JP2014048080A - Navigation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a navigation device capable of realizing smooth merging between a vehicle and a person even when the vehicle arrives at a merging point without a parking space earlier than a person.
An in-vehicle navigation device includes a communication unit that communicates with a navigation device of a confluence, a self-position calculation unit that acquires a position of the host vehicle, and a position of the navigation device of the confluence through the communication unit. And a confluencer information acquisition unit 111 for acquiring. The in-vehicle navigation device performs guidance by setting a loop route that passes through the junction when the navigation device of the junction is at least a certain distance from the junction when the own vehicle arrives at the junction.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device, and more particularly to a function for supporting the joining (waiting) of a plurality of moving objects.

  A technique for smoothly waiting with a pedestrian in a vehicle is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 below. The navigation device of Patent Document 1 is a new merger to a mobile terminal of a meeting partner when a vehicle that has reached a meeting point (meeting place) with a meeting partner (pedestrian) cannot reach the meeting point due to traffic conditions or the like. It has a function to send point instructions.

JP 2009-204457 A

  The technique of Patent Document 1 utilizes the fact that a pedestrian can move regardless of traffic conditions, and is premised on that the pedestrian can arrive at a meeting point as scheduled. Therefore, the case where a pedestrian arrives late at a junction is not considered.

  When the vehicle arrives at the merge point earlier than the pedestrian, it will normally park at the merge point and wait for the pedestrian to arrive. For example, if there is no parking space at the merge point, If is used for other vehicles, the vehicle cannot wait at the junction.

  In this specification, in the meeting of a vehicle and a person, “stopping” temporarily stops the vehicle to get on and off the vehicle, and “parking” stopping the vehicle continuously to wait for the person. That's why we distinguish them.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and is a navigation device capable of realizing smooth merging between a vehicle and a person even when the vehicle arrives at a merging point without a parking space earlier than a person. The purpose is to provide.

  A navigation device according to the present invention is a navigation device that can be mounted on a vehicle, a communication unit that communicates with a navigation device of a confluence who is a meeting partner, a self-position calculation unit that acquires the position of the vehicle, and a communication A confluence location acquisition unit that acquires the position of the navigation device of the confluence through the unit, and a guidance unit that sets a route to the confluence with the confluence and guides to the confluence When a vehicle arrives at a merge point, if the navigation device of the merger is more than a certain distance from the merge point, a loop route passing through the merge point is newly set to continue guidance. is there.

  According to the navigation device according to the present invention, even if the vehicle arrives at a confluence point where there is no parking space earlier than the confluencer, the vehicle travels according to the guidance of the loop-shaped route, while adjusting the time, You can return to the meeting point again. Therefore, even when the merge point cannot be parked, the vehicle and the merger can be smoothly merged.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the determination method of a loop path | route. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the determination method of a loop path | route. It is a figure which shows the example of a loop path | route. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation of the navigation device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the navigation device according to the second embodiment.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. This navigation device can be mounted on a vehicle, and arrives at a meeting point before a navigation device (in particular, a portable navigation device for pedestrians) of a meeting partner (hereinafter referred to as a “merger”). It has a meeting support function that supports smooth merging.

  The navigation apparatus according to Embodiment 1 includes a map data storage unit 121, a display / input unit 122, an audio output unit 123, a communication unit 124, and a control unit 100 that controls them.

  The map data storage unit 121 is a storage medium such as a hard disk or a memory card, for example, and stores map data (map information) for the navigation device. The display / input unit 122 is, for example, a touch panel (a display panel with a touch detection function), and has both a function as a display unit that provides information to the user and a function as an input unit that receives user operations.

  Examples of what is displayed on the display and input unit 122 include a map, an icon indicating a point such as a current position and a destination, a line indicating a route from the current position to the destination, and a software key for a user to perform an operation. and so on. Of course, instead of the display and input unit 122, a separate display unit and input unit may be provided.

  The voice output unit 123 is, for example, a speaker, and has a function of outputting voice for route voice guidance, traffic information provision, operation guidance, and the like.

  The communication unit 124 has a communication function with other navigation devices. The communication unit 124 may be configured by a general-purpose communication device such as a mobile phone or a smartphone. When the navigation device enters an operation mode for waiting support (waiting support mode), the communication unit 124 mainly performs communication with the navigation device of the meeting partner (joiner). Note that the communication performed by the navigation device using the communication unit 124 may be performed directly with another navigation device, or may be performed indirectly through a predetermined server.

  The control unit 100 has a function of controlling these operations so that the map data storage unit 121, the display / input unit 122, the audio output unit 123, and the communication unit 124 perform predetermined operations as a part of the navigation device. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 100 includes a map data acquisition unit 101, a self-position calculation unit 102, an external information acquisition unit 103, a route calculation unit 104, a guidance information generation unit 105, a map display generation unit 106, and a display data generation. Unit 107, input analysis unit 108, voice output control unit 109, communication control unit 110, merger information acquisition unit 111, loop route calculation unit 114, internal data holding unit 116, and overall control unit 117. The control unit 100 includes a CPU and a memory as an embedded system, and each element of the control unit 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a functional block realized by software.

  The map data acquisition unit 101 has a function of acquiring map data from the map data storage unit 121.

  The self-position calculation unit 102 calculates the current position of the navigation device from position information such as GPS (Global Positioning System) information, and maps the map by using map data acquired by the map data acquisition unit 101. It has a function of specifying the current position at. In the case of a car navigation device, in addition to GPS information, vehicle information such as a vehicle speed pulse and a steering angle (steering angle) is also handled as position information for calculating its own relative position.

  The external information acquisition unit 103 has a function of acquiring information (external information) related to the external environment of the navigation device such as weather information and traffic information. In the case of a car navigation apparatus, the external information acquisition unit 103 generally obtains information from a dedicated communication device such as a VICS (Vehicle Information and Communications System) (registered trademark) receiver or a TMC (Traffic Message Channel) receiver. However, if the communication unit 124 is a general-purpose communication device, weather information and traffic information may be acquired through it. In addition, the external information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 103 may include information (sensor information) detected by various sensors (rainfall sensor, temperature sensor, optical sensor, etc.) connected to the navigation device. Good. Here, “connection” includes not only direct connection but also a state in which information can be acquired via a network.

  The route calculation unit 104 has a function of searching for a route between two points on the map data, and mainly obtains a route from the current position to the destination.

  The loop route calculation unit 114 has a function of obtaining an annular route (loop route) having the same starting point and destination.

  The guidance information generation unit 105 has a function of generating information (guidance information) for performing guidance for guiding the user to the route set by the route calculation unit 104 or the loop route calculation unit 114. The guidance information includes information on what kind of guidance is to be performed at which point on the route. The display / input unit 122 and the voice output unit 123 output images and voices in accordance with the guidance information generated by the guidance information generation unit 105, whereby route guidance is executed. That is, the route calculation unit 104, the loop route calculation unit 114, the guidance information generation unit 105, the display / input unit 122, and the voice output unit 123 cooperate to set a route to the destination and provide guidance to the destination. It will operate as a guide to do.

  The map display generation unit 106 has a function of generating image data of a map around the current position from the map data acquired by the map data acquisition unit 101.

  The display data generation unit 107 has a function of generating display data for displaying an image on the display / input unit 122. This display data is obtained by combining the image data of the surrounding map generated by the map display generation unit 106 with an icon representing the current position, destination, etc., an image for route guidance, a software key, and the like.

  The input analysis unit 108 has a function of analyzing a user operation performed on the display / input unit 122 and recognizing the intention of the operation and the content of the input information.

  The audio output control unit 109 has a function of generating an audio signal for outputting audio from the audio output unit 123.

  The communication control unit 110 has a function of controlling the communication unit 124 to exchange various data with other navigation devices.

  The merger information acquisition unit 111 has a function of acquiring information on the navigation device of the merger through the communication unit 124. Information acquired by the merger information acquisition unit 111 includes the current position of the navigation device of the merger, a set route, and the like.

  Hereinafter, the current position of the navigation device is referred to as “self position”, and the current position of the navigation device of the confluence is referred to as “confluence position”.

  The internal data holding unit 116 has a function of holding data necessary for the operation of each element of the control unit 100. The data stored in the internal data holding unit 116 includes the self position obtained by the self position calculation unit 102, the merger position obtained by the merger information obtaining unit 111, the destination set in the route calculation unit 104, and the route calculation. There are a route obtained by the unit 104 and the loop route calculation unit 114, a waiting time (joining time) with the joiner, and the like.

  The operation of each element of the control unit 100 is comprehensively controlled by the overall control unit 117.

  A waiting support function of the navigation device according to the first embodiment will be described. Here, the navigation device of the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle, and the driver who is the user waits with a pedestrian who is the user of the portable navigation device, and the user of the portable navigation device is met by the vehicle. Assume a case of picking up (pickup). In the following description, the “in-vehicle navigation device” refers to the navigation device according to the present invention, and the “portable navigation device” refers to the navigation device of the confluence.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. As a premise of this operation, the in-vehicle navigation device and the portable navigation device recognize that they are navigation devices that are waiting for each other, and are in a state in which information can be transmitted and received between each other by communication using the communication unit 124. Shall. The in-vehicle navigation device and the portable navigation device have a merging point as a common destination. The in-vehicle navigation device and the portable navigation device provide guidance for guiding each user to the merging point. It shall be.

  The in-vehicle navigation device performs route guidance to the joining point until the vehicle (self vehicle) on which the vehicle is mounted arrives at the joining point (steps S1 and S2). At this time, the route guided by the in-vehicle navigation device is calculated by the route calculation unit 104.

  For example, it is assumed that the positions of the in-vehicle navigation device and the portable navigation device before joining are in a relationship as shown in FIG. In the map of FIG. 3, the thin dotted line is a pedestrian path (eg a road in a park). A black triangle encircled mark indicates the position of the in-vehicle navigation device (vehicle position), and an arrow encircled mark indicates the position of the portable navigation device (confluencer's position). The mark indicates a destination set in the navigation device, that is, a merging point. A thick solid line is a route set in the in-vehicle navigation device (a route calculated by the route calculation unit 104), and a thick dotted line is a route set in the portable navigation device.

  In FIG. 3, the distance from the vehicle to the merge point is almost the same as the distance from the merger to the merge point, but the vehicle moves faster, so the vehicle merges before the merger as shown in FIG. Arrive at the point.

  When the own vehicle arrives at the merge point (YES in step S2), the in-vehicle navigation device checks whether there is a merger at the merge point (step S3). That is, the in-vehicle navigation device acquires the position of the merging person through communication with the portable navigation device, and checks whether the position is within a predetermined distance from the merging point.

  If the merger is at the merge point (YES in step S3), the in-vehicle navigation device ends the guidance (step S9). The driver stops the vehicle and puts the conjoiner on the car.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, when the vehicle has arrived at the merge point but the merger has not arrived at the merge point, that is, when the merger position is more than a predetermined distance from the merge point (NO in step S3). ), The in-vehicle navigation device checks whether or not parking is possible near the junction (step S4). The confirmation method may be a method in which the in-vehicle navigation device makes an inquiry to the driver by text or voice, but for example, the in-vehicle navigation device detects that the vehicle has passed the junction and cannot park. An automatic determination method may be used. Also, for example, if the vehicle arrives at the merge point and parks or stops once, but the vehicle starts from the merge point before the distance between the self position and the merger position falls below a predetermined distance, do not ride the merger It can be determined that the vehicle has started. In that case, it is determined that the vehicle could not continue to park or stop, and the same processing as the case where parking was impossible near the junction (processing to determine NO in step S4). You may go.

  If parking is possible near the junction (YES in step S4), the vehicle-mounted navigation device ends the guidance (step S9). The driver parks the vehicle and waits for the arrival of the confluence.

  If it is not possible to park in the vicinity of the junction (NO in step S4), the in-vehicle navigation device calculates an expected time until the junction arrives at the junction (step S5). This estimated time can be obtained from the distance between the confluence position and the confluence point and the moving speed of the confluence. The moving speed of the merger may be estimated from, for example, an average walking speed of a general adult, but the actual moving speed may be calculated from the movement history of the merger position. Since the walking speed varies depending on the person, it is possible to obtain a predicted time with higher accuracy by using the actual moving speed. Moreover, if the route (thick dotted line in FIG. 4) set to the route is acquired from the portable navigation device, and the calculation is performed using the distance along the route, the accuracy of the predicted time can be further increased.

  If the portable navigation device has a function of calculating the expected time until the mobile device arrives at the destination (junction point), even if the in-vehicle navigation device acquires the value in step S5. Good.

  Subsequently, the in-vehicle navigation device uses the loop route calculation unit 114 to calculate a loop route in which both the departure point and the destination are merge points as shown in FIG. 5 (step S6). The length of one loop of this loop-shaped route is determined in consideration of the expected time until the confluence who arrives in step S5 arrives. Specifically, the expected time for the vehicle to make one round of the loop route is determined to be substantially the same as the expected time until the confluence arrives. That is, the estimated time when the vehicle travels around the loop route and returns to the joining point is almost the same as the expected time when the joining person arrives at the destination.

  The vehicle-mounted navigation device sets the determined loop route as a route (guidance route) for guiding the host vehicle (step S7).

  Then, it notifies the merger's portable navigation device that the vehicle is traveling on a loop route (loop traveling) (step S8). The confluence is notified through a portable navigation device. As a result, the confluencer can recognize that the vehicle of the meeting partner has arrived at the confluence point first and is waiting for him while traveling in a loop.

  Thereafter, the in-vehicle navigation device returns to step S1 and performs route guidance again. Subsequent route guidance is performed according to the loop route determined by the loop route calculation unit 114. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the driver causes the vehicle to travel along a loop route guided by the in-vehicle navigation device.

  The length of the loop path is set so that the vehicle arrives at the merge point at approximately the same time as the confluencer as shown in FIG. 8, so when the vehicle returns to the merge point, it does not wait for the merger. Can be put on a vehicle. That is, since it is not necessary to park the vehicle (it is only necessary to stop the vehicle), even when the vehicle cannot be parked at the merge point, the merger can be smoothly performed.

  However, even if the vehicle travels in a loop and returns to the merge point, if the merger has not yet arrived (NO in step S3), the processes of steps S4 to S8 are executed again to set a new loop route. Will be.

  Here, a specific example of a loop route search method will be shown. Specific examples are shown in FIGS. As a simple method, as shown in FIG. 9, on the basis of the vehicle position when passing through the merge point, the vehicle position (the same position as the merge point) is the starting point, and the road ahead of the vehicle is By searching for a route by setting 1 waypoint (marked with “1”), 2nd waypoint (marked with “2”) on the road behind the vehicle, and merging point as the destination, Can be sought.

  Further, assuming that the estimated time until the portable navigation device arrives at the junction and T is the estimated traveling speed of the vehicle, the estimated traveling distance D of the vehicle during the estimated time T is D = V × T And can be calculated. Assuming that the distance of one-eighth of the predicted travel distance D of the host vehicle is A, as shown in FIG. The first waypoint (“1” mark) on the road at a distance A ahead of the vehicle, the second waypoint (mark “2”) on the road A × 2 distance on the side of the vehicle, If you search for a route by setting the third way stop (marked “3”) on the road at a distance A and the destination as the junction, you can reach the junction almost at the same time as the confluence. A route can be obtained.

  The loop route is not limited to a specific route that makes only one round, and may be a route that goes around a plurality of times. In other words, the length of the loop route is determined so that the expected time when the vehicle returns N times (N is an integer) around the loop route and the expected time when the confluencer arrives at the destination is almost the same. May be. It is more unlikely that a loop route that travels a short distance multiple times will cause the vehicle to be involved in traffic jams, for example, because the vehicle will not move far from the merging point during loop travel, rather than a loop route with a long distance. Thus, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from returning to the meeting point. Similarly, a loop route that passes through the same place a plurality of times may be set as shown in FIG. 11, for example, from the viewpoint of suppressing the vehicle from moving away from the joining point during the loop travel.

  However, from the viewpoint of ease of driving, it is preferable to use a loop route with as few left and right turns as possible. From the same point of view, it is preferable that the loop route has a smaller number of turns in the direction crossing the opposite lane. For example, in a case where the vehicle travels in the left lane as in Japan, it is preferable that the counterclockwise loop route is selected so that the number of right turns is less than the number of left turns.

  In the above description, the only information transmitted from the in-vehicle navigation device to the portable navigation device is “notification that the vehicle enters loop travel”, but more detailed information related to loop travel is transmitted. Also good. For example, it is conceivable to transmit a loop route set in the in-vehicle navigation device, a current position of the in-vehicle navigation device during the loop traveling, or the like.

  If the converging person can recognize such information through the portable navigation device, the arrival times at the confluence can be predicted, and the confluence can be performed more smoothly.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, the in-vehicle navigation device is configured to obtain a loop route such that the own vehicle arrives at the joining point almost simultaneously with the joining person, but the expected time until the joining person arrives at the joining point is long. In this case, a long distance loop path is set, and wasteful fuel is consumed, which is not efficient. In addition, when the arrival of the merger is delayed, the loop travel is repeated, which is not efficient.

  Thus, in the second embodiment, when the in-vehicle navigation device searches for a loop route, a parking area (for example, a drive-in or a convenience store parking lot) is included in the route. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, with reference to the position of the vehicle when passing through the junction, the convenience store (CS ) Is set as the second route, the route behind the vehicle is set as the third route, and the junction is set as the destination, and the route search is performed to obtain the loop route.

  According to the present embodiment, since a loop route including a parking area is set, the driver is guided to the parking area during the loop travel. At that time, if it takes time for the confluence to arrive at the confluence, the driver can park in the guided parking area and adjust the time.

  In this embodiment, since the time can be adjusted in the parking area, the length of the loop route set by the in-vehicle navigation device is equal to the loop route of the first embodiment (the vehicle is joined at the same time as the merger. Loop route arriving at

  Moreover, since it is only necessary for the driver to determine whether or not to adjust the time in the parking area, the in-vehicle navigation device does not necessarily have to actively guide the parking area. For example, as in the first embodiment, a loop route is obtained without including a parking area, and a map along the loop route can be displayed on the map displayed on the display / input unit 122 of the in-vehicle navigation device as shown in FIG. The area (P) may be displayed and the user may be simply informed of the existence of a parking area.

  It should be noted that the present invention can be freely combined with each other within the scope of the invention, and each embodiment can be appropriately modified or omitted.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Control part, 101 Map data acquisition part, 102 Self-position calculation part, 103 External information acquisition part, 104 Route calculation part, 105 Guide information generation part, 106 Map display generation part, 107 Display data generation part, 108 Input analysis part, 109 voice output control unit, 110 communication control unit, 111 confluence information acquisition unit, 114 loop route calculation unit, 116 internal data holding unit, 117 overall control unit, 121 map data storage unit, 122 display / input unit, 123 audio output Part, 124 communication part.

Claims (10)

A navigation device that can be mounted on a vehicle,
A communication unit that communicates with the navigation device of the confluence who is the meeting partner,
A self-position calculating unit for acquiring the position of the vehicle;
A merger position acquisition unit that acquires the position of the navigation device of the merger via the communication unit;
A guide unit for setting a route to the meeting point with the confluence and performing guidance to the meeting point;
With
When the vehicle arrives at the merge point and the navigation device of the merger is a predetermined distance or more away from the merge point, the guide unit newly sets a loop-shaped route that passes through the merge point. A navigation device characterized by continuing guidance. A navigation device that can be mounted on a vehicle,
A communication unit that communicates with the navigation device of the confluence who is the meeting partner,
A self-position calculating unit for acquiring the position of the vehicle;
A merger position acquisition unit that acquires the position of the navigation device of the merger via the communication unit;
A guide unit for setting a route to the meeting point with the confluence and performing guidance to the meeting point;
With
The guide unit determines that parking is impossible when the vehicle passes the junction point after arriving at the junction point, and continues guidance by newly setting a loop-shaped route passing through the junction point. A navigation device characterized by the above. After the vehicle has arrived at the merge point, after the vehicle has parked or stopped, if the vehicle starts from the merge point without carrying the merger, it is determined that parking or stopping cannot be continued, The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the guidance is continued by newly setting a loop-shaped route passing through the junction. 4. The loop-shaped route according to claim 1, wherein the loop-shaped route is set on the basis of an expected time until the vehicle returns to the merge point after N turns (N is an integer) along the loop-shaped route. The navigation device according to one item. The loop-shaped route has a time when the vehicle returns N times (N is an integer) along the loop-shaped route and returns to the merge point, and a predicted time when the navigation device of the merger arrives at the merge point. The navigation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the navigation apparatus is set to be the same. The said guidance part sets the said loop-shaped path | route by searching a path | route by using the point on the road of the front and back of the said vehicle when passing the said junction point as a transit point, respectively. The navigation device according to any one of the above. The navigation device according to claim 6, wherein the guide unit sets the loop-shaped route by searching for a route in addition to a transit point at a point on a road on a side of the vehicle when passing the merging point. . The looped path is set so that the number of times the vehicle bends in a direction crossing the oncoming lane is less than the number of times the vehicle bends in a direction not crossing the oncoming lane. The navigation device described. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the guide unit sets the loop-shaped route by searching for a route including a parking area as a transit point. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the guide unit indicates a parking area along the loop route to a user.

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