JPH11160087A - Navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a navigation system for guiding a route without relying on the visual sensation or voice. SOLUTION: A navigation system comprises a means 1 for measuring current position, means 2 for measuring the traveling direction, means 3 for inputting start and goal points, means 12 for forming a course up to the goal from the start and goal points inputted to the course information input means 3, means 4 for storing the course information formed by the course forming means 12, and means 5 for notifying a right turn air a left turn to a user by generating vibration.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation device for guiding a user in a direction to travel and arrival at a destination.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the position of a vehicle has been measured based on information from a GPS or a vehicle speed pulse and an angular velocity sensor.
A car navigation device that reads map information stored in a storage medium such as an M and displays a vehicle position on a map near the vehicle position on a display such as a color liquid crystal is sold.

In this car navigation system, when a departure point (or current position) and a destination are entered by pointing them on a map displayed on a display with a cursor key or the like, the travel from the departure point to the destination is automatically performed. A route is created. Then, based on the created traveling route and the measured vehicle position, the driver is given route guidance such as instructing the driver to turn right or left or arriving at the destination while traveling. These guidances include a right turn visually indicated by an arrow and the like along with the vehicle position on the map displayed on the display device,
This is done by voice guidance such as a left turn guidance display and "soon turn right" and "soon left turn".

[0004] By the way, with the advance of semiconductor technology, high integration of semiconductor circuits has progressed, and it has become possible to reduce the size of navigation devices. When the navigation device becomes portable, it is used not as a vehicle-mounted navigation device but as a portable navigation device when going to an unknown place on foot.

[0005]

However, if the visual route guidance performed by the car navigation device is used for a portable navigation device, the display must be frequently viewed while walking, which is cumbersome. There is a problem. In addition, when the route guidance by voice is used, there is a problem that the voice guidance becomes difficult to hear due to the surrounding noise, and the voice for guidance reaches the ears of the surrounding people and lacks smartness.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device capable of performing route guidance without visual or voice.

[0007]

In order to solve this problem, a navigation device according to the present invention comprises a position measuring means for measuring a current position, a traveling direction measuring means for measuring a traveling direction, a starting point and a destination. Route information input means for inputting the information, and a route creation means for creating a traveling route to the destination from the departure place and the destination inputted to the route information input means,
A route information storage unit that stores the route information created in the route creation unit, and a vibration generation unit that notifies a user of the right turn and the left turn in a traveling route by vibration when the user approaches the right turn and the left turn. .

[0008] Thus, the right turn and the left turn can be recognized by the vibration, so that route guidance can be performed without visual or voice.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention according to claim 1 of the present invention provides a position measuring means for measuring a current position, a traveling direction measuring means for measuring a traveling direction, and a route for inputting a departure place and a destination. Information input means, route creation means for creating a traveling route to a destination from a departure point and a destination inputted to the route information input means, and route information storage for storing the route information created by the route creation means It is a navigation device having means and vibration generating means for notifying the user of the right turn and left turn in the traveling route by vibration when the right turn and left turn are approached. It is possible to provide route guidance without the need.

[0010] According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the vibration generating means includes:
The navigation device generates vibrations having different rhythms at right turn and left turn, and has an effect that a user can be more accurately instructed to turn right and left.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the vibration generating means includes:
At the right turn, the selected double or triple beat vibration
The navigation device generates a beat that is not selected at the right turn at the left turn, and has a function of more accurately instructing the user to make a right turn and a left turn.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, when the vibration generating means arrives at the destination, the right turn and the left turn are determined. It is a navigation device that generates vibrations of different rhythms, and has an effect that it can provide arrival guidance to a destination.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the vibration generating means includes:
When the vehicle arrives at the destination, it is a navigation device that generates continuous vibrations, and has the effect of providing arrival guidance to the destination.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. In these drawings, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description is omitted.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a navigation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents displayed on the route information input means and the map information display means in the navigation device of FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a C card and map information display means, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a traveling route displayed on the map information display means in the navigation device of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a waveform diagram showing an instruction signal to the vibration generating means when turning right, FIG. 7 is a waveform diagram showing an instruction signal to the vibration generating means when turning left, and FIG. 8 arrives at the destination FIG. 9 is a waveform diagram showing an instruction signal to the vibration generating means in the case of performing the operation, and FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of generating an instruction signal to the vibration generating means in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a navigation device according to the present embodiment has a position measuring means 1 for measuring a current position,
Travel direction measuring means 2 for measuring the traveling direction, route information input means 3 for inputting route information such as a departure place and a destination, route creation for creating a travel route from the input departure place and destination to the destination Means 12 and a route information storage means 4 for storing the route information created by the route creation means 12.

Here, the traveling direction measuring means 2 is a GPS (Gl) which is generally used in on-vehicle navigation and the like.
obal Positioning System) or an autonomous navigation device, or a combination (hybrid) thereof. The route information input means 3 is a key for inputting a route, a menu key for displaying a menu for inputting a departure place and a destination, and a cursor for pointing the displayed menu or a location on a map to up, down, left and right. , A cursor key for inputting that the cursor position is determined, an enlargement key for enlarging / reducing the map display, a reduction key, and the like. When the menu key is pressed, a menu screen displaying various operation menus including the input of the route is displayed. By pressing the cursor key and moving the cursor, selecting the route input and pressing the enter key. Accordingly, a route input screen is displayed on the map information display means 7 described later. On the route input screen, first enter a destination. Press the enlargement / reduction key to display the map on the desired scale, press the cursor key to move the cursor to the desired location on the map, press the enter key to set the cursor position to the destination Enter what you want to do. After inputting the destination, input the departure place in the same manner. When the destination and the departure place are input, the map information is read out by the map information reading means 6, and the route creating means 1 is read.
2, a route from the departure point to the destination is automatically created, and the created route is stored in the route information storage means 4. The path information storage means 4 is an SRAM backed up by a battery so that the information is not lost even when the power of the apparatus is turned off.

As shown in the figure, the navigation device according to the present embodiment further includes a vibration generation means 5,
It has a map reading unit 6, a map information display unit 7, a program storage unit 8, a program execution unit 9, a storage unit 10, and a time measurement unit 11.

Here, the vibration generating means 5 generates vibrations for instructing a change in the traveling direction and for arriving at the destination at the time of navigation, and includes, for example, a piezoelectric element. The map information reading means 6 comprises an IC card storing map information and an IC card reading device for reading the same. The map information display means 7 is, for example, a color liquid crystal display, and displays an operation menu and operation guide in addition to the map. The program storage means 8 stores programs for executing various controls in the navigation device, and is composed of, for example, a ROM. The program executing means 9 is constituted by a CPU for executing a program stored in the program storing means 8. The storage means 10 stores variable information and the like required when the program execution means 9 executes the program, and is composed of, for example, a RAM. The time measuring means 11 comprises a timer for generating a timeout signal at regular time intervals in order to control the vibration generation instruction signal to the vibration generation means 5 at a predetermined rhythm.

Next, the contents displayed on the route information input means 3 and the map information display means 7 are shown in FIG.

In the case shown in FIG. 2, a route from the departure point (JR East / Akihabara Station) to the destination (Eidan Subway Ginza Line / Suehirocho Station) is created, and menu navigation is performed by pressing the menu button. It has been selected and shows a map, a created route, a menu, and a cursor (arrow). On the right side of the map display means 7, a key of the route information input means 3 is arranged. As shown in FIG. 3, the IC card 13 storing the map information is inserted, for example, into the upper left of the device.

Next, guidance by vibration in the navigation device of the present embodiment will be described.

In the traveling route shown in FIG. 4, is a point where the traveling direction needs to be changed (turn right or left), and is a destination. Also, in FIG. 5 showing an enlarged part of FIG. 4, the inside of a circle shown by a broken line is a region where vibration occurs.

When the navigation starts, a position corresponding to the movement of the user is measured by the position measuring means 1. Then, if the measured position is within a certain region of つ ま り, that is, inside the dashed circle in FIG. 5, and at right turn points, for example, two-beat vibration, and at left turn points, for example, three-beat vibration When the vehicle arrives at the destination, continuous vibrations are generated, for example, to guide the user of the apparatus.

Here, when a two-beat vibration (at the time of right turn) is generated, an instruction signal in which two consecutive signals are generated intermittently at regular intervals is sent to the vibration generating means 5 as shown in FIG. . The vibration generating means 5 generates a vibration only during the time when such an instruction signal is on. Similarly, when generating a triple-beat vibration (when turning left), an instruction signal in which three consecutive signals are generated intermittently at regular intervals is sent to the vibration generating means 5 as shown in FIG. Further, in order to generate a continuous vibration (at the time of arrival), an instruction signal which is always generated at a constant interval is sent to the vibration generating means 5 as shown in FIG.

In order to generate the instruction signals shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, a timer as time measuring means 11 is used. The timer generates a time-out signal at regular intervals, and an instruction signal is generated by counting the time-out signal. In FIG. 9, graduations at regular intervals on the time axis (horizontal axis) are times when a timeout signal is generated from the timer. The time-out signal is counted four times, for example, to count the ON period of the instruction signal, and subsequently counted four times to create the OFF period of the instruction signal. If this is repeated so as to be two beats, three beats, and continuous, the above-mentioned rhythm instruction signal is generated.

In the above description, the right turn is indicated by double beats and the left turn is indicated by triple beats. However, the right turn is indicated by triple beats and the left turn is indicated by double beats. You may make it notify. Further, the right turn and the left turn may be notified by vibrations having rhythms different from each other.

Further, the arrival at the destination is notified by continuous vibration. However, the arrival at the destination may be notified by vibration of a rhythm different from that of right turn and left turn. The arrival at the destination need not always be notified.

The right turn, left turn, and arrival at the destination can be notified not by vibrations of different rhythms but by vibrations of the same rhythm.

As described above, according to the navigation device of the present embodiment, the instruction of right turn and left turn and the guidance of arrival at the destination are performed by vibration, so that the user is provided with visual or audio information. It is possible to provide route guidance without any problem. This eliminates the trouble of visually observing the display when performing route guidance, the difficulty of hearing the voice guidance when performing route guidance by voice, and the lack of smartness.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, the predetermined traveling guidance is performed by vibration, so that it is possible to provide the user with route guidance without visual or voice. That is an effective effect.

As a result, there is obtained an effective effect that problems such as troublesome viewing of the display when performing route guidance visually, difficulty in hearing voice guidance when performing route guidance by voice, and lack of smartness are eliminated.

Further, if vibrations having different rhythms are generated at right turn and left turn, such as two beats and three beats, for example, the right turn and left turn can be more accurately instructed to the user. That is, an effective effect is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing contents displayed on route information input means and map information display means in the navigation device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an IC card and map information display means.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a traveling route displayed on a map information display means in the navigation device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the timing of occurrence of vibration on the traveling path in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a waveform chart showing an instruction signal to a vibration generating means in the case of a right turn.

FIG. 7 is a waveform chart showing an instruction signal to a vibration generating means in the case of a left turn;

FIG. 8 is a waveform chart showing an instruction signal to a vibration generating means when the vehicle arrives at a destination;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of generating an instruction signal to the vibration generating means in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 position measuring means 2 traveling direction measuring means 3 route information input means 4 route information storing means 5 vibration generating means 12 route creating means

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A position measuring means for measuring a current position; a traveling direction measuring means for measuring a traveling direction; a route information inputting means for inputting a departure place and a destination; Route creation means for creating a travel route from the departure point and the destination to the destination; route information storage means for storing route information created by the route creation means; a right turn and a left turn in the travel route A vibration generating means for notifying a user of the occurrence of vibration when the vehicle is approaching. 2. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said vibration generating means generates vibrations having different rhythms at right turn points and left turn points. 3. The vibration generating means generates vibrations of a selected time signature or triple time at a right turn, and vibrations of a time signature not selected at a right turn at a left turn. 2. The navigation device according to 2. 4. The vibration generating means according to claim 1, wherein when arriving at the destination, a vibration having a different rhythm from a right turn and a left turn is generated. Navigation device. 5. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein said vibration generating means generates a continuous vibration when said vehicle arrives at said destination.