JPH09304104A - Equipment for searching route - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a waiting time till route information is outputted after an input operation is ended, regarding equipment for searching a route from the present point to the point of destination. SOLUTION: A display part 10 functioning also as an input device, a map information storage part 12 and a present point detecting part 14 are connected to a computing part 16. The computing part 16 is equipped with a provisional destination point setting part 18 setting a provisional point of destination between the present point and the point of destination, a fore route search part 20 searching a fore route from the present point to the provisional point of destination, a back route search part 22 searching a back route from the provisional point of destination to the point of destination and a route connecting part 24 connecting the fore route and the back route together. The computing part 16 starts outputting route information on the fore route before the search for the back route is ended.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a route search device, and more particularly to a route search device suitable as an on-vehicle device for searching a route from a current position to a destination.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-17712.
As disclosed in No. 0, a navigation device having a route search function is known. The above-mentioned conventional device includes a mechanism for detecting the current position of the vehicle, a mechanism for searching for a route connecting the designated destination and the current position, and a mechanism for displaying the searched route on the display device. . According to the above device, an appropriate route for reaching the destination can be known very simply by inputting the destination.

It takes some time to input the destination point to the navigation device. Further, after the destination point is input, it takes a certain amount of calculation time to search for a route from the current point to the destination point. For this reason,
If the route is displayed after waiting for the route search to be completed, there is a long waiting time until the route information is actually obtained after the input operation of the destination is started.

The above conventional device is provided with a function of shortening the waiting time by shortening the calculation time required for route search. Specifically, a function that constantly searches for a route from the current position of the vehicle to the surrounding main road, and the main line that should be adopted as the route based on the direction of the destination when input operation of the destination is started. A function to select a road and a function to search a route from a main road to a destination are provided.

The route from the main road around the current point to the destination can be searched in a shorter time than the time required to search all the routes from the current point to the destination. Therefore, according to the above conventional device,
After the input of the destination point is completed, it is possible to quickly obtain the route information to reach the destination point.

[0006]

However, if the route from the current position of the vehicle to the surrounding main road is constantly searched for as in the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, the arithmetic unit executes the arithmetic processing. Excessive load is required. Therefore, if the above-mentioned functions are to be realized, the hardware configuration will be expensive, or the processing for realizing the various functions of the navigation device will be delayed, which is inconvenient. In this respect, the method used in the above-mentioned conventional device is not necessarily optimum in that the waiting time involved in the route search is shortened.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points. After the input operation of the destination point is started, the route to the temporary destination is first calculated in a short time, and then the temporary destination point is originally operated. It is an object of the present invention to provide a route search device that shortens the waiting time involved in route search without causing an excessive calculation load by calculating and outputting the route to the destination point.

[0008]

The above object is achieved by the present invention.
In the route search device that searches for a route from the current position to the destination and outputs the searched route via the display device, the temporary destination that sets the temporary destination between the current position and the destination Point setting means, front route searching means for searching a front route from the current position to the temporary destination, rear route searching means for searching a rear route from the temporary destination to the destination, and the rear part This is achieved by a route search device that includes front route output means that starts outputting the front route before the route search is completed.

In the present invention, when the input operation of the destination is started, the temporary destination is set when the necessary information is input. When the temporary destination is set, the front route from the current position to the temporary destination is searched and the information is output via the writing device. Since the distance of the front route is short, the search for the front route is completed in a short time. Therefore, the information on the front route is output from the display device immediately after the input operation of the destination is started. The front route is a route that should be followed in the initial stage when the vehicle travels toward the destination. Therefore, if the vehicle is run along the front route, the vehicle can be run to the destination without waste. The search for the rear route connecting the temporary destination and the original destination is completed while the vehicle is traveling on the front route. Therefore, the information on the rear route is provided to the passengers of the vehicle without substantially any waiting time.

Further, as described in claim 2, in the route searching apparatus according to claim 1, the above-mentioned purpose is obtained when a region including the destination point is designated in the process of inputting the destination point. The input screen output means for displaying a map of the area on the display device, and the destination point recognition means for recognizing the point designated on the map as the destination point, the temporary destination point setting means, The temporary destination point is set based on the reference position and the current position of the area, and the front route output means starts the output of the front route immediately after the destination point is designated on the map. It is also achieved by a route search device.

In the present invention, the destination is designated by displaying a map of the area including the destination on the display device and then designating a specific point on the map.
When the area including the destination point is designated in the process of such input, the temporary destination is set based on the reference position of the area and the current position of the vehicle. When the temporary destination is set, the front route is immediately searched thereafter. The setting of the temporary destination and the search of the front route can be completed in a short time. Therefore, the process required for searching the front route is completed before the point corresponding to the destination point is designated on the map including the destination point. When a point corresponding to the destination point is designated on the map, thereafter, information regarding the front route is promptly output from the display device.

[0012]

1 is a block diagram of a route search device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The route search device of this embodiment includes a display unit 10, a map information storage unit 12, and a current position detection unit 14. The display unit 10 is
It is a component disposed in the vehicle interior and has a function as a touch panel type input device as well as a function for displaying map information and route information. The input device may be configured by separately providing a switch outside. The map information storage unit 12 is a component mainly composed of a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, and stores map data and the like necessary for realizing the navigation device. The current position detection unit 14 is a component that detects the current position of the vehicle by a method such as GPS navigation or map matching.

The above-mentioned display unit 10 and map information storage unit 1
2 and the current position detection unit 14 are connected to the calculation unit 16. The calculation unit 16 is a main part of the route search device of the present embodiment, and when a destination point is designated via the display unit 10, calculates a route from the current point to the destination point and obtains the route information. It is a component output to the display unit 10. The route information supplied from the calculation unit 16 to the display unit 10 is supplied to the passenger through images and sounds as media.

The internal structure of the arithmetic unit 16 will be described below. The calculation unit 16 includes a temporary destination point setting unit 18. The display unit 10, the map information storage unit 12, and the current position detection unit 14 are connected to the temporary destination position setting unit 18. In the present embodiment, the route search from the current position to the destination is started when the destination is input to the display unit 10. When the operation of inputting the destination point on the display unit 10 is started, information about the operation is supplied to the temporary destination point setting unit 18. The temporary destination point setting unit 18 sets the temporary destination point between the area including the destination point and the current point, when information sufficient to identify the area including the destination point is obtained in units such as municipalities. To do. In the present embodiment, the temporary destination is set at a position that is not greatly separated from the current point, for example, a position that is 1 to 2 km away from the current point.

The calculation unit 16 includes a front route search unit 20. The front route search unit 20 includes a temporary destination point setting unit 1
8, the display unit 10, the map information storage unit 12, and the current position detection unit 14 are connected. Front route search unit 20
After the temporary destination point setting unit 18 identifies the temporary destination point, searches for a route from the current position to the temporary destination point (hereinafter, referred to as a front route) according to a known method. After finishing the search for the front route, the front route search unit 20 outputs the route information to the display unit 10 as necessary.

The calculation unit 16 includes a rear route search unit 22. The rear route search unit 22 includes the temporary destination point setting unit 1
8, the display unit 10, and a route coupling unit 24 described later are connected. After the input operation of the destination point is completed, that is, after all the information necessary for identifying the destination point is supplied from the display unit 10, the rear route search unit 20 detects the temporary destination point from the temporary destination point according to a known method. Search for a route to the destination (hereinafter called the rear route). After finishing the search for the rear route, the rear route search unit 22 supplies the route information to the route coupling unit 24.

The route combining unit 24 includes a rear route searching unit 22.
At the same time, the front route search unit 20 and the display unit 10 are connected. The route combination unit 24 uses the rear route search unit 22.
After the information on the rear route is supplied from the vehicle, the front route and the rear route are combined to complete the route from the current point to the destination point (hereinafter, referred to as all route). After completing the entire route, the rear route search unit 22 outputs the route information to the display unit 10 as necessary.

Next, the operation of the route search apparatus of this embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4 show screens that appear on the display unit 10 as the input operation of the destination point progresses. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, an example of operation contents to be performed in order to cause the route search device of the present embodiment to perform route search will be described.

When an operation for requesting a mode selection screen is performed on the display unit 10, the screen 100 shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the display unit 10. The screen 100 lists various modes that can be selected by the route search device. If you want to guide the route from the current location to the destination, select "Destination setting". When "destination setting" is selected on the screen 100, a screen 102 is displayed next.

On the screen 102, genres that can be selected when setting a destination are listed. The route search device of the present embodiment inputs a "facility name", specifies an "address" on a map, specifies a preset "memory point", and inputs a "phone number". The destination can be set by this. In the following description, the case where “address” is selected as the destination setting genre will be described. When "address" is selected as the set genre, the screen 104 is displayed next.

On the screen 104, prefecture names are listed.
When the prefecture name is specified, the screen listing the list of municipalities is displayed next. For example, when "Aichi Prefecture" is selected on the screen 104, a list of cities belonging to Aichi Prefecture is displayed next, as shown on the screen 106 of FIG.

When, for example, "Toyota City" is selected on the screen 106, a screen on which the names of smaller regions belonging to Toyota City, for example, town names and village names are listed, is displayed next, as in the screen 108. . For example, when "Toyota town" is selected at 106, a map of a predetermined scale centering on Toyota town is displayed as shown on the screen 110. Hereinafter, the screen showing this map is referred to as an input screen.

As shown in the screen 110, in the input screen,
The cursor 30 is displayed together with the map information of the area including the destination. The destination point is specified by moving the cursor 30 to the destination point displayed on the map and confirming the point as the destination point.

The screen 112 shown in FIG. 4 shows a state where the cursor 30 is moved to the post office shown in the input screen. When the operation of confirming the destination is performed in the state shown on the screen 112, the post office shown in the input screen is specified as the destination. When the process of specifying the destination is completed, the screen 114 is displayed next.

On the screen 114, items to be selected as conditions when searching for a route are listed. In the route search device of the present embodiment, it is possible to specify a passing point and select whether to use a toll road as a route search condition. The calculation unit 16 searches for an optimum route connecting the current point and the destination point according to these search conditions. When the selection of the search condition displayed on the screen 114 is completed, the screen 116 is displayed next.

On the screen 116, a peripheral map of the current location is displayed. In addition, a part of the route to the destination is displayed on the surrounding map. After the destination and the search condition are specified, it takes some time to complete the search for the route to the destination. Therefore, if the search for the route from the current position to the destination is started after selecting the search conditions displayed on the screen 114, the screen 1
The screen 116 cannot be displayed immediately after 14. The route search device of the present embodiment is characterized in that it is possible to display the screen 116 promptly after the screen 114 by completing the search of a part of the route before the selection of the search condition is completed. are doing.

The contents of the processing executed by the route search device to realize the above functions will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS. In the route search device according to the present embodiment, the above-described arithmetic unit 16 is mainly composed of a microcomputer. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show a flowchart of an example of a route search routine executed by the calculation unit 16 to realize the above function. Further, FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of an example of a front route search routine executed by the arithmetic unit 16 to realize the above function.

The route search routine shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 is started when an operation for requesting the display unit 10 to display a mode selection screen (screen 100 shown in FIG. 2) is performed. When the route search routine is activated, the process of step 200 is first executed.

At step 200, processing for displaying the mode selection screen (screen 100) is executed. When the above process is completed, the process of step 202 is next executed. In step 202, it is determined whether or not the operation of selecting the mode has been performed. When it is determined that the selection operation has not been executed yet, the processing of the repeating step 202 is executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the operation of selecting the mode has been executed, then the processing of step 204 is executed.

At step 204, it is judged if "destination setting" has been selected by the mode selection operation described above. As a result, when it is determined that the “destination setting” is not selected, the routine for this time is ended after the process for executing the selected mode is performed in step 206. . Here, the description of the specific processing content of step 206 is omitted. On the other hand, if it is determined in the above processing that "destination setting" is selected, then the processing of step 208 is executed.

In step 208, the coordinates of the current position of the vehicle are acquired as P0 = (x0, y0). When the above processing ends, the processing of step 210 is executed next. In step 210, a genre selection screen (screen 10
The process for displaying 2) is executed. When the above processing ends, the processing of step 212 is executed next.

At step 212, it is judged if an operation for selecting a genre has been performed. If it is determined that the selection operation has not been executed yet, repeat step 2
Twelve processes are executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the operation for selecting the genre has been performed, then step 21
4 is executed.

At step 214, it is judged if "address" is selected by the genre selection operation. As a result, when it is determined that “address” is not selected, the process of step 216 is executed thereafter to specify the destination in the selected mode, and then this routine is ended. In this case, step 216
The description of the specific processing content of is omitted. On the other hand, if it is determined that "address" is selected in the above process, then the process of step 218 is executed.

At step 218, processing for displaying the screens (screens 104 to 108) in which the list of prefecture names, municipalities, etc. is listed is executed. Each time this step is executed, the display unit 10 sequentially displays a list of smaller areas, such as a prefecture name list → a municipality list → a large character list. When the processing of this step is completed, next step 2
Twenty processes are executed.

In step 220, it is judged whether or not an operation of selecting a prefecture name, a municipality, etc. has been performed. When it is determined that the selection operation has not been executed yet, the processing of the repeating step 220 is executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the operation of selecting the prefecture name, the mayor village, etc. has been executed, then the processing of step 222 is executed.

In step 222, it is judged whether or not the area is specified up to the stage where the input screen can be displayed.
As a result, if the area is still insufficiently specified, the process of step 218 is executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the area is already sufficiently specified, then the process of step 224 shown in FIG. 6 is executed.

At step 224, the coordinates of the reference position of the selected area are determined as P1 = (x1, y1). The reference position of the area is determined according to a predetermined logic such as the center point of the area or the position of a representative facility in the area such as a ward office or a city office. When the above processing ends, the processing of step 226 is executed next.

In step 226, a process for displaying the map around the coordinate P1 at a predetermined scale (screen 112) is executed as the input screen. When the above process is completed,
Next, the process of step 228 is executed. Step 22
In 8, the process of activating the front route search routine is executed. When the above process is executed, the front route search routine shown in FIG. 7 is started thereafter. The contents of the front route search routine will be described below with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 together with FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 shows a drawing example for explaining the contents of the front route search routine. Further, FIG. 9 shows an enlarged view of the IX region shown in FIG. In the front route search routine shown in FIG. 7, first, at step 300, the coordinates P0 and P
A line segment L1 connecting 1 and 1 is created.

Next, at step 302, a circle C1 centered on the coordinate P0 and having a radius Akm is created. The radius Akm is set according to the distance of the line segment L1. In this embodiment, when L1 is 10 km or more, Akm is set to 2 km, and when L1 is less than 10 km, A is set according to the distance.
The km is set to a value smaller than 2 km. When the above processing ends, the processing of step 304 is executed next.

In step 304, the intersection of the line segment L1 and the circle C1 is recognized as the point P5. When the point P5 is recognized, the process of step 306 is executed next. In step 306, the point closest to the point P5 among the points on the route target road is calculated, and the point is calculated as the temporary destination point P4.
Is recognized (see FIG. 9). In this embodiment, a road having a width of 5.5 m or more is treated as a route target road. When the above processing is completed, next step 308
Is performed.

In step 308, the front route, that is, the route from the point P0 recognized as the current point to the point P4 recognized as the temporary destination is searched by a known method. By the way, the time required to search the front route is
The narrower the search area, the shorter the time. Therefore, in this embodiment, the search range of the front route is limited to within the semicircle on the point P5 side of the circle C1 shown in FIG. Therefore, the search for the front route can be performed in an extremely short time together with the short distance of the front route. When the process of step 308 ends, the front route search routine ends.

In the route search routine shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the process of step 228 is executed, the process of step 230 is then executed. Step 230
Then, it is determined whether or not the destination point is specified on the input screen displayed on the display unit 10. Then, the progress of the route search routine is stopped until it is determined that the destination is specified.

While the progress of the route search routine is stopped, that is, until the destination is specified, the process of the front route search routine shown in FIG. 7 is performed. As described above, the destination point is specified by designating the point with the cursor 30 on the input screen. A certain amount of operation time is required to complete such an operation.
Therefore, in the route search device of the present embodiment, it is determined that the destination point has been specified until the destination point is specified after the input screen is displayed on the display unit 10, that is, in step 230. The search for the front route can be completed before the start.

When it is determined in step 230 that the destination point has been specified, then in step 232, the coordinates of the specified point are recognized as P2 = (x2, y2). If the coordinate P2 is recognized, then step 2 is performed.
34 is executed. In step 234, a process for displaying the search condition screen (screen 114) is executed. After the search condition screen is displayed on the display unit 10, the process of step 236 is executed next.

At step 236, it is judged if the search condition input operation is performed. As a result, when it is determined that the input operation has not been performed yet, the process of this step 236 is repeatedly executed until such a determination is made. On the other hand, if it is determined that the search condition input operation has been performed, then the process of step 238 is executed.

In step 238, a process for displaying a screen (screen 116) in which the front route which has already been searched is superimposed on the map around the current point P0 is executed.
At the stage where this step 238 is executed, the search for the front route has already been completed, so the processing of this step 238 can be executed promptly after the search conditions are input. When the processing of the present step 238 ends, the processing of step 240 is then executed.

In step 240, a process for searching a route from the temporary destination P4 to the original destination P2, that is, a rear route is executed. As described above, in the route search device of the present embodiment, the rear route search, which takes a relatively long time, is executed after the front route is displayed on the display unit 10. When the process of step 240 ends, the process of step 242 is executed next.

In step 242, the process of connecting the front route and the rear route is performed. When the front route and the rear route are combined, the entire route from the point P0 recognized as the current point to the destination point P2 is completed. Step 24
When the process of 2 ends, the route search routine of this time ends. After that, the calculation unit 16 changes the display screen in accordance with the movement of the vehicle so that the display unit 10 displays a necessary portion of all the searched routes.

As described above, according to the route search apparatus of this embodiment, when the area including the destination point is specified in the process of inputting the destination point, the route extends from the current point toward the destination point. It is possible to start the search for a route (front route) of several kilometers and finish the search process until the input operation of the destination is completed. Then, immediately after the input operation of the destination point is completed, the route of several km extending from the current point to the destination point can be displayed on the display unit 10.

As described above, according to the route search apparatus of the present embodiment, the calculation unit 16 is not subjected to an excessive calculation load,
The necessary route information can be immediately given to the passenger after the operation required for the route search is performed by the passenger of the vehicle. Therefore, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to realize high utility at low cost.

By the way, although the destination is designated by the "address" in the above embodiment, the application of the method of setting the temporary destination and shortening the waiting time is not limited to this. . In other words, if the destination is directly specified by “facility name”, “memory point”, “phone number”, etc., immediately after the input operation of the destination is completed, the destination and current A temporary destination point can be set between the point and the point. Then, after a short waiting time, the front route from the current position to the temporary destination is displayed first, and then the rear route from the temporary destination to the original destination is searched before the front route is crossed. Then, the search for all the routes can be completed. In this case, after the input operation of the destination is completed, there is a slight waiting time, but it is more useful than the case where the display of the route information is started after waiting for the completion of the search for all the routes. Can be secured.

In the above embodiment, the display unit 10
Corresponds to the "display device" according to claim 1, and
The “temporary destination point setting means” according to claims 1 and 2 when the arithmetic unit 16 executes the processing of the steps 300 to 306, and the arithmetic unit 16 executes the processing of the step 308. The "front route searching means" described in 1 above is the "rear route searching means" described in claim 1 when the computing unit 16 executes the process of step 240, and the computing unit 16 performs the processing in step 238. By executing the process, the "front part route output means" described in claims 1 and 2 is realized.

Further, in the above embodiment, the arithmetic unit 1
6 executes the processing of steps 200 to 226 described above, whereby the "input screen output means" described in claim 2; and the arithmetic unit 16 executes the processing of steps 230 and 232 described above. "Destination recognition means" are realized respectively.

[0055]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, a part of the information of the route to the destination point promptly after the input operation of the destination point is started, that is, the provisional purpose from the current point. It is possible to provide passengers with information on the previous route to the point. Further, following the information on the previous route, the rest of the information on the route to the destination, that is, the information on the rear route from the temporary destination to the original destination can be provided to the passenger. Therefore, according to the route search device of the present invention, it is possible to start providing route information to passengers without a long waiting time after the input operation of the destination is started.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the search for the previous route can be promptly started after the area including the destination is specified in the process of inputting the destination. Then, after the input operation of the destination is completed, the information of the previous route can be promptly provided to the passenger from the display device. Therefore, according to the route search device of the present invention, it is possible to start providing route information to the passenger with extremely excellent responsiveness after the input operation of the destination is completed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of a route search device that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram (No. 1) showing changes in the screen displayed on the display unit of the route search device in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram (No. 2) showing changes in the screen displayed on the display unit of the route search device in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram (No. 3) showing changes in the screen displayed on the display unit of the route search device in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart (part 1) of an example of a route search routine executed in the route search device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart (part 2) of an example of a route search routine executed in the route search device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example of a front route search routine executed in the route search device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the contents of a front route search routine executed in the route search device of this embodiment.

9 is an enlarged view of an IX portion shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 display section 12 map information storage section 14 current location detection section 16 computing section 18 temporary destination location setting section 20 front route searching section 22 rear route searching section 24 route combining section

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. In a route search device for searching a route from a current position to a destination and outputting the searched route via a display device, a temporary purpose for setting a temporary destination between the current position and the destination. Point setting means, front route searching means for searching a front route from the current position to the temporary destination, rear route searching means for searching a rear route from the temporary destination to the destination, and the rear part And a front route output means for starting the output of the front route before the end of the route search. 2. The route search device according to claim 1, wherein an input screen output for displaying a map of the destination on the display device when a region including the destination is designated in the process of inputting the destination. Means, and a destination point recognition means for recognizing a designated point on the map as a destination point, wherein the temporary destination point setting means is configured to detect the temporary purpose based on a reference position and a current position of the area. A route searching device, wherein a point is set, and the front route output means starts outputting the front route immediately after the destination point is designated on the map.