JP2000346664A - Vehicle navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide a vehicle navigation device capable of avoiding traffic regulation and congestion without using a route guidance function. SOLUTION: An area detecting means 4 includes a current position detecting means 2.
Current position of the vehicle obtained from the map and map data storage means 1
From the map data around the current position of the vehicle read from
Find the intersection ahead of the vehicle traveling direction. Next, the area traffic information detecting means 5 detects only the traffic information existing up to the intersection obtained by the area detecting means 4 from the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving means 3 and obtains a travel time to the intersection. . The route searching means 21 automatically obtains a recommended route from the current vehicle position to the intersection obtained by the area detecting means 4. Next, the travel time difference detecting means 31 compares the travel time obtained by the area traffic information detecting means 5 with the travel time of the recommended route. If the travel time of the recommended route is shorter than a predetermined time by taking account of the travel time calculation error and the like, characters are displayed on the screen of the display means 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has a route guidance function of receiving traffic information transmitted from the outside, searching for a recommended route to a destination in consideration of the traffic information, and guiding the route. And a vehicle navigation device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The configuration of a conventional navigation device will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional navigation device. In FIG. 4, the navigation device is
A map data storage unit 41 that records map data, a vehicle position detection unit 42 that detects the current position and direction of the vehicle, and a traffic information reception unit that receives traffic information transmitted from the outside
43, a navigation unit 44, and display means 45 for displaying a map image.

[0004] In FIG. 4, a vehicle position detecting unit 42 has a GPS.
(Global Positioning System), gyro, vehicle speed sensor, etc., detect the current position and direction of the vehicle. The navigation unit 44 displays a map image on the display unit 45 based on the map data around the vehicle position read from the map data storage unit 41, and displays a vehicle position mark or a traffic information mark such as traffic jam or regulation on the map image. Are superimposed and displayed.

A route guidance function for searching for a recommended route to a destination desired by a user and guiding a vehicle along the route is provided, and during route guidance, regulation information may be generated on the route. It has a function to automatically search again when traffic congestion increases.

[0006] The search for the recommended route is performed by taking into account the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving means 43, and using the map data storage section 41.
The route with the lowest cost from the departure point to the destination is obtained by the Dijkstra method or the like using the map data recorded in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-19593.

The cost is calculated based on the distance of the route or the estimated travel time (hereinafter referred to as travel time), the type of road, the number of intersections,
Quantify the characteristics of the passing route such as turning left and right, multiply,
Or it is the sum.

As described above, the user can easily grasp the current position of the vehicle and the route to the destination.

[0009]

However, in the configuration of the conventional navigation device as described above, when a recommended route to the destination is searched and the route guidance function is not used, traffic regulation such as closing the road ahead of the vehicle is not possible. Occur,
Even if the degree of congestion increases, it may be overlooked.

[0010] In addition, the contents of regulations obtained from traffic information are displayed with marks, and the colors and lengths are changed according to the degree of congestion (congestion, congestion, no congestion) and the distance, and displayed on the screen with arrow marks. For this reason, the user has to look at the screen displaying the traffic information, judge the traffic situation accurately, and have a problem of getting caught in traffic before selecting the optimal detour. .

In addition, in order to search for a route that avoids traffic restrictions and traffic jams, it is necessary to set a destination by scrolling a map or the like, which has a problem that the operation is complicated.

[0012]

According to the present invention, there is provided a navigation apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a traffic information receiving means for receiving traffic information; a current position detecting means for detecting a current position of the vehicle; Map data storage means for storing data; zone detection means for detecting a road in the traveling direction of the vehicle from the current position obtained from the current position detection means and map data obtained from the map data storage means; An area traffic information detecting means for detecting the content of traffic information present on the road in the traveling direction of the vehicle obtained from the means; an operating means for displaying and selecting the content of the traffic information detected by the area traffic information detecting means; There is provided a display means for displaying the contents of the traffic information detected by the area traffic information detection means in accordance with the output from the operation means.

Further, the area traffic information detecting means detects a travel time of a road in the vehicle traveling direction.

Further, the area detecting means detects an intersection existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the area traffic information detecting means detects the content of traffic information from the current position of the vehicle to the intersection or the travel time. It was made.

Further, there is provided a route search means for bypassing traffic information from the current position of the vehicle to the intersection by an output of the operation means.

Further, a travel time difference for calculating a difference between a travel time to the intersection obtained from the area traffic information detection means and a travel time to a traffic information route to the intersection obtained from the route search means is detected. Travel time difference detecting means, and a notifying means for performing a predetermined notification when a travel time of a route bypassing the traffic information to the intersection is shorter than a travel time to the intersection obtained from the area traffic information detecting means. It is intended to have.

Further, when the travel time of the route bypassing the traffic information to the intersection is shorter than the travel time to the intersection obtained from the area traffic information detecting means by a predetermined time or more, a predetermined notification is made. Things.

According to the present invention, the contents of traffic information such as traffic regulation and traffic congestion in the traveling direction of the vehicle, or the travel time can be accurately known when desired by the user.

Further, it is possible to accurately know the contents of traffic information such as traffic regulation and traffic congestion to a main intersection in the vehicle traveling direction, or travel time.

Further, it is possible to search for a route that bypasses traffic regulation or traffic congestion to a main intersection in the vehicle traveling direction without complicated operations such as scrolling a map and setting a destination. it can.

In addition, a route that minimizes travel time by bypassing traffic regulation and traffic congestion can be obtained without a user's operation up to a main intersection in the vehicle traveling direction, and a route search function is used. You can drive without traffic restrictions and traffic jams without it.

[0022]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(First Embodiment) The configuration of a vehicle navigation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. In FIG. 1, the vehicle navigation apparatus includes a map data storage unit 1, a current position detection unit 2, a traffic information reception unit 3, a zone detection unit 4, a zone traffic information detection unit 5, an operation unit 6, a display And means 7.

In FIG. 1, a map data storage means 1 stores a detailed information of a road on a CD-ROM or DVD-RO.
M or IC card. The current location storage means 2 is GPS
The current position of the vehicle is detected using information such as a receiver, a self-contained navigation sensor such as a gyro, and a vehicle speed sensor.

The area detecting means 4 obtains a road in the vehicle traveling direction from the current position of the vehicle obtained from the current position detecting means 2 and the map data around the current position of the vehicle read from the map data storage means 1.

The road in the traveling direction of the vehicle is a range that can be reached within a predetermined time from the time, and is determined from the average vehicle speed. The predetermined time is set between 0 and 60 minutes. The road may be a predetermined distance from the current position of the vehicle. The predetermined distance is
Set between 1 and 30km. The predetermined time and the predetermined distance may be set by a user.

Next, the area traffic information detecting means 5 uses the traffic information receiving means 3 based on the traffic information received from an FM multiplex broadcast, an optical beacon, a radio beacon, or the like, on the road in the vehicle traveling direction obtained by the area detecting means 4. Only the traffic information existing in the traffic information is detected, and the contents of the traffic information such as the traffic regulation contents such as accidents and construction, the regulation period, the degree of congestion such as congestion, congestion, no congestion, and the length of congestion are obtained.

The area traffic information detecting means 5 may obtain the contents of the traffic information at every predetermined time within 0 to 60 minutes. The contents of the traffic information existing on the road along the road in the vehicle traveling direction obtained by the area traffic information detecting means 5 are stored in the operating means 6.
When the display is selected, characters are displayed on the screen of the display means 7.

The display content is, for example, “3 km from 1 km ahead.
km, traffic jam due to vehicle accident. ”Or“ forward, 1 km ahead, 10:
There will be road closures due to construction from 00 to 15:00. " The notification may be made by voice.

As described above, when the user desires, it is possible to accurately know the contents of the traffic information such as the traffic regulation in the traveling direction of the vehicle and the traffic jam.

(Second Embodiment) The configuration of a vehicle navigation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the description of the present embodiment, the configuration of the vehicle navigation device is basically the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, and will be described with reference to FIG. The map data storage unit 1, the current location storage unit 2, the traffic information receiving unit 3, and the area detection unit 4 are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and detailed description will be omitted.

Based on the current position of the vehicle obtained from the current position detecting means 2 and the map data around the current position of the vehicle read out from the map data storage means 1, the area detecting means 4 determines the road in the vehicle traveling direction. Ask.

Next, from the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving means 3, the area traffic information detecting means 5 detects only the traffic information existing on the road in the vehicle traveling direction obtained by the area detecting means 4. , And the travel time of the corresponding road is obtained. For the travel time, the travel time described in the traffic information is obtained for the section where the traffic congestion information exists, and the travel time for the section where the traffic congestion information does not exist is obtained from the distance and the average vehicle speed of the section.

When the travel time is not described in the traffic information in the section where the traffic congestion information exists, the travel time may be obtained from the distance of the section and the average vehicle speed, or the travel time obtained from the distance of the section and the average vehicle speed. May be multiplied by a constant. Note that the constant takes a value from 1 to 10.

The area traffic information detecting means 5 has a
The content of the traffic information may be obtained at predetermined time intervals within a minute. The travel time of the road following the road in the vehicle traveling direction obtained by the area traffic information detection means 5 is displayed in characters on the screen of the display means 7 when the display is selected by the operation means 6.

The display contents are the distance of the road following the vehicle traveling direction and the travel time for which the travel time has been obtained. For example, it is displayed as "Travel time of 1km ahead is 10 minutes." However, in the case of closed road regulations, a message such as "There is a closed road ahead, 1 km ahead, and closed roads" is displayed. The notification may be made by voice.

As described above, when the user desires, it is possible to accurately know information such as the regulation of the traveling direction of the vehicle and traffic congestion, so that the user can accurately grasp the traffic situation.

(Third Embodiment) A configuration of a vehicle navigation device according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the description of the present embodiment, the configuration of the vehicular navigation device is basically the same as that of the above-described first or second embodiment, so that it will be described with reference to FIG. The map data storage unit 1, the current location storage unit 2, the traffic information reception unit 3, and the area traffic information detection unit 5 are the same as those in the above-described first or second embodiment, so detailed description will be omitted.

The area detecting means 4 obtains a road in the vehicle traveling direction from the current position of the vehicle obtained from the current position detecting means 2 and the map data around the current position of the vehicle read from the map data storage means 1.

The area detecting means 4 obtains an intersection ahead of the vehicle traveling direction from the current position of the vehicle obtained from the current position detecting means 2 and the map data around the current position of the vehicle read from the map data storage means 1. The intersection is an intersection in front of the vehicle traveling direction and intersecting with a main road such as a national road or a prefectural road, an IC of a toll road or an expressway.

The range for obtaining the intersection is a range within a predetermined time from the current position of the vehicle, and is obtained from the average vehicle speed. The predetermined time is set between 0 and 60 minutes. The road may be a predetermined distance from the current position of the vehicle. The predetermined distance is set between 1 and 30 km. The predetermined time and the predetermined distance may be set by a user.

Next, the area traffic information detecting means 5 detects only the traffic information existing up to the intersection obtained by the area detecting means 4 from the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving means 3 and travels to the intersection. Ask for the time, traffic regulations, and congestion information. The travel time to the intersection obtained by the area traffic information detecting means 5 or the contents of traffic regulation and traffic congestion information are displayed in characters on the screen of the display means 7 when the display is selected by the operating means 6.

The displayed content is, for example, "Travel time is 10 minutes to the XX intersection." Note that there may be a plurality of the intersections, and the user may be able to set up to which intersection the information is to be displayed.

As described above, when desired by the user, the travel time to the main intersection ahead of the traveling direction of the vehicle, the traffic regulation, and the contents of the congestion information can be accurately known, and the user can accurately determine the traffic situation. I can understand.

(Fourth Embodiment) The configuration of a vehicle navigation system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 2, the vehicle navigation system includes a map data storage unit 1, a current position detection unit 2,
It comprises a traffic information receiving means 3, a zone detecting means 4, a zone traffic information detecting means 5, an operating means 6, a display means 7, and a route searching means 21.

The area detecting means 4 obtains an intersection ahead of the vehicle traveling direction from the current position of the vehicle obtained from the current position detecting means 2 and the map data around the current position of the vehicle read from the map data storage means 1.

Next, the area traffic information detecting means 5 detects only the traffic information existing up to the intersection obtained by the area detecting means 4 from the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving means 3, and travels to the intersection. Ask for the time, traffic regulations, and congestion information. The travel time to the intersection obtained by the area traffic information detecting means 5 or the contents of the traffic regulation and traffic congestion information are displayed in characters on the screen of the display means 7 when selected by the operation means 6.

If the user wants to search for a route that bypasses traffic regulation or traffic congestion from the travel time to the main intersection displayed on the display means 7 or the contents of traffic regulation and traffic congestion information, the operation means 6 uses the traffic By operating the information detour search button, the intersection is set as the destination,
The route search means 21 performs a detour search from the current vehicle position to the intersection. In addition, even if there are a plurality of the intersections, the user may be allowed to select the intersection.

In the search for the detour route, the route with the lowest cost from the departure point to the destination is obtained by the Dijkstra method or the like using the map data while taking the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving means 3 into consideration. The cost is the distance of the route,
Alternatively, a characteristic of a route that passes, such as a road type, the number of intersections, and a right or left turn, is converted into a numerical value and multiplied or added to the predicted travel time (travel time).

The traffic information is converted into the distance or travel time of the route where the traffic information exists, and is multiplied by the cost of the route.

The detour route obtained by the route search means 21 is displayed on the display means 7 in such a manner as to be superimposed on a map image around the current position of the vehicle.

As described above, the user does not need to perform complicated operations such as traffic regulation to the main intersection ahead of the vehicle in the traveling direction or setting of the destination by scrolling the map or the like to avoid the traffic jam. Can be searched.

(Fifth Embodiment) The configuration of a vehicle navigation device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, the same components as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 3, the vehicle navigation system includes a map data storage unit 1, a current position detection unit 2,
It comprises a traffic information receiving means 3, an area detecting means 4, an area traffic information detecting means 5, an operating means 6, a display means 7, a route searching means 21, and a travel time difference detecting means 31.

The area detecting means 4 obtains an intersection ahead of the vehicle traveling direction from the current position of the vehicle obtained from the current position detecting means 2 and the map data around the current position of the vehicle read from the map data storage means 1.

Next, the area traffic information detecting means 5 detects only the traffic information existing up to the intersection obtained by the area detecting means 4 from the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving means 3 and travels to the intersection. Ask for time. The route searching means 21 automatically obtains a recommended route from the current vehicle position to the intersection obtained by the area detecting means 4.

Next, the travel time difference detecting means 31 compares the travel time obtained by the area traffic information detecting means 5 with the travel time of the recommended route, and if the travel time of the recommended route is shorter, the display means 7 Display characters on the screen.

For example, "the shortest route to the XX intersection is present. Display / not display" is displayed. In addition, you may perform notification by sound.

When the user operates the operation means 6 and selects "display", the recommended route is displayed on the display means 7 while being superimposed on a map image around the current position of the vehicle.

As described above, it is possible to obtain a route that minimizes the travel time by bypassing traffic regulation and traffic congestion without operating the user, up to the main intersection in the vehicle traveling direction. You can drive without traffic restrictions or traffic even if you are not.

(Sixth Embodiment) The configuration of a vehicle navigation system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the description of the present embodiment, the configuration of the vehicle navigation device is basically the same as that of the above-described fifth embodiment, and thus will be described with reference to FIG.

The area detecting means 4 obtains an intersection ahead of the vehicle traveling direction from the current position of the vehicle obtained from the current position detecting means 2 and the map data around the current position of the vehicle read from the map data storage means 1.

Next, the area traffic information detecting means 5 detects only the traffic information existing up to the intersection obtained by the area detecting means 4 from the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving means 3, and travels to the intersection. Ask for time. The route searching means 21 automatically obtains a recommended route from the current vehicle position to the intersection obtained by the area detecting means 4.

Next, the travel time difference detecting means 31 compares the travel time obtained by the area traffic information detecting means 5 with the travel time of the recommended route. If the travel time of the recommended route is shorter than a predetermined time by taking account of the travel time calculation error and the like, characters are displayed on the screen of the display means 7.

The predetermined time is set between 0 and 10 minutes. The predetermined time may be set by a user.

The display means 7 displays, for example, "There is a shortest route to the XX intersection. Display / Not display". In addition, you may perform notification by sound.

When the user operates the operation means 6 and selects "display", the recommended route is displayed on the display means 7 by superimposing it on a map image around the current position of the vehicle.

As described above, it is possible to obtain a route that has the shortest travel time, bypassing traffic regulations and traffic congestion, without operating the user, up to the main intersection in the vehicle traveling direction. You can drive without traffic restrictions or traffic even if you are not.

Also, the user can be notified only when the route that bypasses traffic regulation or congestion is clearly short in travel time.

[0071]

As described above, the navigation apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention can accurately know information such as regulation of the traveling direction of a vehicle and traffic congestion when the user desires. Can accurately grasp traffic conditions.

Further, the navigation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention can accurately know the travel time in the traveling direction of the vehicle when desired by the user, and the user can accurately grasp the traffic situation. it can.

Further, the navigation device according to the third embodiment of the present invention provides a travel time to a main intersection ahead of a traveling direction of a vehicle or a traffic regulation when a user desires.
The contents of the traffic jam information can be accurately known, and the user can accurately grasp the traffic situation.

Further, the navigation device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is designed so that the user can control the traffic up to the main intersection ahead of the vehicle in the traveling direction or scroll the map around a route that bypasses the congestion. The search can be performed without requiring a complicated operation such as setting a place.

Further, in the navigation device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the user operates a route that minimizes the travel time by bypassing traffic regulations and traffic congestion up to a main intersection in the vehicle traveling direction. You can run without traffic restrictions or traffic even without using the route search function.

In the navigation device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, the user operates a route that minimizes travel time by bypassing traffic regulation and traffic congestion up to a main intersection in the vehicle traveling direction. You can run without traffic restrictions or traffic even without using the route search function.

Further, the user can be notified only when the route that bypasses traffic regulation or congestion is clearly short in travel time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle navigation device according to first to third embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle navigation device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicular navigation device according to fifth and sixth embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional vehicle navigation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Map information storage means 2 Current position detection means 3 Traffic information reception means 4 Zone detection means 5 Zone traffic information detection means 6 Operation means 7, 45 display means 21 Route search means 31 Travel time difference detection means 41 Map information storage unit 42 Vehicle position Detecting means 43 Traffic information receiving unit 44 Navigation unit

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 2C032 HB22 HB23 HB24 HC08 HC27 HD03 HD04 HD23 HD24 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AB09 AB13 AC02 AC04 AC06 AC08 AC13 AC14 AC18 5H180 AA01 BB02 BB04 BB12 BB13 BB15 EE01 FF18 FF12FF 05FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A traffic information receiving means for receiving traffic information, a current position detecting means for detecting a current position of a vehicle, a map data storing means for storing map data, and a current information obtained from the current position detecting means. Zone detecting means for detecting a road in the traveling direction of the vehicle from the position and the map data obtained from the map data storing means; and detecting contents of traffic information existing on the road in the traveling direction of the vehicle obtained from the area detecting means. Area traffic information detecting means, operating means for displaying and selecting the contents of the traffic information detected by the area traffic information detecting means, and contents of the traffic information detected by the area traffic information detecting means based on the output from the operating means. A vehicular navigation device having a display means for displaying. 2. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the area traffic information detection means detects a travel time of a road in the vehicle traveling direction. 3. The area detecting means detects an intersection existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the area traffic information detecting means detects a content of traffic information from a current position of the vehicle to the intersection or a travel time. 3. The vehicular navigation device according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 3, further comprising a route search unit that bypasses traffic information from a current position of the vehicle to the intersection based on an output of the operation unit. 5. A travel time difference for calculating a difference between a travel time to the intersection obtained from the area traffic information detection means and a travel time to a traffic information route to the intersection obtained from the route search means. Travel time difference detection means for detecting, and notification means for performing predetermined notification when a travel time of a route bypassing traffic information to the intersection is shorter than a travel time to the intersection obtained from the area traffic information detection means. Claim 4 characterized by having
The vehicle navigation device according to any one of the preceding claims. 6. A predetermined notification is made when a travel time of a route bypassing traffic information to the intersection is shorter than a travel time to the intersection obtained by the area traffic information detection means by a predetermined time or more. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 5, wherein: