WO2009090701A1

WO2009090701A1 - Traffic information monitoring device and method for the same

Info

Publication number: WO2009090701A1
Application number: PCT/JP2008/003387
Authority: WO
Inventors: Koichi Inoue
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
Priority date: 2008-01-17
Filing date: 2008-11-19
Publication date: 2009-07-23
Also published as: JP2011070238A

Abstract

For example, because a location code is included in TMC traffic information, a vehicle-mounted device (1) (control unit (12)) searches the consistency between the location code included in the received traffic information and a location table (101) on map data stored in a storage section (10) to identify the position of the traffic information and identifies the corresponding location code from road data to perform the filtering of the traffic information to display the traffic information on a display section (13).

Description

Traffic information monitoring apparatus and method

The present invention relates to a traffic information monitoring apparatus and method suitable for use in, for example, a TMC (Traffic Message Channel) road traffic information service that is widespread in Europe and North America.

In Japan, traffic information such as traffic jams and accidents using in-vehicle devices equipped with car navigation functions, communications / broadcast media, and infrastructure such as DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) beacons provided along the roadside VICS (Registered Trademark) is known which provides a real-time information in real time.

VICS (registered trademark) (Vehicle Information and Communication System) is a road traffic information communication system center that collects, processes, and edits road traffic information that is transmitted by FM multiplex broadcasting. It is displayed on the in-vehicle device as characters and figures (such as a map) and is known to play a part of ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems).
The information provided by VICS (registered trademark) includes not only the above-mentioned traffic jams and accident information, but also the required time, breakdown vehicle / construction information, speed regulation, lane regulation, parking lot / service area / full parking area There is information.

On the other hand, the TMC road traffic information service is known to provide the same type of service as the above-mentioned VICS (registered trademark) in Europe and North America. Like domestic VICS (registered trademark), traffic congestion on the route, etc. The position information related information is prevalent as being able to be obtained quickly and accurately in real time.

In addition, in the in-vehicle device corresponding to the above-mentioned VICS (registered trademark), many technologies for monitoring traffic information on a route have been filed. For example, information on roads / routes currently running from the current vehicle position and A map information output device that searches for roads having the same road / route information and outputs traffic information on the roads / routes (for example, see Patent Document 1). Lists road traffic information of recommended routes outside the display range. A navigation device (see, for example, Patent Document 2) is known.
JP 2002-303529 A JP 2006-138696 A

In recent years, the traffic information network for navigation has been developed, and the amount of traffic information transmitted in the future is expected to keep increasing. A conventional in-vehicle device equipped with a navigation function displays all received traffic information. However, as the number of cases increases, there is a problem of system load and information overload.

For this reason, it is desirable to monitor (filter) the received traffic information. Conventionally, however, the traffic information on the route is only extracted as disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above. Yes.
That is, according to the techniques disclosed in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, traffic information in an arbitrary section cannot be monitored, and traffic information in the route can be acquired, but traffic information outside the route is known. It is necessary to search from a large amount of traffic information, and the operation is complicated when it is desired to know only the traffic information of a desired section.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a traffic information monitoring apparatus and method capable of monitoring traffic information in an arbitrary section and improving operability at that time. For the purpose.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a traffic information monitoring apparatus according to the present invention includes an input unit for setting and registering a monitoring section of traffic information, acquiring traffic information from the outside, and using the input unit from the acquired traffic information. A control unit that extracts traffic information of the monitoring section that has been set and registered, and a display unit that displays the traffic information extracted by the control unit are provided.

In addition, the traffic information monitoring device of the present invention searches a map unit stored in the storage unit, a storage unit that stores a location code in map data, a receiving unit that receives traffic information including the location code, and the storage unit. A control unit that identifies a corresponding location code, extracts traffic information received by the receiving unit based on the specified location code, and a display unit that displays the extracted traffic information It is.

The traffic information monitoring method of the present invention is a traffic information monitoring device comprising a storage unit for storing location codes in map data, which receives traffic information from the outside based on control by the control unit and displays the traffic information on a display unit. A traffic information monitoring method to be used, comprising: setting and registering a monitoring section of traffic information selected and input according to map data generated by the control unit and displayed on the display unit; and the setting registered monitoring Searching the map data stored in the storage unit based on the section to identify the corresponding location code, extracting the received traffic information based on the identified location code, and the extracted traffic And displaying information on the display unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a traffic information monitoring apparatus and method capable of monitoring traffic information in an arbitrary section and improving operability at that time.

It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the traffic information monitoring apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the basic operation | movement of the traffic information monitoring apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the block diagram which expanded the function and showed the internal structure of the control part of the traffic information monitoring apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of the location table and index file which are used with the traffic information monitoring apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the monitoring area setting registration process of the traffic information monitoring apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the road number and road name input process in the monitoring area setting registration process of the traffic information monitoring apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the area start point selection process in the monitoring area setting registration process of the traffic information monitoring apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the area end point selection process in the monitoring area setting registration process of the traffic information monitoring apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the operation | movement conceptual diagram which showed typically the road name extraction process operation | movement of the surroundings of the own vehicle of the traffic information monitoring apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen structure of the traffic information display screen of the monitoring area by the traffic information monitoring apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the block diagram which expanded the function and showed the internal structure of the traffic information monitoring apparatus (control part) which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the monitoring process of the traffic congestion area of the traffic information monitoring apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is the operation | movement conceptual diagram which showed typically the collation operation with the traffic information and monitoring area by the traffic information monitoring apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Hereinafter, in order to describe the present invention in more detail, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a traffic information monitoring apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Here, as a traffic information monitoring device, an in-vehicle device 1 equipped with a navigation function corresponding to a TMC traffic information service that is widespread in Europe and North America will be described as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the traffic information monitoring apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention includes a storage unit 10, an input unit 11, a control unit 12, a display unit 13, and a receiving unit 14. The

blocks

10, 11, 13, and 14 are organically coupled via the control unit 12. Physically, they are connected via a bus composed of a plurality of lines for address, data, and control.

In the storage unit 10, a location table 101, an event table 102, and map data 103 are constructed and stored as a database (DB).
In the location table 101, sections of traffic jam information (for example, between exits of expressways) are defined, location codes (hereinafter referred to as location IDs) indicating position data of the sections, road names, text information of the sections, coordinates The corresponding road link ID necessary for associating the map data with the map data, the adjacent section ID necessary for indicating the congestion length, and the like are stored, and the road section corresponding to the route from the location ID of this table 101 is stored. It can be searched. The event table 102 also includes an event ID (for example, traffic jam), event text information, event type (for example, accident traffic jam, natural traffic jam, construction traffic jam), event importance (degree of traffic jam), text information, etc. Is defined and stored, and the cause of the traffic jam can be searched from the event ID of this table 102.

The map data DB (103) stores data such as maps and facilities displayed by the display unit 13.

The input unit 11 is a remote controller or a touch panel, for example, operated by a user such as a driver or a passenger when setting and registering a monitoring section of traffic information. The monitoring section is set and registered by acquiring an item selected and input from map data generated by the control unit 12 described later and displayed on the display unit 13.
The control unit 12 acquires traffic information including a location ID from the outside via the receiving unit 14, extracts the traffic information of the monitoring section set and registered by the input unit 11 from the acquired traffic information and displays the traffic information It is configured by an LSI having a microprocessor (MPU) supplied to the unit 13 as a control center.

When extracting the traffic information of the monitoring section, the control unit 12 includes the event ID and the location ID included in the acquired traffic information, and the data defined in the location table 101 and the event table 102 allocated and stored in the storage unit 10. And a process for filtering to extract necessary traffic information. In addition, when the user operates the input unit 11 to register and set the traffic information monitoring section, the control unit 12 displays map data including a list of roads and points on the display unit 13 and selects and inputs the map data. Prompt. Details of both will be described later.

The display unit 13 includes, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display Device) monitor that displays the traffic information extracted by the control unit 12. Here, the fact that the section AB of a certain road (road name) is congested by 5 km due to traffic concentration is displayed as a message superimposed on the map data.
The receiving unit 14 includes, for example, an FM multiplex broadcast receiver 141 (or satellite radio), a GPS receiver 142, and the like. The former receives traffic information and passes it to the control unit 12, and the latter is a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite. Satellite information necessary for the current position measurement of the vehicle is received from the vehicle and delivered to the control unit 12. The traffic information received by the FM multiplex broadcast receiver 141 includes, as data, auxiliary information such as an event ID, a location ID of the information start point, a traffic jam direction, the number of sections, and a traffic jam length.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the basic operation of the traffic information monitoring apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
The basic operation of the traffic information monitoring apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, monitoring section setting registration is performed by the input unit 11, and the location ID related to the monitoring section is delivered to the control unit 12 (step ST10: monitoring section setting registration). The setting registration of the monitoring section is performed by the control unit 12 referring to the location table 101 of the storage unit 10 and acquiring the location ID. In addition, the traffic information including the location ID received by the receiving unit 14 (FM multiplex broadcast receiver 141) is supplied to the control unit 12 (step ST20: reception of traffic information).
Based on the monitoring section set and registered by the input unit 11, the control unit 12 searches the map data stored in the storage unit 10 to identify the corresponding location code, and receives it based on the identified location code. Traffic information is extracted and transferred to the display unit 13 (step ST30: extraction of traffic information). The display unit 13 superimposes only the traffic information extracted by the control unit 12 on the map data or generates and displays a traffic information monitoring screen (step ST40: traffic information display of monitoring section). The details will be described below.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional development of the internal configuration of the control unit 12 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 12 includes a monitoring section data acquisition unit 121, a traffic information acquisition unit 122, a traffic information extraction unit 123, a display control unit 124, a map data extraction unit 125, and an index file. The generation unit 126 and the current location positioning unit 127 are configured.

The monitoring section data acquisition unit 121 and the traffic information acquisition unit 122 respectively acquire monitoring section data set and registered via the input unit 11 and traffic information received via the FM multiplex broadcast receiver 141 of the receiving unit 14. , Both have a function of handing over to the traffic information extraction unit 123.
The traffic information extraction unit 123 has a function of extracting the traffic information of the monitoring section acquired by the monitoring section data acquisition unit 121 from the traffic information acquired by the traffic information acquisition unit 122 and transferring it to the display control unit 124. . The display control unit 124 outputs a traffic information and a road (point) name list, which are output by the traffic information extraction unit 123 and a map data extraction unit 125, which will be described later, to display on the display unit 13 a display memory (not shown). The display data is rendered as display data, and the display data previously rendered in synchronization with the display timing of the display unit 13 is read out and output to the display unit 13. The display memory described above may be built in the display control unit 124 or may be allocated and stored in a specific area of the storage unit 10.

The map data extraction unit 125 refers to the location table 101 stored in the storage unit 10 when the input unit 11 sets and registers a road name or a spot name in the monitoring section, and matches the location ID based on the own vehicle position. And a list of road names or point names corresponding to the specified location IDs are extracted and supplied to the display control unit 124. An example of the data structure of the location table 101 is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the location table 101 includes a location ID, a road name, a spot name, a front ID (a location code adjacent to the front), a rear ID (a location code adjacent to the rear), an X coordinate, It consists of data items of Y coordinate. Characteristically, as additional information, each data item of a map mesh number and a traffic jam occurrence frequency is added. The map mesh number and the occurrence frequency of traffic congestion will be described later.

Returning to the description of FIG. 3, when the index file generation unit 126 displays all road names in the monitoring section set and registered by the input unit 11 on the display unit 13, the location table 101 stored in the storage unit 10. 4B, a list of road names (A3 to A5) and a location code corresponding to each road name (first ID “8000” to “8300”) are shown in FIG. ) To generate and supply an index file to the display control unit 124.
Further, the current location positioning unit 127 has a function of performing a positioning calculation of the current location based on the satellite information received by the GPS receiver 142 of the receiving unit 14 and delivering it to the map data extracting unit 125.

The functions of the monitoring section data acquisition unit 121, the traffic information acquisition unit 122, the traffic information extraction unit 123, the display control unit 124, the map data extraction unit 125, the index file generation unit 126, and the current location measurement unit 127 described above are as follows. 1 is realized by the MPU built in the control unit 12 sequentially reading out and executing each program stored in the program area of the storage unit 10 shown in FIG. 1, and the actual state in the control unit 12 (MPU). However, it does not indicate only what is divided into other blocks and incorporated, but is merely a representation of each processing unit for the sake of simplicity. At this time, it is assumed that the location table 101 and the event table 102 stored in the storage unit 10 are assigned to specific areas other than the program area described above.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the monitoring section setting registration process of the traffic information monitoring apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
Hereinafter, the operation of the monitoring section setting registration process (step ST10 of FIG. 2) by the control unit 12 shown in FIG. 3 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

When registering the monitoring section settings, the user first designates “new registration” or “change registration”. First, the in-vehicle device 1 (the control unit 12) displays a monitoring section setting registration screen (not shown) on the display unit 13 to prompt a monitoring section setting input (step ST11). In the case of new registration (step ST12 “YES”), the user operates the input unit 11 to input the monitoring section setting. The monitoring section data acquisition unit 121 of the control unit 12 acquires section data related to a road number or a road name input by the user and supplies it to the map data extraction unit 125 (step ST13). On the other hand, in the case of “change registration” (step ST12 “NO”), the monitoring section data acquisition unit 121 is selected and input from the registration list set and registered as the monitoring section in the past displayed on the display unit 13. Data relating to the number or road name is acquired and supplied to the map data extraction unit 125 (step ST14).

The detailed procedure for the above-described road number and road name input acquisition process (step ST13) is shown in a flowchart in FIG.
Here, the in-vehicle device 1 (control unit 12) refers to the location table 101 stored in the storage unit 10 when the user inputs a road number or a road name to be monitored, thereby storing the location table 101. It provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface) environment that prompts selection from all stored road numbers or from a road list existing around the current location.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4A, an example of the data structure is required. In the location table 101 stored in the storage unit 10, it is necessary to register the mesh number of the corresponding map for each location ID. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4B, an example of the data structure needs to generate an index file of road names.
That is, the index file generation unit 126 refers to the location table 101 to generate an index file in which a list of road names and the top ID of the corresponding location table 101 are associated with each other in pairs.

That is, in the flowchart of FIG. 6, the in-vehicle device 1 (control unit 12) first determines a search target (step ST131), and when searching from all road names (step ST131 “all”), an index file generation unit. 126 supplies the generated index file to the map data extraction unit 125, and the map data extraction unit 125 delivers the data to the display control unit 124. Thereby, the display control unit 124 can display a list of road names included in the index file on the display unit 13 (step ST132: display all roads as a list).

On the other hand, when searching for nearby road names (step ST131 “periphery”), the map data extraction unit 125 knows the current map mesh number from the vehicle position information measured by the current location positioning unit 127. 9, adjacent X map mesh numbers (four map mesh numbers “45401”, “45402”, “45501”, “45502” in this case) are extracted ( a) By collating the X map mesh numbers extracted here with the map mesh numbers defined in the location table 101 of the storage unit 10, "45401", "45402", "45501", "45501" A location ID including a map mesh number of 45502 ″ is extracted (b).
A road name list is created by referring to the location table 101 of the storage unit 10 from the location ID extracted here (c), and the road name list created here is displayed on the display unit via the display control unit 124. 13 is displayed as a list (step ST133: list of roads around the vehicle).

Thus, when the input unit 11 inputs a road number or a road name for setting a monitoring section, the in-vehicle device 1 (the control unit 12) has all the road numbers stored in the location table 101 of the storage unit 10 or A road list existing around the current location is extracted and displayed on the display unit 13 to prompt the user to make a selection input. Subsequently, the in-vehicle device 1 (the control unit 12) acquires the character input by the user viewing the road list operating the input unit 11 or the selection input of the road name list (step ST134), thereby obtaining the road number. The road name input acquisition process is finished.

Returning to the description of FIG. 5, after the above-described road number and road name input acquisition process (step ST13), the in-vehicle device 1 (control unit 12) executes a monitoring section start point selection process (step ST15). The detailed procedure of the monitoring section start point selection process (step ST15) is shown in FIG.
Here, the start point on the road selected by the road number or road name input acquisition process (step ST13) is input, but the inputable section is extracted from the location table 101 stored in the storage unit 10. To do. At this time, the user can select either an exit number input method or an exit name input method.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, the vehicle-mounted device 1 (control unit 12) first corresponds to the target road (the road number or the road name selected in step ST13) when executing the section start point selection process. ) Is displayed on the display unit 13 (step ST151).
Since the location table 101 stored in the storage unit 10 defines previous and subsequent location IDs, the map data extraction unit 125 can extract the location ID of the same route by referring to the location table 101. . For this reason, the map data extraction unit 125 extracts the spot names corresponding to the respective location IDs and displays the list on the display unit 13 as a list. The user browses the spot name list displayed on the display unit 13, operates the input unit 11, and selects a start point by inputting characters or according to list selection. In response to this, the monitoring section data acquisition unit 121 of the control unit 12 acquires data on the start point (step ST152), and passes the data to the traffic information extraction unit 123 to complete the execution of the section start point selection process (step ST15). .

Returning to the description of FIG. 5, after the section start point selection process (step ST15), the in-vehicle device 1 (control unit 12) executes the monitoring section end point selection process (step ST16). The detailed procedure of the monitoring section end point selection process (step ST16) is shown in FIG.
Here, the end point with respect to the start point selected in the section start point selection process (step ST15) is input, but the inputable section is extracted from the location table 101 stored in the storage unit 10. For this reason, in-vehicle device 1 (control part 12), in executing the selection process of the monitoring section end point, in order to the user, the method by the exit number input, the method by the exit name input, and the upward and downward directions from the start point. A GUI (Graphical User Interface) environment that prompts the user to select one of the methods for selecting the next exit is provided. In addition, in the case of the method of selecting the next exit sequentially from the start point in the up and down direction, an option is also provided that allows other routes to be connected to be selected as will be described later.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, the in-vehicle device 1 (control unit 12) searches for points before and after the section start point when executing the section end point selection process (step ST16) (step ST161 “ First, the section start point selected in the section start point selection process (step ST15) is displayed on the display unit 13 (step ST162).
Here, when not connecting to another route (step ST163 “NO”), that is, when searching for the end point of the section on the same route, the map data extraction unit 125 refers to the location table 101 of the storage unit 10, and here The end point of the section is extracted from the location IDs before and after defined in. That is, when the user presses the front button and the rear button assigned to the input unit 11 (for example, a predetermined position on the remote controller), the points (location codes) adjacent in the up / down direction are sequentially changed (step ST164). When the monitoring section data acquisition unit 121 captures this and supplies it to the map data extraction unit 125, the map data extraction unit 125 is set and registered as a section end point in the display unit 13 via the display control unit 124. Possible front and rear points can be displayed (step ST165). The processes in steps ST164 and ST165 described above are repeatedly executed until the search for the section end point is completed (step ST169 “YES”), and the section ends after the determination button assigned to the input unit 11 is pressed (step ST170). The execution of the point selection process (step ST16) is terminated.

On the other hand, when searching for a section end point on another route instead of on the same route in the process of step ST163 (step ST163 “YES”), another route connected here is defined in the location table 101 of the storage unit 10. It is assumed that the extracted X coordinate and Y coordinate are extracted. That is, the map data extraction unit 125 displays a list of connection routes obtained by searching for the location ID (front ID, rear ID) of adjacent coordinates on the display unit 13 via the display control unit 124 (step ST166). By viewing this, the user can recognize a different route to be connected.
The user operates the input unit 11 to select from another route list (step ST167), and the map data extraction unit 125 changes the point on the new route by taking this through the monitoring section data acquisition unit 121. And the point connected with respect to the display part 13 via the display control part 124 can be displayed (step ST168).

As described above, the connection point is displayed on the display unit 13 (steps ST165 and ST168), and when the search for the section end point ends (step ST169 "YES"), the determination button assigned to the input unit 11 is pressed (step Waiting for ST170), the execution of the section end point selection process (step ST16) is terminated.
In the process of step S161, when searching from a list of all points on the selected route (step ST161 “NO”), the map data extraction unit 125 stores the storage unit as in the above-described section start point selection process (step ST15). By referring to the ten location tables 101, the spot names corresponding to the respective location IDs on the same route currently selected are extracted and displayed in a list on the display unit 13 (step ST171). The user browses the spot name list displayed on the display unit 13 and operates the input unit 11 to select a start point by inputting characters or according to list selection (step ST172). Then, in response to pressing of the determination button (step ST170), the monitoring section data acquisition unit 121 of the control unit 12 acquires the data regarding the section end point, and passes it to the traffic information extraction unit 123, so that the section end point selection process (step ST16) is performed. ) Is terminated.

Returning to the description of FIG. 5, after the vehicle-mounted device 1 (the control unit 12) executes the above-described section end point selection process (step ST <b> 16), the user inputs the monitoring section name. The name of the monitoring section input by operating the unit 11 is acquired and delivered to the map data extracting unit 125 (step ST17). The name of the monitoring section is used as a label of the monitoring section (A81 in FIG. 10, etc.) as will be described later.
Subsequently, the monitoring section name, location ID, etc. input and acquired by the road number, road name input processing, section start point selection processing, section end point selection processing, and monitoring section name input processing (steps ST14 to ST17) described above. The data regarding is registered in a predetermined area of the storage unit 10 (step ST18), and the above-described traffic information monitoring section setting registration process is completed.

When the monitoring section is set and registered as described above, the traffic information extraction unit 123 acquires the traffic information received by the reception unit 14 (FM multiplex broadcast receiver 141) via the traffic information acquisition unit 122, and the traffic acquired here From the information, the traffic information of the monitoring section previously set and registered by the input unit 11 is extracted. That is, the traffic information extraction unit 123 searches the location table 101 stored in the storage unit 10 based on the map data (road name or spot name) set and registered by the input unit 11 and specifies the corresponding location ID. Then, based on the location ID specified here, the traffic information received by the receiving unit 14 is extracted (filtered) and displayed on the display unit 13 via the display control unit 124.

An example of the display of traffic information in the monitoring section is shown in FIG. Here, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), when the updated traffic information is received, a message (a traffic jam of 2km between AAA and BBB) is usually displayed on the map monitoring section displayed on the screen of the display unit 13. A pop-up display example (voice output at the same time) is shown. FIG. 10B shows an example in which details of the contents of the monitoring list displayed on the screen of the display unit 13 are displayed by list selection (hatch display in the figure) by a cursor operation.
In FIG. 10A, the pop-up message is changed to the detail screen shown in FIG. 10B by pressing a detail button (not shown) assigned and displayed at the bottom of the screen, for example. Also good. Also, in both FIGS. 10A and 10B, the label of the monitoring section set and input in advance by the user is displayed as a key.

As described above, according to the traffic information monitoring apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, by setting and registering a monitoring section, only the traffic information related to the monitoring section is extracted and displayed, so that the convenience of the user is improved. At the same time, the system load can be reduced and the problem of information overload can be solved. For this reason, for example, only the traffic information on the route that can be passed in the future among the plurality of routes that are created by route search or the route search in the background can be displayed on the display unit 13, When a route is not created, it is possible to create a virtual route and extract relevant traffic information.

Also, the operability can be improved by providing a GUI that displays candidates and prompts selection input when setting and registering the monitoring section. For example, there may be cases where traffic information is desired even if the surrounding highway or main road is not on the route. In this case, the in-vehicle device 1 (the control unit 12) presents a main road list including an expressway extracted with reference to the location table 121, and the user selects and inputs the traffic information on the road. Can be displayed on the display unit 13. This provides convenience to the user and improves operability at that time.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a functional development of the internal configuration of the control unit 12 of the traffic information monitoring apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 11, the difference from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is that a congestion occurrence frequency calculation unit 128 and a location table update unit 129 are further added to the configuration of the first embodiment. It is in. In FIG. 11, for convenience of explanation, the map data extraction unit 125, the index file generation unit 126, and the current location measurement unit 127 are not shown.

As described above as additional information in FIG. 4A, it has been described above that data related to the occurrence frequency of traffic congestion is added and stored in the location table 101 of the storage unit 10 in which position information is defined for each location code. Street.
As a result of a matching search between the location code and direction included in the traffic information received by the traffic information extraction unit 123 and the location code and direction in the monitoring section set and registered by the input unit 11, the traffic jam occurrence frequency calculation unit 128 matches. It has a function of calculating the occurrence frequency of traffic jam for each location code specified by the section. The calculation of the occurrence frequency of traffic jams is to accumulate data on the section (location ID) every time traffic jams are notified by traffic information, and total the number of traffic jam occurrences accumulated every predetermined period and calculate the ratio with the total number of traffic jams. It can be calculated by finding it. Further, the location table update unit 129 has a function of writing the traffic jam occurrence frequency calculated by the traffic jam occurrence frequency calculation unit 128 into a position (a traffic jam occurrence frequency data item) corresponding to the corresponding location ID.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the traffic information monitoring apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Here, the traffic information monitoring apparatus specializes in monitoring of traffic jam management when receiving traffic information (ST30: traffic jam zone monitoring processing). It is explained. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing the operation.
Hereinafter, the operation of the traffic information monitoring apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 12 and the operation conceptual diagram of FIG.

The traffic information extraction unit 123 of the in-vehicle device 1 (control unit 12) obtains the location ID, event number, direction, number of sections, and traffic jam length from the reception unit 14 (FM multiplex broadcast receiver 141) via the traffic information acquisition unit 122. The traffic information including the location ID and direction in the received traffic information, the location ID and the location ID in the monitoring section that is set and registered by the input unit 11 and acquired via the monitoring section data acquisition unit 121 are received. A matching search with the direction is performed (step ST302). Here, if there is a matching section (step ST302 “YES”), the traffic information extracting unit 123 only displays the traffic information in the monitoring section set and registered by the input unit 11 with respect to the display unit 13 via the display control unit 124. Filter and display (step ST303).

FIG. 13 schematically shows a matching search operation between the traffic information acquired from the receiving unit 14 (FM multiplex broadcast receiver 141) and the monitoring section by the traffic information extracting unit 123.
As shown in FIG. 13, the traffic information extraction unit 123 receives a traffic jam section (location ID “8000”, “8001”, “8003”, “8004”) received within a predetermined time, and a monitoring section A (location ID “ 8001 ”,“ 8002 ”,“ 8003 ”), the traffic congestion section (location ID“ 8001 ”,“ 8003 ”) in the monitoring section is hit and monitored on the display unit 13 The traffic information of the section A is displayed.

As described above, traffic information can be specified by section. For this reason, by accumulating the congestion occurrence sections included in the received traffic information in a predetermined area of the storage unit 10 (step ST301), it is possible to specify the sections where the congestion frequently occurs.
That is, the traffic jam occurrence frequency calculation unit 128 refers to the traffic jam occurrence section stored in the storage unit 10, calculates the traffic jam occurrence frequency for each location code specified by the matched section in the traffic information extraction unit 123, and stores the location table. It hands over to the update part 129 (step ST304). The location table update unit 129 writes the data related to the congestion occurrence frequency calculated by the congestion occurrence frequency calculation unit 128 in the position corresponding to the location code in the location table 101 of the storage unit 10 (step ST305).

As described above, according to the traffic information monitoring apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, it is possible to learn a traffic jam section by specifying a section where the traffic jam occurs frequently, and furthermore, the location table 101 of the storage unit 10 By referring to data items related to the frequency of occurrence of traffic jams, it is possible to provide areas where traffic jams occur frequently as a work list of monitored sections, and in this case, it is possible to provide convenience to the user.
In addition, since the location ID is included in the TMC traffic information, the in-vehicle device 1 (the control unit 12) performs a matching search between the location ID of the received traffic information and the location table 101 on the map data. By specifying the position of the information, specifying the corresponding location code from the road data, and filtering the traffic information, the system load can be reduced and the problem of excessive information can be solved as in the first embodiment.

In addition, according to Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 mentioned above, although the vehicle-mounted apparatus 1 carrying the navigation function corresponding to TMC prevailing in Europe and North America was illustrated as a traffic information monitoring apparatus, TMC traffic information Not only, but also a mobile phone equipped with a navigation function can extract traffic information using a location code by cooperating with a network side device including a base station. It can also be applied to the in-vehicle device 1 equipped with a navigation function compatible with VICS (registered trademark) that is widely used in Japan. In this case, the traffic information received by using a unique code instead of the location code as a key is selected. The same effect can be obtained by performing the above. Further, the present invention is not limited to the in-vehicle device 1 and can be similarly applied to a mobile phone having a navigation function, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a game machine, and the like.

The functions of the control unit 12 shown in FIGS. 3 and 11 may be realized entirely by software, or at least a part thereof may be realized by hardware.
For example, a monitoring section data acquisition unit 121, a traffic information acquisition unit 122, a traffic information extraction unit 123, a display control unit 124, a map data extraction unit 125, an index file generation unit 126, a current location positioning unit 127, a congestion occurrence frequency calculation unit 128, Data processing in the location table updating unit 129 may be realized on a computer by one or a plurality of programs, or at least a part thereof may be realized by hardware.

The traffic information monitoring method according to the present invention is, for example, a storage unit that stores a location code in map data that receives traffic information from the outside based on control by the control unit 12 shown in FIG. 10 is a traffic information monitoring method used in the traffic information monitoring apparatus having 10. For example, in the flowchart of FIG. 2, the traffic information is selected and input according to the map data generated by the control unit 12 and displayed on the display unit 13. Setting and registering a monitoring section of traffic information to be registered (step ST10), searching map data stored in the storage unit 10 based on the monitoring section set and registered, and specifying a corresponding location code, Step of extracting the received traffic information based on the received location code (step ST2 Those having a ST30), and step (step ST40) for displaying the extracted traffic information on the display unit 13, a.

According to the traffic information monitoring method of the present invention described above, by setting and registering a monitoring section and monitoring traffic information in an arbitrary section, the system load can be reduced and the problem of information excess can be solved. In addition, operability can be improved by providing a GUI that prompts a selection input by displaying candidates at the time of monitoring section setting registration.

As described above, the traffic information monitoring apparatus and method according to the present invention enable monitoring of traffic information in an arbitrary section, and input for setting and registering a monitoring section of traffic information in order to improve operability at that time A traffic information monitoring device including a control unit for extracting traffic information registered and registered, a display unit for displaying the traffic information, and a traffic information monitoring method used for the traffic information monitoring device. It is possible to improve the operability at that time.

Claims

An input section for setting and registering a traffic information monitoring section;
A control unit that acquires traffic information from outside, and extracts traffic information of a monitoring section that is set and registered by the input unit from the acquired traffic information;
A display unit for displaying the traffic information extracted by the control unit;
A traffic information monitoring device comprising:
The input unit is
The traffic information monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an item selected and input from map data generated by the control unit and displayed on the display unit is acquired and the monitoring section is set and registered.
A location unit is defined for each location code, and includes a storage unit that stores a location table including at least map data related to a road name,
The controller is
When displaying all the road names in the monitoring section set and registered by the input unit on the display unit, the location table stored in the storage unit is referred to and a list of road names and each road name are supported. The traffic information monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an index file composed of a combination with a location code is generated, and a list of road names indicated by the generated index file is displayed.
A location table in which position information is defined for each location code is provided with a storage unit in which a section number of the corresponding map is added and stored,
The controller is
When displaying the surrounding road names in the monitoring section set and registered by the input unit on the display unit, the location number stored in the storage unit is referred to, and the map section number at the current location is determined from the vehicle position coordinates. And two or more adjacent section numbers are extracted, and a matching search is performed between the extracted section numbers and the section numbers stored in the location table to identify matching location codes. 3. The traffic information monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a road name corresponding to the specified location code is extracted and displayed as a list.
A storage unit that stores a location table in which location information is defined for each location code, and includes at least location codes before and after the location code and map data related to the corresponding point name;
The controller is
When the input unit sets and registers a section start point in the monitoring section, the location code of the same route is extracted with reference to the location table stored in the storage unit, and the point corresponding to each extracted location code 3. The traffic information monitoring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a name is extracted and displayed in a list on the display unit to prompt selection input.
The controller is
When the input unit sets and registers a section end point on the same route, the location table stored in the storage unit is referred to obtain adjacent front and rear location codes, and the point name corresponding to each location code is extracted. , And display the list on the display unit to prompt selection input,
When the input unit sets and registers a section end point on another route, the location information stored with reference to the location table stored in the storage unit is obtained to extract the location name corresponding to each location information, and the display unit 6. The traffic information monitoring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a list is displayed to prompt selection input.
A storage unit for storing a location code of map data;
A receiving unit for receiving traffic information including the location code;
A controller that searches the map data stored in the storage unit to identify a corresponding location code, and based on the identified location code, extracts the traffic information received by the receiver;
A display unit for displaying the extracted traffic information;
A traffic information monitoring device comprising:
It has an input section for setting and registering traffic information monitoring sections.
The controller is
In addition to the location code, the reception unit receives traffic information including the event number indicating the type of traffic information, the direction, the number of sections, and the length of traffic congestion, and the location code and direction included in the received traffic information, A matching search with the location code and direction in the monitoring section set and registered by the input unit is performed, and if there is a matching section, traffic information in the monitoring section set and registered by the input unit is displayed on the display unit. The traffic information monitoring apparatus according to claim 7.
The location table in which position information is defined for each location code includes the storage unit to which data related to the occurrence frequency of traffic congestion is added and stored,
The controller is
As a result of the match search, a congestion occurrence frequency is calculated for each location code specified by the matched section, and a location table stored in the storage unit is updated based on the calculated congestion occurrence frequency. The traffic information monitoring apparatus according to claim 8.
Monitoring traffic information used in a traffic information monitoring apparatus comprising: a storage unit for storing a location code of map data; and an input unit that receives traffic information from outside based on control by the control unit and displays the traffic information on a display unit. A method,
Setting and registering a monitoring section of traffic information selected and input by the input unit according to map data generated by the control unit and displayed on the display unit;
Based on the monitoring section set and registered by the input unit, the map data stored in the storage unit is searched and the corresponding location code is specified, and the received traffic information is extracted based on the specified location code. Performing steps,
Displaying the extracted traffic information on the display unit;
A traffic information monitoring method characterized by comprising: