JP2001255161A - Navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily recognize bearings in which one's vehicle is directed, without sacrificing map display area. SOLUTION: A position-sensing means calculates the present position of the vehicle and a bearing-detecting means calculates the bearings, in which the vehicle is directed and bearings of the north. A present position-displaying means displays a mark, showing the present position of the vehicle to a position calculated by the position-sensing means. A bearing-displaying means determines the direction of the vehicle from the bearings calculated by the bearing-detecting means and displays a mark showing bearings of the north on a map from the calculated bearings of the north to the periphery of the present position of the vehicle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus mainly used for automobiles and for displaying the position of a moving object, and more particularly to a moving object without hindering recognition of map information. The present invention relates to a navigation device that can easily recognize a direction and a direction of a display map.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, on-vehicle navigation systems have become widespread, and a signal recorded on a storage medium such as a DVD disk has been obtained by receiving a signal from a GPS satellite, detecting a traveling distance and a traveling direction to determine a vehicle position. The map data near the own vehicle position is read out of the data, a map centering on the own vehicle position is displayed on the display, the own vehicle position and the running direction are displayed, and the map is scrolled with the running of the vehicle, and the current running is performed. The map of the neighborhood where it is located is displayed.

When a destination or a waypoint is set, an optimal route from the current position to the destination or the waypoint is calculated based on conditions such as general road priority or expressway priority, and a guidance route is obtained. Is superimposed on the map on the display, and when approaching the intersection of right and left turns, the intersection is enlarged and displayed to indicate the direction of right and left turns so that the right and left turns can be performed easily and reliably. Further, various facility search functions are provided so that a search for a nearby restaurant, amusement park, or the like can be performed. In particular, by using a storage medium having a large storage capacity such as a DVD disk, more data can be recorded, and various guide information such as sightseeing guides in various places and traffic congestion status and weather information through communication with the outside. Can be presented.

[0004] Furthermore, with the recent technological progress of hardware and the like, it has become possible to provide a user with a large amount of navigation information displayed on a display screen, so that the user can obtain sufficient navigation information from the display screen. Became. For example, FIG. 4 is a display example of a display screen in a conventional navigation device. In the figure, DSP is the display screen of the navigation device, DR is the display screen D
Display indicating the direction of the map displayed on SP, VI is VICS transmitted from FM multiplex broadcast or optical / radio beacon
(Registered trademark) display indicating the reception status of traffic information, TM indicates the current time, CM indicates the position of the vehicle on the map, SC indicates the scale of the map displayed on the display screen DSP, R
M is a landmark display indicating the locations of facilities such as convenience stores, gas stations, hotels and the like. AT, NT,
RT and DT are displays relating to when a user sets a desired destination and performs route guidance, AT is an estimated time of arrival arrival at the destination, and NT is a display from the current vehicle position CM to when the vehicle arrives at the destination. Time required display, RT indicates guidance route from own vehicle position CM that can be distinguished from other roads to destination, DT
Is a remaining distance display from the current vehicle position CM to the destination.

[0005]

However, the display screen of such a navigation device displays a lot of navigation information such as VICS information and landmarks that the user may need, so that the map display area on the screen is sacrificed. Also, for example, when trying to see the display showing the direction of the map on the screen, the display of the other navigation information is also in the field of view because the vehicle position display and the direction display of the map are separated. As a result, it was difficult to see the direction of the map. For this reason, the display screen of the navigation device is displayed as a heading-up display (display in which the traveling direction of the vehicle is always upward)
If the screen is displayed on a screen other than the north-up display (a display in which the north is always upward as in the case of the road map), it is difficult for the user to understand the relationship between the direction of the vehicle on the screen and the direction of the map. I was Further, when the display screen of the navigation device is a three-dimensional display such as a bird's-eye view display (a display obliquely looking down from a high place), the map and the vehicle position are displayed in a bird's-eye view. Since the direction display of the map displayed in (1) is a normal planar display, it is difficult for the user to intuitively understand the direction in which the own vehicle is facing.

From the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation apparatus without sacrificing a map display area on a screen.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation device capable of easily recognizing the relationship between the direction of the vehicle and the direction of the map.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a data storage means for storing map information, and a map for reading out the map information stored in the data storage means and displaying the map on a display unit. A navigation device installed on a moving object, comprising: a position detecting means for detecting a position of the moving object; and a map of the moving object detected by the position detecting means on a map displayed on the display section. Current position display means for displaying a current position mark corresponding to a position, direction detection means for detecting the direction of the moving object and the direction of the north, and north direction around the current position mark displayed on the display unit. This can be achieved by providing direction indication means for displaying a mark indicating a corner.

That is, the position detecting means calculates the current position of the moving body, and the direction detecting means calculates the direction of the moving body and the north direction. The current position display means displays a mark indicating the current position of the moving object at the position calculated by the position detecting means, and the direction display means displays the direction of the moving object from the direction of the moving object calculated by the direction detecting means. Is determined, and a mark indicating the north direction on the map from the calculated north direction is displayed around the current position of the moving object. Since the mark indicating the north direction is displayed around the current position of the moving object, the relationship between the direction the moving object is facing and the north direction on the map can be easily determined without sacrificing the map display area of the display unit. Can be recognized.

[0009]

(A) Outline of the present invention FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the present invention. (A) is a first display example of the present invention, wherein CM1 and CM2 are own vehicle position marks on a display map in a heading-up display and a bird's-eye view display, and NM1 and NM2 are maps viewed from the own vehicle position marks CM1 and CM2. The direction of the north of is indicated by a mark.
(B) is a second display example of the present invention, where CM3 and CM4 are the vehicle position marks on the display map in the heading-up display and the bird's-eye view display, and NM3 and NM4 are the vehicle position marks C thereof.
The surroundings of M3, 4 are represented by points, and the points corresponding to the north direction of the map viewed from the vehicle position marks CM3, 4 are displayed in a color different from other points. According to this configuration, in the display mode such as the heading-up display or the bird's-eye view display, the direction in which the vehicle is facing and the map displayed on the display unit without sacrificing the map display area of the display unit. The relationship with the north direction of the can be clearly displayed.

(B) Configuration of the navigation device of the present invention FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the navigation device of one embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a CD-R for storing map information, facility information, etc.
ROM disk such as OM and DVD-ROM, 12 is RO
A ROM disk controller 13 for controlling reading of map information and the like from the M disk 11; a position measuring device 13 for measuring a current position of the vehicle; a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a moving distance; a gyro for detecting a moving direction; CPU for calculation,
It is composed of a GPS receiver and the like. 14 is a map information storage unit for storing map information read from the ROM disk 11, 15 is a remote controller for performing menu selection operation, enlargement / reduction operation, cursor movement (map scroll) operation, destination input operation, etc., 16 is a remote controller 15 This is a remote control interface for controlling communication with the remote controller.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a processor (CPU) for controlling the entire navigation apparatus, 18 is a ROM for storing various programs for searching for the nearest facility and guidance route, 19 is a RAM for storing processing results and the like, and 20 is based on map information. A display controller for generating a vehicle position mark image based on the map image and the vehicle position measured by the position measuring device 13 and controlling display of various information; 21, a VRAM for storing various images; Is a bus line for communication within the navigation device.

(C) Processing Flow of Navigation Apparatus of the Present Invention FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the direction display processing of the navigation apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The position measuring device 13 receives the radio wave from the GPS satellite, calculates the longitude and the latitude of the own vehicle, calculates the direction in which the own vehicle is facing and the north direction from the position change at regular time intervals, and stores it in the RAM 19. The position, the direction of the vehicle, and the direction of the north are stored as needed. CP
U17 obtains data of the current vehicle position, the direction in which the vehicle is facing, and the north direction from the RAM 19 (step 10).
1). Next, the CPU 17 reads map data near the own vehicle position acquired from the RAM 19 from the ROM disk 11 via the ROM disk control unit 12, and stores it in the map information storage unit 14 (step 102). Where the CPU
17 judges whether or not the map display mode of the display device 22 is a display mode other than north-up (display in which north is always up) (step 103). That is, whether or not the map display displayed on the display device 22 is a heading-up display (display in which the traveling direction of the vehicle is always upward) or a bird's-eye view display (display as if obliquely looking down from a high place) or the like. Judge.

If it is determined in step 103 that the map display is other than the north-up display, the display controller 2
0 creates a map image near the own vehicle position based on the map data near the own vehicle position stored in the map information storage unit 14, and also stores the own vehicle position and the direction in which the own vehicle is stored in the RAM 19; Based on the data of the north direction, an image of the own vehicle position mark displayed on the map and an image of the north direction mark displayed around the own vehicle position mark are also created. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, when the traveling direction of the own vehicle is upward, a mark or the like is displayed in a portion corresponding to the north direction of the display map around the own vehicle position mark,
The user can easily recognize the relationship between the direction the vehicle is facing and the direction north on the map only by looking at the vehicle position mark. Thereafter, the CPU 17 temporarily stores the map image of the vicinity of the own vehicle position created by the display controller 20 and the image of the own vehicle position mark with the direction mark in the temporary VRAM.
21 and then displayed on the display device 22 (step 104).

In step 103, when the map display mode of the display device 22 is the north-up display, the north-up display similar to the conventional one is performed (step 1).
05). That is, a map near the own vehicle position with the north facing upward is always displayed, and a corresponding own vehicle position mark is displayed.

The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments.
Various modifications are possible in accordance with the gist of the present invention described in the claims of the present invention, and the present invention does not exclude these.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, a mark indicating the north direction of the map is displayed around the own vehicle position mark indicating the current position of the own vehicle. Without sacrificing, the user can easily recognize the relationship between the direction the vehicle is facing and the direction north of the map only by looking at the vehicle position mark.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a navigation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a direction display process of the navigation device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a display example of a display screen in a conventional navigation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 CM1,2,3,4 ... own vehicle position mark NM1,2,3,4 ... direction mark indicating north

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A navigation system installed in a mobile body, comprising: a data storage unit storing map information; and a map display unit reading out the map information stored in the data storage unit and displaying a map on a display unit. In the apparatus, a position detecting means for detecting a position of the moving body, and a current position display for displaying a current position mark corresponding to the position of the moving body detected by the position detecting means on a map displayed on the display unit. Means, direction detection means for detecting the direction in which the moving object is facing and the direction of north, and direction display means for displaying a mark indicating the direction of north around the current position mark displayed on the display unit. A navigation device characterized by the following.