JP4786212B2 - Navigation device, control method thereof, and control program - Google Patents

Description

  By presenting a route that preferentially includes a road with a low travel history, such as a user has never passed in the past in navigation technology, the present invention makes it possible to change the mood or go to the same destination. It is possible to find a route.

  In recent years, with the progress of information processing technology such as GPS, navigation devices have rapidly spread. The navigation device displays the position of the vehicle on the surrounding map, accepts designation of the destination, searches for the optimal route to the destination, that is, calculates the route, and travels along such a route, etc. Processing such as outputting guidance information. In such a navigation device, a database obtained by quantifying roads, place names, buildings, etc. on a map is stored in advance in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, and the above-described processes are performed based on these databases. . Typically, the database is obtained by linking map display data and route search data with road identification IDs.

  The vehicle position is estimated from autonomous navigation using a gyroscope or vehicle speed pulse, and radio navigation using GPS or FM multiplexing, and matching processing (map matching) with the above data is performed. Display on the screen to guide the route.

The above data for each road section includes information that affects the ease of passage, such as the width of the road, and in the route search, a route that is easy to pass in consideration of the road width etc. is the recommended route. There has been proposed a technique for displaying a user-preferred route preferentially including roads frequently used by the user.
JP2003-294464A

  By the way, when going to the same place every day or every week, as a conventional problem, there is a potential demand to change mood or find a new route through a different route than usual. It was. However, such a problem is completely opposite to the above-described conventional technique, such as prioritizing frequently used roads, and a technique for solving the problem has not been known. Although it is conceivable to travel with reference to a map displayed on the screen or the like, there are one-way traffic, time restrictions, etc., and it is difficult for the user to find another route with reference to the map. There is also a proposal for color-coded display of areas with and without a travel history (see, for example, Patent Document 1), but it was not related to a specific route search.

  The present invention solves the problems of the prior art as described above, and its purpose is to present a route that preferentially includes a road with a low travel history, such as a user has never passed in the past. It is possible to change the mood and discover new routes even if you go to the same destination.

In order to solve the above problems, in one aspect of the navigation device (the control method and the control program) according to the present invention (claims 1, 3, and 5), a detection unit that detects the behavior of the host vehicle including the host vehicle position; A storage unit for information including road data, an input / output unit for information, and a control unit for performing information processing including control of each unit, wherein the control unit records a travel history of the vehicle traveling on each road. , Travel history recording means (processing) for recording in the storage unit as history data together with the number of times traveled for the road, and receiving a designation of a destination, and a route from the vehicle position to the destination, Reference is made to a road having a low travel history, and a travel route calculation means (process) for calculating a route based on data of a predetermined road recorded in advance in the storage unit is provided, and the travel route calculation means ( processing Predetermined, due weighting based on the number of running times of the travel history, there is performing the route calculation, the travel history recording means (treatment), the difference between the time corresponding to the current time and the last travel history When it is determined that the time is more than the time, the number of times of travel is increased, and the time when the number of times of travel is increased is stored as a new travel time.

In this way, by presenting routes that preferentially include roads with less travel history, it is possible to change mood and find new routes even when going to the same destination, and weighting according to travel history By changing the ease of selection as a component of the route, it is possible to reflect the specific contents of the travel history finely and faithfully on the route. .

In another aspect of the present invention (claims 2 , 4 , 6 ), in each of the above aspects, a route calculation that mainly selects a path that passes frequently and a route calculation that mainly selects a path that does not pass frequently Selection accepting means (process) for accepting selection is realized by the control unit.

  In this way, by making it possible to select the same route calculation as in the prior art, such as giving priority to a path that passes frequently, it is possible to realize a detailed usability that allows the user to reflect free will according to the situation.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to change the mood and find a new route even when going to the same destination by presenting a route including a road with a low travel history in preference.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the assumptions common to the explanation in the background art and the problems are not repeated.

[1. Constitution〕
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a navigation apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “this apparatus”) in the present embodiment, but the present invention can also be grasped as its control method and control program. First, this apparatus processes an absolute position and direction detection unit 1 using GPS, a relative direction detection unit 2 using a gyro, and so-called vehicle speed pulses as detection units for detecting the behavior of the vehicle including the vehicle position. A vehicle speed detector 3.

  In addition, this apparatus includes memories 5 to 7 necessary for operating the system, and a disk control unit 12 for reading various databases such as road data stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. Prepare. Each of these memories and the disk control unit 12 constitute an information storage unit 20, but the memory and the recording medium in the disk control unit 12 can be used properly. For example, the history data D1 is stored in the SRAM 7 of the memory. It is also possible to store a display map database (DB) for map display and road data D2 for route search in the disk control unit 12. Note that the display map database and the road data D2 are closely related to each other, and can be freely changed in configuration such as integration and separation, so that there is no particular limiting meaning in distinguishing names.

  In addition, the apparatus includes, as an information input / output unit, a display unit 10 for a map or a menu, an input unit 11 for inputting various information by a user, a display unit 10, an input unit 11, and a control unit 4. A user interface unit 9 for connecting The VRAM 8 is a memory necessary for displaying information on the display unit 10.

  Reference numeral 4 denotes a control unit that performs information processing including control of each unit, and more specifically, a main CPU and its peripheral circuits. A traveling history recording unit 42 (traveling history recording unit), a traveling route calculation unit 46 (traveling route calculation unit), which realizes and executes the functions and functions described below by a predetermined control program. , Serving as a selection receiving unit 48 (selection receiving means).

  The vehicle position detection, facility search, destination designation reception, map display, guide guidance, and the like are not the features of the present invention but may be the same as those in the prior art, and are therefore collectively shown as the navigation unit 40 and description thereof is omitted. The specific actions of this case are as follows.

[2. Action)
[2-1. (Obtain driving history)
That is, the travel history recording unit 42 records the travel history of the vehicle traveling on each road as history data in the storage unit 20 (travel history recording process). As a specific processing procedure, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2, the “road ID, the number of times of travel, the final time when the number of times of travel is increased” of the travel road obtained by the conventional map matching (step 11) is stored. (Step 13) For the road ID that has passed even once (Step 12), the number of travels is added (Step 15). The road ID is a number that can arbitrarily identify a road between intersections in the map database.

  Then, the number of runnings is increased (step 15), for example, one hour after the last up time (step 14). Here, an example of the display map database is shown in FIG. The road data D2 may also have a structure according to this. FIG. 4 shows a storage structure in which the number of travels is added to the history data D1 representing the travel history.

[2-2. (Selection of route calculation method)
As a route calculation method, the selection accepting unit 48 mainly selects a route that does not pass so much as a conventional route calculation (referred to as “normal search”) such as mainly selecting a route that is frequently used. The route calculation according to the present invention and selection by the user are accepted from the input unit 11 (selection acceptance processing).

  When calculating the route, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, if the normal search is selected (step 21), the normal search similar to the prior art is performed, such as giving priority to a frequently passing road based on the travel history. However, if the route calculation according to the present invention is selected (step 21), the following route search using the travel history for the cost calculation is performed (step 23).

[2-3. (Priority is given to roads with little driving history)
That is, the travel route calculation unit 46 receives the designation of the destination from the input unit 11, and prioritizes the route from the vehicle position to the destination based on the history data D1, giving priority to the road with the less travel history. Calculate (travel route calculation process). In particular, the travel route calculation unit 46 is based on one or more of whether or not each road is recorded in the travel history, the number of travels, and the last number of travel times up that is the date and time of the last travel. The route calculation is performed by weighting. Such a weighting processing procedure is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  Specifically, by making it difficult to pass through roads often used in the travel history and performing route search, roads not in the travel history are preferentially incorporated into the route. In other words, the route search is a process of identifying the optimum route by combining more easily accessible roads (road sections), and the ease of passing the road is represented by the small value of a variable called cost, Although it is calculated as “distance × parameter based on road attribute” (step 31 in FIG. 6), the smaller the numerical value, the easier the road passes, and it is easy to adopt the route. Here, FIG. 7 shows an example of parameters based on road attributes.

  For roads in the travel history (step 32 in FIG. 6), since the number of travels can be found by referring to the history data D1, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the number of travels ( A weighting factor based on (travel history) is determined, and the cost is multiplied by the cost (step 33 in FIG. 6). Thereby, when determining the ease of passing the road, if the road is in the travel history, the ease of passing is determined by “distance × parameter by road attribute × weighting coefficient by travel history”.

  As a result, for roads that are frequently used in the travel history, it becomes difficult to increase the number of parameters that increase the cost, and roads that are not in the travel history or few roads are preferentially used for the route. It should be noted that a general procedure such as Dijkstra's method may be used for the processing procedure of the route search itself excluding such cost calculation in accordance with the conventional method. As described above, only when determining the ease of passing the road, it is determined whether the road matches the travel history. If the road is in the travel history, the travel history weight coefficient is used to make it difficult to pass.

[3. effect〕
As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to change the mood and find a new route even when going to the same destination by presenting a route that preferentially includes a road with a small travel history.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, it is not essential to vary the ease of selection as a component of the route by weighting according to the travel history. It is possible to accurately and faithfully reflect the contents in the route.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, it is not essential to be able to select a route calculation similar to the conventional method, such as giving priority to a path that passes frequently, but this allows the user to make a free decision according to the situation. It is possible to realize detailed usability that can be reflected.

[4. Other embodiments]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, The thing illustrated below and other embodiment other than that are included. For example, the configurations, data structures, numerical examples, processing procedures, etc. shown in the drawings are merely examples, and can be appropriately changed. For example, the recording medium in the disk control unit 12 is not limited to a CD-ROM. An HDD or the like can be used.

The functional block diagram which shows the structure of embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the travel history recording in embodiment of this invention. The conceptual diagram which illustrates the data structure of the display map database in embodiment of this invention. The conceptual diagram which illustrates the data structure of the history data which preserve | saves the driving | running history in embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the process sequence which selects the method of a route search in embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the cost calculation by the parameter in embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which illustrates the parameter by the road attribute in the embodiment of the present invention. Explanatory drawing which illustrates the weighting coefficient by the frequency | count of driving | running | working in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Absolute position direction detection part 2 ... Relative direction detection part 3 ... Vehicle speed detection part 4 ... Control part (Main CPU and its peripheral circuit)
5 ... ROM
6. Dynamic RAM (DRAM)
7. Static RAM (SRAM)
8 ... VideoRAM (VRAM)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... User interface part 10 ... Display part 11 ... Input part 12 ... Disk control part 13 ... FM multiplex broadcast reception and processing part 14 ... Light / beacon reception and processing part 20 ... Storage part D1 ... History data D2 ... Road data 40 ... Navigation unit 42 ... travel history recording unit 46 ... travel route calculation unit 48 ... selection accepting unit

Claims (6)

A detection unit that detects the behavior of the vehicle including the vehicle position, a storage unit of information including road data, an input / output unit of information, and a control unit that performs information processing including control of each unit;
The controller is
A travel history recording means for recording a travel history of the vehicle traveling on each road in the storage unit as history data together with the number of travels and the travel time for the road;
Predetermined road data recorded in advance in the storage unit while receiving the designation of the destination and prioritizing the route from the vehicle position to the destination with reference to the history data and the road with the less travel history And a travel route calculation means for calculating a route based on
The travel route calculation means performs the route calculation by weighting based on the number of travels of the travel history,
The travel history recording means increases the number of times of travel when it is determined that the difference between the current time and the time corresponding to the last travel history is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, and the time when the number of times of travel is increased is newly traveled As a navigation device. 2. The selection accepting means for accepting a selection of a route calculation mainly for selecting a route that passes frequently and a route calculation mainly for selecting a route that does not pass frequently are realized by the control unit. Navigation device. A detection unit that detects the behavior of the vehicle including the vehicle position, a storage unit of information including road data, an input / output unit of information, and a control unit that performs information processing including control of each unit;
The controller is
A travel history recording process in which the travel history of the vehicle traveling on each road is recorded in the storage unit as history data together with the travel count and travel time for the road;
Predetermined road data recorded in advance in the storage unit while receiving the designation of the destination and prioritizing the route from the vehicle position to the destination with reference to the history data and the road with the less travel history And a route calculation process for calculating a route based on
The travel route calculation process performs the route calculation by weighting based on the number of travels of the travel history,
The travel history recording process increases the number of times of travel when it is determined that the difference between the current time and the time corresponding to the last travel history is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, and the time when the number of times of travel is increased is newly traveled As a navigation device control method.   4. A selection acceptance process for accepting a selection of a route calculation mainly for selecting a route that passes frequently and a route calculation mainly for selecting a route that does not pass frequently are performed by the control unit. Navigation device control method. A detection unit that detects the behavior of the vehicle including the vehicle position, a storage unit of information including road data, an input / output unit of information, and a control unit that performs information processing including control of each unit;
The controller is
A travel history recording process in which the travel history of the vehicle traveling on each road is recorded in the storage unit as history data together with the travel count and travel time for the road;
Predetermined road data recorded in advance in the storage unit while receiving the designation of the destination and prioritizing the route from the vehicle position to the destination with reference to the history data and the road with the less travel history And a route calculation process for calculating a route based on
The travel route calculation process performs the route calculation by weighting based on the number of travels of the travel history,
The travel history recording process increases the number of times of travel when it is determined that the difference between the current time and the time corresponding to the last travel history is equal to or greater than a predetermined time, and the time when the number of times of travel is increased is newly traveled A navigation apparatus control program which is stored as: 6. The selection receiving process for accepting selection of a route calculation mainly for selecting a route that is frequently used and a route calculation mainly for selecting a route that does not pass frequently are performed by the control unit. Navigation device control program.

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