JP4004331B2 - Navigation device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a navigation device that displays a map image around a vehicle in a traveling vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Some conventional navigation devices display restriction information such as a traffic restriction type symbol with a specified period and time, along with a map image around the vehicle. The driver can easily confirm the contents of the restriction at that time by looking at the traffic restriction type symbol displayed superimposed on the map image.
[0003]
Some conventional navigation devices perform route search processing in consideration of restriction information in which the presence or absence of restriction and contents change with time. As a result, it is possible to set an optimal travel route in consideration of the time during which the vehicle actually travels.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, as described above, in the conventional navigation device, it is possible to display the contents of traffic regulation. Therefore, when there is a lane in which the travelable direction of the vehicle changes depending on the time, for each lane at the time of display, If the travelable direction of the vehicle is known, the lane information at that time can be displayed. However, simply displaying the regulation information (lane information) when the vehicle travels in this way will also change the content of the displayed lane information when the vehicle's travelable direction is switched. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to understand for a driver who is driving a vehicle relying only on the vehicle, and smooth guidance operation such as lane information cannot be performed. Also, when the road where the travelable direction of the vehicle is switched is included in the guidance route set by the route search, and the guidance route of the minimum cost is changed by switching the travelable direction of the vehicle However, there is a problem that a smooth guidance operation cannot be performed because a new minimum cost guidance route is automatically searched, and as a result, the guidance route presented by the navigation device is suddenly switched. .
[0005]
The present invention has been created in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation apparatus capable of performing a smooth guidance operation.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problem, a navigation device of the present invention includes a vehicle position detection unit that detects a vehicle position, a map drawing unit that generates a map image around the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection unit, For a road on which the direction in which the vehicle can proceed is switched, a guide image generation unit that generates a guide image indicating that the traveling direction at the time of interest and the direction may be switched, and the vehicle detected by the vehicle position detection unit Display processing means for displaying the guide image on the screen of the display device together with the map image when the position is on the road corresponding to the guide image. While driving on a road where the direction in which the vehicle can travel changes, the guidance image indicating that the direction in which the vehicle can travel and the direction may change may be displayed to control the road to the driver of the vehicle. Since it is possible to notify in advance that the contents are switched, a smooth guidance operation can be performed to the driver or the like.
[0007]
Further, it is desirable that the above-described display of the guidance image is continued for a predetermined time immediately before the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched. Thereby, it is possible to know that the direction in which the vehicle can travel within a predetermined time is switched on the road on which the vehicle is traveling. In addition, it is desirable that the above-described guide image generation unit generates a guide image that includes the advanceable direction at the time of interest and the advanceable direction after the advanceable direction is switched. Advancing direction because you can know both the current advancing direction and the advancing direction after switching and can easily understand how the advancing direction changes It becomes easy to think about how to deal with when the switch occurs.
[0008]
The vehicle further includes receiving means for receiving the lane information when the lane information including the direction in which the vehicle can travel and the switching timing of the direction for each road is transmitted from a predetermined facility. It is desirable to generate a guide image based on the lane information received by the receiving means. This makes it possible to generate a guide image indicating the direction in which the vehicle can travel based on the latest information sent from a predetermined facility such as a VICS center.
[0009]
In addition, when the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection unit described above is on a road corresponding to the guide image, voice guidance unit that further notifies the voice that the direction in which the vehicle can travel may be switched is further provided. It is desirable to provide. Accordingly, it is possible to reliably notify the driver of the vehicle that the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched.
[0010]
In addition, the optimum travel route between the predetermined departure point and the destination is searched, and the optimum travel route is recalculated when the optimum travel route is changed according to the lane information received by the receiving means. It is desirable to further include route search means for performing and route guidance means for guiding the travel of the vehicle along the travel route searched by the route search means. When the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched, the travel route reflecting the details can be recalculated, and for the vehicle driver, the travel direction is switched to change to the travel route. Can be indirectly notified by displaying the above-described guide image.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a navigation device according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.
(1) Overall configuration of navigation device Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device according to an embodiment. 1 includes a navigation controller 1, a DVD 2, a disk reader 3, a remote control (remote control) unit 4, a vehicle position detector 5, a beacon transmitter / receiver 6, a display device 7, and an audio unit 8. ing.
[0012]
The navigation controller 1 controls the overall operation of the navigation device. The navigation controller 1 realizes its function by executing a predetermined operation program using a CPU, ROM, RAM, or the like. The detailed configuration of the navigation controller 1 will be described later.
[0013]
The DVD 2 is an information recording medium that stores map data necessary for map display and route search. This DVD 2 stores map data in units of rectangular figure leaves divided into appropriate sizes by longitude and latitude. The map data of each leaf can be specified and read by designating the leaf number. The map data of each map leaf includes (1) “drawing unit” consisting of various data necessary for displaying map images, and (2) various data necessary for processing such as map matching, route search, route guidance, etc. “Road unit” including restriction information, (3) “intersection unit” including various data representing detailed information of the intersection, and the like are included. This intersection unit includes a lane information record indicating the direction in which the vehicle can travel for each lane included in the road intersecting at the intersection of interest.
[0014]
The disc reader 3 can be loaded with one or more DVDs 2 and reads map data from any of the DVDs 2 under the control of the navigation controller 1. The loaded disc is not necessarily a DVD but may be a CD. Further, both DVD and CD may be selectively loaded.
[0015]
The remote control unit 4 includes a joystick for designating up, down, left, and right directions, and various operation keys such as a numeric keypad for inputting numbers and a “decision key” for confirming various settings. Is output to the navigation controller 1.
[0016]
The vehicle position detection unit 5 includes, for example, a GPS receiver, an orientation sensor, a distance sensor, and the like, detects the vehicle position (longitude, latitude) at a predetermined timing, and outputs a detection result.
The beacon transmitter / receiver 6 mainly performs bidirectional communication with radio wave beacon transmitters / receivers installed on highways via radio waves, and between optical beacon transmitters / receivers mainly installed on general roads. By performing two-way communication via light, the VICS traffic information sent from the VICS center, the direction in which the vehicle can travel and the switching timing (for example, date and time) of each of the multiple lanes constituting each road, and Lane information including actual switching instructions is received.
[0017]
Based on the drawing data output from the navigation controller 1, the display device 7 displays various images such as a map image around the vehicle position and search results for surrounding facilities. The audio unit 8 outputs a guidance voice or the like generated based on the voice signal input from the navigation controller 1 into the vehicle interior.
[0018]
(2) Detailed configuration of navigation controller 1 Next, a detailed configuration of the navigation controller 1 will be described. A navigation controller 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a map buffer 10, a map readout control unit 12, a map drawing unit 14, a VRAM 16, a readout control unit 18, a vehicle position calculation unit 20, a route search processing unit 22, a guidance route memory 24, a guidance route. The drawing unit 26, the reception data buffer 28, the input processing unit 30, the operation screen generation unit 32, the mark image drawing unit 34, the image composition unit 36, and the lane information guide unit 40 are configured.
[0019]
The map buffer 10 temporarily stores map data read from the DVD 2 by the disk reader 3. The map reading control unit 12 outputs a request for reading a predetermined range of map data to the disk reading device 3 in accordance with the vehicle position calculated by the vehicle position calculating unit 20 and the instruction from the input processing unit 30. Based on the map data stored in the map buffer 10, the map drawing unit 14 performs drawing processing necessary to display a map image and creates map image data. The created map image data is stored in the VRAM 16, and the map image data for one screen is read by the read control unit 18.
[0020]
The vehicle position calculation unit 20 calculates the vehicle position based on the detection data output from the vehicle position detection unit 5, and if the calculated vehicle position is not on the road of the map data, the vehicle position is calculated. Perform map matching processing to correct.
The route search processing unit 22 searches for a travel route (guidance route) that connects a departure place and a destination (or waypoint) designated by the user under predetermined conditions. The guidance route memory 24 stores route data corresponding to the travel route obtained by the search processing by the route search processing unit 22. The guide route drawing unit 26 selects from the route data stored in the guide route memory 24 the one included in the map image drawn in the VRAM 16 at that time, and displays the guide route on the map in an overlapping manner. Generate guidance route drawing data.
[0021]
The reception data buffer 28 stores VICS information and lane information received by the beacon transceiver 6. The stored lane information is sent to each of the route search processing unit 22 and the lane information guide unit 40.
The input processing unit 30 outputs instructions for performing operations corresponding to various operation instructions input from the remote control unit 4 to each unit in the navigation controller 1. The operation screen generator 32 generates drawing data for displaying an operation screen necessary for the user to perform various operation instructions. The mark image drawing unit 34 is necessary for displaying various marks such as a vehicle position mark displayed in correspondence with the vehicle position after the map matching processing and a cursor mark displayed in correspondence with the cursor position. To generate simple drawing data.
[0022]
The image composition unit 36 includes map image data for one screen read from the VRAM 16 by the read control unit 18, drawing data output from the operation screen generation unit 32 and the mark image drawing unit 34, and a lane information guide unit 40. Are combined with the guide image data output from the image, and the combined drawing data is output to the display device 7.
[0023]
The lane information guide unit 40 generates a guide image including lane information received by the beacon transceiver 6. As described above, the lane information received by the beacon transceiver 6 includes the direction in which the vehicle can travel, the switching timing, and the actual switching instruction for each of the plurality of lanes constituting each road. A guide image is created based on the information. A specific example of the guidance image will be described later.
[0024]
The vehicle position detection unit 5 described above is the vehicle position detection unit, the map drawing unit 14 is the map drawing unit, the lane information guide unit 40 is the guide image generation unit, the voice guidance unit is the VRAM 16, the read control unit 18, and the image synthesis unit. 36 corresponds to the display processing means, the beacon transceiver 6 corresponds to the receiving means, the route search processing unit 22 corresponds to the route searching means, and the guidance route memory 24 and the guidance route drawing unit 26 correspond to the route guidance means.
[0025]
(3) Operation of the navigation device The navigation device of the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, and the operation thereof will be described next.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the navigation device when the direction in which the vehicle can travel on the road that is running is switched, and shows the operation procedure of the lane information guide unit 40 after the route guidance operation is started. ing.
[0026]
When the route guidance operation is started, the lane information guide unit 40 determines whether or not lane information corresponding to the current traveling road is received (step 100). If the lane information corresponding to the road is received and stored in the reception data buffer 28, an affirmative determination is made. Next, the lane information guide unit 40 within 30 minutes based on the lane information. It is determined whether or not there is a change in the direction in which the vehicle can travel (step 101). This determination is made based on the presence / absence and contents of information indicating the switching timing included in the switching information. That is, when information indicating the switching timing of the direction in which the vehicle can travel is included and the time until the switching time is within 30 minutes, an affirmative determination is made in the determination of step 101. In this case, the lane information guide unit 40 outputs a voice signal having the content that the direction in which the vehicle can travel within 30 minutes is switched to the audio unit 8 to perform voice guidance (step 102), and switches. A guide image including the front and back travelable directions is drawn (step 103). On the other hand, if the lane information does not include information indicating the switching timing of the direction in which the vehicle can travel, or if the information indicating the switching timing is included but the time until the switching time is longer than 30 minutes, step 101 A negative determination is made in the determination, and the lane information guide unit 40 draws a guide image including the direction in which the vehicle can proceed at that time (step 103).
[0027]
When the drawing of the guide image is completed in this way, the lane information guide unit 40 outputs the drawn guide image to the image composition unit 36 and superimposes it on the map image displayed on the display device 7. Lane information is displayed (step 104).
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a display screen including a guidance image. As shown in FIG. 3, a map image is displayed on the entire screen, and a guide image A is displayed using a part (for example, the upper part) of the map image.
[0028]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of the guidance image, and shows a specific example in which the direction in which the vehicle can travel in some lanes changes within 30 minutes. The road corresponding to the guide image A shown in FIG. 4 is composed of four lanes, and the guide image A has four lane information areas A1 to A4 corresponding to the respective lanes. In this, the direction in which the vehicle can travel in the third lane from the left is now a straight direction, and is switched to the reverse direction within 30 minutes. In such a case, in the lane information area A3, an arrow b1 indicating the current advancing direction and an arrow b2 indicating the advancing direction after switching can be identified. The driver of the vehicle who sees this display can easily grasp that the current advancing direction is the same straight traveling direction as the traveling direction of the vehicle, but the direction is reversed within 30 minutes.
[0029]
In addition, when a lane whose direction of travel can be switched and a lane which is fixed without switching the travel direction are mixed, it is desirable that the display state be distinguishable from each other. For example, in the lane information areas A1, A2, and A4, a blue arrow indicates the direction in which the vehicle can travel (fixed) with a yellow arrow, and in the lane information area A3, a blue arrow with a hollow red arrow indicates before and after switching. The possible orientation of the vehicle is shown. By performing such display, the driver of the vehicle can easily know whether or not the vehicle is traveling in a lane where the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched.
[0030]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another display example of the guidance image, and shows a specific example when the direction in which the vehicle can travel in each lane does not change within 30 minutes. In this case, the display in the lane information area A3 is performed in the same manner as other lane information areas A1 and the like.
[0031]
After displaying the guidance image in this way, the lane information guidance unit 40 determines whether or not switching of the direction in which the vehicle can travel has been instructed (step 105). If there is a switching instruction, an affirmative determination is made. Next, the lane information guide unit 40 draws a new guidance image including the direction in which the vehicle can proceed after switching (step 106), and then step 104. Return to, and repeat the guide image display processing and subsequent steps.
[0032]
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the guide image after the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched according to the switching instruction, and shows a specific example corresponding to the guide image illustrated in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 6, a guidance image in which the display in the lane information area A3 is changed in accordance with the direction in which the vehicle can travel after switching is displayed.
[0033]
If there is no switching instruction, a negative determination is made in the determination of step 105, and then the lane information guide unit 40 determines whether or not new lane information other than the switching instruction has been received (step 107). It is determined whether or not the road has been changed (step 108) and whether or not the destination has been reached (step 109). When new lane information is received, an affirmative determination is made in the determination in step 107, and the processing from step 101 onward is determined to determine whether or not there is a change of direction that can proceed within 30 minutes. In addition, when the traveling road of the vehicle is changed, an affirmative determination is made in the determination of step 108, and the processing after step 100 for determining whether or not the lane information corresponding to the traveling road is received is repeated. . If the vehicle has arrived at the destination, an affirmative determination is made in the determination in step 109, and a series of lane information guidance operations performed in parallel with the route guidance operation ends.
[0034]
As described above, in the navigation device of the present embodiment, while traveling on a road where the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched, a guidance image is displayed indicating that the direction and direction in which the vehicle can travel may be switched. In addition, since it becomes possible to notify the driver or the like of the vehicle in advance that the road regulation content is switched, a smooth guidance operation can be performed to the driver or the like. In particular, by displaying this guidance image continuously for a predetermined time (30 minutes in the present embodiment) immediately before the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched, within the predetermined time on the road on which the vehicle is traveling. The driver or the like can be surely notified that the advanceable direction is switched. In addition, by including the direction in which the vehicle can travel before and after the switching in the guidance image, the driver and the like can easily grasp how the direction in which the vehicle can travel is changed. It becomes easy to think about how to deal with the change in the direction in which travel is possible.
[0035]
Moreover, in the navigation apparatus of this embodiment, since the direction in which the vehicle can travel may be switched by voice, the vehicle driver can be surely notified.
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation implementation is possible within the range of the summary of this invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the guide image is displayed based on the received lane information. However, when the optimal travel route is changed when the direction in which the vehicle can travel is changed, the route search process is performed. It may be performed again.
[0036]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the navigation device in which the route search process is performed as necessary when the travelable direction of the vehicle is switched, and is added to the flowchart shown in FIG. Only some operating procedures are shown.
If switching of the direction in which the vehicle can travel is instructed and an affirmative determination is made in the determination in step 105, then the route search processing unit 22 determines whether it is necessary to recalculate the route (step 200). . For example, a road that has been unable to travel due to a change in the direction in which the vehicle can travel has become impossible because it has become impossible to travel along the already set guidance route, or because the direction in which the vehicle can proceed has been switched. In the case where it is possible to proceed to the next step, an affirmative determination is made in the determination of step 200 because it is necessary to recalculate the route. In this case, the route search processing unit 22 performs route search processing (step 201), and the result is stored in the guidance route memory 24. In addition, after the guidance route drawing unit 26 performs drawing processing of a new guidance route included in the display range based on the route search result newly stored in the guidance route memory 24 (step 202), The processing after step 100 for determining whether or not the corresponding lane information is received is repeated. Thus, since the travel route reflecting the contents can be recalculated when the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched, the route guidance reflecting the contents of the actual traffic regulation can be performed. In particular, it is possible to indirectly inform the driver of the vehicle by displaying the above-described guidance image that the travel route may change due to the change of the direction in which the vehicle can travel.
[0037]
In the above-described embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6, the case has been described in which the direction in which the vehicle can travel changes from the straight direction to the reverse direction (when the center line of the road is changed). The present invention can also be applied to cases where only a straight turn is allowed in a certain time zone and a right turn is allowed in other time zones other than a straight turn (when a right turn is restricted by time).
[0038]
In addition, the present invention can be applied not only to roads with a plurality of lanes, but also to one-way roads whose traveling direction is changed depending on time zones. In this case, only the lane information area A3 shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the screen.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the guidance image is displayed during the route guidance has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to the case where the vehicle is traveling while displaying the map image around the vehicle position other than during the route guidance. Can be applied.
[0039]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, before and after the change of the direction that can be advanced using the arrow pointing in the middle direction is shown. You may make it use. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, an arrow b <b> 4 having a different thickness may be superimposed on an arrow b <b> 3 indicating the current advancing direction to indicate the advancing direction after switching.
[0040]
In the above-described embodiment, the guidance image is displayed or the guidance voice is output 30 minutes before the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched. You may make it set by.
In the above-described embodiment, the guide information including the direction in which the vehicle can travel is displayed based on the lane information sent from the VICS center. However, the information is read from the DVD 2 and stored in the map buffer 10. Based on the road unit regulation information included in the stored map data and the lane information record of the intersection unit, etc. A guide image may be displayed based on these pieces of information.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, while traveling on a road where the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched, by displaying a guidance image indicating that the direction in which the vehicle can travel and the direction may be switched, Since it is possible to notify the driver of the vehicle in advance that the road regulation content is switched, a smooth guidance operation can be performed for the driver.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a navigation device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the navigation device when the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched on a running road.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a display screen including a guidance image.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a guidance image included in a display screen.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a guidance image included in a display screen.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a guidance image included in a display screen.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the navigation device when a change in the direction in which the vehicle can travel on a road that is traveling is reflected in the route search.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modified example of the guidance image included in the display screen.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Navigation controller 2 DVD
3 Disc reader 4 Remote control (remote control) unit 5 Vehicle position detector 6 Beacon transceiver 7 Display device 8 Audio unit 10 Map buffer 12 Map read controller 14 Map drawing unit 16 VRAM
18 Reading control unit 20 Vehicle position calculation unit 22 Route search processing unit 24 Guide route memory 26 Guide route drawing unit 28 Received data buffer 30 Input processing unit 32 Operation screen generation unit 34 Mark image drawing unit 36 Image composition unit 40 Lane information guide unit

Claims (5)

Vehicle position detecting means for detecting the vehicle position;
Map drawing means for generating a map image around the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detecting means;
About a road on which the direction in which the vehicle can proceed is switched, a guidance image generation unit that generates a guidance image indicating that the direction in which the vehicle can proceed and the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched,
Display processing means for displaying the guide image on the screen of the display device together with the map image when the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detecting means is on a road corresponding to the guide image;
The provided display of the guide image, the navigation device is continued for a predetermined time period immediately before the traveling possible orientations of the vehicle is switched to said Rukoto. Vehicle position detecting means for detecting the vehicle position;
Map drawing means for generating a map image around the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detecting means;
About a road on which the direction in which the vehicle can proceed is switched, a guidance image generation unit that generates a guidance image indicating that the direction in which the vehicle can proceed and the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched,
Display processing means for displaying the guide image on the screen of the display device together with the map image when the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detecting means is on a road corresponding to the guide image;
Wherein the guide image generating means with the progress possible orientations at the time focused, the navigation device characterized that you generate the guide image including the progress possible orientations of after switching progress possible orientations. In claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle further includes receiving means for receiving the lane information when the lane information including the direction in which the vehicle can travel and the switching timing of the direction for each road is transmitted from a predetermined facility,
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide image generating unit generates the guide image based on the lane information received by the receiving unit. In any one of Claims 1-3,
Voice guidance means for notifying by voice that the direction in which the vehicle can travel is switched when the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection means is on a road corresponding to the guidance image; A navigation device comprising: In claim 3,
The optimum travel route between a predetermined departure place and destination is searched, and when the optimum travel route is changed according to the lane information received by the receiving means, the optimum travel route is re-established. A route search means for performing calculations;
Route guidance means for guiding the travel of the vehicle along the travel route searched by the route search means;
A navigation device further comprising:

Images