point setting means for setting a branch guidance start point for starting guidance of a front guidance branch point on the route at a predetermined location before the guidance branch point;
Travel lane acquisition means for acquiring a current travel lane currently traveling at a point a predetermined distance before the branch guidance start point on the route;
Visibility determining means for determining whether or not a passing branch point existing between the branch guidance start point and the guidance branch point is visible based on the current travel lane;
When it is determined that the passing branch point existing between the branch guidance start point and the guidance branch point is visible via the visibility determination unit, the passing branch point is determined at the branch guidance start point. Guidance means for guiding the guidance branch point using a number;
A route guidance device comprising:   When it is determined that the passing branch point existing between the branch guidance start point and the guidance branch point is not visible via the visibility determination unit, the guidance unit passes the current traveling lane from the current traveling lane. The route guidance device according to claim 1, wherein the route guidance device guides the vehicle to move to a visually recognizable lane where the branch point becomes visible. Lane movement determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle has moved to the visually recognizable lane guided through the guide means;
When it is determined that the vehicle has not moved to the visually recognizable lane guided through the guide unit, the guide unit is based on a distance from the branch guide start point to the guide branch point at the branch guide start point. The route guidance device according to claim 2, wherein the guidance branch point is guided. Comprising a feature acquisition means for acquiring a feature provided at the passing branch point on the route;
The said visibility determination means determines whether this passage branch point is visually recognizable based on the feature provided in the said passage branch point on the said route. The route guidance apparatus in any one. A route acquisition process for acquiring a route to the destination;
A branch guidance start point setting step for setting a branch guidance start point for starting guidance of a front guidance branch point on the route acquired in the route acquisition step at a predetermined location before the guidance branch point;
A travel lane acquisition step of acquiring a current travel lane currently traveling at a point a predetermined distance before the branch guidance start point set in the branch guidance start point setting step;
Based on the current travel lane acquired in the travel lane acquisition step, a passing branch point existing between the branch guidance start point and the guide branch point on the route set in the branch guidance start point setting step can be visually recognized. A visibility determination step for determining whether or not,
When it is determined in the visibility determination step that a passing branch point existing between the branch guidance start point and the guidance branch point is visible, the number of the passing branch points at the branch guidance start point is determined. A guidance process for guiding the guidance branch point using,
A route guidance method comprising: On the computer,
A route acquisition process for acquiring a route to the destination;
A branch guidance start point setting step for setting a branch guidance start point for starting guidance of a front guidance branch point on the route acquired in the route acquisition step at a predetermined location before the guidance branch point;
A travel lane acquisition step of acquiring a current travel lane currently traveling at a point a predetermined distance before the branch guidance start point set in the branch guidance start point setting step;
Based on the current travel lane acquired in the travel lane acquisition step, a passing branch point existing between the branch guidance start point and the guide branch point on the route set in the branch guidance start point setting step can be visually recognized. A visibility determination step for determining whether or not,
When it is determined in the visibility determination step that a passing branch point existing between the branch guidance start point and the guidance branch point is visible, the number of the passing branch points at the branch guidance start point is determined. A guidance process for guiding the guidance branch point using,
A program for running

Images