JP2012233827A - Portable navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide technique which enables a user to easily search for a route in advance in a case where the user wants to stray from the right path, for a portable navigation device.SOLUTION: A portable terminal 10 comprises a function which performs a route search and route guidance by using a passage network through which pedestrians pass. The portable terminal 10 also comprises a function which can detect a direction by using movement of the portable terminal 10. When a user specifies a direction by shaking the portable terminal 10 in a specific direction, the portable terminal 10 detects a link existing in the specified direction, and searches for new routes 1 through 3 which lead to a destination via the detected link. The portable terminal 10 provides the user with information such as a distance and required travel time relative to each of the obtained new routes 1 through 3 in a manner comparing with information of a guiding route. Thus, when the user finds an interesting street during the guidance, the user can know information of the route to the destination before taking the interesting street, and can avoid making a useless large detour.

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable navigation device that provides route guidance using a portable terminal.

2. Description of the Related Art Navigation devices that search for a route from a specified departure point to a destination by using a map database and guide the route are widely used. In recent years, portable navigation devices using cellular phones, PNDs (Personal Navigation Devices), and the like are also used.
As conventional techniques related to a navigation device, there are techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2.
The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is to search for a route in response to a detection of an operation of a direction indicator of a vehicle during route guidance in a vehicle-mounted navigation device.
The technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 detects acceleration generated in a terminal when performing route guidance on a portable terminal, and controls so-called heading-up display based on the result.

JP 2009-210292 A JP 2008-304319 A

A portable navigation device is mainly used by pedestrians. In the case of a pedestrian, as compared with the case of moving by a vehicle, there is room to look around while moving, and it is possible to easily move to various routes by deviating from the designated route. Therefore, when a street or a store that attracts the user's interest is found during route guidance, the user may be diverted from the designated route and may want to stop by a newly found street or store. Such a situation can occur not only during route guidance but also when starting a route search.
Unlike walking by vehicle, a slight change in route can have a significant impact on walking. For example, since the walking speed is relatively slow, if the route deviated from the previously guided route is slightly detoured to the destination, the required time may increase significantly from the originally guided route. In addition, there are many stairs and slopes on the route that deviates to the side road, and it may happen that the physical strength is consumed. In order to avoid such an adverse effect, it is preferable to perform a route search in advance before deviating from the side road.
However, Patent Document 1 is a technique related to an in-vehicle navigation device in that a route search is performed in accordance with an operation of a direction indicator, and cannot be applied to a portable navigation device. Patent Document 2 is a technology that utilizes the movement of the portable navigation device for guidance display, and does not perform the above-described advance route search.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for simply and easily searching for a route in the case of deviating from a side road in a portable navigation device.

The present invention is a portable navigation device that guides a route to a specified destination, a route search result storage unit that stores a searched route to the destination, and a path network represented by nodes and links. A passage network database storage unit that stores the passage network database, a direction detection unit that detects a designated direction specified by the movement of the mobile terminal, a current position detection unit that detects a current position, and the current position as a reference, A configuration including an azimuth designation route search unit for searching for a route from the current position to the destination via the link when the designated azimuth indicates a direction of a link different from the searched route; can do.
Hereinafter, the route searched by the azimuth designation route search unit may be referred to as an azimuth designation route.

According to the present invention, the user can perform a route search specifying the direction that the user wants to go by specifying the direction. Therefore, when oneself wants to go to a certain passage, the route to the destination can be known through the passage, and it can be used as a material for determining whether to go to the passage.
In the present invention, the direction can be specified intuitively and simply by the movement of the mobile terminal. For example, the direction can be detected based on a movement in which the mobile terminal is directed toward a specified direction, or can be detected based on a movement in which the mobile terminal is shaken toward the specified direction.
In the present invention, a route search is performed when a direction different from the route already searched is designated. By doing so, it is possible to prevent a useless route search from being performed when the designated direction overlaps with a searched route.
The route search by the azimuth designation route search unit may be automatically executed in response to the detection of the azimuth by the azimuth detection unit, or the user inputs a route search instruction after specifying the azimuth. Sometimes it may be executed.

The portable navigation device of the present invention may include a route comparison information presenting unit that presents comparison information comparing the route search result obtained by the direction designation route searching unit and the searched route.
By doing this, it is possible to obtain information such as how far the route obtained by the route search with a specified direction is more attractive than the previous route, and can be used as a criterion for route selection. can do.
The comparison information can be provided by, for example, a method of displaying the entire route on a map, a table or diagram comparing the two for various items, a method of displaying a table or diagram showing the difference between the two, and the like. . Items that compare the two are distance, required time, presence / absence of stairs, presence / absence and slope of slope, information on accessibility, safety such as lighting / roof / guardrail, number of shops / tourist spots, etc. Can do.

In the present invention, a route guidance unit that determines whether the current position is in the route searched by the azimuth specified route search unit or the searched route and switches a route to be guided according to the determination result. May be provided.
For example, if it is determined that the user has left the previous route and headed for the direction designated route searched by the direction designated route search unit, the guidance target can be switched to the direction designated route. By doing so, the convenience is improved because proper route guidance is performed without the user's designation.
When the guidance target is switched to the direction designation route, the previous route may be deleted or may be saved as it is. In the case where the previous route is stored, there is an advantage that the guidance can be returned to the previous route and the guidance can be continued when the user once turns to the direction designation route and then turns back.

Another aspect of the present invention is a portable navigation device that guides a route to a destination designated by a mobile terminal, and stores a passage network database that stores a passage network database in which the passage network is represented by nodes and links. An orientation detection unit that detects an orientation designated by a user according to movement of the mobile terminal, a current position detection unit that detects a current location, and a link corresponding to the designated orientation based on the current location It can be set as the structure provided with the azimuth | direction designation | designated route search part which searches the route | route from the present position to the said destination via it.
In this aspect, it is not limited to the case of going to a path deviating from the searched route, but a route search in which the direction is designated can be utilized. For example, when a new route to the destination is to be searched, it is possible to search for a route in response to a request to pass a specific passage in front of the user with a simple operation.

Further, in each of the above-described aspects, when the acceleration detection unit that detects the acceleration of the mobile terminal is provided, the direction detection unit may detect the direction specified by the user in response to the acceleration detection result. Good.
By doing this, there is an advantage that the direction can be easily specified without extra operations such as pressing a button. For example, in the operation of moving the mobile terminal and stopping it toward the designated direction, the direction may be detected when the negative acceleration at the time of stopping becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Further, in the operation of shaking the mobile terminal up and down in the vertical plane including the designated orientation, the orientation may be detected when the acceleration at the time of shaking exceeds a predetermined value.

  In addition to the above-described aspects, the present invention may be configured as a route guidance method for performing route guidance by a computer constituting a portable navigation device, or may be configured as a computer program for causing a computer to execute such route guidance. Also good. Moreover, you may comprise as a computer-readable recording medium which recorded such a computer program. Recording media include flexible disks, CD-ROMs, magneto-optical disks, IC cards, ROM cartridges, punch cards, printed matter on which codes such as bar codes are printed, computer internal storage devices (memory such as RAM and ROM), and A variety of computer-readable media such as an external storage device can be used.

It is a structural example of a portable navigation apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a search of a direction designation | designated path | route. It is explanatory drawing which shows the designation | designated method of azimuth | direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the transfer of each process by event generation | occurrence | production. It is a flowchart of a normal route search process. It is a flowchart of a direction designation | designated route search process. It is a flowchart of a route comparison information output process. It is a flowchart of a route guidance process. It is a flowchart of a list maintenance process.

A. overall structure:
FIG. 1 is a configuration example of a portable navigation device. This device is a device for searching and guiding a route to a designated destination for a pedestrian, and is configured by connecting the mobile terminal 10 and the server 30 via a network NE. The function of the server 30 may be incorporated into the mobile terminal 10 and configured as a stand-alone device, or may be configured as a distributed system including a plurality of servers 30.

As the mobile terminal 10, a so-called multi-function mobile phone or smart phone, mobile phone, PDA (Personal Data Assistance), PND (Personal
Various portable information terminals such as Navigation Device can be used. Not only a multi-function terminal but also a dedicated device as a navigation device may be used. In order to realize the function as the portable navigation device, the portable terminal 10 is provided with various functional blocks shown in the figure that operate under the control of the terminal-side main control unit 11. These functional blocks may be configured as hardware, or may be configured as software by installing a computer program in a computer including a CPU, RAM, and ROM.
The mobile terminal 10 is provided with three types of sensors: an orientation sensor 13, an acceleration sensor 14, and a GPS 15. The direction sensor 13 is a sensor that identifies which direction the mobile terminal 10 is pointing. In the embodiment, a three-axis electromagnetic compass is used. However, a mechanism capable of detecting an orientation on the assumption that the mobile terminal 10 is held horizontally may be used. The acceleration sensor 14 is a sensor that detects acceleration in the triaxial direction of the mobile terminal 10. It is also possible to use a uniaxial or biaxial sensor. The GPS 15 is a global positioning system and detects the current position of the mobile terminal 10.
The functions related to the input / output of the mobile terminal 10 are as follows. The communication unit 12 communicates with the server 30 via a network. The command input unit 16 inputs a user command via the screen of the mobile terminal 10 or the operation unit. The display control unit 17 controls display on the screen of the mobile terminal 10. Examples of display on the screen include display of a setting screen for specifying a destination or the like in route search / guidance, display of a route search result, display of route guidance, and the like. The voice output control unit 18 controls voice output such as route guidance.
The route guidance unit 19 displays a map of the route via the display control unit 17 according to the current position detected by the GPS 15 according to the route search result, and outputs a voice via the voice output unit 18. Or route guidance. As will be described later, the route to be guided is searched by the server 30 and stored. The route guidance unit 19 obtains and stores in advance information on a route to be guided from the server 30 and performs route guidance. When there are a plurality of routes for one destination, only the information of one route selected as a guidance target may be acquired and stored in advance, or a plurality of searched routes may be stored in advance. The route guidance unit 19 may acquire and store the information and select a guidance target. The configuration is not limited to storing the route information in advance, but may be configured to sequentially acquire the route information from the server 30 in the course of route guidance.

The server 30 is a computer including a CPU, a RAM, and a ROM, and includes various functional blocks shown in the figure that operate under the control of the server-side main control unit 31. These functional blocks are mainly configured by software by installing a predetermined computer program, but can also be configured by hardware.
On the hard disk of the server 30, a map database storage unit 38 and a passage network database storage unit 39 are prepared. The map database storage unit 38 stores a map database including polygon data representing features such as roads and buildings in order to draw a map. The passage network database storage unit 39 stores a passage network database in which the passage network is represented by nodes and links. Here, in the present embodiment, since it is an apparatus mainly used by pedestrians, the passage network database is a network that targets passages through which pedestrians can pass. For example, if there are sidewalks on both sides of a single road, there are places where links corresponding to each sidewalk are maintained, and stairs and other places that cannot be called so-called “roads”. There are places where links corresponding to are maintained. However, when the portable navigation device of this embodiment is used for a vehicle, it is preferable that the passage network database is prepared for roads through which automobiles can pass.
The communication unit 32 communicates with the mobile terminal 10 via a network. The normal route search unit 34 refers to the passage network database 39 to search for a route from the designated departure point to the destination. For the route search, a known method such as the Dijkstra method can be used. The direction designation route search unit 35 performs a route search under a condition that the link exists in the direction designated by the user from the current position. The normal route search unit 34 differs only in the conditions for executing the route search, and the method is the same. The route searched by the normal route search unit 34 and the direction designation route search unit 35 is temporarily stored in the route search result storage unit 37. The list maintenance unit 36 deletes the route search results accumulated in the route search result storage unit 37 in this manner, which are no longer necessary according to the route guidance status. The route comparison information generation unit 33 generates information for comparing these routes when a plurality of routes are searched by the normal route search unit 34 and the direction designation route search unit 35 for one destination. Provided to the mobile terminal 10.

  The constituent elements of the present invention may be composed of a plurality of functional blocks described above. For example, the direction sensor 13 and the acceleration sensor 14 correspond to the direction detection unit in the present invention. The route comparison information presentation unit corresponds to the route comparison information generation unit 33 and the display control unit 17. Depending on the sharing of functions between the mobile terminal 10 and the server 30, other configuration requirements can also be configured by cooperation of a plurality of functional blocks.

B. Route search example:
In the present embodiment, in addition to “normal route search” that searches for an optimum route between a specified starting point and destination, a route is searched under a condition that a link exists in a direction specified by the user. “Direction search” is performed.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of searching for a direction designation route. On the road in the figure, a passage network is constructed that includes links indicated by thin lines and nodes indicated by dots. It is assumed that the user has reached the current position while traveling along the guidance route obtained by searching for a route to the destination.
Here, it is assumed that the user finds a branch path and tries to go in the direction of the branch path. At this time, in the present embodiment, as shown in the drawing, the mobile terminal 10 is directed in the direction of the branch path to specify the direction that the user wants to face. When the azimuth is designated, the portable terminal 10 sets a sector-shaped area having a radius r with a central angle of one side θ from the designated azimuth with the current position as a reference, and detects the link L1 existing in the sector area. . Then, it is determined that the user is requesting a route through the link L1.
Therefore, in the direction designation route search, a route search via this link L1 is performed. Specifically, the node at the end of the link L1 is set to “route 1”, and the route search to the destination is performed. By doing so, the new route 1 shown in the figure can be obtained.
In the direction designation route search, a waypoint 2 and a waypoint 3 farther than the waypoint 1 may be set in the direction along the link L1. By doing so, a new route 2 passing through the route point 2 and a new route 3 passing through the route point 3 can be obtained together. The new route 1 using only “route 1” may be a route that does not conform to the intention of immediately returning to the original guide route from the branch road that the user wants to go to. The possibility of providing a route according to the user's intention can be improved by setting far way way points such as the way point 2 and the way point 3.
A method for setting a far waypoint will be described. In links L1 to L3 constituting the passage network data, road names are stored in addition to data such as link shapes and attributes. Therefore, on the road network data, even if the data is stored as individual links such as the links L1 to L3, it is possible to specify a link string that is a single road by following a link with a common road name. it can. The waypoints can be set, for example, by sequentially specifying the nodes on the road links specified in this way. The number of nodes to be set as the waypoints can be selected according to the number of nodes, the straight distance or the road from the current position, the distances of the new routes 1 to 3 passing through the respective waypoints, and the like. In addition to setting the waypoint based on the road name, the waypoint may be set by following a link with a common road type, or a node within a predetermined distance from the current position is set as a waypoint. You may take the method to do.

A method in which the user designates the direction in the direction designation route search will be described.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a direction designation method.
FIG. 3A shows a method of designating the azimuth by pressing the button (arrow A) with the upper end of the mobile terminal 10 facing the designated azimuth. Compared with the method of designating the azimuth on the screen of the mobile terminal 10, the mobile terminal 10 itself is designated by a movement in which it is directed to the designated azimuth. In addition, since designation is performed by pressing a button, the user's intention of “direction designation” can be clearly input to the mobile terminal 10, and erroneous designation can be suppressed.
FIG. 3B shows a method for designating the direction based on the movement of the mobile terminal 10 and its acceleration. If the mobile terminal 10 is in the P1 state during the route guidance process, the user moves the mobile terminal 10 as indicated by an arrow B, and stops the upper end of the mobile terminal 10 toward the designated direction as shown in the state P2. The horizontal acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor of the mobile terminal 10 is shown on the lower side of the figure. A positive acceleration is generated in the horizontal direction at the moment of starting to move in the arrow B direction from the state P1, and during the movement, it vibrates in the vicinity of almost 0, and a negative acceleration is generated when stopping. Therefore, the mobile terminal 10 can detect that the movement has stopped by detecting the moment when the negative acceleration exceeds the predetermined value Thb, and can detect the direction designated by the user by detecting the direction at that time. Can be identified. The predetermined value Thb can be arbitrarily set within a range in which the negative acceleration at the time of stopping can be detected without detecting the vibration during the movement of the arrow B.
FIG. 3C shows a method for designating the azimuth by the vertical movement of the mobile terminal 10. When the user designates an azimuth, the user shakes the mobile terminal 10 as indicated by an arrow C in a vertical plane including the azimuth. The state of vertical acceleration during this operation is shown in the lower part of the figure. While shaking the mobile terminal 10, the vertical acceleration vibrates violently. The mobile terminal 10 can specify the orientation specified by the user by detecting the orientation of the mobile terminal 10 when acceleration exceeding the predetermined value Thc is detected a predetermined number of times or for a predetermined period. Here, an example of shaking a plurality of times has been shown, but the direction may be specified when an acceleration exceeding a predetermined value Thc is detected once.

C. Software configuration:
A software configuration for realizing a route search / guidance process including a direction designation route search will be described. In this embodiment, an event-driven software configuration is adopted, and software that realizes each function is activated in response to occurrence of a predetermined event. In the following, first, an overview of event occurrence, software activation, and migration will be shown, and then the processing contents of each software will be described.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the transition of each process due to the occurrence of an event. The software is mainly composed of a normal route search process S100, a direction designation route search process S200, a route comparison information output process S300, a route guidance process S400, and a list maintenance process S500. The route search result used by each software is performed via a route search result list 37A prepared in the route search result storage unit 37.
The normal route search processing S100 is software that performs a route search between a designated departure point and destination, and the direction designation route search processing S200 is software that performs a direction designation route search shown in FIGS. . The route search results obtained by these are stored in the route search result list 37A.
The route comparison information output process S300 is software that provides a user with information for comparing a plurality of routes that reach one destination. The route guidance process S400 is software that guides the route to the user. The route to be subjected to these processes is read from the route search result list 37A.
The list maintenance process S500 is software for deleting unnecessary routes from the route search result list 37A.

Each process is activated and shifted by the following event.
The normal route search process is started when the destination setting event EV1 and the route nonexistence event EV3 occur. The destination setting event EV1 is an event indicating that the user has set a destination for route search. The route nonexistence event EV3 is an event indicating that the user has deviated from the existing route in the course of the route guidance process S400 and there is no route to be guided. A so-called reroute function can be realized by the occurrence of the route nonexistence event EV3.
The direction designation route search process S200 is activated when the direction detection event EV2 occurs. The azimuth detection event EV2 is an event indicating that the user has specified a specific azimuth by the method shown in FIG. 3, and occurs in the middle of the normal route search processing S100 and the route guidance processing S400. For example, when the direction detection event EV2 occurs when the normal route search process S100 is activated by designating the destination, the direction designation route search process S200 toward the designated destination is executed. It will be. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, when a branch road that the user is interested in during route guidance is found and the direction detection event EV2 occurs, the direction designation route search toward the destination designated by the previous route guidance is performed. Process S200 is executed. In addition to the example shown in FIG. 4, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the azimuth specified route search process S200 is activated in response to the destination setting event EV1.
The route comparison information output process S300 is activated when the route addition event EV4 occurs. The route addition event EV4 is an event indicating that a new route has been added to the route search result list 37A. That is, when a new route search result is added to the route search result list 37A by the normal route search processing S100 and the azimuth designation route search processing S200, a route addition event EV4 occurs and the route comparison information output processing S300 is activated. It will be. However, since the normal route search process S100 is normally executed in a state where no route exists in the route search result list 37A, even if the route comparison information output process S300 is activated, the comparison information is not generated. In many cases, the processing is terminated without any processing.
The list maintenance process S500 is assumed to operate periodically regardless of the occurrence of an event. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that is activated in response to an event such as the number of routes accumulated in the route search result list 37A exceeding a predetermined number.
The contents of each process will be described below.

C1. Normal route search processing:
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the normal route search process. The normal route search process is a process for searching for a route between a specified departure place and destination. This process mainly corresponds to the function of the normal route search unit 34 and is realized by the CPU of the server 30 in terms of hardware.
The CPU inputs a destination according to the user's operation (step S101). In addition, the departure place is input (step S102). The starting point can be set as the current position or specified by the user.
Next, the CPU searches for a route from the designated departure place to the destination (step S103). The route search can be performed by a known method such as the Dijkstra method based on the cost assigned to each node and link stored in the passage network data.
When the route search is completed, the CPU stores the search result in the route search result list 37A and ends this process (step S104).

C2. Orientation designation route search processing:
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the orientation designation route search process. The direction designation route search process is a process for performing the direction designation route search shown in FIGS. This process mainly corresponds to the function of the direction designation route search unit 35 and is a process realized by the CPU of the server 30 in hardware.
The CPU inputs a designated direction in accordance with a user operation (step S201). The direction can be specified by various methods shown in FIG.
Next, the CPU determines whether the designated direction is different from the searched route (step S202). As shown in FIG. 2, a fan-shaped area centered on the designated direction is set, and it is determined whether or not a searched route link exists in this area. The searched route is not limited to the route being guided, and may be determined for all routes stored in the route search result list 37A. If the specified direction is the same as the searched route, it means that the route along the specified direction has already been obtained, so the CPU does not perform a new route search, and does not perform a new route search. Exit.
When the designated direction is different from the searched route, the CPU specifies a link in the designated direction (step S203). For example, a method of specifying a link in the sector area shown in FIG. Then, N points (N is a natural number) are selected in order from the current position on the way to the identified link, and these are set as transit points (step S204). The N points to be route points can be selected by a predetermined number of methods, a method of selecting a node within a predetermined distance from the current position, or the like.
When the waypoints can be set in this way, the CPU uses the current position as the departure point and the destination as the points set in the normal route search process, and performs route search using the set N waypoints one by one. This is performed (step S205). The route search can be performed by the Dijkstra method or the like as in the normal route search process. N routes are obtained by this route search.
The CPU stores the N route search results obtained in this way in the route search result list 37A, and ends this processing (step S206).

C3. Route comparison information output processing:
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the route comparison information output process. The route comparison information output process is a process for providing a user with information for comparing a plurality of routes that reach one destination. The generation of information mainly corresponds to the function of the route comparison information generation unit 33, which is a process realized by the CPU of the server 30 in hardware, and the provision of information mainly corresponds to the function of the display control unit 17. This process is realized by the CPU of the mobile terminal 10.
The CPU reads the guide route and the new route from the route search result list 37A (step S301). The guide route is a route that is currently being route-guided. The new route is a route that has been newly searched for by a direction designation route search process or the like during route guidance.
Based on these routes, the CPU generates route comparison information (step S302), and transmits the route comparison information to the mobile terminal 10, thereby outputting the route comparison information on the screen of the mobile terminal 10 (step S303). In the figure, an example of output of route comparison information is shown.
The comparison map D1 displays the entire guide route and new route on the map. In the example in the figure, a guide route (solid line in the figure), a route 1 (dashed line in the figure), and a route 2 (dashed line in the figure) as new routes for the departure point, the current position, and the destination are shown. It is displayed. By comparing and displaying the entire route in this way, the user can visually determine how far the new routes 1 and 2 are detoured relative to the guide route, and where these routes pass. It becomes possible to grasp intuitively.
The comparison table D2 shows the result of comparing the guide route and the new route with various items. In the example of the figure, an example is shown in which the road, the required time, the number of stairs, the grade of the slope, the presence or absence of tourist spots, the presence or absence of shopping spots, and the like are displayed. The expression method is not limited to the illustrated example, and the items expressed by numerical values (the road, the required time) may be expressed by graphics, or the items expressed by the graphics (the number of steps, the degree of hills, tourist spots, (Shopping) may be expressed by numerical values, characters, and the like. In addition, various types of information can be presented, and information to be compared may be customized by the user.
The difference output D3 indicates the difference between the guide route and the new route. For example, “the route” represents “the route of the new route−the route of the guide route”. In the example shown in the figure, since “+ □ km”, it can be seen that the new route is more detour than the guidance route. The other items also represent the value or state of the new route, each based on the guide route. In the example shown in the figure, route 1 requires more time and more stairs than the guide route, but there are few hills or a descent, and it is not suitable for sightseeing (the broken line design is inappropriate). It shows that it is a little suitable for shopping. Similar to the comparison table D2, expression formats such as numerical values and graphics can be arbitrarily set, and the type of information to be provided can be arbitrarily set. The items to be displayed may be customizable by the user.
By providing these route comparison information, the user can use them as information for determining whether or not to go to the new route.

C4. Route guidance process:
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of route guidance processing. The route guidance process is a process for guiding the route to the user. This process mainly corresponds to the function of the route guidance unit 19 and is a process realized by the CPU of the mobile terminal 10 in terms of hardware.
The CPU reads a route to be guided (step S401). When only one route is stored in the route search result list 37A, the route becomes a guidance target. When a plurality of routes are stored, the route corresponding to the current position is targeted. When there are a plurality of routes corresponding to the current position, the route searched by the normal route search is set as a guidance target. The route to be guided may be selected by the user.
The CPU detects the current position (step S402), and determines whether or not the route is a guidance target (step S403). If the current position is on the route, the route is displayed on the map, the direction of travel ahead is guided, and guidance output is performed in a manner such as voice output as appropriate (step S404). When it arrives at the destination, the guidance is ended (step S405), and when it has not arrived, the current position is detected (step S402).
On the other hand, when the current position is not on the route (step S403), that is, when the user deviates from the guidance target route during route guidance, the CPU searches for another route from the route search result list (step S410). ). If there is another route (step S411), the route is switched to the guidance target, and the guidance process is resumed from reading the route (step S401). For example, as shown in FIG. 2, this switching is performed when starting to proceed to a new route 1 or the like obtained by performing a direction designation route search in the middle of route guidance. When it is detected that the user deviates from the guidance route and enters the new route 1, the new route 1 is selected as another route in step S411, and guidance for the new route 1 is started. By doing so, the user does not need to manually switch the route to be guided, and convenience is improved.
If there is no other route in step S411, the route guidance cannot be continued, and the CPU generates a route nonexistence event (step S412). As shown in FIG. 4, the normal route search process is triggered by a route nonexistence event as a trigger, so that a new route is searched and a so-called normal reroute function can be realized.

C5. List maintenance process:
FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the list maintenance process. The list maintenance process is a process for deleting an unnecessary route from the route search result list 37A. This process mainly corresponds to the function of the list maintenance unit 36 and is a process realized by the CPU of the server 30 in terms of hardware.
The CPU detects the current position and reads a previous traffic locus (step S501). In the conventional route, the history of the current position may be saved as a log in the route guidance process.
The CPU reads a route from the route search result list (step S502) and determines an erasure condition (step S503). In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the current position is not on the route (condition 1) and the trajectory should be erased when both the route has passed the route (condition 2). If the current position is not on the route, this indicates that the route is not a target for route guidance at the present time and is unnecessary. In addition, when the traffic trajectory passes the route, it indicates that it is considered that it will not be subject to route guidance in the future. Therefore, a route satisfying these conditions 1 and 2 is determined as an unnecessary route that is not used for route guidance.
An example of determining the erasure condition is shown in the figure. Consider the case where routes a to c are stored in the route search result list as illustrated. In this example, since the current position is on the route a and the traffic locus also belongs to the route a, it cannot be said that the route a has been passed. Therefore, since the path a does not satisfy both the conditions 1 and 2, it is not an erasure target. On the other hand, with respect to the route b, since the current position is not on the route b, the condition 1 is satisfied. Further, since the trajectory passes through the end point of the route b, the condition 2 is also satisfied. Therefore, the path b is an erasure target. For the path c, the current position is not on the path c, so the condition 1 is satisfied. However, Condition 2 is not satisfied because the trajectory does not pass through the end point of the path c. Therefore, the path c is not a deletion target.
When the erasure condition is determined in this way, the CPU erases the route satisfying the erasure condition from the route search result list (step S504). By doing so, it is possible to avoid that unnecessary routes that are not used for route guidance are accumulated in the route search result list and the processing speed decreases.
Depending on the user, after deviating from the route, it may be possible to return to the original route. In such a case, in order to be able to return to the original route and perform route guidance, the condition 2 may be replaced with “the trajectory has passed the route more than a predetermined distance”. By doing so, since the route is stored in the route search result list for a while after passing, the route guidance can be smoothly performed even when the user turns back.

D. Effects and variations:
According to the portable navigation device of the embodiment described above, the user can perform a route search (orientation designated route search) specifying the direction he / she wants to go by specifying the direction. Therefore, when oneself wants to go to a certain passage, the route to the destination can be known through the passage, and it can be used as a material for determining whether to go to the passage. Unlike the reroute function, where a new route search is performed when the route begins to deviate from the route being guided, it is possible to know the route before actually heading for the aisle. Unnecessary movement, unnecessary large turns, and the like can be suppressed.

This embodiment can take various modifications.
(1) The “portable” of the present invention is not limited to the example in which the mobile terminal 10 is used for route search and guidance as in the embodiment, since it is sufficient that a part of the navigation device is portable. The mobile terminal 10 may have only a designated function, and a route guidance or the like may be performed using a fixed device such as an in-vehicle navigation device.
(2) In the present embodiment, the normal route search process specifies the starting point and the destination, but the direction may be specified at this point. By doing so, it is possible to obtain a route passing through the direction desired by the user from the beginning.
(3) In the embodiment, the device for pedestrians is exemplified, but the present embodiment is applicable to other than pedestrians.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in a portable navigation device to provide a technique for easily searching for a route in the case of deviating from a side road in advance.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Portable terminal 11 ... Terminal side main-control part 12 ... Communication part 13 ... Direction sensor 14 ... Acceleration sensor 15 ... GPS
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 16 ... Command input part 17 ... Display control part 18 ... Audio | voice output control part 19 ... Route guidance part 30 ... Server 31 ... Server side main control part 32 ... Communication part 33 ... Path | route comparison information generation part 34 ... Normal route search part 35 ... Orientation designation route search unit 36 ... list maintenance unit 37 ... route search result storage unit 38 ... map database storage unit 39 ... passage network database storage unit

Claims (3)

A portable navigation device for guiding a route to a specified destination,
A route search result storage unit for storing a searched route to the destination;
A path network database storage unit for storing a path network database representing the path network with nodes and links;
An azimuth detector that detects a designated azimuth designated by the movement of the mobile terminal;
A current position detector for detecting the current position;
When the specified direction indicates the direction of a link different from the searched route with respect to the current position, the specified direction route searches for a route from the current position to the destination via the link. A portable navigation device comprising a search unit. The portable navigation device according to claim 1,
A portable navigation device including a route comparison information presenting unit that presents comparison information comparing a route search result obtained by the direction designation route searching unit and the searched route. The portable navigation device according to claim 1 or 2,
Portable navigation provided with a route guidance unit that determines whether the current position is in the route searched by the azimuth specified route search unit or the searched route and switches a route to be guided according to the determination result apparatus.

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