JPH11183181A - Navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To improve usability and visibility regardless of the age of a user. SOLUTION: Based on control data corresponding to inputted age information, an operation of generating image navigation information and voice navigation information is controlled. In other words, according to the change in the visual characteristics and the auditory characteristics depending on the age, a display image with the best visibility for the user and a sound output that is most audible are performed. Specifically, the setting of the display color (hue) of the display image, the contrast, the size of the character on the display image, the scale of the map image, and the frequency of the sound such as a warning sound is changed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation device mounted on a moving body such as an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a so-called navigation device, which is mounted on a private car or the like by a general driver, has become widespread. As is well known, this navigation device is suitable as a guide device for driving by displaying the position of the vehicle on a map image or displaying a suitable route to a destination. Also, navigation devices that output voice have been developed, and devices that output a warning sound, a guide voice, and the like so that the driver does not have to sequentially check display images such as a map have been developed. I have.

[0003]

In such a navigation system, it is not preferable to view the display screen for a long time while driving, as for the display of a map image or the like. It is necessary that the image be a good image and that the content be grasped, for example, just by looking at it for a moment. Warning sounds for route guidance etc. must also be easy for the driver to hear.

[0004] In recent years, the population of elderly drivers has been increasing, and the number tends to increase in the future.
Considering that an elderly driver uses a navigation device, it is required that an elderly person can easily confirm a display image and a sound output by the navigation device. However, when considering the use of such elderly people, even if a display with good visibility or an audible warning sound is realized as a navigation device for a driver of, for example, about 20 to 30 years old, it is not appropriate. There is also.

[0005] In other words, visual characteristics and auditory characteristics change with age, specifically, changes such as a decrease in visual acuity and difficulty in hearing high-frequency sounds appear. However, there are also cases where the visibility is poor for the elderly and hard to hear. This is a major problem in driving safety for the elderly.

As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-97333, there has been developed an image processing apparatus for displaying an image which is easy for an elderly person to see. Here, by performing image correction according to the visual characteristics of the user, for example, the hue, image blur, brightness, and the like are adjusted with respect to the image to be displayed and output, and the image quality that is optimal for the user, that is, the image quality with good visibility is improved. A technique for providing a display image has been disclosed. By using such a technology for a navigation device, the visibility of the display of a map image or the like is improved. However, in practice, for the purpose of ensuring higher safety, the visibility is further improved, and It is required to improve the audibility of such audio output.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of such demands, the present invention provides a navigation device capable of outputting a more visible display image and a more audible voice output according to the age of the user. The purpose is to do.

[0008] Therefore, in the navigation device, operating means capable of inputting at least age information;
Based on data holding means for holding control data corresponding to the age information, and control data held in the data holding means corresponding to the age information input by the operating means,
And control means for controlling the operation of generating image navigation information and / or voice navigation information in the navigation information generating means. That is, control data is selected in accordance with the input age, and based on the selected control data, image navigation information such as a map image and voice navigation information such as a warning sound are generated. As the generation processing control related to the image navigation information based on the control data, variable setting control of the display color (hue), contrast, character size on the display image, and scale of the map image is performed. Further, as the generation processing control regarding the voice navigation information based on the control data, variable setting control of the frequency of voice such as a warning sound is performed.

[0009] Further, according to the above configuration, an image having good visibility and an easy-to-hear sound according to age are output as navigation information. However, due to individual differences, it may not always be appropriate for a certain user. The operation means is capable of performing an adjusting operation, and the control means is capable of changing a control state of the navigation information generating means based on control data in accordance with the adjusting operation. That is, in addition to the automatic adjustment of the output image and the output sound by the age input, the user can arbitrarily adjust the output image and the output sound.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a navigation system of the present example that can be mounted on an automobile, for example. This navigation system includes a navigation unit 1, an output device 2, a light receiving unit 3, a remote commander 4, a vehicle speed pulse generating unit 5, an FM multiplex unit 6, and a beacon unit 7.

Although the detailed configuration of the navigation unit 1 will be described later, map information read from a CD-ROM disc capable of performing a reproducing operation and information registered by a user, a light receiving unit 3, a vehicle speed pulse generating unit 5, based on input information from the FM multiplexing unit 6 and the beacon unit 7, generate navigation information as a guide for a drive route, a current position, and the like, and output the
To supply. The navigation information to be supplied to the output device 2 is mainly a map image, image navigation information such as various characters superimposed and displayed on the image, for example, a predetermined point (intersection, etc.), traffic congestion, right turn, left turn There is voice navigation information serving as a warning sound or a guide sound for notifying the user of a point, a wrong route, or the like.

The output device 2 includes an amplifier 21 and a speaker 2
2. It comprises a display controller / driver 23 and a display unit 24. The navigation unit 1 supplies an audio signal as audio navigation information from the audio output terminal 50 to the output device 2. The output device 2 amplifies the input audio signal by the amplifier 21 and outputs the audio signal from the speaker 22 as sound. The navigation unit 1 supplies a video signal as image navigation information from the video output terminal 51 to the output device 2. The output device 2 receives the input video signal by the display controller / driver 23. Display controller / driver 2
3 causes the display unit 24 to execute a display operation based on the received video signal. The display unit 24 is formed of, for example, a liquid crystal display.

The operation of the user when using the navigation system is performed by the remote commander 4. The remote commander 4 includes various operation keys, a signal generation unit that generates a command signal in response to operation of the operation keys, and an output unit that outputs the generated command signal as an infrared intensity modulation signal. The signal output is received by the light receiving unit 3 and converted into an electric signal. Then, the command signal converted into the electric signal is supplied to the navigation unit 1, so that the navigation unit 1 recognizes the operation of the user. Of course, as the operation means, other than this, for example, a remote commander by radio wave transmission, a remote commander connected to the navigation unit 1 by wire, and an operation unit provided on the housing of the navigation unit 1 and the output device 2 are used. You may be.

The vehicle speed pulse generating section 5 is a portion for generating a pulse having a frequency corresponding to the running speed of the vehicle. The generated vehicle speed pulse is input to the navigation unit 1 from the vehicle speed pulse input terminal 55 as current vehicle speed information. Is done.

The FM multiplexing unit 6 functions as a tuner corresponding to a so-called FM multiplex broadcasting in which text information is multiplexed and broadcast together with broadcast audio, and here is a part for mainly decoding text information. In the FM multiplexing unit 6, after the FM multiplexed broadcast received by the antenna 61 is subjected to intermediate frequency amplification, detection processing, and the like by the RF unit, decoding processing of character information multiplexed by the decoder 63 is performed. Then, the extracted character information is taken into the controller 64, and the controller 64 transmits necessary character information to the navigation unit 1. As character information of FM multiplex broadcasting, in addition to information related to broadcast audio (for example, a song name of music being broadcast), information independent of broadcast audio includes information such as weather forecast, traffic information,
There is traffic jam information. Information that is preferably presented to the user as such character information in the navigation system can be captured by the navigation unit 1 and used as display characters as image navigation information.

The beacon unit 7 receives a so-called beacon signal and supplies it to the navigation unit 1.
That is, the signal from the beacon is received by the antenna 71 and
The signal is amplified by the F unit 72 and decoded by the decoder 73. Then, it is supplied to the navigation unit 1 by the controller 74.

The FM multiplex unit 6 and the beacon unit 7 are connected to, for example, extension unit terminals 53 and 54 of the navigation unit 1, respectively. And FM
Communication of the feeling of the navigation unit 1 with each of the multiplex unit 6 and the beacon unit 7 can be realized by asynchronous communication. For example, UART (UNIVERSAL AYNCHRONUS RECEIVER-
TRANSMITTER) Communication can be adopted. Of course, other communication systems can be adopted without being limited to the asynchronous communication. Then, the FM multiplexing unit 6 and the beacon unit 7 are connected in this way, and the navigation unit 1 performs an output operation on the output device 2 using information from those units.
CS (VEHICLE INFORMATION AND COMUNICATION SYSTEM
) Is realized.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the navigation unit 1. The navigation unit 1 is loaded with a disk 90 as a CD-ROM mainly storing map information. The disk 90 is driven to rotate at a constant linear velocity (CLV) by the spindle motor 31 during a reproducing operation. Then, the reflected light information corresponding to the data recorded in the pit form on the disk 90 is extracted by the optical head 32 and supplied to the RF amplifier 33. For such an information reading operation, the optical head 32 includes a laser light source, an objective lens serving as an output end of the laser light, and a disk 90.
A photodetector for detecting the laser light reflected by the light source and optical elements necessary for these laser light paths are mounted. In addition, a biaxial mechanism for driving the objective lens in the direction of moving toward and away from the disk 90 and in the radial direction is mounted. Further, the entire optical head 32 can be moved in the disk radial direction by a thread mechanism (not shown).

The RF amplifier 33 converts the reflected light information (current signal) obtained by the optical head 32 into a voltage signal, performs a necessary matrix operation, and outputs an RF signal as reproduction information and a focus required for a servo operation. Generate an error signal, a tracking error signal, and the like. The output from these RF amplifiers 33 is
Supplied to

The servo processor 34 includes an RF amplifier 33
Then, various servo drive signals of focus, tracking, and sled are generated from the focus error signal and the tracking error signal from the controller and supplied to the servo driver 35 to execute the servo operation. That is, the servo driver 35 drives the biaxial mechanism in the optical head 32 based on the focus drive signal and the tracking drive signal,
A focus servo operation and a tracking servo operation for controlling a focus state and a tracking state of the laser light with respect to the disk 90 are executed, and a sled mechanism is driven based on a sled drive signal. Further, disc rotation speed information can be obtained from a reproduction clock generated in synchronization with the RF signal (an EFM signal obtained by binarizing the RF signal). The servo processor 34 generates a spindle error signal based on the information. Further, a spindle drive signal based on the spindle error signal is generated and supplied to the servo driver 35. When the servo driver 35 drives the spindle motor 31 according to the spindle drive signal, the rotation of the disk 90 is controlled to the CLV speed.

The servo processor 34 performs EFM demodulation, CIRC decoding, CD-ROM decoding, and the like of an RF signal (EFM signal) as reproduction information to obtain audio data or video data as information read from the disk 90. . Further, control system information such as subcode data and address data is also extracted. Information of the control system is supplied to the system controller 30 and used for various operation controls.

The audio data output from the servo processor 34 is converted into an analog audio signal by the D / A converter 36 and supplied from the audio output terminal 50 to the output device 2 described above. Video data such as map information obtained by the servo processor 34 is supplied to the CD-ROM / AV controller 37 via the system controller 30. The CD-ROM / AV controller 37 includes:
CPU 38, voice synthesizer 39, S-RAM 40, DR
AM41, flash ROM42, program ROM4
3 are connected, and the operation of these parts generates image navigation information and audio navigation information to be displayed or output by audio from the output device 2.

The CPU 38 performs various arithmetic processes required for generating navigation information. The voice synthesizing unit 39 performs a voice synthesizing process for generating a voice signal to be voice navigation information such as a warning sound and a guide voice. S
-The RAM 40 is used as a navigation user memory, and includes mark information such as a destination and a passing point.
Various set values, traveling locus information, and the like are stored. Further, age information input by a user, which will be described later, and information on various set values input manually are also held. The D-RAM 41 is
Used as a program work area,
Used for storing drawing data for generating image navigation information. The program ROM 43 stores a program for executing a boot operation or the like, and a program for most other processes is a flash ROM.
It is stored in the OM42. The program stored in the flash ROM 42 can be rewritten, so that processing for version upgrade and the like becomes easy. The flash ROM 42 also stores a data table in which an age group and control data, which will be described later, correspond to each other.

The operation of these parts allows the disk 90
A video signal as image navigation information is generated based on the map image information read from the CPU or information stored in the S-RAM, and the CD-ROM / AV controller 37 outputs the generated video signal to the video output terminal 51. To the output device 2. Further, voice navigation information such as a warning sound and a guide voice is generated by the voice synthesizing section 39 and then supplied from the CD-ROM / AV controller 37 to the D / A converter 36 at a predetermined timing, and output from the audio output terminal 50. It is supplied to the device 2.

As various operations of the navigation unit 1, the operation of reproducing the disk 90 and the operation of generating the above-mentioned navigation information are controlled and executed by a system controller 11 formed by a microcomputer. For example, operations such as starting, ending, and accessing the disk 90 are realized by the system controller 10 controlling operations of the servo signal processor 4 and the optical head 2. In addition, the CD-ROM / AV controller 37 issues an instruction for generating navigation information. These various necessary operations are executed based on the user's operation. Command information on the operation performed by the user using the remote commander 4 is transmitted from the light receiving unit 3 to the system controller via the command input terminal 52 as described above. The system controller 30 performs necessary operation control according to the input command information.

As described above, the vehicle speed pulse generator 5
, And information from the FM multiplexing unit 6 and the beacon unit 7 are supplied to the system controller 30. Further, the navigation unit 1 is provided with a GPS antenna 44, an RF unit 45, and a demodulator 46, and the system controller 30 can take in latitude / longitude information and moving speed information by so-called GPS (GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM) using satellite communication. it can. Further, a gyro sensor 47 and an A / D converter 48 are provided, and the azimuth information from the gyro sensor 47 is taken into the system controller 30 as digital data.

The system controller 30 supplies these various types of input information to the CD-ROM / AV controller 37 to execute arithmetic processing for information generation by the CPU 38, and to use the navigation information using the information. Is generated. For example, image navigation information indicating the position of the own vehicle on a map image is generated based on GPS data and gyro data, and traffic congestion information and the like are obtained based on information from a vehicle speed pulse generator 5, an FM multiplex unit 6, a beacon unit 7, and the like. To generate image navigation information for displaying characters and images. Of course, it is also used for a vehicle position confirmation process for outputting a warning sound and the like.

In the navigation system having the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the user uses the display unit 24 to display a road map,
The user can check the vehicle position, the traveling route, character information for a guide, and the like, and can hear a warning sound and a guide sound by the output of the speaker 22. In this example, in such a navigation system, processing described below is performed so as to obtain a suitable display image and output sound according to the age of the user. That is, the state of the displayed image and the setting of the output sound are changed according to the age.

FIG. 3 shows the procedure of the setting process. First, the navigation unit 1 (system controller 30,
The CD-ROM / AV controller 37) supplies a video signal serving as a display image for asking the user to input his / her age group to the output device 2 as a step F101 in FIG. Display. For example, the age group is divided into five stages, YOUNG (30 years old or younger), MI
DDLE1 (31-40 years old), MIDDLE2 (41-
50 years old), SENIOR1 (51-60 years old), SENI
In OR2 (61 years or older), the user is requested to input an age group. When the user makes an input using the remote commander 4, the system controller 30 supplies the information to the CD-ROM / AV controller 37, and outputs the information to the CD-ROM / AV controller 37 as the user's age information.
In addition to the registration in the RAM 40, the control data corresponding to the age information is searched for by referring to a data table stored in the flash ROM 42 as the process of step F <b> 102.

This data table includes YOUNG, M
IDDLE1, MIDDLE2, SENIOR1, SE
For example, control data such as image display color, contrast, character size, map image scale, and warning sound frequency are stored in correspondence with each age group of NIOR2. That is, control data such as display color, contrast, character size, scale of a map image, and frequency of a warning sound are registered as a data group D2 corresponding to "YOUNG", and similarly, a data group D2 corresponding to "MIDDLE1" is registered. , Control data such as display color, contrast, character size, scale of the map image, and frequency of the warning sound are registered. Similarly, “MIDDLE2”, “Senior1”, “S
Data groups D3, D4, and D5 are registered in "ENIOR2".

Data groups D1 to D5 as control data
For example, the set value is determined as shown in FIG. FIG. 4 does not show specific values as control values, but shows the nature of set values according to each age group.

First, with regard to the display color of the image, various values for setting the degree of bluishness of the displayed image are stored, and values are set such that the bluishness increases as the age increases. In other words, as the visual characteristics change with age,
This is control data for increasing the bluish color and making the image easier to see for the elderly. Next, regarding contrast,
This is a so-called degree of enhancement of the image edge, which is determined for each setting value so that the edge is enhanced as the age increases. This is also control data for making the image easier to see in accordance with changes in visual characteristics due to age.

As the character size, a value is set such that the finer the character becomes, the more difficult it becomes to see as the user becomes older and the larger the size of the displayed character becomes to the elderly. As an example, the value of the character point is "9.5"
The values “10.5”, “11.5”, “12.5”, and “13.5” are registered.

As for the scale of the map, a set value is stored so that the detailed map image becomes more difficult to see as the age increases, and the map scale is enlarged as the age increases. For example, an enlarged value according to the point value as the character size is registered.

As the frequency of the warning sound, the lower the frequency value is, the more the older the age group, the more difficult it is to hear the higher frequency voice as the age increases. For example, "1KHz""900Hz""800Hz"
Each value of “700 Hz” and “600 Hz” is stored.

In step F102, for example, control data (one of data groups D1 to D5) matching the input age group is selected from such a data table. Then, in step F103, the selected control data is set as a parameter used for the generation processing of the navigation information. For example, if the age group input in step F101 is “SENIOOR2”, the data group D
5 is selected, and the display color setting value, contrast setting value, character size setting value, map scale setting value, and warning sound frequency setting value registered as the data group D5 are set to the CPU.
38, and are set as generation processing parameters in the voice synthesis unit 39 and the like.

Thereafter, in step F104, a process of generating image navigation information and voice navigation information as a navigation operation is performed and output as an image or voice from the output device 2. The video signal as the image navigation information and the audio signal as the audio navigation information are signals generated based on the set parameters.

For example, when the user inputs "YOUNG", the display image has a low bluish color, a normal contrast, and a character size of, for example, 9.
A state of 5 points and a scale with a low degree of enlargement is a normal display state, and a warning sound is a sound of 1 KHz. When the user performs an input as “Senior 2”, the display image is in a state where the blueness is high, the contrast is most emphasized, the character size is, for example, 13.5 points, and the scale is high. , A normal display state, and the warning sound is a 600 Hz sound. By changing the image and audio settings according to the age group of the user in this way, the most visible and audible navigation information is output that is tailored to the characteristics of vision and hearing according to age. it can. Therefore, even for the elderly, the easiness of confirming the information on the use of the navigation system, the safety during driving, and the like are improved.

It is to be noted that the setting according to the input of the age information is a setting as a normal state as an image to be output. For example, the user can freely change the scale of the map according to the situation at the time of use. It goes without saying that it can be done. In addition, 5 according to the data groups D1 to D5
The example of the control data in the stages is merely an example, and the control data can be set in more stages. In addition to the input of the age information, the value of the age itself may be input in addition to the input of the five-stage age group. In addition, various setting values in the data groups D1 to D5 are conceivable in various ways, and, for example, with regard to character display, control such that character display is stopped from a certain stage in accordance with an increase in age is also conceivable. Also, various image states and sound states that are changed according to the age group can be considered in addition to those exemplified as the frequency of the warning sound from the above display colors. For example, it is conceivable to switch not only the warning sound but also the frequency band of the voice synthesized as the guide voice.

By the way, there is a case where the age of the user and the value of the control data set according to the age group do not match properly due to individual differences in visual characteristics and auditory characteristics. In order to cope with such a case, the data groups D1 to D5 selected as the control data may be manually selected by the user. That is, the remote commander 4 is also provided with an operation for performing such a selection operation. System controller 3
If the control data selection operation by manual operation is detected, 0 is selected based on the age information, and the set value set is changed according to the operation. For example, if “Senior 2” is input as the age information and the data group D
Even when each set value of the data group D4 is set, processing such as changing to a state where each set value of the data group D4 is set by a subsequent manual operation is performed.

It should be noted that such a change of the set value is performed by changing the number of steps (the above D1 to D5) set as a data table.
Not only within 5 steps of data)
Various setting values may be changed more finely.
Further, the setting change by manual operation may be performed individually for each content such as display color, contrast, and character size.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention, the generation processing of the image navigation information and the voice navigation information is controlled based on the control data corresponding to the input age information. Age, i.e., a navigation device capable of outputting a display image with the most visibility and a voice output that is most audible to the user according to changes in visual characteristics and auditory characteristics according to the age. Confirmation of the content of the presented information is easy and easy to use, and safety during driving is remarkably improved because the confirmation of the content is not troublesome. Further, as the generation processing control regarding the image navigation information based on the control data, variable setting control of the display color (hue), contrast, character size on the display image, and scale of the map image is performed. In particular, changing the character size and the scale of the map image according to the age is very effective for improving the visibility especially for the elderly with reduced visual acuity. In addition, by changing the display color and contrast according to the visual characteristics according to age,
This is effective for improving visibility. Furthermore, as the generation processing control regarding the voice navigation information by the control data,
The frequency of the sound such as a warning sound is set variably. That is, by making the sound of the warning sound easier to hear (specifically, lowering the frequency as the age increases) in accordance with the change in the auditory characteristics due to the age, it is possible to realize a sound output that is easy for the elderly to hear.

Even if an image with good visibility and an easy-to-hear sound according to age are output as navigation information, it may not always be appropriate for a certain user due to individual differences. The operation is enabled, and the control state based on the control data for the navigation information generation processing can be changed according to the adjustment operation. In other words, in addition to the automatic adjustment of the output image and the output sound by the age input, the user can arbitrarily adjust the output manually, thereby realizing a navigation device that can cope with individual differences in visual characteristics and auditory characteristics.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a navigation unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an output control process according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a table of control data according to an age according to the embodiment;

[Explanation of symbols]

1 navigation unit, 2 display device, 3 light receiving section, 4 remote commander, 5 vehicle speed pulse generating section,
6 FM multiplex unit, 7 beacon unit, 21
Amplifier, 22 speaker, 23 display controller / driver, 24 display unit, 30 system controller, 3
7 CD-ROM / AV controller, 38 CPU,
40 S-RAM, 41 D-RAM, 42 flash ROM, 43 program ROM

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A navigation information generating means for generating image navigation information and voice navigation information based on predetermined input information; a display means for displaying and outputting the image navigation information; and a voice for outputting the voice navigation information as voice. Output means, operating means capable of inputting at least age information, data holding means for holding control data corresponding to the age information, and the data holding means corresponding to the age information input by the operating means. Control means for controlling an operation for generating image navigation information and / or audio navigation information in the navigation information generation means based on the held control data. 2. The navigation information generating unit according to claim 1, wherein the control data is display color data, and the control unit controls the navigation information generating unit so that image navigation information based on display color data corresponding to the input age information is obtained. 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the navigation device controls image navigation information generation processing. 3. The control information is contrast data of a display image, and the control means controls the navigation information generating means so that image navigation information based on contrast data corresponding to the input age information is obtained. 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the navigation device controls the image navigation information generation processing. 4. The control data is character size data indicating the size of a character on a display image, and the control means obtains image navigation information based on the character size data corresponding to the input age information. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the navigation information generating means controls image navigation information generation processing. 5. The control data is scale data indicating a scale of a map image as a display image, and the control unit is configured to display a map image of a scale based on scale data corresponding to the input age information. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the navigation information generating means controls image navigation information generation processing so as to be obtained as (1). 6. The control data is frequency data indicating a frequency of an audio signal, and the control unit is configured to obtain an audio signal having a frequency based on frequency data corresponding to the input age information as audio navigation information. 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the navigation information generating means controls voice navigation information generation processing. 7. The operation means is capable of performing an adjustment operation. The control means controls the navigation information generation means based on the control data, and in accordance with the adjustment operation from the operation means, 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein a control state of the navigation information generating means based on the control data can be varied.