JP5142044B2 - Vehicle information communication system and vehicle information communication method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle information communication system and a vehicle information communication method.

Conventionally, a navigation device generally includes a display device such as a color display device. The display screen includes a current location mark indicating a vehicle position, a map drawn based on map data, and map data. Correspondingly stored information such as facilities is displayed in an overlapping manner.
In recent navigation devices, not only displaying a map but also providing traffic information on the displayed road in order to further improve the convenience for the user. Such traffic information is collected using sensors or the like installed on the roadside represented by the road traffic information system (VICS, registered trademark). Also, a mechanism for collecting travel information such as travel speed from a vehicle that actually travels on a road called a probe car at an information center has been introduced (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-251710 A

  By the way, when transmitting traveling information from the probe car to the information center, if the information is transmitted in association with the link ID of the road on which the vehicle travels as information for identifying the position of the vehicle, the road on which the vehicle has traveled can be easily identified in the information center. It becomes possible to do. However, when the map data of the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the probe car is different from the map data of the information center, if the link ID is used as information for specifying the position of the vehicle, the link ID transmitted in the information center is used. There is a problem in that it is impossible to specify a link corresponding to the vehicle, and it is impossible to process travel information.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle information communication system capable of processing travel information in an information center regardless of map data of an on-vehicle device mounted on a probe car. It is to provide.

  The vehicle information communication system according to claim 1 is mounted in an information center that communicates with the vehicle based on the identification information acquisition means that acquires identification information of the vehicle-mounted device side map data that the vehicle has, and the acquired identification information. Recognizing and determining means for determining whether or not the device-side map data can be recognized, a specifying means for specifying the form of the position information associated with the travel information of the vehicle based on the determination result of the recognition determining means, and the specified form Driving information acquisition means for acquiring vehicle driving information associated with the position information. In addition, the identification unit identifies the link information included in the on-vehicle device side map data as the position information form when the recognition determination unit determines that the on-vehicle device side map data can be recognized, and the recognition determination unit identifies the on-vehicle device side. If it is determined that the map data cannot be recognized, the coordinate information is specified as the position information form.

  According to the vehicle information communication system of the first aspect, when the map data on the vehicle-mounted device side can be recognized in the information center, the travel information associated with the link information is acquired. Can be easily identified. On the other hand, when the vehicle-mounted device side map data cannot be recognized in the information center, the travel information associated with the coordinate information is acquired, so even if the vehicle-mounted device side map data cannot be recognized, the vehicle information based on the coordinate information is acquired. Since the position can be specified, the acquired travel information can be processed.

  The identification information in the vehicle information communication system according to claim 2 is version information of map data. Moreover, version information is set for the vehicle-mounted device side map data for each predetermined area. When the vehicle enters a new area, the identification information acquisition unit acquires version information corresponding to the entered area. The recognition determining means determines whether or not the vehicle-mounted device side map data can be recognized in the information center based on the acquired version information.

  According to the vehicle information communication system according to claim 2, for example, when the vehicle-mounted device side map data is updated for each predetermined area, the version information of the vehicle-mounted device side map data is set for each predetermined area. Even when the vehicle enters the new area, the position information associated with the traveling information is specified every time the vehicle enters a new area, so that the traveling information can be reliably processed in the information center.

Although the above has been described as an invention of a vehicle information communication system, the invention can also be realized as an invention of a vehicle information communication method as described below.
According to the vehicle information communication method according to claim 3, an identification information acquisition step of acquiring identification information of the vehicle-mounted device side map data that the vehicle has, and an information center that communicates with the vehicle based on the acquired identification information A determination process for determining whether or not the vehicle-mounted device side map data can be recognized, a specification process for specifying a form of position information to be associated with the travel information of the vehicle based on a determination result of the recognition determination process , A travel information acquisition step of acquiring travel information of the vehicle associated with the position information of the form. In addition, when it is determined that the in-vehicle device side map data can be recognized by the recognition determining step , the specifying step specifies the link information included in the in-vehicle device side map data as the position information form, and the recognition determining step determines the in-vehicle device side. If it is determined that the map data cannot be recognized, the coordinate information is specified as the position information form. By such a method, the same effects as described above are exhibited.

Hereinafter, a vehicle information communication system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(One embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a vehicle information communication system 1 according to the present embodiment. The vehicle information communication system 1 includes a navigation device 2 as an on-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, an information center 3, and a network 4. The vehicle on which the navigation device 2 is mounted is a probe car. In FIG. 1, only one navigation device 2 is shown, but the information center 3 is configured to be able to communicate with a plurality of navigation devices.

  The information center 3 is configured around the server 10 and includes a center side map information DB 14, a center side probe information DB 15, and a center side communication unit 16 connected to the server 10. The server 10 includes an internal storage device such as a CPU 11 that controls the entire server 10, a RAM 12 that is used as a working memory when the CPU 11 performs various arithmetic processes, and a ROM 13 that stores various control programs. An MPU or the like can be used instead of the CPU 11.

  The center-side map information DB 14 includes, for example, map display data for displaying a map, link IDs for specifying roads (links), node data regarding node points, search data for searching for routes, facility data regarding facilities, Search data and the like for searching for points are stored. The center-side map information DB stores a plurality of versions of map data having the same format. Here, the version is information for specifying the time when the map data is created. If the version of the map data is the same, the information such as the link ID included in the map data is the same. In addition, there are multiple formats for map data. If the format of the map data is different, the way links and nodes are set, the definition, the data format, etc. are different. Cannot be recognized. The center-side map information DB 14 stores format information indicating the format of the stored map data and a plurality of version information specifying the time when the map data was created.

The center-side probe information DB 15 stores vehicle travel information acquired from the navigation device 2 via the network 4 in association with a link ID as probe data. The link ID in the center side probe information DB 15 uses the latest version of map data stored in the center side map information DB 14. The probe data stored in the center side probe information DB 15 is used, for example, for creating traffic jam information.
The center side communication unit 16 is a communication device for communicating with the navigation device 2 via the network 4.

  As the network 4, a communication system such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), an intranet, a mobile phone network, a telephone network, a public communication network, a dedicated communication network, a communication network such as the Internet, etc. Can be used. A communication system using CS broadcasting, BS broadcasting, terrestrial digital television broadcasting, FM multiplex broadcasting, or the like by a broadcasting satellite can be used. Furthermore, a communication system such as a non-stop automatic fee payment system (ETC) or a narrow area communication system (DSRC) used in an intelligent road traffic system (ITS) can also be used.

Next, the navigation device 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The navigation device 2 is configured around the control unit 20, and includes a position detector 25 connected to the control unit 20, a data storage unit 30, a navigation side communication unit 40, an operation switch group 50, a drawing unit 60, and a voice. An output unit 70 and a vehicle speed sensor 80 are provided.
The control unit 20 is configured as a normal computer, and includes a CPU, a ROM, an I / O, and a bus line that connects these configurations.

  Each of the position detectors 25 includes a known geomagnetic sensor 26, a gyroscope 27, a distance sensor 28, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 29 that receives radio waves from a satellite. These sensors and the like 26 to 29 have errors of different properties, and are used while complementing each other.

The data storage unit 30 is a storage device realized as, for example, a hard disk device (HDD). Although the HDD is used in the present embodiment, other media such as a DVD-ROM and a memory card may be used. The data storage unit 30 includes a navigation side map information DB 31 and a probe information DB 32.
The navigation side map information DB 31 stores map data used for travel guidance and route search. Map data includes, for example, map display data for displaying a map, link ID for specifying a road (link), node data for node points, search data for searching for routes, facility data for facilities, and searching for points Search data and the like. In addition, the map data memorize | stored in the navigation side map information DB31 in this embodiment are updated for every predetermined area (mesh), for example, 2.5 km square. That is, the version may be different for each mesh. The navigation side map information DB 31 stores version information for specifying the time when map data is created for each mesh. The navigation side map information DB 31 stores format information indicating the format of stored map data.

  The navigation probe information DB 32 stores vehicle travel information in association with position information. The travel information of the vehicle in this embodiment is assumed to be the travel speed of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, the position coordinates and the vehicle speed when passing the position coordinates are stored in association with each other for a predetermined period, for example, 10 seconds. Further, the average vehicle speed when passing through the link is stored in association with the link ID.

The navigation side communication unit 40 is configured to be able to communicate with the information center 3 via the network 4.
The operation switch group 50 includes a touch switch integrated with the display 61, a mechanical switch, a remote control device, or the like, and is used for various inputs.

A display 61 is connected to the drawing unit 60. The display 61 is a color display using liquid crystal or CRT. Information is displayed via the display 61.
A speaker 71 is connected to the audio output unit 70, and voice guidance is performed through the speaker 71.
In addition, a vehicle speed sensor 80 that detects the traveling speed of the vehicle is connected to the control unit 20.

  By the way, this embodiment is characterized in that traveling information can be processed in the information center 3 regardless of the map data of the navigation device 2 mounted on the probe car. Therefore, the probe data creation process will be described with reference to FIG. The probe data creation process shown in FIG. 3 is a process executed in the control unit 20 of the navigation device 2 and the server 10 of the information center 3. Steps S101 (hereinafter, “step” is omitted, and simply indicated by the symbol “S”) to S105, which will be described later, are processes performed when the accessory power source is turned on in the control unit 20 of the navigation device 2. It is. S201 to S207 are processes performed at a predetermined interval, for example, every 100 msec, in the server 10 of the information center 3.

In the first step S101 performed by the control unit 20 of the navigation device 2, the format information and version information of the map data of the current location area including the current position of the vehicle is read from the navigation side map information DB 31 as identification information, and the information center together with the vehicle ID. 3 to send.
In the first S201 performed in the server 10 of the information center 3, it is determined whether format information and version information have been received from the navigation device 2. When it is determined that the format information and version information are not received (S201: NO), the following processing is not performed. When it is determined that the format information and version information have been received (S201: YES), the process proceeds to S202.

  In S202, the format information of the map data stored in the center side map information DB 14 is read, and it is determined whether or not it matches the format information received in S201. If it is determined that the received format information does not match (S202: NO), the process proceeds to S205. When it is determined that the received format information matches (S202: YES), the process proceeds to S203.

  In S203, the version information of a plurality of map data stored in the center-side map information DB 14 is read, and there is version information that matches the version information received in S201 among the read version information of the plurality of map data. Determine whether. When it is determined that there is no version information that matches the received version information (S203: NO), the process proceeds to S205. When it is determined that there is version information that matches the received version information (S203: YES), the process proceeds to S204.

  In S202 and S203, it is determined whether or not the map data stored in the navigation-side map information DB 31 of the navigation device 2 can be recognized by the information center 3. The format information transmitted from the navigation device 2 is the same as the format information of the map data stored in the center-side map information DB 14, and the version information transmitted from the navigation device 2 is stored in the center-side map information DB 14. If it is the same as any one of the plurality of version information (S202: YES and S203: YES), it is determined that the information center 3 can recognize the map data stored in the navigation side map information DB 31. Can do. On the other hand, when the format information transmitted from the navigation device 2 is different from the format information of the map data stored in the center side map information DB 14 (S202: NO), the version information transmitted from the navigation device 2 is the center side map information. When different from all of the plurality of version information stored in the DB 14 (S203: NO), it can be determined that the information center 3 cannot recognize the map data stored in the navigation side map information DB 31.

In the case where the version information of the map data stored in the center-side map information DB 14 has version information that matches the version information received in S201 (S203: YES), in S204, the position information is associated with the vehicle travel information. Is identified as a link ID as link information, and is notified to the navigation device 2.
When the format information received in S201 does not match (S202: NO), and when there is no version information that matches the version information (S203: NO), in S205, the position information associated with the vehicle travel information is displayed. The coordinate information is specified and notified to the navigation device 2.

In the navigation apparatus 2, the format information and the version information of the current location area are transmitted (S 101), and then the process proceeds to S 102 to receive the form of the position information specified in S 204 or S 205.
In S103, the position information in the form received in S102 and the travel information are associated with each other and transmitted to the information center 3 at a predetermined interval, for example, every 5 minutes. Note that the traveling information in the present embodiment is the traveling speed of the vehicle as described above. That is, if the form of the position information received in S102 is “link ID”, the average vehicle speed when passing through the link stored in association with the link ID is obtained from the navigation probe information DB 32, Transmit to the information center 3. When transmitting the average vehicle speed stored in association with the link ID, the version information of the navigation side map data is also transmitted. If the form of the position information received in S102 is “coordinate information”, the vehicle speed for every 10 seconds stored in association with the position coordinates is acquired from the navigation probe information DB 32 and stored in the information center 3. Send.

In continuing S104, it is judged whether the accessory power supply was turned off. When it is determined that the accessory power supply is turned off (S104: YES), the process in the control unit 20 of the navigation device 2 is terminated. When it is determined that the accessory power source is not turned off (S104: NO), the process proceeds to S105.
In S105, it is determined whether or not a new (another) area has been entered from the area where the version information is transmitted to the information center 3 in S101. The “area” is a predetermined area (mesh) serving as an update unit of the navigation side map information DB 31 described above. That is, it is determined here whether or not the vehicle has entered a different predetermined area. If it is determined that the vehicle has entered a new area (S105: YES), the process returns to S101 to acquire version information of the current location area including the current position of the vehicle, that is, the area where the vehicle has entered, and transmit it to the information center 3. To do. Then, the information center 3 determines whether or not the newly received version of the map data can be recognized (S202, S203), specifies the form of the position information associated with the vehicle travel information, and notifies it again ( S204, S205). If it is determined that the vehicle has not entered the new area (S105: NO), the process returns to S103, and the vehicle information associated with the position information in the specified form is displayed at predetermined intervals in the information center 3. Send to.

In S206 performed by the server 10 of the information center 3, the vehicle travel information transmitted from the navigation device 2 in S103 is received.
In S207, probe data is created based on the travel information received in S206. When creating the probe data, if the position information associated with the traveling speed, which is the traveling information of the vehicle received in S206, is not the latest version of the link ID, the position information is converted into the link ID of the latest map data. That is, when the average vehicle speed associated with a link ID of a version that can be recognized by the information center 3 but is not the latest is received, the link is specified based on the link ID and the map data of the version. . Then, the link ID in the latest version of the map data is acquired for the identified link, and the latest link ID and the average vehicle speed are associated with each other and stored in the center-side probe information DB 15. In addition, when the traveling speed of the vehicle associated with the position coordinates is received, the average value of the traveling speed of the vehicle detected on one link based on the received position coordinates and the latest version of the map data. And the calculated average value is stored in the center-side probe information DB 15 in association with the latest link ID as the average vehicle speed of the link. When the vehicle traveling speed detected on one link is one, the traveling speed is stored in the center-side probe information DB 15 in association with the latest link ID as the average vehicle speed of the link. . The information stored in the center side probe information DB 15 can be used to create traffic information such as traffic jam information, for example. Specifically, for each link, “congestion” when the average vehicle speed is less than 10 km / h, “congestion” when the speed is 10 to 40 km / h, “empty” when the speed is 40 km / h or more, and so on. is there. The probe data created in this way may be transmitted to the navigation device 2 or used for statistics or the like.

  In addition, the server 10 of the information center 3 in the present embodiment constitutes “identification information acquisition means”, “recognition determination means”, “specification means”, and “travel information acquisition means”. 3 corresponds to processing as a function of “identification information acquisition means”, S202 and S203 correspond to processing as a function of “recognition determination means”, and S204 and S205 correspond to functions of “specification means”. S206 corresponds to the process as a function of the “running information acquisition means”. In the present embodiment, the server 10 constitutes “identification information acquisition means”, “recognition determination means”, “specification means”, and “running information acquisition means”. Part or all of the “determination means”, “identification means”, and “travel information acquisition means” may be configured by the control unit 20 of the navigation device 2. When the control unit 20 of the navigation device 2 constitutes a “travel information acquisition unit”, only the travel information in the form of position information notified from the center may be accumulated in the navigation probe information DB.

  As described above in detail, the vehicle information communication system 1 acquires version information of the vehicle-mounted device side map data (S201: YES), and determines whether or not the information center 3 can recognize the acquired version of the map data. Judgment is made (S202, S203). When it is determined that the acquired version of the map data can be recognized by the information center 3 (S203: YES), the form of the position information associated with the traveling speed of the vehicle is specified as the link ID (S204). When it is determined that the acquired version of the map data cannot be recognized by the information center 3 (S203: NO), the position information form associated with the traveling speed of the vehicle is specified as the coordinate information (S205). Then, the information center 3 receives the travel information associated with the specified position information (S206).

  Thereby, when the map data of the navigation device 2 can be recognized in the information center 3, the link ID is used as information for specifying the position of the vehicle, so that the position of the vehicle can be easily specified in the information center 3. Further, when the map data of the navigation device 2 cannot be recognized in the information center 3, the coordinate information is used as the information for specifying the position of the vehicle. Therefore, the position of the vehicle can be specified based on the coordinate information. Can be processed.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, when a vehicle approachs into a new area (S105: YES), version information is transmitted to the information center 3 again (S101). Then, it is determined whether or not the acquired version of the map data can be recognized in the information center 3 (S202, S203), and the position information form associated with the travel information is notified again (S204, S205). As a result, even when the map data of the navigation device 2 is set for each predetermined area, the position information form associated with the travel information is specified every time the vehicle enters a new area. Travel information can be processed reliably.

As mentioned above, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment at all, In the range which does not deviate from the meaning of invention, it can implement with a various form.
(A) In the above embodiment, the format information and the version information of the map data included in the navigation device are transmitted to the information center. When the information center manages the update status of the map data in each vehicle, the navigation device transmits the vehicle ID to the information center, and the version of the map data that the vehicle has based on the transmitted vehicle ID. You may specify. And the form of the positional information matched with driving | running | working information may be specified by this version information.

(A) Although the traveling speed of the vehicle as the traveling information in the above embodiment is acquired by the vehicle speed sensor, the traveling speed may be calculated in the information center by transmitting the link ID and the required time to the information center. Alternatively, the traveling speed may be calculated based on the position information and the predetermined period in the information center by transmitting the position information to the information center every predetermined period. Further, the travel information may be any information that can be acquired from the vehicle, such as wiper on / off information and wheel idling information.
(C) In the above embodiment, it is determined whether or not the information center can recognize both the version and format of the map data as identification information. However, whether or not one of the map data can be identified by the information center as identification information is determined. You may judge.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle information system by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the probe information creation process by one Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  1: vehicle information communication system, 2: navigation device, 3: information center, 4: network, 10: server (identification information acquisition means, recognition determination means, identification means, travel information acquisition means), 14: center side map information DB 15: Center side probe information DB, 16: Center side communication unit, 20: Control unit, 25: Position detector, 26: Geomagnetic sensor, 27: Gyroscope, 28: Distance sensor, 29: GPS receiver, 30: Data storage unit, 31: navigation side map information DB, 32: navigation side probe information DB, 40: navigation side communication unit, 50: operation switch group, 60: drawing unit, 61: display, 70: voice output unit, 71: Speaker, 80: Vehicle speed sensor

Claims (3)

Identification information acquisition means for acquiring identification information of vehicle-mounted device side map data possessed by the vehicle;
Recognition determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle-mounted device side map data can be recognized in an information center that communicates with the vehicle based on the acquired identification information;
Based on the determination result of the recognition determination means, a specifying means for specifying the form of position information associated with the travel information of the vehicle;
Travel information acquisition means for acquiring travel information of the vehicle associated with the position information of the identified form;
With
The specifying means is:
When it is determined by the recognition determination means that the on-vehicle device side map data can be recognized, the link information included in the on-vehicle device side map data is specified as the form,
The vehicle information communication system characterized by specifying the coordinate information as the form when the recognition determining means determines that the vehicle-mounted device-side map data cannot be recognized. The identification information is version information of map data, and the in-vehicle device side map data has version information set for each predetermined area,
The identification information acquisition means acquires version information corresponding to the entered area when the vehicle enters a new area,
2. The vehicle information communication system according to claim 1, wherein the recognition determination unit determines whether or not the vehicle-mounted device side map data can be recognized in the information center based on the acquired version information. . An identification information acquisition step of acquiring identification information of the vehicle-mounted device side map data of the vehicle;
A recognition determination step of determining whether or not the vehicle-mounted device side map data can be recognized in an information center that communicates with the vehicle based on the acquired identification information;
Based on the determination result of the recognition determination step , a specifying step for specifying a form of position information associated with the travel information of the vehicle;
A travel information acquisition step of acquiring travel information of the vehicle associated with the position information of the identified form;
With
The specific process includes
When it is determined that the vehicle-mounted device side map data can be recognized by the recognition determining step, the link information included in the vehicle-mounted device side map data is specified as the form,
The vehicle information communication method characterized by specifying coordinate information as the form when the vehicle-mounted device side map data is determined to be unrecognizable by the recognition determining step .

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