JP3772980B2 - Vehicle navigation device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation apparatus that provides route guidance to a destination.
[0002]
[Prior art and its problems]
A vehicle navigation apparatus has been proposed that has a function of calculating a route from a current position to a destination using external information and determining an optimum route from a plurality of calculated routes. A facility such as a store may be searched for refueling or buying food or drink while traveling by route guidance using this vehicle navigation device. In such a case, it is necessary to perform a search for each purpose of use using the search function. As a result of the search, the corresponding facility may not be on the route or may be off the guide route. When detouring to a facility that is off the guide route, a re-search is performed using that facility as a passing point. A vehicle navigation apparatus having this type of function is proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-3899 as an example. For example, when it is desired to stop at a gas station, the user must select from a plurality of gas stations and set it as a destination. In addition, when set as a passing point, the gas station that the user selects to be optimal cannot obtain dynamic information (such as traffic congestion) on the road, so even if he can travel smoothly from the current position to the gas station, If there is traffic on the route from the stand to the destination, you will not be able to run smoothly. Also, when you dine in a restaurant, if you go to the restaurant you searched for, it may be closed or out of business hours, so you may search again, or even if you are open, it is crowded and has a lot of waiting time. Sometimes spends unexpected time at the restaurant. As described above, unless the business information of the facility to be visited is taken into account, there is a problem that the arrival time at the planned destination is greatly delayed. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle navigation apparatus that takes into account business information of a facility.
[0003]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, storage means for storing map information, facility position data and genre data, current position detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, and destination Destination setting means to set, selection means for selecting facility genre, facility location data and genre data, vehicle current position, facility of selected genre around current location based on selected facility genre A facility search means for searching for a facility, wherein the storage means stores business sales data of the facility, and the facility search means further searches for a facility around the current position based on the business data, and the searched facility A route search via the route is performed, based on the correlation amount of the route from the current position to the searched facility and the route from the searched facility to the destination It was to select a setting.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, storage means for storing map information, facility position data and genre data, input means for inputting a search reference point, current position detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, Based on the destination setting means for setting the destination, the selection means for selecting the facility genre, the location data and genre data of the facility, the search reference point, and the genre of the selected facility, the vicinity of the search reference point is selected. A facility search means for searching for a facility of a genre, the storage means stores business sales data of the facility, and the facility search means further searches for facilities around the search reference point based on the business data, A route search through the found facility is performed, and the amount of correlation between the route from the current position to the found facility and the route from the found facility to the destination It was to choose a facility based.
[0004]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to search for facilities taking business hours into account.
[0005]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 shows a system configuration of the navigation apparatus. In FIG. 2, the navigation device includes an input / output device 1 for inputting / outputting information relating to route guidance, a current position detecting device 2 for detecting information relating to the current position of the host vehicle, navigation data necessary for route calculation, and necessary for route guidance. And an electronic storage unit 4 that performs display / sound guidance processing necessary for route search processing and route guidance, and controls the entire system.
[0006]
The input / output device 1 allows the user to input information necessary for destination setting such as a departure point, a destination, and a passing point, and to output guidance information and / or display on the screen when the driver needs it. Is provided with a function of instructing the electronic control unit 4 to perform navigation processing and printing out processed data and data of data communication. As means for realizing the function, the input unit includes a touch switch 11 for inputting an address, a telephone number, coordinates, and the like for setting a destination, and requesting route guidance. The output unit displays the input data on the screen, the driver's request or the display 12 that automatically displays route guidance, the data processed by the electronic control unit 4, the data stored in the information storage device 3, and the communication data. It consists of a printer 13 for print output and a speaker 14 for outputting route guidance by voice.
[0007]
The display 12 is composed of a color CRT or a color liquid crystal display, and all screens necessary for navigation such as a destination setting screen, a section diagram screen, and an intersection diagram screen based on map data and guidance data processed by the electronic control unit 4. Are displayed in color, and keys for setting route guidance, guidance during route guidance, and screen switching operations are displayed on this screen. The display 12 is provided with a touch switch 11 corresponding to the display of the function keys, and is configured to execute the above operation based on a signal input by key touch. The current position detecting device 2 is a GPS receiving device 21 using a satellite navigation system (GPS), a beacon receiving device 22, for example, a data transmitting / receiving device 23 for receiving a GPS correction signal using a car phone or FM multiplexed signal, for example, a geomagnetic sensor For example, a relative direction sensor 25 composed of a wheel sensor, a steering sensor, etc., and a distance sensor 26 for detecting a travel distance from the rotational speed of the wheel. Coordinates are detected. The information storage device 3 is necessary for route guidance, for example, a map data file storing map information, an intersection data file storing information about intersections, road data storing road information such as road type and start / end points of each road File, node data file storing east longitude and north latitude coordinates at one point on the road, location coordinates of features such as facilities according to genres such as gas stations and convenience stores, and guidance information on features It is composed of a guide point data file etc. that stores etc.
[0008]
The electronic control unit 4 includes a CPU 40 for performing arithmetic processing, a program for performing processing such as route search, display control necessary for route guidance, a program for performing voice output control necessary for voice guidance, and data necessary for it. First ROM 41 stored, memory configured by RAM, nonvolatile memory, or the like as storage means for temporarily storing road information (road train data) after route search or re-search, route guidance information, and data being processed 42, a second ROM 43 in which display data necessary for route guidance and map display is stored, an image memory 44 in which image data used for screen display on the display is stored, an image from the image memory based on a display control signal from the CPU An image processor 45 that takes out data, performs image processing, and outputs it to a display, from the CPU A voice processor 46 that synthesizes voice data (phrase, a single sentence, sound, etc.) read from the information storage device 3 based on a voice output control command, converts it into an analog signal, and outputs it to a speaker. It comprises a communication interface 47 for exchanging output data, a sensor input interface 48 for taking in a sensor signal of the current position detection device 2, and a clock 49 for entering date and time in internal diagnosis information. Here, the route guidance is configured so that the driver can select either screen display or voice output.
[0009]
This system calculates the estimated position based on various sensor signals and GPS data for detecting the current position, determines the position on the road by correlating the estimated position with the road on the map and the GPS data, and determines the current position. Ask. In addition, this system has a function of determining whether or not the current position is approaching a predetermined guide point with respect to the position on the lane of the own vehicle by illuminating the route to the destination. That is, the function determines the predetermined distance before the intersection on the guidance route, the timing of output of the intersection information such as the automatic voice output after the intersection determination and the name of the passing intersection. A guidance command is issued to the image processor and the audio processor based on the determination result. When a request signal is input, it instructs the voice processor to provide voice guidance for the current position. The voice guidance of this system synthesizes voice data (phrase, sentence, sound, etc.) read from the information storage device 3, converts it into an analog signal, and outputs it from the voice output unit.
[0010]
Next, the function of the electronic control unit for performing an optimum route search using a facility (passage) that stops in the middle of travel as a passing point will be described. FIG. 2 shows an example of a genre selection screen. FIG. 3 shows an example of the search condition input screen. The selection screen 5 is provided with a selection key 50 for selecting a facility classified by purpose of use, and a search condition designation key 51 for designating whether or not to set a search condition for the selected facility. When a facility genre is selected on the selection screen and no search condition is specified, a search for a facility to be used is started based on a predetermined facility search base point (usually the current position). If the facility genre is selected and the search condition is specified, the search condition input screen shown in FIG. 3 is opened. The search condition input screen 6 includes a facility search base point designation key 60 for designating a point at which to search for a facility to be used, and a brand designation key for further narrowing down and designating the facility genre selected on the selection screen 5. 61 and a required time designation key 62 for designating the time required to arrive at the facility to be used. In this example, it is shown that the gas station of the brand “ XXX × ” around the destination that can be reached within 30 minutes from the current position is selected.
[0011]
When you want to drop in at a gas station or convenience store while driving, select a facility on the screen and set search conditions to search for facilities near the facility search base point, such as the current location, and then to the destination via that facility Find the best route to. This route search is executed in consideration of the received road conditions. The facility search data includes facility name data, position (coordinate) data, road data, brand data, sales data, etc. for each facility classified by genre as shown in FIG. The business data includes business days, business start times, business end times, busy time zones, and the like. As described above, when searching for a facility having business data, for example, a restaurant that is out of business hours or in a crowded time zone is excluded from the search target, or a facility that is in a crowded time zone is also included in the search target. It can also be configured to be able to provide information such as notification of waiting time.
[0012]
As a form of use of business data, by calculating the travel time to the target facility, the arrival time to the target facility is predicted from the travel time and the current time, and the predicted arrival time and the business data are compared and calculated. Then, the processing method related to the facility is determined based on the determination condition of the result. In other words, from the calculation results, it is determined whether the expected arrival time is crowded, whether it is within business hours, etc., and it is configured to delete facilities that do not meet the conditions, or the crowded time If so, it can be configured to let the driver select by informing that. In particular, sales data is stored in advance as internal information stored in the information storage device 3 equipped in the system of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, or as external information, for example, the current position detection device 2 from the information center. The data transmitter / receiver 23 to be configured can be acquired by communication and stored in, for example, a nonvolatile memory. By adopting a configuration in which such variable information is acquired from the outside, the data is periodically rewritten, and the facility search based on the latest data becomes possible.
[0013]
Search for facilities within a specific range around the facility search base based on the selected genre, search for routes through the searched facilities in consideration of information such as road conditions and sales information, and search from among them A facility that meets the requirements is determined. At that time, the correlation amount is calculated for the route from the current position to the facility and the route from the facility to the destination. A weighted value based on physical road conditions such as type, number of lanes, number of signals, and left / right turn is used. The concept of route search using the required time as the correlation amount will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the current position is used as the facility search base point. When there is a facility, the optimum route search to the destination through the facility is performed for all the facilities. For example, when there are facilities G1 and G2, the time t1 from the current position to the facility G1, the time t2 from the facility G2, the time T1 from the facility G1 to the destination, and the time T2 from the facility G2 to the destination are obtained. . A facility is selected from time t1 + T1 going to the destination via the facility G1 and time t2 + T2 going to the destination via the facility G2. As for the selection of this facility, the facility G1 and the facility G2 are automatically selected according to preset conditions, or the route passing through the facility G1 and the route passing through the facility G2 are displayed on the map and selected from them. It is possible to adopt a configuration such as
[0014]
Next, the processing procedure of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 shows the main routine. FIG. 8 shows an optimal route search subroutine. FIG. 9 shows a route search subroutine in consideration of road conditions. In FIG. 7, acquisition of the current position (S1), setting of the destination (S2), and information regarding road conditions are acquired from the outside and stored in the memory (S3). Based on these pieces of information, an optimal route search through the facility (route point) is performed (S4), and the searched route is guided and displayed (S5). The optimum route search in step S4 starts the routine (A-1) shown in FIG. Then, the genre selection screen shown in FIG. 2 is displayed, and a transit point, for example, a gas station is selected on this screen (S10). Subsequently, the presence / absence of a search condition is designated (S11). If there are search conditions, search conditions such as search points, brands, and required time are set on the search condition input screen. As a search condition, a facility search base point (current position, destination), brand, required time (eg, how many minutes), time (eg, how many minutes after the current time), and the like are prepared. In addition, when it is configured to specify the number of minutes after the current time, the nearest facility that can arrive at the specified time (arrival time) is searched. Here, when there is no search condition, route data around the current position (data of G1 and G2 in FIG. 5) is acquired (S12), and a route search considering road conditions is executed based on this route data. (S13) As a result, the route with the shortest required time is selected (S14).
[0015]
When the search condition is specified in step S11, the optimum route search routine (A-2) shown in FIG. 9 is started. First, it is determined whether or not the facility search base point is set as the search condition specified in step S11 (S20). If it is set, data around the facility search base point is acquired (S21). Data is acquired (S22). Subsequently, it is determined whether or not a brand has been set (S23). In the case where there is a brand, data corresponding to the brand of the condition is obtained from the data obtained in step S21 or step S22 (S24). Subsequently, it is determined whether there are conditions for determining the target facility (business hours, busy hours, etc.) (S25). If there are no conditions, a route search considering road conditions is executed (S28). When there is a judgment condition for the destination facility, an expected arrival time at the destination facility is calculated (S26), data corresponding to the judgment condition is obtained from the expected arrival time and business data (S27), and a route search considering road conditions is performed. Is executed (S28). Here, it is determined whether or not the required time is set as a search condition (S29), and a route is selected based on the result. That is, when the required time is set, the route having the required time closest to the condition is selected from the routes searched based on the required time (S30). On the other hand, when the required time is not set, the route with the shortest required time is selected (S31).
[0016]
In this embodiment, in step 27, the route search is executed based on the acquired data. However, when the judgment condition of the target facility is subject to the driver's selection, the judgment condition is not met. A step of performing notification and a step of selecting whether or not to perform route search including the data are added. The route search considering the road condition (step S13) executes a subroutine shown in FIG. The target facility around the current position or the set facility search base, for example, the number n of gas stations is set in advance (S40), and the shortest time calculation considering traffic information as the road condition from the current position to the target facility (FIG. 5) (T1, t2) are performed (S41). Further, the shortest time calculation (T1, T2 in FIG. 5) is performed in consideration of traffic jam information from the destination facility to the destination (S42). The required time from the current position to the destination is acquired (S43). This time calculation is executed for a predetermined number n of transit points (target facilities) from around the current position (S44). In the above embodiment, “required time” is used as the selection condition after route search, but it is also possible to select it based on the arrival time at the destination facility. According to this embodiment, the present invention relates to a vehicular navigation device that provides route guidance to a destination. In particular, when a user wants to drop in at a facility such as a gas station or a convenience store, the facility candidate around the current position is searched by inputting the usage purpose. In addition, it is possible to search for the optimum route through the searched facility in consideration of road conditions such as congestion information acquired from the outside. In addition, it is possible to provide guidance with an optimum route to the destination taking into account the road conditions acquired from the outside, taking into account the road conditions acquired from the outside, with the destination facility selected to stop in the middle of traveling as a passing point. In addition, even if you want to take a detour while traveling, route guidance is performed with the route with the shortest required time as the optimal route, so the user can arrive at the facility in a shorter time from the current position to the destination without selecting himself / herself. Can do.
[0017]
The present invention can employ the following embodiments.
(1) When there are a relatively large number of facilities, a large number of facilities are searched when searched in a wide range, whereas when there are relatively few facilities, a search within a narrow range may fail. As described above, the number of search results varies depending on the size of the search range. Preferably, the search range can be enlarged or reduced, thereby shortening the search time and facilitating setting of the facility to be used. . The method of determining the search range will be described with reference to FIG. 6. For example, the radius of the circle to be searched first is 100 m at the center of the current position, the width of the radius to be enlarged is 50 m, and the limit range to be enlarged is 1000 m. Here, the limit range can be obtained from the case where a predetermined value is set as an initial value, the current position, and the length of the destination. When the limit range is exceeded, it can be configured to switch from the center of the current position to the center of the destination, or to display a message such as “There is no destination facility in the vicinity”.
(2) The search range can be set to an arbitrary shape such as a circle, an ellipse, or a semicircle. In particular, in the case of an ellipse or a semicircle, it is possible to reduce the search time and limit the facility to only the facility toward the destination so that the facility that is directed to the destination is not set.
(3) The search method can be configured such that the range is increased by a radius of 50 m until the target facility is found as in (1), and the search is terminated when it is found.
(4) As another search method, it is possible to search to the limit range and find the route through the optimum facility from among the search.
(5) In order to shorten the search time, the configuration, the number of searches, or the search time for automatically or manually setting the selection conditions such as the designated facility name, the current position or the vicinity of the destination before or after the search is limited. The configuration is valid. Here, when limiting the number of searches, priority is given to the search range. For example, when the number n is limited to 20, when the search range is expanded and the limit number is exceeded, the search range expansion processing is stopped at that point. In particular, according to the configuration in which candidate sites are automatically selected, the burden on the user can be reduced and the user can concentrate on driving. Also, by making everything automatic, work time can be reduced and information such as road conditions and sales information can be handled in real time.
(6) As a selection method of selection candidate sites, for example, designated route (designated before search), destination facility near the current position, destination facility near the destination, four routes are displayed as intermediate candidate locations, Select from these. In addition, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which about 10 are displayed from the shortest required time, and then narrowed down by selecting a designated gas station, position, and the like.
(7) As a method of taking the facility search base point shown in FIG. 3, an arbitrary point on the map can be designated and set by the cursor outside the current position and the destination.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a vehicle navigation apparatus.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a via genre selection screen.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a search condition input screen.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of facility data registered by genre.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an optimum route search method using a use facility as a passing point.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how to determine a search range.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a main routine showing a flow of processing from route search to route guidance.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a subroutine (A-1) for optimum route search of the main routine.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a subroutine (A-2) when a search condition for the subroutine (A-1) is set.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a subroutine (B) for route search in consideration of road conditions of the subroutine (A-1).
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Input / output device, 2 ... Current position detection device, 3 ... Information storage device, 4 ... Electronic control unit, 5 ... Via genre selection screen, 6 ... Search condition input screen

Claims (6)

Storage means for storing map information, facility location data and genre data;
Current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle;
Destination setting means for setting the destination;
A selection means for selecting a facility genre;
Facility search means for searching for facilities of the selected genre around the current position based on the location data and genre data of the facility, the current position of the vehicle, and the genre of the selected facility;
The storage means stores facility sales data,
The facility search means further searches for a facility around the current position based on business data, and performs a route search through the searched facility, and the route from the current position to the searched facility and the searched A vehicle navigation apparatus , wherein a facility is selected based on a correlation amount of a route from the facility to a destination . Storage means for storing map information, facility location data and genre data;
An input means for inputting a search reference point;
Current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle;
Destination setting means for setting the destination;
A selection means for selecting a facility genre;
Facility search means for searching for facilities of the selected genre around the search reference point based on the location data and genre data of the facility, the search reference point, and the genre of the selected facility;
The storage means stores business data of a facility, and the facility search means further searches for a facility around the search reference point based on the business data, performs a route search through the searched facility, and A vehicle navigation apparatus , wherein a facility is selected based on a correlation amount between a route from the searched facility to the searched facility and a route from the searched facility to the destination . 3. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the search reference point input by the input means is an arbitrary point on a map specified by a cursor. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the search reference point input by the input means is a destination. The facility search means obtains travel times to a plurality of facilities, predicts the arrival time at the facility from the travel time and the current time, compares the predicted arrival time with business data, and selects facilities outside business hours. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the navigation apparatus is deleted from the search result. The facility search means obtains travel times to a plurality of facilities, predicts the arrival time to the facility from the travel time and the current time, and compares the predicted arrival time and business data, The vehicle navigation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising notification means for notifying the comparison result.