Navigation apparatus

The present invention relates to a navigation device that estimates a destination when the ignition switch of an engine is turned on.

Currently, a navigation device that displays the current position of the vehicle and the route of the destination on a monitor mounted on the vehicle is generally used. In order to search for a route to a destination with this navigation device, it is generally necessary to specify the destination in advance. Conventionally, a navigation device that estimates a destination based on the destination information stored in the traveling information storage unit from the position of the vehicle's own vehicle without inputting the destination has been disclosed (Patent Document 1).

<patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-328035</text></patcit>

<p> Although the navigation device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has an advantage that it is not necessary to enter a destination, for example, when the starting point is home, a plurality of estimated destination candidates may be searched. , The destination cannot be narrowed down until the route information is collected after traveling to some extent. Therefore, there is a problem that the destination cannot be determined when the ignition switch of the engine is turned on.</p>

<p> The navigation device according to the invention of claim 1 detects a storage means for accumulating destination information regarding the past vehicle position, destination, and day of the week, and information regarding the vehicle position and day of the week when the ignition switch of the engine is turned on. It is characterized by including a detection means for estimating a destination from the destination information accumulated by the storage means based on the current position of the own vehicle detected by the detection means and the day of the week. The invention according to claim 2 is the notification means for notifying the destination estimated by the estimation means when the ignition switch of the engine is turned on, and the notification means according to the notification means in the navigation device according to claim 1. It is characterized by including a selection means for selecting one destination from the destinations and a route search means for performing a route search for the destination selected by the selection means. According to the third aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the first or second aspect, the destination information includes at least one of search condition information for route search and information on the presence / absence of traffic jam information display. Is included, and it is characterized in that route search and congestion information display are performed based on the destination information.</p>

<p> According to the present invention, when the ignition switch of the engine is turned on, the destination is estimated based on the position of the vehicle, the day of the week, and the like, so that the destination can be easily set.</p>

In the embodiment of the navigation device according to the present invention, information such as the position of the own vehicle and the day of the week as shown in FIG. 1 is stored, and the destination is estimated when the ignition switch of the engine is turned on based on the information. indicate. Then, the route to one selected destination is searched and the search route is displayed. For example, if you leave your home at 3:00 pm on Sunday, the search route to the supermarket will be displayed based on the information in No. 5 in Fig. 1 stored in the navigation device.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the navigation device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The navigation device 1 has a control circuit 11, ROM 12, RAM 13, current location detection device 14, image memory 15, display monitor 16, input device 17, VICS information receiver 18, disk drive 19, and destination information database device 21. There is. The disc drive 19 is loaded with a DVD-ROM 20 in which map data is stored.

The control circuit 11 is composed of a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits, and executes various controls by executing a control program stored in the ROM 12 with the RAM 13 as a work area. The current location detection device 14 is a device that detects the current location of the vehicle. For example, the orientation sensor 14a that detects the traveling direction of the vehicle, the vehicle speed sensor 14b that detects the vehicle speed, and GPS that detects GPS signals from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites It consists of sensors 14c and the like. The navigation device 1 determines the display range of the map, the route search start point, and the like based on the current location of the vehicle detected by the current location detection device 14, and displays the current location on the map.

The image memory 15 stores image data for displaying the display monitor 16. This image data consists of road map drawing data and various graphic data, and these are appropriately selected based on the map data stored in the DVD-ROM 20 read by the disk drive 19. The navigation device 1 can display a map or the like by using the image data selected in this way.

The display monitor 16 provides the operator with various information such as a map near the position of the own vehicle as a screen display based on various information such as map data. The input device 17 has an input switch for the operator to set the destination of the vehicle, which is realized by an operation panel, a remote controller, or the like. The operator selects a destination and sets the destination by operating the input device 17 according to the instructions on the screen displayed on the display monitor 16. In the navigation device according to the present invention, it is also possible to set a destination estimated and displayed from the past history when the ignition switch of the engine is turned on.

When the destination is set by the operator, the navigation device 1 performs a route calculation to the destination from the current location detected by the current location detection device 14 based on a predetermined algorithm. The route obtained in this way (hereinafter referred to as a search route) is displayed on the screen separately from other roads by changing the display form, for example, the display color. As a result, the operator can recognize the search route on the map on the screen. In addition, the navigation device 1 guides the vehicle by instructing the operator on the direction of travel by screen or voice so that the vehicle can travel according to the search route.

The VICS information receiving unit 18 receives VICS information such as congestion information supplied from a VICS information center (not shown) and outputs it to the control circuit 11. This VICS information is transmitted mainly by radio beacons installed on highways, optical beacons installed mainly on general roads, or FM multiplex broadcasting. Radio beacons and optical beacons transmit VICS information to vehicles passing near the installation site, and FM multiplex broadcasting covers a wider communication area than them. The navigation device 1 receives the VICS information transmitted by these by the VICS information receiving unit 18.

The disk drive 19 reads out from the DVD-ROM 20 loaded with the map data for displaying the map on the display monitor 16. The map data may be read from a recording medium other than the DVD-ROM, such as a CD-ROM or a hard disk.

The destination information database device 21 is a database that is readable and writable recorded under the control of the control circuit 11, and information such as the destination input by the input device 17 and the position of the own vehicle detected by the current location detection device 14 is stored in the destination information database device 21. Accumulate.

As shown in FIG. 1, the destination information stored in the destination information database device 21 includes the vehicle position, day of the week, time, date, destination and search conditions at the time of route search, and subsequent route guidance. The presence / absence of traffic congestion display at the time and the route guide are memorized for each item number.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart showing the destination estimation process in the present embodiment. This flowchart shows the program processing that is started when the ignition switch is turned on.

When the ignition switch of the engine is turned on, the process proceeds to step S1. In step S1, information on the current vehicle position, day of the week, time, and date is detected. The current position of the vehicle can be detected by receiving GPS data. Alternatively, the vehicle position when the vehicle was stopped last time and the engine was stopped may be stored, and the vehicle position may be read from the memory when the ignition switch is turned on.

In step S2, the destination information stored in the destination information database device 21 is searched for using the current vehicle position, day of the week, time, and date information. That is, it searches for a destination in which the vehicle position, the day of the week, the time, and the date match within a predetermined range in the destination information accumulated in the past.

The predetermined range can be determined as follows. In the position of the own vehicle, for example, when returning home from the supermarket, if the parking lot is large, the destination does not change even if the position of the vehicle changes. Therefore, if the vehicle position is within a certain range, for example, about 100 m square, the vehicle position is assumed to be the same. In terms of time, it is rare to go to the same destination at exactly the same time physically. Therefore, it is assumed that the times match within a certain time range. Since it is rare that both the past day of the week and the date and the current day of the week and the date match, it is assumed that the dates match as long as the dates are within a certain number of days.

The destination information in step S2 is extracted in the following order. First, based on the information of the four items of the current vehicle position, day of the week, time, and date, the range in which the four items of the vehicle position, day of the week, time, and date are predetermined in the destination information accumulated in the past. Search for a matching destination with. If there is a matching destination, proceed to step S3.

If the destination information that matches the four items could not be extracted in step S2, do as follows. If there is no destination that matches all four items in the destination information accumulated in the past within a predetermined range, the destination that matches the three items of own vehicle position, day of the week, and time is searched. If there is a destination that matches the three items of vehicle position, day of the week, and time, proceed to step S3.

If the destination information that matches the three items could not be extracted in step S2, do as follows. If there is no destination that matches all three items in the destination information accumulated in the past within a predetermined range, the destination that matches the two items of the vehicle position and the day of the week is searched. If there is a destination that matches the two items of the vehicle position and the day of the week, the process proceeds to step S3.

If the destination information that matches the two items could not be extracted in step S2, do as follows. If there is no destination that matches the two items in the destination information accumulated in the past within a predetermined range, the destination that matches the item of the own vehicle position is searched. If there is a destination that matches the item of the own vehicle position, the process proceeds to step S3.

As described above, it is searched whether or not there is a destination estimated based on the current vehicle position, day of the week, time, and date information.

In step S3, it is determined whether or not the estimated destination (estimated destination) could be extracted. If the judgment is affirmative (yes), the process proceeds to step S4, and if the judgment is negative (NO), the process proceeds to step S14.

In step S4, when there are a plurality of estimated destinations extracted by searching, one destination is selected and displayed under predetermined conditions. After the candidates for the destination estimated from the position of the own vehicle are extracted, the destinations listed as candidates are displayed in order to notify the operator, but there is no problem if there is only one candidate destination. If there are many destinations that can be candidates, the task of selecting them becomes complicated. Therefore, in order to display the destination intended by the operator quickly, if there are a plurality of destinations extracted in step S2 in step S4, one destination is extracted according to a predetermined algorithm. To display. In this way, the destination intended by the operator can be displayed first.

In step S4, the following algorithm can be adopted. When multiple destinations are estimated based on the current vehicle position, the destination with the largest number of cases is displayed preferentially. For example, if there are 10 estimated destinations A and 5 estimated destinations B, the destination A is displayed first. In addition, the destinations may be displayed in an order close to the conditions such as the current position of the vehicle and the day of the week. For example, when the current vehicle position is X, the vehicle position in the destination information of the estimated destination A is 10 meters away from the current position X, and the vehicle position in the destination information of the estimated destination B is self. If the vehicle position is 20 meters away from the current position X, the closest destination A is displayed first. If the current day of the week is Monday, the day of the week in the destination information of the estimated destination A is Tuesday, and the day of the week in the destination information of the estimated destination B is Wednesday, the destination A close to the day of the week is used. Display first.

In this embodiment, one estimated destination is displayed so that the operator can easily recognize it and the operator can easily answer YES or NO. However, if the number of cases can be recognized by the operator at first glance, 1 to 5 estimated destinations may be displayed.

In step S5, it is determined whether or not the estimated destination being displayed has been selected by the operator. If the displayed estimated destination is selected (YES), the process proceeds to step S6. If the displayed estimated destination is not selected (NO), the process proceeds to step S4, the next candidate estimated destination is displayed, and the determination is made again in step S5.

Although not shown, if the estimated destinations that were nominated in step S3 do not include the destination intended by the operator, the process proceeds to step S14 to set a normal destination. The determination in step S5 may be made by voice.

In step S6, search for a route to the selected estimated destination. The search conditions are set based on the items of the search conditions (general road priority, time priority, etc.) of the destination information corresponding to the estimated destination. By doing so, the troublesome operation of setting the search conditions is not required, and the search conditions for the route search are automatically set.

In step S7, it is searched whether there is information that the traffic jam is displayed in the destination information of the estimated destination. The traffic jam is displayed by receiving information from the Vehicle Information and Communication System (VICS). In step S8, it is determined whether there is information that the traffic jam is displayed. If step S8 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S9 and the current congestion information is displayed on the searched route. The traffic jam information may be displayed as a split screen together with the map screen. If step S8 is denied, the process proceeds to step S10.

In step S10, the operator is inquired as to whether or not the searched route is acceptable. This inquiry may be made on the screen or by voice. When the traffic jam information is displayed in step S9, the operator can judge whether the route is good or bad by adding the traffic jam information. If it is okay to proceed with route guidance on this searched route (if YES), the process proceeds to step S11. If no route guidance is performed on the searched route (NO), the process proceeds to step S4.

In step S11, it is searched whether the searched route has been route-guided (route guidance) in the past. If it is determined in step S12 that the route guide has been performed on the searched route, the process proceeds to step S13 and the route guide is started. Route guidance is provided by screen display and voice. If there is no history of route guidance in the past, step S13 is skipped and route guidance is advanced.

If it is determined in step S3 that there is no presumable destination, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, a normal destination setting screen for inputting a destination by an address, a name of the destination, or the like is displayed. In step S15, the destination is input by the operator and the destination is set.

In step S16, information such as the destination set by the operator is stored in the destination information database device 21 as destination information. The accumulated information is the destination, the vehicle position, the day of the week, the time, the date, the presence / absence of the display of traffic congestion information, the presence / absence of the route guide, and the search conditions (general road priority, time priority, etc.). In addition, information such as screen settings and display switching button recording may be included. By including such information in the destination information, when the estimated destination is selected, the screen is automatically set and the display is switched, which saves the operator time and effort. As the accumulated destination information, other information can be appropriately included depending on the performance and features of the navigation device. The item of the accumulated purpose information is not limited to this embodiment as long as it is an item that is to be automatically set when the estimated destination is selected. After the destination information such as the destination is accumulated in the destination information database device 21, the process proceeds to step S6, and the route search is performed.

In this way, when the ignition switch of the engine is turned on, the route to the destination desired by the operator is searched, and the route guidance to the destination is automatically started. In addition, route search conditions and display of traffic congestion information are automatically set based on the destination information accumulated in the past.

According to such a navigation device, the following effects can be obtained. (1) To specify the destination The destination without complicated work such as specifying the position on the map using the operation unit or operation panel of the remote controller such as a joystick, or inputting letters and numbers. Can be selected. (2) If a destination is selected, congestion information is automatically displayed and search conditions are set based on the information accumulated in the past. Therefore, it is possible to receive route guidance to the destination without performing complicated setting operations.

A specific example using the navigation device described above will be described below. For example, assume that the destination information shown in FIG. 1 is stored in the destination information database device 21. On Monday, turn on the engine ignition switch to get from home to work at 8 am. The navigation device detects that the vehicle is located at home, the day of the week is Monday, and the time is 8:00 am. Based on this detection data, the destination information accumulated in the past of the destination information database device 21 is searched. The matching destination information (No. 1) is extracted from the destination information in Fig. 1. The navigation device inquires whether the destination is a company. If a positive judgment is made to the inquiry, the route is searched to the company, and the searched route is displayed on the navigation device. In addition, the traffic congestion information of the route is displayed overlaid on the imported recommended route. Just by turning on the ignition switch of the engine in this way, the search route is displayed on the screen, and the traffic jam information to the company is also displayed.

Alternatively, suppose that there is an English conversation class on Wednesday and you go from the company (own vehicle position) to the English conversation class (destination). When the driver turns on the ignition switch of the engine, the English conversation class is displayed as the destination from the matching destination information (No. 8) from the destination information in Fig. 1, and when it is selected, the route is automatically given priority to the general road. The searched route is displayed. By simply turning on the ignition switch of the engine in this way, the search route based on the search conditions that prioritize general roads is displayed on the screen.

The correspondence between the configuration of the claims and the configuration of the embodiment is as follows. The "accumulation means" in the invention of claim 1 corresponds to the destination information database device 21. The "detection means" corresponds to the control circuit 11 and the current location detection device 14. The estimation means corresponds to the control circuit 11 and the destination information database device 21. The "notification means" in the invention of claim 2 corresponds to the display monitor 17. The "selection means" corresponds to the input device 17. The "route search means" corresponds to the control circuit 11. The information on the search condition for route search in the invention of claim 3 corresponds to the search condition in FIG. "Information on the presence or absence of traffic jam information display" corresponds to the traffic jam information in Fig. 1.

<figref num="1">It is a figure which shows an example of the data stored in the navigation device which is one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="2">It is a figure which shows the structure of the navigation device which is one Embodiment of this invention.</figref><figref num="3">It is a flowchart which shows the processing content at the time of estimating the destination and guiding a route in one Embodiment.</figref>

Code description

1: Navigation device 11: Control circuit 12: ROM 13: RAM 14: Current location detection device 15: Image memory 16: Display monitor 17: Input device 18: VICS information receiver 19: Disk drive 20: DVD-ROM 21: Destination information Database device