JPH08292061A - On-vehicle route presenting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To speedily guide a vehicle to nearby facilities even in the case where it is unknown whereabout of the nearest gasoline station for refueling the vehicle as anyone is able to get a recommended route leading to the nearby facilities corresponding to a common name by only inputting this coon name. CONSTITUTION: A corresponding table between a cannon name of a 'gasoline station' or the like and facilities of an 'A gasoline station' or the like being expressible with the common name is stored in a map exclusive disk. When the common name is inputted out of a remote control key (S4), facilities information corresponding to the common name is read out, while out of routes on a route tolly of up to the facilities corresponding to the common name, such a route as being shortest in time or distance from the current position is determined, whereby this route is obtained as the recommended route.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an on-vehicle providing device which is applied to, for example, an on-vehicle navigation device and acquires a recommended route between a present location and a destination.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in-vehicle navigation devices that display the current location of a vehicle together with a road map around the vehicle have been used in order to support the traveling of the vehicle on an unfamiliar land. In such an in-vehicle navigation device, a driver or a passenger (hereinafter collectively referred to as “driver”) can input a destination, and a computer can automatically obtain a recommended route between the current position and the destination. There are some (see, for example, JP-A-5-53504).

In the vehicle-mounted navigation device to which the route providing function is added, when a destination is input, road map data composed of links connecting road intersections and the like is read out, and an area including the current position and the destination is read. To explore the tree of links. At this time, the link cost data of each link included in the road map data are sequentially added, and the route that reaches the destination (or the current location) at the minimum link cost is set as the recommended route.

For the input of the destination, a menu screen is displayed on the display device to select the destination setting mode, and then the position on the road map displayed on the display device to be the destination is designated by the cursor key. To be achieved. The destination can also be input by using the facility information database and selecting desired facility information from a plurality of facility information displayed as a list on the display device as an option.

[0005]

By the way, the reason why the destination can be entered by the above method is that the position on the road map needs to be designated by the cursor key.
Only when it is clear where the desired facility is, such as "Osaka Station" or "Osaka City Hall". This also applies to the case where the facility information database is used.

On the other hand, there is a case where it is desired to know a route to a facility where the purpose can be achieved anywhere. For example, if you want to achieve the purpose of "replenishing the vehicle with gasoline", "want to eat", "want to park", etc., any gas station, restaurant, parking lot, respectively,
There is a case. Also, while driving on the highway,
When it is desired to achieve a purpose such as "I want to enter the next parking area or service area" or "I want to get off at the next exit lamp", there is a case where the parking area closest to the current location is preferable. Furthermore, when a disaster such as an earthquake or tsunami is expected (for example, when the Prime Minister receives a report of earthquake prediction information from the Director of the Japan Meteorological Agency, in accordance with Article 9 Paragraph 1 of the Large-scale Earthquake Countermeasures Special Act) When issuing a warning declaration according to the regulations), any disaster stricken facility may be used, and in the case of an accident, any hospital should be able to accommodate the sick person. In such a case, the nearest facility as close as possible to the present location is preferable.

However, if the nearest facility that can achieve the purpose is not known, naturally, the facility cannot be input as the destination. This is remarkable when the current location is unfamiliar land. Therefore,
When it is inevitable to find the nearest facility that can achieve the purpose, it is necessary to perform a complicated operation such as looking for a bound road map book and asking a person who is bright in the surrounding geography.

Therefore, there has been a demand for obtaining a route to the nearest facility by simply specifying a common name such as "station" or "city hall". Such a request is relatively strong especially in the event of a disaster or accident in which a prompt response is required. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problem and to provide an in-vehicle route providing device capable of acquiring a recommended route to the nearest facility by simply specifying a common name.

[0009]

A vehicle route providing device according to claim 1 for achieving the above object is a vehicle route providing device including a road map data storage means and a route obtaining means. , A common name storage means in which a common name and a plurality of facilities that can be expressed using the common name are associated and stored, a common name input means capable of inputting a common name, and a common name input means Is input, facility information reading / holding means for reading and temporarily holding one or a plurality of facilities corresponding to the common name from the common name storage means, and the route acquisition means includes the facility information. Of the routes between the one or more facilities held in the reading / holding means and the current location, the shortest route between the facility and the current location is determined, and the route is set as the recommended route. And wherein the door.

In this structure, when a normal name is input,
One or more facilities corresponding to the common name are read from the common name storage means and temporarily stored in the facility information reading / holding means. Then, of the routes between the held facility and the current location, the shortest route is determined and the route is set as the recommended route. Therefore, even if the nearest facility cannot be specified, the recommended route to the nearest facility can be acquired.

A vehicle-mounted route providing device according to a second aspect is the vehicle-mounted route providing device according to the first aspect,
In the case where the route acquisition means searches for a route from the current position of the vehicle as a starting point, the facility information read / read
The holding means, when the ordinary name is input by the ordinary name inputting means, reads out one or a plurality of facilities corresponding to the ordinary name and other ordinary names from the ordinary name storing means and temporarily retains them. Further, the route acquisition means further includes an input determination means for determining whether or not a different common name is newly input by the common name input means.
When it is determined by the input determination means that a different common name has been newly input, the facility corresponding to the newly input common name is provided on condition that the change of the current location of the vehicle is within a predetermined range. In addition, the shortest route from the current position is determined from among the routes to the facility held in the facility information reading / holding means, and the route is set as the recommended route.

In this configuration, when the ordinary name is input by the ordinary name input means, not only the facility corresponding to the ordinary name but also one or more facilities corresponding to the ordinary name other than the ordinary name are temporarily Retained. Here, for example, there is a case where it is desired to change the intended ordinary name due to an input error of the ordinary name or various investigations. In such a case, the driver usually newly inputs a common name different from the inputted common name.

In this configuration, when a different common name is newly input, the route to one or a plurality of facilities corresponding to the different common names is provided on condition that the change of the current position of the vehicle is within a predetermined range. Of these, the shortest route from the current location is determined and the route is set as the recommended route. Thus, according to this configuration, even if a common name different from the common name is newly input after the common name is once input, the facility corresponding to the different common name is already stored in the common name storage means. Since it has been read, it is possible to obtain a new recommended route while omitting the reading time.

A vehicle-mounted route providing device according to a third aspect is the vehicle-mounted route providing device according to the second aspect.
The common name includes a disaster stricken place, and further includes a receiving unit that can receive disaster prediction information transmitted from an external communication device, and the route acquisition unit is configured to receive the disaster prediction information by the receiving unit. When received, the shortest route from the current location is determined from the routes to the disaster stricken facility held in the facility information reading / holding means, and the route is set as the recommended route. To do.

According to this configuration, when the disaster prediction information is received from the external communication device, the route from the current location to the shortest disaster stricken facility is set as the recommended route, so that the nearest disaster stricken facility is reached. You can get the recommended route without delay. The vehicle-mounted route providing device according to claim 4 is the vehicle-mounted route providing device according to claim 2, wherein the common name includes a disaster stricken place, and an external communication device is used. Receiving means that can receive the transmitted disaster prediction information, notification means that notifies the disaster prediction information when the reception means receives the disaster prediction information, and that the receiving means receives the disaster prediction information. Further including a confirmation instruction means capable of instructing whether or not the driver has confirmed,
The route acquisition means, when instructed by the confirmation instruction means that the disaster prediction information has been received, selects one of the routes to the disaster stricken facility held in the facility information reading / holding means. The feature is that the shortest route is determined from the current position and the route is set as the recommended route.

In this configuration, when the disaster prediction information is received from the external communication device, the disaster prediction information is notified. As a result, the driver can be informed that a disaster may occur. After that, when the driver gives an instruction to confirm that the disaster prediction information has been received, the route from the current location to the shortest disaster stricken facility is acquired as the recommended route.

As described above, according to this configuration, it is possible to notify the driver that a disaster may occur and then obtain the recommended route to the nearest disaster stricken facility. The driver will not be confused by suddenly executing guidance following the recommended route up to. Further, in the case where the vehicle-mounted route providing device according to claim 5 is the vehicle-mounted route providing device according to claim 1, the route acquisition means searches for a route starting from the current position of the vehicle. , The common name includes a disaster stricken area, and receiving means capable of receiving disaster prediction information transmitted from an external communication device, and the disaster prediction information when the receiving means receives the disaster prediction information. The route acquisition means further includes a notification means for notifying the prediction information, and the route acquisition means notifies the driver that a disaster may occur when the reception means receives the disaster prediction information, and then the common name. The shortest route from the current location among the routes to the disaster stricken facility held in the facility information reading / holding means is provided on condition that the disaster stricken place is input as the common name by the input means. It determines, characterized in that it is an recommended route the route.

With this configuration, when disaster prediction information is received from an external communication device, the driver is informed that a disaster will occur, and if the driver inputs a disaster stricken place as a common name, the current location is displayed. To the shortest disaster stricken facility is acquired as the recommended route. In this way, according to this configuration, the driver can be notified that a disaster may occur, and the recommended route to the nearest disaster stricken facility can be obtained. Similarly, the driver will not be confused by suddenly executing guidance following a recommended route to a disaster stricken facility.

A vehicle-mounted route providing device according to a sixth aspect is the vehicle-mounted route providing device according to the third, fourth or fifth aspect, wherein the disaster stricken facility is stored in the common name storage means. Is characterized in that it includes a facility stricken by a disaster designated by an administrative institution and a facility that can be a facility stricken other than the facility stricken by the disaster. According to this configuration, not only the disaster condemnation facilities designated by the administrative organization as the disaster condemnation facilities, but also the condemnation facilities such as parking areas, service areas, exit ramps on highways, and large parks on general roads, etc. Since the facilities that can be used are also included, it is possible to deal with the case where the disaster stricken facility designated by the administrative agency is not near the current location.

The on-vehicle route providing device according to claim 7 is the on-vehicle route providing device according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 in the facility information reading / holding means. The facility to be read is a facility in one or more map meshes including the current location. Considering the purpose of the present invention, which is to obtain a recommended route to the nearest facility simply by inputting a name, it is not necessary to consider a facility far away as a facility to be read. Therefore, it is sufficient to limit the facilities to be read to those within one or more meshes including the current location.

An on-vehicle route providing device according to claim 8 is the on-vehicle route providing device according to claim 1,
The route acquisition means searches for a route with one or a plurality of facilities corresponding to the common name input by the common name input means as a starting point, and selects the shortest route to the present location as the recommended route. In some cases, the route acquisition unit further includes a travel determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is traveling outside the recommended route.
When it is determined that the vehicle is deviating from the recommended route by the traveling determination means, the route from the current position after the departure to the facility which is the starting point of the recommended route is set as a new recommended route. It is characterized by being.

In this structure, the route tree is searched starting from one or a plurality of facilities corresponding to the ordinary name input by the ordinary name inputting means, and only the route tree that has reached the current position fastest among the route trees is searched. survive. Then, the shortest route from the facility to the current location is set as the recommended route. Here, when the vehicle deviates from the recommended route, the route on the route tree from the deviated current position to the facility serving as the starting point of the recommended route is automatically set as a new recommended route. Therefore, even if the driver cannot drive along the recommended route that was initially indicated, either intentionally or due to a driving mistake, for example, without searching for a new route, the You can get the recommended route to the same facility.

In particular, when the common name is a stricken place during a disaster, as in the vehicle-mounted route providing device according to claim 9, for example, the recommended route initially shown is a collapsed house or an elevated drop due to a disaster. Even if the user is forced to make a detour due to an impassable situation, another recommended route to the same disaster condemnation facility can be quickly obtained.

A vehicle-mounted route providing device according to a tenth aspect of the invention is the vehicle-mounted route providing device according to any one of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth aspects. A route common name input means capable of inputting a common name to be entered, and the route acquisition means, when the common name to be routed is input by the route common name input means, inputs the present location and the common name input means. A route to the set destination, which can be expressed by using the common name input by the via common name input means, and the facility information read / read
It is characterized in that a route having the shortest distance between the current position and the destination is determined from among routes passing through one or a plurality of facilities held by the holding means, and the route is set as a recommended route.

In this configuration, when a common name such as "gas station" to be passed through is entered, it is a route between the present location and the destination expressed by the common name, and the entered common name. Of the routes that go through facilities such as "○○ Gas Station" that can be expressed using, the route between the current location and the destination is the recommended route. Therefore, for example, even if the user wants to stop at the nearest gas station or restaurant before going to the destination, it can be sufficiently dealt with.

The on-vehicle route providing device according to claim 11 is the above-mentioned claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Alternatively, the vehicle-mounted route providing device according to Item 10, further comprising a proper name input means capable of inputting a proper name as a destination, wherein the route acquisition means inputs the proper name as a destination by the proper name input means. And read the route calculation road map data stored in the road map data storage means, search for a route based on the route calculation road map data, and make a recommendation between the current position and the input destination. It is characterized by acquiring a route.

According to this configuration, since the proper name can be input as the destination, it is possible to handle not only the nearest facility but also a long-distance driver who wants to designate a far facility as the destination. It should be noted that the vehicle-mounted route providing device generally has this configuration in which a unique name can be input as a destination. On the other hand, the process of acquiring the recommended route is basically the same even when the ordinary name is input. Therefore, in order to realize this configuration, it is only necessary to provide the general vehicle-mounted route providing device with the ordinary name input means.

The on-vehicle route providing device according to the twelfth aspect is the on-vehicle route providing device according to the eleventh aspect, further comprising a via ordinary name input means for inputting an ordinary name to be passed, The route acquisition means is a route between the current location and the destination set by the input in the proper name input means when the common name to be passed through is input by the via common name input means. Of the routes that can be expressed using the common name input by the common name input means and that pass through one or more facilities held in the facility information reading / holding means, the route between the current location and the destination is the most A feature is that a short route is determined and the route is set as a recommended route.

According to this structure, for example, a recommended route from the present location to a distant destination via any facility corresponding to the nearest common name can be obtained. Also,
The vehicle-mounted route providing device according to claim 13 is the vehicle-mounted route providing device according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12, The shortest route to be determined by the route acquisition means is a route having the shortest distance or time along the route.

In this configuration, it is judged whether or not the route is the recommended route based on the distance or time along the searched route. Therefore, even if the straight line distance is short, for example, a facility on the opposite bank of the river without a bridge will not be selected as a recommended route candidate.

[0031]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows an in-vehicle navigation device to which the in-vehicle route providing device of the present invention is applied.
1 is a schematic diagram of a system for providing traffic information or disaster prediction information. This information providing system includes a road beacon A installed on the road and an information center C connected to the road beacon A via a communication line (public line or dedicated line) B.

Instead of the above-mentioned road beacon A, a communication (transmission) device used in, for example, an automobile / cellular phone network or an FM multiplex broadcasting network may be applied. The information center C stores link traffic information corresponding to a relatively coarse route network whose constituent units are links connecting main intersections. The link traffic information includes, for example, traffic congestion information including a traffic congestion degree indicating the degree of traffic congestion on a road corresponding to a link, regulation information, and accident information. The link traffic information is given to the on-road beacon A via the communication line B at regular intervals.

In the case where a disaster such as an earthquake or tsunami is expected to occur in the information center C (for example, when the Prime Minister receives a report of earthquake prediction information from the Director of the Meteorological Agency, special measures for large-scale earthquake countermeasures). When a warning declaration is issued in accordance with the provisions of Article 9, Paragraph 1 of the Act), disaster prediction information will be provided by the relevant organizations. This disaster prediction information is also given to the road beacon A via the communication line B.

When the link traffic information or the disaster prediction information is given via the communication line B, the road beacon A
The link traffic information or disaster prediction information is transmitted to the vehicle. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a vehicle-mounted navigation device mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 is provided with an azimuth sensor 5 that detects the amount of change in the direction of the vehicle and a distance sensor 6 that detects the amount of movement of the vehicle. As the direction sensor 5, for example, an optical fiber gyro, a vibration gyro, a gyro such as a gas rate gyro, or a geomagnetic sensor can be applied. Further, as the distance sensor 6, for example, a rotation speed sensor that detects the rotation speed of the tire wheel or the rotor can be applied. The outputs of the azimuth sensor 5 and the distance sensor 6 are given to the vehicle position detection unit 14 in the vehicle-mounted navigation device body 1.

The vehicle position detector 14 obtains the traveling direction of the vehicle based on the output of the direction sensor 5, and
The traveling distance of the vehicle is obtained based on the output of the distance sensor 6. Accurate initial position data of the vehicle is given to the vehicle position detecting unit 14 by the driver, for example, before the vehicle starts. In the vehicle position detecting unit 14, the given initial position data and the above-mentioned vehicle are given. The current position of the vehicle is detected based on the traveling direction and the traveling distance of the vehicle.
The current position of this vehicle is detected at a constant cycle (for example, 1.2
Every second).

Incidentally, instead of the direction sensor 5, the distance sensor 6 and the vehicle position detecting section 14, or together with the direction sensor 5, the distance sensor 6 and the vehicle position detecting section 14,
GPS (Global Posioning S) navigating in an orbit around the earth
A GPS receiver that detects the current position of the vehicle based on the propagation delay time of GPS radio waves transmitted from the satellite (Ystem) satellite may be employed (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-142216).

The vehicle position detecting section 14 also corrects the detected current position of the vehicle by so-called map matching processing (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-148115). That is, the traveling locus of the vehicle detected based on the outputs of the azimuth sensor 5 and the distance sensor 6 is compared with the road pattern stored in the vehicle-mounted map dedicated disk D, and the vehicle pattern is checked according to the result. The traveling locus is corrected on the road pattern.

The current position data of the vehicle corrected by the map matching process is given to the controller 16. The controller 16 is a control center of the vehicle-mounted navigation device body 1, and includes a CPU 161, an SRAM 162, and a DRAM 163. Controller 1
When the current position data of the vehicle is given from the vehicle position detection unit 14, 6 reads the road map data for display from the vehicle-mounted map dedicated disk D via the memory control unit 11 and the CD drive 2. The read road map data for display and the present position data thus read are given to the display control unit 12. When the display road map data and the current position data are given, the display control unit 12 superimposes a car mark representing the current position of the vehicle on the road map to display the liquid crystal display device, the plasma display device, or the CRT. To display.

In addition to the display road map data, the on-vehicle map dedicated disk D stores route calculation road map data. The road map data for route calculation divides the road map (including highway national roads, motorways, other national roads, prefectural roads, city roads of ordinance-designated cities, and other living roads) into meshes, and each mesh A relatively fine route network consisting of a combination of nodes corresponding to road intersections and links connecting the nodes is divided into three layers, a highway / national road map, a general road map, and a detailed map. The link number, the travel time (link cost), the link length, the coordinates of the start point and the end point of the link, and the like are associated with each link.

The highway / national road map mainly includes highways (highway national roads, motorways) and other national roads, and the general road corresponding map includes general roads (road width 5 .5m or more) is also included. The detailed map includes highways, other national roads, and general roads as well as residential roads (road width 3.3 m or more). Due to the characteristics of the road map database, a closed network is formed nationwide for roads above national roads.

The above mesh shows a Japanese road map with a longitude difference of 1
Divide by 40 degree difference in latitude and longitude, and the vertical and horizontal distance is about 80km x 80
The upper mesh set to km and the upper and lower meshes 8
It has a triple structure of a middle mesh having a vertical and horizontal distance of about 10 km × 10 km and a lower mesh having a vertical and horizontal distance of 10 and a vertical and horizontal distance of about 1 km × 1 km.

In addition to the above road map data, the map-dedicated disk D also stores a facility correspondence table showing a correspondence relation between a common name and a plurality of facilities that can be expressed using the common name. The common names include, for example, "parking lot", "restaurant", "station", "city hall", "ward office", "gas station", "hospital", "police station",
Includes "fire department", "department store", "bank", "post office", "convenience store", "hotel", "highway entrance", and "emergency contingency". In addition, as a facility that can be expressed by using this common name, "Station", "B Station", "C Station",
"D station" (in this specification, "A", "B", "C", "D", etc. before a common name such as "station" represent unique names), ...・ Including "," as an example of a common name, "Disaster stricken area", not only the disaster stricken facility designated by the administrative agency, but also "parking area", "service area" or "service area""Exitramps" or "wide parks" associated with open roads,
It also includes facilities that can be used as disaster relief facilities. To each facility included in the facility correspondence table, the number of each link or node constituting the above-mentioned route calculation road map data corresponding to each facility is added at the same time. FIG. 3 shows a specific example of the facility correspondence table.

The controller 16 is provided with various calculation conditions such as destinations and transit points (whether toll roads are prioritized, ferry use is prioritized, or transit points are used). A remote controller key (hereinafter simply referred to as “remote control key”) 4 for input is an input control unit 1.
3 are connected. For example, a "route key", a "destination input mode", a "route input mode", which will be described later, can be used to input a route acquisition instruction signal to the remote controller key 4 with a single touch when the user wants to obtain a recommended route from the current location to the destination. Various keys (none of which are shown) such as a "menu key" for displaying a menu screen for selecting and specifying "ordinary name input mode" and the like are provided.

When various calculation conditions such as a destination are input by the driver via the remote controller key 4 to the controller 16, the controller 16 outputs the input destination data and the like to the DRAM 163.
In addition to reading the road map data for route calculation from the in-vehicle map dedicated disk D, the recommended routes between the destination and the links respectively close to the current position detected by the vehicle position detection unit 14 are used by, for example, the Dijkstra method or the potential method. To get. The acquired recommended route is superimposed and displayed on the road map displayed on the display device 3 by, for example, a broken line, and the microphone M is transmitted via the voice control unit 18.
Sound output from.

Here, the potential method is the following method. That is, the link close to the current location is set as the calculation start link, the link closest to the destination is set as the calculation end link, and all links starting from the calculation start link are searched. At this time, the process of sequentially adding the travel time data or the link length of each link included in the route calculation road map data, discarding the route that is not the shortest route, and leaving only the route that realizes the shortest route is repeated. As a result, finally, a tree of paths consisting of only the shortest paths is obtained. An example of the obtained route tree is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, the route K shown by the broken line₁,
K₂, K₃, K_Four, K_FiveIs the current location of the vehicle
Corresponding current location link L₀From each link L₁, L₂, L
₃, L_Four, L_FiveRepresents the shortest path to. This route tree
In, for example, link L as the destination₁Facilities
Is entered, the link L₁Facilities
From route tree to current location link L₀Results traced back to
Is route K₁Is the link L ₁Routes to Facilities in
Is obtained as.

The beacon receiver 7 is also connected to the controller 16. When the vehicle enters the transmission area of the road beacon A and the link traffic information or the disaster prediction information transmitted from the road beacon A is received by the beacon receiver 7, the CPU 161 receives the link traffic information or the disaster prediction information. Is given to the SRAM 162 and held therein. When the SRAM 162 holds the link traffic information when the recommended route is acquired by the above method, the CPU 161 adds the link traffic information in addition to the travel time data included in the route calculation road map data. The shortest route that takes into consideration is searched, and the recommended route is acquired.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are flowcharts for explaining the recommended route acquisition process in the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1. In FIG. 5, the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 first determines whether or not the link traffic information transmitted from the road beacon A is received (step S1). As a result, when it is determined that the link traffic information is received, the link traffic information is recorded as the latest link traffic information (step S2). This latest link traffic information is updated every time it is received by the beacon receiver 7, and is used to reflect the actual traffic condition on the recommended route to be acquired in the recommended route acquisition process described later.

When it is determined that the link traffic information transmitted from the road beacon A is not received as a result of the determination in step S1, it is determined whether the disaster prediction information transmitted from the road beacon A has been received. It is determined (step S
3). As a result, if it is determined that the disaster prediction information has not been received, in order to determine the acquisition condition of the recommended route next,
The determination process of steps S4 to S6 is executed.

More specifically, first, it is judged whether or not the ordinary name is input as the destination (step S4). As a result, if it is determined that the ordinary name is not input, then the unique name is given. It is determined whether or not the destination represented by the name has been input (step S5). As a result, if it is determined that the destination has not been input, then both the waypoint and the destination are input. It is determined whether or not (Fig. 6
Step S6).

If any one of the determination processes of the recommended route acquisition condition is applicable, it is considered that the driver has made a route acquisition instruction request, and the recommended route acquisition process described later is executed. On the other hand, if the recommended route is not yet acquired or the recommended route is already acquired, and the vehicle does not reach the destination in FIG. It is determined whether or not (step S7). As a result, when it is determined in the recommended route acquisition process that the recommended route has already been acquired and the vehicle has reached the destination, the fact is displayed on the display screen of the display 3 or by voice, and the recommended route itself is displayed. , And guidance instruction information described later are cleared (step S8), and the above-described processing is repeated. on the other hand,
If the recommended route has already been acquired in the recommended route acquisition process but the destination has not yet been reached, or if the recommended route itself has not yet been acquired, to confirm whether it is necessary to issue a guidance instruction. It is determined whether or not the recommended route has been acquired (step S9). As a result, when it is determined that the recommended route has not been acquired yet, the above process is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the recommended route has been acquired, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has reached a predetermined point to which the route should be guided, for example, a predetermined distance before an intersection on the way (step S10: Whether or not the predetermined point has been reached is determined based on the current position data output from the vehicle position detection unit 14.) When it is determined that the predetermined point has been reached, the driver can see the intersection shape and The guidance direction is indicated on the display screen of the display 3 or by voice (step S11).

Next, the recommended route acquisition process will be specifically described. When it is clear where the target facility is, such as “A hospital”, “B station”, “C city hall”, the driver displays a road map on the display screen of the display 3. , Move the cursor key to the point on the road map where the desired facility is located, and enter the destination.

In such a case, the CPU 161 determines that only the destination has been input in step S5 of FIG. Along with this, the road map data for route calculation including the current location and the destination and the latest link traffic information are stored in the SRAM 162.
Is read (step S12). Then, the travel time data included in the route calculation road map data is converted into travel time data in which the link traffic information is added (step S13 in FIG. 6). Specifically, for example, when the link traffic information is traffic jam information, the travel time data is weighted by multiplying the travel time data by a weighting coefficient according to the traffic jam degree.
This makes it possible to obtain travel time data that reflects the actual traffic conditions. Then, using the converted travel time data, a route is searched by the above-mentioned potential method to obtain a recommended route to the destination (step S).
14). Then, the recommended route is displayed on the display screen of the display 3 (step S15), and guide instruction information corresponding to the recommended route is created (step S15).
16).

Contrary to the above case, when it is not clear where the target facility is, for example, when you want to go to the nearest gas station because you can go anywhere, or when you want to go to the nearest restaurant because you can go anywhere. In this case, the destination cannot be input by moving the cursor keys as described above. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to deal with such a case, a common name such as "hospital" or "station" can be input as the destination. The input of this common name is achieved by displaying a common name input mode screen in which a plurality of common names are selected as options on the display 3, and designating a desired common name with the cursor keys. When the CPU 161 determines that the ordinary name is input in step S4 of FIG. 5, after confirming that the ordinary name has not been changed (NO in step S17), the route calculation road including the current location, for example, a lower or middle mesh is calculated. The map data and the link traffic information are read from the SRAM 162, and one or more facility information corresponding to the input common name and one or more facilities corresponding to the common name other than the input common name are dedicated to the map. The data is read from the disk D and stored in the SRAM 162 (step S18). Then, the travel time data included in the read route calculation road map data is converted into travel time data in which the link traffic information is added (step S1).
9).

Note that the route calculation road map data to be read is limited to one or a plurality of meshes (lower or middle meshes) including the current location to obtain a recommended route from the current location to the nearest facility. This is because there is no need to target facilities far from the current location because it is intended. When the current location is near the mesh edge, not only the mesh including the current location but also the route calculation road map data of the adjacent mesh may be read at the same time.

After that, the CPU 161 determines that the SRAM 162
The time or distance along the route tree from the link corresponding to the current location to the links corresponding to one or a plurality of facilities corresponding to the input common name is calculated with reference to the facility information stored in. In the calculation of the time or distance, the link cost or link length included in the route calculation road map data is used. Then, the route with the shortest time or distance along the route tree from the current location to the facility (hereinafter, "the route with the shortest time or distance" is simply referred to as "the shortest route") is determined and the route is set as the recommended route. (Step S20). After that, the recommended route is displayed on the display screen of the display 3 (step S15 in FIG. 6), and guide instruction information corresponding to the recommended route is created (step S16).

On the other hand, if the driver erroneously inputs the common name, the driver newly inputs a different common name. In response to this, the CPU 161 determines in step S17 of FIG.
Since the recommended route was calculated before, the fluctuation of the current location is within a predetermined range (not departing from the link currently running)
If it is determined that a different common name has been newly input, the facility information already stored in the SRAM 162 is referred to, and among the routes on the route tree to the facility corresponding to the common name, from the current position to the above. The shortest route along the route tree to the facility is determined (step S21), and the route is set as the recommended route (step S2).
2).

For example, in the route tree shown in FIG. 7A, when the currently running link is L _a ,
When the route K _a0 toward the link L _a0 of the R restaurant is initially adopted as the recommended route, when “hospital” is entered as the common name, the route K _a1 to the link L _a1 with the A ₁ hospital, and A of path K _a2 to link L _a2 with ₂ hospitals, path K _a2 towards time or distance along the path tree it is short is obtained as a new recommended route.

Then, the recommended route is displayed on the display screen of the display 3 (step S1 in FIG. 6).
5) Then, guide instruction information corresponding to the recommended route is created (step S16). Thus, for example, even if the common name is changed due to a typo or various investigations, the facility information corresponding to the changed common name necessary for obtaining the recommended route should be set in advance when the common name is first input. Since it is read from the map-dedicated disk D and stored in the SRAM 162, it is not necessary to newly read the facility information from the map-dedicated disk D when the changed ordinary name is input. Therefore, the processing time can be significantly shortened.

In addition, when the proper name of the target facility is clear and there is a point where the user wants to transit on the way, the driver also inputs the destination in addition to the destination. . At this time, the input of the facility to be routed is achieved by moving the cursor key to a desired point, similarly to the input of the destination. The CPU 161
When it is determined that both the waypoint and the destination are input in step S6 of FIG. 6, the route calculation road map data including the current location, the waypoint and the destination and the link traffic information are read from the SRAM 162 (step S23) and read. The travel time data included in the route calculation road map data is converted into travel time data in which the link traffic information is added (step S13). After that, the route tree is searched by the above-mentioned potential method using the converted travel time data, and a recommended route from the current location to the destination via the above transit point is acquired (step S14),
The recommended route is displayed on the display screen of the display 3 (step S15), and guide instruction information corresponding to the recommended route is created (step S16).

By the way, when an earthquake or the like is predicted, it is necessary to blame the disaster blame facility as quickly as possible. In such a case, it is preferable to blame the disaster condemnation facility closest to the present location, but especially when going out, it is almost impossible to know where the nearest disaster condemnation facility is. Therefore, in this vehicle-mounted navigation device 1, when it is determined that the disaster prediction information transmitted from the road beacon A is received in step S3 of FIG. 5, first, the driver is notified that a disaster may occur. Therefore, the content of the disaster prediction information is notified by the display 3 or the microphone M (step S24). After that, it is determined whether or not the disaster stricken place has been input as the common name (step S25). As a result, when it is determined that the disaster stricken place is input as the ordinary name, the route from the current location to the shortest disaster stricken facility on the route to the disaster stricken facility is determined, as in the case of steps S18 to S20. The route is determined, and the route is set as the recommended route. Then, the recommended route is displayed on the display screen of the display 3 (step S15 in FIG. 6), and guide instruction information of the recommended route is created (step S16).

When another recommended route is displayed on the display 3, and when the recommended route to the disaster stricken facility is acquired, it is natural to consider that it is an emergency, and of course, at the time of the disaster. The recommended route to the refuge facility is displayed preferentially. In this way, after informing the driver that a disaster may occur, guidance is performed according to the recommended route to the nearest disaster stricken facility, so that the driver suddenly changes the recommended route Does not cause confusion.

Further, as described above, the stricken facilities at the time of disaster include parking areas other than the stricken facilities designated by the administrative agency, so that even if the stricken facility designated by the administrative agency is not near the current location, the vehicle Can be reliably guided to a safe blame facility. In this flowchart, as described above, the input of the stricken area at the time of disaster as the common name is the recommended route acquisition condition. For example, whether the driver has confirmed that the disaster prediction information has been received or not. It is also possible to provide a confirmation instruction switch capable of instructing, and on condition that the confirmation instruction switch has been pressed, consider that reception has been confirmed, and obtain a recommended route to the nearest disaster stricken facility. . According to this configuration, since the driver only has to instruct the reception confirmation, it is possible to respect the driver's intention and simplify the driver's operation.

It should be noted that instead of providing a dedicated switch as the confirmation instruction switch, for example, a switch that executes another function is made to function as the confirmation instruction switch when the disaster prediction information is received and notified. Good. With this configuration, it is possible to simplify the configuration of the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1. Also, instead of acquiring the recommended route to the disaster stricken facility by adding some condition, for example, when disaster prediction information is received, the route from the current location to the shortest disaster stricken facility is unconditionally specified. However, the route may be acquired as the recommended route. According to this configuration, at least the step S
Since the determination process of 25 is unnecessary, driver operation and C
The control of the PU 161 is simplified, and the vehicle can be quickly guided to the condemned facility.

As described above, in the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 of this embodiment, when the ordinary name is input as the destination, the shortest route from the current position is selected from the routes to the nearest facility corresponding to the ordinary name. Since it is a recommended route, the vehicle can be reliably guided to the nearest facility without knowing where the nearest facility is. This effect is particularly effective when an emergency is required for accusation or hospital accommodation, such as when a disaster occurs or an accident occurs.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the ordinary name can be input as the destination in addition to the proper name has been described, but the ordinary name may be input as the waypoint, for example. More specifically, when an ordinary name is input as a waypoint, the CPU 161 determines that the route from the current location to the destination via the facility that can be expressed using the input ordinary name is the most from the current location. A short route is determined and the route is acquired as a recommended route.

According to this configuration, for example, when traveling to a destination and wanting to stop at a gas station or a restaurant but do not know where the nearest gas station is, it is possible to deal flexibly. Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the proper name can be input as the destination has been described, but for example, only the ordinary name may be input as the destination. According to this configuration, since the final destination is limited to the nearest facility not far from the current location, the route calculation road map data to be held in the SRAM 162 in advance from the vehicle-dedicated map dedicated disk D is A relatively narrow range of data is sufficient. Therefore, the SRAM 16
The capacity of 2 is small. Moreover, since the range for route calculation is narrow, the burden on the CPU 161 for route calculation can be reduced and the time required for route calculation can be shortened. Therefore, the configuration of the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

In this configuration, the final destination is limited to the nearest facility, but this is sufficient when the short-distance drive is rare. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, when the common name is input, the shortest route from the current position is selected as the recommended route among the routes to the facility corresponding to the common name, and guidance is performed according to the route. However, the following processing may be added, for example.

When the ordinary name is input, the CPU 161 searches for a route from one or a plurality of facilities corresponding to the ordinary name to the current location. Contrary to the usual search, this search is performed starting from the destination. If there are multiple destination facilities, multiple destinations will be searched, but only the destination with the shortest route from the destination to the current location and the route tree from the destination will be searched. Survives and acquires the shortest route to the current location among the routes forming the route tree as the recommended route.

According to the recommended route obtained in this way
If the vehicle is guided by
So that the vehicle is link L_b0And "restaurant"
"R" corresponding to the name₂Link L with "Restaurant"_b2When
Recommended route K between_b2Also when being guided according to
If the vehicle is the recommended route K_b2From link L_b4Determined to be off
Then, using the same route tree,
Link L which is the current location _b4From above "R₂Restaurant "
Route K at_b1Is the new recommended route. Also, if the vehicle
Recommended route K_b2From link L_b5When it is determined that
Use the same route tree for the current location after the departure.
Link L which is_b5From above "R₂To the restaurant
Road K_b3Is the new recommended route. And the vehicle is
You will be guided according to the new recommended route.

According to this configuration, when the vehicle travels outside the recommended route that was initially the guidance target, the same route tree is used from the current position after the departure to the facility which is the starting point of the recommended route. Since the route is set as the new recommended route, the vehicle can be reliably guided to the facility originally intended, even if the driver intentionally or runs off the recommended route due to a driving mistake.

Moreover, since it is not necessary to newly search for a route tree to be used when acquiring the new recommended route, the processing time can be shortened. In addition, if the destination that should be the above-mentioned starting point is a disaster stricken facility,
For example, even if the recommended route that was originally shown has to be detoured due to the collapse of houses due to disaster or the fall of an elevated structure, etc. Can be obtained.

Others Various design changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0074]

As described above, according to the vehicle-mounted route providing apparatus of the present invention, the guidance can be executed in accordance with the recommended route connecting to the nearest facility simply by inputting the ordinary name. The vehicle can be quickly and reliably guided to the nearest facility even if the vehicle cannot be specifically identified.
This effect is particularly effective when an emergency is required for accusation or hospital accommodation, such as when a disaster occurs or an accident occurs.

In particular, according to the vehicle-mounted route providing apparatus of the second aspect, even if a common name different from the common name is newly inputted after the common name is once inputted,
Since the facilities corresponding to different common names have already been read from the common name storage means, the recommended route can be acquired while omitting the reading time. Therefore, for example, even when it is desired to change the intended ordinary name due to an input error or various investigations, the recommended route connecting to the nearest facility corresponding to the ordinary name can be acquired in a short time.

According to the vehicle-mounted route providing device of the third aspect, when the disaster prediction information is received, the recommended route to the nearest disaster stricken facility can be obtained without delay. The blame guidance in time can be executed quickly and efficiently. Further, according to the vehicle-mounted route providing device of claim 4 or 5, the driver can be notified once that a disaster has occurred, and then the recommended route to the nearest disaster-prone facility can be acquired. Occasionally, the driver will not be confused by suddenly executing the guidance along the recommended route to the blame facility. Therefore, blame guidance can be safely performed. In particular, according to the configuration of the fourth aspect, since it is only necessary to instruct the confirmation by the confirmation instructing means, it is possible to respect the driver's intention and simplify the driver's operation.

According to the vehicle-mounted route providing apparatus of the sixth aspect, not only the disaster stricken facility designated by the administrative agency,
Other facilities that can be condemned at the time of disaster are also candidates for condemned facilities at the time of disaster, so even if the condemned facility at disaster designated by the administrative body is not near the current location, the vehicle can be promptly condemned. Further, according to the vehicle-mounted route providing apparatus of the seventh aspect, since the facility to be read is limited to the facility within one or more meshes including the current location, waste of processing can be eliminated and processing time can be shortened. Can be achieved. Therefore, the load on the route acquisition means can be reduced, and
The capacity of the facility information reading / holding means can be reduced. Also,
The configuration of the in-vehicle route providing device can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

According to the on-vehicle route providing device of the eighth aspect, when the vehicle runs off the recommended route, the route from the present position after the departure to the same facility as the starting point of the recommended route is changed. Since it is a new recommended route, it will be the starting point of the initially recommended route even if the driver cannot drive along the originally recommended route due to intentional or incorrect driving, for example. The recommended route to the facility can be immediately obtained. As a result, the vehicle can be reliably guided to the intended facility. In particular, when the facility that is the starting point of the recommended route is a disaster stricken facility as in the configuration of claim 9, for example, the initially suggested route is passed by a collapsed house or an elevated drop due to the disaster. Even in the case of having to make a detour due to a situation such as incapability, it is possible to quickly obtain another recommended route that hits the same disaster condemnation facility.

Moreover, since it is not necessary to newly search for a necessary route when acquiring a new recommended route, the processing time can be shortened. Further, according to the vehicle-mounted route providing device according to claim 10, since it is possible to input a common name as a stopover, it is possible to flexibly cope with a case where there is a facility to stop by but do not know where it is. can do.

According to the vehicle-mounted route providing apparatus of the eleventh aspect, since the proper name can be input as the destination, the nearest facility can be set as the destination and, for example, the destination. If you want to specify a distant facility as, it is possible to correspond. According to the vehicle-mounted route providing device of the twelfth aspect, it is possible to obtain a recommended route from the present location to a distant destination via the nearest facility.

According to the in-vehicle route providing device of the thirteenth aspect, the route having the shortest time or distance along the route is selected as the recommended route, so that the recommended route is obtained in consideration of actual road conditions. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conceptual configuration of a system for providing traffic information or disaster prediction information to an on-vehicle navigation device to which an on-vehicle route providing device of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the vehicle-mounted navigation device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific example of a correspondence table of common names such as “hospital” and “station” and facilities that can be expressed using common names such as “Osaka Red Cross Hospital” and “Osaka station”.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of recommended route search and acquisition processing.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a process of acquiring a recommended route in the vehicle-mounted navigation device.

FIG. 6 is likewise a flow chart for explaining a recommended route acquisition process in the vehicle-mounted navigation device.

FIG. 7 (a) is a diagram for explaining how to obtain a new recommended route when a different common name is newly input, and FIG. 7 (b) is FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining how to obtain a new recommended route when the vehicle travels outside the recommended route that was initially targeted for guidance.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 In-vehicle navigation device 2 CD drive 3 Display 4 Remote control key 7 Beacon receiver 11 Memory control unit 16 Controller 161 CPU A Road beacon B Communication line C Information center D Map disc

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A road map data storage means in which road calculation road map data is stored, and route calculation road map data stored in the road map data storage means are read out,
An in-vehicle route providing device including a route acquisition unit that searches for a route based on the route calculation road map data and obtains a recommended route, including a common name and a plurality of facilities that can be expressed using the common name. Common name storage means stored in association with each other, common name input means capable of inputting a common name, and when a common name is input by this common name input means, one or a plurality of facilities corresponding to the common name Facility information read / read out from the common name storage means and temporarily hold
Holding means, wherein the route obtaining means has the shortest route between the facility and the current location among the routes between the one or more facilities held in the facility information reading / holding means and the current location. Is determined, and the route is set as a recommended route. 2. In the case where the route acquisition means searches for a route starting from the current position of the vehicle, the facility information reading / holding means, when the ordinary name is input by the ordinary name inputting means, One or a plurality of facilities corresponding to the ordinary name and other ordinary names are read out from the ordinary name storage means and temporarily retained, and whether a different ordinary name is newly input by the ordinary name input means. The route acquisition means further includes an input determination means for determining whether or not the change of the current location of the vehicle is within a predetermined range when the input determination means determines that a different common name is newly input. As a condition, it is a facility corresponding to the newly entered ordinary name,
And, of the routes to the facility held in the facility information reading / holding means, the shortest route from the current location is determined,
The in-vehicle route providing device according to claim 1, wherein the route is a recommended route. 3. The common name includes a disaster stricken place, and further includes receiving means capable of receiving disaster prediction information transmitted from an external communication device, and the route acquiring means includes the receiving means. When the disaster prediction information is received at, the shortest route from the current location is determined from the routes to the disaster stricken facilities held in the facility information reading / holding means, and the route is set as the recommended route. The vehicle-mounted route providing device according to claim 2, wherein 4. The common name includes a disaster stricken area, and a receiving unit capable of receiving disaster prediction information transmitted from an external communication device, and the receiving unit receiving the disaster prediction information. Further comprising a notification means for notifying the disaster prediction information, and a confirmation instruction means for instructing whether or not the driver has confirmed that the disaster prediction information has been received by the reception means, and the route acquisition means, When it is instructed by the confirmation instructing means that the disaster prediction information has been received, the shortest route from the current location is selected from the routes to the disaster stricken facilities held in the facility information reading / holding means. The vehicle-mounted route providing device according to claim 2, wherein the route is determined and the route is set as a recommended route. 5. The route acquisition means, when the route is searched from the current position of the vehicle as a starting point, the common name includes a disaster stricken place and is transmitted from an external communication device. Further includes receiving means capable of receiving the disaster prediction information, and notifying means for notifying the disaster prediction information when the receiving means receives the disaster prediction information, wherein the route acquisition means is provided by the receiving means. When the information is received, the driver is informed that a disaster may occur, and then the facility information read / read is performed on condition that the disaster stricken place is entered as the ordinary name by the ordinary name input means. 2. The shortest route from the present location is determined from the routes held by the holding means to the disaster stricken facility, and the route is set as the recommended route. In-vehicle route providing device. 6. The disaster stricken facilities stored in the ordinary name storage means include disaster stricken facilities designated by an administrative body and facilities that can be stricken facilities other than the disaster stricken facilities. The vehicle-mounted route providing device according to claim 3, 4 or 5, wherein 7. The facility to be read by the facility information reading / holding means is a facility within one or a plurality of map meshes including the current location.
The in-vehicle route providing device according to 4, 5, or 6. 8. The route acquisition means searches for a route starting from one or a plurality of facilities corresponding to the common name input by the common name input means, and recommends the shortest route to the current location among the routes. In the case of a route, the vehicle further includes a traveling determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling out of the recommended route, and the route acquisition means is configured such that the vehicle is determined from the recommended route by the traveling determination means. When it is determined that the vehicle is running outside, the route from the current position after the departure to the facility serving as the starting point of the recommended route is set as a new recommended route. In-vehicle route providing device. 9. The in-vehicle route providing device according to claim 8, wherein the common name is a disaster-prone site. 10. A common route name input means for inputting a common name to be routed is further included, wherein the route acquisition means, when a common name to be routed is inputted by the common route name input means, present location and the common route. A route to the destination set by the input by the name input means, which can be expressed by using the common name input by the transit common name input means, and is stored in the facility information reading / holding means. 2. The route which is the shortest between the present location and the destination is determined from the routes passing through one or more facilities, and the route is set as the recommended route. An on-vehicle route providing device according to 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9. 11. A proper name input means for inputting a proper name as a destination is further included, and the route acquisition means, when the proper name is inputted as a destination by the proper name input means, the road map data storage means. The road map data for route calculation stored in is read, the route is searched based on the road map data for route calculation, and the recommended route between the current location and the destination entered above is acquired. Claims 1, 2,
The vehicle-mounted route providing device according to 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. 12. A common route name input means for inputting a common name to be routed is further included, wherein the route acquisition means receives the current location and the unique name when the common name to be routed is inputted by the common route name input device. A route to the destination set by the input by the name input means, which can be expressed by using the common name input by the transit common name input means, and is stored in the facility information reading / holding means. 12. The vehicle-mounted system according to claim 11, wherein a route having the shortest distance between the present location and the destination is determined from the routes passing through one or more facilities, and the route is set as the recommended route. Route providing device. 13. The shortest route to be determined by the route acquisition means is a route having the shortest distance or time along the route.
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 vehicle-mounted route providing device.