JP2001050769A - Navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] A navigation device that provides information such as map data and traffic information and provides route guidance to a destination.
Do n’t disturb users with unnecessary route guidance,
The purpose is to select information other than the route guidance requested by the user. SOLUTION: History storage means for storing a past running history, situation detection means for detecting a situation including at least one of time, occupant and position related elements,
Route guidance means for automatically performing route guidance based on the situation detected by the situation detection means and the history data of the past traveling history. When the condition is satisfied, the route guidance is not performed. Preferably, based on history data of a past traveling history, information on the destination or route estimated by the estimating means is selected from the information received by the receiving means and automatically provided to the user. Is done.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention provides a user (user or driver) with various information such as map data, traffic information, weather forecast, and the like, which can be obtained from outside, for a running vehicle. The present invention relates to a navigation device that provides route guidance to a destination selected by a user.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a CD-ROM (compact disk-rea) in which map data comprising road and terrain information is stored in advance.
d only memory) is displayed on a display, and the current position of the running vehicle is displayed on the map data using a distance sensor, a direction sensor, a GPS (global positioning system), or the like. Has been put to practical use.

In recent years, in a navigation device having such a configuration, a VICS (road traffic information communication system) has been used in addition to information of map data taken out from a CD-ROM.
: vehicle information and communication system)
A lot of information is provided, such as information from mobile phones. Furthermore, in recent years, in general, a navigation device not only displays the current position of a traveling vehicle, but also automatically sets a destination based on past traveling pattern data of a user to acquire a traveling route of the vehicle, A function of providing route guidance to the destination according to the traveling route is also provided. Hereinafter, a configuration and the like of a conventional navigation device having a function of acquiring a traveling route to a destination as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an outline of a process for acquiring a travel route to a destination by a conventional method, FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device having a travel route acquisition processing function of FIG. 6, and 8 is a graph conceptually showing the traveling pattern data of FIG. Examples of the configuration of a conventional navigation device having a function of acquiring a traveling route to a destination as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 include, for example,
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-13449 published on May 20, 1997
No. 6 is disclosed in the specification.

Here, the outline of the traveling route acquisition processing will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, when acquiring a traveling route to a destination, a past traveling pattern including a departure point, a departure time, and a destination is stored as traveling pattern data, and the current traveling is started. In such a case, the destination is automatically estimated from the departure place and the departure time, and a traveling route to the destination is obtained by route search. For example, as shown in FIG.
When departing from home at times, it is inferred from the travel pattern data that the travel is to a company. On the other hand, when the user departs from home at 4:00 pm on Sunday, it is inferred from the travel pattern data that the travel is to the department store. Then, the inferred destination is checked with the user (driver), and if it is correct, the traveling route to the inferred destination (company, department store, etc.) is obtained by route search.

[0006] Further, based on FIG. 7, the configuration of a vehicle-mounted navigation device having the traveling route acquisition processing function of FIG. 6 will be described. The navigation device 100 shown in FIG.
The navigation processing unit 110 includes a data storage unit 120, a current position detection unit 130, a communication unit 150, an input unit 160, and a display unit 17.
0, an audio input unit 180, and an audio output unit 190 are connected. The navigation processing unit 110 has a CPU
(Central processing unit) 111
A ROM (Read Only Memory) 112 which is a storage medium storing various programs such as a navigation program, a travel route acquisition program based on destination analogy, and a travel pattern data update program; RAM (random access
(Memory) 113 and a clock 114. The clock 114 is for knowing the current time and the like, and outputs the date and time (day of week + time).
The navigation device 110 is supplied with an on / off (ON / OFF) signal of the ignition key 200. When the ON signal is supplied from the ignition key 200, the navigation processing unit 110 recognizes the time output from the clock 114 at that time as the departure time.

The data storage unit 120 includes a floppy disk, hard disk, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, IC
(Integrated circuit) Various storage media such as cards and optical cards are used. The data storage unit 120 stores audio data 122 and address data 12 in addition to the map data 121.
3, phone number data 124, running pattern data 125, and the like. The map data 121 includes data necessary for displaying a map and road data necessary for a route search. The road data includes coordinates (latitude and longitude) data of nodes constituting each road, various data such as elevation data, road type, road length, number of nodes existing between roads, and road shape at each node. It is included. The voice data 122 is data of guidance information by voice output from the voice output unit 190. The address data 123 is data of an address used for inputting a destination, and the telephone number data 124 is data of a telephone number used for inputting a destination.

The travel pattern data 125 is data of a travel pattern including a departure place, a departure time, a departure date, and a destination (ie, an arrival point), and is stored as a database for each travel. In this case, the destination is composed of a name representing the destination and coordinate data (latitude and longitude). Here, the “time” which is a concept in the traveling pattern data is a concept including not only the time of the day (24 hours) but also the day of the week. Therefore, even if the time is the same, if the day of the week is different, it is considered that the time is different. For example, 3:00 on Monday and 3:00 on Tuesday are regarded as different times from each other. On the other hand, the date and time when the data was stored in the traveling pattern data 125 is also recorded in the traveling pattern data.

[0009] Further, referring to FIG. 8, how the destination is automatically set according to the traveling pattern data 125 will be described. In FIG. 8, a frequency of each destination when the user departs from home on Monday (when the departure place is set to home) is represented by a statistical graph. As shown in FIG. 8, the departure times are distinguished on an hourly basis in the time range from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm. For example,
It is assumed that the travel pattern data 125 is searched when leaving home at 8:10 am on Monday. Then
As is clear from FIG. 8, destinations when leaving home at 8 o'clock on the past Monday include a company, a hospital, and a bank. Of these, the most frequent company is estimated as the destination. In addition, if the frequency of going out as a destination in the past is the same, such as a company at 9 o'clock on Monday and a city hall, the total frequency of each destination including other time zones during that day is The analogy takes precedence over the larger one.

On the other hand, the current position detecting unit 130 in the navigation device shown in FIG.
A PS receiver 131, a geomagnetic sensor 132 for detecting the direction of the vehicle, a distance sensor 133 for detecting the traveling distance of the vehicle,
Steering sensor 13 for detecting steering angle
4. The current position of the running vehicle is detected using a beacon receiver 135 that receives position information from a beacon on the road, a gyro sensor 136 that detects the rotational angular velocity of the vehicle, and the like. In this case, the ignition key 20 shown in FIG.
When the ON signal is supplied from 0, the current position detected by the current position detection unit 130 is supplied to the navigation processing unit 110, and is recognized as the starting point of the vehicle.

[0011]

As described above, FIGS.
In a conventional navigation device having a traveling route acquisition processing function as shown in FIG. 8, the most frequent destination is automatically selected based on past traveling pattern data, and the traveling route to this destination is selected. Is obtained by route search to provide route guidance. Therefore, the user can automatically receive route guidance to the destination without operating a keyboard, a touch panel, or the like for setting the destination before starting traveling.

However, as in the case where the user travels on a familiar road used on a commuting road, the destination (company)
In some cases, there is no need to receive route guidance to get there. However, in the above-described conventional navigation apparatus, even in such a case, a destination is automatically set and unnecessary route guidance is performed. Occurs. On the other hand, there are cases where the user seeks information such as news and weather forecast, and information such as an accident occurring on a commuting road, rather than route guidance information. In this case as well, route guidance to the destination becomes unnecessary, and thus the same problem as described above occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and it is possible to avoid giving a user discomfort by performing unnecessary route guidance, and to provide information other than the route guidance required by the user. It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation device that can be easily selected.

[0014]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a navigation device according to the present invention comprises a history storage means for storing past running histories and at least one of elements relating to time, occupants, and position. Status detecting means for detecting a situation including two elements, and a route for automatically providing route guidance based on the situation detected by the situation detecting means and history data of past traveling histories stored in the history storage means. Guide means, and the route guide means is configured not to perform the route guidance when the history data of the traveling history satisfies a predetermined condition.

Preferably, in the navigation apparatus according to the present invention, the predetermined condition is that the set number of history data indicating the same section is set in advance in the travel history history data that matches the situation detected by the situation detection means. Whether or not the number of times is equal to or more than a predetermined number. Still preferably, in the navigation device according to the present invention, the route guidance unit may include a route to a destination or a route satisfying the predetermined condition when it is detected that the vehicle deviates from the route satisfying the predetermined condition. The route to return to is guided.

[0016] On the other hand, the navigation device of the present invention comprises a receiving means for receiving information from the outside, a history storage means for storing past running history, and a history of running history stored in the history storing means. Estimating means for estimating a destination or a route based on data, and automatically providing information on the destination or the route estimated by the estimating means from the information received by the receiving means. It is configured as follows.

In summary, according to the present invention, when the history data of the past traveling history stored in the history storage means satisfies a predetermined condition (for example, the set number of the history data indicating the same section is a predetermined number of times). In this case, the route guidance to the destination is not performed, so that it is possible to avoid giving the user discomfort due to unnecessary route guidance.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily select the information on the required destination or route from the information received from the outside and provide it to the user.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings (FIGS. 1 to 5). FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention. Here, the configuration of the navigation device of the present invention is shown in a simplified manner. Hereinafter, the same components as those described above will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

The navigation apparatus according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a situation detecting means 2 for detecting a situation including elements related to the running of the vehicle. Such elements include data about the current time, time of day, etc.,
Data on the position of the vehicle, such as the current position, and data on the current occupant are included. Further, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, a control means 3 is provided. The control part of the control means 3 is constituted by a CPU. Further, the control unit 3 includes a history storage unit 1 including a RAM, a ROM, and the like. The history storage unit 1 stores in advance a past traveling history including data on a corresponding time, position, occupant, and the like.

Further, the control means 3 in the embodiment of FIG.
Is provided with current position detecting means 8 for detecting the current position of the running vehicle. The current position detecting means 8 is, like a general navigation device, a distance sensor 81 such as a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the number of rotations of the wheels to detect a traveling distance of the vehicle, and a azimuth of the vehicle by detecting terrestrial magnetism. It has a function of accurately detecting the current position of a running vehicle using an azimuth sensor 82 such as a gyro magnetic sensor for detection, a GPS receiver 80 for measuring the position of the vehicle using artificial satellites, and the like. Further, map data taken out from a map data storage means 9 such as a CD-ROM or the like in which map data including road and terrain information is stored in advance is displayed on a display means 30 such as a liquid crystal display, and a current position detection means 8 Is displayed on the map data.

Further, the control means 3 in the embodiment of FIG.
Includes a route guidance unit 4 for guiding and guiding a vehicle according to a route to a destination (for example, a traveling route), and a route search unit 5 for searching for a route to a destination. In the above-mentioned route guidance means 4, data (situation) relating to the current time, position, occupant, etc. detected by the situation detection means 2
Is read from the history storage means 1 and the set number of history data indicating the same travel section in the history data is equal to or more than a predetermined number (for example, 10 or more times). ) Is detected. Here, if the set number of the history data indicating the same traveling section satisfies the condition that the number is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the route guidance to the destination is regarded as unnecessary, and the route guidance is performed. I try not to do it. On the other hand, the route searching means 5 detects whether or not the vehicle has deviated from the route satisfying the above condition by searching for a route to the destination. Further, when detecting that the route deviates from the route that satisfies the above condition, the route search unit 5 searches again for a route to return to the route or another route to the destination. Thereafter, the route guidance unit 4 guides and guides the vehicle according to the route searched again by the route search unit 5.

Further, the control means 3 in the embodiment of FIG.
Is provided with estimating means 6 for estimating a destination or a route based on history data of past traveling history stored in the history storage means 1 in advance. On the other hand, the navigation device according to the embodiment of FIG. 1 includes a receiving unit 7 that receives various information from outside using a VICS, a mobile phone, or the like. In the above estimating means 6, the information received by the receiving means 7 when the user seeks information such as news, weather forecast, etc., or information such as traffic congestion or accident occurring on the commuting road. , Information related to the destination or route is automatically selected and provided to the user. The information selected in this way is visually displayed by the display means 30, or is audibly notified by the audio output means 31 such as a speaker.

Here, an example of the travel history stored in the history storage means 1 of FIG. 1 is shown in Table 1 below.

[0025]

[Table 1]

As shown in Table 1, past traveling histories relating to days of the week, departure times, departure positions, destinations, occupants, and routes are stored in the history storage means as history data. In this case, the day of the week, departure time, departure position (home and company, etc .: for example, coordinate data (X ₀ , Y ₀ )), destination (company, pool, golf driving range, etc.): for example, coordinate data (X ₁ , Y ₁ )), and occupants (eg, father, mother)
The history data in which the situations including the elements described above match each other are grouped for the same traveling section (for example, the route of course A to course E), and the history data is weighted by the set number of times. For example, the history data related to the route of course A has been set 15 times in the past in the history storage means, and the history data related to the route of course B has been set 10 times in the past. .

In Table 1, the time condition is the departure time, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, "AM
7:00 to 8:30, running toward company ". Furthermore, in Table 1, only the set number is described, but only the history data in which the set number is equal to or more than the predetermined number may satisfy the predetermined condition. For example, when the set number of times matches the history data of 10 or more times, the route guidance may not be performed. In addition, other driving history conditions include dates,
It may include season and weather. In this case, information on time is detected by the GPS receiver, and the method of detecting the current position is the same as that of the conventional navigation device.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure for determining whether or not route guidance is required in the embodiment of FIG. Here, the necessity of the route guidance is determined by detecting whether or not the set number of the history data indicating the same travel section in the history data of the past travel history is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. Control means 3 in case (see FIG. 1)
Will be described.

First, the user operates the ignition key to start the engine and starts the navigation device (step S).
1). Next, conditions such as a start time (departure time), a day of the week, a current position, a destination, and an occupant are detected (step S2). Further, reference is made to the history data of the past traveling history stored in the history storage means as shown in Table 1 (step S3), and among these history data, the step S
It is checked whether or not there is something that matches (condition matches) the situation detected in step 2 (step S4).

If it is determined in step S in the history data that
If there is a situation that matches the situation detected in step 2, the process proceeds to step S5, and the set number of history data indicating the same traveling section is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (X times or more: X is 2
When the value is an arbitrary positive integer, for example, X = 10, it is determined that the route guidance is unnecessary (step S).
6).

If, in the history data, step S
If there is no one that matches the situation detected in step 2, it is considered that the destination has been selected for the first time, and the destination setting is requested by voice or display (step S7).
Further, when a request from the user is issued, a route search is performed by searching for a route to the destination (step S8), and route guidance is performed according to the route thus searched (step S9). On the other hand, in step S5, when the set number of the history data indicating the same traveling section is less than a predetermined number, it is regarded that the route is not yet used by the user, and the above-described steps S7 and S8 are performed. Execute the processing of

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure for performing route guidance when the vehicle deviates from a route satisfying a predetermined condition in the embodiment of FIG. However, the processing in steps S1 to S6 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 3 is exactly the same as the processing in steps S1 to S6 in FIG. 2 described above, and a description thereof will be omitted here. Here, the set number of history data indicating the same travel section is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (that is, the history data of the past travel history satisfies a predetermined condition), and the vehicle is set in the route guidance unnecessary mode. It is assumed that the vehicle deviates from a commuting route (that is, a route that satisfies a predetermined condition) that the user is accustomed to due to construction or the like while traveling.

In this case, in step 10 of the flowchart of FIG. 3, it is detected that the vehicle has deviated from the route satisfying the predetermined condition, and the route to return to the route or another route to the destination is searched again. (Step S1
1). Thereafter, route guidance of the vehicle is executed according to the re-searched route (step S12). In addition, the processing when there is no history data of the past traveling history that matches the situation detected in step S2 (steps S7 to S7).
9) is the same as the processing in steps S7 to S9 in FIG. 2 described above.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining a procedure for selecting information on a route from received information in the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 shows a display example of received information related to a route. FIG. Here, the user
It is assumed that information such as news, weather forecast, and the like, and information such as traffic congestion or an accident occurring on a commuting road are required rather than route guidance information.

First, the ignition key is operated to start the engine, and the navigation device is started (step S).
1 '). Next, the conditions such as the start time (departure time), the day of the week, the current position, the destination, and the occupant are detected (step S2 '). Further, the history data of the past traveling history stored in the history storage means as shown in Table 1 is referred to (step S3 '), and the history detected in step S2' in the history data is referred to. It is checked whether or not there is a match (condition match) (step S4 ').

If it is determined in step S in the history data that
If there is one that matches the situation detected in 2 ', a route (course) of this history data is set. Alternatively, a route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination may be searched for by estimation. Further, it is determined whether or not there is information received by a receiving means such as a VICS or a mobile phone (step S1).
3). If there is such received information, the information related to the route and the destination (for example, information related to traffic congestion and accidents on the route) is selected from the received information (step S14), Provided (step S15). The information on the traffic congestion, the accident, and the like provided in this way is displayed on the display means 30 as shown in FIG. 5, such as "The accident has occurred on the route: near the XX intersection". .

In the case of FIG. 4 as well, processing is performed when there is no history data of the past traveling history that matches the situation detected in step S2 '(steps S7 to S9).
Is the same as the processing in steps S7 to S9 in FIG.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the route guidance to the destination is not performed when the history data of the past traveling history stored in the history storage means satisfies a predetermined condition, it is possible to avoid giving the user discomfort due to unnecessary route guidance. It becomes possible to do.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily select the information relating to the required destination or route from the information received from the outside and provide the information to the user.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for determining whether route guidance is necessary in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure for performing route guidance when a vehicle deviates from a route satisfying a predetermined condition in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for selecting information on a route from received information in the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example of received information related to a route.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an outline of a process of acquiring a traveling route to a destination by a conventional method.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device having a traveling route acquisition processing function of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a graph conceptually showing the traveling pattern data of FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... History storage means 2 ... Situation detection means 3 ... Control means 4 ... Route guidance means 5 ... Route search means 6 ... Estimation means 7 ... Reception means 8 ... Current position detection means 9 ... Map data storage means 30 ... Display means 31 ... Voice output means 80 GPS receiver 81 Distance sensor 82 Direction sensor 100 Navigation device 110 Navigation processing unit 120 Data storage unit 121 Map data 125 Running pattern data 130 Current position detection unit 200 Ignition key

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masayuki Katsuno 1-2-28, Goshodori, Hyogo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture Inside Fujitsu Ten Limited (72) Inventor Minoru Sekiguchi 4-chome, Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 1 Fujitsu Limited (72) Kuniharu Takayama 4-1-1, Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture 1-1 (1) Inventor Yoshiharu Maeda 4-chome Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 1 Fujitsu Limited (72) Inventor Hirohisa Naito 4-1-1 Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa F-term within Fujitsu Limited (reference) 2C032 HB05 HC30 HD16 HD26 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AB09 AB13 AC02 AC04 AC06 AC08 AC13 AC14 AC18 AC20 5H180 AA01 BB02 BB04 BB05 BB12 BB13 BB15 EE12 EE15 FF04 FF05 FF10 FF12 FF13 FF22 FF25 FF27 FF33 9A001 B B03 JJ77

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A history storage means for storing a past running history; a situation detecting means for detecting a situation including at least one of time, occupant, and position-related elements; A navigation device that automatically performs route guidance based on history data of past traveling histories stored in the history storage device, the route guidance device comprising: Wherein the route guidance is not performed when the history data satisfies a predetermined condition. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined condition is that, among the history data of the traveling history that matches the situation detected by the situation detecting means, a set number of history data indicating the same section is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The route guiding means, when it is detected that the vehicle deviates from a route satisfying the predetermined condition, guides a route to a destination or a route until returning to a route satisfying the predetermined condition. The navigation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 4. Receiving means for receiving information from the outside, history storage means for storing past travel histories, and estimating a destination or route based on history data of travel histories stored in the history storage means. A navigation device for automatically providing information on a destination or a route estimated by the estimating device from information received by the receiving device.