JP2001066148A - Automobile navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To meet a user's intention on the passing order in the case where passing points on the way to a destination exist plurally in automatic route search, and to facilitate the operation at that time. SOLUTION: A recommended route is searched automatically based on the input of a destination, passing points and conditions by a user. In the case where passing points exist plurally, the route is set by applying the inputted order as the passing order as it is. When an order change of the passing points is instructed (S2; Y), the route of the whole journey and a condition selection key are displayed on the screen of a display device (S4). When distance priority or time priority is selected, the passing order of each passing point by which the total running distance or running time becomes a shortest is automatically calculated (S6, S10). When manual setting is selected, the user can specify freely the passing order of the passing points, looking at the screen on which arrangement of each passing point is displayed (S12-S15).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a car navigation system having a route search function for searching for a recommended route based on a destination and a passing point input by a user.

[0002]

Generally, a car navigation device has a location function for knowing the position of a vehicle, an automatic route search function for automatically searching for a route to a destination,
It has a route guidance function that guides the user to a route to the destination.For example, a road map is displayed on a display device, and the current position of the vehicle, a traveling route to be followed, and the like are displayed in a superimposed manner. Has become.

[0003] The automatic route search function includes a user inputting a destination, a passing point through which the user arrives at the destination, priority conditions (standard, distance priority, road width priority, etc.), toll and general road. By inputting a condition such as which one to pass, a recommended route corresponding to the condition is automatically calculated. Here, when the passing point is designated, the route from the starting point (current location) to the passing point and the route from the passing point to the destination are
They were calculated according to the input conditions. Also, when a plurality of passing points are specified, the route between the passing points is calculated under the same conditions so that each passing point passes from the starting point to the destination in the specified order. .

[0004] However, in the prior art, when there are a plurality of passing points, for example, when a user approaches a destination after visiting a plurality of friends' houses, the passing order is fixed in the designated order of the passing points. Therefore, for example, even if the route search is performed under the condition of giving priority to the distance, each of the two in a fixed order
The route is simply set so that the distance between the points is the shortest distance, and it is not always the shortest distance in total from the starting point to the destination.

[0005] In this case, when the user wants to rearrange the passing order of a plurality of passing points, if the user selects a command to delete or add a passing point, a list of passing points is displayed on the screen of the display device. , And it was possible to rearrange the list in the desired order by key operation. However, with such a sorting method, the operation becomes considerably troublesome, and merely displaying the list list does not give an image, for example, even if the user wants to sort in an efficient passing order. For example, it was not very effective in responding to the user's desire to make the route the shortest distance in total.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a route search means, and in the case where there are a plurality of passing points to reach a destination, their passing order It is an object of the present invention to provide a car navigation device that can satisfy the user's intention and can easily perform the operation at that time.

[0007]

When searching for a route from a starting point to a destination, if there are a plurality of passing points,
As the order of passage, the total traveling distance from each passing point to the destination or the order of travel that minimizes the time required for traveling, or the user's favorite order of passage can be set freely. It is considered that the possibility is met with the intention of the user.

In the car navigation apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, when there are a plurality of passing points, the total traveling distance or the time required for traveling to the destination via each passing point is minimized. In this way, a passing order setting means for automatically setting the passing order of the passing points is provided. According to this, the passing order of the passing points is automatically set so as to minimize the total traveling distance or the time required for traveling to the destination via the plurality of passing points. To minimize the total traveling distance or the time required for traveling to the destination via the route. At this time, the optimal passing order is automatically set, and Operation can be easily completed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when there are a plurality of passing points, the display means displays the passing points on a map by superimposing the passing points on the map, and the passing order designating means. , The passing order of a plurality of passing points can be designated in the display state. According to this, since the user can specify the passing order of the passing points while imagining the position of each passing point while looking at the screen, the desired passing order can be easily specified. The operation can be completed easily.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the entire electrical configuration of the car navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment. Here, the car navigation device 1 includes a position detector 2, a map data input device 3, an operation switch group 4, a control circuit 5 mainly composed of a microcomputer connected thereto, and an external memory connected to the control circuit 5. 6, a display device 7 composed of, for example, a full-color liquid crystal display, and a remote control sensor 8.

The position detector 2 includes a well-known geomagnetic sensor 9, a gyroscope 10, a distance sensor 11,
And a GPS (Global Positioning System) for detecting the position of a vehicle based on radio waves from satellites
It has a receiver 12. These sensors 9 to 12 are
It is located at an appropriate place in the vehicle. The control circuit 5
Since the sensors 9 to 12 of the position detector 2 have errors having different properties, they are configured to be used while interpolating each other. Based on the input from these sensors 9 to 12, the vehicle , The current position, the traveling direction, the speed, the traveling distance, and the like are detected with high accuracy. Note that, depending on the accuracy, a position detector may be configured from a part of the sensors 9 to 12, and in addition to the above, a rotation sensor for steering, a wheel sensor for rolling wheels, or the like may be used. It is possible.

The map data input device 3 is a drive device for inputting data from a storage medium storing various data including road map data, landmark data, so-called map matching data for improving the accuracy of position detection, and the like. The storage medium is, for example, a CD-ROM or a DV
A large-capacity storage medium such as a D-ROM is used. The road map data includes data on road shapes, road widths, road names, buildings, various facilities, their telephone numbers, place names, topography, and the like, and displays the road map on the display screen of the display device 7. And data to be reproduced.

The operation switch group 4 comprises various mechanical switches for the user (driver) to input various commands such as designation of a destination and selection of a road map displayed on the display device 7. Have been. A part of the operation switch group 4 is also constituted by a touch panel (not shown) provided on the screen of the display device 7. Then, a remote control terminal 13 (hereinafter, referred to as a function) having the same function as the operation switch group 4
Remote controller).
3 is detected by the remote control sensor 8.

On the screen of the display device 7, road maps of various scales are displayed, and superimposed on the display.
A pointer indicating the current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle is displayed. Also, various input screens for the user to input a destination and the like, various messages and information, and the like are displayed. Further, when a route guidance function for guiding to a destination is executed, a route or the like to be superimposed on a road map is displayed.

Although not shown, the display device 7 comprises:
It is unitized with the operation switch group 4 and the remote control sensor 8 and the like, and is arranged, for example, at the center of the front of the instrument panel of the vehicle. Further, the main body of the car navigation device 1 in which the control circuit 5, the map data input device 3, and the like are incorporated is arranged in, for example, a trunk room of a vehicle.

Now, the control circuit 5, as described above,
The display device 7 displays a road map based on the road map data from the map data input device 3, and the position detector 2
, A pointer indicating the current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle is displayed. At this time, map matching for putting the current position of the vehicle on the road is performed. Also, the type (scale) of the map to be displayed on the display device 7 based on the user's command input
And the like. Thus, a location function for knowing the position of the vehicle is realized.

Further, the control circuit 5 realizes automatic route search and route guidance functions based on the operation of the operation switches 4 by the user. The automatic route search function is for automatically calculating a recommended traveling route from the starting point (current position) of the vehicle to the destination input by the user, and a known Dijkstra method or the like is used as the technique. Can be In addition, the route guidance function,
The travel route (route) obtained by the automatic route search function is displayed on the screen of the display device 7 to guide the user to the destination. That's it. "

More specifically, in performing the above-described automatic route search, the user inputs a command for the route search using the operation switch group 4 to display an input screen on the screen of the display device 7 to display a destination screen. If there is a passing point to reach the destination, the passing point and conditions are input and set. The designation of the destination (and the passing point) can be input from the facility name, telephone number, address, longitude and latitude, and the like. The condition is selected from "standard" (standard route recommended by the car navigation device 11), "toll road priority", "general road priority", "distance priority", and the like.

The control circuit 5 automatically calculates a route from the starting point (current position) to the destination according to the above conditions. Therefore, the operation switch group 4 functions as input means, and the control circuit 5 functions as route search means. Here, when the passing point is designated, a route from the departure point to the passing point and a route from the passing point to the destination are calculated according to the input conditions. . Also,
If there are multiple designated passing points, basically, the route between each passing point must be under the same conditions so that each passing point passes from the starting point to the destination in the specified order. Was calculated.

At this time, as will be described later, in the present embodiment, when there are a plurality of designated passing points, the control circuit 5 allows the user to change the passing order of the passing points. When a command is input, the control device 5 displays a plurality of passing points (and destinations) on the screen of the display device 7 including the order of the passing thereof on the map, and is positioned at a corner of the screen. A key for selecting one of the conditions of “distance priority”, “time priority”, and “manual setting” is set (displayed) on the touch panel (FIG. 2).
(B)).

When the condition of "distance priority" is selected, the control circuit 5 determines the passing order of the passing points so that the total traveling distance from the passing point to the destination is the shortest. Is automatically set (rearranged), and when the "time priority" condition is selected, passing through the passing points so that the time required to travel to the destination via each passing point is minimized Set the order automatically (rearrange)
It has become. Therefore, the control circuit 5 also functions as a passing order setting means.

On the other hand, when "manual setting" is selected, the user's operation switch group 4 (touch panel) is displayed on the screen of the display device 7 with the destination and a plurality of passing points superimposed on the map. By the operation of ()), the passing order of a plurality of passing points can be manually set. Therefore, a display means is constituted by the display device 7 and the like, and the operation switch group 4 and the like function as passing order designating means.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. As described above, when an automatic route search command is input, and subsequently, a destination, a passing point, and conditions are input, the control circuit 5 automatically recommends a recommended traveling route (route) according to the input conditions. Is calculated. Also, at this time, the user can specify a plurality of passing points in an arbitrary order, but when a plurality of passing points are specified, the route is set as the passing order in the order in which the respective passing points are input. Is done. Once the route is calculated,
The route is displayed on the screen of the display device 7 while being superimposed on the map.

Here, the user does not like the passing order of the set passing points, or rearranges so that the total traveling distance or time until reaching the destination via each passing point is minimized. Sometimes you want to. Thus, in the present embodiment, the user can select a command for changing a passing point, and thereby it is possible to rearrange the passing order of a plurality of passing points to one that meets the user's intention. The flowchart of FIG. 1 shows a processing procedure executed by the control circuit 5 when changing the passing order of the passing points, and FIG. 2 shows an example of a transition of the screen of the display device 7 at that time. ing. In FIG. 2, the starting point S
A case where five passing points P1 to P5 are designated from to the destination G is illustrated.

In the flowchart of FIG. 1, when a command to change the passing point is input, first in step S1,
A selection screen for selecting a type of change is displayed on the screen of the display device 7. In this selection screen, as shown in (a) of FIG.
Selection items such as "correction of passing points", "change of order of passing points", and "deletion of passing points" are displayed. When changing the passing order of passing points, the user selects “change of order of passing points” (Yes in step S2). When an item other than “change of order of passing points” is selected (No in step S2), a process corresponding thereto is performed (step S3), but these are out of the gist of the present invention. Description is omitted.

When "change of order of passing points" is selected (Yes in step S2), in step S4, the screen of the display device 7 displays all the routes of all the automatically calculated routes on one screen. The display is superimposed on the map at a scale that fits, and the condition selection key is set and displayed on the touch panel at the corner of the screen. In the example of FIG. 2, as shown in (b), the starting point S, the five passing points P1 to P5, the destination G, and the route connecting them in order are displayed on one screen, and the right side of the screen is displayed. In the lower part, condition selection keys of “distance”, “time”, and “manual” are set. In this case, each passing point P1 to P5 is indicated by a diamond-shaped point, and a number indicating the passing order is displayed therein.

Here, when the user wants to rearrange the passing order of the passing points so that the total traveling distance is the shortest, the condition of “distance” is set so that the passing point is minimized so that the total traveling time is the shortest. If it is desired to rearrange the passing order, the condition of "time" is selected, and if it is desired to manually set the passing order of the passing points, the condition of "manual" is selected (step S5).

Now, when the distance priority is selected, in the next step S6, the total running distance is set to be the shortest.
The passing order of the passing points is automatically obtained by calculation. In this calculation, for example, for all combinations of the passing order of the passing points, the distance is integrated assuming that the vehicle travels linearly between the passing points, and the passing order in which the integrated distance becomes the shortest is obtained. . In step S7, the determined order of passage is displayed superimposed on the map. In the example of FIG.
The display as shown in (c) is made. In this case, the passing point P
2 and the passing point P3 are rearranged. In the lower left corner of the screen, "complete" and "return" keys are set and displayed.

The user looks at the screen and operates "Complete" if the passing order is satisfactory, and operates "Return" if the user does not like the passing order or wants to rearrange it under another condition (step S8). If "return" is selected, the process returns to step S5. If "Complete" is selected, in step S9, the route calculation is executed again in the passing order of the obtained passing points, and when the route is obtained, the route is superimposed on the map on the screen of the display device 7. The route is displayed and the process is completed. When "manual" or "time" is selected on this screen, it is possible to directly transition to the screen (e) or (d) in the example of FIG.

If time priority is selected in step S5, in the next step S10, the passing order of the passing points is automatically obtained by calculation so that the total traveling time is the shortest. This calculation is performed, for example, by converting time into a distance, and for all combinations of the passing order of the passing points, assuming that the vehicle travels linearly between the passing points, the distance is integrated. When the expressway is available between the passing points, the passing point and the nearest I
The sum of the linear distance from C (interchange), the distance obtained by multiplying the distance of the highway by a predetermined coefficient (for example, 3/8), and the linear distance from the descending IC to the passing point is calculated between the passing points when using the highway. The distance is calculated, and the shorter one as compared with the straight line distance between the passing points is adopted. Then, the passing order in which the integrated distance becomes the shortest is obtained as the passing order in the shortest time.

In the next step S11, the determined passing order is superimposed on the map and displayed. In the example of FIG.
The display as shown in (d) is made. In this case, the passing point P
2, P3, and P4 are rearranged. In the lower left corner of the screen, "Complete" and "Return"
Key is displayed. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S8 as described above. Also on this screen, when "manual" or "distance" is selected, it is possible to directly transit to the screen (e) or (c) in the example of FIG.

On the other hand, when the manual setting is selected in step S5, first, in step S12, the display device 7 is selected.
The manual order change screen is displayed on the screen. As shown in FIG. 2 (e), this manual order change screen is displayed as it is on a map at a reduced scale where all the routes of all the automatically calculated routes can be fit on one screen, and the screen is displayed as it is. An area for specifying the passing order is displayed on the lower side. Here, the user designates the passing order of the passing points in the order in which they want to pass while looking at the screen of the display device 7 (step S13).

At this time, since the arrangement of each passing point is displayed on the screen, the user can specify the passing order of the passing points while looking at the screen and imagining the position of each passing point. Can be easily specified. When the designation of the passing order is completed for all the passing points (Yes in step S14), step S1 is performed.
At 5, the passing order of the passing points is rearranged in the designated order, and the result is displayed on the display device 7 so as to be superimposed on the map. In the example of FIG. 2, the display as shown in (f) is performed. In this case, the order of the passing points P2 and P3 is changed. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S8 in the same manner as described above. Also on this screen, when “time” or “distance” is selected, it is possible to directly transit to the screen (d) or (c) in the example of FIG.

In the above flow chart, in steps S6 and S10, the calculation is performed by assuming that the linear distance between the two points is the running distance between them, but the control circuit 5 (CPU) is sufficient. As long as it has a processing capability (calculation speed), it may be configured that the route calculation is actually performed to determine the shortest distance or the shortest passage order. In this case, it is needless to say that the route calculation in step S9 becomes unnecessary.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when a plurality of passing points are specified in an arbitrary order in the automatic route search, the total travel distance from each passing point to the destination is determined. The passing order of each passing point can be automatically rearranged so as to minimize the distance or the time required for traveling. In this case, at the time of specifying and inputting a plurality of passing points, the user does not have to worry about the specifying order, and the calculation is automatically performed so that the passing order is appropriate according to the user's request. The operation of the user can be easily completed.

When the user wants to rearrange the passing order of a plurality of passing points specified in an arbitrary order, a manual order change screen is displayed on the display device 7 showing the route of all the steps on one screen. The user can specify the passing order of the passing points while viewing the position of each passing point while looking at the screen, so that the desired passing order can be easily specified, and the operation at that time can be easily performed. Can be done. As a result, according to the car navigation device 1 of the present embodiment, the
An excellent effect that, when there are a plurality of passing points passing through to a destination, the order of passing them can be made to suit the user's intention, and the operation at that time can be simplified. Is played.

In the above embodiment, once the route to the destination is set as the input order of each passing point as it is, the passing order of the passing points becomes the shortest total travel distance or travel time. Although the configuration can be changed as described above, the configuration may be such that the passing order is automatically set so that the traveling distance or the traveling time is minimized from the beginning during the automatic route search.

Further, in the above embodiment, when changing the order of the passing points, three kinds of conditions of distance priority, time priority, and manual setting can be selected. However, it is always possible to select from all three conditions. There is no necessity, and the intended purpose can be achieved even if the passing order can be changed under the condition of only the distance priority or the time priority or only the manual setting. In addition, the present invention can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the gist, for example, various changes can be made to the hardware configuration of the car navigation device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when changing a passing order of passing points.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of screen transition of a display device during a process of changing a passing order of passing points.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing an electric configuration of the car navigation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

In the drawings, 1 is a car navigation device, 4 is an operation switch group (input means, passing order designating means), 5 is a control circuit (route searching means, passing order automatic setting means), and 7 is a display device (display means). .

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An input means for designating a destination and a passing point to reach the destination, and a route for searching for a recommended route based on the destination and the passing point specified by the input means. A car navigation device comprising: a search unit; and when there are a plurality of passing points specified by the input unit, a total traveling distance or a time required for traveling to reach a destination via each passing point. A car navigation apparatus characterized by comprising a pass order setting means for automatically setting the pass order of pass points so that is the shortest. 2. An input means for designating a destination and a passing point to reach the destination, and a route for searching for a recommended route based on the destination and the passing point specified by the input means. A car navigation apparatus comprising: a search unit; and a display unit that, when there are a plurality of passing points specified by the input unit, displays the passing points on a screen by superimposing the passing points on a map. A car navigation device comprising: a passage order designation unit for designating a passage order of the plurality of passage points in a state.