KR20100001470A - Navigation terminal and navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A navigation terminal and navigation system is provided to supply a road guidance function using a driver preference route by storing the driver preference route. CONSTITUTION: A current location data receiver(500) receives current location data. A storage part(300) includes the map data including one or more linked data. An output unit(200) reads the map data and outputs the map. The current position is computed through present location data. A controller(100) indicates the current position on the map by calculating the current position through current location data. A path search path(120) searches a recommendation path through a starting position and a destination. A preferred course processor(180) applies the operator preference route to the recommendation path.

Description

Navigation terminal and navigation system {NAVIGATION TERMINAL AND NAVIGATION SYSTEM}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation terminal and a navigation system, and more particularly, to a navigation terminal and a navigation system that provide a road guidance function using a driver's preferred route.

In general, a navigation terminal includes a GPS (Global Poisitioning System) receiver to receive GPS data from at least three or more GPS satellites, calculate a current location, and display the current location on a map to direct the vehicle to a destination set by a user. Has the ability to guide These navigation terminals are mainly installed in vehicles and are easily recognized as a very convenient tool for driving because they make it easier to find unknown destinations. Recently, as well as the original navigation functions, DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) and PMP (Portable Multimedia Player) Integrating with functions, etc., the use is increasing.

Referring to Figure 1 will be described a way guidance method using a conventional navigation terminal.

When the user wants to drive the vehicle to a predetermined destination, the user first activates the navigation function of the navigation terminal and then sets a starting point and a destination (S100). In this case, the starting point and the destination may be set through various methods such as an address and a local name, and in the case of the starting point, the starting point setting may be omitted by setting the current location.

When the starting point and the destination are set, the navigation terminal searches for the recommended route and suggests several paths to reach the destination from the starting point (S110).

When the user selects a desired route such as a route including a high-speed route or a detour, and presses a guide start button, the navigation terminal guides the user vehicle to a destination according to the selected route (S120).

While the navigation terminal guides the user's vehicle to the destination according to the selected route, the navigation terminal determines whether the vehicle runs on a route different from the selected route (S130). That is, the current position is determined to determine whether the vehicle is driving the selected route correctly.

If the driver is driving away from the selected route, the driver misunderstands the route guidance of the navigation terminal and is driving on a different route than the selected route. It is the case that the driver operates the route preferred by the driver, not the section of the route guided by the navigation terminal.

If it is determined that the driver is driving correctly on the selected route, the driver continues to guide the selected route and proceeds to the destination (S150, S160). However, if it is determined that the driver is driving away from the selected route, The navigation terminal resets the route around the previously selected route and proceeds to the destination through the reset route (S140 and S160).

In certain cases, the navigation terminal tends to return to a previously set, i.e., preselected route, thereby repeatedly guiding from the other route on which the vehicle is traveling to the preselected route. This is useful when the driver of the vehicle misunderstands the route induction of the navigation terminal and enters the wrong road.However, the driver who is familiar with the road conditions of the section ignores the tendency to return to the selected route of the navigation terminal. In addition, unlike the driver's doctor at this time, it is very inconvenient for the driver because it repeatedly guides the road through voice services.

Moreover, the problem is very inconvenient for the driver if the origin and destination are routes that the driver frequently travels. For example, commuting (route between driver's house and company) and route between driver's house and relative's house operate through almost the same road route, so they can use only the route provided by the terminal itself like the conventional navigation terminal. In this case, the driver may not only be very inconvenient but also may distrust the navigation terminal.

That is, the existing navigation terminal tends to present a route mainly on a main road in suggesting a recommended route between a starting point and a destination, and thus the above problems frequently occur in small roads or dense urban areas. It provides a way to reach the destination, but does not provide an efficient way to guide the driver.

In addition, the experienced driver in the city has experience with small roads and alleys, so that the driver can select an efficient and effective road without the help of a navigation terminal. In this case, you can only follow the recommended route provided by the navigation terminal.

In addition, in the case of a navigation terminal manufacturer, there is no systematic method for receiving feedback from users regarding navigation functions, and thus, there is a limit in improving an efficient and effective route from the recommended route.

As an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to store a driver's preferred route preferred by the driver to provide an efficient road guidance to the driver without rerouting when driving in the same route later To provide.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a navigation terminal and a navigation system capable of providing information to a driver who visits a corresponding destination for the first time based on the experiences of various drivers to efficiently and effectively provide the destination.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a navigation terminal and a navigation system capable of collecting experienced driver preference path information of various drivers so that the recommended route can be efficiently and effectively improved from the driver's point of view.

The present invention provides a current location data receiver for receiving current location data; A storage unit for storing map data including at least one link data; An output unit for reading map data and outputting a map; And a controller which calculates a current location through current location data and displays a current location on a map displayed on the output unit, wherein the controller comprises: a path searcher searching for a recommended route through a starting point and a destination; A route storage unit configured to store the recommendation route and a driver's preference route different from a portion of the recommendation route; And a preference path processor configured to apply the driver's preference path to the recommendation path when guiding a road using a current location.

The driver preference path may include at least one of link data and driver preference reason information, a grade, and a setting date.

The present invention also provides a navigation terminal for storing a recommendation route searched through a departure point and a destination, and a part of the recommendation route and another driver's preference route; And a navigation server configured to receive and store the driver's preferred path from the navigation terminal.

The driver preference path may include at least one of link data and driver preference reason information, a grade, and a setting date.

According to the present invention, it is possible to save the driver's preferred route preferred by the driver to provide efficient road guidance to the driver without resetting the route when driving in the same route later.

In addition, route information is provided to the driver who first visits the destination based on the experiences of the various drivers, thereby providing efficient and effective road guidance for the destination.

In addition, the navigation terminal manufacturer may collect experienced driver preference path information of various drivers so that the recommendation path can be efficiently and effectively improved from the driver's point of view.

As the invention allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the written description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. In describing the drawings, similar reference numerals are used for similar elements.

Hereinafter, a navigation terminal and a navigation system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a navigation terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The navigation terminal 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 100, an output unit 200, a storage unit 300, an input unit 400, a GPS receiver 500, and a communication unit 600. .

The controller 100 controls the overall operation of the navigation terminal 10. For example, the storage unit 300 detects the current position based on the GPS data output from the GPS receiver 500 and stores map data for displaying on the display device of the output unit 200 based on the current position information. Read from In addition, the read map data is displayed on a display device such as a display (LCD), and a mark indicating a current position is superimposed on the map data and displayed on the display, or the user is using the map data stored in the storage unit 300. Search for a recommended route connecting the destination set by the user and the starting point (for example, the current location), and guide the user to the destination by using the speaker or the display device of the output device 200. In addition, the controller 100 recognizes a driver's preferred route different from the recommended route, stores the driver's preferred route in the route storage unit 130 to be described later, and applies a driver's preferred route when the driver runs the same route. In addition, the controller 100 uploads the driver's preferred route stored in the route storage unit 130 to the navigation server (see 40 of FIG. 5) through the communication unit 600 or the driver's preferred route from the navigation server 40. Download or update the firmware of the navigation terminal 10.

Here, the driver's preferred route refers to a route that the driver freely travels through the other route, that is, other road sections, while the road guidance function is provided along the recommended route recommended through the route search. For example, to reach a destination, a navigation terminal suggests a route of A-B-C-D-E (where A, B, C, D, and E are road names) as a recommended route. Assuming that you are driving on the AB route along the recommended route and suddenly the driver leaves the recommended route and enters the F road and then reaches the destination via the G and E roads (ie, the driving path is ABFGE), the distance between the F and G roads This becomes the "driver's preferred route".

The output unit 200 is a means for providing the user with the information necessary for the road guidance through the visual and aural service while the navigation terminal 10 provides the road guidance function. A display device such as a display (LCD) or a speaker And the like may be included in the output device.

The storage unit 300 stores a map essential for the firmware and the navigation function of the navigation terminal 10. In storing the map in the storage unit 300, the map data is stored in a mesh area unit obtained by dividing the map into a plurality of maps. The map data consists of an identification code (mesh ID) of the mesh area and link data of each link constituting a road included in the mesh area. The link data includes an identification code (link ID) of the link, coordinate information of two nodes (starting node and end node) constituting the link, type information of the road including the link, link length information indicating the length of the link, and 2 It consists of the link ID (connection link ID) of the link which connects to each node. Here, the starting node and the ending node are distinguished with respect to two nodes constituting the link, and the up and down directions of the same road are managed as different links, respectively. The map data also includes information (name, type, coordinate information, etc.) of map components other than the roads included in the corresponding mesh regions.

The input unit 400 is a component for transmitting a user's request to the control unit may include an input button or a touch screen provided in the navigation terminal 10, the input unit. That is, components that a user uses to manipulate the navigation terminal 10 may be included in the input unit 200.

The GPS receiver 500 receives signals from at least three GPS satellites and measures the distance between the vehicle (vehicle) and the GPS satellite and the rate of change of the distance with respect to the at least three satellites. It plays a role of measuring azimuth and so on.

The communication unit 600 navigates the driver's preferred path stored in the path storage unit 130 through an external computer (PC, 20 of FIG. 5) or a mobile communication base station (see 30 of FIG. 5) using a specific communication protocol. Outputs to the server 40, the firmware data transmitted from the navigation server 40 through the external computer 20 or the mobile communication base station 30 and the driver's preferred path information of other users and the path to the storage unit 300 Each storage unit 130 is to be stored.

As a communication protocol supported by the communication unit 600, communication protocols such as USB, LAN, and Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi) may be used as an example through the computer 20, and a mobile communication base station 30 may be used. As an example, communication protocols such as CDMA, WCDMA, and WiBRO may be used. That is, the communication unit 600 serves to communicate with the navigation server 40 through a wired or wireless communication protocol.

The control unit 100 is a user operation analysis unit 110, route search unit 120, route storage unit 130, route guidance unit 140, current position calculation unit 150, map matching processing unit 160, menu display The processor 170, the preference path processor 180, and the graphic processor 190 may be configured.

The user manipulation analysis unit 110 receives a request from the user through the input unit 400, interprets the request contents, and controls each component of the control unit 110 to execute a process corresponding to the request contents. do. For example, when the user requests the search for the recommended route, the graphic processor 190 requests the graphic processing unit 190 to display the map on the display device to set the starting point and the destination, and also causes the route search unit 120 to depart from the starting point. Require computation to route to. In addition, when the driver drives the vehicle in a path different from the recommended path, the preference path processing unit 180 requests to perform the role of registering the other path as the driver's preferred path.

The route search unit 120 searches the map data for the paths that can reach the destination in a short time among the paths connecting the starting point and the destination, and uses the route selected from the resulting paths as the recommended path as the route storage unit 130. Store in

The route storage unit 130 stores the recommended route searched by the route search unit 120, and when the vehicle travels a predetermined distance using the information of the current position matched by the map matching processor 160 as trajectory data. Save every time. In addition, the path storage unit 130 stores the path designated by the preference path processing unit 180 as a driver preference path. Here, the trajectory data is used to display a trajectory mark on a road on a map corresponding to a road that has been driven so far, and is used to store some sections of the recommended route and other driver's preferred paths.

Here, the driver's preferred route stored in the route storage unit 130 includes at least one link, and is stored by storing link data of at least one link constituting the route. Here, the link data may include a link ID, node coordinates (start node, end node), access link ID, road type, and the like.

In addition to the link data, as the driver preference route data stored in the route storage unit 130 as shown in Table 1, information indicating that the driver is a preferred route, information indicating a driver preference route setting date, information indicating a driver preference reason It may be made to include more.

TABLE 1

 Rating  Link data  Driver Preferences Path ID  Reason for driver preference  Date of setting

The information indicating the driver's preference path and the information indicating the driver's preference path setting date may be arbitrarily given by the preference path processor 180. For example, the driver preference path identification information ID may be used as the information indicating the driver preference path. The driver's preferred route ID is uploaded together with a unique number (for example, a product model, a serial number, etc.) of the navigation terminal 10 when the driver's preferred route data is uploaded to the navigation server 40, and the driver's preferred route ID can be uploaded. Used to distinguish them.

In addition, the driver's preference reason is an item requiring user input. Although the user may directly input the reason for the driver's preference, this may be very cumbersome for the user. Therefore, it is preferable to present the user with some examples for each item and to enter the reason for the driver's preference in the direction of selecting the driver's preference. . Some examples of drivers' preferences include days of the week (Mon-Fri, weekends, holidays, holidays), time of day (working, leaving work, lunch, late night), seasons (spring-winter), weather (snow, rain, yellow dust). , Sunny), other (fast way, fuel saving, surveillance camera avoidance, forecast, toll, children's area, accident area), etc., and the user selects the desired example for each item (day, time, etc.) The driver preference reason may be stored in a manner of storing and storing. In addition, the driver preference route data may include class information about the driver preference route. As the grade information, it may be good, normal, bad or the like. Through the rating information, the user may indicate the degree of recommendation to other users in the case of the driver's preference route stored by the user.

In addition, the path storage unit 130 stores a driver's preferred path of another user received from the navigation server 40 through the communication unit 600. Driver preference path data of the driver preference path of another user received from the navigation server 40 may include driver preference path identification information ID. The driver preference path ID is given by the navigation server 40 and is preferably given by a specific rule. For example, by assigning an ID to each driver's preferred route based on the region, the driver's preferred route data may be searched first in the region where the driver is currently located when searching for the driver's preferred route. It may also be used to notify the navigation terminal 10 via the driver preference route ID to specify a driver preference route to update or delete from the navigation server 40.

In addition, rating information given to a driver's preferred path of another user received from the navigation server 40 through the communication unit 600 stored in the path storage unit 130 may be changed by the current user. For example, the rating of the driver's preferred route at the time of download is set to "excellent", but the current user received the directions by applying the driver's preferred route to the recommended route, but the current user is not satisfied with the driver's preferred route. You can reset the rating to "normal". When the current user uses the driver's preferred route of another user, the display of the class is changed, and the number of times the driver's preferred route is used is displayed. This is to later upload such driver preference data back to the navigation server 40 to evaluate the driver's preferred route on the manufacturer side.

Here, the driver preference path stored by the user and the driver preference path downloaded from the navigation server 40 stored by another user may be stored in the storage unit 300 instead of the path storage unit 130. In addition, the two types of driver preference paths are preferably stored separately in different storage spaces (folders, etc.).

The route guidance unit 140 compares the information of the recommendation route stored in the route storage unit 130 with the information of the current position output from the map matching processing unit 160, and proceeds right before passing through an intersection, etc., to turn right. Whether to turn or turn left by using a speaker to inform the user by voice, and to indicate the direction to proceed on the map displayed on the display (LCD) by the arrow to induce the user to follow the recommended path correctly.

The current position calculator 150 periodically calculates the current position using the GPS data from the GPS receiver 500 and outputs the current position to the map matching processor 160.

The map matching processing unit 160 performs a map matching process for matching the current position to map data around the current position read by the graphic processing unit 190 by using the current position data received from the current position calculating unit 150. To perform.

The menu display processing unit 170 receives a command output from the user manipulation analysis unit 110 and generates a menu display command to cause the graphic processing unit 190 to display various types of menus or graphs.

When the vehicle equipped with the navigation terminal 10 proceeds to a path different from the recommended path, that is, when the driver proceeds to the driver's preferred path, the preferred path processing unit 180 recognizes this and temporarily stores it in the path storage unit 130. Ask the user to register a route different from the recommended route as the driver's preferred route at the end of the guidance, and if the user wants to register, store the driver's preferred route in the route storage unit 130. To perform. In addition, the preference route processing unit 180 automatically registers the driver's preferred route and stores it in the route storage unit 130 when the driver's preferred route is temporarily stored more than a predetermined number of times when the starting point and the destination are the same. It can also be done. The predetermined number of times may be set at the time of manufacture of the navigation terminal 10 or may be set by a user after manufacture.

In addition, the preference route processing unit 180 searches for an applicable driver preference route among the driver preference routes stored in the route storage unit 130 on the found recommended route by setting a starting point and a destination, and applying the applicable driver. If there is a preferred route, it plays a role of presenting the modified recommendation route by replacing the corresponding road section of the recommendation route with the driver's preference route according to a user's setting or request for the navigation terminal 10.

Here, when there are a plurality of searchable applicable driver preference paths, the preference path processing unit 180 displays the driver preference paths according to the grade (good, normal, bad) in displaying them on the display device or automatically applying them to the recommendation path. It can also be configured to display or apply automatically.

The graphic processing unit 190 receives a command generated by the menu display processing unit 170 to process image data on the display device of the output unit 200, or reads map data stored in the storage unit 300 to display the display device. In the designated manner, the map component such as road or the mark such as the arrow for the current location, the destination, the guided route is processed to be displayed on the map displayed on the display device.

Up to now, the driver preference path has been described as an example, but the driver non-preferred path may also be stored in the path storage unit 130 or the storage unit 300 in the same or similar manner as described above. The driver's non-preferred path is to induce a route change by notifying the driver in advance when the driver's non-preferred path is included in the recommended path. In addition, the driver preference path may be changed to a driver non-preferred path by another user.

3A and 3B are flowcharts illustrating a method of storing / registering a driver's preferred route in the navigation terminal 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

First, a manual storage / registration method by a user will be described with reference to FIG. 3A. When the user wants to drive the vehicle to a predetermined destination, the user first activates the navigation function of the navigation terminal and then sets a starting point and a destination through the input unit 400 (S200). In this case, the starting point and the destination may be set through various methods such as an address and a name, and in the case of the starting point, the starting point setting may be omitted by using the current location as it is.

When a starting point and a destination are set, the user manipulation analyzing unit 110 analyzes this and searches the recommended route with the route search unit 120 to present several recommended routes to reach the destination from the starting point. (S210). The suggested route may include a route that can go at high speed or a route including a detour.

When the user selects the desired recommendation path among the recommended paths presented through the input unit 400 and selects the start guide button, the user manipulation interpreter 110 stores the selected recommendation path in the path storage unit 130. In operation S220, the navigation terminal 10 starts a road guide for guiding a user vehicle to a destination according to the selected recommendation route.

While the navigation terminal 10 guides the user vehicle to the destination according to the selected recommendation route, it is determined whether the user vehicle is operating correctly along the selected recommendation route (S230).

If it is determined that the driver is driving correctly on the selected route, the driver continues to guide the selected route and proceeds to the destination (S250, S260). If the determination is made that the route search unit 120 resets the route around the previously selected recommended route and proceeds to the destination through the reset route (S240, S260).

In addition, the preference path processor 180 recognizes when the user vehicle runs in a path different from the selected recommendation path, that is, the driver preference path, and temporarily stores the locus data of the driver preference path in the path storage unit 130. .

After arriving at the destination and the road guidance is finished, the preferred path processing unit 180 searches whether there is an unregistered driver's preferred route (S270), and if there is a user, asks the user to register the driver's preferred route. When the user registers, the driver preference path is registered using the trajectory data of the driver preference path temporarily stored in the path storage unit 130 (S280). The driver's preference route registered in this way is stored in the route storage unit 130.

At this time, the data of the driver preference path stored in the path storage unit 130 may include the class, link data, driver preference path ID, driver preference reason information, driver preference path setting date information as shown in Table 1. Since the driver preference route data registered by the current user has been described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

A method of automatically registering a driver's preferred route will be described with reference to FIG. 3B. When the user wants to drive the vehicle to a predetermined destination, the user first activates the navigation function of the navigation terminal and then sets a starting point and a destination through the input unit 400 (S300). In this case, the starting point and the destination may be set through various methods such as an address and a name, and in the case of the starting point, the starting point setting may be omitted by using the current location as it is.

When a starting point and a destination are set, the user manipulation analyzing unit 110 analyzes this to search the recommended route with the route search unit 120 to present some recommended routes to reach the destination from the starting point ( S305). The suggested route may include a route that can go at high speed or a route including a detour.

When the user selects the desired recommendation path among the recommended paths presented through the input unit 400 and selects the start guide button, the user manipulation interpreter 110 stores the selected recommendation path in the path storage unit 130. In operation S310, the navigation terminal 10 starts a road guide for guiding a user vehicle to a destination according to the selected recommendation route.

While the navigation terminal 10 guides the user's vehicle to the destination according to the selected recommendation route, it is determined whether the user vehicle is operating correctly along the selected recommendation route (S315).

If it is determined that the driver is driving correctly on the selected route, the driver continues to guide the selected route and proceeds to the destination (S320, S335). If the determination is made that the route search unit 120 resets the route around the selected recommendation route and proceeds to the destination through the reset route (S325, S330).

In addition, the preference path processor 180 recognizes when the user vehicle runs in a path different from the selected recommendation path, that is, the driver preference path, and temporarily stores the locus data of the driver's preferred path in the path storage unit 130. (S330).

After arriving at the destination and the road guidance is finished, the preferred path processing unit 180 searches whether the same driver preference path as the temporarily stored driver preference path is stored in the path storage unit 130 (S340) and exists. If not, the count value for the temporarily stored driver preference path is started / increased and the driver preference path is not registered (S350).

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S340 that the same driver preference path as the driver preference path temporarily stored in the path storage unit 130 is stored, the count value for it is increased (S355), the count value is greater than the predetermined value If large, the driver is registered as the driver's preferred route (S365), otherwise it is not registered (S350). That is, it may be set to automatically register when the driver's preferred route driven away from the recommendation route selected by the user is repeatedly operated more than a predetermined number of times.

The registered driver's preferred path is stored in the path storage unit 130, and the data of the driver's preferred path stored in the path storage unit 130 are the class, link data, driver's preferred path ID, and driver's preference reason as shown in Table 1. Information, the driver preference path setting date information may be included. Since the driver preference route data stored by the current user has been described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, although the driver preference path is not registered as the driver preference path, the data of the driver preference path temporarily stored in the path storage unit have the same structure.

Although the driver's preference route has been used so far, the driver may register a driver's non-preferred route by setting a specific route section in which the driver operates. Since the method for registering the driver non-preferred path can be easily understood with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

4 is a diagram illustrating a navigation system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The driver preference path registered according to the method of FIGS. 3 and 4 may be uploaded to the navigation server 40 through a wired communication network using the computer 20 or through a wireless communication network using the mobile communication base station or the relay station 30. Can be.

Driver preference route data transmitted to the navigation server 40 is shown in Table 1. The navigation server 40 may process the received driver's preference paths of the various users and use the navigation server 40 to improve the recommendation path searched by the navigation terminal 10. In addition, the navigation server 40 processes the received driver's preferred paths of the various users and downloads them to the navigation terminals 10 to search for the driver's preferred paths of other users in a city or region they do not know well. It can be used to reach the destination efficiently and effectively.

The navigation server 40 includes a preference path processing unit 42, a preference path storage unit 42, a non-preferred path storage unit 43, and an update processing unit 44.

The preferred path storage unit 42 serves to store driver preference paths received from the navigation terminals 10, and the non-preferred path storage unit 43 stores the driver non-preferred paths received from the navigation terminals 10. It serves to store.

The update processor 44 updates the firmware of the navigation terminal 10 and also downloads / uploads the driver's preference / non-preferred path during firmware update.

The preference path processor 41 processes the driver preference / non-preferred paths uploaded and collected from the navigation terminals 41 to be used by all navigation terminals 41 as a standard.

Table 2 shows a data structure processed by the preferred path processing unit 41.

TABLE 2

 Rating  Link data  Driver Preferences Path ID  Reason for driver preference  Validity

In the case of "grade" in Table 2, after using a driver's preference path downloaded by several users, it may be changed based on a description or a grade transmitted to the navigation server 40. That is, the navigation server 40 grants a new rating based on the evaluation of several users without maintaining the rating of the first registered user.

In addition, in Table 2, the "driver's preferred path ID" is preferably different from the ID given by the navigation terminal 10, and the ID is preferably assigned by a specific rule when the ID is assigned. For example, by assigning an ID to a driver's preferred route based on region, when the navigation terminal 10 searches for a driver's preferred route, the driver's preferred route may be searched first in the region or city where the driver is located. have.

In addition, the "validity period" in Table 2 represents the period that the driver's preferred route is available. In other words, the navigation terminal 21 discards the driver's preferred path after the expiration date.

Since other items (link data, etc.) in Table 2 have already been described in Table 1, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, the preference path processor 41 may process only the path data of a predetermined grade or more when downloading the driver preference / non-preferred path to the navigation terminal 10.

In the navigation terminal 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as described above, there are two types of driver preference paths, one of which is the driver's preference path registered by the user, that is, the current user, and the other is the navigation server 40. Driver preference path downloaded from. The two kinds of driver preference routes are stored in the route storage unit 130 or the storage unit 300.

5 relates to a method for searching for a driver's preferred route in a navigation terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In the search method of FIG. 5, both the driver route registered by the current user and the driver's preferred route downloaded from the navigation server 40 are stored in the route storage unit 130 or the storage unit 300 or only one of the two is stored. Can be used in

First, in order to search for an applicable driver's preferred route, when a user activates a search mode of the navigation terminal 10 to set a starting point and a destination through the input unit 400 (S400), the user manipulation interpreter 110 By interpreting this, the route search unit 120 searches for a recommendation route and suggests several recommendation routes that can reach the destination from the starting point (S410).

Thereafter, when the user selects a desired recommendation path among the recommended paths presented through the input unit 400 (S420), the recommendation path is stored in the path storage unit 130 and the preferred path processing unit 180. In operation S430, the driver may search whether there is a driver preference path applicable to the recommendation path. As a method of searching whether there is a driver preference path applicable to the recommendation path, it is determined whether there are links linked to the driver preference path among the links included in the recommendation path.

If there are no links connected to the link of the driver's preferred route among the links included in the recommended route, it is determined that the driver's preferred route does not exist (S440). ) Presents the driver's preferred route (S460). When there are a plurality of driver preference paths, one driver's preference path is selected by a user's input or a specific rule (S470). Here, even though one driver's preferred path is recognized, the selection of the driver's preferred path to the recommended path is included in the meaning of the selection.

For example, when the recommended route is composed of ABCDE (where A, B, C, D, and E are roads or links), and the F link is connected to the C and E links, the preferred route is The processor 180 recognizes the F link as the driver's preferred path and presents the F link as the driver's preferred path.

Here, the user may refer to the description of the selection reason, the grade, etc. of the presented driver preference path before referring to the driver preference path.

For example, when a user travels on a weekend, the user may prefer to select a navigator preference route set to "excellent" grade on "weekend" day.

In FIG. 5, a method of searching for a driver's preferred route after selecting a recommended route through steps S400 to S420 has been described. However, the driver's preferred route searching method may be applied even when only a starting point and a destination are set without a recommendation route. . In this case, the driver's preferred route for each of the various recommended routes may be searched, and the user may select the recommended route through the description of the driver's preferred route.

Meanwhile, in displaying the found driver's preferred route on a map on the display device, the driver's preferred route may be displayed in a color different from the display color indicating the recommended route. That is, it is preferable to display the colors in different colors so that the user recognizes the driver's preference route while viewing the entire recommendation route.

The driver preference route found through the driver preference route searching method of FIG. 5 may be applied to the recommendation route and used to provide an effective and efficient road guidance service.

Hereinafter, a method for guiding a road using a driver's preferred route will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B.

The road guidance service provided by the preferred navigation terminal 10 according to the present invention includes a mode not to apply the driver's preferred route according to whether to apply the driver's preferred route, a mode to manually apply the driver's preferred route, and a driver's preferred route. It may include a mode for automatically applying.

These three directions can be selected by the user, and if there is no user selection, either one of the directions can be set as a default.

The mode in which the driver preference path is not applied is the same as the method described with reference to FIG. 1, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 6A is a flowchart illustrating a road guidance mode for manually applying a driver's preferred route, and FIG. 6B is a flowchart illustrating a road guidance mode for automatically applying a driver's preferred route.

First, a description will be given of the road guidance mode for manually applying the driver's preferred route.

First, in order to reach a desired destination, when the user activates the road guidance function of the navigation terminal 10 and sets a starting point and a destination through the input unit 400 (S500), the user manipulation interpreter 110 does this. By interpreting, the route search unit 120 searches for a recommendation route to suggest some recommendation routes that can reach the destination from the starting point (S510).

Thereafter, when the user selects a desired recommendation path among the recommended paths presented through the input unit 400 (S520), the recommendation path is stored in the path storage unit 130, and the preferred path processing unit 180 In step S530, the driver preference path applicable to the recommended route is searched for.

If the driver's preferred route applicable to the recommended route is not found, the driving directions continue along the recommended route to the destination (S540, S580).

However, when the driver preference path applicable to the recommendation path is found, the preference path processing unit 180 displays the found driver preference path on the display device (S550).

In this case, when a plurality of driver preference paths are found, they are presented in a manner of listing them, and when the user selects one of them, the user may view descriptions such as a preference reason for the selected driver preference path, and at the same time, recommend a route and a selected driver. You can also mark your preferences in different colors so that users can easily see how they differ.

After the user looks at the found driver's preferred paths, the user determines whether to apply the driver's preferred paths (S560). If it is decided not to apply the driver's preferred route, the driving directions continue to the destination along the recommended route (S540, S580).

However, if it is determined whether to apply the driver's preferred route to select a specific driver's preferred route (S570), the preference path processing unit 180 applies the selected driver's preferred route to the recommendation path to start the road guidance (S580). ), Thus guiding the vehicle to the destination efficiently and effectively (S580).

Here, steps S560 and S570 may be integrated into a single step, for example, when the button is clicked to approve a command to select / apply a specific driver's preference path, the driver's preference path is configured to be recognized. You may.

The road guidance mode for automatically applying the driver's preferred route will be described with reference to FIG. 6B. In this case, the automatic application means that the navigation terminal 10 automatically selects the driver's preference path without the user's intervention by specific requirements without directly selecting the driver's preferred route. For example, if the user or the manufacturer of the navigation terminal 10 selects the first priority as "grade (excellent)" and the second priority as "day (holiday)" as a requirement to automatically apply the driver's preferred route, the preferred route. When the processor applies the driver's preferred route to the recommendation route, it automatically selects the driver's preferred route that is "good" and useful for "holiday".

First, in order to reach a desired destination, when the user activates the road guidance function of the navigation terminal 10 and sets a starting point and a destination through the input unit 400 (S600), the user manipulation interpreter 110 does this. By interpreting, the route search unit 120 searches for a recommendation route to suggest some recommendation routes that can reach the destination from the starting point (S610).

Thereafter, when the user selects a desired recommendation path among the recommended paths presented through the input unit 400 (S620), the recommendation path is stored in the path storage unit 130, and the preferred path processing unit 180 In operation S630, it is searched whether there is a driver's preferred route applicable to the recommended route.

If the driver's preferred route applicable to the recommended route is not found, the driving directions continue along the recommendation route to the destination (S640, S670).

However, when the driver preference path applicable to the recommendation path is found, the preference path processing unit 180 selects the driver preference path according to a predetermined specific requirement (here, class) (S650) and applies it to the recommendation path. In this case, when the plurality of driver preference paths matching the specific requirements are searched, the user may be prompted to select a route.

Therefore, the navigation terminal 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention guides the user's vehicle to the destination along the recommendation path to which the driver's preferred route is applied (S670). While driving along the recommended route, the driver's preferred route section may be displayed in a different color than the recommended route.

Meanwhile, in the embodiment of the present invention, the driver preference path is searched after downloading the driver preference path in advance, but in the region having excellent wireless Internet environment, the navigation terminal 10 directly connects to the navigation server 40 using the wireless communication protocol. Afterwards, the driver's preferred route may be searched by using a search query through the method shown in FIG. If selected, the selected driver's preferred route can be downloaded and automatically applied to the recommended route. In this case, after using the driver's preferred route, a value such as a description reason or a grade may be transmitted to the navigation server 40 in real time, so that the navigation server 40 may provide users with a more reliable driver's preferred route. It may be.

In addition, although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described based on the driver's preferred path, the driver's non-preferred path may be similarly applied. For example, if the recommended route includes a driver non-preferred segment, the user was registered as a driver non-preferred route by another user when the user tried to register the driver preferred route, or the user tried to enter the driver non-preferred route, The non-preferred path may be notified to the user in advance to prevent the driver from using the driver's non-preferred path in advance.

1 is a flowchart illustrating a way guidance method using a conventional navigation terminal.

2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a navigation terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3A and 3B are flowcharts illustrating a method of registering a driver preference route according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a diagram illustrating a navigation system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for searching for a driver's preferred route according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

6A and 6B are flowcharts illustrating a road guidance method using a driver's preferred route according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: control unit 200: output unit

300: storage unit 400: input unit

500: GPS receiver 600: communication unit

110: user operation analysis unit 120: path search unit

130: path storage unit 140: path guidance unit

150: current position calculation unit 160: map matching processing unit

170: menu display processing unit 180: preferred path processing unit

190: graphics processing unit

Claims (4)

Current location data receiver to receive current location data: A storage unit for storing map data including at least one link data; An output unit for reading map data and outputting a map; And A control unit for calculating a current location through current location data and displaying a current location on a map displayed on an output unit; The control unit includes a route search unit for searching for a recommended route through a starting point and a destination; A route storage unit configured to store the recommendation route and a driver's preference route different from a portion of the recommendation route; And And a preference path processor configured to apply the driver's preference path to the recommendation path when guiding a road using a current location. The navigation terminal of claim 1, wherein the driver preference path includes at least one of link data, driver preference reason information, a grade, and a setting date. A navigation terminal configured to store a recommendation route searched through a departure point and a destination, and a portion of the recommendation route and another driver's preference route; And And a navigation server configured to receive and store the driver's preferred route from the navigation terminal. The navigation system of claim 3, wherein the driver preference path includes at least one of link data, driver preference reason information, rating, and setting date.

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