JP3890825B2 - Navigation device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus for guiding facilities.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a navigation device is known in which a destination is set in a public facility, a commercial facility, etc., a recommended route to the facility is calculated, and route guidance is performed.
At this time, the arrival guidance to the destination facility is given when it arrives near the destination. Specifically, it is performed when the position coordinate data of the target facility stored in the ROM or the like of the navigation device and the position coordinate data of the current position detected by the GPS or the like substantially match. In addition, the fact that the vehicle has arrived in the vicinity of the destination is displayed on the display and is notified by voice.
[0003]
Therefore, if the current position detection accuracy is not high, the target facility cannot be reached. Therefore, as a method for detecting the current position, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-144798, a bar code in which position information is recorded on a road is drawn, and when the vehicle passes over the bar code, the bar code is read to obtain the current position. Is disclosed. According to this technique, it is possible to accurately recognize the current position simply by drawing a barcode on the road.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, even if the current position can be accurately recognized, a sign or signboard of the target facility cannot be found and the target facility may not be reached. For example, when there are many facilities and signboards in the vicinity of the target facility, it is very difficult to find the target facility from among them. Even if facilities, signs, etc. are not crowded, things in the target facility may be inadvertently overlooked.
[0005]
Therefore, despite the fact that you have reached the vicinity of the target facility by navigation, you will eventually find the target facility and its signboard, etc. There is. Further, in the case of a vehicle, since driving while searching for a target facility or its signboard or the like, an unfavorable situation may occur in terms of safe driving such as slow driving or side-view driving.
[0006]
Therefore, the present invention informs the user of the discovery of the target facility by reading the encoded information written on the facility or the facility signboard, etc., and uses various encoded information on the facility. An object is to provide a navigation device capable of performing navigation.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention]
In the navigation device according to claim 1, the search condition setting means follows the facility search condition according to the input from the user. Set up Determine. As an input mode from the user, it is possible to select search conditions displayed on various display devices using various input devices or to directly input voice or the like.
[0008]
Thus, it was set by the search condition setting means Search In order to search for a code that satisfies the search condition, the code reading means reads the code. This code is posted at a place that has a predetermined positional relationship with the facility. For example, a facility guidance display / signboard or the like may be used as a device having a predetermined positional relationship. These signboards and the like are installed at the facility itself, a position adjacent to the facility, a position in a predetermined direction from the facility, a position at a predetermined distance from the facility, and a position having a predetermined route with the facility.
[0009]
Then, the information related to the facility read by the code reading means is set by the search condition setting means. Search Search conditions Full The determination means determines whether or not to add. Further, when the determination means determines that the search condition is satisfied, the notification means notifies the notification content when a predetermined condition is satisfied. As notification contents when conditions are established, for example, Search A notification indicating that the code corresponding to the search condition has been found may be provided, or the search condition may be notified. Further, a part or all of the contents of the code read by the code reading means may be notified, or of course a combination thereof.
[0010]
The above is an overall schematic description, but details will be described below in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention.
The facility search condition set by the search condition setting means includes information and conditions related to the facility. “Information about facilities” includes, for example, coordinate data such as latitude and longitude of facilities, facility-specific IDs, facility names, company names, store names, chain store names, facility types, business types, telephone numbers, location addresses, handling items, regular holidays Information about payment methods such as business hours, available credit cards, etc. are available. Of course, as long as the information is about the facility, any information may be used without being limited to the above example.
[0011]
“Condition” is a conditional expression for determination by the determination means. For example, as a search condition, if “sake” is anyway as long as the search condition is acceptable, a facility that includes “sake” may be searched. At this time, “alcohol” is information on the aforementioned facilities, and “includes” is a condition. Conversely, a search condition such as “does not contain” sake can be considered. In this case, “not included” is a condition.
[0012]
In some cases, it is desirable to set a combination of information about facilities as a search condition. For example, it is possible to recognize a voice such as “I have alcohol and cigarettes, and a convenience store is good” and set it as a search condition. In this case, “alcohol”, “tobacco”, and “convenience store” are information about the facility, and the relationship of the combination is a condition.
[0013]
Although the facility search conditions have been described above, here, the facility may be a building or a place, and may be a predetermined place. Examples of facilities include, for example, expressways, toll roads, intersections, stations, airports, parks, ferries, road stations, golf courses, ski resorts, campgrounds, amusement parks, stadiums, racetracks, marina, sights / historic sites Castles, castle ruins, shrines / temples, animal / botanical gardens, aquariums, motor sports, supermarkets, department stores, convenience stores, car supplies stores, hotels, hot springs, government offices, police stations, hospitals, halls / theaters, museums / museums, etc. It is done.
[0014]
In the outline description, the search condition setting means Search Although the condition is set according to the user's input, if there is no user input, a preset condition may be set. As this condition, for example, a condition that all facilities are not searched or a condition that all facilities are searched can be considered.
[0015]
The code read by the code reading means is an electronically readable code including information on facilities. Therefore, the code is posted at a position where it can be read from the navigation device, and information on the corresponding facility is recorded. For example, when a code is written on a signboard or the like of a facility, the facility information is recorded in the code. As the facility information, for example, the items listed in the above-described example of information regarding the facility are used.
[0016]
Further, in the determination means, the determination as to whether or not the information about the facility included in the code read by the code reading means satisfies the search condition, Search It may be determined that the search condition is satisfied when the search condition and the facility information completely match, Search It may be determined that the search condition is satisfied when part of the search condition matches. This is because if the search condition is too narrow, a facility that satisfies all the conditions may not be found.
[0017]
As the notification means, a display device may be used, an audio output device may be used, or both of them may be used. In current in-vehicle navigation devices, it is common to use visual display and audio output for screen guidance and audio guidance, so such a configuration is easy to adopt. In particular, when realized as an in-vehicle navigation device, it is considered preferable to ensure at least audio notification. This is because the advantage of notifying by voice is that the driver does not have to shift the viewpoint to the display device, so that safe driving can be ensured better.
[0018]
In addition, by notifying the contents that inform the fact that the code was found at least directly or indirectly, the user was able to find the target facility where the code was posted or the signboard of the facility, etc. I understand that. At this time, if the notification is made together with the search condition, the search condition set by the user can be reconfirmed, and it can be understood that the facility corresponding to the search condition actually exists. In addition, when a plurality of search conditions are set, it becomes possible to distinguish which search condition is found. Furthermore, if a part or all of the content of the code is notified, the user can obtain information included in the code at the same time. Of course, the content of the notification is not limited to the content exemplified above, and for example, notification related to another navigation function may be performed.
[0019]
By this notification, the user can find out that the facility that satisfies the search conditions, the signboard of the facility, and the like are found by the present apparatus and actually exists. In particular, if a facility, a signboard, or the like is notified at a position that is visible to the user, the actual facility or signboard can be found immediately.
[0020]
With the above configuration, the user does not need to move while searching for the target facility and its signboard. Therefore, in particular, if this device is used as an in-vehicle navigation device, the driver can concentrate on driving without searching for a target facility or its signboard and performing a slow-down driving or a side-by-side driving. Furthermore, since it is read electronically, there are fewer oversights, and it is not necessary to look around the destination many times. As a result, it is possible to shorten the time taken for discovery of the facility. In addition, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the destination facility is not found in the end even though the destination facility has been reached.
[0021]
The electronically readable code read by the code reading means may be, for example, a number / character that can be recognized by a character, a store mark that can be recognized by an image, or the like, but it is practical to use a barcode. . However, since the amount of information that can be recorded on the bar code is about 20 characters at most, only a small part of the above-described examples of information on facilities can be entered. Therefore, the claim 3 As shown in FIG. 2, a two-dimensional code may be used as a code read by the code reading means.
[0022]
The two-dimensional code is easy to read by a machine and has a relatively large amount of information than a bar code. In the case of a QR code, which is an example of a two-dimensional code, some information contains about 2000 characters. Therefore, many of the items described as examples of information regarding the above-described facilities can be entered.
[0023]
Therefore, it is possible to set the search condition in detail. Also, it is possible to simultaneously notify a lot of information other than the search conditions stored in the two-dimensional code. As a result, various information about the facility can be obtained, which can be used as a material for determining whether or not to stop at the facility. On the other hand, on the facility side, facility information can be provided to the user of the navigation device by including the feature points, advertisements, and the like of the facility in the code. And since this code | cord | chord can be rewritten by the facility side, the information to provide can be changed freely at any time.
[0024]
Also, a signboard or the like on which a code is written can be temporarily installed. For example, it can be used for information provision and navigation about facilities that are set up for a limited time, such as event venues.
Now, according to the above configuration, if there is a facility that meets the conditions on the way to the destination, the facility that matches the search conditions is automatically found on the way to the destination. can do. Therefore, when any request occurs during the movement of the user, it is possible to automatically search for and find a facility that satisfies the request, which is very convenient.
[0025]
However, you may be heading for a specific destination and have to discover the facility. In such cases, the claims 1 The destination setting means for setting the destination is provided, information that can specify the destination is set as a search condition, and the notification means has arrived at the destination when the search condition is satisfied. To be notified.
[0026]
These destinations are input and set by the destination setting means, and the search condition setting means sets information that can specify the destination set by the destination setting means as a search condition. At this time, the destination may be input by characters from the menu or by voice. As information that can specify the destination, for example, a facility ID that can uniquely determine a facility can be used, or a unique name assigned to each facility can be used. When the information included in the code read by the code reading unit satisfies this search condition, it is notified that the vehicle has arrived at the destination facility.
[0027]
Therefore, since notification of arrival at the destination facility is made, it is possible to distinguish between a case where a facility satisfying the search condition is found on the way to the destination and a case where a destination facility is found. Therefore, the user will not pass the destination. Further, for example, if notification is made together with the name of the destination, when a plurality of destinations are set, they are not confused with each other.
[0028]
In this way, when heading to the destination, it is necessary to know the route to the vicinity of the destination. If it is known that there is a destination facility in an already known area, it is possible to go to the vicinity of the facility, but if the place is unknown at all, it cannot reach the vicinity of the facility. Therefore, the claim 1 As described in the above, the present location detecting means for detecting the current location is further provided, and the route guidance from the current location detected by the current location detecting means to the destination is performed. The The route guidance is performed, for example, by displaying the route from the current location to the destination on a display device or the like and informing the user by voice or the like. The route for performing route guidance is from the current location detected by the current location detection means to the destination set by the destination setting means. Note that the current location detection means is configured by, for example, GPS. In addition, when the route guidance has reached the vicinity of the destination, the notification means may notify that it has arrived near the destination.
[0029]
With the route guidance described above, it is possible to reach a destination near a destination that is completely unknown. Moreover, since the possibility that the code of the destination facility can be read by the code reading means increases by arriving near the destination, the facility can be found more easily.
[0030]
However, there are cases where the code of the destination facility cannot be found until it arrives near the destination. For example, when there is no signboard of the destination facility along the road guided by the route guidance, or when the location guidance is informed of the arrival near the facility before the place where the code is posted It is.
[0031]
In such a case The eyes Guide the road near the target location. As roads in the vicinity of the destination, for example, a road that goes around the destination position or a main road that is close to the destination position may be guided. This is because facilities that are generally difficult to find often have signboards or the like around the facilities, and often have guide signs or the like on major roads. In this way, by guiding the road near the destination, it is possible to easily find a signboard displaying a code, and as a result, it is possible to shorten the time taken to find the facility.
[0032]
When the destination is set and searched as described above, the code may always be read during the operation of the navigation device. 1 So that the current location is within the specified area based on the destination To do. In this way, power for reading is not required until the vicinity of the destination, and as a result, power consumption in the navigation device can be suppressed. Further, since the reading process or the like is not executed, the processing time required for this process can be used for other processes.
And claims 2 If the loaded code does not correspond to the destination facility and the current location is out of the specified range based on the destination again, the driver will be notified that the code has been moved away from the destination. be able to.
[0033]
Now, it is desirable that the notification means notify before the place where the code is posted as the notification timing. Since the code is often displayed on a signboard that can be used by humans to recognize the facility, for example, a mark indicating the facility, character notation, a map, etc. It is because it can discover etc. However, when the vehicle speed is fast and the processing is not in time, it is not always possible to make a notification in front of these signs.
[0034]
Therefore, the claim 4 As shown in the above, when the code posting position is passed, it is preferable to notify the fact. The passage judging means judges passage of the code posting position. For example, when the determination unit determines that the code read by the code reading unit satisfies the search condition set by the search condition setting unit, it is determined that the code cannot be read by the code reading unit. Also good. Further, for example, when the code reading means reads the code, the distance to the code may be measured, and the determination may be made by detecting that the distance has been traveled. Also, the current position detection Step In the case of the configuration to be used, the passage of the code posting position may be determined by the current position detecting means.
[0035]
In this way, if the user is notified that the posting position has been passed, the user can return to the front or look back and find the signboard of the target facility. Therefore, there is no inconvenience such as searching for the front despite passing the signboard on which the code is posted.
[0036]
By the way, if the code of the target facility is posted on the wall surface of the facility itself, if it is written on a signboard attached to the facility, or if there is a signboard along the road adjacent to the facility, etc. When the posted location matches the facility, or the facility is adjacent, the user can find the target facility immediately.
[0037]
However, if the information sign / signboard of the target facility is located away from the target facility and the code of the target facility is posted there, even if the discovery of the code is notified, the information sign further It is necessary to search for facilities according to the description. Therefore, the claim 5 As described above, it is good to distinguish and notify whether the sign is a sign away from the facility or a signboard adjacent to the facility. In order to make this distinction, information for enabling the distinction between the two is put in the code, and the code read by the code reading means includes information indicating that the code is present at a place away from the facility. In that case, the notification means may notify that fact.
[0038]
In this way, the user can know that there is a guide sign or the like of the facility by notification, so that the location of the facility can be known by looking at the guide sign. In addition, even though we only found information signs, etc. that are far away from the facility, we misunderstood that the target facility is adjacent to a signboard with a code attached, The inconvenience of searching for facilities is eliminated.
[0039]
Furthermore, the claim 6 As shown in FIG. 4, the positional relationship between the facility and the place where the code is posted may be notified. That is, when the information indicating the positional relationship between the facility and the posting location of the code is recorded and posted on the code, and the code is read, the notifying means notifies the positional relationship included in the code. Here, examples of the positional relationship include information such as the distance to the facility, the route, and the required time. For example, the information is “turn right at the next intersection and go 2 km ahead”. By informing the user of such a positional relationship, the distance to the facility, the route, the required time, etc. can be notified.
[0040]
In addition, the function which implement | achieves the determination means in the navigation apparatus mentioned above with a computer system can be provided as a program started by the computer system side, for example. In the case of such a program, for example, the program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a floppy disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, or a hard disk, and is used by being loaded into a computer system and started up as necessary. it can. In addition, the ROM or backup RAM may be recorded as a computer-readable recording medium, and the ROM or backup RAM may be incorporated into a computer system.
[0041]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. Needless to say, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following examples, and can take various forms as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.
[0042]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram when applied as a vehicle-mounted navigation device 1.
The navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment performs data communication between the position detector 12 that detects the current position of the vehicle and the information distribution center 4 via a wireless telephone line in order to collect various road traffic information. A device 18, an external information input / output device 19, an operation switch group 20 for inputting various commands to the device, and a remote control terminal (not shown) that can input various commands similar to the operation switch group 20 A remote control sensor 21 for inputting a signal from a remote control), a map data input device 22, an external memory 24, a display device 26 for performing various displays such as a map display screen and a TV screen, and a speaker 28. , Calendar clock 29, position detector 12, operation switch group 20, map data input device 22, two-dimensional code reader 27 (reader 27a) described above. And a navigation unit that controls the communication device 18, the external information input / output device 19, the external memory 24, the display device 26, and the speaker 28 by executing various processes in response to inputs from a remote controller (not shown). And a control circuit 30.
[0043]
The position detector 12 receives a radio wave transmitted from an artificial satellite for GPS (Global Positioning System) via a GPS antenna, and is added to the vehicle and a GPS receiver 12a that detects the position, direction, speed, and the like of the vehicle. A gyroscope 12b for detecting the magnitude of the rotational motion, a vehicle speed sensor 12c for detecting the travel distance of the vehicle comprising a vehicle speed sensor, a wheel sensor, and the like, and a geomagnetic sensor 12d for detecting the absolute direction based on the geomagnetism It has. Each of the sensors 12a to 12d has an error having a different property, and is configured to be used while complementing each other. Depending on the accuracy, the sensor may be configured by using only a part of the above-described sensors 12a to 12d, or the vehicle steering angle obtained from the difference in rotation between the left and right steering wheels may be accumulated to change the direction. A desired sensor or the like may be used.
[0044]
In addition, the communication device 18 includes a wireless telephone device made up of a mobile phone or a car phone that can be connected to the public telephone network, and external information in accordance with a procedure determined via the wireless telephone device in accordance with a command from the navigation control circuit 30. In addition to connecting to the information distribution center as a source, the data from the navigation control circuit 30 is encoded into a form that can be transmitted via the radiotelephone device, and the data input via the radiotelephone device is encoded into the control circuit 30. And a modem that decodes the data into a form that can be processed by the computer.
[0045]
On the other hand, the external information input / output device 19 receives an FM broadcast signal via a radio antenna (not shown) or from a fixed station for a VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) service arranged near the road. The radio beacon signal and the optical beacon signal are received. This received information is sent to the navigation control circuit 30 for processing. In addition, information can be transmitted to the outside.
[0046]
Next, as the operation switch group 20, a touch switch configured integrally with the display device 26 and set on a display screen, a mechanical key switch provided around the display device 26, and the like are used. The touch switch is composed of an infrared sensor arranged indefinitely on the screen of the display device 26. When the infrared ray is cut off with, for example, a finger or a touch pen, the cut-off position becomes a two-dimensional coordinate value (X, Y). ) Is detected. Thereby, as will be described later, a predetermined instruction can be input by directly touching the display screen.
[0047]
Next, the map data input device 22 is a device for inputting various data including so-called map matching data for improving the accuracy of position detection and road data representing road connections from a storage medium. As a storage medium, a CD-ROM is generally used because of the amount of data, but other media such as a DVD, a hard disk, and a memory card may be used. The road data is a map formed by connecting a plurality of nodes such as intersections with links, and for each link, a unique number (link ID) for identifying the link and a link indicating the length of the link Stored is link information including data on the length, x and y coordinates of the start and end of the link, the road width of the link, and the road type (indicating road information such as toll roads).
[0048]
The display device 26 is a color display device in the present embodiment, and on its screen, a mark indicating the current location of the vehicle detected by the position detector 12, road data input from the map data input device 22, and Additional data such as a guide route, a name, and a mark displayed on the map can be displayed in an overlapping manner. Moreover, the display for the alerting | reporting for the guidance mentioned later can also be performed.
[0049]
The speaker 28 notifies the user of voice information for various guidance processed by the navigation control circuit 30.
Next, the navigation control circuit 30 is configured around a known microcomputer comprising a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The current position of the vehicle based on each detection signal from the position detector 12 and a map data input device. Based on the processing of displaying the map near the current position read via the display 22 on the display screen and the facility index data stored in the map data input device 22, the destination becomes the destination according to the operation of the operation switch group 20 or the remote controller. A so-called navigation process such as a destination selection process for selecting a facility, a route guidance process for automatically selecting an optimal route from the current position to the destination, and performing guidance according to the selected route is executed. As a method for automatically setting an optimal route, a method such as the Dijkstra method is known. Then, the guidance route is displayed overlaid on the road map on the display device 26, and an appropriate route is guided to the driver.
[0050]
The destination is set by inputting a facility name, telephone number, address, latitude / longitude, and the like from the operation switch group 20 or a remote controller (not shown) via the remote control sensor 21, and the coordinate position corresponding to the input information is input to the map information input device. Based on the information from 22, the CPU of the navigation control circuit 30 obtains it. The coordinate position of the destination is stored in the RAM of the navigation control circuit 30.
[0051]
The arrival at the destination set as described above has conventionally been such that the current position of the vehicle based on each detection signal from the position detector 12 and the coordinate position corresponding to the destination are within a predetermined range. In this embodiment, it is possible to determine whether the destination has been reached even by using the two-dimensional code reader 27. Specifically, for example, a two-dimensional code 50 is written on a signboard 51 shown in FIG. 2, and the two-dimensional code 50 is read by the two-dimensional code reading device 27 of the navigation device 1 mounted on the vehicle 60. The navigation control circuit 30 in the navigation main body 62 compares the information on the facility included in the read code information with the information on the facility at the destination, and if they match, it is determined that the destination has been reached. Then, notification is made from the display device 26 and the speaker 28.
[0052]
Information stored in the two-dimensional code 50 includes facility ID, company / chain name, business type, store name, telephone number, location, coordinate data, regular holiday, business hours, as shown in the example of stored information in FIG. Handling items. Among these, the facility ID is an ID unique to each facility. The chain name is a name of a commercial facility that develops the chain, for example, a franchise name. The business type records, for example, facility types such as retail stores, restaurants, car supply stores, hospitals, and government offices. The store name is, for example, XX store or XX hospital. In addition, the coordinate data is stored as an absolute position, as is the case with conventional barcodes, for example, north latitude and east longitude are expressed as “xx degrees xx minutes xxx seconds” respectively. is there. This coordinate data may be coordinates of a place where the two-dimensional code is posted, or may be coordinates of a facility recorded in the two-dimensional code. If coordinate data is used as one indicating one of the coordinates, or if it is not unified, information that distinguishes whether the coordinate data is posting place data or facility data is also used. Append. In addition, the coordinate data of the posting place and the coordinate data of the facility may both be described in a distinguishable format.
[0053]
As for regular holidays and business hours, if the fixed day of the week is a regular holiday, the data should be “Every week ○ Day of the week”. If the business hours vary depending on the day of the week, etc. May be recorded.
The two-dimensional code 50 may include information regarding facilities other than those described above. For example, information on events at facilities, advertisements for sale, information on payment means such as credit cards to be handled, etc.
[0054]
These pieces of information are all stored in one two-dimensional code 50. Here, the two-dimensional code 50 will be described. In this embodiment, a QR (Quick Response) code is adopted as an example of the two-dimensional code 50. As illustrated in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 3, the QR code is composed of bright (white) or dark (black) cells arranged in two vertical and horizontal directions. This QR code has three positioning symbols A, C, and D. When the QR code is optically read, first, the three positioning symbols A, C, and D are detected. The positioning symbols A, C, and D have a specific ratio of 1 (dark): 1 (bright): 3 (dark): 1 (bright): 1 (dark) regardless of the scanning direction. It is a pattern. Therefore, if this specific ratio is detected, the positioning symbols A, C, and D can be detected. Since the QR code has timing cells E and F in which bright and dark cells are alternately arranged between the positioning symbols A, C, and D, the QR code further includes other cells from the center position of the timing cell. The center position is determined and decoded. It should be noted that the QR code as the two-dimensional code 50 shown in FIG. 2 is intended to give an overview, and it is added that the cell arrangement representing the stored information example shown in FIG. 2 is not arranged. Keep it.
[0055]
In the example shown in FIG. 2, the information amount corresponding to 150 to 200 characters in terms of Kanji code is stored in the two-dimensional code 50. The amount of information that cannot be stored with a conventional bar code is sufficient, but in the case of a QR code, it is possible to store up to about 1800 characters.
[0056]
On the other hand, a two-dimensional code reader 27 for reading the two-dimensional code 50 includes a control unit 27b, a reading unit 27a, and the like. The control unit 27b is configured as a computer system including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, and the like, and captures an image of the two-dimensional code 50 through the reading unit 27a in accordance with a program stored in the ROM. Do. Then, the captured image is decoded and output to the navigation control circuit 30 via the communication I / F. The reading unit 27a is composed of a CCD camera, and outputs a video signal of the two-dimensional code 50 written on the surface of the signboard 51 based on an instruction from the control unit 27b. The output video signal is recorded in the image memory by the control unit 27b. The control unit 27b searches for a bit pattern corresponding to the two-dimensional code in the image memory. If a bit pattern corresponding to the two-dimensional code exists, the code is decoded and sent to the navigation control circuit 30. A configuration for reading the two-dimensional code (QR code) as shown here is well known to those skilled in the art.
[0057]
Subsequently, of the processes executed by the navigation control circuit 30, the process for searching for a destination based on the information read from the two-dimensional code 50 via the two-dimensional code reader 27 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This will be described with reference to FIG.
In the first step S100 of FIG. 4, the destination is set from the facility name. The facility name is input via the remote control sensor 21 from the operation switch group 20 shown in FIG. At this time, the facility ID unique to the corresponding facility is retrieved by the navigation control circuit 30 from the map data input device 22 and stored in a RAM (not shown) in the navigation control circuit.
[0058]
In subsequent S110, route calculation to the destination is performed and route guidance is started. For this route calculation, a method such as Dijkstra method is employed. The route calculation using the Dijkstra method uses the link information for links between nodes and the connection information between links including traffic restrictions to calculate the route cost (evaluation value for the route) from the current location to each node. This is a well-known technique for setting a recommended route by connecting links that have the lowest route cost when all the costs to the destination have been calculated. The route cost calculation at each link in the Dijkstra method is performed using, for example, the following equation.
[0059]
Route cost = link length x road width factor x road type factor x congestion degree
Here, the road width coefficient is a coefficient set according to the road width, and the road type coefficient is a coefficient set according to the road type such as a toll road. The traffic congestion degree is a coefficient set according to the traffic congestion degree of the road, and the initial value is “1”. That is, when there is no traffic jam, “1” is set so as not to affect the calculation of the route cost, and the numerical value is set larger as the traffic jam level increases. By adding the route cost calculated using the above equation, the route cost on the route to the destination is obtained. Then, at the stage where all cost calculations up to the destination are completed, a link that minimizes the route cost is connected and a recommended route to the destination is set.
[0060]
In S120, the value of each sensor of the position detector 12 is input.
In subsequent S130, the coordinates of the current location are calculated by a known method based on the values of the sensors of the position detector 12 input in S120.
Subsequently, in S140, it is determined whether the two-dimensional code reader 27 has read the two-dimensional code. When the two-dimensional code is read (S140: YES), the process proceeds to S150. On the other hand, when the two-dimensional code is not read (S140: NO), the process returns to S120.
[0061]
In S150, the facility ID unique to the facility is extracted from the read two-dimensional code information, and compared with the facility ID of the target facility stored in the memory in S100. As a result of the comparison, if both facility IDs match (S150: YES), it is determined that the two-dimensional code of the target facility has been read, and the process proceeds to S160. If the facility IDs do not match (S150: NO), it is determined that the facility is not the target facility, and the process returns to S120.
[0062]
In S160, a destination arrival guidance is notified. A notification example of this destination arrival guidance is shown in FIG. Here, a map around the facility is displayed on the display device 26, and a mark indicating the location of the facility is displayed thereon. Furthermore, the text “Destination XX Convenience Store XX Arrived.” Is displayed in text. Further, in addition to the notification by display, the speaker 28 also makes a notification by voice saying “Destination XX Convenience Store XX. Then, the guidance process ends.
[0063]
According to the above embodiment, it is possible to easily reach the vicinity of the destination by route guidance, and since the destination facility is automatically discovered and notified, the user does not need to know the route to the facility, In addition, there is no need to go around looking for facility signs.
That is, the user can immediately find the destination facility by searching for a signboard or the like at the place where the destination arrival is notified. If the two-dimensional code is posted in a size that can be visually recognized by the user, the user can find the signboard of the facility more quickly by searching for the signboard with the code.
[0064]
Therefore, in particular, if this device is used as an in-vehicle navigation device, the driver can concentrate on driving without searching for a destination facility or its signboard and performing a slow-down driving or a side-by-side driving. In addition, since the code is automatically read, there is no need to overlook signboards, and there is no need to go around the destination many times. As a result, it is possible to shorten the time taken for discovery of the facility. In addition, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the destination facility is not found after all even though the destination facility is reached. This is particularly effective when the two-dimensional code 50 is written on the signboard 51 of a complex facility such as the building 70 shown in FIG.
[0065]
In this case, the two-dimensional code 50 is read one by one in order from the top or bottom of the building 70.
[Another embodiment or aspect]
(1) In the above embodiment, the destination is set from the name of the facility, but the name, address, telephone number, latitude and longitude, etc. of the facility are set via the remote control sensor 21 from the operation switch group 20 or a remote controller (not shown). You can also enter it. In this case, the facility control circuit 30 retrieves the facility ID unique to the facility corresponding to the input information from the map data input device 22 and records it in a RAM (not shown) in the navigation control circuit.
[0066]
(2) In the above-described embodiment, the two-dimensional code reader 27 is always operated during the route search. However, it is also conceivable that the two-dimensional code is not read until it is within a predetermined range from the destination.
That is, in FIG. 4, after calculating the current location in S130, it is determined whether the current location is within a predetermined range from the destination by comparing the coordinates of the destination and the coordinates of the current location. Returning to step S140, if it is within the predetermined range, the process proceeds to S140. By doing so, it is possible to prevent reading of the two-dimensional code until it is within a predetermined range from the destination, thereby reducing the power consumption of the device and contributing to the prevention of battery exhaustion. 2 may be configured to be integrated with the navigation control circuit 30. In this case, the processing load on the navigation control circuit 30 can be significantly reduced. .
[0067]
If the read two-dimensional code does not correspond to the target facility and is out of the predetermined range again, the driver can be notified that the user has moved away from the destination by informing that fact.
(3) In the process for searching for the destination, the current location is calculated in S130 of FIG. At this time, when the current location reaches the vicinity of the destination, route guidance for the road near the destination may be started. For example, the route guidance is performed so that the road is in the order of wide roads on a road within a range of 100 m from the destination. In this way, it is possible to further facilitate the discovery of the target facility.
[0068]
(4) Although the case where guidance is provided by setting a destination has been described above, there are cases where a facility that satisfies a search condition is simply requested without setting a destination. In the following, regarding the processing executed by the navigation control circuit 30, the processing in the case of searching for a facility that matches the search condition based on the information read from the two-dimensional code 50 via the two-dimensional code reader 27 will be described with reference to FIG. This will be described with reference to FIG.
[0069]
In the first step S200 of FIG. 7, the condition of the facility to be searched is set. Examples of the facility conditions include items as shown in the information storage example of FIG. The search condition is input from the menu displayed on the display device 26 via the operation switch group 20 or a remote controller (not shown) via the remote control sensor 21. The input search condition is stored in a RAM (not shown) in the navigation control circuit.
[0070]
In subsequent S210, it is determined whether the two-dimensional code reader 27 has read the two-dimensional code. When the two-dimensional code is read (S210: YES), the process proceeds to S220. On the other hand, when the two-dimensional code is not read (S210: NO), S210 is repeated until the two-dimensional code is read.
[0071]
In S220, it is determined whether or not the read two-dimensional code information satisfies the search conditions stored in the memory in S200. As a result of the determination, if the search condition is satisfied (S220: YES), the process proceeds to S230. If the search condition is not satisfied (S220: NO), the process returns to S210.
[0072]
In S230, the search facility discovery guidance is notified. An example of this notification is shown in FIG. Here, a map around the facility is displayed on the display device 26, and a mark indicating the location of the facility is displayed thereon. In addition, the message “Searching for convenience stores, alcohol, and tobacco facilities found.” Is displayed in text. Further, in addition to the notification by display, the speaker 28 also provides a notification by voice saying “The facility has been found. The search conditions are convenience store, alcohol, and tobacco”.
[0073]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the facility signboard 51 generally describes the name of the facility, which is information for identifying the facility, and the location information and location information of the facility. Other facility information such as products, services, and business hours handled at the facility may also be posted. For example, ABCDEF is shown in FIG. 2 as the name of the facility, and XX Bank, XX Dental, XX Sports Center, and XX Restaurant are shown in FIG. As the location information of the facility, for example, in FIG. 6, a place in the building is shown as 5F, 4F, 2F. In the case of FIG. 2, the sign 51 does not have to be displayed when the sign 51 is adjacent to the facility, but a sign such as “Further 500 m” can be used if the sign is in a distant place. Further, as other facility information, for example, 24OPEN / Sake is described in FIG.
[0074]
As can be seen from the above examples, since only a part of the facility information can be written on the signboard 51, the details of the facility could not be understood without visiting the facility. However, according to the search of this navigation device, since a lot of information as shown in the stored information example of FIG. 2 can be put in the two-dimensional code 50, it is possible to accurately notify the facility intended by the user. it can.
[0075]
In addition, although the process which searches the facility which satisfy | fills the search conditions as mentioned above and satisfy | fills the conditions can be made into one function of the apparatus of a structure as shown in FIG. 1, further simplifying an apparatus structure Even if the position detector 12 and the map data input device 22 shown in FIG. 1 are omitted, it is possible to find a facility that matches the search conditions. With such a configuration, the size of the device can be greatly reduced. For example, the navigation control circuit 30, the speaker 18, the display device 26, the operation switch group 20, and the two-dimensional code reading device 27 may be used alone.
[0076]
(5) As described above, when a destination is searched or a facility that satisfies the search conditions is searched for and a corresponding signboard is found, the user is notified before the signboard. Is desirable. For example, in FIG. 6, when XX dentistry is set as the destination or “dental” is set as the search condition, notification should be made before passing this signboard.
[0077]
However, there is a case where the notification is sent past the signboard 51 without being processed in time by the navigation control circuit 30 or the like. In this case, it is good to notify that the posting position has been passed.
The passage of the posting position is checked by checking whether the two-dimensional code read in S140 and S210 can be read again immediately before the notification in S160 of FIG. 4 and S230 of FIG. If it can be read again, it is in front of the signboard, so normal notification is given. On the other hand, when it cannot be read again, it notifies that it passed the posting position with a normal notification.
[0078]
The passage of the posting position may be determined by comparing the coordinate data of the two-dimensional code posting position read by the two-dimensional code reader 27 and the current position calculated based on the value of the position detector 12. Alternatively, the two-dimensional code reader 27 may measure the distance to the two-dimensional code posting position and calculate and determine the travel distance based on the vehicle speed sensor 12c.
[0079]
(6) If the place where the two-dimensional code is posted is adjacent to the facility as in the facility (building 70) in FIG. 6, the facility can be found immediately. However, for example, when a two-dimensional code is posted at a location away from the facility, such as a guide sign several kilometers before the facility, information indicating that it is posted at a location away from the facility is 2 It may be included in the dimension code and notified when the code is read. The processing in this case is performed by notifying the fact that information indicating that the information is posted at a position away from the facility is included in S160 of FIG. 4 and S230 of FIG.
[0080]
In this case, the positional relationship between the facility and the posting place may be recorded in a two-dimensional code, and the positional relationship may be notified at the same time.
(7) When the information on the facility related to the date and time is included as in the business hours of the stored information example in FIG. 2, the current date and time input from the calendar clock 29 shown in FIG. Various processes can be performed by comparing the information with the facility. For example, the business hours are compared with the current date and time, and if the current date and time is not within business hours, even if the facility is a facility that satisfies the search condition, notification may not be made. In this way, it is possible to prevent notification of facilities that are not in operation.
[0081]
(8) Although a CCD camera is used as a reading device, other code reading devices may be used. A plurality of code readers may be used. For example, one device may be provided for each of the front and rear and the left and right. In the case of using a camera, the zoom may be performed when a two-dimensional code is found. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which moves camera itself. The two-dimensional code is not necessarily installed at a constant height, and the left and right positions with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle change as the vehicle travels. Accordingly, if the code reading device is configured so that the direction of the camera can be moved, and an appropriate condition is set so that the camera can be moved up and down and left and right regularly, the number of reading errors is reduced. This operation may be performed quickly when the vehicle speed is high. Such a configuration makes it easier to find the code.
[0082]
(9) Although the facility-specific ID is searched from the map data input device 22, it may be searched from a ROM or RAM (not shown) of the navigation control circuit 30. Furthermore, information for specifying a facility such as a facility ID can also be input via the external information input device 19 or the communication device 18. In this way, it is possible to always specify a new facility.
[0083]
(10) In the above-described embodiment, the QR code is taken as an example of the two-dimensional code 50, but other two-dimensional codes can be similarly applied. Even a bar code or other electronically readable code can be applied with a limited amount of information.
[0084]
(11) In the above-described embodiment, the operation switch group 20 and the remote controller are used to input an instruction from the user. However, the instruction may be input by voice input, for example. In that case, a voice recognition device is added. That is, the user's voice data input via the microphone is sequentially acoustically analyzed to extract the acoustic feature quantity (for example, cepstrum), and the acoustic feature quantity time-series data obtained by this acoustic analysis is obtained. Then, the time series data is divided into several sections by a known DP matching method, HMM (Hidden Markov Model), or a neural network, and it is determined which word is stored as dictionary data. . Then, a higher comparison target pattern having a high degree of coincidence is obtained as a recognition result, and for example, a destination necessary for navigation processing is notified to the navigation ECU 30 or a command for executing processing such as route setting is notified. . As a result of such processing, if this voice recognition device is used, it is possible to instruct a destination in route setting performed by the navigation ECU 30 by voice input without manually operating the operation switch group 20.
[0085]
In this way, in addition to the above-described voice notification, the interaction between the navigation device and the user can be performed almost via voice, so that safety is ensured even when driving the vehicle. Can be secured.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a navigation device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a signboard on which a two-dimensional code is posted and a navigation device mounted on a vehicle.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a QR code as a two-dimensional code.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a destination search process executed by the navigation control circuit of the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of notification for destination search and notification for facility search.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which a two-dimensional code is posted on a signboard of a complex facility (building).
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a facility search process executed by the navigation control circuit of the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... Navigation device 4 ... Information distribution center
12 ... Position detector 12a ... GPS receiver
12b ... Gyroscope 12c ... Vehicle speed sensor
12d ... Geomagnetic sensor 18 ... Communication device
19 ... External information input / output device 20 ... Operation switch group
21 ... Remote control sensor 22 ... Map data input device
24 ... External memory 26 ... Display device
27 ... Two-dimensional code reader 27a ... Reading unit
27b ... Analysis unit 28 ... Speaker
29 ... Calendar clock 30 ... Navigation control circuit
50 ... 2D code 51 ... Signboard
60 ... Vehicle 62 ... Navigation body
70 ... Bill
A, C, D ... positioning symbols E, F ... timing cells

Claims (6)

Search condition setting means for setting a facility search condition;
Code reading means for reading an electronically readable code that is posted in a predetermined positional relationship with the facility and includes information about the facility;
Determining means for determining whether the information about the facility read by the code reading means satisfies the search condition set by the search condition setting means;
When the determination means determines that the search condition is satisfied, notification means for notifying the notification content when a predetermined condition is satisfied;
Destination setting means for setting the destination;
Current location detection means for detecting the current location;
Route guidance means for guiding the route from the current position detected by the current position detection means to the destination set by the destination setting means;
With
The search condition setting means sets a search condition that can identify a facility that is a destination set by the destination setting means,
The notification means notifies that the destination has been reached as the notification content when the condition is satisfied,
The code reading unit starts reading the code when the current location detected by the current location detection unit enters a predetermined area based on the destination set by the destination setting unit. Navigation device. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
The code reading means determines whether or not the read code matches the destination set by the destination setting means, and the current location detected by the current value detection means is a predetermined value based on the destination. Determine if it is out of range,
The informing means determines that the read code and the set destination do not match by the code reading means, and that the current location is out of a predetermined area based on the destination. In this case, as a notification content when a predetermined condition is satisfied, a notification that the destination is outside the predetermined area is notified. The navigation device according to claim 1 or 2,
The code reading means reads a two-dimensional code;
A navigation device characterized by the above. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Furthermore, it comprises passage determination means for determining whether or not it has passed the posting position of the code read by the code reading means,
The said notification means alert | reports the notification content at the time of predetermined passage, when the said passage determination means determines passage. In the navigation apparatus of any one of Claims 1-4,
In the case where the code read by the code reading means includes information indicating that the code exists at a location away from the facility, the notification means notifies the fact as the notification content when the condition is satisfied. Navigation device. In the navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The notification means, when the code read by the code reading means includes information indicating the positional relationship between the facility and the posting place, notifies the positional relationship as the notification content when the condition is satisfied. Navigation device.

Images