JP4606845B2 - Navigation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device that displays road traffic information.

  A road traffic information communication system (VICS (registered trademark)) that provides road traffic information through FM multiplex broadcasting, optical beacons, radio beacons, or the like is known. This VICS is maintained and operated by the Road Traffic Information and Communication System Center (VICS Center). Road traffic information by VICS (hereinafter referred to as VICS information) includes traffic jam information, regulation information, parking lot information, service area information, parking area information, and the like.

  A navigation system is known that uses this VICS information to provide a traffic jam situation outside the display range as an indicator image (Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-304882 A

  However, in the navigation system of Patent Document 1, since the traffic jam condition outside the display range is visually displayed as an indicator image, the name of the traffic jam location, the traffic jam length, the passing time, etc. cannot be grasped at a glance.

  The present invention provides a navigation device that displays a list of road traffic information outside the display range in characters.

The invention of claim 1 is applied to a navigation device, and road traffic information acquisition means for acquiring road traffic information, and road traffic displayed on the display means based on map data and acquired by the road traffic information acquisition means. Control means for controlling to display information, and route search means for searching for a route to the destination based on the route search data of the map data . The control means is provided for the route searched by the route search means. Based on the route guidance control, display a list of road traffic information on the route outside the road map displayed on the display means, and control the list display to disappear after a predetermined time has elapsed after displaying the list. It is characterized by doing.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the navigation device according to the first aspect further comprises operation means operated to display road traffic information outside the road map, and the control means displays the road map on the display means. When the operating means is operated during the operation, a control is performed so as to display a list of characters.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to any one of the first to second aspects, when the road traffic information acquisition means acquires the road traffic information when the road map is displayed on the display means. The display is controlled so as to display a list of characters.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the control means performs control so as to display a list of road traffic information on a route within a predetermined distance from the current location. It is characterized by.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the control means controls to display a list of road traffic information on all the routes of the route ahead from the current location. It is characterized by this.
The invention according to claim 6 is the navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the list display with characters includes at least one of traffic jam location information, traffic jam length and passage time, and the control means includes: Control is performed so that a list of characters is displayed in any of the order from the current location, the traffic jam length order, and the transit time length order.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, even the road traffic information outside the display can be grasped at a glance.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a car navigation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The car navigation device has a function for presenting information related to vehicle travel, specifically, a function for displaying a road map around the vehicle position, a function for calculating a recommended route from the departure point to the destination, and a calculated recommended route. It also has a function to perform route guidance based on the above. It is a device that performs so-called navigation or road guidance.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a current position detection device that detects the current position of a vehicle. For example, an azimuth sensor 1a that detects a traveling direction of a vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor 1b that detects a vehicle speed, and a GPS signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite. It consists of a GPS sensor 1c to be detected.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes a map storage device that stores road map data, and includes a CD-ROM 12 that is a recording medium in which road map data is stored and a reading device thereof. The recording medium is not limited to a CD-ROM, and may be a magnetic tape, a DVD, or any other recording medium. The map storage device 2 may be a hard disk device that stores road map data.

  Reference numeral 3 denotes a control device that controls the entire apparatus, and includes a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits. The control device 3 executes various kinds of control described later by executing a control program stored in the ROM 5 using the RAM 6 as a work area.

  Reference numeral 4 denotes an input device having various switches for inputting the destination of the vehicle. Includes a joystick to move the cursor and scroll the screen. The input device 4 may be a remote control method. A touch panel switch may be provided in the screen. Further, a switch arranged around the display screen of the display monitor 8 may be used. Since these switches are operated by the user, the input device 4 is an operating device.

  Reference numeral 7 denotes an image memory for storing image data to be displayed on the display monitor 8 described later. This image data is created from road map drawing data, VICS information, and the like. The image data stored in the image memory 7 is appropriately read and displayed on the display monitor 8. The control device 3 functions as a display control device for the display monitor 8.

  9 is an FM multiplex broadcast receiver, 10 is an optical beacon receiver, and 11 is a radio beacon receiver. Road traffic information (hereinafter referred to as VICS (registered trademark) information) transmitted by FM multiplex broadcast radio waves, optical beacons, and radio beacons, respectively. Called). The VICS information is transmitted as digital data that can be programmed.

  The VICS information is traffic jam information, regulation information, parking lot information, service area information, and parking area information. The regulation information includes lane regulation information, expressway ramp regulation information, and interchange regulation information. The congestion information is divided into the upper and lower lines of the road, and the congestion is displayed in red, the congestion is displayed in yellow, and no congestion is displayed in green.

  The VICS information is classified into level 1 information, level 2 information, and level 3 information. Level 1 information is character display type information and is used to display road traffic information by characters. The level 2 information is simple graphic display type information, and is used to display road traffic information by simple graphic. The level 3 information is map display type information, and is used to display road traffic information overlaid on the map display screen in conjunction with the road map data of the navigation device.

  The road map data stored in the map storage device 2 is information relating to a road map, including road (for map display and locator) data, route search data (network data), route guidance data (intersection name / road name).・ There are data types such as direction name and direction guide facility information. The road data is data used for displaying a road, specifying the position (current location) of a vehicle on the road, map matching, and the like. The route search data is data including branch information that is not directly related to the road shape, and is mainly used when calculating (route search) a recommended route. The route guidance data is data including names of intersections and the like, and is used when a recommended route is guided to a driver or the like based on the calculated recommended route.

  In the road map data of the present embodiment, roads are represented by the concept of links, nodes, and link strings. A node is an intersection or a specified point on the road. A link corresponds to a road between nodes, and a link row represents one road by a plurality of links.

  In the level 3 information of the VICS information described above, road traffic information is transmitted corresponding to the link. The link provided by the VICS information and the link used in the road map data do not necessarily correspond directly, but are associated with each other in a certain relationship. Therefore, the road traffic information in the link unit of the road map data can be grasped from the road traffic information in the link unit provided by the VICS information.

  In the car navigation device according to the present embodiment, the traffic map information and the like are overlaid on the road displayed in the road map data by using the road map data stored in the map storage device 2 and the level 3 information of the VICS information. In addition, as will be described later, the road traffic information outside the display is displayed in a list with characters. The car navigation device of the present embodiment is characterized in that the road traffic information outside the display is displayed as a list in characters.

  Even if the level 1 or level 2 information of the VICS information is used, it is possible to display the road traffic information by characters. However, since the level 1 and level 2 information of the VICS information is limited road traffic information, the present embodiment uses level 3 information that provides road traffic information regarding more roads. Further, since the level 3 information is associated with the link as described above, it can be easily linked with the road map data.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which road traffic information outside the display of the display monitor 8 is displayed as a list in characters. In FIG. 2A, the current position 21 of the vehicle, a road map around the current position of the vehicle, and the recommended route 22 are displayed on the display monitor 8, and route guidance is performed according to the recommended route 22. A traffic jam display 25 is made along the road between the intersection 23 and the intersection 24. The traffic jam display 25 is displayed with a red line along the road, for example.

  The recommended route 22 uses the input device 4 to input a destination, uses the current location of the vehicle determined by the current location detection device 1 as a departure location, and the control device 3 stores the road map stored in the map storage device 2. It is obtained in advance using route search data. The recommended route 22 is displayed with its color changed or thickly emphasized so that it can be distinguished from other roads.

  FIG. 2 (b) is a list of road traffic information that is outside the road map displayed on the display monitor 8 on the road map of FIG. It is a figure which shows a mode that the display 31 is performed. In FIG. 2B, three traffic jams 32, 33, and 34 are displayed in characters. The traffic jam 32 is “AA street, bb intersection, traffic jam xKm, 40 minutes”, the traffic jam 33 is “CC street, dd neighborhood, traffic jam yKm, 20 minutes”, and the traffic jam 32 is “EE street, ff intersection, traffic jam zKm, 10 minutes "is displayed. The congestion information of the road traffic information is provided by classifying the degree of the congestion into four categories: “congestion”, “congestion”, “no congestion”, and “unknown”. “Congestion” means that the degree of congestion (congestion) is greater than “congestion”.

  The display from FIG. 2A to FIG. 2B is performed when the user presses a predetermined switch of the input device 4 when the road map of FIG. 2A is displayed. The When the road map of FIG. 2A is displayed, the user presses the predetermined switch when he / she wants to know whether there is traffic on the recommended route ahead of the display.

  The list display 31 by characters displays a street name or intersection name specifying a traffic jam location, a traffic jam length, and a transit time. As a result, even if the route is ahead of the road map displayed on the display monitor 8, detailed information on where the traffic jam occurs, how much the traffic jam is, how long the traffic jam is, and how long it takes to pass Can be seen at a glance.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of processing for acquiring road traffic information on a recommended route. The road traffic information here is traffic jam information.

  In step S1, VICS information is received. The VICS information is received by any of the FM multiplex broadcast receiving device 9, the optical beacon receiving device 10, and the radio beacon receiving device 11 (collectively referred to as a VICS information acquiring device). FM multiplex broadcasting provides wide-area VICS information for each prefecture, and optical beacons and radio wave beacons provide narrow-area road traffic information ahead of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. These may be properly used depending on the situation.

  In step S2, all VICS information on the recommended route from the current location to the destination is picked up. The recommended route is obtained in advance and is composed of node-to-node connection information, and the link number between the nodes can also be specified. The control device 3 associates the link number of the recommended route with the link number (road information) of the VICS information, and picks up all the VICS information on the recommended route for each link. That is, the control device 3 uses the road map data stored in the map storage device 2 and the VICS information acquired by the VICS information acquisition device (FM multiplex broadcast reception device 9, optical beacon reception device 10, radio wave beacon reception device 11). Thus, all the VICS information on the recommended route can be picked up.

  In step S3, a road name and an intersection name are acquired from road map data based on the link number of the picked-up VICS information. The road name and intersection name are stored in the route guidance data of the road map data described above. It may be stored in the aforementioned road data.

  In step S4, the road name and intersection name acquired from the road map data and the degree of traffic jam, the traffic jam length, the passing time, etc. obtained from the VICS information are stored in the RAM 6 in association with each other. In step S5, the data stored in the RAM 6 is rearranged and stored again in the order from the current location. In this way, all the traffic information on the route ahead from the current location is stored in the RAM 6 as a table.

  Next, a list display process using characters of road traffic information outside the display will be described. FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the processing. The process of FIG. 4 is executed by the control device 3 and is a process in a state where a recommended route is searched in advance and route guidance is started based on the searched recommended route.

  In step S11, the current location of the vehicle is acquired by the current location detection device 1. In step S12, a road map near the acquired current location as shown in FIG. 2A is displayed. In the present embodiment, the road map to be displayed is a planar map.

  In step S13, it is determined whether or not a switch for displaying a list of road traffic information outside the display is operated. A predetermined switch of the input device 4 is determined as a switch for displaying a list of characters. In addition, a menu screen is displayed by operating the input device 4, and the input device 4 is operated as needed along the menu screen to finally select a menu for displaying a list of road traffic information characters that are not displayed. It may be.

  In step S13, if a switch for displaying a list of road traffic information outside the display is operated, the process proceeds to step S14. If there is no operation, the process returns to step S11 to repeat the process.

  In step S14, the data obtained in step S5 of FIG. 3 is displayed as a list on the display monitor 8 as shown in FIG. The control device 3 displays the traffic map on the route from the current location to the destination determined in step S5 in FIG. 3 except the traffic map on the road map displayed on the display monitor 8. That is, a list of road traffic information on a route outside the road map displayed on the display monitor 8 is displayed. In the example of FIG. 2A, the list of the traffic jams in the traffic jam display 25 is not displayed in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the list display is displayed in tabular form with information specifying the traffic jam location (road name and intersection name), traffic jam level, traffic jam length, and passage time. When the number of traffic jams is greater than the predetermined number, the predetermined number is displayed in order from the current location. In step S5 in FIG. 3, the rearrangement is performed in the order from the current location, but the rearrangement may be performed in the order of the traffic jam length or the passage time.

  In step S2 in FIG. 3, the traffic jam information of all routes is picked up, so the list displayed in step S14 is all routes ahead of the current location of the recommended route. However, in step S14, only the traffic jam information within a predetermined distance from the current location may be displayed. When the destination is far away, traffic information that is not necessary for the time being can be cut, and an easy-to-read list display can be realized.

  In step S <b> 15, it is determined whether an operation for ending the list display has been performed using the input device 4. If a list display end operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S17. If a list display end operation has not been performed, the process proceeds to step S16. In step S16, it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the list was displayed. If the predetermined time has not yet elapsed, the process returns to step S15 and is repeated. If the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S17. In step S17, the list display of traffic jam locations that are not displayed is erased, and the process returns to step S11. That is, the display returns to the normal display of the road map near the current location.

  The processing of step S16 is provided because it is not always necessary to display the list display of the traffic jam location outside the display on the display monitor 8, so that the list display is automatically deleted after a predetermined time has elapsed. Is. Thereby, it is possible to return to the display of the original road map without requiring the user to perform an operation for erasing the list display. If it is desired to immediately return to the display of the original road map, it can be returned by the process of step S15.

The car navigation apparatus of the present embodiment described above has the following excellent effects.
(1) Since the traffic map traffic information that is not displayed on the display monitor 8 is displayed as a list in characters, the traffic jam information outside the display of the display monitor 8 can be grasped at a glance. In addition, since the information for identifying the traffic jam location (location), the level of the traffic jam, the traffic jam length, the transit time, and the like are displayed in characters, detailed information can be accurately grasped.
(2) When the route is being guided, the traffic information on the route ahead of the current location can be reliably acquired by an easy operation even if the traffic information is not displayed on the road map. Thereby, it is not necessary to scroll the map along the recommended route, and traffic congestion information on the route can be grasped without performing a troublesome operation.
(3) Since the congestion information on the route to be displayed in a list is all routes from the current location, it is possible to grasp the traffic situation of all routes. Thereby, the whole travel process can be reviewed or reconsidered.
(4) If the congestion information on the route to be displayed in a list is limited to within a predetermined distance from the current location, it is possible to narrow down to the minimum necessary congestion information, and cut the unnecessary congestion information immediately after driving. Can do. Thereby, it is possible to realize an easy-to-view list display.

  In the above-described embodiment, the road map to be displayed is described as an example of a planar map, but it is not necessarily limited to this content. It may be a case where a bird's eye view is displayed. The bird's-eye view is generated by coordinate-transforming a trapezoidal area, which is visible when looking down on a planar map from a predetermined viewpoint in the sky, on a rectangular screen, and the technique is publicly known.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a list display of characters of road traffic information outside the display is performed by an operation input of the input device 4 has been described, but it is not necessarily limited to this content. A list may be displayed each time VICS information is newly acquired.

  Alternatively, the list display may be displayed in a small size and always displayed in one corner of the display monitor 8 so as not to interfere with the display of the road map. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a list display of traffic jam information outside the display is constantly displayed. Reference numerals 41 to 44 correspond to the reference numerals 31 to 34 in FIG. Thereby, it is possible to always grasp the traffic information on the route outside the displayed road map while grasping the road map around the current location.

  Moreover, although the example which gives various instructions by the input device 4 was demonstrated in the said embodiment, it does not necessarily need to be limited to this content. A voice recognition device may be provided to receive various voice instructions.

  In the above embodiment, the VICS information is described as being received by the FM multiplex broadcast receiving device 9, the optical beacon receiving device 10, the radio beacon receiving device 11, and the like. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this content. . The VICS information may be acquired using digital data communication using a mobile phone. Further, it may be acquired by connecting to the Internet using a mobile phone.

  In the above embodiment, the example of the traffic jam information on the recommended route has been described. However, it is not necessarily limited to this content. It may be traffic information ahead on the road that is currently running. For example, when traveling on National Highway No. 1, the traffic information on National Highway No. 1 outside the display may be displayed as a list.

  In the above embodiment, the list display has been described using the example of the traffic jam information. However, it is not necessarily limited to this content. Of the VICS information, other road traffic information such as regulation information and parking lot information may be used. In this case, the information is preferably provided in association with the link.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although VICS information was displayed with the car navigation apparatus, it was not necessary to limit to a car navigation apparatus. It can also be applied to portable navigation devices.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the example of the road traffic information communication system (VICS) which provides the road traffic information currently operated in Japan, it is not necessary to limit to this content. Any system that provides road traffic information may be used. The present invention can also be applied to other road traffic information communication systems operated in various countries similar to VICS.

  Moreover, although the control program which the control apparatus 3 of a car navigation apparatus performs in the said embodiment demonstrated the example stored in ROM5, it is not necessary to limit to this content. The control program and its installation program may be provided on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. Further, these programs can be provided via a transmission medium such as a communication line represented by the Internet. In other words, the program can be converted into a signal on a carrier wave that carries the transmission medium and transmitted.

  Further, the car navigation device may be realized by executing the above-described control program on a personal computer. In this case, the current location detection device 1 and the FM multiplex broadcast reception device 9 may be connected to a predetermined I / O port of a personal computer.

  Although various embodiments and modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these contents. Other embodiments conceivable within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the correspondence between the constituent elements of the claims and the constituent elements of the above-described embodiment will be described. The road traffic information acquisition means of the present invention corresponds to the FM multiplex broadcast receiver 9, the optical beacon receiver 10, and the radio beacon receiver 11, the display means corresponds to the display monitor 8, and the control means corresponds to the control device 3. The operation means corresponds to the input device 4, and the route search means corresponds to the control device 3. The description of this association is merely an example, and the present invention is not construed as being limited to this association.

1 is a block diagram of a car navigation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows a mode that the road traffic information outside the display of a display monitor is displayed as a list by a character. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process which acquires the road traffic information on a recommendation path | route. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process of the list display by the character of the road traffic information outside a display. It is a figure which shows a mode that the list display of the traffic information outside a display is always displayed.

Explanation of symbols

1 current location detection device 2 map storage device 3 control device 4 input device 5 ROM
6 RAM
7 Image memory 8 Display monitor 9 FM multiplex broadcast receiver 10 Optical beacon receiver 11 Radio beacon receiver 12 CD-ROM

Claims (6)

A navigation device,
Road traffic information acquisition means for acquiring road traffic information;
Control means for controlling the display means to display a road map based on the map data and to display the road traffic information acquired by the road traffic information acquisition means ;
Based on the route search data of the map data, comprising route search means for searching for a route to the destination ,
The control means performs route guidance control based on the route searched by the route search means, and displays a list of characters of road traffic information on the route outside the road map displayed on the display means, A navigation apparatus , wherein the list display is controlled to disappear after a predetermined time has elapsed since the list display . The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
Further comprising an operating means operated to display road traffic information outside the road map;
The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the control means performs control so as to display a list of characters when the operation means is operated while the road map is displayed on the display means. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 2,
The control means controls to display a list by the characters when the road traffic information acquisition means acquires road traffic information when the road map is displayed on the display means. apparatus. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls to display a list of characters of road traffic information on the route within a predetermined distance from the current location. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls to display a list of characters of road traffic information on all routes of the route ahead of the current location. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The list display by the characters has traffic jam location information, traffic jam length and transit time,
The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs control so that the list is displayed by the characters in any of the order from the current location, the traffic jam length order, and the transit time length order.

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