JP5142151B2 - Map information processing apparatus, map information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a map information processing apparatus that outputs a shortest route from a starting point to a destination point.

  Conventionally, there has been an algorithm for determining the shortest path called Dijkstra's Algorithm (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). The Dijkstra method is a method in which the shortest route is checked while calculating distances in the order of short distances radially from the starting point. The Dijkstra method is an algorithm in which the route becomes the shortest route when a destination point is reached. Furthermore, in the Dijkstra method, the required memory amount and processing time increase in proportion to the number of links and nodes. Note that a node is a point on the map. A link is a line connecting nodes.

Conventionally, there has been an algorithm for determining the shortest path called an A * algorithm (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2). The A * algorithm is an algorithm that efficiently solves the shortest path problem when the estimated value h ^* (n) of the distance from each vertex n to the goal is known. The A * algorithm is an idea in which a predicted distance is added to the Dijkstra method, and the arrival step to the destination point is shorter than the Dijkstra method. Further, in the A * algorithm, since the predicted distance is included, there is a possibility that the route will not be the shortest route when the destination point is reached. In the A * algorithm, priority is given to reaching the destination, and the memory capacity and processing time can be reduced.
"Dijkstra method (shortest path problem)", [online], [Searched on December 3, 2008], Internet <URL: http://www.deqnotes.net/acmicpc/dijkstra/> "A *" [online], [Search on December 3, 2008], Internet <URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A*%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AB% E3% 82% B4% E3% 83% AA% E3% 82% BA% E3% 83% A0>

  However, in the conventional map information processing apparatus, it is difficult to output the shortest route from the start point to the destination point in a short time with high accuracy.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention specifies a map information storage unit that can store map information having two or more pieces of position information that is information indicating the position of a point, and specifies start point information and a destination point that specify a start point. A reception unit that receives destination point information, and information on meshes that are regions obtained by dividing the region corresponding to the map information into two or more partial regions, and information on one or more points that represent the two or more meshes. A mesh information storage unit capable of storing two or more pieces of certain mesh information, and a mesh including a destination point corresponding to the destination point information from a mesh including a start point corresponding to the start point information using the two or more mesh information. , A mesh selection unit that selects two or more meshes including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point, and two or more selected by the mesh selection unit Information on the shortest path when traveling from the start point to the destination point using the position information of the points in the two or more meshes. The map information processing apparatus includes a shortest path information acquisition unit that acquires certain shortest path information and a shortest path information output unit that outputs the shortest path information acquired by the shortest path information acquisition unit.

  With this configuration, the shortest route from the start point to the destination point can be output in a short time with high accuracy.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the second aspect of the invention divides the map information into two or more meshes and acquires two or more pieces of mesh information corresponding to the two or more meshes, as compared with the first invention. A mesh information acquisition unit is further provided, and the mesh information in the mesh information storage unit is a map information processing apparatus that is mesh information acquired by the mesh information acquisition unit.

  With this configuration, the shortest route from the start point to the destination point can be output in a short time with high accuracy.

  Further, in the map information processing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the mesh information acquisition unit is configured so that the area corresponding to the map information is two or more partial areas with respect to either the first or second aspect of the invention. The mesh dividing means for dividing the information into two or more meshes, and for each of the two or more meshes, obtain one or more on-site point information, which is position information indicating the position of one or more points on each side of the mesh, from the map information storage unit And the mesh selection unit is a distance between each side of the two or more meshes using the two or more side point information between the two or more meshes. A mesh including a destination point corresponding to the destination point information from a mesh including a starting point corresponding to the starting point information, using an inter-side distance calculating means for calculating a distance between two or more sides and the distance between the two or more sides. And before the starting point A map information processing apparatus comprising a mesh selection means for selecting two or more meshes including the shortest route to the destination.

  With this configuration, the shortest route from the start point to the destination point can be output in a short time with high accuracy.

  In the map information processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the mesh information acquisition unit is a mesh whose area corresponding to the map information is two or more partial areas. And a barycentric point information acquiring unit for acquiring barycentric point information, which is position information indicating a position of a point closest to the barycentric point of the mesh, for each of the two or more meshes, from the map information storage unit; And the mesh selection unit calculates two or more centroid distances, which are distances between the two or more meshes, using two or more centroid point information between the two or more meshes. And a mesh including a destination point corresponding to the destination point information from a mesh including a start point corresponding to the start point information using the center-of-gravity distance of the two or more, and from the start point to the destination point A map information processing apparatus comprising a mesh selection means for selecting two or more mesh including short path.

  With this configuration, it is possible to output the shortest route from the start point to the destination point in a shorter time and with higher accuracy.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention provides the shortest path information acquisition unit for each of the two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit. The shortest distance from the start point to the destination point using the in-mesh position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of two or more points in the mesh from the map information storage unit and the position information of the two or more points It is a map information processing apparatus comprising shortest path information acquisition means for acquiring shortest path information that is information related to a path.

  With this configuration, the shortest route from the start point to the destination point can be output in a short time with high accuracy.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention provides the shortest path information acquisition unit according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit are virtual. Rotate a mesh that exists above and below the previous mesh, or a mesh that exists to the left and right with respect to the previous mesh so that they are aligned on a straight line. And a shortest path for acquiring information on the shortest path from the start point to the destination point using position information of two or more points included in the information of the virtual straight line mesh group. The shortest path information output unit is a map information processing apparatus that outputs information on the shortest path acquired by the shortest path information acquisition means.

  With this configuration, the same search result is selected regardless of the positional relationship between the start position and the target position.

  Further, the map information processing apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention provides the shortest route information acquisition means according to the Dijkstra method using the positional information of the two or more points, in either of the fifth and sixth aspects of the invention. The map information processing apparatus acquires information on the shortest route from the start point to the destination point.

  With this configuration, existing algorithms can be used effectively.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the eighth aspect of the present invention is the map information processing apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the map information includes the position information and a road type where a point corresponding to the position information exists. Two or more pieces of point information having a pair of road type information indicating the position information, and the mesh selection unit is configured to pair with a mesh including a point indicated by position information paired with one road type information or with one road type information. This is a map information processing apparatus that preferentially selects a mesh including a point indicated by position information that does not become compared with other meshes.

  With this configuration, it is possible to output a more appropriate shortest route in consideration of the type of road.

  The map information processing apparatus according to the ninth aspect of the invention further includes a reception unit that receives one road type information as compared with the eighth aspect, and the mesh selection unit is one of the ones received by the reception unit. A mesh including a point indicated by position information paired with road type information, or a mesh including a point indicated by position information not paired with one road type information received by the receiving unit is prioritized over other meshes. The map information processing apparatus is selected.

  With this configuration, the type of road can be received from the user.

  According to the map information processing apparatus of the present invention, the shortest route from the start point to the destination point can be output in a short time with high accuracy.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the map information processing apparatus and the like will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, since the component which attached | subjected the same code | symbol in embodiment performs the same operation | movement, description may be abbreviate | omitted again.

(Embodiment 1)
In this embodiment, a map information processing apparatus that outputs a shortest route from a start point to a destination point in a short time with high accuracy will be described. Further, in the map information processing apparatus, the processing is divided into two steps, that is, a first step for selecting a mesh row and a second step for determining the shortest path using each point in the mesh. Further, the map information processing apparatus accepts one road type (for example, a highway) and prioritizes the road to determine the shortest route. In the map information processing apparatus, one road type (for example, an expressway) may be accepted, and the shortest route may be determined by giving priority to roads other than the road. In the first step, it is preferable to select a mesh row using one representative point for each mesh.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a map information processing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment. The map information processing apparatus 1 includes a reception unit 11, a map information storage unit 12, a mesh information storage unit 13, a mesh information acquisition unit 14, a mesh selection unit 15, a shortest path information acquisition unit 16, and a shortest path information output unit 17. . The mesh information acquisition unit 14 includes a mesh division unit 141 and a side point information acquisition unit 142. The mesh selection unit 15 includes a side distance calculation unit 151 and a mesh selection unit 152. The shortest path information acquisition unit 16 includes in-mesh position information acquisition means 161 and shortest path information acquisition means 162.

  The reception unit 11 receives start point information for specifying a start point and destination point information for specifying a destination point. The receiving unit 11 may receive a shortest route output instruction that is an instruction including destination point information and is an instruction to output the shortest route from the start point to the destination point. It is preferable that the shortest path output instruction has start point information and destination point information. Further, the shortest route output instruction may have one road type information. That is, the reception unit 11 may also receive one road type information. Here, the starting point information is, for example, (latitude, longitude) position information, place names, and the like. The start point information may be information indicating the start point. The starting point information may be information indicating a current position received from a navigation device (not shown) or a GPS receiver (not shown). The destination point information may be information indicating the destination point, such as (latitude, longitude) position information, place name, and the like. “Accept” includes accepting user input using the touch panel of the navigation device, accepting from an input means such as a keyboard and a mouse, receiving from an external device, and reading from a recording medium. The road type information is information indicating the type of road on which the point exists. The road type information includes “highway” and “general road”. Input means such as start point information and destination point information may be anything such as a keyboard, mouse, numeric keypad, or menu screen. The accepting unit 11 can be realized by a device driver for input means such as a keyboard, control software for a menu screen, or the like.

  The map information storage unit 12 can store map information. The map information is information related to the map, and has two or more pieces of position information that is information indicating the position of the point. The map information usually includes map symbol information. The symbol information is information on the map itself, and it does not matter whether it is a bitmap or vector data. That is, the format of map information etc. are not ask | required. Further, the map information usually has two or more pieces of point information having a pair of position information and road type information indicating the type of road on which the point corresponding to the position information exists. Further, the map information has a score between points indicated by the position information. The score is information indicating the distance between points, the ease of passage between points, or the difficulty of passage. The map information storage unit 12 is preferably a non-volatile recording medium, but can also be realized by a volatile recording medium. The process in which map information is memorize | stored in the map information storage part 12 is not ask | required. For example, map information may be stored in the map information storage unit 12 via a recording medium, and map information transmitted via a communication line or the like is stored in the map information storage unit 12. Alternatively, the map information input via the input device may be stored in the map information storage unit 12.

  The mesh information storage unit 13 can store two or more pieces of mesh information. The mesh information is information about the mesh. The mesh information is information related to one or more points representing the mesh. The mesh information is usually position information of one or more points representing the mesh. A mesh is an area obtained by dividing an area corresponding to map information (for example, “entire area”) into two or more partial areas. The mesh is usually a rectangular area. The mesh is, for example, a rectangular area of 12 km × 10 km. However, the mesh may be an area having another shape. The mesh information storage unit 13 is preferably a nonvolatile recording medium, but can also be realized by a volatile recording medium. The process in which the mesh information is stored in the mesh information storage unit 13 does not matter. For example, the mesh information may be stored in the mesh information storage unit 13 via a recording medium, and the mesh information transmitted via the communication line or the like is stored in the mesh information storage unit 13. Alternatively, the mesh information input via the input device may be stored in the mesh information storage unit 13.

  The mesh information acquisition unit 14 acquires two or more pieces of mesh information from the map information in the map information storage unit 12. That is, the mesh information acquisition unit 14 normally divides the map information in the map information storage unit 12 into two or more meshes, and acquires two or more pieces of mesh information corresponding to each of the two or more meshes. The mesh information acquisition unit 14 accumulates the acquired two or more pieces of mesh information in the mesh information storage unit 13. The mesh information acquisition unit 14 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the mesh information acquisition unit 14 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The mesh dividing unit 141 divides an area corresponding to map information into two or more meshes that are partial areas. Here, to divide usually means to acquire information for specifying the divided mesh. The information for specifying the mesh is, for example, information on upper left coordinates and lower right coordinates of the mesh, mesh ID, or the like. The coordinate information is, for example, (latitude, longitude) information. Further, the coordinate information may be coordinate information (x, y) on a plane, for example. The mesh dividing unit 141 can usually be realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the mesh dividing means 141 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The edge point information acquisition unit 142 acquires one or more edge point information from the map information storage unit 12 for every two or more meshes. The side point information includes position information indicating the positions of one or more points on each side of the mesh. Further, the upper side point information usually includes a score between the upper side points. In addition, it is suitable for the side top point information acquisition means 142 to acquire one side top point information (information of one point) for each side of each mesh. This is to reduce the amount of calculation when determining the route. The edge point information is, for example, position information of (latitude, longitude), and the data format is not limited. The side point information acquisition unit 142 does not need to acquire again the same side point information as the side point information acquired for the other meshes. The edge point information acquisition unit 142 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the edge point information acquisition unit 142 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The mesh selection unit 15 selects two or more meshes including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point. The mesh selection unit 15 is a mesh including a destination point corresponding to the destination point information from a mesh including the start point corresponding to the start point information using two or more pieces of mesh information, and includes a shortest path from the start point to the destination point. Select the above mesh. The shortest route here may be determined by the map information processing apparatus 1 to be the shortest route, and may not actually be the shortest route. In addition, the shortest route here is a route that can be determined to be the shortest using two or more pieces of mesh information. The information on two or more meshes acquired by the mesh selection unit 15 usually includes information on the mesh connection order. Information of two or more meshes acquired by the mesh selection unit 15 is, for example, a mesh identifier string. Normally, there are two meshes having a common side, one of which is a mesh in the direction of the starting point and the other is a mesh in the direction of the destination point. In addition, the mesh selection unit 15 includes a mesh including a point indicated by position information paired with one road type information or a mesh including a point indicated by position information not paired with one road type information as another mesh. It is preferable to make a selection in preference to the comparison. Here, the one road type information is usually the one road type information received by the receiving unit 11. The shortest path may be determined by the map information processing apparatus 1 as the shortest path, and may not actually be the shortest path. The mesh selection unit 15 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the mesh selection unit 15 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The distance calculation means 151 between sides calculates the distance between two or more sides, which is the distance between each side of two or more meshes, using information on two or more sides between the two or more meshes. Here, it is not necessary for the distance calculation means 151 between the sides to calculate the distance between all the sides. The inter-side distance calculation means 151 only needs to be able to determine a plurality of meshes including the route from the start point to the destination point. Further, the distance from the start point to the upper side point indicated by the upper side point information is also considered as the inter-side distance. Further, the distance from the destination point to the upper side point indicated by the upper side point information is also considered as the inter-side distance. Here again, distance may be considered to be equivalent to the above score. The calculation of the distance between the sides may be acquisition of the distance between the sides. That is, the calculation of the distance between the sides only needs to obtain the distance between the sides as a result. The side-to-side distance calculation means 151 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the side distance calculation means 151 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The mesh selecting unit 152 uses the distance between two or more sides calculated by the inter-side distance calculating unit 151 from the mesh including the start point corresponding to the start point information to the start point including the destination point corresponding to the destination point information. Select two or more meshes including the shortest path. The mesh selection means 152 normally selects two or more meshes as follows. First, the mesh selection unit 152 uses the distance between two or more sides to obtain the shortest path that passes through the upper point from the start point to the destination point. And the mesh selection means 152 acquires the starting point information, the one or more side point information, and the destination point information which comprise the shortest path said here. The algorithm in such a case is, for example, the Dijkstra method. Second, the mesh selection unit 152 acquires information regarding the mesh through which the shortest path passes. The information regarding the mesh is, for example, mesh identification information. The mesh selection unit 152 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the mesh selecting means 152 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The shortest path information acquisition unit 16 acquires the position information of the points in the two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit 15 from the map information storage unit 12, and uses the position information of the points in the two or more meshes. Thus, the shortest route information that is information on the shortest route when traveling from the start point to the destination point is acquired. It is preferable that the shortest path information acquisition unit 16 acquires information on points (for example, position information and score) in two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit 15. Furthermore, the shortest route information acquisition unit 16 uses only all points in the two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit 15 and uses the shortest route as information on the shortest route when traveling from the start point to the destination point. It is preferable to acquire information. Further, the shortest path information acquisition unit 16 may acquire information on the shortest path from the start point to the destination point using the Dijkstra method from two or more pieces of position information, or use A * (A-star method). Thus, information on the shortest route from the start point to the destination point may be acquired.

  Note that the shortest path information acquisition unit 16 may acquire in-mesh shortest path information for each of two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit 15. The shortest path information in the mesh is information on the shortest path in the mesh. The shortest path information in the mesh can be the following three cases. The first is information on the shortest path when traveling from the start point to the boundary between the mesh including the start point and the next mesh. That is, the first is information on the shortest path from the starting point to the upper side point. The second is information on the shortest path when traveling from the boundary side with the previous mesh to the boundary side with the next mesh. That is, the second is information relating to the shortest path from the top point to the top point. The third is information on the shortest path when traveling from the boundary side between the mesh including the destination point and the previous mesh to the destination point. That is, the third is information relating to the shortest route from the upper point to the destination point. The shortest path information acquisition unit 16 can usually be realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the shortest path information acquisition unit 16 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The in-mesh position information acquisition unit 161 acquires information (for example, position information and score) of two or more points in the mesh from the map information storage unit 12 for every two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit 15. To do. Here, the two or more pieces of position information are usually all pieces of position information in the mesh included in the map information, but may be a part of the position information that is selectively acquired. The in-mesh position information acquisition unit 161 preferentially selects position information that is paired with one road type information or position information that is not paired with one road type information in comparison with other position information. Is preferred. The in-mesh position information acquisition unit 161 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the in-mesh position information acquisition unit 161 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The shortest path information acquisition unit 162 acquires the shortest path information, which is information regarding the shortest path when traveling from the start point to the destination point, using the information on the points acquired by the in-mesh position information acquisition unit 161. The shortest path information acquisition unit 162 may acquire in-mesh shortest path information for each of two or more meshes using two or more pieces of position information. The two or more pieces of position information are the position information acquired by the in-mesh position information acquisition unit 161. The in-mesh shortest path information may have the three types described above, such as information on the shortest path when traveling from the boundary side with the previous mesh to the boundary side with the next mesh. The shortest path information acquisition unit 162 may acquire information on the shortest path from the start point to the destination point using the Dijkstra method from two or more pieces of position information, or use A * (A-star method). Thus, information on the shortest route from the start point to the destination point may be acquired. The shortest path information acquisition unit 162 is normally realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the shortest path information acquisition unit 162 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The shortest path information output unit 17 outputs the two or more in-mesh shortest path information acquired by the shortest path information acquisition unit 16. That is, the shortest route information output unit 17 outputs the shortest route from the start point to the destination point. Here, output refers to display on a display, projection using a projector, printing on a printer, sound output, transmission to an external device, storage in a recording medium, other processing device or other program, etc. It is a concept including delivery of processing results. The shortest path information output unit 17 may or may not include an output device such as a display or a speaker. The shortest path information output unit 17 can be implemented by output device driver software, or output device driver software and an output device.

  Next, operation | movement of a map information processing apparatus is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG. It is assumed that the mesh information acquisition unit 14 has acquired two or more pieces of mesh information from the map information in the map information storage unit 12 before the operation of the flowchart of FIG. The mesh information acquisition unit 14 stores the two or more pieces of mesh information in the mesh information storage unit 13.

  (Step S201) The reception unit 11 determines whether or not a shortest route output instruction having start point information and destination point information has been received. If the shortest path output instruction is accepted, the process goes to step S202. If the shortest path output instruction is not accepted, the process returns to step S201.

  (Step S202) The mesh selection unit 15 selects two or more meshes including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point. Details of the mesh selection processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S204) The shortest path information acquisition unit 16 acquires the shortest path information. The shortest path information acquisition process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S204) The shortest path information output unit 17 outputs two or more shortest path information acquired by the shortest path information acquisition unit 16. Here, the output mode of the shortest path information does not matter. The shortest path information output unit 17 is a road on a map that is displayed including the current position (for example, the current driving position of a car given from a navigation device not shown), and a part of the road indicated by the shortest path information. May be output. The process returns to step S201.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 2, the process is terminated by powering off or a process termination interrupt.

  Next, details of the mesh selection processing in step S202 will be described using the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S301) The mesh selection unit 15 substitutes 1 for a counter i.

  (Step S <b> 302) The mesh selection unit 15 determines whether there is an i-th mesh corresponding to the mesh information stored in the mesh information storage unit 13. If the i-th mesh exists, the process goes to step S303, and if the i-th mesh does not exist, the process goes to step S307.

  (Step S303) The mesh selection unit 15 determines whether road type information is included in the shortest route output instruction received by the reception unit 11 in step S201. If the road type information is included, the process goes to step S304. If the road type information is not included, the process goes to step S305.

  (Step S304) The inter-side distance calculation means 151 of the mesh selection unit 15 acquires the side point information corresponding to the road type information, which is the side point information of the i-th mesh. Note that. Here, the inter-side distance calculation unit 151 does not acquire the upper side point information on the already acquired side. In addition, when there is no side spot information corresponding to the road type information, the side distance calculation unit 151 acquires the side spot information not corresponding to the road type information. That is, here, the edge distance calculation means 151 preferentially acquires the edge point information corresponding to the road type information. Go to step S306.

  (Step S305) The inter-side distance calculation unit 151 acquires all the upper side point information of the i-th mesh. Note that the side-to-side distance calculation unit 151 obtains only the i-th mesh side point information that is paired with the same road type information as the road type information corresponding to the (i-1) -th side point information. It is preferable to acquire.

  (Step S306) The mesh selection unit 15 increments the counter i by one. The process returns to step S302.

  (Step S307) The inter-edge distance calculation means 151 calculates the inter-edge distance in each mesh for each of all the meshes, and at least temporarily accumulates it. The distance between the sides is the distance between the upper and lower points in the mesh, and is the distance between the upper and lower points connected by the road. In addition, regarding the mesh including the start point, the distance between the sides is a distance from the start point to a point on the side of each side of the mesh, and is a distance between the start point and the point on the side connected by the road. In addition, for meshes that include destination points, the distance between sides is the distance from the top point of each side of the mesh to the destination point, and the distance between the destination point and the side points connected by the road. It is. Furthermore, the distance between sides may be a distance between points on the same side.

  (Step S308) The mesh selection unit 152 determines the shortest route from the start point to the destination point using the distances between the sides accumulated in step S307. This shortest route is the shortest route calculated using only the start point, the destination point, and the upper side point, and is referred to as a temporary shortest route here.

  (Step S309) The mesh selection unit 152 acquires identification information of all meshes through which the temporary shortest path determined in Step S308 passes, and at least temporarily accumulates it. The mesh identification information may be an identifier of mesh information stored in the mesh information storage unit 13, or may be a coordinate value of an upper left point and a coordinate value of a lower right point that specify a mesh (for example, a rectangle). However, it may be information on a point in the mesh (for example, a set of on-side point information in the mesh). The mesh identification information may be information that can identify the mesh. Further, when the mesh identification information is a set of upper side point information in the mesh, the processing in step S310 is not necessary.

  (Step S310) The mesh selection means 152 at least temporarily accumulates a set of on-site point information of each mesh in the temporary shortest path. Return to upper process.

  Next, details of a processing example of acquiring the shortest path information in the mesh in step S205 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S401) The shortest path information acquisition unit 16 substitutes 1 for a counter i.

  (Step S402) The in-mesh position information acquisition unit 161 determines whether or not the i-th mesh exists in the mesh selected in step S202. If the i-th mesh exists, the process goes to step S403, and if the i-th mesh does not exist, the process goes to step S405.

  (Step S403) The in-mesh position information acquisition unit 161 acquires information (for example, position information and score) of points in the mesh of the i-th mesh.

  (Step S404) The shortest path information acquisition unit 16 increments the counter i by one. The process returns to step S402.

  (Step S405) The shortest path information acquisition unit 162 acquires start point information and destination point information (usually position information).

  (Step S406) The shortest path information acquisition unit 162 uses the information on the shortest path from the start point indicated by the start point information to the end point indicated by the end point information, the information on the point acquired in step S403, and the start point information acquired in step S405. And using destination information. Here, the shortest path information acquisition unit 162 preferably acquires information on the shortest path from the start point to the destination using the Dijkstra method, but the start point using A * (A-star method). Information on the shortest route from the destination to the destination may be acquired. Return to upper process.

  Hereinafter, a specific operation of the map information processing apparatus 1 in the present embodiment will be described. First, the concept of the operation of the map information processing apparatus 1 will be described.

  Consider a case where the shortest route from the start point (S) to the destination point (G) is output. When a route search is performed by the Dijkstra method described above, a huge memory capacity is required, which is inconvenient. The Dijkstra method requires a huge amount of route search time. Further, when a search is performed until the destination is reached by the A * method described above, the route is always determined linearly as shown in FIG. That is, in the A * method, the route 51 is determined as the shortest route. On the other hand, the actual optimum route (shortest route) is the route 52. The starting point (S) is Kobe, and the destination point (G) is a point on the Chita Peninsula.

  The map information processing apparatus 1 solves the problem of the conventional route determination algorithm.

  In the map information processing apparatus 1, a plurality of meshes that are partial areas are created from the map information. Then, in the map information processing apparatus 1, as a first step, data having a mesh as one node is created, and meshes to be searched in detail are limited and determined. Here, in the first step, it is preferable to determine a mesh to be searched in detail using, for example, the Dijkstra method. However, other algorithms such as the A * method may be used in the first step. In the first step, the map information processing apparatus 1 selects a shaded mesh of the map of FIG. In FIG. 6, each rectangle is a mesh. Here, the mesh of FIG. 6 is a rectangle of about 12 km × 10 km, for example. There are 5003 meshes in the map information in FIG. Further, FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram rather than displaying all the meshes.

  Next, in the map information processing apparatus 1, as the second step, the shortest path from the start point to the destination point is determined using each point in the selected mesh. In the second step, for example, it is preferable to determine the shortest path in the mesh using the Dijkstra method. However, other algorithms such as the A * method may be used in the second step. In the second step, the map information processing apparatus 1 selects and outputs the route 52 of FIG. In the second step, each mesh is further divided, sub-mesh is formed, sub-mesh is selected (the processing in the first step described above), and Dijkstra method is applied to each sub-mesh. Alternatively, the shortest path may be determined using the A * method or the like. In other words, the process of dividing the mesh and selecting the mesh (the process of the first step) may be performed recursively twice or more. Then, the shortest path from the start point to the destination point may be acquired using information on each point of the selected mesh (which may be a sub-mesh or a finer mesh) (this process is the second step). processing).

  Hereinafter, details of specific operations of the map information processing apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a point information management table constituting the map information held by the map information storage unit 12. The point information management table holds one or more pieces of point information. The point information management table holds one or more records having “ID” and “point information”. “ID” is information for identifying point information. “Point information” includes “position information”, “road type information”, and “connection point ID”. “Position information” is information for identifying the position of a point on the map. “Position information” is, for example, (latitude, longitude). The “position information” is, for example, (X coordinate value on the map, Y coordinate value on the map). In addition, the format of “location information” is not limited. “Road type information” is information for identifying the type of road on which the point exists. Here, when the “road type information” is “1”, the type of the road is “highway”. When the “road type information” is “0”, the road type is “general road”. Here, the road type information is two types, but may be information classified into three or more types. For example, the road type information may be an expressway “1”, a national road “2”, a prefectural road “3”, and other general roads “4”. “Connection point ID” indicates an ID of a point (a point identified by point information) that is directly connected to the point. The “connection point ID” may have three or more point IDs, and the point at the center of the intersection has, for example, four connection point IDs. Therefore, the point information management table in FIG. 7 is an irregular database. Further, the map information stored in the map information storage unit 12 usually has map symbol information as shown in FIG. The symbol information may be a vector or a bitmap, and its data structure does not matter. The map information here is an example, and it goes without saying that the data structure of the map information is not limited. Furthermore, it is preferable that the point information management table includes a cost between points.

  FIG. 8 is a mesh classification information management table stored in the mesh information storage unit 13. The mesh classification information management table manages information for identifying each mesh area (referred to as “mesh area identification information”). The mesh classification information management table holds one or more records having “mesh ID”, “upper left point”, and “lower right point”. “Mesh ID” is information for identifying a mesh. “1A” of “mesh ID” indicates the upper left mesh in FIG. Here, the “mesh ID” is indicated by a vertical address (numerical value) and a horizontal address (uppercase alphabet) when the map is divided into meshes. “Upper left point” is information for identifying the upper left corner of the mesh. “Lower right point” is information for identifying the lower right corner point of the mesh. Here, “upper left point” and “lower right point” are (latitude, longitude).

  FIG. 9 is a mesh information management table stored in the mesh information storage unit 13. The mesh information management table manages one or more pieces of mesh information. The mesh information management table has “mesh ID” and “mesh information”. The “mesh information” has a side point ID indicating a point on each side of the mesh. Here, the “mesh information” includes “upper side spot ID”, “lower side spot ID”, “left side spot ID”, and “right side spot ID”. The “upper side point ID” is a point ID existing on the upper side of the mesh. The “lower side upper spot ID” is a point ID existing on the lower side of the mesh. The “upper side point ID on the left side” is a point ID existing on the left side of the mesh. The “upper side point ID on the right side” is a point ID existing on the right side of the mesh. The data in “upper side spot ID”, “lower side spot ID”, “left side spot ID”, and “right side spot ID” may be a single spot ID or a plurality of spot IDs. good. In FIG. 9, it is not necessary to hold the same spot ID repeatedly.

  The mesh classification information management table in FIG. 8 and the mesh information management table in FIG. 9 are information configured by the mesh information acquisition unit 14 from the map information in the map information storage unit 12. That is, the mesh information acquisition unit 14 generates a mesh ID according to a predetermined rule. Then, the mesh information acquisition unit 14 divides the map information in the map information storage unit 12 into partial areas of a predetermined size and shape, and calculates (latitude, longitude) at the upper left point of each divided partial area (mesh). Acquire and (latitude, longitude) at the lower right point of each partial area (mesh). Then, (latitude, longitude) at the upper left point of each mesh, (latitude, longitude) at the lower right point, and the corresponding mesh ID are paired and written in the mesh classification information management table.

  Next, the mesh information acquisition unit 14 acquires, for each mesh, a point ID existing on each of the four sides from the map information (see FIG. 7) and writes it in the mesh information management table of FIG. The point ID is “ID” in FIG. In addition, since information on the upper left point and lower right point of the mesh is known, the mesh information acquisition unit 14 can acquire information (start point and end point information) on four sides (four lines) of the mesh. Further, since information on four sides (four lines) can be acquired, it is easy for the mesh information acquisition unit 14 to acquire the point ID existing on the side from the point information management table of FIG. Since this technique is a known technique, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  In this situation, it is assumed that the user has input a destination point into the map information processing apparatus 1. Then, it is assumed that the user inputs an instruction to output the shortest path to the map information processing apparatus 1. The destination point input by the user may be a place name, (latitude, longitude), or an address.

  Next, it is assumed that a navigation device (not shown) acquires start point information (latitude, longitude) that is information of the current position and passes it to the map information processing device 1.

  Next, the reception unit 11 of the map information processing apparatus 1 receives a shortest route output instruction having start point information and destination point information. The accepting unit 11 converts the destination point input by the user into (latitude, longitude).

  Next, the mesh selection unit 15 selects two or more meshes including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point as follows.

  That is, first, the side distance calculation means 151 of the mesh selection unit 15 calculates the distance between all sides (between adjacent points on the side and between points connected by a road). Then, the side distance calculation means 151 conceptually obtains the link between nodes (points) and the link distance (distance between sides) as shown in FIG. Information (side point information) and end point information (side point information) are stored in a storage medium such as a memory. In FIG. 10, only some values are shown for the link distance. The distance between the sides may be a distance between two points on one side. In addition, as described above, the distance between the sides may be a distance from the starting point to a point on the side of each side of the mesh. Furthermore, as described above, the distance between the sides may be a distance from the upper point of each side of the mesh to the destination point. Also, the side distance calculation means 151 may read the cost between points stored in advance and use it as the side distance.

  Next, the mesh selection unit 152 determines a temporary shortest path from the start point to the destination point using a plurality of distances between sides accumulated in the storage medium. In FIG. 11, this temporary shortest path is indicated by a bold line.

  Next, the mesh selection unit 152 acquires identification information of all the meshes through which the determined temporary shortest path passes, and at least temporarily accumulates the identification information. A conceptual diagram of the mesh acquired by the mesh selecting means 152 is shown in FIG. In FIG. 12, the shaded mesh is the selected mesh. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the mesh selection unit 152 records a set of mesh identifiers in a storage medium such as a memory at least temporarily. Note that the mesh identifier set is stored in the order of meshes from the start point to the destination point. Here, the mesh selection means 152 has selected 13 meshes.

  Next, the shortest path information acquisition unit 16 acquires in-mesh shortest path information for each of the first to thirteenth meshes.

  That is, first, the in-mesh position information acquisition unit 161 of the shortest path information acquisition unit 16 acquires the start point information included in the shortest path output instruction.

  Next, the in-mesh position information acquisition unit 161 acquires position information of all points in the first to thirteenth meshes, or distance information (also referred to as cost) indicating the distance between the points, and at least temporarily. accumulate.

  Next, the shortest path information acquisition unit 162 acquires start point information and destination point information.

  Then, the shortest path information acquisition unit 162 uses the information on the shortest path from the start point indicated by the start point information to the end point indicated by the end point information, the information on the acquired points in the 13 meshes, and the start point information and the destination point information. Get. Here, the shortest path information acquisition unit 162 acquires information on the shortest path from the start point to the destination point using the Dijkstra method, and accumulates the information in the storage medium.

  Next, the shortest path information output unit 17 outputs the shortest path information acquired by the shortest path information acquisition unit 16 and accumulated in the storage medium. As a result, the user obtains information on the shortest path shown in FIG. 14, for example.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the map information processing apparatus 1 outputs the shortest route from the start point to the destination point, the map information processing apparatus 1 uses the representative points of each mesh (here, the upper side point information) to The first step for selecting a column and the second step for determining the shortest path using each point in the mesh are executed in two steps. As a result, the shortest route from the start point to the destination point can be output in a short time with high accuracy.

  In the present embodiment, it is needless to say that the above-described processing algorithm for selecting a mesh string is merely an example. Further, in the present embodiment, the processing algorithm for obtaining the shortest path in the mesh described above is an example, and it goes without saying that it does not matter.

  Further, according to the specific example of the present embodiment, the road type information is not considered. However, when the reception unit 11 receives road type information, the mesh selection unit 15 selects a mesh in preference to the road identified by the road type information, or the shortest route information acquisition unit 16 selects the shortest route in the mesh. Or get. Alternatively, when the reception unit 11 receives road type information, the mesh selection unit 15 selects a mesh in preference to a road other than the road identified by the road type information, or the shortest path information acquisition unit 16 selects a mesh. The shortest route may be acquired.

  In the present embodiment, in the first step, the connection distance between each side of the mesh is calculated, and the mesh sequence having the short side is selected. However, other algorithms such as the algorithm described in the second embodiment may be used. The mesh selection algorithm does not matter, and the same applies to other embodiments.

  In the present embodiment, the algorithm in the second step may be another algorithm such as the algorithm described in the second embodiment. This also applies to other embodiments.

  Furthermore, the processing in the present embodiment may be realized by software. Then, this software may be distributed by software download or the like. Further, this software may be recorded and distributed on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. This also applies to other embodiments in this specification. In addition, the software which implement | achieves the map information processing apparatus in this Embodiment is the following programs. That is, this program stores map information having two or more pieces of position information that is information indicating the position of a point in a storage medium, and mesh information relating to a mesh that is a region obtained by dividing a region corresponding to map information into two or more partial regions. And a reception unit for receiving start point information for specifying a start point and destination point information for specifying a destination point, and a start point corresponding to the start point information using the two or more mesh information. A mesh including a destination point corresponding to the destination point information from the mesh, a mesh selection unit that selects two or more meshes including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point, and 2 selected by the mesh selection unit The position information of the points in the mesh is acquired from the map information storage unit, and the position information of the points in the two or more meshes is obtained. A shortest route information acquisition unit that acquires shortest route information that is information on the shortest route when traveling from the start point to the destination point, and two or more in-mesh shortest route information acquired by the shortest route information acquisition unit. It is a program for functioning as a shortest path information output unit to output.

  In the above program, the computer may further function as a mesh information acquisition unit that divides the map information into two or more meshes and acquires two or more mesh information corresponding to each of the two or more meshes. It is preferable that the program is mesh information acquired by the mesh information acquisition unit.

  In the above program, the mesh information acquisition unit includes a mesh dividing unit that divides an area corresponding to the map information into two or more partial areas, and each of the two or more meshes on each side of the mesh. Side point information acquisition means for acquiring one or more side spot information, which is position information indicating the position of one or more points, from the map information storage unit, and the mesh selection unit includes the two or more points An inter-side distance calculating means for calculating a distance between two or more sides, which is a distance between each side of the two or more meshes, using information on two or more sides between the meshes; and the two or more sides Two or more meshes including a shortest path from the start point to the destination point using a distance between the mesh including the start point corresponding to the start point information and the destination point corresponding to the destination point information. As comprising a mesh selection means for selecting, it is preferable that a program for causing a computer to function.

  In the program, the shortest path information acquisition unit acquires, from the map information storage unit, position information of two or more points in the mesh for each of two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit. In-mesh position information acquisition means, and shortest path information acquisition means for acquiring shortest path information, which is information related to the shortest path from the start point to the destination point, using the position information of the two or more points It is preferable that the program is for causing a computer to function.

  In the above program, the shortest path information acquisition means acquires the information of the shortest path from the start point to the destination point using the Dijkstra method from the two or more pieces of position information. It is preferable that the program is for causing the program to occur.

  Further, in the program, the map information includes two or more pieces of point information having a pair of the position information and road type information indicating a type of road on which the point corresponding to the position information exists, and the mesh selection The department gives priority to the mesh containing the point indicated by the position information that is paired with one road type information or the mesh containing the point indicated by the position information that is not paired with one road type information compared to other meshes. It is preferable that the program is a program for causing a computer to function.

  Further, in the above program, the computer further functions as a reception unit that receives one road type information, and the mesh selection unit is configured to display a point indicated by position information that is paired with the one road type information received by the reception unit. In order to cause the computer to function, the mesh including or the mesh including the point indicated by the position information that does not pair with the one road type information received by the reception unit is selected in comparison with other meshes. It is preferable that it is a program.

(Embodiment 2)
In this embodiment, a map information processing apparatus that outputs a shortest route from a start point to a destination point in a short time with high accuracy will be described. Further, in the map information processing apparatus, the processing is divided into two steps, that is, a first step for selecting a mesh row and a second step for determining the shortest path using each point in the mesh. Further, the map information processing apparatus accepts one road type (for example, a highway) and prioritizes the road to determine the shortest route.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, an algorithm for selecting a mesh string having a short distance with a point close to the center of gravity of the mesh as a representative point of the mesh in the first step will be described. In the present embodiment, an algorithm is described in which, in the second step, after the selected meshes are arranged linearly, a route search is performed using all points in the mesh and a route having a short distance is output.

  FIG. 15 is a block diagram of the map information processing apparatus 2 in the present embodiment. The map information processing apparatus 2 includes a reception unit 11, a map information storage unit 12, a mesh information storage unit 13, a mesh information acquisition unit 24, a mesh selection unit 25, a shortest path information acquisition unit 26, and a shortest path information output unit 17. .

  The mesh information acquisition unit 24 includes a mesh division unit 141 and a center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242. The mesh selection unit 25 includes a centroid distance calculation unit 251 and a mesh selection unit 252. The shortest path information acquisition unit 26 includes a mesh straightening unit 261 and a shortest path information acquisition unit 262.

  The mesh information acquisition unit 24 acquires two or more pieces of mesh information from the map information in the map information storage unit 12. That is, the mesh information acquisition unit 14 normally divides the map information in the map information storage unit 12 into two or more meshes, and acquires two or more pieces of mesh information corresponding to each of the two or more meshes. Here, the mesh information includes centroid point information which is position information indicating the position of the point closest to the centroid of the mesh. The mesh information acquisition unit 24 can usually be realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the mesh information acquisition unit 24 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242 acquires, from the map information storage unit 12, center-of-gravity point information, which is position information indicating the position of the point closest to the center of gravity of the mesh, for every two or more meshes. The center-of-gravity point information acquisition means 242 is a point in the direction toward the destination point for every two or more meshes, and the center-of-gravity point information, which is position information indicating the position of the point closest to the center of gravity of the mesh, is stored in the map information storage unit 12. You may get from. In the case of a mesh including the start point, the center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242 normally acquires the start point information as the center-of-gravity point information. In the case of a mesh including a destination point, the center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242 normally acquires the destination point information as center-of-gravity point information. The center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242 may acquire one point inside the mesh (one point that is not a point on the side). The center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The center-of-gravity distance calculation unit 251 calculates two or more center-of-gravity distances, which are distances between two or more meshes, using information on two or more center-of-gravity points between the two or more meshes. The distance between the meshes may be the distance between all the centroid points or the distance between some centroid points. The center-of-gravity distance calculation means 251 preferably calculates only the distance between the center-of-gravity points that are directly or indirectly connected. The center-of-gravity distance calculation unit 251 may calculate the distance between the center-of-gravity points so that a plurality of meshes including the route from the start point to the destination point can be determined. The algorithm for calculating the distance between the two barycentric points is, for example, as follows. That is, one of the two barycentric points is a start point and the other is an end point. Then, the distance from the start point to the end point is calculated using the position information included in the map information in the map information storage unit 12. This calculation algorithm is, for example, the A * method or the Dijkstra method. The center-of-gravity distance calculation unit 251 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the center-of-gravity distance calculation means 251 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The mesh selecting means 252 uses two or more centroid distances to select two or more meshes including the shortest path from the start point including the destination point corresponding to the destination point information to the destination point from the mesh including the start point corresponding to the destination point information. select. The mesh selection unit 252 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the mesh selecting means 252 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The mesh straightening means 261 applies the mesh existing above and below the previous mesh or the previous mesh so that each of the two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit 25 is virtually aligned on the straight line. On the other hand, the meshes existing on the left and right are rotated or moved to acquire information on a virtual straight line mesh group. When the mesh is rectangular, the rotation angle is usually 90 degrees. Here, the rotation and movement of the mesh is a process of converting the position information of the point in the mesh and obtaining the converted position information. The mesh group information is position information after coordinate conversion for a point in the mesh that is rotated or moved, and is position information as it is for points in other meshes. Note that the processing performed by the mesh linearization means 261 is referred to as serialization processing. A process of rotating or moving one mesh is called a mesh moving process. The mesh straightening means 261 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the mesh linearization means 261 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  The shortest path information acquisition unit 262 acquires information on the shortest path from the start point to the destination point using position information of two or more points included in the virtual straight line mesh group information. It is preferable that the shortest route information acquisition unit 262 acquires information on the shortest route from the start point to the destination point using the Dijkstra method from position information of two or more points. Here, the position information includes position information subjected to coordinate conversion. The shortest path information is, for example, a set of position information. In addition, the position information included in the shortest path information is not the position information that has undergone coordinate conversion but the position information that has been restored. That is, the shortest path information acquisition unit 262 performs a process of returning the position information that has undergone coordinate conversion to the original (for example, rotating 90 degrees in reverse). In addition, the shortest route information acquisition unit 262 normally uses the position information and cost (distance information) of two or more points included in the virtual straight line mesh information to obtain the shortest route information from the start point to the destination point. Get information. The shortest path information acquisition unit 262 can be usually realized by an MPU, a memory, or the like. The processing procedure of the shortest path information acquisition unit 262 is usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, it may be realized by hardware (dedicated circuit).

  Next, operation | movement of a map information processing apparatus is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 16, the description of the same processing as that of the flowchart of FIG. 2 is omitted.

  (Step S1601) The mesh selection unit 25 performs a mesh selection process. The mesh selection process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  (Step S1602) The mesh linearization means 261 determines whether or not the i-th mesh needs to be moved (including rotation). If it is necessary to move, the process goes to step S1603, and if not, the process goes to step S206. Here, if there is a mesh that has been moved before, the mesh linearization means 261 determines that the next mesh also needs to be moved. Further, the mesh straightening means 261 is used when the i-th mesh is different in direction from the mesh including the destination point (cannot be connected in a straight line) with respect to the previous mesh even when there is no previously moved mesh. Determines that it needs to move.

  (Step S1603) The mesh straightening means 261 moves (including rotation) the i-th mesh. For example, when meshes are arranged side by side (for example, from left to right), the mesh linearization unit 261 rotates the i-th mesh so as to be arranged side by side. In such a case, the mesh linearization unit 261 rotates the position information included in all point information in the mesh. For example, when the meshes are arranged side by side, the mesh linearization unit 261 translates the i-th mesh. In such a case, the mesh linearization means 261 translates the position information possessed by all point information in the mesh. Since this process is a known technique (obvious), detailed description thereof is omitted.

  (Step S1604) The shortest route information acquisition unit 262 acquires the shortest route from the start point to the destination point using the position information coordinate-converted by the mesh linearization unit 261. As the shortest path acquisition algorithm, the Dijkstra method is suitable, but the A * method is not a problem.

  (Step S1605) The shortest path information acquisition unit 262 performs a process of returning the position information of the point information constituting the shortest path obtained in Step S1604 to the original. Note that the original position information may be searched and acquired using the point IDs included in the point information constituting the shortest route obtained in step S1604. Here, the shortest path information is obtained.

  (Step S1606) The shortest path information output unit 17 outputs the shortest path information obtained in step S1605. The process returns to step S201.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 16, the process is terminated by power-off or a process termination interrupt.

  Next, the mesh selection processing in step S1601 will be described using the flowchart in FIG. In the flowchart of FIG. 17, the description of the same processing as that of the flowchart of FIG. 3 is omitted.

  (Step S1701) The center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242 acquires information on the center-of-gravity point of the i-th mesh (coordinate information or latitude / longitude information may be used). In addition, since the process which acquires the information of the position of the gravity center point of figures, such as a rectangle, is a well-known technique, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  (Step S1702) The center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242 is point information in the i-th mesh, and the center-of-gravity point information is acquired from the point information corresponding to the road type information using the information on the center-of-gravity point acquired in Step S1701. Get the nearest point information from. In addition, when the point information corresponding to road type information does not exist, the center-of-gravity point information acquisition means 242 acquires the point information nearest to the center-of-gravity point including the point information corresponding to other road type information.

  (Step S1703) The center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242 uses the information on the center-of-gravity point acquired in step S1701 to acquire the point information in the i-th mesh and the closest point information (center-of-gravity point information) from the center of gravity point. To do. Here, it is preferable that the center-of-gravity point information acquiring unit 242 normally acquires the center-of-gravity point information having the same road type information as the center-of-gravity point information of the (i-1) th mesh in preference.

  (Step S1704) The center-of-gravity distance calculation unit 251 calculates, for each mesh, the center-of-gravity distance between adjacent meshes.

  (Step S1705) The mesh selection means 252 determines and acquires the shortest path (provisional shortest path) from the start point to the destination using the center of gravity distance calculated in step S1704.

  In addition, although the gravity center point information was acquired in the flowchart of FIG. 17, the gravity center point information may be acquired in advance. In such a case, it is preferable that the center-of-gravity point information is acquired for each road type information.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 17, the gravity center distance calculation process in step S1704 is also performed in advance and may be stored in a recording medium (not shown).

  Hereinafter, a specific operation of the map information processing apparatus 2 in the present embodiment will be described. First, the concept of the operation of the map information processing apparatus 2 will be described.

  The operation of the map information processing apparatus 2 is different from the operation of the map information processing apparatus 1 in the following two points. First, in the mesh selection process, the point information closest to the center of gravity is selected as the point information representing the mesh. As shown in FIG. 18, the center-of-gravity point information (dots in FIG. 18) of each mesh is determined, and the center-of-gravity point information calculates the distance between the points (the center-of-gravity distance). Then, a temporary shortest path is acquired using a center of gravity distance of 2 or more. Then, the mesh through which the temporary shortest path passes is selected. In FIG. 18, the position indicated by the barycentric point information generally appears at the center of the mesh, but as described above, it is not always at the center of the mesh.

  Second, the mesh is moved (including rotation) so that the mesh rows are aligned. Conceptually, as shown in FIG. 19, the meshes are rotated or translated and aligned.

  Hereinafter, the detail of the specific operation | movement of the map information processing apparatus 2 is demonstrated. Now, the map information storage unit 12 holds the point information management table shown in FIG. Further, the mesh information storage unit 13 holds a mesh classification information management table shown in FIG.

  In this situation, it is assumed that the user has input a destination point into the map information processing apparatus 2. Then, it is assumed that the user inputs an instruction to output the shortest path to the map information processing apparatus 2.

  Next, it is assumed that a navigation device (not shown) acquires start point information (latitude, longitude) that is information on the current position and passes it to the map information processing device 2.

  Next, the reception unit 11 of the map information processing apparatus 2 receives a shortest route output instruction having start point information and destination point information. The accepting unit 11 converts the destination point input by the user into (latitude, longitude).

  Next, the mesh selection unit 25 selects two or more meshes including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point as follows.

  That is, first, the center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242 acquires information on the center-of-gravity point of each mesh. Next, the center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242 uses the information on the center-of-gravity point to acquire point information (center-of-gravity point information) that is the point information in each mesh and is closest to the center-of-gravity point. At this time, the center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242 refers to position information included in the map information. Then, the center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit 242 obtains a center-of-gravity point information management table as shown in FIG.

  Next, the center-of-gravity distance calculation unit 251 calculates the center-of-gravity distance between each mesh and the adjacent mesh. In addition, the process which calculates distance from the positional information on two points is a well-known technique. Here, the adjacent meshes include not only the upper, lower, left and right meshes but also the diagonally right front, diagonally left front, diagonally lower right, and diagonally lower left meshes. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the concept of the centroid distance calculated by the centroid distance calculation means 251. The center-of-gravity distance calculation unit 251 may read the center-of-gravity distance from the map information management table (map information storage unit 12) when the map information includes the distance between points.

  Next, the mesh selection means 252 determines and acquires the shortest path (provisional shortest path) from the start point to the destination point using the calculated center-of-gravity distance. Since the center-of-gravity point information is a node and the distance between the nodes is acquired, the process for acquiring the shortest path is a known technique. Examples of this known technique include the Dijkstra method and the A * method.

  Then, the mesh selection means 252 accumulates a string of mesh identification information through which the temporary shortest path passes in a recording medium. FIG. 13 shows the mesh identification information column.

  Next, the mesh linearization means 261 moves the meshes that need to be moved from the mesh identification information sequence in FIG. 13 to obtain a mesh sequence that is aligned. This conceptual diagram is shown in FIG. Note that the mesh linearization means 261 converts the position information of the point information in the mesh that needs to be moved and temporarily stores it.

  Next, the shortest path information acquisition unit 262 acquires the shortest path from the start point to the destination point using the position information obtained by coordinate conversion by the mesh linearization unit 261. Such a shortest path acquisition algorithm is the Dijkstra method, the A * method, or the like. Then, the shortest path information acquisition unit 262 obtains a sequence of point IDs that constitute the shortest path.

  The shortest path information output unit 17 outputs the shortest path information from the column of the obtained point IDs. The process for outputting the shortest path information from the point ID column is as follows. The point information management table shown in FIG. 7 is searched using the point ID as a key, and the position information of the points constituting the route is obtained. Then, the route is visually output as compared with other roads in a conspicuous manner. An example of such output is shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, a search is performed on data rearranged in a straight line, so the same search result is selected regardless of the positional relationship between the start position and the target position. Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to output the shortest route from the start point to the destination point in a short time with high accuracy.

  Needless to say, the serialization processing in the present embodiment may be applied to the map information processing apparatus of the first embodiment.

  Furthermore, the software which implement | achieves the map information processing apparatus in this Embodiment is the following programs. That is, this program stores map information having two or more pieces of position information that is information indicating the position of a point in a storage medium, and mesh information relating to a mesh that is a region obtained by dividing a region corresponding to map information into two or more partial regions. And a reception unit for receiving start point information for specifying a start point and destination point information for specifying a destination point, and a start point corresponding to the start point information using the two or more mesh information. A mesh including a destination point corresponding to the destination point information from the mesh, a mesh selection unit that selects two or more meshes including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point, and 2 selected by the mesh selection unit For each of the above meshes, it relates to the shortest path from the start point to the boundary between the mesh including the start point and the next mesh. The shortest path information in the mesh that is the information, or the shortest path information in the mesh that is information about the shortest path when traveling from the boundary side with the previous mesh to the boundary side with the next mesh, or the mesh including the destination point and the previous A shortest path information acquisition unit that acquires the shortest path information in the mesh that is information regarding the shortest path when traveling from the boundary to the target point to the destination point, and two or more shortests in the mesh acquired by the shortest path information acquisition unit It is a program for functioning as a shortest path information output unit that outputs path information.

  In the above program, the computer may further function as a mesh information acquisition unit that divides the map information into two or more meshes and acquires two or more mesh information corresponding to each of the two or more meshes. It is preferable that the program is mesh information acquired by the mesh information acquisition unit.

  In the above program, the mesh information acquisition unit is configured to divide the area corresponding to the map information into two or more partial area meshes, and the center of gravity of the mesh for each of the two or more meshes. A center-of-gravity point information acquisition unit that acquires center-of-gravity point information, which is position information indicating the position of a nearby point, from the map information storage unit, and the mesh selection unit includes two or more center of gravity between the two or more meshes. A center-of-gravity distance calculating unit that calculates two or more center-of-gravity distances that are distances between the two or more meshes using the point information, and a start point corresponding to the start-point information using the two or more center-of-gravity distances A mesh including a destination point corresponding to the destination point information from the mesh, and a message for selecting two or more meshes including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point. As comprising the Interview selection means, it is preferable that a program for causing a computer to function.

  In the above program, the shortest path information acquisition unit exists above and below the previous mesh so that each of the two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit is virtually arranged on a straight line. Included in the information of the virtual straight line mesh group, and the mesh straightening means for rotating the mesh or the mesh existing on the left and right with respect to the previous mesh and acquiring the virtual straight line mesh group information Shortest path information acquisition means for acquiring information on the shortest path from the starting point to the destination point using two or more positional information, wherein the shortest path information output means A program for causing a computer to function as the output of the acquired shortest path information is suitable.

  In the above program, the shortest path information acquisition means functions as a computer that acquires information on the shortest path from the start point to the destination point using the Dijkstra method from the two or more pieces of position information. It is preferable that the program is.

  Further, in the program, the map information includes two or more pieces of point information having a pair of the position information and road type information indicating a type of road on which the point corresponding to the position information exists, and the mesh selection The department gives priority to the mesh containing the point indicated by the position information that is paired with one road type information or the mesh containing the point indicated by the position information that is not paired with one road type information compared to other meshes. It is preferable that the program is a program for causing a computer to function.

  Further, in the above program, the computer further functions as a reception unit that receives one road type information, and the mesh selection unit is configured to display a point indicated by position information that is paired with the one road type information received by the reception unit. In order to cause the computer to function, the mesh including or the mesh including the point indicated by the position information that does not pair with the one road type information received by the reception unit is selected in comparison with other meshes. It is preferable that it is a program.

  FIG. 22 shows the external appearance of a computer that executes the program described in this specification to realize the map information processing apparatus and the like according to the above-described embodiment. The above-described embodiments can be realized by computer hardware and a computer program executed thereon. FIG. 22 is a schematic view of the computer system 340, and FIG. 23 is a block diagram of the computer system 340.

  In FIG. 22, a computer system 340 includes a computer 341 including an FD drive and a CD-ROM drive, a keyboard 342, a mouse 343, and a monitor 344.

  23, in addition to the FD drive 3411 and the CD-ROM drive 3412, the computer 341 stores an MPU 3413, a bus 3414 connected to the CD-ROM drive 3412 and the FD drive 3411, and a program such as a bootup program. ROM 3415 for connection, MPU 3413, RAM 3416 for temporarily storing application program instructions and providing a temporary storage space, and hard disk 3417 for storing application programs, system programs, and data . Although not shown here, the computer 341 may further include a network card that provides connection to the LAN.

  A program that causes the computer system 340 to execute the functions of the map information processing apparatus and the like of the above-described embodiment is stored in the CD-ROM 3501 or FD 3502, inserted into the CD-ROM drive 3412 or FD drive 3411, and further a hard disk 3417 may be transferred. Alternatively, the program may be transmitted to the computer 341 via a network (not shown) and stored in the hard disk 3417. The program is loaded into the RAM 3416 at the time of execution. The program may be loaded directly from the CD-ROM 3501, the FD 3502, or the network.

  The program does not necessarily include an operating system (OS) or a third-party program that causes the computer 341 to execute the functions of the map information processing apparatus according to the above-described embodiment. The program only needs to include an instruction portion that calls an appropriate function (module) in a controlled manner and obtains a desired result. How the computer system 340 operates is well known and will not be described in detail.

  Further, the computer that executes the program may be singular or plural. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

  In each of the above embodiments, it is needless to say that two or more communication means (terminal information transmission unit, terminal information reception unit, etc.) existing in one device may be physically realized by one medium. .

  In each of the above embodiments, each process (each function) may be realized by centralized processing by a single device (system), or by distributed processing by a plurality of devices. May be.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible, and it goes without saying that these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the map information processing apparatus according to the present invention has the effect of being able to output the shortest route from the start point to the destination point in a short time and with high accuracy, and is useful as a navigation apparatus or the like.

Block diagram of map information processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 A flowchart for explaining the operation of the map information processing apparatus Flow chart for explaining the operation of the mesh selection process Flow chart for explaining the operation of the processing example Diagram explaining the problem of the conventional algorithm The figure which shows the mesh which the map information processing apparatus selected Figure showing the same point information management table The figure which shows the same mesh division information management table Figure showing the same mesh information management table The figure explaining the process of the same distance calculation means Diagram showing the temporary shortest path The figure which shows the mesh which the same mesh selection means acquired Diagram showing the set of mesh identifiers Figure showing output example of the shortest path Block diagram of map information processing apparatus in embodiment 2 A flowchart for explaining the operation of the map information processing apparatus Flow chart for explaining the operation of the mesh selection process Diagram showing the selected mesh Diagram explaining the concept of rotating or translating the mesh The figure which shows the same gravity center information management table The figure which shows the concept of the gravity center distance which the same gravity center distance calculation means calculates Overview of the computer system Block diagram of the computer system

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 Map information processing apparatus 11 Reception part 12 Map information storage part 13 Mesh information storage part 14, 24 Mesh information acquisition part 15, 25 Mesh selection part 16, 26 Shortest path information acquisition part 17 Shortest path information output part 141 Mesh division | segmentation Means 142 Upper side point information acquisition means 151 Inter-side distance calculation means 152, 252 Mesh selection means 161 In-mesh position information acquisition means 162, 262 Shortest path information acquisition means 242 Center of gravity point information acquisition means 251 Center of gravity distance calculation means 261 Mesh linearization means

Claims (13)

A map information storage unit capable of storing map information having two or more pieces of position information which is information indicating the position of the point;
A reception unit for receiving start point information for specifying a start point and destination point information for specifying a destination point;
Information relating to a mesh that is an area obtained by dividing an area corresponding to the map information into two or more partial areas, and two or more pieces of mesh information that are information relating to one or more points representing each of the two or more meshes can be stored. A mesh information storage unit;
The mesh including the destination point corresponding to the destination point information from the mesh including the start point corresponding to the start point information using the two or more mesh information, and including two or more including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point A mesh selection unit for selecting a mesh of
The location information of the points in the two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit is acquired from the map information storage unit, and the destination point from the start point using the location information of the points in the two or more meshes A shortest route information acquisition unit that acquires shortest route information that is information on the shortest route when proceeding to
The shortest path information output unit that outputs the shortest path information acquired by the shortest path information acquisition unit ,
For each two meshes corresponding to two or more mesh information stored in the mesh information storage unit, the center of gravity point information, which is position information indicating the position of the point closest to the center of gravity of the mesh, is acquired from the map information storage unit Further comprising means for acquiring center-of-gravity point information,
The mesh selection unit
Centroid distance calculation means for calculating two or more centroid distances, which is a distance between the two or more meshes, using two or more centroid point information between the two or more meshes;
The mesh including the destination point corresponding to the destination point information from the mesh including the start point corresponding to the start point information using the two or more center-of-gravity distances, and including two or more including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point A map information processing apparatus comprising mesh selection means for selecting a mesh . The shortest path information acquisition unit
In-mesh position information acquisition means for acquiring position information of two or more points in the mesh from the map information storage unit for every two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit;
2. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: shortest path information acquisition means configured to acquire shortest path information that is information related to a shortest path from the start point to the destination point using position information of the two or more points. . The shortest path information acquisition unit
Two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit are virtually above and below the previous mesh, or left and right relative to the previous mesh so that they are virtually aligned on a straight line A mesh straightening means for rotating the mesh to obtain information on a virtual straight mesh group,
Shortest path information acquisition means for acquiring information on the shortest path from the start point to the destination point using position information of two or more points included in the information of the virtual straight line mesh group;
The shortest path information output unit includes:
The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information on the shortest path acquired by the shortest path information acquisition unit is output. A map information storage unit capable of storing map information having two or more pieces of position information which is information indicating the position of the point;
A reception unit for receiving start point information for specifying a start point and destination point information for specifying a destination point;
Information relating to a mesh that is an area obtained by dividing an area corresponding to the map information into two or more partial areas, and two or more pieces of mesh information that are information relating to one or more points representing each of the two or more meshes can be stored. A mesh information storage unit;
The mesh including the destination point corresponding to the destination point information from the mesh including the start point corresponding to the start point information using the two or more mesh information, and including two or more including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point A mesh selection unit for selecting a mesh of
The location information of the points in the two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit is acquired from the map information storage unit, and the destination point from the start point using the location information of the points in the two or more meshes A shortest route information acquisition unit that acquires shortest route information that is information on the shortest route when proceeding to
The shortest path information output unit that outputs the shortest path information acquired by the shortest path information acquisition unit,
The shortest path information acquisition unit
Two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit are virtually above and below the previous mesh, or left and right relative to the previous mesh so that they are virtually aligned on a straight line A mesh straightening means for rotating the mesh to obtain information on a virtual straight mesh group,
Shortest path information acquisition means for acquiring information on the shortest path from the start point to the destination point using position information of two or more points included in the information of the virtual straight line mesh group;
The shortest path information output unit includes:
A map information processing apparatus for outputting information on the shortest route acquired by the shortest route information acquisition means. The shortest path information acquisition means includes:
The map information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein information on a shortest route from the start point to the destination point is acquired by A * method using position information of the two or more points. The map information is
2 or more pieces of point information having a pair of the position information and road type information indicating the type of road on which the point corresponding to the position information exists,
The mesh selection unit
A mesh that includes a point indicated by position information that is paired with one road type information or a mesh that includes a point indicated by position information that is not paired with one road type information is selected with priority over other meshes. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1 . Further comprising a reception unit for receiving one road type information,
The mesh selection unit
A mesh including a point indicated by position information paired with one road type information received by the reception unit, or a mesh including a point indicated by position information not paired with one road type information received by the reception unit, The map information processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the map information processing apparatus is selected with priority over other meshes. A map information processing method realized by a map information storage unit, a reception unit, a mesh information storage unit, a mesh information storage unit, a barycentric point information acquisition unit, a mesh selection unit, a shortest path information acquisition unit, and a shortest path information output unit. And
The map information storage unit stores map information having two or more pieces of position information, which is information indicating the position of the point,
In the mesh information storage unit, mesh information that is information related to a mesh that is an area obtained by dividing the area corresponding to the map information into two or more partial areas, and that is information related to one or more points that represent the two or more meshes. 2 or more are stored,
A reception step of receiving start point information for specifying a start point and destination point information for specifying a destination point by the reception unit, and a mesh selection for selecting two or more meshes including a shortest path from the start point to the destination point by a mesh selection unit Steps,
The shortest path information acquisition unit acquires position information of points in two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit from the map information storage unit, and uses position information of points in the two or more meshes. A shortest path information acquisition step for acquiring shortest path information that is information on the shortest path when traveling from the start point to the destination point;
A shortest path information output step of outputting two or more in-mesh shortest path information acquired by the shortest path information acquiring section by the shortest path information output section ;
And
The center-of-gravity point information acquisition means obtains center-of-gravity point information, which is position information indicating the position of the point closest to the center of gravity of the mesh, for every two meshes corresponding to two or more mesh information stored in the mesh information storage unit. , Further comprising a step of acquiring the center-of-gravity point information acquired from the map information storage unit,
The mesh selection step includes:
A centroid distance calculating step of calculating two or more centroid distances, which are distances between the two or more meshes, using two or more centroid point information between the two or more meshes;
The mesh including the destination point corresponding to the destination point information from the mesh including the start point corresponding to the start point information using the two or more center-of-gravity distances, and including two or more including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point A map information processing method comprising: a mesh selection step of selecting a mesh of the image . The shortest path information acquisition step includes:
Two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection step are virtually above and below the previous mesh, or left and right relative to the previous mesh so that they are virtually aligned on a straight line A mesh linearization step for rotating the mesh to obtain information on a virtual straight mesh group,
Using the positional information of two or more points included in the information of the virtual straight line mesh group, the shortest path information acquisition step of acquiring the information of the shortest path from the start point to the destination point,
The shortest path information output step includes:
The map information processing method according to claim 8, wherein information on the shortest path acquired in the shortest path information acquisition step is output. A map information storage method realized by a map information storage unit, a reception unit, a mesh information storage unit, a mesh information storage unit, a mesh selection unit, a shortest route information acquisition unit, and a shortest route information output unit,
The map information storage unit stores map information having two or more pieces of position information, which is information indicating the position of the point,
In the mesh information storage unit, mesh information that is information related to a mesh that is an area obtained by dividing the area corresponding to the map information into two or more partial areas, and that is information related to one or more points that represent the two or more meshes. 2 or more are stored,
A reception step of receiving start point information for specifying a start point and destination point information for specifying a destination point by the reception unit, and a mesh selection for selecting two or more meshes including a shortest path from the start point to the destination point by a mesh selection unit Steps,
The shortest path information acquisition unit acquires position information of points in two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit from the map information storage unit, and uses position information of points in the two or more meshes. A shortest path information acquisition step for acquiring shortest path information that is information on the shortest path when traveling from the start point to the destination point;
A shortest path information output step of outputting two or more in-mesh shortest path information acquired by the shortest path information acquiring section by the shortest path information output section;
The shortest path information acquisition step includes:
Two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection step are virtually above and below the previous mesh, or left and right relative to the previous mesh so that they are virtually aligned on a straight line A mesh linearization step for rotating the mesh to obtain information on a virtual straight mesh group,
Using the positional information of two or more points included in the information of the virtual straight line mesh group, the shortest path information acquisition step of acquiring the information of the shortest path from the start point to the destination point,
The shortest path information output step includes:
A map information processing method for outputting information on the shortest route acquired in the shortest route information acquisition step. The storage medium stores map information having two or more pieces of position information that is information indicating the position of a point, and mesh information relating to a mesh that is an area obtained by dividing an area corresponding to the map information into two or more partial areas. ,
Computer
A reception unit for receiving start point information for specifying a start point and destination point information for specifying a destination point;
The mesh including the destination point corresponding to the destination point information from the mesh including the start point corresponding to the start point information using the two or more mesh information, and including two or more including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point A mesh selection unit for selecting a mesh of
The location information of the points in the two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit is acquired from the map information storage unit, and the destination point from the start point using the location information of the points in the two or more meshes A shortest route information acquisition unit that acquires shortest route information that is information on the shortest route when proceeding to
A program for functioning as a shortest path information output unit that outputs the shortest path information in two or more meshes acquired by the shortest path information acquisition unit ,
Computer
Center-of-gravity point information for acquiring center-of-gravity point information, which is position information indicating the position of the point closest to the center of gravity of the mesh, for every two meshes corresponding to two or more mesh information stored in the storage medium. Further function as an acquisition means,
The mesh selection unit
Centroid distance calculation means for calculating two or more centroid distances, which is a distance between the two or more meshes, using two or more centroid point information between the two or more meshes;
The mesh including the destination point corresponding to the destination point information from the mesh including the start point corresponding to the start point information using the two or more center-of-gravity distances, and including two or more including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point A program for causing a computer to function as a mesh selecting means for selecting a mesh . Map information having two or more position information, which is information indicating the position of a point in a storage medium, and information on a mesh that is an area obtained by dividing an area corresponding to the map information into two or more partial areas. 2 or more mesh information that is information on one or more points representing each mesh of
Computer
A reception unit for receiving start point information for specifying a start point and destination point information for specifying a destination point;
The mesh including the destination point corresponding to the destination point information from the mesh including the start point corresponding to the start point information using the two or more mesh information, and including two or more including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point A mesh selection unit for selecting a mesh of
The position information of the points in the two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit is acquired from the storage medium, and the position information of the points in the two or more meshes is used to proceed from the start point to the destination point A shortest route information acquisition unit that acquires shortest route information that is information on the shortest route when
The shortest route information acquisition unit functions as a shortest route information output unit that outputs the shortest route information acquired,
The shortest path information acquisition unit
Two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit are virtually above and below the previous mesh, or left and right relative to the previous mesh so that they are virtually aligned on a straight line A mesh straightening means for rotating the mesh to obtain information on a virtual straight mesh group,
A shortest path information acquisition unit that acquires information of a shortest path from the start point to the destination point using position information of two or more points included in the information of the virtual straight line mesh group ; Let the computer function ,
The shortest path information output unit includes:
A program for causing a computer to function as outputting shortest path information acquired by the shortest path information acquiring means. Map information having two or more pieces of position information, which is information indicating the position of the point, in a storage medium;
Information relating to a mesh that is an area obtained by dividing an area corresponding to the map information into two or more partial areas, and two or more mesh information that is information relating to one or more points representing the two or more meshes are stored. And
Computer
A reception unit for receiving start point information for specifying a start point and destination point information for specifying a destination point;
The mesh including the destination point corresponding to the destination point information from the mesh including the start point corresponding to the start point information using the two or more mesh information, and including two or more including the shortest path from the start point to the destination point A mesh selection unit for selecting a mesh of
The position information of the points in the two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit is acquired from the storage medium, and the position information of the points in the two or more meshes is used to proceed from the start point to the destination point A shortest route information acquisition unit that acquires shortest route information that is information on the shortest route when
A program for functioning as a shortest path information output unit that outputs the shortest path information acquired by the shortest path information acquisition unit,
The shortest path information acquisition unit
Two or more meshes selected by the mesh selection unit are virtually above and below the previous mesh, or left and right relative to the previous mesh so that they are virtually aligned on a straight line A mesh straightening means for rotating the mesh to obtain information on a virtual straight mesh group,
Shortest path information acquisition means for acquiring information on the shortest path from the start point to the destination point using position information of two or more points included in the information of the virtual straight line mesh group;
The shortest path information output unit includes:
A program for causing a computer to function as outputting shortest path information acquired by the shortest path information acquiring means .