JP3557902B2 - Vehicle traveling guidance apparatus and method, and medium recording program - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a travel guidance device for a vehicle, and more particularly to a travel guidance device that notifies a driver of a direction of a branch destination where the vehicle should travel at a branch point on a road.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, a system has been proposed in which, when a vehicle is guided to a destination by a navigation device or the like, a lane in which the vehicle should travel at a junction is displayed and guided. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-154200 discloses a technique for displaying a road shape at a branch point and highlighting a lane on which the own vehicle should travel.
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, the guidance at the branch point is smoothly performed by displaying the direction of the branch destination where the vehicle should travel at the branch point, but a plurality of lanes exist between the own vehicle position and the branch point. In this case, it is preferable to indicate a lane that allows the vehicle to smoothly transition to the branch destination road. However, when all the road data between the own vehicle position and the branch point is displayed, the amount of visibility of the driver increases, and the notification becomes difficult for the driver to understand. Specifically, for example, when the vehicle is located at a point 1-2 km before the branch point, and there is a junction or a decrease in the number of lanes during this time, all the lane data up to the branch point 1-2 km is displayed. Doing so is not desirable because it places a burden on the driver.
[0003]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the related art, and has an object to solve the problem when there is a junction or a decrease in the number of lanes between the vehicle position (a point for guiding a junction) and the junction. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle travel guidance apparatus and method, and a recording medium on which a program is recorded, which can surely notify the driver of the presence of the vehicle with a small amount of information and enable smooth travel at a branch point.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention relates to a traveling guidance device for a vehicle that recognizes a branch destination at which a vehicle should travel at a branch point to be route-guided and displays the recognition result, wherein a change in the number of lanes between the vehicle position and the branch point is provided. Detecting means for detecting the change in the number of lanes, and combining the lane number data at the own vehicle position with the lane number data immediately before the branch point and displaying the lane number image on the screen as a branch diagram image when the change in the number of lanes is not detected, Display control means for synthesizing the lane number data immediately after the lane number change point and the lane number data immediately before the branch point and displaying the same as a branch diagram image on a screen when a change is detected. It is characterized by having.
[0005]
Also, The present invention relates to a vehicular travel guidance device that displays an arrow indicating the direction of a branch destination at which a vehicle should travel at a branch point to be route-guided, comprising: an approach road to the branch point; and route guidance from the branch point. Determining means for determining whether or not the exit road to be connected to each other as the same lane; and a guide route that is equal to the number of lanes connected as the same lane when connected as the same lane. Display control means for displaying an arrow on a corresponding lane of the screen, and displaying one arrow indicating a route to be guided when the vehicle is not connected as the same lane on the relevant lane of the screen. It is characterized by having.
[0006]
Also, Book The invention is What is claimed is: 1. A traveling guidance device for a vehicle, which displays an arrow indicating a direction of a branch destination where a vehicle should travel at a branch point to be route-guided, comprising: an approach road to the branch point; and an exit road to be route-guided from the branch point. And determination means for determining whether or not are connected as the same lane with each other, and, when connected as the same lane, equal to the number of lanes connected as the same lane, an arrow indicating a route to be guided, Display control means for displaying on the corresponding lane of the screen, one arrow indicating a route to be guided when the vehicle is not connected as the same lane, and displaying the arrow on the relevant lane of the screen; It is characterized by having.
[0007]
Also, Book The invention is A navigation guidance method for a vehicle in a navigation system for recognizing a branch destination where the vehicle should travel at a branch point to be route-guided and displaying the recognition result, wherein the arithmetic unit of the navigation system stores map information in a map data storage unit. Based on the stored map data, a change in the number of lanes due to the presence of a merging point or the like between the vehicle position and the branch point is detected, and the arithmetic unit of the navigation system performs the map processing when the change in the number of lanes is not detected. The lane number data of the own vehicle position in the data and the lane number data immediately before the branch point in the map data are combined to create a branch diagram image, and the lane number in the map data when the change in the lane number is detected. A lane diagram image is created by combining the lane number data immediately after the change point and the lane number data immediately before the branch point in the map data. Calculation of the navigation system displays the branch view image created on a display It is characterized by the following.
[0008]
Also, Book The invention is A navigation guidance method for a vehicle in a navigation system for displaying an arrow indicating a direction of a branch destination where the vehicle should travel at a branch point to be route-guided, wherein the arithmetic unit of the navigation system includes a map stored in a map data storage unit. Based on the data, it is determined whether the approach road to the junction and the exit road to be route-guided from the junction are connected to each other as the same lane, and the arithmetic unit of the navigation system determines An arrow indicating the route to be guided, which is equal to the number of lanes connected as the same lane when connected as a lane, is displayed on the corresponding lane on the branch diagram showing the branch point displayed on the display. One arrow indicating a route to be guided when the vehicle is not connected as the same lane is displayed on the corresponding lane on the branch diagram. It is characterized by the following.
[0009]
Also, Book The invention is A computer-readable recording medium storing a control program in a navigation system for recognizing a branch destination to which the vehicle should travel at a branch point to be route-guided and displaying the recognition result, wherein the control program comprises: The CPU of the system accesses the map data stored in the map data storage means to detect a change in the number of lanes due to the presence of a junction between the own vehicle position and the branch point. When the change in the number of lanes is not detected, the lane number data of the own vehicle position in the map data and the lane number data immediately before the branch point in the map data are combined to create a branch diagram image, and When a change in the number of lanes is detected, the lane number data The map data and the lane number data immediately before the branch point in the map data to create a branch diagram image, and for the CPU of the navigation system, supply the created branch diagram image to a display for display. Execute each process It is characterized by the following.
[0010]
Also, Book The invention is A computer-readable recording medium storing a control program in a navigation system for recognizing a branch destination to which the vehicle should travel at a branch point to be route-guided and displaying the recognition result, wherein the control program comprises: The CPU of the system accesses the map data stored in the map data storage means, and the approach road to the junction and the exit road to be route-guided from the junction are connected as the same lane. The CPU of the navigation system displays an arrow on the display indicating the route to be guided, which is equal to the number of lanes connected as the same lane when connected as the same lane to the CPU of the navigation system. Displayed on the corresponding lane on the branch diagram showing the designated branch point, and One arrow indicating the route that guides when not connected, are displayed in the appropriate above the lane of drawing the branch to execute each processing It is characterized by the following.
[0023]
In each of the above-mentioned inventions, the "branch point" includes an intersection.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0024]
<First embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the present embodiment. The own vehicle position identification unit 1 detects the current position of the own vehicle based on detection signals from a GPS, a vehicle speed sensor, and a direction sensor. Specifically, the vehicle position is detected by correcting the estimated position of the vehicle obtained by the vehicle speed sensor and the direction sensor based on a signal from the GPS. An arithmetic unit 3 including a microcomputer is connected to the vehicle position specifying unit 1, and the detected vehicle position is supplied to the arithmetic unit 3.
[0025]
The medium 2 is composed of a CD-ROM, a DVD, or the like, in which map data and control programs used for navigation are recorded, and these are installed in the memory of the arithmetic unit 3. Then, the map data is stored in the map data reading unit 3b, and the control program is sequentially executed by the CPU of the arithmetic unit 3. Execution contents of the control program will be described later.
[0026]
The arithmetic unit 3 includes, in addition to the map data reading unit 3b described above, a guide point specifying unit 3a that specifies a branch point that is a guide point, a branch diagram creating unit 3c that creates a branch diagram including lane number data immediately before the branch point, and It has a guidance voice creation unit 3d that guides the traveling direction at the branch point by voice.
[0027]
A display 4 composed of a liquid crystal or a CRT is connected to the arithmetic unit 3, and the branch diagram created by the branch diagram creating unit 3c of the arithmetic unit 3 is displayed. In addition, a speaker 5 is also connected to the arithmetic unit 3, and the guidance voice created by the guidance voice creation unit 3d is output.
[0028]
In such a configuration, the branch diagram creating unit 3c accesses the map data read by the map data reading unit 3b to fetch the lane number data at a desired point and creates a branch diagram. It functions as lane recognition means, display control means, and detection means.
[0029]
FIG. 2 shows a processing flowchart of the calculation unit 3. Note that this process is a process when the own vehicle runs on a highway. First, the guide point specifying unit 3a specifies a guidance-necessary branch point in front of the route (S101). In this specification, as described above, a branch point 1-2 km from the own vehicle position is specified. After specifying the guidance required junction, it is determined whether or not the guidance junction is on an expressway (S102). If the guidance junction is on a highway, the branch diagram creation unit 3c reads the map data of the guidance junction and creates a branch diagram (S103). The creation of this branch diagram will be described later. After creating the branch diagram, the guidance voice at the guidance branch point is acquired (S104). The guidance voice is, for example, "the next branch point is to the right." The guidance voice generation unit 3d reads out a desired phrase from a memory in which a predetermined phrase is stored in advance and synthesizes it. Next, it is determined whether the vehicle has reached a point A (for example, 1 to 2) km before the guidance junction (S105). This determination is made by calculating the distance between the host vehicle position detected by the host vehicle position specifying unit 1 and the branch point position specified by the guide point specifying unit 3a. When the vehicle reaches Akm before the guidance junction, the branch diagram created in S103 and the guidance voice acquired in S104 are output to the display 4 and the speaker 5 to provide route guidance (S106). Regarding the output of the branch diagram and the guidance voice, it is preferable to first display the branch diagram on the display 4 immediately after outputting the guidance voice related to the branch point. Of course, both can be output simultaneously.
[0030]
FIG. 3 shows the process of S103 in FIG. 2, that is, the process of creating a branch diagram. First, the branch diagram creating unit 3c determines whether or not there is a junction or a decrease in the number of lanes before Akm before the branch point, that is, between the vehicle position where guidance regarding the branch point is performed and the branch point (S201). This determination is performed by reading map data from Akm before the branch point which is the vehicle position to the branch point from the map data reading unit 3b, and detecting a change in the number of lanes and a connection state of another road. When the number of lanes decreases, or when another road is connected and the number of lanes increases, the branch map creating unit 3c reads the lane data immediately before the branch point from the map data (S202). The lane data specifically means the number of lanes immediately before the branch point. Then, the lane data immediately after the junction or the lane decrease point is also read from the map data (S203). After reading the lane data immediately before the branch point and the lane data immediately after the merging point or the lane decrease point, the branch diagram creation unit 3c creates a branch diagram using these data (S206). This branch diagram is a branch diagram immediately before a junction and immediately after a junction or a lane reduction point, and there is no lane data between them. That is, it is a combined branch diagram just before the branch point and only at the junction or lane reduction point.
[0031]
On the other hand, if there is no junction or lane decrease point between Akm before the branch point and the branch point, the branch diagram creating unit 3c reads the lane data immediately before the branch point from the map data as in S202 (S204). ), And reads lane data Akm before the branch point which is the vehicle position from the map data (S205). Then, the branch diagram creation unit 3c creates a branch diagram based on the lane data immediately before the branch point and the lane data Akm before the branch point (S206). This branch diagram is also a combined branch diagram that does not include lane data immediately before the branch point and before Akm before the branch point, and includes only lane data immediately before the branch point and lane data before Akm before the branch point.
[0032]
4 to 6 show examples of branch diagrams actually created by the above-described branch diagram creation processing. In each figure, (a) is a plan view of map data including lane data, and (b) is a branch diagram created based on this map data. FIG. 4 shows an example in which there is no confluence point or lane decrease point between Akm, which is the own vehicle position, and a fork point. The number of lanes is two at the own vehicle position, and three lanes are immediately before the fork point. At the branch point, the road branches into a one-lane road and a two-lane road. In this case, the branch diagram creation unit 3c takes in the lane data immediately before the branch point, that is, the number of lanes 3, and also takes in the lane number 2, which is the lane data Akm before the branch point that is the own vehicle position, to create a branch diagram. I do. In the branch diagram shown in (b), the P area indicates the lane number data immediately before the branch point Akm, and the Q area indicates the lane number data immediately before the branch point. As described above, the branch diagram displayed on the display 4 is an image obtained by combining the lane number data at the own vehicle position Akm before the guidance junction and the lane number data immediately before the junction. The driver who visually recognizes such a bifurcation diagram has two lanes at the own vehicle position, and the P area in the bifurcation diagram displayed on the display 4 also has two lanes. It can be easily recognized that there is no reduction point.
[0033]
FIG. 5 shows an example in which there is a junction where the number of lanes increases from the position of the host vehicle Akm before the junction to the junction. In this case, the branch diagram creation unit 3c captures the lane data immediately before the branch diagram, and captures the lane data immediately after the junction to create the branch diagram. The number of lanes immediately after the junction is 3, and the number of lanes immediately before the junction is also 3. Therefore, the created branch diagram is as shown in (b), and the region P indicating the number of lanes immediately after the junction and the region Q indicating the data of the number of lanes immediately before the junction are continuously connected. When such a branch diagram is displayed on the display 4, the driver has three lanes in the P region of the branch diagram even though the number of lanes is two at the own vehicle position. It is easy to recognize that there is a junction where the number of lanes increases by one lane between the position and the fork. In addition, a total of three lanes are present at the fork and one lane road and two lane roads Branching can also be easily understood.
[0034]
FIG. 6 shows an example in which a lane reduction point exists between Akm before the junction and the junction. In this case, the branch diagram creation unit 3c captures the lane data immediately before the junction and immediately after the lane reduction point. The lane data is taken in and a branch diagram is created. Since the lane data immediately after the lane reduction point has two lanes and the lane number data immediately before the branch point is also two, the branch diagram created is a diagram in which two lanes are continuously connected. (B) shows a branch diagram in this case. When such a bifurcation diagram is displayed on the display 4, the driver displays only two lanes in the area P of the bifurcation diagram even though the number of lanes is 3 Akm before the bifurcation point which is the vehicle position. Since it is not performed, it is possible to easily recognize that there is a lane reduction point that decreases from three lanes to two lanes between the own vehicle position and the branch point. In addition, it is possible to recognize at the same time that the vehicle has two lanes at the branch point, and that the vehicle branches into a one-lane road.
[0035]
In this manner, when there is no junction or lane reduction point between the own vehicle position and the branch point, the lane number data at the own vehicle position and the lane number data immediately before the branch point are combined and displayed. When there is a junction or a lane reduction point between the vehicle position and the junction, the driver displays the lane number data immediately after the junction or the lane reduction point and the lane number data immediately before the junction by displaying the combined data. By comparing the displayed branch diagram with the number of lanes at the own vehicle position, it is possible to easily know the presence of a merging point or a lane decreasing point. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6B, by displaying not only the lane number data of the branch point but also the enlarged view of the branch point itself, the state of the branch at the branch point (particularly, the number of lanes). Change) can be easily recognized, and traveling at the branch point can be made smooth.
[0036]
The bifurcation diagram may be synthesized and created based on the lane number data as described above. Alternatively, the bifurcation diagram image is stored in the medium 2 in advance, read into the map data reading unit 3b, and the vehicle is positioned at a desired position. When it has reached, the image data can be read out and displayed on the display 4. That is, the lane number data immediately before the road branch point and the lane number data at the own vehicle position are recorded on the medium 2 as one composite image data, and the lane number data immediately before the road branch point, the own vehicle position, and the It is also possible to record on the medium 2 the lane number data immediately after the lane number change point between points as one composite image data.
[0037]
After the branch diagram is created as described above, an arrow indicating the traveling direction of the own vehicle at the branch point is superimposed on the branch diagram.
[0038]
FIG. 7 shows a flow chart for determining the traveling direction arrow. First, the branch diagram creation unit 3c acquires lane connection data from the map data reading unit 3b (S301). The lane connection data is composed of the connection data immediately before the branch point and the connection data before Akm which is the own vehicle position, and FIG. 8 shows an example thereof. In FIG. 8, (a) is the connection data immediately before the branch point, and corresponds to the road data shown in FIG. 4 (a). That is, the lane number defines each lane immediately before the branch point as a, b, and c in order from the left in the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and the road type indicates which road the lane reaches after the branch point. Show. As shown in FIG. 4A, the lane number a connects to the road 1, and the lane numbers b and c connect to the road 2. The connection data is defined as 1, 2, and 3 in order from the left lane. FIG. 8B shows connection data before the branch point Akm, which is the own vehicle position. The lanes at the own vehicle position are defined as a 'and b' in order from the left, and the road type is the lane. Indicates an existing road. As shown in FIG. 4A, both the lane numbers a ′ and b ′ belong to the road 3. The connection data is data indicating the connection state of the lane immediately before the branch. That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, the three lanes immediately before branching are divided into one lane and two lanes, and lanes b and a 'and c and b' are directly connected without changing lanes. Is shown.
[0039]
When the lane connection data is acquired in this manner, the branch diagram creating unit 3c specifies the traveling direction at the branch point of the vehicle (S302). This specification is determined from the guidance route data of the vehicle calculated by the guide point specification unit 3a, and specifically, the vehicle enters the road 2 from the road 3 in FIG.
[0040]
After specifying the traveling direction, the branch diagram creating unit 3c determines the number of arrows and the arrow arrangement to be displayed on the branch diagram (S303). FIGS. 9 and 10 show flowcharts for determining the number of displayed arrows and the arrangement of the arrows in S303. First, it is determined whether or not there is the same connection data between the entry road and the exit road (S401). In the case of FIG. 4 (a), since the road 2 which is the entrance road and the road 2 which is the exit road have the same connection data as the road 2 and the road 3, it is determined as YES, and the connection data has the same number of combinations. Is the number of arrows N (S402). In the case of FIG. 4A, the connection data 2 and the connection data 3 are two in total, and the number of arrows is two. Then, after the number of arrows is determined, an arrow connecting the entry road lane and the exit road lane with the same connection data is arranged (S403).
[0041]
FIG. 11 shows a state in which arrows are arranged on the lanes a ′ and b ′ of the road 3 which is the approach road and the lanes b and c of the road 2 which is the exit road. It is preferable that the direction of the arrow coincides with the traveling direction of the vehicle. In FIG. 11, the direction of the arrow is directed toward the road 2 which is the traveling direction at the branch point.
[0042]
On the other hand, when there is no identical connection data between the approach road and the exit road, the number of arrows is set to one (S404). Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the minimum value of the connection data of the exit road is compared with the maximum value of the connection data of the entry road (S405), and the minimum value of the connection data of the exit road is larger than the connection data of the entry road. If the maximum value is smaller than the maximum value of the connection data of the entry road, an arrow is arranged starting from the lane having the minimum value of the connection data of the entering road and ending with the lane having the maximum value of the connection data of the exit road (S406). If the minimum value of the connection data of the exit road is larger than the maximum value of the connection data of the entry road, the lane having the maximum value of the connection data of the entry road is set as the starting point, and the minimum value of the connection data of the exit road is used. An arrow having a lane having a value as an end point is arranged (S407). Specifically, a case where the own vehicle enters the road 1 from the road 3 in FIG. In this case, the connection data of the road 3 is compared with the connection data of the road 1, and it is detected that the same connection data does not exist. Thereby, it is determined that the number of displayed arrows is one. Furthermore, since the minimum value of the connection data of the road 1 which is the exit road is 1, which is smaller than 3 which is the maximum value of the connection data of the road 3 which is the entry road, the leftmost lane of the lanes of the entry road is the starting point. Then, the rightmost lane of the exit road lanes is set as the end point, and an arrow is arranged across the two lanes.
[0043]
FIG. 12 shows the arrows arranged in this manner, and the direction of the arrows is toward the road 1, which is the traveling direction of the vehicle.
[0044]
As described above, in the present embodiment, since a branch diagram is created and displayed as a composite image of two points, there are points where traffic flows such as merging from other roads or decreasing lanes before reaching the branch point. This makes it easy for the driver to recognize this fact, and easily informs the driver who wants to change lanes toward the route to be taken at the junction whether or not it is necessary to pay attention to the concentration of traffic flow. Specifically, for example, when traveling from road 3 to road 1 in the situations shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in the branch diagram shown in FIG. 4B, the number of lanes in the P region and the lanes at the own vehicle position Since the numbers match, it can be seen that the lane is simply changed to the left when the number of lanes increases to the left as shown in the branch diagram. In addition, in the branch diagram shown in FIG. 5B, since the number of lanes in the P region does not match the number of lanes at the own vehicle position, it is necessary to change lanes while paying attention to traffic flow when the number of lanes increases. I understand. In the present embodiment, the direction in which the vehicle should travel is indicated by an arrow, so that it is easy to know in which lane the vehicle should be in order to travel smoothly at the junction.
[0045]
Note that all of the above-described processing is realized by installing the control program stored in the medium 2 into the memory of the arithmetic unit 3 and sequentially executing the CPU by the CPU of the arithmetic unit 3. Of course, instead of supplying the control program from the medium 2, the above-described processing can be realized by storing the control program in the ROM of the arithmetic unit 3 in advance and executing the program.
[0046]
<Second embodiment>
In the present embodiment, when the direction in which the vehicle should travel is indicated by an arrow, the presence or absence of the next branch point after passing through the branch point is checked. An example is shown in which an arrow is displayed only on a lane that can enter the junction with the least number of lane changes.
[0047]
FIG. 13 shows a road connection state in the present embodiment. The road has a branch point 100 that divides the road A into the road B and the road C, and a branch point 200 that divides the road B into the road E and the road D after the branch point 100. When the traveling direction of the own vehicle is from the road A to the road B and further to the road E, in order to enter the road E after entering the road B at the junction 100, the road A facing the road E in the road A (see FIG. In this case, it is desirable to travel on the road A, which is the second lane from the top (second from the left in the traveling direction). Therefore, in the present embodiment, when displaying the traveling direction of the own vehicle, an arrow is displayed only on the lane (the second road from the top (from the left) from which the vehicle can enter the road E with the least lane change). It guides the driver.
[0048]
FIG. 14 shows an example of the arrow display according to the present embodiment. FIG. 14 (A) shows the vehicle
Road A → Road B → Road D
It is an example of an arrow display when traveling. Since the vehicle does not travel on the road E, an arrow is displayed on two lanes that can enter the road D as in the first embodiment. On the other hand, FIG.
Road A → Road B → Road E
It is an example of an arrow display when traveling. In order to enter the direction of the road E at the branch point 200 following the branch point 100, the arrow is displayed only on the lane which can enter the road E with less lane change among the two lanes of the road A which can enter the road B. By displaying such an arrow, the driver can smoothly travel not only at the branch point 100 but also at the next branch point 200.
[0049]
Hereinafter, specific processing contents for performing such an arrow display will be described. Note that the configuration of the present embodiment is the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and a description thereof will be omitted.
[0050]
FIG. 15 shows a processing flowchart of the calculation unit 3. First, a guidance required branch point on the route is specified (S501). In the example of FIG. 13, the branch point 100 corresponds to the guidance required branch point. Then, it is determined whether the specified guidance junction is on the expressway (S502). If the guidance junction is on a highway, it is next determined whether or not another junction exists within a predetermined distance Bkm behind the guidance junction (S503). This determination is, of course, made by referring to the map data. If there is no branch point within a predetermined distance behind the guide branch point, a branch diagram is created by the same processing as in the first embodiment (S505).
[0051]
On the other hand, if there is a further fork behind the guidance fork, for example, if there is a fork 200 behind the fork 100 as shown in FIG. It is created (S504). The branch diagram creation processing in S504 is one of the features of the present embodiment, and details thereof will be described later. After the branch diagram is created, a guidance voice is acquired (S506), and after the vehicle reaches a predetermined distance Akm before the guidance branch point (branch point 100 in FIG. 13), the created branch diagram is displayed and the guidance voice is displayed. Is output (S507).
[0052]
FIG. 16 shows a detailed flowchart of the process of S504. In creating a bifurcation diagram, the traveling direction arrow of the own vehicle must be determined. Therefore, first, the lane connection data is acquired (S601). Specifically, the lane connection data is the connection data immediately before the branch point 100, the connection data before Akm of the branch point 100, and the connection data immediately before the next branch point 200.
[0053]
FIG. 17 shows an example of the connection data to be obtained, which is the road connection data shown in FIG. FIG. 17A shows the connection data immediately before the branch point 100, and the lane numbers are a, d, c, and d in the lane immediately before the branch point 100 in order from the left in the traveling direction of the own vehicle (for four lanes). It is defined as The road type indicates a road that arrives after passing through the branch point 100. For example, it indicates that the vehicle arrives at the road B after passing through the lane number a and reaches the road C after passing through the lane number c. The connection data is numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4 in order from the left lane.
[0054]
FIG. 17B shows connection data at Akm of the branch point 100, that is, at a point where an arrow is displayed. Since there are four lanes, the lane numbers are a ', b', C ', and d' from the left. Since all the roads are connected to road A, the road type is road A. The connection data is the connection relationship with the lane immediately before the junction 100. The lane number a 'is 1, the lane number b' is 2, the lane number c 'is 3, and the lane number d' is 4.
[0055]
FIG. 17C shows connection data immediately before the branch point 200. Since there are three lanes, the lane numbers are defined as a ″, b ″, and c ″ in order from the left. Since the number a ″ is connected to the road D, the road type is road D. Similarly, the road type of the lane number b ″ is road D, and the lane number c ″ is connected to the road E after passing the junction 200. Road E. The connection data indicates the connection relationship with the lane immediately before the junction 100. The lane number a ″ is 1, the lane number b ″ is 2, and the lane number c ″ is a branch road derived from the connection data 2. Therefore, it is set to 2.5.
[0056]
By obtaining these connection data, the following can be determined.
[0057]
(1) Just before the branch point 100, the vehicle branches in four lanes every two lanes.
(2) There are four lanes before Akm before junction 100, and each lane is connected to four lanes without lane increase or lane decrease immediately before junction 100.
(3) Three lanes immediately before the branch point 200, branching into two left lanes and one right lane.
(4) The left two lanes a ″ and b ″ immediately before the junction 200 are connected to the lanes a and b immediately before the junction 100, respectively, and the right lane c ″ is the lane that has increased to the right after passing the junction 100. is there
Then, when such connection data is acquired, the traveling directions at the branch points 100 and 200 are specified next (S602). In the example of FIG. 13, the branch point 100 is a branch in the direction of the road B, and the branch point 200 is a branch in the direction of the road E. After the traveling direction at each branch point is determined, the number and arrangement of the arrows to be displayed are determined so as to match the traveling direction (S603).
[0058]
FIGS. 18, 19, and 20 show the determination processing of the number of arrows and the arrangement in S603. In the following, the branch point 100 is referred to as a first branch, and the branch point 200 is referred to as a second branch. First, in FIG. 18, it is determined whether or not there is the same connection data between the entry road and the exit road of the first branch (S701). For example, when the own vehicle enters road B from road A in FIG. 13, YES is determined because the two left lanes are the same. If the same road exists, the same road X and the exit road of the first branch are set as data X (S702). Specifically, lane numbers a and a '(connection data 1) and b and b' (connection data 2) are data X. Then, it is determined whether or not there is the same connection data between the approach road and the exit road of the second branch (S703). For example, when the own vehicle enters the road D from the road B in FIG. 13, YES is determined because all the lanes are the same. On the other hand, when the own vehicle enters the road E from the road B, NO is determined because there is no identical vehicle.
[0059]
If YES in S703, that is, if the same road exists, the same road connection data and the exit road of the second branch are set as data Y (S704). Specifically, lane numbers a and a ″ (connection data 1) and b and b ″ (connection data 2) are data Y. Then, the data X and the data Y are compared, and the number of combinations having the same connection data is set as the number of arrows N1 (S705). When the vehicle enters road D from road B, connection data 1 and 2 are included in data X, and connection data 1 and 2 are also included in data Y. Therefore, the number of combinations having the same connection data is 2, and the number of arrows N1 = 2. Finally, an arrow is displayed for a lane having the same connection data in data X and data Y, and this is repeated N1 times (S706). As a result, an arrow as shown in FIG. 14A is obtained.
[0060]
On the other hand, if NO in S703, that is, if the same connection data does not exist in the entry road and the exit road of the second branch, for example, as described above, when the vehicle enters the road E from the road B, FIG. The process moves to the process indicated by.
[0061]
In FIG. 19, first, the number of arrows is set to one (S801). This is because there is no identical connection data between the approach road and the exit road of the second branch, so that it is possible to determine that the exit road has only one approach road (lane) with the least lane change. Then, in the second branch, the minimum value of the connection data of the exit road is compared with the maximum value of the connection data of the entrance road (S802). When the vehicle travels from road B to road E, the minimum value of the connection data for road E, which is the exit road, is 2.5, and the maximum value of the connection data for road B, which is the entrance road, is 2, so the exit road The minimum value of the connection data of the connection road> the maximum value of the connection data of the entry road, the lane having the maximum value of the connection data of the exit road of the first branch as the end point, and the entry road of the first branch having the same connection data as this An arrow starting from the lane is created and arranged (S803). Specifically, an arrow is arranged with the lane b having the maximum value of the connection data of the road B, which is the exit road of the first branch, as the end point, and the lane b 'of the road A, which is the approach road of the first branch, as the start point. I do. Thus, the arrow shown in FIG. 14B is obtained. In this case, since the connection data is the same, it is possible to enter without changing lanes.
[0062]
Also, in the second branch, if the minimum value of the connection data of the exit road ≦ the maximum value of the connection data of the entry road, the lane having the minimum value of the connection data of the exit road of the first branch is set as the end point, An arrow starting from the lane of the approach road of the first branch having the same connection data is created and arranged (S804). This is, for example, a display in which only one of the two arrows is arranged on the left side in FIG. 14A, and traveling on the leftmost lane changes the road with the least lane change. B indicates that it is possible to enter a branch road that faces the left lane.
[0063]
Further, if NO in S701 of FIG. 18, that is, if there is no identical data in the connection data of the entrance road and the exit road of the first branch, for example, the road F branches from the road A just before the branch point 100, and this branch point Is set as a guide junction (first junction), when the vehicle travels from the road A to the road F, the number of arrows is first set to one (S901), and the connection data of the exit road is determined in the first branch. The minimum value and the maximum value of the connection data of the approach road are compared (S902). If the minimum value of the connection data of the exit road> the maximum value of the connection data of the entry road, that is, if the road F exists facing the right lane, the minimum value of the connection data of the exit road of the first branch An arrow starting from the lane having the maximum value of the connection data of the approach road of the first branch (the lane on the rightmost side) is created and arranged (S903). When the minimum value of the connection data of the exit road ≦ the maximum value of the connection data of the entry road, that is, when the road F exists facing the left lane, the maximum value of the connection data of the exit road of the first branch. An arrow is created and arranged with the lane having the value as the end point and the lane having the minimum value of the connection data of the approach road of the first branch (the leftmost lane) as the start point (S904).
[0064]
As described above, in the present embodiment, when the second branch (branch point 200) exists after the first branch (branch point 100), depending on the connection relationship of the second branch and the traveling direction of the own vehicle, Different arrows can be displayed as shown in FIG. By performing such display, for example, in the case of FIG. 14B, the driver travels in the right lane of the two left lanes traveling left at the first branch (branch point 100). As a result, the vehicle can easily proceed to the next second branch (branch point 200), and unnecessary lane changes can be eliminated to reduce the driving burden on the driver and maintain smooth running.
[0065]
In the present embodiment, the branching on the highway is described as in S502 of FIG. 15, but the present invention is not limited to the highway and may be similarly applied to a case where the branching points are continuously present on the general road. Can be applied. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 21, when there are a plurality of lanes that can travel in the traveling direction of the vehicle on the first branch (branch point 100), the first branch of the plurality of lanes is After turning, the second branch (branch point 200) requires the least number of lane changes to reach a lane that can travel in the traveling direction of the vehicle (the ideal is a lane change frequency of zero). An arrow may be displayed on the lane on the path of.
[0066]
FIG. 22 shows an example of an arrow created and displayed in this manner. It should be noted that the arrow is displayed only on the right lane that can make a right turn at the next branch, the second branch (branch point 200), of the two lanes that can make a left turn.
[0067]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to notify the driver of the presence of the merging point or the lane-decreasing point with a small amount of information and to make the progress at the branch point smooth.
[0068]
In addition, even when there are consecutive branch points, considering the traveling direction of the own vehicle at the next branch point, the lane that can travel without changing lanes is displayed with an arrow, so if only the previous branch point is In addition, a smooth running can be performed at the next branch point.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a branch diagram creation process according to the embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a detailed processing flowchart of branch diagram creation in the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram (No. 1) of map data and a creation branch diagram in the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of the map data and the creation branch diagram in the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram (part 3) of the map data and the creation branch diagram in the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process of determining a traveling direction arrow in the embodiment.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing connection data immediately before a branch and before a branch Akm in the embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a detailed flowchart (part 1) of displaying an arrow in the embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a detailed flowchart (part 2) of displaying an arrow in the embodiment.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of an arrow display in the embodiment.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of an arrow display in the embodiment.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a road connection according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of an arrow display according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 15 is an overall processing flowchart of the second embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a process of determining a traveling direction arrow according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of connection data according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 18 is a flowchart (part 1) of a process for determining the number of displayed arrows and the arrangement of the arrows according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart (part 2) of a process for determining the number of displayed arrows and the arrangement of arrows according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 20 is a flowchart (part 3) of a process for determining the number of displayed arrows and the arrangement of arrows according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 21 is an explanatory view of a road connection according to still another embodiment.
FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of arrow display in the case of FIG. 21;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 own vehicle position specifying unit, 2 media, 3 arithmetic unit, 4 display, 5 speakers, 100 branch point (first branch), 200 branch point (second branch).

Claims (15)

A traveling guidance device for a vehicle that recognizes a branch destination where the vehicle should travel at a branch point to be route-guided and displays the recognition result,
Detecting means for detecting a change in the number of lanes due to the presence of a junction or the like between the own vehicle position and the branch point;
When the change in the number of lanes is not detected, the data on the number of lanes at the own vehicle position and the data on the number of lanes immediately before the branch point are combined and displayed as a branch diagram image on the screen, and when the change in the number of lanes is detected, A display control unit that combines the lane number data immediately after the lane number change point and the lane number data immediately before the branch point and displays the lane number image on the screen as a branch diagram image;
A travel guidance device for a vehicle, comprising: The device of claim 1, further comprising :
Determining means for determining whether the approach road to the junction and the exit road to be route-guided from the junction are connected to each other as the same lane,
An arrow indicating the route to be guided, which is equal to the number of lanes connected as the same lane when connected as the same lane, is displayed on the corresponding lane on the screen, and is not connected as the same lane. Arrow display control means for displaying one arrow indicating the route to be guided to the corresponding lane on the screen,
A travel guidance device for a vehicle, comprising: A traveling guidance device for a vehicle that displays an arrow indicating a direction of a branch destination where the vehicle should travel at a branch point to be route-guided,
Determining means for determining whether the approach road to the junction and the exit road to be route-guided from the junction are connected to each other as the same lane,
An arrow indicating the route to be guided, which is equal to the number of lanes connected as the same lane when connected as the same lane, is displayed on the corresponding lane on the screen, and is not connected as the same lane. Display control means for displaying one arrow indicating a route to be guided on the corresponding lane on the screen;
A travel guidance device for a vehicle, comprising: The apparatus according to any one of claims 2 and 3,
The display control unit may be configured to perform the second branch if there are a plurality of lanes connected as the same lane and if there is a second branch point to be route-guided next to the branch point. A traveling guidance device for a vehicle, wherein the number of arrows indicating the route to be guided is changed and displayed based on an exit road at a point . The device according to claim 4,
The vehicle driving guide , wherein the display control means displays an arrow indicating the route to be guided on a lane that can enter the exit road at the second branch point with the least number of lane changes. apparatus. A traveling guidance method for a vehicle in a navigation system that recognizes a branch destination to which the vehicle should travel at a branch point to be route-guided and displays the recognition result,
The arithmetic unit of the navigation system detects a change in the number of lanes due to the presence of a junction between the own vehicle position and the branch point based on the map data stored in the map data storage unit,
The arithmetic unit of the navigation system combines the lane number data of the own vehicle position in the map data and the lane number data immediately before the branch point in the map data in a case where the change in the number of lanes is not detected, and generates a branch diagram image. In addition, when the change in the number of lanes is detected, the lane number data immediately after the lane number change point in the map data and the lane number data immediately before the branch point in the map data are combined to create a branch diagram image. ,
The traveling guidance method for a vehicle, wherein the calculation unit of the navigation system displays the created branch diagram image on a display . The method of claim 6, wherein
Calculation of the navigation system, based on said map data, determines the advance and enter the road to the branching point, whether the exit road to be the route guidance from the branch point is connected as the same lane from each other ,
The arithmetic unit of the navigation system, when connected as the same lane, equals the number of lanes connected as the same lane, an arrow indicating the route to be guided, on the corresponding lane on the branch diagram image And displaying one arrow indicating a route to be guided when the vehicle is not connected as the same lane on a corresponding lane on the bifurcation map image. . A traveling guidance method for a vehicle in a navigation system that displays an arrow indicating a direction of a branch destination to which the vehicle should travel at a branch point to be route-guided,
The arithmetic unit of the navigation system is configured such that, based on the map data stored in the map data storage means, the approach road to the junction and the exit road to be route-guided from the junction are connected to each other as the same lane. To determine whether
The arithmetic unit of the navigation system, when connected as the same lane, is equal to the number of lanes connected as the same lane, an arrow indicating a route to be guided, and a branch indicating the branch point displayed on a display A single arrow indicating a route to be displayed when the vehicle is not connected as the same lane is displayed on the corresponding lane on the branch diagram. Vehicle running guidance method. The method according to any one of claims 7 and 8,
The calculation unit of the navigation system is configured to determine, based on the map data, that there are a plurality of lanes connected as the same lane, and that there is a second branch point to be route-guided next to the branch point. When it is determined, a method of guiding the vehicle to travel is characterized in that the number of arrows indicating the route to be guided is changed and displayed based on the exit road at the second branch point . The method of claim 9,
The arithmetic unit of the navigation system displays, on the basis of the map data, an arrow indicating the route to be guided on a lane in which the exit road at the second junction can be entered with the least number of lane changes. A traveling guidance method for a vehicle, comprising: A computer-readable recording medium storing a control program in a navigation system for recognizing a branch destination where the vehicle should travel at a branch point to be route-guided and displaying the recognition result, wherein the control program includes:
The CPU of the navigation system accesses the map data stored in the map data storage means to detect a change in the number of lanes due to the presence of a junction between the own vehicle position and the branch point,
When the change in the number of lanes is not detected for the CPU of the navigation system, the lane number data of the own vehicle position in the map data and the lane number data immediately before the branch point in the map data are combined to form a branch diagram image. When the change in the number of lanes is detected, the lane number data immediately after the lane number change point in the map data and the lane number data immediately before the branch point in the map data are combined to create a branch diagram image. Let
The generated branch diagram image is supplied to a display of a CPU of the navigation system for display.
A computer-readable recording medium for executing a process . The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 11,
The control program includes:
The CPU of the navigation system accesses the map data to determine whether the approach road to the junction and the exit road to be route-guided from the junction are connected to the same lane. Let
The CPU of the navigation system, the equal to the number of lanes that the connected as the same lane when connected as the same lane, the arrow indicating the path for guiding the corresponding vehicle on the front Symbol branch view image One arrow indicating the route to be guided when the vehicle is not connected as the same lane, and one arrow indicating the route on the bifurcation diagram image are displayed on the corresponding lane.
A computer-readable recording medium for executing a process . A computer-readable recording medium storing a control program in a navigation system for recognizing a branch destination where the vehicle should travel at a branch point to be route-guided and displaying the recognition result, wherein the control program includes:
The CPU of the navigation system accesses the map data stored in the map data storage means, and the approach road to the junction and the exit road to be route-guided from the junction are connected to each other as the same lane. To determine whether or not
For the CPU of the navigation system, an arrow indicating the route to be guided, which is equal to the number of lanes connected as the same lane when connected as the same lane, indicates the branch point displayed on the display. Display on the corresponding lane on the branch diagram, and display one arrow indicating the route to be guided when the vehicle is not connected as the same lane on the corresponding lane on the branch diagram.
A computer-readable recording medium for executing a process . 14. The recording medium according to claim 12, wherein the control program comprises:
When there are a plurality of lanes connected as the same lane to the CPU of the navigation system based on the map data, there is a second branch point to be route-guided next to the branch point. If so, the number of arrows indicating the route to be guided is changed and displayed based on the exit road at the second junction.
A computer-readable recording medium for executing a process . The recording medium according to claim 14, wherein the control program comprises:
The CPU of the navigation system displays an arrow indicating the route to be guided on a lane on which the lane change can be entered with the least number of times on the exit road at the second junction based on the map data.
A computer-readable recording medium for executing a process .

Images