JP2009174953A - Route guidance device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a route guidance device that can prompt a driver to reset a parking lot when a parking lot that has already been set as a parking place is congested to a predetermined level or more.
A route guidance apparatus 100 that performs route guidance to a destination parking lot around a destination includes a full state obtaining unit 10 that obtains a full state of each parking lot distributed by an information center, and a probe. The warehousing waiting time acquisition means 11 for acquiring the warehousing waiting time of each parking lot based on the information collected by the car, and when the warehousing waiting time of the destination parking lot is less than a predetermined time or is unknown, Congestion determination means 12 for determining whether the target parking lot is congested based on the empty state of the parking lots other than the target parking lots in the vicinity or the waiting time for warehousing, and determining that the target parking lot is congested In this case, a parking lot information output means 13 is provided for outputting information related to the parking lot around the destination.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a route guidance device that guides a route to a destination, and more particularly, to a route guidance device that selects a parking lot around the destination as a parking place and performs route guidance to the selected parking lot.

  Conventionally, the waiting time for entering a parking lot around the destination and the travel time from the current location to the parking lot are calculated based on the traffic jam information and regulation information received by the FM antenna, and the own vehicle is used. In-vehicle navigation that automatically calculates the travel time required from the parking lot to the destination based on the map information and automatically selects the parking lot that minimizes the total time as the location to park the vehicle An apparatus is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

This in-vehicle navigation device is used not only for the travel time but also for the parking lot to be used to arrive at the destination earliest, taking into account the waiting time for warehousing and the travel time from the parking lot to the destination. Can be presented to the driver.
JP-A-7-57188

  However, since the in-vehicle navigation device described in Patent Document 1 adds the travel time to the destination after parking the host vehicle in the parking lot to the conditions for selecting the parking lot, Regardless of the congestion, it is unsuitable for a driver who wants to set the parking lot closest to the destination as a parking place, and may limit the degree of freedom of the parking lot selection by the driver.

  In addition, since the in-vehicle navigation device described in Patent Document 1 automatically selects parking lots in the order of the shortest time to reach the destination, the parking lot is frequently re-entered every time the order changes due to traffic jams or the like. After setting a specific parking lot as a parking location, the parking lot is set so that another parking lot can be reset as a parking location only when the parking lot is congested above a predetermined level. The driver who wants to notify information necessary for resetting the parking lot may be annoying.

  In view of the above, the present invention provides a route guidance device that can prompt a driver to reset a parking lot when a parking lot that has already been set as a parking place is congested to a predetermined level or higher. With the goal.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a route guidance device according to a first invention is a route guidance device that selects a parking lot around a destination as a parking place and executes route guidance to the selected parking lot. And an empty state acquisition means for acquiring an empty state of each parking lot distributed by the information center, and an incoming waiting time acquisition means for acquiring an incoming waiting time of each parking lot based on information collected by the probe car; When the waiting time for entering the selected parking lot is less than a predetermined time or when it is unknown, the parking lot other than the selected parking lot in the vicinity of the destination is based on the empty state or the waiting time for receiving Congestion determining means for determining whether or not the selected parking lot is congested, and parking information for outputting information on parking lots around the destination when it is determined that the selected parking lot is congested Parking information output Characterized in that it comprises a means.

  Further, a second invention is the route guidance device according to the first invention, wherein the congestion determination means is a case where the distance between the destination and the vehicle is less than a predetermined distance, and the selection When the parking waiting time of the parking lot is less than a predetermined time or is unknown, the parking lot other than the selected parking lot in the vicinity of the destination is selected based on the full state of the parking lot or the waiting time for receiving It is characterized by determining whether the parking lot is crowded.

  Moreover, 3rd invention is the route guidance apparatus which concerns on 1st or 2nd invention, Comprising: The said congestion determination means has the number of the parking lots of the full state in the periphery of the destination around the destination It is characterized in that it is determined whether or not the selected parking lot is congested based on the ratio of the total number of parking lots.

  Moreover, 4th invention is the route guidance apparatus which concerns on any 1st thru | or 3rd invention, Comprising: When the said parking lot information output means determines with the said selected parking lot being crowded Further, it is characterized by displaying the fullness of the parking lots around the destination.

  The fifth invention is the route guidance device according to any one of the first to fourth inventions, wherein the parking lot information output means determines that the selected parking lot is congested. In addition, the waiting time for entering a parking lot other than the selected parking lot is voice-outputted or displayed in text.

  By the above-described means, the present invention provides a route guidance device that can prompt the driver to reset the parking lot when the parking lot that has already been set as a parking place is crowded to a predetermined level or more. it can.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a route guidance device according to the present invention. A route guidance device 100 includes a control device 1, a traffic information reception device 2, a mobile communication device 3, a positioning device 4, and a storage device 5. , Comprising a display device 6 and an audio output device 7.

  The route guidance device 100 basically includes vehicle position information (latitude, longitude, altitude) measured by the positioning device 4 and destination position information input via an input device (not shown) such as a touch panel. Based on (latitude, longitude, altitude) and map information stored in the map information database 50 (hereinafter referred to as “map information DB 50”) stored in the storage device 5, the optimum from the current position to the destination An in-vehicle device for deriving a simple route, for example, searching for the shortest route using the Dijkstra method as the shortest route search algorithm, and moving the vehicle to the destination along the searched route (hereinafter referred to as “recommended route”) invite.

  In addition, the route guidance device 100 displays the recommended route on the screen of the display device 6 so that the recommended route can be identified from other routes so that the driver can easily recognize the recommended route, and voice along the recommended route. The guidance is output from the voice output device 7 to guide the driver to the destination.

  The control device 1 is a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), etc., for example, a full state acquisition means 10, a warehousing waiting time acquisition means 11, While storing programs corresponding to each of the congestion determination means 12 and the parking lot information output means 13 in the ROM, the CPU is caused to execute processing corresponding to each means. Details of these means will be described later.

  The traffic information receiving device 2 is a device for receiving a signal distributed by an external communication center. For example, a VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) distributed by a road traffic information center through a radio beacon, an optical beacon, and FM multiplex broadcasting is used. ) Beacon receiver or FM multiplex receiver for receiving information.

  The mobile communication device 3 is a device for controlling two-way communication between the route guidance device 100 and an external communication center. For example, a mobile phone frequency or a PHS (Personal Handy-phone System) frequency is used. Enables signal transmission and reception.

  The positioning device 4 is a device for measuring the position of a vehicle. For example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver receives a GPS signal output from a GPS satellite via a GPS antenna, and based on the received signal. Measure the vehicle position.

  The measurement by the positioning device 4 may be any method such as single positioning or relative positioning (including interference positioning), but preferably relative positioning with high accuracy is used. At this time, the position of the vehicle may be corrected based on outputs of various sensors such as a steering angle sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, and a gyro sensor, and various information received via a beacon receiver or an FM multiplex receiver.

  The storage device 5 is a device for storing various types of information. For example, the storage device 5 is a storage medium such as a hard disk or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and includes a map information DB 50 and a parking lot information database 51 (hereinafter “parking lot information”). DB51 ") and the like are stored. The parking lot information DB 51 may be stored in the RAM of the control device 1.

  The map information DB 50 includes node positions such as intersections and interchanges, distances between links (elements connecting the nodes), link costs (refers to the degree of time, costs, etc. required to pass through the links), and facility positions (latitudes). , Longitude, altitude), facility name, and the like are systematically stored.

  The parking lot information DB 51 is a database that systematically stores information on the parking lot acquired by the route guidance device 100, and a configuration example thereof is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the parking lot information DB 51 includes, for example, a “parking lot ID” column, a “entry waiting time” column, and a “full space” column. The value calculated by the probe car information center based on the information (described later) and the actual waiting time required to park the vehicle in the parking lot is stored. A flag value indicating whether the parking lot is full (“0” (full) or “1” (empty) is stored), or a plurality of levels such as full, empty, and empty The representing value is stored. The full state value is based on information distributed by the road traffic information center.

  In addition, the waiting time for warehousing was required until the vehicle was parked in the parking space of the specific parking lot after the vehicle entered a predetermined distance range (for example, 500 meters) from the specific parking lot. A time value (including an average value, an intermediate value, a maximum value, a minimum value, a mode value, a latest value, etc. by a plurality of probe cars), and preferably a past predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) )) Is derived based only on the probe car information collected by the probe car information center.

  FIG. 2 shows, for example, that the parking lot corresponding to the parking lot ID “009” is full, and that the waiting time for entering the parking lot is 30 minutes, and that the parking lot corresponding to the parking lot ID “102” is Indicates that the vehicle is in an empty state and its waiting time is unknown.

  The display device 6 is a device for displaying various types of information, such as a liquid crystal display, and various types of information such as map information, destination information, recommended routes, parking lot positions, parking lot availability, etc. Is displayed.

  The voice output device 7 is a device for outputting various information as voices. For example, the voice output device 7 is an in-vehicle speaker, and outputs voice guidance regarding left / right turn guidance, parking lot congestion, parking lot resetting, and the like.

  Next, various units included in the control device 1 will be described.

  The full space acquisition means 10 is a means for acquiring information related to the parking lot full space state. For example, the full traffic state acquisition means 10 receives a traffic information signal (described later) received by the traffic information receiving device 2 and distributed by the road traffic information center. Based on the availability of the parking lot.

  The warehousing waiting time acquisition means 11 is a means for acquiring information related to the parking warehousing waiting time. For example, a parking lot information signal (described later) received from the probe car information center using the mobile communication device 3 is used. Get the parking waiting time based on the parking lot.

  In this way, the route guidance device 100 acquires the full state of the parking lot from the traffic information signal distributed by the road traffic information center at a predetermined cycle (for example, every 5 minutes) by the full state acquisition means 10. And the parking lot information DB51 (refer FIG. 2) is acquired by acquiring the parking waiting time from the parking lot information signal which a probe car information center transmits according to the request | requirement of the route guidance apparatus 100 by the warehousing waiting time acquisition means 11. FIG. Can be updated.

  FIG. 3 is an example of a sequence diagram illustrating the exchange of signals between the road traffic information center or the probe car information center and the route guidance device 100, and it is assumed that time changes from the top to the bottom of the diagram. In TA, the distance between the vehicle and the destination is less than a predetermined distance (for example, 2 km), and the vehicle is parked in the parking lot at time TB.

  Moreover, FIG. 4 is a figure which shows the structural example of various signals, FIG. 4 (A) is a traffic information signal, FIG.4 (B) is a parking lot information request signal, FIG.4 (C) is a parking lot information signal, FIG. 4D corresponds to each probe car information signal.

  The “traffic information signal” is a signal that is periodically distributed by the road traffic information center. For example, a traffic jam section, a traffic jam transit time, an accident / failed vehicle position, a construction section, an area managed by the road traffic information center, Includes speed regulation / lane regulation section, parking lot (including service area and parking area) identification number (parking lot ID), parking lot full condition, etc. The values for traffic jam sections, construction sections, speed regulation / lane regulation sections are represented by link numbers, and the parking lot availability is collected by the management center of each parking lot in the area managed by the road traffic information center. Based on the information.

  The “parking lot information request signal” is a signal that the route guidance device 100 sends to the probe car information center in order to prompt the probe car information center to send parking lot information. It includes the number (vehicle ID), the parking lot ID of the parking lot closest to the destination, and the like. The parking lot ID may be destination information (latitude, longitude, altitude).

  The “parking lot information signal” is a signal that the probe car information center returns to each vehicle in response to a parking lot information request signal transmitted by the route guidance device 100 mounted on each vehicle. The vehicle ID of the vehicle that transmitted the information request signal, and the parking lot indicated by the parking lot ID included in the parking lot information request signal (a parking lot set according to the destination, hereinafter referred to as “target parking lot” )), The parking ID of other parking lots within a predetermined distance from the target parking lot, and the warehousing waiting time.

  In addition, when the destination information is included in the parking lot information request signal, the “parking lot information signal” includes the parking lot IDs and warehousing waiting times of all the parking lots within a predetermined distance from the destination. Also good.

  In addition, the probe car information center may return the parking lot information signal with the full availability of each parking lot after acquiring the full availability of each parking lot distributed by the road traffic information center. Good. This is because the route guidance device 100 can acquire the full state of each parking lot and the waiting time for entering the parking space at the same time.

  In addition, vehicle ID is utilized in order to specify the vehicle so that only the vehicle which transmitted the parking lot information request signal can receive a parking lot information signal.

  The “probe car information signal” is a signal transmitted from each vehicle to the probe car information center, and the position information (latitude, longitude, altitude) of each vehicle, the speed, the output of each in-vehicle device (for example, the operation of the wiper) Status, destination information input to the navigation device, etc.).

  The probe car information center receives a probe car information signal transmitted by each vehicle, processes and generates various information, for example, based on probe car information transmitted by a vehicle that sets a specific parking lot as a destination. A waiting time for entering a specific parking lot (for example, an average value of the time required to complete the parking after entering the predetermined distance range from the specific parking lot) is calculated.

  The route guidance device 100 measures the time required from when the vehicle arrives in the vicinity of the specific parking lot until it is parked in the parking space of the specific parking lot, and waits for receipt of the measured time. The time may be transmitted to the probe car information center.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a vehicle equipped with the route guidance device 100 receives a traffic information signal distributed by the road traffic information center at a predetermined cycle (for example, 5 minutes) by the traffic information receiving device 2. At time TA, the vehicle enters a predetermined distance (for example, 2 km) from the target parking lot.

  The route guidance device 100 of the vehicle transmits a parking lot information request signal to the probe car information center at time TA (when it reaches a predetermined distance to the target parking lot), and receives the parking lot information from the probe car information center. It receives and updates parking lot information DB51.

  Thereafter, when the route guidance apparatus 100 determines that the destination parking lot is in a state where parking is not possible unless it waits for a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) or longer, information on other parking lots around the destination is displayed. It is displayed on the display device 6 so that the driver can reset another parking lot as a parking place.

  Thereafter, when the vehicle arrives at the parking space of the target parking lot at the time TB (for example, when the ignition switch of the vehicle is turned off), the route guidance device 100 enters the vehicle via the mobile communication device 3. Probe car information including the waiting time is transmitted to the probe car information center.

  Here, referring to FIG. 1 again, the description of the various means included in the control device 1 is continued.

  The congestion determination unit 12 is a unit for determining whether or not the destination parking lot is congested. For example, the waiting time for entering the destination parking lot acquired by the waiting-for-entry information acquisition unit 11 is a predetermined time (for example, 10 If it is above, it is determined that the target parking lot is congested.

  It should be noted that the congestion determination means 12 is provided for the purpose if the waiting time for entering the target parking lot is equal to or longer than a predetermined time even when the full empty state of the target parking lot acquired by the full empty state acquisition means 10 indicates an empty vehicle state. It may be determined that the parking lot is congested. This is to prioritize the contents of probe car information, which is the actual time required to park the vehicle.

  In addition, the congestion determination means 12 may be used when the destination parking waiting time is less than a predetermined time or when the destination parking waiting time is unknown. It is determined whether or not the target parking lot is congested based on the waiting time for entering the parking lot of another parking lot or a full state. This is because if other parking lots around the target parking lot are congested, there is a high possibility that the target parking lot is also congested.

  In addition, if the parking waiting time of the target parking lot is less than the predetermined time, it is considered that the congestion is low and the number of probe car information is small, and the reliability of the parking waiting time can be relatively low. In such a case, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not the destination parking lot is crowded in consideration of the congestion of the destination parking lot or other parking lots around the destination. .

  Note that the congestion determination means 12 acquires the number of probe car information used when the probe car information center derives the waiting time for warehousing, and when the number of probe car information is less than a predetermined number, Determine whether the destination parking lot is congested based on the waiting time for entering other parking lots around the destination parking lot (limited to the number of probe car information more than a predetermined number) or full You may do it.

  Specifically, the congestion determination unit 12 refers to the parking lot information DB 51, and the total number of parking lots and the waiting time for warehousing existing around the target parking lot are equal to or longer than a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes). The number of certain parking lots (hereinafter referred to as “congested parking lots”), the number of full parking lots, or the average waiting time for entering a parking lot is derived.

  The congestion determination means 12 is used when the ratio of the number of parking lots to the total number of parking lots (hereinafter referred to as “congested parking lot ratio”) is equal to or greater than a threshold value R1 (for example, 10%). It is determined that the parking lot is congested.

  In addition, the congestion determination unit 12 determines that the congestion parking lot is in a state where the ratio of the number of parking lots in the full state to the total number of parking lots (hereinafter, “full vehicle rate”) is equal to or greater than a threshold value R2 (for example, 20%). When the number is greater than or equal to the threshold N1 (for example, two locations), the number of full parking lots is greater than or equal to the threshold N2 (for example, three locations), or the average parking waiting time of the parking lot group May be determined that the target parking lot is congested when the threshold T1 (for example, 5 minutes) or more.

  Furthermore, the congestion determination means 12 may combine the above-described conditions. For example, the target parking lot is congested when the congestion parking lot ratio is equal to or higher than the threshold value R1 and the full vehicle rate is equal to or higher than the threshold value R2. In addition, it may be determined that the target parking lot is not congested only when the crowded parking lot ratio is less than the threshold value R1 and the full vehicle rate is less than the threshold value R2.

  Further, the congestion determination means 12 switches between various threshold values when the target parking lot is full and various threshold values when the target parking lot is empty when the target parking lot is full. May be. Even when the warehousing waiting time of the target parking lot acquired by the warehousing waiting time acquiring means 11 is less than a predetermined time or unknown, the full vacant state of the target parking lot acquired by the full occupying condition acquisition means 10 indicates a full vehicle state. This is because there is a higher possibility that the waiting time for entering the target parking lot will be equal to or longer than the predetermined time as compared with the case of indicating an empty vehicle state.

  The parking lot information output unit 13 is a unit for outputting parking lot information based on the determination result of the congestion determination unit 12. For example, when the congestion determination unit 12 determines that the target parking lot is congested And / or display a text message (for example, “the parking lot waiting time is at least XX minutes”) on the display device 6 to notify that the target parking lot is crowded, and / or The voice output device 7 outputs a voice message to that effect. This is to give the vehicle passengers an opportunity to reset the target parking lot.

  FIG. 5 is an example of a text message displayed when it is determined that the destination parking lot is congested.

  In addition, the parking lot information output means 13 determines that the target parking lot is congested when the parking waiting time of the target parking lot is less than a predetermined time or when the parking waiting time of the target parking lot is unknown. A text message notifying that the destination parking lot may be crowded (for example, “the parking lots around the destination are crowded”) is displayed on the display device 6, And / or a voice message notifying that is outputted from the voice output device 7. This is to give the passengers of the vehicle the opportunity to reset the target parking lot, similarly to the case where it is determined that the target parking lot is crowded.

  FIG. 6 is displayed when it is determined that the destination parking lot is congested when the waiting time for entering the target parking lot is less than a predetermined time or when the waiting time for entering the destination parking lot is unknown. This is an example of a text message.

  In addition, the parking lot information output means 13 displays a confirmation screen on the display device 6 that allows the vehicle passenger to check whether or not to display information on the parking lot around the destination when the above output is performed. You may make it display, or you may make it display the information regarding the parking lot around the destination on the display apparatus 6 automatically.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the confirmation screen. A software button “Yes” for displaying the parking lot around the destination together with the text message “Do you want to display the parking lot around the destination?” ”And a software button“ No ”for deleting the confirmation screen and displaying the original screen. In this case, the display device 6 includes a touch panel.

  When the software button “Yes” is pressed, the parking lot information output means 13 displays the parking lot icons of the parking lots around the destination.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which a parking lot icon is displayed. The parking lot icon of the P mark is displayed according to the position of the parking lot around the destination, and the color of the icon is changed. While expressing the parking space availability. The G mark is an icon indicating the destination.

  For example, the parking lot information output means 13 displays the parking lot icon corresponding to the parking lot in the full state in gray, and displays the parking lot icon corresponding to the empty parking lot in blue.

  In addition, when the parking lot icon is pressed, the parking lot information output means 13 provides detailed information on the parking lot corresponding to the parking lot icon (for example, the waiting time for warehousing, the number of used spaces, the number of empty spaces, the vehicle height restriction). Vehicle width restriction, business hours, etc.) may be displayed and / or audio output, or a software button for setting the parking lot as the target parking lot may be displayed. .

  As described above, the route guidance device 100 further increases the congestion of the target parking lot based on the parking lot full state based on the traffic information signal and the parking waiting time of the parking lot based on the parking lot information (probe car information). For example, if the waiting time has actually occurred even if the empty state is unknown or the vehicle is empty, the driver is prompted to use another parking lot. it can.

  Further, the route guidance device 100 indirectly determines the congestion level of the target parking lot based on the congestion level of other parking lots around the target parking lot even if the waiting time for entering the target parking lot is less than a predetermined time or is unknown. Therefore, it is possible to prompt the driver to use another parking lot in a timely manner.

  If the waiting time for warehousing has not occurred or the waiting time for warehousing is short even when the vehicle is full, you can refrain from prompting the driver to use another parking lot. It is possible to prevent excessive recommendation of resetting.

  Next, a process in which the route guidance device 100 displays information related to a parking lot around the destination (hereinafter referred to as “parking lot information display process”) will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the parking lot information display process. The route guidance device 100 has a destination and a parking lot already set, and the distance between the vehicle and the destination is This parking lot information display process is executed when the distance is less than a predetermined distance (for example, 2 km).

  In addition, the route guidance device 100 thereafter repeatedly executes this parking lot information display process at predetermined time intervals (for example, every 5 minutes) or at predetermined distance intervals (for example, 500 meters). You may make it do.

  Further, it is assumed that the route guidance device 100 continuously receives the traffic information distributed by the road traffic information center at predetermined time intervals (for example, every 5 minutes) using the traffic information receiving device 2.

  First, the control device 1 of the route guidance device 100 transmits a parking lot information request signal to the probe car information center via the mobile communication device 3 by the warehousing waiting time acquisition unit 11 (step S1).

  Thereafter, the control device 1 monitors the return of parking lot information from the probe car information center (step S2), and waits until the parking lot information is returned (NO in step S2).

  When the parking lot information returned from the probe car information center is received (YES in step S2), the control device 1 stores various information included in the parking lot information in the parking lot information DB 51 and is included in the parking lot information. The waiting time for entering the target parking lot is extracted.

  After that, the control device 1 compares the waiting time for entering the target parking lot with the threshold value T1 by using the congestion determination means 12 (step S3). If the waiting time for entering the store is equal to or greater than the threshold value T1 (YES in step S3). Then, it is determined that the destination parking lot is congested, and the parking lot information output means 13 displays a text message (refer to FIG. 5) to that effect on the display device 6 (step S4).

  Thereafter, the control device 1 causes the parking lot information output means 13 to display a confirmation screen (see FIG. 7) that allows the vehicle occupant to confirm whether or not to display information related to the parking lot around the destination. The information about the parking lot around the destination (see FIG. 8) is displayed on the display device 6 after obtaining the confirmation of the person or without obtaining confirmation of the vehicle occupant (step S5).

  On the other hand, when the storage waiting time of the destination parking lot is less than the threshold value T1 or is unknown (NO in step S3), the control device 1 uses the congestion determination unit 12 to enter the parking lot around the destination or the destination parking lot. It is estimated whether or not the target parking lot is congested based on the waiting time or the empty state (step S6). This process is separately defined as a congestion estimation process, and details thereof will be described later.

  When it is estimated that the target parking lot is congested by the congestion estimation process (YES in step S7), the control device 1 uses the parking lot information output means 13 to notify the display device 6 of the text message (FIG. 6). Is displayed (step S8), and then a confirmation screen (see FIG. 7) for confirming whether or not to display information on the parking lots around the destination is displayed to board the vehicle. The information about the parking lot around the destination (see FIG. 8) is displayed on the display device 6 after obtaining the confirmation of the person or without obtaining confirmation of the vehicle occupant (step S5).

  On the other hand, when it is estimated that the destination parking lot is not crowded by the congestion estimation process (NO in step S7), the control device 1 displays a text message or displays information on parking lots around the destination. The parking lot information display process is terminated without any further processing.

  Next, the congestion estimation process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the congestion estimation process.

  First, the congestion determination means 12 acquires the number of parking lots around the destination while referring to the parking lot information DB 51 (step S11), and the number of parking lots that are full in the parking lot. Is acquired (step S12).

  Thereafter, the congestion determination means 12 divides the number of parking lots that are full by the total number of parking lots around the destination to derive the full vehicle rate, and derives the full vehicle rate and a threshold value R2 (for example, at 20%). Is present) (step S13).

  When the full vehicle rate is equal to or greater than the threshold value R2 (YES in step S13), the congestion determination unit 12 outputs a determination result that the target parking lot is congested (step S14). This is because the parking lots around the target parking lot are congested and it can be estimated that the target parking lot is also congested.

  On the other hand, when the full vehicle rate is less than the threshold value R2 (NO in step S13), the congestion determination unit 12 refers to the parking lot information DB 51 again, and the parking lot whose congestion waiting time is equal to or greater than the threshold value T2 (congested parking lot). (Step S15), and the number of crowded parking lots is compared with a threshold N3 (for example, two locations) (step S16).

  When the number of congested parking lots is equal to or greater than the threshold value N3 (YES in step S16), the congestion determining unit 12 outputs a determination result that the target parking lot is congested (step S14). This is because the parking lots around the target parking lot are congested and it can be estimated that the target parking lot is also congested.

  On the other hand, when the number of congested parking lots is less than the threshold value N3 (NO in step S16), the congestion determining unit 12 outputs a determination result that the target parking lot is not congested (step S17). This is because the parking lots around the target parking lot are not congested, so it can be estimated that the target parking lot is also not congested.

  Thus, even if the congestion determination means 12 cannot acquire the warehousing waiting time of the destination parking lot, or the occupancy waiting time and full state of the destination parking lot cannot be acquired, the destination or destination parking lot If the parking waiting time or fullness of other parking lots in the vicinity can be acquired, the congestion level of the target parking lot is estimated based on the parking waiting time or fullness of other parking lots around the destination or destination parking lot. Therefore, it is possible to prompt the vehicle occupant to reset another parking lot as the target parking lot in a timely manner.

  With the above configuration, the route guidance device 100 uses the probe car information to accurately determine the degree of congestion in the target parking lot. Therefore, the route guidance apparatus 100 is frequently used even though the target parking lot is not crowded above a predetermined level. Further, it is possible to prevent the vehicle occupant from feeling troublesome by prompting the user to reset another parking lot as the target parking lot.

  In addition, the route guidance device 100 does not prompt the user to re-set another parking lot as the target parking lot unless the destination parking lot is congested to a predetermined level or higher, so that the destination parking lot is temporarily full. For example, it is possible to maintain and respect the initial parking lot selection by the vehicle occupant as much as possible without frequently giving warnings or displaying information on other parking lots frequently.

  Moreover, even if the route guidance apparatus 100 cannot acquire the warehousing waiting time of the target parking lot based on the probe car information, the route guidance device 100 can be used for other parking lots in the vicinity of the destination or the target parking lot based on the probe car information. Since the degree of congestion of the target parking lot is indirectly estimated based on the waiting time for warehousing or fullness, it is possible to prompt the vehicle occupant to reset another parking lot as the target parking lot in a timely manner.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Can be added.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the route guidance apparatus 100 determines the congestion of the target parking lot based on the waiting time for entering the target parking lot acquired from the probe car information center. Regardless of the case, the degree of congestion of the destination parking lot may be determined based on the number of vehicles existing within a predetermined range (for example, 2 km) from the destination and sharing the destination parking lot. .

  Similarly, even if the number of vehicles having a common destination parking lot is unknown, the route guidance device 100 determines the destination parking lot based on the number of vehicles having the destination parking lot around the destination parking lot as the destination parking lot. The degree of congestion may be estimated.

  The route guidance apparatus 100 determines whether the target parking lot is congested using various threshold values. These threshold values are time zone, calendar (date, day of the week, etc.), weather conditions, It may be changed according to the region.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the route guidance apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a parking lot information database. It is an example of the sequence diagram which shows the exchange of the signal between a road traffic information center or a probe car information center, and a route guidance apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structural example of various signals. It is a figure (the 1) which shows the state which displayed the text message. It is FIG. (2) which shows the state which displayed the text message. It is a figure which shows the state which displayed the confirmation screen. It is a figure which shows the state which displayed the parking lot icon. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a parking lot information display process. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a congestion estimation process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Control apparatus 2 Traffic information receiver 3 Mobile communication apparatus 4 Positioning apparatus 5 Memory | storage device 6 Display apparatus 7 Audio | voice output apparatus 10 Full state acquisition means 11 Storage waiting time acquisition means 12 Congestion judgment means 13 Parking lot information output means 50 Map Information database 51 Parking lot information database 100 Route guidance device

Claims (5)

A route guidance device that selects a parking lot around a destination as a parking location and performs route guidance to the selected parking lot,
An empty state acquisition means for acquiring an empty state of each parking lot distributed by the information center;
Warehousing waiting time acquisition means for acquiring warehousing waiting time of each parking lot based on information collected by the probe car;
When the parking waiting time of the selected parking lot is less than a predetermined time or is unknown, the parking lot other than the selected parking lot in the vicinity of the destination or the parking waiting time based on the parking waiting time Congestion determination means for determining whether or not the selected parking lot is crowded;
When it is determined that the selected parking lot is congested, a parking lot information output means for outputting information on parking lots around the destination,
A route guidance device comprising: The congestion determination means is when the distance between the destination and the vehicle is less than a predetermined distance, and when the waiting time for entering the selected parking lot is less than a predetermined time or is unknown, Determining whether the selected parking lot is congested based on the fullness of parking lots other than the selected parking lot around the destination or the waiting time for warehousing,
The route guidance apparatus according to claim 1. The congestion determination means determines whether the selected parking lot is congested based on a ratio of the number of full parking lots around the destination to the total number of parking lots around the destination. To
The route guidance apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The parking lot information output means, when it is determined that the selected parking lot is congested, displays a full parking state around the destination,
The route guidance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The parking lot information output means, when it is determined that the selected parking lot is congested, voice output the parking waiting time of the parking lot other than the selected parking lot, or text display,
The route guidance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein

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