JP4723266B2 - Navigation device, navigation method, and navigation program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a navigation technique for improving the display method of loopholes on a map displayed on a display or the like in a navigation apparatus for guiding and guiding a moving path of a moving body, that is, a navigation apparatus, a method, and a navigation program. It is.

  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 device, there is known one having a function of previously storing in a database route information about a road where traffic congestion is likely to occur, displaying the route in different colors, and presenting it to the user (Patent Document 1). . Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for providing a predetermined cost for a road that is expected to be crowded, such as a road in front of a station, so that the road is not selected as a path when searching for a path. .
Japanese Patent No. 3116376 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-274540

  However, in the conventional navigation device as shown in Patent Document 1 and the like, even if the user does not want to use the loophole, all the loopway information included in the map displayed on the display or the like is displayed. For this reason, the map display is very complicated, which is not preferable for the user.

  The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and the purpose thereof is only when the user desires, or when the road condition is congested by the user in advance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation technique, a navigation apparatus, a method and a program which can display a loophole only when it becomes necessary and which is highly useful in conformity with the user's preference, that is, a navigation apparatus, method and program.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 uses a computer or an electronic circuit to provide route guidance from a departure point to a destination on a screen based on road map data including escape route information prepared in advance. In the navigation device to be displayed, a path search unit for searching for loopholes, a road information receiving unit for receiving road congestion, a display condition setting unit for setting conditions for loopway display, and checking whether map scrolling has occurred By comparing the congestion information of the road acquired by the scroll confirmation unit, the road condition receiving unit, and the conditions set by the display condition setting unit, the escape route searched by the escape route search unit is displayed on the screen. And a display necessity determination unit that determines whether or not a map is scrolled, and a loop-out display is performed when a map scroll occurs .

The invention according to claim 7 captures the invention according to claim 1 from the viewpoint of the method, and the computer or the electronic circuit is based on road map data including escape route information prepared in advance, from the departure place to the destination. In the navigation method of displaying the route guidance to the screen on the screen, the step of searching for a way out, the step of receiving the congestion state of the road, the step of setting the condition of the way out display, and checking whether the map scroll has occurred A step of comparing the received road congestion information with a set display condition to determine whether or not to display the searched loopway on the screen, and when a map scroll occurs A navigation method characterized by performing display .

The invention according to claim 10 captures the invention according to claims 1 and 7 from the viewpoint of a computer program, and is based on road map data including loophole information prepared in advance by controlling the computer. , in the navigation program for displaying the route guidance from the starting point to the destination on the screen, this program is in the computer, to find the loopholes, to receive the congestion situation of the road, to set a loophole display of conditions, map When a map scrolling occurs by checking whether scrolling has occurred and comparing the received road congestion information with the set display conditions to determine whether or not to display the searched loophole on the screen. to perform the loophole display in and said Rukoto.

  According to the invention described in claims 1, 7, and 10 as described above, since the roadway can be displayed only when the road condition becomes a congestion situation set in advance by the user, A highly useful navigation device that matches the user's preference is obtained.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the first aspect, the congestion status acquired by the road information receiving unit by the display necessity determination unit is a condition set by the display condition setting unit. When it is determined that they match, the loop-out search unit is configured to search for a loop-through or a back road.

  The invention described in claim 8 captures the invention described in claim 2 from the viewpoint of the method, and in the navigation method according to claim 7, in the step of determining whether or not to display, the reception is performed. When it is determined that the congestion information of the set road matches with the set display condition, an exit or back road is searched.

  The invention described in claim 11 captures the inventions described in claim 2 and claim 8 from the viewpoint of a computer program. In the navigation program described in claim 10, it is determined whether or not the display is performed. In this case, when the congestion information of the received road matches the set display condition, the exit path or the back road is searched.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, claim 8 and claim 11 as described above, only when the road condition is congested set by the user in advance, the escape path or back path is searched and the escape path is determined. Since it can be displayed, the process of searching for a loophole is made efficient, and a highly useful navigation device that matches the user's preference is obtained.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the first aspect, the loophole search unit searches for all loopholes or back roads included in the map range displayed on the screen, When it is determined by the display necessity determination unit that the congestion status acquired by the road information receiving unit matches the condition set by the display condition setting unit, the escape path or back road searched by the escape path search unit is determined. It is comprised so that it may display on the said screen.

  The invention according to claim 9 captures the invention according to claim 3 from the viewpoint of the method, and in the navigation method according to claim 7, all included in the map range displayed on the screen. In the step of searching for an exit or back road of the vehicle and determining whether or not to display it, if it is determined that the received road congestion information matches a set display condition, the searched exit or back road is It is displayed on the screen.

  The invention described in claim 12 captures the invention described in claims 3 and 9 from the viewpoint of a computer program, and in the navigation program according to claim 10, the map displayed on the screen. When searching for all the exits or back roads included in the range and determining whether or not to display them, if the received road congestion information meets the set display conditions, A back road is displayed on the screen.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, claim 9, and claim 12 as described above, since all the escape roads or back roads included in the map range displayed on the screen are searched in advance, the road condition is When the congestion state set by the user is reached, it is possible to quickly display the exit path or the back path.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the congestion condition acquired by the road information receiving unit is set as the condition set by the display condition setting unit. First, a condition for determining whether to perform display is added.
According to the invention described in claim 4 as described above, it is possible to select whether the loop-out display is always performed or not displayed at all.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the loop set by the display condition setting unit as a condition set by the display condition setting unit The display condition is provided in advance.
According to the invention described in claim 5 as described above, since the reference of the display condition is provided in advance, the user's setting operation becomes simple.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the display condition setting unit sets the conditions for the loop-out display set by the display condition setting unit. The configuration is such that the setting can be freely changed.
According to the invention described in claim 6 as described above, the reference of the display condition can be freely set and changed for each user, so that a navigation device more in line with the user's desire can be provided.

  According to the present invention as described above, it is possible to display a loophole only when the user desires, or when the road condition becomes a congestion situation set by the user in advance, which matches the user's preference. A highly useful navigation apparatus, method, and program can be provided.

  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 “the present device”) in the present embodiment is generally only when the user desires, or the road situation is determined by the user in advance. Only when the set congestion state is reached, the loophole is displayed 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. This road map data includes various point information regarding points on the map and information on loopholes and back roads. 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.

  The display condition setting unit 45 is a means for the user to set under what road conditions the exit road information is displayed, and this set value is recorded in the internal memory of the navigation device. FIG. 2 shows an example of a display condition setting screen. That is, in FIG. 2, when “always display” on the right side of the screen is selected, loopholes in the map display area are always displayed regardless of the presence of congestion, and when “not display” is selected. The loophole is not displayed regardless of the presence or absence of congestion.

  On the other hand, when any one of “display during traffic jam”, “display during traffic jam”, and “display during traffic jam” on the left side of the screen is selected, traffic information is acquired by a road information receiving unit 46 described later, and the traffic information is Depending on the congestion situation of the road to be presented, a loophole in the map display area is displayed.

  For example, a user who wants to display the exit information only when there is a traffic jam can select “Display during traffic jam”, and a user who wants to always display the exit information regardless of whether there is a traffic jam. Select “Display when there is no traffic”. In addition, a user who desires to display the exit information early in the state of “congestion”, which is the previous stage of “congestion”, may select “display during congestion”.

  Note that “always display” and “display when there is no traffic jam” are common in that the loophole information is always displayed, but as described above, the “display when there is no traffic jam” is displayed by the road information receiving unit 46. The difference is that information is acquired.

  The road information receiving unit 46 is a means for receiving the road congestion status distributed by VICS or the like, and the display necessity determination unit 47 is configured to display the road congestion status received by the road information reception unit 46 as the display. In the condition setting unit 45, it is determined whether or not the user is congested in comparison with the reference set as the road condition that the user desires to display the exit route. It is a means for instructing execution of a loophole search.

  The loophole search unit 48 is a means for searching for loopholes from a database storing loophole information, and the loopway display control unit 49 identifies the loopway detected by the loopway search unit 48 from the initially displayed guide route. In order to facilitate the display, the map display unit 43 is a means for displaying in a method different from the normal display method (for example, changing the color, highlighting, etc.).

  When the display condition setting unit 45 sets “always displayed”, the loop search unit 48 is configured to always search for loops in the map display area. In addition, the display condition setting unit 45 is set to any one of “display during traffic jam”, “display during congestion”, and “display when there is no traffic jam”. When it is determined, if the display necessity determination unit 47 determines that the condition is met, it searches for a loophole in the map display area.

(2) Operation Details of the processing according to the present embodiment as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that setting a destination and calculating a guidance route from the current position to the destination and performing guidance guidance are the same as in a normal navigation device, and thus description thereof is omitted.

(2-1) When the display condition is “always display” When the navigation is activated, the display condition set by the display condition setting unit 45 is acquired from the memory (step 301). In step 302, the display condition is “always display”. Is determined. If “always display”, the process proceeds to step 303 to acquire the current map display area.

  Subsequently, the process proceeds to step 312, where it is determined whether or not there is loophole data in the display area by the loopway search unit 48. If there is loophole data, the loophole data is acquired and displayed (step 313). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the route guidance is to be ended (step 314). If not, the process returns to step 301.

  On the other hand, if there is no loophole data in the display area in step 312, the loophole data is not displayed (step 315), and it is determined whether or not the route guidance is terminated (step 314). Return to step 301.

(2-2) When the display condition is “not display” In step 302, when the display condition is not “always display”, the process proceeds to step 304 to determine whether or not the display condition is “not display”. If it is “not displayed”, the process proceeds to step 315, no loop-out data is displayed (step 315), and it is determined whether or not the route guidance is to be ended (step 314). Return to 301.

(2-3) When the display condition is “display in traffic jam” or the like In step 304, when the display condition is not “not display”, the process proceeds to step 305 and it is determined whether or not the map is scrolled. Here, the map scroll includes a case where the map is scrolled by a user operation and a case where the map is scrolled by a speed pulse output while the vehicle is traveling.

  If it is determined in step 305 that the map has been scrolled, it is determined whether or not the route is being guided (step 306). If the route is not being guided, the process proceeds to step 315, and the loop-out data is not displayed. Then, it is determined whether or not the route guidance is finished (step 314). If not finished, the process returns to step 301.

  On the other hand, if the route is being guided in step 306, the process proceeds to step 307 to acquire the current map display area. Then, it is determined whether or not there is a guidance route in the display map (step 308). If there is no guidance route in the display map, the process proceeds to step 315, and the route guidance is not displayed, and the route guidance data is not displayed. Is determined (step 314), and if not, the process returns to step 301.

  In step 308, if a guidance route exists in the display map, traffic information is acquired (step 309), and whether or not there is traffic information such as “congestion” and “congestion” in the currently displayed guidance route. Is determined (step 310). If there is no traffic jam information, the process proceeds to step 315, where it is determined whether or not the route guidance is to be terminated without displaying the loop-out data (step 314). If not, the process returns to step 301.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 310 that there is traffic jam information, the process proceeds to step 311 where it is determined whether there is traffic jam information that matches the display conditions set in advance by the user. The For example, when the user has selected “display during congestion”, it is determined whether or not “congestion” information exists in the traffic information, and when the user has selected “display during congestion”. Then, it is determined whether or not “congestion” or “congestion” information exists in the traffic information. If the user has selected “display when there is no traffic jam”, it is determined whether any of “traffic jam”, “congested”, or “no traffic jam” information exists.

  In step 311, when there is no traffic jam information that matches the display condition, the process proceeds to step 315, where it is determined whether or not the route guidance is terminated without displaying the loop-out data (step 314). Returns to step 301. On the other hand, if there is traffic jam information that matches the display conditions in step 311, the process proceeds to step 312, and the escape path search unit 48 determines whether or not there is escape path data in the display area.

  In step 312, if there is no loop-out data, the process proceeds to step 315, and it is determined whether or not the route guidance is terminated without displaying the loop-out data (step 314). Return. On the other hand, if there is loophole data, the process proceeds to step 313, where the loophole data is acquired and displayed on the currently displayed map. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the route guidance is to be ended (step 314). If not, the process returns to step 301.

(3) Effect According to the present embodiment as described above, a loophole can be displayed only when the user desires, or only when the road situation is a congestion situation set in advance by the user. A highly useful navigation device that matches the user's preference is obtained. In addition, when the loophole display is unnecessary, the map display becomes simple, so that the visibility of the user is greatly improved.

(4) Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the road information receiving unit 46 acquires beacon information (narrow area traffic information) and performs the above-described processing. You may comprise.

  Further, all the loopholes are searched by the loophole search unit 48, and it is determined by the display necessity determination unit 47 that the congestion status acquired by the road information receiving unit 46 matches the condition set by the display condition setting unit 45. In such a case, the path or back path searched by the loop path search unit 48 may be displayed on the screen.

  In the above-described embodiment, the display condition setting unit 45 preliminarily sets, as “congestion display”, “congestion display”, etc. Although provided, this reference may be configured so that the user can freely set it. For example, a standard desired by the user may be set, such as “congestion is 5 km or more” and “required time is more than twice the normal time”. In addition, if you select the button for traffic congestion display, an item such as “Do you want to display only when traffic congestion is more than **?” Is displayed, and the user can enter the traffic congestion and congestion level to display as time and distance You may comprise so that it can.

  Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to a so-called off-board type navigation system in which the latest data can be 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. The figure which shows the example of a setting screen in a display condition setting part. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the process in 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 ... Display condition setting unit 46 ... Road information receiving unit 47 ... Display necessity determination unit 48 ... Pathway search unit 49 ... Pathway display control unit M ... Memory group

Claims (10)

In a navigation device for displaying route guidance from a departure place to a destination on a screen based on road map data including escape information prepared in advance using a computer or an electronic circuit,
A loophole search section for searching for loopholes,
A road information receiving unit that receives road congestion conditions;
A display condition setting section for setting conditions for loophole display;
A scroll confirmation part for confirming whether map scrolling has occurred,
The road congestion information acquired by the road condition receiving unit is compared with the conditions set by the display condition setting unit, and it is determined whether or not the escape route searched by the escape route search unit is displayed on the screen. A display necessity determination unit for
A navigation device that displays a loophole when a map scroll occurs .   When the display necessity determination unit determines that the congestion status acquired by the road information reception unit matches the condition set by the display condition setting unit, the loop search unit searches for loops The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the navigation device is provided. The loophole search unit searches for all loopholes included in the map range displayed on the screen;
When it is determined by the display necessity determination unit that the congestion situation acquired by the road information receiving unit matches the condition set by the display condition setting unit, the escape route searched by the escape search unit is The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the navigation device is configured to be displayed on a screen. As a condition set by the display condition setting section, regardless of the congestion condition obtained by the road information receiver, and wherein the is formed by adding a condition to determine whether or not to display claims 1 to Item 4. The navigation device according to any one of Items3. The condition set in the display condition setting unit is preliminarily provided with the condition for the loop-out display set in the display condition setting unit. The navigation device described. 4. The display condition setting unit is configured to freely change the setting of the loop-out display condition set by the display condition setting unit . The navigation device according to any one of claims. In a navigation method for displaying route guidance from a departure place to a destination on a screen based on road map data including escape route information provided in advance by a computer or an electronic circuit,
Searching for loopholes,
Receiving road congestion, and
A step for setting conditions for loophole display;
A step to check if map scrolling occurred,
Comparing the received road congestion information with the set display conditions, and determining whether or not to display the searched loophole on the screen ,
A navigation method characterized by displaying a loophole when a map scroll occurs .   8. The navigation according to claim 7, wherein in the step of determining whether to display or not, if it is determined that the received road congestion information matches a set display condition, an exit is searched. Method. Search for all loopholes included in the map area displayed on the screen,
The step of determining whether or not to display, when it is determined that the received road congestion information matches a set display condition, the searched loophole is displayed on the screen. Item 8. The navigation method according to Item 7. In a navigation program for displaying route guidance from a departure place to a destination on a screen based on road map data including escape information prepared in advance by controlling a computer,
This program is stored in the computer
Search for loopholes,
Receive traffic congestion on the road,
Let's set the conditions for the loophole display,
Check if map scrolling has occurred,
Compare the received road congestion information with the set display conditions, and determine whether or not to display the searched loophole on the screen ,
Navigation program characterized Rukoto to perform the loophole displayed when the map scroll occurs.

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