JP7028539B2 - Road map information generation method and electronic devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device having a method for generating road map information and a navigation function, and more particularly to an identification of a rotary such as in front of a station.

The in-vehicle navigation device detects the position of the own vehicle, reads the road map around the detected position of the own vehicle from the memory, and displays this on the display. Further, by inputting the destination information into the navigation device, the optimum route from the current location to the destination can be calculated and the route guidance can be performed.

Actual roads are maintained in various road environments such as general roads such as national roads and prefectural roads, intersections, three-dimensional intersections, T-junctions, Y-shaped roads, U-turn prohibition, lane change prohibition, etc. , It is desirable to provide appropriate guidance in consideration of these road environments. The navigation device described in Patent Document 1 describes a method for avoiding route guidance through a ramp road unnecessarily with respect to route guidance at a three-dimensional intersection having a ramp road. Specifically, for one node, the regulation content (cost) is defined by the combination of the entry link and the exit link, and the cost is different depending on each route. As a result, the cost is low when the vehicle deviates from the main line and enters the road that intersects the main line, and the route that detours the main line via the ramp road can be costly.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-250662

As a special road shape, there are roundabouts and roundabouts represented in front of the station. The rotary is, for example, a one-way circular road that can go around in the same direction, and has a structure in which three or more roads are connected and one of them can leave in two or more directions for entry. It is stored in the map database as maintenance specifications, such as the fact that the road shape is such that it is possible to set all the road shapes that do not require guidance in the one-way circular direction. Further, the roundabout is stored in the map database as a maintenance specification, for example, an intersection (clockwise intersection) in which one-way right-handed traffic is restricted by the traffic sign "clockwise traffic at a circular intersection".

Some of the so-called roundabouts in front of the station are defined as rotary, including large roads with four lanes on each side, but there are places that are not defined as rotary due to the maintenance specifications of the database. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the result of searching for a route guide passing near the rotary in front of the station. As shown in the figure, the vehicle position 1, the rotary 2 of the X station, the road 3, the intersection 4, and the destination 5 are shown, and the route R1 and the rotary 2 that arrive at the destination 5 through the road 3 are passed. The route R2 arriving at the destination 5 is shown. When searching for a route to a destination, the navigation device calculates the running cost of the link and the cost of going straight or turning left or right at the intersection, and selects the route with the lowest cost as the optimum route. Route R1 has a shorter mileage than Route R2, so the travel cost of the link is small, but on the other hand, the cost for turning right at the intersection 4 is high, and as a result, the cost of Route R2 is higher than the cost of Route R1. It may become smaller and route R2 may be selected as the route to the destination 5. Originally, since the destination is not X station, it is desirable to go to the destination 5 by the route R1 passing through the general road rather than the route R2 passing through the rotary 2 having the travel restriction. In addition, at present, the rotary in front of the station is not maintained in the map database, so it is not easy to identify the rotary in front of the station when searching for a route and search for a route that avoids this.

The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for generating road map information and an electronic device that can identify a rotary or a roundabout related to a facility such as a station.

The method for generating road map information according to the present invention includes at least information on roads and facility information on facilities, and includes a step of referring to the facility information and extracting location information for arrival determination, and the road information. It has a step of identifying a link including the location information for arrival determination and a step of defining the link including the location information for arrival determination as a rotary of the facility with reference to.

In one embodiment, the defined step adds rotary information to the facility information to identify that the link is a rotary of the facility. In one embodiment, the defined step comprises comparing the length of a link containing location information for arrival determination with the length of another link that bypasses the link, and the definition step is an arrival determination. If the link containing the location information for is longer than the other links, the link containing the location information for the arrival determination is defined as the rotary of the facility, and if it is shorter than the other links, the location information for the arrival determination is defined. Do not define the included link as a facility rotary. In one embodiment, the defined step comprises determining the road type of the link including location information for arrival determination, and the defined step corresponds to a road type in which the road type of the link is predetermined. Define the link as the rotary of the facility. In one embodiment, the defined step defines a link containing location information for station arrival determination as a station rotary or roundabout.

The electronic device having a navigation function according to the present invention is a storage means for storing at least road map information including information on roads and facility information on facilities, and a search for searching a route to a destination by referring to the road map information. When the searched link includes location information for arrival determination, the search means defines the link as a rotary of the facility and searches for a route to the destination.

In one embodiment, the search means increases the cost of a link defined as a rotary of the facility to search for a route to a destination. In one embodiment, the search means includes a path determination means for determining whether or not to enter a link defined as a rotary of a facility, and the search means is a path by the path determination means. If it is determined that the vehicle will enter, the cost of the link will be increased, and if it is determined that the vehicle will not enter the road, the cost of the link will not be increased and the route to the destination will be searched. In one embodiment, the search means includes a station determination means for determining whether or not the destination is a station, and the search means performs the path determination means when it is determined that the destination is not a station. If the destination is determined to be a station, the link defined as the rotary of the facility is searched for the route to the destination at normal cost. In one embodiment, the search means includes a comparison means that compares the length of a link containing location information for arrival determination with the length of another link that bypasses the link, and the search means is for arrival determination. If the link containing the location information of is longer than the other links, the link containing the location information for the arrival determination is defined as the rotary of the facility, and if it is shorter than the other links, the location information for the arrival determination is included. Do not define a link as a facility rotary. In one embodiment, the search means includes a road type determination means for determining a road type of a link including position information for arrival determination, and the search means has a road type predetermined by the road type detective means. Define the relevant link as the rotary of the facility.

According to the present invention, the link including the location information for determining the arrival of the facility is defined as the rotary of the facility, so that the rotary of the facility can be easily identified in the road map information including the link not defined as the rotary. It can be carried out. Also, by defining such a link as a facility rotary, it is possible to search for a route that avoids the facility rotary.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the in-vehicle device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example which acquires the information from other distribution sites. It is a figure which shows an example of the road map data which concerns on this Example. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the actual road environment and road map data. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of the path search program which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow of the route search operation of the vehicle-mounted device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the route search example schematically. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of the path search program which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow of the path search operation which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a specific example for demonstrating the third embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of the path search program which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow of the path search operation which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow of the path search operation which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow of the road map data generation operation which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the problem about the station front rotary in the conventional navigation device.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention is an in-vehicle device such as a navigation device fixedly mounted on a moving body such as an automobile, a portable computer device that can be carried around, or a tablet-type computer device. Can be done. The electronic device according to the present invention has a navigation function of displaying a road map around the position of the own vehicle and guiding the optimum route to the destination. In addition to these, the electronic device may be integrated with, for example, a function of playing audio / video data, a function of receiving television / radio broadcasts, a function of executing application software, and the like. ..

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The in-vehicle device 100 includes an input unit 110, a position information calculation unit 120, a navigation unit 130, a display unit 140, a voice output unit 150, a communication unit 160, a storage unit 170, and a control unit 180. However, the configuration shown here is an example, and the in-vehicle device 100 may include other functions.

The input unit 110 receives an instruction from the user by means of an input key device, a voice input recognition device, a touch panel, or the like, and provides the instruction to the control unit 180. For example, the user can input desired destination information via the input unit 110. The position information calculation unit 120 calculates the current position of the own vehicle based on the GPS signal transmitted from the GPS satellite and / or the output of the directional sensor such as the gyro sensor. For example, the navigation unit 130 searches for a route from the current location to the destination calculated by the position information calculation unit 120 with reference to the road map data, displays the searched route on the display unit 140, or provides route guidance. Audio is output from the audio output unit 150.

The display unit 140 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL, and displays, for example, a road map generated by the navigation unit 130. The voice output unit 150 outputs voice guidance or the like by the navigation unit 130. The communication unit 160 enables data communication with an external device. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the communication unit 160 accesses the location information distribution site 162 via the network NW, acquires the vehicle position information from the location information distribution site 162, or accesses the map data distribution site 164, and there. You can get the necessary map data from, or you can access the road traffic information distribution site 166 and get detailed information about the road traffic information from there. The own vehicle position information obtained from the position information distribution site 162 can be used instead of the own vehicle position information calculated by the position information calculation unit 120. Further, the road map data distributed from the map data distribution site 164 can be stored in the storage unit 170 and used by the navigation unit 130.

The storage unit 170 can store road map data and other data required by the navigation unit 130. Further, the storage unit 170 can store application software, a program, or the like executed by the control unit 180.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of road map data used by the navigation unit 130. The road map data includes link data 172 related to roads (links), node data 174 related to nodes such as intersections, facilities such as stations, restaurants and gas stations, or facility data 176 related to POI.

The link data 172 includes a link ID for identifying the link, position coordinates of the start point and the end point of the link, a road type of the link (for example, a type of a general road, a toll road, an expressway, a national road, a prefectural road, a city road, etc.), and a route search. Includes link costs or link travel times used when doing so, Rotary information to identify whether the link is Rotary, and so on. The rotary information is, for example, flag data, and if the flag is set, the link is a road that constitutes a rotary, and if the flag is reset, the link is a road that does not constitute a rotary. In addition to the above, the link data 172 can include the number of lanes, the width of the road, the distance along the link road, and the like.

The node data 174 includes a node ID for identifying a node, an entry link ID for entering the node, an escape link ID for exiting the node, position coordinates of the node, intersection information regarding an intersection, and the like. In addition to the above, the node data 174 can include information such as the number of connections and connection directions of the entry link and the exit link connected to the node.

The facility data 174 includes a facility ID for identifying the facility, a facility name, facility position coordinates, genre information, arrival determination information, and the like. The genre information is information indicating the genre to which facilities such as stations (JR stations, private railway stations, subway stations, etc.), gas stations, restaurants, convenience stores, parks, etc. belong. The position coordinates of the facility are set, for example, in the center position of the facility or in the area of the facility, but apart from such position coordinates, it is used for determining whether or not the facility has arrived. Position coordinates may be set as arrival determination information. For example, if a facility whose center position is far from the road is set as the destination, if the center position of the facility is used for arrival determination, the distance from the center position of the facility to the road becomes too large, and the purpose. There may be a situation where the arrival judgment to the ground cannot be made properly. In order to avoid such a situation, the arrival determination information is set with the coordinate position for arrival determination indicating the position on or near the road in the vicinity.

FIG. 4 illustrates the relationship between an actual road and road map data. FIG. 4A schematically shows an actual road, and FIG. 4B shows the actual road with links R1 to R8 and nodes N1 to N4. The connection relationship between the links R1 to R8 and the nodes N1 to N4 can be obtained from the road map data shown in FIG. Further, the position coordinates of the station A are P1 (X5, Y5) in the vicinity of the link R2, and the position coordinates Q1 (X6, Y6) for the arrival determination are set as the arrival determination information in the facility data. .. When the A station is set as the destination, the navigation unit 130 can determine that the vehicle has arrived at the A station when the position of the own vehicle reaches the vicinity of the position coordinate Q1 for the arrival determination. In the initial road map data, the rotary information indicating that the links R1 to R8 are the rotary in front of the station is not set, but as will be described later, the position coordinates for determining the arrival of the station A in the vicinity of the link R2. When Q exists, the link R2 is defined as the station square rotary of the station A, and the rotary information of the link R2 is set with a flag indicating that the link R2 is the station square rotary.

In one embodiment, the control unit 180 is composed of a microcontroller including a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and the ROM or the RAM can store a program for execution by the control unit 180. In this embodiment, the control unit 180 executes a route search program 200 that performs a route search in consideration of the rotary in front of the station. FIG. 5 shows a functional configuration of the route search program according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the route search program 200 includes a destination setting unit 210, a route search unit 220, a facility data acquisition unit 230, a rotary link identification unit 240, an arrival determination information extraction unit 250, a rotary information setting unit 260, and a route re-route. Includes search unit 270.

For example, when searching for a route from the position of the own vehicle to the destination, the destination setting unit 210 sets the destination as the destination input from the input unit 110 by the user. The method of setting the destination is arbitrary, and for example, the facility name, the telephone number, the coordinates on the map, and the like are set as the destination.

When the destination is set by the destination setting unit 210, the route search unit 220 searches for the route from the own vehicle position calculated by the position information calculation unit 120 to the destination with reference to the road map data. The route search unit 220 calculates the cost of a plurality of routes to the destination, and selects the route having the lowest cost as the optimum route. Specifically, the cost set for each link (or link travel time) is added, and the cost of going straight, turning right, and turning left at the intersection (straight ahead cost <left turn cost <right turn cost) is added, and the most cost. Search for low routes. Further, when calculating the cost, the route search unit 220 refers to the rotary information of the link data, and if the link is defined as a rotary (flag is set), the route search unit 220 sets the preset cost. Increase and calculate. For example, a certain coefficient is added to a preset cost, or a coefficient is multiplied by a preset cost. Further, the route search unit 220 may search for a route to the destination according to conditions such as distance priority, toll road priority, general road priority, and straight-ahead priority, and use these as search results.

The facility data acquisition unit 230 refers to the road map data and acquires facility data existing in the vicinity of the route searched by the route search unit 220. For example, the facility data existing within a certain distance from the searched route is acquired. Alternatively, facility data existing within a certain distance may be acquired from the nodes existing on the searched route.

The arrival determination information extraction unit 240 refers to the facility data acquired by the facility data acquisition unit 230, and extracts the arrival determination information contained therein. Specifically, when the coordinate position for arrival determination is set as described above, the coordinate position for arrival determination is extracted.

When the arrival determination information is extracted by the arrival determination information extraction unit 240, the rotary link identification unit 250 identifies the link corresponding to the coordinate position for arrival determination from the searched route, and installs the identified link. Defined as Rotary. In one embodiment, the rotary ink identification unit 250 defines the link having the smallest vertical distance from the coordinate position for arrival determination to the link as a rotary. For example, when the arrival determination information extraction unit 240 extracts the arrival determination information of the station, the link closest to the coordinate position for the arrival determination is identified as the station rotary.

The rotary information setting unit 260 sets rotary information in order to define the link identified by the rotary link identification unit 250 as a rotary. For example, the rotary information setting unit 260 may set a flag to identify that it is a rotary, and may associate facility data as attribute information so that it can be identified whether it is a rotary of the facility. ..

The route re-search unit 270 re-searches the route to the destination when the rotary information is changed by the rotary information setting unit 260. This re-search reflects the cost of a link defined as a roundabout, making it easier to avoid roads through the roundabout. The re-searched result is output to, for example, the display unit 140, and the user can determine a desired route from the searched routes as a guide route.

Next, the route search operation of the in-vehicle device of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flow shown in FIG. First, when the destination is set according to the input from the user (S100), the route search unit 220 searches for the route from the own vehicle position to the destination (S102). FIG. 7A shows an example of a route search, turning right at the route (link (road) R7, R6, R3, R2, R4, node N1) from the own vehicle position S to the destination G, and turning the node N2. Go straight along the road and turn left at node N4). The link R2 is actually a rotary in front of the station of A station, but the rotary information defining that the link R2 is a rotary in front of the station is not set in the initial road map data. Therefore, at this point, the route search is performed using the cost preset for the link R2, as in the case of a normal road. Normally, the cost of turning right is higher than that of going straight, so the cost of going straight is lower than that of turning right at node N2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7A, a route passing through the link R2 in front of the station is searched for. In some cases.

Next, the facility data acquisition unit 230 acquires facility data in the vicinity of the search route (S104). In the example of FIG. 7A, the facility data of the station A existing in the vicinity of the link R2 is acquired. Next, the arrival determination information is extracted by the arrival determination information extraction unit 240 (S106), and the rotary link identification unit 250 identifies the presence or absence of the link corresponding to the extracted arrival determination information (S108). If the facility does not exist on the search route, or if the facility data of the existing facility does not have the position coordinates for arrival determination, the link defined as Rotary is not identified, and therefore the Rotary information is displayed. The searched result is presented to the display unit 140 as the optimum route without being set (S110). On the other hand, when the rotary link identification unit 250 identifies a link defined as a rotary, the rotary information setting unit 260 sets (sets a flag) the rotary information of the identified link data (S112). Then, the route re-search unit 270 re-searches the route to the destination using the link data reflecting the rotary information (S114), and the re-search result is presented to the display unit 140 as the optimum route (S). S116).

In FIG. 7A, since the position coordinate Q1 for determining the arrival of station A exists on the link R2, the link R2 is identified as a rotary, and the rotary information setting unit 260 defines the link R2 as a rotary. Set the flag of the rotary information of the link R2. Since the rotary information is set in the link R2, the route re-search unit 270 increases the cost of the link R2 according to a predetermined rule and re-searches the route to the destination. This makes it difficult to select a route through the link R2 defined as a rotary, and as a result, as shown in FIG. 7B, travel on the links R7 and R6, turn right on the node N2, and link R1 and R4. The route to travel is searched.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the link corresponding to the position coordinate for arrival determination is identified, and the identified link is defined as the rotary. Therefore, the link for which the rotary is not defined in the road map data is defined. Can be automatically discriminated as a rotary, and as a result, it becomes possible to avoid a route passing through the rotary when searching for a route. In the above embodiment, an example of identifying the rotary in front of the station is shown, but the facility is not limited to the front of the station and may be another facility. The identified Rotary definition can be made on the road map data.

Next, a second embodiment of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 7A, one of the reasons why the route passing through the link R2 in front of the station A is searched is that the cost of going straight on the node N2 is low and the cost of turning right is high. If the link R5 enters the link R2, there is a high possibility that the route of the link R5, R1 and R4 will be searched because the cost of turning left and right is not incurred at the node N2. In other words, the fact that the route of the link R2 is selected despite the cost of turning left and right means that if a route that does not pass through the link R2 is selected, the mileage may become very long. Expected (cost of going straight + cost of other links> cost of turning left and right + cost of link R2). Therefore, in such a case, it is necessary that the link R2 can be easily selected. On the other hand, when the destination is station A, it is necessary to search for a route traveling on the link R2 instead of the route shown in FIG. 7B. In the second embodiment, it is possible to search for a route in consideration of these points.

FIG. 8 shows the functional configuration of the route search program 200A according to the second embodiment, and the same reference numbers are assigned to the same ones as those of the first embodiment. The route search program 200A according to the second embodiment includes an approach direction determination unit 280 and a destination determination unit 290 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment. The approach direction determination unit 280 determines the approach direction of the link to which the rotary information is given, such as whether to enter along the road (or go straight), turn left to enter, or turn right to enter. .. For example, when the route shown in FIG. 7A is searched, it is determined that the link R2 defined as a rotary is approached along the road through the links R6 and R3. The destination determination unit 290 determines whether or not the destination set by the destination setting unit 210 is a predetermined facility (in this example, a station).

FIG. 9 is a flow of the route search operation according to the second embodiment. Since the processes from steps S100 to S112 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. When there is a link identified as a rotary (S108), the rotary information is set by the rotary information setting unit 112 (S112). In the second embodiment, after the rotary information is set, the approach direction determination unit 280 determines whether or not the approach to the link identified as the rotary is a road (S200), and if the approach is a road, the approach is determined. It is determined whether the destination is a station (S210), and if the destination is determined to be a station, the cost of the link defined as the rotary is increased according to the rotary information and the route is re-searched (S116). In other cases, the route is not re-searched, and the already searched route is presented as the optimum route (S112).

Thus, according to this embodiment, even when a link is defined as a rotary, determining the approach direction to the link significantly increases the mileage or cost to the destination. It is possible to prevent the route of from being searched. Also, if the destination is a station or a predetermined facility, a link defined as a roundabout may be searched and no other route may be searched.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the determination based on the logical product of the determination of the approach direction and the determination of the destination is performed, but the determination is not limited to this, and only the determination of the approach direction may be performed. However, only the determination of the destination may be performed. Further, the approach direction may be determined after the destination is determined.

Further, in the second embodiment, the road path determination (S200) and the destination determination (S210) are performed after the rotary information is set, but the road path determination and the destination determination are performed before the rotary information is set. You may do it. In this way, the judgment results of the roadside judgment and the destination judgment can be reflected in the presence or absence of the rotary information setting. That is, if it is not necessary to search the route again, it is not necessary to set the rotary information.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a specific example for explaining the third embodiment. The example on the Z1 side is the road environment described in the first embodiment, and the example on the Z2 side has links R9 to R16, the current position S1 of the own vehicle M1 is on the link R9, and the destination G1. Is on the link R13. Note that Q1 and Q2 are position coordinates for determining arrival at station A.

In the example on the Z1 side, if the link R2 is defined as a rotary in front of the station and the route through the link R1 that avoids the link R2 is rediscovered, the mileage of the link R1 is shorter than that of the link R2, so that the user can use it. This is a desirable guide route.

On the other hand, in the example on the Z2 side, if the link R11 corresponding to the position coordinate Q2 for arrival determination is defined as a rotary, the detour route (R15, R12, R16) avoiding the link R11 can be searched again. There is sex. In this case, the mileage of the detour route becomes larger than that of the link R11 defined as the rotary, and it may not be the optimum route for the user.
Also, if the link including the position coordinates for determining the arrival of the station is simply defined as a rotary, in the case of a station where the rotary does not actually exist, a route passing through the link including the arrival point of the station is searched for. However, it is conceivable that a route to detour in vain will be searched. The third embodiment considers such a situation.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the route search program 200B according to the third embodiment, and the route search program 200B includes a distance comparison unit 300 in addition to the configuration according to the first embodiment. ing. The distance comparison unit 300 compares the distance when traveling on a link defined as a rotary with the distance when traveling on a link that bypasses the link. In one embodiment, the distance comparison unit 300 compares the distance between the link including the position coordinates for determining arrival and another route that shares the link with the start point node and the end point node. In the example on the Z1 side, the distance comparison unit 300 compares the distances of the links R3 and R2 with the distances of the links R1 that bypass the links R3 and R2. When an extremely short link exists, such as the link R3, the starting node of the link R2 defined as rotary is replaced with N2 instead of N3. In the example on the Z2 side, the distance comparison unit 300 compares the distance of the link R11 with the distances of the links R15, R12, and 16.

Next, the route search operation according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flow shown in FIG. Steps S100 to S108 are the same as in the first embodiment. When the rotary link identification unit 250 identifies the link including the coordinate position for arrival determination (S108), the distance comparison unit 300 determines the distance of the link identified as the rotary and the distance of the link of the detour thereof. Are compared (S300). Based on the comparison result of the distance comparison unit 300, the rotary information setting unit 260 sets the rotary information in order to define the link as a rotary when the link identified as the rotary is longer than the link of the detour (S310). (S112), after that, the route is re-searched (S114) as in the first embodiment, and the re-search result is presented to the user (S116).

On the other hand, if the link identified as a rotary is shorter than the link in the detour (S310), the link identified as a rotary is not defined as a rotary, that is, no rotary information is set, and the previous search result is the user. Presented at (S110).

In the example of FIG. 10, in a road environment such as Z1, the link R2 is defined as a rotary, and in a road environment such as Z2, the link R11 includes the position coordinate Q2 for determining arrival. Is not defined as Rotary.
The third embodiment may be a combination with the second embodiment. That is, in the flow shown in FIG. 9, before setting the rotary information, the distance between the link identified as the rotary and the link of the detour is compared, and the rotary information is set according to the comparison result. good.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first to third embodiments, rotary information is set regardless of the road type and road attribute of the link identified as rotary, but in the fourth embodiment, the road type and road attribute are determined. Then, it is decided whether or not to define the link identified as Rotary based on the judgment result as Rotary. For example, if the link identified as a roundabout is a national or major road, these roads are unlikely to be roundabouts, and conversely, if they are open roads or narrow roads, these roads are roundabouts. Probability is high.

FIG. 13 shows the flow of the route search operation according to the fourth embodiment. Steps S100 to S108 are the same as in the first to third embodiments. When the rotary link identification unit 250 identifies the link including the coordinate position for arrival determination (S108), the rotary information setting unit 260 determines whether or not the link is the main road (S400). What kind of road will be the main road is preset. For example, national roads, toll roads, roads with a certain width or more, and roads with two or more lanes are set as main roads. When the rotary information setting unit 260 determines that the link identified as the rotary is the main road, the rotary information setting unit 260 does not define the link as a rotary, and the previous search result is presented to the user (S110). On the other hand, when the rotary information setting unit 260 determines that the link recognized as a rotary is not the main road, the rotary information setting unit 260 sets rotary information to define the link as a rotary (S112), and thereafter, the first embodiment. As in the case of, the route to the destination is re-searched (S114), and the re-search result is presented to the user (S116).

Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The first to fourth embodiments show an example in which the navigation unit 130 of the in-vehicle device 100 searches for a route, but in the fifth embodiment, the link is automatically rotated by using the arrival determination information of the facility data. Regarding the method of generating road map data defined in.

The method for generating road map data according to the fifth embodiment is executed by a computer device. The computer device includes, for example, a storage unit for storing road map data in which rotary information is undeveloped, and a control unit for executing a program for generating road map data, and the control unit is stored in the storage unit. Read the road map data, execute the necessary processing, and write the processed road map data to the storage unit.

FIG. 14 shows a flow for explaining the operation of generating road map data according to the fifth embodiment. First, road map data for which rotary information has not been set is prepared, and this is stored in the storage unit (S500). Next, the control unit refers to the road map data, searches the facility data shown in FIG. 3 from the road map data (S510), extracts the arrival determination information from the facility data, and extracts the arrival determination information. , The link corresponding to the position coordinate for arrival determination included in the arrival determination information is identified as a rotary link as in the case of the first to fourth embodiments (S530). Next, the control unit sets rotary information in the link data of the link identified as the rotary link (S540). By repeating such processing, the rotary links corresponding to the arrival determination information of all the facility data are identified, and the rotary information is set for those links.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to automatically define the rotary by using the arrival determination information of the facility data and generate the road map data in which the definition of the rotary is defined.

In the above embodiment, all the links including the position coordinates for determining arrival are defined in the rotary, but as in the case of the third embodiment, the distance of the link identified as the rotary and the distance of the link of the detour are set. You may compare and define Rotary based on the result of the comparison. Further, as in the case of the fourth embodiment, the rotary may be defined according to the road type and the attribute of the link identified as the rotary.

In the above embodiment, a station is illustrated as a facility, and when the station includes position coordinates for arrival determination, the link corresponding to the position coordinates is defined as a rotary in front of the station. This is an example, and the facility is a station. It may be other than, and the rotary of the facility other than the station may be defined.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations are made within the scope of the gist of the invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

100: In-vehicle device 110: Input unit 120: Position information calculation unit 130: Navigation unit 140: Display unit 150: Voice output unit 160: Communication unit 170: Storage unit 172: Link data 174: Node data 176: Facility data 180: Control Parts R1 to R16: Links N1 to N8: Nodes

Claims (11)

A method of generating road map information including at least road information about roads and facility information about facilities.
With reference to the facility information, a step of extracting position information for arrival determination including a coordinate position used for determining whether or not the facility has arrived at the time of route search or route guidance, and
With reference to the road information, a step of identifying a link corresponding to the location information for arrival determination, and
The step of defining the rotary information of the facility in the link corresponding to the location information for arrival determination, and
How to generate road map information with. The step defined above is the method for generating road map information according to claim 1, wherein rotary information for identifying that the link is a rotary of the facility is added to the facility information. The defined step includes a step of comparing the length of the link corresponding to the location information for arrival determination with the length of another link that bypasses the link.
In the step defined above, when the link corresponding to the location information for arrival determination is longer than the other links , the rotary information of the facility is defined in the link corresponding to the location information for arrival determination, and the rotary information of the facility is defined from the other links. The method for generating road map information according to claim 1, wherein the rotary information of the facility is not defined in the link corresponding to the location information for the arrival determination. The defined step includes a step of determining the road type of the link corresponding to the position information for arrival determination.
The step to be defined is the method for generating road map information according to claim 1, wherein the rotary information of the facility is defined in the link corresponding to the road type in which the road type of the link is predetermined. The step defined above is the method for generating road map information according to claim 1, wherein the link corresponding to the location information for determining the arrival of the station is defined as the rotary or roundabout of the station. An electronic device with a navigation function
A storage means for storing at least road map information including road information about roads and facility information about facilities,
Including a search means for searching a route to a destination by referring to the road map information.
The search means refers to the road map information, and extracts and extracts position information for arrival determination including coordinate positions used for determining whether or not the facility has arrived at the time of route search or route guidance. An electronic device that searches for a route to a destination by defining the link identified based on the location information as the rotary of the facility. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the search means increases the cost of a link defined as a rotary of a facility to search for a route to a destination. The search means include a path determination means for determining whether or not to enter a link defined as a rotary of a facility, and the search means is determined by the path determination means to enter the path. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the cost of the link is increased in the case of the case, and the route to the destination is searched without increasing the cost of the link when it is determined that the vehicle does not enter along the road. The search means includes a station determination means for determining whether or not the destination is a station, and the search means performs the path determination means when it is determined that the destination is not a station, and the destination is a station. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein if it is determined, the link defined as the rotary of the facility is searched for a route to the destination at a normal cost. The search means includes a comparison means for comparing the length of the link corresponding to the position information for arrival determination with the length of another link that bypasses the link, and the search means includes the position information for arrival determination. If the corresponding link is longer than the other links, the link corresponding to the location information for the arrival determination is defined as the rotary of the facility, and if it is shorter than the other links, the link corresponding to the location information for the arrival determination is defined. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the above is not defined as the rotary of the facility. The search means includes a road type determination means for determining a road type of a link corresponding to position information for arrival determination, and the search means obtains a link corresponding to a road type predetermined by the road type determination means. The electronic device according to claim 6, which is defined as the rotary of the facility.

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