JPH05164567A - Vehicle guidance device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely perform proper search even if there is a pass except a road between a start point and a goal by incorporating the data of the pass except the road such as a sea route connected to the road on a road map into digital map data. CONSTITUTION:In a signal processor 3 composed of a microcomputer, by counting of pulse signals from a distance sensor 1, the running distance of the vehicle is measured and the change in advanced direction is obtained in accordance with the output signal of direction sensor 2, the present position on an X-Y coordinate every constant running distance is obtained from successive computation. And in order to process the data of a pass except a road such as a sea route as well as the other data of the road in advance, the data at the time when the pass except the road such as the sea route connected to the road on a road map is made the approximation of broken lines by means of a line segment are incorporated into digital map data and route search is performed at the time when there is the pass except the road such as the sea route between a start point and a goal set on a road map.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle traveling guide device for guiding a vehicle by searching a route from a starting point set on a road map displayed on a screen to a destination.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a starting point and a destination are arbitrarily set on a road map displayed on a screen, and an optimum route from the set starting point to the destination is set based on digital map data. There has been developed a vehicle travel guide device which searches and guides the travel of the vehicle according to the searched route (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-133).
See Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 600 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-173297).

As digital map data, an actual road shape shown in FIG. 3 is approximated to a polygonal line by a line segment as shown in FIG. It consists of data on the connection status between the two.

As a method for performing a route search based on digital map data, for example, according to a known algorithm such as Dijkstra method, the connected nodes on the digital map are successively tracked so that the required distance is minimized. There are various route search methods such as performing a route search that minimizes the distance from a starting point to a destination.

Conventionally, based on digital map data,
When searching for a route from a starting point set on a road map to a destination by node tracking or the like, for example, as shown in FIG. Car ferry routes R1, R2 between destination O
In the case where R3 intervenes, the line segment that constitutes the road is interrupted in the route portion, and it is not possible to search for a route from the starting point S to the destination O.

[0006] The same problem also arises when there is no choice but to use a road outside the road such as a railway or an air route between the starting point and the destination.

[0007]

The problem to be solved is that when a route from the starting point set on the road map to the destination is searched based on the digital map data, the starting point If there is a road outside the road such as a sea route between the destination and the destination, the route search becomes impossible.

[0008]

According to the present invention, when a route from a starting point set on a road map to a destination is searched for on the basis of digital map data, the starting point and the destination are In order to enable route search when a road outside the road such as a route intervenes, the data of the road outside the road such as the route connected to the existing road on the road map should be included in the digital map data. ing.

[0009]

1 shows a basic configuration example of a vehicle travel guide device according to the present invention. For example, a distance sensor 1 for outputting a pulse signal for each unit travel distance in accordance with the rotation of a tire of a vehicle, for example, A directional sensor 2 that outputs a signal proportional to the amount of directional change that accompanies traveling of the vehicle that detects a change in angular velocity in the yaw direction, and the number of pulse signals from the distance sensor 1 are counted to measure the traveling distance of the vehicle. By detecting the change in the traveling direction according to the output signal of the direction sensor 2, X at a constant traveling distance of the vehicle can be obtained.
A signal processing device 3 including a microcomputer that sequentially calculates the current position on the −Y coordinate and controls the entire vehicle travel guide device, and an ever-changing XY signal calculated by the signal processing device 3. A traveling locus storage device 4 that sequentially stores data of the current position of the coordinate position and stores the data as finite continuous position information of the vehicle.
And a map information storage medium 5 in which road map information based on digital map data is stored in advance, a storage medium reproducing device 6 for selectively reading road map information of a necessary area from the storage medium 5, and its read A predetermined road map is displayed on the screen based on the road map information, and the current position of the vehicle is displayed on the road map displayed on the screen.
A display device 7 for updating and displaying the traveling locus and the traveling direction of the vehicle at the current position as the vehicle travels, and a map for giving an operation command to the signal processing device 3 and displaying on the display device 7 as necessary. Selection designation of the vehicle and the starting point of the vehicle on the displayed map,
Set destinations, etc., and selectively give display commands such as running locus, change direction of displayed map and running locus, shift display position, partially enlarged display of map and running locus, display scale It is configured by the operation device 8 capable of appropriately changing the setting of the display form such as selection of the rate.

With the above-mentioned structure, the selectively read road map is displayed on the screen of the display device 7, and the signal processing is performed in accordance with the traveling of the vehicle from the starting point set on the map. The current position on the XY coordinates is calculated by the device 3 every moment in accordance with the preset scale of the map, and the calculation result is sequentially sent to the traveling locus storage device 4 to update the stored contents. As it goes, the stored content is read and sent to the display device 7.

As a result, the display device 7, for example, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a display mark M1 indicating the current position of the vehicle on the map displayed on the screen, a display mark M2 indicating the traveling direction of the vehicle at the current position, and a traveling locus from the starting point S to the current position. The display mark M3 is displayed in a simulated manner following the running state of the vehicle.

According to the present invention, there is provided such a vehicle driving guide device, in which the signal processing device 3 starts from a starting point set on the road map based on the digital map data read from the map information storage medium 5. To determine the optimum route that takes into account road information such as required distance and one-way roads, for example, by displaying the optimum route on the road map displayed on the screen in a special color. ,
The vehicle can be guided so that the current position of the vehicle is updated and displayed on the optimum route.

Here, various known methods are widely applied to the basic algorithm of the route search and the determination of the optimum route itself.

In such a case, particularly in the present invention, a road outside the road such as a route is connected to an existing road on a road map in advance so that the road can be treated in the same data manner as the road. Incorporate the data obtained by approximating a line outside the road such as a route by a line segment into the digital map data, and create a route outside the road such as a route between the starting point and the destination set on the road map. The feature is that the route search when intervening is performed.

Then, as road types such as national roads, prefectural roads, and highways, for example, "routes" are registered in the map information storage medium 5 and, as shown in FIG. 5, on the road map displayed on the screen, Route R1 connected to existing road R1
Display R3.

Here, when the destination O is set as shown in FIG. 5, the route R2 is searched as a route having the minimum cost of the line segment including the distance, the average required time, or a combination thereof. Will be.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, when the inside of the port is wide and there is no road between the existing road R and the port a, the existing road R and the port a are virtually Road R '
Then, the road data is incorporated into the digital map data, and the existing road R and the routes R1 to R3 are data-connected via the virtual road R '.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, as a route from the starting point S to the destination O, a route A passing only by a land route.
In the case where and the route B passing through the route R4 coexist, the route B will be searched if the route search that minimizes the cost of the line segment from the starting point S to the destination O is performed. However, in reality, even if the distance is short, the time required for the route R4 becomes long, so in such a case, it is better to search the route A.

Therefore, in the present invention, the cost of the line segment on the road outside the road such as a route is apparently increased, and then a route is searched for that minimizes the cost of the line segment from the starting point to the destination. I am trying to do it.

Specifically, for example, even if the actual length of the route R4 is 10 km, it is 100 km in terms of data.
I treat it as a thing.

At this time, even if the data in which the cost of the line segment on the road outside the road such as a route is increased from the beginning is incorporated in the digital map data, the signal processing device 3 is also used.
In, the process of multiplying the cost of the line segment on the road outside the road such as the shipping route by a constant weighting coefficient may be performed later.

[0022]

As described above, in the vehicle travel guide device according to the present invention, when the route from the starting point set on the road map to the destination is searched based on the digital map data, the road is searched. Since data of roads outside the road such as routes connected to existing roads on the map are incorporated in the digital map data, roads outside the road such as routes are interposed between the starting point and the destination. Even at times, there is an advantage that an appropriate route search can be surely performed without taking any special search means.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a vehicle travel guide device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of display contents in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an actual road shape.

4 is a diagram showing a digital map of the road of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a road map in which a route exists between a starting point and a destination.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a road map in which a route passing through a land route and a route passing through a route exist between a starting point and a destination.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 distance sensor 2 direction sensor 3 signal processing device 4 traveling locus storage device 5 map information storage medium 6 storage medium reproducing device 7 display device 8 operating device

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A departure set on a road map displayed on a screen based on digital map data composed of data relating to the position of each line segment and the mutual connection state when the actual road shape is approximated by a polygonal line. In a vehicle driving guidance device that guides the vehicle traveling by searching for a route from a point to a destination, digital map data of roads outside the road such as routes connected to existing roads on the road map A vehicle travel guidance device characterized by being incorporated in data so that a route search can be performed when an off-road route such as a route is interposed between a starting point and a destination. 2. A virtual road is created between an existing road on the road map and a road outside the road such as a route, and the existing road on the road map and the outside of the road such as a route are created through the virtual road. The vehicle travel guide device according to the above item 1, wherein the vehicle travel guide device is connected to the road. 3. The cost of a line segment on a road outside the road such as a traffic route is apparently increased, and then a route that minimizes the cost of the line segment from the starting point to the destination is searched for. The vehicle travel guide device according to the above item 1.