JPH08272292A - Map display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To display the arbitrary information associated with the point on a map within the symbol character of a mark position by marking the point by a simpler operation. CONSTITUTION: This map display device has a CD block 5 in which a CD-ROM stored with map data including road information is installed, a key block 4 which has a remote control unit 20 for instructing the point input of the present position on the map data, and antenna 1 and GPS block 2 which input the present position data and time data with the key operation in the remote control unit 20, a RAM 8 which is provided with an area for storing the character data of the inputted present position data and time data and a CPU 9 which reads out the present position data and time data stored in the RAM 8 when the map data is read out of the CD-ROM and displayed on a monitor block 6 and displays the read out character data in alignment to the position indicated by the present position data on the map data.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a map display device applied to, for example, a car navigation system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, GPS (Global Posi)
2. Description of the Related Art Navigation devices for automobiles, which utilize the Tioning System), have become widespread. In this type of navigation device, latitude information and longitude information of the current position are calculated based on signals from a plurality of artificial satellites received by a GPS antenna, and road information and place name information read from a recording medium such as a CD-ROM. The map data consisting of etc. is displayed on the display together with the current position.

In the navigation device, by marking (designating) an arbitrary point on the map, a symbol preset at the same position on the map, for example, "○" is displayed, which is a so-called mark function. Most have.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional navigation device, only the above-mentioned preset symbol is displayed on the map by using the mark function.

Therefore, information about the marked point, such as when the point was marked or with what purpose the mark was made, had to rely on the memory of the user.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to mark an arbitrary point on a map by a simpler operation so that information about the marked point can be displayed. It is to provide a map display device capable of displaying.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems That is, the present invention provides (1) a map data storage means in which map data including road information is stored and an arbitrary point on the map data stored in the map data storage means. Point input means for inputting instructions, character input means for inputting character data in accordance with the input by the point input means, position data of the point input by the point input means, and the character corresponding to the position data Point storage means for storing character data input by the input means, and position data and character data corresponding to the position data are read out from the point storage means when the map data is read out from the map data storage means and displayed. And display control means for displaying the read character data in accordance with the position indicated by the position data on the map data. (2) In the above item (1), the character input means inputs a plurality of types of character data, and the character data in the point data stored in the point storage means is at least 1 type.
The display control means further reads position data and character data of the type designated by the first designating means corresponding to the position data from the point storage means, The read character data is displayed according to the position indicated by the position data on the data. (3) In the above item (1), the display control means displays the read character data together with the symbol characters surrounding the character data in accordance with the position indicated by the position data on the map data. . (4) In the above item (3), the display control means further comprises second designating means for designating the type of the symbol character, and the display control means reads the character data in accordance with the position indicated by the position data on the map data. Is displayed together with the symbol character of the type designated by the second designating means surrounding the character data.

[0008]

According to the configuration described in the above item (1), since the character data is displayed at the marked point on the map, the intention is to mark the point when looking at the map. Or the contents can be read at the same time.

According to the configuration described in the above item (2), in addition to the operation described in the above item (1), desired data is selected from a plurality of types of character data and displayed at the marked point. As such, more content can be read from the marked point as needed.

According to the configuration described in the above item (3), in addition to the operation described in the above item (1), since the symbol data surrounding the character data is displayed at the marked point, the marked point is displayed. It is suitable for a navigation device for an automobile, etc., which can be visually recognized immediately and in which a reading operation does not take much time.

According to the configuration described in the above item (4), in addition to the operation described in the above item (3), the symbol character can be selected and designated from a plurality of types. By using the symbol character properly, the visibility of the marked point is further improved.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an automobile navigation system utilizing GPS will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a circuit configuration of the entire device, including an antenna 1 installed on a roof of a vehicle body,
L1 band (1.57542 from the satellite received by this antenna 1
GP) to calculate the latitude, longitude, height, time, etc. of the present location by demodulating and decoding the C / A code of (GHz) by the despreading LSI.
S block 2 and.

The GPS block 2 is connected to a graphic block 3, and the graphic block 3 records KEY block 4 mainly composed of a remote control unit 20 which will be described later in detail, map data including road information and place name information. A CD block 5 in which a CD-ROM as a recording medium is mounted and a monitor block 6 having a display device including a CRT or an LCD panel are connected to each other.

The graphic block 3 is provided with a CPU 9 for controlling the entire apparatus on the basis of an operation program stored in the ROM 7 and various data stored in the RAM 8. In addition to the operation program, the ROM 7 fixedly stores a plurality of standard highway background patterns to be described later.

When the latitude / longitude data of the current location, that is, position data is sent from the GPS block 2 during normal traveling on a general road, the CPU 9 sends it via the CPU peripheral circuit gate array (G / A) 10. The map data and road data around the current location are called from the CD block 5, and the information is sent to the monitor block 6 as a video signal via the graphic controller 12 to which the video RAM 11 is connected. As a result, a road map or the like is displayed on the display screen of the monitor block 6.

FIG. 2 shows an external structure of a remote control unit 20 which mainly comprises the KEY block 4.
2A is a left side view and FIG. 2B is a top view. The remote control unit 20 is a wired remote controller in which a remote control body case 21 is connected to the KEY block 4 by a cable. As shown in FIG. 2A, a power switch is turned on / off by a slide switch on the left side surface of the remote control body case 21. A power switch 22 is provided for performing.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, the power source LED 23, NAVI /
CD key 24, TV key 25, FM DATA key 2
6, MENU key 27, cursor key 28, ENTER
Key 29, Position key (shown as "POS" in the figure)
30, scale change / tuning key 31, MARK key 32, POINT key 33, HOME key 34 and VI
A DEO key 35 is provided.

The power LED 23 is the power switch 22.
Lights up in red when the power is turned on. NAVI /
The CD key 24 is a key to be operated when a navigation operation is performed by this apparatus or when a music CD is mounted on the CD block 5 for music appreciation, although the description is omitted in this embodiment.

Although not described in this embodiment, the TV key 25 is a key to be operated when a TV tuner (not shown) is connected to the graphic block 3 to watch TV on the monitor block 6, and the FM DATA key. Similarly, although not described in this embodiment, reference numeral 26 is a key operated when an FM tuner (not shown) is connected to the graphic block 3 to display character data or the like by FM data multiplex broadcasting on the monitor block 6.

The MENU key 27 is a key for instructing the display of the menu screen, and the cursor key 28 is a ring-shaped key for instructing the movement of the cursor displayed on the display screen of the monitor block 6 in the up, down, left and right directions on the menu screen or the like. Key, EN
The TER key 29 is a key for operating the icon or the like pointed to by the cursor on the display screen by moving the cursor key 28.

The position key 30 is a key for displaying the latitude and longitude of the current position indexed by the antenna 1 and the GPS block 2, and the scale change / tuning key 31 is the scale of the map displayed during the navigation operation. Key for instructing up / down tuning during television or radio reception operation.

Further, the MARK key 32 is a key for marking an arbitrary point on the map data, the POINT key 33 is a key for instructing setting of a destination and screen scrolling toward the destination when the route guidance function is operated, and HOME. Similarly, the key 34 is a key for instructing setting of the present location and screen scrolling to the present location side when the route guidance function is operated.

Although not described in this embodiment, the VIDEO key 35 is a key to be operated when a video camera (not shown) or the like is connected to the graphic block 3 and the video is viewed on the monitor block 6.

Next, the structure of the spot data storage area provided in the RAM 8 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, in the RAM 8, there are stored numbers indicating the order in which the points are registered, position data based on latitude / longitude information, date / time data consisting of year / month / date / time information, memo data, and symbol character numbers to be displayed at the mark positions. A spot data storage area is provided that can store a plurality of sets of spot data as one set of spot data.

The figure shows a state in which point data of three or more points have already been stored. Among the point data, the position data and the date and time data are automatically stored when the mark points are input by the operation of the MARK key 32. On the other hand, the memo data is set by the user while various keys of the remote control unit 20, for example, the cursor key 28 and the ENTER key 29 are stored.
The symbol character number is input and stored and set by operating the cursor keys 28 and E.
By operating the NTER key 29, it is selected and stored and set.

Further, the ROM 7 is provided with dot pattern data of a plurality of types of symbol characters for displaying mark points as shown in FIG. FIG.
Among the symbol characters shown in (a) to (e), “○○
The symbol "..." indicates the input position of character data including numbers, and each of these symbol characters should be pasted on the map data such that the position of the point P overlaps the mark point in the map data. Becomes

Next, the operation in the case where an arbitrary point is designated and displayed as a mark according to the above embodiment will be described. Figure 5
Shows mainly the control processing contents by the CPU 9 regarding the storage of the mark points and the display on the map data when the MARK key 32 of the remote control unit 20 is operated.

FIG. 6A exemplifies the display screen of the monitor block 6 when the navigation operation is executed. At this time, latitude / longitude information of the current traveling position is input from the antenna 1 and the GPS block 2 to the CPU 9 via the CPU peripheral circuit G / A 10 as data of the current position. The map data around the current position is read from the CD-ROM mounted on the CD block 5 on the basis of the above data and is displayed on the monitor block 6 by the graphic controller 12 while being developed on the video RAM 11.

In the display screen shown in FIG. 6 (1), C is a vehicle position symbol indicating the current position where the vehicle is traveling, and the vertex position of the isosceles triangle in this vehicle position symbol C is on the map. The correct current position is indicated by the direction of the isosceles triangle indicating the traveling direction on the map.

When the MARK key 32 of the remote control unit 20 is operated as shown in FIG. 6B while the map data corresponding to the current position is displayed, the process shown in FIG. 5 is executed.

That is, at the beginning of the processing, the antenna 1
Also, the position of the vehicle is recognized from the latitude / longitude information of the current position input from the GPS block 2 via the CPU peripheral circuit G / A10, and the obtained latitude / longitude information is the beginning of the empty area in the point data storage area of the RAM 8. It is stored in the position (step S1).

Next, the accurate time data similarly input from the antenna 1 and the GPS block 2 via the CPU peripheral circuit G / A10 is detected, and this is used as date and time data to correspond to the position data in the point data storage area. Then, for example, at the bottom line position of the display screen of the monitor block 6, for example, “mark point input: enter when displaying date and time, enter,
If not, please press the cursor ↓ "and determine whether or not the display of the date and time at the mark point is designated by the operation of the remote control unit 20 along with the display of the guide message (step S3). ), Only when designated, the date and time data stored in step S2 is read from the spot data storage area of the RAM 8 and held in the work area of the RAM 8 (step S4).

Next, for example, at the bottom line position of the display screen of the monitor block 6, for example, "mark point input: enter when displaying position, ENTER,
If not, please press the cursor ↓ "and judge whether or not the display of the position at the mark point is designated by the operation of the remote control unit 20 along with the display of the guide message (step S5). ), The position data stored in the step S1 is read from the spot data storage area of the RAM 8 and held in the work area of the RAM 8 only when designated (step S6).

Then, this time, for example, at the bottom line position of the display screen of the monitor block 6, for example, “mark point input: ENTER when displaying a memo,
If not, please press the cursor ↓ "and a judgment is made as to whether or not the display of a memo at the mark point is designated by the operation of the remote control unit 20 along with the display of the guide message (step S7). ).

Only when it is designated to display a memo here, the alphabet for inputting Roman letters and the "← → key: Alphabet selection ENTER" are then used, for example, using two or three lines at the lower end position of the display screen of the monitor block 6. : Input ↑: conversion / next candidate ↓: selection "is displayed, and the character data input by operating the remote control unit 20 in response to the display is sequentially displayed in the spot data storage area of the RAM 8. The memo data is stored in the memo data position corresponding to the position data and the date and time data, and the inputted memo data is stored in the RAM 8
It is held in the work area (step S8).

Next, it is confirmed that at least one piece of data has been designated in the processing of steps S3 to S8, and if one piece of data has not been designated, the processing from step S3 is repeated again. Above (step S
9), for example, 1 at the lower end position of the display screen of the monitor block 6.
Display each symbol character shown in Fig. 4 above together with the selection number using ~ 2 lines, and display a guide message such as "Select symbol: ← → key, then press ENTER". When the remote control unit 20 is operated in accordance with the display, the selected number is stored in the corresponding symbol number position of the point data storage area of the RAM 8 and is held in the work area of the RAM 8 (step S10). ).

At this point, all the settings have been completed, and subsequently, the dot pattern data of the desired symbol character is read from the ROM 7 by the selected symbol number, and the dot pattern data is stored at the position of the corresponding point on the video RAM 11. Steps S4, S6, S8
By expanding the date and time data, position data, and memo data specified for display, the process of pasting and displaying the symbol character with the character data embedded on the map data is executed, and the process according to FIG. 5 is completed. To do.

FIG. 6 (3) designates the date / time data and the memo data in the point data indicated by the memory number “2” in FIG. 3, and the symbol of the symbol number “2” shown in FIG. 4 (b). It shows an example in which a mark is displayed on the map data using the character SC.

In the above embodiment, at least one of date / time data, position data and memo data is displayed in the symbol character selected at the marked point. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, various character data such as a storage number (that is, the order of registration) in the spot data storage area of the RAM 8 can be considered.

Further, in step S9 of FIG. 5, when one data is not designated as the character data to be displayed in the symbol character, the step S9 is executed again.
Although the processing from 3 is repeatedly executed, if one data is not specified, the character data is not displayed in the symbol character as shown in FIG. 4 and is set in advance. It is also conceivable that the mark display similar to the conventional one is displayed using the symbol character.

[0041]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, by marking an arbitrary point on a map with a simpler operation,
It is possible to provide a map display device capable of displaying arbitrary information regarding the marked point in the symbol character at the mark position.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall circuit configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a remote control unit included in the KEY block of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration and a storage state of a spot data storage area provided in a RAM 8 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a symbol character at a mark point stored in the ROM of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the operation according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a view exemplifying key operations and screens displayed in the operation according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Antenna 2 ... GPS block 3 ... Graphic block 4 ... KEY block 5 ... CD block 6 ... Monitor block 7 ... ROM 8 ... RAM 9 ... CPU 10 ... CPU peripheral circuit gate array (G / A) 11 ... Video RAM 12 ... Graphic controller 20 ... Remote control unit 32 ... MARK key

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A map data storage means for storing map data including road information, a spot input means for indicating and inputting an arbitrary spot on the map data stored in this map data storage means, and this spot input means. Character input means for inputting character data in accordance with the input in, and position data for the point input by the point input means and a point for storing the character data input by the character input means corresponding to the position data When reading and displaying the map data from the storage means and the map data storage means, the position data and the character data corresponding to this position data are read from the point storage means and are displayed at the position indicated by the position data on the map data. In addition, the map display device is provided with a display control means for displaying the read character data. 2. The character input means further comprises a first specifying means for inputting a plurality of kinds of character data and specifying at least one kind of character data in the spot data stored in the spot storage means. The display control means reads the position data and the character data of the type designated by the first designating means corresponding to the position data from the spot storage means, and adjusts it to the position indicated by the position data on the map data. The map display device according to claim 1, wherein the read character data is displayed. 3. The map according to claim 1, wherein the display control means displays the read character data together with a symbol character surrounding the character data in accordance with the position indicated by the position data on the map data. Display device. 4. The display device further comprises second designating means for designating the type of the symbol character, and the display control means matches the read character data with this character data in accordance with the position indicated by the position data on the map data. 4. The map display device according to claim 3, wherein the map character is displayed together with the symbol character of the type designated by the surrounding second designating means.