JPH074978A - Navigation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To identify when an approach detecting means detects a turning point different from a target turning point so as to transmit a guide message for a next turning point different from a turning point to be passed before it is passed without confusion. CONSTITUTION:Based on position measurement data from a geomagnetism sensor 1 for outputting advancing azimuth data, an acceleration sensor 2 for detecting angular velocity at the time of rotation and a travel distance sensor 3 for detecting and integrating the number of rotations of a shaft and/or a GPS receiver 4 for receiving electronic waves from a GPS satellite, a target approach detecting means of a system controller 5 executes a detection program stored in a ROM 8 with a CPU 7. The target approach detecting means detects approach of a drives own automobile to a target turning point to be reached. If, at this time, the target approach detecting means detects a turning point different from the point to be reached, the controller 5 identifies that this is a message regarding other target turning points and outputs a guide message.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation device as a vehicle-mounted route guidance device, and more particularly to a navigation device for outputting progress guidance as a voice message.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a so-called self-contained navigation device is known as a positioning device for various moving bodies such as automobiles, airplanes, and ships. This self-contained navigation device obtains a two-dimensional displacement (vector amount) of the moving body from the azimuth data from the azimuth sensor and the speed data from the speed sensor, integrates the two-dimensional displacement with the reference point, and determines the current position. It is what you want. That is, for example, in the case of an automobile, the number of pulses generated during one rotation of the drive shaft is preset, and the distance calculated from the total number of pulses generated from the reference point to the current position is multiplied by the distance correction coefficient. The mileage was required.

Further, a GPS (Global Positioning System) type navigation device has been developed as a positioning device utilizing artificial satellites. This GPS navigation device normally receives radio waves from three or more GPS satellites,
The current position of the reception point is calculated from the pseudo distance data including the time offset of the receiver between each GPS satellite and the reception point, and the position data of each GPS satellite is calculated, and the map data including the calculated current position is calculated. The information processing device is configured to read from the map data storage device, take in the data, create screen data from the taken map data and the current position information, and send the screen data to the display device for image display. From this image, the automobile driver or the like who is the user can grasp his / her current position in association with the map.

In any of the above navigation devices, the current position and the target position are made to be visually recognized by being overlapped with a map on the screen of the display device.

On the other hand, there is known a navigation device in which a route guidance is performed by outputting a voice message before entering a right or left turn point such as an intersection, instead of performing the route guidance on the screen of a display device. (For example, the actual Kaihei 4-
115085).

[0006] In the conventional voice navigation-guided navigation device, for example, the following operation is performed. Now, referring to FIG. 7, it is assumed that the moving body goes from the start point P ₁ to the final destination point P _n via the right and left turning points P ₂ , P ₃ , P ₄ , and P ₅ . In this movement process, FIG.
As shown in, when the moving body reaches the position of C ₁ and there is a right / left turning point P ₃ in the approach detection range at this time,
The voice message "It will soon turn right." Is output. With this voice message, the driver turns right / left P
_{At 3} , it turns out that you should turn right.

[0007]

However [0006], the above-described conventional navigation device, as shown in FIG. 8, the position C ₁
After outputting the progress information message for the right turn point P ₃ at, at a position not yet passed the right turn point P _3, it would detect the approach of the next right turn point P _4, right turn point P ₃
Before that, there is a possibility that the voice message "I will soon turn left." Regarding the right / left turn point P ₄ may be output. This is due to the detection accuracy of the approach distance, but is particularly likely to occur when the right and left turn points are close to each other.

When such an erroneous voice message is output, as shown by a broken line arrow in FIG. 8, originally, the vehicle should turn right as indicated by R, but is erroneously indicated by L'because of the immediately preceding voice message. There was a risk of turning left.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device capable of transmitting a guide message regarding a next right / left turn point different from the right / left turn point without confusion before passing the right / left turn point to be passed. .

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a target right / left turning point to be reached for each right / left turning point in a moving process of a moving route including a plurality of right / left turning points. Proximity detection means for detecting the approaching state of the moving body of
A navigation device having a route guidance voice output means for outputting, by voice, a progress guidance message at the target right / left turn point to be reached when the mobile body approaches a set range distance from the target right / left turn point to be reached. At a time point when a predetermined time has elapsed from the output time point of the progress guidance message at the target right / left turn point to be reached, and the mobile body has not yet passed the target right / left turn point which is the target of the progress guidance message. When the approach state to another target right / left turn point is detected by, the control means is provided for outputting a guidance message which can identify the progress guidance message as a message for the other target right / left turn point.

[0011]

According to the present invention, the approach detecting means detects the approaching state of the moving body to the target right / left turning point to be reached. At this time, when the approach detection means detects another right / left turn point different from the target right / left turn point to be reached, the control means outputs a guidance message capable of identifying that the message is related to the other target right / left turn point. Control to do so.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. [I] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration when the present invention is applied to a vehicle-mounted navigation system.

This on-vehicle navigation system includes a geomagnetic sensor 1 that outputs direction data in the traveling direction of the vehicle.
, An angular velocity sensor 2 that detects the angular velocity when the vehicle is rotating and outputs angular velocity data, a mileage sensor 3 that outputs mileage data by detecting and integrating the number of rotations of the shaft, and a radio wave from a GPS satellite. To input various data, a GPS receiver 4 for receiving GPS data and outputting GPS positioning data, a system controller 5 for controlling the entire navigation system based on azimuth data, angular velocity data, mileage data, and GPS positioning data. CD under the control of the input device 11 and the system controller 5
-CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory) drive 12 for reading and outputting various data from the ROM disk DK, a display unit 13 for displaying various display data under the control of the system controller 5, and control of the system controller 5 And a sound reproduction unit 18 for reproducing and outputting various audio data below.

The system controller 5 includes an interface section 6 for interfacing with the outside, a CPU 7 for controlling the entire system controller 5, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 8 storing a control program for controlling the system controller, R having a non-volatile memory unit (not shown) and writably storing various data
AM (Random Access Memory) 9, and the input device 11, the CD-ROM drive 12, the display unit 13 and the sound reproduction unit 18, and the bus line 10
Connected through.

The display unit 13 controls the entire display unit based on the control data sent from the CPU 7 via the bus line 10.
4, a buffer memory 15 including a memory such as a VRAM (Video RAM) for temporarily storing image information that can be immediately displayed, and a liquid crystal display device, a CRT (Cathod) based on the image data output from the graphic controller 14.
a display control unit 16 for controlling the display 17 such as an e Ray Tube).

The sound reproduction unit 18 includes a D / A converter 19 for performing digital / analog conversion of audio digital data sent from the CD-ROM drive 12 or the RAM 9 via the bus line 10, and the D / A converter 1.
Amplifier 2 for amplifying the acoustic analog signal output from 9
0 and a speaker 21 that converts the amplified acoustic analog signal into acoustic vibration and outputs the acoustic vibration.

In this case, the geomagnetic sensor 1, the angular velocity sensor 2, the traveling distance sensor 3, and the GPS receiver 4 constitute a positioning means. The system controller 5 corresponds to control means, and the input device 11 corresponds to input means. C
D-ROM disk DK and CD-ROM drive 12
Also serves as map information recording means and facility information recording means. The display unit 13 corresponds to an image display means,
The sound reproduction unit 18 corresponds to sound output means.

The RAM 9 stores the route data of the moving body as shown in FIG. The route data may be manually set by the driver of the moving body or the operator of the navigation device, or may be automatically set.

The route data is divided into blocks for each waypoint, and each block B _{1 to} B _n stores "longitude / latitude data", "right / left turn guide number data", etc. of the waypoint. There is.

The "right / left turn guidance number data" corresponds to the voice guidance message shown in FIG. 3, and each number "0, 1,"
2, ..., 9 ”is assigned a progress guidance message.

Each of the above data is read out step by step like route data blocks B ₁ and B ₂ each time the approach state is detected by the target approach detecting means of the navigation device.

The target approach detection means is a self-contained sensor 1
2, 3 and / or the detection program stored in the ROM 8 based on the positioning data from the GPS 4 to the CPU 7
It is realized by executing. That is, the position data of the target right and left turn points and the current position data of the moving body are obtained,
By comparing the difference data between the two with a certain set value data, it is possible to detect the approaching state of the moving body to the right and left turning points. Specifically, it is realized by the process of step 102 of FIG. 4 described later.

Next, the output operation of the voice guidance message will be described. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the number of stopover points from the start point P ₁ to the final destination point P _n is set (step 100). Then, the CPU 7 first calculates the distance between the current position of the moving body and the target left / right turning point (step 101). Next, at step 102, the calculated distance D _i is the range distance D for the wayside neighborhood detection.
_Judge whether it is within _ref or not. When the moving body is not within the detection range D _ref , the determination in step 102 is “NO”, and RETURN → STA until it enters the detection range D _ref.
Repeat RT.

Distance D_iIs the detection distance D_refI went inside
Then, the process proceeds to step 105. In step 105
Is the right / left turn point P from the current time t₃Progress guide
Output time t of message_sIs subtracted and the subtracted value is
Fixed time t_refTo determine whether or not
It If the determination result of step 105 is "NO",
Minutes and hours have passed, and the determined time is reached in step 107.
t to t_sAfter setting to, route guidance in step 108
Start the voice output subroutine and turn left / right P ₃Concern
Voice message (number 4 in Fig. 3 "I will turn right soon
You )) Is output. Then, in step 109, the target left
Turn right to the next P_FourIncrement and process R
Return to ETRN.

Next, the target left / right turning point P ₄ will be processed this time. When P ₃ and P ₄ are close to each other, the above-mentioned processing is performed with the moving body not passing through P _3. By the same process, a voice message about P ₄ (“soon left turn”, number 6 in FIG. 3) will be output. This message confuses the driver as described above.

Therefore, the detection timing of P ₄ is earlier than that of P ₃
A predetermined time t from the time when the voice message about
It is detected in step 105 that _ref has not passed (YES), and the voice number is incremented by 1 in step 106. That is, the voice message of number 7 "Continue turning left" is switched to. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the voice message of number 7 is output in step 108 through step 107.

According to the expression of "continue to" of the number 7, the message output while the moving body has not yet passed the target left / right turning point P ₃ should reach the right / left turning point P.
It is possible to prevent the driver from being confused by recognizing that it is not the voice message for ₃ but the voice message for the next P ₄ .

In the same manner as above, the above-described processing is performed for each of the right and left turning points P _{5 to} P _{n so} that the moving body can be correctly guided to the final target point P _n . [II] Second Embodiment FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, instead of using the "elapsed time" as a reference to determine whether or not the output timing of the voice message that is about to be output is appropriate, the "mileage" is used as a reference. Will be disclosed as an example.

That is, in step 105, as shown in FIG. 6, the difference between the current position P (x, y) and the position P _s (x, y) at which the voice message was last output is compared with the constant distance D _ref , Similarly, the types of voice messages to be output are switched by the processing of steps 106 to 109.

In both the first and second embodiments, the set values t _ref and D _ref are empirically determined values.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, the control means is different from the target right / left turning point which the approaching means should reach before passing the right / left turning point corresponding to the previously output voice message. When a right / left turning point is detected, the control is so configured as to output a guidance message capable of identifying that the message is related to the other target right / left turning point, so that the corresponding voice message is transmitted without confusion. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a navigation device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of route data.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a voice guidance message.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a voice guidance operation in the navigation device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the output timing of the voice guidance message of the navigation device of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a voice guidance operation according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an error path.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the output timing of a conventional voice guidance message.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Geomagnetic sensor 2 ... Angular velocity sensor 3 ... Running distance sensor 4 ... GPS receiver 5 ... System controller 6 ... Interface part 7 ... CPU 8 ... ROM 9 ... RAM 10 ... Bus line 11 ... Input device 12 ... CD-ROM drive 13 ... Display unit 14 ... Graphic controller 15 ... Buffer memory 16 ... Display control unit 17 ... Display 18 ... Sound reproduction unit 19 ... D / A converter 20 ... Amplifier 21 ... Speaker

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An approach detecting means for detecting a state of approach of a moving body to a target right / left turning point to be reached at each of the right / left turning points in a moving process of a moving route including a plurality of right / left turning points,
A navigation device having a route guidance voice output means for outputting, by voice, a progress guidance message at the target right / left turn point to be reached when the mobile body approaches a set range distance from the target right / left turn point to be reached. At the time point when a predetermined time has passed from the output time point of the progress guidance message at the target right / left turn point to be reached, and the mobile body has not yet passed the target right / left turn point which is the target of the progress guidance message. When the approach state to another target right / left turning point is detected by, the progress guide message is provided with a control means for outputting a guidance message capable of identifying that the message is for the other target right / left turning point. Navigation device.