JP2007010494A - Navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation device capable of preventing a vehicle from stopping in a stop prohibited area even when a user cannot confirm a sign of the stop prohibited area in a traffic jam.
A navigation device that guides a route to a destination, a traffic information receiving unit 10 that receives traffic information, a vehicle position detecting unit 20 that detects a vehicle position, and a vehicle speed detection that detects a vehicle speed. Based on the stop prohibited area information acquired from the unit 30 and the map information storage unit 60, the received traffic congestion information, and the detected vehicle position and vehicle speed, the stop prohibited area in which the traffic congestion has occurred is below the predetermined speed, A stopping possibility determination unit 72 that determines whether or not the vehicle is approaching within a predetermined distance, and an output unit 50 that performs notification when it is determined that the vehicle is approaching.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device that guides a route to a destination.

  Various devices have been proposed so far for monitoring whether or not a vehicle on the road is being driven safely and properly. For example, there is a device for notifying a road administrator when a vehicle is stopped in a stop prohibited area on a road (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The stop-prohibited area is a stop-and-stop area set on the road facing facilities such as fire stations, police stations, and hospitals so that emergency vehicles such as fire engines, police cars, and ambulances can always be dispatched.

In addition, there is a navigation device that informs the driver when a vehicle is stopped in a stop prohibited area and performs vehicle control such as blocking a door to prevent illegal parking (for example, Patent Document 2). According to this navigation device, appropriate notification is performed when the vehicle stops in the stop prohibited area, so that the driver can be prompted to move the vehicle outside the stop prohibited area.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-190011 (page 3 to page 6, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-273913 (page 2 to page 3, FIG. 1)

  However, in the conventional navigation device described above, notification is made after the vehicle has stopped in the stop prohibited area, but this does not notify the operator in advance that there is a stop prohibited area on the guidance route that will proceed. It was. Therefore, for example, when the vehicle is traveling at a low speed and at a low speed, such as when there is a traffic jam, the sign of the prohibited area on the road is blocked by the vehicle ahead, and it is unintentionally unintentionally in the prohibited area In some cases, the vehicle stopped. In such a situation, even if the driver notices that the vehicle has stopped in the stop-prohibited area, the vehicle is often unable to immediately move out of the area because of traffic congestion.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can prevent the vehicle from stopping in the stop prohibited area even when the user cannot confirm the sign of the stop prohibited area in a traffic jam. An object is to provide a navigation device.

  The navigation device of the present invention is a navigation device that guides a route to a destination, a traffic information receiving unit that receives traffic information, a vehicle position detecting unit that detects a vehicle position, and a vehicle speed that detects a vehicle speed. Based on the detection means, the stop prohibited area information acquisition means for acquiring the stop prohibited area information, the received traffic congestion information, the detected vehicle position and vehicle speed, and the acquired stop prohibited area information, A determination unit that determines whether or not the prohibited area is approaching within a predetermined distance at a speed equal to or less than a predetermined speed; and a notification unit that performs notification when it is determined that the prohibited area is approaching.

  According to the above configuration, it is determined whether or not the stop prohibited area where traffic is occurring is approaching within a predetermined distance at a predetermined speed or less, and there is a possibility that the vehicle may stop in the stop prohibited area. Since the user can be alerted by notifying the vehicle, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from stopping in the stop prohibited area even when the user cannot confirm the sign of the stop prohibited area in a traffic jam. .

  In the navigation device of the present invention, the stop prohibited area information acquisition unit acquires the stop prohibited area information from a map database. According to the above configuration, the stop prohibited area information can be easily acquired.

  In the navigation device of the present invention, the stop prohibited area information acquisition unit acquires the stop prohibited area information based on the facility information acquired from the map database. According to the above configuration, even when the stop prohibited area information is not stored in the map database, by estimating the stop prohibited area based on the facility information, it is highly possible that the vehicle will stop in the stop prohibited area. A driver who is an operator of the navigation device is notified in advance, and unintentional stopping in the stop prohibited area can be prevented in advance.

  In the navigation device of the present invention, the notification means performs notification by voice or screen display. According to the above configuration, the user can be easily alerted.

  The navigation device of the present invention further includes setting changing means for changing the predetermined speed by a user input. Furthermore, the navigation device of the present invention includes setting change means for changing the predetermined distance by a user input. According to the above configuration, the user can uniquely set an appropriate notification timing. For example, a user who is a driving beginner can support safe driving by setting so that the stop prohibited area is notified with a margin in distance.

  According to the navigation device of the present invention, it is determined whether or not a stop prohibited area where traffic is occurring is approaching within a predetermined distance at a predetermined speed or less, and the vehicle may stop in the stop prohibited area. In some cases, it is possible to alert the user by notifying the user, so that even if the user cannot confirm the sign of the stop prohibited area in a traffic jam, the vehicle will not stop in the stop prohibited area. Can be prevented.

  Hereinafter, a navigation device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In all the drawings for explaining the embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to those having the same function, and the explanation will not be repeated.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The navigation device 100 guides a route to a destination, and includes a traffic jam information receiving unit 10, a vehicle position detection unit 20, a vehicle speed detection unit 30, an input unit 40, an output unit 50, a map information storage unit 60, a control. Part 70.

  The traffic jam information receiving unit 10 is formed of a VICS receiver that receives road traffic information (VICS information) transmitted by the road traffic information center. The road traffic information includes traffic information such as a road number indicating a traffic jam location, a traffic jam head position, and a traffic volume, and the traffic jam information receiving unit 10 outputs the received traffic jam information to the control unit 70. The VICS receiver can receive information from FM multiplex broadcasting, radio wave beacons, and optical beacons, as with known navigation devices. Note that the VICS information is periodically updated.

  The vehicle position detection unit 20 is configured by a self-contained navigation device having a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a mileage sensor, a gyro and the like, and detects the current position of the vehicle and the direction of the traveling direction by a known detection method, Output to the controller 70.

  The vehicle speed detection unit 30 is composed of a vehicle speed sensor, detects the traveling speed of the vehicle, and outputs it to the control unit 70.

  The input unit 40 sends various setting inputs and the like related to notification of a stop prohibited area, which will be described later, to the control unit 70.

  In order to notify the operator that there is a stop prohibited area ahead, the output unit 50 displays the remaining distance to the stop prohibited area on the screen of the navigation device, or performs voice guidance or other screen display. To do.

  The map information storage unit 60 is formed of a recording medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and includes map data and stop prohibited area data associated with the map data. Note that the map data storage unit 60 is not limited to a DVD or HDD, and other than the above, a CD (Compact Disc), an SD (Secure Digital) memory card, or the like may be used, and a plurality of them can be selected. It may be a simple configuration.

  Note that the map data is read in a timely manner when the map needs to be updated, such as when performing route guidance or when scrolling the screen. The map data is stored in units of rectangles separated by latitude and longitude, as in known navigation devices.

  The control unit 70 includes a CPU, a memory, a microcomputer, and the like (not shown), and executes a preset program on the CPU, thereby realizing operation control of the entire navigation device, a known navigation (route guidance) function, and the like. . The control unit 70 further includes a stop prohibition area traffic congestion determination unit 71, a stop possibility determination unit 72, and a setting change unit 73.

  The stop prohibition area congestion determination unit 71 determines whether or not there is a stop prohibition area on the guidance route to be traveled from now on, and whether or not there is a congestion in the stop prohibition area. In other words, the stop-prohibited area traffic jam determination unit 71 identifies the road where the traffic jam has occurred from the map data acquired from the map information storage unit 60 based on the road number included in the traffic jam information, and further determines the current position of the vehicle. It is determined whether or not a road where a traffic jam has occurred is included in the guidance route connecting the set destination, and a stop prohibited area setting location exists on the road where the traffic jam occurs.

  Based on a predetermined determination condition, the stop possibility determination unit 72 determines whether or not there is a possibility that the vehicle is stopped in a stop prohibition area where a traffic congestion is about to occur. Details of the determination processing procedure will be described later.

  The setting change unit 73 changes the timing for notifying that there is a stop-prohibited area and the vehicle traveling speed that is a criterion for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling in a traffic jam based on the input of the operator. Therefore, notification can be performed at a timing desired by the operator, or it can be set so that notification is not performed at the vehicle speed at which the operator feels “no traffic jam”.

  Next, the operation of the navigation device configured as described above will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a stop prohibited area notification operation of the navigation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. First, when a traffic jam occurs on the road, the traffic information center transmits a traffic jam information using a beacon or FM multiplex broadcast installed on the road. When the traffic jam information receiving unit 10 of the navigation device 100 receives the traffic jam information (step S101), the stop-prohibited zone traffic jam judging unit 71 of the control unit 70 extracts the road number related to the road where the traffic jam occurs from the traffic jam information ( Step S102), the road where the traffic jam has occurred is specified in the map data acquired from the map data storage unit 3 (Step S103).

  In addition, the stop-prohibited area traffic congestion determination unit 71 searches for the identified road where a traffic jam has occurred on the guide route from the current position to the destination (step S104), and further prohibits the vehicle from stopping on the road. It is determined whether or not there is an area (step S105). If there is a stop-prohibited area, the stop possibility determination unit 72 then performs a stop possibility process for determining whether there is a possibility that the vehicle may stop in the stop-prohibited area existing on the road where the traffic congestion is occurring. This is performed (step S106).

  Based on the determination result of the stop possibility determination process, it is determined whether or not to notify the stop prohibited area (step S107), and when the notification is to be performed, the output unit 50 notifies (step S108). The output unit 50 receives an instruction from the stop possibility determination unit 72 and displays the remaining distance to the stop prohibited area on the output screen of the navigation device in order to notify that there is a stop prohibited area ahead. Output voice guidance.

  On the other hand, if there is no traffic jam on the guidance route in step S104, or if there is no stop-prohibited area on the traffic jam in step S105, or if no notification is made in step S106, the process returns to step S101. Repeat the same procedure.

  Here, the stop possibility determination process will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a stopping possibility determination processing procedure of the navigation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The stop possibility determination unit 72 first acquires the current position information of the vehicle from the vehicle position detection unit 20 (step S201), and on the guidance route, the stop prohibited area existing on the road where the traffic jam occurs from the current position of the vehicle. Is calculated (step S202).

  Next, the stop possibility determination unit 72 determines whether or not the calculated distance is equal to or less than a preset distance (for example, 100 m) (step 203).

  If the distance to the stop prohibited area is within 100 m, then the stop possibility determination unit 72 acquires vehicle speed information from the vehicle speed detection unit 30 (step S204), and is equal to or lower than a preset speed (for example, It is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling at a low speed of 20 km / h (step S205). When traveling at a speed of 20 km / h or less, there is a possibility that the road marking in the stop prohibited area on the road will be blocked by the preceding vehicle, and the vehicle may stop in the stop prohibited area (that is, traveling at low speed in a traffic jam). And the output unit 50 is set to perform notification (step S206). On the other hand, if the distance to the stop prohibited area exceeds 100 m in step S203, or if the vehicle speed exceeds 20 km / h in step S205, the notification is not set (step S207). .

  It should be noted that the operator inputs via the input unit 40 and changes the setting by the setting changing unit 73, so that the distance to the stop prohibited area where the notification is started (in the above example, “100 m” is set) The speed used as a determination criterion during traveling (in the above example, “20 km / h” is set) can be freely changed.

  As described above, according to the navigation device of the present embodiment, the vehicle stops unintentionally in the stop prohibited area by performing notification when it is predicted that the vehicle will pass through the stop stop area in front of the vehicle at a low speed. Can be prevented.

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of the navigation device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Compared to the first embodiment, a difference is that a stop prohibition area estimation unit 74 is added to the control unit 70. Only the map data is stored in the map information storage unit 60, and no data relating to the position of the stop prohibited area is associated with this map data. In the present embodiment, the stop prohibited area estimation unit 74 obtains stop prohibited area information by estimating a stop prohibited area by a method to be described later based on information about facilities on the map included in the map data. And it alert | reports when it is estimated that it will pass through the estimated stop prohibition area at low speed. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the operation of the navigation device configured as described above will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the stop prohibited area notification operation of the navigation device in the second embodiment of the present invention. The procedure from step S301 to step S304 is the same as the procedure from step S101 to step S104 in the flowchart of FIG.

  If it is determined in step S304 that there is a road on which a traffic jam occurs on the guidance route, the stop prohibited area estimation unit 74 does not include stop prohibited area data in the map information. Based on location information of facilities with emergency vehicles such as fire stations and hospitals, the location of prohibited parking areas is estimated.

  Here, the stop prohibited area estimation process will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the stop-prohibited area estimation processing procedure of the navigation device in the second embodiment of the present invention. First, the stop-prohibited area estimation unit 74 searches the map data acquired from the map information storage unit 60 to determine whether or not there is a facility with entry / exit of an emergency vehicle such as a fire department, a police station, or a hospital (step S401). . When the facility exists (step S402), the stop prohibited area estimation unit 74 acquires the center coordinate value of the site of the facility from the map information storage unit 60 (step S403).

  Next, the stop prohibited area estimation unit 74 grasps the road adjacent to the facility (step S404), searches for the closest road from the coordinates (step S405), and includes a portion where the facility of the corresponding road is adjacent. The area is set as a stop prohibited area (step S305). Specifically, a perpendicular line is drawn with respect to the road adjacent to the facility from the center coordinates of the site. In addition, when there are a plurality of roads adjacent to the site, a plurality of vertical lines are drawn. Then, it is estimated that a stop prohibited area is set on the road corresponding to the shortest perpendicular line. FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are schematic diagrams for explaining an example of estimation processing of the stop prohibited area. In the example of the figure, there are two roads adjacent to the fire station site, road a and road b, and the vertical line a and the vertical line b drawn from the center coordinate A of the site are shorter than the normal line a. It is estimated that there is a stop-prohibited area on a. And as shown in FIG. 8, a stop prohibition area is set to 10 m around the road a including the part where the site of the fire department adjoins.

  In addition, the stop prohibition area set by estimation may be only a part where the site is adjacent, or an area to be added before and after that may be set to other than 10 m. This setting can be freely changed by the operator inputting it via the input unit 40 and changing the setting using the setting changing unit 73. In addition, if the lengths of the perpendiculars drawn for multiple adjacent roads are the same, for example, it is estimated that a stop prohibited area is set on the road with the larger number of lanes, or stop is prohibited on both You may set so that it may estimate appropriately, such as estimating that the area is set. This setting can also be freely changed by the operator inputting it via the input unit 40 and changing the setting with the setting changing unit 73.

  As described above, according to the navigation device of the present embodiment, the stop prohibited area is estimated, and therefore the data related to the position of the stop prohibited area is not associated with the map data (that is, there is no stop prohibited area data). ) Even in the case where it is predicted that the vehicle will pass through the stop prohibited area in front of the vehicle at a low speed, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from stopping unintentionally in the stop prohibited area.

  The present invention determines whether or not a stop-prohibited area where traffic is occurring is approaching within a predetermined distance at a predetermined speed or less, and notifies if there is a possibility that the vehicle will stop in the stop-prohibited area. By doing so, the user can be alerted, and even if the user cannot confirm the sign of the stop prohibited area in a traffic jam, the vehicle can be prevented from stopping in the stop prohibited area. It is useful for a navigation device or the like for guiding a route to a destination.

The figure which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the stop prohibition area alerting | reporting operation | movement of the navigation apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the stop possibility determination processing procedure of the navigation apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus in Embodiment 2 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the stop prohibition area alerting | reporting operation | movement of the navigation apparatus in Embodiment 2 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the stop prohibition area estimation processing procedure of the navigation apparatus in Embodiment 2 of this invention. Schematic diagram for explaining an example of estimation processing of stop prohibited areas Schematic diagram for explaining an example of estimation processing of stop prohibited areas

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Congestion information receiving part 20 Vehicle position detection part 30 Vehicle speed detection part 40 Input part 50 Output part 60 Map information storage part 70 Control part 71 Stop prohibition area traffic congestion determination part 72 Stop possibility determination part 73 Setting change part 100 Navigation apparatus

Claims (6)

A navigation device for guiding a route to a destination,
Traffic information receiving means for receiving traffic information;
Vehicle position detection means for detecting the vehicle position;
Vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed;
Stop prohibited area information acquisition means for acquiring stop prohibited area information;
Based on the received traffic jam information, the detected vehicle position and vehicle speed, and the obtained stop-stop area information, whether or not the stop-prohibition zone where traffic is occurring is approaching within a predetermined distance at a predetermined speed or less Determining means for determining
An informing means for informing when it is determined that the vehicle is approaching;
A navigation device comprising:   The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the stop prohibited area information acquisition unit acquires the stop prohibited area information from a map database.   The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the stop prohibited area information acquisition unit acquires the stop prohibited area information based on facility information acquired from a map database.   The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit performs notification by voice or screen display.   The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising setting changing means for changing the predetermined speed by a user input.   The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising setting changing means for changing the predetermined distance by a user input.

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