Navigation system

Abstract

To provide a technique for enhancing a possibility in which a user can acquire a useful search result, in search of facility.SOLUTION: A navigation system comprises: a travel scheduled path acquisition part for acquiring a travel scheduled path from a departure to destination, and a required time or a path length when travelling the travel scheduled path; a search range setting part for setting a first range including the travel scheduled path as a search range of a recommended facility, when the required time or the path length is less than a threshold, and setting a second range wider than the first range and including the travel scheduled path as a search range, when the required time or path length is greater or equal to the threshold; and a facility search part for searching for a recommended facility in the search range, and outputting a search result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a navigation system. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, in facility searches for navigation systems, there are known methods for searching for facilities along a planned travel route (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-321224 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The facilities found by the search may be facilities that the user will stop at as a detour before reaching the final destination. However, when searching for facilities within a fixed range based on the planned driving route, the search results may not be useful to the user. For example, depending on the time required from the departure point to the destination, the user's tolerance for extra time spent on a detour may vary, so there may be cases where the user wants to stop at a facility that is far from the planned driving route, or may not want to stop at a facility that is far from the planned driving route. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technique that increases the likelihood that a user will obtain useful search results when searching for facilities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To achieve the above object, the navigation system includes a planned driving route acquisition unit that acquires the planned driving route from the departure point to the destination and the required time or route length for driving the planned driving route; a search range setting unit that sets a first range including the planned driving route as the search range for recommended facilities if the required time or route length is less than a threshold value, and sets a second range that is wider than the first range and includes the planned driving route as the search range if the required time or route length is equal to or greater than the threshold value; and a facility search unit that searches for recommended facilities within the search range and outputs the search results.

[0006] When the required time or route length of the entire planned driving route is long, the extra time or distance spent on detours is likely to be more acceptable than when the required time or route length is short. When the required time or route length of the planned driving route is equal to or greater than a threshold, a facility search is performed over a wider area including the planned driving route compared to when it is less than the threshold, providing the user with more options for detour facilities. Therefore, this navigation system can increase the likelihood that the user will obtain useful search results in a facility search. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a navigation system. [Figure 2] 2A to 2D are schematic diagrams for explaining examples of setting a search range. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart of a facility search process. [Figure 4] 4A to 4C are schematic diagrams for explaining examples of setting a search range. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Here, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order. (1) Navigation system configuration: (2) Facility search processing: (3) Other embodiments:

[0009] (1) Navigation system configuration: FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a navigation system 10 according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the navigation system 10 is realized by a portable terminal such as a smartphone or tablet, and it is assumed that the portable navigation system 10 is carried into a vehicle and functions as a navigation system for the vehicle. The navigation system 10 includes a control unit 20 including a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., a recording medium 30, a positioning unit 40, a UI unit 41, and a communication unit 42, and can execute various programs stored in the recording medium 30 or ROM by the control unit 20. In this embodiment, a navigation program 21 can be executed as one of these programs.

[0010] The positioning unit 40 includes a GNSS receiver. The GNSS receiver is a device that receives GNSS signals, receives radio waves from navigation satellites, and outputs signals for calculating the position of the navigation system 10. The control unit 20 acquires these signals and obtains the position of the navigation system 10. The UI unit 41 includes a touch panel display and a speaker. The communication unit 42 includes an interface for communicating with other devices. The navigation system 10 may be capable of wireless communication with an in-vehicle device via the communication unit 42. The navigation system 10 may also be capable of wireless communication with a remote server via the communication unit 42.

[0011] The recording medium 30 stores map information 30a. The map information 30a includes node data, link data, shape interpolation point data, and facility data. The node data indicates the location of an intersection. The link data indicates a road section and is associated with nodes corresponding to the endpoints of the road section. In other words, the link data indicates links connecting nodes. The link data includes information indicating the distance of the road section indicated by the link data and road attributes (highway, general road, narrow street, etc.). The link data is also associated with shape interpolation point data indicating the locations of shape interpolation points for identifying the shape of the road between the nodes. The facility data indicates the names, locations, and attributes (genre) of facilities located near the roads, etc.

[0012] The navigation program 21 has a function of searching for a route from a departure point to a destination and guiding the user along the planned driving route, and a function of guiding the user to facilities of a genre recommended for the user that are located around the planned driving route. The guided facilities may be selected by the user as detour facilities before heading to the destination.

[0013] By executing the navigation program 21 having the above-described functions, the control unit 20 functions as a planned driving route acquisition unit 21a, a search range setting unit 21b, and a facility search unit 21c. By using the function of the planned driving route acquisition unit 21a, the control unit 20 acquires a planned driving route from a departure point to a destination and the required time or route length for traveling along the planned driving route. When searching for facilities of a recommended genre that are located around the planned driving route, i.e., within a search range set based on the planned driving route, the control unit 20 sets the size of the search range according to the overall length of the planned driving route. As an index indicating the overall length of the planned driving route used for this purpose, the route length (distance) of the planned driving route from the departure point to the destination or the required time (hours) required to travel along the planned driving route from the departure point to the destination may be used. However, in this embodiment, an example in which distance is used will be described.

[0014] The control unit 20 acquires the current location of the navigation system 10 based on the output of the positioning unit 40. When the user operates the UI unit 41 to input a destination, the control unit 20 acquires the input destination and searches for a route from the current location (starting point) to the destination using the map information 30a. Of course, the user may specify a point other than the current location as the starting point. The route obtained by the search is called the planned driving route. The control unit 20 acquires and accumulates the distances of each road section that makes up the planned driving route to acquire the route length from the starting point to the destination of the planned driving route.

[0015] Using the function of search range setting unit 21b, control unit 20 sets a first range including the planned driving route as the search range for recommended facilities when the route length of the planned driving route is less than a threshold, and sets a second range including the planned driving route and wider than the first range as the search range when the route length is equal to or greater than the threshold. That is, in this embodiment, when the route length of the planned driving route is less than the threshold, recommended facilities are searched for in the first range including the planned driving route, and when the route length is equal to or greater than the threshold, recommended facilities are searched for in the second range including the planned driving route. The threshold in this embodiment is a distance threshold (for example, a distance equivalent to one hour of driving at an expected travel speed).

[0016] 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams showing the relationship between the route length of the planned driving route R and the search range. T1 2B shows an example in which the route length of the planned route R is less than the threshold L T1 2A, the control unit 20 determines whether the route length of the planned travel route R is greater than or equal to the threshold L T1 If it is less than this, a first range that is an area of ​​W1 or less on both sides (i.e., an area of ​​width 2W1) based on the direction of travel of the planned travel route is set as the search range.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2B, the control unit 20 determines whether the route length of the planned travel route R is greater than or equal to a threshold L T1If the distance is greater than or equal to the threshold L, a second range is set as the search range, which is an area of ​​width 2W2 or less on both sides of the direction of travel of the planned travel route. W2 is greater than W1. T1 If the route length of the planned route R is equal to or greater than the threshold L T1 The search range is wider than when W1 is less than W1. For example, W1 may be a distance that assumes that facilities along the planned driving route will be included in the search targets. For example, W2 may be a distance that assumes that facilities that can be reached by driving a few minutes away from the planned driving route will also be included in the search targets, in addition to facilities along the planned driving route. Of course, any designed value may be used as long as W2 > W1.

[0018] Using the function of the facility search unit 21c, the control unit 20 searches for recommended facilities within the search range and outputs the search results. The control unit 20 acquires information indicating genres of interest registered in advance by the user. The control unit 20 also acquires genres of facilities frequently visited or recently visited by the user, derived based on the user's behavioral history. The control unit 20 treats the acquired genres as genres recommended to the user. The control unit 20 searches for facilities of the recommended genre that are present within the search range set by the search range setting unit 21b, by referring to the map information 30a. The control unit 20 acquires facility data of the facilities obtained by the search. The control unit 20 displays a map showing the planned driving route from the departure point to the destination on the display of the UI unit 41, and outputs the search results by displaying an icon indicating the facility at the location of the facility obtained by the search.

[0019] The user can recognize the planned driving route and the presence of recommended facilities in the vicinity from the map displayed on the display of the UI unit 41 (a map including the planned driving route and recommended facility icons). The user can also select the displayed facilities as stop-off facilities. When the planned driving route is long, even if the extra time and distance are increased due to detours, this is considered to be more acceptable than when the route length is short. When the route length of the planned driving route is equal to or greater than a threshold, a facility search is performed over a wider area including the planned driving route compared to when it is less than the threshold, thereby providing the user with more options for detour facilities. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the possibility of obtaining useful search results for the user can be increased in a facility search.

[0020] Furthermore, when the route length of the planned driving route is less than the threshold, it is considered that facilities far away from the planned driving route are less likely to be selected as stop-off facilities compared to when the route length is equal to or greater than the threshold. According to this embodiment, when the route length of the planned driving route is less than the threshold, such far away facilities are not displayed as recommended facilities to the user, thereby preventing the user from being guided to unnecessarily many recommended facilities.

[0021] (2) Facility search processing: Next, the facility search process executed by the control unit 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The facility search process is executed when a user instructs to search for a route to a destination. When the facility search process starts, the control unit 20 acquires a planned driving route to the destination using the function of the planned driving route acquisition unit 21a (step S100). That is, the control unit 20 refers to the map information 30a, searches for a route from the current location (starting point) to the destination, and acquires the planned driving route.

[0022] Next, the control unit 20 acquires the route length to the destination using the function of the planned driving route acquisition unit 21a (step S105). That is, the control unit 20 acquires the distance of each road section constituting the planned driving route by referring to the map information 30a, and acquires the route length of the planned driving route by accumulating the distances of each road section.

[0023] Next, the control unit 20 determines whether the route length is equal to or greater than a threshold value using the function of the search range setting unit 21b (step S110). If it is not determined in step S110 that the route length is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control unit 20 sets a first range including the planned travel route as the search range using the function of the search range setting unit 21b (step S115). That is, as shown in FIG. 2A, the control unit 20 sets the first range, which is an area having a width W1 on each side and including the planned travel route R, as the search range.

[0024] If it is determined in step S110 that the route length is equal to or greater than the threshold, the control unit 20 sets a second range including the planned travel route as the search range using the function of the search range setting unit 21b (step S120). That is, the control unit 20 sets the second range, which is an area of ​​width W2 (>W1) including the planned travel route R, as the search range, as shown in FIG. 2B.

[0025] After executing step S115 or step S120, the control unit 20 uses the function of the facility search unit 21c to search for recommended facilities within the search range and output the search results (step S125). That is, the control unit 20 searches for facilities that exist within the search range set in step S115 or step S120 and that belong to a genre recommended to the user, by referring to the map information 30a. The control unit 20 displays a map showing the planned driving route from the departure point to the destination on the display of the UI unit 41, and displays an icon indicating the facility at the location of the facility obtained by the search, thereby outputting the search results.

[0026] When the user selects one of the recommended facilities that has been introduced as a stop-off facility, the control unit 20 searches again for a route using the facility selected by the user as a stop-off point, and provides guidance along the route obtained as a result of the re-search.

[0027] (3) Other embodiments: The above embodiment is an example for implementing the present invention, and various other embodiments are also possible. For example, the navigation system 10 may be a portable device as in the above embodiment, or may be a device mounted on a vehicle or the like. Alternatively, the navigation system 10 may be implemented by multiple devices (e.g., an in-vehicle device and a portable device, a portable device and a server, or an in-vehicle device and a server). At least some of the planned driving route acquisition unit 21a, search range setting unit 21b, and facility search unit 21c that constitute the navigation system may be separated and present in multiple devices. For example, the functions of the planned driving route acquisition unit 21a and the facility search unit 21c may be implemented by an in-vehicle navigation system or a server. Some of the components of the above embodiment may be omitted, and the order of processing may be changed or omitted.

[0028] The search range setting unit may be configured to set a wider search range for a section where the travel distance from the departure point when traveling along the planned travel route is equal to or greater than a reference value when the route length is equal to or greater than a reference value, than for a section where the travel distance is less than the reference value. In this case, the reference value is a value smaller than the route length (total length) of the planned travel route. Figure 2C shows a case where the route length L of the planned travel route R is equal to or greater than a threshold L T1 In this example, the search range is an area of ​​width 2W1 including the planned driving route R in the section where the driving distance on the planned driving route R from the departure point S is less than a reference value (L / 2 in this example), and in the section where the distance is equal to or greater than the reference value, the search range is an area of ​​width 2W2 including the planned driving route R. T1 If the distance from the departure point S on the planned route R is equal to or greater than the reference value, the route length of the planned route R is equal to or greater than the threshold L T1 The search range is wider than when it is less than 100 (see Figure 2A).

[0029] If a facility search is performed using a wide search range in the early section of the planned driving route (a section on the planned driving route from the starting point S where the distance is less than a reference value), facilities far from the planned driving route and located in a direction with a large angle θ relative to the direction of the destination from the starting point may also be extracted in the search. It can be assumed that such facilities are unlikely to be selected as stop-off facilities in the early section of the planned driving route. For example, even if the destination is located east of the starting point, a facility located far from the planned driving route in a southerly direction from the starting point may be unlikely to be selected as a stop-off facility. If this assumption is made, by narrowing the search range in the early section compared to the middle and later sections, facilities far from the original planned driving route and with a large angle θ, which are assumed to be less likely to be selected, can be less likely to be output as recommended facilities (candidate stop-off facilities). As a result, the navigation system can avoid providing unnecessarily many recommended facilities.

[0030] The range setting unit may be configured to set the second range wider when the route length of the planned driving route is longer than when it is shorter, when the route length is equal to or greater than the threshold. When the route length of the planned driving route is long, even if extra time is spent on detours or extra distance traveled is longer, this is considered to be more acceptable than when the route length is short, so the longer the route length, the more facilities can be presented as options. Specifically, Figs. 4B and 4C show the second range when the route length of the planned driving route R from the departure point S to the destination G is equal to or greater than the threshold L T1 4A is a schematic diagram showing an example in which the planned driving route R shown in FIG. 4C is longer than the planned driving route R shown in FIG. 4B. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an example in which the route length of the planned driving route R is longer than the route length of the planned driving route R shown in FIG. 4B. T1 When the route length of the planned travel route R is equal to or greater than the threshold and is relatively short (FIG. 4B), the range setting unit sets the second range to an area with a width of W2 on both the left and right sides of the planned travel route R as a reference. When the route length is relatively long (FIG. 4C), the range setting unit sets the second range to an area with a width of W2 on both the left and right sides of the planned travel route R as a reference. 21The area with a width of (>W2) is set as the second range. In this way, the range setting unit can set the second range wider when the route length of the planned travel route is long than when it is short.

[0031] Note that, when the route length of the planned driving route from the departure point S to the destination G is equal to or greater than a threshold, the range setting unit may be configured to variably set the width of the search range in multiple stages according to the driving distance from the departure point S. For example, as shown in FIG. 2D , the range setting unit may be configured to divide the planned driving route into three or more sections according to the driving distance from the departure point S, and set a wider area based on the planned driving route as the search range for a section with a longer driving distance from the departure point S.

[0032] When setting the search range, the required time for traveling the planned traveling route may be used. In this case, the planned traveling route acquisition unit identifies the travel speed of each road section based on the road attributes of each road section, calculates the time required for traveling that road section from the distance and travel speed of the road section, and accumulates the time required for traveling all road sections to obtain the required time for traveling the planned traveling route from the departure point to the destination. Of course, a statistical value according to the time period during which traveling is planned may be used as the travel speed of each road section. When adopting a configuration in which the search range is set according to the required time for the planned traveling route, the threshold is a threshold for the required time (for example, 1 hour).

[0033] When a configuration is adopted in which the search range is set according to the required time of the planned driving route, the search range setting unit may be configured to set a wider search range for sections where the driving time from the departure point is equal to or greater than a threshold value, compared to sections where the driving time is less than the threshold value. Note that in this case, the threshold value is a value indicating time and is shorter than the length of the required time of the planned driving route. By narrowing the search range for early sections compared to middle and later sections, facilities that are far from the original planned driving route and form a large angle with the direction from the departure point to the destination, which are assumed to be less likely to be selected, can be less likely to be output as recommended facilities (candidate stopover facilities). As a result, the navigation system can avoid providing unnecessarily many recommended facilities.

[0034] Furthermore, when a configuration is adopted in which the search range is set according to the time required for the planned driving route, the search range setting unit may be configured to set the second range wider when the total time required for the planned driving route is longer than when the total time required is shorter, since it is considered more acceptable to spend extra time on detours when the total time required for the planned driving route is long compared to when the total time required is short, the longer the time required for the planned driving route, the more facilities can be presented as options.

[0035] Furthermore, the techniques of the present invention can also be applied as programs or methods. The above-described systems, programs, and methods may be realized as standalone devices or may be realized using components shared with various parts of a vehicle, and thus include various aspects. They can also be modified as appropriate, such as being partly software and partly hardware. Furthermore, the invention can also be realized as a recording medium for a program that controls the system. Of course, the recording medium for the program may be a magnetic recording medium or a semiconductor memory, and any recording medium developed in the future can be considered in the same way. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10...navigation system, 20...control unit, 21...navigation program, 21a...planned driving route acquisition unit, 21b...search range setting unit, 21c...facility search unit, 30...recording medium, 30a...map information, 40...positioning unit, 41...UI unit, 42...communication unit, G...destination, L...route length, L T1 ...threshold, R...planned route, S...starting point

Claims

1. a planned driving route acquisition unit that acquires a planned driving route from a departure point to a destination and a required time or route length for driving the planned driving route; a search range setting unit that sets a first range including the planned travel route as the search range for recommended facilities when the required time or the route length is less than a threshold, and sets a second range including the planned travel route and wider than the first range as the search range when the required time or the route length is equal to or greater than the threshold; a facility search unit that searches for recommended facilities within the search range and outputs search results; A navigation system comprising:

2. If the required time or the path length is equal to or greater than the threshold, In a section where the travel time or travel distance from the departure point when traveling along the planned travel route is equal to or greater than a reference value, the search range is wider than in a section where the travel time or travel distance is less than the reference value; the reference value is shorter than the required time or the route length of the planned travel route; The navigation system of claim 1 .

3. When the required time or the path length is equal to or greater than the threshold, the second range is wider when the required time or the path length is long than when the required time or the path length is short.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1 or 2.

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