JP7634900B2 - Systems and programs - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Law applies. Address: https://www.yupiteru.co.jp/products/navi/ypb745ml/ http://www2.yupiteru.co.jp/manual/pdf.php?pdfname=YPB745ML https://www.yupiteru.co.jp/products/navi/ypb735ml/ http://www2.yupiteru.co.jp/manual/pdf.php?pdfname=YPB745ML pdfname=YPB735ML https://www. yupiteru. co. jp/products/navi/wnb75ml/ https://my. yupiteru. co. jp/upload/save_image/manual/pdf/WNB75ML. pdf https://www. yupiteru. co. jp/products/biz_pnd/ypl725ml/ http://www2. yupiteru. co. jp/manual/pdf. php? pdfname=YPL725ML (Published on March 29, 2019)

The present invention relates to a system, a program, etc.

Systems that assist users in driving vehicles safely are known. Patent documents 1 and 2 disclose technology that warns drivers not to mistakenly enter a one-way road from an exit.

JP 2007-139531 A Patent No. 3437629

Because the user is driving the vehicle, it is desirable for the information that assists the user in driving to be easy for the user to understand. One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a technology that notifies the user of information that assists the user in driving the vehicle in an easy-to-understand manner.

The purpose of the invention of this application is not limited to this, and the applicant intends to obtain rights to configurations that aim to obtain effects from parts of the configuration disclosed in this specification and drawings, etc., through divisional applications, amendments, etc. For example, this specification discloses problems in which the phrase "can be" in this specification is read as "the problem is that...". The problems are described as independent, and the applicant intends to obtain rights to the configurations for solving each problem separately through divisional applications, amendments, etc. Even if the problems are implicitly understood from the description in the specification, the applicant intends to include part of the configuration described in this specification in the scope of the patent claim by amendment or divisional application. The applicant has also disclosed a configuration that solves a problem that combines these independent problems, and the applicant intends to obtain rights to it.

(1) A system is provided that displays a map within a predetermined range from the vehicle's position and reports information, the system having a display control unit that displays first information about a first notification object that exists at a predetermined point on the map in association with the point, and when the distance between the vehicle and the point becomes equal to or less than a threshold, performs control to further display second information about the first notification object.

The user can grasp the location where the first notification object is located and the first information related to the first notification object. When the vehicle approaches the first notification object, the user can further grasp the second information related to the first notification object. In this way, the content and display timing of the first information and the second information are different. In this way, it is possible to provide a technology that notifies the user of information that assists in driving the vehicle in a manner that is easy for the user to understand.

(2) The first information may indicate information regarding traffic regulations at the location.

In this way, the user can understand the traffic rules that he or she should pay attention to from the first information.

(3) The second information may indicate information regarding the operation of the vehicle at the location.

In this way, when the vehicle approaches the first notification object, the user can grasp the second information regarding the operation of the vehicle at that point.

(4) The first notification object may indicate the one-way road exit closest to the vehicle among the exits of one-way roads present on the road on which the vehicle is traveling, and the second information may indicate at least one of information regarding the shape of the road to which the exit of the one-way road connects and the distance to the exit.

In this way, the user can know the existence and location of an exit for a one-way road that the vehicle is approaching, and can also know other information about the exit for that one-way road if the user approaches it.

(5) When a road connecting to the exit satisfies a predetermined condition, the display control unit may be configured to control the display of the second information indicating a warning regarding the operation of the vehicle, instead of the shape of the road.

In this way, when certain conditions are met, such as the shape of the road near the exit of a one-way road exhibiting a special pattern, the user can be notified of caution information regarding vehicle operation even when the road shape is not displayed.

(6) The first notification object may be the intersection with a traffic light that is closest to the vehicle among intersections with traffic lights that are present on the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

In this way, the user can learn about the existence and location of intersections with traffic lights, and can also learn other information about the intersection as they approach it.

(7) The first information may be an enlarged image of a traffic light on the map.

This makes it easier for users to visually identify the intersection with traffic lights where the vehicle is approaching.

(8) The display control unit may vary the threshold value according to the travel speed specified for the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

In this way, the second information can be notified to the user at an appropriate time according to the vehicle's traveling speed.

(9) The device may have a setting unit for setting a language or region, and the display control unit may display the second information using the set language or a language corresponding to the region.

In this way, when the vehicle approaches the first notification object, the second information about the first notification object can be notified to the user in a language that the user can understand.

(10) The display control unit may be configured to control the display of the second information when the vehicle turns in a predetermined direction.

When the vehicle is turning in a certain direction, the driver needs to pay special attention to the driving. In this way, information about an intersection with actual traffic lights can be displayed when the vehicle is actually turning at that intersection.

(11) The display control unit may be configured to control the display of the second information when the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined speed.

When the vehicle speed decreases, it is more likely that the vehicle is about to turn than when the vehicle speed does not decrease. In this way, when there is a high possibility that the vehicle is about to turn, the second information about the first notification object present at that location can be notified.

(12) The display control unit may be configured to control the display of the map to be enlarged when the distance between the vehicle and the point becomes equal to or less than the threshold value.

This makes it easier for the user to visually understand that the first notification object is nearby.

(13) The specified point may be a point on or along a road on which the vehicle is traveling.

This makes it easier for the user to visually grasp information about the first notification object that is likely to be approached by a vehicle.

(14) When a second notification object is present within a predetermined range from the vehicle's position, the display control unit may perform control to reduce the map and display third information regarding the second notification object.

In this way, information about a second notification object that is different from the first notification object can be reported over a wide distance range from the vehicle's position.

(15) A program is provided for causing a computer to realize the functions of any of the above systems.

In this way, it is possible to provide a technology that notifies the user of information that assists in driving the vehicle in an easy-to-understand manner.

The inventions shown in (1) to (14) above can be combined in any way. For example, it is preferable to add at least a part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions after (2) to all or a part of the configuration of the invention shown in (1). In particular, it is preferable to add at least a part of the configuration of at least one of the inventions after (2) to the invention shown in (1). In addition, any configuration may be extracted from the inventions shown in (1) to (14) and the extracted configurations may be combined. The applicant of this application intends to acquire rights to the inventions including these configurations. In addition, even if there is a description such as "in the case of" or "when", it is not intended to describe the configuration as being limited to that case or time. These are examples of better configurations, and the applicant intends to acquire rights to configurations other than these cases or times. In addition, the parts described in order are not limited to this order. Configurations in which some parts have been deleted or the order has been changed are also disclosed, and the applicant intends to acquire rights.

The present invention provides a technology that notifies the user of information that assists in driving a vehicle in an easily understandable manner.

The effects of the invention of this application are not limited to this, and effects achieved from the configuration parts disclosed in this specification and drawings, etc. are also disclosed, and it is our intention to obtain rights to the configuration that achieves said effects through divisional applications, amendments, etc. For example, in this specification, the phrase "can..." is a description that clearly indicates the effect achieved, and there are also parts that show the effect even without the phrase "can...". Also, there are effects that can be understood from the configuration even without such a description.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overview of a screen of a system according to an embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a system according to an embodiment; 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation related to language setting of the system according to an embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation related to a driving assistance function of the system according to one embodiment. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a one-way no entry guidance function of the system according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display related to a one-way no entry guidance function of the system according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display related to a one-way no entry guidance function of the system according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display related to a one-way no entry guidance function of the system according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display related to a one-way no entry guidance function of the system according to an embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation of an intersection oncoming vehicle warning guidance function of the system according to one embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display related to an intersection oncoming vehicle warning function of the system according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display related to an intersection oncoming vehicle warning function of the system according to an embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of a second notification object notification function of a system according to one embodiment. A figure showing an example of a screen display related to a second notification object notification function of a system according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display on a screen of a system according to an embodiment.

The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown below are examples of embodiments of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. In the drawings referred to in the present embodiment, identical parts or parts having similar functions are given the same or similar symbols (symbols consisting of a number followed by A, B, etc.), and repeated explanations may be omitted. In addition, in each figure referred to in the following explanation, the scale may be different from the actual scale in order to make each component, each area, etc. recognizable.

The following describes the case where the system of the present invention is applied to the system 10 installed in a vehicle. The system 10 displays a map within a predetermined range from the vehicle's position and notifies the user of information. Figure 1 is a diagram for explaining the overview of the system 10. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an overview of the screen of the system 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system 10 is a monitor-type electronic device having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The system 10 is placed in the passenger compartment of a vehicle 40. The vehicle 40 is a four-wheeled automobile or other vehicle. The vehicle 40 is, for example, a rental car or a user's personal car. The system 10 is fixed onto a dashboard 41, for example, using double-sided tape. An opening is provided on the front of the housing of the system 10. The system 10 has a display unit 12 for displaying an image at the position of this opening. The housing is formed of resin or other materials.

The system 10 notifies information using one of a number of languages. There are five languages that the system 10 can use (Japanese, English, Korean, and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional)). There are four languages that the system 10 uses for audio output (Japanese, English, Korean, and Chinese). Languages supported by the system 10 may be languages other than these. The system 10 notifies various types of information using sounds and displays.

As shown in FIG. 2, the system 10 divides the display area of the display unit 12 into two, left and right. When the display unit 12 is viewed from the front, the system 10 controls to display a screen SC1 related to the route guidance function in the left area, and a screen SC2 related to the driving assistance function in the right area. The route guidance function is a function that uses sounds and displays to guide the user along the route (road) from a starting point to a destination set by the user. Screen SC1 displays information such as a map of the area around the current position, an icon indicating the current position of the vehicle 40, the route to be traveled, the current position, and the current time.

The driving assistance function is a driving assistance function that assists the user in driving the vehicle 40. Screen SC2 displays a map of the area around the current location, an icon indicating the current location of the vehicle 40, and information on the notification object that should be notified to the user. The driving assistance function includes a one-way no entry guidance function, a one-way no entry guidance function, and a second notification object notification function. Details of these functions will be described later. It is preferable that the map used for the route guidance function is multicolored (color), and that the map used for the driving assistance function includes parts displayed in black and white (monochrome).

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the system 10. The control unit 11 controls each part of the system 10. The control unit 11 is, for example, a computer including an arithmetic processing circuit and a memory. The arithmetic processing circuit includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other arithmetic processing circuits. The memory includes, for example, a random access memory (RAM) or other volatile memory. The arithmetic processing circuit performs various controls by temporarily reading data into the memory and performing arithmetic processing. The control unit 11 functions as a setting unit that sets the language used to display information, and as a display control unit that controls the display of information on the display unit 12.

The display unit 12 displays an image. The display unit 12 may be, for example, a 3.2-inch color TFT liquid crystal display, but may also be an organic EL display or other display device. The speaker 13 outputs sound. The microwave receiver 14 includes an antenna and a receiving circuit and receives microwaves. The control unit 11 detects the presence of a speed enforcement device (e.g., an Orbis) based on the microwaves of a predetermined frequency received by the microwave receiver 14. The GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 15 includes an antenna and a receiving circuit and receives signals from GPS satellites. The GPS receiver 15 processes the received signals and outputs position information. The position information indicates the current position of the system 10. The position information indicates the current position of the vehicle 40 in which the system 10 is installed. The position information may include at least latitude information and longitude information, and may further include altitude information. The communication unit 16 communicates with an external device. The communication unit 16 performs wireless communication using, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or other methods.

The memory unit 17 stores data. The memory unit 17 stores, for example, programs for the control unit 11 to perform various controls. The control unit 11 reads out the programs from the memory unit 17 to memory and executes them. The memory unit 17 stores map data showing a map, data showing the types and locations of various facilities, data for notifying the presence of notification objects, data for realizing a route guidance function, and the like. The notification objects may be a first notification object and a second notification object. The first notification object is an exit of a one-way road and an intersection where a traffic light is installed. The second notification object is a notification object different from the first notification object, and may be, for example, the following. The second notification objects include the location of a drowsy driving accident, speed measuring devices (radar type, loop coil type, H system, LH system, photocell type, mobile type, laser type, etc.), speed limit change points, enforcement areas, checkpoints, parking monitoring areas, N systems, traffic monitoring systems, intersection monitoring points, traffic light ignoring prevention systems, police stations, accident-prone areas, areas with high incidence of vehicle theft, sharp/continuous curves (expressway), branching/merging points (expressway), advance ETC lane guidance (expressway), service areas (expressway), parking areas (expressway), highway oases (expressway), smart interchanges (expressway), gas stations inside PAs/SAs (expressway), tunnels (expressway), highway radio receiving areas (expressway), prefectural border announcements, roadside stations, and viewpoint parking. The storage unit 17 stores information about the type of object to be notified, location information indicating the location where the object to be notified is located, data of an image (e.g., a schematic diagram or a photograph) to be displayed on the display unit 12, and audio data in association with each other.

The storage unit 17 may include a storage medium that permanently stores data. The storage unit 17 may include, for example, an optical recording medium, a magnetic recording medium, a semiconductor recording medium, or other recording media.

The operation unit 18 accepts operations by the user. The operation unit 18 includes, for example, a touch sensor, a volume adjustment button, and a task button. The touch sensor is provided on the surface of the display unit 12 and detects the position touched by the user. The volume operation button is operated to adjust the volume of the sound output from the speaker 13. The task button is a button for performing various tasks.

The sensor unit 19 includes various sensors. For example, the sensor unit 19 is equipped with a geomagnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, and an illuminance sensor. The geomagnetic sensor is a sensor that detects geomagnetism to detect which direction north is in relative to the direction of travel. The acceleration sensor is a sensor that detects the acceleration of the vehicle in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions. The illuminance sensor is a sensor that detects the illuminance, which indicates the brightness inside the vehicle cabin.

The mounting unit 20 is a mounting unit into which an external storage medium is mounted, and the external storage medium is, for example, a memory card. In this case, the mounting unit 20 is a memory card slot. Data stored in the memory unit 17 may be imported via the external storage medium. This data includes update information on new notification targets (location information such as longitude and latitude, type information, etc.).

The power supply unit 21 supplies power from a power source to each component in the system 10. The power supply unit 21 includes, for example, a power switch and a DC jack. The DC jack is for connecting a cigarette plug cord, and is connected to the cigarette lighter socket of the vehicle via the cigarette plug cord to receive power. The power switch is a switch for turning the power supply to the system 10 on and off.

The light-emitting unit 22 emits light in various colors. The light-emitting unit 22 includes, for example, a light-emitting diode.

The cable terminal unit 23 is a terminal to which an external connection cable is connected. For example, the connection cable is a cable that connects the system 10 to an OBD-II connector mounted on the vehicle. The OBD-II connector is also called a fault diagnosis connector, and is connected to the vehicle's ECU to output various vehicle information.

In addition to the above, it is preferable that the system 10 has the functions of well-known car navigation systems and radar detectors.

Next, the operation of system 10 will be described.

<1. Language setting function>
The language setting function is a function for setting the language to be used for notification of information by the system 10. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the system 10 regarding the language setting function.

In the system 10, the control unit 11 displays a screen for accepting input of language setting (step S101). The control unit 11 may display buttons corresponding to each of the languages, Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese (Simplified), and Chinese (Traditional), on the display unit 12 and accept an operation to select one of the languages using the operation unit 18. The control unit 11 sets the language selected by the user's operation of the operation unit 18 as the language to be used for notifying information (step S102). The control unit 11 may store the language setting data in the memory or storage unit 17. The control unit 11 notifies information in a specific language based on this setting data.

2. Safe driving support functions
5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the safe driving support function of the system 10. In the system 10, the control unit 11 executes the one-way no entry guidance function, the intersection oncoming vehicle warning guidance function, and the second notification object notification function in parallel during the operation of the safe driving support function (steps S1, S3, S5). The operation of the safe driving support function may be, for example, a period during which the power of the system 10 is turned on, a period from when the user instructs the operation of the safe driving support function to when it is terminated, or another period.

<2-1. One-way street entry prohibited guidance function＞
The one-way no entry guidance function will be described with a concrete example. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the one-way no entry guidance function of the system 10. Figs. 7 to 10 are diagrams showing examples of screen displays related to the one-way no entry guidance function.

The control unit 11 displays a one-way street image and a no-entry image on the map (step S11). The one-way street image shows a traffic sign indicating that the road is one-way. The one-way street image is an image in which a white arrow image is drawn on a blue background. The arrow indicates the direction in which vehicles are permitted to travel. The one-way street image is placed at a point on the one-way road. The no-entry image shows a traffic sign prohibiting vehicles from entering. The no-entry image is an image in which a white "-" pattern is drawn inside a red circular shape. The no-entry image is placed at a point on the map where an exit to the one-way road exists. The no-entry image shows information about the exit to the one-way road, which indicates the first information about the traffic rules of the road.

In the example of FIG. 7(a), the control unit 11 displays the vehicle position icon I1 indicating the current position of the vehicle 40 and the one-way street image I2 on the map M. In the example of FIG. 7(a), the no-entry image is not displayed. The map M is scaled so that an area within a distance range of 300 m (the upper end value of the right scale) in the vertical direction of the display unit 12 is displayed on the display unit 12. Hereinafter, this is expressed as a scale of 300 m. The control unit 11 uses different colors for the road on which the vehicle 40 is traveling (hereinafter referred to as the "traveling road") and the one-way road. It is preferable to use a dedicated color of green for the one-way road and a white for the traveling road. The vehicle position icon I1 is placed at a point on the traveling road R1. The position of the vehicle 40 is identified by the position information generated by the GPS receiving unit 15. The traveling road R1 is identified by the road on which the vehicle 40 is currently traveling. The control unit 11 may execute a map matching function that corrects the current position indicated by the position information based on map data. In this way, even if there is a GPS positioning error, the vehicle position icon I1 is placed on the road R1. The control unit 11 displays the one-way street image I2 in association with each one-way road that exists on the map M.

Figure 7 (b) shows a state in which the vehicle 40 has moved forward from the state in Figure 7 (a). In the example of Figure 7 (b), the control unit 11 displays the vehicle position icon I1, a one-way road image I2, and an entry-prohibited image I3 on the map M. The control unit 11 displays the entry-prohibited image I3 at the exit of the one-way road R2 that connects to the road on which the vehicle 40 is traveling that is closest to the current position of the vehicle 40. Closest here means closest in the direction of travel on the road on which the vehicle 40 is traveling. The control unit 11 does not display the entry-prohibited image I3 at the exits of other one-way roads. The control unit 11 does not display the entry-prohibited image for one-way roads that can be entered from the road R1, even if the one-way road is connected to the road R1.

Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the distance from the current position to the exit of a one-way road on the travel road R1 is equal to or less than the first threshold (step S12). The control unit 11 determines whether the distance to the exit of the nearest one-way road on the travel road R1 is equal to or less than the first threshold. The first threshold is preferably 40 m, but may be a distance less than 40 m or greater than 40 m. If the determination is "NO" in step S12, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process of step S20. In this case, the control unit 11 determines whether to terminate the one-way no entry guidance function (step S20), and if not (step S20; NO), the process returns to step S11. The user can grasp the existence and location of the exit of the one-way road that the vehicle 40 is approaching.

If the control unit 11 judges "YES" in step S12, the control unit 11 enlarges and displays the map (step S13). For example, the control unit 11 sets the scale to 150 m and the scale is doubled. Next, the control unit 11 judges whether the shape of the road connecting to the exit of the one-way road is a predetermined pattern (step S14). The predetermined pattern is, for example, a predetermined road shape pattern such as a crossroads or a T-junction. The predetermined pattern is a simple and typical shape that can be seen in relatively many places. In this case, the control unit 11 judges "YES" in step S14.

If the answer is "YES" in step S14, the control unit 11 determines whether the speed of the vehicle 40 is less than the threshold and the distance from the current position to the exit of the one-way road on the road is equal to or greater than the second threshold (step S15). The threshold for the speed of the vehicle 40 may be, for example, 50 km/h, but may be less than 50 km/h or greater than 50 km/h. The second threshold may be 40 m, but may be a distance less than 40 m or greater than 40 m. The second threshold may be the same as the first threshold, but may be different. The control unit 11 may acquire speed information from the vehicle 40 via the cable terminal unit 23 to determine the speed of the vehicle 40. The control unit 11 may determine the speed of the vehicle 40 using the speed measured by the sensor unit 19.

If the answer is "YES" in step S15, the control unit 11 displays the first guide image G1 on the map M. As shown in FIG. 8(a), the first guide image G1 includes display elements G11, G12, and G13. The display element G11 is an image of a simplified intersection diagram that shows the shape of the road connected to the exit of the one-way road, and an arrow that shows the direction in which the vehicle can proceed. The display element G12 is an image of a traffic sign indicating that entry is prohibited, and is the same as the no-entry image I3. The display element G13 is the distance from the current position to the exit of the one-way road (here, 93 m). The first guide image G1 is located in the upper right position on the map M, and does not overlap with the no-entry image I3, and these are displayed simultaneously. When the vehicle 40 approaches the exit of the one-way road, the user can grasp other information about the exit of the one-way road from the first guide image G1.

For example, when the speed of the vehicle 40 is slow, there is a higher possibility that the vehicle is about to turn compared to when the speed is not slow. In this way, when there is a high possibility that the user will enter the exit of a one-way road, the control unit 11 displays the first guidance image G1 including the display elements G11 to G13 so that the user can grasp various information. The user can grasp related information. Also, when the distance is greater than the second threshold, it may be difficult to visually confirm the exit of the one-way road, so the control unit 11 displays the display element G13 indicating the distance.

After the process of step S16, the control unit 11 judges whether or not the vehicle has passed the exit of a one-way road (step S17). If the judgment in step S17 is "NO", the control unit 11 returns to the process of step S14.

If the determination in step S15 is "NO", the control unit 11 displays the first guide image G1a on the map M. As shown in FIG. 8(n), the first guide image G1 includes display elements G11 and G12, but does not include display element G13. In this way, if the speed of the vehicle 40 is greater than the threshold value or the distance to the exit of the one-way road is less than the second threshold value, the control unit 11 does not display the distance from the current position to the exit of the one-way road. In such a case, it is unlikely that the vehicle 40 will turn off the road and enter the exit of the one-way road. Therefore, the control unit 11 does not display the display element G13. After processing step S18, the control unit 11 proceeds to step S17.

If the result of step S14 is "NO", the control unit 11 displays the second guide image G2 on the map M (step S21). The second guide image G2 is displayed to call attention to vehicle operation when the road connecting to the exit of the one-way road does not fall under the above-mentioned predetermined pattern due to a complex intersection shape or the like. The second guide image G2 includes information to call attention to vehicle driving, and is displayed as "NO ENTRY" here. If a language other than Japanese is set as the language, it may be displayed in English, and if the language is Japanese, a character string such as "No entry" may be displayed. In this way, the control unit 11 can provide the user with information to support the driving of the vehicle even when a predetermined condition is met, such as, for example, the shape of the road near the exit of the one-way road being special. After the process of step S21, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process of step S17. During all or part of the display period of the guide image of step S16, S17, or S21, the control unit 11 may output a "beep beep" sound from the speaker 13 to notify the user.

In step S17, if the control unit 11 determines that the vehicle has passed the exit of a one-way road (step S17; YES), the control unit 11 returns the map scale to the original size and stops displaying the guidance image (step S19). The control unit 11 determines whether to end the one-way no entry guidance function (step S20), and if so (step S20; YES), ends the execution of the one-way no entry guidance function.

The first guidance image G1, G1a shows information about vehicle operation, and is the second information about an exit for a one-way road. The second guidance image G2 shows information about vehicle operation, and is the second information that warns the driver about vehicle operation.

The control unit 11 may change the first threshold value according to the travel speed specified for the road on which the vehicle 40 is traveling. FIG. 10 shows a display screen when the vehicle 40 is traveling on the expressway R3. The control unit 11 may set the first threshold value to be different between the general road and the expressway. In this case, the first threshold value may be set to be greater than 40 m, for example, 100 m. The control unit 11 may also set the map scale to be different between the general road and the expressway. For example, the control unit 11 may set the scale to 150 m when traveling on the general road and the scale to 300 m when traveling on the expressway. In this way, the user can be notified of information at an appropriate timing according to the travel speed of the vehicle, and the user's safe driving can be supported. The control unit 11 may not display one-way roads in a color exclusive to expressways on the map, but only general roads.

The first guidance image G3 includes display elements G31 and G32. Display element G31 is an image of a simplified intersection diagram showing the shape of the road connected to the exit of the one-way road, with an arrow indicating the direction in which the vehicle can proceed. Display element G32 is an image of a traffic sign indicating that the road is prohibited entry, and is the same as the no entry image I3. Here, the distance from the current position to the exit of the one-way road is not displayed. If information on the speed limit of the road can be obtained, the control unit 11 may vary the threshold value depending on the speed limit.

<2-2. Intersection oncoming vehicle warning function>
The intersection oncoming vehicle warning guidance function will be described with a concrete example. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the intersection oncoming vehicle warning guidance function of the system 10. Figs. 12 and 13 are diagrams showing examples of screen displays related to the intersection oncoming vehicle warning guidance function.

The control unit 11 determines whether an intersection with a traffic light is present on the road (step S31). If the determination in step S31 is "YES," the control unit 11 enlarges an image of a traffic light showing the traffic light at the nearest intersection and displays the image of the traffic light at the intersection (step S32).

Figure 12 (a) is an example of a display when the answer is "NO" in step S31. Road R4 is the road on which vehicle 40 is traveling. The control unit 11 displays a vehicle position icon I1 indicating the current position of vehicle 40 on road R4 on map M, but does not display a traffic light image because there is no traffic light nearby. Map M is, for example, scaled at 300 m (top value of the right scale).

12(b) is a display example when the vehicle 40 has moved forward from the state of FIG. 12(a) and the answer is "YES" in step S31. In the example of FIG. 12(b), the control unit 11 displays the vehicle position icon I1 indicating the current position of the vehicle 40 and the traffic light images I4 and I5 on the map M. Both the traffic light images I4 and I5 are images indicating traffic lights. Among the traffic light images on the road R4, the traffic light image I5 closest to the current position of the vehicle 40 is larger than the other traffic light images I4. The control unit 11 also displays the traffic light image I5 in a blinking manner, but it is preferable to display the traffic light image I4 without blinking. In this way, the user can easily visually grasp the presence of the traffic light that the vehicle 40 is approaching. The traffic light image enlarged in this manner is information about the intersection where the traffic light is installed, and indicates the first information about the traffic rules of the road.

After processing step S32 or if the controller 11 judges "NO" in step S31, the controller 11 judges whether the distance from the current position to an intersection on the road where traffic lights are installed is equal to or less than a third threshold (step S33). The controller 11 judges whether the distance from the position of the vehicle 40 to the nearest intersection where traffic lights are installed is equal to or less than a third threshold. The third threshold is preferably 100 m, but may be a distance less than 100 m or greater than 100 m. If the controller 11 judges "NO" in step S33, the controller 11 proceeds to processing step S41. In this case, the controller 11 judges whether to end the intersection oncoming vehicle warning guidance function (step S41), and if not (step S41; NO), the controller 11 returns to processing step S31.

If the answer to step S33 is "YES," the control unit 11 enlarges and displays the map (step S34). For example, the control unit 11 sets the scale to 150 m and the scale to twice the original size.

Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the speed of the vehicle 40 is less than the threshold value and the distance from the current position to an intersection where a traffic light is installed is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold value (step S35). The threshold value for the speed of the vehicle 40 may be, for example, 50 km/h, but may be less than 50 km/h or greater than 50 km/h. The fourth threshold value may be 40 m, but may be a distance less than 40 m or greater than 40 m. The fourth threshold value may be the same as the third threshold value, but may be different. The method of identifying the speed may be as described above.

If the answer is "YES" in step S35, the control unit 11 displays the third guide image G4 on the map M (step S36). As shown in FIG. 13(a), the third guide image G4 includes display elements G41 and G42. The display element G41 displays a message "RIGHT TURN ATTENTION TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC" that warns the driver to be careful when turning right. For example, a foreigner who is not familiar with Japanese traffic rules is likely to take the wrong lane when turning right, so a message is displayed to warn the driver to be careful when turning right. In addition, the distance from the vehicle position to the intersection (67 m in this example) is displayed below the display element G41. During all or part of the display period of step S34, the control unit 11 may output a voice "Shan" from the speaker 13 to notify the driver. The control unit 11 may change the characters of the display element G41 according to the set language.

After the process of step S36, the control unit 11 judges whether or not the vehicle has passed an intersection where a traffic light is installed (step S37). If the result of the determination in step S37 is "NO", the control unit 11 returns to the process of step S35. If the result of the determination in step S35 is "YES", the control unit 11 displays a third guide image G41a on the map M (step S38). As shown in FIG. 13(b), the third guide image G41a does not include the display element G13. In this way, if the speed of the vehicle 40 is greater than the threshold value or the distance to the intersection is less than the fourth threshold value, the control unit 11 does not display the distance from the current position to the intersection. This is because in such cases, the vehicle 40 is unlikely to turn. After the process of step S38, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process of step S37.

The third guide image G4, G41a shows information about the operation of the vehicle, and is the second information about an intersection where a traffic light is installed. When the vehicle is turning in a specific direction, the driver needs to pay particular attention to driving. In this way, the system 10 can display information about an intersection where a traffic light is installed when the vehicle is actually about to turn.

In step S37, if the control unit 11 determines that the intersection has been passed (step S37; YES), the control unit 11 returns the map scale to its original size and stops displaying the third guidance image (step S39). Furthermore, the control unit 11 returns the display of the enlarged traffic light image to its original size (step S40). The control unit 11 determines whether to end the intersection oncoming vehicle warning guidance function (step S41), and if it is to be ended (step S41; YES), the control unit 11 ends the execution of the intersection oncoming vehicle warning guidance function.

<2-3. Second notification object notification function>
The second notification object notification function will be described with a specific example. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second notification object notification function of the system 10. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a display example of a screen related to the second notification object notification function.

The control unit 11 determines whether the second notification object exists within a predetermined range from the current position (step S51). If the determination in step S51 is "YES", the control unit 11 determines whether a one-way road exists on the road (step S52). If the determination in step S52 is "NO", the control unit 11 determines whether an intersection with a traffic light exists on the road (step S53). If the determination in step S53 is "NO", the control unit 11 reduces the map and displays information about the second notification object (step S54). The predetermined range is determined by the points displayed on the display unit 12 when the map is reduced. For example, the display when the second notification object does not exist is as shown in FIG. 15(a), and the display when the second notification object exists is as shown in FIG. 15(b). The scale of the map M is 600 m to 2100 m. The information about the second notification object is icons I61, I62, and I63. Additionally, the strip-shaped information display area T1 at the bottom of the display unit 12 displays "Checkpoint area 1076m." This is the third information related to the second notification object. In this way, if the first notification object is not nearby, information about a different second notification object can be notified within a wide distance range from the vehicle's position.

When the control unit 11 executes the processing of step S54, or when it judges "NO" in step S51, it determines whether to terminate the second notification object notification function (step S56), and if it does not terminate (step S56; NO), it returns to the processing of step S51.

If the answer is "YES" in step S52 or S53, the control unit 11 displays information about the second notification object (step S55). In step S55, the map is not reduced as in step S54, but information about the second notification object is displayed on a map with a scale specified by the one-way no entry guidance function and the intersection oncoming vehicle warning guidance function.

16 is a diagram showing an example of the display on the screen of the system 10 in step S55. The control unit 11 displays information on the second notification object together with information on the first notification object. FIG. 16 shows an example of a case where a second notification object is present within a predetermined range when the vehicle 40 approaches the exit of a one-way road. Here, the control unit 11 displays an information display area T2 saying "Enforcement area 192m" and an information display area T3 showing the type of the alarm object in addition to the vehicle position icon I1, one-way road image I2, and no entry image I3. The control unit 11 shifts the position of the first guidance image G1 downward from the information display area T3 so that it does not overlap with the information display area T3. In this case, the control unit 11 may determine the presence or absence of only notification objects that exist ahead of the vehicle position.

If the answer to step S56 is "YES", the control unit 11 ends the execution of the second notification object notification function.

According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to provide a technology that displays information to assist the user in driving a vehicle in a manner that is easy for the user to understand. The system 10 displays at least first information about a first notification object that exists at a specific point on a map in association with the point, and when the distance between the vehicle and the point becomes equal to or less than a threshold, performs control to further display second information about the first notification object. In this way, the differences in content and display timing of the first information and second information also help the user to easily understand the information related to driving assistance.

The system 10 also targets the first notification object on the road on which the vehicle is traveling or at a point along the road as the notification object. In this way, the system 10 can make it easier for the user to visually grasp information about the first notification object that is likely to be approached by the vehicle.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The intersection oncoming vehicle warning function is a function that notifies the user of the presence of an intersection when there is an intersection ahead of the vehicle and the vehicle is about to turn at that intersection. Whether the vehicle is about to turn at an intersection may be determined, for example, by indicating that the route specified by the route guidance will turn at the nearest intersection. In the intersection oncoming vehicle warning function, the control unit 11 may provide a warning if there is a road that turns to the right, and may not provide a warning if there is not.

The control unit 11 may control whether or not to notify the intersection oncoming vehicle warning function depending on the set language. The control unit 11 may make a notification when the language setting is language A (e.g., English) used in a country where people drive on the right, and may not make a notification when the language setting is language B (e.g., Japanese) used in a country where people drive on the left. It is advisable to only make the notification target when the language setting indicates that the country drives on the right. In this way, notifications of information that are cumbersome to the user are reduced. Also, because lane errors are likely to occur when turning right to change lanes, the control unit 11 may make a notification when turning right, but not when turning left.

The system 10 may stop some or all of the safe driving support function according to the user's settings. In addition, the system 10 may not display the screen of the safe driving support function when information related to the route guidance function is displayed on the screen SC2. In addition, the display of the screen and the sound of the safe driving support function can be turned on and off by settings.

Some of the configurations and operations described in the above-mentioned embodiments may be omitted or modified. For example, two screens may not be displayed, and some of the driving assistance functions such as the one-way no entry guidance function, the intersection oncoming vehicle warning function, and the second notification object notification function may be omitted. The first notification object may be related to traffic rules at the point on the map, or may be something else. The traffic rules are not limited to no entry from the exit of a one-way road, but may be speed limits, stopping, no overtaking, or other traffic rules. In addition, the guidance image may include a more detailed explanation of the operation method as information regarding the operation of the vehicle at the point on the map.

In the language setting function, the language used to notify information may be set according to the region (e.g., a country or a region within that country) set by the user. The region set by the user is, for example, the country of origin or country of residence (or region of residence) where a typically used language can be understood. The control unit 11 may set the language to be used to notify information based on the region set by the user in accordance with predetermined conditions. In this way, when the vehicle approaches the first notification object, the system 10 can notify information related to the first notification object using a language that the user can understand.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configurations expressly described in the specification, but includes combinations of various aspects of the invention disclosed herein. The configurations of the invention that are sought to be patented are specified in the accompanying claims, but it is the intention of the present inventors to claim configurations disclosed in this specification that are not currently specified in the claims.

The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above-mentioned embodiments. The components of each of the above-mentioned embodiments and variations may be arbitrarily selected and combined. Any components of each of the embodiments and variations may be arbitrarily combined with any components described in the means for solving the invention or any components that embody any components described in the means for solving the invention. We intend to acquire rights to these as well through amendments to this application or divisional applications, etc. Even if there is a description such as "in the case of" or "when", this is not intended to describe the configuration as being limited to that case or time. We also disclose configurations that are not in these cases or times, and we intend to acquire rights to them. Furthermore, the parts that are described in order are not limited to this order. We also disclose configurations in which some parts are deleted or the order is changed, and we intend to acquire rights to them.

In addition, we intend to obtain rights to the overall design or partial design by filing a conversion application to a design application. The drawings show the entire device in solid lines, but they include not only the overall design but also partial designs claimed for some parts of the device. For example, not only can some components of the device be made into partial designs, but they can also include some parts of the device as partial designs regardless of the components. A part of the device may be a component of the device, or it may be part of that component. We intend to obtain rights to not only the overall design, but also partial designs in which any part of the solid line parts of the drawings are made into dashed lines.

10: System 11: Control unit 12: Display unit 13: Speaker 14: Microwave receiving unit 15: GPS receiving unit 16: Communication unit 17: Memory unit 18: Operation unit 19: Sensor unit 20: Mounting unit 21: Power supply unit 22: Light emitting unit 23: Cable terminal unit 40: Vehicle

Claims (4)

a display control unit that, when a distance between a vehicle and an exit of a one-way road on a road on which the vehicle is traveling becomes equal to or less than a threshold, displays a guidance image including information on a distance to the exit of the one-way road;
The display control unit is a system that simultaneously displays on a map a guidance image including information on the distance to the exit of the one-way road and an information display area indicating the type of warning object when an warning object other than the guidance image is present within a specified range from the current location. The system described in claim 1, characterized in that when a guide image including information on the distance to the exit of the one-way road and an information display area indicating the type of object to be warned about when an object to be warned about different from the guide image is present within a predetermined range from the current position, the display control unit has a function of displaying the information display area indicating the type of object to be warned about, shifted downward relative to the guide image including information on the distance to the exit of the one-way road, when an object to be warned about different from the guide image is present within a predetermined range from the current position. the display control unit has a function of displaying, on a map, a guide image including information on a shape of a road connected to an exit of the one-way road and a distance to the exit;
The system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a function for displaying the shape of a road connected to an exit of the one-way road but not displaying information on the distance to the exit when the vehicle speed is greater than a threshold value. A program for causing a computer to realize the functions of the system described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

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