JP4684058B2 - Navigation device and route search method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle navigation device, and more particularly to a route search method when a toll road is included in a route in route search processing.

  In recent years, in-vehicle navigation devices tend to be provided with many functions. Particularly useful for the user is a route search function that automatically searches for a route from a departure point to a destination and displays the searched route as a guide route on a map. If this function is used, the departure route and the destination are input from the input device, and the guidance route connecting the departure location and the destination with the optimum route is automatically searched and displayed on an LCD (liquid crystal display) or the like. It can be displayed on the device.

In addition, when the user travels according to the retrieved guidance route, there is a guidance function that guides the user to the destination by displaying the guidance route on a map and displaying the vehicle position. If this function is used, for example, when an intersection is approached while traveling, an enlarged view of the intersection (a map displayed within a predetermined display range of the display device with a reduced number of display elements) For example, it is possible to notify the user of various information related to the traveling route in real time.
In addition, when there are toll roads (highways, etc.) on the searched guidance route, in order to smoothly settle tolls on toll roads, the on-board equipment installed in the vehicle and the roadside provided at the toll gate There is an automatic fee payment system called ETC (Electronic Toll Collection System) that performs fee settlement non-stop by transmitting and receiving information to and from an antenna. ETC transmits and receives various information (vehicle number, passing time, etc.) by performing short-range wireless communication between a roadside antenna provided at a payment place such as a toll booth and an in-vehicle device installed in a vehicle. This is a system for conducting toll payments.
In the above ETC (automatic fee payment system), by inserting a dedicated credit card (commonly known as an ETC card) into the vehicle-mounted device installed in the vehicle, the short-range wireless communication automatically when the vehicle approaches the roadside antenna You can start to communicate and pay for tolls. When the user gets out of the vehicle, the ETC card is removed from the in-vehicle device and stored in order to prevent the ETC card from being stolen.

  However, in the conventional navigation device having the various functions described above, there are problems that the number of operations required by the user increases due to the large number of functions and that intuitive operations are difficult to perform. For example, in the above route search function, when a toll road exists in the middle of the route, the travel time and the toll fee change depending on whether the toll road is used or not. For this reason, the user has to select which route to select as a guide route at any time, and there is a problem that it is difficult to intuitively determine which route is the most suitable route for his / her purpose. . As described above, the amount of information obtained due to the rich functions increases, but there is a problem that the convenience for the user may be impaired.

  In Patent Document 1 relating to the above problem, a navigation device that can provide a user with a new benefit related to a toll on a toll road without requiring a complicated operation for the user, and A method for notifying a toll for a navigation device is disclosed. The navigation device of Patent Document 1 and the toll notification method for the navigation device calculate a toll to be paid on a toll road existing on the route from the departure place to the destination, and control for notifying the calculated toll Means are provided. In the above configuration, when the route to the destination is calculated, the toll to be paid on the toll road existing on the calculated route is automatically calculated.

  Further, for a plurality of routes to the same destination calculated, a toll to be paid on each route is acquired, and a route with the lowest acquired toll is calculated. As a result, a route that can arrive at the destination at a lower cost is automatically searched. At this time, the user can specify the upper limit of the total amount of the toll to be paid on the toll road existing on the detected route by inputting the amount.

  According to the above-mentioned patent document 1, when searching for a route to the destination, the user can confirm information on tolls on the toll road included on the route without any operation. This makes it possible to receive new benefits related to toll road tolls without performing complicated operations. In addition, by acquiring the toll to be paid on the toll road existing on the route to the calculated destination and informing the user of the total amount of the acquired toll along the calculated route Immediately inform you of the cost required to go to your destination. In addition to obtaining tolls to be paid on toll roads existing on the route to the calculated destination and calculating and notifying the total amount for each type of toll road, the calculated route is given to the user. The cost required to go to the destination along the road can be immediately notified for each type of toll road.

  The conventional navigation device represented by the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 has a function of displaying both a normal fee and a discounted fee when a discount is applied to the fee depending on the time zone in which the toll road is used. There is something. However, for example, when the screen of the display unit is small, there is a problem that the processing result information becomes difficult to see due to an increase in the amount of information to be displayed. In addition, for example, when there are a plurality of toll roads on the route, the total amount of the toll varies depending on the time zone passing through each toll road. For this reason, the user has to calculate the total amount of tolls by adding the tolls after considering when to pass each toll road. For example, when starting from the current time as the departure time (that is, starting now), it is assumed whether the time zone discount is applied to each toll road by assuming the time of passing each toll road based on the current time. You have to check each item and manually calculate the total toll based on the results. As described above, when there is a toll road to which the time zone discount is applied on the route, there is a problem that it is difficult to easily and intuitively confirm the toll.

Also, for example, when using a specific guide route, the user wants to make the toll as low as possible. In this case, the time it takes to travel from the departure point to the toll road in order to know when the departure point is to be used and the toll road can be used at the cheapest time (maximum discount is available) The departure time must be calculated backward from the discount time zone using. If there is only one toll road that passes, the calculation is relatively easy, but conversely if there are multiple toll roads that pass, the amount of calculation increases dramatically and the burden on the user is very large. There was a problem of becoming.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-141982

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problem, and the object of the present invention is to search for a route by a user and to provide one or more toll roads to which a time zone discount can be applied on the searched guidance route. An object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle navigation device having a function of presenting information for using a toll road to a user at the lowest possible price.

In order to achieve the above object, the navigation device of the present invention comprises a route setting means for setting a guidance route connecting the departure point and the destination when the departure point and the destination are input;
A toll calculation means for calculating a toll charged when using the toll road when a toll road exists on the guide route;
Discounted toll calculation for calculating tolls in the discounted time zone when a discounted time zone in which the toll discount is applied by using the toll road in a specific time zone is set for the toll road Means,
In a navigation device comprising
Estimated travel time calculating means for calculating an estimated travel time for travel from the departure place to an interchange that is a boundary between the toll road and a normal road existing on the guidance route;
A departure time zone calculating means for calculating a departure time zone in which the toll road can be used in the discount time zone, using the discount time zone and the estimated travel time;
When there are a plurality of toll roads on the guidance route, the departure time zone where the toll discount is available for each toll road is calculated using the departure time zone calculation means, and each calculation result is Originally, a cheaper departure time zone calculation means for calculating a departure time zone in which the total of the toll road usage fee is the lowest,
It is characterized by having.

According to this configuration
When the user inputs the starting point and the destination, the guide route connecting the starting point and the destination is searched. As a result of the search, if a toll road exists on the calculated route, the toll road usage fee is also displayed. Further, when a time zone discount (a discount applied by using the toll road in a specific time zone) is set for the toll road, a discount fee is calculated. Then, the estimated travel time for traveling from the departure place to the interchange of the toll road (the point where the toll road usage fee is charged, which is the boundary between the toll road and the normal road) is calculated. Based on the calculated estimated travel time, it is calculated from what time to what time the discount fee can be used (that is, whether the toll road can be used during the discount time zone). Then, when there are multiple toll roads on the route calculated as a result of the guidance route search process, for each toll road, from what time to what time can the discount fee be used? calculate. Based on the calculated departure time zone where each toll road discount can be used, the departure time zone in which the toll road time discount for each toll road can be used most frequently (that is, the total usage fee for toll roads is the lowest) Calculate the departure time zone.

In order to achieve the above object, the navigation device of the present invention provides:
A departure time zone display means for displaying the departure time zone calculated by the departure time zone calculation means or the cheapest departure time zone calculation means by using a display unit is provided.

According to this configuration
Information on the departure time zone (departure time zone where the toll road can be used as cheaply as possible) calculated by each of the above processes is displayed together with the guidance route information using a display device such as an LCD (liquid crystal display device). .

In order to achieve the above object, the navigation device of the present invention provides:
In the departure time calculation means, the departure time zone in which the toll road can be used is calculated backward by subtracting the estimated travel time from the discount time zone.

According to this configuration
As the processing method of the departure time calculation process, by using the processing method of subtracting the estimated time required to travel from the departure point to each interchange from the discount time zone of each toll road, the total amount of toll road usage fee is Calculate the lowest departure time zone.

According to the first configuration of the present invention,
When there are multiple toll roads on the route, the control unit automatically calculates from what time to what time it is possible to use the toll road at the cheapest time (the maximum discount can be used) when leaving the departure place To do. For this reason, when the user wants to use multiple toll roads with as many time zone discounts as possible, the time to pass through each toll road is taken into account, and the sum of the expected usage charges is calculated from the results. There is no need to manually perform complicated calculations such as determining the departure time based on this. Thus, since the departure time at which the time zone discount can be used to the maximum can be easily known, convenience for the user is improved.

According to the second configuration of the present invention,
The departure time calculated in the departure time zone calculation process is notified to the user together with route information using a display unit or the like. Thus, when the user performs a route search operation, the user can check the departure time zone in which the time zone discount can be used together with the route information. This reduces the number of operations required by the user and improves convenience.

According to the third configuration of the present invention,
In the departure time calculation process, the departure time is calculated by a processing method of subtracting the estimated travel time required for the movement from the discount time zone to each interchange. Thereby, the control unit can calculate the departure time by a relatively simple processing method, and the processing burden on the control unit can be reduced.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[Embodiment]
<1. About the internal configuration of the navigation device>
Here, the configuration of the main part of the electric circuit system of the navigation device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

  As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2, the navigation apparatus 1 of the present invention includes at least a control unit 11, a memory 12, a storage unit 13, a ROM 14, an ETC processing unit 15, a current position detection unit 16, an operation button group 17, and The display unit 18 is configured to be included.

  The control unit 11 is a central processing unit for performing overall control of navigation processing (route search, map data display, etc.) by organically controlling the driving of each member of the navigation device 1. The control unit 11 is a central part that controls each device (for example, the storage unit 13 and the like), calculates data, processes, and the like.

  The memory 12 is a medium for temporarily storing various data held by the navigation device 1 and is configured by, for example, a writable RAM (Random Access Memory). The memory 12 serves as a buffer memory for temporarily storing, for example, processing data when various navigation processes are performed by the control unit 11 and instruction commands received from the user.

  The storage unit 13 is a storage medium for recording various data (road data, road fee data, etc.) held by the navigation device 1. Note that the storage unit 13 is physically divided into a plurality of regions (partitions), and it is more desirable to store each region according to the type of data to be stored. The storage unit 13 includes at least a road data storage area 13a that is an area for storing road data and a road charge data storage area 13b that is an area for storing road charge data.

  A ROM (Read Only Memory) 14 is a medium for storing program data for performing various types of processing (for example, route search processing) using the control unit 11, for example, and the user can only read information. ing.

  The ETC processing unit 15 is a processing circuit for extracting ETC information and card information for toll payment on toll roads, toll payment at various facilities, and the various information uses an antenna unit (not shown). Transmitted to the roadside antenna. Further, by transmitting the information received at the antenna unit to the control unit 11, the processing result can be displayed and reproduced from the display unit 18, for example. When performing toll payment on a toll road, the ETC processing unit 15 extracts, for example, ETC information recorded on an IC card chip, encrypts it, and transmits it using an antenna unit.

  The current position detection unit 16 is a circuit for specifying the current position of the navigation device (and thus the vehicle on which the navigation device is mounted). The current position detector 16 receives information from, for example, a geomagnetic sensor, a gyroscope, a vehicle speed sensor, and a GPS receiver for GPS (Global Positioning System) that detects the position of the vehicle based on radio waves from a satellite. . Based on the information acquired by these devices, the current position detection unit 16 specifies the current position of the vehicle.

The operation button group 17 is an input interface for the user to give a road search instruction, a road information display instruction, and the like to the navigation device 1. The display unit 18 is an output interface for displaying various information of the navigation device 1 to the user.
<2. About the route search process>
Here, the process steps of the route search process in the navigation device 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 1 and the block diagrams of FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 11 detects a route search function execution command from the user, and this process is started (S110). The route search function execution command is issued, for example, when the user presses the route search button using the operation button group 17.

  Receiving the execution instruction for the route search function, the control unit 11 shifts to a standby state in order to wait for the start point and destination to be input from the user. The control unit that detects an input from the user in the standby state (S120) searches for a route from the input information and road data stored in the road data storage area 13a of the storage unit 13 (S130). When setting the departure place, the current position detected by the current position detection unit 16 can be automatically set as the departure point.

  As a result of the route search process of S130, the control unit 11 has a toll road to which a time zone discount (a service in which a usage fee is discounted when used in a certain time zone) can be applied on the searched route. It is confirmed whether or not (S140). If there is a toll road to which the time zone discount can be applied, the process proceeds to the next step S150. If there is no toll road to which the time zone discount can be applied, the same processing as the conventional route search processing is performed, and this processing is terminated. The details of the conventional route search process are omitted here.

  In the process of S140, when it is determined that there is a toll road to which the time zone discount can be applied on the route, the control unit 11 checks whether there are a plurality of toll roads on the route (S150). If there is only one toll road, the process proceeds to the next step S160a. When there are a plurality of toll roads, the process proceeds to S160b described later.

  In the process of S150, when it is determined that there is only one toll road on the route, the control unit 11 determines the most recent interchange (from the normal road to the departure point) from the road data stored in the road data storage area 13. Get distance, road information (speed limit, etc.), traffic conditions, etc. to the boundary of the toll road and check the start or end of the toll road. From the departure point to the interchange based on the acquired information The estimated time required for the movement (estimated travel time) is calculated (S160a).

  The control unit 11 uses the estimated travel time and the discounted time zone information of the toll road stored in the road fee storage area 13b to start the departure point from what time to what time to apply the discounted fee. Is calculated (S170a). For example, as shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the route from a certain point (starting point A) to the home (destination D) is acquired by route search. There is one toll road (section indicated by arrow β) in this route. The toll road has an interchange B and an interchange C, and when passing through these two points, the ETC control unit 15 is used to communicate various information with the roadside antenna, thereby charging a toll.

  Here, for example, it is assumed that a discount fee is applied when the vehicle passes through interchange B between 1 am and 4 am (assuming that there is no restriction on the time for passing through interchange C). Assume that the estimated travel time calculated by the process of S160a is one hour. In this case, if you depart from departure point A at a time between midnight and 3:00 am by calculating backward from the discounted time zone (1 am to 4 am), the time zone discount will be applied. Become.

The control unit 11 notifies the user of the discount available departure time calculated in this manner (in the above example, 0:00 to 3 am) using the display unit 18 or the like (S180).
Conversely, if it is determined in the processing of S150 that there are a plurality of toll roads on the route, the control unit 11 determines the distance from the departure point to each interchange from the road data stored in the road data storage area 13. The road information (speed limit, etc.), the traffic congestion status, etc. are acquired, and the time (estimated travel time) estimated to travel from the departure place to each interchange is calculated based on the acquired various information (S160b).

  The control unit 11 uses the estimated travel time to each interchange and the discounted time zone of each toll road, and from what time to what time in order for the discounted fee to be applied on a toll road basis. Is calculated (S170b). For example, as shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that a route from a point (departure point A) to a home (destination F) is acquired by route search. There are two toll roads (sections indicated by arrows β1 and β2) on this route. There is an interchange E from the interchange B to the toll road, and the toll is charged by exchanging various information with the roadside antenna using the ETC control unit 15 when passing through each point.

  Here, for example, it is assumed that a discount fee is applied to the toll road β1 when passing through the interchange B between 1 am and 4 am. Further, it is assumed that a discount fee is applied to the toll road β2 when passing through the interchange D between 0:00 pm and 5:00 pm. Assume that the estimated travel time from the departure point A to the interchange B calculated by the process of S160a is one hour, and the estimated travel time from the departure point A to the interchange D is four hours.

  In this case, if the departure point A is departed at a time between 0:00 am and 3:00 am by calculating the estimated travel time (one hour) from the discounted time zone (1 am to 4 am) of the toll road β1 The toll road β1 can be used at a discounted rate. Also, depart from departure A at the time between 20 pm and 1 am the previous day by calculating the estimated travel time (four hours) from the discounted time zone (from 0:00 am to 5:00 am) on toll road β2. In this case, the toll road β2 can be used at a discounted rate.

  Based on the above results, if you want to use both toll roads at discounted rates, the time zone that overlaps between the two calculated departure time zones (from midnight to 3 am and from 20 pm to 1 am) In other words, it is sufficient to leave between midnight and 1 am. If only one of the toll road discounts can be used at any time (there is no overlap between the two departure time zones calculated in the above process), the most of the amount deducted from the toll due to the discount Priority is given to many toll roads and the departure time zone is calculated. Similarly, when there are three or more toll roads on the route, the departure time zone is calculated by giving priority to the discount time zone of the toll road with the largest amount deducted from the toll due to the discount.

The control unit 11 notifies the user of the discount available departure time calculated in S170b (from 0:00 am to 1:00 am in the above example) using the display unit 18 or the like (S180). At this time, information such as which toll road discount can be used by departing at a specified time zone may be displayed together.
[Other embodiments]
The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments and examples. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above embodiments and examples, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the technical idea. Can be implemented.

  For example, a storage medium recording software program codes for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to the navigation apparatus 1, and a computer (for example, CPU) in the navigation apparatus 1 reads the program codes stored in the storage medium. Needless to say, it can also be achieved through implementation.

  In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

  As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like is used. it can.

  Further, by executing the program code read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (operating system) operating on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is included.

  Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion is performed based on the instruction of the program code. It goes without saying that the CPU or the like provided in the board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.

  In this embodiment, data stored in the storage unit 13 is used as road data for calculating tolls for toll roads, road toll data, and the like. However, from an external organization by communication means such as wireless communication. Toll calculation may be performed using the obtained data. In addition, when calculating the estimated travel time to specify the entry and exit times to and from the toll road, traffic congestion information provided from an external organization is received via wireless communication etc., and the estimated travel time is calculated taking them into account May be performed.

  It goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained even when the route search method of the present invention is used in an information processing apparatus other than the navigation apparatus. As information processing apparatuses other than the navigation apparatus, for example, a personal computer, a PDA, a digital TV, a mobile phone, and the like are conceivable.

It is a processing flowchart of the route search process by the navigation apparatus of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed the principal part structure inside the navigation apparatus of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed an example of the route search process by the navigation apparatus of this invention. It is the block diagram which showed an example of the route search result by the navigation apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation apparatus 11 Control part 12 Memory 13 Storage part 14 ROM
15 ETC processing unit 16 Current position detection unit 17 Operation button group 18 Display unit

Claims (6)

Route setting means for setting a guidance route connecting the departure point and the destination when the departure point and the destination are input; and
A toll calculation means for calculating a toll charged when using the toll road when a toll road exists on the guide route;
Discounted toll calculation for calculating tolls in the discounted time zone when a discounted time zone in which the toll discount is applied by using the toll road in a specific time zone is set for the toll road Means,
In a navigation device comprising
Estimated travel time calculating means for calculating an estimated travel time for travel from the departure place to an interchange that is a boundary between the toll road and a normal road existing on the guidance route;
A departure time zone calculating means for calculating a departure time zone in which the toll road can be used in the discount time zone, using the discount time zone and the estimated travel time;
When there are a plurality of toll roads on the guidance route, the departure time zone where the toll discount is available for each toll road is calculated using the departure time zone calculation means, and each calculation result is Originally, a cheaper departure time zone calculation means for calculating a departure time zone in which the total of the toll road usage fee is the lowest,
A navigation device characterized by comprising: The departure time slots calculating means, or according to claim 1, characterized in that with a departure time zone display means for displaying with a display unit the calculated the departure time slots by the re From departure time slots calculating means Navigation device. In the departure time slots calculation means, wherein the discount from the time zone subtracting the estimated travel time, according to claim 1 or claim, characterized in that calculated back the departure time slots available to the toll road to the discount time zone 3. The navigation device according to 2 . A navigation device route search method comprising:
A route setting step for setting a guidance route connecting the departure point and the destination when the departure point and the destination are input;
A toll calculation step for calculating a toll charged when the toll road is used when a toll road exists on the guide route;
Discounted toll calculation for calculating tolls in the discounted time zone when a discounted time zone in which the toll discount is applied by using the toll road in a specific time zone is set for the toll road Process,
In the route search method having
An estimated travel time calculating step for calculating an estimated travel time for travel from the departure place to an interchange that is a boundary between the toll road and a normal road existing on the guidance route;
A departure time zone calculation step of calculating a departure time zone in which the toll road can be used in the discount time zone, using the discount time zone and the estimated traveling time;
When there are a plurality of toll roads on the guidance route, the departure time zone in which the toll discount is available for each toll road in the departure time zone calculation step is calculated, and based on each calculation result , A re-departure departure time zone calculation step for calculating a departure time zone in which the total toll of the toll road is the cheapest,
A route search method characterized by comprising: The departure time slots calculation step, or as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that it comprises the re safe departure time zone display step of displaying using a display unit the departure time slots calculated by the departure time slots calculation step Route search method. In the departure time slots calculation step, the discounted from the time zone subtracting the estimated travel time, claim 4 or claim, characterized in that calculated back the departure time slots available to the toll road to the discount time zone 5. The route search method according to 5 .

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