JP3033358B2 - Navigation device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus for displaying a current position of a vehicle on a road map and guiding an occupant to a destination.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There has been known a navigation apparatus for selecting a road to be displayed according to a traveling speed of a vehicle (for example, see Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 64-19117). In this type of navigation device, for example, a road having a width of less than 5.5 m (hereinafter, referred to as a narrow road) is not displayed during traveling in order to make the display screen easier to see.

[0003] However, in the conventional navigation device, when the home or the destination faces a narrow road and the user must drive on the narrow road, the narrow road is not displayed during the driving, so that the current position can be confirmed. However, in order to check the route to the destination at the intersection, there is a problem that the vehicle must be stopped once and a narrow road must be displayed to check.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to display, when traveling on a narrow road, a minimum necessary narrow road associated with the traveling road.

[0005]

The present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 which is a claim correspondence diagram. According to the present invention, a data storage means 100 for storing road map data and a vehicle running based on vehicle speed are provided. Traveling determination means 10 for determining whether or not
1 and data for selecting road map data of a road (general road) having a predetermined width or more from the road map data read from the data storage means 100 when the traveling determination means 101 determines that the vehicle is traveling. The present invention is applied to a navigation device including a selection unit 102 and a display unit 103 that displays a road map according to the road map data selected by the data selection unit 102. The vehicle further includes a detecting unit 104 for detecting that the vehicle is traveling on a road (narrow road) smaller than a predetermined width, and the data selecting unit 102 includes:
When it is detected that the vehicle is traveling on a narrow road, in addition to the road map data of the general road, the road map data of the narrow road is used to enter a narrow road from the general road to reach the current position. The object is achieved by selecting a road travel route and road map data of a narrow road extending from the current position to a general road in the traveling direction of the vehicle.

[0006]

Normally, when the vehicle is running, only a general road having a predetermined width, for example, 5.5 m or more is displayed. However, if it is detected that the vehicle is traveling on a narrow road with a width of less than 5.5 m, in addition to the general road, the narrow road from the general road to the narrow road to the current position is reached. A traveling route and a narrow road from the current position to a general road in the traveling direction of the vehicle are selected and displayed.

[0007]

2 and 3 show the configuration of a navigation device according to one embodiment. This device is constituted by a microcomputer mainly including a CPU 1 as shown in FIG. CP
U1 exchanges data with various devices via the system bus 2 to perform various arithmetic processing. Reference numeral 3 denotes a direction sensor for detecting the traveling direction of the vehicle, and an amplifier 4 and an A / D
It is connected to system bus 2 via converter 5 and I / O controller 6. Reference numeral 7 denotes a vehicle speed sensor which generates a predetermined number of pulse signals per one rotation of the output shaft of the transmission, for example, and is connected to the system bus 2 via the I / O controller 6. The CPU 1 counts and accumulates the pulse signals, calculates the traveling distance of the vehicle, and calculates the vehicle speed from the number of pulses per unit time. 8
Is a key for inputting various commands and data to the device.
It is connected to the system bus 2 via the / O controller 9. Reference numeral 10 denotes an audio output speaker, which is connected to the system bus 2 via a sound generator 11 and an I / O controller 9.

[0008] Reference numeral 12 denotes a receiver (hereinafter, referred to as a GPS receiver) that receives a GPS signal radio wave, and is connected to the system bus 2 via an extended I / O controller 13.
The current position of the vehicle is determined by the positioning information from the GPS receiver 12, the traveling direction information of the vehicle from the direction sensor 3,
And the travel distance information from the vehicle speed sensor 7
It is calculated by U1. A receiver 14 having an antenna 15 receives road traffic information and position information such as traffic congestion, road works, and traffic regulations from road beacons installed on roads and intersections.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 16 denotes a CD-ROM storing road map data.
It is connected to the system bus 2 via the SI controller 17. 18 is a VDT (Visual Display).
A CRT that functions as a terminal, is connected to the system bus 2 via the graphic controller 19, displays a road map around the current position of the vehicle, and displays a mark indicating the current position of the vehicle on the map. Further, the system bus 2 has a V-RAM 20 for storing an image of the CRT 18, a ROM 21 for storing a control program described later, and a D-RAM 2 for temporarily storing data.
2. A kanji ROM 23 and a battery backup RAM 24 for storing information such as the current position when the ignition is turned off are connected.

In the configuration of the above embodiment, the CD-RO
M16 is data storage means, CPU1 is travel determination means,
The CRT 18 constitutes a display means and a data selection means and a detection means, respectively.

Here, the road map data will be described. The road map is managed by dividing the whole country into small sections (hereinafter, referred to as regional meshes) defined in JIS-X0410, and reading of the road map from the CD-ROM 16 is performed on a regional mesh basis. The road map is
Nodes indicating roads at intersections and bends, etc. are converted into data as a set of straight lines connecting the nodes, that is, links, and are stored together with attribute information such as position coordinates of each node and each link and road type. Have been. Road types are 5.5 m wide, such as expressways, toll roads, national roads, major local roads, and general roads with a width of 5.5 m or more.
There are narrow roads that are less than and other planned roads. Hereinafter, a road having a width of 5.5 m or more is referred to as a general road, and a road having a width of less than 5.5 m is referred to as a narrow road.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control program stored in the ROM 21, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for calculating a narrow road to be displayed.
The operation of the embodiment will be described with reference to these flowcharts. When the ignition key of the vehicle (not shown) is set to the ON position, the power of the navigation device is turned on,
The CPU 1 starts executing the control program shown in FIG. In step S1 after the start of execution, initial settings such as the current position of the vehicle and the destination are performed, and a road map around the current position of the vehicle is read from the CD-ROM 16 to the D-RAM 22. Here, the current position of the vehicle may be the position of the vehicle stored in the backup RAM 24 after the previous run, or may be a position set by the occupant operating the key 8.

In step S2, the traveling distance and the traveling direction of the vehicle are detected by the vehicle speed sensor 7 and the direction sensor 3,
In a succeeding step S3, it is determined whether or not the traveling distance or the traveling direction has changed, and if it has changed, the process proceeds to step S4, and if not, the process proceeds to step S5. In step S <b> 4, a travel locus is calculated by integrating the travel distance and traveling direction of the vehicle detected so far, and the current position of the vehicle is obtained by comparing the travel locus with the road map data read into the D-RAM 22.
It should be noted that the running locus of the vehicle calculated based on the running distance and the traveling direction accumulates calculation errors due to detection errors of sensors and the like, and the error increases as the calculation is repeated. Therefore,
In order to eliminate the accumulation of such calculation errors, the calculation result of the current position is corrected with reference to the GPS positioning coordinates, and a more accurate current position is obtained. If the vehicle has just passed the point where the road beacon is installed, the current position of the vehicle is corrected based on the position information.

In step S5, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is running based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 7. If the vehicle is running, the process proceeds to step S6, and if not, the process proceeds to step S9. When the vehicle is stopped, step S9
The road map data around the vehicle read into the D-RAM 22 by the CRT 1
Transfer to 8 to display all narrow roads along with general roads. FIG. 6 shows a display example when the vehicle is stopped. CRT18
Is displayed on a display screen 30 of a general road having a width of 5.5 m or more (shown by a thick line in the figure) and a narrow road having a width of less than 5.5 m (shown by a thin line in the figure). A mark 31 indicating the current position of the vehicle traveling on the road is displayed.

On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling, the process proceeds to step S6, and it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a narrow road based on the road type data in the attribute information of the currently traveling road link. That is, the current position in step S4 is compared with the position coordinates of each link in the attribute information of the road link, the road link on which the vehicle is currently traveling is specified, and the road type data of this road link is a narrow road. Is determined. This step S6 constitutes the detecting means in the claims. If the vehicle is traveling on a narrow road, the process proceeds to step S7; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S8. If the vehicle is not traveling on a narrow road, road data of a general road having a width of 5.5 m or more is selected from the road map data around the vehicle read into the D-RAM 22 in step S8 and displayed on the CRT 18. FIG. 7 shows a display example when the vehicle is traveling on a general road. C
On the display screen 30 of the RT 18, a general road having a width of 5.5 m or more and a current position mark 31 of the vehicle are displayed.

If the vehicle is traveling on a narrow road, a narrow road calculation routine to be displayed shown in FIG. 5 is executed in step S7, and the vehicle travels on a narrow road from a general road to the current position and travels on the narrow road. A route and a travelable route of all narrow roads from the current position to the general road in the traveling direction of the vehicle are obtained. In step S11 of FIG.
It is determined whether or not an approach to a narrow road is detected when the control program shown in the above is executed.If the vehicle has already entered a narrow road last time, this subroutine is already executed,
Since a narrow road to be displayed has been calculated, step S1 is performed.
Then, if the vehicle has entered a narrow road for the first time, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, a link route connected to the narrow road link that is running is searched for, and in subsequent step S13, it is determined whether the narrow road on which the route is being searched has reached a general road. Step S1 when you reach a general road
Go to step S4, otherwise go to step S15. In step S15, it is determined whether or not a narrow road on which a route is being searched reaches a dead end. If the dead end is reached, the process proceeds to step S16. If not, the process returns to step S12 to search for another route. In step S <b> 14, the road data of the narrow road that has reached the general road is stored in the D-RAM 22 as a narrow road to be displayed. In step S16, it is determined whether or not all narrow road routes connected to the currently running narrow road link have been searched. If the search is completed, the process proceeds to step S17. To explore.

In step S17, data of general roads is extracted from the road map data read into the D-RAM 22, and the road data and the calculated road data of the narrow road to be displayed are transferred to the CRT 18 for display. I do. FIG. 8 shows a display example immediately after entering a narrow road. The display screen 30 of the CRT 18 displays, in addition to the general road, a traveling path a of the narrow road from the general road at the point 32 to the narrow road and reaching the current position, and a general road from the current position in the traveling direction of the vehicle. Drivable routes b to i of all narrow roads leading to the road are displayed.

When the vehicle has already entered a narrow road and the narrow road to be displayed has been calculated previously, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has passed through the intersection based on the road data of the narrow road to be displayed calculated in step S18. If it is determined and passed, the process proceeds to step S19. Otherwise, the narrow road and the general road to be displayed, which were calculated last time, are displayed on the CRT 18 in FIG.
Return to the control program shown in (1). Step S19
In order to display the minimum required narrow road and make the display screen easier to view, the road data of the previously calculated narrow road to be displayed should be selected from the road data other than the driving route from the general road behind the vehicle to the current position. Delete road data for narrow roads. Then, the process proceeds to step S17, where the road map data from which unnecessary narrow road data has been deleted is stored in the D-RAM 22 as C
Transfer to RT18 for display.

FIG. 9 shows a display example when the vehicle is traveling on a narrow road. At point 32, the vehicle entered a narrow road from a general road, traveled along routes a → d → g, and reached the current position via intersections 33 and 34. Therefore, the general road behind the vehicle from the narrow road shown in FIG. The narrow roads b, c, e, and f other than the travel routes a and d from the current position to the current position are deleted, and the travelable route g of all narrow roads from the current position to the general road in the traveling direction of the vehicle is deleted. To i are displayed as they are.

As described above, when it is detected that the vehicle is traveling on a narrow road having a width of less than 5.5 m, the width of 5.5 is detected.
In addition to wide general roads of m or more, traveling routes on narrow roads from general roads to narrow roads to the current position, and all narrow roads from the current position to general roads in the direction of vehicle travel Since the available routes are displayed, the necessary road map information is provided even when the user must drive on narrow roads, and the current position and the route to the destination at the intersection can be easily confirmed, and the roads that are easy to see The occupant can be reliably guided to the destination on the map.

In the above embodiment, a road having a width of less than 5.5 m is regarded as a narrow road. However, the reference width for judging a narrow road is not limited to the above embodiment. What is necessary is just to set an optimal standard width.

Also, when traveling in a city, the standard width is set wide because the road density is high, and when traveling in the suburbs, the standard width is set narrow because the road density is low. May be changed.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, when it is detected that a vehicle is traveling on a road narrower than a predetermined width, in addition to a general road having a predetermined width or more, a narrow road is detected. From the inside, a narrow road traveling route from a general road to a narrow road and reaching the current position and a narrow road from the current position to a general road in the traveling direction of the vehicle are selected and displayed. The necessary road map information is provided even when you have to drive on narrow roads, and you can easily check the current position and the route to the destination at the intersection, and ensure the occupants to the destination with an easy-to-read road map Can be guided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram corresponding to claims.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control program executed by a CPU.

FIG. 5 shows a calculation routine for a narrow road to be displayed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example during a stop.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of display while traveling on a general road.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example immediately after entering a narrow road.

FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of display while traveling on a narrow road.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 CPU 2 System bus 3 Orientation sensor 4 Amplifier 5 A / D converter 6, 9 I / O controller 7 Vehicle speed sensor 8 Key 12 GPS receiver 13 Extended I / O 14 Receiver 15 Antenna 16 CD-ROM 17 SCSI controller 18 CRT Reference Signs List 19 graphic controller 20 V-RAM 21 ROM 22 D-RAM 23 kanji ROM 24 backup RAM 30 display screen 31 current position mark 32 point 33, 34 intersection a-i route 100 data storage means 101 travel determination means 102 data selection means 103 display Means 104 Detection means

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A data storage means for storing road map data; a travel determination means for determining whether or not a vehicle is traveling based on a vehicle speed; and when the travel determination means determines that the vehicle is traveling, Data selection means for selecting road map data of a road having a predetermined width or more (hereinafter referred to as a general road) from the road map data read from the data storage means; and road map data selected by the data selection means. And a display means for displaying a road map according to the following: a vehicle whose road is narrower than the predetermined width (hereinafter referred to as a narrow road).
A detection means for detecting that the vehicle is traveling is called), the data selecting means, when it is detected that the vehicle is traveling in front Kisema have roads, in addition to the road map data in the general road , From the road map data of the narrow road,
Enter the narrow road from the general road to reach the current location.
The narrow and traveling path of the road, the navigation apparatus characterized by selecting a road map data before Kisema have road from a currently located in the traveling direction of the vehicle leading to the general road on.