JP2018059731A - Navigation device, navigation method, and navigation program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To notify a user of presence of a road to which one of an entrance, an exit, and a gateway of a specific facility is connected when such a road is located near.SOLUTION: In a network DB 1042, gateway data that is information indicating roads to each of which one of an entrance, an exit, and a gateway of a facility is connected is prepared. On the basis of this information, a link determination processing part 123 determines whether there is a road to which one of an entrance, an exit, and a gateway of a specific facility is connected in a specific area identified on the basis of a current location positioned by a GPS part 107. When the link determination processing part 123 determines there is a road to which one of the entrance, the exit, and the gateway of the specific facility is connected, an alert is given to a user via a notification processing part 124.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device, a navigation method, and a navigation program that can effectively alert a user in the vicinity of a specific facility where the risk of a traffic accident is high.

  2. Description of the Related Art An automobile navigation device is used by being installed in many automobiles. In addition, with the spread of high-function mobile phone terminals called smartphones and portable information terminals called tablet PCs (Personal Computers), automobile navigation devices realized using these have come to be used. Yes. These car navigation systems not only provide route guidance, but also call attention to drivers in the vicinity of facilities such as elementary schools where there are many children and the risk of jumping out onto the road is high. Some are also considered to have the ability to do this.

  For example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described later disclose an invention related to an operation support system that issues a warning when there is a self-position in a caution area where a school or the like exists. Patent Document 3 described later discloses an invention in which a warning sound is emitted to a pedestrian or the like when a vehicle enters a cautionary section. In addition, for the sections requiring attention, information indicating road sections including road sections including intersections, road sections including pedestrian crossings, curved road sections, slow sections, school roads, and past accident occurrence sites is registered in the storage device. To be used.

  By using the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when driving in an area to be careful about when passing, it is possible to prompt the driver to be alerted and to contribute to the prevention of traffic accidents. Further, by using the technique described in Patent Document 3, it is possible to urge pedestrians and bicycle users, not drivers, to contribute to prevention of traffic accidents.

JP 2002-213970 A JP 2004-234320 A JP 2010-208439 A

  In the case of the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above, a warning is always issued if a school or the like enters a caution area. However, even if there is a self-position on a road in the area requiring attention, the road may be behind the school or the like and has little traffic for children and students. In such cases, warnings are considered unnecessary.

  Moreover, in the case of the invention described in Patent Document 3 described above, a warning is given to pedestrians and the like, and no warning is given to the driver of the automobile. In addition, road sections including intersections, road sections including pedestrian crossings, curved road sections, slow sections, school roads, road sections including past accident occurrence sites, etc. disclosed in Patent Document 3 are roads. The driver is notified by a sign or a signboard. Therefore, in these sections, the driver performs driving with particular care.

  And places where alerts are required for car drivers to prevent traffic accidents are specific facilities such as kindergartens, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals where children and elderly people who are likely to encounter traffic accidents gather. It is near the entrance, exit and entrance. For this reason, when driving on roads where entrances, exits, and entrances of certain facilities such as kindergartens, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals are connected, it is desirable to ensure that warnings are issued to car drivers. There is a request. In other words, there is a demand to appropriately notify when traveling on a road with a high probability of a traffic accident.

  In view of the above, the present invention is more careful when detecting a road that has a high probability of causing a traffic accident when any one of the entrances, exits, and entrances of a specific facility is connected and passes through the road. It is intended to be able to prompt the user to pay attention to the need for

In order to solve the above problem, the navigation device of the invention according to claim 1 is:
Current position positioning means for measuring the current position;
Based on the information indicating the road to which any one of the entrance, exit, and entrance of the facility is connected, within a predetermined area identified with reference to the current position measured by the current position positioning means, First determination means for determining whether or not there is a road to which any one of the entrance, exit, and entrance is connected;
A warning means for calling attention when the first determination means determines that there is a road connected to any one of the entrance, exit, and entrance of the specific facility. To do.

  According to the navigation device of the first aspect of the present invention, information indicating a road to which any one of an entrance, an exit, and an entrance of a facility is connected is prepared in advance. Based on this information, the first discriminating means is connected to any one of the entrance, exit and entrance of a specific facility within a predetermined area specified with reference to the current position measured by the current position positioning means. It is determined whether or not there is a road. When the first determination means determines that there is a road to which any one of the entrance, exit, and entrance of a specific facility is connected, the attention providing means prompts attention.

  As a result, any one of the entrances, exits, and entrances of a specific facility is connected and a road with a high probability of causing a traffic accident is detected. Be able to call attention.

  According to the present invention, any of the entrances, exits, and entrances of a specific facility is connected to detect a road that has a high probability of causing a traffic accident, and the possibility of passing through the road is high. In some cases, the user can be alerted. As described above, since the user of the navigation apparatus can be alerted when more attention is required, it can contribute to traffic safety.

It is a block diagram for demonstrating the structural example of the navigation apparatus of embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the outline | summary of road network data. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of road network data. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the storage data of a facility information database. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the alerting process in route guidance. It is a flowchart following FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the specific process content of the alerting process in route guidance. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the alerting process in case route guidance is not performed. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of the specific process content of the alerting process in case route guidance is not performed.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an apparatus, a method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The apparatus, method, and program of the present invention can be applied to navigation apparatuses for various uses such as automobiles, pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcycles. However, in the embodiment described below, a case where the present invention is applied to an automobile navigation device will be described as an example for the sake of simplicity.

  The navigation device for automobiles is realized by a device that is always attached to the vehicle, a small device that can be easily attached to and detached from the vehicle, such as PND (Portable Navigation Device), and a portable information terminal. There is something to be done. Examples of the portable information terminal include a high-function mobile phone terminal called a smart phone and a device called a tablet PC (Personal Computer).

  The device, method, and program of the present invention can be applied to any of the above navigation devices. However, in the embodiments described below, a case where the device, method, and program according to the present invention are applied to a navigation device that is realized by using a high-function mobile phone terminal called a smartphone or the like will be described as an example.

[Configuration example of navigation device for automobiles]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration example of an automobile navigation device (hereinafter simply referred to as a navigation device) according to this embodiment. In the navigation apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the transmission / reception antenna 101A and the wireless communication unit 101 realize a communication function. Although not shown, the control unit 102 is a computer device unit configured by connecting a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAN (Random Access Memory) through a bus. Realize the function to control. The operation unit 103 is a part provided with a power on / off switch, several function buttons, and the like.

  The storage device 104 includes a non-volatile memory having a relatively large storage capacity, such as a flash memory, for example, writing data to the memory, storing the data, reading data from the memory, and storing the data in the memory. Erase the recorded data. The navigation device of this embodiment includes a map information DB 1041, a road network DB (denoted as network DB in FIG. 1) 1042, a facility information DB 1043, and a work area 1044 in the memory of the storage device 104. Note that the characters “DB” in the map information DB 1041, the road network DB 1042, and the facility information DB 1043 are abbreviations for “Data Base”.

  The map information DB 1041 stores map data for displaying a city map, a road map, a wide area map, a local map, and a national map used to show a user a travel route, a current position, and the like. The map data for displaying a city map, road map, wide area map, regional map, and national map includes, for example, vector data, raster data, and annotation (annotation) data for drawing a map. The map data stored in the map information DB 1041 is managed by dividing a section for each area mesh such as a primary mesh, a secondary mesh, and a tertiary mesh. For this reason, if the latitude and longitude are known, the mesh is specified, and the mesh code of the mesh can be specified.

  The network DB 1042 stores and holds road network data for automobiles. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an outline of road network data, and FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of road network data for automobiles stored in the network DB 1042. FIG. 2 shows an example of a road network. The road network data includes node data, link data, and entrance / exit data. The node data represents points such as landmarks, buildings, facilities, intersections, branch points, and bending points. The link data indicates a road through which a car such as a national road or a prefectural road can pass by a line segment connecting node data.

  The entrance / exit data indicates the entrance / exit point of the facility. The entry / exit data includes data used exclusively for the entrance, data used exclusively for the exit, and data used as both the entrance and the exit. Accordingly, in the following description, the term “entrance / exit” includes any of the entrance only, the exit only, and the entrance / exit.

  The network example shown in FIG. 2 includes four node data (N1 to N4), four link data (L1 to L4), and two gateway data (EP1 and EP2). In the case of the example shown in FIG. 2, the entrance / exit of the kindergarten Kg, which is a facility, is provided at a position away from the link L2, but the entrance / exit is connected to the link L2 at the position EP1. In this case, it can be considered that the entrance of the kindergarten Kg is located at the position EP1. Moreover, the case where the entrance / exit EP2 of the elementary school Es which is a facility is provided at a position facing the link L3 is shown.

  FIG. 3A shows a configuration example of link data in the case of the network of the example shown in FIG. Each link data is associated with identification information (L1, L2,...) Of each link, identification information (N1, N2,...) Of nodes constituting the link, link cost, and link type. Yes. Usually, the link cost is determined by the length (distance) of the link or the time required for traffic.

  The link cost is referred to when searching for a route (route) that minimizes the link cost by a so-called Dijkstra method. The link type indicates whether the link part is a national road, a prefectural road, a city road, a private road, or the like. In the example shown in FIG. 3A, links L1, L3, and L4 are national roads, and link L2 is a prefectural road.

  FIG. 3B shows a configuration example of node data in the case of the network of the example shown in FIG. Each node data is associated with identification information (N1, N2,...) Of each node, latitude and longitude information indicating the position of the node, and a node type. The node type indicates whether the node portion is an intersection or a branch point. In the example shown in FIG. 3B, the nodes N1 to N4 are all shown as intersections.

  FIG. 3C shows a configuration example of the entrance / exit data in the case of the network shown in FIG. Each entry / exit data includes identification information (EP1, EP2) of each entry / exit, identification information of a link to which each entry / exit is connected, latitude / longitude information indicating a position at which each entry / exit is connected to a link, and facility type Are associated. Thus, the entrance / exit data is information indicating the link (road) to which the entrance / exit of the facility is connected, and the link to which the entrance / exit is connected can be specified for each facility.

  In FIG. 3C, the information about the entrance / exit of the facility is described as being managed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is of course possible to separately manage different types such as dedicated entrance, exclusive exit, and combined entrance / exit. The link data, node data, and entrance / exit data described with reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are stored in the network DB 1042, and the entrance / exit of a specific facility described later at the time of route search processing. This is used at the time of notification processing that the link connected to is in the vicinity.

  The facility information DB 1043 stores and holds information related to various existing facilities. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of data stored in the facility information DB 1043. In the facility information DB 1043 provided in the navigation device of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the locations and names of various facilities are associated with each prefecture, city, and type. It is a thing. The location indicates the representative point (representative position) of the facility.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the type is information indicating what kind of facility the facility is, such as “kindergarten”, “elementary school”, “junior high school”, “retirement home”, and the like. In addition, it is classified into various types such as “hospital”, “nursery school”, and “commercial facility”, and the location and name of the facility belonging to each type can be managed. Based on the data stored in the facility information DB 1043, it is possible to grasp what kind of facility is located for each prefecture or city.

  In the facility information DB 1043 of this embodiment, a so-called regional mesh code is associated with each facility. The area mesh is obtained by dividing an area into meshes (mesh) of approximately the same size based on latitude and longitude, for example, for use in statistics. A code for identifying each mesh is called a mesh code. The regional mesh includes a primary mesh, a secondary mesh, and a tertiary mesh.

  The primary mesh is a 1-200,000 scale topographical map with one unit section, a latitude difference of 40 minutes, a longitude difference of 1 degree, and a square with a side length of about 80 km. Area. The secondary mesh is an area formed by equally dividing the primary mesh into 8 parallel and meridian directions. It corresponds to the section of 1 map of 1/2000 map, and the difference in latitude is This is a square area with a length of 5 minutes and a longitude difference of 7 minutes 30 seconds, and a side of about 10 km. The third mesh is an area formed by dividing the second mesh into 10 equal parts in the parallel and meridian directions. The latitude difference is 30 seconds, the longitude difference is 45 seconds, and the length of one side is about 1 km. It is a square area.

  The primary mesh can be specified by the 4-digit code from the beginning of the mesh code, the secondary mesh can be specified by the 6-digit code from the beginning, and the tertiary mesh can be specified by the 8-digit code from the beginning. It has become. The area mesh may be further subdivided such as a fourth mesh, a fifth mesh, and so on.

  The work area 1044 is used as a work area for various processes such as temporarily storing intermediate results of various processes and drawing a map image to be displayed on the display unit 108D. In addition, although not shown, the storage device 104 also has an area (area) that stores and holds application programs for executing various processes and data necessary for various processes.

  The clock circuit 105 has a calendar function and provides the current date, current day, and current time. The sensor unit 106 includes various sensors such as a six-axis sensor and a geomagnetic sensor (orientation sensor). The 6-axis sensor is a combination of a 3-axis acceleration sensor and a 3-axis gyro sensor, and can accurately detect the attitude of the own device. In addition, the geomagnetic sensor can accurately detect directions such as east, west, south, and north with reference to its own device.

  With the function of the sensor unit 106, it is possible to detect the posture of the own device and the traveling direction (moving direction) of the own device. As a result, a navigation map can be displayed on the display unit 108D such that the upper side of the display screen of the display unit 108D viewed by the user is the traveling direction of the own device.

  The GPS antenna 107A and the GPS unit 107 implement a current position acquisition function. The touch panel 108 including the display unit 108D and the touch sensor 108S, the audio output unit 109, and the speaker 110 constitute a user interface. The display unit 108D can display a map and the current position of the own device, and can display necessary guidance information. In addition, various guidance messages and alarm sounds can be emitted through the audio output unit 109 and the speaker 110.

  The transmission information processing unit 111 forms a request for an external device such as a server on the Internet under the control of the control unit 102, and transmits the request to the external device through the wireless communication unit 101 and the transmission / reception antenna 101A. I do. Under the control of the control unit 102, the reception information processing unit 112 analyzes reception information addressed to the own device received through the transmission / reception antenna 101 </ b> A and the wireless communication unit 101, and performs processing for supplying necessary information to the control unit 102.

  Thereby, for example, the transmission information processing unit 111 accesses the map information providing server and requests provision of map data and road network data around the current position. In response to this, map data and road network data around the current position are transmitted from the map information providing server, and the reception information processing unit 112 receives them.

  The reception information processing unit 112 stores the received map data and road network data in the map information DB 1041 and the network DB 1042 of the storage device 104 so that they can be used. Then, the navigation processing unit 120 described later functions to display a map around the current position on the display unit 108D, and displays the current position of the own device specified by the function of the GPS unit 107 on the map for use. Can be provided. In this case, the user can objectively grasp his current position on the map.

  In addition, the transmission information processing unit 111 accesses the map information providing server and forms a route search request including the departure place, the destination, and various route search conditions received through the touch panel 108. Then, the transmission information processing unit 111 transmits the route search request to the map information providing server.

  In response to this, the map information providing server performs route search processing, forms information for notifying the search result, and transmits the information to the requesting navigation device. The information for notifying the search result is, for example, information that displays the searched route on a map and can be selected by the user of the navigation device. The information is received through the reception information processing unit 112 and stored in the work area 1044 of the storage device 104, for example.

  Then, under the control of the control unit 102, information for notifying the search result is displayed on the display unit 108D, and a selection input from the user of the navigation device is received through the touch panel 108. Then, the transmission information processing unit 111 includes information indicating the selected route, forms a provision request for map data and road network data for guiding the route, and transmits the request to the map information providing server.

  In response to this, map data and road network data for guiding the selected route are transmitted from the map information providing server and received through the reception information processing unit 112. Then, the reception information processing unit 112 stores the received map data and road network data in the map information DB 1041 and the network DB 1042 of the storage device 104 and makes them available. Information indicating the route selected and set by the user (route to be guided) is stored in the work area 1044 and made available.

  Thereby, a navigation processing unit 120 described later functions and displays a map for route guidance on the display unit 108D. On the map, a route corresponding to information indicating the set route that has been searched and selected and stored in the work area 1044 is displayed, and the current state of the own aircraft specified by the function of the GPS unit 107 or the like is displayed. The position is displayed. Then, route guidance is provided to the user so that the set route can be traced using voice guidance or the like. That is, a navigation service is provided.

  Next, the navigation processing unit 120 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation processing unit 120 includes a route guidance processing unit 121, a facility determination processing unit 122, a link determination processing unit 123, and a notification processing unit 124.

  When performing route guidance, the route guidance processing unit 121 displays a map around the current position on the display unit 108D, and displays a route indicating the route being guided and the current position of the own device on the map. Then, the route guidance is performed by instructing a corner or the like. The route guidance in this case is performed using both display information such as a map and a voice message. When the route guidance processing unit 121 is not performing route guidance, the route guidance processing unit 121 displays a map around the current position on the display unit 108D and displays a mark indicating the current position of the own device on the map. So that the user can objectively recognize the current position.

  The facility discrimination processing unit 122 sets a predetermined area with reference to the current position of the own device, and determines whether or not a specific facility exists in the predetermined area. The predetermined area can be specified as, for example, a rectangular area or a circular area, and in the case of a rectangular area, the latitude and longitude of the four corners, and in the case of a circular area, by the latitude, longitude and radius of the center, It can be uniquely identified. Of course, it is possible to set areas of various shapes that can be specified by using length information such as latitude, longitude, and radius, such as polygonal areas, semicircles, and fan-shaped areas.

  The specific facilities are, for example, nursery schools, kindergartens, elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, nursing homes, hospitals, etc., where there are many people who are vulnerable to traffic accidents (so-called traffic weak people). It is assumed that the area 1044 is set in advance. This specific facility setting can be added, changed, or deleted by the user through the touch panel 108. Then, the facility determination processing unit 122 refers to the facility information DB 1043 described with reference to FIG. 4 and determines whether or not a predetermined specific facility exists in the set specific region.

  The link discrimination processing unit 123 discriminates a link (road) to which the entrance / exit of the specific facility is connected when a predetermined specific facility exists in the set predetermined area. Further, the link discrimination processing unit 123 can discriminate whether or not the link connected to the entrance / exit of a specific facility is a part of the set route in the route guidance. The determination can be made by comparing the link to which the entrance / exit of a specific facility is connected with the link constituting the set route in the route guidance.

  When the link to which the entrance of a specific facility is connected is a link that constitutes a route that is being route-guided and is within a certain range from the current position, the notification processing unit 124 includes the navigation device of this embodiment. Process to alert the user. The notification process is performed by displaying a display message on the display unit 108D or emitting a voice message through the voice output unit 109 and the speaker 110. For example, a message such as “I will run on the road to which the entrance of the kindergarten is connected. Be careful about popping out of the kindergarten” or sound.

  The navigation device of this embodiment having such a configuration does not call attention because a specific facility such as a kindergarten exists in the vicinity of the own device. When passing through links (roads) to which entrances and exits of specific facilities such as kindergartens are connected, for example, a warning is issued to indicate that special attention is required because the roads are vulnerable to traffic such as children .

[Warning process during route guidance (first embodiment)]
Next, in the navigation device according to this embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, the alerting process executed when route guidance is performed will be specifically described. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 are flowcharts for explaining an attention calling process during route guidance executed by the navigation device of this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of specific processing contents of the alerting processing during route guidance.

  The processes shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6 are mainly executed by the control unit 102 when an operation input for performing route guidance is performed through the touch panel 108. First, the control unit 102 controls the wireless communication unit 101, the transmission information processing unit 111, and the reception information processing unit 112 to execute route setting processing (step S101).

  In the process of step S101, as described above, the control unit 102 receives route search conditions such as a departure place and a destination from the user, and transmits them to a predetermined map information providing server to execute route search. . The control unit 102 receives the route search result from the map information providing server, presents it to the user, receives a selection input of the route used from the user, and uses the map to guide the route Data and road network data are obtained from the map information providing server.

  In step S <b> 101, the control unit 102 stores information indicating the route selected by the user in the work area 1044. The information indicating the selected route is, for example, information obtained by recording the link IDs of the links constituting the route in the order of connection. Of course, any other information may be used as long as the selected route can be specified. Further, the obtained map data is stored in the map information DB 1041, and the road network data is stored in the network DB 1042. In this way, the control unit 102 prepares an environment for performing route guidance in step S101.

  Next, the control unit 102 controls the route guidance processing unit 121 of the navigation processing unit 120 to start route guidance using the current position of the own device measured at predetermined timings (step S102). In step S102, the route guidance processing unit 121 displays a map including the current position on the display unit 108D, and displays the route selected and set on the map and the current position. Then, route guidance is performed by displaying a display message on the display unit 108D and a voice message emitted through the voice output unit 109 and the speaker 110.

  After starting the route guidance process in this way, the control unit 102 executes the alert process after step S103. First, the control unit 102 controls the facility discrimination processing unit 122 to set a first area for discriminating the presence of a specific facility with reference to the current position of the own device (step S103). Specifically, with reference to FIG. 7, the facility determination processing unit 122 uses the current position GP1 of its own machine as a reference, has a horizontal width around the set route RT of 500 m, and sets the set route RT. A rectangular area having a vertical width of 1 km in the traveling direction is set as the first area AR. Thereby, the latitude and longitude of the four corners of the first area AR are also specified.

  In the example shown in FIG. 7, a route indicated by a solid line with an arrow on the center road is selected and set by the user of the navigation device of this embodiment (route to be guided). RT. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the set route RT includes the links LA, L2, LB, and LC.

  Then, the facility determination processing unit 122 refers to the facility information DB 1043 illustrated in FIG. 4 and determines whether or not a specific facility exists in the set first area AR (step S104). Specifically, the facility determination processing unit 122 determines whether a specific facility having a location (representative point) indicated by latitude and longitude exists in the first area AR based on the stored data of the facility information DB 1043. Determine whether or not.

  In the determination process of step S104, when it is determined that there is no predetermined facility in the first area AR, it can be determined that it is not necessary to call attention in the first area AR. In this case, the control unit 102 performs control to repeat the processing from step S103 using the latest acquired current position.

  In the example shown in FIG. 7, the case where the kindergarten Kg, the elementary school Es, and the nursing home Sh exist as specific facilities in the first area AR is shown. For this reason, in step S104, it is determined that there is a predetermined specific facility in the first area AR. In this case, the link determination processing unit 123 functions under the control of the control unit 102, and whether or not there is a link in contact with the entrance / exit of a specific facility on the set route RT in the first area AR. It discriminate | determines based on the entrance / exit data of network DB1042 shown in FIG.3 (C) (step S105).

  In the determination process of step S105, when it is determined that there is no link that contacts the entrance of a specific facility on the route RT set by the user, it is necessary to call attention in the first area AR. It can be determined that there is no. For this reason, the control part 102 is controlled to repeat the process from step S103 using the newest current position newly acquired.

  In the example shown in FIG. 7, the entrance EP1 of the kindergarten Kg is connected to the link L2, the entrance EP2 of the elementary school Es is connected to the link L3, and the entrance EP3 of the nursing home Sh is connected to the link LD. Among these, the link L2 to which the entrance EP1 of the kindergarten Kg is connected is a link included in the set route RT.

  For this reason, in the determination process of step S105, it is determined that there is a link in contact with the entrance / exit of a specific facility on the set route RT. In this case, the link determination processing unit 123 sets the second area based on the current position (step S106). In this embodiment, as indicated by a dotted circle in FIG. 7, a circle having a radius of 300 m, for example, is virtually drawn on the map with the current position GP1 as the center, and the range of this circle is defined as the second region. AR1.

  Then, the link determination processing unit 123 determines whether or not a link on the set route RT that is in contact with the entrance / exit of a specific facility exists in the second area AR1 (step). S107). Assume that it is determined in the determination process in step S107 that a link on the set route RT that is in contact with the entrance / exit of a specific facility does not exist in the second area AR1. In this case, it can be determined that it is not necessary to call attention at the current position. Therefore, the control unit 102 acquires a new current position through the GPS unit 107 (step S108), and repeats the processing from step S106.

  In the case of the example shown in FIG. 7, the link on the set route RT that is in contact with the entrance / exit of a specific facility is the link L2. Since a part of the link L2 is in the second area AR1, a link on the set route RT that is in contact with the entrance / exit of a specific facility exists in the second area AR1. Then it can be determined. As described above, in the determination process in step S107, a link in the second area AR1 and a link that is at least partially in the second area AR1 are determined to be links in the second area AR1.

  Note that in the determination processing in step S107, links that have already passed even if they are in the second area and are links on the set route RT and are in contact with the entrance / exit of a specific facility. exclude. In addition, the link where the current position is (the currently running link) may be a link on the set route RT and a link in contact with the entrance / exit of a specific facility. In this case, in step S107, if the current position is before the entrance of the specific facility, it is determined that the link is in the second area, and if the current position is at a position that has passed through the entrance of the specific facility. Because the need for alerting is reduced, it is not determined that the link is within a certain range.

  When it is determined in step S107 that the link on the set route RT that is in contact with the entrance / exit of the specific facility exists in the set second area AR1, the processing in FIG. Advancing attention calling processing is executed (step S109). In the alert processing executed in step S109, the notification processing unit 124 functions under the control of the control unit 102, and from now on, a message indicating that the link to which the entrance / exit of a specific facility is connected is displayed and output, Output audio.

  Specifically, in step S109, as described above, for example, a message such as “I will run on the road to which the entrance / exit of the kindergarten is connected. Or make a sound. In step S109, the link to which the entrance of the specific facility is connected is displayed thicker than other links, displayed in a color different from other links, displayed in reverse video, or flashed. It can also be displayed prominently. Such display control can be performed by the control unit 102 controlling the display unit 108D in response to a request from the notification processing unit 124.

  Thereafter, the control unit 102 confirms whether or not an event for terminating the route guidance processing has occurred, such as arrival at the destination or an operation for terminating the route guidance processing midway. Is performed (step S110). Then, the control unit 102 determines whether or not an event for ending the route guidance process has occurred based on the confirmation process at Step S110 (Step S111), and if an event for ending the route guidance process has not occurred. If determined, the processing from step S103 in FIG. 5 is repeated.

  Further, it is assumed that it is determined in the determination process in step S111 that an event for ending the route guidance process has occurred. In this case, the control unit 102 performs a series of end processes such as controlling each unit, ending the route guidance process, and returning the display on the display unit 108D to the display when the route guidance is not performed ( Step S112), the processing shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is terminated.

  Then, as described above, it is assumed that at the current position GP1, the processing from step S103 is performed and alerting is performed to pass through the link L2 to which the entrance EP1 of the kindergarten Kg is connected. Thereafter, it is assumed that the processing from step S103 is performed at the current position GP2 shown in FIG. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the entrance / exit of a specific facility is not connected on the set route RT. Neither the entrance EP2 of the elementary school Es nor the entrance EP3 of the nursing home Sh is connected to the link constituting the set route RT.

  In this case, even if a specific facility exists in the first area AR, a warning to pass through a link to which the entrance / exit of the specific facility is connected is not performed. Apart from this, when a specific facility exists within a predetermined range with reference to the current position of the aircraft, a message indicating the presence of the facility is displayed or output using conventional technology. Or you may.

  When there is a link (road) connected to the entrance / exit of a specific facility on the route being route-guided by the processing shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 and 6, alerting is performed before the passage. Can do. In this case, it is not necessary to be aware that there is a specific facility nearby, but to inform the user that special attention is required in order to pass through the link (road) to which the entrance / exit of the specific facility is connected. be able to.

[Variation of attention calling process (first embodiment) during route guidance]
In the alerting process during route guidance described above with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, a first area having a width of 500 m and a length of 1 km is set along the set route, and the first area is set in the first area. Judgment whether or not a specific facility exists. However, it is not limited to this. As described with reference to FIG. 4, in the facility information DB 1043 of this embodiment, a regional mesh code is associated with each facility.

  Therefore, for example, 3 meshes including the set route may be used as the first region. In this case, if a specific facility linked to the same mesh code as the first region is identified in the facility information DB 1043, it is specified in the tertiary mesh that is the first region. It can be quickly determined that there is a facility. Even though a specific facility exists in the tertiary mesh, there is a link to which the entrance / exit of the specific facility is connected in the second area determined based on the current position, and the link is set. If it is a link on a route, a warning is issued. In this way, it is possible to quickly search for a specific facility existing in the first region, and it is possible to perform the alerting process more quickly and appropriately.

  The first region can be all meshes including the set route, or a tertiary mesh including the current position. In addition, an area composed of a third mesh including the current position and a third mesh adjacent to the third mesh can be used as the first area. Also, the first region is set using a mesh such as a 4 mesh, a 5th mesh, or the like lower than the 3rd mesh, or the first mesh or the 2nd mesh higher than the 3rd mesh is used to set the first region. You can also set the area.

  Also, the radius when setting the second region can be various lengths. Of course, the second area may be a rectangular or polygonal area, or a semicircular or sectoral area.

[Warning process when route guidance is not performed (second embodiment)]
As described above, in the navigation device of this embodiment, even when route guidance is not being performed, if the link to which the entrance of a specific facility is connected is in the vicinity of the current position, the alert processing is performed. be able to. Below, the alerting process performed when route guidance is not performed is demonstrated. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the alerting process in the case where the route guidance executed by the navigation device of this embodiment is not performed. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of specific processing contents of the alerting processing when route guidance is not performed.

  In the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, route guidance is not performed, and the map including the current position and the mark indicating the current position are displayed on the display unit 108D by the function of the route guidance processing unit 121. Sometimes, the control unit 102 always executes. First, the facility discrimination processing unit 122 functions under the control of the control unit 102, and a circle having a radius of, for example, 1 km is centered on the current position GP on the map including the current position GP as shown in FIG. Virtually drawing is performed, and the range of the circle is set as the predetermined range SAR (step S201).

  Next, the facility determination processing unit 122 refers to the facility information DB 1043 shown in FIG. 4 and determines whether or not a specific facility exists within the set predetermined range SAR (step S202). Specifically, the facility determination processing unit 122 determines whether there is a specific facility where the representative point indicated by the latitude and longitude exists in the predetermined range SAR based on the stored data of the facility information DB 1043. .

  When it is determined in the determination process in step S202 that there is no specific facility predetermined within the predetermined range SAR, it is possible to determine that it is not necessary to call attention within the predetermined range SAR determined based on the current position GP. . For this reason, the facility discrimination | determination process part 122 repeats the process from step S201 using the newest present position newly acquired under control of the control part 102. FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 9, the case where the kindergarten Kg and the elementary school Es exist as specific facilities in the set predetermined range SAR is shown. For this reason, in step S202, it is determined that there is a predetermined facility within the predetermined range SAR. In this case, the link determination processing unit 123 functions under the control of the control unit 102, and calculates the distance from the current position GP to the link to which the entrance / exit of the specific facility closest to the current position is connected (step S203). .

  In the case of the example shown in FIG. 9, in the calculation process in step S203, a distance R from the current position GP to the node N2 that is one end of the link L2 to which the entrance EP1 of the kindergarten Kg is connected is calculated. In calculating the distance R, the latitude and longitude of the current position GP are known, and since the latitude and longitude of the node N3 can be specified by the node data of the network DB 1042, the distance between the two can be calculated.

  Note that the current position may be located on a link to which a specific facility entrance is connected. For this reason, in step S203, considering the moving direction (traveling direction) of the navigation device, the distance to the node constituting the end of the link to which the entrance / exit of a specific facility existing in the traveling direction is connected. The distance to the entrance / exit position of a specific facility is obtained. The traveling direction can be specified as the direction of the change, for example, by accumulating the current position acquired sequentially along with the acquisition time.

  That is, in step S203, the node that forms the end of the link to which the entrance of a specific facility that exists in the moving direction from the current location is connected, or the location of the entrance of the specific facility is closer to the current location. Is calculated as a distance R. Therefore, the position of a node existing in a direction different from the moving direction or the entrance / exit of a specific facility is a point that is not subject to distance calculation.

  Next, the link determination processing unit 123 determines whether or not the distance R calculated in step S203 is within a predetermined value, for example, 300 m (step S204). That is, if the distance from the current position to the link to which the entrance of a specific facility closest to the current position is connected is within 300 m, for example, the possibility of passing the link is increased, so a warning is issued. It can be determined that it is necessary.

  Assume that in the determination process of step S204, it is determined that the calculated distance R is not within a predetermined value (for example, 300 m). In this case, it cannot be said that there is a high possibility of passing the link, and it is determined that the necessity of calling attention is low, and the control unit 102 uses the latest acquired current position to newly execute the step. Control is performed to repeat the processing from S201.

  Assume that in the determination process of step S204, it is determined that the calculated distance R is within a predetermined value (for example, 300 m). In this case, the notification processing unit 124 functions under the control of the control unit 102, and the alert processing is performed because there is a link to which the entrance of a specific facility is connected in the vicinity (step S205). Specifically, for example, a message such as “There is a road connected to the entrance of a kindergarten nearby. Be careful of popping out of the kindergarten” or sound is emitted.

  In step S205, the link to which the entrance / exit of the specific facility is connected is displayed thicker than other links, displayed in a color different from other links, highlighted, or blinked. It can also be displayed prominently. Such display control can be performed by the control unit 102 controlling the display unit 108D in response to a request from the notification processing unit 124.

  Thereafter, the control unit 102 performs a process of confirming whether an end event has occurred, such as turning off the power of the navigation device or performing an operation to end the map display (step S206). ). Then, the control unit 102 determines whether or not an end event has occurred based on the confirmation processing in step S206 (step S207). When determining that no end event has occurred, the control unit 102 performs the processing from step S201. repeat.

  Also, assume that it is determined in the determination process in step S207 that an end event has occurred. In this case, the control unit 102 controls each unit and executes a process according to the instruction, for example, a predetermined end process for ending the map display and moving to another process or turning off the power (Step S102). S208), the process shown in FIG.

  Due to the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, there is a link (road) to which the entrance of a specific facility is connected, so there is a possibility that the link will pass. It is possible to call attention to the effect. Even in this case, it is necessary to pay particular attention because it is possible to pass through a link (road) to which the entrance of a specific facility is connected, not just that there is a specific facility nearby. This can be notified to the user.

[Modified example of alert processing (second embodiment) when route guidance is not performed]
In the alerting process when the route guidance described above with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 is not performed, a circle range with a radius of 1 km centered on the current position of the own aircraft is set as the predetermined range SAR. However, it is not limited to this. For example, a range including a tertiary mesh included in a 1 km range centering on the current position of the own device may be set as the predetermined range SAR. In this case, a tertiary mesh that is at least partially in the 1 km range centering on the current position of the own device is used as a tertiary mesh constituting the predetermined range SAR. Thereby, the predetermined range SAR consisting of a plurality of tertiary meshes can be defined.

  Also in this case, it is possible to easily search whether or not a specific facility exists within the predetermined range SAR formed by the tertiary mesh based on the stored data of the facility information DB 1043. For this reason, it is possible to quickly search for a specific facility existing within the predetermined range SAR, and it is possible to perform the alerting process more quickly and appropriately.

  Further, a tertiary mesh to which the current position of the own device belongs may be set as the predetermined range SAR. In addition, a predetermined range SAR is set using meshes such as a 4th mesh and a 5th mesh lower than the tertiary mesh, or a predetermined range SAR is used using the 1st mesh and the secondary mesh higher than the tertiary mesh. Can also be set.

  In addition, in the case of the above-described embodiment, the predetermined value that is a criterion for determining whether or not the distance R from the current position to the link to which the entrance of a specific facility is connected is within a predetermined value is 300 m. This is not a limitation. The value can be smaller than 300 m, or can be larger than 300 m.

  Further, in the case of the second embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, the link L2 to which the entrance / exit of a specific facility is connected exists in a direction straight from the current position GP. For this reason, the distance from the current position GP to the link L2 to which the entrance of a specific facility is connected was obtained as a straight line distance.

  However, there is a case where the link to which the entrance / exit of a specific facility is connected to the current position is located in a direction in which it turns right or left. Also in this case, the distance from the current position to the link to which the entrance / exit of a specific facility is connected may be obtained as a linear distance. Alternatively, the route search may be performed from the current position to the link to which the entrance / exit of a specific facility is connected, and alerting may be performed only when the cost of the result is a predetermined value or a predetermined time. The route search in this case can be performed by the control unit 102 based on the network data of the network DB 1042, for example. Of course, you may make it provide a route search part in a navigation apparatus separately.

[Effect of the embodiment]
The navigation device of this embodiment provides route guidance, and when the current position of the own device and the set route are displayed on the map and provided to the user, the navigation device specific to the link to be passed is specified. Alerts can be made when facility entrances are connected. In addition, it is possible to specify where the link to which the entrance / exit of a specific facility is connected. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately notify the user that attention is required when passing through a link to which a specific facility entrance is connected.

  In addition, the navigation device of this embodiment does not provide route guidance, and when the current location of the aircraft is displayed on the map and provided to the user, the entrance of a specific facility is connected to the neighborhood Alerts can be made when there is a linked link. In addition, it is possible to specify where the link to which the entrance / exit of a specific facility is connected. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately notify the user that attention is required when passing through a link to which a specific facility entrance is connected.

  As described above, the navigation device according to the above-described embodiment simply informs that there is a specific facility near the current position of its own device, where there are many vulnerable people who are likely to encounter traffic accidents such as children, elderly people, and sick people. Not. It is possible to clearly notify that there is a link (road) to which the entrance / exit of a specific facility frequently used by vulnerable people is connected and where the link (road) is. Thereby, it can contribute to road safety more.

  Further, during route guidance, even if an entrance / exit of a specific facility is connected to a link off the route, this can be prevented from being notified. Therefore, unnecessary notification is not performed.

[Modification]
In the first embodiment described above, first, a first area and a second area are set, and whether or not to call attention is determined by a two-step process. However, it is not limited to this. First, a predetermined area may be set, and when there is a link to which the entrance / exit of a specific facility is connected in the predetermined area and the link is on the set route, alerting may be performed.

  Moreover, a specific facility can set various facilities by the user. For example, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described that a nursery school, a kindergarten, an elementary school, a junior high school, a high school, a nursing home, a hospital, and the like can be set as specific facilities. Not limited to this, for example, large-scale commercial facilities such as department stores and shopping malls, base facilities of transportation companies with many vehicles coming and going, etc., and various facilities where traffic accidents are likely to occur are identified You can register as a facility.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to an automobile navigation apparatus has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a bicycle navigation device or a motorcycle navigation device.

  Of course, this invention is applicable also to the navigation apparatus for pedestrians. When applied to a pedestrian navigation device, for example, a distribution center with many vehicles coming in and out, a commercial facility parking lot, a delivery base of a transportation company, a relatively large parking lot, and the like are specific facilities. In this way, by setting a facility with many vehicles in and out as a specific facility, when a pedestrian walks (passes) on a link to which the vehicle doorway is connected, the vehicle must enter and exit, so care must be taken Can be notified (warned).

  In addition, the attention calling process can be performed in consideration of the time zone. For example, when a nursery school, a kindergarten, or a school is specified as a specific facility, the above-described alerting process is easily performed when going to and from school. When a hospital is designated as a specific facility, the above-described alerting process is performed in a time period from one hour before the reception start time to one hour after the medical treatment end time. In this way, it is possible to prevent the alerting process from being performed until a time zone when there are few vulnerable people.

  Moreover, it is also possible to control so that the time zone which performs the above-mentioned alerting | calling process is changed for every specific facility which exists. In this case, the time zone for performing the above-mentioned alert processing is set for each specific facility, and it is determined whether or not it is a notification time zone corresponding to the detected specific facility before the alert is issued. It is only necessary to issue an alert only when it is a time for alerting.

  In addition, if the entrance / exit data described above is provided with the type of entrance / exit / entrance and managed, it is also notified whether the link has an entrance, a link with an exit, or a link with an entrance / exit. Can do.

[Others]
As can be seen from the above description of the embodiment, the GPS antenna 107A and the GPS unit 107 realize the function of the current position positioning means of the navigation device. The function of the first determination unit of the navigation device is realized by the link determination processing unit 123, and the function of the alerting unit is realized by the notification processing unit 124. The function of the route holding means of the navigation device is realized by the work area 1044 of the storage device 104. The facility discrimination processing unit 122 realizes the function of the second discrimination means of the navigation device.

  In addition, the method described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9 is the one to which an embodiment of the navigation method of the present invention is applied. A program for realizing the processing described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 to 6 and 9 is one in which an embodiment of the navigation program of the present invention is applied. And each function of the route guidance processing part 121, the facility discrimination | determination processing part 122, the link discrimination | determination processing part 123, and the alerting | reporting process part 124 which comprises the navigation processing part 120 of the navigation apparatus of embodiment is performed in the control part 102, for example. It can also be realized as a function of the control unit 102 by a program to be executed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Transmission / reception antenna, 101A ... Wireless communication part, 102 ... Control part, 103 ... Operation part, 104 ... Memory | storage device, 1041 ... Map information DB, 1042 ... Network DB, 1043 ... Facility information DB, 1044 ... Work area, 105 ... Clock circuit 106 ... sensor unit 107 ... GPS unit 107A ... GPS antenna 108D ... display unit 108S ... touch sensor 108 ... touch panel 109 ... sound output unit 110 ... speaker 111 ... transmission information processing unit 112 ... Reception information processing unit, 120 ... Navigation processing unit, 121 ... Route guidance processing unit, 122 ... Facility discrimination processing unit, 123 ... Link discrimination processing unit, 124 ... Notification processing unit

Claims (7)

Current position positioning means for measuring the current position;
Based on the information indicating the road to which any one of the entrance, exit, and entrance of the facility is connected, within a predetermined area identified with reference to the current position measured by the current position positioning means, First determination means for determining whether or not there is a road to which any one of the entrance, exit, and entrance is connected;
A warning means for calling attention when the first determination means determines that there is a road connected to any one of the entrance, exit, and entrance of the specific facility. Navigation device. The navigation device according to claim 1,
A route holding means for holding a set route for route guidance;
When the set route is held in the route holding means, the first determination means is in the predetermined area specified on the basis of the current position measured by the current position positioning means. And determining whether or not there is a road to which any one of the entrance, exit, and entrance of the specific facility is connected on the set route held by the route holding means. The navigation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
Determining whether or not the specific facility exists within a predetermined range to which the current position measured by the current position positioning means belongs based on facility information having a type and a location of the facility; It is provided with a discrimination means
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first determination unit functions when the second determination unit determines that the specific facility exists within a predetermined range to which the current position belongs. A determination means is specified based on the current position measured by the current position positioning means for determining the current position based on information indicating a road to which any of the facility entrance, exit, and entrance is connected. A determination step of determining whether or not there is a road to which any of the entrance, exit, and exit of a specific facility is connected in the area;
An alerting step of calling attention through alerting means when it is determined in the determining step that there is a road to which any one of the entrance, exit and exit of the specific facility is connected. A featured navigation method. The navigation method according to claim 4,
When the set route is held in the route holding means that holds the set route for route guidance, the determination step specifies the current position measured by the current position positioning means as a reference. In the predetermined area, it is determined whether or not there is a road connected to any one of the entrance, exit, and entrance of the specific facility on the set route held by the route holding means. A navigation method characterized by that. The computer installed in the navigation device
Based on the information indicating the road to which one of the entrance, exit, and entrance of the facility is connected, in a predetermined area specified with reference to the current position determined by the current position positioning means that measures the current position, A discriminating means for discriminating whether or not there is a road to which any one of the entrance, exit and exit of a specific facility is connected;
And functioning as a cautionary step for calling attention through a cautionary means when the deciding means determines that there is a road connected to any one of the entrance, exit, and entrance of the specific facility. A featured navigation program. The navigation program according to claim 6,
When the set route is held in a route holding unit that holds a set route for route guidance, the computer functioning as the determination unit uses the current position measured by the current position positioning unit as a reference. Whether or not there is a road connected to any one of the entrance, exit and exit of the specific facility on the set route held in the route holding means within the predetermined area A navigation program characterized by discriminating.

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