JP5018764B2 - Navigation device and navigation program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device and a navigation program, and more particularly to setting a route in navigation.

2. Description of the Related Art Navigation devices that are mounted on vehicles and that guide a vehicle by searching for a travel route to a destination are widely used.
This navigation device has a function for a user to specify a passing point to a destination in order to set a route as intended by the user.
Further, a tracing route search technique has been proposed in which a user traces a road displayed on a map screen with a finger or the like, and a travel route from the locus to the destination is set (for example, Patent Document 1). .

JP 2004-28703 A

  However, in the method of specifying the passing point, the point specified by the user can surely pass, but it is necessary to specify many points in order to make the entire route to the destination as desired There is a problem that it is very time-consuming.

On the other hand, in the conventional trace route search, the user is required to trace on the road displayed on the map screen or along the displayed road, and the route is matched with the road from the traced coordinates. By determining, the user's preference is reflected in the route easily and accurately.
However, the preference of the user does not necessarily want to select a road displayed on the map screen. For example, there are cases where the user wants to specify a facility or area around the road, such as wanting to reach the destination while looking at the surrounding scenery.
In the conventional trace route search, the route cannot be determined from the fuzzy trace locus of the user who is not conscious of the road. This is particularly noticeable when not all roads are displayed on the screen, such as when a wide-scale map is displayed.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable a trace route search reflecting the user's intention without being aware of the road displayed on the map screen.

(1) In the first aspect of the invention, a navigation device having a trace search function for searching for a travel route based on a trajectory traced on a map displayed on the screen, the map displaying the map on the screen A display means, an omission judgment means for judging whether or not some roads are omitted in the screen on the screen displayed on the screen, and a user tracing trace on the screen displayed on the screen is acquired. A trace trajectory acquisition unit; and a path setting unit that prioritizes a range that is a predetermined distance from the trace trajectory when the omission determination unit determines that some roads are omitted. A navigation device is provided.
(2) In the invention according to claim 2, the route setting means sets a route including a road whose screen display is omitted, and provides the navigation device according to claim 1 .
(3) In the invention described in claim 3, based on a distance setting means for setting a range that is a predetermined distance from the tracing locus, and for each intersection existing in the set range, based on the distance from the tracing locus. The intersection cost setting means which sets an intersection cost, The said route setting means sets a driving | running route from the sum total of the said set intersection cost, The claim 1 or Claim 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. A navigation device is provided.
(4) In the invention described in claim 4, range setting means for setting a range that is a predetermined distance from the tracing locus, and the cost of a road that exists within the set range is compared with the road cost outside the range. The cost changing means for relatively lowering, and the route setting means sets a travel route using the cost of the changed road. A navigation device is provided.
(5) In the invention described in claim 5, range setting means for setting a range that is a predetermined distance from the tracing locus, and the route setting means are configured to set a travel route for a road that exists within the set range. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the navigation device is set.
(6) In the invention according to claim 6, an area surrounded by the total cost calculation means for calculating the total cost of the set travel route based on the cost of the road, and the set travel route and the tracing locus is determined. An area calculation means for calculating, and when there are a plurality of candidate travel routes, the route setting means selects one travel route using the calculated total cost and the area for each travel route. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is provided.
(7) In the invention described in claim 7, the map is displayed on the screen of the computer constituting the navigation device having the trace search function for searching for the travel route based on the trace traced on the map displayed on the screen. A map display function, an omission determination function for determining whether or not some roads are omitted in the screen, and a trace locus on the map displayed by the user. A trace trajectory acquisition function to be acquired, and a route setting function that prioritizes a range that is a predetermined distance from the trace trajectory when it is determined that some roads are omitted by the skip determination function. Provided is a navigation program characterized by being realized.

  In the present invention, in the map displayed on the screen, when it is determined that some roads are omitted in the screen, the route is set by giving priority to a range that is a predetermined distance from the tracing locus. It is possible to perform a trace route search reflecting the user's intention without being aware of the road displayed above.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the navigation device and the navigation program of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
(1) Outline of Embodiment In the present embodiment, a user uses a finger or a touch pen to trace (trace) a map displayed on the screen to set a travel route.
At that time, for example, when there is no road that is omitted from the display as in the case of displaying the most detailed map, or even when there is an omitted road, the trace is displayed as a trace. When a matching with the road is completed, a travel route based on the traced trace is set as in the conventional case.

On the other hand, if there is an abbreviated road and matching could not be performed, the trajectory traced by the user is not aware of the displayed road and is considered to be a rough specification of the travel route (fuzzy specification). Perform a search (an ambiguous drag search).
In the rough trace search, an intersection cost based on a distance from the trace locus is determined for an intersection existing in a certain range along the trace locus by the user, and a predetermined number of travel routes with a small total intersection cost are searched.

Further, the travel route along the tracing locus may be searched by reducing the cost of the road existing within the range (link cost used for route search).
At the time of this search, roads that are not displayed on the screen are also searched for and the cost is reduced.
When lowering the cost, it may be relatively lowered by raising the cost for a road that is out of the target (outside the predetermined range from the tracing locus).
Using the changed cost, a route search to the destination is performed by a general method such as the Dijkstra method, and a plurality of route candidates are obtained.

An area surrounded by the obtained route and the tracing locus by the user is obtained for each route.
Then, the travel route is determined from the total cost and the area for each route.
For example, when determining one of the two routes, if the difference in total cost is small, determine a route with a small area, and if the difference in total cost is large and the area difference is small, determine a route with a small total cost. If the total cost difference and the area difference are large, a route having a small area is determined.

As described above, since the travel route is determined in consideration of not only the route close to the tracing locus but also the total cost based on the general route search, a more appropriate travel route can be determined.
Note that the determined travel route is not limited to one route, and a plurality of routes may be determined, and a higher number route may be presented to the user so that the user may make a final determination.

(2) Details of Embodiment FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a navigation apparatus to which this embodiment is applied.
The navigation device is mounted on a vehicle and includes a current position detection device 10, an information processing control device 20, an input / output device 40, and an information storage device 50 as shown in FIG.
First, the current position detection device 10 has the following configuration. The absolute direction sensor 11 is, for example, a geomagnetic sensor that detects in which direction the vehicle is located based on detection of the N direction based on a magnet, and may be any means that detects the absolute direction.

The relative azimuth sensor 12 detects, for example, whether or not an intersection is bent, and may be an optical rotation sensor attached to a rotating part of a handle, a rotational resistance volume, or an angle sensor attached to a wheel part.
Further, a gyro sensor that detects a change in angle using an angular velocity may be used. That is, any means capable of detecting an angle that has changed relative to the reference angle (absolute direction) may be used.
The distance sensor 13 may be, for example, one that detects and counts the rotation of a wheel, or one that detects acceleration and integrates twice. That is, any means capable of measuring the moving distance of the vehicle may be used.

The GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 14 is a device that receives a signal from an artificial satellite, and includes various signals such as signal transmission time, position information of the receiver, moving speed of the receiver, and traveling direction of the receiver. Information can be obtained.
The beacon receiving device 15 is a device that receives a signal transmitted from a transmitting device installed at a specific point. In particular, VICS information can be obtained, and information related to vehicle travel such as traffic jam information, current position information, and parking lot information can be obtained.

The data transmission / reception device 16 is a device for communicating with the outside of the vehicle using a telephone line or radio waves and exchanging information.
For example, there are various usage methods such as a car phone, ATIS, VICS, GPS correction, and inter-vehicle communication, and it is possible to input / output information related to traveling.

  Next, the information processing control device 20 performs calculation and control based on the information input from the current position detection device 10 and the input / output device 40 and the information stored in the information storage device 50, and displays the calculation result on the display 42. , A means for controlling to output to the output means such as the printer 43 or the speaker 44.

The information processing control device 20 has the following configuration.
The central processing unit (CPU) 21 performs overall calculation and control of the entire navigation device.
The first ROM 22 stores a navigation-related program, in particular, a navigation program related to detection of the current position, search for a route to the destination including the trace route search according to the present embodiment, display guidance, and the like.
The input interface 23 is means for receiving information from the current position detection device 10.

  The RAM 24 stores information input by the user such as destination information and passage point information input by the input device 41, which will be described later, and results calculated by the CPU 21 based on the user input information, This is a storage means for storing a route search result or map information read from the information storage device 50. In the RAM 24, data (coordinate sequence) of a locus (tracing locus) traced by the user in the tracing route search of the present embodiment is temporarily stored.

  The communication interface 25 is a means for inputting / outputting information from the current position detection device 10, particularly information obtained from the outside.

The second ROM 26 stores a navigation-related program, in particular, a navigation program related to voice guidance including the trace route search processing in the present embodiment. Note that the first ROM 22 and the second ROM 26 may be configured by one common ROM.
The image processor 27 is processing means for processing the vector information processed by the CPU 21 into image information.
The clock 28 keeps time.
The image memory 29 is means for storing image information processed by the image processor.
The audio processor 30 processes the audio information read from the information storage device 50 and outputs it to the speaker 44.

The input / output device 40 includes an input device 41 for inputting data such as a destination, a passage point, and a search condition by a user, a display 42 for displaying an image, a printer 43 for printing information, and a speaker 44 for outputting sound. The The input device 41 includes, for example, a touch panel, a touch switch, a joystick, a key switch, and the like.
The display 42 displays a map around the current location and a travel route to the destination.
In the trace route search in the present embodiment, a map of a specified scale is displayed on the display 42, and the user wants to specify a road to travel by tracing the touch panel disposed on the surface of the display 42 while viewing the displayed map. Or specify an approximate passing course.
In addition, you may make it display the locus | trajectory which the user traced on the map currently displayed on the display 42 sequentially.

The information storage device 50 is connected to the information processing control device 20 via the transmission path 45.
The information storage device 50 includes a map data file 51, an intersection data file 52, a node data file 53, a road data file 54, a photo data file 55, a destination data file 56, a guidance point data file 57, a detailed destination data file 58, A destination reading data file 59 and other data files 60 are stored.
The information storage device 50 is generally composed of an optical storage medium such as a DVD-ROM, a CD-ROM, or a magnetic storage medium such as a hard disk, but various types such as a magneto-optical disk and various semiconductor memories. You may comprise with an information storage medium.
Information that needs to be rewritten may be constituted by a rewritable hard disk or flash memory, and other fixed information may be a ROM such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

The map data file 51 stores map data such as a national road map, a road map of each region, or a house map. The road map is composed of roads such as main arterial roads, expressways, narrow streets, and ground targets (facility etc.). A house map is a city map in which a figure representing an outer shape of a ground building, a road name, and the like are displayed. The narrow street is, for example, a relatively narrow road having a road width equal to or less than a predetermined value below a national road or prefectural road.
Among the maps displayed on the display 42, the housing map is the map with the largest scale, and when this housing map is displayed on the display, it exists in the display area among the roads held as data. All roads to be displayed are displayed. On the other hand, as the scale of the display map becomes smaller, the display map is excluded from the display in order from a narrow road according to a predetermined standard.

  The intersection data file 52 contains data related to intersections such as geographical position coordinates and names of intersections, and the road data file 54 includes data related to roads such as the position and type of roads, the number of lanes, and connection relationships between the roads. The data file 55 stores image data of photographs showing places where visual indications such as various facilities, sightseeing spots, or major intersections are required.

The node data file 53 stores node data representing geographic coordinate data of each node used for route search on a map.
For example, a road connection point such as an intersection is represented by a node, and a road between the connection points (that is, a non-branching area of the road) is represented by a link. In this way, it functions as route data representing the connection relation of the node data route.
In addition, each link is given an attribute indicating that the travel is restricted by traffic regulation such as entry prohibition or one-way traffic.

The destination data file 56 stores data such as locations and names of places and facilities that are likely to be destinations such as major tourist spots, buildings, and companies / businesses described in the telephone directory. Yes.
The guidance point data file 57 stores guidance data of points where guidance is required, such as the contents of guidance display boards installed on the road and guidance of branch points.
The detailed destination data file 58 stores detailed data relating to the destination stored in the destination data file 56.

In the navigation device configured as described above, route guidance is performed as follows.
The navigation device detects the current position by the current position detection device 10, reads the map information around the current position from the map data file 51 of the information storage device 50, and displays it on the display 42.
When the destination is input from the input device 41, the information processing control device 20 searches for (calculates) a plurality of travel route candidates from the current position to the destination, and displays them on the map displayed on the display 42. When the driver selects one of the travel routes, the travel route is acquired by storing the selected travel route in the RAM 24 (travel route acquisition means).
The route search by the trace route search in the present embodiment will be described later.

The information processing control device 20 travels by transmitting the current vehicle position (or input departure point) and destination to the information processing center and receiving a travel route to the destination searched for by the information processing center. A route may be acquired. In this case, communication of the destination and the travel route is performed by wireless communication via the communication interface 25. In the case of the trace route search in the present embodiment, the data of the trace traced by the user on the map (trace trace) is transmitted to the information center, and the trace route search is performed at the information center.
In addition, a travel route from the departure place to the destination is searched using an information processing device such as a personal computer at home, etc., stored in a storage medium such as a USB memory, and obtained via the storage medium reader. You may do it. The storage medium reading device in this case is connected to the information processing control device 20 via the transmission path 45.

When the vehicle travels, route guidance is performed by tracking the current position detected by the current position detection device 10.
The route guidance specifies the vehicle position on the map by map matching between the road data corresponding to the searched travel route and the current position detected by the current position detection device 10, and displays a map around the vehicle current position on the display 42. In addition to the display, the searched travel route and the current position are displayed on the map.
Also, based on the relationship between the searched travel route and the current position, the necessity of guidance, that is, whether or not guidance for a travel route such as a predetermined route change point and direction guidance is necessary when straight traveling continues for a predetermined distance or more, etc. Judgment is made, and if necessary, display on the display 42 and voice guidance are executed.

Next, the tracing route searching process of the present embodiment by the navigation device configured as described above will be described.
The trace route search process according to the present embodiment is executed when the user selects a trace route search from a predetermined selection menu on the destination setting screen or the route setting screen.
The selection of the trace route search is based on the assumption that a map with a predetermined scale is displayed on the display 42. For this reason, in the present embodiment, when a trace route search is selected, if a map is already displayed, the map is executed on the scale map, and if not displayed, if a map is not displayed, a predetermined scale (predetermined scale ( For example, a map of a scale that can be displayed on a single screen) is displayed. In either case, a scale change button for changing the scale is displayed on a part of the map screen, and the user operates the scale change button to display a map of the desired scale (the area that he / she wants to trace) Displayed at a reduced scale).

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the contents of the trace route search process.
When the trace route search is executed, the information processing control device 20 displays a road that is not displayed on the screen in the display area (a road that is not displayed) on the map displayed on the display 42 (the map traced by the user). ) Is determined (step 11).

Here, the roads to be judged whether or not there are roads that are not displayed on the screen may include all roads including narrow streets, or may not include narrow streets. Good. Moreover, it is limited to the road that is a search target by the normal route search, and the narrow street may be determined as a determination target in a range that is a target of the normal route search.
Note that it may be determined whether there is an omission display of the road from the scale of the displayed map.

If all roads are displayed without being omitted (step 11; N), the user can determine that the user is tracing (tracing) on the displayed road, so the information processing control device 20 Then, an existing trace search is performed (step 12).
That is, the information processing control device 20 matches the road (link) displayed on the screen with the tracing locus, connects the routes, determines the route, and ends the processing.
The roads to be matched with the tracing locus are roads displayed on the screen, but may be matched including the omitted roads.

On the other hand, when the map displayed on the display 42 is displayed with some roads omitted (step 11; Y), the information processing control device 20 has a predetermined number of roads displayed on the screen. It is determined whether or not it is greater than or equal to a threshold value t (step 13).
If the number of displayed roads is less than the predetermined threshold t (step 13; N), the information processing control device 20 reduces the number of sample trajectory points used for matching (step 14). On the other hand, if it is equal to or greater than the threshold t (step 13; Y), the number of sample trajectory points used for matching is increased (step 15). That is, when the number of displayed roads is smaller than the predetermined threshold value t, matching is performed using a smaller number of sample trajectory points than when the number of displayed roads is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold value t.
The number of sample trajectories used for matching is divided into two stages by providing one predetermined threshold. However, by providing two or more thresholds t1, t2,... (Less, middle, more) and more.

  In accordance with the number of sample trajectory points determined in step 14 or step 15, the information processing control device 20 is displayed on the map of the display 42 and the trajectory for a predetermined time from the start of the user's tracing operation (trajectory with the specified number of samples). The roads are matched and it is determined whether or not the matching is possible (step 16).

  Here, for the matching of the sample trajectory point and the road, if there is a road displayed within a predetermined distance from the sample trajectory point and it is connected to the road specified by the previous and subsequent sample trajectory points, it can be matched to decide.

When the displayed road can be matched (step 16; Y), the user can determine that the user is tracing the road displayed on the screen. A trace search is performed and the process ends.
That is, the device control unit 10 matches the road (or node) displayed with the tracing locus to determine a travel route, and ends the process.

  On the other hand, when the matching cannot be performed (step 16; N), the information processing control device 20 determines that the road displayed on the display 42 is being traced without being conscious of it, and performs a rough trace search (steps 17 to 19). )I do. In this rough tracing search, roads whose display is omitted based on the scale are also subject to route search.

The information processing control device 20 determines a search range (such as a cost change range) from the scale of the displayed map (step 17).
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing search range determination processing.
The information processing control device 20 first determines whether or not the scale of the map displayed on the display 42 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold T (step 171).

When the scale of the display map is greater than or equal to the threshold T, that is, when a detailed map is displayed (step 171; Y), the information processing control device 20 sets the search range to be narrow (step 172). This is because it is determined that the importance of the trace locus is high.
On the other hand, when the scale is less than the threshold T, that is, when a wide-area map is displayed (step 171; N), the search range is set wide (step 173). This is because when the wide area map is displayed, the importance to the point of the trace locus is diminished.

FIG. 4 shows the setting of the tracing locus and the search range.
As shown in FIG. 4A, on the display map of the display 42, the user traces from a tracing path search start point S to a tracing path search end point G to a tracing path search end point G.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 4B, if the scale of the map display is equal to or greater than the threshold value T, a search range 1 that is a predetermined distance S1 on both sides of the tracing trajectory is set. A search range 2 that is a predetermined distance S2 (> S1) is set.

  The search range is divided into two stages by providing one predetermined threshold T when setting the search range. However, by providing two or more thresholds T1, T2,... Within S1, within S2, within S3), or more.

When the search range is determined, the information processing control device 20 performs a route search based on the determined search range (FIG. 2, step 18).
The route search performed here is performed by any one of route search I to route search III. Each route search will be described below.
In addition, about the search range set in step 17 (step 172 or step 173), it can be set as a different value by the following route searches I-III. For example, the search range when the route search III is adopted can be made wider than the search range when the route search II is adopted.

(A) Route search I
FIG. 5 conceptually shows the route search I method.
In FIG. 5, a dotted line represents a trace locus, a thin line represents a road (link) displayed on the screen, and a thick line represents a route determined. Also, the circles displayed at the intersections of the links represent the intersections (nodes), and the numbers displayed in the circles are the “shortest distance from the intersection to the tracing locus” set as the cost.

In this rough tracing search (steps 17 to 19), roads that are not displayed on the screen are also searched.
For this reason, in FIG. 5 (a), the cost is also set at the intersection indicated as cost 2 in the upper left, and the road passing through this intersection (not displayed in the map screen and FIG. 5 (a)) is also an object. It is said that. The same applies to the case of FIG.

Then, the information processing control device 20 searches for the route in which the total cost (total cost of each node) from the tracing start point S to the ending point G is minimized according to the set cost of each intersection in step 17. Search within range.
It should be noted that roads with one-way traffic or links with extremely high costs are not selected.

FIG. 5B shows determination of another route by route search I.
As shown in FIG. 5 (b), the same cost may be set for intersections within a certain distance from the trace route search (within the range indicated by the dotted line in the drawing).

(B) Route search II
In this route search II, after reducing the search cost within the search range set in step 17 (or increasing the search cost outside the search range), for example, a general route search method such as the Dijkstra method Thus, the route search from the trace route search start point S (departure point) to the trace route search end point G (destination) is performed.
In this way, by reducing the search cost within the set search range, it becomes easier to select a road near the trace locus.

  The search cost is a search cost used in a general route search, and is a cost determined according to the distance and width of a normal road. When the cost is to be reduced, the road within the set search range is uniformly reduced by a predetermined value or multiplied by a constant coefficient α1 (<1). Further, a predetermined value is uniformly increased or a constant coefficient α2 (> 1) is multiplied for roads outside the set range.

  The road closer to the tracing locus may have a larger decrease width or a smaller coefficient α1. Moreover, the raising width may be increased as the distance from the tracing locus increases, or the coefficient α2 may be increased.

(C) Route search III
In this route search III, a route search is performed only for roads within the search range set in step 17. In this route search, for example, a route search from a trace route search start point S (departure point) to a trace route search end point G (destination) is performed by a general route search method such as the Dijkstra method.
Whether the road is included in the set search range or not includes at least a part of the road. Alternatively, a road having an intersection that is set and included in the search range as an end point may be targeted.

When a route search is performed by any one of the route search I to III described above and a plurality of candidate travel routes are searched, the information processing control device 20 selects a route (step 19).
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the contents of the route selection process.
The information processing control device 20 calculates the total cost for all the travel routes that have been searched on the search route in step 18 and become candidates.
The total cost calculated here is that when the route search start point S is the starting point, the trace route search end point G is the destination, and each travel route is searched as a result of the route search by a normal Dijkstra method or the like. Total cost.
Thus, the total cost by the general route search by the normal Dijkstra method or the like is calculated in order to determine later the general validity as the travel route.

Therefore, as the route search method, the total cost must be calculated when the route search I is used. However, when the route search II and III are used, the total cost is calculated during the route search. Since the calculation has been completed, the value may be stored in the RAM 24 and the stored value may be used.
However, in the route search II, since the route search is performed after changing the search cost within the search range set in step 17, the total cost based on the search cost after the change may be used. The total cost based on the search cost may be recalculated.

The information processing control device 20 obtains the area formed by the travel route that is a candidate by the route search and the sliding locus (step 192).
The reason for obtaining the area with the trace locus in this way is to determine how much each travel route is along the trace locus. As the area is smaller, a route closer to the tracing locus is selected.

FIG. 7 shows the area with the trace locus.
As shown in FIG. 7A, the user is traced from the trace route search start point S to the trace route search end point G (trace trajectory A). Assume that route 2 has been searched.
In this case, the area (enclosed area) that each candidate route 1 and candidate route 2 forms as a tracing locus is a region occupied by oblique lines, and the information processing control device 20 calculates the area represented by the oblique lines.

Then, the information processing control device 20 selects one travel route from a plurality of travel route candidates using the calculated total cost and area for each route (steps 193 to 197).
In other words, the information processing control device 20 uses the difference in the total cost difference from the viewpoint of whether the general route is good or bad, and also uses the difference in area from the viewpoint of whether it is close to the tracing locus. select.

The information processing control device 20 determines whether or not the difference in total cost is large (step 193). The difference in total cost is the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value, and the magnitude of the difference in total cost is determined by whether or not it is greater than a predetermined threshold.
If the total cost difference is smaller than the threshold value (step 193; N), it can be determined that any candidate has the accuracy as a general route, so the information processing control device 20 determines the travel route with the smallest area. (Step 194), the process returns to the main routine.

On the other hand, when the total cost difference is larger than the threshold value, the information processing control device 20 determines whether or not the area difference is large (step 195). The difference in area is the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value, and the magnitude of the difference in area depends on whether or not it is greater than a threshold value.
When the difference in route cost is large but the difference in area is small (step 195; N), since all the travel routes are set in the vicinity of the tracing locus, the information processing control device 20 has more general accuracy. The travel route having the lowest total cost is determined (step 196), and the process returns to the main routine.

  If the total cost difference is large and the area difference is also large (step 195; Y), the information processing control device 20 respects the user's will and determines the travel route with the smallest area (step 197). ) Return to the main routine.

In the embodiment described above, when the difference in total cost and the difference in area are large in the route selection process shown in FIG. 6 (step 193; Y, step 195; Y), the route having the smallest area is determined (step 197). ) May be as follows.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the travel route determination method when both the total cost difference and the area difference in the route selection process are large.
In this flowchart, the case where the route 1 and the route 2 are candidates for the travel route has been described.

The information processing control device 20 determines the coefficient α from the importance of the cost (step 201), adds the determined coefficient α to the total cost of the route 1 and the route 2, and sets it as the converted total cost (step 202).
Further, the information processing control device 20 determines the coefficient β based on the importance of the area (step 203), and adds the determined coefficient β to the areas of the route 1 and the route 2 to obtain a converted area (step 204).

  Here, the importance of the cost and the importance of the area are determined, for example, by a scale or a coefficient distributed according to the number (density) of roads displayed on the map screen. Further, the user may be able to set.

  Then, the information processing control device 20 obtains the sum of the converted total cost and the converted area for each route, determines whether or not the sum of the route 1 is small (step 205), and if the sum of the route 1 is large (step 205; N) The route 2 is determined (step 206). If the sum of the route 1 is small (step 205; Y), the route 1 is determined (step 207).

  Thus, by converting the total cost and the area and determining the route having the smallest sum value, it is possible to select the optimum route considering both factors.

  Instead of integrating the coefficients α and β, a multiplication value of the total cost and area calculated for each travel route may be obtained, and a route that minimizes the multiplication value may be selected.

As described above, according to the navigation device and the navigation program according to the present embodiment, when there is a road that is not displayed at the scale of the map displayed on the display 42, only the displayed road is displayed. Rather than performing the target matching, set a search range set along the trace trajectory, including roads that are not displayed, and use this search range to search for route search I, II, or III. Like to do.
For this reason, according to the trace route search of this embodiment, the user can freely trace from the departure point to the destination without being conscious of the road displayed on the screen.

Although the embodiment of the navigation device and the navigation program of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope described in each claim. Is possible.
For example, in the described embodiment, a case in which a rough trace search (steps 17 to 19) is performed when all of the sampling trajectory points determined in step 14 or step 15 cannot be matched with the displayed road will be described. did.
On the other hand, when the trace trajectory matches the display road for a certain section, the section uses the matched display road as a partial route, and the other sections that are not matched are partially searched by the rough search of this embodiment. A route may be determined by determining a route and connecting both partial routes.

Further, in the embodiment described above, a case has been described in which whether or not to perform a rough search is determined based on whether or not the road displayed on the screen can be matched with the number of sample trajectory points (step 16).
On the other hand, before or after tracing, the user operation may select between tracing on the display road or rough tracing search.

  In addition, in the embodiment described above, even when searching for information used for map display and search including the most detailed information, if an appropriate travel route cannot be searched, it is not possible to search such as “no road” Display may be performed.

Also, toll roads such as expressways, tunnels, viaducts, etc. may be displayed on a map, or the entrance is determined, and even if you trace, you may not be able to travel along the trace path.
In this case, since the map is a wide area, a thinned road (a road whose display is omitted) may be displayed for the tracing operation.
Alternatively, when the entrance is far from the current location tracing position, the corresponding road (highway, tunnel, etc.) may be displayed lightly.

When performing a normal route search, the navigation device searches for a travel route according to different search conditions such as route priority and time priority, and displays a candidate travel route on the map for each condition. Has a multiple route search function for selecting a desired travel route.
In the present embodiment, the user may perform tracing on a screen displaying each candidate route searched by the multiple route search on a map. In this case, the tracing path matching may be performed on the displayed candidate route.

  Also in this case, as in the above modified example, when the trace locus is matched with the candidate route for a certain interval, the matching candidate route is used as a partial route for this interval, and this implementation is performed for other unmatched intervals. A partial route may be determined by a rough trace search of the form, and the two partial routes may be connected to form a travel route.

  Further, in the embodiment described above, the case where the user performs the trace route search process by selecting the trace search from the predetermined selection menu has been described, but the user touches the screen displaying the map of the predetermined scale as it is. The tracing search process may be executed by tracing the screen.

Further, in the embodiment described above and each of the modifications described above, a case has been described in which the trace route search process is executed using the point touched first as the starting point and the final point of the trace locus (the release point from the touch) as the destination. However, the trace route search process may be executed when the travel route displayed on the screen is changed.
In this case, the travel route displayed on the screen may change the travel route already in the middle of guidance or may change the travel route displayed as a candidate by searching for the travel route to the destination.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the case where one travel route is selected from a plurality of candidates by the method of FIGS. 6 and 7 in the rough trace search (step 19) has been described, but the upper predetermined number of candidates are presented to the user. The user may select either one.
The upper predetermined number of candidates may be determined by any one of the methods shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 and other methods.
As the presentation of the user, for example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the trace A and a plurality of candidate routes are displayed on the map so as to be distinguished. The display of the trace locus A may be omitted.

1 is a system configuration diagram of a navigation device to which the present embodiment is applied. It is a flowchart showing the content of the trace route search process. It is a flowchart showing the determination process of the search range. It is explanatory drawing showing the setting of a trace locus and a search range. It is explanatory drawing which represented the method of the route search I notionally. It is a flowchart showing the content of the route selection process. It is explanatory drawing showing the area with a trace locus. It is a flowchart about the driving | running route determination method in case both the total cost difference in a route selection process and an area difference are large.

Explanation of symbols

10 current position detection device 20 information processing control device 21 CPU
40 I / O device 50 Information storage device

Claims (7)

A navigation device having a trace search function for searching a travel route based on a trace traced on a map displayed on a screen,
Map display means for displaying the map on the screen;
In the map displayed on the screen, omission determination means for determining whether some roads are omitted in the screen;
A trace locus acquisition means for acquiring a trace locus on the map displayed on the screen by the user;
A route setting means for preferentially setting a route that is a predetermined distance from the tracing trajectory when it is determined by the omission determination means that some roads are omitted;
A navigation device comprising: The route setting means sets a route including a road whose screen display is omitted.
The navigation device according to claim 1. Range setting means for setting a range that is a predetermined distance from the tracing locus;
An intersection cost setting means for setting an intersection cost based on a distance from the tracing locus for each intersection existing in the set range, and
The route setting means sets a travel route from the sum of the set intersection costs.
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the navigation apparatus is characterized in that Range setting means for setting a range that is a predetermined distance from the tracing locus;
Cost changing means for reducing the cost of a road existing within the set range relative to the road cost outside the range, and
The route setting means sets a travel route using the cost of the changed road;
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the navigation apparatus is characterized in that Range setting means for setting a range that is a predetermined distance from the tracing locus;
The route setting means sets a travel route for a road existing within the set range;
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the navigation apparatus is characterized in that A total cost calculating means for calculating a total cost based on a road cost of the set travel route;
An area calculating means for calculating an area surrounded by the set travel route and the tracing locus;
With
The route setting means selects one travel route using the calculated total cost and area for each travel route when there are a plurality of candidate travel routes.
The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the navigation device is characterized in that: To a computer constituting a navigation device having a trace search function for searching for a travel route based on a trace traced on a map displayed on the screen,
A map display function that displays the map on the screen,
In the map displayed on the screen, an omission determination function for determining whether or not some roads are omitted in the screen;
A trace locus acquisition function for acquiring a trace locus on the map displayed on the screen by the user;
A route setting function for preferentially setting a route that is a predetermined distance from the tracing trajectory when it is determined that some roads are omitted by the omission determination function;
A navigation program characterized by realizing the above.

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