JPH0763573A - Path guiding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform path guidance more accurately in a path guiding device for guiding a vehicle from a starting point to a destination according to an optimum path. CONSTITUTION:According to the setting of a destination, an optimum path from a starting point to the destination is computed, and the guidance instruction information of every intersection in the optimum path is computed (S1, S2). As a vehicle approaches the intersection, whether the guidance instruction information is against an image-recognized road-sign is discriminated (S7, S8). Upon discriminating no violation, the guidance instruction information prepared on the basis of the optimum path is displayed or outputted by voice (S9). Upon discriminating violation in the guidance instruction information prepared on the basis of the optimum path, on the other hand, a road with the best straight line stability at this intersection is selected out of non-violating roads to perform path guidance by display or by noise (S11, S12).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a route guide device for guiding a vehicle from an origin to a destination according to an optimum route. More specifically, a navigation processing device that outputs guidance instruction information that guides the user to the direction of the optimum route to each destination before the intersection, and recognizes a road sign indicating the traffic regulation for each intersection from the image information acquired by the vehicle-mounted camera. In combination with the image recognition processing device, the road sign recognized by the image recognition processing device for each intersection is imported as support information,
The present invention relates to a route guidance device that makes route guidance by a navigation processing device more accurate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various navigation processing devices have been realized which display the position and direction of a vehicle on a screen to assist the traveling of the vehicle. In this navigation processing device, for example, the current position of the vehicle is detected based on the outputs from the direction sensor, the vehicle speed sensor, and the like. On the other hand, the road map including the detected current position is read out from the map memory and electronically displayed on the display. Then, the detected current position and destination of the vehicle are displayed in an overlapping manner on the displayed road map.

In this case, the navigation processing device merely displays the current position and the destination of the vehicle in an overlapping manner on the road map, and the selection of the traveling route from the departure place to the destination is left to the driver himself. Therefore, when traveling on a strange land or at night, the driver is confused about selecting a road to reach the destination, and it takes time to select an optimum road. As a result, it may not be possible to reach the destination smoothly, it may take time to reach the destination, or the user may get lost on the road and cannot safely drive.

Therefore, the present applicant has developed various navigation processing devices having a function of guiding a route to a destination. In the navigation processing device equipped with this route guidance function, when the driver sets the destination, the optimum route from the departure place to the destination is automatically calculated in response to this, and the optimum route is displayed. Displayed on the road map. In addition, guidance instruction information for instructing the route of the vehicle for each intersection is created based on the optimum route. Then, the generated guidance instruction information is displayed in association with the optimum route for each intersection, or output by voice. In calculating the optimum route, the map memory that stores the road map is referred to. This map memory stores traffic regulation information in the road traffic network,
This traffic regulation information is added to the calculation of the optimum route.

[0005]

In Japan, the widespread use of automobiles is remarkable, and the occurrence of traffic congestion is becoming a daily problem all over the country, which is a major social problem. In recent years, widening roads and reviewing traffic regulations have been implemented nationwide to alleviate the occurrence of this traffic congestion.

As described above, regarding the intersection where the traffic regulation is reviewed, the traffic regulation information stored in the map memory does not comply with the current traffic regulation, and the optimum route to be displayed or Guidance information at intersections may be a traffic violation. As a result, the driver has to select a road in a direction that does not cause a traffic violation, which may prevent the vehicle from traveling according to the optimum route and may not be able to accurately guide the vehicle to the destination. Yes, and in the worst case, you may get lost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a route guidance device capable of more accurately performing route guidance.

[0008]

[Means and Actions for Solving the Problems] Claim 1 of the present invention
The problem solving means described is a device that is used by being installed in a vehicle and that outputs guidance instruction information for each intersection to guide a route to a destination set by the input means. According to the route calculation means for calculating the optimum route from the departure point to the destination, based on the optimum route obtained by the route calculation means, guidance corresponding to the route of the vehicle to be taken at each intersection in the optimum route Information creating means for creating instruction information, at least a vehicle-mounted camera that can image a road sign, and each time the vehicle approaches the intersection, it is required when passing through the intersection based on the image information acquired from the vehicle-mounted camera. The recognition means for recognizing the road sign indicating the traffic regulation, the road sign recognized by the recognition means, and the guidance instruction information created by the information creating means. In the case where the guidance instruction information violates a road sign, the discrimination means for discriminating whether or not the guidance instruction information violates the road sign. When it is determined that the guide information is not in violation of the road sign by the correction information creating unit that separately creates the correction guide instruction information that is the guide instruction information according to a predetermined rule, and the determining unit,
The guide instruction information created by the information creating means is output, and when the determining means determines that the guide instruction information violates a road sign, the correct guide instruction information created by the correction information creating means is output. It includes output means for outputting.

In the problem solving means according to claim 1, when the destination is set by the input means, the route calculation means calculates the optimum route from the departure place to the destination according to the setting of the destination. The information creating unit creates, for each intersection in the optimum route, guidance instruction information corresponding to the route of the vehicle to be taken at the intersection based on the optimum route obtained by the route calculating unit. On the other hand, each time the vehicle approaches the intersection, the recognition means recognizes a road sign indicating the traffic regulation required when passing the intersection, based on the image information acquired from the vehicle-mounted camera. Then, the determining means compares the road sign recognized by the recognizing means with the guide instruction information created by the information creating means, and determines whether or not the guide instruction information violates the road sign.

When the discriminating means discriminates that the guide instruction information does not violate the road sign, the output means outputs the guide instruction information produced by the information producing means.
On the other hand, when the determination means determines that the guidance instruction information violates the road sign, the correction information creation means separately creates modified guidance instruction information that is guidance instruction information that does not violate the road sign according to a predetermined rule. The correction guide instruction information is output by the output means.

As described above, even when a route that is a traffic violation is calculated during the route calculation, the image obtained from the vehicle-mounted camera is processed to recognize the road sign, and the road sign is recognized based on the recognized road sign. Since the guidance direction can be corrected to a direction that does not cause a violation, the vehicle can be accurately guided to the destination. The problem solving means according to claim 2 is
2. The route guidance device according to claim 1, wherein the correction information creating means selects a route having the best straightness at an intersection from among routes not violating a road sign, and the correction guidance corresponding to the selected route. The instruction information is created separately.

In the problem solving means according to claim 2, when it is determined that the guidance instruction information violates the road sign,
Among the routes that do not violate the road signs, the corrected guidance instruction information corresponding to the route having the best straightness at the intersection is output. The problem solving means according to claim 3 is the route guiding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction information creating means selects a path that is closest to a destination in a straight line direction from paths that do not violate road signs, The correction guidance instruction information corresponding to the selected course is separately created.

In the problem solving means according to claim 3, when it is determined that the guidance instruction information violates the road sign,
Among the routes that do not violate the road signs, the corrected guidance instruction information corresponding to the route that is closest to the destination in the straight direction is output. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the route guiding apparatus according to the first aspect, the correction information creating unit uses the guidance information created by the instruction information creating unit in a route that does not violate a road sign. The route in the direction closest to the direction is selected, and the modified guidance instruction information corresponding to the selected route is separately created.

In the problem solving means according to claim 4, when it is determined that the guidance instruction information violates the road sign,
Among the routes which do not violate the road sign, the corrected guidance instruction information corresponding to the route closest to the guidance direction by the guidance instruction information created by the instruction information creating means is output. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the route guiding apparatus according to the first aspect, the correction information creating means sets a route that can shorten a traveling time to a destination among routes that do not violate road signs. It is for selecting and separately creating correction guidance instruction information corresponding to the selected course.

In the problem solving means according to claim 5, when it is determined that the guidance instruction information violates the road sign,
The correction guidance instruction information corresponding to the route that can shorten the traveling time to the destination among the routes that do not violate the road sign is output. The problem solving means according to claim 6 is the route guiding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the route calculation means calculates a plurality of optimum routes from an intersection existing in the middle of the optimum route to a destination. And the respective travel times of the plurality of routes are calculated together, and the route guidance device further stores the plurality of routes for which the travel time has been calculated by the route calculation means and the travel time. The correction information creating means includes a storage means and separately creates the correction guidance instruction information with reference to the plurality of routes and their travel times stored in the route storage means.

In the problem solving means according to claim 6, when the route calculation means calculates the optimum route, a plurality of routes from an intersection in the middle of the optimum route to the destination and a travel time of each route are calculated. The calculation result is stored in the route storage means. Then, when it is determined that the guidance instruction information violates the road sign, the correction guidance instruction information is separately created with reference to the plurality of routes and their travel times stored in the route storage means.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the problem solving means is the first aspect.
In the route guidance device according to any one of 1 to 6, when it is further determined that the guidance instruction information violates a road sign by a storage unit for storing traffic regulation information in the road traffic network and the determination unit. And a writing means for writing the traffic regulation information represented by the road sign recognized by the recognizing means into the storage means as the traffic regulation information of the intersection where the violation occurs.

In the means for solving the problems according to claim 7,
When it is determined that the guidance instruction information violates the road sign, the writing unit writes the traffic regulation information represented by the recognized road sign in the storage unit as the traffic regulation information of the intersection where the violation occurs. As a result, the optimum route that does not violate the traffic rules can be calculated by referring to the contents of the storage means in the subsequent route calculation. Also, the latest road map database can be created using the contents of the storage means.

The means for solving problems according to claim 8 is the method according to claim 1.
The route guidance device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further storing traffic regulation information in the road traffic network, and referred to when the route calculation unit calculates an optimum route, and the determination unit. When the guidance instruction information determines that the traffic sign violates the road sign, the traffic regulation information represented by the road sign recognized by the recognition means is written in the storage means as the traffic regulation information of the intersection where the violation occurs. Including means for inclusion.

In the problem solving means according to claim 8,
The traffic control information of each intersection in the road traffic network is stored in the storage means, and when the route calculation means calculates the optimum route, the information stored in the storage means is referred to.
When it is determined that the guidance instruction information violates the road sign, the writing unit writes the traffic regulation information represented by the recognized road sign in the storage unit as the traffic regulation information of the intersection where the violation occurs.

As a result, the storage contents of the storage means referred to in the route calculation are updated at any time to reflect the latest traffic rules. Thereby, in the route calculation, it is possible to prevent the calculation of the optimum route that violates the traffic rules.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a route guidance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the route guidance device of the present embodiment is installed in a vehicle and is used to display a navigation processing device D1 that guides the vehicle from a starting point to a destination and information about the periphery of the road while the vehicle is traveling. An image recognition processing device D2 for image recognition is provided, and the image information recognized by the image recognition processing device D2 is given to the navigation processing device D1 at a predetermined timing.

The navigation processing device D1 receives a distance sensor 11 for detecting the traveling distance of the vehicle, a direction sensor 12 for detecting the traveling direction of the vehicle, and a radio wave from a GPS satellite orbiting the earth's orbit. A GPS receiver 13 for receiving and calculating position data, and a beacon receiver 14 for receiving position data and traffic information radiated from a beacon antenna installed on the roadside of the road.
And are provided. Further, an operation data switch 15 which is an input means for setting operation data such as a destination is also provided.

The distance sensor 11 detects the traveling distance based on the speed of the vehicle or the number of rotations of the wheels, and a wheel speed sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, etc. are used.
The azimuth sensor 12 is for detecting a change in azimuth as the vehicle travels, and a geomagnetic sensor, a gyro or a turning angle sensor for detecting a turning angle based on a difference in rotational speed between the left and right wheels is used. . Distance sensor 1
1. Distance data detected by 1 and direction sensor 12
The orientation data detected by the sensor processing circuit 20
Given to.

The sensor processing circuit 20 includes the distance sensor 1
The moving distance of the vehicle is obtained based on the distance data given by 1, and the azimuth of the vehicle is obtained based on the azimuth data given by the azimuth sensor 12. The respective data of the direction of the vehicle and the moving distance of the vehicle are given to the position detection processing unit 31. The position detection processing unit 31 is provided with accurate initial data of the vehicle before the vehicle starts moving, for example. The position detection processing unit 31 detects the current position of the vehicle based on the initial data given in advance and each data of the direction of the vehicle and the moving distance of the vehicle given from the sensor processing circuit 20. The detected position of the vehicle based on the sensor output is
It is corrected by the so-called map matching method. Further, when the position data is given from the GPS receiver 13 or the beacon receiver 14, the position detection processing unit 31 compares the position data with the vehicle detected position and corrects the detected position. Data representing the current location of the vehicle is given to the route calculation guidance processing unit 32.

Here, the map matching method is a self-contained navigation vehicle trajectory obtained from a sensor output and a CD.
-It is a technique of collating the road map in the ROM 41 and correcting the trajectory of the vehicle to a position on the road. Route calculation guidance processing unit 3
When the current position data of the vehicle detected by the position detection processing unit 31 is given, 2 reads the road map data for display from the CD-ROM 41 and generates a map related to the current position and the current position mark of the vehicle on the map. . The map and the current position mark of the vehicle are displayed on the display device 51 such as a CRT.

The map data for display is composed of map data for identifying roads, place names, famous facilities, railways, rivers and the like. Further, the route calculation guidance processing unit 32 is given the destination set by the operation data switch 15.
When the destination is set, the route calculation guidance processing unit 32 sets C
The road map data for route calculation for route calculation is read from the D-ROM 41, and the route from the starting point to the destination is calculated using the Dijkstra method according to the setting of the destination.

Road map data for route calculation is obtained by dividing a road map (including highway national roads, motorways, national roads, prefectural roads, city roads of designated cities, and other living roads) into a mesh shape. The road composed of a combination of nodes and links is divided into a high speed map and a highway map and stored for each mesh. The high speed map is
It mainly includes highways, that is, highway national roads, motorways, and main roads that connect highways. The highway-corresponding map includes highways as well as highways, that is, national roads and prefectural roads. Due to the characteristics of the map database, a closed network is formed nationwide for highways and higher roads among the main roads.

Here, a node is generally a coordinate point for specifying a road intersection, a mesh boundary, a dead end, etc., and a node representing an intersection may be called an intersection node. A link is a connection of the nodes. The link data includes the link number, the start and end node addresses of the link, the distance of the link, the direction of passing through the link, the required time data in that direction, the road type, the road width, one-way street, right turn prohibited, left turn prohibited, and toll Includes traffic control information such as roads.

The Dijkstra's method divides a number of roads to be calculated, defines the divided points as nodes, and links routes connecting the nodes to each other as a link, or a node close to a starting point (or a destination). Assuming a tree of links starting from the starting point and ending at the node or link closest to the destination (or the starting point)
This is a method in which the link costs of all the routes forming the tree are sequentially added, and the route having the lowest link cost to reach the destination or the departure place is set as the optimum route.

Here, matters to be taken into consideration when estimating the link cost include traveling distance, traveling time, availability of highways, number of right turns and left turns, traveling probability of highways, avoidance of accident-prone areas, and other driving. There are items set according to the user's preference. The optimal route calculated in this way is
It is displayed on the display unit 51 in a form of being superimposed on the road map at a predetermined timing such as before traveling of the vehicle or before the vehicle approaches an intersection. Further, the optimum route is stored in the route guidance information storage unit 43 as the optimum route information. At this time, the plurality of route information listed as candidates for calculating the optimum route are also stored in order of increasing link cost. It

Further, when the calculation of the optimum route is completed, the route calculation guidance processing section 32 determines, for each intersection in the optimum route,
Guide guidance information corresponding to the route of the vehicle to be taken at each intersection is created based on the optimum route. This guidance instruction information is stored in the route guidance information storage unit 43, and is extracted when the position detection processing unit 31 detects that the vehicle approaches the intersection, and is displayed on the display unit 51 in association with the optimum route, or The voice is output from the voice output device 52. Also,
When the traffic information is given from the beacon receiver 14, the guidance information is output in consideration of this beacon information.

The image recognition processing device D2 has a vehicle-mounted camera 6 for capturing peripheral information including road signs while the vehicle is traveling.
0 is provided. The camera 60 is installed in the front part of the vehicle, and the captured image is given to the image processing circuit 70 as an analog signal. Image processing circuit 70
Converts the analog image signal given from the camera 60 into digital image data. This image data is temporarily stored in the image information storage unit 90 through the image recognition processing unit 80. Then, the image data stored in the image information storage unit 90 is output to the image recognition processing unit 80.

The image recognition processing section 80 recognizes a road sign indicating traffic regulation from the image data. The dictionary memory 100 is connected to the image recognition processing unit 80. The dictionary memory 100 stores the feature amounts of all recognizable road signs, the average value of the feature amounts and the state of distribution, the order in which each feature amount affects the recognition, and the like. Image recognition processing unit 80
Then, for example, the road sign is recognized as follows.

A partial image including a road sign is cut out from the given image data, and a feature amount necessary for recognizing the road sign is extracted. The extracted feature amount and the feature amounts of all the markers stored in the dictionary memory 100 are compared and collated. Then, for example, the road sign with the smallest difference is selected, and the recognition of the road sign is completed. The content of the road sign recognized in this way is stored in the image information storage unit 90 as traffic regulation information. When the position detection processing unit 31 on the side of the navigation processing device D1 detects that the vehicle approaches the intersection, the traffic indicating the contents of the road sign required when passing the intersection from the image information storage unit 90. The regulation information is taken into the route calculation guidance processing unit 32 on the navigation processing device D1 side through the image recognition processing unit 80.

When the route calculation guidance processing unit 32 takes out the traffic regulation information from the image recognition processing device D2 side, the contents of the road sign included in this traffic regulation information and the optimum route taken out from the route guidance information storage unit 43 are displayed. The contents of the guide instruction information created based on the reference are collated to determine whether the guide instruction information created based on the optimum route violates the contents of the road sign.

Here, when the guidance instruction information created based on the optimum route does not violate the content of the road sign recognized on the image recognition processing device D2 side, the route calculation guidance processing unit 32.
Displays the guidance instruction information created based on the optimum route on the display unit 51.
Alternatively, it is output to the audio output device 52. On the other hand, when the guidance instruction information created based on the optimum route violates the content of the road sign recognized on the image recognition processing device D2 side, the route calculation guidance processing unit 32 performs guidance that does not violate the content of the road sign. The correction guidance instruction information, which is the instruction information, is separately created according to a predetermined rule, and the correction guidance instruction information is output to the display device 51 or the voice output device 52.

Here, regarding the above-mentioned predetermined rule, of the routes that do not violate the road signs, the route with the best straightness at the intersection is selected, and the correction guidance instruction information corresponding to the selected route is separately provided. The one to be created, or the one that does not violate the road sign, selects the route that is closest to the destination in the straight direction and separately creates the modified guidance instruction information corresponding to the selected route, or the road Of the routes that do not violate the signs, the route that is closest to the guidance direction based on the guidance route information created based on the optimal route is selected, and the modified guidance route information that corresponds to this selected route is created separately. May be

Further, even in a route which does not violate the road sign, a route which can shorten the traveling time to the destination is selected and correction guidance instruction information corresponding to the selected route is separately prepared. Good. Specifically, when calculating the optimum route, a plurality of routes from the intersection existing in the optimum route to the destination and the respective travel times of those routes are calculated, and the calculation result is used as route guidance information. Storage unit 43
The route corresponding to the route having the minimum traveling time may be selected based on the stored contents.

When the guidance instruction information created based on the optimum route violates the road sign, the route calculation guidance processing unit 32 displays the traffic regulation information represented by the road sign recognized by the image recognition processing device D2. It is written in the traffic regulation information storage unit 42 as traffic regulation information of the intersection where the violation has occurred. Therefore, the optimum route that does not violate the traffic rules can be calculated by referring to the contents of the traffic regulation information storage unit 42 in the subsequent route calculation. In addition, the traffic regulation information storage unit 4
You can use the contents of 2 to create the latest map database.

A rewritable storage device such as a hard disk device was used instead of the CD-ROM 41 for storing the road map and traffic regulation information, and it was determined that the guide instruction information violated the road sign. At this time, the traffic regulation information represented by the road sign may be written in the hard disk device as the traffic regulation information of the intersection where the violation occurs. In this case, the storage contents of the hard disk device that are referred to when calculating the route are updated at any time to reflect the latest traffic rules. Thereby, in the route calculation, it is possible to prevent the calculation of the optimum route that violates the traffic rules.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the flow of the route guiding operation. This flowchart shows that when it is determined that the guidance instruction information violates a road sign, the route with the best straightness at the intersection is selected from among the routes that do not violate the road sign. It is assumed that the corresponding correction guidance instruction information is created separately. Figure 2
After the power is turned on, in step S1, when the destination is set by the operation data switch 15, the route calculation guidance processing unit 32 is instructed to exercise the route guidance function. When the instruction for the route guidance is prompted, in step S2, the route calculation guidance processing unit 32 calculates the optimal route from the departure point to the destination and the guidance instruction information for each intersection in the optimal route. When the calculation of the optimum route and the guidance instruction information is completed, the optimum route is displayed on the display device 51 in step S3. Then, steps S4 and S
At 5, the position detection processing unit 31 determines whether the vehicle has approached the intersection.

When it is determined in step S5 that the vehicle approaches the intersection, the guidance instruction information at the intersection is retrieved from the route calculation guidance information storage unit 43 in step S6. Next, in steps S7 and S8, the route calculation guidance processing unit 32 takes out the traffic regulation information representing the image-recognized road sign from the image recognition processing unit 80. And
The traffic regulation information created based on the image recognition and the guide instruction information created based on the optimum route are collated to determine whether the guide instruction information violates the road sign.

When it is determined in step S8 that there is no violation in the guidance instruction, the guidance instruction information created based on the optimum route is displayed on the display unit 51 in step S9, or the voice output device 52 produces the sound. To be done. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is a violation in the guidance instruction information created based on the optimum route, in step S10, a road that does not violate the road sign is recognized. Then, step S11
Then, the route calculation guidance processing unit 32 selects the road that has the best straightness at the intersection from the roads that do not violate, and separately creates the modified guidance instruction information corresponding to the route that does not violate the road sign. Then, in step S12,
This modified guidance instruction information is displayed on the display 51 or audibly converted by the audio output device 52.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a route guidance display when the guidance instruction information violates a road sign. In the same figure, although the guidance instruction information when passing through the intersection X according to the optimum route indicates the selection of the road as indicated by the broken line arrow in the figure, the road sign of the intersection X It is assumed that indicates that right turn is prohibited. In the figure, M is the present position mark and BR is the optimum route. In the situation as shown in FIG. 3, the “road” should be selected and the intersection X should be passed according to the optimum route.
Since a road sign prohibiting entry into the “road” is recognized before approaching the intersection X, the “road” with the best straightness is selected from the roads that do not violate this road sign and passes through the intersection X. The guidance instruction display modified so as to be displayed is displayed.

Referring to FIG. 2 again, when the guidance is given by display or voice as described above, it is determined in steps S13 and S14 whether or not the route calculation with the road in the guidance direction as the departure place is necessary. It That is, at the time of the first route calculation, whether a route other than the optimum route from the road in the guidance direction or the passing intersection to the destination is calculated and stored in the route guidance information storage unit 43 in the order of link costs. Is determined.

When it is determined in step S14 that the route calculation is necessary, the route calculation guidance processing unit 32 calculates the route to the destination having the intersection as the departure point in step S15, and the step S16 is performed. Then, the optimum route and the guidance instruction information are corrected based on this calculation. On the other hand, if it is determined that the route calculation is not necessary, step S
At 17, the route calculation guidance processing unit 32 selects the route with the lowest link cost from the plurality of routes listed as candidates at the time of the initial route calculation to the destination starting from the intersection. , The optimum route is corrected based on this.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of route guidance when the guidance instruction information violates a road sign. Referring to FIG. 4, the “right turn guide” is output at the point A before approaching a certain intersection 150, but the “right turn guide” is recognized and the “straight guide” is instructed. After that, the optimum route is corrected based on the route having the lowest link cost from the intersection 150 to the destination. At the point B before reaching the next intersection, "right turn guidance" is instructed based on the corrected optimum route. Similarly, thereafter, at each of the points C and D before reaching the intersection, "right turn guidance", which is an appropriate guidance instruction based on the corrected optimum route, is output. In other words, the optimum route is corrected based on the route having the lowest link cost from the intersection 150 to the destination, and therefore, even after passing through the intersection 150, it is possible to pass through the intersections in the corrected optimum route. The necessary guidance instructions are output.

Referring to FIG. 2, when the correction of the optimum route and the like is completed, it is determined in step S18 whether or not the intersection is passed, and when the intersection is passed, the guidance instruction information is erased in step S19. As described above, in the route guidance device, even when there is an error in the traffic regulation information that is referred to when calculating the route, the image obtained from the vehicle-mounted camera is processed to recognize the road sign, and this recognition information is supported. By incorporating the information into the navigation processing device, the vehicle can be guided in a direction that does not violate traffic regulations. As a result, the vehicle can be accurately guided to the destination.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that many modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0051]

As is apparent from the above description, according to claims 1 to 6 of the present invention, an image obtained from a vehicle-mounted camera is processed even when a route that causes a traffic violation is calculated during route calculation. By recognizing the road sign by using the recognized road sign, the guide direction can be corrected based on the recognized road sign so as not to cause a violation. As a result, the vehicle can be accurately guided to the destination.

According to claims 7 and 8, when it is determined that the guidance instruction information violates the road sign, the traffic regulation information represented by the recognized road sign is written as the traffic regulation information of the intersection where the violation occurs. So, if you refer to the contents of the traffic regulation information rewritten in the subsequent route calculation,
The optimal route that does not violate the traffic rules can be calculated. Also, the latest road map database can be created.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a route guiding device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of a route guidance operation.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of route guidance display when the guidance instruction information violates a road sign.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of route guidance when the guidance instruction information violates a road sign.

[Explanation of symbols]

 D1 Navigation processing device 11 Distance sensor 12 Direction sensor 13 GPS receiver 14 Beacon receiver 15 Operation data switch 20 Sensor processing circuit 31 Position detection processing unit 32 Route calculation guidance processing unit 41 CD-ROM 42 Traffic regulation information storage unit 43 Route guidance Information storage unit D2 Image recognition processing device 60 In-vehicle camera 70 Image processing circuit 80 Image recognition processing unit 90 Image information storage unit 100 Dictionary memory

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A device which is mounted on a vehicle and is used to guide a route to a destination set by an input means by outputting guidance instruction information for each intersection. A route calculation means for calculating the optimum route from the departure point to the destination, and guidance instruction information corresponding to the route of the vehicle to be taken at each intersection in the optimum route based on the optimum route obtained by the route calculation means. Information creating means for creating at least an on-vehicle camera capable of capturing an image of a road sign, traffic required when passing through the intersection based on image information obtained from the on-vehicle camera each time the vehicle approaches the intersection The recognition means for recognizing the road sign indicating the regulation, the road sign recognized by the recognition means, and the guidance instruction information created by the information creation means are collated. Discrimination means for discriminating whether or not the guidance instruction information violates a road sign, and guidance guidance information that does not violate the road sign when the discrimination instruction information judges that the guidance instruction information violates the road sign. Correction information creating means for separately creating correction guidance instruction information according to a predetermined rule, and when the determination means determines that the guidance instruction information does not violate a road sign, the guidance created by the information creating means Outputting means for outputting the instruction information, and when the judging means judges that the guiding instruction information violates a road sign, an output means for outputting the corrected guiding instruction information created by the correction information creating means is included. And route guidance device. 2. The route guidance device according to claim 1, wherein the correction information creating means selects a route having the best straightness at an intersection from among routes not violating a road sign, and the selected route. A route guidance device characterized in that correction guidance instruction information corresponding to is created separately. 3. The route guidance device according to claim 1, wherein the correction information creating means selects a route that is closest to a destination in a straight line direction from routes that do not violate road signs,
A route guidance device characterized in that correction guidance instruction information corresponding to the selected course is separately created. 4. The route guidance device according to claim 1, wherein the correction information creating means is closest to a guidance direction according to the guidance instruction information created by the instruction information creating means, among routes which do not violate road signs. A route guidance device, characterized in that a route of a direction is selected and correction guidance instruction information corresponding to the selected route is separately created. 5. The route guiding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction information creating means selects a route which can shorten a traveling time to a destination among routes which do not violate a road sign, and A route guidance device characterized in that correction guidance instruction information corresponding to a selected course is separately created. 6. The route guidance device according to claim 5, wherein the route calculation means, when calculating the optimum route, includes a plurality of routes from an intersection existing in the middle of the optimum route to a destination, and the plurality of routes. The route guidance device further includes a plurality of routes for which the traveling time has been calculated by the route calculation means and a route storage means for storing the traveling time. The route guidance device, wherein the correction information creation unit separately creates the correction guidance instruction information with reference to the plurality of routes and their travel times stored in the route storage unit. 7. The route guidance device according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit for storing traffic regulation information in a road traffic network, and the guide instruction information violates a road sign by the determination unit. When it is determined that the traffic sign is determined to be in effect, it includes a writing unit that writes the traffic control information represented by the road sign recognized by the recognition unit into the storage unit as the traffic control information of the intersection where the violation occurs. Route guidance device. 8. The route guidance device according to claim 1, further storing traffic regulation information in a road traffic network, and referred to when the route calculation means calculates an optimum route. When the determination means determines that the guidance instruction information violates a road sign, the traffic regulation information represented by the road sign recognized by the recognition means is used to control the traffic at the intersection where the violation occurs. A route guidance device comprising a writing unit that writes information in the storage unit.