JP4899714B2 - Vehicle navigation apparatus and toll discount route guidance method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation device that notifies a user of a recommended speed for receiving application of a toll discount service, and a toll discount route guidance method.

  Conventionally, in a vehicle navigation apparatus that guides a vehicle to a destination along a guidance route, when setting the guidance route of the vehicle, the departure time is set so that the vehicle can pass through the toll road during the toll road discount time zone. Is known (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-41760

  However, since the traveling speed of the vehicle differs depending on each driver, there is a problem that it may not be possible to pass the toll road during the toll discount time zone only by being notified of the departure time as in the conventional technology. there were.

  In the vehicle navigation apparatus and the toll discount route guidance method according to the present invention, a recommended route to the destination is searched, and a toll road to which a toll discount service is applied is included in the searched recommended route. If it is determined that there is a toll road to which a discount service for tolls is applied on the recommended route, the recommended speed at which the vehicle can travel during the discount service application period is determined and notified to the user. It is characterized by that.

  According to the vehicle navigation apparatus and the toll discount route guidance method according to the present invention, it is possible to present the user with an appropriate recommended speed at which a toll discount service can be received.

-First embodiment-
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle navigation device according to the first embodiment. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to the first embodiment includes a navigation control unit 1, a GPS receiver 2, a vehicle speed sensor 3, a gyro sensor 4, a speaker 5, a display device 6, a map database 7, and an input. A switch 8, an external communication device 9, and a memory 10 are provided.

  The GPS receiver 2 receives GPS radio waves transmitted from GPS satellites (not shown) and detects the current position of the vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 3 detects the speed of the vehicle. The gyro sensor 4 detects the traveling direction of the vehicle. The speaker 5 outputs a sound for guiding the recommended route to the destination to the driver, and outputs a sound for notifying the user of a recommended speed described later. The display device 6 is a liquid crystal display, for example, and displays information such as a map around the current location of the vehicle, a recommended route to the destination, and a recommended speed described later.

  The map database 7 stores map data to be displayed on the display device 6. The map data includes map display data, route search road network data, information data including traffic information and toll road discount service time zones, and the like. In addition, the route search road network data includes toll road data to which a discount service is applied.

  The input switch 8 is an operation member used when the user sets various operations, for example, a destination. The external communication device 9 acquires information such as traffic information and toll road discount service time from an information center (not shown), other vehicles, an Internet server, etc. via an information terminal (not shown) such as a mobile phone. . The traffic information includes traffic jam information, accident / construction information, traffic regulation information, and the like. Various data are stored in the memory 10.

  The navigation control unit 1 performs processing performed by a general navigation device such as processing for displaying a map around the current location on the display device 6 and processing for searching for a recommended route to the destination. Processing described later is performed so that the service can be received.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the contents of processing performed by the vehicle navigation device according to the first embodiment. When the user issues a command for calculating the recommended route to the navigation device, the navigation control unit 1 starts the process of step S10.

  In step S10, it is determined whether or not the user has set the departure point for the navigation device. If it is determined that the departure place is set, the process proceeds to step S20. If it is determined that the departure place is not set, the process proceeds to step S50.

  In step S20, it is determined whether or not the user has set a departure time for the navigation device. If it is determined that the departure time is set, the process proceeds to step S30. If it is determined that the departure time is not set, the process proceeds to step S40. In step S30, a condition for performing the route search is to set the time set by the user as the departure time in the route search from the departure point to the destination set by the user. On the other hand, in step S40, the condition for performing the route search is to set the current time as the departure time in the route search from the departure point to the destination set by the user.

  In step S50, it is determined whether or not the user has set a departure time for the navigation device. If it is determined that the departure time is set, the process proceeds to step S60. If it is determined that the departure time is not set, the process proceeds to step S70. In step S60, a condition for performing the route search is that the time set by the user is set as the departure time in the route search from the current location of the vehicle to the destination detected by the GPS receiver 2. On the other hand, in step S40, in the route search from the current location of the vehicle to the destination detected by the GPS receiver 2, the current time is set as the departure time as a condition for performing the route search.

  When the processes of steps S30, S40, S60, and S70 are performed, the process proceeds to step S80. In step S80, a recommended route to the destination is searched based on the conditions set in steps 30, S40, S60, and S70. The recommended route can be performed, for example, by using a known method for searching for an optimum route based on the link cost assigned to each link corresponding to the road.

  Here, when searching for a recommended route, the link cost of a toll road to which the fee discount service is applied may be lowered, and the toll road to which the discount service is applied may be preferentially selected as the recommended route. According to this method, a toll road to which a discount service is applied is easily selected as a recommended route. When the recommended route is searched, the process proceeds to step S90.

  In step S90, it is determined whether the recommended route searched in step S80 includes a toll road to which a fee discount service is applied. Since the map data stored in the map database 7 includes data on toll roads to which the charge discount service is applied, the navigation control unit 1 refers to the map data stored in the map database 7. Thus, it is determined whether or not the toll road to which the discount service is applied is included in the obtained recommended route.

  In step S90, if the recommended route includes a toll road to which the charge discount service is applied, it is also determined whether or not a time condition for receiving the charge discount service is satisfied. For example, in the case where it is a condition to apply the discount service between passing through the entrance toll gate or the exit toll gate between 17:00 and 20:00 between the A interchange and the B interchange on the expressway. Assume a case of B interchange. In this case, if the estimated time of passing the B interchange is within the range of 17:00 to 20:00, a discount service for tolls can be obtained.

  The navigation control unit 1 also calculates an expected passage time at each point when searching for a recommended route in order to determine whether or not a time condition for receiving application of the charge discount service is satisfied. A known method can also be used to calculate the expected passage time. For example, the map data stored in the map database 7 includes data on the distance of each road (link) and the recommended speed for each road type. Ask for. The recommended speed for each road type is set for each expressway, national road, prefectural road, city road, and narrow street.

  As described above, since the map data stored in the map database 7 includes information data including the toll road fee discount service time zone, the navigation control unit 1 uses the toll road with the toll discount service. It is determined whether or not the expected transit time is included in the discount service time zone. In the above-described example, it is determined whether or not the expected time for passing the B interchange is within the range from 17:00 to 20:00.

  In step S90, if the recommended route includes a toll road to which the charge discount service is applied and the expected transit time of the toll road to which the charge discount service is applied is included in the discount service time zone, If the judgment is affirmed and otherwise, that is, the recommended route does not include toll roads with the discount service applied, or the expected transit time of the toll road with the charge discount service is the discount service time If it is not included in the band, the determination is denied.

  If the determination in step S90 is negative, the process proceeds to step S110. In step S110, the user is notified that the toll road to which the discount service is applied is not included in the recommended route. The notification to the user can be performed, for example, by displaying characters on the display device 6 or by giving voice guidance from the speaker 5.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S90 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S100. In step S100, the variation range of the required travel time is obtained in consideration of the variation in travel speed. For example, the distance from the departure point to the destination interchange is L (km), the average speed when traveling from the departure point to the destination interchange is V (km / h), and the variation range of the traveling speed is K (%). In this case, the minimum travel time T1 from the departure place to the destination interchange is expressed by the following equation (1), and the maximum travel time T2 is expressed by the following equation (2).
T1 (h) = L / {V × (100 + K)} (1)
T2 (h) = L / {V × (100−K)} (2)

  Therefore, the variation range of the required travel time is between T1 and T2. In addition, a predetermined value may be used for the variation range K (%) of the traveling speed, or the user may freely set it. When the variation range of the required travel time is obtained, the process proceeds to step S120. In step S120, based on the variation in the required travel time obtained in step S100, it is determined whether or not the charge discount service can be received even if the required travel time varies.

  Here, the vehicle is located at a certain point on the expressway, the distance from the vehicle position to the target interchange (for example, the above-mentioned B interchange) is 80 (km), and the route search speed to the target interchange is 80 km / h. Consider the case where the running speed variation range is 20 (%). Substituting L = 80, V = 80, and K = 20 into equations (1) and (2), T1 = 0.83 (h) ≈50 (min), T2 = 1.25 (h) = 75 ( Min). If the departure time is 16:00, if the traveling speed is 20% higher than 80 km / h, the expected passing time of the target interchange is 16:50, and if the traveling speed is 20% lower, the expected passing time is 17:15. Therefore, when the charge discount service time period is from 17:00 to 20:00, the charge discount service cannot be received when the transit time of the target interchange is between 16:50 and 17:00.

  In the example described above, for example, when the charge discount service time period is between 16:30 and 20:00, even if the required travel time varies within the range of 50 minutes to 75 minutes, the charge discount service is received. Can do. As in the example described above, in step S120, it is determined whether or not the fee discount service can be received even when the required travel time varies. If it is determined that the charge discount service can be received even if the required travel time varies, the process proceeds to step S140. If the required travel time varies, it is determined that the charge discount service may not be received. Proceed to

  In step S130, a recommended speed at which the discount service can be applied is obtained, and the obtained recommended speed is notified to the user together with the recommended route. In the above-described example, if the traveling speed is 80 km / h or less, the passing time of the destination interchange is past 17:00 and falls within the range of the discount service time zone (17:00 to 20:00).

  For example, the recommended speed is output from the speaker 5 by voice and displayed on a display meter. For example, the speaker 5 outputs a sound such as “recommended speed is 80 km / h or less”. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display method when the recommended speed is displayed on the display meter 30. In FIG. 3, a display indicating that the recommended speed is 60 km / h to 80 km / h is superimposed on the speedometer 30. If the recommended speed display portion is displayed in a different color from the other speed display portions, the recommended speed can be displayed in a more easily understandable form.

  Further, the recommended speed can be displayed on the display device 6 together with the display on the display meter or separately from the display on the display meter. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display method when the recommended speed is displayed on the display device 6. In the display example shown in FIG. 4, the current speed is displayed using the bar 40, and the recommended speed range is displayed with a line 41 together with characters. Also in this case, if the recommended speed range is displayed in a different color from the other speed display portions, the recommended speed can be displayed in a more easily understandable form.

  On the other hand, in step S140, the discount service can be received even if the required travel time varies, so that the recommended route is displayed on the display device 6 without performing the notification of the recommended speed.

  According to the vehicle navigation apparatus in the first embodiment, if a recommended route to the destination is searched for and a toll road to which a toll discount service is applied is included on the searched recommended route. Since the recommended speed at which the vehicle can travel during the discount service application time period is obtained and notified to the user, the user can reliably receive the toll discount service by traveling at the recommended speed.

  Further, according to the vehicle navigation apparatus in the first embodiment, the expected passage time of a toll road to which a discount service for tolls is applied is obtained, and the obtained expected passage time is within the range of the application time of the discount service. If there is, the vehicle speed used when obtaining the expected passage time is set as the recommended speed, so that it is possible to present to the user an appropriate recommended speed that can receive the fee discount service.

  Further, according to the vehicle navigation apparatus in the first embodiment, the fluctuation range of the expected passage time of the toll road to which the charge discount service is applied is obtained in consideration of the fluctuation of the traveling speed, and the obtained expected passage time is obtained. The recommended speed range is the vehicle speed range that corresponds to the expected transit time range that falls within the discount service application time range. Can be presented.

  According to the vehicle navigation device in the first embodiment, the obtained recommended speed is displayed superimposed on the speedometer, so that the user can easily recognize the recommended speed together with the current speed. Further, even when a method of displaying the current vehicle speed and the recommended speed on the belt-shaped speed table is adopted, the user can easily recognize the recommended speed together with the current speed. In particular, by displaying the display portion of the recommended speed using a color different from the display color of the speed portion that is not the recommended speed, the user can easily recognize the recommended speed.

-Second Embodiment-
In the vehicle navigation device according to the first embodiment, when the user issues a command for calculating a recommended route to the navigation device, the processing from step S10 to step S140 in FIG. 2 is performed. That is, when the recommended route search process is performed before the vehicle starts running and the recommended speed at which the toll discount service can be applied is notified to the user, a special process is performed after the vehicle starts running. Absent. In particular, even when the required travel time varies, when it is determined that the discount service can be received, the recommended speed is not notified to the user. In the vehicular navigation device according to the second embodiment, after the vehicle starts to travel, if it is determined that the discount service cannot be applied due to a variation in the travel speed due to a change in the travel speed or the like, The user is notified of the recommended speed that can be applied.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the contents of processing performed by the vehicle navigation device according to the second embodiment. The process starting from step S200 is performed when the process of step S140 of the flowchart shown in FIG. In step S200, it is determined whether or not the expected passage time when passing through the target interchange has changed while the vehicle is traveling. A purpose interchange is an interchange that passes to receive a discount service for tolls. The calculation of the expected passage time can be performed by the above-described method using the vehicle position at the time of calculation as the departure point. If it is determined that the expected passage time has not changed, the process stands by in step S200. If it is determined that the expected passage time has changed, the process proceeds to step S210.

  In step S210, it is determined whether or not a toll discount service can be received even when there is a variation in travel time based on a variation in travel speed. Since this determination is the same as the determination performed in step S120 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, a detailed description of the determination method is omitted. If it is determined that the toll discount service can be received even if the travel time varies, the process returns to step S200. If it is determined that the toll discount service may not be received, the process proceeds to step S220. .

  In step S220, a recommended speed at which discount service can be applied is obtained, and the obtained recommended speed is notified to the user. Since this process is the same as the process of step S130 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  According to the vehicle navigation device of the second embodiment, when the vehicle is traveling, the expected transit time of the toll road to which the discount service is applied falls outside the range of the discount service application time at the current travel speed. When the determination is made, the recommended speed is calculated again, so that an appropriate recommended speed can be presented to the user in accordance with the traveling situation. In particular, even if there is a variation in travel time, if you can receive a fee discount service, the recommended speed will not be notified, but if there is a variation in travel time while the vehicle is traveling, the fee will be discounted. If it is determined that the service cannot be received, the user is notified of the recommended speed at which the discount service can be applied, so the user can reliably discount the toll by driving at the recommended speed. Can receive service.

  The present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments described above. For example, when there are some conditions for receiving the toll discount service, it may be determined whether these conditions are satisfied. For example, if the condition for receiving the discount service includes that the travel distance of the expressway is within a predetermined distance, whether the travel distance of the expressway is within a predetermined distance or not The determination is also made.

  When calculating the expected transit time of the target interchange, it is also possible to refer to traffic jam information acquired by the external communication device 9, information about the road under construction, detour road information, and the like. For example, when a traffic jam occurs on a road included in the recommended route, the expected passage time can be obtained in consideration of a decrease in traveling speed due to the traffic jam. In addition, information on roads where traffic frequently occurs can be stored in the memory 10 in advance, and the expected passage time can be obtained based on the information stored in the memory 10.

  In step S140 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, the recommended speed is not notified, but the user is notified of the recommended vehicle speed as the recommended vehicle speed for each road on the recommended route. You may make it do.

  The process starting from step S200 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 has been described as being performed when the process of step S140 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 2 is completed. However, the process may be repeatedly performed at an arbitrary timing while the vehicle is traveling. . That is, the expected passage time of a toll road to which a discount service is applied is obtained at an arbitrary timing while the vehicle is running, and it is determined whether or not the obtained expected passage time is within the range of the discount service application time. Like that. When the calculated expected transit time is outside the range of the discount service application time, the vehicle speed at which the discount service can be applied is obtained, and the obtained vehicle speed is notified to the user as the recommended speed. do it. According to this method, even when there is a possibility that the discount service cannot be applied due to a change in the speed of the vehicle, etc., the vehicle speed that can receive the discount service can be proposed to the user. it can.

  When determining whether or not the expected transit time of the toll road to which the discount service is applied is within the range of the discount service application time at any timing during the traveling of the vehicle described above, The timing when the difference between the vehicle speed and the recommended speed becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined speed can also be used. In other words, if the difference between the vehicle speed and the recommended speed is greater than or equal to a predetermined speed, the judgment result on whether or not the discount service for tolls can be applied may change. If it is determined whether or not the expected transit time of the toll road where the application is within the range of the discount service application time, it is possible to notify the user of an appropriate recommended speed according to the change in the vehicle situation.

  When the recommended speed changes, it is preferable to notify that effect by voice and display it on the display device 6. For example, a sound such as “Recommended speed has been changed. The current recommended speed is 90 km / h” can be output from the speaker 5. In addition, when the recommended speed is displayed on the display device 6, the user can easily change the recommended speed by blinking the recommended speed after the change or changing the display color. Can be recognized.

  When the expected transit time of the target interchange is earlier than the fee discount service time zone, for example, it is possible to suggest the user to take a break in the service area or the parking area. In this case, if the time which becomes the standard of the break is also proposed, the convenience for the user is enhanced.

  Even if the user issues a route search instruction under general road priority conditions, if there is a toll road to which the toll discount service is applied, a toll discount service is provided along with recommended routes that include only ordinary roads. The presence of a toll road with the application of may also be notified at the same time.

  As the travel speed variation range K (%), a predetermined value may be used, or the user may freely set the value. However, a value corresponding to the travel condition is set. May be. For example, when the weather is rain, the value of the variation range K can be set to a larger value than when the weather is fine.

  The user may be allowed to set the vehicle speed (route search speed) used when obtaining the expected passage time.

  The recommended speed needs to be set to be lower than the legal upper limit speed of the road, and to be higher than the legal acceleration / deceleration.

  The correspondence between the constituent elements of the claims and the constituent elements of the first and second embodiments is as follows. That is, the navigation control unit 1 is a recommended route search unit, a determination unit, and a recommended speed calculation unit, the speaker 5 and the display device 6 are notification units, the external communication device 9 and the navigation control unit 1, or the memory 10 and the navigation. The control unit 1 constitutes road information acquisition means, and the vehicle speed sensor 3 constitutes vehicle speed detection means. 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.

The figure which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus for vehicles in 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the processing content performed with the navigation apparatus for vehicles in 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the display method when displaying the recommended speed on the display meter The figure which shows an example of the display method in the case of displaying recommended speed on a display device The flowchart which shows the processing content performed by the vehicle navigation apparatus in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Navigation control part, 2 ... GPS receiver, 3 ... Vehicle speed sensor, 4 ... Gyro sensor, 5 ... Speaker, 6 ... Display apparatus, 7 ... Map database, 8 ... Input switch, 9 ... External communication apparatus, 10 ... Memory

Claims (12)

A recommended route search means for searching for a recommended route to the destination;
Determining means for determining whether or not a toll road with application of a toll discount service is included on the recommended route searched by the recommended route searching means;
If it is determined by the determination means that a toll road to which a discount service for tolls is applied is included on the recommended route, the recommended route so that the toll road can be driven during a discount service application time zone. Recommended speed calculation means to obtain the recommended speed above,
Informing means for informing the user of the recommended speed calculated by the recommended speed calculating means ,
The recommended speed calculating means calculates the recommended speed again when it is determined that the expected transit time of the toll road to which the discount service is applied falls outside the range of the discount service application time while the vehicle is traveling. A vehicle navigation device. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 1,
The recommended speed calculating means obtains an expected passage time of a toll road to which the discount service is applied, and if the obtained expected passage time is within a range of the discount service application time, A vehicle navigation apparatus characterized in that the vehicle speed used is the recommended speed. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 2,
The recommended speed calculating means obtains a fluctuation range of an expected passage time of a toll road to which the discount service is applied in consideration of a fluctuation of a traveling speed, and out of the obtained fluctuation range of the expected passage time, A vehicle navigation device characterized in that the recommended speed is a vehicle speed range corresponding to an expected passage time range within an application time range. In the vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
A road information acquisition means for acquiring road information;
The recommended speed calculation means obtains an expected passage time of a toll road to which the discount service is applied in consideration of road information acquired by the road information acquisition means. In the vehicle navigation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The informing means displays the recommended speed on a speedometer in a superimposed manner. In the vehicle navigation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The vehicle navigation apparatus, wherein the notification means displays a current vehicle speed and the recommended speed on a belt-like speed table. In the vehicle navigation device according to claim 5 or 6,
The vehicle navigation device, wherein the notification means displays the display portion of the recommended speed using a color different from the display color of the speed portion that is not the recommended speed. The vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
Vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the speed of the vehicle,
The recommended speed calculating means calculates the recommended speed again when the difference between the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting means and the recommended speed becomes a predetermined speed or more. The vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification means changes a display method of the recommended speed when the recommended speed after the recalculation by the recommended speed calculation means is changed. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 9 , wherein
The vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein when the recommended speed after recalculation by the recommended speed computing means changes, the notifying means blinks and displays the recommended speed after the recalculation. The vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 ,
The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the recommended speed after recalculation by the recommended speed calculating means is changed, the notification means notifies the user that the recommended speed has been changed. Search for recommended routes to your destination,
Determine whether the toll road to which the toll discount service is applied is included in the recommended route searched,
If it is determined that a toll road to which a discount service for tolls is applied is included on the recommended route, a recommended speed at which the vehicle can travel during the discount service application time period is obtained, and the determined recommended speed is notified to the user. ,
When determining the recommended speed, if it is determined that the estimated transit time of the toll road to which the discount service is applied falls outside the range of the discount service application time while the vehicle is running, the recommended speed is calculated again. A toll discount route guidance method characterized by

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