JP4957430B2 - Driver's interest distance estimation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a driver's interest distance estimation device that estimates a distance in which a driver (driver) of a vehicle is interested in the current driving environment.

  In a car navigation system for a vehicle that displays the current position, traveling direction, destination, etc. of the host vehicle along with map information and road information on the display screen of the display to provide driving route guidance, the display scale of the display screen on the display And a method of automatically changing the display range is known. Conventionally, as this type of technology, for example, those described in the following documents are known (see Patent Document 1).

In this document 1, when the display scale of the display in the navigation system is automatically changed without using the intersection on the route by setting the destination, the average speed of the vehicle is calculated, and based on the calculated average speed level. Techniques for changing the display scale or display range have been proposed.
JP-A-8-35844

  However, when changing the display scale of the display using the average speed of the vehicle, it is necessary to calculate the average speed to such an extent that the scale is not changed by starting and stopping by a signal. If this is not the case, the scale changes frequently and the display may be very difficult for the driver to see.

  On the other hand, when the scale is changed based on the average speed that is not affected by starting and stopping due to signals, there is almost no significant difference in average speed in the range from local roads to national roads (for example, The difference is about 5 km / h at the maximum), and there is a problem that the scale hardly changes.

  Therefore, the technology that changes the display of the display in the navigation system based on the average speed of the vehicle makes it difficult to recognize the distance that the driver is interested in in the current driving environment. Optimize the display scale and display range according to the current driving environment, and provide information on the driving environment around the driver's desired range (various facilities, shops, rest areas, refueling stations, sightseeing places, traffic jam information, etc.) There was a risk that it could not be done.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to accurately estimate the driver's interest distance and contribute to the presentation of significant driving information corresponding to the estimated interest distance. The object is to provide a driver's interest distance estimation device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the means for solving the problems of the present invention comprises: navigation means for recognizing a travel route on which the host vehicle is traveling based on vehicle speed and position information of the host vehicle; A host vehicle route recording unit that records a history of the recognized travel route, a route complexity calculation unit that calculates and calculates the complexity of the travel route recorded in the host vehicle route recording unit, and the route complexity calculation Based on the complexity of the route calculated by the means, the estimation means for estimating the distance (interest distance) that the driver is currently interested in, and the interest distance estimated by the estimation means previously estimated by the interest distance And verification means for verifying whether to update or not.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately estimate the distance (interesting distance) when the driver has this prior interest (interest) based on the traveling history of the own vehicle. Thereby, the surrounding driving environment information in the distance range in which the driver is interested can be presented.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The best embodiment for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a driver's interest distance estimation apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The apparatus of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is based on the vehicle speed on which the vehicle is currently traveling, based on the vehicle position information and map information obtained by GPS (Global Positioning System). A travel route 101 that recognizes the travel route), a host vehicle route recording unit 102 that records a history of the travel route recognized by the navigation 101, and a complicated route record recorded in the host vehicle route recording unit 102. A route complexity calculation unit 103 that digitizes and calculates the distance, and a distance (interesting distance) that the driver is currently interested in based on the complexity of the route calculated by the route complexity calculation unit 103 ) And an interest distance validity verification unit 105 that verifies the validity of updating the interest distance estimated by the interest distance estimation unit 104 to the latest interest distance. It is configured.

  An apparatus having these configuration requirements is realized by, for example, a microcomputer provided with resources such as a CPU, a storage device, and an input / output device necessary for a computer that controls various operation processes based on a program. The microcomputer which comprises the said apparatus estimates an interest distance according to the process sequence shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2 based on the control logic (program) previously hold | maintained inside.

  Next, the interest distance estimation procedure will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In FIG. 2, first, the navigation 101 performs map matching with reference to the map information based on the position information obtained by the GPS mounted on the vehicle and the vehicle speed signal obtained by the vehicle speed sensor, and the current vehicle's current state is obtained. The travel position is recognized, and the travel history is recorded in the own vehicle route recording unit 102 (step S201).

  Next, a distance to be updated by changing the interest distance (update distance), for example, the past (the distance ΔL before, for example, 2 km before) the own vehicle position and the current position are connected with a straight line as shown in FIG. That direction is set as the traveling direction (step S202). If you proceed from the past position in the direction of travel, you will reach the current position, but you will also need to proceed in a different direction from the direction of travel due to road relationships and road selection.

  Therefore, in order to determine how far the vehicle moves in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction, the direction is calculated at predetermined equal distances (for example, every 200 m) on the route from the vehicle position before ΔL to the current position. Is calculated (step S203), and the vehicle direction considered from the direction in which the vehicle is facing or the road shape is decomposed into a traveling direction component and an orthogonal component as shown in FIG. 3 (step S204). That is, the value of the cosine function (cos, cosine) obtained by subtracting the traveling direction angle A from the vehicle direction angle B shown in FIG. 3 is used as the traveling direction component, and the traveling direction angle A is subtracted from the vehicle direction angle B. The sine function (sin, sine) of the angle is decomposed as an orthogonal component.

  Subsequently, in order to calculate the ratio of the orthogonal component at each calculation point as shown in FIG. 4, the absolute value of the orthogonal component is divided by the sum of the absolute value of the orthogonal component and the absolute value of the traveling direction component (step). S205). A value obtained by averaging the calculated proportions of orthogonal components within ΔL is set as a path complexity value (step S206). Based on the complexity value, the interest distance of the driver is estimated (step S207). That is, when the complexity value calculated in this way is a relatively large value of, for example, about 0.25 (first determination value) as shown in FIG. While it is estimated that the distance will be short, if the complexity value is relatively small, such as 0.1 (second determination value) or less, it is estimated that the interest distance of the driver will be long.

  Returning to FIG. 2, next, in the above estimation result, it is determined whether the interest distance of the driver is short or long (step S208). If the distance is short, the validity of the interest distance is verified by the interest distance validity verification. This is verified by the unit 105. That is, the complexity of the route also increases when running on a loop road or the like in order to fill a mountain road or a road height difference. In order to eliminate such a situation, the interest distance validity verification unit 105 performs the optimum route calculation with the current position as a goal, and whether there is a difference between the optimum route obtained by the calculation and the actually traveled route. It is determined whether or not (step S209).

  If there is no difference between the two as a result of determination, the route itself is highly complex, but it is determined that the interest distance of the driver is not short because the route is the optimum route. Therefore, it is determined that the estimation result lacks validity, and the estimation result of the interest distance obtained this time is not adopted, but the value of the interest distance estimated last time is adopted (step S210).

  On the other hand, if the interest distance is not short as a result of the determination in the previous step S208, that is, if it is normal or long as shown in FIG. 5, the interest distance estimated this time is determined to be appropriate and determined as the interest distance. The interest distance is updated (step S211).

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the driver is interested in how far the driver is currently based on the history of the route on which the vehicle has traveled so far without setting the destination. Can be estimated.

  For example, if you are running on a small road, you may be aware of a close place, such as whether you are heading to a nearby destination or want to go to a large road, but it is easy to run In some cases, a determination may be made such as determining a route in consideration of traffic jams in places far from the current position (long distance of interest). By estimating such a distance of interest, it is possible to accurately set the range in which surrounding driving environment information is presented, and it can be used for providing POI information and traffic jam information, changing the scale of map display, etc. it can.

  In addition, it is possible to estimate the distance of interest without being affected by traffic jams, signal stops, driver speed preferences, and the like.

  By calculating the complexity of the travel route based on the driving history up to the current position of the vehicle, if this complexity is high, there are many situations such as going to a nearby destination or a somewhat larger road While it can be estimated that the distance of interest is short, when the complexity is low, it is traveling on a large road or an easy-to-run road that can travel linearly, and there are many scenes that travel to a certain distance, and the distance of interest is long. Can be estimated.

  By calculating the complexity from a position before a certain distance (ΔL) rather than the current position from the start point, even if the target direction is changed, it is possible to flexibly cope with it.

  For example, if you first aim at a big road from your home, then go to the destination through a big road, easy-to-run road, and then arrive at the destination on a small road, from your home to the first big road you want to aim at There is a high possibility that the direction of the road is different from the direction on the big road and the easy-to-run road. For this reason, if the traveling direction component is always calculated from the start, the angle of the traveling direction gradually changes from the direction to the first large road, and the orthogonal component becomes very large as the distance increases. However, calculating the traveling direction component from a certain distance before increases the complexity in the place where the traveling direction is changed, but the traveling direction component, for example, the component in the direction opposite to the traveling direction component immediately after the start can be considered. As the distance increases, the complexity is avoided. Thereby, the calculation accuracy of complexity can be improved.

  If you go through a path like a bow or sword character, considering the direction of travel, there is always a possibility that the orthogonal component always exists and has a certain degree of complexity, but it seems somewhat detoured because it is unguided on the road Since the road is easy to run with few left and right turns, there is a possibility that this route is taken. For this reason, calculate how the ratio of the traveling direction component and the orthogonal component changes for each equidistant interval, and if the change in the ratio is small, dislike turning right and left and drive on a straight road. If the change in the ratio is low even if the complexity is somewhat high, the estimation accuracy can be improved by not estimating the interest distance short.

  By accurately estimating the distance of interest, the search range of the PIO information and the display scale are not limited to a narrow range, and information desired by the driver can be provided.

  Even if it is basically a road such as a mountain road, it may travel on a highly complicated route, but if it is calculated that the complexity is high in such a case, there is a past with the current location as the goal The optimal route calculation is performed starting from the host vehicle's position, and it is determined whether the travel history matches or substantially matches the optimal route. This is because the route itself has high complexity, and it is possible to avoid estimating that the distance of interest is short, and to improve the estimation accuracy.

  Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6, the processing procedure in the driver's interest distance estimation apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 6, the processes shown in steps S601 to S608 and S615 are the same as the processes shown in steps S201 to S208 and S211 shown in the flowchart of FIG. To do.

  In the second embodiment, the following points are taken into consideration when verifying the validity of the interest distance as compared with the first embodiment. That is, when the path from the vehicle position in the past to the current position is a bow or the like, the complexity may increase, but in reality, it may be a road that is easy to run even if it is a little detour. In such a case, since it is not estimated that the distance of interest will be short, when the distance of interest is estimated to be short, each calculation point for which the ratio of the orthogonal component is calculated is directed in the opposite direction to the traveling direction. It is determined whether or not there is a calculated point (step S609).

  If the result of determination is that there is no component in the reverse direction, the ratio change between the respective calculation points is subsequently calculated (step S610). In other words, because the shape of the road changes greatly depending on whether the vehicle is moving to the right or the left with respect to the direction of travel, the absolute value of the travel direction component and the absolute value of the orthogonal component The quadrature component is divided by the sum of and is used as the change in ratio. Subsequently, at each adjacent calculation point, a difference between the values calculated in the previous step S610 is calculated, the calculation result is converted into an absolute value (step S611), and an average value of the converted absolute values is calculated (step S611). S612).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the average value of the absolute value of the change in the ratio is smaller than a predetermined determination value set in advance based on a result obtained by a driving experiment, simulation, or the like ( Step S613). If the result of determination is small, it is recognized that the straight road is a slowly changing road, and it is determined that the interest distance of the driver is not short. Therefore, it is determined that the estimation result lacks validity, and the estimation result of the interest distance obtained this time is not adopted, but the value of the interest distance estimated last time is adopted (step S614).

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, in addition to the same effect as the first embodiment, the estimation accuracy of the interest distance can be further increased.

  Next, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7, the processing procedure in the driver's interest distance estimation apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the apparatus according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 7, the processing procedure of the third embodiment is the same as the processing procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. Is added. That is, the processes shown in steps S701 to S704 and steps S707 to S713 in FIG. 7 are the same as the processes shown in steps S201 to S204 and steps S205 to S211 shown in the flowchart of FIG. The description is omitted here.

  In this third embodiment, compared to the first embodiment, the interest distance is estimated in consideration of the case where there is a negative component in the opposite direction to the traveling direction component at each calculation point when estimating the interest distance. ing.

  That is, after decomposing the vehicle direction at each calculation point into the traveling direction component and the orthogonal component based on the traveling locus of the own vehicle from the own vehicle position before ΔL to the current position (step S704), the traveling direction component and It is determined whether or not there is an opposite negative component (step S705). As a result of the determination, if there is no negative component, the process proceeds to step S707.

  On the other hand, if there is a negative component, it is estimated that there is a very high possibility that the distance of interest will be very short, such as when the destination has to go very close, or when the road network is complicated and lost. Therefore, when there is a negative component in the traveling direction component, the traveling direction component is reduced with respect to the orthogonal component by multiplying the traveling direction component by a coefficient smaller than 1, for example, a value of about 0.5, and is relatively orthogonal. The ratio of components is increased (step S706). Thereby, in the said driving | running | working condition, it can be estimated that an interest distance is short.

  Thus, in the third embodiment, in addition to the effects obtained in the first embodiment, the interest distance estimation accuracy can be further increased.

  For example, if the direction from the past vehicle position to the current position is the traveling direction component, you are looking for a place that is very difficult to understand, or if you are aiming for a place that can not be reached without a detailed detour May cause a component in the opposite direction to the traveling direction. In such a case and when it is different from the optimum route, it is estimated that the destination is close and the route is intentionally taken, or the route is not guided to the destination. Therefore, it can be estimated that the distance of interest is extremely short, and the estimation accuracy can be increased.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a driver's interest distance estimation apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In the apparatus of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 8, in addition to the configuration requirements of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, the display scale on the display (not shown) of the navigation 101 is changed by the operation of the passenger (user). Display scale change enable / disable determination unit 801 that determines whether or not the display scale can be automatically changed, and a display scale that controls the display scale change based on the determination result and the estimated interest distance And a changing unit 802. In FIG. 8, those having the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 have the same functions, and therefore the description thereof is omitted here.

  Next, the processing procedure of the apparatus shown in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In FIG. 9, the processing shown in steps S901 to S911 is equivalent to the processing shown in steps S201 to S211 shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 9, after determining the distance of interest in the same manner as in the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not the display scale change enable / disable determining unit 801 has performed an operation for changing the display scale of the display by the occupant (step S912). ). If the change operation is performed as a result of the determination, the intersection, POI (Point of Interest) information, etc., which are displayed on the display when the occupant operates by changing the display scale according to the distance of interest disappears from the screen ( It is determined whether or not it is no longer displayed (step S913). As a result of the determination, if it does not disappear and if the change operation is performed in the previous step S912, it is determined that there is no inconvenience by changing the display scale, and the display scale of the display is changed ( Step S916), a series of processing ends.

  On the other hand, when an intersection or POI information that has been displayed on the display disappears from the screen, the display scale of the current display is a display scale wider than the display scale based on the estimated distance of interest. Whether or not (step S914). If the result of determination is that the display area is not wide, the series of processing ends without changing the display scale (step S918).

  On the other hand, if the display scale is wide, the display scale is not changed at this time (step S915). However, if the display scale does not change due to the vehicle traveling after that, the display area of the display changes with the position of the vehicle, so that the POI information and roads that the driver etc. wants to recognize by changing the display scale gradually. Approaching own car. Therefore, if the scale currently displayed is a wider scale than the display scale based on the distance of interest, the display scale does not change immediately, but the intersection and POI information do not disappear as the vehicle travels. Thus, the display scale is changed so that the display scale gradually approaches the display scale corresponding to the distance of interest (step S917), and the series of processing ends.

  As a result, the display scale can be changed without erasing the display contents when the operator desires to change the display scale.

  Such a change of the display scale is as shown in FIGS. That is, when the vehicle position 10A on the map and the map display range 10B on the display when the display scale is changed are displayed as shown in FIG. 10, the POI information 10D and the intersection 10C are displayed in the display range. ing. Since these cannot be erased from the display screen, the display scale cannot be changed even if it is initially estimated that the distance of interest is short.

  Thereafter, when the vehicle travels and the vehicle travels to a position 11A as shown in FIG. 11, the display range 10B when the display scale is changed by the occupant of the display scale, and the display scale is not changed after traveling. Since POI information and intersections remain in the range where the display range 11B overlaps, it cannot be erased from the screen display. For this reason, when the display scale is changed, the display is as shown in the display range 12A of FIG. Further, when the host vehicle advances and the host vehicle is at the position 13C shown in FIG. 13, the intersection 10C is outside the display range on the display 13B on the display scale by the occupant's operation, and therefore remains in the display range. The display scale is changed by automatic scale change so that the existing POI information 10D becomes the display range, and the display as shown in the display range 13A is performed.

  Note that the map display examples in FIGS. 10 to 13 are maps at the time of a display scale by operation, and when the display scale is detailed, roads and POI information smaller than this are displayed.

  Thus, in the said Example 4, by estimating an interest distance, it can contribute by utilizing the estimated interest distance for the technique which changes the display scale of a display exactly.

  When the display scale is changed by the driver's operation, it is considered that he / she is interested in the road and POI information displayed on the screen. When the operation is performed, at least the display range is the driver's interest range. It is assumed that (interesting distance). Therefore, when the map display scale is automatically changed by this device, the driver's interests can be changed by changing the road and POI information that can be confirmed in the display range manually set by the driver so that they will not disappear. The display scale can be changed in accordance with the distance of interest without loss. Further, the display scale can be made detailed without impairing the display content, and the display on the display can be made easier to see.

  Next, a processing procedure in the driver's interest distance estimation apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The configuration of the apparatus according to the fifth embodiment is the same as the configuration of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG.

  14, the processing procedure of the fifth embodiment is shown in steps S1419 to S1421 after the processing shown in step S916 or step S917 of FIG. 9 with respect to the processing procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. It is what added the processing. Therefore, the processes shown in steps S1401 to S1417 in FIG. 14 are the same as steps S901 to S917 in FIG.

  In FIG. 14, when the distance of interest is estimated and the display scale is changed in accordance with the estimated distance of interest (step S1417), the name of the place or the intersection is changed even if the display scale is changed on a mountain road or a country road. , POI information or the like may not increase particularly. In such a case, it is not possible to enjoy the merits of automatic change of the display scale by this apparatus.

  In order to avoid this, a determination process (step S1419) is performed as to whether or not the place names and major intersections (intersections on roads that are higher than the core for each display scale) are newly increased by changing the display scale. If the display content increases as a result of the determination processing, the display scale is changed to the determined display scale. If the display content does not increase, the display scale change is stopped (step S1412).

  By executing such processing, in the fifth embodiment, in addition to the same effects as those obtained in the fourth embodiment, the displayed POI information, place names, etc. are not changed. The display scale can be prevented from changing, and the display can be changed easily and easily.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the driver's interest distance estimation apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the operation | movement process which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the advancing direction of the own vehicle, and the component decomposition | disassembly of a vehicle direction. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the advancing direction of the own vehicle, and an actual travel route. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the value of complexity, and an interest distance. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the operation | movement process which concerns on Example 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the operation | movement process which concerns on Example 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the driver's interest distance estimation apparatus which concerns on Example 4 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the operation | movement process which concerns on Example 4 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the display screen of navigation. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the display screen of navigation. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the display screen of navigation. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the display screen of navigation. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the operation | movement process which concerns on Example 5 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Navigation 102 ... Own vehicle route recording part 103 ... Route complexity calculation part 104 ... Interest distance estimation part 105 ... Interest distance validity verification part 801 ... Display scale change possibility judgment part 802 ... Display scale change part

Claims (8)

Navigation means for recognizing a travel route on which the host vehicle is traveling based on the vehicle speed and position information of the host vehicle;
A host vehicle route recording unit that records a history of the driving route recognized by the navigation unit; a route complexity calculating unit that calculates and calculates the complexity of the driving route recorded in the host vehicle route recording unit;
Estimating means for estimating a distance (interesting distance) that the driver is currently interested in based on the complexity of the route calculated by the route complexity calculating means;
A driver's interest distance estimation apparatus, comprising: verification means for verifying whether or not the interest distance estimated by the estimation means is updated in place of the previously estimated interest distance. The route complexity calculating means uses a direction connecting two specific points where the vehicle has traveled as a traveling direction component, a component orthogonal to the traveling direction component as an orthogonal component, and is preset between the two specific points. The calculation points of the predetermined equidistant intervals are set, the direction of the vehicle at each calculation point is decomposed into the traveling direction component and the orthogonal direction component, and orthogonal to the traveling direction component between the specific two points Based on the ratio with the direction component, the complexity of the travel route between the two specific points is calculated,
The estimation means estimates that the interest distance is short when the complexity calculated by the route complexity calculation means is larger than a preset first determination value, and the complexity is preset. 2. The driver's interest distance estimation device according to claim 1, wherein when the determination value is smaller than 2, the interest distance is estimated to be long. The route complexity calculation unit determines the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the current position of the host vehicle and a past host vehicle position a predetermined distance before the current position. Driver's interest distance estimation device. The route complexity calculating means calculates the complexity of the route for each calculation point of the equidistant interval,
When the change in the complexity of the route for each equidistant interval calculated by the route complexity calculation unit is less than a preset change amount, the estimation unit calculates the complexity between the two specific points. 4. The driver's interest distance estimation device according to claim 2, wherein the interest distance is not estimated to be short even if the distance is larger than the first determination value. 5. The route complexity calculating means corrects the traveling direction component when there is a backward direction component that is opposite to the traveling direction component of the host vehicle at the calculation point. The driver's interest distance estimation apparatus of any one of -4. The verification means calculates an optimum route between the past vehicle position and the current position, compares the calculated optimum route with a route on which the vehicle actually traveled, and the vehicle substantially travels on the optimum route. If it is determined that the interest distance is short by the estimating means, the interest distance estimated this time is not adopted and the interest distance is not updated. The driver's interest distance estimation device according to any one of the above. A range in which the display scale on the display screen of the navigation means displaying the surrounding driving environment information is monitored by the occupant and the display scale is changed by the occupant and the information displayed on the display screen is displayed. Then, based on the interest distance estimated by the estimation means and verified and updated by the verification means, a change determination means for determining whether the display scale can be changed,
7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a changing unit that changes the display scale when the change determining unit determines that the display scale can be changed. 8. Driver's interest distance estimation device. The change determination means determines that the display scale can be changed, and when new information is not displayed on the display screen when the display scale is changed, the display scale is changed based on the distance of interest. 8. The driver's interest distance estimation device according to claim 7, wherein the interest distance estimation device is not changed.

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