JP4412026B2 - In-vehicle device and in-vehicle navigation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle device and an in-vehicle navigation device that provide break guidance and driving change guidance for a driver at predetermined intervals.

    In-vehicle navigation that is mounted on a vehicle, etc., detects the current position of the vehicle with a GPS or the like, displays the position together with a road map on the display, and provides route guidance so that the driver can easily reach the destination The device is known and contributes to a smoother drive.

  In these in-vehicle navigation devices, so that the driver can take breaks at predetermined intervals, calculate the appropriate break time and break facility from the distance traveled from the start of driving, the running time, the current position, etc., A technique that can effectively encourage a driver to take a break is known.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a message prompting the driver to take a break is displayed, and the facility for resting is displayed by the driver by displaying the rest facility information stored in the rest facility information storage unit on a map. A technology that can be easily discovered is disclosed.

On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for preventing a driver from forgetting to take a break by redisplaying a message prompting a break displayed in advance when the vehicle approaches a predetermined break facility. .
JP 11-248469 A Japanese Patent No. 2988284

  However, none of the conventional techniques as described above is supposed to drive one vehicle while a plurality of drivers are changing when the distance to the destination is long. For this reason, in the prior art, the driver can be prompted to take a break, but the next driver cannot be notified of the replacement guidance. Therefore, it is necessary for the driver to determine when to change to the next driver by confirming the travel distance, travel time, and the like. However, even if you actually take regular breaks, there are few users who decide when to change driving while being aware of driving distance and driving time, so the cumulative driving time is long. In addition, there may be a traffic accident caused by accumulation of fatigue.

  In addition, due to factors such as the driving skill, age, personality, and sex of each driver, an appropriate interval until a break and a driver change varies from driver to driver. However, since it is not assumed that the driver changes in the conventional technology as described above, it is not possible to provide break guidance and driving change guidance at an appropriate timing for each driver.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem. An in-vehicle device and an in-vehicle navigation device capable of performing break guidance and driving change guidance at appropriate timing for each driver for a plurality of drivers are provided. The purpose is to provide.

The vehicle-mounted device and the vehicle-mounted navigation device of the present invention made to achieve the above-described object, in addition to notifying the driver that the driver is encouraged to break at the first predetermined interval by the break guide means, When it is detected that a plurality of drivers are driving in turn, a message that prompts the driver to switch to the next driver is notified at a second predetermined interval by the change guidance means.

In the prior art, it is possible to prompt the driver to take breaks at predetermined intervals, but when one vehicle is driven by a plurality of people, the next driver is notified of the timing of the change. Since it was not possible, the driver had to decide when to change by himself and change to the next driver. However, the vehicle-mounted device according to claim 1 can notify the driver of the timing for switching to the next driver at the second predetermined interval, whereby the driver switches to the next driver. Since the timing can be known, the driver can be changed effectively.

  On the other hand, due to factors such as the driver's driving skill, age, and sex, the appropriate interval between the break and the driving change differs for each driver. Therefore, if these intervals are uniformly determined, it is impossible to prompt each driver to take a break and change driving at an effective timing.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to set an interval until the driver takes a break or changes driving. Specifically, as described in claim 2, at least one of a travel distance or a travel time until a break and at least one of a travel distance or a travel time until the driving is changed are determined by the user. Is registered in the storage means for each driver. The break guidance means and the change guidance means perform break guidance and driving change guidance based on the interval between the driver registered in the storage means until the driver takes a break and changes driving. Note that the user may input both the travel distance and the travel time, or may input only one of the travel distance and the travel time. In this way, by inputting the time interval for each driver to take a break and change of driving in consideration of his / her driving skill, age, gender, etc., the break and driving change guidance is provided at an effective timing for each driver. It can be performed.

  By the way, the travel distance for each time varies greatly depending on various factors such as whether the road being traveled is an expressway or a general road or whether it is congested. In such a case, if the interval between the break and the driving change is uniquely determined by either the travel distance or the driving time, it may be impossible to prompt the driver to take a break or change of driving at an appropriate timing. . For example, in a busy road, when judging the timing of breaks and driving shifts only by the distance traveled, even if you are driving for a long time, it is not close to the predetermined distance, and the driver is tired It may be considered that the driver may continue driving for a long time without being given a break or driving change guidance. In addition, on highways that are not congested, when judging the timing of breaks and driving shifts based on the travel time alone, the driver is tired because it is not close to the predetermined time even when driving long distances. However, there may be a case where driving is continued without taking a break or driving change guidance.

  Therefore, such a problem can be solved by evaluating both the travel distance and the travel time and determining the timing for performing the rest guidance and the driving change guidance. Specifically, as described in claim 3, the distance traveled and the travel time of the vehicle driven by the driver are measured, and the travel distance and travel until the driver is rested and the driver is changed. When it is determined that at least one of the measured travel distance or travel time is closer to the registered travel distance or travel time compared to the time, the rest guidance or the drive replacement Give guidance. In this way, break guidance and driving change guidance can be provided to each driver at an appropriate timing regardless of road conditions. However, when the user inputs only one of the travel distance or the travel time as an interval until the break or the driving change, only one of the determination is made.

  By the way, if a message prompting a break or driving change is displayed, the user must find a facility for the break or driving change by himself / herself and take a break or driving change. However, it may be difficult to find a facility for taking a break or driving while the vehicle is running.

  Therefore, the vehicle-mounted device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is mounted on a vehicle-mounted navigation device or the like, and a facility for resting or driving change is selected by the vehicle-mounted navigation device, and route guidance to the facility is performed. Good to do. Specifically, as in the in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 4, a facility for rest or driving change is selected from facility data, and a route to the selected facility is calculated and calculated. The driver is informed to the driver in association with a notification of a message that prompts a break or driving change. As a method of notification, an image of a display device such as a monitor or a sound of a sound output device such as a speaker is used to notify a message that prompts a break or driving change, and a route to a facility for a break or driving change is indicated. A method of displaying on a display device is conceivable. At this time, the newly calculated route to the facility for rest or driving change is displayed with a display method (for example, changing the display color) different from the route to the destination already displayed on the display device. Therefore, it is preferable that the user can easily confirm the route. In this way, the driver is notified of a message prompting to take a break or change of driving, select a facility for taking a break or change of driving, and guide the route to that facility. Facilities can be easily reached, and smooth breaks or driving shifts can be performed.

  Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. 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.

[Description of in-vehicle navigation device 1]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an in-vehicle navigation device 1 according to the embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle navigation device 1 of the present embodiment includes a position detector 21 that detects the current position of the vehicle, an operation switch group 22 for inputting various instructions from the user, and an operation switch. Similar to the group 22, a remote control terminal (hereinafter referred to as a remote control) 23a capable of inputting various instructions, a remote control sensor 23b for inputting a signal from the remote control 23a, a vehicle information receiver 24, map data and a break are possible. Map data input device 25 for inputting map data or the like from an external recording medium in which facility data including various facility information and various information is recorded, and a display device 26 for performing various displays such as a map display screen and a TV screen A voice output device 27 for outputting various guide voices, an external memory 28 for storing various data, a communication device 30, and the like described above. The position detector 21, operation switch group 22, remote controller 23 a, vehicle information receiver 24, map data input device 25, various processes are executed in response to inputs from the external memory 28, and the position detector 21, operation switch group 22, A remote control sensor 23b, a vehicle information receiver 24, a map data input device 25, a display device 26, an audio output device 27, an external memory 28, and a control circuit 29 for controlling the communication device 30 are provided.

  The position detector 21 receives a radio wave transmitted from an artificial satellite for GPS via a GPS antenna, detects a position of the vehicle, etc., a GPS receiver 21a, and a gyro that detects the magnitude of rotational motion applied to the vehicle. A scope 21b, a distance sensor 21c for detecting the distance traveled by the vehicle, and a geomagnetic sensor 21d for detecting the traveling direction from geomagnetism are provided. Each of the sensors 21a to 21d has an error having a different property, and is configured to be used while complementing each other. Depending on the accuracy, a part of the sensors described above may be used, or a steering rotation sensor, a wheel sensor of each rolling wheel, or the like may be used.

  The operation switch group 22 includes a sensor integrally with the display device 26, a touch panel installed on the display screen, a mechanical key switch provided around the display device 26, and the like. Note that the touch panel and the display device 26 are laminated and integrated, and there are various types of touch panels, such as a pressure-sensitive method, an electromagnetic induction method, a capacitance method, or a combination of these, any of which is used. May be.

  The vehicle information receiver 24 is used to input various external information related to the vehicle. For example, the vehicle information receiver 24 inputs information related to the vehicle transmitted from various ECUs (Electronic Control Units) of the vehicle.

  The map data input device 25 is a device for inputting various data including road data, terrain data, facility data, mark data indicating a facility, guidance images, audio data, and the like. As a recording medium for these data, a hard disk, DVD, CD-ROM, memory, memory card, or the like can be used.

  The display device 26 is a color display device, such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or a CRT, any of which may be used. The display screen of the display device 26 includes a mark indicating the current location identified from the current position of the vehicle detected by the position detector 21 and the map data input from the map data input device 25, a guidance route to the destination, and a name. Additional data such as landmarks and various facility marks can be displayed in an overlapping manner. Also, facility guides can be displayed. The voice output device 27 can output facility guidance and various guidance voices input from the map data input device 25, and read-out voice of information acquired via the communication device 30.

The external memory 28 stores various information, and for example, a storage medium such as a hard disk or a memory card is used.
The communication device 30 is used to input information from various external devices / devices, for example, FM broadcast signals received via a radio antenna (not shown), or VICS (road Traffic information system) Inputs radio wave beacon signal and optical beacon signal received from fixed station for service. For example, when an information portable terminal (PDA) or the like is connected, information from the terminal can also be input.

  The control circuit 29 is configured around a well-known microcomputer comprising a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O and a bus line connecting these components, and the position is determined based on a program stored in the ROM or the like. Based on each detection signal from the detector 21, the current position of the vehicle is calculated as a set of coordinates and traveling directions, the map near the current position read via the map data input device 25, the operation switch group 22, the remote controller 23a, etc. Based on map display processing for displaying a map or the like in the range instructed by the operation on the display device 26 or point data stored in the map data input device 25, the destination and the destination are determined according to the operation of the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a. Route guidance process that performs route guidance by selecting a facility and automatically calculating the optimal route from the current position to the destination Do. A technique such as the Dijkstra method is known as a technique for automatically setting an optimum route in this way. In addition, the control circuit 29 performs various processes related to break guidance and driving change guidance as described later.

  Although the configuration of the in-vehicle navigation device 1 has been described above, the correspondence between the configuration of the in-vehicle navigation device 1 in the present embodiment and the terms described in the claims is as follows. The control circuit 29 of the in-vehicle navigation device 1 in the present embodiment corresponds to a break guide means, a change guide means, a registration means, a measurement means, a comparison determination means, a route setting means, and a route guidance means in the claims, The display device 26 and the audio output device 27 correspond to notification means, the external memory 28 and the RAM in the control circuit 29 correspond to storage means, and the operation switch group 22 and the remote controller 23a correspond to input means.

Hereinafter, various processes executed by the control circuit 29 when the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 according to the embodiment provides break guidance and driving change guidance will be described with reference to flowcharts.
[Initial setting]
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing interval setting processing until a break and driving change and route setting processing to the destination.

  The control circuit 29 registers in the RAM in the control circuit 29 or the external memory 28 at least one of the travel distance or travel time until the driver takes a break, which is input by operating the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a. (S10). Subsequently, at least one of the travel distance and travel time until the driver changes to the next driver, which is input by the operation of the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a, is stored in the control circuit 29. In the RAM or the external memory 28 (S20). The control circuit 29 repeats the processes of S10 and S20 until an instruction that the setting registration of all scheduled drivers has been completed is input by operating the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a (S30: N). Note that the user may input both the travel distance and the travel time as parameters, or may input only one of the travel distance or the travel time. In addition, it is preferable that the name of each driver can be registered together with the setting of the interval between the break and the driving change.

  When an instruction indicating that the setting registration of all scheduled drivers has been completed is input by operating the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a (S30: Y), the control circuit 29 uses the display device 26 and the audio output device 27. Then, the user is requested to confirm the setting contents and driving sequence of each registered driver, and the setting contents are confirmed and corrected by the operation of the operation switch group 22 and the remote controller 23a from the user (S40). ). Subsequently, the destination setting process of S50, the route setting process of S60, and the route guidance start process of S70 are based on the processing method of the general vehicle-mounted navigation device as described above.

  In addition, about the setting in the driver | operator who uses this function frequently, a driver | operator's setting list | wrist etc. are previously registered into the external memory 28 grade | etc., And at the time of the driver | operator's setting registration of S10 and S20, a user sets a A driver may be selected and registered from the setting list.

[Processing every predetermined time]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing at predetermined time intervals for performing break guidance and driving change guidance.

  The control circuit 29 measures the travel distance (d1) and travel time (t1) for driving change timing determination, and the travel distance (d2) and travel time (t2) for break timing determination simultaneously with the start of driving by the driver. Start.

  First, the control circuit 29 acquires the current d1, t1, and d2, t2 (S110), and compares the acquired d1 and t1 with the registered travel distance and travel time until the driver's driving change ( S120). Here, when the control circuit 29 determines that at least one of d1 and t1 has approached a predetermined range to the travel distance or travel time until the driving change (S120: Y), the control circuit 29 inputs the map data. A driving change facility is selected from the facility data read via the device 25 (S130), and a route from the current position calculated based on the information from the position detector 21 to the driving change facility is calculated (S140). . The control circuit 29 simultaneously displays the calculated route and a message for prompting a driving change on the display device 26 (S150), and ends the process.

  In S120, when the control circuit 29 determines that neither d1 nor t1 is close to the predetermined range in the travel distance and travel time until the driving change (S120: N), the control circuit 29 determines that d2 and t2. The registered travel distance and travel time until the driver's break are compared (S160). In S160, when the control circuit 29 determines that at least one of d2 and t2 has approached the predetermined range at the travel distance or travel time until the break (S160: Y), the control circuit 29 is the map data input device. A resting facility is selected from the facility data read via 25 (S170), and a route from the current position calculated based on the information from the position detector 21 to the resting facility is calculated (S180). The control circuit 29 simultaneously displays the calculated route and a message for prompting a break on the display device 26 (S190), resets the measurement of d2 and t2 (S200), and ends the process.

  If the control circuit 29 determines in S160 that neither d2 nor t2 is close to the predetermined distance within the travel distance and travel time until the break (S160: N), the process is terminated.

  It should be noted that publicly-known techniques can be used for the selection of resting facilities and driving replacement facilities and the route calculation method from the current location, but the selected facilities are close to the current location and close to the destination from the current location. A facility that is located and that is not far away from the route to the destination should be selected. In addition, examples of candidate facilities to be selected include a service area, a parking area, a roadside station, a convenience store, a restaurant, and the like.

  In S150 and S190, the message prompting the break and the driving change and the route to the resting facility and the driving changing facility may be displayed on the screen at the same time, or may be alternately blinked.

  Moreover, when displaying the route to the break facility and the driving change facility on the display device 26, the route to the destination already displayed may be displayed by a different display method. Specifically, various methods such as changing the display color, changing the display line type (broken line, etc.), and blinking the route are conceivable.

  When performing break guidance and driving change guidance, the display device 26 displays guidance, and also uses the voice output device 27 to notify a message prompting a break and driving change by voice, or to a break facility and driving change facility. You may perform route guidance guidance.

[Treatment when driving changes]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing at the time of driving change.
First, the control circuit 29 determines whether or not the driving change guidance of S150 shown in FIG. 3 has been performed (S310). When the driving change guidance is not performed (S310: N), the processing is terminated as it is, and when the driving change guidance is performed (S310: Y), the control circuit 29 receives it via the vehicle information receiver 24. It is determined from information or the like whether the vehicle is parked (S320). If the vehicle is not parked (S320: N), the process is terminated as it is. If the vehicle is parked (S320: Y), the control circuit 29 determines whether the current position of the vehicle is a driving change facility. (S330). If the current position of the vehicle is not a driving change facility (S330: N), the process is terminated, and if the current position of the vehicle is a driving change facility (S330: Y), the control circuit 29 is changed by the driver. A message for confirming whether or not the driver is informed is displayed to the driver using the display device 26 or the voice output device 27 (S340), and measurement of d1, t1, and d2, t2 is interrupted (S350). Here, when the control circuit 29 confirms that the driver has been changed by an input from the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a by the user (S360: Y), the control circuit 29 sets d1, t1, and d2, t2. After the measurement is reset (S370), the measurement of d1, t1 and d2, t2 is started for the new driver (S380), and the process is terminated. In S360, when the control circuit 29 confirms that the driver does not change due to an input from the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a by the user (S360: N), the control circuit 29 has interrupted d1, t1 and The measurement of d2 and t2 is resumed (S390), and the process is terminated.

  It should be noted that the user can input to the control circuit 29 that the driver has changed at an arbitrary timing via the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a, and the driver can be input via the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a. Is input (S400), the processing after S340 is executed in the same manner as described above.

  Further, as means for determining whether or not the driver has changed in S360, in addition to the input from the operation switch group 22 or the remote controller 23a by the user as described above, driving by an in-vehicle camera or a weight sensor (not shown) is performed. A means for automatically determining that a person has changed is also conceivable.

[Specific usage example]
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a specific usage example of the in-vehicle navigation device 1 according to the embodiment. Assuming a specific numerical example, the flow of processing of break guidance and driving change guidance in the in-vehicle navigation device 1 is illustrated. Show.

  In the usage example shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the distance from the departure place to the destination is 300 km. There are two drivers, driver A and driver B, and driver A drives first. In order to facilitate understanding, here, it is assumed that both the drivers A and B input only the travel distance as the interval between the break and the driving change. As shown in FIG. 5 (a), driver A has a traveling distance of 70km until the break, 200km of the driving shift, driver B has a traveling distance of 50km and a driving shift of 120km. sign up.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, after the driver A starts driving the vehicle, first, a break guide for the driver A is executed in the vicinity of the travel distance of 70 km, and further to the driver A again in the vicinity of the travel distance of 140 km. Break guidance is executed. Then, driving change guidance to the driver B is executed for the driver A around the traveling distance of 200 km. After the driving is changed to the driver B according to the driving change guidance, when the travel distance of the vehicle driven by the driver B is around 50 km, the rest guidance for the driver B is executed, and then the destination is reached. In the use example in FIG. 5, in order to facilitate understanding, the user sets only the travel distance as a parameter as an interval between a break and a driving change, but the in-vehicle navigation device 1 in this embodiment is Both travel distance and travel time can be set as parameters.

[effect]
As described above, the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment is effective for each driver by allowing each driver to input the interval between the break and the driving change in consideration of his / her driving skill, age, and sex. It is possible to provide break guidance and driving change guidance at any time.

  Moreover, since the vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus 1 of the present embodiment determines the timing for executing break guidance and driving change guidance by evaluating both the driving distance and driving time of the driver, Break guidance and driving change guidance can be provided to the driver at an appropriate timing.

  Furthermore, in the in-vehicle navigation device 1 of this embodiment, while notifying a message that prompts a break or driving change, by selecting a facility for a break or driving change, and performing route guidance to the facility, The driver can easily reach the facility for rest or driving change, and can smoothly perform the rest or driving change.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an in-vehicle navigation device 1 as an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the initial setting process performed with the vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus 1 of an Example. It is a flowchart which shows the process for every predetermined time performed with the vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus 1 of an Example. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of driver | operator change performed with the vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus 1 of an Example. It is a figure which shows the specific usage example of the vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus 1 of an Example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus, 21 ... Position detector, 21a ... GPS receiver, 21b ... Gyroscope, 21c ... Distance sensor, 21d ... Geomagnetic sensor, 22 ... Operation switch group, 23a ... Remote control, 23b ... Remote control sensor, 24 ... Vehicle information receiver, 25 ... Map data input device, 26 ... Display device, 27 ... Audio output device, 28 ... External memory, 29 ... Control circuit, 30 ... Communication device

Claims (4)

An informing means for informing the driver of the message;
A break guide means for notifying the driver of a message that prompts the driver to take a break at a first predetermined interval by the notification means;
When it is detected that a plurality of drivers are driving in turn, a change guidance unit that notifies the driver of a message that prompts the driver to switch to the next driver at a second predetermined interval is provided. A vehicle-mounted device characterized by that. The in-vehicle device according to claim 1,
Storage means for storing information;
An input means for inputting at least one of a travel distance or a travel time until a break and at least one of a travel distance or a travel time until a driving change is made by a user for each driver;
At least one of the travel distance or travel time until the break input to the input means and at least one of the travel distance or travel time until the driving change is registered in the storage means for each driver. And registration means for
Using the travel distance or travel time until the driver takes a break stored in the storage means as a first predetermined interval, the break guide means informs the user that a break is urged. And
A message to the effect that the change guidance means prompts the driver to change using at least one of the travel distance or the travel time until the driver changes driving stored in the storage means as the second predetermined interval. An in-vehicle device characterized by notifying The in-vehicle device according to claim 2,
Measuring means for measuring the travel distance and travel time of the vehicle driven by the driver;
The travel distance and travel time measured by the measurement means are compared with the travel distance and travel time stored in the storage means until the driver's rest and driving change. Or at least any one of the travel time comprises a comparison determination means for determining whether the travel distance or travel time until the driver's break or driving change is close,
When it is determined by the comparison determination means that at least one of the travel distance or travel time measured by the measurement means is close to the travel distance or travel time until the driver's break, the rest guidance means A message prompting you to take a break,
When it is determined by the comparison determination means that at least one of the travel distance or travel time measured by the measurement means is close to the travel distance or travel time until the driver changes driving, the change guidance means Is a vehicle-mounted device characterized by notifying a message that prompts driving change. A vehicle-mounted device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A route setting means for selecting a facility for a break or driver change from the facility data and calculating a route to the selected facility;
An in-vehicle navigation device comprising: route guidance means for informing the route calculated by the route setting means in association with a message for prompting a break or alternation by the informing means.

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