JP2009257965A - Navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation device capable of guiding a route having a low stop frequency, when a vehicle travels from a stating place to a destination. <P>SOLUTION: This navigation device 100, which is a device for searching for a recommendation route from the stating place S to the destination E, displaying route information searched for on a prescribed display screen, and guiding the vehicle C to the destination E, has a searching means 38 for searching for a traveling route from the stating place S to the destination E, corresponding to the stop frequency during traveling of the vehicle C from the stating place S to the destination E; and an informing means 36 for informing of the traveling route searched for by the searching means 38. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device that displays and guides (navigates) route information from a vehicle position to a destination on a predetermined display screen, and particularly reflects traffic congestion information experienced by a driver in route guidance. It is about technology.

  In recent years, a navigation device is generally mounted on a vehicle mainly for the purpose of route guidance to a destination.

  In the navigation device mounted on the vehicle in this way, for example, an occupant including a driver uses the operation screen (HMI (Human Machine I / F)) to specify information specifying a destination such as a postal code, an address, or a telephone number. If set, the current position of the vehicle detected by the current position detection process (hereinafter referred to as “own vehicle position”) is used as a departure point to search for a travel route from the departure point to the set destination. The recommended route information is displayed on the display screen. As a result, the driver can steer the vehicle to the destination without wasteful travel in terms of time and fuel consumption in accordance with the route guidance presented by the navigation device.

  In the above route search, in general, a link cost for a road link connecting between node points set at predetermined locations along the road is calculated, and a road cost representing the sum of the link costs from the departure point to the destination is calculated. The search is performed by connecting the road links so as to minimize the distance, and the distance, the road type, and the like can be set as the search conditions.

  In recent years, it has become possible to acquire road traffic jam information and the like via a data communication device provided in a navigation device, and thus the acquired traffic jam information and the like can be displayed on the screen together with route guidance information. It was.

  However, the operation of the navigation device described above is merely an example of the basic operation of the route guidance function of the device, and the traffic information actually experienced by the driver is reflected in the route guidance. However, more effective guidance can be given to the driver.

Therefore, conventionally, “a technology related to route guidance reflecting traffic information (when the speed decreases) experienced by the driver” as described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.
JP 2001-12956 A

  However, in the conventional navigation devices listed above, route guidance reflecting a decrease in the traveling speed of the vehicle is realized, but the troublesomeness of the driver due to the high frequency of stopping of the vehicle is not considered, and the purpose is It cannot be said that the route guidance that fully reflects the driver's traffic jam experience in the route guidance to the ground. As a result, the travel section with a high stop frequency becomes a bottleneck (both roads), and the driver cannot travel comfortably.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device capable of guiding a route with a low stop frequency when a vehicle travels from a departure location to a destination in view of the above-described problems of the prior art.

  In order to achieve the above object, a navigation device of the present invention searches for a recommended route from a departure place to a destination, displays the searched route information on a predetermined display screen, and guides the vehicle to the destination. A search means for searching a travel route from the departure place to the destination according to a stop frequency while the vehicle is running from the departure place to the destination, and the search means And a notification means for notifying the travel route.

  In order to achieve the above object, the navigation device of the present invention has a specifying means for specifying a travel section having a high stop frequency from a plurality of travel sections from the departure place to the destination based on the stop frequency. Then, the search means searches for an avoidance route from the starting point to the destination that avoids the travel section with the high stop frequency specified by the specifying means as the travel route.

  With such a configuration, the navigation device of the present invention records, as travel route learning information, information on the average speed, the number of stops, and the average fuel consumption for each fixed distance when the vehicle travels from the departure point to the destination. Based on the recorded travel route learning information, for example, search for a travel route that avoids a section where the stop frequency is high in the travel route and becomes a bottleneck in travel, depending on the stop frequency The travel route is searched and a route with a low stop frequency is guided based on the search result.

  In order to achieve the above object, the navigation device of the present invention has holding means for holding a predetermined threshold value for determining whether or not the traveling section has a high stopping frequency, and the specifying means is provided for each traveling section. And comparing the value representing the stopping frequency acquired by the acquiring means with a predetermined threshold value held by the holding means, and identifying a traveling section having a high stopping frequency based on the comparison result. .

  In order to achieve the above object, the navigation device according to the present invention is configured such that the search unit includes a link cost for a road link corresponding to a travel section other than the travel section with the high stop frequency specified by the specifying means. The road link is connected based on the calculated link cost, and the avoidance route is searched.

  In order to achieve the above object, the navigation device of the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires the stop frequency, and the acquisition unit holds a stop that is held by another vehicle in addition to the stop frequency of the host vehicle. It is characterized by acquiring the frequency.

  In order to achieve the above object, the navigation device according to the present invention includes a traveling section having a high stopping frequency specified by the specifying unit and other traveling sections among a plurality of traveling sections from the departure place to the destination. And a display means for displaying on the display screen in a different display mode.

  Thus, the navigation device of the present invention can guide a route with a low stop frequency when the vehicle travels from the departure place to the destination.

  According to the present invention, when a vehicle travels from a departure place to a destination, a route with a low stop frequency can be guided.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiments”) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
<Hardware configuration>
Now, the hardware configuration of the navigation device according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of a navigation device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The navigation device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a control circuit 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a current location detection device 14, an auxiliary storage device 15, a display device 16, The input device 17, the data communication device 20, the drive device 21, and the interface device 23 are configured to detect the vehicle position and display a road map around the vehicle position. It also has a function for calculating the recommended route up to and a function for guiding the route based on the calculated recommended route. The navigation device 100 is a device that performs so-called navigation or road guidance.

  The control circuit 11 is composed of a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits, and is a circuit that controls the entire apparatus. The ROM 12 is a memory that stores a predetermined control program (software component) executed by the control circuit 11. The RAM 13 executes a predetermined control program (software component) stored in the ROM 12. This is a memory used as a work area (work area) when performing various controls. Therefore, the control circuit 11 performs a predetermined route search process based on the map data stored in the predetermined storage area, and the processing result is displayed as a recommended route.

  Next, the current location detection device 14 is a device that detects the current location of the vehicle. For example, a vibration gyro 14a that detects the traveling direction of the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor 14b that detects the vehicle speed, and a GPS from a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite. A GPS sensor 14c for detecting a signal is used. Thus, based on the current location of the vehicle detected by the current location detection device 14, the display range of the map, the route search start point, etc. are determined, and the current location is displayed on the map.

  The auxiliary storage device 15 is a device that stores various types of information such as road map data and POI information (point of interest tourist spots and various facilities information) used for navigation processing, and is an HDD (nonvolatile storage device). Hard Disk Drive) is used. In addition to the auxiliary storage device 15, the various information may be a recording medium 22 such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-ROM) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and is stored in the recording medium 22. Various information can be read via the drive device 21. Therefore, various information can be obtained by setting the recording medium 22 in the drive device 21 as necessary.

  Next, the display device 16 is a device that displays various data such as image data temporarily stored in an image memory (not shown) from the control circuit 11 on a display screen. For example, on the display screen of the display device 16, a vehicle position mark indicating the vehicle position, route information, guidance information, and the like are displayed together with a road map. The display device 16 also displays an operation screen for an occupant operating the function of the navigation device 100 to perform an operation request or setting.

  The input device 17 is a device for an occupant to perform various input operations via the operation screen. The input device 17 includes a touch panel switch provided so as to be superimposed on the display screen of the display device 16 and a joystick for instructing movement of the cursor or scrolling of the display screen. Further, the input device 17 may be a remote control switch or a hardware key provided around the display screen.

  Next, the data communication device 20 is a device that is connected to an external communication network to acquire various information on the Internet and transmits predetermined information to a request source. Therefore, the information management center (information management server) is accessed via the Internet, and road traffic information such as traffic jam information is acquired.

  Next, the interface device 23 transmits bidirectional data between the external system 24 configured by other devices (external devices) mounted on the vehicle and the navigation device 100 via a data transmission path (not shown). A device that performs communication. Therefore, by acquiring predetermined information from the external system 24, new information provision is realized in the navigation device 100 (function expansion can be performed).

  Thus, in the navigation device 100 according to the present embodiment, various navigations are performed based on the vehicle position information acquired by the current location detection device 14 and the map information stored in the recording medium 22 or the auxiliary storage device 15. Do.

<Function to present bottleneck section and avoidance route>
The navigation device 100 according to the present embodiment displays the vehicle position and a road map in the vicinity thereof on the display device 16, prompts the driver to steer the vehicle according to the travel route obtained by the route search, and reaches the destination. The vehicle is guided.

  Among these, the navigation device 100 becomes a bottleneck in traveling because the stop frequency is high in the travel route based on the travel route learning information recorded when the vehicle travels from the departure place to the destination. The section (hereinafter referred to as “bottleneck section”) is notified to the driver, and when an avoidance route search instruction is received from the driver, a new travel route (avoidance route) that avoids the bottleneck section is displayed. It has a function of searching and guiding a travel route with a low stop frequency based on the search result (hereinafter referred to as “route guidance function”). Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the function will be described.

<< Configuration >>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a route guidance function according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The navigation device 100 according to the present embodiment includes an input unit 31 that receives an operation request or setting from a driver that is a function of the input device 17, and a detection unit that detects a vehicle position that is a function of the current location detection device 14. 32, a road map matching unit 33 that matches the detected vehicle position to a coordinate space on the road map based on the map information 41 and the road information 43, and when the vehicle travels from the departure place to the destination. A travel route learning unit (information storage unit) 34 that stores and records acquired information as travel route learning information 61 in a predetermined storage area, and one or more learned travel routes based on the recorded travel route learning information 61. Each of the information includes a travel route extracting unit 35 that extracts from a predetermined storage area, information on a bottleneck section, information on a travel route, and the like that are functions of the display device 16. A display unit 36 for displaying information on the screen, a bottleneck section identifying unit 37 for identifying a bottleneck section in the traveling route selected via the input unit 31 based on the bottleneck identifying information 62, and a traveling route And an avoidance route search unit 38 that searches for a travel route that avoids the bottleneck section based on the map information 41, the destination information 42, and the road information 43, and realizes the route guidance function.

  Further, each function unit refers to predetermined data stored in a predetermined storage area of the auxiliary storage device 15 to realize the route guidance function. These predetermined data will be briefly described.

(Map information)
The map information 41 includes map display data, route search data, guidance data (intersection name / road name / direction name / direction guide facility information, etc.) and the like. The map display data is data for displaying a road or a background of a road map. The route search data is data including branch information that is not directly related to the road shape, and is mainly used when calculating (route search) a recommended route. The guidance data is data including names of intersections and the like, and is used when a driving route is guided to a driver or the like based on the calculated recommended route.

(Destination information)
The destination information 42 is POI information and includes destination data, position data, and the like. Destination data is data consisting of information on destination candidates such as sightseeing spots and facilities, etc., and position data is data consisting of information indicating the position (latitude / longitude) of each destination. Is mainly used when displaying a destination on a road map during route guidance.

(Road information)
The road information 43 includes road type data and the like. Road type data is data consisting of information on road types such as highway automobile national roads, automobile exclusive roads, general national roads, main local roads, general prefectural roads, general city roads in designated cities, and other living roads. The data is mainly used when displaying route guidance based on the scale of a road map.

  For each of the above information, only basic information is first stored in the auxiliary storage device 15 and sequentially updated to the latest information. As an information update method, for example, the latest information is installed from the recording medium 22 via the drive device 21, or the latest information is downloaded from the predetermined information management center via the electric communication line by the data communication device 20 and installed. Such as methods.

(Driving route learning information)
The travel route learning information 61 is data that the travel route learning unit 34 acquires and stores in the auxiliary storage device 15 at the time of vehicle departure, vehicle travel, vehicle arrival, and the like. It is determined in advance as to what information is acquired and stored (what information is learned). For example, when the vehicle travels, information related to the travel route, average speed per fixed distance, number of stops, average fuel consumption, and the like are acquired and stored. Details of the travel route learning information 61 will be described later.

(Information for identifying bottlenecks)
The bottleneck identifying information 62 is information on each threshold corresponding to information regarding the average speed, the number of stops, and the average fuel consumption used when the bottleneck section identifying unit 37 identifies a bottleneck section with a high stopping frequency in the travel route. It is data. These data are set in advance for each road type via the input unit 31 based on a setting screen for setting each threshold, and are stored in the auxiliary storage device 15. As information update methods, in addition to manual update by the above screen input, for example, the latest information is installed from the recording medium 22 via the drive device 21, or predetermined information management is performed by the data communication device 20 via an electric communication line. It may be a method of downloading and installing the latest information from the center.

  Up to this point, each functional unit and related data that realize the route guidance function according to the present embodiment have been briefly described. From here, the “(1) travel route learning function”, “(2) bottleneck section presentation function”, and “(3) avoidance route presentation function” in the route guidance function will be described in order, and the route according to the present embodiment The guidance function will be described in detail.

(1) Travel route learning function The navigation device 100 according to the present embodiment learns the travel of the vehicle from the departure point to the destination, including travel in a traffic jam experienced by the driver.

(Learn driving route)
The navigation device 100 first stores and records predetermined information in the auxiliary storage device 15 by the travel route learning unit 34 at the time of vehicle departure, vehicle travel, vehicle arrival, and the like. Do learning. Here, “learning” means recording and storing predetermined information.

  Therefore, in the navigation device 100, when the vehicle departs based on the vehicle information acquired by the acquisition unit 51 of the vehicle information acquisition device (vehicle information acquisition system) 24 a connected via the interface device 23 included in the device, Judgment is made when the vehicle is traveling or when it arrives

  More specifically, the information acquired by the acquisition unit 51 includes data detected when the ACC (accessory power supply) is turned on / off, door opening / closing, and the like, and vehicle speed, fuel consumption, and the like. For example, the navigation device 100 determines when the vehicle departs or arrives based on the acquired detection data such as ON / OFF of the ACC and opening / closing of the door. Based on detection data such as fuel consumption, it is determined when the vehicle is running.

  The travel route learning unit 34 stores and records predetermined information in the auxiliary storage device 15 according to the stop / run state of the vehicle thus determined.

  The predetermined information recorded by the travel route learning unit 34 at the time of vehicle departure or vehicle arrival includes own vehicle position information, date information, and time information. The own vehicle position information is information composed of latitude / longitude data representing the position of the vehicle detected by the detection unit 32 of the current position detection device 14. The date information is information composed of year / month / day data representing the current date acquired from an in-vehicle clock (not shown), and the time information is information composed of hour / minute / second data representing the current time. It is.

  The predetermined information recorded by the travel route learning unit 34 when the vehicle travels includes road link information, average speed information, stop count information, and average fuel consumption information. The road link information is information including data (ID) that identifies a road link in which the vehicle position is matched to a coordinate space on the road map by the road map matching unit 33 and specified as a traveling road. This is information including data representing the number of times the vehicle speed acquired by the acquisition unit 51 of the vehicle information acquisition device 24a becomes 0 (km / h). However, stop by signal is not included in the number of stops. The average speed information is information including data obtained by dividing the vehicle speed acquired by the acquisition unit 51 of the vehicle information acquisition device 24a for each fixed distance by the number of acquisitions, and the average fuel consumption is acquired for each fixed distance. This is information consisting of data obtained by dividing the obtained fuel consumption by the number of acquisitions.

For example, in FIG. 3, learning information (A) that the travel route learning unit 34 records as travel route learning information 61 when the vehicle C travels from the departure point S to the destination E via the roads R 1 _to Rn. To (C) are shown. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the average speed 30 (km / h) between the travel distance 2 to 4 km from the departure point S acquired by the travel route learning unit 34 while traveling on the road R ₁ in the figure. When a stop number 2 (times), the average fuel consumption 10 (miles / l) from become acquired data (a), is recorded as the travel route learning information 61 corresponding to the road _{R 1.} Further, acquired during running on a road _{R 2} in the figure, the average speed 10 until the travel distance 4~6km point from the starting point S (miles / h), stops the number 8 and (times), the average fuel consumption 5 (km / l) because comprising acquiring data (B), as well as get into the road _{R 3} traveling in the figure, the average speed between the up travel distance 6~8km point from the departure point S 25 (km / h), acquisition data (C) comprising the number of stops 3 (times) and average fuel consumption 8 (km / l) are recorded as travel route learning information 61 corresponding to road R ₂ and road R ₃ , respectively. .

  As described above, the travel route learning unit 34 records the average speed information, the stop count information, and the average fuel consumption information for each road link of the traveled road during vehicle travel. Further, since the travel route learning unit 34 records the various information for each road link, the travel route learning unit 34 records the information at the timing when the road link is switched during vehicle travel. In other words, until the road link is switched, data is acquired and accumulated at regular intervals, and the accumulated data is averaged (in the case of average speed and average fuel efficiency) or accumulated data at the timing when the road link is switched. Record as is (in the case of the number of stops).

(Driving route learning information)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the travel route learning information 61 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The running route learning section 34 running route learning information 61 stored by is information as shown in FIG. 4, in which the departure point information D ₁ is information that is recorded at the time of vehicle starting, is recorded at the time of vehicle arrival arrival and land information D _2, is composed of a travel route information D ₃ is information that is recorded at the time of vehicle running, the running route learning for each travel route vehicle has traveled (for example, every travel route N from the travel route 1 in the drawing) Information 61 _n is stored in the auxiliary storage device 15. The one or more travel route learning information 61 _n stored in this way is managed by, for example, a predetermined file system or database.

The data structure shown in FIG. 4 described above is an example of the data structure of the travel route learning information 61, and the present invention is not limited to this structure. For example, based on the travel route, when referring to the driving route learning information 61 recorded therein, the departure point information D ₁ corresponding to the travel route, the arrival information D _2, travel route information D ₃ and can obtain If it is.

Further, in the navigation device 100, when the travel route learning unit 34 records the travel route learning information 61 when the vehicle arrives, the display unit 36 displays a recording confirmation screen and issues a save instruction from the driver via the input unit 31. The travel route learning information 61 may be made permanent after being accepted, and the travel route to be learned by the driver can be selected by making the final record in this way interactive. Further, the travel route learning information 61, based on the date information and time information constituting the departure information D _1, may be classified by days and hours recorded for each travel route, by recording in this manner Thus, a finite storage resource (recording area of the auxiliary storage device 15) can be used effectively.

Thus, the navigation apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the driving route learning section 34, based on the information obtained from such vehicle information acquisition unit 24a and the current position detection device 14, the departure point information D ₁ of the time the vehicle starting, The travel route information D ₃ at the time of vehicle travel and the arrival location information D ₂ at the time of vehicle arrival are recorded as travel route learning information 61, thereby learning the travel of the vehicle from the departure point S to the destination E.

(2) Presentation of bottleneck section The navigation device 100 according to the present embodiment presents a bottleneck section having a high stop frequency in the travel route to the driver based on the travel route learning information 61.

(List display of learned driving routes)
The navigation device 100 displays a list of the travel routes learned by the travel route learning unit 34 on the screen of the display device 16. More specifically, the travel route extraction section 35, a predetermined storage area predetermined search condition (vehicle position information, for example the starting point information D _1, date information, and time information, etc..) Of the auxiliary storage device 15 a Based on the travel route learning information 61 (learned travel route) that has been searched and recorded based on the travel route learning information 61 that includes information corresponding to the search condition. The display unit 36 displays the travel route based on the acquired travel route learning information 61. As a result of the search by the travel route extraction unit 35, if there is no corresponding travel route learning information 61, the display unit 36 displays that there is no record of the corresponding travel route.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen for selecting a travel route after learning according to the first embodiment of the present invention. When the input unit 31 accepts that an operation button (not shown) for selecting a travel route after learning has been pressed, the navigation device 100 displays a travel route selection screen as shown in FIG. To do.

  When the driver selects a desired travel route from the displayed travel route selection screen, as shown in the touch operation of FIG. 5, the input unit 31 accepts the selection instruction and is selected by the bottleneck section specifying unit 37. The bottleneck section in the travel route is specified.

(Identification of bottleneck section)
The navigation device 100 refers to the travel route learning information 61 corresponding to the selected travel route by the bottleneck section specifying unit 37 and based on the bottleneck specifying information 62 set in advance, Identify the bottleneck section.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation example for specifying the bottleneck section B according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Bottleneck section identifying unit 37 refers to the auxiliary storage device 15, and the travel route information D ₃ corresponding to the selected travel route, and acquires the bottleneck identification information 62.

Travel route, since it is a route from the departure point S to the destination E via a plurality of road Rn, travel route information D ₃ learned as the travel route learning information 61, the road R in the travel route It corresponds. In the example of FIG. 6, since the travel route is from the departure point S to the destination E via the roads R ₁ to R ₃ , _three travel routes corresponding to the roads R ₁ , R ₂ , and R ₃ respectively. the information D ₃ has been learned. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the bottleneck section identifying unit 37 generates travel route information D ₃ that is (C) from three learning data (A) corresponding to each of the roads R ₁ , R ₂ , and R _3. get.

Subsequently, the bottleneck section identifying unit 37 refers to the road information 43 based on the acquired road link information of the travel route information D ₃ was to determine the type of the road R in the travel route.

Thereby, the bottleneck section specifying unit 37 sets the threshold values of the average speed, the number of stops, and the average fuel consumption of the bottleneck specifying information 62 corresponding to the determined road type, and the travel route information D ₃ corresponding to the road R. The average speed, the number of stops, and the average fuel consumption are compared, and the road R is identified as the bottleneck section B according to a predetermined determination formula.

The predetermined determination formula is shown below.
(A) Judgment formula for the number of stops: C ≧ C _lim
(B) Determination formula of average speed: V ≦ V _lim
(C) Average fuel consumption judgment formula: L ≦ L _lim
The variables of the above judgment formula indicate the following values.
・ Stop threshold (C _lim ) Learned stop count (C)
・ Threshold of average speed (V _lim ) Value of learned average speed (V)
・ Threshold of average fuel consumption (L _lim ) Value of learned average fuel consumption (L)
Bottleneck section identifying unit 37, the as shown in the discriminants shown from (a) (c), the average speed, stop times of the travel route information D _3, or the value of the average fuel consumption, the threshold of average speed below , above the threshold value of the stop times, or when it is determined that meets the threshold one of the following conditions the average fuel consumption, identifies the road R which road link information of the travel route information D ₃ corresponding as a bottleneck section B To do.

  The bottleneck section specifying unit 37 repeats the determination described above by the number of roads R in the travel route (repeated for each of a plurality of road links from the departure point S to the destination E), and the bottleneck section B is specified.

  Since the bottleneck section specifying unit 37 specifies the bottleneck section B having a high stop frequency, the determination (a) is first performed based on the number of stops, and if the stop number is equal to or greater than the threshold, the average speed The determination based on (b) and the determination based on average fuel consumption (c) are sequentially performed. Here, the bottleneck section B is specified based on the determination order, but the combination of the determination orders based on the determination formulas can be changed.

  Moreover, although the bottleneck area specific | specification part 37 demonstrated above showed the example which specifies the bottleneck area B based on the driving | running route learning information 61 which recorded and learned the driving | running | working of the own vehicle, driving | running route learning information 61 does not have to be travel record (travel history) information of the own vehicle. For example, since the navigation device 100 includes the data communication device 20, other vehicles can be communicated with each other by performing bidirectional communication. The identification may be performed based on the travel route learning information 61 held by.

(Display of calculated bottleneck section)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen that displays the bottleneck section B according to the first embodiment of the present invention. When the navigation device 100 is specified by the bottleneck section specifying unit 37, the result of matching the vehicle position with the coordinate space on the road map by the road map matching unit 33 and the travel extracted by the travel route extracting unit 35. Based on the route and the bottleneck section B specified by the bottleneck section specifying unit 37, a road map of the travel route including the bottleneck section B is displayed on the screen of the display device 16.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the display unit 36 displays the road R in the travel route with the road R specified as the bottleneck section B and the other roads R in different display modes.

  The display unit 36 also displays an avoidance route search button on the screen so that the driver can instruct a search for a new travel route that avoids the bottleneck section B after confirming the bottleneck section B in the travel route. 71 is displayed. When the driver touches the avoidance route search button 71, the input unit 31 receives a search instruction, and the avoidance route search unit 38 is instructed to search for a new travel route.

  Thus, in the navigation device 100 according to this embodiment, the bottleneck section specifying unit 37 specifies the road R corresponding to the bottleneck section B in the travel route, and the display unit 36 specifies the specified bottleneck section B. The driving route including is displayed on the road map. Thereby, the bottleneck section B with a high stop frequency in the travel route can be clearly presented to the driver.

(3) Presentation of Avoidance Route The navigation device 100 according to the present embodiment performs a new travel that avoids the bottleneck section B based on the travel route learning information 61, the map information 41, the destination information 42, and the road information 43. Present the route to the driver.

(Route search to avoid bottleneck section)
In the navigation device 100, the avoidance route search unit 38 searches for a new travel route that avoids the bottleneck section B based on the travel route learning information 61, the map information 41, the destination information 42, and the road information 43. At this time, the avoidance route search unit 38 uses the bottleneck section specifying unit 37 to calculate the link cost for the road link that connects the node points set at predetermined locations along the road R in the travel route. A road cost is calculated for a road link other than the road link corresponding to the identified bottleneck section B, and the road cost representing the sum of the link costs from the departure point S to the destination E is minimized. Connect the link and search for a new travel route.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of avoidance route search according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 8, the search example bypass route when a bottleneck section identifying unit 37 has identified the road R ₂ a bottleneck section B are the indicated, before identifying bottlenecks section B, from the road R ₂ The road which is the travel route (S → R ₁ → R ₂ → R ₃ → E) to the destination E via R ₃ is used to search for the road R in the bottleneck section B by the search method described above. avoidance road _R new travel route via the _{R 3New} from _{2new (S → R 1 → R} 2new → R 3new → E) are searched.

(Display search results)
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen that displays an avoidance route according to the first embodiment of the present invention. When a new travel route is searched for by the avoidance route search unit 38, the navigation device 100 uses the new travel route as an avoidance route as in the case where the road map of the travel route including the bottleneck section B is displayed. Is displayed.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the display unit 36 displays the travel route including the bottleneck section B and the avoidance route in different display modes.

  The display unit 36 displays a guidance start button 72 on the screen so that the driver can instruct route guidance according to the avoidance route after confirming the avoidance route. When the driver touches the guidance start button 72, the input unit 31 receives a start instruction and starts route guidance according to the avoidance route.

  Thus, in the navigation device 100 according to the present embodiment, the avoidance route search unit 38 searches for a new travel route that avoids the bottleneck section B in the travel route, and the display unit 36 displays the searched travel route. Display on the road map as an avoidance route. Thereby, the avoidance route which avoids the bottleneck section B with a high stop frequency can be clearly presented to the driver.

  In the description of the navigation device 100, the display unit 36 displays the bottleneck section B having a high stopping frequency in the travel route specified by the bottleneck section specifying unit 37 on the screen together with the road map and notifies the driver. Later, when a search instruction for an avoidance route was received by the input unit 31, the avoidance route search unit 38 explained a configuration in which a new travel route that avoids the bottleneck section B is searched and presented to the driver. For example, instead of performing the avoidance route search after receiving the avoidance route search instruction, the avoidance route may be automatically searched when the bottleneck section B is specified. As a result, the driver simply selects the learned travel route, and even if the bottleneck section B exists in the selected travel route, the driver does not need to explicitly issue a search instruction for the avoidance route. , You can know the avoidance route and do not feel bothered by the operation.

  In addition, the navigation device 100 may be configured to hold control values for controlling these operations (switching the operations). In this case, the navigation device 100 can be set via the input unit 31, and the set control values are set. The operation is determined based on the above.

  The navigation device 100 according to the present embodiment has the route guidance function described above, so that when the vehicle C travels from the departure point S to the destination E, it guides a route with a low stop frequency. Can do.

  The operation of each functional unit described so far is realized by, for example, reading a program (software component) stored in the ROM 12 of the navigation device 100 onto the RAM 13 and executing it by the control circuit 11. The

  The transmission / reception of various data performed between the functional units will be described in the following operational procedure of the functional units.

<< Operation >>
An operation procedure of each functional unit that realizes the travel route learning and route guidance function according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to flowcharts.

(1) Setting operation of bottleneck identification condition FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a bottleneck identification condition setting processing procedure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the navigation device 100, the display unit 36 displays a road type selection screen, and the input unit 31 receives a road type selection instruction (step S101).

  Subsequently, in the navigation apparatus 100, the display unit 36 displays a threshold setting screen for average speed corresponding to the selected road type. At this time, the display unit 36 displays a default value of a threshold set in advance corresponding to the road type. The input value received by the input unit 31 via such a setting screen is set as a threshold value for the average speed of the bottleneck specifying information 62 (step S102).

  In the same manner, the display unit 36 displays each threshold setting screen for the number of stops and average fuel consumption corresponding to the selected road type, and the input value received by the input unit 31 via each setting screen is displayed as a bottleneck. The number of stops of the specifying information 62 and the threshold values of the average fuel consumption are set (steps S103 and S104).

  Thus, the navigation apparatus 100 sets the specific condition (threshold value) for each road type used when specifying the bottleneck section B in the travel route by the above processing procedure. In addition, such bottleneck specifying conditions are set as a bottleneck specifying condition associated with a learned travel route when a vehicle travels according to a new travel route (a travel route that has never been learned). It only needs to be set once at the very beginning before specifying the neck section.

(2) Learning Operation at Vehicle Departure FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a learning process procedure at the time of vehicle departure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The navigation device 100 acquires vehicle information by the acquisition unit 51 of the vehicle information acquisition device 24a connected via the interface device 23 included in the device (step S201), and acquires the acquired vehicle information (ACC on and door opening / closing). Based on the detected result, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is leaving (step S202).

In step S202, for example, when it is determined that the vehicle has started by detecting ACC on or door opening / closing (when step S202 is YES), the travel route learning unit 34 determines the vehicle position information at the departure point S. acquires departure information _{D 1} of the such as date information, and time information (step S203), the departure point information _{D 1} acquired, and stored in a predetermined storage area of the auxiliary storage device 15 to record (step S204).

  Further, in step S202, for example, when it is determined that the ACC is not turned on or the door is opened and closed and it is determined that the vehicle is not departing (if step S202 is NO), the process returns to step S201, and the vehicle is determined to be departing. Repeat the process until

Thus the navigation device 100, by the above procedure, based on the obtainable vehicle information from the vehicle C, by storing the departure information D ₁ in a predetermined storage area recording, the starting and departure point S Information related to the vehicle C is learned.

(3) Learning Operation Upon Arrival of Vehicle FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a learning process procedure upon arrival of the vehicle according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The navigation device 100 acquires vehicle information by the acquisition unit 51 of the vehicle information acquisition device 24a connected via the interface device 23 included in the device (step S301), and acquires the acquired vehicle information (ACC off and door opening / closing). Based on the detected result, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has arrived (step S302).

In step S302, for example, when it is determined that the vehicle has arrived by detecting ACC off or door opening / closing (when step S302 is YES), the travel route learning unit 34 determines the vehicle position information at the destination E. acquires arrival information _{D 2,} such as date information, and time information (step S303), the arrival information _{D 2} acquired and stored in a predetermined storage area of the auxiliary storage device 15 to record (step S304).

  In step S302, for example, when it is determined that ACC off or door opening / closing is not detected and the vehicle is not departing (if step S302 is NO), the process returns to step S301, and it is determined that the vehicle has arrived. Repeat the process until

Thus the navigation device 100, by the above procedure, based on the obtainable vehicle information from the vehicle C, and stores the arrival information D ₂ in a predetermined storage area by recording, arrival and destination E Learning of information related to the vehicle S is performed.

(4) Learning Operation During Vehicle Travel FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a learning process procedure during vehicle travel according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The navigation device 100 determines whether or not the vehicle C has departed from the departure place S (step S401).

  When it is determined in step S401 that the vehicle C has not yet departed from the departure place S (when step S401 is NO), the process is terminated.

  If it is determined in step S401 that the vehicle C has already departed (if step S401 is YES), it is determined whether or not the vehicle C has arrived from the destination E (step S402).

  If it is determined in step S402 that the vehicle C has arrived (if step S402 is YES), the process ends.

  If it is determined in step S402 that the vehicle C has not yet arrived at the destination E (if step S402 is NO), the vehicle position detected by the detection unit 32 of the current location detection device 14 However, the road map matching unit 33 acquires the road link information (road link ID) specified as the running road R matched with the coordinate space on the road map (S403).

  Subsequently, the navigation device 100 determines whether or not the road link in the travel route has been switched by traveling of the vehicle C based on the acquired road link information (step S404).

  If it is determined in step S404 that the road link has not been switched (if step S404 is NO), the process is terminated.

When it is determined that the road link is switched in (when the step S404 is YES) in step S404, the travel route learning unit 34, the acquired road link information before switching, as the travel route information D ₃ The data is stored and recorded in a predetermined storage area of the auxiliary storage device 15 (step S405).

  Subsequently, the travel route learning unit 34 obtains the average speed information that is an average value of the speed data and the average fuel efficiency information that is an average value of the fuel consumption data, which are acquired at a certain distance before switching and accumulated. The calculated average speed information and average fuel efficiency information are respectively stored and recorded in predetermined storage areas (steps S406 and S407).

  Further, the travel route learning unit 34 counts until switching, stores and records the accumulated stop count information in a predetermined storage area, and ends the process (step S408).

As described above, the navigation device 100 switches the road link based on various information (road link ID, average speed, number of stops, average fuel consumption, etc.) that can be acquired from the traveling vehicle C by the above processing procedure. in which the travel route information D ₃ by performing learning of information relating to vehicle S when stored travels in a predetermined storage area.

(5) Bottleneck Section and Avoidance Route Presentation Operation FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the display processing procedure of the bottleneck section B and the avoidance route according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The navigation device 100 is running route learning section 34, the vehicle position information at the departure point S, acquires departure information D ₁ of the such as date information, and time information (step S501), the traveling route extraction unit 35, acquires Based on the departure place information D ₁ (search condition), a predetermined storage area of the auxiliary storage device 15 is searched (step S502).

  In step S502, when there is no corresponding travel route (learned travel route) (when step S502 is NO), the process is terminated. At this time, the display unit 36 displays on the screen of the display device 15 that there is no corresponding travel route, and terminates the processing after receiving that the input unit 31 has pressed the driver's information confirmation button (not shown). You may make it do.

  If there is a corresponding travel route (learned travel route) in step S502 (if step S502 is YES), the travel route extraction unit 35 finds the corresponding travel route learning information 61 acquired. The display unit 36 displays a list of travel routes on the screen of the display device 15 based on the received travel route learning information 61 (step S504).

  Subsequently, the navigation apparatus 100 waits until the input unit 31 receives a driving route selection instruction from the driver (a touch operation on the display screen) (NO in step S505).

  In Step S505, when a travel route selection instruction is accepted (when Step S505 is YES), the bottleneck section specifying unit 37 performs a process of specifying the bottleneck section B for the selected travel route (Step S505). S506), the display unit 36 matches the result obtained by matching the vehicle position to the coordinate space on the road map by the road map matching unit 33, the travel route extracted by the travel route extraction unit 35, and the bottleneck section specifying unit 37. Based on the bottleneck section B specified by the above, a road map of the travel route including the bottleneck section B is displayed on the screen of the display device 16 (step S507).

  Subsequently, the navigation device 100 waits until the input unit 31 receives an avoidance route search instruction from the driver (while step S508 is NO).

  Further, when an avoidance route search instruction is accepted in step S508 (when step S508 is YES), the avoidance route search unit 38 is based on the travel route learning information 61, the map information 41, the destination information 42, and the road information 43. Then, a new travel route that avoids the bottleneck section B is searched (step S509), and the new travel route is displayed in the same manner as when the display unit 36 displays the road map of the travel route including the bottleneck section B. A road map is displayed on the screen of the legal equipment 15 as an avoidance route. (Step S510).

(Bottleneck section calculation process)
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the specific processing procedure for the bottleneck section B according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and this processing procedure is executed in step S506 of FIG.

When the navigation device 100 is instructed to select a travel route, the bottleneck section specifying unit 37 refers to a predetermined storage area of the auxiliary storage device 15 based on the selected travel route, and sets the selected travel route. corresponding road link ID, average speed, stop times, and acquires the travel route information D _3, such as the average fuel consumption (step S601), further the average speed for each road type, bottles such as the threshold of the stop times, and the average fuel consumption The neck specifying information 62 is acquired (step S602).

Subsequently, the navigation apparatus 100 determines whether the bottleneck section specifying unit 37 determines whether the road R corresponding to the road link is the bottleneck section B under the following conditions for each road link (road link ID) in the travel route. Make a decision. First, the value of the stop times of the travel route information D ₃ was acquired, it determines whether the threshold or more of the stop times of the bottleneck identification information 62 (step S603).

In step S603, when the value of the stop count is smaller than the threshold value (in the case of step S603 is NO,), the value of the average speed of travel route information D ₃ was acquired, the average speed of bottleneck identification information 62 It is determined whether or not it is equal to or less than a threshold value (step S604).

In step S604, the value of the average velocity in the larger than the threshold (in the case of step S604 is NO,), the average fuel consumption of the travel route information D ₃ obtained values, the average fuel consumption of bottleneck identification information 62 It is determined whether or not it is equal to or less than a threshold value (step S605).

  In step S605, if the average fuel consumption value is greater than the threshold value (if step S605 is NO), whether or not the road link that has been determined so far is the last road link to be connected in the travel route. (Step S607), if it is not the last road link (if step S607 is NO), the process proceeds to step S603, the same processing is performed on the next road link, and in step S607, the last road link If it is a link (if step S607 is YES), the specifying process is terminated.

  Further, when any one of the determination conditions is satisfied, in step S603, the value of the number of stops is equal to or greater than the threshold, in step S604, the average speed is equal to or less than the threshold, or in step S605, the average fuel consumption is equal to or less than the threshold (step S603). , S604, or S605 is YES), the road R of the determined road link is specified as the bottleneck section B (step S606).

  As described above, the navigation device 100 identifies the bottleneck section B in the travel route based on the recorded travel route learning information 61 according to the above processing procedure, displays the identified bottleneck section B, A travel route (avoidance route) that avoids the neck section B is displayed.

<Summary>
As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the navigation device 100 according to the present embodiment has an average speed for each fixed distance when the vehicle C travels from the departure point S to the destination E. The information about the number of stops and the average fuel consumption are recorded as travel route learning information 61, and based on the recorded travel route learning information 61, the stop frequency is high in the travel route and the bottleneck section B on the travel. The road R corresponding to is specified.

  As a result, the navigation device 100 searches for a travel route that avoids the road R corresponding to the bottleneck section B based on the road R corresponding to the identified bottleneck section B. And a route (avoidance route) with a low stop frequency is guided based on the search result.

  Therefore, the navigation apparatus 100 can guide a route with a low stop frequency when the vehicle C travels from the departure point S to the destination E.

  By the way, the “route guidance function” of the navigation device 100 according to the embodiment described above is obtained by coding each processing procedure described with reference to the drawing in a programming language suitable for the operating environment (platform) of the navigation device 100. It can be realized by executing it as a program on a computer. Therefore, the travel route learning program and the route guidance program according to the above embodiment can be stored in the computer-readable recording medium 22.

  Therefore, the program is stored in the recording medium 22 such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk, CD-ROM, or DVD, and installed in the navigation apparatus 100 from the recording medium 22 set in the drive device 21. Can do. In addition, since the navigation device 100 includes the data communication device 20 that can be connected to a telecommunication line such as the Internet, the program can be downloaded and installed via this telecommunication line.

  So far, the present invention has been described based on the above embodiment. Among them, the bottleneck section B in the travel route is specified, and an example of searching for a travel route that avoids the specified bottleneck section B has been shown. For example, based on the travel route learning information 61, You may make it search for the driving | running route with the lowest stop frequency in the driving | running route from S to the destination E.

  In the above embodiment, the bottleneck section B and the avoidance route in the travel route are displayed and notified to the driver. However, the present invention is not limited to the information notification method by display. For example, such information may be notified by voice via a voice output device (not shown) included in the navigation device 100.

  In the above embodiment, the bottleneck section B in the travel route is specified based on the threshold values for each road type such as the average speed, the number of stops, and the average fuel consumption, which are determination conditions. The present invention is not limited to each threshold value for each type. This threshold is a parameter that greatly affects the determination accuracy when the bottleneck section B is specified. In addition, the frequency of stopping varies greatly depending on the area where the travel route exists, such as the metropolitan area, local city, urban area, and mountainous area. Therefore, in consideration of these points, a default value of each threshold value for each road type may be set for each region in advance, and the departure is based on the vehicle position detected by the detection unit 32 of the current location detection device 14. The area of the ground S is judged, and the corresponding judgment condition is selected.

  Finally, the present invention is not limited to the requirements shown here, such as combinations of other elements with the shapes and configurations described in the above embodiments. With respect to these points, the present invention can be changed within a range that does not detract from the gist of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined according to the application form.

It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the navigation apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the route guidance function which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of learning in the driving | running | working which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the driving | running route learning information which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of an operation screen which selects the driving | running route after learning which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation example which specifies the bottleneck area which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen which displays the bottleneck area which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a search of the avoidance route which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen which displays the avoidance route which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example in the setting process procedure of the bottleneck specific condition which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the learning process procedure at the time of the vehicle departure which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the learning process sequence at the time of the vehicle arrival which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the learning process sequence at the time of the vehicle travel which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the display processing procedure of the bottleneck area and avoidance route which concern on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the specific process sequence of the bottleneck area which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

11 Control circuit 12 ROM
13 RAM
14 Current location detection device 14a Vibration gyro 14b Vehicle speed sensor 14c GPS sensor 15 Auxiliary storage device 16 Display device 17 Input device (touch panel)
20 data communication device 21 drive device 22 recording medium 23 interface device 24 external system 24a vehicle information acquisition device (vehicle information acquisition system)
31 Input unit 32 Detection unit 33 Road map matching unit 34 Travel route learning unit (information storage unit)
35 Travel Route Extraction Unit 36 Display Unit 37 Bottleneck Section Identification Unit 38 Avoidance Route Search Unit 41 Map Information 42 Destination Information 43 Road Information 51 Acquisition Unit 61 Travel Route Learning Information 62 Bottleneck Identification Information 71 Avoidance Route Search Button 72 Guidance Start button 100 navigation device D ₁ departure point information D ₂ arrival point information D ₃ travel route information B bottleneck section C vehicle S departure point E destination R 1 to _n road

Claims (6)

A navigation device that searches for a recommended route from a departure point to a destination, displays the searched route information on a predetermined display screen, and guides the vehicle to the destination.
Search means for searching for a travel route from the departure point to the destination according to a stop frequency while the vehicle is traveling from the departure point to the destination;
Notification means for notifying the travel route searched by the search means;
A navigation device comprising: The navigation device
Based on the stop frequency, having a specifying means for specifying a travel section with a high stop frequency from a plurality of travel sections from the departure place to the destination,
The search means includes
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an avoidance route from the departure place to a destination that avoids the travel section with the high stop frequency specified by the specifying means is searched for as the travel route. The navigation device
Obtaining means for obtaining the stop frequency;
Holding means for holding a predetermined threshold value for determining whether or not the traveling section has a high stopping frequency;
The specifying means is:
For each travel section, a value representing the stop frequency acquired by the acquisition means is compared with a predetermined threshold value held by the holding means, and a travel section having a high stop frequency is specified based on the comparison result. The navigation device according to claim 2. The search means includes
Calculating a link cost for a road link corresponding to a travel section other than the travel section with a high stop frequency specified by the specifying means, connecting the road link based on the calculated link cost, and the avoidance route The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the navigation device is searched. The acquisition means includes
The navigation device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein in addition to the stop frequency of the own vehicle, a stop frequency held by another vehicle is acquired. The navigation device
Display means for displaying on the display screen in a different display mode the driving section with a high stopping frequency specified by the specifying means and the other driving sections among the plurality of driving sections from the departure place to the destination. The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the navigation device has a navigation device.

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