JPH11144193A - On-vehicle navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle navigation device which warns a driver to pay attention by a voice and makes safer driving possible when there are traffic congestion and other traffic obstacles which are difficult to be seen form a traveling vehicle. SOLUTION: When received traffic information includes congestion information, the navigation device checks whether or not a congestion place exists within 200 meters from the summit of a climbing slope with the climbing slope ahead in the proceeding direction of a vehicle and notifies a user that here is congestion when the vehicle approaches a place that is away by 400 meters from the summit of the climbing slope.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-vehicle navigation device for searching for an optimal guide route to a destination and guiding a user along the guide route.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An on-vehicle navigation device includes a map data storage device such as a CD-ROM or an IC card in which map data is recorded, a display device, a gyro and a GPS.
(Global Positioning System) and a self-contained navigation sensor for detecting the current position and current direction of the vehicle, such as a vehicle speed sensor, etc., and reads out map data including the current position of the vehicle from a map data storage device, based on the map data. The map image around the vehicle position is drawn on the display screen, and the vehicle position mark (location) is displayed on the display screen in a superimposed manner. By fixing and moving the vehicle position mark, it is possible to see at a glance where the vehicle is currently traveling.

[0003] In addition, usually, a car navigation system is equipped with a route guidance function that allows a user to easily travel to a desired destination without making a mistake on a road. According to this route guidance function, the lowest cost route from the starting point to the destination using the map data is automatically searched by performing a simulation calculation such as the horizontal search method or the Dijkstra method, and the searched route is guided. The route is stored as a route, and during driving, the guidance route is drawn on the map image in a different color from the other roads and displayed thicker, or displayed on the screen, or a certain distance to the intersection where the vehicle should change the route on the guidance route When approaching the inside, the user is guided to the destination by drawing an arrow indicating the course at the intersection where the course is to be changed on the map image and displaying the arrow on the screen.

The cost is a value obtained by multiplying a constant according to a road width, a road type (such as a general road or an expressway), a right turn, a left turn, and the like based on the distance, a predicted traveling time of the vehicle, and the like. , The degree of appropriateness as a guidance route is quantified. Even if there are two routes having the same distance, the cost differs depending on whether the user specifies, for example, whether to use a toll road, or gives priority to distance or time.

A map stored in a map data storage device such as a CD-ROM has a longitude width of an appropriate size according to a scale level such as 1/12500, 1/25000, 1/50000, and 1/100000. Roads and the like are stored as a coordinate set of vertices (nodes) represented by longitude and latitude. A road is formed by connecting two or more nodes, and a portion connecting the two nodes is called a link. The map data includes (1) a road layer including a road list, a node table, an intersection configuration node list, and the like; (2) a background layer for displaying roads, buildings, facilities, parks, rivers, and the like on a map screen; (3) Administrative division names such as municipalities,
It is composed of a character / symbol layer for displaying characters such as road names, intersection names and building names, and map symbols.

In recent years, a traffic information system has been developed which provides traffic information (traffic jam information, accident information, road closure information, traffic restriction information, etc.) from outside the vehicle via FM multiplex broadcasting, radio beacons or optical beacons. I have. According to a navigation device using this type of traffic information system, the user can use the latest traffic information received from the outside to search for a guidance route while avoiding a road where traffic jams or accidents have occurred, or use a map image displayed on a display. The location where a traffic jam or an accident has occurred is superimposed and displayed so that the user can drive more comfortably and safely.

[0007]

By the way, in the conventional on-vehicle navigation device, as described above, traffic congestion points and the like are displayed on the screen based on traffic information received from the outside, but the user concentrates on driving. In some cases, a location where a traffic obstacle such as a traffic jam or an accident is present may not be noticed even if it is displayed on the map image. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, if there is a congested point ahead of an uphill or a curve with poor visibility, the driver does not notice the congestion until immediately before, and as soon as he climbs the slope or turns a curve. You may notice a traffic jam and apply the brakes in a hurry.

[0008] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a voice alert to a driver when there is congestion or other traffic obstruction in a place that is difficult to see from a running vehicle, so that the vehicle can be driven more safely. A navigation device is provided.

[0009]

The above objects are achieved by a map data storage means for storing map data, a traffic information receiving means for receiving traffic information sent from outside the vehicle, and a traffic information receiving means for receiving the traffic information. Control means for displaying on the display the obstacles included in the traffic information,
The control means, when receiving the traffic information via the traffic information receiving means, whether there is an uphill ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle and the traffic obstruction point within a certain range ahead of the top of the uphill The problem is solved by the in-vehicle navigation device according to the first aspect of the present invention, which checks whether or not there is a warning, and if so, issues an alarm by voice.

[0010] The above-mentioned problem is caused by a map data storage means for storing map data in which a specific node in a row of nodes corresponding to a road with poor visibility is referred to as a reference node, and receiving traffic information sent from outside the vehicle. Traffic information receiving means, and control means for displaying, on a display, a traffic obstruction point included in the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving means, wherein the control means is configured to control the traffic information via the traffic information receiving means. Receiving the reference node, it is checked whether or not the reference node is located in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction and the traffic obstruction point is within a predetermined range from the reference node, and if so, an alarm is generated by voice. The vehicle navigation device according to the second invention of the present application solves the problem.

The operation of the present invention will be described below. In the first invention of the present application, when there is a traffic obstruction point such as traffic congestion due to the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving means, the control means has an uphill ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle and a certain amount from the top of the uphill. Check if there are any obstacles in the range. Then, when there is a traffic obstruction point within a certain range from the top of the uphill, a warning is issued by voice.
This way, even if the user is not looking at the display,
The user can be notified that there is a traffic obstacle such as traffic congestion at the end of an uphill, and the safety is further improved as compared with the related art. In the first invention, it is preferable that the uphill apex position is stored as a node in the map data in order to facilitate the detection of the uphill apex position.
Preferably, the warning is issued when the vehicle approaches a certain distance from the top of the uphill.

[0012] In the second invention of the present application, a specific node in a node row corresponding to a road with poor visibility is stored in the map data as a reference node. If there is a traffic obstruction such as traffic congestion due to the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving means, the control unit has the reference node ahead of the vehicle in the traveling direction and a traffic obstruction point within a certain range from the reference node. Check whether or not. Then, if there is a traffic obstacle in a certain range from the reference node, a warning is issued by voice. Thereby, similarly to the first invention, even if the user does not look at the display, the user can be notified that there is a traffic obstacle such as traffic jam,
Safety is further improved as compared with the conventional case.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an on-vehicle navigation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

A CD-ROM 1 stores map data. The CD-ROM 1 stores a road layer, a background layer, and a character / symbol layer. Reference numeral 2 denotes an operation unit provided with various operation buttons and the like for operating the navigation device body 10 described later. Reference numeral 3 denotes a traffic information receiver for receiving traffic information from outside. The traffic information is sent by FM multiplex broadcasting, a radio wave beacon, or an optical beacon.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a GPS receiver that receives a GPS signal sent from a GPS satellite and detects the longitude and latitude of the current position of the vehicle. Reference numeral 5 denotes a self-contained navigation sensor. The self-contained navigation sensor 5 includes an angle sensor 5a such as a gyro for detecting a rotation angle of the vehicle, and a traveling distance sensor 5b for generating a pulse at every constant traveling distance. 7
Is a liquid crystal display device, and the navigation device body 10 displays a map around the current position of the vehicle on the display device 7 and displays a guidance route from the departure point to the destination, a vehicle position mark, and other guidance information. indicate. Reference numeral 8 denotes a speaker, and the navigation device body 1
Numeral 0 transmits various kinds of guidance information by voice through the speaker 8.

The navigation apparatus main body 10 comprises the following. Reference numeral 11 denotes a buffer memory for temporarily storing map data read from the CD-ROM 1. 12 is an interface connected to the operation unit 2,
An interface 13 is connected to the traffic information receiver 3, an interface 14 is connected to the GPS receiver 4, and an interface 15 is connected to the self-contained navigation sensor 5. Reference numeral 16 denotes a control unit.
The current position of the vehicle is detected based on various information input from the interfaces 14 and 15, map data of a predetermined area is read from the CD-ROM 1 to the buffer memory 11, and the starting point and the destination are set according to the set search conditions. It searches for an optimal guidance route up to and displays the latest guidance information on the display device 7 using the traffic information received by the traffic information receiver 3.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a map drawing unit for generating a map image using the map data stored in the buffer memory 11. Reference numeral 18 denotes a guidance route storage unit that stores the guidance route searched by the control unit 16, and 19 denotes a guidance route drawing unit that draws the guidance route. The guidance route storage unit 18 records all the nodes of the guidance route searched by the control unit 16 from the departure place to the destination. When displaying the map, the guide route drawing unit 19 reads out the guide route information (node sequence) from the guide route storage unit 18 and draws the guide route in a color and line width different from those of other roads.

Reference numeral 20 denotes an operation screen / mark generation unit for generating various menu screens (operation screens) and various marks such as a vehicle position mark and a cursor according to the operation status. Reference numeral 21 denotes an image synthesizing unit, which superimposes on the map image drawn by the map drawing unit 17 various marks and operation screens generated by the operation screen / mark generation unit 20, the guidance route drawn by the guidance route drawing unit 19, and the like. To display on the display device 7.

Reference numeral 22 denotes an audio signal generator. A plurality of voice messages are recorded in the voice signal generation unit 22 in advance, and a predetermined voice message is output to the speaker 8 according to a signal from the control unit 16. Figure 2 is a CD-ROM
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a road layer in the map data recorded in No. 1; The road list RDLT records, for each road, the type of the road, the total number of nodes forming the road, the position of the node forming the road on the node table NDTB, and the width up to the next node. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a position corresponding to a vertex of an uphill having a gradient that is greater than a certain level is set to a node.

In the road list RDLT, the inclination state (UP, DOWN, FLAT) of the road to the next node is added as additional information. For example, on the road n in FIG. 2, FLAT is added as additional information because the area between the first node and the second node is flat, and there is an uphill between the m-th node and the m + 1-th node. And DOWN is added as additional information because there is a downhill from the (m + 1) th node to the (m + 2) th node. In addition, the gradient (inclination angle) of the road may be stored as the additional information indicating the inclination state of the road.

The intersection configuration node list CRLT includes, for each intersection on the map, a node table NDT of link other end nodes (intersection configuration nodes) connected to the intersection.
A set of positions on B. The node table NDTB is a list of all nodes on the map, and includes location information (longitude and latitude) for each node, an intersection identification flag indicating whether or not the node is an intersection, and an intersection if the node is not an intersection (if the intersection identification flag is " It is composed of a pointer or the like indicating the position of the road to which the node belongs on the road list RDLT (if it is "0").

In the on-vehicle navigation device of the present embodiment configured as described above, the control unit 16
The current position of the vehicle is detected from the GPS signal received by the receiver 4 and the signal input from the self-contained navigation sensor 5, and the CD-
The map data of the area including the current position of the vehicle is read from the ROM 1 to the buffer memory 11. The map drawing unit 17 generates a map image using the map data read into the buffer memory 11 and displays the map image around the vehicle on the display device 7.

The control unit 16 stores the vehicle position detected by the signals input from the GPS receiver 4 and the self-contained navigation sensor 5 with the movement of the vehicle in the buffer memory 11 so that the vehicle is located on the road. Correction (map matching) is performed using the read map data. And the control unit 16
Displays the vehicle position mark superimposed on the map image displayed on the display device 7, moves the vehicle position mark as the vehicle moves, or scrolls the map image.

Further, when the user sets a destination by operating the operation unit 2, the control unit 16 sets the current position of the vehicle as a departure point, searches for a guidance route from the departure point to the destination, and searches for the guidance route. Guide the vehicle along. Hereinafter, the operation of the in-vehicle navigation device according to the present embodiment when receiving congestion information will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

The control unit 16 of the navigation device body 10
Monitors in step S11 whether the traffic information receiver 3 has received the traffic jam information. When the traffic information receiver 3 receives the traffic congestion information, the process proceeds from step S11 to step S12, where the traffic congestion location is superimposed on the map image displayed on the screen, for example, by a red thick line and displayed. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S13, and the control unit 16 checks whether or not there is a congested portion ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle. here,
Forward in the traveling direction is forward in the direction along the guidance route when the user is using the route guidance function, and is in front of the road on which the vehicle is running when the user is not using the route guidance function. is there. If there is a congested point ahead of the traveling direction, the process proceeds to step S14, and if there is no congested portion ahead of the traveling direction, the process returns to step S11.

In step S14, the control unit 16 checks whether or not there is an uphill ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle. That is, the road list RDLT is checked and the additional data is updated.
Check whether there is a node having. Then, when there is an uphill, the control unit 16 sets the next node to the top of the uphill when the additional information of the node next to the node of which the additional information is UP is DOWN or FLAT, and then proceeds to step S15. I do. On the other hand, if there is no uphill ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle in step 14, the process returns to step S11.

In step S15, the control section 16
For example, when the speed of the vehicle is 80 km / h, as shown in FIG. 5, it is checked whether or not the rearmost position of the traffic congestion point is between the top of the uphill and the position 200 m ahead. If there is a last part of the traffic congestion point during this time, the process shifts to step S16. Step S16
In, the control unit 16 checks whether or not the distance between the vehicle and the top of the uphill is within 400 m. When the distance between the vehicle and the top of the uphill exceeds 400 m, the process returns to step S11,
If it is within 400 m, the process moves to step S17. Then, in step S17, the control section 16 outputs a predetermined message signal to the voice generating section 23. Accordingly, the navigation device notifies the user of, for example, a message such as "There is traffic congestion ahead of the hill." Then, the process returns to step S11.

It is preferable that the range for checking the presence or absence of the above-mentioned congestion is changed depending on the vehicle speed. In this case, the range is widened as the vehicle speed increases. However, the distance between the top of the uphill and the last part of the traffic congestion point is longer than the distance at which the vehicle can safely stop when the brake is applied. Further, it is preferable that the position where the message is output is also changed according to the speed of the vehicle. In other words, the higher the speed of the vehicle, the more the message is output.

In the navigation apparatus according to the present embodiment, when traffic information is received from the outside, not only the traffic location is displayed on the display device 7, but also the traffic location is located in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction and the vehicle is traveling uphill. If the vehicle is in a position invisible to the user in advance and the vehicle approaches a certain distance from the top of the uphill, the user is warned by voice that there is traffic congestion. It can also be seen that there is congestion ahead of the uphill, and measures such as reducing the speed in advance can be taken. Therefore,
The navigation device according to the present embodiment has an advantage that the safety is further improved as compared with a conventional navigation device that merely displays a traffic congestion point on a display.

In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described where an alarm is issued by voice when there is traffic congestion ahead of an uphill. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A warning may be generated when such a situation occurs. In addition, a message may be transmitted by voice, and a similar message may be displayed blinking in a corner of the screen.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the on-vehicle navigation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention when receiving traffic jam information. Note that, also in the present invention, the configuration of the navigation device itself is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore, the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

For example, it is assumed that traffic congestion has occurred ahead of a curve with poor visibility. Usually, in map data, as shown in FIG. 7, a curve is represented as a set of a plurality of nodes. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, nodes near the entrance and near the exit of the curve are set as reference nodes N1 and N2, respectively. In FIG. 7,
M indicates a vehicle position mark.

The control unit 16 of the navigation device body 10
Monitors in step S21 whether the traffic information receiver 3 has received the traffic jam information. When the traffic information receiver 3 receives the traffic congestion information, the process proceeds from step S21 to step S22, and the traffic congestion point is displayed on the map image displayed on the display device 7 by superimposing the traffic congestion point, for example, with a thick red line.

Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S23, where the control unit 16 checks whether or not there is a congested portion ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle. If there is a traffic congestion point in the forward direction, the process proceeds to step S24. If there is no traffic congestion point in the forward direction, the process returns to step S21. In step S24, it is checked whether or not there is a curve in which a reference node is set ahead of the traveling direction of the vehicle. If there is no reference node ahead in the traveling direction, the process returns to step S21. If there is a reference node ahead in the traveling direction, the process proceeds to step S25.

In step S25, for example, when the vehicle speed is 8
Assuming 0 km / h, the last part of the congested area is the reference node N
Check if it is within 2 to 200 m. If the last part of the traffic congestion point is more than 200 m away from the reference node N2, the process returns to step S21. On the other hand, when the last part of the traffic congestion point is within 200 m from the reference node N2, the process proceeds to step S26.

In step S26, the vehicle and the reference node N
A check is made to determine whether or not the distance to 1 is within 400 m. If the vehicle is separated from the reference node N1 by 400 m or more, the process returns to step S21. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S26 that the distance between the vehicle and the reference node N1 is within 400 m, the process proceeds to step S2
Move to 7. Then, in step S27, the control section 16 outputs a predetermined message signal to the voice generating section 23. Thereby, the navigation device, for example,
The user is notified of the message "There is traffic congestion ahead of the right curve."

Also in the present embodiment, it is preferable to change the range for checking the presence or absence of a congested point and the position where a message is output according to the vehicle speed. In the present embodiment, when a traffic congestion occurs ahead of a curve with poor visibility, the user is warned by voice so that the user concentrates on driving and does not notice the traffic congestion information displayed on the display device 7. Even so, safety can be ensured.

The present embodiment can be applied not only to a curve having poor visibility but also to an uphill or the like as in the first embodiment.

[0039]

As described above, according to the on-vehicle navigation device of the present invention, when traffic information is received via the traffic information receiving means, there is an uphill ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the uphill is not included. It checks whether there are any obstacles within a certain range in front of the vertex, and if so, issues an audio alert, so that the user has traffic congestion on the uphill without looking at the display. Therefore, it is possible to take measures such as reducing the speed in advance. Thereby, higher safety can be secured as compared with the conventional navigation device.

Further, according to the on-vehicle navigation device of the present invention, when the traffic information is received through the traffic information receiving means, there is a reference node ahead of the vehicle in the traveling direction and a certain range from the reference node. It checks whether there are any traffic obstacles in the area, and if so, sounds an alarm, so if the user does not notice the traffic information displayed on the display, traffic congestion or other traffic It can be seen that there is a safer driving.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle-mounted navigation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a road layer in map data recorded on a CD-ROM.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing node positions recorded in map data.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the in-vehicle navigation device according to the first embodiment when receiving congestion information;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a condition for generating an alarm by voice in the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the in-vehicle navigation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention when receiving traffic jam information.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a node row indicating a curve in the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional problem.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 CD-ROM 2 Operation part 3 Traffic information receiver 4 GPS receiver 5 Self-contained navigation sensor 7 Display device 8 Speaker 10 Navigation device main body 11 Buffer memory 12-15 Interface 16 Control part 17 Map drawing part 18 Guidance route storage part 19 Guidance Route drawing unit 20 Operation screen / mark generation unit 21 Image synthesis unit 22 Audio signal generation unit

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. Map data storage means for storing map data; traffic information receiving means for receiving traffic information sent from outside the vehicle; and a traffic obstruction point included in the traffic information received by said traffic information receiving means. Control means for displaying on a display, the control means, when receiving the traffic information via the traffic information receiving means, there is an uphill ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle and ahead of the top of the uphill A vehicle-mounted navigation device which checks whether or not there is the above-mentioned obstacle in a certain range, and if so, issues an alarm by voice. 2. The map data stores the position of the top of the uphill as a node, and the control means generates the alarm when the vehicle approaches a certain distance from the top of the uphill. The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to:
3. The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the fixed range is set wide and the fixed distance is set large. 4. A map data storage means for storing map data in which a specific node in a row of nodes corresponding to a road with poor visibility is set as a reference node, and a traffic information receiving means for receiving traffic information sent from outside the vehicle. Means, and control means for displaying, on a display, a traffic obstruction point included in the traffic information received by the traffic information receiving means, wherein the control means receives the traffic information via the traffic information receiving means. For checking whether or not the reference node is located in front of the traveling direction of the vehicle and within a certain range from the reference node, and if so, an alarm is issued by voice. Navigation device. 5. The on-vehicle navigation according to claim 4, wherein the control unit generates the warning when the vehicle approaches a specific node before the reference node by a predetermined distance. apparatus. 6. The control means according to claim 1, wherein:
The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 5, wherein the fixed range is set wide and the fixed distance is set large.