JP4361840B2 - Car navigation system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle navigation device that acquires various information by communication connection with an information center outside a vehicle, and more particularly to an in-vehicle navigation device that acquires weather information from an information center.

  The in-vehicle navigation device includes a map data storage device such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) or hard disk on which map data is recorded, a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, a gyro, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, and a vehicle speed sensor. A vehicle position detection device that detects the current position of the vehicle and the direction of the vehicle is included. Then, the map data of the area including the current position of the vehicle is read from the map data storage device, and a map image around the current position of the vehicle is drawn based on the map data and displayed on the display device. Location) is superimposed on the map image, and the map image is scrolled according to the movement of the vehicle, the map image is fixed on the screen and the vehicle position mark is moved, and where the vehicle is currently traveling So that you can see at a glance.

  In general, the in-vehicle navigation device is equipped with a route guidance function that allows the user to easily travel to a desired destination without making a mistake on the road. According to this route guidance function, the lowest cost route connecting from the starting point to the destination using map data is automatically searched by performing simulation calculation such as horizontal search method or Dijkstra method, and the searched route is guided. It is memorized as a route, and when driving, the guidance route is displayed with a different color from other roads and drawn thickly, or when the vehicle approaches the intersection on the guidance route where it should turn right or left The user is guided to the destination by drawing an arrow indicating the course at the intersection on the map.

  Cost is based on distance, road width, road type (general road or highway, etc.), a value multiplied by a constant according to right turn and left turn, etc., estimated travel time of vehicle, etc. The degree of appropriateness as a numerical value. Even if there are two routes having the same distance, the cost differs depending on whether the user uses a toll road or whether to give priority to distance or time.

By the way, in recent years, an in-vehicle navigation apparatus that can be connected to an information center via a communication device such as a mobile phone and can acquire traffic information and other information has been put into practical use. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-330933 discloses that when a destination genre, a search area, and a departure time are set, a candidate place in the search area is searched in the information center, and weather forecast information is acquired from the weather information providing center. Thus, it is described that the candidate location and the weather forecast at the candidate location are transmitted to the navigation device. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-330933 also describes that a destination is determined in consideration of weather conditions.
JP 2003-330933 A

  However, in the navigation device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-330933, only the weather condition at the time of arrival at the destination is considered. For this reason, for example, when going to camping by staying overnight, it may be rained after the second day even if the weather is good on the first day. Even when a car is washed, if it rains on the next day after the car is washed and the car becomes dirty, the car is wasted.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle navigation device that recommends a scheduled action period according to a destination such as a campsite or a car wash in consideration of weather conditions over several days.

  The above-described problems include a communication device that communicates with an information center, a display device, a data storage device that stores map data and facility data, an operation unit that outputs a signal corresponding to an operation, and a facility genre. A condition storage unit for storing the weather conditions set in the facility, and when a facility is selected, the location data of the facility is extracted from the facility data, and a plurality of days at the location of the facility from the information center via the communication device A control unit that acquires the weather forecast data for the plurality of days, and the control unit is selected based on the weather forecast data for a plurality of days acquired from the information center and the weather conditions set in the condition storage unit. The vehicle-mounted navigation device is characterized in that a period suitable for going to a facility is detected and displayed on the display device.

  In the present invention, weather forecast data for several days at the location of the selected facility is acquired from the information center, and the selected facility is stored based on the weather forecast data and the weather conditions set in the condition storage unit. Detect a suitable period to go. In this case, it is possible to propose an optimum recommended period according to the genre of the destination by setting the weather condition according to the genre of the destination in the condition storage unit.

  Since the weather forecast may change from day to day, if there are days before the departure date, always get the latest weather forecast data and check whether the weather forecast for the recommended period has changed. It is preferable to re-detect the recommended period if it has been changed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle navigation device according to the embodiment of the present invention can communicate with the information center 30 via the Internet or a dedicated communication line, and can acquire various information from the information center 30. . In the present embodiment, the information center 30 is provided with a weather forecast database 30a storing national weather forecast data. The vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 can receive a weather forecast (weather, temperature, Wind speed and humidity data can be acquired.

  Note that the information center 30 may acquire weather forecast data from another server that distributes the weather forecast and transmit it to the in-vehicle navigation device 1.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the in-vehicle navigation device 1.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes a DVD storing map data and the like. Map data stored on DVD2 is divided into longitude and latitude widths of appropriate size according to the scale level such as 1/12500, 1/25000, 1/50000, and 1/100000. Is recorded as a coordinate set of vertices (nodes) expressed in latitude and longitude. A road is formed by connecting two or more nodes, and a portion connecting two nodes is called a link. In addition to the map data, the DVD 2 stores facility data. This facility data includes information such as the name, address, telephone number, and genre (type of campsite, beach, etc.) for each facility.

  Reference numeral 3 denotes an operation unit provided with various operation buttons and the like for operating the navigation apparatus body 10 to be described later. In the present embodiment, the operation unit 3 includes a touch panel disposed on the front surface of the display device 7 to be described later. A communication device 4 is capable of communicating with the information center 30.

  A GPS receiver 5 receives a GPS signal sent from a GPS satellite and detects the latitude and longitude of the current position of the vehicle. Reference numeral 6 denotes a self-contained navigation sensor, and the self-contained navigation sensor 6 includes an angle sensor 6a such as a gyro that detects a vehicle rotation angle, and a travel distance sensor 6b that generates a pulse every certain travel distance.

  Reference numeral 7 denotes a display device such as a liquid crystal panel. The navigation device main body 10 displays a map around the current position of the vehicle on the display device 7, a guidance route from the departure point to the destination, a vehicle position mark, and others. The guide information of is displayed. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a touch panel 3 a constituting a part of the operation unit 3 is arranged on the front surface of the display device 7. When the user's finger touches a button displayed on the screen of the display device 7, a signal corresponding to the contact position of the user's finger is output from the touch panel 3 a to the navigation device body 10. Reference numeral 9 denotes a speaker for providing guidance information to the user by voice.

  The navigation device body 10 is composed of the following.

  11 is a DVD controller that reads map data and facility data from the DVD 2, and 12 is a buffer memory that temporarily stores map data and facility data read from the DVD 2. Reference numeral 13 denotes an interface connected to the operation unit 3, 14 denotes an interface connected to the communication device 4, 15 denotes an interface connected to the GPS receiver 5, and 16 denotes an interface connected to the self-contained navigation sensor 6.

  Reference numeral 17 denotes a control unit constituted by a microcomputer. The control unit 17 detects the current position of the vehicle based on signals input from the interfaces 15 and 16, reads map data around the current position of the vehicle from the DVD 2 to the buffer memory 12, and reads the map data to the buffer memory 12. Various processes such as searching for a guidance route from the departure place to the destination are performed under the search conditions set using the map data. Further, the control unit 17 detects a period (recommended period) suitable for going to a destination such as a campsite or a beach based on the weather forecast data received from the information center 30. Reference numeral 17a denotes a condition storage unit that stores weather conditions when the control unit 17 detects the recommended period.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of weather conditions when the control unit 17 detects the recommended period. As shown in FIG. 4, conditions such as weather, temperature, and humidity are set for each genre of facility. For example, in the case of a campsite, a condition is set that a sunny or cloudy day continues for several days. In the case of a beach, a condition is set that a day of sunny or cloudy, temperature (for example, 25 ° C. or more) and humidity (for example, 30% or more) continues for several days. Furthermore, in the case of a ski resort, conditions are set such that the weather is good and the previous day is snow.

  Reference numeral 18 denotes a data recording unit. The data recording unit 18 includes a weather forecast data recording unit 18 a that records weather forecast data received from the information center 30, and an action schedule recording unit 18 b that records an action plan created by the control unit 17. The action schedule created by the control unit 17 will be described later.

  19 is a map drawing unit that draws a map image using the map data read to the buffer memory 12, and 21 is a drawing of various menu screens (operation screens) and various marks such as a vehicle position mark and a cursor according to the operation status. This is an operation screen / mark drawing unit.

  22 is a guide route storage unit that stores the guide route searched by the control unit 17, and 23 is a guide route drawing unit that draws the guide route. In the guide route storage unit 22, all nodes of the guide route searched by the control unit 17 are stored from the departure point to the destination. The guide route drawing unit 23 reads the guide route information (node sequence) from the guide route storage unit 22 and draws it with a color and thickness different from those of other roads.

  An audio output unit 24 supplies an audio signal to the speaker 9 based on a signal from the control unit 17. An image composition unit 25 superimposes various marks and operation screens drawn on the operation screen / mark drawing unit 21 on the map image drawn on the map drawing unit 19 and a guidance route drawn on the guidance route drawing unit 23. And output to the display device 7.

  In the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 configured as described above, the control unit 17 detects the current position of the vehicle and the direction of the vehicle from the GPS signal received by the GPS receiver 5 and the signal input from the autonomous navigation sensor 6. . Then, map data around the current position of the vehicle is read from the DVD 2 and stored in the buffer memory 12. The map drawing unit 19 generates a map image based on the map data read to the buffer memory 12, displays the map image around the current position of the vehicle on the display device 7, and displays the current vehicle state on the map image. A vehicle position mark indicating the position is displayed. Thereafter, the control unit 17 moves the vehicle position mark on the map image or scrolls the map image as the vehicle moves.

  When the user operates the operation unit 3 to set a destination, the control unit 17 searches the guidance route from the departure point to the destination under the set conditions using the current position of the vehicle as a departure point. The obtained guidance route information is stored in the guidance route storage unit 22. And the control part 17 outputs guidance information suitably with a driving | running | working of a vehicle, and guides a vehicle to drive | work along a guidance route to the destination.

  Hereinafter, in the in-vehicle navigation device of the present embodiment, the operation from when the user sets a destination facility (candidate site) until the in-vehicle navigation device 1 proposes a recommended period is shown in the flowchart in FIG. The description will be given with reference.

  First, in step S11, when a facility search is performed and a desired facility (hereinafter referred to as a candidate site) is selected from one or a plurality of searched facilities, the process proceeds to step S12, and the control unit 17 selects a candidate site. The map data of the area to be included is read from the DVD 2, and the map drawing unit 19 is controlled to display the name of the candidate site (selected facility) and its surrounding map on the display device 7 as shown in FIG. Further, the control unit 17 controls the operation screen / mark drawing unit 21 to display an up button 41, a down button 42, an “information” button 43, a “weather” button 44, a “destination” on the screen. A “SET” button 45 and a “RETURN” button 46 are displayed.

  The up button 41 and the down button 42 are buttons for changing the candidate site by moving the cursor on the facility list to the next higher facility or the next lower facility, and the “information” button 43 is information on the candidate site. This is a button for displaying (address, telephone number, etc.). The “Destination Set” button 45 is a button for setting a candidate destination as a destination, and the “Return” button 46 is a button for returning to the previous screen.

  Next, when the user presses the “weather” button 44 in step S <b> 13, the process proceeds to step S <b> 14, and the control unit 17 sends a weather forecast data request signal including position data of the candidate site via the communication device 4 to the information center 30. Send to. When the information center 30 receives the weather forecast data request signal from the in-vehicle navigation device 1, the information center 30 searches the weather forecast database 30a, extracts, for example, one week of weather forecast data in the area including the candidate site, and the in-vehicle navigation device. 1 to send. When receiving the weather forecast data from the information center 30 via the communication device 4, the control unit 17 stores the weather forecast data in the weather forecast data recording unit 18a.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S15, and the control unit 17 sets a period that matches the weather condition based on the genre of the candidate site (campground in this example) and the weather condition stored in the condition storage unit 17a, that is, A period (recommended period) suitable for going to the candidate site is detected, and the result is displayed on the display device 7.

  In the image displayed at this time, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the weather forecast of the area including the candidate site (the weather forecast for 1/15 to 1/21 week in FIG. 7) and the campsite are visited. A suitable period (recommended periods: bars A, B and C), period selection buttons 47 to 49 to be pressed when the user selects a recommended period, a map around the candidate site, an “information” button 43, A “set destination” button 45 and a “return” button 46 are displayed. In this example, the recommended periods (bars A, B, and C) are arranged in order from the longest period.

  Thereafter, in step S16, when the control unit 17 detects that any one of the period selection buttons 47 to 49 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S17. In addition, operation | movement when buttons other than the period selection buttons 47-49 are pressed in step S16 is mentioned later.

  In step S17, the control unit 17 associates the candidate site with the selected recommended period as an action schedule, and records the action schedule in the action schedule recording unit 18b.

  In this way, the candidate site and the scheduled action period are registered in the in-vehicle navigation device 1. And the control part 17 displays a message as shown in FIG. 8 on the display apparatus 7, in order to notify a user that these information was registered.

  When a button other than the “weather” button 44 is pressed in step S13, or when a button other than the period selection buttons 47 to 49 is pressed in step S16, the control unit 17 performs the following operation. . For example, when the “information” button 43 is pressed, the control unit 17 displays the candidate site information (address, telephone number, etc.) on the display device 7 and returns to the previous step. When the “destination set” button 45 is pressed, the control unit 17 searches for a guidance route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination using the candidate location as a destination, and follows the guidance route from the vehicle to the destination. Guidance starts to run. When the “return” button 46 is pressed, the process returns to step S11 in step S13, returns to step S12 in step S16, and the control unit 17 searches for the previous image (when a candidate site is searched in step S13). (The image shown in FIG. 6 in step S16) is displayed on the display device 7.

  As described above, in the in-vehicle navigation device of the present embodiment, when the user presses the “weather” button 44 with a desired facility among the searched facilities as a candidate site, weather forecast data is acquired from the information center 30. Then, a period suitable for going to the candidate site is displayed on the display device 7. The user only has to select a desired period from the periods displayed on the display device 7, and it is easy to make an action plan.

  In the above description of the operation, the case where the user selects a campsite is taken as an example. However, when a facility of a genre other than the campground is selected as a candidate site, a recommended period suitable for going to the candidate site Propose. For example, when the user selects a car wash place, a period in which sunny or cloudy days continue is detected according to the conditions shown in FIG. 4 and displayed on the display device 7. When the user selects a beach, a period suitable for bathing is detected from the weather, temperature, and humidity, and displayed side by side in descending order of the number of consecutive days satisfying these weather conditions as shown in FIG. Display on device 7.

  Next, the operation after the action schedule is registered in the in-vehicle navigation device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

  For example, when the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 is activated, in step S21, the control unit 17 checks whether or not an action schedule is recorded in the action schedule recording unit 18b. In step S21, when the action schedule is recorded in the action schedule recording part 18b, it transfers to step S22.

  In step S <b> 22, the control unit 17 acquires the weather forecast data of the candidate site recorded in the action schedule recording unit 18 b from the information center 30. Thereafter, in step S23, the control unit 17 compares the weather forecast data acquired from the information center 30 with the weather forecast data recorded in the weather forecast data recording unit 18a, and obtains the content of the weather forecast for the scheduled action period. Check for changes. Then, if there is a change in the weather forecast data (if it falls outside the weather conditions), the process proceeds to step S31 described later, and if there is no change in the weather forecast data (if it does not fall outside the weather conditions), the process goes to step S24. Transition.

  In step S24, the control unit 17 confirms whether or not today is the scheduled action period. And when it determines with today not being the period of an action schedule, the control part 17 once complete | finishes a process. Then, for example, when the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 is activated next time, the processing is started from step S21.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S24 that today is the scheduled action period, the process proceeds to step S25. In step S25, the control unit 17 confirms with the user whether or not to provide route guidance to the candidate site, as shown in FIG. 12, for example, “Today is the best departure date. A message such as “Do you want?” And a “Yes” button 50 and a “No” button 51 are displayed.

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S26, and the control unit 17 determines whether route guidance is instructed, that is, whether the “Yes” button 50 is pressed or the “No” button 51 is pressed. When the “No” button 51 is pressed, the control unit 17 determines that there is no need to provide route guidance to the destination, and ends the process.

  On the other hand, when the “Yes” button 50 is pressed in step S26, the process proceeds to step S27, and the control unit 17 searches for a guidance route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination with the candidate place as the destination. Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, a message such as “I will guide you to the planned campsite” is displayed on the display device 7, and then the vehicle is guided to travel along the guidance route to the destination. Start.

  If it is determined in step S23 that the newly acquired weather forecast data for the scheduled action period does not match the weather conditions, the process proceeds to step S31. In step S31, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, the control unit 17 displays a message indicating that the weather information has changed, a “Yes” button 52 and a “No” button 53 on the display device 7, and changes the action schedule. Confirm with the user.

  Then, in step S32, it is determined whether or not an action schedule change has been instructed, that is, whether the “Yes” button 52 or the “No” button 53 has been pressed. When the “No” button 53 is selected, the process proceeds to step S24.

  On the other hand, when the “Yes” button 52 is selected in step S32, the process proceeds to step S33, and the control unit 17 is based on the new weather forecast data acquired from the information center 30 and is suitable for going to the candidate site. (Recommended period) is detected again and displayed on the display device 7 (see FIG. 7).

  Next, the process proceeds to step S34, and the control unit 17 monitors whether any one of the period selection buttons is selected. In step S34, when the control unit 17 detects that any one of the period selection buttons is selected, the process proceeds to step S35.

  In step S35, the control unit 17 associates the newly selected period with the candidate site to create a new action schedule, and stores it in the action schedule recording unit 18b. Then, the control unit 17 displays a message notifying that a new action schedule has been registered on the display device 7. Thus, the control part 17 once complete | finishes operation | movement of the vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus 1 after an action plan is registered. At a later date, for example, when the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 is activated, the operation from step S21 is performed.

  As described above, in the vehicle-mounted navigation device according to the present embodiment, when the scheduled action period is reached, the user is confirmed whether route guidance to the candidate site is performed. Also, if there is a change in the weather forecast data for the scheduled action period, a new recommended period is proposed. Accordingly, the user can easily change the action schedule.

  In the in-vehicle navigation device of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the recommended periods are displayed side by side in order from the longest period, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the recommended periods may be displayed side by side from the top in the order closest to the current date.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the conditions when detecting the period suitable for a vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus to go to a candidate site are set as the content shown in FIG. 4, when a user detects The condition may be changed by the user.

  In the in-vehicle navigation device of the present embodiment, in order to check whether or not the content of the weather forecast for the scheduled action period has changed, the weather forecast data from the information center 30 when the in-vehicle navigation device 1 is activated. However, the acquisition timing is not limited to this. Instead of acquiring weather forecast data every time the in-vehicle navigation device 1 is activated, it may be acquired every other day, for example.

  In the in-vehicle navigation device of this embodiment, information for distinguishing between a facility whose behavior is affected by the weather and a facility whose behavior is not affected by the weather, such as an indoor pool, is added to the facility data of the DVD 2 and selected. Only when the selected facility is a facility whose behavior is influenced by the weather, a recommended period suitable for going to the candidate site may be proposed using the weather forecast data.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an in-vehicle navigation device and an information center according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the vehicle-mounted navigation device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a position where the touch panel is arranged. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of weather conditions stored in the condition storage unit. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation from when the user selects a facility (candidate site) as a destination until the in-vehicle navigation device proposes a recommended period. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the display device when the in-vehicle navigation device searches for a candidate site. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the display device when a period suitable for the vehicle-mounted navigation device to go to the candidate site is detected. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the display device when the in-vehicle navigation device registers an action schedule. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of a screen displayed on the display device when a period suitable for the vehicle-mounted navigation device to go to the candidate site is detected. FIG. 10 is a flowchart (part 1) showing the operation of the in-vehicle navigation device after the action schedule is registered. FIG. 11 is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating the operation of the in-vehicle navigation device after the action schedule is registered. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the display device when confirming with the user whether or not the in-vehicle navigation device provides route guidance to the candidate site. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the display device when notifying the user that the vehicle-mounted navigation device provides route guidance to the destination. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the display device when the vehicle-mounted navigation device confirms with the user whether or not to change the action schedule.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... In-vehicle navigation device,
2 ... DVD,
3 ... operation part,
3a ... Touch panel,
4 ... communication device,
5 ... GPS receiver,
6 ... Self-contained navigation sensor,
7 ... display device,
10 ... navigation device body,
12 ... Buffer memory,
17 ... control unit,
17a ... Condition storage unit,
18a ... Weather forecast data recording part,
18b ... action schedule recording part,
19 ... Map drawing part,
21. Operation screen / mark drawing section,
22 ... guide route storage unit,
23: Guide route drawing unit,
25. Image composition unit,
30 ... Information Center,
30a ... Weather forecast database,
44 ... "Weather" button,
47-49 ... Period selection button.

Claims (8)

A communication device for communicating with an information center;
A display device;
A data storage device for storing map data and facility data;
An operation unit that outputs a signal corresponding to the operation;
A condition storage unit for storing weather conditions set for each genre of facility;
A control unit that extracts location data of the facility from the facility data when a facility is selected, and acquires weather forecast data for a plurality of days at the location of the facility from the information center via the communication device;
The control unit detects a period suitable for going to the selected facility based on weather forecast data for a plurality of days acquired from the information center and the weather conditions set in the condition storage unit, and An in-vehicle navigation device characterized by displaying on a display device.   The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit arranges and displays on the display device in order from the longest period suitable for going to the facility.   The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein weather conditions stored in the condition storage unit can be changed.   The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein one of a plurality of periods displayed on the display device can be selected by the operation unit. Furthermore, it has a data recording part,
When any one of the periods displayed on the display device is selected by the operation unit, the control unit associates the selected period with the facility to be an action schedule, and records the action in the data recording unit The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 4.   The control unit records the weather forecast data when the action schedule is created together with the action schedule in the data recording unit, and obtains the latest weather forecast data of the facility location from the information center. Comparing the weather forecast data with the weather forecast data recorded in the data recording unit, and when the two are different, the selection based on the latest weather forecast data and the weather conditions stored in the condition storage unit The vehicle-mounted navigation device according to claim 5, wherein a period suitable for going to the facility is re-detected.   The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the control unit performs route guidance to the facility when the scheduled action period recorded in the data recording unit is reached. The facility data includes information for distinguishing whether the facility is affected by the user's behavior or not,
The control unit is based on the weather forecast data acquired from the information center and the weather conditions stored in the condition storage unit only when the selected facility is a facility whose user's behavior is affected by the weather. The vehicle-mounted navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a period suitable for going to the facility is detected.

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