JP4746494B2 - Navigation device and navigation system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device and a navigation system that can guide a route so that a discount on tolls can be received.

Conventionally, a navigation device that determines whether it is possible to include a toll road that can receive a toll discount in the searched guide route, and informs the user that the toll discount can be received if it is determined to be possible. It is known as a technique (for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-77333 A

  In a conventional navigation device as described in Patent Document 1, a guidance route is searched before departure, and it is determined whether it is possible to include a toll road that can receive a toll discount. For this reason, the conditions for receiving discounts are not met at the time of departure, but if the conditions for receiving discounts are met while traveling, it is impossible to notify the user that the toll discount can be received. There is a point.

(1) The navigation device of the invention of claim 1 is a determination means for determining that there is a toll road to be discounted when it is predicted that a condition for discounting is satisfied while traveling on the recommended route. the in the discount subject to toll road is determined to exist by the judgment unit, a navigation device and a notification means for notifying the fact to the user, said determination means comprises said discount When a condition equal to or greater than a predetermined proportion of the conditions for the condition is satisfied, it is determined that the toll road to be discounted exists, assuming that the condition to be the discount target is predicted. To do.
(2) The invention according to claim 2 is the navigation device according to claim 1, wherein when the determination unit determines that there is a toll road to be discounted, a route to the destination so as to include the toll road It is further characterized by further comprising recalculation means for recalculating .
(3) The invention according to claim 3, in the navigation device according to claim 2, when it is determined that the toll road to be the discount in the determination means is present, further input means for inputting a request for the recalculation The recalculation means starts recalculation of the route when a recalculation request is input .
(4) The invention of claim 4 is the navigation device according to claim 2 or 3 , further comprising display means for comparing and displaying the new recommended route calculated by the recalculation means and the previous recommended route. It is characterized by that.
(5) The invention of claim 5 is the navigation device according to claim 4 , wherein the comparison information displayed by the display means includes a time required to reach a destination via the new recommended route, and The toll road charge, the time required to reach the destination via the previous recommended route, and the toll road charge are characterized by the following.
(6) The invention of claim 6 is the navigation device according to any one of claims 2 to 5 , wherein the recalculation means searches for a plurality of recommended routes .
(7) The invention according to claim 7 is the navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , further comprising setting means for a user to set conditions for the discount target .
(8) navigation system of the invention of claim 8, there is a toll road to be the discount by determining and judging means, the judging means of the presence of a toll road to be discount for a specific vehicle traveling in the recommended route If it is determined that the communication center and a communication means the information of the discount subject to toll roads and transmits to the specific vehicle, and, when receiving the information of the toll road to be the discount from the communication center The navigation system includes a navigation device including notification means for notifying the user of the information , wherein the determination means sets a condition equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio of the conditions for the discount target for the specific vehicle. When it is satisfied, it is predicted that the conditions for becoming the discount target are predicted, and there is a toll road to be the discount target. Wherein the determining.

  According to the present invention, since the existence of a toll road to be discounted is notified while traveling on the recommended route, it is possible to go to the destination by a route with a low toll.

  A configuration of a navigation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The navigation apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 is equipped with an ETC on-board unit 111 and can pay tolls for toll roads at a later date. The navigation device 1 includes a control circuit 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a current location detection device 14, an image memory 15, a display monitor 16, a speaker 17, an input device 18, a touch panel 19, an ETC in-vehicle device 111, and a disk drive 112. The disk drive 112 is loaded with a DVD-ROM 113 in which map data to be displayed on the display monitor 16 is recorded.

  The control circuit 11 includes a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits, and performs various controls by executing a control program stored in the ROM 12 using the RAM 13 as a work area. When the control circuit 11 performs a predetermined route search process based on the map data stored in the DVD-ROM 113, the processing result is displayed on the display monitor 16 as a recommended route. Further, the control circuit 11 has a built-in clock, and can detect the current time.

  The current position detection device 14 is a device that detects the current position of the vehicle. For example, a vibration gyro 14a that detects the traveling direction of the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor 14b that detects the vehicle speed, and a GPS signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite. It consists of a GPS sensor 14c and the like. The navigation device 1 determines a map display range, a route search start point, and the like based on the current location of the vehicle detected by the current location detection device 14, and displays the current location on the map.

  The image memory 15 stores image data to be displayed on the display monitor 16. This image data includes road map drawing data and various graphic data, which are generated as appropriate based on map data stored in the DVD-ROM 113 read by the disk drive 112. The navigation device 1 can perform map display and the like by using the image data generated in this way.

  The disk drive 112 reads map data for displaying a map on the display monitor 16 from the loaded DVD-ROM 113. The map data includes map display data, route search data, and the like, and the display and route search data include road link information and node information. The map display data has map data of a plurality of scales from wide areas to details, and the scale of the display map can be changed according to a user request. The map data stores toll road toll information, toll road toll gate information that has an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection), and toll discount information. The toll discount information includes information on roads that can receive discounts on tolls, information on conditions (such as time zones and travel distances) for receiving toll discounts on the roads, and the like. The map data may be read from a recording medium other than the DVD-ROM 113, such as a CD-ROM or a hard disk.

  The display monitor 16 provides the user with various information such as a road map near the vehicle position as a screen display based on various information such as map data. The speaker 17 outputs voice for guiding the user's various input operations and for guiding the route to the user. The input device 18 has an input switch for the user to set various commands, and is realized by a remote controller or the like. The user selects and sets the destination by manually operating the input device 18 in accordance with instructions on the display screen of the display monitor 16.

  The touch panel 19 is a transparent panel provided on the monitor screen of the display monitor 16, and the display screen displayed on the display monitor 16 is displayed through the touch panel 19. Further, when the display screen of the display monitor 16 is pressed, the touch panel 19 is pressed. The touch panel 19 has an input function like the input device 18. When the map screen, various buttons, display menu, or the like displayed on the display monitor 16 is pressed with a finger, the touch panel 19 is pressed, and the touch panel controller 110 calculates the pressed position. Then, a destination is set at the pressed position, or processing defined in various buttons and display menus is executed.

  The ETC in-vehicle device 111 wirelessly communicates with a roadside antenna provided at a toll gate, transmits information on a toll gate entrance when entering a toll road, and receives toll information. Fees for fee information are charged and paid to the user at a later date.

  When the destination is set by the user, the navigation apparatus 1 performs a route calculation from the current location detected by the GPS sensor 14c to the destination based on a predetermined algorithm. Hereinafter, this route calculation is referred to as route search. The route search can be performed by setting various conditions. For example, conditions for arriving at the destination in the shortest time (time priority), conditions for arriving at the destination at the shortest distance (distance priority), and arriving at the destination in the shortest time using only ordinary roads without using toll roads It is possible to set a condition (priority road priority), a condition for using a toll road to arrive at the destination in the shortest time (toll road priority), a condition for passing a predetermined point (route), and the like. The route thus obtained (hereinafter referred to as a recommended route) is displayed on the screen separately from other roads by changing the display form, for example, the display color. Thereby, the user can recognize the recommended route on the map on the screen. In addition, the navigation device 1 instructs the user in the direction of travel using a screen or voice so that the vehicle can travel according to the recommended route, thereby guiding the route of the vehicle.

  Next, a toll discount notification process in the navigation device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, it is assumed that the user has previously performed a route search to the destination under time priority conditions.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a display screen of the display monitor 16 that is displayed when the position or time at which the vehicle is traveling approaches conditions for discounting tolls. On the display screen, a recommended route 22 to the destination is displayed together with a map 20 around the vehicle position, and a vehicle position mark 21 is displayed at the vehicle position. Here, the notification process of the toll discount will be described by taking a discount when paying the toll using ETC as an example.

  In order to receive a toll discount, a single mileage is a predetermined distance within a predetermined time zone (hereinafter referred to as a discount time zone) for a road subject to discount (hereinafter referred to as a discount target road). It is necessary to travel within (hereinafter referred to as a discounted travel distance) and pay a toll using the ETC. Therefore, when each of these conditions is satisfied within a predetermined tolerance range, that is, (1) the current time is a discount time zone or a discount time zone after a predetermined time has elapsed, and (2) the vehicle is currently traveling on a discount target road Or there is a discounted road within a specified distance from the current location, (3) the distance from the current location to the destination is less than the discounted travel distance, and (4) an ETC is established within the specified distance from the current location. If you meet three or more of the four conditions of having an entrance toll gate, that is, if you satisfy 70% or more of all conditions, you can receive a toll discount Is predicted. Therefore, when the vehicle satisfies the condition number of 70% or more of all the condition numbers, as shown in FIG. 2, the ETC mark 23 is displayed to notify the user that there is a possibility of receiving a toll discount. Is done.

  When the ETC mark 23 displayed on the display monitor 16 is pressed, a route on which the toll discount can be received can be displayed on the display monitor 16 as shown in FIG. The display monitor 16 displays a discount route screen 31 that displays a route (hereinafter referred to as a discount route) on which a toll discount can be received, and a recommended route screen 32 that displays a recommended route 22. Each screen displays the name of the road through which the route passes, the name of the interchange (IC), the name of the junction (JTC), the time required to reach the destination when passing the route, and the total amount of the toll. The user can examine whether the recommended route 22 should be changed to the discount route with reference to the road, the required time, and the toll. A route can be selected by pressing one of the two screens 31 and 32.

  The discount route displayed on the discount route screen 31 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 showing toll roads and general roads. 4 and 5, 41 indicates a recommended route, 42 indicates a discount route, and a circle indicates an interchange.

  Since the toll on the toll road is high, the user may search for the recommended route 41 under general road priority conditions. However, even in such a case, it may be possible to travel on a toll road if the toll is a little cheaper. Therefore, there is a toll road that performs a reroute search to the destination with priority on the toll road and discounts the toll in the rerouted route, and the ETC at the interchange IC1 at the entrance and the interchange IC2 at the exit If the route is maintained, as shown in FIG. 4A, the route that has been rerouted is set as the discount route 42.

  FIG. 4B shows a recommended route 41 that enters the toll road from the interchange IC 3 and exits from the interchange IC 4. Here, even though the recommended route passes through a toll road where a discount can be received, the discount may not be received because a single travel distance exceeds the discount travel distance. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the route that enters from the interchange IC 5 where the travel distance on the toll road does not exceed the discount travel distance is searched again, and the route is referred to as the discount route 42. To do.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), a route that exits at the interchange IC 6 that does not exceed the discount travel distance even when entering the toll road from the interchange IC 3 is searched again, and the route is changed to the discount route 42. You can also Further, as shown in FIG. 4 (d), in order to prevent the travel distance on one toll road from exceeding the discount travel distance, the passenger exits the interchange IC7 on the way and travels on a general road. The route that enters the toll road again by IC8 can be searched again, and the route can be used as the discount route 42.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the recommended route 41 passes through a toll road that does not give a discount, the closest interchange IC 9 is designated as a waypoint on the toll road that gives the nearest discount from the vehicle position, and the waypoint is It is also possible to search for a route that passes through the route again and use the route as the discount route 42.

  When the discount route screen 31 of the two screens 31 and 32 in FIG. 3 is pressed, the discount route 61 that has been reroute searched is displayed on the display monitor 16 as shown in FIG. The user can receive a discount when paying a toll using the ETC by traveling according to the discount route 61.

  Next, the toll discount discount notification process of the navigation device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The processing in FIG. 7 is executed in the control circuit 11 by a program that starts when a map around the vehicle position is displayed on the display monitor 16.

  In step S701, the value of the parameter t that is a criterion for determining whether or not to display the ETC mark 23 on the display monitor 16 is set to zero. In step S702, the current time is detected from a clock built in the control circuit.

  In step S703, it is determined from the discount information stored in the DVD-ROM 113 whether the current time is a discount time zone or a discount time zone after a predetermined time has elapsed. If the current time is a discount time zone or a discount time zone after a predetermined time has elapsed, an affirmative determination is made in step S703 and the process proceeds to step S704. If the current time is not in the discount time zone and does not become the discount time zone even after the predetermined time has elapsed, a negative determination is made in step S703, and the process proceeds to step S705. In step S704, 1 is added to the parameter t. In step S <b> 705, the current position detection device 14 detects the current position of the vehicle.

  In step S706, it is determined whether there is a discount target road within a predetermined distance from the vehicle position. If it exists, an affirmative determination is made in step S706, and the process proceeds to step S707. If not, a negative determination is made in step S706, and the process proceeds to step S708. In step S707, 1 is added to the parameter t.

  In step S708, it is determined whether the entrance of the discount target road is within a predetermined distance from the current location and the ETC is maintained. If it is within a predetermined distance from the current location and the ETC is maintained, an affirmative decision is made in step S708 and the process proceeds to step S709. If it is not within the predetermined distance from the current location or the ETC is not maintained, a negative determination is made in step S708, and the process proceeds to step S710. In step S709, 1 is added to the parameter t.

  In step S710, it is determined whether the distance to the destination is equal to or less than the discount travel distance. In the following cases, an affirmative determination is made in step S710, and the process proceeds to step S711. If the discount travel distance is exceeded, a negative determination is made in step S710, and the process proceeds to step S712. In step S711, 1 is added to the parameter t.

  In step S712, the parameter s is calculated by dividing the parameter t by 4 which is the total number of conditions for receiving a toll discount. In step S713, it is determined whether the parameter s is 70% or more. If it is 70% or more, an affirmative determination is made in step S713, and the process proceeds to step S714. If it is less than 70%, the process returns as it is. In step S714, the ETC mark 23 is displayed on the display monitor 16.

  Next, the discount route screen display process of the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 8 to 10 are executed in the control circuit 11 by a program that starts when the ETC mark 23 displayed on the display monitor 16 is pressed.

  In step S801, the route search to the destination is performed again under the toll road priority condition (reroute search). The search start point may be the departure point or the current location of the vehicle. In step S802, the toll discount information stored in the DVD-ROM 113 is collated to determine whether a discount target road exists in the searched route. If there is a discount target road, an affirmative determination is made in step S802, and the process proceeds to step S803. If there is no discount target road, a negative determination is made in step S802, and the process proceeds to step S901 in FIG. In step S803, the map data is collated, and it is determined whether an ETC is provided at the interchange that enters and exits the toll road. If it is maintained, an affirmative decision is made in step S803, and the process proceeds to step S804. If not maintained, a negative determination is made in step S803, and the process proceeds to step S1001 in FIG.

  In step S804, the toll discount information stored in the DVD-ROM 113 is checked to determine whether the travel distance of the discount target road exceeds the discount travel distance. If so, step S804 is positively determined, and the process proceeds to step S805. If not, a negative determination is made in step S804, and the process proceeds to step S807. In step S805, an interchange that enters and exits the discount target road is selected so that the searched route does not exceed the discount travel distance in one travel among the interchanges in which the ETC is maintained.

  In step S806, a reroute search is performed using the selected interchange as a transit point. However, when leaving the discount target road once and entering again to prevent the discount travel distance from exceeding the discount travel distance, (1) an interchange that exits the discount target road (for example, The route search is performed with priority on the toll road with IC7) in FIG. 4 (d) as the destination, and (2) an interchange entering the discount target road again with the interchange exiting the discount target road as the search start point (for example, FIG. 4). (D) IC8) is used as a search end point to search for routes with priority on general roads. (3) Route search with an interchange entering the discount target road as a search start point and destinations as search end points with priority to toll road search. Then, the re-route search is performed by combining the three searched routes.

  In step S807, referring to the link information of the map data stored in the DVD-ROM 113, the required time to the destination when the route searched for the reroute is passed is calculated. In step S808, the toll to the destination is calculated with reference to the toll information and toll discount information of the map data stored in the DVD-ROM 113. In step S809, the discount route screen 31 displaying the toll road and the toll road through which the route searched for re-route search passes and exits, the required time to the destination, and the toll required for the destination, and the recommended route are displayed. A recommended route screen 32 that displays the toll road that passes and the interchange that enters and exits the toll road, the required time to the destination, and the toll required for the destination is displayed on the display monitor 16.

  In step S901 of FIG. 9, the current location detection device 14 detects the current location of the vehicle, collates the map data stored in the DVD-ROM 113 and the toll discount information, and determines the discount target road closest to the current location of the vehicle. Explore. In step S902, the map data stored in the DVD-ROM 113 is collated, and the closest to the current location is detected among the interchanges that enter the searched discount target road with the ETC maintained. In step S903, a reroute search is performed using the detected interchange as a waypoint. Then, the process proceeds to step S804 in FIG.

  In step S1001 of FIG. 10, the map data stored in the DVD-ROM 113 is collated, and the interchange closest to the entering / exiting interchange is extracted from the interchanges in which the ETC is maintained. In step S1002, a re-route search is performed using the extracted two interchanges as a waypoint. Then, the process proceeds to step S804 in FIG.

The navigation device 1 according to the above embodiment has the following operational effects.
(1) Since the presence of a toll road to be discounted is notified while traveling on the recommended route 22, it is possible to go to the destination by a route with a low toll. Even though the toll discount can be received during traveling, it is possible to prevent overlooking.

(2) When it is predicted that all the conditions for receiving the toll discount will be met in the future, that is, a plurality of conditions for receiving the toll discount are not all satisfied, but all conditions are prescribed. When the condition number equal to or greater than the ratio is satisfied, the user is notified by the ETC mark 23 that there is a possibility of receiving a discount on the toll. Therefore, it is possible to prevent oversight even though the toll discount can be received during traveling.

(3) Since the navigation device 1 searches for a discount route 42 that can receive discount conditions for tolls, the user does not have to select a route in consideration of the toll discount conditions, improving convenience. To do.

(4) Discount route screen 31 that displays toll roads through which discount routes pass and interchanges that enter and leave toll roads, and recommended route screen that displays toll roads through which recommended routes pass and toll roads that enter and exit Since 31 is displayed, it is possible to determine whether or not the discount route is passed by comparing the passing roads.

(5) Discount route screen 31 that displays the required time to the destination when using the discount route 61 and the toll required for the destination, and the required time to the destination when using the recommended route 22 Since the recommended route screen 32 displaying the necessary toll to the ground is displayed on the display monitor 16, it is possible to determine whether the discount route is to be passed by comparing the required time and toll.

The navigation apparatus 1 of the above embodiment can be modified as follows.
(1) The navigation device 1 itself determines whether there is a toll road with a discount, and searches for a discount route 42. However, the navigation system may be configured such that the determination and search are performed in a communication center that can exchange information with the navigation device 1 by wireless means, and the result is transmitted to the navigation device 1.

  The navigation system includes a communication center 150 and a navigation device 1 provided in a specific vehicle. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, the navigation apparatus 1 transmits information on the position and destination of the specific vehicle to the communication center 150 via the network 160 using the communication apparatus 114. On the other hand, the communication center 150 includes a server 151 that stores map data, toll discount information, and the like. The communication center 150 receives information on the location of a specific vehicle, information on a destination, and the like. The presence / absence is determined and the discount route 42 is searched. Then, the result is transmitted to the navigation device 1 provided in the specific vehicle, and the ETC mark 23 is displayed on the display monitor 16 or the discount route screen 31 is displayed based on the result.

  In the communication center 150, the map data and the toll discount information can always be updated. Therefore, there is no possibility of erroneously determining the presence or absence of a discount target road or searching for an incorrect discount route based on old map data recorded on the DVD-ROM 113 or toll discount information.

(2) Although there was one discount route searched, it is possible to search for a discount route that passes through another discounted road or to search for a discount route that enters or exits a toll road from another interchange. You may make it search for a discount route. By searching for a plurality of discount routes and displaying them on the discount route screen, the range of selection of discount routes is expanded and the convenience of the user is improved. If the number of discount routes is large and the discount route screen 31 displaying each discount route cannot be displayed, the one with the cheaper toll is displayed preferentially in the order of cheapness.

(3) Since conditions for receiving toll discounts may change, conditions for determining whether or not there are discounted roads and toll discount information are manually set by the user by operating the input device 18 by the user. You may be able to do it.

(4) As a criterion for determining whether to notify the user that there is a possibility of receiving a toll discount in the future, 70% of the total number of conditions is satisfied. It can be appropriately selected from the relationship such as the number of conditions.

The correspondence between the elements of the claims and the embodiments will be described.
The determination unit of the present invention corresponds to the control circuit 11 or the server 151, and the notification unit corresponds to the control circuit 11 and the display monitor 16. The recalculation means corresponds to the control circuit 11 or the server 151, and the input means corresponds to the control circuit 11 and the touch panel 19. The display means corresponds to the control circuit 11 and the display monitor 16, and the setting means corresponds to the input device 18. The communication means corresponds to the network 160. In addition, the above description is an example to the last, and when interpreting invention, it is not limited to the correspondence of the component of said embodiment and the component of this invention at all.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the display screen of the display monitor displayed when a vehicle approaches the conditions which receive the discount of a toll. It is a figure for demonstrating a discount route screen. It is a figure for demonstrating a discount route. It is a figure for demonstrating a discount route. It is a figure for demonstrating the display screen of the display monitor displayed after the path | route induced path | route is changed into a discount route. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the notification process of a toll discount. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the display process of a discount route screen. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the reroute search of a discount route. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the reroute search of a discount route. It is a figure for demonstrating the example in which a communication center determines the display of an ETC mark.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation apparatus 11 Control circuit 14 Present location detection apparatus 16 Display monitor 19 Touch panel 112 DVD-ROM
114 Communication Device 150 Communication Center 151 Server 160 Network

Claims (8)

A determination means for determining that there is a toll road to be discounted when traveling on the recommended route is predicted to satisfy the conditions for being discounted;
When the determination means determines that there is a toll road to be discounted, the navigation apparatus includes notification means for notifying the user of the fact ,
The determining means determines that the condition for satisfying the discount condition is predicted to satisfy the condition for satisfying the discount condition when a condition equal to or greater than a predetermined percentage of the condition for the discount object is satisfied. A navigation device characterized by determining that a road exists . The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
A navigation apparatus , further comprising a recalculation unit that recalculates a route to a destination so as to include the toll road when the determination unit determines that the toll road to be discounted exists . The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein
When the determination means determines that there is a toll road to be discounted, the determination means further includes an input means for inputting the recalculation request, and when the recalculation request is input, the recalculation means recalculates the route. A navigation device characterized by starting the operation . The navigation device according to claim 2 or 3 ,
A navigation device, comprising: a display means for comparing and displaying a new recommended route calculated by the recalculating means and a previous recommended route . The navigation device according to claim 4 , wherein
The comparison information displayed by the display means reaches the destination via the previous recommended route and the time required to reach the destination via the new recommended route and the toll road fee. A navigation device characterized by the time required until and a toll road charge . The navigation device according to any one of claims 2 to 5 ,
The re-calculation means searches for a plurality of recommended routes . The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
A navigation device comprising setting means for a user to set conditions for the discount . Determining means for determining the presence of a toll road to be discounted for a specific vehicle traveling on a recommended route; and when the determining means determines that there is a toll road to be discounted, the toll to be discounted A communication center comprising communication means for transmitting road information to the specific vehicle , and
When receiving information on the toll road to be discounted from the communication center , the navigation system includes a navigation device including a notification unit that notifies the user of the information ,
The determination means assumes that the condition for becoming the discount target is predicted to be satisfied when the condition for the specific vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio of the conditions for the discount target. A navigation system characterized in that it is determined that there is a target toll road .

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