JPH10269496A - Navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively start processing for dealing with jamming or regulation detected on a guide route. SOLUTION: When performing guidance along with a previously searched route while displaying guide routes 43 and 44 on roads 41 and 42 on a jamming/ regulation guidance picture 40, traffic information is received from communication media and jamming/regulation places 46, 47 and 48 are displayed. Concerning the traffic stop regulation to occur on the guide route 44 among these places, it is announced in voice and the start of detour search is reported.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus mounted on an automobile or the like and performing route search and route guidance based on prestored road map data, and in particular, receives traffic jam information from a road traffic information communication system. The present invention relates to a navigation device having a function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a navigation device, C
A map database is stored in advance in a storage medium such as a D-ROM, and a route map from a starting point to a destination point is searched. When the vehicle travels along the route, a road map around the vehicle is displayed as an image. A function of providing route guidance is provided. Recently, VICS (Vehicle Information andCommuni
A traffic congestion information providing service operated by a road traffic information communication center called a “cation system” has been started, and if this service is used, traffic congestion information can be known almost in real time. A navigation device that can obtain traffic information including data on the traffic condition and provide the user with the traffic condition has been proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-120597. In such prior art, the direction in which the vehicle is heading is estimated from the type of road on which the vehicle is currently traveling, and information on traffic congestion is provided.

[0003]

Traffic information obtained from a VICS service or the like is obtained through a plurality of communication media, and detailed traffic information is obtained through a communication medium having a narrow effective range. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventional navigation apparatuses having a function of providing traffic information to a driver of a vehicle mainly include traffic information on an extension of a road on which the vehicle is currently traveling. However, the driver of a vehicle traveling according to the route guidance by the navigation device does not necessarily have to provide traffic information on the extension of the currently traveling road when the route changes from the currently traveling road to another road halfway. It is not necessary to know the traffic information about other roads where the guidance route exists. In addition, when traffic congestion occurs in the middle of a guidance route or when traffic is regulated, it is also required that guidance on a route that bypasses the traffic jam be provided.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation device capable of selecting traffic information necessary for a driver of a vehicle and starting a countermeasure process based on the selected traffic information.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a route for guiding a vehicle to a destination is determined by referring to road network information stored in advance while detecting a current position of the vehicle. A navigation device that provides guidance for driving a vehicle along a searched guide route, receives road traffic information provided from communication media, and detects occurrence of congestion or traffic restriction on the searched guide route. And information processing means for responding to the detection result of the information detecting means and, when traffic congestion on the guidance route or traffic regulation satisfies a predetermined activation condition, immediately activates a predetermined response processing. A navigation device characterized by including: According to the present invention, the information detecting means for receiving traffic information from the communication medium while guiding the vehicle along the guide route to the destination to be searched in advance is used to determine whether the occurrence of traffic congestion or the restriction of the traffic on the guide route. When it is detected that it is above, the corresponding process is immediately started when the corresponding process starting means satisfies a predetermined starting condition. As a result, a countermeasure necessary for the driver of the vehicle is immediately activated, and more effective route guidance can be performed using the traffic information.

In the present invention, the response processing started by the response processing starting means is notification of detection information to a driver of the vehicle. According to the present invention, when the occurrence of traffic congestion or the presence of traffic restrictions on a route that guides the travel route of a vehicle is detected, the driver of the vehicle is immediately notified of the detected information. The person can immediately know the necessary information.

[0007] Further, according to the present invention, the response process activated by the response process activation means is a search for a guide route which bypasses a section where traffic congestion or traffic regulation from the vehicle position to the destination occurs. I do. According to the present invention, when occurrence of traffic congestion or traffic regulation is detected on the guidance route, a guidance route that bypasses the section of traffic congestion or traffic regulation from the position of the vehicle to the destination is searched for. It can be changed to a guidance route that bypasses a congested section.

[0008] In the present invention, the response processing activating means notifies the driver of the vehicle of the detection information and determines a congestion occurrence or a traffic regulation section from the own vehicle position to the destination according to a predetermined switching condition. The search for a detour guide route is switched as the corresponding process. According to the present invention, the corresponding process started by the corresponding process starting unit can be switched between the notification of the detection information and the search for the detour route according to a predetermined switching condition, so that the corresponding process can be selectively used according to various situations. Can be.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a voice guidance means for performing the notification by voice guidance. According to the present invention, the notification of the occurrence of traffic congestion and traffic regulation is performed by voice, so that even when the driver of the vehicle is not looking at the route guidance image, guidance can be provided immediately at the time of detecting the information. Since the driver does not move the driver's line of sight, the notification can be made safely.

Further, in the present invention, the voice guidance means is characterized by providing information on the discrimination between the occurrence of traffic congestion and the traffic regulation, and information on any or all of the cause, length or distance to the point. According to the present invention, the voice guidance means notifies the driver of the vehicle of information on any or all of the distinction between the occurrence of traffic congestion and the traffic regulation, the cause, the length, and the distance to the point, so that the guidance route is provided. It is easy to understand the change in the above traffic conditions, and it is possible to easily make a decision on the response.

[0011] Further, in the present invention, the response processing starting means notifies the detection information even when the position of the own vehicle is included in the range of occurrence of traffic congestion or traffic regulation. According to the present invention, even when the position of the own vehicle is included in the range of traffic jam occurrence or traffic regulation, the notification of information to the driver on the car is performed, so that the driver of the vehicle may be caused by traffic jam occurrence or traffic regulation. It is possible to know the remaining distance before passing through the information, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of irritability that is likely to occur when information is not notified.

Further, in the present invention, the switching condition of the response processing activating means is determined based on the degree of traffic congestion and the contents of traffic regulation. According to the present invention, since the switching condition is set in advance for the degree of traffic congestion and the content of traffic regulation, the search for a detour route can be performed according to the degree of traffic congestion and traffic regulation, which is unnecessary. A simple route search can be avoided.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that a condition setting means for setting a switching condition of the corresponding processing starting means is provided. According to the present invention, if the user of the navigation device sets the switching condition in the condition setting means, the corresponding processing can be properly used.

Further, in the present invention, the switching condition of the corresponding process starting means is set for a communication medium on which the information detecting means receives road traffic information. According to the present invention, depending on the communication media to which traffic information is provided, the service area may be large or small, and the information may be slow. If switching conditions are defined for communication media,
It is also possible to activate a search for a detour route only for communication media that transmits information on the latest traffic situation.

[0015] In the present invention, the predetermined activation condition of the corresponding process activation means is characterized by occurrence of traffic congestion or traffic regulation between the vehicle position and the destination on the guide route. According to the present invention, since the occurrence of congestion or the detection of traffic regulation between the vehicle position and the destination on the guide route is a condition for starting the corresponding process, the point already passed on the guide route Can be excluded from the target of response processing activation, and only necessary response processing can be activated.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that there is provided a starting distance setting means for setting a distance from a position of the own vehicle to a position where traffic congestion occurs or a traffic regulation is set as a predetermined starting condition of the corresponding processing starting means. According to the present invention, assuming that the distance set in the activation distance setting means is an activation condition, no response processing is activated for occurrence of traffic congestion or traffic regulation farther from the vehicle position than this distance. Even if the response process is started for a road condition far from the own vehicle position, the road condition may change until the vehicle reaches the point, so limiting the range allows more efficient response process. .

[0017]

FIG. 1 shows a schematic system configuration of a navigation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The input device 1 is realized by, for example, a remote control keyboard or the like, and sets an input of a target point when a route search is performed by the navigation device, a switching condition of traffic information processing, and a condition for starting the processing. When the input device 1 registers the departure point and the destination point for which the route search is to be performed, and the pass point to be passed in the middle of the route registration means 2, the route search means 3 is registered.
Searches for an optimal route between designated points using the Dijkstra method or the like. The route guidance means 4 displays the route searched by the route search means 3 on the road map screen via the drawing / control means 5 as a guidance route, and also displays the own vehicle position detected by the own vehicle position detection means 6. Guidance along the searched route is performed while displaying at the same time.

The receiving means 7 receives traffic information via communication media. In the above-mentioned VICS, traffic information having different contents is provided using three communication media. First, FM covering a large area
By using multiplex broadcasting, information on traffic congestion on major roads and traffic regulation information is transmitted. The transmitted congestion information is called link congestion information. The link congestion information is provided in four stages of "congestion", "congestion", "loose", or "information is not available" for each link that divides the road into major intersections. If the navigation device associates the link with the map data, the traffic congestion state can be displayed in different colors on the map using the link traffic congestion information.

Second, VICS provides both link congestion information and link travel time for major roads, using radio beacons installed mainly on expressways as communication media. The link travel time indicates the time required to pass through one link. By associating the roads in the map database provided in the navigation device with the links, it is possible to calculate the time required to reach the destination by adding the travel time for each link. It is also possible to search for the route in the shortest time.

In the third VICS, more detailed traffic information can be provided mainly by using an optical beacon installed on an ordinary road as a communication medium. For example, all link congestion information and link travel time information are provided for a semicircular area located forward in the traveling direction within a radius of 10 km from the current position of the car. Further radius 30
For the range of km, data of link congestion information on main roads and link travel time are provided. In addition, in preparation for a U-turn in the traveling direction of the vehicle, 1 km behind the traveling direction
Also, link traffic information and link travel time are provided.

The map storage medium 8 is, for example, a CD-ROM
The network information of the road map is stored in advance as data obtained by, for example, a combination of nodes and links. A node is a point specified by position coordinates, a link is a road connecting nodes,
The distance and the attribute are stored as data. The storage device 9 is a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk or an EEPROM. The display device 10 is a device that performs image display using, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT). The audio output device 11 reads out audio data stored in advance, converts the audio data into a sound instead of displaying an image, and outputs the sound. Point registration means 2, route search means 3,
The route guidance unit 4, the drawing / display control unit 5, and the vehicle position detection unit 6 are realized by a program operation of the processing device 12.

FIG. 2 shows an electrical configuration of hardware of the navigation apparatus having the system configuration shown in FIG. The storage content of the CD-ROM as the map storage medium 8 is a CD-ROM.
A CD-ROM read by the ROM driver 14;
The decoder 15 converts the data into data that can be processed by the processing device 12. The power supply voltage supplied to the navigation device is detected by the detection circuit 17, and the operation according to a predetermined program as the navigation device is started. The power supply voltage is stabilized by the regulator 18 and supplied to each section of the navigation device. Power supply is started by turning on the power switch 19.

The vehicle position detecting means 6 includes an azimuth sensor 21 and a distance sensor 2 connected via an interface 20.
3 and a signal from the GPS device 24 are processed to detect the position of the own vehicle. As the receiving device 7, an interface 20
Is connected as the receiving device 7 via the VICS
When receiving traffic information from, it receives FM multiplex broadcasting, receives level 1 traffic information, receives radio waves from radio beacons, receives level 2 traffic information, and receives light from optical beacons. The signal is received to receive level 3 traffic information. Communication media providing other traffic information services may be received. For example, it is also possible to use a service for providing traffic information using a mobile phone. As described above, since the traffic information has a difference in the content of the traffic information provided by the communication medium, it is preferable to switch the corresponding process.

The interface 20 is connected to the storage device 9, the display device 10, the audio output device 11, and the processing device 12 via the system bus line 25. Processing device 1
2 includes a CPU 26, a ROM 27, and a RAM 28. The CPU 26 performs various operations as a navigation device according to a program stored in the ROM 27 in advance. The display device 10 includes an image display device 30 such as an LCD, and is controlled by a display controller 31 to perform image display for route guidance and the like. Drawing of graphic data to be displayed on the image display device 30 is as follows.
The graphic controller 32 is a graphic memory 3
3 and the drawing result is displayed on the display controller 31.
Is read and displayed on the image display device 30.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the traffic jam / regulation guide screen 40 according to the embodiment of FIG. It is assumed that guidance is performed at a point near the intersection of roads 41 and 42 to change the traveling direction along guidance routes 43 and 44 searched in advance.
When the vehicle indicated by the vehicle position mark 45 is approaching to the position approaching this intersection, a traffic jam / restricted place 46 is generated on the guide route 44 on the road 42 from the traffic information via the communication medium, It is assumed that a traffic congestion / regulation place 47 occurs on the extension of the running road 43 and a traffic congestion / regulation place 48 occurs on a road intersecting the road 41. The traffic situation at the traffic congestion / regulation place 46 is a traffic closure regulation, the cause of which is construction work, and the length is over 300 m. The traffic situation at the traffic congestion / restricted place 47 is traffic congestion, caused by an accident, and is 1 km in length. Traffic jam·
It is assumed that the traffic situation at the restricted place 48 is traffic congestion, the cause is naturally occurring, and the length is 500 m. In this case, only the traffic congestion / restricted place 46 occurring on the guide route 44 is notified to the driver of the vehicle, and is targeted for the detour route search. For example, a notification such as "Pawn, traffic restriction of about 300 m is performed for construction about 1 km ahead, and detour search will be started." Vehicles are on guide route 4 because of traffic stoppage regulations.
4 cannot be run.

FIG. 4 shows the result of searching for a detour route as a response process in the traffic situation as shown in FIG. FIG.
In the first case, the detour route 49 is set on a road that is not set as the guide routes 43 and 44, and a voice notification such as "pawn, detour search has been completed." In FIG. 3, it is also possible to simply notify the fact that the traffic regulation is being performed by using a voice together. This is because the route search takes time.

FIG. 5 shows a procedure for performing the processing as shown in FIGS. The process starts from step a1, and in step a2, it is determined whether or not the vehicle position is on the guidance route. If it is determined that the vehicle is on the guidance route, it is determined in step a3 whether new traffic condition information has been received. If received, step a4
Then, it is determined whether there is congestion or regulation on the guidance route. If it is determined that there is, in step a5, it is determined whether or not the traffic congestion / regulation is ahead of the vehicle position in the traveling direction, that is, between the vehicle and the destination. When it is determined that the vehicle is ahead, it is determined in step a6 whether or not the distance from the position of the vehicle to the traffic jam or the regulation is equal to or less than a certain value. This distance can be arbitrarily set by the user from the input device 1. When it is determined that the distance is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, it is determined in step a7 whether the detour search activation condition is satisfied. As the activation condition, for example, a fixed time is set as a travel time in the case of traffic congestion, and a closed road is set in the case of traffic regulation. If the start condition is satisfied, the detour search is started in step a8. When the activation condition is not satisfied, information on traffic congestion and regulation is guided using the display device 10 and the audio output device 11 in step a9. Step a2, Step a3, Step a
4. When it is determined in step a5 and step a6 that the condition is not satisfied, the process returns to step a2. When the processing in step a8 or step a9 ends, the guidance processing ends in step a10.

The activation of the processing for dealing with traffic congestion and traffic regulation is useful even when the vehicle has already entered a traffic congestion or regulation section. Even if the information is simply notified to the driver of the vehicle, it becomes a reference for the degree of traffic congestion, the degree of regulation, the prospect of elimination, etc., and it is possible to avoid a situation that causes annoyance.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, only when traffic congestion or traffic regulation is performed on the guide route, the corresponding process is activated immediately after receiving the latest road condition information, and You can use traffic information.

According to the present invention, the traffic condition on the guide route is notified to the driver of the vehicle, so that the driver of the vehicle accurately grasps the road condition on the guide route on which the vehicle is traveling. be able to.

Further, according to the present invention, a route to be detoured is searched for immediately after the road condition changes on the guide route, so that it is possible to perform a detour search in accordance with reality and receive guidance on the detour route. it can.

According to the present invention, by setting the switching condition in advance, it is possible to selectively use the notification of the traffic information to the driver and the search for the detour route.

Further, according to the present invention, the traffic condition on the guide route can be notified to the driver of the vehicle by voice, so that the driver can safely know the traffic condition on the guide route without distracting his / her eyes. Can be.

Further, according to the present invention, since information is notified about the traffic situation on the guide route, it is possible to easily cope with a change in the road situation.

According to the present invention, the driver of the vehicle can know the cause, the remaining distance until the vehicle leaves the vehicle, etc. based on the notified information even in the section where traffic congestion or traffic restriction occurs, and no information is given. In such a case, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of annoyance or the like which is likely to occur in the case.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to switch between the notification to the driver of the vehicle and the search for the detour route according to the degree of occurrence of traffic congestion and the contents of the traffic regulation, so that the detour search can be performed only when necessary. it can.

Further, according to the present invention, the switching condition for switching the corresponding process can be set in the condition setting means according to the user's preference, so that the corresponding process can be selectively used according to the user's preference.

Further, according to the present invention, an appropriate response process can be started in consideration of a difference in communication media for providing traffic information.

Further, according to the present invention, a process corresponding to traffic congestion or traffic regulation occurring on the guide route from the position of the vehicle to the destination is activated, so that a portion which has already passed on the guide route is also activated. Can be excluded as a target of activation of the response process, and the response process can be activated effectively.

Further, according to the present invention, the distance at which the response processing is activated can be set, so that traffic congestions and traffic restrictions that are too far away are excluded from the target of the response processing, and traffic information is effectively used. Can be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic system configuration of a navigation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration of hardware of the navigation device in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a traffic jam / regulation guide screen 40 displayed in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a detour search guidance screen 50 displayed on the navigation device of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process for performing the display of FIGS. 4 and 5;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Input device 2 Point registration means 3 Route search means 4 Route guidance means 5 Drawing / display control means 6 Own vehicle position detection means 7 Receiving device 8 Map storage medium 10 Display device 11 Audio output device 12 Processing device 21 Direction sensor 23 Distance sensor 24 GPS device 26 CPU 27 ROM 28 RAM 30 Image display device 31 Display controller 32 Graphic controller 33 Graphic memory

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A route for guiding to a destination, which is mounted on a vehicle and refers to road network information stored in advance while detecting a current position of the vehicle, is searched for. An information detecting means for receiving road traffic information provided from a communication medium and detecting occurrence of traffic congestion or traffic restriction on the searched guidance route; A response processing starting means for immediately starting a predetermined corresponding processing when a traffic jam on a guide route or a traffic regulation satisfies a predetermined starting condition in response to a detection result of the means. . 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the response process activated by the response process activation means is a notification of detection information to a driver of the vehicle. 3. The response process activated by the response process activation means is a search for a guide route that bypasses a section where traffic congestion or traffic regulation from the vehicle position to the destination occurs. Item 4. The navigation device according to item 1. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the corresponding process activation unit notifies the driver of the vehicle of the detection information according to a predetermined switching condition;
2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein a search for a guidance route that bypasses a section of traffic congestion or a traffic regulation from the vehicle position to the destination is switched as the corresponding processing. 5. The navigation device according to claim 2, further comprising voice guidance means for performing the notification by voice guidance. 6. The voice guidance unit according to claim 5, wherein information on any or all of the distinction between the occurrence of traffic congestion and the traffic regulation, the cause, the length, and the distance to the point is provided. A navigation device as described. 7. The response processing starting means, when the position of the own vehicle is included in the range of occurrence of traffic congestion or traffic restriction,
3. The notification of the detection information is performed.
The navigation device according to any one of 4, 5, and 6. 8. The navigation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the switching condition of the response processing activation means is determined with respect to a degree of traffic congestion or a content of traffic regulation. 9. The navigation apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising condition setting means for setting a switching condition of said response processing starting means. 10. The switching condition of the response processing starting means is as follows:
9. The communication system according to claim 8, wherein said information detecting means is determined for a communication medium for receiving road traffic information.
Or the navigation device according to any one of claims 9 to 9. 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined activation condition of the response processing activation means is occurrence of traffic congestion or traffic restriction between the vehicle position and the destination on the guide route. The navigation device according to any one of the above. 12. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a starting distance setting means for setting a distance from a position of the host vehicle to a position where traffic congestion occurs or a traffic regulation is set as a predetermined starting condition of said response processing starting means. The navigation device according to any one of the above.