JP2003214873A - Navigation system and server system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation system which can present a running candidate route by a shortest time by receiving a route by a shortest time from a server system. <P>SOLUTION: The navigation system 10 is provided with a communication control part 21 used to control a communication with the server system 11, a present-position detection part 20 used to detect a present position, an input part 24 used to input a destination or the like and a control part 27 used to control the part 21, the part 20 and the input part 24. The part 21 is constituted in such a way that the present position and the destination are transmitted to the server system 11, that the route by the shortest time up to the destination from the present position calculated on the basis of past running data in the server system 11 is received and that the present position is intermittently transmitted to the server system 11 in order to store the running data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation device for receiving a shortest time route and a server device for calculating the shortest time route.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a navigation device has been capable of calculating and guiding a planned travel route to a destination by inputting a current position and a destination. As the calculation reference of the planned traveling route, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-224
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 600, the distance from the current position to the destination, the average travel time, the road width, the number of right and left turns, etc. are used. Further, Japanese Patent No. 3013555 discloses a navigation device that stores a familiarity level of each road according to a past travel history and calculates a planned travel route based on the familiarity level. According to this, it is possible to preferentially use a well-known road or a road that is favorably used and select a planned traveling route according to the driver's preference.

By the way, a navigation device for receiving map information, planned travel route, etc. from a server device via a network has been developed for use in vehicles, mobile phones and the like.
According to this navigation device, a recording medium such as a DVD-ROM in which map information or the like is recorded is not required, and necessary information may be received from the server device in a timely manner, so that a low-cost navigation device can be provided. . Also,
To deal with map information that changes in a short cycle, it is sufficient to update the information of the server device.

[0004]

However, the planned travel route calculated in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-224600 is not always the shortest route. This is because it is necessary to consider the congestion level of the road in order to calculate the shortest route, but the congestion level changes depending on the time (season) and time zone.

The past travel history used in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent No. 3013555 is data only for the driver who has driven the vehicle, and the travel history is used to calculate the route of the shortest time. It cannot be said that it will lead to.

For this reason, the user often predicts the shortest route based on his or her own experience, information from acquaintances, etc. In that case, the route guidance of the navigation device is useless.

An object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device capable of presenting a planned traveling route of the shortest time by receiving the route of the shortest time from a server device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a server device that intermittently receives the current position from the navigation device and calculates the required time for each section.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention inputs a communication control unit for controlling communication with a server device, a current position detection unit for detecting the current position, a destination and the like. In a navigation device including an input unit, the communication control unit, the current position detection unit, and a control unit that controls the input unit, the communication control unit transmits the current position and the destination to the server device. However, the server device receives the shortest route from the current position to the destination calculated from past travel data.

As described above, by receiving the route of the shortest time from the server device, it is possible to provide the navigation device capable of presenting the planned traveling route of the shortest time.
As a result, the user can avoid a crowded route and select a vacant route, and can alleviate congestion on a specific road.

In the above navigation apparatus, since the travel data includes the required time of each section or the average speed of each section, the shortest required time can be obtained by combining the sections having a short required time or a high average speed. The time route can be calculated.

Further, in the above navigation device, the travel data includes a time or a time zone, and the server device uses the travel data having the time or the time zone matching the current date and time to determine the shortest time route. The calculation improves the reliability that the calculated route is the shortest route.

Further, in the above navigation device, in order to store the travel data, the communication control unit intermittently transmits the current position to the server device, so that the server device can obtain the required time or the average of each section. The speed can be calculated, and the traveling data can be stored in a database or the like. In addition, the accumulated driving data is
It can be similarly used for route search in another navigation device that communicates with this server device. Therefore, the reliability of the data is improved as the navigation device spreads and the amount of accumulated travel data increases.

Further, according to the present invention, in a server device comprising a communication control unit for controlling communication with a navigation device, and a control unit for controlling the communication control unit and calculating a route, the communication control unit is When the current position and the destination are received from the navigation device, the control unit calculates a route of the shortest time from the current position to the destination from past traveling data, and the communication control unit determines the shortest time. Is transmitted to the navigation device.

As described above, by combining past travel data, it is possible to provide the navigation device with a route to the destination in the shortest time.

In the above server device, the travel data may include a required time of each section or an average speed of each section.

Further, in the above server device, the travel data includes a time or a time zone, and the server device uses a travel data having a time or a time zone matching the current date and time to determine the shortest time route. It can be calculated.

Further, in the above server device, when the current position is intermittently received from the navigation device,
By calculating the required time or the average speed for each predetermined section and storing the required time or the average speed together with the time and the time zone, the stored traveling data can be used as a route in another navigation device that communicates with this server device. It can be used for searching as well. Therefore, the reliability of the data is improved as the navigation device spreads and the amount of accumulated travel data increases.

[0018]

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication system using a navigation device and a server device of the present invention. Reference numeral 10 is a navigation device, 11 is a server device communicating with the navigation device 10, and 12 is a database connected to the server device 11. The database 12 includes map information 13 of each scale and traveling data 1 in which the required time between two points (sections) is recorded together with the time and time zone.
4 and.

The server device 11 reads out the map information 13 and the travel data 14 from the database 12 and sends them to the navigation device 10. Also, the navigation device 1
The current position of 0 is received intermittently, the required time and the average speed for each predetermined section are calculated, and stored in the database 12.

The communication between the navigation device 10 and the server device 11 is not particularly limited as long as wireless communication is possible.
For example, when communicating via the Internet, a telephone network such as a car phone or a mobile phone can be used.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the navigation device 10. 20 is GPS (Global Positioning System)
m) A current position detection unit that obtains information such as the current position, traveling direction, speed, and altitude using a receiver, a speed sensor, a gyro, and the like, and 21 is a communication control unit that controls communication with the server device 11. , 22 are antennas connected to the communication control unit 21 for wireless communication.

Reference numeral 23 is a display unit composed of a liquid crystal display or the like for displaying map information and the current position, 24 is an input unit for the user to input destination settings and the like, 25 is received map information and routes, etc. Is a RAM that stores a program, a ROM that stores a program necessary for the operation of the navigation device 10, and a control unit 27 that is composed of a microcomputer that controls the navigation device 10 based on the program of the ROM 26.

Next, the navigation device 1 for route search
0 and the operation of the server device 11 will be described. When the user operates the input unit 24 of the navigation device 10 to input a destination and presses a route search execution key (not shown),
The navigation device 10 transmits the position information of the current position and the destination to the server device 11. The server device 11 that has received this position information accesses the database 12 and reads the travel data 14 of various routes from the current position to the destination in order to calculate the planned travel route.

Here, the server 11 reads out past travel data 14 that matches the current time and time zone, and combines the travel data 14 so that the shortest time route from the present location to the destination is combined with the planned travel route. To calculate. Then, the server device 11 transmits the calculated planned traveling route to the navigation device 10. At that time, when the navigation device 10 does not have the map information corresponding to the planned traveling route, the appropriate map information 13 is also transmitted.

The navigation device 10, which has received the planned traveling route and the like, stores the received data in the RAM 25 and displays it on the display unit 23 so as to overlap the current position. This allows the user to know the shortest time route from the current position to the destination.

FIG. 3 shows points A through which the travel data 14 have.
It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of F. For example, a route search when the current position is point A, the destination is point D, the time is winter, and the time zone is morning will be described. When the user operates the input unit 24 of the navigation device 10 to input a point D (destination) and press a route search execution key (not shown), the navigation device 10 causes the navigation device 10 to display the point A (current position) and the point D (destination). The position information of (ground) is transmitted to the server device 11. The server device 11 that has received this position information accesses the database 12 and searches the travel data 14.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the traveling data 14 in which the required time of the section is recorded together with the time and the time zone. The server device 11 reads the past travel data 14 that matches the current time and time zone. Here, section A corresponding to winter morning
The required time of -B, AC, BD, and CD is read. Then, the server device 11 combines the above sections to calculate candidates for the planned travel route from the point A to the point D.

The first candidate is the route A-B-D and the second is
Is a route A-C-D. The required time of each route is obtained by adding the required time of each section shown in the travel data 14 of FIG. In other words, the time required for route A-B-D is 10 minutes +
20 minutes = 30 minutes, and the time required for route A-C-D is 1
5 minutes + 10 minutes = 25 minutes. As a result, the route A-C-D having the shortest time is transmitted to the navigation device 10 as the planned route. At that time, if the navigation device 10 does not have the map information including the route A-C-D,
Those map information is also transmitted.

The navigation device 10 having received the planned traveling route stores the received data in the RAM 25 and displays it on the display unit 23 so as to overlap the current position.

When there are a plurality of pieces of travel data in the same section, at the same time, and in the same time zone, the required time may be the average value thereof. By doing so, the reliability of the data is improved.

The seasons may be classified according to the four seasons as described above, or the month and day. If the classification of holidays and weekdays is added in more detail, the reliability of data is further improved. Further, as described above, the time zone may be classified into morning, daytime, evening, night, and midnight, or may be classified hourly. Also in this case, the reliability of the data is improved by classifying it in more detail.

As described above, by receiving the route of the shortest time calculated in consideration of the time and the time zone from the server device, it is possible to provide the navigation device capable of presenting the planned route of the shortest time. As a result, the user can avoid a crowded route and select a vacant route, and can alleviate congestion on a specific road.

Next, the operations of the navigation device 10 and the server device 11 when creating the traveling data will be described. In order to store the driving data 14, the navigation device 10
Transmits the current position to the server device 11 intermittently. Server device 11 that has received the current position from the navigation device
Calculates the required time for each predetermined section, and stores the required time in the travel data 14 as shown in FIG. 4 together with the current time and time zone.

For example, a description will be given of the generation of travel data when the vehicle arrives at the destination point F via the points A, C and E. The navigation device 10 transmits the current position to the server device 11 every predetermined time period or every predetermined distance traveled. Here, it is assumed that the current position is transmitted at least once during each section. The server device 11 is the navigation device 1.
The received time is temporarily stored together with the current position of 0, and the required time for each of the sections AC, CE, and EF is calculated. Then, the travel data 14 of the database 12 additionally stores the section, the required time, and the time and time zone determined from the current date and time.

As described above, the navigation device 10 intermittently transmits the current position to the server device 11, so that the server device 11 can calculate the required time for each section and accumulate the travel data in the database 12. be able to. Further, the accumulated traveling data can be similarly used for route search in another navigation device that communicates with the server device 11. Therefore, as the navigation device 10 spreads and the amount of traveling data accumulated increases, the reliability of the data improves.

In the above embodiment, the required time of each section is used as the travel data, but the average speed of each section may be used instead. In that case, the server device 11 receives the data intermittently. The average speed for each section can be calculated from the current position of the navigation device 10 and stored in the database 12. Then, for the calculation of the route of the shortest time, the combination of the sections with the fastest average speed may be selected.

Further, in the above embodiment, when there is no matching traveling data in the database 12 at the time of route search, it is compared with the standard judgment condition. For example, an expressway can be set at 80 km / h, and a national road can be set at 45 km / h.

Further, in the present invention, it is convenient if the navigation device 10 on the move deviates from the planned traveling route and the route is searched again immediately. Also,
As the map information, an optical disk device may be provided in the navigation device 10 to read the map stored in the DVD or the CD.

Further, in the above embodiment, the navigation device transmits the current position to the server device because of the traveling data, but in the present invention, the navigation device uses the traveling data as traveling data and the traveling time of a predetermined section (for example, between intersections). Alternatively, the average speed may be transmitted to the server device at any time.

The navigation device of the present invention is
In addition to being portable and in-vehicle, it can also be installed in mobile phones.

[0041]

According to the present invention, the navigation device transmits the current position and the destination to the server device, and the navigation device receives the route of the shortest time calculated from the past travel data in the server device. It is possible to provide a navigation device capable of presenting a planned traveling route in the shortest time. As a result, the user can avoid a crowded route and select a vacant route, and can alleviate congestion on a specific road.

Further, according to the present invention, by including the required time of each section or the average speed of each section in the traveling data, the server device can combine the sections with a short required time or a high average speed with the shortest time. The time route can be calculated.

Further, according to the present invention, the traveling data includes a time or a time zone, and the server device calculates the shortest time route by using the traveling data having the time or the time zone matching the current date and time. The reliability that the calculated route is the shortest route is improved.

Further, according to the present invention, the navigation device intermittently transmits the current position to the server device, so that the server device can calculate the required time or the average speed of each section, and the travel data is stored in the database or the like. Can be accumulated. The accumulated travel data can also be used for route search in other navigation devices that communicate with this server device. Therefore, the reliability of the data is improved as the navigation device spreads and the amount of accumulated travel data increases.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication system using a navigation device and a server device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a navigation device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between points A to F included in travel data.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing travel data.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Navigation device 11 Server device 14 Driving data 20 Current position detector 21 Communication control unit 24 Input section 27 Control unit

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Kiyoshi Kotani             3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Tottori             Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 2C032 HB02 HB05 HB22 HB25 HC08                       HC13 HD03 HD07 HD23 HD26                 2F029 AA02 AA07 AB01 AB07 AB13                       AC02 AC09 AC14                 5H180 AA01 AA21 BB05 BB13 CC12                       DD04 FF04 FF05 FF12 FF13                       FF22 FF27 FF33

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A communication control unit for controlling communication with a server device, a current position detection unit for detecting a current position, an input unit for inputting a destination etc., the communication control unit, the current position detection unit, And a control unit that controls the input unit, wherein the communication control unit transmits the current position and the destination to the server device, and the server device calculates the current position and the destination. A navigation device, which receives a shortest time route from a current position to the destination. 2. The travel data includes time required for each section,
The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the average speed of each section is included. 3. The travel data includes a time or a time zone, and the server device calculates the shortest time route using the travel data having the time or the time zone that matches the current date and time. The navigation device according to claim 1 or 2. 4. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the communication control unit intermittently transmits the current position to the server device in order to store the travel data. 5. A server device comprising: a communication control unit for controlling communication with a navigation device; and a control unit for controlling the communication control unit and calculating a route, wherein the communication control unit is the navigation device. When receiving the current position and the destination more, the control unit calculates a route of the shortest time from the current position to the destination from the past travel data, the communication control unit, the route of the shortest time A server device for transmitting to the navigation device. 6. The travel data includes time required for each section,
Alternatively, the average speed of each section is included, and the server device according to claim 5. 7. The travel data includes a time or a time zone, and the shortest time route is calculated using the travel data having a time or a time zone that matches the current date and time. Alternatively, the server device according to item 6. 8. When the current position is intermittently received from the navigation device, the required time or average speed is calculated for each predetermined section, and the required time or average speed is stored together with the time and the time zone. The server device according to any one of claims 5 to 7.