JP7014538B2 - Route guidance device and route guidance method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a route guidance device and a route guidance method, and is particularly suitable for use in a route guidance device and a route guidance method that presents a lane recommended to travel at a guidance intersection.

Conventionally, a route guidance device for guiding a guidance route has been known to present a lane recommended to travel (hereinafter referred to as "recommended lane") at a guidance intersection on the guidance route. For example, prior to the present application, the applicant can use the lane information of the intersection existing around the guide intersection to lane at the guide intersection even at the guide intersection having no lane information on the road data. We propose a technique for estimating the configuration and presenting an appropriate recommended lane (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-019886

Here, when traveling on the road on the guidance route from passing through the latest guidance intersection to the next guidance intersection that passes after the nearest guidance intersection, lane changes should not be made as much as possible while driving. Is desirable. This is because the burden on the driver's driving can be reduced. Therefore, when the route guidance device presents a recommended lane for the nearest guidance intersection, it is possible to improve the convenience of the driver if the recommended lane can be presented so that the lane change is not performed as much as possible after passing through the nearest guidance intersection. can.

However, conventionally, when presenting a recommended lane at the nearest guidance intersection, the recommended lane is to prevent the lane change as much as possible after passing through the nearest guidance intersection and before reaching the next guidance intersection. There was no route guidance device to present. This is because the lane information of the intersection is not related to each other on the map data, and the lane information of the intersection is not related to the information about the lane of the road on the map data. Then, when reaching another intersection, the connection relationship between the lane at one intersection and the lane at another intersection cannot be obtained from the map data, and which lane at the one intersection is the other intersection. This is because we do not know which lane to connect to. For example, the route guidance device of Patent Document 1 described above, when presenting a recommended lane at a guide intersection, presents all lanes that can be traveled in order to proceed according to the guide route, or in order to proceed according to the guide route. There is no disclosure of a technique for presenting any one of the lanes that can be driven, and presenting a lane as a recommended lane in which the lane is not changed as much as possible after passing through the guide intersection.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and when presenting a recommended lane at a guide intersection, a lane in which the lane change is not performed as much as possible after passing through the guide intersection can be presented as a recommended lane. The purpose is to do so.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the route guidance device of the present invention enters the next guidance intersection among the accessible lanes connected to the road lane of the road entering the next guidance intersection of the nearest guidance intersection. In addition to identifying the corresponding lanes connected to the road lane where it is recommended to drive at times, the number of lanes that can be traveled and the number of lanes that can be entered when passing through the nearest guidance intersection are obtained and the vehicle is driven. If the number of possible lanes and the number of accessible lanes match, the recommended lane is determined to be the lane in which the position of the corresponding lane in the accessible lane is the same in the left-right direction and the left-right position. If the number of lanes that can be entered is larger than the number of lanes that can be driven, the leftmost lane can be moved to the rightmost lane , depending on the arrangement of lanes in the lanes. And, in order from the leftmost accessible lane to the rightmost accessible lane, one of the leftmost operable lanes that has not yet been associated, and the leftmost accessible lane. By performing one or more processes of associating one or more of the accessible lanes from the leftmost among the accessible lanes that have not been associated with each other, one travelable lane and one or more accessible lanes can be obtained. After specifying one or more sets of correspondence, the lane for which the correspondence is specified for the corresponding lane is determined as the recommended lane, and the number of accessible lanes is the number of possible lanes. If the number is less than the number, the lane closer to the center in the left-right direction among the lanes that can be traveled is determined as the recommended lane.

According to the present invention configured as described above, when the number of accessible lanes and the number of travelable lanes match, the number of lanes on the road from the nearest guide intersection to the next guide intersection is increased. The runnable lane has not changed, and it is assumed that the runnable lane at the position common to the left-right position of the corresponding lane in the approachable lane is directly connected to the corresponding lane via the lane of the road. Of these, the lanes that can be driven that are unlikely to need to change lanes after passing through the nearest guidance intersection can be determined and presented as recommended lanes.

Further, according to the present invention configured as described above, when the number of accessible lanes is larger than the number of travelable lanes, the lane is on the road from the nearest guide intersection to the next guide intersection. Assuming that the number is increasing, we recommend lanes that are connected to the lane to which the corresponding lane is connected or lanes that are connected to the lane close to the lane to which the corresponding lane is connected. Can be determined and presented as. Therefore, if it can be assumed that the number of lanes is increasing on the road from the latest guidance intersection to the next guidance intersection, under the assumption, the number of lanes among the lanes that can be driven increases as the number of lanes increases. Lanes that reduce the possibility of lane changes as much as possible can be determined and presented as recommended lanes.

Further, according to the present invention configured as described above, when the number of accessible lanes is smaller than the number of travelable lanes, the outside of the road from the nearest guide intersection to the next guide intersection. Assuming that the number of lanes is decreasing due to the reduction of the number of lanes (leftmost or rightmost lane), the recommended lane is the lane connected to the lane that is unlikely to be reduced. decide. Therefore, if it can be assumed that the number of lanes is decreasing on the road from the latest guidance intersection to the next guidance intersection, under the assumption, the number of lanes among the lanes that can be traveled will decrease. Lanes that reduce the possibility of lane changes as much as possible can be determined and presented as recommended lanes.

That is, according to the present invention configured as described above, when presenting a recommended lane at a guide intersection, a lane in which the lane change is not performed as much as possible after passing through the guide intersection can be presented as the recommended lane.

It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure example of the route guidance apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the contents of a node table. It is a figure which shows an example of the contents of a link table. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the guidance route information. It is a figure which shows an example of the map around the road through which the guidance route passes. It is a figure which shows an example of the connecting one-sided road. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between a corresponding lane and a recommended lane. It is a figure which shows an example of the connecting one-sided road. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between a corresponding lane and a recommended lane. It is a figure which shows an example of the pattern which the number of lanes increases in the connecting one-sided road. It is a figure which shows an example of the connecting one-sided road. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between a corresponding lane and a recommended lane. It is a figure which shows an example of the intersection enlarged view. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of the route guidance apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the map around the road through which the guidance route passes. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between a corresponding lane and a recommended lane.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the route guidance device 100 according to the present embodiment. The route guidance device 100 is a so-called navigation device provided in the vehicle, and has a function of detecting the current position of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "own vehicle position") and from the own vehicle position to the destination set by the user. It is equipped with a function to search for and guide the route (hereinafter referred to as "guidance route").

In the present embodiment, the route guidance device 100 will be described as a navigation device provided in the vehicle, but the route guidance device 100 does not have to be a device provided in the vehicle, for example, a mobile terminal (smartphone or a smartphone). , Tablet type PC, notebook type PC). That is, the present invention described below is widely applicable to an apparatus capable of guiding a guidance route.

As shown in FIG. 1, a touch panel 200 and a voice processing device 300 are connected to the route guidance device 100 according to the present embodiment. The touch panel 200 includes a display panel having a function of displaying an image such as a liquid crystal display panel and an organic EL panel, and a touch sensor which is arranged so as to be superimposed on the display panel and detects a user's operation on the touch panel 200. The audio processing device 300 includes a D / A converter, an amplifier circuit, a speaker provided in the vehicle, and the like, performs signal processing such as D / A conversion and amplification to the input audio signal, and produces audio from the speaker. Outputs audio based on the signal.

As shown in FIG. 1, the route guidance device 100 has its own vehicle position detection unit 10, a route search unit 11, a route guidance unit 12, a corresponding lane identification unit 13, a lane number acquisition unit 14, and a recommended lane determination as its functional configuration. It has a part 15. Further, the route guidance device 100 includes a map data storage unit 20 and a guidance route information storage unit 21.

Each of the above functional blocks 10 to 15 can be configured by any of hardware, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and software. For example, when configured by software, each of the above functional blocks 10 to 15 is actually configured to include a computer CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., and is a program stored in a recording medium such as RAM, ROM, hard disk, or semiconductor memory. Is realized by the operation of.

The map data storage unit 20 stores the map data 20a. The map data 20a includes data used for drawing the background and data used for drawing the road. The data format of these data is arbitrary, for example, vector data or bitmap data. Further, the map data 20a includes data used for drawing character strings such as road names, intersection names, and place names. This data is composed of, for example, a corresponding character string and information regarding a position when the character string is displayed (for example, information indicating coordinates on a map). Further, the map data 20a includes facility information regarding the facilities on the map. Further, the map data 20a includes road data used for searching for a guidance route. The road data includes a node table TB1 for nodes and a link table TB2 for links. A node is a point defined for each node in an intersection or other road network, and a link is a line defined for each road section between nodes.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the node table TB1. As shown in FIG. 2, the node table TB1 has node data N1 for each node on the map. The node data N1 has a node number, a node attribute, a node coordinate, a connection link information, a connection node information, and an intersection lane information N2.

The node number is identification information that identifies the node. The node attribute is information indicating the attribute of the node. The node coordinates are information indicating the position of the node. The connection link information is information indicating each link number (described later) of the link connecting to the node. The connection node information is information indicating the node number of another node that connects to the node via a link.

The intersection lane information N2 is information added to the node data N1 when the node is an intersection. As shown in FIG. 2, the intersection lane information N2 is connected to the corresponding node, and the approach link data N3 is used for each link whose traveling direction is the direction of entering the corresponding node (hereinafter referred to as “connection approach link”). Have. The approach link data N3 has a link number and an approach lane table N4.

The approach lane table N4 has approach lane data N5 for each lane provided at the connection portion between the corresponding connection entry link and the corresponding node.

As shown in FIG. 2, the approach lane data N5 has a lane number, lane type information, and exit link information. The lane number is a lane identification number. The lane type information is information indicating the lane type of the corresponding lane. Examples of the lane type include a left turn-only lane, a straight-ahead-only lane, a U-turn-only lane, and a non-dedicated lane. Further, the lane includes a lane provided in the intersection and which can be entered from another lane when entering the intersection (hereinafter referred to as "extension lane in the intersection"). For such lanes, the lane type information additionally includes information indicating that the lane is an extension lane in an intersection. Therefore, each functional block can recognize whether or not the lane is an extension lane in the intersection by referring to the lane type information related to the one lane. The exit link information is information indicating the link number of the link that can be entered from the corresponding lane via the corresponding node.

As described above, the node table TB1 related to one node has an approach lane table N4 for each connection entry link that enters the one node. The approach lane table N4 has a lane number, lane type information, and exit link information for each lane provided at the connection portion between the connection entry link and the node. The approach lane table N4 corresponds to lane information. The approach lane table N4 may have a null value depending on the state of maintenance of the map data 20a and the like. Further, the information exemplified as the information included in the node data N1 is a part of the information, and the node data N1 includes other information about the node in addition to the exemplified information.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the link table TB2. As shown in FIG. 3, the link table TB2 has link data R1 for each link on the map. The link data R1 has a link number, a link attribute, a first node number, a second node number, and lane number information. The link number is identification information that identifies the link. The link attribute is information indicating the attribute of the link. The first node number is information indicating the node number of the node connected to one end of the link. The second node number is information indicating the node number of the node connected to the other end of the link.

The lane number information is information indicating the number of lanes provided on the road of the corresponding link. Here, one link may be defined for one one-sided road. A one-sided road is a convenient representation of a part of a road that has one or more lanes and is permitted to pass in one direction. For example, on national roads and highways, the up line and the down line are one-sided roads, respectively. The lane number information corresponding to the link related to the one-sided road indicates the number of lanes provided on the one-sided road.

The information exemplified as the information included in the link data R1 is a part of the information, and the link data R1 includes other information related to the link such as the link cost and the link length in addition to the exemplified information. It has been.

By the way, the own vehicle position detection unit 10 shown in FIG. 1 detects the own vehicle position based on inputs from GPS (not shown), a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, etc., and information included in the map data 20a. do. Any method may be used to detect the position of the own vehicle.

The route search unit 11 responds to a user's instruction using the touch panel 200, and based on the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection unit 10, information included in the map data 20a, and the like, the guidance route (described above). As described above, the route from the position of the own vehicle to the destination set by the user) is searched. Any method may be used to search for a route. The route search unit 11 stores the guidance route information indicating the searched guidance route in the guidance route information storage unit 21.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a simplified example of the content of the guidance route information. As shown in FIG. 4, the guidance route information includes guidance route correspondence information in which the guidance route is represented by a combination of a link number and a node number. Further, in the guidance route information, the guidance intersection flag is associated with each of the node numbers. The guide intersection flag is a flag indicating whether or not the node having the corresponding node number is an intersection where a right or left turn is made when the vehicle travels along the guidance route. Hereinafter, an intersection existing on the guidance route and in which a right or left turn is made is referred to as a "guidance intersection".

The route guidance unit 12 guides the guidance route in response to a user's instruction or the like using the touch panel 200. The route guidance unit 12 displays a map on the touch panel 200 based on the information contained in the map data 20a, and is stored in the vehicle position and guidance route information storage unit 21 detected by the vehicle position detection unit 10. Based on the guidance route information, the guidance route is guided by displaying a mark indicating the position of the own vehicle and an image indicating the guidance route on the map. Further, the route guidance unit 12 appropriately controls the voice processing device 300 to output voice having a predetermined content and guide the guidance route.

When the position of the own vehicle and the guide intersection are close to each other, the route guidance unit 12 according to the present embodiment displays an enlarged view of the intersection (described later) on the touch panel 200 to provide guidance regarding the guide intersection. Then, the route guidance unit 12 recommends traveling among the lanes provided at the guidance intersection in the predetermined case described later when guiding the guidance intersection (hereinafter, referred to as "recommended lane"). To present. The process when the route guide unit 12 guides the guide intersection will be described in detail later.

Here, the latest guide intersection, the next guide intersection, the runnable lane, the approachable lane, and the corresponding lane, which are the terms used in the following description, will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a simplified diagram schematically showing a map around the road through which the guidance route passes. In FIG. 5, the upward direction is north, the upward direction is east, the downward direction is south, and the left direction is west.

In the following description, all lanes provided at the connection portion between the intersection and the road connecting to the intersection are referred to as "intersection lanes". The intersection lane includes the above-mentioned extension lane in the intersection and the accessible lane described later. The intersection lane is managed by the map data 20a as the approach lane data N5 of the approach lane table N4, except when the approach lane table N4 has a null value. In FIG. 5, the intersection lane is represented by a figure showing the traffic division according to the traveling direction. Further, in the following description, the lane provided on the road is referred to as a "road lane" and is clearly distinguished from an intersection lane.

As described above, the intersection lane is composed of an extension lane in the intersection and an accessible lane. The extension lane in the intersection is an intersection lane provided in the intersection and can be entered from another intersection lane when entering the intersection, and is not connected to the road lane provided on the road. On the other hand, the accessible lane is an intersection lane connected to the road lane of the road entering the intersection. Since the accessible lane is connected to the road lane provided on the road, it is possible to enter the lane as it is by driving in the road lane.

In FIG. 5, the road K1 extending from east to west has an intersection X1 and an intersection X2 in order toward the east as intersections. The road K1 intersects the north-south road K2 at the intersection X1 and also intersects the north-south road K3 at the intersection X2. Hereinafter, of the road K2, the one-sided road that is permitted to travel in the north direction and extends southward from the intersection X1 is referred to as the "first road" (the code in the figure is "K2a"). do. Further, of the road K1, which is a one-sided road permitted to travel in the east direction, the portion sandwiched between the intersection X1 and the intersection X2 is the "second road" (the reference numeral in the figure is "K1a"). ). In addition, of the road K3, the part of the road K3 that is allowed to travel in the north direction and extends northward from the intersection X2 is referred to as the "third road" (the code in the figure is "K3a"). do.

In the map shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the vehicle is located at the position P1 in the figure and the guidance route is the route KR1 represented by the thick line in the figure. As shown in FIG. 5, the position P1 is a position before the intersection X1. Further, on the route KR1, the vehicle located at the position P1 travels northward on the first road K2a and enters the intersection X1, turns right at the intersection X1 and enters the second road K1a, and enters the second road K1a. This is a route that travels eastward to enter intersection X2, turns left at intersection X2, enters third road K3a, and travels north on third road K3a.

In this case, the intersection X1 and the intersection X2 are guide intersections. This is because it is an intersection that exists on the guidance route and is an intersection where right and left turns are made. Further, the intersection X1 corresponds to the "most recent guide intersection". This is because it is the latest guide intersection among the guide intersections. Further, the intersection X2 corresponds to the "next guide intersection". This is because, among the guidance intersections, when the vehicle travels according to the guidance route, the guidance intersection that the vehicle goes through next to the nearest guidance intersection.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the intersection X1 has eight intersection lanes L1a to L1h in order from the left in the traveling direction at the connection portion with the first road K2a. Of the eight intersection lanes L1a to L1h, the two intersection lanes L1a and L1b on the left side are additional lanes in the intersection dedicated to turning left. Further, the three intersection lanes L1f to L1h on the right side are additional lanes in the intersection dedicated to turning right. Further, the three intersection lanes L1c to L1e in the central portion excluding the additional lanes in the intersection are lanes that can be entered exclusively for going straight. The first road K2a is provided with three road lanes connecting to the three intersection lanes L1c to L1e, which are accessible lanes, at the connection portion with the intersection X1.

In the above lane configuration of the intersection X1, of the intersection lanes of the intersection X1, three intersection lanes L1f to L1h correspond to "travelable lanes". This is because, of the intersection lanes L1a to L1h of the intersection X1 which is the latest guidance intersection, the intersection lane in which the vehicle can travel when passing through the latest guidance intersection along the guidance route. If the intersection X1 is turned left, the intersection lanes L1a and L1b become "travelable lanes". As described above, the travelable lane means all the intersection lanes in which the vehicle can travel when passing through the nearest guidance intersection (turning right or left) regardless of whether the lane is an extension lane in the intersection or an approachable lane.

The intersection X2 has three intersection lanes L2a to L2c in order from the left in the traveling direction at the connection portion with the second road K1a. Of the three intersection lanes L2a to L2c, one intersection lane L2a on the left side is an extension lane in the intersection dedicated to turning left. Further, the two intersection lanes L2b and L2c on the right side are accessible lanes exclusively for going straight. The second road K1a is provided with two road lanes connecting to the two intersection lanes L2b and L2c, which are accessible lanes, at the connection portion with the intersection X2.

In the above intersection X2 lane configuration, the corresponding lane is connected to the road lane that is recommended to travel when entering the intersection X2, which is the next guide intersection, among the "accessible lanes" provided at the intersection X2. Means the lane that was made.

The corresponding lane can be specified to a specific lane (s) among the accessible lanes by the direction in which the vehicle turns at the next guide intersection and the lane configuration of the intersection lane of the next guide intersection. For example, in FIG. 5, when the vehicle travels along the guidance route, a left turn is performed at the intersection X2. Therefore, the vehicle needs to enter the intersection lane L2a, which is a lane dedicated to turning left, at the intersection X2. In this case, of the intersection lanes L2b and L2c that are accessible lanes, the intersection lane L2b that can easily enter the intersection lane L2a can be specified as the corresponding lane.

The corresponding lane specifying unit 13 specifies the corresponding lane among the accessible lanes at the next guidance intersection while the guidance route is being guided by the route guidance unit 12. The corresponding lane specifying unit 13 executes the process of specifying the corresponding lane at the timing when the route guidance unit 12 displays the intersection enlarged view (described later) regarding the guidance route. As will be described later, the route guidance unit 12 displays an enlarged intersection diagram reflecting the processing results of the corresponding lane specifying unit 13, the lane number acquisition unit 14, and the recommended lane determination unit 15. To elaborate on the processing of the corresponding lane specifying unit 13, the corresponding lane specifying unit 13 has a lane structure of the next guide intersection based on the contents of the approach lane table N4 corresponding to the next guide intersection of the node table TB1. Recognize. Next, the corresponding lane specifying unit 13 identifies the corresponding lane from the accessible lanes at the next guide intersection based on the lane structure of the next guide intersection and the direction in which the vehicle turns at the next guide intersection. In the case of the example of FIG. 5, the corresponding lane specifying unit 13 specifies the intersection lane L2b as the corresponding lane among the intersection lanes L2b and L2c which are the accessible lanes at the intersection X2 which is the next guide intersection.

The lane number acquisition unit 14 acquires the number of lanes that can be traveled at the nearest guide intersection and the number of lanes that can be entered at the next guide intersection. The lane number acquisition unit 14 executes the process of acquiring the number of each lane at the timing when the route guidance unit 12 displays the intersection enlarged view (described later) regarding the guidance route. The lane number acquisition unit 14 specifies the number of lanes that can be traveled based on the contents of the approach lane table N4 corresponding to the nearest guide intersection of the node table TB1, and the approach lane table corresponding to the next guide intersection of the node table TB1. Specify the number of accessible lanes based on the contents of N4.

The recommended lane determination unit 15 executes the following processing based on the corresponding lane specified by the corresponding lane specifying unit 13, the number of runnable lanes and the number of accessible lanes acquired by the lane number acquisition unit 14. do. The recommended lane determination unit 15 executes the following processing at the timing when the route guidance unit 12 displays an enlarged intersection diagram (described later) regarding the guidance route. Hereinafter, the processing of the recommended lane determination unit 15 will be described in detail. In the following description, the "recommended lane" means an intersection lane where driving is recommended at the nearest guidance intersection, and is clearly distinguished from the "corresponding lane".

Here, when there are a plurality of travelable lanes at the nearest guidance intersection, the vehicle should enter after passing through the latest guidance intersection regardless of which of the plurality of travelable lanes (road on the guidance route). You can enter. Conventionally, when there are a plurality of runnable lanes, all the runnable lanes are presented as recommended lanes, or any one runnable lane is presented as a recommended lane. In this regard, if there are multiple lanes on which the vehicle can travel, and if a specific lane on which the vehicle can change lanes after passing through the nearest guide intersection can be presented as a recommended lane, the driver will be able to present it. Convenience can be improved. This is because the load of driving by the driver can be reduced. However, as described above, the map data 20a does not have information on the connection relationship between the lane of one intersection and the lane of another intersection, and the lane of the intersection and the road connecting to the intersection. Does not have information on the connection relationship with the road lane. Therefore, from the map data 20a, the connection relationship between the travelable lane related to the latest guidance intersection and the approachable lane related to the next guidance intersection cannot be known, and the number of lane changes that must be performed before reaching the corresponding lane is reduced. I don't know which lane to choose for. Based on the above, the recommended lane determination unit 15 executes the following processing.

The recommended lane determination unit 15 compares the number of runnable lanes acquired by the lane number acquisition unit 14 with the number of accessible lanes. Then, the recommended lane determination unit 15 can enter when the number of lanes that can be traveled and the number of lanes that can be entered match, and when the number of lanes that can be entered is larger than the number of lanes that can be entered. Different processes are executed depending on whether the number of lanes is smaller than the number of lanes that can be traveled. Hereinafter, each case will be described in order.

<When the number of lanes that can be driven and the number of lanes that can be entered match>
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a connected one-sided road (described later) when the number of lanes that can be traveled and the number of lanes that can be entered match. When the number of lanes that can be driven and the number of lanes that can be entered are the same, it can be assumed that the state of the road lane on the one-sided road connecting the nearest guide intersection and the next guide intersection is as follows. Hereinafter, the one-sided road connecting the nearest guide intersection and the next guide intersection is referred to as a "connected one-sided road". Further, on the one-sided connecting road, the road lane provided at the connection portion with the nearest guidance intersection is referred to as "exit road lane", and the road lane provided at the connection portion with the next guidance intersection is referred to as "entrance road lane". The approach road lane connects to the accessible lane at the next guidance intersection.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6, each of the travelable lanes of the nearest guide intersection is connected to each of the exit road lanes on a one-to-one basis. Therefore, the number of travelable lanes at the nearest guidance intersection can be regarded as the number of exit road lanes. In addition, each of the accessible lanes of the next guidance intersection is connected to each of the approach road lanes on a one-to-one basis. Therefore, the number of accessible lanes at the next guidance intersection can be regarded as the number of approach road lanes.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6, when the number of exit road lanes and the number of approach road lanes match on one connecting one-sided road (= the number of travelable lanes and the number of approachable lanes match). Case), it can be assumed that the number of lanes has not increased or decreased on the one connected one-sided road. Therefore, when the number of lanes that can be driven and the number of lanes that can be entered match, they are arranged at a predetermined position in the left-right direction among the lanes that can be driven side by side in the left-right direction toward the traveling direction. It can be assumed that the travelable lane is connected to the approachable lanes arranged at common positions in the left-right direction in the arrangement of the approachable lanes via one road lane.

For example, the travelable lane arranged at the left end in the array of travelable lanes is connected to the accessible lane arranged at the left end in the array of accessible lanes via one road lane, for example. The driveable lane arranged second from the left in the array of driveable lanes is connected to the accessible lane arranged second from the left in the array of accessible lanes via one road lane. It is supposed to be.

Therefore, if the number of lanes that can be driven and the number of lanes that can be entered match, the lane that has the same position in the left-right direction and the position in the left-right direction of the corresponding lane in the lane that can be entered is selected. If it is determined to be the recommended lane, it is highly likely that the vehicle that has passed through the recommended lane will reach the corresponding lane by traveling in the road lane without changing lanes after passing through the recommended lane.

Based on the above, when the number of lanes that can be traveled and the number of lanes that can be entered match, the recommended lane determination unit 15 determines the position of the corresponding lane in the lanes that can be entered and the position in the left-right direction of the lanes that can be entered. The lanes with the same position are determined as the recommended lanes.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the corresponding lane and the recommended lane when the number of lanes that can be traveled and the number of lanes that can be entered match. In FIG. 7 (similar to FIGS. 9 and 12 described later), the accessible lane and the travelable lane are represented by rectangular blocks, respectively. Case C71 in FIG. 7 shows the relationship between the corresponding lanes and the recommended lanes in the case where the runnable lanes are the runnable lanes A1 and A2 and the approachable lanes are the approachable lanes B1 and B2. ..

In the case of case C71, the recommended lane determination unit 15 determines the travelable lane A1 as the recommended lane when the approachable lane B1 is the corresponding lane, as shown by the arrow. Further, as shown by the arrow, the recommended lane determination unit 15 determines the travelable lane A2 as the recommended lane when the approachable lane B2 is the corresponding lane. As shown in case C72, even when there are three runnable lanes and three approachable lanes, the recommended lane determination unit 15 applies the same rules as in case C71 and recommends based on the corresponding lanes. Determine the lane.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the number of accessible lanes and the number of travelable lanes match, the route guidance device 100 is left and right of the corresponding lanes in the accessible lanes among the travelable lanes. The lane in which the position in the direction and the position in the left-right direction are common is determined as the recommended lane. According to this configuration, the number of lanes does not change on the road from the latest guidance intersection to the next guidance intersection, and the driveable lane at the same position as the left-right position of the corresponding lane in the approachable lane remains as it is. If it can be assumed that the vehicle is connected to the corresponding lane via a lane, the recommended lane can be determined and presented as a driveable lane that is unlikely to change lanes after passing through the nearest guidance intersection. ..

<When the number of accessible lanes is larger than the number of accessible lanes>
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a connected one-sided road when the number of accessible lanes is larger than the number of travelable lanes. When the number of accessible lanes is larger than the number of travelable lanes, it can be assumed that the state of the road lane on the connected one-sided road is as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, it can be assumed that the number of lanes is increased at any point from the nearest guide intersection to the next guide intersection on the connected one-sided road.

In this case, the recommended lane determination unit 15 divides the accessible lanes into groups corresponding to the number of travelable lanes according to the arrangement of the lanes in the travelable lanes, and the corresponding lanes belong to the travelable lanes. Determine the lane corresponding to the group as the recommended lane.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the corresponding lane and the recommended lane when the number of accessible lanes is larger than the number of travelable lanes. Case C91 in FIG. 9 shows the relationship between the corresponding lanes and the recommended lanes in the case where the runnable lanes are the runnable lanes A1 and A2 and the approachable lanes are the approachable lanes B1 to B4. .. As shown in FIG. 9, in the case of the case C91, the recommended lane determination unit 15 can enter four lanes A1 and A2 according to the number of lanes A1 and A2 (2) and the arrangement of the lanes A1 and A2. Lanes B1 to B4 are grouped into two groups G1 and G2. Groups G1 and G2 are groups arranged in the order of group G1 and group G2 from left to right, group G1 corresponds to runnable lane A1 and group G2 corresponds to runnable lane A2. In case C91, when the corresponding lane belongs to the group G1, the recommended lane determination unit 15 determines the travelable lane A1 as the recommended lane as shown by the arrow. Further, in the case C91, when the corresponding lane belongs to the group G2, the recommended lane determination unit 15 determines the travelable lane A2 as the recommended lane as shown by the arrow.

Here, in the connecting one-sided road, the increase in the number of lanes is usually performed by adding lanes to the outside of the road. Then, when the number of lanes is increasing on the connected one-sided road, the recommended lane is determined based on the above-mentioned grouping, so that the road lane to which the corresponding lane is connected or the corresponding lane is selected from the available lanes. The lane connected to the road lane close to the connected road lane can be determined as the recommended lane. Then, by determining the road lane to which the corresponding lane is connected or the driveable lane connected to the road lane close to the road lane to which the corresponding lane is connected as the recommended lane, it is possible to change the lane as the number of road lanes increases. The recommended lane can be a runnable lane with less tendency.

For example, in the case of the case C91 of FIG. 9, it is assumed that the number of lanes is increased by adding lanes in any of the patterns of the pattern P1, the pattern P2, and the pattern P3 of FIG. As described above, when the corresponding lane is the approachable lane B1, the travelable lane A1 is the recommended lane, but in any pattern, the travelable lane A1 is connected to the corresponding lane (accessible lane B1). It is connected to the road lane itself or the road lane close to the road lane to which the corresponding lane is connected.

As shown in case C92 of FIG. 9, even when there are three runnable lanes and four approachable lanes, the recommended lane determination unit 15 applies the same rules as in case C91 to the corresponding lanes. Determine the recommended lane based on. Specifically, the recommended lane determination unit 15 divides the accessible lanes into three groups G1, G2, and G3 according to the number and arrangement of the operable lanes, and among the traveling lanes, the group to which the corresponding lane belongs. The lane corresponding to is determined as the recommended lane.

As shown in case C93 of FIG. 9, even when there are two runnable lanes and five accessible lanes, the recommended lane determination unit 15 applies the same rules as in case C91 to the corresponding lanes. Determine the recommended lane based on. In case C93, the accessible lanes are divided into two groups, groups G1 and G2, and three accessible lanes belong to the second group G2 from the left. It can be arbitrarily designed whether the accessible lane belongs to the embodiment. For example, as shown in case C93', three accessible lanes may belong to the first group G1 from the left.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the number of accessible lanes is larger than the number of travelable lanes, the route guidance device 100 sets the approachable lanes according to the arrangement of the lanes in the travelable lanes. After dividing into groups for the number of runnable lanes, the lane corresponding to the group to which the corresponding lane belongs is determined as the recommended lane among the runnable lanes. According to this configuration, if it can be assumed that the number of lanes is increasing on the road from the latest guidance intersection to the next guidance intersection, under the assumption, the lane change due to the increase in the number of lanes on the road can be changed as much as possible. Lanes that can be reduced can be determined and presented as recommended lanes.

<When the number of accessible lanes is less than the number of accessible lanes>
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a connected one-sided road when the number of accessible lanes is smaller than the number of travelable lanes. When the number of accessible lanes is smaller than the number of accessible lanes, it can be assumed that the state of the road lane on the connecting one-sided road is as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, it can be assumed that the number of road lanes is decreasing at any point from the nearest guide intersection to the next guide intersection on the connected one-sided road.

In this case, the recommended lane determination unit 15 determines the lane closer to the center in the left-right direction as the recommended lane among the travelable lanes.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the corresponding lane and the recommended lane when the number of accessible lanes is smaller than the number of travelable lanes. Case C121 of FIG. 12 shows the relationship between the corresponding lanes and the recommended lanes when the travelable lanes are the six travelable lanes A1 to A6 and the approachable lanes are the approachable lanes B1 and B2. .. As shown in FIG. 12, in the case of the case C121, the recommended lane determination unit 15 does not target the left-end and right-end travelable lanes A1 and A6 among the travelable lanes A1 to A6 as the recommended lanes. Further, the recommended lane determination unit 15 targets the travelable lanes A3 and A4, which are the lanes closer to the center in the left-right direction, among the travelable lanes A2 to A5, as the recommended lanes. Specifically, as shown by the arrow, the recommended lane determination unit 15 determines the runnable lane A3 as the recommended lane when the approachable lane B1 is the corresponding lane, and when the approachable lane B2 is the corresponding lane, the recommended lane determination unit 15 determines. , The runnable lane A4 is determined as the recommended lane.

Here, in the connecting one-sided road, the reduction in the number of lanes is usually performed by reducing the outer road lane (the leftmost or rightmost road lane) in the connecting one-sided road. Therefore, it can be said that among the road lanes, the road closer to the center is more likely not to be reduced, and the road closer to the left end or the right end is more likely to be reduced. In addition, when a vehicle travels on a reduced lane road, it will eventually be necessary to change lanes. Based on the above, by determining the lanes closer to the center in the left-right direction as the recommended lanes, the lanes that can be connected to the road lanes that are unlikely to be reduced can be determined as the recommended lanes. The recommended lane can be determined as a travelable lane that can reduce lane changes due to a decrease in the number of lanes as much as possible. Of the lanes that can be traveled, excluding the lanes at the left end or the right end (which may be both ends), the lane closer to the center in the left-right direction may be determined as the recommended lane.

As shown in case C122 of FIG. 12, even when there are four runnable lanes and three approachable lanes, the recommended lane determination unit 15 applies the same rules as in case C121 to the corresponding lanes. Determine the recommended lane based on. In case C122, if the accessible lanes B2 and B3 are compatible lanes, the travelable lane A3 is the recommended lane, but as shown in case C122', if the approachable lane B2 is a compatible lane, the travelable lane is available. A2 may be the recommended lane.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the number of approach lanes is smaller than the number of travelable lanes, the route guidance device 100 is a lane closer to the center in the left-right direction among the travelable lanes. Is determined as the recommended lane. According to this configuration, if it is assumed that the outer lane (the leftmost or rightmost lane) is reduced on the road from the nearest guidance intersection to the next guidance intersection, the number of lanes will be reduced under the assumption. The lane that reduces the accompanying lane change as much as possible can be determined as the recommended lane.

When the recommended lane determination unit 15 determines the recommended lane of the nearest guide intersection based on the corresponding lane of the next guide intersection, the process may be performed by the following method. That is, in advance, the relationship between the corresponding lane in the approachable lane and the lane recommended to run in the runnable lane is ruled for each relationship between the number of approachable lanes and the number of runnable lanes. Then, rule information indicating the rule is registered in advance for each relationship between the number of accessible lanes and the number of travelable lanes. Then, when the recommended lane determination unit 15 determines the recommended lane of the nearest guide intersection, the recommended lane determination unit 15 obtains rule information corresponding to the relationship between the number of accessible lanes acquired by the lane number acquisition unit 14 and the number of travelable lanes. get. Then, the recommended lane determination unit 15 determines the recommended lane among the travelable lanes according to the rule indicated by the acquired rule information. According to this method, the recommended lane can be uniformly determined by using the rule information according to the number of accessible lanes and the number of travelable lanes, so that the process of determining the recommended lane can be simplified.

By the way, the route guidance unit 12 in FIG. 1 monitors whether or not the distance between the nearest guidance intersection and the position of the own vehicle reaches a predetermined threshold value during the guidance of the guidance route. The predetermined threshold value is a threshold value that is used as a trigger for displaying an enlarged view of the intersection, which will be described later, and is a value such that the position of the own vehicle and the nearest guide intersection are sufficiently close to each other. The predetermined threshold value is, for example, a distance of 300 meters, 30 meters, or less. The user may be able to set the predetermined threshold value. When it is detected that the distance between the vehicle position and the corresponding intersection reaches the predetermined threshold value, the route guidance unit 12 displays an enlarged view of the intersection on the touch panel 200.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the intersection enlarged view IF1 and shows the screen of the touch panel 200 in the state where the intersection enlarged view IF1 is displayed. As shown in FIG. 13, when displaying the intersection enlarged view IF1, the route guidance unit 12 divides the display area of the touch panel 200 into a left side area and a right side area, and displays the intersection enlarged view IF1 in the left side area. A part of the map that was displayed before is displayed, and the intersection enlarged view IF1 is displayed in the area on the right side. The intersection enlarged view IF1 is a screen in which a map of the vicinity of the latest guidance intersection centered on the latest guidance intersection is enlarged and displayed, and the position of the own vehicle is clearly shown on the map and the guidance route is clearly shown. Enlarged intersection of FIG. The nearest intersection represented by the map of IF1 corresponds to the intersection X1 of FIG. 5, and in FIG. 13, each road and each intersection are associated with each road and each intersection of FIG. It has the same code.

As shown in FIG. 13, the route guidance unit 12 displays the lane guidance image M1 at a position corresponding to the nearest guidance intersection in the intersection enlarged view IF1. The lane guide image M1 is an image in which, for all the intersection lanes at the nearest guide intersection, images showing the traveling directions permitted in each lane by arrows are arranged according to the lane configuration. When displaying the lane guidance image M1, the route guidance unit 12 displays the travelable lane in a manner different from that of other intersection lanes. In the example of FIG. 13, the intersection lanes L1f to L1h are lanes on which the vehicle can travel. The route guidance unit 12 displays the arrows of these intersection lanes L1f to L1h as arrows filled with white on a black background, while the other intersection lanes are gray on a black background (represented by diagonal lines in FIG. 13). It is displayed as an arrow filled with).

Further, when displaying the lane guidance image M1, the route guidance unit 12 displays the travelable lane determined as the recommended lane by the recommended lane determination unit 15 in a different color from the other travelable lanes among the travelable lanes. do. In the example of FIG. 13, the route guide unit 12 makes the arrow of the travelable lane which is not the recommended lane white, while the arrow of the travelable lane which is the recommended lane is blue (in FIG. 13, it is represented by a dot pattern). ). As a result, the route guidance unit 12 presents the recommended lane to the driver.

The content of the intersection enlarged view IF1 illustrated in FIG. 13 is merely an example. For example, when presenting a recommended lane, instead of changing the color of the arrow, the arrow corresponding to the recommended lane may blink, or the arrow corresponding to the recommended lane may be added with additional information clearly indicating that it is the recommended lane. good.

As described above, the intersection enlarged view displayed by the route guide unit 12 not only clearly indicates the lanes in which the vehicle can travel, but also which lane is the recommended lane in which the vehicle is recommended to travel. Is presented. As described above, the recommended lane is a lane determined from the viewpoint of preventing lane changes as much as possible after passing through the nearest guide intersection. Therefore, by referring to the enlarged view of the intersection, the driver can accurately recognize the lanes in which the lanes can be changed without changing lanes as much as possible.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the route guidance device 100 according to the present embodiment. In the flowchart of FIG. 14, the route guidance unit 12, the corresponding lane identification unit 13, the lane number acquisition unit 14, and the recommended route guidance unit 12 when the intersection enlarged view is displayed in the situation where the guidance route is guided by the route guidance unit 12. The processing of each functional block of the lane determination unit 15 is shown.

As shown in FIG. 14, the corresponding lane specifying unit 13 specifies the corresponding lane (step SA1). Next, the lane number acquisition unit 14 acquires the number of lanes that can be traveled and the number of lanes that can be entered (step SA2). The order of the processes of step SA1 and the processes of step SA2 does not have to be this order, and these processes may be performed in parallel at the same time. Next, the recommended lane determination unit 15 determines the recommended lane based on the relationship between the number of runnable lanes acquired by the lane number acquisition unit 14 and the number of approachable lanes (step SA3). Next, the route guidance unit 12 displays an enlarged view of the intersection while presenting the recommended lane (step SA4). The route guidance unit 12 displays an enlarged view of the intersection until the vehicle passes the nearest guidance intersection.

As described in detail above, the route guidance device 100 according to the present embodiment is among the accessible lanes connected to the road lane of the road entering the guidance intersection next to the nearest guidance intersection during the guidance of the guidance route. Identify the corresponding lanes connected to the road lane that is recommended to drive when entering the next guidance intersection, obtain the number of lanes that can be traveled and the number of lanes that can be entered, and determine the number of lanes that can be traveled. If the number of accessible lanes matches, the recommended lane is determined to be the lane that has the same position in the left-right direction and the left-right position of the corresponding lane in the accessible lane, and the number of accessible lanes. If the number of lanes is larger than the number of lanes that can be traveled, divide the lanes that can be entered into groups for the number of lanes that can be traveled according to the arrangement of lanes in the lanes that can be traveled. , If the number of lanes that can be entered is less than the number of lanes that can be entered, the lane that corresponds to the group to which the corresponding lane belongs is determined as the recommended lane. Is determined as the recommended lane. According to this configuration, as described above, when presenting a recommended lane at a guide intersection, a lane in which the lane change is not performed as much as possible after passing through the guide intersection can be presented as the recommended lane.

<Modification example>
Next, a modification of the above-described embodiment will be described. In the above-described embodiment, the route guidance device 100 determines the recommended lane based on the relationship between the number of lanes that can be traveled at the nearest guidance intersection and the number of lanes that can be entered at the next guidance intersection. On the other hand, when there is a non-guided intersection between the nearest guide intersection and the next guide intersection, the route guidance device 100 may execute the following process instead of the process described in the above-described embodiment. good. The non-guided intersection is an intersection on the guided route and is not a guided intersection.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a map around a road through which a guidance route passes. In the map of FIG. 15, there is a non-guided intersection between the nearest guided intersection and the next guided intersection. In FIG. 15, the upward direction is north, the rightward direction is east, the downward direction is south, and the leftward direction is west. In FIG. 15, reference numeral K15 is a road extending from east to west, and has four intersections Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 from west to east. In the map shown in FIG. 15, as shown by the symbol KR15, the guidance route is a route that turns right at intersection Q1 and enters road K15, goes straight on intersections Q2 and Q3 to reach intersection Q4, and turns left at intersection Q4. Is. Further, it is assumed that the vehicle is located in front of the intersection Q1. In this case, the intersection Q1 is the nearest guide intersection, and the intersection Q4 is the next guide intersection. Further, the intersections Q2 and Q3 are non-guided intersections. Further, a road D1 is formed between the intersection Q1 and the intersection Q2, a road D2 is formed between the intersection Q2 and the intersection Q3, and a road D3 is formed between the intersection Q3 and the intersection Q4. There is. For convenience of explanation, roads D1 to D3 are all one-sided roads that are allowed to travel in the eastern direction.

In the case shown in FIG. 15, when displaying the enlarged intersection diagram, the lane number acquisition unit 14 refers to the map data 20a, and for the intersection Q2, the number of lanes on the road D2 which is the exit side road of the intersection Q2. Is acquired, and for the intersection Q3, the number of lanes on the road D3, which is the exit side road of the intersection Q3, is acquired. If there is an approach lane table N4 (lane information) of the corresponding node for the non-guided intersection, the lane number acquisition unit 14 acquires the number of lanes of the corresponding road based on the approach lane table N4. When the approach lane table N4 has a null value, the lane number acquisition unit 14 acquires the number of lanes on the road based on the lane number information of the link related to the corresponding road.

The recommended lane determination unit 15 traces back from the next guide intersection toward the nearest guide intersection, and is based on the relationship between the number of lanes that function as approach lanes and the number of lanes that function as travelable lanes at adjacent intersections. Then, among the lanes that function as travelable lanes, the lanes that are recommended to travel are determined, and finally, the recommended lanes at the nearest intersection are determined. Further, for the non-guided intersection, the recommended lane determination unit 15 determines the number of lanes acquired by the lane number acquisition unit 14 (in this example, the number of lanes on the exit side of the non-guided intersection). Set the number of approach lanes and the number of lanes that can be traveled at the intersection. Hereinafter, the processing of the recommended lane determination unit 15 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In the case shown in FIG. 15, the recommended lane determination unit 15 can use the number of lanes of the road D3 acquired by the lane number acquisition unit 14 as the number of accessible lanes and travel for the intersection Q3 which is a non-guided intersection. Set as the number of lanes. The number of lanes on the road D3 can be regarded as the number of lanes at the intersection Q3 when passing through the intersection Q3 along the guidance route. Further, the recommended lane determination unit 15 sets the number of lanes of the road D2 acquired by the lane number acquisition unit 14 as the number of accessible lanes and the number of travelable lanes for the intersection Q2 which is a non-guided intersection. .. The number of lanes on the road D2 can be regarded as the number of lanes at the intersection Q2 when passing through the intersection Q2 along the guidance route.

Then, the recommended lane determination unit 15 is based on the relationship between the number of accessible lanes at the intersection Q4, which is the next guidance intersection, and the number of travelable lanes (the number of lanes on the road D3) at the intersection Q3, which is the non-guidance intersection. Then, the rule described in the above-described embodiment is applied to determine the travelable lane (lane) recommended to travel among the travelable lanes at the intersection Q3.

Next, the recommended lane determination unit 15 is based on the relationship between the number of accessible lanes at the intersection Q3 (the number of lanes on the road D3) and the number of travelable lanes at the intersection Q2 (the number of lanes on the road D2). The rule described in the above-described embodiment is applied to determine the lane (lane) in which the vehicle is recommended to travel among the travelable lanes at the intersection Q2. The recommended lane determination unit 15 sets the lane determined as the lane recommended to travel by the above-mentioned processing among the accessible lanes of the intersection Q3 as the lane corresponding to the corresponding lane.

Next, the recommended lane determination unit 15 is carried out as described above based on the relationship between the number of accessible lanes at the intersection Q2 (the number of lanes on the road D2) and the number of travelable lanes at the intersection Q1 which is the nearest guide intersection. The recommended lane (lane) is determined among the travelable lanes at the intersection Q1 by applying the rule described in the embodiment. The recommended lane determination unit 15 sets the lane determined as the lane recommended to travel by the above-mentioned processing among the accessible lanes of the intersection Q2 as the lane corresponding to the corresponding lane.

FIG. 16A is a diagram showing the relationship between the corresponding lane at the intersection Q4 and the recommended lane at the intersection Q1 when the above-mentioned processing is performed in the situation shown in FIG. In FIG. 16A, the block of reference numeral Q1 indicates the number of travelable lanes (three in this example) of the intersection Q1 which is the nearest guide intersection, and the block of the reference numeral Q4 is the block of the intersection Q4 which is the next guide intersection. The number of accessible lanes (three in this example) is shown. Further, the reference numeral Q2 indicates the number of lanes that can be traveled and the lanes that can be entered at the intersection Q2 (4 in this example), and the reference numeral Q3 is the number of lanes that can be traveled and the lanes that can be entered at the intersection Q3 (4 in this example). ) Is shown.

As shown in FIG. 16A, in this modified example, when there is a non-guided intersection between the next-guided intersection and the nearest-guided intersection, the next-guided intersection traces back toward the nearest-guided intersection and is sequentially adjacent to each other. Based on the relationship between the number of lanes that function as approach lanes and the number of lanes that function as travelable lanes at an intersection, the rules described in the above-described embodiments are applied, and lanes that are recommended to travel are recommended. It will be decided. As a result, when there is a non-guided intersection from the next guided intersection to the nearest guided intersection, the recommended lane can be appropriately determined by reflecting the lane condition at the non-guided intersection.

Here, the lane number information contained in the map data 20a may be the number obtained by rounding the number in the real world. For example, even if the number of one road in the real world is "8", the number of lanes related to the link corresponding to the one road may be "4". In this way, even if the value of the lane number information is a value obtained by rounding the number of lanes in the real world, when the process according to this modification is performed, the value of the lane number information is not rounded. Similar results can be obtained.

16 (B) shows the driveable lane and the approachable lane (the number of lanes on the road D2) at the intersection Q2 in FIG. 16 (A), and the travelable lane and the approachable lane (the number of lanes on the road D3) at the intersection Q3. However, in the case of the intersection Q4, when the number of lanes in the map data 20a is 4, the number of lanes is 8 in the real world, and the number of lanes is not rounded (8). It is a figure which shows the relationship between the corresponding lane, and the recommended lane at the intersection Q1.

As is clear from the comparison between FIGS. 16 (A) and 16 (B), when the processing according to the modified example is executed, the corresponding lanes are determined depending on whether the lane number information is rounded or not. When common, the same runnable lane is determined as the recommended lane.

In the above-described embodiment, the route guidance unit 12 displays information on the guidance on the touch panel 200 and outputs various guidance by outputting voice. In this regard, the illustrated guidance is an example, and the guidance may be performed by another method. For example, the guidance may be performed by displaying the information on the windshield by the head-up display, or the guidance may be performed by displaying the information on a display device other than the touch panel 200, for example.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the image displayed on the touch panel 200 when guiding the guidance route is illustrated by using a figure, but the content of the image is merely an example and is not limited to the illustrated content.

In addition, each of the above embodiments is merely an example of the embodiment of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed in a limited manner. That is, the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from its gist or its main features.

11 Route search unit 12 Route guidance unit 13 Corresponding lane identification unit 14 Lane number acquisition unit 15 Recommended lane determination unit 100 Route guidance device

Claims (4)

A path search unit that searches for a guided route, and
A route guidance unit that guides the guidance route acquired by the route search unit, and a route guidance unit.
Correspondence connected to the road lane that is recommended to drive when entering the next guidance intersection among the accessible lanes connected to the road lane of the road entering the next guidance intersection of the latest guidance intersection. Corresponding lane identification part that identifies the lane, and
A lane number acquisition unit that acquires the number of lanes that can be traveled when passing through the nearest guidance intersection and the number of lanes that can be entered.
It is provided with a recommended lane determination unit that determines a recommended lane from the travelable lanes according to the number of the travelable lanes acquired by the lane number acquisition unit and the number of the approachable lanes.
The recommended lane determination unit is
When the number of the travelable lanes and the number of the approachable lanes match, the lane in which the left-right position and the left-right position of the corresponding lane in the approachable lane are common among the travelable lanes is selected. Determined as the recommended lane,
When the number of the accessible lanes is larger than the number of the travelable lanes, the travelable lanes on the far right from the leftmost travelable lanes are arranged according to the arrangement of the lanes in the travelable lanes . Toward and from the leftmost accessible lane to the rightmost accessible lane, one of the leftmost operable lanes that has not yet been associated. By performing one or more processes of associating one or more of the accessible lanes from the leftmost of the approachable lanes that have not been associated with each other, one or more travelable lanes and one or more of the accessible lanes are performed. After specifying one or more sets of correspondence with the approachable lane, the lane in which the correspondence is specified with respect to the correspondence lane is determined as the recommended lane among the travelable lanes.
When the number of accessible lanes is smaller than the number of travelable lanes, the lane closer to the center in the left-right direction among the travelable lanes is determined as the recommended lane.
A route guidance device characterized by this. The lane number acquisition unit
When one or more non-guided intersections exist between the nearest guided intersection and the next guided intersection, the number of road lanes of the road connecting to the non-guided intersection is acquired for each of the non-guided intersections. death,
The recommended lane determination unit is
For the non-guided intersection, the number of road lanes acquired by the lane number acquisition unit is set as the number of accessible lanes and the number of travelable lanes related to the non-guided intersection.
Based on the relationship between the number of lanes that function as the accessible lanes and the number of lanes that function as the travelable lanes at the adjacent intersections, going back from the next guide intersection toward the nearest guide intersection. Therefore, it is determined which lane is recommended to travel among the lanes functioning as the travelable lane, thereby determining the recommended lane among the travelable lanes at the nearest guide intersection. The route guidance device according to claim 1. The corresponding lane and the travelable lane in the approachable lane specified by the process of the recommended lane determination unit according to claim 1 , according to the relationship between the number of accessible lanes and the number of travelable lanes. The correspondence with the recommended lane in the lane is registered in advance, and
The recommended lane determination unit is
Claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the recommended lane is determined from the available lanes according to the correspondence relationship registered in advance in the relationship between the number of accessible lanes and the number of travelable lanes. The route guidance device described in. It is a route guidance method using a route guidance device that searches for a guidance route and guides the searched guidance route.
The corresponding lane identification part of the route guidance device travels when entering the next guidance intersection among the accessible lanes connected to the road lane of the road entering the next guidance intersection of the nearest guidance intersection. Identify the corresponding lanes connected to the recommended road lanes and
The first step in which the lane number acquisition unit of the route guidance device acquires the number of lanes that can be traveled when passing through the nearest guidance intersection and the number of lanes that can be entered.
The recommended lane determination unit of the route guidance device determines a recommended lane from the travelable lanes according to the number of the travelable lanes and the number of the approachable lanes acquired in the first step. Including the second step,
In the second step, the recommended lane determination unit is
When the number of the travelable lanes and the number of the approachable lanes match, the lane in which the left-right position and the left-right position of the corresponding lane in the approachable lane are common among the travelable lanes is selected. Determined as the recommended lane,
When the number of the accessible lanes is larger than the number of the travelable lanes, the travelable lanes on the far right from the leftmost travelable lanes are arranged according to the arrangement of the lanes in the travelable lanes . Toward and from the leftmost accessible lane to the rightmost accessible lane, one of the leftmost operable lanes that has not yet been associated. And, by performing the process of associating one or more of the approachable lanes from the leftmost of the approachable lanes that have not been associated with each other, one travelable lane and one or more approachable lanes are possible. After specifying one or more sets of correspondence with the lane, the lane in which the correspondence is specified with respect to the correspondence lane is determined as the recommended lane among the travelable lanes.
When the number of accessible lanes is smaller than the number of travelable lanes, the lane closer to the center in the left-right direction among the travelable lanes is determined as the recommended lane.
A route guidance method characterized by this.

Images