JPH09292834A - Traffic information receiving device and traffic information informing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to easily grasp the variation of road situation and, furthermore, efficiently use traffic information varying in real time in a traffic information receiving device which is able to receive traffic information. SOLUTION: Traffic information is received at every predetermined time at the time of route guidance, and if the received traffic information includes a new traffic snarl information relative to the guide route, the latter information is memorized in addition to the precedently obtained traffic snarl information (S9, S10). If there is no new traffic snarl information (NO in S9), and when the variation information display mode is selected and set beforehand (YES in S11), variation information indicating variation of traffic snarl situation is guided on the screen on the basis of the newest traffic snarl information last memorized in RAM and the precedent traffic snarl information (S13). Thus, the user is informed of the variation tendency of the traffic snarl situation at the point with traffic snarl on the guide route.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a traffic information receiving device and a traffic information notifying method suitable for use in a navigation device or the like capable of receiving traffic information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Currently, in a car navigation system, a route toward a destination is set manually or automatically, and the route is guided and displayed together with the position of the vehicle on the map while guiding the driver to the destination. Those having a route guidance function are common. On the other hand, recently, for these systems, using FM waves, radio wave beacons, and optical beacons, traffic congestion information and parking lot information indicating the fullness of the parking lot,
Highway traffic information such as lamp closure information is sent in real time and the traffic information is displayed on a map.
& Communication System).

[0003]

However, the traffic information sent by the above-mentioned FM wave or the like changes in real time, and the traffic congestion information usually required by the user of the car navigation system always changes. .
Therefore, the user uses the traffic jam information included in the traffic information only when the traffic jam information is received. In addition, in order for the user to constantly grasp the change in the road condition related to the area around the vehicle position and the change in the road condition related to the route at the time of guidance, the user must remember the road information before the change. There was a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and it is possible to easily grasp a change in road conditions and to effectively use traffic information that changes in real time. An object is to provide a receiving device and a traffic information notification method.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the traffic information receiving apparatus of the present invention mainly comprises an information receiving means for receiving the traffic information sent and a receiving means by the information acquiring means. Road condition based on the storage means for storing the traffic information, the latest traffic information received by the information acquisition means, and the previous traffic information received by the information acquisition means and stored in the storage means. And a notifying unit that notifies change information indicating the change.

In such a structure, when the traffic information is received by the information receiving means, the received traffic information is stored in the storage means. On the other hand, when the traffic information is newly received by the information acquisition means, a notification is given based on the latest traffic information newly received and the previous traffic information previously received by the information acquisition means and stored in the storage means. The change information indicating the change in traffic conditions is notified by the means. Therefore, the user, from the change information notified by the notification means, for example, the situation of the congestion location on the route to the destination, the congestion tends to become severe, conversely tend to ease, or You can see if it tends to remain unchanged.

Further, in the traffic information notification method of the present invention, a storage control process for storing the received traffic information in the storage unit, the latest received traffic information and the received and stored in the storage unit. Based on the previous traffic information, there is a notification control process for informing the notification unit of change information indicating a change in road conditions.

[0008] In such a method, the user, based on the change information notified by the notifying unit, tends to ease the situation of the congestion location on the route to the destination, for example, whether the congestion is severe or conversely. It is possible to know whether it is in or is not changing.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a navigation device according to the present invention having a route guidance function already described in the prior art and a traffic information reception function by VICS. This navigation device has a GPS antenna 1 and a GPS block 2 that calculates the latitude / longitude of the current position by demodulating / decoding the L1 band C / A code received from the satellite by the GPS antenna 1. The latitude / longitude information calculated by the GPS block 2 is input to the graphic block 3 and taken into the CPU 4. A CD block 5 is connected to the graphic block 3. The CD block 5 displays data stored on the map CD-ROM 6, that is, map / road information such as road data and place name data, traffic regulation data used for automatic route calculation and the like, and when displaying the traffic information and the like on a map. Read and output the road link data used for. Various data output from the CD block 5 are sent to the CPU 4 via the RAM 7 and the CPU peripheral circuit G / A 9 together with the data read from the ROM 8. The RAM 7 is the storage means of the present invention, and can hold the stored contents even when the power is off. Furthermore, C
The data read from the D-ROM 6 is sent by the graphic data controller 10 to the monitor 12 via the video RAM 11, and the map is displayed on the screen of the monitor 12.

The graphic block 3 includes:
The FM antenna 13 receives the FM multiplex broadcast wave, demodulates and outputs the traffic information multiplexed into the FM multiplex receiver 14, and the beacon antenna 15 receives the optical beacon (or radio wave beacon) and puts it on it. Beacon receiver 16 that demodulates and outputs traffic information that is sent
And Traffic information received by both receivers 14 and 16, that is, traffic jam information and parking lot availability information, is processed by the traffic information processing controller 17, and then sent to the CPU 4 via the CPU peripheral circuit G / A 9. . After that, the traffic information is sent to the graphic controller 17 as needed, and is displayed on the screen of the monitor 12 in association with the information read from the CD-ROM 6. In addition, the both antennas 13 and 15, the both receivers 14 and 16, and the traffic information processing controller 17
The information receiving means of the present invention is realized by and.

The graphic block 3 includes:
A speaker 2 which emits a guide sound composed of a synthetic sound through a D / A converter 18 and an amplifier 19 when the route is guided.
0 is connected, and a key block 21 having a plurality of operation keys (not shown) such as an operation mode setting key and a cursor key is connected. Further, the graphic block 3 is provided with a timer unit 22 for transferring the above-mentioned various data and for timing the processing operation of the CPU 4. In addition, the notifying means of the present invention is mainly provided by the monitor 12 and C
The PU 4 and the key block 21 implement the designating means of the present invention.

Next, the operation of the navigation device having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. It should be noted that this flowchart shows the operation of the CPU 4 in the case of guiding the user to the destination by the route guidance function described in the prior art. Explaining below, the CPU 4 which has started its operation when the power is turned on.
Receives the latitude / longitude information indicating the current position from the GPS block 2 (S1), and calculates the display area of the map to be developed on the screen of the monitor 12 based on the information (S2). Next, based on the latitude / longitude information indicating the display area, the map information such as road data and place name data is read from the map CD-ROM 6, and the map showing the area including the current position is displayed on the screen of the monitor 12 at a predetermined scale. To display (S3). Next, calculate the route from the current position to the destination entered in advance by the user (S
4) After displaying the guide route thus obtained on the map (S5), reception of traffic information by VICS is started (S6).

Next, the CPU 4 determines whether or not there is congestion information on the route, that is, the traffic information received by the FM multiplex receiver 14 or the beacon receiver 16 at the time of setting the route, indicating the route side of the route set. Determine whether there is traffic information (S
7). Here, if there is traffic jam information on the guide route in the traffic information, it is taken out and the traffic jam information data is stored in the RAM 7 (S8). At the same time, as shown in FIG. 3, on the map where the own vehicle position mark A indicating the own vehicle position and the guide route B indicated by a thick line have already been displayed, the congestion area is indicated at the congestion point indicated by the extracted congestion information. Is displayed, that is, a traffic jam information mark C composed of an arrow having a length corresponding to the traffic jam distance is displayed, and then the process proceeds to the next step S9. On the contrary, when the traffic information received when the route is set does not include the traffic jam information on the guide route B, the process directly proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the traffic information at the time of route guidance is received, and it is determined whether or not the received traffic information has new traffic congestion information on the guidance route B, that is, on the route side of the guidance route B and on the traveling direction side. . Here, if there is new traffic jam information, the traffic jam information is stored in the RAM 7 in addition to the traffic jam information acquired last time (S10), and then the process returns to step S9. Further, if the determination result in step S9 is NO and there is no new traffic jam information on the guide route B in the traffic information received at the time of route guidance, whether or not display of change information is designated by the user, That is, when the mode is set in advance, it is determined whether or not the change information display mode is selected and set instead of the normal display mode (S11).

Here, when the normal display mode is selected and set, the latest congestion information, that is, the congestion information last stored in the RAM 7 is displayed on the map. At this time, at the same traffic congestion point, while the traffic congestion disappears on the rear side of the original traffic congestion section, while the traffic congestion progresses on the head side of the original traffic congestion section, the latest traffic congestion information is displayed as shown in FIG. Based on this, a new traffic jam information mark D indicating a traffic jam section different from the traffic jam section indicated by the traffic jam information mark C based on the previous traffic jam information shown in FIG. 3 is displayed on the map (S12). Then, the process proceeds to step S14. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S11 described above is YES and the change information display mode is selected and set in advance, the change in the traffic congestion state is based on the latest traffic congestion information and the previous traffic congestion information described above. Is displayed on the screen (S13). That is, as shown in FIG. 5, a portion corresponding to the congestion information mark C based on the previous congestion information is displayed by a broken line, while a portion corresponding to the congestion information mark D based on the latest congestion information is displayed by a thin solid line. The change information mark F is displayed on the map as a solid line in which the portions where the marks C and D overlap each other are thicker than the congestion mark D.

As a result, the user can know the change in the traffic jam condition at the traffic jam location on the guide route B to the destination from the change information mark F. In step S13, if the congestion section indicated by the previous congestion information and the latest congestion information is the same and there is no change in the congestion, a solid line thicker than the congestion information mark D described above is displayed on the map. A change information mark composed of an arrow will be displayed. Also, although not shown, when the congestion is eliminated and the congestion distance is shortened on the leading side of the previously indicated congestion section, or when the congestion is advanced and the congestion distance is increased on the rear side of the previously indicated congestion section, Congestion is eliminated on both the front and rear sides of the congestion section indicated last time, and the congestion distance is shortened. Even if it becomes, like the above,
On the map, the traffic jam information mark based on the previous traffic jam information is displayed with a broken line, and at the same time, the traffic jam information mark based on the latest traffic jam information is displayed with a thin solid line, and the part where both marks overlap is a thick solid line. The change information mark shown will be displayed on the map. And step S
In step S14 following step 13, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has arrived at the destination. If the vehicle has not arrived, the procedure returns to step S9 to repeat the above-described processing, while if the vehicle has arrived, the processing ends.

In the step 13, if there is no overlap between the traffic jam section indicated by the previous traffic jam information and the traffic jam section indicated by the latest traffic jam information, the traffic jam information shown in FIG. The mark C shown by a broken arrow and the traffic jam information mark D shown in FIG. 4 are simultaneously displayed on the map.

As described above, in the navigation device according to the present embodiment, when the route is guided, the change information mark F is displayed at the traffic jam location on the map indicated by the traffic jam information extracted from the traffic information, so that the guidance route is displayed. Whether the user is informed of the change information indicating the change in the traffic jam condition on the route B, and thereby the user tends to have a higher degree of traffic congestion at the traffic congestion point on the guide route B,
On the contrary, it was made possible to know whether there is a tendency to relax or not to change. Therefore, by knowing the tendency of such changes in traffic congestion, the user can
It is possible to easily grasp the change in the traffic jam condition on the guide route B. Moreover, by storing the traffic information that changes in real time in the RAM 7, it can be used not only when it is received but also after it is received as described above, so that the traffic information can be effectively used. Becomes

Further, in the present embodiment, the change information mark F indicating the change in the traffic jam condition is based on the latest traffic jam information and the portion corresponding to the traffic jam information mark C (see FIG. 3) based on the previous traffic jam information. Since the portion corresponding to the congestion information mark D (see FIG. 4) and the portion where both portions overlap each other are displayed so as to be distinguishable from each other, the user can instantly see the change in the congestion situation. Can be understood. Even if there are a plurality of congestion points at the same time, it is possible to easily grasp the change in the congestion situation for each congestion point. In addition to displaying the change information mark F as described above, in order to show the change in the traffic congestion state on the map, for example, the traffic congestion section indicated by the previous traffic congestion information on the guide route B and the latest traffic information can be displayed. The traffic congestion section indicated by the traffic congestion information may be displayed in different colors, and the section where both traffic congestion sections overlap may be displayed in different colors.

In this embodiment, the case where the change information mark F based on the previous traffic congestion information and the latest traffic congestion information is displayed on the map has been described. A change information mark based on the latest traffic jam information and a plurality of traffic jam information received before that, such as the previous traffic jam information and the latest traffic jam information, may be displayed on the map. In that case, for example, the broken line portion of the change information mark F may be a plurality of types of broken lines in which the intervals of the points forming the broken line are different stepwise, or the thin solid line portion and the thick solid line portion may have different thicknesses. By using different types of different solid lines, a portion based on the latest traffic congestion information and a plurality of traffic congestion information received before that and a portion where they overlap may be displayed so as to be distinguishable from each other.

Further, the change information mark F or the like as described above may be temporarily displayed. In particular,
The change information mark F is displayed in step 13 described above, and the state is maintained for a certain period of time, and then the process proceeds to step S12 described above, and temporarily returns to the normal display mode until the process of step S13 is performed next. Then Fig. 4
You can display the map screen shown in. Further, instead of displaying the change information mark F and the like, a change in the traffic jam condition may be notified by voice. For example, compare the congestion distance on guide route B indicated by the previous congestion information with that indicated by the latest congestion information, and if the congestion distance is shorter than the previous time, "I am vacant" The message may be made to be emitted from the speaker 20 such as "not changed" when is not much different from the previous time, and "combined" when the traffic distance is longer than before. In that case, since it is not necessary to look at the monitor, the guide route B can be instantly provided to the user driving the vehicle.
It is possible to notify the change in the traffic jam situation at the traffic jam location above.

On the other hand, separately from this, the congestion information data and the time data indicating the time when the congestion information is received are stored in the R
You may make it memorize | store in AM7. In that case,
Since it is possible to know the time between the reception of the last traffic jam information and the reception of the latest traffic jam information, it is possible to add a time element to the content of the above-mentioned message. In other words, a message such as "This part is available less than 20 minutes ago" can be emitted.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case has been described in which the point or area where the change in the traffic jam condition should be shown at the time of route guidance is limited to the advance side and the traveling direction side of the preset guide route B. However, in addition to this, the guide route B and its surrounding area, and if necessary, the key block 2
It is also possible to limit an arbitrary point, area, etc. designated on the map by the key operation from 1, as a point or area which should show the change of the traffic jam condition. Further, in the present embodiment, only the operation when the navigation device is performing the route guidance has been described, but in the navigation device, even when the route guidance is not performed, the map displayed on the map is displayed. The user may be notified of change information indicating a change in the traffic jam condition in the above. Further, in the present embodiment, only the change in the traffic jam condition has been described, but the change in the condition such as a traffic stop, a traffic accident, a parking lot, or a highway lamp closing may be notified.

Although the case where the traffic information received by the navigation device is based on VICS has been described, the traffic information received may be based on another communication system. Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the present invention is mainly applied to the navigation device that measures the self-position by GPS has been described, but the dead reckoning navigation that obtains the relative position of the self by obtaining the traveling locus by the azimuth sensor and the distance sensor. Positioning method, also called
One that uses a positioning method called map matching that compares the running trajectory obtained by dead-reckoning with the road shape of the map and determines the position on the map by determining the passing road,
It may be adopted in a combination of map matching and GPS.

[0024]

As described above, in the traffic information receiving apparatus and the traffic information notifying method of the present invention, when the traffic information is received, the change of the road condition is performed based on the latest traffic information and the previous traffic information. The change information shown is notified so that whether or not the user is in a situation of a traffic jam location on the route to the destination, for example, shows that the traffic congestion tends to become severe or conversely eases. It was made possible to know whether or not there is a tendency to change. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily grasp such a change in road conditions. Moreover, since the traffic information that changes in real time can be used not only when it is received, but also after it is received as described above, the traffic information can be effectively used.

Further, in addition to this, a display means for displaying a map based on the map information stored in the map information storage means is provided, and the notifying means for notifying the change information is the latest traffic information and the previous traffic information. Based on the above, if the change information is to be displayed at a point or area on the map to which each is related, the user can instantly recognize the tendency of the change of the road condition from the change information displayed on the map. I can understand. Furthermore, for example, when there are a plurality of traffic congestion points, the traffic congestion status at each traffic congestion point can be easily grasped.

If the notifying means notifies the change information by voice, the user can know the change in the road condition even while driving the automobile.
Further, if the change information notified by the notification means is provided with a control means for limiting the change information related to a specific point or a specific area, the user needs the change information to be notified in advance. Only the change information necessary for the user can be informed to the user at any point or area, for example, only on the route at the time of route guidance or on the surrounding region including the route. Furthermore, as a specific point or a specific area limited by the control means,
If the configuration is provided with a designation means for designating an arbitrary point or area, the user can know only the change information related to the arbitrary point or area as necessary, so that the usage environment of the traffic information can be improved. Can be improved.

[0027]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a navigation device showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a CPU in the navigation device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a map screen on which previous traffic congestion information on the route side of the guide route is displayed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a map screen on which the latest congestion information on the route side of the guide route is displayed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a map screen displaying change information on the route side of the guide route.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 CPU 6 Map CD-ROM 12 Monitor 17 Traffic information processing controller 20 Speaker

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An information receiving means for receiving sent traffic information, a storage means for storing the traffic information received by the information acquiring means, a latest traffic information received by the information acquiring means, and A traffic information receiving device comprising: a notification unit that notifies change information indicating a change in road conditions based on previous traffic information received by the information acquisition unit and stored in the storage unit. . 2. A display means for displaying a map based on the map information stored in the map information storage means, wherein the notifying means relates to each other based on the latest traffic information and the previous traffic information. The traffic information receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the change information is displayed at a point or area on the map. 3. The traffic information receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notification means notifies the change information by voice. 4. The traffic according to claim 1, further comprising control means for limiting the change information notified by the notification means to change information related to a specific point or a specific area. Information receiving device. 5. The traffic information receiving apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a designating unit that designates a specific point or a specific area limited by the control unit. 6. A storage control process for storing the received traffic information in a storage unit, a latest traffic information received, and a previous traffic information received and stored in the storage unit based on the road condition. A traffic information notification method comprising: a notification control process of causing a notification unit to notify change information indicating a change.