JPH0798800A - Device for guiding route of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily recognize a land mark under various travelling environments when using it in guiding the route in the route guiding device by planning the travelling route from the present position to the objective position with the use of a map database based on the planned travelling route. CONSTITUTION:The attribute is given to each of plural land marks and stores them in a land mark database 24. A data processing device 18 selects the land mark located on the travelling route which is planned by a route planning device 16 and with the attribute suitable for the travelling environment given. Further, a data processor 18 displays the selected land mark as well as the planned travelling route to a driver with the use of a picture output device 20 and a voice output device 22.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention uses a map database to plan a travel route from a current position of a vehicle to a predetermined travel destination, and guides the route of the vehicle based on the planned travel route. The present invention relates to an automobile route guidance device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a route guidance device (navigation device) has been installed in an automobile in order to assist the vehicle traveling on an unguided land. This route guidance device generally travels from a current position of the vehicle to a travel destination set by a driver's input operation or the like using a map database, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 129800/1990. The route is planned, and the route guidance of the own vehicle is performed based on the planned traveling route.

The above-mentioned travel route plan is designed to find an optimum travel route that minimizes travel route loss (that is, a desired travel impediment factor such as travel time loss, travel distance loss, and ease of travel). It is generally performed by searching from a map database. For example, in the route guidance device described in the above publication, the shortest time route that minimizes the required travel time from the current position of the vehicle to the travel destination is searched for from the map database to plan the travel route.

By the way, the route guidance is specifically
It is performed by sequentially presenting the driving route to the driver according to the traveling position of the vehicle by images, voices, etc. For example, when instructing the driver to turn left at an intersection, simply saying “Next XX intersection If there are landmarks (that is, landmarks, etc.) near the intersection rather than suggesting “Turn left,” for example, turn left at the next ○ × intersection with a post office at the corner. If the driver presents the above-mentioned travel route to the driver using a landmark (in this case, the post office), the driver can easily recognize the route and the route can be smoothly guided.

Therefore, conventionally, a landmark database storing a plurality of landmarks is prepared, and a landmark located on the planned traveling route is appropriately selected from among the plurality of landmarks. A device for guiding a route using a landmark such as that has been made.

[0006]

However, in a conventional route guidance device that performs route guidance using such landmarks, the landmarks stored in the landmark database are used during daytime and very general driving. Since it was adopted on the premise of the route guidance in, the route guidance may not be used under a special traveling environment. For example, when traveling at night, it is dark, and when traveling in a snowy state, the landmark may be covered with snow, which may make the landmark difficult or invisible.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and when a route is guided using a landmark, the landmark can be easily visually recognized under various traveling environments. An object of the present invention is to provide a route guidance device for an automobile that can be used.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a landmark is assigned to each of a plurality of landmarks and stored in a landmark database, from which a landmark suitable for a traveling environment is assigned. Is configured to perform route guidance to achieve the above object.

That is, as described in claim 1, travel route planning means for planning a travel route from the current position of the vehicle to a predetermined travel destination using the map database,
A route guidance device for a vehicle, comprising route guidance means for guiding a route of a vehicle based on the planned traveling route, wherein a plurality of landmarks are assigned to the respective landmarks. A stored landmark database, a traveling environment recognition means for recognizing the traveling environment of the own vehicle, and an attribute suitable for the recognized traveling environment located on the planned traveling route among the plurality of landmarks A landmark selecting unit that selects a given landmark, and the route guiding unit is configured to perform the route guiding using the selected landmark. Is.

The attributes given to each landmark are
It is not particularly limited as long as it is an attribute related to the traveling environment of the automobile, but the attribute is assigned, for example, a plurality of landmarks, as described in claim 2, a daytime landmark and a nighttime landmark. By separating into
Alternatively, as described in claim 3, by separating the landmarks for non-snow cover and the landmarks for snow cover,
You can do it.

[0011]

As described in the above structure, an attribute is given to each of a plurality of landmarks and is stored in the landmark database, and the attributes suitable for the traveling environment are given from the landmarks. Since it is configured to select the mark to guide the route, when guiding the route,
The driver can easily visually recognize the landmark.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when the route guidance is performed using the landmark, the landmark presented as the route guidance information can be easily visually recognized under various traveling environments. Then, by this, it is possible to further facilitate the route guidance.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

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

This route guidance device is a device installed in an automobile and, as shown in the figure, the map database 12
, Localization device 14, path planning device 16, data processing device 18, image output device 20, and audio output device 22.
, Landmark database 24, and environment recognition device 2
6 and a landmark attribute selection device 28.

The map database 12 is a database that stores a wide range of road networks and other map data, and is accessible from the route planning device 16 and the data processing device 18. This map database 1
The road network in 2 has multiple nodes (nodes such as intersections).
And a link (minimum unit of travel path) connecting these nodes.

The localization device 14 is a device for recognizing the current position of the own vehicle, and is configured to recognize the current position of the own vehicle by a known method using a GPS receiver, a gyro or a geomagnetic sensor. This localization device 14
The data of the current position of the own vehicle recognized in 1 is output to the route planning device 16 and the data processing device 18.

The route planning device 16 is capable of manually inputting a traveling destination, and the map database 12
Is used to plan a travel route from the current position of the vehicle to the travel destination set above. In this travel route planning, a process for obtaining an optimum travel route that minimizes the travel route loss from the current position of the vehicle to the travel destination by using the Dijkstra method or the like is performed. The traveling route loss is the cost set for each link and each node (that is, the time required to travel through the link (travel time), the road width of the link, the slope, the presence or absence of pavement, and the straight travel at the node). , A right turn, a left turn, etc., and the degree of obstructing the ease of travel) is calculated as a cumulative value.

The data processing device 18 is a device for performing data processing for route guidance of the own vehicle based on the travel route planned by the route planning device 16, and sets the travel route to the present vehicle traveling position. Accordingly, the driver is sequentially presented to guide the route. The presentation of the travel route is performed by using the image output device 20 and the audio output device 22 to appeal to the driver's sight and hearing by images and sounds.

The landmark database 24 is a database in which a plurality of landmarks existing on the road network stored in the map database 12 are stored by assigning attributes to the respective landmarks. It is supposed to be accessible from 18. The attributes are assigned to each landmark by separating the landmarks into daytime landmarks and nighttime landmarks, and further into non-snowy landmarks and snowy landmarks. It is supposed to be. Specifically, using a four-digit binary representation, a landmark with good visibility in the daytime is set as a landmark for daytime and is 0.
001, a landmark with good visibility at night is 0010 as a landmark for nighttime, a landmark with good visibility both day and night is 0011 as a landmark for both day and night, and a landmark with good visibility during non-snow is non-snow 0100 as an hourly landmark, 1000 as a landmark with good visibility during snowfall, 1000 as a landmark for snowfall, and 1100 as a landmark for both snowfall and snowfall as a dual landmark during snowfall The attribute is assigned by the combination. That is, for example, a landmark that has good visibility at night and visibility during snowfall is coded as 1010 and is given an attribute, so that visibility is good both day and night and visibility during snowfall and non-snowfall. A landmark having a good value is coded as 1111 and an attribute is added.

The environment recognizing device 26 is a device for recognizing the traveling environment of the own vehicle based on the detection values of a clock, an illuminance sensor and various other sensors, weather information received by an external information receiver and the like. Specifically, it recognizes whether it is day or night based on the current time or the brightness of the surroundings, and also recognizes based on weather information whether the traveling route is in a snowy state. The recognition result is output to the landmark attribute selection device 28. As the weather information, for example, snow cover information transmitted from beacons installed along the travel route can be used,
Other methods for recognizing whether or not the vehicle is in a snow cover state are as follows. That is, when traveling in a snow-covered area, a driver or the like inputs the fact to the environment recognition device 26 by a button operation or the like, a method of estimating from the outside air temperature obtained by a temperature sensor, image data obtained from an in-vehicle camera. It is possible to consider a method of processing and recognizing.

From the recognition result of the environment recognition device 26, the landmark attribute selection device 28 is adapted to select the landmark attribute suitable for the traveling environment of the own vehicle by the code at the time of attribute assignment. The selected code is output to the data processing device 18.

The data processing device 18 identifies a landmark having the attribute code selected by the landmark attribute selecting device 28 and located on the travel route planned by the route planning device 16 as a landmark. It is designed to be selected from the database 24. The data processing device 18 uses the selected landmark when presenting the travel route planned by the route planning device 16 to the driver. That is, the image output device 20 displays the road network around the current vehicle travel position, displays the planned travel route on the road network, and displays the selected landmark on the travel route. , Furthermore, the voice output device 22 announces the traveling route information in front of the vehicle together with the selected landmark, for example, "Turn left at the next intersection with a post office on the corner". It is like this.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

The route planning device 16 uses the map database 12 to plan a traveling route from the current position of the vehicle to the traveling destination, and the data processing device 18 plans the traveling route based on the planned traveling route. As already described, the route guidance is performed, but in that case, as shown in FIG.
Consider route guidance when entering Na from the left and turning left at the intersection Na. At the corner of the intersection Na, there is a tall building A1 and a short building A with a neon light on the roof.
It is assumed that 2 is built.

Both the building A1 and the building A2 are preliminarily stored in the landmark database 24 as landmarks. At that time, attributes are assigned as follows. That is, since the tall building A1 has good visibility in the daytime, this building A1 is separated from the landmark for daytime, and the building A2 with a neon light has good visibility at night. In addition, the building A1 and the building A2 have good visibility both during and without snow. Therefore, the building A1 and the building A2 are separated from the dual-use landmark during and without snow. A2 adds an attribute with a code 1110.

When the environment recognition device 26 recognizes that the traveling environment of the vehicle is, for example, during non-snow in the daytime, the landmark attribute selection device 28 causes the attribute of the landmark suitable for the traveling environment of the vehicle. As code 010
1 (Landmark with good visibility during daytime and non-snow), Code 0111 (Landmark with good visibility during day and night), Code 1101 (Landmark during snow and non-snow) Of good visibility) and code 1111 (landmark of good visibility both during and without snow, day and night).

The data processor 18 uses the above-mentioned codes 0101, 0111, 1 from the landmark database 24.
All the landmarks that are assigned the attribute 101 or 1111 and are located on the travel route planned by the route planning device 16 are selected and displayed on the image output device 20 together with the travel route. So in the above case,
Of the buildings A1 and A2 built at the corner of the intersection Na, only the building A1 with the attribute of the code 1101 is displayed on the image output device 2. Further, when the own vehicle approaches the intersection Na, the data processing device 18 announces by the voice output device 22 "Turn left at the next XX intersection with a building with a tall corner."

Next, as shown in FIG.
Consider the route guidance when entering the character-shaped intersection Nb from the front side and turning right at the intersection Nb. Above intersection Nb
It is assumed that there is good visibility in the vicinity, a signboard B1 is installed at the corner of the intersection Nb, and a curve mirror B2 is installed on the left side of the intersection Nb.

Both the signboard B1 and the curved mirror B2 are preliminarily stored as landmarks in the landmark database 24. At that time, attributes are assigned in the following manner. That is, since the signboard B1 has good visibility in non-snow areas, the signboard B1 is separated from the landmarks for non-snow areas, and the curve mirror B2 is less visible than the signboard B1 in non-snow areas, but the signboard B1 is buried. This curve mirror B2 is separated from the landmarks for snowfall because the visibility is good when it is covered with snow, and the signboard B1 and the curve mirror B2 have a good visibility at the intersection N.
In the vicinity of b, visibility is good both day and night.
111 for curve mirror B2, code 1011
Add attributes with.

If the environment recognition device 26 recognizes that the traveling environment of the own vehicle is, for example, during snowfall at night, the landmark attribute selecting device 28 determines that the landmark attribute is suitable for the traveling environment of the own vehicle. , Code 101
0 (Landmark with good visibility at night and in snow), Code 1011 (Landmark with good visibility during day and night), Code 1110 (Land at night regardless of whether it is snowing or not) (Landmark with good visibility) and Code 1111 (Landmark with good visibility both during day and night when snow is covered).

The data processing device 18 uses the above-mentioned codes 1010, 1011, 1 from the landmark database 24.
All the landmarks which are assigned the attributes 110 or 1111 and are located on the travel route planned by the route planning device 16 are selected and displayed on the image output device 20 together with the travel route. So in the above case,
Of the signboard B1 and the curve mirror B2 installed at the corner of the intersection Nb, only the curve mirror B2 with the attribute of the code 1011 is displayed on the image output device 2. When the vehicle approaches the intersection Nb, the data processing device 18 further announces, by the voice output device 22, "turn right at the next XX intersection with a curved mirror on the left side".

As described in detail above, according to this embodiment,
An attribute is given to each of the plurality of landmarks and stored in the landmark database 24, and a landmark to which an attribute suitable for the traveling environment is given is selected from among them to guide the route. Therefore, the driver can receive the route guidance information presented from the image output device 20 and the audio output device 22 using the easily visible landmark in front of the eyes both visually and auditorily.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the route guidance is performed using the landmarks, the landmarks presented as the route guidance information can be easily visually recognized under various traveling environments. And
This makes it possible to further facilitate route guidance.

In the above embodiment, among the landmarks located on the planned traveling route, only the landmarks to which the attributes suitable for the traveling environment are given are displayed on the image output device 20. All landmarks located on the planned travel route may be displayed, and landmarks to which an attribute suitable for the travel environment is added may be highlighted by different color display or the like.

Further, in the above embodiment, only the day and night and the presence / absence of snow are taken as the traveling environment to be recognized, but the traveling environment other than this is recognized and the landmark attribute is given to this. Of course, you can do it.

Further, in the above embodiment, since the attribute is added to the landmark by using the binary expression, it becomes clear whether or not a landmark can be used under a certain driving environment. The visibility level of the landmark cannot be clarified.

Therefore, it is preferable to add the attribute in a state of including the visibility level of the landmark for each traveling environment. For example, regarding the attribute based on the distinction between day and night, the visibility levels of the three landmarks A, B, and C in the daytime and the nighttime are set as follows,
It is stored in the landmark database 24. In addition,
Such setting can be performed by using an octal expression or the like.

Landmark Daytime level Nighttime level A 5 1 B 1 4 C 3 3 In this case, the data processing device 18 causes the landmark A with the highest “daytime level” to be displayed at night and the “nighttime level” to be displayed at night. The landmark B having the highest "" is selected, and the landmark C having the "daytime level" and the "nighttime level" balanced at dusk may be selected. By doing so, the route guidance can be performed using the landmark having a higher visibility level that is more suitable for the traveling environment, and the route guidance can be further facilitated.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

2 and 3 are maps showing the operation of the above embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 map database 14 localization device 16 route planning device (traveling route planning means) 18 data processing device (route guidance means, landmark selection means) 20 image output device 22 voice output device 24 landmark database 26 environment recognition device (environment recognition device) ) 28 landmark attribute selection device

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A travel route planning means for planning a travel route from a current position of the vehicle to a predetermined travel destination by using a map database, and a route guidance of the own vehicle based on the planned travel route. A route guidance device for a vehicle, comprising a route guidance means, a landmark database that stores a plurality of landmarks by assigning attributes to these landmarks, and a vehicle that recognizes the traveling environment of the vehicle. An environment recognition unit, and a landmark selection unit that selects, from the plurality of landmarks, a landmark located on the planned travel route and provided with an attribute suitable for the recognized travel environment. The route guidance device for a vehicle, wherein the route guidance means is configured to perform the route guidance by using the selected landmark. 2. By separating the plurality of landmarks into daytime landmarks and nighttime landmarks,
The route guidance device for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the attribute is added. 3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the attribute is assigned by classifying the plurality of landmarks into a non-snow-covering landmark and a snow-covering landmark. Route guidance device.