JP4628796B2 - Navigation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device that guides a mounted vehicle by searching for a guidance route to a destination, and more particularly, to a navigation device that displays a bird's-eye view image including an image of a guidance route and an image of a structure.

  Conventionally, navigation devices include CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, map data storage media such as hard disk drives that record a large amount of map data, display devices, vehicle movement detection devices that detect the position and direction of vehicles using GPS, and the like. Have. Then, map data corresponding to the position of the vehicle is read from the map data storage medium, a map image around the vehicle position is displayed on the display screen based on this map data, and the vehicle position mark is superimposed. Further, the map image is scrolled and displayed according to the movement of the vehicle, so that the user can grasp the position of the vehicle.

  Conventionally, a navigation device has a route guidance function that allows a user to easily travel to a destination without making a mistake on a road. In this route guidance function, the lowest cost guidance route connecting from the starting point to the destination using map data is automatically searched by simulation calculation such as horizontal search method or Dijkstra method, and the searched route is used as the guidance route. Remembered. While the vehicle is running, the guidance route is drawn thickly on the map image with a different color from other roads, or the vehicle approaches within a predetermined distance from the intersection where the route on the guidance route should be changed. Sometimes, the user is guided to the destination by displaying an arrow indicating a course at an intersection where the route on the map image should be changed.

Furthermore, in recent years, a navigation device that forms and displays a bird's-eye view image including an image of a guidance route and an image of a structure such as a building is provided in order to guide the route to the user by a more realistic image display ( For example, see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-229705

  However, in a navigation device that displays a conventional bird's-eye view image, the guide route may be hidden behind the structure in the displayed bird's-eye view image, and the user may not be able to visually recognize the guide route. In particular, if a bent part such as an intersection on the guide route is hidden behind the structure, the user may not be able to grasp the bent part and the vehicle may be off the guide route.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and to provide a navigation device capable of appropriately performing route guidance for a user.

The navigation device according to the present invention is a navigation device that guides a guide route to a destination, and in a bird's eye view image including an image of the guide route and an image of a structure, a bent portion on the guide route is the structure. Of the bent portion on the guide route that is closest to the vehicle position, among the bent portions that are determined to be behind the structure by the shade determining means and the shade determining means, When the distance from the vehicle position is within the first predetermined distance and longer than the second predetermined distance, the first bent portion image expressed in the first form is formed, and on the other guide route As for a bent part, a bent part image that forms the second bent part image expressed in the second form when the distance from the vehicle position is within the first predetermined distance and longer than the second predetermined distance. and forming means, the bird's eye view Above the bent point on the guidance route in the image, and an image synthesizing means for synthesizing the first bent portion image and the second bent portion image, the bent portion image forming means, said vehicle When the distance between the bent position on the guide route closest to the position and the own vehicle position is within the second distance, it corresponds to the bent position on the guide route closest to the own vehicle position. An enlarged intersection image is formed, and the image synthesizing means is configured such that when the distance between the bent position on the guide route closest to the own vehicle position and the own vehicle position is within the second distance, A bird's-eye view image and the intersection enlarged image are combined .

  With this configuration, when there is a bent portion such as an intersection on the guide route, the bend corresponding to the bent portion is located above the bent portion on the guide route in the bird's-eye view image including the image of the guide route and the image of the structure. Since the location images are synthesized, the user can grasp the bent location even if the bent location on the guidance route is hidden behind the structure in the bird's-eye view image, and the route guidance to the user can be performed. Can be performed appropriately.

  With this configuration, the bent portion image corresponding to the bent portion is synthesized only when the bent portion on the guide route is hidden behind the structure in the bird's eye view image, so that the bent according to the user's needs is synthesized. Location guidance is possible.

  With this configuration, the user can grasp the traveling direction at the bent portion.

  With this configuration, even when there are a plurality of bent portions that are behind the structure in the bird's-eye view image, the user can distinguish the most recent bent portion from the bent portions other than the most recent bent portion. Thus, route guidance for the user can be performed more appropriately.

  With this configuration, it is possible to switch between the bent portion image and another image such as an enlarged intersection view according to the distance from the mounted vehicle to the bent portion, and it is possible to perform route guidance for the user more appropriately. .

  According to the present invention, even when the bent part on the guide route is hidden behind the structure in the bird's eye view image, the bent part image is synthesized above the bent part in the bird's eye view image. The user can grasp the bent part and can perform route guidance appropriately.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a navigation device. A navigation apparatus 1 shown in the figure is mounted on a vehicle and guides the mounted vehicle to a target. The navigation device 1 includes a system control unit 2, a GPS receiver 3, a host vehicle position detection unit 4, a guidance route calculation unit 5, an instruction input unit 6, an audio output unit 7, a map data capture unit 8, and a map data recording medium. 9, an image forming unit 10, an image synthesizing unit 11, and a display device 12. Among these, the image forming unit 10 includes a display method selection unit 13, a guidance route input unit 14, a map image formation unit 15, a structure image formation unit 16, a guidance route image formation unit 17, a shadow determination unit 18, and a bent portion image. A forming unit 19, a text image forming unit 20, and a mark image forming unit 21 are included.

  The GPS receiver 3 receives position data from GPS satellites and outputs the position data to the vehicle position detection unit 4. The vehicle position detection unit 4 detects the current position (vehicle position) of the mounted vehicle based on this position data, and outputs it to the system control unit 2. In addition, the vehicle position detection part 4 can also detect the own vehicle position by inputting movement data of the mounted vehicle by a vehicle speed sensor, an angle sensor or the like (not shown), if necessary.

  When the instruction input unit 6 inputs a signal corresponding to the user's destination selection operation, the guidance route calculation unit 5 uses the system control information (for example, latitude and lightness) of the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection unit 4. In addition to obtaining via the unit 2, the data recorded in the map data recording medium 9 is obtained via the map data capturing unit 8 and the system control unit 2, and the guidance route from the vehicle position to the destination is calculated. To do. Various guide routes are calculated according to the user's request, such as a route using or not using an expressway, a route with the shortest distance, and a route with the minimum required time. The guidance route information obtained as a result of the calculation includes identification information (for example, latitude / longitude) of a bent part such as an intersection on the guidance route.

  The instruction input unit 6 accepts various operation instructions of the user in addition to the above-described destination selection operation, and outputs a signal corresponding to the operation instruction to the system control unit 2. The voice output unit 7 outputs various voices for the user obtained by each part of the navigation device 1 such as route guidance voice. The map data capture unit 8 captures map data, facility information, and the like necessary for the guide route calculation by the guide route calculation unit 5 and the image formation by the image forming unit 10 from the map data recording medium 9. Output to the system control unit 2.

  The display method selection unit 13 in the image forming unit 10 acquires a user operation instruction signal related to the map display method output from the instruction input unit 6 via the system control unit 2, and uses this signal as the operation instruction signal. Based on the display of the map image, either a bird's eye view image display or a plan view image display is selected. The selection result is sent to the map image forming unit 15, the structure image forming unit 16, and the guidance route image forming unit 17.

  The guidance route input unit 14 acquires the guidance route information obtained by the computation of the guidance route computation unit 5 via the system control unit 2 and outputs the guidance route information to the guidance route image formation unit 17 and the bent part image formation unit 19.

  The map image forming unit 15 acquires the map data from the map data capturing unit 8 via the system control unit 2. Then, when the display method selection unit 13 selects the display of the bird's eye view image based on the map data, the map image forming unit 15 determines a predetermined viewpoint position (for example, rearwardly upward of the mounted vehicle). A map image for a bird's eye view is formed on the basis of the position of (2), and when the display of the plan view image is selected, the map image for the plan view is formed. These formed map images are sent to the image composition unit 11.

  Similar to the map image forming unit 15, the structure image forming unit 16 acquires map data from the map data capturing unit 8 via the system control unit 2. When the display method selection unit 13 selects the display of the bird's eye view image based on the map data, the structure image forming unit 16 uses a predetermined viewpoint position as a reference for a building or land. A structure stereoscopic image for stereoscopic display of a structure such as a mark is formed. When display of a plan view image is selected, a structure planar image for planar display of the structure is formed. These formed structure images are sent to the image composition unit 11 and the shadow determination unit 18.

  The guide route image forming unit 17 acquires guide route information from the guide route input unit 14. Then, when the display method selection unit 13 selects the display of the bird's-eye view image based on the guidance route information, the guide route image forming unit 16 uses the predetermined viewpoint position as a reference. When a display of a plan view image is selected, a guide route image for a plan view is formed. These formed guide route images are sent to the image composition unit 11 and the shadow determination unit 18.

  When the bird's-eye view image is displayed, the shadow determination unit 18 is configured to display the structure three-dimensional image formed by the structure image forming unit 16 at the bent portion in the guide route image for the bird's-eye view formed by the guide route image forming unit 17. Determine whether it is shaded or not. The determination result is sent to the bent portion image forming unit 19. The bent part image forming unit 19 forms a bent part image for allowing the user to grasp the bent part when the bent part in the guide route image for the bird's eye view is behind the structure three-dimensional image, and the image composition unit 11 to output. Details of the operation at the time of forming and displaying the bent portion image by the shadow determining unit 18 and the bent portion image forming unit 19 will be described later.

  The text image forming unit 20 acquires map data from the map data capturing unit 8 via the system control unit 2. Then, the text image forming unit 20 forms a text image based on information such as a place name and a facility name included in the map data, and outputs the text image to the image composition unit 11. The mark image forming unit 21 acquires information on the vehicle position from the vehicle position detection unit 4 via the system control unit 2. The mark image forming unit 21 forms a mark image representing the vehicle position based on the information on the vehicle position, and outputs the mark image to the image composition unit 11.

  The above-described image forming processing by the respective units in the image forming unit 10 is performed as needed along with the movement of the mounted vehicle during route guidance. The image composition unit 11 synthesizes various images formed by the respective units of the image forming unit 10 and outputs them to the display device 12. The display device 12 displays this composite image. Thereby, the display device 12 displays an image in which a structure image, a guidance route image, a mark image, and the like are combined with the map image, and the user can recognize the guidance route from this image.

  Next, details of the operation at the time of forming and displaying the bent portion image will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a first operation at the time of forming and displaying a bent portion image. The first operation at the time of forming and displaying the bent portion image is performed when the route is being guided and the bird's eye view image is being displayed.

  First, the system control unit 2 is performing route guidance and displays a bird's eye view image including a bird's eye view map image, a structure three-dimensional image, a bird's eye view guidance route image, a text image, and a mark image. In this case, based on the information on the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection unit 4 and the guidance route information obtained by the guidance route calculation unit 5, the image synthesis unit 11 synthesizes the information on the guidance route, and displays It is determined whether or not there is a bent portion that exists on the guidance route within the range displayed on the device 12 and is within a first predetermined distance (for example, 700 m) from the vehicle position (S101).

  If there is no bent portion in the display range, the series of operations is terminated. On the other hand, when a bent part exists in the display range, the system control unit 2 issues a determination instruction to the shadow determining unit 18 as to whether or not the bent part in the display range is behind the structure stereoscopic image. .

  In response to the determination instruction, the shadow determination unit 18 sets a bent portion at the farthest place in the display range and within the first predetermined distance as the target bent portion, and the target bent portion is a bird's-eye view. It is determined whether or not the image is behind a structure (S102). Specifically, the shade determination unit 18 specifies the position of the target bent portion in the guide route image for the bird's eye view formed by the guide route image forming unit 17. Next, the shadow determination unit 18 specifies an image region of a structure that is closer to the viewpoint position than the bending point of interest among the structures in the structure stereoscopic image formed by the structure image forming unit 16. Then, when the shade determination unit 18 synthesizes the guide route image for the bird's eye view and the structure three-dimensional image, the position of the target bending portion in the guide route image for the bird's eye view and each structure in the structure three-dimensional image When the image area of the structure closer to the viewpoint position than the target bent position overlaps, it is determined that the bent position is behind the structure. The determination result is sent to the bent portion image forming unit 19.

  When the target bending part is not behind the structure in the bird's-eye view image, the bending part image forming unit 19 determines the target bending part on the guide route based on the guide route information from the guide route input unit 14. It is determined whether or not there is another bent portion in front (S104). If there is another bent portion, the other bent portion is set as a new bent portion (S105), and the process returns to step 102. When there is no other bent portion, a series of operations is completed. When the target bent portion is behind the structure in the bird's-eye view image, the bent portion image forming unit 19 determines whether the target bent portion is on the guide route based on the guide route information from the guide route input unit 14. Also, it is determined whether there is another bent portion in front (S106).

  When there is no other bent part before the target bent part, the target bent part is the latest bent part, that is, the bent part through which the mounted vehicle passes next. In this case, the bent part image forming unit 19 generates a first bent part image corresponding to the latest bent part (S107).

On the other hand, in the case where another bent part is present before the target bent part, the target bent part is a bent part other than the latest bent part. In this case, the bent part image forming unit 19 generates a second bent part image corresponding to a bent part that is not the most recent (S108), and sets the previous bent part as a new bent part of interest (S109), and goes to step 102. Return.
Through the above steps, the bent part image forming unit 19 is generated for the bent part that is within the display range and within the first predetermined distance from the vehicle position and is determined to be behind the structure. The first and second bent portion images are output to the image composition unit 11 (S110).

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a bent portion image. The first bent portion image in FIG. 3A and the second bent portion image in FIG. 3B are different images. In addition, since the first bent portion image includes the traveling direction, the user can recognize the moving direction at the bent portion that passes next.

  Again, referring back to FIG. The image synthesizing unit 11 is a bird's eye view map image formed by the map image forming unit 15, a structure three-dimensional image formed by the structure image forming unit 16, and a bird's eye view guidance formed by the guidance route image forming unit 17. A route image, a text image formed by the text image forming unit 20, a bird's eye view image obtained by synthesizing the mark image formed by the mark image forming unit 21, and the bent portion image generated in S107 and S108. Synthesize. At this time, the image synthesizing unit 11 synthesizes a bent portion image corresponding to the bent portion above the bent portion on the guide route in the bird's eye view image. Note that the bent portion image is present in front of the bird's eye view image, in other words, the bent portion image is displayed with priority over the bird's eye view image. The display device 12 displays a composite image of the bird's eye view image and the bent portion image (S111).

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a composite image of a bird's-eye view image and a bent portion image. The composite image shown in FIG. 4 is a bird's-eye view image composed of a map image 203 for bird's-eye view, a three-dimensional structure image 204, a guide route image 205 for bird's-eye view, a text image 206, and a mark image 207. A first bent portion image 201 is synthesized above (not shown), and a second bent portion image 203 is synthesized above a non-nearest bent portion (not shown). Since the first bend portion image 201 and the second bend portion image 202 are different images, even if there are a plurality of bend portions that are shaded by the structure in the bird's-eye view image, the most recent bend portion is displayed. Can be distinguished from other bent portions.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a second operation at the time of forming and displaying a bent portion image. The second operation at the time of forming and displaying the bent portion image is in the course of guiding the route and displaying the bird's eye view image in parallel with the second operation at the time of forming and displaying the bent portion image in FIG. This is done when

  First, the system control unit 2 pays attention on the guidance route based on the information on the vehicle position detected by the vehicle position detection unit 4 and the guidance route information obtained by the guidance route calculation unit 5. It is determined whether or not the turning point is within a second predetermined distance (a distance shorter than the first predetermined distance, for example, 300 m) from the vehicle position (S201).

  If the turning point is not within the second predetermined distance from the own vehicle position, the series of operations ends. On the other hand, when the turning point is within the second predetermined distance from the own vehicle position, the system control unit 2 instructs the image composition unit 11 to turn the bending point within the second predetermined distance from the own vehicle position. (Hereinafter, referred to as “second target bent portion” as appropriate) is instructed to erase the bent portion image. In response to this instruction, the image composition unit 11 erases the bent part image corresponding to the second target bent part (S202). If the second bent portion is not behind the structure in the bird's eye view image, the bent portion image corresponding to the second focused bent portion is not formed, and therefore the bent portion image is deleted in S202. Not done.

  Furthermore, the system control unit 2 instructs the map image forming unit 15 to form an intersection enlarged image corresponding to the second target bent portion. In response to this instruction, the map image forming unit 15 forms an enlarged intersection image corresponding to the second bending point of interest based on the map data from the map data capturing unit 8 (S203). The formed intersection enlarged image is sent to the image composition unit 11. The image synthesis unit 11 synthesizes the intersection enlarged image and the bird's eye view image, and the display device 12 displays the synthesized image (S204). Thereby, the user can recognize more appropriately the situation of the lane of the bent part.

  By performing the operation shown in FIG. 2 and the operation shown in FIG. 5 in parallel, the image display corresponding to a certain bent portion (the bent portion of interest) changes as follows. That is, first, when the target bent part approaches the first predetermined distance from the own vehicle position by traveling of the mounted vehicle during route guidance, if the target bent part is behind the structure in the bird's eye view image, If there is no other bent part before the bent part, the first bent part image is displayed, and if there is another bent part, the second bent part image is displayed. And when the second bend location image is displayed, when the mounted vehicle has passed all the other bend locations in front of the target bend location, the distance from the own vehicle position to the target bend location is If the distance is longer than the second predetermined distance, the second bent portion image is switched to the first bent portion image. Furthermore, when the target turning point approaches the second predetermined distance from the own vehicle position by traveling of the mounted vehicle, the first turning point image or the second turning point image corresponding to the target turning point is switched to the intersection enlarged image.

  As described above, the navigation device 1 is a case where the bent portion on the guide route exists within the first predetermined distance from the vehicle position, and the bent portion is behind the structure in the bird's-eye view image. In this case, a bent portion image corresponding to the bent portion is formed and synthesized and displayed above the bent portion in the bird's eye view image. Therefore, even when the bent part on the guide route is hidden behind the structure in the bird's eye view image, the user can grasp the bent part and appropriately guide the route to the user. Is possible.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the bent portion is behind the structure in the bird's-eye view image, the bent portion image is formed and displayed. However, the bird's-eye view image is displayed regardless of whether it is behind the structure. When displayed, a bent part image corresponding to the bent part may be formed and displayed.

  As described above, the navigation device according to the present invention has an effect of being able to appropriately perform route guidance for the user, and is useful as a navigation device.

It is a figure which shows the structure of a navigation apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the 1st operation | movement at the time of formation and display of a bending location image. It is a figure which shows an example of a bending location image. It is a figure which shows an example of the synthesized image of a bird's-eye view image and a bending part image. It is a flowchart which shows the 2nd operation | movement at the time of formation and display of a bending location image.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Navigation control apparatus 2 System control part 3 GPS receiver 4 Own vehicle position detection part 5 Guidance route calculation part 6 Instruction input part 7 Voice output part 8 Map data acquisition part 9 Map data recording medium 10 Image formation part 11 Image composition part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Display apparatus 13 Display system selection part 14 Guide route input part 15 Map image formation part 16 Structure image formation part 17 Guide path image formation part 18 Shadow determination part 19 Bending location image formation part 20 Text image formation part 21 Mark image formation part

Claims (1)

A navigation device for guiding a mounted vehicle by searching for a guidance route to a destination,
In the bird's-eye view image including the image of the guide path and the image of the structure, a shade determination unit that determines whether or not a bent portion on the guide path is behind the structure;
Among the bent portions determined to be behind the structure by the shade determining means, the bent portion on the guide route closest to the own vehicle position is within a first predetermined distance from the own vehicle position. In the case where the distance is longer than the second predetermined distance, the first bent portion image expressed in the first form is formed, and for the other bent portions on the guide route, the distance from the vehicle position is the first. A bent portion image forming means for forming the second bent portion image expressed in the second form when the predetermined distance is longer than the second predetermined distance within one predetermined distance ;
Image composition means for synthesizing the first bent portion image and the second bent portion image above the bent portion on the guide path in the bird's eye view image ;
With
The bend location image forming means is the closest to the own vehicle position when the distance between the bend location on the guide route closest to the own vehicle position and the own vehicle position is within the second distance. Forming an enlarged intersection image corresponding to a bent point on the nearby guide route;
The image synthesizing unit is configured to display the bird's eye view image and the intersection enlarged image when a distance between the bending position on the guide route closest to the vehicle position and the vehicle position is within the second distance. A navigation device characterized by combining the above.

Images