JP4673105B2 - Navigation device, navigation method, and navigation program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides, for example, an interchange (hereinafter referred to as “I.D. A user who wants to use (I. C.) also wants to use I.I. C. The name can be registered in advance, and the I.D. C. The present invention relates to a navigation technique, that is, a navigation device, a method, and a navigation program, which are improved so that a desired route search including the navigation can be executed.

  In recent years, with the generalization of automobiles and the development of information processing technology, navigation devices represented by in-vehicle use are rapidly spreading. This navigation device uses the road map data stored in a DVD, HDD, or the like to detect the current position (latitude, longitude, etc.) of the vehicle that is sequentially detected by a geomagnetic sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a GPS sensor, and the like. In addition to displaying above, based on the route data included in the road map data, it calculates the optimal guidance route from the current position to the specified destination, and guides it with specific display or voice synthesis. is there.

  In such a navigation apparatus, the I.D. of a toll road such as an expressway (including a car road having a doorway to a general road, a bypass road, etc.) from a point where a route search is to be performed. C. When a route search including “I.” is performed, I.I. C. And its I.V. C. There is a case where a route search is performed using as an entrance (riding gate) or an exit (falling exit). For example, I.I. C. Therefore, in a normal route search, the I.D. C. Will be selected. C. The route to is a case where the occurrence frequency of traffic congestion is high and the user does not want to use it.

  In this way, I.I. C. If the user does not select the desired I.D. C. As a method of changing to a route search condition such as “specify the IC name as a waypoint” or the desired I.C. C. When the vehicle itself travels in the direction of and reaches a certain distance, the route search is performed again using the reroute function, and the search result is the desired I.D. C. One of the methods of guiding to be changed to a route including

As a method for solving such a problem, Patent Document 1 proposes the following technique. In other words, when a route through the expressway is set as the route to the destination and you want to change the entrance interchange of the expressway for that route, for example, the name of the interchange connected to the currently set entrance interchange The entrance interchange is changed by displaying a list and touching the desired interchange name. As for the change of the exit interchange, the name of the interchange connected to the currently set exit interchange is displayed in a list and changed to a desired exit interchange. Then, the route to the destination is reset so as to pass through the changed entrance and / or exit interchange.
JP 2000-88593 A

  However, in the conventional navigation device as shown in Patent Document 1, although the operation for changing the setting to a desired interchange is simplified, the desired I.D. C. It was necessary to make a change to, and the operation was time-consuming.

Also, if the point where the route search is performed is a point where the frequency of route search is high, such as at home or work, etc., even if the final destination is different, if the destination is the same direction, I. Desired by user C. Are very likely to be the same each time. However, even in such a case, in the conventional navigation device, the desired I.D. C. There was a need to make changes to.
Such a problem occurs not only when the home or work place is the departure place, but also when these are the destinations.

  The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is to provide an I.D. C. It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation technique, that is, a navigation device, a method, and a program capable of executing a route search including the above.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 uses a computer or an electronic circuit to search for a route on which a moving body moves from a starting point to a specified destination based on road map data prepared in advance. In the navigation device for guiding and guiding, the user desires to use a point designating unit for designating a user's desired point from the road map data and an interchange existing around the point designated by the point designating unit. A setting / changing unit that sets or changes one or more interchanges to be used as a desired use interchange name, and a point that is designated or changed by the setting / changing unit by using the setting / changing unit. in association with the information, a registration unit that registers in a predetermined storage means, when the route search, the current position, the destination Against a point near waypoint or their properly, a search unit that searches the user-selected interchange name registered in the storage means is present, if the user-selected Interchange names in the search unit exists A route setting unit that executes route search on condition that the interchange corresponding to the desired interchange name is used .

The navigation method according to claim 4, a computer or electronic circuit, based on the road map data comprising advance, in a navigation method for mobile will search and guidance route to move to the designated destination from the starting point, the The step of designating a user's desired point from the road map data and one or more interchanges that the user desires to use among the interchanges existing around the designated point are set as use interchange names or and changing the use desired interchange names set or changed, in association with the information of the designated point by the point specifying unit, and registering a predetermined storage means, when the route search, the current position, the destination, or against a point near locations or their way, it is registered in the storage means A step of using desired interchange name searches whether there was, and performing a route search with the proviso that the use of interchange corresponding to the user-selected interchange name if the user-selected interchange name exists, It is characterized by including.

The navigation program according to claim 7 is a navigation program that searches and guides a route for a moving body from a starting point to a designated destination based on road map data prepared in advance by controlling a computer. This program causes the computer to specify a user's desired point from the road map data, and from among the interchanges existing around the specified point, one or more interchanges that the user desires to use The desired use interchange name is set or changed as the desired use interchange name, and the set or changed desired use interchange name is associated with the information on the point designated by the point designation unit, and is registered in a predetermined storage unit, and at the time of route search, the current location, Destination or waypoint or surrounding area Respect, the then searches the user-selected interchange name registered in the storage unit is present and with the proviso that the use of interchange corresponding to the user-selected interchange name if the user-selected interchange name exists characterized Rukoto to execute the route search.

  According to the inventions of claims 1, 4 and 7 as described above, the user wishes to use each of the points designated by the user. C. Can be registered in advance, so that I.I. C. It is possible to execute a route search including

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the navigation apparatus according to the first aspect further includes a list display unit that displays a list of available interchanges on the screen for each of the points designated by the point designation unit. It is characterized by that.

  The invention according to claim 5 captures the invention according to claim 2 from the viewpoint of the method, and in the navigation method according to claim 4, an interchange of usable interchanges is provided for each designated point. The method further includes displaying the list on the screen.

  The invention described in claim 8 captures the invention described in claim 2 and claim 5 from the viewpoint of a computer program. In the navigation program according to claim 7, for each of the designated points, A list of available interchanges is displayed on the screen.

  In the inventions according to claims 2, 5 and 8, the desired I.D. C. For each of the points designated to set the I. C. Is displayed on the screen, making it easy to set and change the desired interchange.

  The invention according to claim 3 further includes a peripheral range setting unit that sets a peripheral range for each of the points specified by the point specifying unit in the navigation device according to claim 1 or claim 2. It is characterized by.

  The invention according to claim 6 captures the invention according to claim 3 from the viewpoint of the method, and in the navigation method according to claim 4 or 5, for each of the designated points, The method further includes the step of setting the peripheral range.

  The invention according to claim 9 captures the invention according to claim 3 and claim 6 from the viewpoint of a computer program, and is specified in the navigation program according to claim 7 or claim 8. For each of these, the peripheral range is set.

  According to the inventions according to claims 3, 6, and 9 as described above, the user can request the I.D. C. It can cope with that there are many cases where are the same.

  According to the present invention as described above, an I.D. C. It is possible to provide a navigation apparatus, method and program capable of executing a route search including

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In addition, although this embodiment is realizable by controlling the computer provided with the peripheral device by the program, the implementation | achievement aspect of the hardware and program in this case can be variously changed. In addition to the navigation apparatus and method, the present invention can be grasped as a program as described above and a computer-readable storage medium storing such a program. Therefore, in the following description, virtual circuit blocks that implement the functions of the present invention and this embodiment are used.

(1) Configuration (1-1) Overall Configuration First, the navigation device (hereinafter referred to as “this device”) in the present embodiment is generally used for each point where a route search is frequently performed. I want to do C. Name can be registered in advance, and I.I. C. By making it possible to execute a route search including the above, it is possible to ensure excellent usability for the user and includes the following elements shown in the functional block diagram of FIG.

  That is, the absolute position / orientation detection unit 1 calculates the absolute position coordinates and direction on the ground surface with respect to the current position of the automobile (referred to as the own vehicle) on which the apparatus is mounted, that is, the own vehicle position. This is a part for receiving GPS radio waves transmitted from GPS satellites with an antenna or a receiver. The relative azimuth detection unit 2 is a part for detecting the relative azimuth of the host vehicle using a gyroscope or the like. The vehicle speed detection part 3 is a part which calculates the speed of the own vehicle by processing the vehicle speed pulse obtained from a motor vehicle.

  The main CPU and its peripheral circuit 4 are parts that serve as a control circuit for controlling the entire apparatus. The memory group M is various memories necessary for the operation of the apparatus. For example, the ROM 5 for storing programs is accessed by the main CPU when the apparatus is activated. A main program is loaded into a dynamic RAM (DRAM) 6 that provides a work area and the like.

  The SRAM (static RAM) 7 is a storage means for acquiring and storing various settings such as the current position, destination, route, and information included in the road map data, and while the main power is off. Is also backed up by a battery and provides memory contents when turned on, but can be replaced by other storage means such as flash memory or hard disk drives. A display VRAM (video RAM) 8 stores bitmap data of an image to be displayed on the display unit 10.

  The display unit 10 is a part that displays various types of information such as a map, an operation menu, a search list, and point information on a liquid crystal display screen (not shown). The voice output means can be used together with the guidance by the synthesized voice. The input unit 11 is a part for a user to input information such as a command from a switch or the like. The input unit 11 includes a touch sensor function, a remote control unit, an infrared transmission / reception unit, and the like. Or it can be configured as a switch on the front panel. The user interface unit 9 is a user interface that connects the display unit 10 and the input unit 11 to the main CPU and its peripheral circuit 4 using an I / O control circuit, a device driver, or the like.

  The HDD control unit 12 is means for reading various data such as a navigation program recorded in a hard disk (mass storage device) from a database. The database includes various scale map data, a network structure of roads or road sections. Is stored. The road map data includes various point information regarding points on the map. The point information includes, for example, the coordinates of the point, the name of the point, the type of the point, the data for the search list such as the address and the telephone number, the type of the road that the point is in contact with, and the like. In addition, interface data necessary for the navigation program, for example, menus, lists, buttons, guidance displays (direction, distance, time, etc.), various marks (landmarks, icons, current position, travel locus, etc.) may be included. Good.

  The program and data storage locations described above can be realized by various storage media, and it is possible to freely design which storage media to store a part or all of. Therefore, not only the main program but also a part of navigation interface data may be stored in the ROM 5 in advance. Further, instead of the hard disk, a CD-ROM control unit, a DVD-ROM control unit, or the like may use data read from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

  The FM multiplex reception and processing unit 13 is a part that receives FM broadcast waves and extracts desired data such as traffic information of the VICS service from the broadcast waves. The traffic information includes traffic jam information. The optical / radio wave beacon reception and processing unit 14 is a part that receives and processes information such as identification information of each beacon and traffic information of the VICS service from an optical beacon or a radio beacon installed on a roadside.

(1-2) Role of Main CPU and its Peripheral Circuit Further, the main CPU and its peripheral circuit 4 are configured to realize the roles as the following parts shown in FIG. 1 by the action of the program as described above. Has been. That is, the current position detection unit 40 is means for sequentially calculating the own vehicle position, and specifically, is configured to calculate the own vehicle position by combining GPS navigation positioning and autonomous navigation positioning. .

  Here, in GPS navigation positioning, the current position is calculated using information obtained by the absolute position / orientation detection unit 1 based on radio waves from an artificial satellite. In the autonomous navigation positioning, the current position is calculated using information obtained from the relative bearing detection unit 2 and the vehicle speed detection unit 3 based on the geomagnetism and the speed of the host vehicle.

  The destination designation unit 41 is means for receiving designation of a destination, that is, input by facility search from a database in which the road map data is recorded or cursor designation on a map. The route setting unit 42 calculates a route from the current position detected by the current position detecting unit 40 to the destination specified by the destination specifying unit 41 based on the road map data, and obtains the result. It is a means for setting a given route.

  Based on the calculated vehicle position, route and road map data, the map display unit 43 displays a map around the vehicle position or a map displayed in a wide area on the display unit 10 in a three-dimensional display or other manner. It is. Further, the guidance control unit 44 is a means for controlling guidance guidance by determining elements to be displayed in the route, elements such as blinking emphasis, and using combined speech.

  In addition, I.I. C. The setting point designating unit 45 is a point where the user frequently performs a route search, and when the route search is executed from the point, the I.D. C. This is a means for designating a certain point (for example, home or work place).

  In addition, I.I. C. The list display unit 46 displays the I.D. C. Available from each point designated by the set point designation unit 45 and its surroundings. C. Is a means for displaying a list of the above on the screen. That is, the I.D. C. Are read from the map data storage medium and displayed on the display unit 10. FIG. 2 shows an example of the display. For example, when the set point is “home”, the I.D. C. In the center (“Toda Minami Lamp” in the figure). C. A plurality of I. C. The name is configured to be displayed.

  I. C. The setting / changing unit 47 is an I.D. C. For each point designated by the set point designation unit 45, one or more I.I. C. In the I. above. C. A plurality of I.D. C. This is a means for selecting, setting, or changing (including deletion) from the above.

  That is, using the display both sides shown in FIG. C. Set or change the. The desired I.D. C. If there is no connection, the up / down / left / right arrow buttons will connect the connection destination I.D. C. To display the desired I.D. C. It is configured to be able to select. Also, the selected I.D. C. The name is displayed on the left side of the display screen. Also, once set I.D. C. If the user wishes to change (including delete) the name, the selected I.D. C. I want to change the name C. It is executed by specifying the name.

  This I.I. C. The setting / changing unit 47 causes the I.D. C. May be configured so that the direction of the destination can be taken into account. For example, even if the same highway is used, the user desires the I.D. C. This is because may be different.

  In addition, I.I. C. The registration unit 48 is an I.D. C. The I.D. C. Name, its I. C. Along with the point information specifying the destination and information such as the destination direction, I. C. It is means for registering in the information storage means. This I.I. C. As the information storage means, various storage media such as a database recorded on a hard disk can be used.

  In addition, I.I. C. When the user specifies a destination and performs a route search, the search unit 49 selects the I.D. C. I. I want to use the information storage means for each point such as the current location, destination, or waypoint. C. Is registered, and if it is registered, the route setting unit 42 receives the I.I. C. Send the information C. This is a means for searching for a route to the destination by setting conditions using the.

(2) Operation Details of the processing according to the present embodiment as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

(2-1) Desired I.D. C. Setting process I.I. C. When it is desired to set “”, processing as shown in FIG. 3 is performed.

  First, the desired I.D. C. Is set (step 301), and the I.D. C. To set the desired I.D., go to step 302. C. One point (for example, a home, a work place, etc.) is set. On the other hand, in step 301, the I.D. C. If is not set, the following processing is not performed.

  Subsequently, in step 303, I.I. C. Is displayed on the screen (see FIG. 2), and a plurality of I.D. C. I. C. Is specified, the I.D. C. Name along with the location information. C. Registration in the information storage means (steps 304 to 305). The desired I.D. C. The designated number of names may be plural.

  Subsequently, in step 306, the desired I.D. C. Whether or not to end the setting process. If not, the process returns to step 302 and the desired I.D. C. Designate a different point (for example, home, work place, etc.) for setting the desired I.D. C. In order to set, the processing of step 302 to step 306 is repeated. On the other hand, in step 306, the desired I.D. C. If it is determined that all the registrations have been completed, the process is terminated.

(2-2) Route search processing I.I. C. Regardless of whether or not is set, the route search processing is performed according to the flowchart as shown in FIG.

  First, in step 401, I.D. C. By searching the information storage means, the user wants to use in advance the current location where the route search is performed, the designated destination, the waypoint, and the surrounding area. C. I. registered as C. It is determined whether or not there is. Then, for any point such as the current location, the desired I.D. C. If it is determined that there is an I.D. C. It is determined whether or not to use an expressway or the like including (step 402). When the user does not use an expressway or the like, the set I.D. C. This is because it is not necessary to search for a route including

  In step 402, the registered I.D. C. If it is determined that an expressway or the like including is used, the process proceeds to step 403 and the desired I.D. C. Is selected (for example, one's current home and its surroundings), and the registered I.D. C. Is searched (step 404).

  Subsequently, at step 405, the desired I.D. C. It is determined whether or not all the points registered in the list have been searched. If the search has not been completed yet, the process returns to step 403 to select another point (for example, the destination and its surroundings). , Step 403 to Step 405 are repeated.

  On the other hand, in step 405, the desired I.D. C. If it is determined that all the registered points have been searched, the process proceeds to step 406 and the searched I.D. C. The route search from the current location to the destination is executed with the condition setting using, and the processing is terminated.

  In step 401, the desired I.D. registered by the user in the current location where the route search is performed, the designated destination, the waypoint, and the vicinity thereof, etc. C. If it is determined that there is no registered I.P. C. However, in this route search, if it is determined that the expressway or the like is not used, the process proceeds to step 407 and the I.D. C. With respect to, a normal route search is executed without any restrictions, and the process is terminated.

(3) Effect According to the present embodiment as described above, the user who has a problem with the conventional navigation apparatus wants to use the I.D. C. There is no need to change the setting for the I.I. C. Therefore, a navigation device that is extremely useful to the user can be obtained.

(4) Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. C. Even in the vicinity of a spot (for example, home) designated by the setting spot designation unit 45, the user can select the desired I.D. C. Are often the same. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, in addition to the configuration requirements of FIG. C. The user may be allowed to set the peripheral range (for example, within a radius ** km) for each point specified by the setting point specifying unit 45.

  Further, the present invention can be applied to a so-called off-board type navigation system in which the latest data is provided via a wireless communication network, instead of the so-called on-board type in which navigation data is placed in the vehicle. It is. In this case, a server outside the vehicle connected via the communication network can perform all or part of the above processing, and the processing result is reduced by the in-vehicle computer to acquire the processing result. be able to. In addition, this invention is not limited to vehicle-mounted use, It is applicable also to another moving means and portable navigation.

The functional block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus which concerns on this invention. I. C. The figure which shows the example of a screen display by a list display part. In the navigation apparatus according to the present invention, the desired I.D. C. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the setting process. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the route search process in the navigation apparatus which concerns on this invention. The functional block diagram which shows the structure of other embodiment of the navigation apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Absolute position and direction detection part 2 ... Relative direction detection part 3 ... Vehicle speed detection part 4 ... Main CPU and its peripheral circuit 5 ... ROM
6 ... DRAM
7 ... SRAM
8 ... VRAM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... User interface part 10 ... Display part 11 ... Input part 12 ... HDD control part 13 ... FM multiplex reception and processing part 14 ... Optical / radio wave beacon reception and processing part 40 ... Current position detection part 41 ... Destination designation part 42 ... Route setting unit 43 ... Map display unit 44 ... Guidance control unit 45 ... I. C. Setting point designation section 46. C. List display section 47. C. Setting / changing section 48. C. Registration unit 49. C. Search unit 50 ... Peripheral range setting unit M ... Memory group

Claims (9)

In a navigation device that searches and guides a route for a moving body to move from a starting point to a designated destination based on road map data prepared in advance using a computer or an electronic circuit,
A point designating unit for designating a user's desired point from the road map data ;
A setting / changing unit that sets or changes one or more interchanges that the user desires to use from among the interchanges existing around the point designated by the point designation unit;
A registration unit that registers the desired use interchange name set or changed by the setting / change unit in a predetermined storage unit in association with the information of the point specified by the point specifying unit ;
A search unit for searching whether there is a desired use interchange name registered in the storage unit for a current location, a destination or a transit location, or a point around them at the time of route search ;
A route setting unit that performs a route search on condition that the interchange corresponding to the desired use interchange name is used when the desired use interchange name exists in the search unit ;
A navigation device comprising:   The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a list display unit that displays a list of available interchanges on the screen for each of the points specified by the point specifying unit.   The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a peripheral range setting unit that sets a peripheral range for each of the points specified by the point specifying unit. In a navigation method in which a computer or an electronic circuit searches and guides a route for a moving body to move from a departure place to a designated destination based on road map data prepared in advance.
Designating a user's desired point from the road map data ;
A step of setting or changing one or more interchanges that the user desires to use from among the interchanges existing around the designated point as the desired interchange name ;
Registering the desired or desired use interchange name set or changed in a predetermined storage means in association with the information of the point designated by the point designation unit ;
A step of searching whether there is a desired interchange name registered in the storage means for a current location, a destination or a transit location, or a nearby point at the time of route search ;
Performing a route search on condition that the interchange corresponding to the desired use interchange name is used when the desired use interchange name exists;
A navigation method comprising:   5. The navigation method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of displaying a list of available interchanges on the screen for each designated point.   The navigation method according to claim 4, further comprising a step of setting a peripheral range for each designated point. In a navigation program that searches and guides a route for a moving body to move from a starting point to a designated destination based on road map data prepared in advance by controlling a computer,
This program is stored in the computer
Specify the user's desired point from the road map data ,
Set or change one or more interchanges that the user wants to use among the interchanges that exist around the specified point as the desired interchange name ,
The desired or desired use interchange name set or changed is associated with the information of the point designated by the point designation unit, and registered in a predetermined storage means,
At the time of route search, for the current location, destination or waypoint or their surrounding points, search whether there is a desired interchange name registered in the storage means ,
Navigation program, characterized in Rukoto to execute the route search with the proviso that the use of interchange corresponding to the user-selected interchange name if the user-selected interchange name exists.   8. The navigation program according to claim 7, wherein a list of available interchanges is displayed on the screen for each designated point.   The navigation program according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a surrounding range is set for each designated point.

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