JP3184331B2 - Route guidance device by voice of car - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a route guidance apparatus using a voice of a vehicle, which provides voice guidance to a passenger of the vehicle to guide the vehicle along the predetermined travel route. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a car navigation system, which is one of the road driving assistance systems for a car, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-209316, an image display device is provided with an image display device. A road map including the driving area is displayed, and various information such as a current position of the vehicle, a destination, and a planned route from the current position to the destination are displayed on the displayed road map. And the vehicle occupant can run the vehicle to the destination according to the display on the image display device. Further, as such an automobile navigation system, there is also known an automobile navigation system in which an occupant of an automobile is provided with voice guidance about a set traveling route in addition to information display by an image display device.

[0003] In a system which has been conventionally proposed as a traveling route guidance device for performing guidance along a set traveling route to a car by voice guidance, voice guidance is performed at a crossing point or the like specified in advance on a road map. Guidance sentences prepared corresponding to each of the plurality of voice guidance target points are sequentially and uniformly output as voices.
No consideration is given as to whether a vehicle occupant needs audio guidance. Therefore, the conventional voice guidance for guidance of a traveling route requires the vehicle to travel on a traveling route unknown to the occupant or a traveling route that is not known but is not familiar to the occupant. It works very effectively when done in the original, for example, if the car is traveling on a known and well-known travel route to the occupant and the occupant does not need it. However, there is a fear that the occupant may be inconvenienced or sparsely remembered.

Therefore, in order to eliminate such a fear, for example,
As shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-114117, it is possible to guide a vehicle to a destination by a road map displayed by an image display device and voice guidance from a voice output device. The content is uniform for a plurality of voice guidance target points, such as intersections, but in a section of the set traveling route to the destination where an occupant desires voice guidance. Some systems have been proposed to do so only. Under such a system, the occupant of the vehicle can make settings so that voice guidance is not provided in a traveling route section that does not require any voice guidance for traveling route guidance.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the case of an automobile employing a system capable of selectively performing voice guidance for guiding a travel route according to a travel route section as described above. However, once the voice guidance is performed in the travel route section selected as the section where the voice guidance should be performed, the driving operation state by the occupant or the driving of the automobile is performed at each voice guidance target point in the section. Since the operation is performed uniformly regardless of the state, for example, before the voice guidance is performed, the occupant recognizes an appropriate route and turns left or right to drive the vehicle along the appropriate route. In spite of the driving operation that activates the turn signal, a voice guidance is given that tells you to make a left or right turn. Or on a road with multiple driving lanes, in a state where the vehicle is already running on the appropriate driving lane or in a state of shifting from another driving lane to drive on the appropriate driving lane. In spite of the fact, there is a situation where voice guidance that is not actually required is performed, which indicates that the vehicle should be shifted to the appropriate traveling lane. Therefore, even under a system in which the voice guidance for the travel route guidance can be selectively performed according to the travel route section, the occupant of the car may not perform the voice guidance. It cannot be said that the situation in which the user has to be bothered is reduced sufficiently.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a method for guiding a vehicle occupant along a set traveling route to a voice guidance regarding a predetermined point on the set traveling route. If it is inferred from the driving operation state or the driving state of the vehicle that the situation is not necessary, voice guidance to the occupant is prohibited, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a route guidance apparatus using a voice of an automobile, which can effectively suppress a situation in which the user gets in trouble.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a route guidance apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention comprises:
A route setting unit that sets a traveling route based on destination data and current position data of a vehicle and map data indicating a vehicle traveling route network, and transmits route data relating to the set traveling route; Based on the data and the route data from the route setting unit, a guidance operation for the vehicle at a predetermined point on the set travel route is set so that the vehicle travels along the set travel route, and the set guidance operation is set. A guidance operation setting unit for transmitting guidance operation data representing the guidance operation data, and a guidance text for the set guidance operation based on the guidance operation data from the guidance operation setting unit, and guidance text data representing the created guidance text. And a guidance for executing voice guidance related to a set guidance operation based on guidance text data from the guidance text creation unit. A driving unit, a driving state detecting unit that detects at least one of a driving operation performed by a vehicle occupant and a road surface division state of the vehicle, and a driving operation performed by the vehicle occupant detected by the driving state detection unit When the operation of the vehicle corresponding to the above corresponds to the set guidance operation, or when the road surface traveling division state of the vehicle detected by the traveling state detection unit matches the result of the set guidance operation , Prohibits voice guidance for the guidance operation set by the guidance execution unit, and makes the guidance sentence creation unit simpler than the guidance operation set
Create additional guidance text about
Send guidance text data representing the newly created guidance text
And a voice guidance control unit for performing an operation .

[0008]

In the route guidance apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention configured as described above, the guidance operation setting unit causes the vehicle to travel along the set travel route. The guidance operation for the car at a predetermined point on the route is set, and the guidance message creation unit
When a guidance sentence for voice guidance to the occupant of the vehicle with respect to the set guidance operation is created, the driving operation by the occupant detected by the traveling state detection unit by the voice guidance control unit causes the vehicle operation corresponding to the guidance operation to be performed. Is determined to match the set guidance operation, or that the road surface traveling division state of the vehicle detected by the traveling state detection unit matches the result of the set guidance operation. In the case, the voice guidance related to the guidance operation set by the guidance execution unit based on the guidance text for voice guidance to the occupant regarding the set guidance operation is prohibited , and the guidance operation is simplified compared to the set guidance operation. Sa
Guidance sentence about the guided operation is sent by the guidance sentence creation unit.
Created additionally. Thereby, the voice guidance based on the guidance sentence created by the guidance sentence creation unit regarding the guidance operation set by the guidance operation setting unit is necessary based on the driving operation state by the occupant or the driving state of the car. when it suspected of not the situation is the relevant voice guidance
Instead of the guide text added by the guide text creation unit
Guidance that is simpler than the set guidance action based on
The voice guidance related to the operation is performed, and the situation in which the occupant feels troublesome about performing the voice guidance is effectively suppressed.

[0009]

FIG. 1 shows an example of a route guidance apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention. In this example, a current position detecting unit 11 for detecting a current position of a vehicle on which the vehicle is mounted is provided. The current position detection unit 11 includes a G signal from an artificial satellite in the Global Positioning System (GPS), which is a radio navigation system using an artificial satellite.
GPS signal receiving unit 12 for receiving a PS signal, geomagnetic sensor 13 serving as a direction sensor for detecting the direction of the vehicle, vehicle speed sensor 1 for detecting the traveling speed of the vehicle
4, a reference position data input unit 15 for inputting data on a reference position of the vehicle, and a map data storage memory unit 16 storing map data indicating a vehicle traveling road network in a traveling area of the vehicle. . And
The current position detecting unit 11 includes a map data DM and a GPS signal receiving unit 12 read from the map data storage memory unit 16.
Signal SG received from the vehicle, detection output Dx from the geomagnetic sensor 13, detection output D from the vehicle speed sensor 14
s and the reference position data Di from the reference position data input unit 15 to display the current position of the vehicle in the map data D.
M is detected as a position on the automobile road network represented by M, and current position data DP representing the detected current position is transmitted.

The current position data DP sent from the current position detecting unit 11 is supplied to a route setting unit 17. The route setting unit 17 includes the map data DM read from the map data storage memory unit 16 and a destination data input unit 18
, Destination data Dd representing a destination to be reached by the vehicle. The route setting unit 17 calculates the current position data DP when the destination data Dd is supplied.
The position represented by the map data DM is defined as the guidance traveling start point on the vehicle travel network, and the position represented by the map data DM corresponding to the destination represented by the destination data Dd is represented by the destination point on the vehicle travel network. Then, an optimal traveling route from the guidance traveling start point to the destination on the automobile traveling road network represented by the map data DM is set. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the route setting unit 17 guides the vehicle on the vehicle traveling road network represented by the map data DM, which is the point represented by the current position data DP when the destination data Dd is supplied. Start point P
S and a destination point PF corresponding to the destination represented by the destination data Dd are set. Further, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2, an optimal traveling route AC from the guidance traveling start point PS to the destination point PF is determined. Is set. The traveling route AC shown in FIG.
From the intersections X1, X2, X3, X4 and X5,
It is assumed that the vehicle reaches the destination point PF.

The route setting unit 17 includes a set traveling route,
For example, the route data DC regarding the travel route AC is sent to the guidance operation setting unit 19 that sets the guidance operation for the vehicle at the voice guidance target point which is a specific point on the set travel route. The guidance operation setting unit 19 includes, in addition to the route data DC from the route setting unit 17, the current position data DP sent from the current position detection unit 11 and the map data DM read from the map data storage memory unit 16. The guidance operation setting unit 19 that is supplied, the vehicle should perform at the voice guidance target point on the set traveling route represented by the route data DC, for example, right turn or left turn,
Or, an operation such as changing the driving lane is a guidance operation,
Route data DC, current position data DP and map data D
Created using M. For example, when the traveling route AC shown in FIG. 2 is represented as the traveling route in which the route data DC from the route setting unit 17 is set, the guidance operation setting unit 1
9, the intersection X in the traveling route AC, for example,
The operation to be performed by the vehicle at each of 1, X2, X3, X4, and X5 is set as a guidance operation for the vehicle at each of the voice guidance target points on the traveling route AC.

When the guidance operation is set, the guidance operation setting unit 19 supplies guidance operation data DG representing the set guidance operation to the guidance sentence creation unit 20 and the voice guidance control unit 21, respectively. The guidance sentence creating unit 20 creates a guidance sentence for voice guidance regarding the guidance operation set by the guidance operation data DG based on the guidance operation data DG from the guidance operation setting unit 19. And
When the guide sentence creating unit 20 creates the guide sentence, the guide sentence data DS representing the created guide sentence is supplied to the guide sentence data memory unit 22 and the guide sentence creation notification signal CS is transmitted to the memory control unit 23 and the voice. The information is sent to each of the guidance control units 21. The memory control unit 23 includes the guidance sentence creation unit 20
Receives the guidance message creation notification signal CS from the controller, the writing signal Pw is supplied to the guidance message data memory unit 22 in response thereto, and the guidance message data memory unit 22 receives the guidance signal from the guidance message creation unit 20. The sentence data DS is written and stored according to the write signal Pw.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 1, in order to detect the driving operation state of the occupant of the vehicle, the vehicle turns left or right or changes the traveling lane with respect to a turn signal provided to the vehicle. A turn signal operation detecting section 25 for detecting an operation state by the occupant is provided, and the turn signal operation data DW, which indicates the occupant's operation state with respect to the turn signal, obtained from the turn signal operation detecting section 25, is provided by voice guidance control. It is supplied to the unit 21. Further, the example shown in FIG. 1 includes a road surface traveling division state relating to an automobile, that is, a state in which an automobile traveling on a road provided with a plurality of traveling lanes maintains one traveling lane, or one traveling lane. A road surface imaging unit 26 and a traveling lane detecting unit 27 are provided to detect a state or the like of shifting from the traveling lane to another traveling lane.
The turn signal operation detection unit 25, the road surface imaging unit 26, and the traveling lane detection unit 27 form a traveling state detection unit for the automobile.

The road surface imaging unit 26 is constituted by, for example, a small-sized video camera, images a road surface on which a car is traveling over a predetermined range, and outputs an imaging output signal SI obtained thereby to a traveling lane detection unit. 27. The traveling lane detection unit 27 performs image analysis based on the image pickup output signal SI from the road surface imaging unit 26 to determine the relationship between the position of the car and the traveling lane on the road surface on which the car is traveling. The state of maintaining the lane and the number of the driving lane at that time are detected. The state of the vehicle moving from one driving lane to another driving lane and the change of the driving lane at that time are determined. And the like, and supplies to the voice guidance control unit 21 the traveling lane data DL representing the detected road traveling division state of the vehicle.

The voice guidance control unit 21 includes the guidance operation setting unit 1
9 and the turn signal operation detecting unit 2
5 based on the turn signal operation data DW from No. 5, the operation such as the left turn, right turn, or change of the traveling lane of the vehicle corresponding to the operation state of the occupant on the turn signal indicated by the turn signal operation data DW is set by the guidance operation data DG. To determine whether or not it matches the performed guidance operation, and the guidance operation data D from the guidance operation setting unit 19
G and travel lane data DL from the travel lane detector 27
Based on the above, the road surface traveling division state of the vehicle represented by the traveling lane data DL is the result of the set guidance operation represented by the guidance operation data DG, that is, the operation of the vehicle according to the set guidance operation is performed. Then, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is in conformity with the road surface traveling division state of the vehicle, such as maintaining a specific traveling lane or shifting to a specific traveling lane.

The voice guidance control unit 21 determines that the operation of the vehicle corresponding to the operation state of the occupant on the turn signal indicated by the turn signal operation data DW does not match the set guidance operation represented by the guidance operation data DG. ,
Further, when the road surface traveling division state of the vehicle represented by the traveling lane data DL does not match the result of the set guidance operation represented by the guidance operation data DG,
After confirming the arrival of the guidance message creation notification signal CS from the guidance message creation unit 20, the voice guidance permission signal CA is sent to the memory control unit 23.
To send to. The memory control unit 23 includes the voice guidance control unit 21
When the voice guidance permission signal CA is received, a read signal Pr is supplied to the guidance sentence data memory unit 22 in response thereto, whereby the guidance sentence data DS stored in the guidance sentence data memory unit 22 is read out. Then, it is supplied to the audio signal synthesizer 29.

The voice signal synthesizing unit 29 supplied with the guide sentence data DS from the guide sentence data memory unit 22 synthesizes an analog voice signal SA corresponding to the guide sentence represented by the guide sentence data DS. Then, the audio signal synthesis unit 29
Is supplied to the speaker 30, whereby the speaker 30 provides voice guidance to the occupant of the vehicle based on the guidance sentence created by the guidance sentence creating unit 20. Then, the vehicle performs an operation such as a left turn, a right turn, and a change of a traveling lane in accordance with the guidance operation set by the guidance operation setting unit 19 through the voice guidance from the speaker 30 through the driving operation of the occupant receiving the guidance, The vehicle will be guided along the set traveling route. Under such circumstances, the audio signal synthesizing unit 29 and the speaker 30 constitute a guidance executing unit. Note that the guidance message data memory unit 2 using the speaker 30
When the voice guidance based on the guidance text data DS from 2 is performed, the voice guidance control unit 21 sends a data erasure command signal CE specifying the guidance text data DS on which the voice guidance is performed based on the guidance to the memory control unit 23. Supply. In response to the data erasure command signal CE, the memory control unit 23 supplies the guide text data memory unit 22 with the write signal Pw as an erasure signal for the designated guide text data DS, thereby In the memory unit 22, the guidance sentence data DS on which the voice guidance based thereon is performed is deleted.

Further, the voice guidance control unit 21 determines that the operation of the vehicle corresponding to the operation state of the occupant on the direction indicator indicated by the turn signal operation data DW matches the set guidance operation represented by the guidance operation data DG. In the case where the road lane classification state of the vehicle represented by the travel lane data DL matches the result of the set guidance operation represented by the guidance operation data DG, the memory control unit 23 of the voice guidance permission signal CA , And supplies a data erasure command signal CE specifying the guidance text data DS corresponding to the guidance operation to the memory control unit 23. The memory control unit 23 outputs the data erasure command signal C
In response to E, a write signal Pw is supplied to the guide message data memory unit 22 as an erasure signal for the designated guide message data DS.
In, the designated guidance sentence data DS is deleted.
Accordingly, in such a case, the voice guidance for the set guidance operation represented by the guidance operation data DG is prohibited by the voice guidance control unit 21.

When the voice guidance control unit 21 prohibits the voice guidance related to the set guidance operation represented by the guidance operation data DG, the voice guidance control unit 21 responds to the contents of the set guidance operation represented by the guidance operation data DG. The simplified guidance sentence data DX is supplied to the guidance sentence creation unit 20. Voice guidance control unit 2
Guide sentence creating unit 2 receiving simplified guide sentence data DX from 1
0 additionally creates a guidance message for a guidance operation that is simplified from the set guidance operation represented by the guidance operation data DG based on the simplified guidance message data DX. Further, the guide sentence creating unit 20 supplies the guide sentence data DS representing the additionally created guide sentence to the guide sentence data memory unit 22, and also sends the guide sentence creation notification signal CS to the memory control unit 23 and the voice guide control unit 21. To each of them. When receiving the guidance message creation notification signal CS from the guidance message creation unit 20, the memory control unit 23 responds to the write signal Pw.
Is supplied to the guidance sentence data memory unit 22, whereby the guidance sentence data DS representing the additionally created guidance sentence from the guidance sentence creation unit 20 is written into the guidance sentence data memory unit 22 in response to the write signal Pw. Stored.

In such a case, the voice guidance control unit 21 which has received the guidance text creation notification signal CS from the guidance text creation unit 20 that has additionally created the guidance text, immediately sends the voice guidance permission signal C
A to the memory control unit 23, and the memory control unit 23
Upon receiving the voice guidance permission signal CA from the voice guidance control unit 21, the read signal Pr is supplied to the guidance text data memory unit 22 in response thereto, whereby the additional text stored in the guidance text data memory unit 22 is stored. The guidance text data DS representing the guidance text thus read is read and supplied to the audio signal synthesizing unit 29. As a result, voice guidance regarding the guidance operation simplified from the set guidance operation represented by the guidance operation data DG is performed by the speaker 30.

The voice guidance relating to the guidance operation which is more simplified than the guidance operation set by the guidance operation data DG is performed when the guidance guidance relating to the guidance operation set by the guidance operation data DG is prohibited. Is not necessarily performed, but is selectively performed only when the simplified guidance operation is valid for the vehicle according to the specific contents of the guidance operation set by the guidance operation data DG. .

[0022]

As is apparent from the above description, in the vehicle route guidance apparatus according to the present invention, the vehicle is set in the voice guidance to the occupant of the vehicle on the traveling route set for the vehicle. A guidance operation for a vehicle at a predetermined point on the set traveling route for traveling along the set traveling route is set, and a guidance sentence for voice guidance to a vehicle occupant regarding the set guidance operation is created. The driving operation by the occupant detected by the traveling state detection unit by the voice guidance control unit matches the guidance operation in which the operation of the corresponding vehicle is set, or the traveling state detection unit It is detected that the road traveling division state of the vehicle detected by the above is in agreement with the result of the set guidance operation. Case, the based on the guidance statement for audio guidance for occupant for induction behavior set, it is prohibited voice guidance concerning inducing behavior set by the executing processor, simplified from induced behavior set Is
The guidance text about the guidance operation that was
Presumed pressure is created Runode, voice guidance based on the guidance statement generated for the induction behavior set, and the driving operation state or the running state of the automobile by the driver, not the context in which it is required If so , the audio draft
Guidance sentence additionally created by the guidance sentence drafting unit instead of
Guidance that is more simplified than the set guidance operation based on
The voice guidance related to the guiding operation is performed , and therefore, a situation in which the occupant feels troublesome to perform the voice guidance is effectively suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a route guidance apparatus using a voice of an automobile according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a traveling route of an automobile used for explaining the operation of the example shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Current position detection unit 16 Map data storage memory unit 17 Route setting unit 18 Destination data input unit 19 Guidance operation setting unit 20 Guidance sentence creation unit 21 Voice guidance control unit 22 Guidance sentence data memory unit 23 Memory control unit 25 Turn signal operation detection Unit 26 Road surface imaging unit 27 Driving lane detection unit 29 Voice signal synthesis unit 30 Speaker

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A route setting unit for setting a travel route based on destination data and current position data of a vehicle and map data indicating a vehicle travel route network, and transmitting route data relating to the set travel route; On the basis of the current position data, the map data, and the route data from the route setting unit, the vehicle at a predetermined point on the set travel route so that the vehicle travels along the set travel route. A guidance operation setting unit for setting guidance operation for the vehicle and transmitting guidance operation data representing the set guidance operation; and a guidance sentence about the guidance operation set based on the guidance operation data from the guidance operation setting unit. And a guidance sentence creating unit for sending guidance sentence data representing the created guidance sentence; and a guidance sentence data from the guidance sentence creation unit. A guidance execution unit that performs voice guidance related to the set guidance operation; a traveling state detection unit that detects at least one of a driving operation performed by an occupant of the vehicle and a road surface division state related to the vehicle; When the operation of the vehicle corresponding to the driving operation by the occupant of the vehicle detected by the section matches the set guidance operation, or the road surface traveling division state related to the vehicle detected by the traveling state detection unit When the result of the set guidance operation matches the result of the set guidance operation, the voice guidance for the set guidance operation by the guidance execution unit is prohibited , and the guidance
In the navigation section, guidance that is simpler than the guidance operation set above
Create additional guidance text about the action,
To send guidance text data representing the guidance text
And a voice guidance control unit for controlling the vehicle. 2. A guide sentence additionally created by a guide sentence creating unit.
Based on guidance text data representing the voice guidance regarding guiding operation which is simplified from the guiding operation which is the set, upper
Selective execution according to the specific contents of the guidance operation set
Line is the route guidance device according to car audio according to claim 1, wherein Rukoto.