JPH0719891A - Navigator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a navigator, capable of surely guiding a route, which shows a running direction in the form wherein a driver can readily understand the running direction without mounting any new display. CONSTITUTION:A control part 10 makes a search for a route up to a destination on the basis of destination data input to an input device 11, road data of a memory 12 and absolute position data from a present position detector 13 and judges the direction the vehicle should run at a travling position in order to guide a vehicle along the searched route. And, when the vehicle approaches to a specified distance from an intersecting point for changing a course, voise data for instructing a judged direction are read from the memory 12, supplied to a voice output device 15 and either of continuous lighting, low speed on- and-off lighting and high speed on-and-off lighting of an indoor direction indicator 142 of a direction indicator 14 for instructing the judged direction is performed in response to the distance from the intersecting point.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation device, and more particularly to a navigation device for guiding a vehicle to a destination.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a device for guiding a route to a destination for a driver who is not guided by geography, there is a navigation device, which has been actively developed. In the conventional navigation device, a map near the current position of the vehicle is drawn on the display device provided in the center of the instrument panel, and the position of the vehicle and the route to take are displayed on the map. ing. Then, when the vehicle approaches a point where the route should be changed, an arrow or a message indicating the traveling direction is displayed on the display screen to guide the route to the destination.

[0003]

However, in the conventional navigation device, the driver must move the viewpoint from the front view to the display device during driving in order to receive route guidance by the device. Therefore, in order to receive route guidance so as not to interfere with driving, the screen of the display device can be seen only for a very short time,
It was difficult to reliably recognize the information such as the displayed arrow. In addition, the display device is arranged around the instrument panel of the driver's seat, or in addition to the display device provided in the central part of the instrument panel, only the arrow indicating the course direction is displayed around the instrument panel of the driver's seat. It has been considered to reduce the viewpoint movement by arranging a simple display device, but in any case, using the display device makes the navigation device large-scale and draws the map screen. Since the amount of data is too large, the capacity of the storage device 12 must be increased, and the cost of the device increases.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide route guidance by displaying the traveling direction in a form that is very easy for the driver to see without installing a new display device around the highly integrated panel around the driver's seat. It is to provide a navigation device that can be reliably performed.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a navigation device for guiding a vehicle to a destination, a turn signal operation switch and a right turn in a vehicle compartment corresponding to the operation of the turn signal operation switch. Alternatively, a display means for displaying a left turn, a route determination means for determining a route from the current position, and a right side of the route in a mode different from the operation of the turn signal operation switch on the display device according to the output of the route determination means The navigation device is provided with a control device for displaying a left turn to achieve the above object.

[0006]

In the navigation device according to the first aspect, the control device causes the display device to display the right / left turn of the route in a manner different from the operation of the turn signal operation switch according to the output of the route determination means.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the navigation device of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 schematically shows the main configuration of the navigation device according to this embodiment. Navigation device
The controller 10 is provided. The control unit 10 includes an input device 11, a storage device 12, a current position detection device 13, a direction indicator 14, a voice output device 15, and a turn signal operated by the driver to display the left or right turn of the vehicle. The switch levers 16 are connected to each other via various interfaces.

The input device 11 selects and inputs each menu of the navigation device such as a destination.
It consists of a keyboard. The storage device 12 is composed of, for example, a storage medium such as an IC card, a CD-ROM (read only memory), or a flexible disk,
It stores road data, a destination list, and voice data for guiding a route by voice. The voice data is
For example, the data for voice guidance such as "300m ahead, turn right at the intersection."
The voice is stored separately as a voice that indicates the distance, and a voice that indicates the direction that the intersection is to the right. The distance guidance voice and the direction instruction voice are synthesized by the voice output device 15 and output as a predetermined guidance voice. The voice output device 15 is designed to guide not only the guidance voice of the route instruction but also the operation procedure of the device such as the destination setting and the point explanation at each traveling position, and the voice data for this is also stored. It is stored in the device 12.

The current position detecting device 13 is not shown,
A receiving device for receiving transmission data from a GPS satellite or a beacon installed on the road, an optical gyro sensor,
It is equipped with various direction sensors such as geomagnetic sensors, vehicle speed sensors, wheel sensors, and steering sensors. Further, it is provided with a calculation unit that calculates the absolute position of the vehicle (coordinates determined by latitude and longitude) from the data received by the receiving device and the detection data of various sensors. The current position detection device 13 mainly determines the absolute position based on the reception data of the GPS reception device, but cannot transmit the transmission data from the GPS satellite when traveling in a valley of a high-rise building or in a tunnel. Therefore, the position is determined by combining the actual traveling distance and the azimuth data calculated based on the detection data of various sensors.

The control unit 10 searches for a route to a destination, confirms the traveling position of the vehicle, and travels at each traveling position based on various data from the input device 11, the storage device 12, and the current position detecting device 13. The audio data is output to the audio output device 15 for making a judgment and a route instruction, and the control signal is output to the direction indicator 14 described later. The control unit 10 is a CPU 1 that performs various processes for this.
01 (central processing unit), a ROM (read only memory) 102 and a RAM (random access memory) 103 connected to the CPU 101 by a bus line such as a data bus.

The direction indicator (winker) 14 is an outdoor direction indicator arranged around the left and right headlights and tail lamps to inform other vehicles of the direction in which the vehicle is turning right or left. In order to inform the driver of the lighting state of the outdoor direction indicator light 141 and the indoor direction indicator light 142 arranged in the instrument panel of the driver's seat as shown in FIG. The equipment provided is used. In the direction indicator 14, both the outdoor direction indicator light 142 and the indoor direction indicator light 141 are made to blink by operating the turn signal switch lever 16. In the present embodiment, the indoor direction indicator light 142 is used for instructing a route, and only the indoor direction indicator light 142 is turned on or blinked by the control unit 10.
The outdoor direction indicator light 141 is configured so that no route instruction is given. However, if the blinking side of the indoor direction indicator light 142 by the control unit 10 and the blinking side of the direction indicator 14 operated by the driver are different, the indoor direction indicator lights 142 on both left and right sides blink, and it is difficult for the driver to confirm. become. Therefore, in this embodiment, the turn signal switch lever 16
The control unit 10 detects the operation state of
When the driver operates the turn signal switch lever 16 to activate the turn signal indicator 14, this is detected and the blinking by the driver's operation is prioritized.

Next, the operation of the embodiment thus constructed will be described. FIG. 3 shows the operation of the navigation device according to this embodiment. The control unit 10 monitors whether or not the destination is input from the input device 11 (step 1). When the destination is input (step 1; Y), the control unit 10 identifies the position of this destination on the road data stored in the storage device 12, and stores it in the RAM 103 as the destination data. Next, when the current position detection device 13 detects the absolute position of the vehicle, the control unit 10
Confirms the current position (departure position) of the vehicle on the road data from the data (step 2). When the departure position is input from the input device 11, the control unit 10
Check the current position from the input data.

The confirmed current position data, RA
Based on the destination data stored in M103, the road data stored in the storage device 12, and the like, the control unit 10 searches for a route to the destination based on a predetermined program stored in the ROM 102 (step 3). The data of the searched route is R
Store in AM103. When the vehicle starts moving, the control unit 10
Confirms the road and position on which the vehicle is currently traveling from the coordinate data detected by the current position detection device 13, the road data in the storage device 12, and the like (step 4). Although not shown in the flow chart of FIG. 3, the confirmation of the current position is sequentially performed thereafter by the coordinate data or the like from the current position detection device 13 sent at every predetermined time.

Next, in order to guide the vehicle along the searched route, the control unit 10 determines the vehicle at the next intersection from the route data stored in the RAM 103, the current position data and the road data stored in the storage device 12. Determines the direction to go (step 5). The determined direction is RAM 103
Stored in. When the traveling direction is determined (step 5), the control unit 10 enters a route instruction output process, which will be described in detail later, and instructs the driver in which direction to proceed. When the route instruction output processing is completed, the current position is confirmed and it is determined whether or not the current position is the destination (step 7). If it is not the destination (step 7; N), the process returns to step 4, the processes of steps 4 to 8 are performed, and when the destination is reached (step 8; Y), all the processes are ended.

4 and 5 show the flow of the route instruction output processing. First, the current position within the route travel is confirmed from the coordinate data from the current position detection device 13 and the road data in the storage device 12 (step 11), and the distance from the own vehicle position to the next intersection is calculated. , It is judged whether or not the next intersection is 300 m (step 12). 300
When it is determined that the distance is m (step 12; Y), the voice data corresponding to the distance from this intersection and the direction to advance stored in the RAM 103 is read from the storage device 12 (step 13), and the guidance is output by voice. Output from the device 15 (step 14). For example, the voice "300 m ahead, the intersection is to the right" is output. The following flow will be described according to the case where the control unit 10 determines in step 5 that the vehicle should make a right turn at the next intersection.

FIG. 6 shows an instruction voice output from the speaker 17 and a blinking state of the indoor direction indicator light 142 when a rightward course is instructed. After outputting the instruction voice, the process returns to step 11 and the current position is confirmed again. At this time, since the vehicle is further approaching the intersection, the process proceeds to step 15 and it is determined whether or not the intersection is 200 m (step 15). And 200m
If it is determined that the result is (step 15; Y), the voice data "200 m ahead, the intersection is on the right" is read (step 16) and is output from the voice output device 15 (step). 17).

Next, returning to step 11 again, the current position is confirmed again, and as shown in FIG.
It is determined whether it is 0 m (step 18). 100
If it is m (step 18; Y), it is detected whether or not the switch of the direction indicator 14 is turned on by the operation of the turn signal switch lever 16 by the driver (step 19). When the switch is not turned on (step 19; N), the indoor direction indicator lamp 142 for instructing the right direction is continuously turned on for the time t as shown in FIG. 6C (step 20). At this time, the outdoor direction indicator light 141 is not operating and is in the off state.
Then, the voice data "100 m ahead, the intersection is to the right" is read (step 21) and output from the voice output device 15 (step 22).

When the processing of steps 18 to 22 at the point 100 m before is completed, similarly, 6
The processing of steps 23 to 27 is performed at the point 0 m before, and the processing of steps 28 to 32 is performed at the point 40 m before. In the processing at the point 60 m before, as shown in FIG. 6D, the indoor direction indicator lamp 142 is blinked at a low speed (step 25). The lighting time t _{1 in} this case is arbitrary, but in this embodiment, the normal lighting time t ₃ when the direction indicator 14 normally flashes by the driver's operation (see FIG. 6).
(F)) is set to about twice. In addition, the voice guidance (steps 26 and 27) outputs "Soon after, the intersection is to the right."

On the other hand, in the processing at the point 40 m before,
As shown in (e), the indoor direction indicator lamp 142 is flashed at high speed (step 30). The lighting time t ₂ is set to about 1/3 of the normal lighting time t ₃ . In addition, the voice guidance outputs the same voice as the 60 m front process. 40
When it passes 30 m before and reaches 30 m before (step 33; Y), as shown in FIG. 6 (f), a beep sound is output from the audio output device 15 (step 34) and the process returns. In this case, the indoor direction indicator light 142 is prioritized by the driver's direction instruction, and is turned off if there is no operation. When operated, the indoor turn signal lamp 142 and the outdoor turn signal lamp 141 blink at the normal lighting time t ₃ . In steps 19, 24, and 29,
When it is detected that the switch of the direction indicator 14 is ON (Y), the indoor direction indicator lamp 142 is continuously lit,
Steps 21 and 2 without slow flashing or fast flashing
Move to 9 and 31.

As described above, in the navigation device according to the present embodiment, not only the voice direction instruction but also the indoor direction indicator light 142 of the direction indicator 14 in the same direction as the instruction direction is turned on. Since the route guidance is performed, the driver can receive a route instruction with a small amount of viewpoint movement. Further, since the route guidance is provided by using the indoor direction indicator light 142 already provided in the vehicle, the configuration is simple, and the display device is not required as in the conventional case, so that the cost performance is excellent. Moreover, since the lighting state of the indoor direction indicator light 142 is changed according to the distance from the intersection where the route should be changed, it is easy to recognize the distance to the intersection.

In the above embodiment, the indoor direction indicator lamp 142 is turned on for use in the course instruction, but another independent direction indicator lamp may be used. Also,
As the light-emitting body for lighting the indoor direction indicator light 142, an existing one is used in the vehicle, but a light-emitting body of a different color may be used in the indoor direction indicator light 142 in addition to the existing light-emitting body. , In this case, the difference from the normal lighting becomes clear due to the difference in color. Further, in this embodiment, the blinking state of the indoor direction indicator light 142 and the audio output are 300 m, 200 m, and 10 m.
Although the method of outputting at intervals of 0 m, 60 m, and 40 m is shown, other patterns can be used. For example, if the pattern of this embodiment is P1, 2 km, 1 km, 500 m, 1
If P2 is a pattern like 00m, 50m,
It is also possible to use P1 for traveling on a general road and P2 for traveling on an expressway. Further, the blinking timing of the indoor direction indicator light 142 and the timing of voice output may be too detailed and complicated for some people due to differences in driving experience and guide roads. Therefore, if several types of patterns are prepared and can be manually selected, the driver can drive without feeling any discomfort.

[0022]

According to the navigation device of the present invention,
It is possible to display the traveling direction in a form that is very easy for the driver to see without installing a new display device around the highly integrated panel around the driver's seat. Further, the route guidance can be surely performed by changing the display pattern by the display means.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an arrangement position in a vehicle of an indoor direction indicator lamp and a turn signal switch lever of the same device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the same device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a route instruction output process performed by the device.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a route instruction output process performed by the device.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an instruction sound output from a speaker and a blinking state of an indoor direction indicator lamp in the operation of the device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Control Unit 101 CPU 102 ROM 103 RAM 11 Input Device 12 Storage Device 13 Current Position Detection Device 14 Direction Indicator 141 Outdoor Direction Indicator Light 142 Indoor Direction Indicator Light 15 Voice Output Device 16 Turn Signal Switch Lever

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A navigation device for guiding a vehicle to a destination, a turn signal operation switch, display means for displaying a right turn or a left turn in a vehicle compartment in response to an operation of the turn signal operation switch, and a current position And a control device for causing the display device to display a right / left turn of the route in a manner different from the operation of the turn signal operation switch according to the output of the route determination means. Navigation device.