JP2008134140A - On-vehicle navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle navigation device for calculating its approximate arrival predicted time by performing map matching even when traveling on a road not described on road map data such as a newly constructed road. <P>SOLUTION: The on-vehicle navigation device includes: calculating a predicted connection point of a route of an out-of-data road estimated on the basis of a traveling direction of a vehicle in which the vehicle on the road map data is not included on the road map data and a data coded road included on the road map data; and outputting to preparing guide information concerning passage of the out-of-data road on the basis of information of the predicted connection point. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-vehicle navigation device.

  As the vehicle travels, the current position is detected by GPS (Global Positioning System), etc., and the current position is displayed on a display device together with a road map, and an appropriate route from the starting point to the destination The vehicle-mounted navigation device that guides the user with a display device or a voice output device contributes to efficient and safe driving for the user.

  The current position of the vehicle is detected by a method of detecting an absolute position by GPS or the like, a method of detecting a relative position by using a direction sensor or a distance sensor, and a road on which the detected vehicle position corresponds to the map. Map matching is used to determine whether to do this. Furthermore, an in-vehicle navigation system has been devised that improves the accuracy of map matching by discriminating a road type such as a general road or an expressway from the characteristics of the road photographed by the in-vehicle camera (see Patent Document 1).

  However, if the map data used in the in-vehicle navigation device is old and information on a newly established road is not included in the map data, the map matching function cannot accurately detect the current vehicle position while traveling on the newly established road. In view of this, a method has been devised in which the map matching function is stopped when the current position of the vehicle is more than a certain distance in consideration of the detection error between the map data and the current position of the vehicle when the road shape is changed. In addition, an in-vehicle navigation device has been devised that accumulates the travel trajectory data of the own vehicle and updates the map data information when the road shape is changed and the vehicle travels once (see Patent Document 2).

  The in-vehicle navigation device has a function of searching for a route and calculating an estimated arrival time to the destination, and calculating based on the distance from the route calculation to the destination and the predicted speed of the vehicle. There are a number of predicted vehicle speeds, such as a method using a uniform value determined in advance, such as 30 km / h for a general road and 80 km / for a highway, and a method of estimating from a past travel history.

JP 2003-227725 A JP 2006-052972 A

  Needless to say, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, in the case of the configuration of Patent Document 2, when traveling for the first time on a road that is not on the road map data, such as a new road, map matching is not performed and the future travel route is unknown, so it is predicted to arrive There is a problem that time calculation is not performed correctly. In addition, the current position of the vehicle may not be displayed.

  Against the background of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle navigation device that can perform map matching and calculate the estimated arrival time even when driving on a road that is not on road map data such as a new road for the first time. Is to provide.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  An in-vehicle navigation device for solving the above problems includes road map data storage means for storing road map data, position detection means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, and data in which the vehicle is not covered on the road map data. Based on the road direction data on the road map based on the road direction information acquiring means for determining whether the vehicle is traveling on an outside road, the travel direction information acquiring means for acquiring the travel direction information of the vehicle, Estimated connection points between the road outside the data road and the data road covered by the road map data on the road map data Based on the estimated connection point calculation means for calculating the estimated connection point and the guidance information creation Characterized in that it comprises a means.

  With the above configuration, even when driving for the first time on a road that is not on the road map data, such as a new road, a road outside the data from the direction of travel of the vehicle to the predicted connection point with the data-completed road covered in the road map data The estimated arrival time can be calculated by estimating the route. Also, map matching does not stop.

  In addition, the guide information in the in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention can be configured to reflect the estimated required time to the destination when passing through the route outside the data.

  With the above configuration, the estimated travel time to the destination is reflected even when the route of the road outside the data is routed, as in the case of the route of the data road road covered by the road map data. Guide information can be created and output.

  The in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention further includes guide route search means for searching for a guide route to the destination. The guide route search means searches for the guide route from the predicted connection point to the destination, and the estimated required time. The calculation means determines a straight route from the current position of the vehicle to the predicted connection point as the route of the non-data road, and the predicted non-data road route required time in the non-data road route and the predicted connection point The total estimated required time can also be calculated by adding together the estimated required time for the guide route in the guide route from the destination to the destination.

  With the above configuration, even when route guidance is performed, even when the vehicle passes through a route other than the data road, the estimated route outside the data is used to search for the approximate route to the destination. Since the estimated required time is also calculated, user convenience is improved.

  The travel direction information acquisition means in the in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention repeatedly acquires travel direction information at a predetermined time interval, and the predicted connection point calculation means sequentially acquires travel direction information. It is also possible to configure so as to calculate the expected connection point while updating it.

  With the above configuration, even if the traveling direction changes while the vehicle is traveling on a route other than the data road, a more accurate predicted connection point can be calculated (updated) corresponding to the change.

  The in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention further includes an imaging unit that captures an image of the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the out-of-data road route estimation unit uses the captured image to output the data outside the road map data. It can also be configured to estimate the route of the road.

  With the above configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the road is a non-data road before the vehicle passes. In addition, the direction of the road and the state of the road (width, presence / absence of center line, etc.) can be grasped from the photographed image, and the route of the road outside the data can be estimated.

  Further, the in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention specifies an out-of-data road as an out-of-data branch road that branches from a data-completed road that follows a road that is running based on a captured image. It can also comprise so that a means may be provided.

  With the above-described configuration, it is possible to specify an outside data branch road that branches from the data-completed road, that is, a new road.

  Further, the predicted connection point calculation means in the in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention calculates an expected connection point between the identified data outside branch road and the data-completed road, and the guidance information creation output means includes the data outside branch road. It is also possible to create and output information on data-converted roads that are expected to be connected when traveling on the road as guidance information.

  With the above-described configuration, the user can grasp the prediction of which data-converted road the data outer branch road is connected to.

  Further, the estimated required time calculation means in the in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention is the expected required time when traveling on the data outside branch road out of the route from the branch point to the connection point with the data converted road of the data outside branch road. The time and the estimated required time when traveling on a data road are calculated, and the guidance information creation / output means determines a route that is more advantageous in time based on the comparison of the calculation results, and identifies the determination results It is also possible to create and output guidance information as possible.

  With the above-described configuration, it is possible to provide a user with a determination material for determining whether to travel on a data outside branch road that is not on the road map or to travel on a data-converted road that is on the road map.

  The in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention includes a sign identifying unit that identifies a sign that exists near the branch point of the out-of-data branch path based on the captured image, and the guide information creation output unit includes the identified sign On the basis of this information, it is also possible to create and output the guidance information by identifying a branch route that can be traveled among a plurality of branch routes including the outside data branch route.

  In general, it can be determined by a sign whether a road is accessible. There are signs such as “No traffic” and “No entry” on roads that cannot be traveled during construction. With the above configuration, no guidance information is created / outputted for data-external branch paths that cannot pass, so that it is possible to always create and output appropriate guidance information for the user.

  Further, the road map data in the in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention includes road type information, and the output priority of the guide information by the guide information creation / output means is the type of the data-completed road that is the connection destination of the road outside the data. It can also be configured to be defined at different levels accordingly.

  The road type information includes not only road types such as national roads and prefectural roads, but also information on the width and presence / absence of a center line. If the destination is a highway like a national highway or a wide road, the road is easy to understand and easy to drive. Furthermore, the required time to the destination can be shortened. With the above configuration, for example, if the output priority of guidance information is set high for national roads and wide roads, guidance information is created and output prior to other types of roads, improving user convenience.

  Moreover, the guidance information creation output means in the vehicle-mounted navigation device of the present invention can be configured to display the route of the non-data road on the road map data on the road map data.

  With the above configuration, map matching does not stop while traveling on a road outside data, and it does not become impossible to know where the vehicle is currently traveling.

  The in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention includes a travel locus acquisition means for acquiring a travel locus of the vehicle, and the guidance information creation output means creates a travel route of the vehicle based on the travel locus of the vehicle, and road map data It can also be configured to display above.

  With the above-described configuration, the traveling locus of the vehicle is displayed on the road map data together with the route of the non-data road even while traveling on the non-data road.

  Further, the road map data storage means in the in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention can be configured to store the travel locus of the vehicle up to the predicted connection point as new road data when the vehicle reaches the predicted connection point. .

  With the above configuration, when traveling on the same road thereafter, it will be treated as a data-altered road instead of a road outside the data, and will be displayed on the map, so it is not determined that it is traveling outside the road Also, map matching does not stop. Furthermore, there is also an advantage that information on the road is accumulated only by traveling on a new road without a user performing a registration operation.

  Further, the route search means in the in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention can be configured to use the stored new road data when searching for a guide route.

  With the above configuration, information that has been generated and output guidance information that does not come out of the suggested category by estimating the route becomes a dataized road, and can be used as a guide route. , User convenience is improved.

  Hereinafter, an in-vehicle navigation device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an in-vehicle navigation device (hereinafter abbreviated as navigation device) 100. The navigation device 100 includes a position detector 1, a map data input device 6, an operation switch group 7, a remote control (hereinafter referred to as remote control) sensor 11, a voice synthesis circuit 24 for performing voice guidance, a speaker 15, a memory 9, and a display. 10, a transceiver 13, a hard disk device (HDD) 21, a LAN (Local Area Network) I / F (interface) 26, a control circuit 8 connected thereto, a remote control terminal 12, and the like.

  The position detector 1 includes a known geomagnetic sensor 2, a gyroscope 3 for detecting the rotational angular velocity of the vehicle 101 (see FIG. 2), a distance sensor 4 for detecting the travel distance of the vehicle 101, and a radio wave from a satellite. A GPS receiver 5 for detecting the position 101 is included. Since these sensors 2, 3, 4, and 5 have errors of different properties, they are configured to be used while being complemented by a plurality of sensors. Depending on the accuracy, some of the sensors described above may be used, and a known rotation detector such as a resolver attached to the handle shaft 35a of the steering handle 35, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to use a steering rotation sensor 36 including a wheel sensor for each rolling wheel, for example, a vehicle speed sensor 23 or the like. The position detector 1 corresponds to the position detection means, travel direction information acquisition means, and travel locus acquisition means of the present invention.

  As the operation switch group 7, for example, a touch panel 22 integrated with the display device 10 or a mechanical switch is used. The touch panel 22 is pressed when an electric circuit is wired on the screen of the display 10 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction through a gap called a spacer on a glass substrate and a transparent film, and the user touches the film. Since the voltage value changes due to short-circuiting of a part of the wiring, a so-called resistance film method for detecting this as a two-dimensional coordinate value (X, Y) is widely used. In addition, a known so-called capacitance method may be used. In addition to the mechanical switch, a pointing device such as a mouse or a cursor may be used. The mechanical switch in the operation switch group 7 is disposed, for example, in an escutcheon (not shown) that covers the display 10 and its periphery and serves as a design frame.

  It is also possible to input various instructions using the microphone 31 and the voice recognition unit 30. In this method, a voice signal input from the microphone 31 is processed by a voice recognition technique such as a well-known hidden Markov model in the voice recognition unit 30, and converted into an operation command corresponding to the result. Various instructions can be input through the operation switch group 7, the remote control terminal 12, the touch panel 22, and the microphone 31.

  The transceiver 13 is, for example, a VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System: registered trademark) center 14 by an optical beacon or a radio beacon output from a transmitter (not shown) provided along the road. It is a device for receiving road traffic information from or receiving FM multiplex broadcasting. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which can be connected to external networks, such as the internet, using the transmitter / receiver 13. FIG.

  Further, by communicating with the ETC on-vehicle device 17, it is possible to capture the fee information received by the ETC on-vehicle device 17 from the roadside device (not shown) into the navigation device 100. Further, the ETC on-vehicle device 17 may be connected to an external network and communicate with the VICS center 14 or the like.

  The control circuit 8 is configured as a normal computer, and includes a well-known CPU 81, ROM 82, RAM 83, I / O 84 as an input / output circuit, A / D conversion unit 86, drawing unit 87, clock IC 88, image processing unit 89, and A bus line 85 for connecting these components is provided. The CPU 81 controls the navigation program 21p and data stored in the HDD 21. The CPU 81 controls the reading / writing of data to / from the HDD 21. In addition, a program for performing a minimum necessary operation as the navigation device 100 may be stored in the ROM 82 in a case where the data read / write control from the CPU 81 to the HDD 21 becomes impossible. The control circuit 8 corresponds to the traveling road determination means, the out-of-data road route estimation means, the predicted connection point calculation means, the guidance information creation output means, and the guidance route search means of the present invention.

  The A / D conversion unit 86 includes a well-known A / D (analog / digital) conversion circuit, and converts analog data input from the position detector 1 or the like to the control circuit 8 into digital data that can be calculated by the CPU 81, for example. It is.

  The drawing unit 87 generates display screen data to be displayed on the display unit 10 from map data 21m (described later) stored in the HDD 21 or the like, display data, and display color data.

  The clock IC 88 is also called a real-time clock IC, and sends or sets clock / calendar data in response to a request from the CPU 81. The CPU 81 acquires date / time information from the clock IC 88. Further, date and time information included in the GPS signal received by the GPS receiver 5 may be used. The date information may be generated based on a real-time counter included in the CPU 81.

  The image processing unit 89 includes an image processing circuit that analyzes an image photographed by the camera 32 by a known technique such as pattern recognition. In the image processing unit 89, for example, a general binarization process is performed on the video signal photographed by the camera 32 to convert it into digital multi-value image data for each pixel. Then, a desired image portion is extracted from the obtained multi-value image data using a general image processing method. The image processing unit 89 corresponds to an out-of-data branch path specifying means and a sign specifying means of the present invention.

  In addition to the navigation program 21p, the HDD 21 stores so-called map matching data for improving the accuracy of position detection, and map data 21m, which is a map database including road data representing road connections. The map data 21m stores predetermined map image information for display and road network information including link information and node information. The link information is predetermined section information constituting each road, and includes position coordinates, distance, required time, road width, number of lanes, speed limit, and the like. The node information is information defining an intersection (branch road) or the like, and is composed of position coordinates, the number of right / left turn lanes, a connection destination road link, and the like. In addition, data indicating whether or not traffic is possible is set in the inter-link connection information. The map data 21m corresponds to the road map data storage means of the present invention.

  In addition, in the HDD 21, auxiliary information for route guidance, entertainment information, and other data can be written independently by the user and stored as user data 21u. Data and various information necessary for the operation of the navigation device 100 are also stored as the database 21d.

  The navigation program 21p, map data 21m, user data 21u, and database 21d can be added and updated from the storage medium 20 via the map data input device 6. The storage medium 20 is generally a CD-ROM or DVD based on the amount of data, but may be another medium such as a memory card. Moreover, you may use the structure which downloads data via an external network.

  The memory 9 is composed of a rewritable device such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable & Programmable Read Only Memory) or a flash memory, and stores information and data necessary for the operation of the navigation apparatus 100. Has been. The memory 9 holds the stored contents even when the navigation device 100 is turned off. Further, instead of the memory 9, information and data necessary for the operation of the navigation device 100 may be stored in the HDD 21. Further, information and data necessary for the operation of the navigation device 100 may be stored separately in the memory 9 and the HDD 21.

  The display 10 is composed of a known color liquid crystal display, and includes a dot matrix LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a driver circuit (not shown) for performing LCD display control. The driver circuit uses, for example, an active matrix driving method in which a transistor is attached to each pixel so that the target pixel can be reliably turned on and off, and is based on a display command and display screen data sent from the control circuit 8. To display. Further, an organic EL (ElectroLuminescence) display or a plasma display may be used as the display 10. The display device 10 corresponds to guidance information creation / output means of the present invention.

  The speaker 15 is connected to a well-known voice synthesis circuit 24, and the digital voice data stored in the memory 9 or the HDD 21 in accordance with a command from the navigation program 21p is converted into analog voice by the voice synthesis circuit 24 and sent out. Note that speech synthesis methods include a recording / editing method in which speech waveforms are stored as they are or after being encoded and connected as necessary, and a text synthesis method in which corresponding speech is synthesized from character input information. The speaker 15 corresponds to the guidance information creation / output means of the present invention.

  The vehicle speed sensor 23 includes a rotation detection unit such as a known rotary encoder. For example, the vehicle speed sensor 23 is installed in the vicinity of the wheel mounting unit to detect the rotation of the wheel and send it to the control circuit 8 as a pulse signal. In the control circuit 8, the number of rotations of the wheel is converted into the speed of the vehicle 101 to calculate an expected arrival time from the current position of the vehicle 101 to a predetermined place, or an average vehicle speed for each travel section of the vehicle 101. To do.

  The LAN I / F 26 is an interface circuit for exchanging data with other in-vehicle devices and sensors via the in-vehicle LAN 27. Further, data may be taken from the vehicle speed sensor 23 or connected to the ETC on-vehicle device 17 via the LAN I / F 26.

  With this configuration, the navigation device 100 allows the user to operate the operation switch group 7, the touch panel 22, the remote control terminal 12, or from the microphone 31 when the navigation program 21 p is activated by the CPU 81 of the control circuit 8. When a route guidance process for displaying a guidance route from a menu (not shown) displayed on the display 10 to the destination by voice input is displayed on the display 10, the following processing is performed. .

  That is, first, the user searches for and sets a destination. The destination search method is, for example, a method of specifying an arbitrary point on the map, a method of searching from the area where the destination is located, a method of searching from the telephone number of the destination, or a name of the destination from the Japanese syllabary table There are a method of searching by inputting the number of characters stored in the memory 9 as a facility frequently used by the user. When the destination is set, the current position of the vehicle 101 is obtained by the position detector 1, and a process for obtaining an optimum guide route to the destination from the current position is performed. Of course, the departure point can be set to a point other than the current position. Then, the guidance route is displayed on the road map on the display 10 so as to guide the user to the appropriate route. As a method for automatically setting an optimum guide route, a method such as the Dijkstra method is known. Further, at least one of the display 10 and the speaker 15 outputs a message corresponding to the guidance during operation and the operating state.

  The communication unit 25 is configured as a well-known wireless transceiver, and is used for connecting to a public communication network such as the Internet. The communication unit 25 may be configured as an interface circuit between the mobile communication terminal and the control circuit 8 for performing data communication by connecting a mobile communication terminal (not shown) such as a mobile phone.

  The camera 32 is configured by a known CCD video camera or the like, and the captured image data is sent to the image processing unit 89. FIG. 2 shows an example of mounting the camera 32. The camera 32 is attached to, for example, the front center portion of the ceiling in the vehicle compartment so that the front of the vehicle can be photographed. Further, the front camera 32 may be attached to the center of the dash panel (position of 32a). The camera 32 corresponds to the photographing means of the present invention.

  The main process of the navigation device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. This process is included in the navigation program 21p and is repeatedly executed together with other processes of the navigation program 21p. In addition, processing of other functions of the navigation device 100 that are not related to the configuration of the present invention is omitted. First, when the navigation device 100 is activated by an operation of an accessory switch (not shown) or the like, map matching is performed using the map data 21m based on the current position of the vehicle 101 detected by the position detector 1. Transition to the normal travel mode (S11).

  Next, an out-of-data road determination process for determining whether there is an out-of-data road that is not covered in the road map data, that is, not stored in the map data 21m is performed in front of the vehicle (S12, described later). .

  If there is no road outside the data in front of the vehicle (S13: No), the process returns to step S11 and the normal driving mode is continued.

  On the other hand, if there is a road outside the data in front of the vehicle in the traveling direction (S13: Yes), the map matching function is turned off (S14), and the current traveling position of the vehicle 101 can be determined as a point other than on the road. Transition (S15).

  Next, the route of the road outside the data on the road map data when traveling on the road outside the data is estimated, and the guidance information creation output process is executed to create and output the guidance information regarding the traffic on the road outside the data (S16, Later).

  Next, an out-of-data road determination process for determining whether or not there is an out-of-data road ahead of the traveling direction of the vehicle is performed in the same manner as in step S12 (S17, described later).

  If there is a road outside the data in front of the vehicle (S18: Yes), the processes of steps S15 to S17 are repeated. On the other hand, when there is no road outside the data in front of the vehicle (S18: No), the map matching function is turned on (S19), and the mode is shifted to the normal travel mode (S11).

  The out-of-data road determination process corresponding to steps S12 and S17 in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the camera 32 images the front of the vehicle 101 in the traveling direction (S31). Next, the image processing unit 89 performs a well-known image analysis process on the photographed image to extract road feature information (S32). Characteristic information includes the presence / absence of branch roads, the direction of each road, the width of the road, the center line of the road, railroad crossings, traffic lights, road signs that indicate whether or not one-way traffic is allowed, especially “this destination stop” This includes road signboards, buildings, and stores that indicate whether or not they are available.

  Next, the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle 101 are acquired from the position detector 1 (S33). The traveling direction can be acquired from, for example, the history of the traveling track of the gyroscope 3 or the vehicle. Then, road map data around the current position of the vehicle 101 including at least the traveling direction of the vehicle 101 is read from the road map data 21m (S34), and the image captured by the camera 32 is compared with the road map data (S35). ).

  In step S35, the feature information extracted from the photographed image is compared with roads, stores, traffic lights, road signs, etc. included in the road map data in the traveling direction of the vehicle 101, and the presence / absence and positional relationship thereof are compared. The similarity between the feature information and the road map data is calculated. If the degree of similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the road ahead is determined as a data road. For example, when the map data has a front end at a T-junction, but the photographed image has a road extending forward, the road is determined to be a road outside data. It is a road when a dark gray strip image (road) is extracted from the photographed image, or when an image including a white or yellow line (center line etc.) is extracted in the dark gray strip portion Is determined. Further, when the positional relationship of the feature information represented by the distance is different by, for example, 3 m or more, it is determined that the feature information is not similar to the road map data.

  The guidance information creation / output process corresponding to step S16 in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the current position of the vehicle 101 is acquired from the position detector 1 (S51). Next, the front of the vehicle 101 is photographed with the camera 32 (S52). Then, a known image analysis process is performed in the image processing unit 89, and compared with the map data 21m, the data outside branch road that is not included in the map data 21m and branches off from the dataized road that follows the road that is running. The presence or absence of this is examined (S53).

  When there is no branch road outside the data (S54: No), a sign existing in the vicinity of the road currently being traveled is identified in the image taken by the camera 32, and a sign such as "No traffic" is added to the photographed image. When the information on the road that is currently being traveled is not included (S55: Yes), this process ends. At this time, since traveling forward is not possible, a message output such as prompting a U-turn may be performed by the display 10 or the speaker 15.

  On the other hand, when information indicating that a currently traveling road can be passed, such as a route guidance sign, is included (S55: No), it is a route that passes only data-completed roads, and therefore the distance of the route is determined in advance. The estimated required time to the destination is calculated using a known function of the navigation device 100 such as dividing by the speed that is obtained (S56). Then, the guide information including the estimated required time is created and output (S57).

  When there is a branch road outside the data (S54: Yes), a sign existing near the branch point of the branch road outside the data is specified in the image taken by the camera 32, and the passage through the branch road outside the data such as a route guide sign Is included (S58: No), a total expected required time calculation process for calculating the total expected required time when the non-data branch path is passed is executed (S59, described later). Then, after the processing of steps S58 and S59 is performed for all data outer branch paths included in the image captured by the camera 32 (S60: Yes), the output determined according to the type information of the road including the predicted connection point Sorting is performed based on the priority (S61). You may sort based on the total expected time. Then, based on the sorted result, guidance information including the total estimated required time is created and output (S57).

  The total expected required time calculation process corresponding to step S59 in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIG. First, when a data road has been included in the image taken by the camera 32 (S71: Yes), a guide route to the destination is searched on the condition that the data road is passed (S72). ). Next, an estimated required time from the current position of the vehicle 101 to the destination when traveling on the searched guide route is calculated (S73). The distance from the current position of the vehicle to the destination can be obtained with reference to the map data 21m. The estimated required time can be calculated by dividing the distance by a predetermined value such as 40 km / h or the current vehicle speed of the vehicle 101 acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 23. Then, the estimated arrival time to the destination is calculated from the current time acquired from the clock IC 88 and the calculated estimated required time (S74).

  Next, from the image of the data outside branch included in the image captured by the camera 32, the direction of the data outside branch is identified, and the data outside branch is regarded as a straight line and extended in that direction, Calculates the expected connection point between the route of the road outside the data and the dataized road covered in the road map data, which is the intersection with the dataized road included in the data 21m. (S75). Then, the estimated time required for the non-data road route in the route for the non-data road to the current position of the vehicle 101 and the predicted connection point is calculated (S76). The distance from the current position of the vehicle to the predicted connection point can be obtained with reference to the map data 21m. By dividing the distance by the vehicle speed in the same manner as in step S73 described above, it is possible to calculate the estimated time required for the non-data road route.

  Next, a guide route from the predicted connection point to the destination is searched (S77). Then, the estimated required time for the guide route from the predicted connection point to the destination when traveling on the searched guide route is calculated by the same method as described above (S78). Next, the total estimated required time is calculated by adding the estimated time required for the road outside the data and the estimated required time for the guide route (S79). Finally, the expected arrival time to the destination is calculated from the current time acquired from the clock IC 88 and the calculated total estimated required time (S80).

  An example of guidance information creation output will be described using the road map of FIG. When the current position of the vehicle 101 is P1, the image taken by the camera 32 is considered to be able to go straight ahead in addition to a data-ready road (prefectural road) that can turn left and a data-ready road (national road) that can turn right. An out-of-data road R1 is included. In this case, the route of the non-data road R1 is assumed to go straight as it is, and the connection point J3 between the prefectural road and the national road is assumed as the predicted connection point. When the road outside the data is a general road such as a prefectural road, an expected connection point with a toll road such as an expressway is an interchange or a toll gate.

  There are three guide routes to destination G: C4 via the national road, C5 via the prefectural road, and P1 to J3-G via the non-data road R1, and the estimated required time or the total expected required time for each guide route. , The estimated arrival time to the destination G is calculated. And guidance information is output in order with the shortest total estimated required time, ie, the early arrival arrival time.

  Next, when the current position of the vehicle 101 is P2, the image taken by the camera 32 includes a data outer road R2 that is considered to be capable of making a right turn and a data outer road R3 that is likely to be capable of making a left turn. In this case, for the roads outside the data (R2, R3), the routes of the roads outside the data are estimated as C21 and C31. Then, the predicted connection points on the data-converted roads of the routes C21 and C31 of the non-data road are calculated. The predicted connection point on the national road of route C21 is J1, and the predicted connection point on the prefectural road of route C31 is J2.

  The non-data road R3 is not a straight road, but when the current position of the vehicle 101 becomes P3, the traveling direction of the vehicle changes. Therefore, the predicted connection point is calculated again, and a new predicted connection point J21 is obtained. Calculated.

  And the guide route from the current position P2 of the vehicle 101 to the destination G via the predicted connection point J1 or J2 is searched as P2 to C21 to J1 to C22 to G, P2 to C31 to J2 to C32 to G, respectively. For these guidance routes, the estimated time required for the non-data road route and the guidance route (J1-C22-G, J2-C32-G) for the non-data road route (P2-C21-J1, P2-C31-J2). The total estimated required time obtained by adding the estimated route required time and the estimated arrival time to the destination G are calculated. Then, the guide information is output in the order of higher output priority or in the order of shorter total expected required time, that is, in the order of the expected arrival time.

  When no branch road is found at the point P2, guidance information is created and output so as to return to the P1 direction and travel on the guidance route C4 or C5.

  8 to 10 show setting examples of the output priority of guidance information. In FIG. 8, the output priority is set according to the road type, and the output priority is higher as the scale of the road manager is larger. In FIG. 9, the output priority is set by the road width, and the output priority is higher as the road width is wider. In FIG. 10, the output priority is set according to the number of lanes on the road, and the output priority increases as the number of lanes increases. Further, when the image taken by the camera 32 includes a road sign that is cautionary about traffic such as falling rocks or under construction, for example, the output priority value is increased by 1 (lowering the output priority). Thus, the output priority may be corrected. These output priorities may be used in combination.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of a display screen on the display 10 as an example of outputting guidance information. This is a display example in the case where the current position of the vehicle is P2 in FIG. As described with reference to FIG. 7, guidance information about two guidance routes (P2 to C21 to J1 to C22 to G, P2 to C31 to J2 to C32 to G) is output. In FIG. 11, two pieces of guidance information are displayed, but only the guidance routes (P2 to C21 to J1 to C22 to G) via national roads are displayed differently from other roads using the output priority according to the road type. It may be displayed in a pattern, and guidance information of the next output priority may be displayed by operating the operation switch group 7 or the like. Alternatively, a guide route with a short total estimated required time or a guide route with an expected arrival time to the destination G may be displayed in order.

  Of course, guidance information may be output from the speaker 15 by voice message.

  As shown in FIG. 11, a road outside data that has already been traveled may be displayed as a solid line.

  The storage process to the map data of the road outside data will be described with reference to FIG. When the vehicle 101 has reached the destination or the expected connection point (S91: Yes), it is checked whether or not the road outside the data has been traveled from the travel trajectory (S) stored in the memory 9 or the like, and the vehicle has traveled on the road outside the data. In the case (S92: Yes), the road outside the data is regarded as a data converted road, and link information, node information, etc. are stored in the map data 21m (S93).

  The shape of the road outside data approximates the corresponding travel locus (S) by a straight line or a curve. The width of the road is estimated from the image of the road outside the data taken by the camera 32. Further, if the number of lanes and the presence / absence of the center line can be specified from the image, they are stored together.

  Then, the road other than the data is also searched from the guide route search after storage. It is also displayed on the map.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the knowledge of those skilled in the art can be used without departing from the spirit of the claims. Various modifications based on this are possible.

The block diagram which shows the structure of a vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus. The figure which shows the example of installation of a camera. The flowchart explaining a main process. The flowchart explaining the road determination process outside data. The flowchart explaining guidance information creation output processing. The flowchart explaining total estimated required time calculation processing. The figure explaining the outline | summary of preparation of guidance information. The figure which shows the example of the output priority of guidance information. The figure which shows another example of the output priority of guidance information. The figure which shows another example of the output priority of guidance information. The figure which shows the example of a display of the guidance information in a display. The flowchart explaining the memory | storage process to the map data of the road outside data.

Explanation of symbols

1 position detector (position detection means, travel direction information acquisition means, travel locus acquisition means)
7 Operation switch group 8 Control circuit (traveling road judging means, road outside road data estimating means, expected connection point calculating means, guidance information creating / outputting means, guidance route searching means)
10 Display (Guide information creation / output means)
12 Remote control terminal 15 Speaker (Guide information creation / output means)
21 Hard disk drive (HDD)
21d database 21m map data (road map data storage means)
22 Touch panel 25 Communication unit 31 Microphone 32 Camera (photographing means)
89 Image processing unit (outside data branching path specifying means, sign specifying means)
100 Car navigation system

Claims (14)

Road map data storage means for storing road map data;
Position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle;
Traveling road determination means for determining whether the vehicle is traveling on a road outside the data not covered in the road map data;
Travel direction information acquisition means for acquiring travel direction information of the vehicle;
Out-of-data road route estimation means for estimating a route of the out-of-data road on the road map data based on the acquired traveling direction information of the vehicle;
On the road map data, an expected connection point calculation means for calculating an expected connection point between the route of the road outside the data and the data-completed road covered on the road map data;
Guidance information creation output means for creating and outputting guidance information related to traffic on the road outside the data based on the information of the predicted connection point calculated;
A vehicle-mounted navigation device comprising:   The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the guidance information is information reflecting an estimated required time to a destination when the route of the road outside the data is passed. Comprising a guide route searching means for searching for a guide route to the destination,
The guidance route search means searches for a guidance route from the predicted connection point to the destination,
The predicted required time calculation means determines a straight route from the current position of the vehicle to the predicted connection point as a route of the non-data road, and predicts a non-data road route that is an expected required time in the non-data road route. The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the total estimated required time is calculated by adding the required time and the estimated required route for the guide route from the predicted connection point to the destination. The travel direction information acquisition means repeatedly acquires the travel direction information at a predetermined time interval,
The in-vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the predicted connection point calculation means calculates the predicted connection point while updating the predicted connection point based on the travel direction information acquired sequentially. A photographing means for photographing an image of the traveling direction of the vehicle;
5. The non-data road route estimation unit estimates a route of the non-data road on the road map data using the captured image. 6. Car navigation system.   6. The data outside branch road specifying means for specifying the data outside road as a data outside branch road that branches from the data converted road that follows the road that is running based on the captured image. In-vehicle navigation device. The predicted connection point calculation means calculates the predicted connection point between the identified data outside branch road and the data converted road,
The in-vehicle navigation according to claim 6, wherein the guidance information creation / output means creates and outputs information on the data-converted road that is expected to be connected when traveling on the branch road outside the data as the guidance information. apparatus. The estimated required time calculation means includes an estimated required time when the data outside branch road travels on the data outside branch road among the routes from the branch point of the data outside branch road to the data converted road, and the data conversion. Calculated the estimated time required for traveling on a completed road,
8. The in-vehicle apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the guidance information creation / output unit determines a route that is more advantageous in time based on the comparison of the calculation results, and creates and outputs the guidance information as identifying the determination results. Navigation device. Based on the captured image, comprising a sign specifying means for specifying a sign that exists near a branch point of the outside data branch,
The guide information creating / outputting unit creates and outputs the guide information on the basis of the specified information on the sign, assuming that a travelable branch route can be identified among a plurality of branch routes including the outside data branch route. The in-vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 5 to 8. The road map data includes road type information,
10. The output priority of the guide information by the guide information creating / outputting unit is set to a different level according to the type of the data-converted road to which the road outside the data is connected. The vehicle-mounted navigation device according to any one of claims.   The in-vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the guide information creation / output unit displays a route of the non-data road on the road map data on the road map data. A travel locus obtaining means for obtaining a travel locus of the vehicle;
The in-vehicle use according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the guide information creation / output unit creates a travel route of the vehicle based on a travel locus of the vehicle and displays the travel route on the road map data. Navigation device.   The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 12, wherein the road map data storage unit stores a travel locus of the vehicle up to the predicted connection point as new road data when the vehicle reaches the predicted connection point.   The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 13, wherein the route search means uses the stored new road data when searching the guide route.

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