JP2002098541A - Navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a drawback that it is difficult to judge which place is a desired point in the case of searching destinations, for example that a plurality of places are searched when a destination information such as a name of facility or the like is input. SOLUTION: When the destination information is input by a user, an inputting/searching section for destination information 51 accesses an information/map recording device 20 and searches corresponding places. The result is input into a search result input section 52. In the case that the number of the places is not less than a value set beforehand, the result is displayed like a list form on a list display section 55. In the case that the number is less than the value, and a plurality of places are searched, a determined number of maps of place are displayed in parallel on a map display section for searching 56. In this condition, the user compares and refers to the maps of each place, selects and displays the map on a whole screen using a magnification instructive section for searching map 57 in the case that the user wants to look at the map of arbitrary places in detail, and also appropriately scrolls using a scroll instructive section for searching map 58 so as to be able to find the desired point.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation device which enables a user to easily select and set a desired point when setting a destination or a stopover in the navigation device. The present invention relates to a navigation device in which a plurality of candidate points obtained are displayed in parallel on one screen, and a user can view and select the candidate points.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a vehicle navigation system, a CD-ROM storing map data for drawing a map and facility information data for retrieving facilities and the like,
A map / information storage medium such as a DVD-ROM;
A playback device that reads data from an information storage medium, a display device that displays a map, etc., a self-contained navigation device such as a distance sensor or a gyro, and a vehicle position detection that detects the current position of the vehicle and the azimuth of the traveling direction using a GPS receiver or the like The map data including the current position of the vehicle is read from the map / information storage medium, a map image around the vehicle position is drawn on the screen of the display device based on the map data, and the vehicle position mark is displayed. The display is superimposed on the screen and the map image is scrolled according to the movement of the vehicle, or the map image is fixed on the screen and the vehicle position mark is moved, so that the vehicle is currently traveling where You can see at a glance.

[0003] Maps such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM
The map data stored in the information storage device is divided into longitude and latitude widths of appropriate sizes according to various scale levels, and roads and the like are set as a coordinate set of nodes represented by longitude and latitude. It is remembered. A road is composed of a connection of two or more nodes, and the map data displays a road layer including a road list, a node table, an intersection configuration node list, and the like, and roads, buildings, facilities, parks, rivers, and the like on a map screen. Data such as background layers and the like, and information data for displaying characters and map symbols such as administrative division names such as municipal names, road names, intersection names, and facility names.

[0004] The navigation device also has a route guidance function for enabling a user to easily travel to a desired destination without making a mistake on a road. According to this route guidance function, when the map information is used to specify the departure point to the destination and, if necessary, the stopover, the route, time, distance,
Automatically search for the most appropriate route taking into account conditions such as fees,
The searched route is stored as a guidance route, and during driving, the guidance route is displayed on the map image in a different color from the other routes and displayed thicker, or the vehicle changes the route on the guidance route. When approaching an intersection to be approached within a certain distance, the user can enlarge the intersection, draw an arrow or the like indicating the direction in which the course should be changed, display it on the screen, or give voice guidance to turn left or right. To guide you to your destination.

[0005] In specifying the destination or the transit point, when the user specifies a place name, the navigation device is owned by a data recording medium such as a CD-ROM attached thereto. Using the place name search information, the latitude and longitude data of the point corresponding to the place name are fetched, and a specified point is designated and registered.

When specifying and registering such a point,
Conventionally, various means have been adopted.For example, data in which place names are listed in order from a wide area to a narrow area are stored in a storage medium in advance, and a user can obtain a name from a prefecture in the same manner as a normal address display. A direct address input method is also used in which the location is specified by inputting using a keyboard or the like on the screen in order, and the corresponding location data on the map is searched from a data recording medium and registered as a designated location. I have.

To use data in which the above-mentioned place names are listed in order from a wide area to a narrow area, a place name on a wide area such as a prefecture is displayed on a screen display unit, and one of them is used. When the user selects, the name of the place on the narrow side that is developed at that point is displayed, and the user selects one of them, and the user repeats the operation of selecting one of them, so that the user can see the point displayed on the screen There is also used an address list display selection method in which point names are sequentially selected based on a name list, and finally a predetermined point is designated and registered.

[0008] In addition, when a point is designated, for example, a wide-area map is first displayed on a screen, and a user designates a portion where the point exists on the map, and the portion is enlarged and displayed. Iteratively, at this time, a map on which a desired point is finally designated with a cursor by scrolling the map on a map of an appropriate scale, searching for a desired point, and further expanding and displaying, etc., and specifying and registering the point A scroll method is also used.

[0009] In addition, various spot name data such as public facilities such as stations and city halls, road facilities such as intersections and interchanges, and landmark buildings and facilities are recorded on a data recording medium. A facility name search method is also used in which a user inputs these facilities to specify a location where the facility or the like exists. After displaying the facility on the screen,
It may be combined with the above-described map scrolling method of scrolling around the area to search for a desired original point, and specifying and registering the point.

In recent years, the spread of DVD-ROMs has made it possible to record enormous data.
A telephone number input method of storing point data corresponding to telephone numbers nationwide and specifying and registering a specific house or building by inputting a telephone number has also been adopted.

[0011]

Various methods such as those described above are used to set a predetermined point such as a destination or a transit point. Since it is necessary to input the place name to be used using a keyboard or the like that displays on the screen, the operation must be performed by inputting each character one by one, which is troublesome, and especially, the user is used to such an operation. It is difficult to use for those who do not.

The address list display selection method is effective when the point to be designated is known as a system such as a prefecture, a city, a town, a chome, and an address, but is not known. Cannot use this method. In the use of ordinary navigation devices, there are many cases in which such a system is known in many cases, and thus this method is not very useful.

In the map scrolling method, it is good to know in advance what location the point is on the map, but to find a point that is not well known, it is necessary to zoom in and out of the map and scroll. Must be repeated many times to find the point, which takes a lot of time and is extremely difficult. Further, when searching for a large number of points by the map scrolling method, it is necessary to perform the above-described operation for each point, which is more troublesome.

In the facility name search method, when the point to be designated is a public facility, a landmark-like building, a facility, or the like, it can be designated immediately, and a point near the facility or the like can be designated. Can be easily specified. However, it is difficult to use when you do not know what characteristic facilities are near the point you are specifying, and for example, convenience stores, gas stations, fast food,
In a chain of stores and facilities such as restaurants, there are many candidates even if the name of the facility is input, and there is a drawback that it is difficult to select one of them.

In the above-mentioned telephone number input method,
This is extremely effective because when a user knows the telephone number of a designated point, the user can input a specific point in one shot simply by inputting the telephone number. However, if the telephone number associated with the point to be designated or the telephone number of a facility near the point to be designated is not known, it cannot be used naturally.

As described above, although there have been proposed various systems for specifying and registering a specific point, each system has advantages and disadvantages, and there is no system that satisfies all of them. The actual situation is that any of the methods that can be performed is considered to be the most appropriate method and arbitrarily selected and used.

In particular, the facility name search method among the above-mentioned methods is a convenient method because if the facility to be searched is known, it can be searched immediately. However, for example, when searching for a specific store or facility in a chain of stores or facilities such as convenience stores, gas stations, fast food, restaurants, etc. by using the facility name search method, or in the vicinity of a specific store or facility When searching for a place to search, there are many candidates even if a search is performed by inputting the name of the store or facility, and if the candidates are simply displayed in a list, which of them is the desired place for the user It is extremely difficult to identify

As a countermeasure, when a list of a plurality of candidates as a result of the search is displayed, a method of displaying a map which is the most easily understood among the various methods is used. For each branch, a map including the location where the branch exists is displayed on one screen and checked, and when it is not a desired place, the work of displaying and checking a map of another branch may be repeated. Conceivable. However, this operation is a troublesome operation, and it is difficult to compare which of the branch on which the map is displayed earlier and the branch on which the current map is displayed is more appropriate, and it is not necessarily preferable. It cannot be called a search method.

Therefore, according to the present invention, in a system in which destination information such as a facility name is inputted and searched, when a plurality of points are searched, a map of the plurality of points is compared and referred to at the same time, thereby enabling the user to search. It is a main object of the present invention to provide a navigation device that enables a user to easily select a desired point.

[0020]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a destination searching unit for searching a map information storage medium for storing a map and related information based on input destination information. A search map display unit that displays a predetermined number of maps in parallel on one screen when a plurality of search points obtained by the destination search unit exist;
A navigation device comprising a search map operation unit for selecting an arbitrary one of a plurality of maps displayed on a screen and performing a screen operation.

In another aspect, the search map operation unit is a search map scroll operation instruction unit for scrolling a map screen of an arbitrary point on a plurality of displayed map screens. This is the navigation device.

In another aspect, the search map operation unit is a selected map enlargement instruction unit that displays a map of an arbitrary point on a plurality of displayed map screens on a larger screen. The above navigation device is provided.

Further, as another aspect, when the search points obtained by the destination search section are present at a value equal to or greater than a preset value, the search points are displayed in a list, and when the value is less than the value, a plurality of maps are displayed on one screen. The navigation device is characterized in that the navigation device is displayed in parallel.

Further, as another aspect, of the search points displayed in the list, a desired one of the map displays is arbitrarily selected, and when a plurality of the selected points exist, a predetermined number of a plurality of maps are arranged in parallel on one screen. The above navigation device is characterized in that the navigation device is displayed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the map displays the distance from the current position to each search point, traffic information taken from the outside, or a previously traveled route. It is what it was.

[0026]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing main functional blocks in the control device portion of the navigation device according to the present invention and their mutual relations. The navigation control device 10 shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1 is provided with a GPS receiver 12 in the same manner as the conventional one, and processes a signal from a satellite received by an antenna 11 to obtain own vehicle position data and store the data. The information is stored in the unit 13. On the other hand, a signal from a self-contained navigation sensor 16 composed of an angle sensor 14 provided in the vehicle and detecting a traveling direction of the vehicle and a distance sensor 15 is input to a vehicle position / azimuth calculation unit 17, and the position data from the self-contained navigation sensor is obtained. It has gained.

The vehicle position signal generation unit 18 stores the vehicle position data by GPS in the data storage unit 13 into the vehicle position
Correction is made with the position data in the azimuth detecting unit 17 to obtain accurate vehicle position data. The vehicle position signal obtained by the vehicle position signal generator 18 is output to various functional units in the navigation control device 10 to be described later via the vehicle position data line 19 and is used by each unit.

Remote control 4 attached to navigation device
0, the user's operation signals from the touch panel 41 provided on the display and other various operation switches 42
It is input to the operation signal input unit 43. The signal is transmitted via the operation signal data line 39 to the navigation control device 1.
It is output to various functional units within 0 and is used as a user's instruction signal. In addition, various instruction voices of the operator from the microphone 44 are recognized by the voice recognition unit 45, and as the operation signal input unit 43, the operation signal data line 3
9 and is used as an instruction signal for various functional units described later.

Based on the vehicle position data and the operation signal, the ROM read control unit 21 operates the operation signal data line 3
9 or the vehicle position data line 19
A large amount of map data, address data, facility information data, etc., from a map / information storage medium 20 such as a DVD-ROM or a CD-ROM based on the vehicle position signal from Store in 22. Various data in the information / map buffer 22 are transmitted to the navigation control device 1 via the information / map data line 26.
It is output to various functional units within 0 and used for various purposes described later.

By inputting such various data, the navigation control device 10 can perform various operations with various functional parts provided therein. For example, in the guidance route calculation unit 30, a vehicle position data line is provided. The current position data is inputted from 19, and a destination and a waypoint are specified from the operation signal data line 39 or a search result determination unit 59 of the destination search unit 50, which will be described later. , Calculate the optimal guidance route by performing various cost calculations. The result is stored in the guidance route memory 31,
The guidance route output unit 33 creates data for guiding the guidance route in various forms. Among them, the image data is output to the image synthesizing unit 27, and is superimposed on the map, and is displayed on the image display device 28.
Can be displayed.

In the intersection guidance output unit 32, based on the vehicle position from the vehicle position signal generation unit 18, the map data from the information / map data line 26, the guidance route information from the guidance route memory 31, etc. It is determined whether or not the current position of the vehicle has reached the vicinity of a left / right turn intersection on the guidance route, and when it has reached the vicinity, an intersection guide map is created and output to the image synthesis unit 27 and output to the voice synthesis unit 61. Then, the voice of the intersection guidance is output from the speaker 63 via the voice output unit 62. In addition, in this intersection guidance output part 32,
Not only the above-mentioned guidance at the intersection, but also guidance as to the entrance and exit of an interchange, guidance for which there is no right / left intersection for a while, etc. are appropriately performed.

In the map drawing unit 25, based on map data of a predetermined scale in the map memory 23, for example, a bird's-eye view display, a 3D display, etc., from an operation signal input unit 43 input via the display system designating unit 24 In accordance with the designation, a predetermined map is calculated and created based on the vehicle position, and further, related information data such as place name information data and facility names are superimposed on the map as necessary and displayed, and image synthesis is performed as a map image. Output to the unit 27. In addition, the image of the various mark generation units 34 and the operation screen generation unit 35 are also input to the image synthesis unit 27 as necessary.
Synthesize and display.

The navigation control device 10 of the present invention includes a destination search unit 50 for setting a guidance route in the navigation device, which will be described later in detail. In the illustrated embodiment, in addition to those shown as the destination searching means, various means such as conventionally used address searching means and telephone number searching means can be additionally provided. .

In the destination search unit 50 shown in FIG.
A destination information input / retrieval unit 51 is provided to operate a signal indicating a location such as a facility name input using various input means such as a user's voice input from a remote controller 40, a touch panel 41, or a microphone 44. Input through the instruction signal line 39. Here, for example, when the user wants to search for a branch that has been visited before, of "Tsukiya (pseudonym)" which has many branches as a chain of restaurants in "Iwaki city", or as described above. When you want to find the branch that is the most accessible from the current location among many branches, or remember that the point you want to search is on one of the branches, and you want to find that particular branch, There are times when you want to find a particular branch for various reasons.

In such a case, the user operates the Japanese syllabary input key on the remote control, or operates the Japanese syllabary keyboard displayed on the screen. By touching or inputting by voice, and further by various means such as selecting from a list of area names displayed on the screen, an input operation for limiting the area range to be searched is performed. Next, “tsutsuki” is input using the same various means.

In this way, in the above example, an input for searching for "Tsumiya" of a restaurant chain in Iwaki city is performed, and the search data is transmitted via the operation instruction signal data line 39 as described above. The destination information is input to the destination information input / search unit 51. This destination information input / search unit 5
1, in response to the search instruction signal, the CD-ROM
And the information / map storage device 20 such as a DVD-ROM or the like, and in the above example, "Iwaki-shi" for designating a search range before inputting the facility name, and "Tsukiya" as the facility name. Search with multiplication condition of.

As a result, when, for example, 12 branches are searched, the map data of the 12 stores is input to the search result input unit 5.
Enter 2 At this time, if necessary, the data may be temporarily stored in a separately provided memory so that various operations thereafter can be performed at high speed. In the above example, the input operation for limiting the area range was performed at the time of the search by the facility name, but it is not necessary to perform the input when it is considered that the search range can be sufficiently narrowed by directly performing the search by the facility name. .

In the display mode selection unit 53, for example, the search result is set to 2 based on the data of the search result input unit 52.
When there are 0 or more locations, list the search results,
When there are less than 20 places, a map display as described below is performed.
Thus, when the predetermined number or more is searched, the search result display unit 54 is instructed to display the list, and when the number is less than the predetermined number, the map display is instructed.

In the search result display section 54, when the display method is instructed in this way, selection is made between the list display section 55 and the map display section 56. At this time, for example, when there are more than 20 search results in the above example, the list display unit 5
5, for example, displays a facility search list as shown in FIG. When there are less than 20 locations, the search map display section 56
Displays, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a map in which each searched shop is shown substantially at the center.

The search map display unit 56 displays a predetermined number of search points in parallel on the screen.
The illustrated example shows an example in which maps of eight search points are displayed. Here, the number to be displayed on one screen can be arbitrarily set to four places, eight places, or the like as needed. At this time, if too many screens are displayed, the map displayed on one screen becomes small and difficult to see, and if there are few screens, it becomes inconvenient to compare with other maps, and the number of screen operations such as next screen advance increases. There are drawbacks,
An appropriate number is selected.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, there are 12 or more search results, and the map display of the first eight places is displayed on one screen, and the screen is displayed to return to the display of the previous screen. Display the operation unit for the previous screen at the upper left corner of
In this example, an operation unit for moving to the next screen is displayed at the upper right corner in order to proceed to the display of the next screen, and the cursor can be moved to this part and the confirmation key can be pressed to return. Note that the operation unit for the full screen and the next screen can be provided at an arbitrary position on the screen, and when the full screen does not exist as shown in the figure, a display that indicates the fact is displayed. However, when there are eight or less search results, this screen advance operation unit may not be displayed.
Also, in the above-described example, all the eight maps are displayed on one screen even when the map is displayed only when the number of the search results is eight or less and the list is displayed when the number of the search results is more than eight. Therefore, the display or the like of the screen feed operation unit as described above is not required.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the name of the branch and the distance from the current location are displayed at the bottom of each map displayed in parallel, and the distance from the current location is referred to. It can be used as a guide when selecting a specific branch. In addition, the traveling locus is appropriately displayed on the map screen by, for example, displaying a road portion where the vehicle has traveled using the navigation device in another color, and the like.
It is possible to easily determine whether or not the store has been visited by using the navigation device before, so that it can be used as a guide when selecting a specific branch. Note that the example shown in FIG. 4 indicates that the vehicle has traveled on the road in front of the Yumoto branch in the past.

Further, on the map screen displayed in parallel, the traffic information taken in by means such as VICS (registered trademark) is displayed, and the current traffic regulation, one-way regulation, traffic congestion information and the like are displayed. By doing so, it is possible to select a store that can easily go to the store. In the example shown in FIG. 4, there is a closed road on Sunday near the Omachi branch, that there is a one-way regulation around the Izumicho branch, and that the road in front of the Yoma-cho fulcrum is congested. It is shown that there is a road near Kashimacho branch that is closed for construction.

The selected map enlargement instructing section 57 in the destination search section 50 desires enlargement when the user wants to see the map in more detail among the map screens displayed on one screen as described above. When a map is designated by an operation of a remote control key or a touch screen or the like, the designated map is enlarged and displayed. Also on this screen,
In the same manner as described above, it may be possible to display a restriction on traffic, a restriction on one-way traffic, traffic congestion information, and the like.

FIG. 5 shows a map displayed as a result of enlarging the map of the Ogawamachi branch out of the eight maps in FIG. 4. In FIG. 5, a wide range is displayed at substantially the same scale as the map shown in FIG. The example which displayed the map shown is shown.
When instructing to enlarge the map, as shown in FIG. 4, it is preferable to make the map designated by the cursor easy to see by showing it with a bold frame. At this time, the map displayed on one screen is displayed at the same scale as shown in FIG.
The map may be displayed on a smaller scale map, that is, an enlarged map.

In the search map scrolling operation unit 58, when there are a plurality of search points as a result of the search, for each of a plurality of map screens displayed on one screen, each map screen is arbitrarily selected and the same screen is selected. Also, when an arbitrary one of a plurality of screens is selected in the selected map enlargement instructing section 57 and only 1 is displayed on the entire surface as described above, scrolling of the map is performed. To be able to. As a result, for example, a desired point expected to be on the side of Tsutsuki or Ogawamachi branch can be displayed by scrolling the map, and this can be designated as a destination or the like.

In the above embodiment, the search map display section 5
6 can also serve as a map drawing unit 25 that operates when a normal navigation device operates. In this case, the selection map enlargement instruction unit 57 and the search map scroll operation instruction unit 58 are connected to the map drawing unit 25. Can also be used as a map enlargement instruction unit and a scroll operation instruction unit (not shown).

The navigation apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention constituted by the functional blocks as described above can operate according to the operation flow as shown in FIG. 2, for example. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4, and 5.

In the destination search processing of the above embodiment, first, a search range for determining a search range based on the facility name to be performed thereafter is input (step S1). In the above example, the input of "Iwaki City" is performed by the various operation instruction means. If it is considered that the facility specified in the facility name search performed later is within a predetermined number range such as 20 in the above example, it is not necessary to input the search range. Becomes

Next, a facility name for a destination search is input (step S2). In the above example, the input of "Tsukiya" is performed here. The search is executed by the input and confirmation (step S3). These inputs and determinations are performed in the destination information input / search unit 51 in FIG. 1, and the search results are performed from the search result input unit 52.

As a result of this search, if there are a plurality of obtained facilities (step S4), it is determined whether or not the obtained number is equal to or more than a predetermined number (step S5). If it is determined in step S4 that there is only one facility obtained as a result of the search, the process proceeds to step S9 via step S18. The preset number is arbitrarily set, for example, whether or not the number is 20 or more.

If it is determined in step S5 that the number of facilities obtained as a result of the search is not equal to or greater than the predetermined number, a predetermined number of map screens of a plurality of points are displayed in parallel on one screen (step S6). ). In the above example, a plurality of map screens are displayed in parallel when the search result is less than 20, that is, 19 or less. In addition, there are eight map screens displayed in parallel on one screen. Is shown, but these values can be set arbitrarily. FIG. 3 shows an example in which maps of eight locations are displayed on one screen. Such a process of displaying maps of a plurality of points on one screen is performed in the search map display section 56 of the search result display section 54 in FIG.

When it is determined in step S4 that there is not a plurality of search results, that is, when there is only one search result, a map of the search point is displayed on one screen (step S18), and the process proceeds to step S9. Step S5
When it is determined that the number of search results is equal to or more than the predetermined number, that is, when 21 or more places are searched in the above example, the search results are displayed in a list (step S13).

In a state where a plurality of maps are displayed on one screen in step S6, the user can take into account the distance from the current position, the traffic regulation, the congestion state, etc., which are appropriately displayed on this map. After comparing and examining the entire map, the user would like to zoom in on the map of a specific location on the entire screen and wish to see it in more detail, and performed operations such as pointing the map with a cursor or the like and pressing the confirm key. Sometimes (step S7),
The designated map is enlarged and displayed on the entire screen (step S8). If no specific screen enlargement instruction is given in step S7, the process proceeds to step S9. Such a process of enlarging and displaying a map of a specific point is performed by the selected map enlarging instruction section 57 in FIG.

As described above, when a specific map is indicated in a state where a map of a plurality of points is displayed on one screen in step S7, a specific map among the plurality of maps is specified in step S8. Is selected and one map is enlarged and displayed on the entire screen. Further, in step S18, only one search is performed as a result of the search by inputting the facility name, and the map of the search point is displayed on one screen. In any state, it is determined whether or not the user has subsequently issued an instruction to scroll the map (step S).
9).

Here, the scale of the map is enlarged / decreased by the user.
When it is determined that there is an instruction to scroll the map including reduction, the displayed map is scrolled according to the instruction (step S10). This process is shown in FIG.
At the search map scrolling operation instructing section 58. Although illustration is omitted in the operation flow shown in FIG. 2, a map of a plurality of points is displayed on one screen, and a map of a specific point is selected and displayed on one screen, and the map is displayed. As a result of scrolling, if the user wants to further refer to the map of another point, the user can specify the “return” operation unit with the cursor as shown in FIG. It is possible to return to the map shown in FIG. 4 which is being displayed. From this state, a map of another point is selected, this is displayed on one screen, and the map is scrolled appropriately.

As shown in FIG. 4, when a map of a plurality of points is displayed on one screen, and when a map display of a plurality of points on another screen is desired, the map is displayed on the screen as described above. Various operations such as selecting a specific map from among them and performing a scroll operation in the same manner as described above, or performing a scroll operation by displaying the map on one screen, as described above, are performed by operating the screen advance operation unit. Is performed, the map of each point searched is appropriately operated, and the user selects a desired point.

As a result of performing various operations on the display map of the point selected by the user as described above, if the point obtained by the search includes the point desired by the user ( (Step S11), the selected point is set as the destination (step S12), and the process is terminated (step S19). If it is determined in step S12 that the desired point has not been searched yet, the process returns to step S1 and starts again from the input of the search range. If it is not necessary to change the input of the search range, this is omitted, and the name of the destination search facility may be input in step S2. It may be omitted without changing the facility name.

On the other hand, in step S5, when a predetermined number or more of the search results are searched, for example, at 20 or more places, the search results are displayed in a list as shown in FIG. 3 (step S13). Also on this list display screen, page advance of the previous page and the next page is performed as needed. The user refers to this list display, and if it is determined that the target point cannot be selected by using the list alone and it is necessary to perform a re-search (step S14), the user returns to step S1 to perform the search again.

If it is determined in step S14 that the user does not need to perform a re-search for the time being, it is determined whether or not to select a point after performing a map display for a specific point among the many listed points. Is determined (step S15). As a result, when the user wants to see the map for a specific point, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the user checks the map display check box for the listed point.

When a plurality of points are selected as a result of this operation (step S16), the process proceeds to step S6, and a map of the plurality of points is displayed on one screen as described above. When the number of selected points is not plural, that is, when only one is selected, the process proceeds to step S8, and the map of the designated screen is displayed on one screen. Thereafter, the same operation as described above is performed from each step.

If it is determined in step S15 that the user does not need to select a map display point for the list-displayed point, a desired point is selected in the list display state (step S17). .
In the selection of a point during the display of the list, the page feed operation of the next page and the previous page is appropriately performed.

As a result of this operation, it is determined in the same manner as described above whether or not a desired point has been searched (step S11). When the desired point has been searched, a desired point on the list is selected and instructed to finalize the operation. Thereby, the point is set as the destination (step S12), and the process is terminated (step S1).
9). Also in this case, when it is determined in step S11 that the desired point has not been searched, the process returns to step S1 and the search is performed again as described above.

In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, an example is shown in which this functional part is arranged separately from the other functional parts as the destination searching part 50.
It can be shared with various functional units already existing in the navigation control device. Further, the present invention can be executed in various modes other than the above examples, such as providing voice guidance of the search result.

[0065]

According to the present invention, a destination search unit for searching a corresponding point from a map information storage medium storing a map and related information based on input destination information, and a search obtained by the destination search unit 1 when there are multiple points
A search map display unit for displaying a predetermined number of maps in parallel on a screen, and a search map operation unit for selecting an arbitrary one of the plurality of maps displayed on the one screen and operating the screen. In a navigation apparatus characterized in that a plurality of points are searched by inputting destination information such as facility names, a map of the plurality of points is displayed on one screen. These can be displayed at the same time for comparison and reference, and the user can easily select a desired point.

Further, the navigation apparatus is characterized in that the search map operation section is a search map scroll operation instruction section for scrolling a map screen of an arbitrary point on the plurality of displayed map screens. In such a system, an arbitrary point can be selected and the map screen can be scrolled in a state in which a map of a plurality of points is displayed on one screen so that it is easy to compare and refer to the situation of each point. Therefore, it is possible to know the situation around a desired point, and to easily and reliably display and select points and the like around the input facility.

Further, the search map operation section is a selected map enlargement instructing section for displaying a map of an arbitrary point among a plurality of displayed map screens on a larger screen. After displaying a map of a plurality of points on one screen and comparing and referring to the situation of each point, a more detailed map is displayed on a single screen for a point expected to match a user's desire. , And it can be easily and surely confirmed whether or not the point is really what the user desires.

When the search points obtained by the destination search section are present at a value equal to or greater than a preset value, the search points are displayed in a list, and when the value is less than the value, a plurality of maps are displayed in parallel on one screen. In the navigation apparatus, when many search points are searched for at least a predetermined value or more, all of the search points can be displayed in a list without displaying a map. It is possible to obtain data that allows the user to examine the search results to some extent without increasing the load on the device and to provide a navigation device that is easy to use when searching for a destination.

[0069] For the search points displayed in the list, a desired one of the map display is arbitrarily selected, and when a plurality of selected points exist, a predetermined number of plural maps are displayed in parallel on one screen. In the navigation device described above, when many points having a value equal to or more than a preset value are searched as described above, the load on the navigation device is reduced by displaying the list, and the search result is reduced. In a device that can be examined to some extent, a map of an arbitrary point can be selected in the state of this list display, and the map can be displayed in parallel on one screen, so that the point desired by the user can be easily displayed. And can be selected reliably.

[0070] Further, in the navigation device according to the present invention, the map includes a distance from a current position to each search point, traffic information taken from outside, or a previously traveled route. , When multiple locations are searched, maps of multiple locations can be compared and referenced on one screen at the same time, and the traffic information taken from outside or the route traveled previously is displayed on the map Therefore, it is possible to judge the most accessible place, or to remember a situation that has been performed before, so that the user can easily and reliably select a desired place.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing main functional blocks in a control device portion of a navigation device according to the present invention and their interrelationships.

FIG. 2 is an operation flowchart of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen when a list of search results is displayed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen in which maps of a plurality of points as search results are displayed in parallel on one screen.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen in which a map of an arbitrary point is selected and displayed on one screen after the maps of the plurality of points are displayed in parallel on one screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 19 vehicle position data line 20 information map storage device 26 information / map data line 27 image synthesis unit 28 image display device 30 guidance route calculation unit 50 destination search unit 51 destination information input / search unit 52 search result input unit 53 display method Selection unit 54 Search result display unit 55 List display unit 56 Search map display unit 57 Selected map enlargement instruction unit 58 Search map scroll operation instruction unit 59 Search result determination unit 61 Voice synthesis unit 62 Audio output unit

Continued on front page F-term (reference) 2C032 HC08 HC26 HC27 HD07 HD16 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AC02 AC09 AC13 AC18 AC20 5H180 AA01 BB13 CC12 FF04 FF05 FF10 FF12 FF13 FF22 FF23 FF25 FF27 FF32

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A destination search unit for searching a corresponding point from a map information storage medium storing a map and related information based on input destination information, and a plurality of search points obtained by the destination search unit A search map display unit for displaying a predetermined number of maps in parallel on one screen when searching, and a search for selecting an arbitrary map from the plurality of maps displayed on the screen and operating the screen. A navigation device comprising a map operation unit. 2. The search map operation unit according to claim 1, wherein the search map operation unit is a search map scroll operation instruction unit that scrolls a map screen of an arbitrary point on the displayed plurality of map screens. Navigation device. 3. The search map operation unit according to claim 1, wherein the search map operation unit is a selected map enlargement instruction unit that displays a map of an arbitrary point on a plurality of displayed map screens on a larger screen. Navigation device. 4. A list of search points is displayed when the search points obtained by the destination search unit are equal to or greater than a preset value, and when the search points are less than that value, a plurality of maps are displayed in parallel on one screen. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein: 5. A method for arbitrarily selecting a desired map display from the list-displayed search points, and displaying a plurality of predetermined maps in parallel on one screen when a plurality of the selected points are present. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein: 6. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the map includes a distance from a current position to each search point, traffic information taken from outside, or a previously traveled route.