JPH0546160Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <<Industrial Application Field>> This invention relates to a device that is mounted on a vehicle and provides route guidance to a passenger.

<<Prior Art and its Problems>> As a conventional route guide device for a vehicle, one described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-223017 is known.

In this type of device, it is desired that the starting intersection (or destination intersection) of a route be automatically set simply by providing the starting point (or destination).

The simplest solution is to compare the starting point coordinates (or destination coordinates) and each intersection coordinate, and select the intersection that is the shortest distance from the starting point (or destination) as the starting intersection (or destination intersection). It is possible that

However, in the case of conventional devices such as those described above, when traveling from a starting point to a starting intersection or from a destination intersection to a destination, the vehicle is driven using only the direction display, so sufficient travel guidance is not necessarily provided in these cases. If the departure intersection (or destination intersection) selected based on the shortest distance from the departure point (or destination) is in the opposite direction from the departure point (or destination) as viewed from the departure point (or destination) If the vehicle is located far away from the departure point (or destination), the journey will be long with only the directions displayed in the opposite direction, leading to unnecessary detours when traveling from the departure point to the destination. There was a problem.

《Purpose of the invention》 The purpose of this invention is to simply think about the starting point (or destination) and find the starting intersection (or destination intersection).
is selected automatically, and if you are heading from the starting point to the departure intersection or from the destination intersection to the destination, the drive using only direction indications in the opposite direction of the destination (or starting point) should be kept as short as possible to avoid waste. To provide a route guide device for a vehicle that automatically sets a route without making long detours.

<<Structure of the device>> In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present device is configured as shown in the claim correspondence diagram shown in Fig. 1, and the basic system is to store the position coordinates of each intersection and the section distance to the adjacent intersection. Information storage means a; departure point/destination setting means b for setting the departure point and destination; and an area on the destination side from a straight line passing through the departure point and perpendicular to the straight line connecting the departure point and the destination. or a first area calculation means c that calculates an area within a circle of a predetermined radius centered on the departure point; and a straight line passing through the destination and perpendicular to the straight line connecting the departure point and the destination. Is it the area on the ground side?
a second area calculation means d that calculates an area within a circle with a predetermined radius centered on the destination, and an intersection within the area set by the first area setting means c, and the basic information storage means a. a starting intersection selection means e which searches among the intersections stored in the starting point and selects the intersection closest to the starting point as the starting intersection; and an intersection within the area set by the second area setting means d. a destination intersection selection means f that searches among the intersections stored in the information storage means a and selects the intersection closest to the destination as the destination intersection; and the intersection selected as the starting intersection and the destination intersection as the end intersection of the route. a route calculation means g for calculating a guidance route from a departure intersection to a destination intersection while referring to each intersection information stored in the basic information storage means a; and a direction from the departure point to the departure intersection and from the destination intersection to the destination. a direction display means h for displaying the direction of the road; and a guide display means i for displaying a guide from the departure intersection to the destination intersection based on the guidance route calculated by the route calculation means g. do.

<<Description of Embodiment>> First, the hardware configuration of the apparatus of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 2.

As shown in the figure, this device consists of a CPU 1 mainly composed of a microprocessor, and a system ROM that stores various control system programs.
2. Used as a working area, etc.
It is mainly composed of a stored program type control device consisting of RAM3.

By causing the CPU 1 to execute various control programs (details will be described later) stored in the system ROM 2, various functions necessary for route guidance are realized, as shown in the general flowchart in Figure 10. be done.

Detection of the current position coordinates X, Y and travel distance ∫△D required while driving is performed in response to an interrupt pulse obtained from the distance sensor 4 every time a certain distance △D is traveled.
The current location calculation process (see FIG. 23) is executed by the CPU 1, and is performed by unit travel vector integration processing using the vehicle direction θ obtained from the azimuth sensor 5 and scalar integration processing of the unit distance ΔD.

Information transmission to drivers is via video.
VDT (Visual
This is done visually using the Display Terminal (see Figure 3).

Various commands to the device are issued using an input operation section 8 consisting of a numeric keypad or the like, or a known transparent operation panel 10 attached to the front surface of the VDT 9, as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the transparent operation panel 10 is pressed with a fingertip or the like, the CPU 1 can detect the pressed area via the operation panel interface 11.

Various types of information such as road maps and intersections are stored in an external memory 12 such as a floppy disk, optical disk, or magnetic tape.

As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of block areas are provided in the external memory 12, corresponding to blocks obtained by dividing the reference road map 13 vertically and horizontally.

Each block area is further divided into a plurality of intersection areas corresponding to each intersection included in the block.

Each intersection area stores intersection mode information, X coordinate information and Y coordinate information indicating the position on the map, intersection name information, and information regarding adjacent intersections.

Each adjacent intersection area includes intersection number information of the intersection adjacent to each intersection, road number information of the connecting road, direction information of each connecting road as seen from the intersection,
Section route information from each intersection to the intersection is stored.

Each of the above-mentioned information is used in the process of selecting the departure intersection and destination intersection, the shortest route search process, the guidance display process, and () to (), which will be described later.
(See figure 0).

Also, in the external memory 12, in addition to the intersection information explained above, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 9,
Various information is stored.

That is, as shown in FIG.
In addition to storing the enlarged map information storage area corresponding to the Zone and point name information included in each enlarged map,
Other tables include a table that associates and stores each area name and the number of the reduced map (see Figure 6), a table that associates and stores each zone of the reduced map with the number of the enlarged map (see Figure 7), and a table that associates and stores each zone of the reduced map with the number of the enlarged map. A table (see Figure 8) in which each zone is stored in association with its center coordinates, and a table (see Figure 9) in which the name of a point such as a recreational area is stored in association with the point coordinates of the point are stored. ing.

The meaning of each of these pieces of information will be explained later in the process of specifying the departure point and destination.

This concludes the explanation focusing on the hardware.
Next, the software configuration of the device of this embodiment will be explained as follows.
This will be explained with reference to the drawings below.

As shown in the general flowchart of FIG. 10, the software configuration of the device of this embodiment includes processing for specifying the starting point and destination (step 1001), processing for selecting the starting intersection and destination intersection (step 1002),
The process is roughly divided into six processes: shortest route search process (step 1003), guide display process (step 1004), guide display process (step 1006), and guide display process (step 1006).

Among these processes, the one that is directly related to the present invention is the starting intersection and destination intersection selection process (step 1002), and the other five processes (steps 1001, 1003, 1004, 1005, 1006), there is no direct relationship.

However, although applications for these five processes have already been filed, they have not yet been published (for example, the patent application filed in 1983).
−220481, Patent Application No. 1983-220484, Patent Application No. 1983-
No. 242435, patent application No. 1983-57476, patent application No. 1983-57478
(Japanese Patent Application No. 60-70622, Japanese Patent Application No. 60-70623, August 30, 1985, etc.)

Therefore, in the following explanation, the starting intersection,
The target intersection selection process (step 1002) will be explained in detail in text, and for the other five processes, a flowchart and various diagrams will be attached that specifically describe each processing content in text.
Textual explanations in the specification shall be kept to the minimum necessary.

(A) About the process of specifying the departure point and destination In this process, the departure point and destination are finally specified while interacting with the operator using the VDT9 screen.

That is, a list of region names is displayed on the screen (see FIG. 12), and the designated region is detected by waiting for the transparent operation panel 10 to be pressed.

Next, a scaled-down map of the designated area is projected (first
3), wait for the transparent operation panel 10 to be pressed,
Detect the specified Zone.

Next, an enlarged map of the designated zone is projected (see FIG. 14), the transparent operation panel 10 is pressed, the final designated area is determined, and its center coordinates are specified as the departure point or destination.

For those who are unfamiliar with geography, copy the list of point names (see Figure 15), wait for the transparent operation panel to be pressed, detect the specified point name, and set the point coordinates to the departure point. Recognize it as a destination.

The above processing is performed by executing the process of specifying the departure point and destination as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

The relationship between the pressed area and the reduced map number and the relationship between the pressed area and the enlarged map number can be determined by referring to the tables in Figures 6 and 7, and each image information is shown in Figure 5. As shown, external memory 1
The one stored in 2 is used.

Furthermore, the relationship between the pressed area and the center coordinates of each zone,
Regarding the relationship between the pressed area and point coordinates, see Chapter 8.
It is determined by referring to the tables in FIGS.

(B) Departure intersection and destination intersection selection process FIGS. 16 to 18 show details of the departure intersection and destination intersection selection process.

In FIG. 16, when the selection process of the starting intersection and destination intersection starts, the starting point coordinates Xs,
After reading Ys and destination coordinates Xd and Yd (step 1601), find an X, Y area that satisfies either of the following two equations (step 1602).

(X-Xs) (Xd-Xs) + (Y-Ys) (Yd-Ys) > 0 ...Formula (X-Xs) ² + (Y-Ys) ² ≦1600 ² ...Formula Here, in the formula As shown in Fig. 17, the determined area is the temporary starting point Xs, Ys and the temporary destination Xd,
The line connecting Yd is perpendicular to l ₁ and the temporary starting point Xs,
It corresponds to the area on the destination Xd and Yd side, with the boundary being the straight line l ₂ passing through Ys.

In addition, the area determined by the formula is as shown in FIG.
It corresponds to the inner area of a circle C ₁ with a radius of 1600 m centered on .

Therefore, the X, Y area that satisfies either the formula or the formula corresponds to the area shown by diagonal lines in FIG.

Next, from among the registered intersections existing in the determined X and Y regions, the one closest to the departure points Xs and Ys is selected by referring to the coordinates of each intersection shown in FIG. 4 (step 1603).

Next, the selected registered intersection is stored as the departure intersection X ₁ , Y ₁ as shown in FIG. 17 (step 1604).

Therefore, the registered intersections selected as the starting intersections X ₁ and Y ₁ are always limited to intersections within the shaded area in FIG.
Intersections that exist in the opposite direction to the destinations Xd, Yd with l ₂ as the boundary and are 1600 m or more away from the departure points Xs, Ys will not be selected as the departure intersections X ₁ , Y ₁ . Therefore, there is no risk of making a large detour near the departure point when heading from the departure point to the destination.

Once the departure intersection has been selected, the next two
An X, Y area that satisfies one of the equations is found (step 1605).

(X-Xd) (Xs-Xd) + (Y-Yd) (Ys-Yd) > 0 ...Formula (X-Xd) ² + (Y-Yd) ² ≦1600 ² ...Formula Here, in the formula As shown in FIG. 18, the determined area is comprised of temporary destinations Xd, Yd and temporary departure points Xs,
The straight line connecting Ys is perpendicular to l ₃ and is the temporary destination Xd,
Temporary starting point Xs, Ys with straight line l ₄ passing through Yd as the boundary
Corresponds to the side area.

In addition, the area determined by the formula is a radius centered on the temporary destinations Xd and Yd, as shown in Figure 18.
Corresponds to the inner area of circle C ₂ of 1600 m.

Therefore, the X, Y area that satisfies either the formula or the formula corresponds to the area shown by diagonal lines in FIG.

Next, the one closest to the destinations Xd and Yd is selected from among the registered intersections existing in the determined X and Y regions (step 1606).

Next, the obtained registered intersection is designated as the destination intersection Xn,
Store as Yn (step 1607).

Therefore, the registered intersections selected as the destination intersections Xn, Yn are limited to those in the shaded area in Fig. 18, and in Fig. ₁₈ , the starting points Xs, Ys and A registered intersection located in the opposite direction and more than 1600 m away from the destinations Xd, Yd will no longer be selected as the destination intersections Xn, Yn.

Therefore, when traveling from the departure point to the destination, there is no need to take a large detour near the destinations Xd and Yd.

(C) About the shortest route selection process In this process, the destination intersection is searched for from the vicinity of the starting intersection to a distance, and the distance to the intermediate intersection is memorized.When the destination intersection is detected, the memorized route information is stored. The shortest route is then retraced from the destination intersection to the departure intersection, thereby extracting and storing intermediate intersections on the shortest route.

This is done by executing the shortest route search process shown in the flowchart of FIG.

(D) About the guidance display process () This process provides driving route guidance from the departure point to the departure intersection.
Until the vehicle approaches within 300m, the direction of the starting intersection is displayed using a car shape and an arrow-shaped segment, as shown in Figure 25, and after approaching within 300m, as shown in Figure 27. By using an intersection figure with the direction of vehicle travel directly above and displaying the departure route in black, the departure route direction, that is, the route at the intersection, is displayed, and at the same time, the travel trajectory is drawn on the screen. .

This is done by executing the processes shown in FIGS. 22, 24, and 26, respectively.

(E) About the guidance display process () In this process, the current position is checked to ensure that the current position does not deviate from the planned travel route, and the approach to the next intersection is monitored, and the current position is updated each time the intersection is confirmed. After making the corrections, the above operations are repeated with the next intersection to be passed as the new goal.

In addition, in front of each intersection, Figures 35 and 37
As shown in FIG. 38, the route at the intersection is guided and displayed using intersection figures and route arrows.

Further, when the intersection to be turned is an overpass, as shown in FIG. 41, the center of the intersection figure is made white, and a course arrow is attached to this to guide the course at the intersection.

Furthermore, while driving, the driving trajectory is always displayed overlaid on the road map.

This is shown in Figures 28, 29, 34, and 3.
This is done by executing each process shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 6, 39, and 40.

(F) About the guidance display process () In this process, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 44, this is notified to the driver with an arrival announcement text.

This is done by executing the process shown in the flowchart of FIG.

<<Effects of the invention>> As is clear from the description of the embodiments above, according to the vehicle route guidance device according to this invention, the starting intersection (or destination intersection) can be determined simply by providing the starting point (or destination). Based on this automatic selection, it becomes possible to automatically set the shortest route from the starting intersection to the destination intersection, and also to avoid taking a large detour near the starting point (or destination) when going from the starting point to the destination. This can further improve the usability of this type of device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a diagram corresponding to the claims of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the device of this embodiment, Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the state in which a transparent operation panel is attached to the VDT, and Fig. 4 is A memory map showing the contents of the intersection information area provided in the external memory, Fig. 5 shows the area name information storage area, reduced map information storage area, enlarged map information storage area, and spot name information storage area provided in the external memory. Fig. 6 is a memory map showing the contents of a table in which famous region names and reduced map numbers are stored in association with each other, and Fig. 7 is a memory map in which each zone of the reduced map is stored in association with the corresponding enlarged map number. Figure 8 is a memory map showing the contents of a table that associates and stores each zone of the enlarged map with the center coordinates of the corresponding zone, and Figure 9 shows the contents of a table that stores each zone name and the corresponding point coordinates. 10 is a general flowchart of the route guidance device; FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing details of the process of specifying the departure point and destination; FIG.
The figure is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which area names are displayed all at once on the VDT screen, Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a reduced map is displayed on the VDT screen, and Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a reduced map is displayed on the VDT screen.
An explanatory diagram showing a state in which an enlarged map is displayed on the VDT screen, Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a list of point names is displayed on the VDT screen, and Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing the process of selecting a starting intersection and a destination intersection. Figure 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the algorithm for selecting a departure intersection, Figure 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an algorithm for selecting a destination intersection, Figure 19 is a flowchart showing details of the shortest route search process, and Figure 20 is an explanatory diagram showing the algorithm for selecting a starting intersection.
Figure 21 is a memory map showing details of the route storage area provided in RAM.
Figure 2 is a flowchart showing details of the guidance display process (), Figure 23 is a flowchart showing the details of the current location calculation process executed by interruption, and Figure 24 is a flowchart showing details of the departure intersection direction display process. , Fig. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display on the VDT screen on the way from the departure point to the departure intersection, Fig. 26 is a flowchart showing details of the departure road direction display processing, and Fig. 27 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display on the VDT screen on the way from the departure point to the departure intersection. of time
An explanatory diagram showing a display example on the VDT screen, FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing details of the guidance display process (), FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing details of route guidance preparation process to the next intersection to pass, and FIG. The figure shows an example of a road map showing the relationship between test circle A, test circle B, error test oval, etc. when heading straight to an intersection. Figure 31 shows test circle B and error test length when heading to a turning intersection. A diagram showing an example of a road map showing the relationship between circles, Fig. 32 is an explanatory diagram showing the test areas when entering a bending multi-level intersection, and Fig. 33 shows the state of each test area when exiting the bending multi-level intersection. FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing details of route guidance display processing and current position correction processing when passing an intersection straight through; FIG. 35 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display on the VDT screen when approaching an intersection;
Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the details of the route guidance display process and current position correction process when passing through a bending intersection, and Figure 37 is a flowchart showing details of the route guidance display process and current position correction process when passing through a bending plane intersection.
An explanatory diagram showing a display example of the VDT screen, Fig. 38 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of the VDT screen when approaching a bend plane intersection, Figs. 39 and 40 are route guidance display processing when passing a bend at a normal intersection. 41 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display of the VDT screen when approaching a three-dimensional intersection; FIG. 42 is a flowchart showing details of the guidance display process (); FIG. 43 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of the VDT screen when approaching the destination intersection, and FIG. 44 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of the VDT screen when approaching the destination. a... Basic information storage means, b... Route end intersection selection means, c... Shortest route search means.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] Basic information storage means for storing, for each intersection, its position coordinates and the route to the adjacent intersection; and departure/destination setting means for setting the departure point and destination. , A first area calculation that calculates the area on the destination side from a straight line that passes through the departure point and is perpendicular to the straight line connecting the departure point and the destination, or the area within a circle with a predetermined radius centered on the departure point. an area on the side of the departure point from a straight line passing through the means and the destination and perpendicular to the straight line connecting the departure point and the destination;
a second area calculation means for calculating an area within a circle with a predetermined radius centered on the destination; and an intersection within the area set by the first area setting means are stored in the basic information storage means. a departure intersection selection means for searching among the intersections set and selecting the intersection closest to the starting point as the departure intersection; and storing intersections within the area set by the second area setting means in the basic information storage means. a destination intersection selection means for searching among the selected intersections and selecting the intersection closest to the destination as the destination intersection; and storing the intersections selected as the starting intersection and the destination intersection as the end intersections of the route in the basic information storage means. a route calculation means for calculating a guidance route from a departure intersection to a destination intersection while referring to information on each intersection; and a direction display means for displaying a direction from a departure point to the departure intersection and a direction from the destination intersection to the destination. A route guidance device for a vehicle, comprising: a guidance display means for displaying guidance from a departure intersection to a destination intersection based on the guidance route calculated by the route calculation means.