JP2005337963A - Navigation system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation system for a vehicle capable of preventing inexpensively an accident in an intersection, without installing a facility dedicated for a road. <P>SOLUTION: This navigation system for the vehicle having a map data storage means, wherein map data contain position information of the intersection, and for displaying the present position of the vehicle has a route guide means for guiding a route up to a destination, an intersection determining means for determining the presence of the intersection on the road, a distance measuring means for measuring a distance from the present position up to the destination, when the presence of the intersection is determined till the destination, a distance determination means for determining whether the distance is within a prescribed range or not, a road class information setting means for setting road class information, and an approaching notifying means for notifying approaching to the intersection, based on the road class information of the vehicle traveling road and road class information of a crossing road crossed in the intersection. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation apparatus that guides a route of a vehicle to a destination.

  As the vehicle travels, the current position is detected by GPS (Global Positioning System), etc., and the current position is displayed on the display device together with the road map, and an appropriate route from the current position to the destination is displayed. A vehicle navigation device that is set and guided by a display device, an audio output device, or the like contributes to efficient and safe driving for the driver.

  Vehicle navigation devices make it easy to drive even in unfamiliar terrain, and more recent navigation devices also have functions to guide escape routes, so only a few people can know. It has become possible to take a shortcut by driving on a road that did not exist. On the other hand, vehicles have flown into school roads and residential roads where traffic management systems such as traffic lights are not complete, leading to situations in which local residents cannot live with peace of mind, such as frequent accidents and noise problems.

  Therefore, as a means of suppressing accidents on roads where traffic management systems such as school roads and residential roads are not fully developed, in addition to the method of installing traffic lights at intersections with poor visibility, it is easy to inform the approach of vehicles. Various devices have been devised to prevent accidents.

  For example, in order to prevent accidents between vehicles that have no traffic signal and have low visibility, especially vehicles that travel straight on three-way roads and vehicles that travel on priority roads that pass through the intersection, let each driver know how close they are to each other. A traffic accident prevention device informed by an alarm has been devised (see Patent Document 1).

  In addition, a moving object notification device has been devised that can inform a driver of an automobile or the like that a pedestrian or the like may jump out to an intersection and reduce intersection accidents (see Patent Document 2).

  In addition, a temporary stop display device has been devised that can particularly alert the driver of an approaching vehicle at the temporary stop position (see Patent Document 3).

  In addition, a vehicle collision prevention device has been devised that can prevent a collision accident of a vehicle at an intersection without neglecting a temporary stop at the intersection where there is no traffic signal and the prospect is poor (patent) Reference 4).

  It also supports safe access to intersections between priority roads and non-priority roads for vehicles traveling on non-priority roads, can prevent head-to-head collisions between vehicles, and after stopping for vehicles that are stopped before the intersection A head-to-head collision prevention system has been devised that can support the start of the vehicle and prevent a head-to-head collision between vehicles (see Patent Document 5).

  In addition, the map data included in the vehicle navigation system stores the location and information of road traffic signs such as sharp curves, railroad crossings, and temporary stops. A function for notifying a warning has also been devised.

JP 04-286100 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-299520 JP-A-10-340392 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-086200 JP 2001-126198 A

  In the examples of Patent Documents 1 to 5, it is necessary to install dedicated equipment on the road. The cost for installing and operating these facilities is borne by the manager of the road. In other words, school roads and residential roads are often municipal roads and are covered by residents' taxes. However, the driver of a vehicle that uses the road instead of a walkway is often not a resident in the vicinity of the road, and even if safety is ensured on the road, I have to think unpleasantly and unfairly that the cause) does not bear a yen.

  When installing dedicated equipment on the road, it is not easy to install the same type of equipment nationwide, and it depends on the traffic safety awareness of the area, and the area where the equipment is sufficiently installed. If the driver travels in an area where the equipment is not sufficiently installed, he / she will drive with the preconception that a warning device should be installed at a dangerous point. I will invite you.

  In the example of Patent Document 5, a device is also required on the vehicle side, which increases the price of the vehicle. There is a problem. Further, the method for storing special data in the map data also requires a storage medium for storing the data, and there is a problem that the price of the navigation device increases.

  With the above problem as a background, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle navigation apparatus that can prevent an accident at an intersection at low cost without installing dedicated equipment on a road. .

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

  The present invention provides a vehicle navigation apparatus for solving the above-described problems. In other words, according to the first aspect, the vehicle navigation apparatus has position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle and map data storage means for storing the map data, and displays the current position of the vehicle on the map data. The map data includes intersection position information, and a route guidance means for guiding a route to the destination based on the current position and the map data, and an intersection determination for judging whether there is an intersection on the route to the destination Means, a distance measuring means for measuring the distance from the current position to the intersection when it is determined that there is an intersection to the destination, a distance determining means for determining whether the distance is within a predetermined range, Road class information setting means for setting road class information for roads included in the map data, and road class of the road on which the vehicle travels when it is determined that the distance is within a predetermined range. Notification determining means for determining whether or not to notify the approach to the intersection based on the road class information of the road intersecting with the traffic information and the approach notification for notifying the approach to the intersection based on the determination result of the notification determining means And a vehicle navigation device.

  The present invention sets road class information using road information necessary for operating normal functions such as route search and route guidance of a vehicle navigation device, and compares the classes of intersecting roads. When crossing a road of the same or higher grade than the class of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, a notification is made to alert the driver. With the above configuration, there is no need to install special equipment on the road, so there is no extra tax burden on local residents. In addition, since the dedicated data is not stored in the navigation device, the storage capacity does not increase, a storage medium for securing a corresponding storage capacity as in the prior art is not required, and the cost does not increase.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle navigation apparatus for solving the above-mentioned problems, comprising: position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle; and map data storage means for storing map data; A navigation device for a vehicle that displays a current position of a vehicle, wherein map data includes intersection position information, intersection determination means for determining the presence or absence of an intersection in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and a distance from the current position to the intersection A distance measuring means for measuring the distance, a distance determining means for determining whether the distance is within a predetermined range, a road class information setting means for setting road class information for a road included in the map data, and a distance predetermined When it is determined that the vehicle is within the range of the vehicle, it intersects with the road class information of the road on which the vehicle travels based on the road class information of the road that intersects at the intersection A vehicle navigation apparatus comprising: a notification determining unit that determines whether or not to notify the approach to the vehicle; and an approach notification unit that notifies the approach to the intersection based on a determination result of the notification determining unit. You can also

  The present invention sets road class information using road information necessary for operating normal functions such as route search and route guidance of a vehicle navigation device, and compares the classes of intersecting roads. When crossing a road of the same or higher grade than the class of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, a notification is made to alert the driver. In the above configuration, it is possible to notify the driver that the driver is warned even when the route guidance is not performed by the navigation device when the vehicle is traveling. With the above configuration, there is no need to install special equipment on the road, so there is no extra tax burden on local residents. In addition, since the dedicated data is not stored in the navigation device, the storage capacity does not increase, a storage medium for securing a corresponding storage capacity as in the prior art is not required, and the cost does not increase.

  According to the third aspect, the road class information in the vehicle navigation device of the present invention includes road type class information, and the notification determining means intersects the road type class information on which the vehicle travels and the road on which the vehicle travels. Includes type comparison means for comparing road type class information, and when the class class information of the road on which the vehicle is traveling is equal to or lower than the class class information of the road that intersects the road on which the vehicle is traveling It is possible to take a configuration in which it is determined to notify the approach of.

  Vehicle traffic tends to increase as the importance of roads increases. That is, in the road types of national roads and prefectural roads, national roads have a higher importance (type class) than prefectural roads. When crossing a more important road while driving on a less important road, it is necessary to pay attention to the vehicle traveling on the intersecting road. By performing notification that alerts the driver in such a situation, it is possible to prevent a vehicle collision accident at an intersection.

  According to claim 4, the road class information in the vehicle navigation device of the present invention includes information related to the number of lanes of the road, and the notification determining means intersects the number of lanes of the road on which the vehicle travels and the road on which the vehicle travels. It includes a lane number comparison means for comparing the number of lanes on the road, and determines that an approach to the intersection is to be notified when the number of lanes on the road on which the vehicle is traveling is equal to or less than the number of lanes on the road that intersects the road on which the vehicle is traveling. The structure to do can be taken.

  Vehicle traffic tends to increase as the number of lanes on the road increases. When crossing a road with more lanes (higher road class) while driving on a road with fewer lanes (lower road class), it is necessary to pay attention to vehicles traveling on intersecting roads. Carrying out a vehicle collision at an intersection can be prevented in advance by notifying the driver in the situation as described above.

  According to the fifth aspect, the road class information in the vehicle navigation device of the present invention includes information on the width of the road, and the notification determining means includes the width of the road on which the vehicle travels and the road that intersects the road on which the vehicle travels. It includes a width comparison means for comparing the width, and has a configuration in which it is determined that the approach to the intersection is notified when the width of the road on which the vehicle travels is equal to or less than the width of the road that intersects the road on which the vehicle travels. it can.

  Vehicle traffic tends to increase as the road width increases. When crossing a road with a wider road width (higher road class) while driving on a road with a narrow road width (lower road class), it is necessary to pay attention to vehicles traveling on intersecting roads. Carrying out a vehicle collision at an intersection can be prevented in advance by notifying the driver in the situation as described above.

  According to the sixth aspect, the position information of the intersection in the vehicle navigation device of the present invention includes information on the presence / absence of the traffic signal at the intersection, and has the traffic signal detection means for detecting the presence / absence of the traffic signal at the intersection. The approach notifying means can be configured to notify the approach when it is detected that a traffic light is not installed.

  If it is an intersection where a traffic signal is installed, the driver passes through the display of the traffic signal, and may feel annoyed by notifying the approach. By this configuration, by notifying only when approaching an intersection that really needs attention, the driver can recognize the importance of the notification more and contribute to safe driving of the vehicle.

  By the way, when setting the route of the navigation apparatus, a generally known Dijkstra method or a method based thereon is used. Specifically, route setting is performed using link information for links between nodes using map data stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD.

  The link information includes a link ID, which is a unique number for identifying a link, a road type (link class) for identifying an expressway, a toll road, or a general road, the width / lane number of a road, There is information about the link itself such as road width information indicating the presence or absence of a median strip, the start and end coordinates of the link, and the road length (link length) indicating the link length. On the other hand, the node information includes information such as a node ID, which is a unique number of nodes connecting the links, right / left turn prohibition at intersections, and presence / absence of traffic lights. In addition, data indicating whether or not traffic is possible is set in the inter-link connection information.

  Therefore, if the information on the road type (the importance of the road), the number of lanes, and the road width included in the link information stored in the map data is used, the configuration of the present invention can be achieved without using a dedicated storage medium or device. Can be realized.

  The purpose of providing a navigation device that can prevent accidents at intersections at low cost without installing dedicated equipment on the road, to approach the intersection using map data included in the navigation device It realized by the structure which alert | reports.

  Hereinafter, a vehicle navigation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle navigation apparatus (hereinafter abbreviated as a navigation apparatus) according to the present invention. The navigation device 100 includes a position detector 1, a map data input device 6, an operation switch group 7, a remote control (hereinafter referred to as remote control) sensor 11, a speaker 15 for voice guidance and the like (access notification means of the present invention), an external memory 9, a display device 10, a control circuit 8 connected thereto, and a remote control terminal 12.

  A position detector 1 (position detecting means of the present invention) includes a known geomagnetic sensor 2, a gyroscope 3, a distance sensor 4, and a GPS receiver 5 for GPS that detects the position of a vehicle based on radio waves from a satellite. have. Since these sensors 2, 3, 4, and 5 have errors of different properties, they are configured to be used while being complemented by a plurality of sensors. Depending on the accuracy, a part of the sensors described above may be used, and further, a steering rotation sensor, a wheel sensor of each rolling wheel, or the like may be used.

  The map data input device 6 inputs so-called map matching data for improving the accuracy of position detection and various data including road data representing road connections from the storage medium 18 (map data storage means of the present invention). It is a device. As a storage medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, or hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as HDD) is generally used because of the amount of data, but other media such as a memory card may be used.

  As the operation switch group 7, for example, a touch switch or a mechanical switch integrated with the display device 10 is used. The touch switch is composed of infrared sensors that are finely arranged vertically and horizontally on the screen of the display device 10. For example, when the infrared ray is cut off with a finger, a touch pen, or the like, the cut-off position becomes a two-dimensional coordinate value (X, Y). A pointing device such as a mouse or a cursor may be used. Various instructions can be input by the operation switch group 7 and the remote control terminal 12. In addition, you may take the structure which inputs an instruction | indication using the microphone and voice recognition unit which are not shown in figure. In this method, voice is input from a microphone connected to the voice recognition unit, the voice signal is voice-recognized by a known voice recognition technique, and converted into an operation instruction according to the result.

  The display device 10 (approach notification means of the present invention) is composed of a color liquid crystal display, and the vehicle current position mark input from the position detector 1 and the map data input device 6 are input to the screen of the display device 10. A menu button for displaying the displayed map data and additional data such as a guidance route to be displayed on the map in a superimposed manner, and setting route guidance on this screen, guidance during route guidance, and switching operation of the screen Is displayed.

  The transmission / reception device 13 is a device for communicating with the information center 14. Information received from the outside via the transmission / reception device 13 is processed by the control circuit 8. In addition, as a device used as the transmission / reception device 13, a mobile communication device such as a car phone or a mobile phone may be used.

  Further, by connecting a mobile communication device such as a mobile phone 17 or a car phone to the communication unit 19, connection to an external network is possible and connection to the Internet or the like is possible. Furthermore, by communicating with an ETC (automatic toll collection system, ETC: Electronic Toll Collection) vehicle-mounted device 16, fee information received by the ETC vehicle-mounted device 16 from the ETC road device can be taken into the navigation device 100. Moreover, it is also possible to connect with an external network by the ETC onboard equipment 16. A configuration may be adopted in which communication with the information center 14 is performed via the mobile phone 17 or the ETC vehicle-mounted device 16.

  Control circuit 8 (route guidance means, intersection determination means, distance measurement means, distance determination means, notification determination means, road class information setting means, type comparison means, lane number comparison means, width comparison means, traffic light detection means of the present invention) Is configured as a normal computer, and includes a well-known CPU 81, ROM 82, RAM 83, I / O 84 which is an input / output circuit, and a bus line 85 for connecting these components. The CPU 81 controls the program and data stored in the ROM 82 and RAM 83. The ROM 82 has a program storage area 82a and a data storage area 82b. A navigation program (hereinafter referred to as a navigation program) 82p is stored in the program storage area 82a. Data necessary for the operation of the navigation program 82p is stored in the data storage area 82b. The navigation program 82p operates on the RAM 83 in such a manner that the navigation program work memory 83w is used as a work area. When an HDD is used for the map data input device 6, the functions of the ROM 82 and the RAM 83 may be implemented by the HDD.

  Furthermore, information and data necessary for the operation of the navigation device 100 are stored in the external memory 9 (the road class information setting means of the present invention). The external memory 9 is configured to retain the stored contents even when the accessory switch of the vehicle is turned off (that is, the navigation device 100 is turned off).

  With this configuration, when the navigation program 82 p is activated by the CPU 81 of the control circuit 8, the navigation device 100 operates the operation switch group 7 or the remote control terminal 12 to display the navigation device 100 on the display device 10. When the route guidance process for displaying the destination route on the display device 10 is selected from the displayed menu, the following process is performed. That is, when the driver inputs the destination based on the map on the display device 10, the current position of the vehicle is obtained based on the satellite data obtained from the GPS receiver 5, and the optimum route from the current position to the destination is obtained. Is obtained. Then, the guidance route is displayed on the road map on the display device 10 so as to guide the driver to the appropriate route. In addition, the display device 10 and the speaker 15 which are notification means of the present invention send a message in accordance with the guidance during operation and the operating state.

  Examples of road class information according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The parameters used for defining the road class are defined based on information about roads included in the map data stored in the storage medium 18. The road class information is stored in the external memory 9.

  FIG. 2 is an example in which a road class is defined by a road type included in link information. Intercity expressways such as Tomei Expressway are defined as the highest class, and narrow streets such as residential roads are defined as the lowest class. FIG. 3 is an example in which a road class is defined by the number of road lanes included in the link information. That is, the higher the number of lanes on one side, the higher the road class is defined. FIG. 4 is an example in which a road class is defined by the width of the road included in the link information. That is, the road class is defined higher as the width of the road is wider. Information other than the above included in the link information may be used in the definition of the road class. The road class is determined using one or more of these road classes.

(On-road crossing notification process 1)
The flow of the 1st form of the road crossing alerting | reporting process (henceforth a crossing alerting | reporting process) of this invention is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG. This process is repeatedly executed together with other processes included in the navigation program 82p. First, it is determined whether crossing notification is permitted (S10). If it is not permitted (S10: NO), the following processing is not performed. If it is permitted (S10: YES), the processing after step S20 is performed.

  It is configured that the driver can set whether or not to permit this crossing notification. The setting method is to operate the operation switch group 7 or the remote control terminal 12 and set whether or not to perform the crossing notification from the menu displayed on the display device 10. The setting contents are stored in the external memory 9.

  Next, it is determined whether a route for performing vehicle route guidance is set (S20). When there is no route setting (S20: NO), the crossing notification process is not performed. In FIG. 5, the process returns from step S20 to step S10, but does not form an infinite loop in the main crossing notification process, and returns to the main crossing notification process after performing other processes of the navigation program 82p. It is what comes. The same applies to what returns to step S10 in the conditional branch.

  When there is a route setting (S20: YES), the current position of the vehicle is calculated (S30) and the route information is called (S40), and it is determined whether there is a current position on the route (S50). When the current position does not exist on the route (S50: NO), this process is not performed. If the current position exists on the route (S50: YES), the current position on the route is calculated (S60).

  Next, it is searched whether there is an intersection within a distance L (for example, 300 m) from the current position of the vehicle to the front of the route (S70, S80). When there is no intersection (S90: NO), the crossing notification process is not performed (return to step S10). If there is an intersection (S90: YES), it is determined whether the intersection is a point for performing route guidance such as a right or left turn (S100). If it is an intersection where route guidance such as turning left or right is implemented (S100: YES), guidance for prompting a right or left turn at the intersection is implemented by the route guidance function of the navigation device, so it is particularly necessary to perform this crossing notification. There is no.

  If the intersection is a point that does not perform route guidance such as a right or left turn (S100: NO), it is determined whether a traffic signal is installed at the intersection with reference to the map data stored in the storage medium 18. (S110). If a traffic light is installed at the intersection (S110: YES), since the vehicle travels according to the traffic light, it is not necessary to perform this crossing notification (return to step S10).

  If no traffic lights are installed at the intersection (S110: NO), the road class (indicated as a road case in FIG. 5; the same shall apply hereinafter) on which the vehicle travels based on the road class (see FIGS. 2 to 4). It is determined whether it is the lowest (S120). At intersections between narrow streets (lowest road class), many vehicles run ignoring traffic rules such as stopping once. Therefore, when driving on the intersection of the lowest road class (S120). : YES), unconditionally crossing notification is performed (S140). The notification is displayed on the display device 10 (for example, “flashes a mark indicating the current position of the vehicle on the map”, “displays an arrow indicating the intersection on the map”, “enlarges the intersection on the map) , Etc.), voice guidance by the speaker 15 (for example, “Please drive with caution”, etc.), or both.

  When the vehicle is traveling on a road other than the narrow street (S120: NO), it is determined whether the road intersecting at the intersection is higher than the road class on which the host vehicle is traveling (S130). Since the intersection between the road class on which the host vehicle is traveling and a road equal to or lower than the same class is not required (S130: NO), it is not necessary to perform this crossing notification, and the process proceeds to search for the next intersection (to S70). At an intersection with a road that is higher than the road class on which the host vehicle is traveling (S130: YES), a crossing notification is implemented (S140). The notification is performed by one or both of the display by the display device 10 and the voice guidance by the speaker 15 in the same manner as described above.

  In the above processing, when crossing an intersection where traffic lights are installed, this crossing notification is not implemented, but there are trucks that run away on national roads or main roads ignoring traffic lights especially at midnight etc. Therefore, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the crossing notification may be implemented even when crossing the intersection where the traffic signal is installed. Here, the predetermined conditions include a time zone, a route or intersection where many signals are ignored, roads belonging to a predetermined road class, flashing intersections, all intersections, etc. Can be set. The setting method is set by operating the operation switch group 7 or the remote control terminal 12 and inputting whether or not to perform the crossing notification when crossing the intersection from the menu displayed on the display device 10 and the execution conditions. To do. The setting contents are stored in the external memory 9.

(Cross-road notification process 2)
The flow of the 2nd form of the road crossing alerting | reporting process (henceforth a crossing alerting | reporting process) of this invention is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG. This process is repeatedly executed together with other processes included in the navigation program 82p. Further, this processing is performed when there is no route for route guidance or when the vehicle is traveling away from the route even if the route exists. It is configured that the driver can set whether or not to permit this crossing notification. In the setting method, the operation switch group 7 or the remote control terminal 12 is operated to set whether or not to permit the crossing notification from the menu displayed on the display device 10. The setting contents are stored in the external memory 9.

  First, similarly to the above-described process, it is determined whether crossing notification is permitted (S310). If it is not permitted (S310: NO), the following processing is not performed. If permitted (S310: YES), the processing from step S320 is performed. In FIG. 6, the process returns from step S320 to step S310, but does not form an infinite loop in the main crossing notification process, and returns to the present process after performing other processes of the navigation program 82p. Is. The same applies to the case where the conditional branch returns to step S310.

  Next, it is determined whether a route for route guidance is set (S320). If there is no route setting (S320: NO), the process proceeds to step S360 because it is the target of this crossing notification process. If there is a route setting (S320: YES), the current position of the vehicle is calculated (S330) and route information is called (S340), and it is determined whether there is a current position on the route (S350). If the current position is present on the route (S350: YES), the crossing notification process is not performed (return to step S310).

  If the current position does not exist on the route (S350: YES), the process proceeds to step S360 and subsequent steps. Then, it is searched whether there is an intersection within a distance L (for example, 300 m) from the current position of the vehicle to the front of the route (S360, S370). If there is no intersection (S380: NO), the crossing notification process is not performed (return to step S310). If there is an intersection (S380: YES), it is determined whether there is a traffic light at the intersection with reference to the map data stored in the storage medium 18 (S390). If a traffic signal is installed at the intersection (S390: YES), it is not necessary to carry out this crossing notification (return to step S310) as described above.

  If no traffic light is installed at the intersection (S390: NO), the road class (indicated as a road case in FIG. 6, the same shall apply hereinafter) on which the vehicle travels based on the road class (see FIGS. 2 to 4) It is determined whether it is the lowest (S400). Similar to the above description, when the vehicle is traveling at the intersection of the lowest road class (S400: YES), the crossing notification is unconditionally performed (S420). The notification is performed by one or both of the display by the display device 10 and the voice guidance by the speaker 15 in the same manner as the road crossing notification process 1 described above.

  When traveling on other roads (S400: NO), it is determined whether the road intersecting at the target intersection is higher than the road class on which the host vehicle is traveling (S410). At the intersection of the road class on which the vehicle is traveling and a higher-grade road (S410: YES), crossing notification is performed (S420). The notification is performed by one or both of the display by the display device 10 and the voice guidance by the speaker 15 in the same manner as the road crossing notification process 1 described above.

  In the case of an intersection with a road class equal to or less than the road class on which the host vehicle is traveling (S410: NO), it is further determined whether there is a road to be searched for an intersection to be subjected to the crossing notification. In step S430, it is determined whether there is a straight road. If there is no straight road (S430: NO), this process ends. If there is a straight road (S430: YES), the process moves to the next intersection search (move to S360).

In the above process, when crossing an intersection where a traffic signal is installed, the handling of the configuration in which the crossing notification is not performed is the same as in the crossing notification process 1 on the road, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and the knowledge of those skilled in the art can be used without departing from the spirit of the claims. Various modifications based on this are possible.

1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a navigation device as one embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the example of the road class information using a road classification. The figure which shows the example of the road class information using the number of lanes of a road. The figure which shows the example of the road class information using the width of a road. The figure which shows the flow of a road crossing alerting | reporting process at the time of route guidance. (On-road crossing notification process 1) The figure which shows the flow of the road crossing alerting | reporting process in the case of not performing route guidance. (Cross-road notification process 2)

Explanation of symbols

1 Position detector (position detection means)
7 Operation switch group 8 Control circuit (route guidance means, intersection determination means, distance measurement means, distance determination means, notification determination means, road class information setting means, type comparison means, lane number comparison means, width comparison means, traffic light detection means )
9 External memory (road class information setting means)
10. Display device (approach notification means)
12 Remote control terminal 15 Speaker (approach notification means)
18 Storage medium (map data storage means)
100 Navigation device

Claims (6)

A navigation device for a vehicle, comprising: a position detection unit that detects a current position of a vehicle; and a map data storage unit that stores map data, and displays the current position of the vehicle on the map data,
The map data includes intersection position information,
Route guidance means for guiding a route to a destination based on the current position and the map data;
Intersection determination means for determining the presence or absence of the intersection on the route to the destination;
A distance measuring means for measuring a distance from the current position to the intersection when it is determined that the intersection exists up to the destination;
Distance determining means for determining whether the distance is within a predetermined range;
Road class information setting means for setting road class information for roads included in the map data;
When it is determined that the distance is within a predetermined range, an approach to the intersection is notified based on the road class information of the road on which the vehicle travels and the road class information of a road that intersects at the intersection. Notification determination means for determining whether or not,
An approach notifying means for notifying an approach to the intersection based on a determination result of the notification determining means;
A vehicle navigation device comprising: A navigation device for a vehicle, comprising: a position detection unit that detects a current position of a vehicle; and a map data storage unit that stores map data, and displays the current position of the vehicle on the map data,
The map data includes intersection position information,
Intersection determination means for determining the presence or absence of the intersection in the traveling direction of the vehicle;
Distance measuring means for measuring a distance from the current position to the intersection;
Distance determining means for determining whether the distance is within a predetermined range;
Road class information setting means for setting road class information for roads included in the map data;
When it is determined that the distance is within a predetermined range, an approach to the intersection is notified based on the road class information of the road on which the vehicle travels and the road class information of a road that intersects at the intersection. Notification determination means for determining whether or not,
An approach notifying means for notifying an approach to the intersection based on a determination result of the notification determining means;
A vehicle navigation device comprising: The road class information includes road type class information,
The notification determination unit includes a type comparison unit that compares the type class information of the road on which the vehicle travels and the type class information of a road that intersects the road on which the vehicle travels,
When the classification class information of the road on which the vehicle is traveling is equal to or less than the classification class information of the road that intersects the road on which the vehicle is traveling at the intersection, it is determined to notify the approach to the intersection The vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the navigation device is for a vehicle. The road class information includes information on the number of road lanes,
The notification determination means includes lane number comparison means for comparing the number of lanes of the road on which the vehicle travels and the number of lanes of the road that intersects the road on which the vehicle travels,
The determination is made that an approach to the intersection is notified when the number of lanes of the road on which the vehicle is traveling is equal to or less than the number of lanes of the road that intersects with the road on which the vehicle is traveling. 4. The vehicle navigation device according to any one of 3 above. The road class information includes information on the width of the road,
The notification determination means includes width comparison means for comparing the width of the road on which the vehicle travels and the width of the road that intersects the road on which the vehicle travels,
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein when the width of the road on which the vehicle travels is equal to or less than the width of the road intersecting with the road on which the vehicle travels, the approach to the intersection is notified. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 1.   The location information of the intersection includes information on the presence / absence of a traffic signal at the intersection, and has traffic signal detection means for detecting the presence / absence of the traffic signal at the intersection, and the approach notification means indicates that the traffic signal is not installed. The vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an approach is notified when detected.

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