JP3480213B2 - Vehicle navigation system - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation device, and more particularly to a vehicle navigation device that receives road traffic information and displays a congested section on a road that is being displayed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a road traffic information communication system (hereinafter referred to as VICS) has started to provide information for the purpose of contributing to improvement of smoothness and safety of road traffic. VI
CS (Vehicle Information and Communication Syste)
Road traffic information provided by m) includes high-accuracy road traffic information collected by police traffic control systems, Japan Highway Public Corporation, Metropolitan Expressway Public Corporation traffic control systems, and other public institutions. Is used. The VICS Center, which receives the road traffic information via the Japan Road Traffic Information Center, performs centralized processing and editing. VICS
The basic function of the is to provide this centralized traffic information to the driver through multiple media.

Road traffic information includes traffic jams (sections / degrees), accidents (places), temporary regulations (sections / places, contents),
There are six genres: travel time (section, required time), parking lot (place, name, full), and other (attention message, etc.). As a method for providing such road traffic information, radio communication beacons and optical beacons are used as communication media, and FM multiplex broadcasting is used as broadcast media. On the other hand, on the vehicle side, like a vehicle navigation device, it receives road traffic information sent via radio beacons, optical beacons, FM multiplex broadcasts, etc., and displays it as a traffic jam section on the road being displayed. I am trying. Further, since the road traffic information transmitted from the VICS center is updated about every 5 minutes, there is an advantage that the latest congestion section can be displayed.

[0004]

However, in the conventional vehicular navigation device, the road traffic information transmitted from the VICS center is updated about every 5 minutes, so that the road displayed as a traffic jam section is displayed. It was necessary to remember the traffic conditions one by one in order to judge whether the traffic conditions were extended or solved. The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle navigation device capable of accurately determining the progress of a traffic jam situation.

[0005]

The invention according to claim 1 is
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a receiving means for receiving traffic congestion information from a service station that regularly updates and provides road traffic information, and a road around the current position are displayed, and the displayed road is included in the traffic congestion information. In the case of a traffic jam section that corresponds to a traffic jam section, a vehicle navigation device having a display unit that displays the traffic jam section, a storage unit that stores the traffic jam section that is included in the traffic jam information that is regularly received, and this time. Displays the traffic jam section of and the traffic jam information received last time
Compared with the traffic jam information received this time and it did not match
In this case, in addition to the display of the current traffic jam section, it is a gist to have a control means for controlling to display the previous traffic jam section in a distinguishable manner.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the control means draws the current traffic jam section by using a solid line, and the previous traffic jam section by a double line parallel to the solid line. , Or a solid line thicker than the solid line, a solid line different in color from the color representing the solid line, or a frame line including the solid line.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the control means automatically and sequentially displays the update progress of the congestion section from the previous time to the present time.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the traffic jam information is received from the service station that regularly updates and provides the road traffic information, and the traffic jam section included in the traffic jam information is stored. Next, in addition to displaying the current traffic congestion section and displaying the previous traffic congestion section separately from the current traffic congestion section, it is possible to accurately judge the progress of the traffic congestion situation. it can.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the current congestion section is drawn by using a solid line, while the previous congestion section is drawn by a double line parallel to the solid line or a line more than the solid line. Draw using a thick solid line, or a solid line that is different from the color that represents this solid line, or draw a frame that includes this solid line, to identify the previous traffic jam section separately from the current traffic jam section display. Since the display is made possible, it is possible to accurately judge the progress of the traffic jam situation.

[0010] Also, according to the present invention described in claim 3, prior to
By automatically and sequentially displaying the update progress of the traffic jam section from the time until this time, it is possible to accurately judge the progress of the traffic jam condition.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a vehicle navigation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, GPS (Global Positioni
ng System) receiver 5 is a receiver for measuring the current position and azimuth represented by latitude and longitude based on the radio waves from the satellite received via antenna 3, and GPS receiver 5 The measured current position data is the system control unit 7
Given to.

The system control unit 7 has a timer for measuring time intervals, and controls the entire apparatus according to a predetermined control program stored in the ROM in the memory unit 9. The ROM also stores an execution program corresponding to the navigation function, control data, and the like. Further, the memory unit 9 stores link traffic congestion information, which is included in traffic congestion information received by the VICS receiver 25 described later, for several generations from the current information to the past information. The vehicle speed sensor 11 detects the traveling speed of the vehicle by generating a pulse signal corresponding to the rotation speed of the mission with a rotary encoder provided in the mission. The azimuth sensor 13 incorporates a geomagnetic sensor or a gyroscope to detect the azimuth angle.

The CD-ROM drive unit 15 is a CD-RO.
It has a drive mechanism that drives M, and the latitude and longitude recorded in the CD-ROM or a format corresponding to it (hereinafter,
It is a device that drives and reads map data that represents a position using map coordinates). The map data recorded in the CD-ROM drive unit 15 is sent to the system control unit 7 using a transmission method such as serial communication or parallel communication. The display control unit 17 exchanges image data between the system control unit 7 and the VRAM unit 19, draws the image data, stores the image data in the VRAM unit 19, and stores the image data in the VRAM unit 19.
The image data stored in the RAM unit 19 is read at the display rate and displayed on the display unit 21. VRAM (Video Rand
The om access memory) unit 19 expands and stores map data and traffic jam data that can be displayed on the display unit 21. The display unit 21 has a liquid crystal display panel or the like, and displays the display data created by the display control unit 17.

The screen touch panel unit 23 is a touch panel arranged on the screen of the display unit 21, and is a device for inputting position data in the case of contact in association with the position on the screen. The screen touch panel unit 23 inputs the touch of the fingertip of the operator as position data using a well-known electronic system, electrostatic system, optical system, or the like. In addition, by displaying the operation guide information on the display unit 21 and touching a desired portion on the screen touch panel unit 23, for example, departure point data and destination data necessary for route search are input.

The VICS receiver 25 receives FM radio waves via the antenna 27a, demodulates them into character information frames, and outputs road traffic information. In addition, the VICS receiver 25
Receives a radio wave beacon via the antenna 27b, demodulates and outputs road traffic information. Further, the VICS receiver 25 mutually communicates road traffic information using an optical beacon via the optical sensor 27c. Note that when FM radio waves are received, the transmission speed is regulated to 6.8 kbit / s, so the road traffic information is updated about every 5 minutes, and VIC is updated.
It is temporarily stored in the internal RAM in the S receiver 25. Also,
In the present embodiment, the link traffic jam information included in the traffic jam information of level 3 among the road traffic information output from the VICS receiver 25 is used.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, the operation of the vehicular navigation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the timing chart shown in FIG. Note that the system control unit 7 has a predetermined period (for example, 10 m) according to the following control program stored in the memory unit 9.
It is repeatedly executed every s). In advance, the system control unit 7 reads the menu screen data for setting the destination from the memory unit 9, stores it in the VRAM unit 19 via the display control unit 17, and stores it in the VRAM unit via the display control unit 17.
It is assumed that the menu screen data is read from the RAM unit 19 at the display rate and is displayed on the display unit 21. In addition,
The display unit 21 displays touch switch images such as a destination setting switch, a guide information switch, and a navigation mode switch as a menu screen.

First, in step S10, when the operator touches the destination setting switch displayed on the screen with the fingertip from the screen touch panel section 23, the position data is sent to the system control section 7 via the screen touch panel section 23. Is entered. The system control unit 7 determines that this position data is within the range of the destination setting switch, reads out the destination setting operation screen data for setting the destination from the memory unit 9, and displays the display control unit 17 The destination setting operation screen data is read from the VRAM unit 19 via the display control unit 17 at the display rate and displayed on the display unit 21. As described above, the destination data is input to the system control unit 7 while sequentially operating the pop-up menu. Note that the selection method using the pop-up menu is not directly related to the present invention, so description thereof will be omitted. In step S20, first,
The current position data detected by the GPS receiver 5 is loaded into the system controller 7. Next, the destination data designated by the operator via the screen touch panel unit 23 and the GPS
Corresponding to the current position data detected by the receiver 5, a node or road link recorded in the CD-ROM is searched based on the well-known Dijkstra method or the like to create route data of a recommended traveling route.

In step S30, the system controller 7
Causes the VRAM unit 19 to develop and store route data via the display control unit 17. Next, the map data corresponding to the wide area map capable of displaying all the created routes to the destination is sent to the CD-ROM via the CD-ROM drive unit 15.
Read from the VRAM unit 19 via the display control unit 17.
Expand wide area map data to. Next, the system control unit 7
Displays the recommended route on the display unit 21 by superimposing the route data on the map data stored in the VRAM unit 19 via the display control unit 17 and reading the route data at the display rate.

Next, in step S40, it is determined whether or not the navigation mode switch, which is previously displayed as a pop-up menu, is operated to input the position data into the system control unit 7 via the screen touch panel unit 23. If the navigation mode switch is operated, the process proceeds to step S50, while if the switch is not operated, the process returns to step S10. Next, in step S50, the current position data detected by the GPS receiver 5 is loaded into the system controller 7.

Next, in step S60, the system control section 7 reads out map data corresponding to the narrow area map around the current position from the CD-ROM via the CD-ROM drive unit 15, and via the display control section 17. Then, the wide area map data is expanded in the VRAM unit 19. Next, the route data and the vehicle mark M are superimposed on the map data stored in the VRAM unit 19 via the display control unit 17 and read at the display rate, and the recommended route R and the vehicle mark M are displayed on the display unit 21. Let Thus, the narrow area map around the current position shown in FIG. 3A is displayed on the display unit 21. At this point in time, the traffic congestion sections (a) and (b) shown in FIG. 3 (a) are not displayed.

Next, in step S70, it is determined whether or not the mode switch previously displayed as the pop-up menu has been operated and the position data has been input to the system control unit 7 via the screen touch panel unit 23 to switch to another mode. To judge. If the mode has been switched, the process is terminated, while if the mode has not been switched, the process returns to step S50.

Here, it is assumed that an interrupt signal indicating that the congestion information has been updated is input from the VICS receiver 25 to the system control unit 7. The system control unit 7
The interrupt processing routine shown in FIG. 2 is activated in response to this interrupt signal. First, in step S110, the system control unit 7 reads the latest link congestion information temporarily stored in the VICS receiver 25 and sequentially stores it in the memory unit 9 in association with the link number. At this time, the link congestion information is stored in the memory unit 9 for several generations from the current information to the past information. Further, the memory unit 9 stores four stages of link traffic congestion information such as "traffic jam", "congestion", "busy", and "information cannot be obtained" in association with each link number.

Next, in step S120, the system control unit 7 stores the link number of the road currently displayed on the display unit 21 in the memory unit 9. Next, if "congestion", "congestion", "busy", or "no information" is obtained as the current link congestion information corresponding to these link numbers, it is displayed for the link. Control unit 1
Solid lines of red, orange, green, and transparent are drawn on the VRAM unit 19 via 7, respectively. Next, the display control unit 1
The screen data is read out from the VRAM unit 19 at the display rate via the display unit 7 and displayed on the display unit 21. Thus, FIG.
On the narrow area map around the current position shown in (a), a solid line (a) colored in red, orange, green, transparent or the like is displayed on the display unit 21 in sequence.

Next, in step S130, the system control unit 7 reads the link congestion information corresponding to each link number stored in the memory unit 9 and compares the information received last time with the information received this time. If they do not match each other, the mismatch flag is added to the link number and stored in the memory unit 9. Next, in step S140, the system control unit 7 determines whether or not a mismatch flag is added and stored in the memory unit 9 corresponding to the link number of each road currently displayed. When the mismatch flag is added, the process proceeds to step S150, while when the mismatch flag is not added, the process ends.

In step S150, since the mismatch flag is added, display is performed for the link having the information indicating "congestion" among the previous link congestion information stored with the mismatch flag in the memory unit 9. Control unit 1
A broken line is drawn on the VRAM unit 19 via 7. Next, the screen data is read from the VRAM unit 19 via the display control unit 17 at the display rate and displayed on the display unit 21. In this way, the broken lines (d) and (f) representing the previous traffic jam section are displayed on the display unit 21 on the narrow area map around the current position shown in FIGS. 3 (b) and 3 (c).

As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 3B, a red solid line (c) representing "congestion" as the current congestion section and a broken line representing the previous congestion section on the narrow area map around the current position. Since (d) is displayed on the display unit 21 in an identifiable manner, it is possible to easily and accurately determine that the congestion is currently being extended. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3C, for example, a red solid line (e) representing “congestion” as the current congestion section and a broken line (f) representing the previous congestion section are displayed on the narrow area map around the current position. Since the information is displayed on the display unit 21 in a distinguishable manner, it is possible to easily and accurately determine that the congestion is currently being resolved.

In the above embodiment, the case where the previous traffic jam section is displayed by using the broken line has been described, but the present invention is not limited to such a broken line display, and the past traffic jam section can be displayed, for example. A double line parallel to the current solid line part, a solid line thicker than the current solid line part, or a solid line different in color from the color representing the current solid line part, or a frame line including the current solid line part Even when it is drawn by using it, it is possible to accurately judge the progress of the traffic jam condition.

The update progress of the congestion section from the past to the present time stored in the memory unit 9 is sequentially read and drawn in the VRAM unit 19 via the display control unit 17, so that the update progress is automatically performed. It is possible to switch to, and display on the display unit 21. As a result, it is possible to accurately judge the progress of the traffic jam condition from the past to this time.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system configuration of a vehicle navigation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the vehicle navigation device according to the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a narrow area map around the current position, showing a current congestion section (a), a current and previous congestion section (b), and a current and previous congestion section (c). ).

[Explanation of symbols] 7 System control unit 9 memory 17 Display control unit 19 VRAM section 21 Display 25 VICS receiver

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A receiving unit for receiving traffic congestion information from a service station that regularly updates and provides road traffic information, and a road around the current position is displayed, and the displayed road is included in the traffic congestion information. In the case of a section, a vehicle navigation device having a display unit that displays the congestion section, a storage unit that stores the congestion section included in the congestion information that is regularly received, and a current congestion While displaying the section, the astringency received last time
Compare the traffic jam information with the traffic jam information received this time and find no match.
If it is, the vehicle navigation device is characterized by having control means for controlling to display the previous traffic jam section in a distinguishable manner in addition to the current traffic congestion section display. 2. The control means draws the current traffic jam section using a solid line, while the previous traffic jam section is a double line parallel to the solid line, a solid line thicker than the solid line, or The vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the drawing is performed by using a solid line of a color different from the color representing the solid line or a frame line including the solid line. 3. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the control means sequentially and automatically displays the update progress of the congestion section from the last time to the current time.