JP2003030687A - Map display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation device optimally displaying information such as a character string and a route at displaying a map as a bird's-eye view. SOLUTION: A map display device is constituted of a means calculating a present position on the basis of information from a sensor, a means processing perspective transformation computation for displaying the map as the bird's-eye view, a means arranging a position to display a present location or the present location and a destination at an optimum position, a means performing control so as to eliminate the overlap of the character strings, a means controlling the same character string, a means optimally displaying backgrounds, lines and planes, a means controlling marks to be displayed and a means performing graphic plotting by using obtained 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 for use in a navigation system for measuring the position of a moving body and notifying the user of the current position, and more particularly to a bird's eye view map display device for presenting a map to the user in a more understandable manner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a navigation device mounted on a moving body, information from various sensors is arithmetically processed to measure the position of the moving body and notify the user of the position. This navigation device is a position measuring device that measures the absolute position of a moving object, projects points on the ground such as roads and structures onto a plane that is mesh-divided by universal transverse Mercator projection, and obtains these two-dimensional vector data and these. A storage device that stores map data composed of accompanying character data, an input device that receives instructions from the user, and the necessary vector data is read from the map mesh stored in the storage device according to the instructions input from the input device. The display device is configured to display a map on the display by converting the data. Here, the data conversion processing includes movement conversion for changing the display position of the map, scale conversion such as enlargement / reduction used for displaying the map at an arbitrary scale, and rotation conversion for changing the display direction of the map. By these processes, a plane map in which the ground is drawn by an orthogonal projection from directly above is displayed on the display.

[0003]

In the conventional navigation device, when the map is displayed, the plane map is displayed by drawing the ground in an orthogonal projection from directly above. Therefore, there is a problem that if two points that are distant from each other are displayed at the same time, the scale is inevitably increased and detailed information cannot be displayed. One method for solving this problem is a bird's-eye view display method in which a plane is projected when it is viewed obliquely from a point at a height above the ground. However, in order to apply the bird's-eye view display to the navigation device, it is necessary to solve the following problems.

First, in the bird's-eye view map display that displays a wider area than the plan view map, the scale becomes large at a distance from the starting point, so that a larger amount of information is displayed. In the past, character strings in such a large scale area were not displayed, or the character strings near the viewpoint were simply displayed on the upper side, so it is possible to avoid missing characters and overlapping of multiple character strings. There wasn't. These have a problem that the character recognition property of the user is deteriorated.

Secondly, in the map database, the background data and the character data are configured so that the display quality is highest when the plan view map is displayed. Therefore, the bird's-eye view map display for displaying a wider area is the same. Frequently the character string is displayed in multiple places. In the past, since no measures were taken for the same character string, the same character string was unnecessarily displayed, which obscured roads and other background data with the character string, and the display quality deteriorated. It was

Thirdly, the route to the destination is generally displayed on the map in a color different from that of the background road, but since there is no concept of road width in the vector data expressing the route, all of them are conventionally the same. The route data was displayed in line width.
However, in the bird's-eye view display, since the map is expressed three-dimensionally, there is a problem that if all routes are displayed with the same line width, the three-dimensional sense of depth is lost.

Fourthly, in the display of the traveling locus, conventionally, the positional information of traveling at a certain fixed distance interval is stored, and the point representing the traveling locus is displayed based on the stored positional information. However, when the trajectory is displayed on the bird's-eye view map by the conventional method,
There is a problem in that it becomes difficult to recognize which road has been traveled because the interval between the point sequences representing the locus becomes wider near the viewpoint where the scale becomes smaller. On the other hand, at a distance from the viewpoint where the scale becomes large, the distance between the points representing the trajectory becomes narrower than necessary, hiding information such as background roads and character strings, making it difficult to recognize the map information. It was

Fifth, in the map database, pattern information such as solid lines and broken lines used when displaying vector information such as roads, railways, and administrative boundaries, and polygons representing water systems and green zones are displayed. Pattern information such as checks and checkered patterns to be used is registered. Conventionally, when a bird's-eye view display of a map including these pattern information is performed, not only the coordinates of each vertex forming a line and a polygon are perspective-transformed but also the pattern is perspective-transformed and displayed. Therefore, there is a problem that the time required to display the bird's-eye view map becomes long.

Sixthly, in the bird's-eye view map display, in order to prevent the divergence of map data displayed near the infinity point called the vanishing point, conventionally, the map is displayed in a region before the vanishing point by a predetermined distance. It is restricted, and pseudo background information such as a virtual horizon and sky is displayed behind it. However, conventionally, these pseudo background information is a fixed pattern or fixed color,
There was a problem that the surrounding conditions did not match the pseudo background information.

Seventh, when the bird's-eye view map display and the plan view map display are switched, if there are few objects to be actually drawn, whether the displayed map is a bird's-eye view map or a plan view is displayed. There was a problem that it was difficult to understand. In addition, in the bird's-eye view map display, the user can change the viewpoint position by manipulating it, and the map area actually displayed greatly changes depending on the viewpoint position and the viewing direction. However, conventionally, there is a problem that it is difficult to use because there is no means for providing information such as the viewpoint position even when the viewpoint position or the visual field direction is changed.

Eighth, when a bird's-eye view map is displayed, the direction in which the map is displayed is such that the direction in which the image is displayed coincides with the traveling direction as described in JP-A-2-244188. However, when the destination is set, the traveling direction and the direction of the destination do not always match,
There is a problem that the destination disappears from the screen and the user cannot always recognize the map while confirming the direction of the destination.

Ninth, in the conventional bird's-eye view map display, even if the map information density in a certain specific direction is low or the specific direction is composed only of information of specific attributes, the viewpoint position, that is, the position where the current position is displayed on the screen. Does not change. Therefore, a large amount of information that does not have much meaning may be displayed in a display area that has a limited area, and there is a problem in improving the efficiency of information provision.

[0013]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To solve the first problem, it is determined whether or not an overlap occurs between character strings and symbols,
If there is overlap, select and display the character string or symbol with the specified attribute, or select the character string or symbol near the viewpoint,
Use a method of displaying or replacing overlapping character strings and symbols with a font size smaller than the font size recommended for display. Further, the character overlap determining means uses the rectangular area information circumscribing the character strings, and determines that the character strings overlap when the circumscribing rectangles of the character strings overlap.
Or, a means for determining that the character strings overlap when the rectangular areas overlap each other by using the rectangular area information that is inside a predetermined amount of the rectangle circumscribing the character string.

In order to solve the second problem, it is determined whether or not the same character string or symbol exists in the screen displaying a certain bird's-eye view map, and if the same character string or symbol exists, the character near the viewpoint is determined. Use means such as selecting and displaying columns. On the other hand, even if the same character string or symbol exists, it is effective to display both of them if they are separated from each other. Therefore, if it is determined that the distance between the same character strings or symbols or the distance between them when displaying the bird's-eye view map is within the predetermined range, the character strings near the viewpoint are selected and displayed, and the distance is outside the predetermined range. If it is determined that, a means for displaying both character strings or symbols is used.

In order to solve the third problem, when displaying a route on a bird's-eye view map, the route near the viewpoint is displayed with a thicker line width than the route far from the viewpoint. Alternatively, a means for dividing the bird's-eye view map into a plurality of regions and displaying the routes with line widths unique to the regions for the routes to be displayed overlapping each other is used.

In order to solve the fourth problem, a means for obtaining a trajectory that complements the stored trajectory information for the traveling trajectory in the vicinity of the viewpoint and displaying the trajectory by superimposing it on the bird's-eye view map is used. For a traveling locus far from the viewpoint, a process is performed in which stored locus information is thinned out, and the thinned locus is displayed in an overlapping manner on the bird's-eye view map.

In order to solve the fifth problem, the coordinates of each vertex forming a line and a polygon forming the map data are perspective-transformed, and the coordinate values obtained by the perspective transformation are used, and the pattern is used in the plan view map display. Use a pattern to display polygons or lines.

In order to solve the sixth problem, the display of the map is restricted in a region before the vanishing point by a predetermined distance, and the color and pattern of the pseudo background such as the horizon and the sky virtually displayed behind the map are changed. Use the means to make. Specifically, the color or pattern of the pseudo background information is a signal that represents the state of the vehicle, that is, the light-on state signal of the vehicle, and is light blue that represents the sky when the light is not lit, and black or gray that represents darkness when the light is lit. Use a means to change the pseudo background.

In order to solve the seventh problem, the map display control unit switches between the bird's-eye view map and the plan view map in accordance with the user's request, but the menu display unit for displaying the mark on the map receives a change in the display state of the map. , A means for displaying a mark notifying that the plan view map is being displayed when the bird's-eye view map is switched to the plan view map, is displayed. Further, when the plan view map is switched to the bird's-eye view map, a mark notifying that the bird's-eye view is being displayed is displayed so as to be superimposed on the map. Further, when the user changes the viewpoint position while displaying the bird's-eye view map, a means for deforming the mark shape indicating the current position according to the viewpoint position and displaying the mark on the map is used. In order to solve the eighth problem, the user is first prompted to set the destination. After setting the destination, the viewpoint direction is made to coincide with the target local angle from the viewpoint position, and the viewpoint position / direction and the projection angle are calculated so that a map of a predetermined area is displayed in a bird's-eye view. Even when the current position is updated, the means for displaying the bird's-eye view map by adjusting the viewpoint position to the current position and always repeating the above processing is used.

In order to solve the ninth problem, an area having a low map information density or an area composed only of information of a specific attribute is searched in the bird's-eye view map to be displayed. When these areas are searched, the viewpoint position is changed so that the area where the map information density is low or the area constituted only by the information of the specific attribute occupies a small area on the display screen. A means for displaying a bird's-eye view map using the obtained viewpoint position information and projection angle is used.

[0021]

By the first means, in the bird's-eye view map display,
When the character strings overlap each other, one of them is displayed, or the overlapped character strings are replaced with a small font and displayed.

By the second means, when the same character string or symbol exists in the bird's eye view map display, the character string near the viewpoint is selected and displayed.

The third means acts so that the line width of the guide route near the viewpoint is displayed thicker than that of the guide route existing far from the viewpoint in the bird's-eye view map display.

According to the fourth means, in the bird's-eye view map display, the point sequence representing the traveling locus is displayed so as to be displayed at appropriate intervals near and far from the viewpoint.

According to the fifth means, in the bird's-eye view map display, the display of the pattern line and the polygon having the pattern inside is accelerated.

According to the sixth means, in the bird's-eye view map display, the pseudo background is displayed in different colors and patterns depending on the vehicle situation.

The seventh means operates so that when the bird's-eye view map and the plan view map are switched and the mark shape displayed on the map changes depending on the viewpoint position and the view direction. The eighth means operates so that the destination is always displayed in the predetermined direction in the bird's-eye view map display regardless of the traveling direction of the vehicle.

According to the ninth means, in the bird's-eye view map display, the operation is performed so that the map information density is low or the area in which the region constituted only by the information of the specific attribute is displayed is reduced.

[0029]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the invention relating to the bird's-eye view display of the map shown in FIG. 1 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, the outline of the bird's-eye view display, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIG.

In the printed atlas and the conventional navigation system, when the map is displayed, it is represented by a plane map display obtained when viewed from the point at infinity above the point of interest. The planar map display has an advantage that the scale is constant within the same screen regardless of the location, and thus it is easy to grasp the sense of distance. However, when trying to display two points on the same screen, it is necessary to adjust the scale for displaying the map to the optimum scale, and if the distance between the two points is large, it is displayed at once. The possible information amount is limited by the size and definition of the display, so that there is a drawback that only limited information can be displayed. There is a bird's-eye view display as a means for solving this problem. As is clear from FIG. 2, when the bird's-eye view representation is performed, the information near the viewpoint is enlarged, and the information far from the viewpoint is reduced and expressed. As a result, when two points are displayed on the same screen, the point for which more detailed information is to be obtained is near the viewpoint, the other is far from the viewpoint, and the two points are displayed on the same screen. It is possible to easily express the positional relationship of (1) and to provide the user with a larger amount of information near the viewpoint. The bird's-eye view display is realized by performing perspective transformation of projecting the two-dimensional or three-dimensional map information of the plane A onto the plane B forming an angle θ with the plane A. Since it is possible to use two-dimensional map data for the map information used, a bird's eye view display can be realized by adding a perspective conversion function to the conventional navigation system without adding a new map data amount. , In order to realize it, various devices are necessary.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of a mobile navigation device to which the present invention is applied.

Each constituent unit of the navigation device will be described below. The arithmetic processing unit 1 detects the current position based on the information output from various sensors of 6 to 9, reads the map information necessary for display from the obtained current position information from the map storage device 3, and also reads the map data. The graphics are developed and the current location mark is displayed on the display 2 or the optimum road connecting the destination and the current location designated by the user is selected, and the voice input / output device 4 and the display 2 are selected.
It is a central unit that performs various processes such as guiding users using. The display 2 is a unit that displays the graphics information generated by the arithmetic processing unit 1, and is composed of a CRT or a liquid crystal display. The signal S1 between the arithmetic processing unit and the display is generally connected by an RGB signal or an NTSC (National Television System Committee) signal. The map storage device 3 is a CD
-It is composed of a large-capacity storage medium such as a ROM or an IC card, and performs a process of reading / writing necessary map data. The voice input / output device 4 converts the message to the user generated by the arithmetic processing unit 1 into a voice signal and outputs the voice signal, and also recognizes the voice uttered by the user and transfers the content to the arithmetic processing unit 1. . The input device 5 is a unit that receives an instruction from the user, and includes, for example, a scroll key 41, a scale key 42, and an angle change key 43 as shown in FIG.
It consists of a hard switch such as, a joystick, and a touch panel attached on the display. In addition, the sensor used to detect the position in mobile navigation measures the distance from the product of the wheel circumference and the measured wheel rotation speed. Wheel speed sensor that measures bent angle 6, Geomagnetic sensor that detects the magnetic field held by the earth and detects the direction in which the moving body is facing, Detects the angle that the moving body such as optical fiber gyro or vibration gyro rotates The gyro 8 receives signals from GPS satellites and measures the distance between the mobile body and the GPS satellites and the rate of change of the distance with respect to three or more satellites to determine the current position, traveling direction and traveling direction of the mobile body. It is composed of a GPS receiver 9 for measurement. Further, it is provided with a beacon transmitter that emits traffic information such as road congestion, construction, road closure information and parking lot information, and a traffic information receiving device 10 that receives signals from FM multiplex broadcasting. Further, the in-vehicle LAN device 11 is provided for receiving various kinds of information on the vehicle, for example, door opening / closing information, the type and status of lit lights, the status of the engine, and the result of failure diagnosis.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the hardware configuration of the processing operation unit.

Each component will be described below. The arithmetic processing unit 1 has a configuration in which devices are connected by a bus. Each component is a CPU 21 that executes various processes such as numerical calculation and control of each device, a RAM 22 that stores maps and calculation data, a ROM 23 that stores programs and data, a high-speed memory-memory-between memory and each device. DMA (Direct
Memory Access) 24, a drawing controller 25 that executes graphics drawing at high speed by expanding vector data into pixel information, and performs display control, a VRAM 26 that stores graphics image data, and R image data.
Color palette 27 for converting to a GB signal, A / D converter 28 for converting an analog signal into a digital signal, SCI2 for converting a serial signal into a parallel signal synchronized with a bus
9. PIO3 that is placed on the bus in synchronization with the parallel signal
0, a counter 31 for integrating the pulse signal.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of the processing operation unit 1.

Each component will be described below. The current position calculation means 66 uses the distance data and the angle data obtained as a result of integrating the distance pulse data S5 measured by the wheel speed sensor 6 and the angular acceleration data S7 measured by the gyro 8, and the data is used as the time. By integrating along the axis, processing is performed to calculate the position (X ', Y') after traveling of the mobile body from the initial position (X, Y). Here, in order to match the relationship between the rotated angle of the moving body and the traveling direction,
The azimuth data S6 obtained from the geomagnetic sensor 7 and the angular data obtained by integrating the angular acceleration data S7 obtained from the gyro 8 are mapped in a one-to-one relationship to correct the absolute azimuth of the direction in which the moving body is moving. Further, since the error of the sensor is accumulated as the data obtained from the above-mentioned sensor is integrated, a process of canceling the accumulated error based on the position data S8 obtained from the GPS receiver 9 in a certain time period. And output the current position information. Since the current position information thus obtained includes a sensor error, a map matching process 67 is performed for the purpose of further improving the position accuracy. This compares the road data included in the map around the current position read by the data reading processing unit 68 with the traveling locus obtained from the current position calculating unit 66 to match the current position to the road having the highest shape correlation. It is a process of crowding. By performing the map matching process, the current position will often coincide with the traveling road, and the current position information can be output accurately. The current position information calculated in this way is stored in the trajectory storage means 69 every time the vehicle travels a predetermined distance. The locus data is about the roads you have traveled so far.
It is used to draw track marks on the corresponding roads on the map. On the other hand, the user operation analysis means 61 receives a request from the user at the input device 5, analyzes the request content,
Each unit is controlled so that the corresponding processing is executed.
For example, when the user requests route guidance to the destination, the map drawing means 65 is requested to perform a process of displaying a map for setting the destination, and a process of calculating a route from the current position to the destination is performed. Request to the means 62. The route calculation means 62 is designated by the Dijkstra method or the like.
The node connecting the points is searched from the map data, and the route obtained as a result is stored in the route storage means 63. At this time,
It is also possible to obtain the route with the shortest distance between the two points, the route that can be reached in the shortest time, the route with the lowest cost, or the like. The route guidance means 64 compares the link information of the guidance route stored in the route storage means 63 with the current position information obtained by the current position calculation means 66 and the map match processing means 67, and should go straight before passing an intersection or the like. The user is notified by voice using the voice input / output device 4 whether to turn right or left, or the direction to proceed is displayed on the map displayed on the display to notify the user of the route. Data reading processing means 68
Operates so as to read the map data of the requested area from the map storage device 3 and prepare. Also, map drawing means 6
5 receives the map data around the point where the display is requested from the data reading processing means 68, and the designated scale,
It operates so as to transfer a command for drawing the specified object to the graphic processing means 71 according to the drawing direction and drawing method. On the other hand, the menu drawing means 70 receives the command output from the user operation analyzing means 61 and transfers to the graphic processing means 71 commands for drawing various kinds of required menus and marks to be displayed on the map. To work. The graphics processing means 71 receives the drawing commands generated by the map drawing means 65 and the menu drawing means 70 and develops an image in the VRAM 26.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the function of the map drawing means 65.

Each component will be described below. The display area determination means 81 determines the display scale of the map and which area of the map data is displayed centering on which point. The initial data clipping means 82 is the data reading processing means 6
From each mesh of the map data loaded from the map storage device 3 by 8, the line data, the surface data and the character data representing the objects such as roads and buildings necessary for the subsequent processing, the recommended route stored in the route storage means 63. Based on the information set by the display area determining means 81, the clip processing selects the data required for display from the line data constituted by the above and the point data constituted by the traveling trajectory stored in the trajectory storing means 69. The clip processing algorithm used here is Cohen-Sutherl for line and point data.
And line clipping algorithm, Sutherland-Hodgman polygon clipping algorithm for face and character data (Foley, van Dam, Feiner, Hughes: Comput
erGraphics: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company pp
111-127). By this processing, it is possible to reduce the amount of data to be subjected to subsequent coordinate conversion and drawing processing, and it is expected that the processing speed will be increased. The coordinate conversion means 83 operates so as to affine-transform each coordinate value of the map data when enlarging or reducing the map data obtained by the clipping process to a target size or rotating and displaying.
The drawing determination means 84 functions to select the data that needs to be actually drawn from the map data obtained by the coordinate conversion means 83. For example, when the scale is increased, the amount of data to be drawn is substantially increased, so that thin roads, place names that can be omitted, and the like are deleted, and character strings that overlap each other are eliminated. Data clip means 85
Operates so as to select the map data regarding the drawing area from the map data obtained by the drawing determination means 84 by clipping processing. As the clip processing algorithm used here, the same algorithm as the initial data clipping means can be used. Further, this processing can be omitted. The pseudo background setting unit 86 is a function necessary for displaying the bird's-eye view map, and displays a pseudo background such as a horizon or the sky for the purpose of reducing the amount of drawing data and improving screen recognition. In the drawing command issuing means 87, in order to draw the obtained point, line and surface data and character data in a specified color and pattern, a command for drawing a line, a polygon, a character, etc. and a command for setting a color and a pattern are issued. It operates so as to be issued to the graphics processing means 71.

Now, a basic bird's-eye view map display method will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the display area determination means 81 determines the area to be displayed in the bird's-eye view from the position of the viewpoint, the viewing direction, and the angle θ (projection angle) formed by the plane A and the plane B of FIG. 2 (FIG. 3). Step 1). When a bird's-eye view is displayed on a rectangular display, map data for a narrow area near the viewpoint and a wide area far from the viewpoint is required. Become. Next, from the map mesh data including the area to be displayed in the bird's-eye view, necessary rectangular map data is extracted by the initial data clipping unit 82 using a rectangular area circumscribing the trapezoidal area to be actually drawn (step 2 in FIG. 3). Next, the coordinate transformation means 83 enlarges or reduces the extracted data and then performs affine transformation to make the trapezoid erect. Further, perspective transformation is performed to convert each coordinate value of the map data into three-dimensionally represented data (step 3 in FIG. 3). At this time, the position coordinate of the viewpoint is (Tx, Ty, Tz), the angle formed by the plane A and the plane B is θ, and the map data coordinate value before conversion is (x,
y) and the converted map data coordinate values are (x ', y'), the perspective transformation is expressed by Equations 1 and 2.

[0042]

[Equation 1]

[0043]

[Equation 2]

The trapezoid shown in step 2 of FIG. 3 is transformed into the rectangular area shown in step 3 of FIG. 3 by performing perspective transformation, and the rectangle circumscribing the trapezoid in step 2 of FIG. 3 is transformed into perspective of FIG. 3 step 3. Although the coordinates are transformed into a deformed quadrangle circumscribing the indicated rectangle, the portion outside the rectangular area need not be drawn, so the data clipping means 85 clips the outside of the rectangular area (step 4 in FIG. 4). Using the map data thus obtained, the drawing command issuing means 87 generates a drawing command, and the graphics processing means 71 uses the VRAM 26.
The bird's-eye view map shown in FIG. 1 is displayed by drawing.

Next, the perspective transformation parameter in the bird's-eye view map display, that is, the angle θ (projection angle) formed by the map and the projection plane, and the viewpoint coordinate system including the projection plane viewed from the object coordinate system including the map plane. A method of calculating the origin coordinates (Tx, Ty, Tz), that is, the position of the projection surface will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 19. In the navigation device, it is desired to display in detail the point where the user is currently traveling, that is, the vicinity of the current location. Therefore, a case where the current location is displayed on the lower center side of the screen as shown in FIG. 19c) will be described below.
In order to realize the bird's-eye view display as shown in FIG. 19c), first, as shown in FIG. 19a), the angle φ formed by the traveling direction vector and the bottom of the map mesh is obtained in step 1004 in FIG. 9, and only the angle φ is added to the map data to be drawn. The affine transformation of rotating is performed on each data forming the map (step 1005). Since it is determined in step 1006 that the bird's-eye view is displayed, the process proceeds to the process of calculating the projection angle θ and the viewpoint position (steps 1008, 1009). Regarding the setting method of the projection angle θ, for example, when it is desired to display such that the difference between the scales near the viewpoint and the distance from the viewpoint is small, the projection angle θ is set to near 0 degrees, while the difference between the scale near the viewpoint and the scale away from the viewpoint is large. When it is desired to display so, the projection angle θ is set in the vicinity of 90 degrees. Normally, the projection angle θ is set to a predetermined projection angle of about 30 to 45 degrees. Further, since it is desired that the user can arbitrarily set the map area to be displayed in the bird's-eye view map display, the projection angle θ can be set by the projection angle changing key 43 provided in the navigation device shown in FIG. As a result, when the angle is increased, the projection angle θ increases when operated, and a distant map is displayed. When the projection angle is decreased, the projection angle θ is decreased when operated, so that the map near the current position is displayed. Next, the position of the projection surface (Tx, T
For y, Tz), the difference value (Δx, Tx, Ty, Tz) obtained by subtracting the position (Tx, Ty, Tz) of the projection surface from the current position (x, y, z)
Step 100 so that Δy, Δz) is always constant.
Calculate with 9. As the absolute amount, Δx is 0 and Δz
A small value is set for Δz when the map is displayed at a small scale according to the scale to be displayed, and a large value is set for Δz when the map is displayed at a large scale. Normally, Δ should be adjusted so that the scale of the plan view and the scale of one point near the center of the bird's eye view display match.
It is good to determine z. Further, since it is desired that the scale of the map can be changed according to the user's request, if the user specifies a small scale according to the scale key 42 provided in the navigation device shown in FIG. 6, a small value for Δz is set to a large value. When the scale is designated, step 1009 operates so as to set a large value in Δz. Although Δy can be calculated with either a negative value or a positive value, a negative value is used here, and the value is determined so that the current location is displayed at the lower third of the screen. The projection angle θ and the position of the projection surface (Tx, Ty, Tz) thus obtained
Is used in step 1010, each coordinate value of the map data is perspective-transformed. Details of the perspective transformation calculation will be described with reference to FIG. First, it is determined whether or not there is surface data composed of a polygon such as a water system or a green zone (step 1020). When it is determined that there is surface data, perspective transformation is performed for each node forming the polygon (step 1021). This is performed for all polygons (step 1022). Next, it is determined whether or not there is line data that constitutes a map such as roads, railways, and administrative boundaries, and line data that represents the route if the optimum route from the current location to the destination has been calculated (step 10
23), if it is determined that there is, perspective transformation is performed for each node forming the line (step 1024). This is performed for all lines (step 1025). Further, it is determined whether or not there are character data forming a map such as a region name and a symbol, and point data representing a locus when displaying the locus (step 1026). For a character string such as a region name or a symbol, one point representing the character string, for example, the upper left end point of the character string may be treated as point data. When it is determined that these point data are present, perspective transformation is performed for each node forming the point (step 1027), and this is performed for all points (step 1028). By performing drawing processing by the graphics processing means 71 using the obtained map data, in the bird's-eye view display of the map shown in FIG. 19c), the traveling direction is always on the screen and the current position is displayed at the same point on the screen. Will be done.

Next, a method of displaying a bird's-eye view map which is easily recognized by the driver when a certain destination is designated by the input device 5 on the map or the search screen will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 20. In the navigation device, it is desired to display in detail the point where the user is currently traveling, that is, the vicinity of the current location. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20c), the bird's-eye view is displayed such that the current position is on the lower side of the center of the screen, specifically, on the horizontal center of the area ⅓ below the screen. Figure 20
To realize the bird's-eye view display as shown in c), first, see FIG.
As shown in a), the angle φ formed by the line perpendicular to the line segment connecting the current position and the destination and the base of the map mesh is set to step 10 in FIG.
The coordinate value of the map data obtained in step 04 is further affine-transformed by the angle φ (step 1005). Since it is determined in step 1006 that the bird's-eye view is displayed, the process proceeds to the process of calculating the projection angle θ and the viewpoint position (steps 1008, 1009). Regarding the setting method of the projection angle θ, for example, when it is desired to display such that the difference between the scales near the viewpoint and the distance from the viewpoint is small, the projection angle θ is set to near 0 degrees, while the difference between the scale near the viewpoint and the scale away from the viewpoint is large. When it is desired to display so, the projection angle θ is set in the vicinity of 90 degrees. Normally, the projection angle θ is set to a predetermined projection angle of about 30 to 45 degrees. Further, since it is desired that the user can arbitrarily set the map area to be displayed in the bird's-eye view map display, the projection angle θ can be set by the projection angle change key 43 provided in the navigation device shown in FIG. As a result, when the angle is increased, the projection angle θ increases when operated, and a distant map is displayed. When the projection angle is decreased, the projection angle θ is decreased when operated, so that the map near the current position is displayed.
Next, regarding the position (Tx, Ty, Tz) of the projection surface, from the current position (x, y, z) to the position (Tx, Ty, T) of the projection surface.
In step 1009, the difference value (Δx, Δy, Δz) obtained by subtracting z) is always a constant value. As an absolute amount, Δx is 0, Δz is a small value when displayed at a small scale according to the scale of displaying the map, and Δz is a small value.
When displaying at a large scale, set a large value for Δz. Normally, Δz should be determined so that the scale of the plan view and the scale of one point near the center of the bird's eye view display match. Further, since it is desired that the scale of the map can be changed according to the user's request, if the user specifies a small scale according to the scale key 42 provided in the navigation device shown in FIG. 6, a small value for Δz is set to a large value. When the scale is designated, step 1009 operates so as to set a large value in Δz. Also, for Δy, it is possible to calculate with either a negative value or a positive value, but here we will use a negative value,
Find a value such that the current location is displayed at the lower third of the screen. Using the projection angle θ and the position (Tx, Ty, Tz) of the projection surface obtained in this way, each coordinate value of the map data is perspective-transformed in step 1010, and graphics processing is performed using the obtained map data. By performing the drawing processing by the means 71, in the bird's-eye view display of the map shown in FIG.
The destination is always displayed in the upward direction, and the current location is displayed at the same point on the screen. Also, when the destination is moved to a position where it is displayed on the screen, the destination and the current location are always fixed at two points on the screen, and the mode is switched to the bird's-eye view map display mode for more convenience. improves.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 21a), the polygon representing the Imperial Palace and the water system such as the green zone, the sea and the lake are so useful for the driver who travels by using the navigation device mounted on the vehicle. Not information. Than that
It is desired to display more information directly required for driving such as roads on a limited screen. A means for solving this problem will be described with reference to FIG. Information such as roads and backgrounds is represented by nodes, but the node density of polygons that represent water systems such as green areas, seas, and lakes tends to be lower than the node density of lines such as roads.
Therefore, the area to be displayed in the vertical direction of the screen follows the initial value,
By optimizing the display area in the horizontal direction of the screen, the operation is performed so that the most information such as roads is displayed. This process
This is executed in the display position calculation routine of step 1011 in FIG. First, it is determined whether the display position is optimized (step 1040). When it is determined that the optimization is executed, the node actually displayed on the screen is extracted by the clip calculation from the nodes forming the lines and polygons perspective-transformed in step 1041 (step 104).
1). Further, the x-coordinate arithmetic mean value x1 of each node constituting the selected line and polygon is calculated (step 10).
22). Further, x obtained in step 1022
Difference value Δx between the coordinate arithmetic mean value and the x coordinate value x2 at the center of the screen
Is calculated (step 1023). In step 1024, the difference value Δx obtained in step 1023 is added to the x coordinate value of the nodes forming the line and the polygon. By performing the drawing processing by the graphics processing means 71 using the map data obtained in this way, as shown in FIG. 21b), information directly required for driving such as a road is displayed on a limited screen. A bird's-eye view map display that can be displayed in large numbers is achieved.

Next, a more concrete description will be given of a drawing processing method of objects constituting the bird's-eye view map. In the drawing determination means 84 shown in FIG. 12, surface data forming a map,
The line data, the character data, the route data calculated according to a request from the user, and the locus data representing the route traveled so far are optimally displayed.

First, it is determined whether surface data is present in the drawing data (step 1060). When it is determined that the surface data exists, the processing moves to the surface data drawing processing (step 1061) in FIG. In the surface data drawing process, it is determined whether the surface pattern exists inside the polygon to be actually drawn or whether the entire surface is filled (step 1080). If it is determined that there is no surface pattern, pattern setting is performed so as to completely fill the inside of the polygon, and the processing ends (step 1081). If it is determined that there is a surface pattern, it is determined whether perspective conversion is to be performed on the surface pattern (step 1082). When the surface pattern is perspective-transformed and displayed, a sense of depth appears as shown in FIG. 27a), so that the surface pattern can be more three-dimensionally expressed, but the drawing time becomes longer because the processing amount increases. on the other hand,
When the plane pattern used for the plan view map display is displayed, FIG.
7B), the display is flat, but since the surface pattern can be handled two-dimensionally, it can be processed at high speed. Therefore, when high-speed processing is required, it is determined in step 1082 that perspective transformation of the pattern is unnecessary, and the designated pattern itself is set as pattern data (step 1083). On the other hand, when the display quality is prioritized, it is determined that the perspective transformation of the pattern is necessary in step 1082, the pattern is perspective transformed, and the converted result is set as pattern data (step 1084). Further, as a method for speeding up this processing, the method of FIG. 27c) can be considered. In this method, the polygon is divided into a plurality of regions in the depth direction (four regions in the figure), and an average pattern obtained by perspective-transforming the surface pattern in each region is used. It is a method to fill in three dimensions. According to this, since a two-dimensional surface pattern is formed in the area, the speed can be increased.

Next, it is judged whether or not line data exists in the drawing data (step 1062). When it is determined that the line data exists, the process moves to the line data drawing process (step 1063) in FIG. In the line data drawing process, it is determined whether the line segment to be actually drawn has a line pattern or is filled with a solid line (step 1085). If it is determined that there is no line pattern,
Set the pattern to draw a solid line and finish the process
(Step 1086). When it is determined that there is a line pattern, it is determined whether or not perspective transformation is performed on the line pattern (step 1087). When the line pattern is perspective-transformed and displayed, a sense of depth appears as shown in FIG. 27a).
Although it can be expressed more three-dimensionally, the drawing time becomes longer because the processing amount increases. On the other hand, when the line pattern used for the plan view map display is displayed as shown in FIG. 27b), the line pattern is displayed, but since the line pattern can be handled one-dimensionally, it can be processed at high speed. Therefore, if high speed processing is required, step 108 is performed.
In step 7, it is determined that perspective transformation of the pattern is unnecessary, and the designated pattern itself is set as pattern data (step 1088). On the other hand, when the display quality is prioritized, it is determined that the perspective transformation of the pattern is necessary in step 1087, the pattern is perspective transformed, and the converted result is set as pattern data (step 1089).

Next, it is determined whether or not character data exists in the drawing data (step 1064). If it is determined that the character data exists, the process moves to the character data drawing process (step 1065) in FIG. In the character data drawing process, it is determined which attribute has a character string in a map composed of a plurality of attributes such as a place name, a building name, and a map symbol (step 1100), and a character with a predetermined attribute that must be displayed. A column is selected, and the process proceeds to step 1101.
In step 1101, since the character string of the attribute that must be displayed is selected, the character string is buffered so as to be displayed. Next, it is determined whether the character strings overlap with each other (step 1102). There are several methods for determining the overlap between character strings. First of all
As shown in FIG. 22, a polygon surrounding the character string is calculated (outer frame of the polygon shown in b of FIG. 22), and a polygon formed by a predetermined number of dots inside the polygon is formed. This is a method of performing character overlap determination using the rectangular area information (polygonal diagonal pattern area shown in b of FIG. 22). According to this method, it is determined that the character strings are overlapped when the character string overlap determination regions (polygonal hatched pattern regions) are overlapped as shown in FIG. 22c). Further, as shown in FIG. 22d), when the character overlap determination areas do not overlap, it is determined that the character strings do not overlap. Normally, even if some character overlap occurs, it is possible to identify each character string. According to this method, some character string operation is performed so that it is not determined that character strings overlap. Therefore, it is not necessary to delete character strings that overlap more than necessary, and the amount of information that can be transmitted to the driver increases. Next, the second method will be described with reference to FIG. In this method, a rectangular area circumscribing a character string is calculated (rectangle shown by b in FIG. 23), and using this rectangular area information (oblique line pattern area of the rectangle shown by b in FIG. 23), it is determined whether the character strings overlap. Is the way to do. According to this method, it is determined that the character strings are overlapped when the character string overlap determination regions (rectangular hatched pattern regions) are overlapped as shown in FIG. 23c). Also, as shown in FIG. 23d), when the character overlap determination areas do not overlap, it is determined that the character strings do not overlap. According to this method, it is possible to determine the overlap between a plurality of character strings with a simple shape such as a rectangle. Therefore, it is only necessary to compare the minimum value and the maximum value of the rectangles in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction between the overlapping character strings. The calculation time can be shortened. Finally, the third method will be described with reference to FIG. In this method, a rectangular area circumscribing a character string is calculated (a rectangular shape of the outer frame shown in b of FIG. 24), and rectangular area information (b of FIG. 24) constituted by an area inside the rectangular shape by a predetermined number of dots is calculated. This is a method of performing character overlap determination using a rectangular hatched pattern area indicated by. According to this method, it is determined that the character strings overlap when the character string overlap determination regions (rectangular hatched pattern regions) overlap, as shown in FIG. 24c). Also, as shown in FIG. 24d), when the character overlap determination areas do not overlap, it is determined that the character strings do not overlap. Normally, even if some character overlap occurs, it is possible to identify each character string. According to this method, some character string operation is performed so that it is not determined that character strings overlap. Therefore, it is not necessary to delete character strings that overlap more than necessary, and the amount of information that can be transmitted to the driver increases. Furthermore, in order to determine the overlap between multiple character strings with a simple shape such as a rectangle, the x-axis direction and y
The minimum value and the maximum value of the rectangle in the axial direction may be compared between a plurality of character strings, and the calculation time can be shortened. After determining the overlapping of the character strings by the above-described three types of character overlapping determining means, if it is determined that the character strings overlap, the attributes of the overlapping character strings are checked (step 1103). When it is determined that the overlapping character strings have different attributes, the character string having the attribute determined to be preferentially displayed is selected and buffered (step 1104). One example thereof is shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the initial state has a screen configuration as shown in a), and is composed of symbol attributes composed of symbols such as double circles and postal marks, and character string attributes composed of character strings. At this time, when the processing of step 1104 is executed and the symbol attribute is preferentially displayed, the symbol attribute is displayed when the character string and the symbol overlap as in a). In other words, the place where "Double Maru" and "Marunouchi" overlap is displayed as "Double Maru", and "〒" and "Kandabashi"
"〒" is displayed where the two overlap. Next, as a result of checking the attributes of the overlapping character strings (step 1103), if it is determined that the attributes of the character strings are the same, the character strings are sorted in the depth direction (step 1105). further,
It operates to select and buffer a character string close to the current location (step 1106). One example thereof is shown in FIG. Here, when the processing of step 1106 is executed, when the character strings overlap in b), the character string near the current position is displayed. In other words, where "Tokyo" and "Marunouchi 2" overlap, "Tokyo" is displayed, and "Ittsubashi"
"Otemachi" is displayed where and "Otemachi" overlap. The method of selecting and displaying a character string when the display of the character string overlaps has been described above. As another method, a method of replacing and displaying a small font for the character string where the display overlaps as shown in FIG. There is. This is to operate to display the character strings in a font size smaller than the designated font size when it is determined in step 1102 in FIG. 14 that the character strings overlap. For example, the font size of the specified character is 2
16x16 pixels or 12x if 4x24 pixels
It operates to display with a font size of 12 pixels.
As a result, the operation is performed so that the overlapping of the character strings is reduced as shown in FIG. 26 b), so that the recognizability of the character strings is improved. Next, it is determined whether or not the same character string representing the same character in the same order exists in the character string (step 110).
7). If it is determined that the same character string exists, then the distance between the character strings is calculated (step 1108). Here, the distance between the character strings means the difference in the position data of the characters described on the map data, or the difference in the position data of the characters when the character strings are displayed on the bird's-eye view map. When calculating the distance, it is preferable to use one point representing the character string, that is, data of the upper left end point of the character string or the center point of the character string. It is determined whether or not the distance between the character strings calculated in this way is within a predetermined area (step 1109), and when it is determined that the distance is within a predetermined value, an operation is performed to buffer the character string near the current location. (Step 1110). An operation example will be described with reference to FIG. In the initial state of a), there are four character strings representing interchanges. As shown in b), the distance between the character strings is calculated mutually, and the character string near the current location is selected for the one with a short distance, and both character strings are calculated for the one with a long distance. To do. Therefore, the character string is displayed as shown in c). As is clear from this figure, unnecessary character strings as information are deleted and only the absolutely necessary character strings remain so that the driver can easily recognize the characters.

Next, it is judged whether or not the route data exists in the drawing data (step 1066). Route storage means 63
If it is determined that the route data exists, the process moves to the route data drawing process (step 1067) in FIG. In the route data drawing processing 1167, the area where the map is actually displayed is divided into a plurality of sections in the depth direction, and necessary processing is added to each area. Here, an example in which the region is divided into four will be described. First, it is determined whether the route data exists in the foremost area 1 including the current location (step 1
120) If it is determined that the line exists, the line width for displaying the route is set to be thickest (for example, 9-dot width) (step 1121). Next, it is determined whether or not the route data exists in the area 2 above it (step 112).
2) If it is determined that the line exists, the line width for displaying the route is set to be thinner than step 1121 and thicker than step 1125 (for example, 7 dot width) (step 1123). Next, it is determined whether or not the route data exists in the area 3 above it (step 1124). If it is determined that the route data exists, the line width for displaying the route is set to the step 11
To be thinner than 23 and thicker than step 1127
(For example, 5 dot width) is set (step 1125).
Finally, it is determined whether or not the route data exists in the innermost region 4 (step 1126). When it is determined that the route data exists, the line width for displaying the route is set to be narrower than that in step 1125 (for example, 3 dot width). It is set (step 1127). By drawing in this way, in the conventional method, the route data did not have a three-dimensional sense of depth as shown in FIG. 29a), but by using this method, the front route is thin and the back route is thin as in b). Is displayed in bold, the display becomes three-dimensional, and the driver can recognize the route data very naturally. Although the method of dividing the area and changing the line width according to the area was explained here, the route close to the current location is displayed with a thick line width according to the distance from the current location, and is displayed with a thinner line width as the distance increases. There is also a way to do it.

Next, it is determined whether or not the trajectory data exists in the drawing data (step 1068). If it is determined that the trajectory data exists, the processing moves to the trajectory data drawing processing (step 1069) in FIG. The locus data is stored in the locus storage means 69 at the traveled positions at predetermined distance intervals. Normally, when the above-mentioned locus data is displayed on the map by the bird's-eye view map display, the interval between the points representing the locus becomes wide near the current position. On the other hand, the distance between the points representing the locus becomes smaller at a distance from the current position, and in some cases, the points of the loci may overlap each other. In order to solve this problem, in the trajectory data drawing process (step 1069), the trajectory thinning area determination means (step 1140) for determining whether the area in which the trajectory is drawn is far from the current location. Operates as if processing were to shift. Thinned-out data amount calculation means (step 114
In 1), when the bird's-eye view map display is executed, the thinning-out amount of the locus data to be displayed is determined so that the interval between the points representing the locus becomes an easily visible data amount (step 1141). In the trajectory thinning processing (step 1142), step 114
According to the thinning-out amount of the locus data determined in 1, the locus data that does not need to be displayed is thinned out from the data to be displayed, so that the locus data is not displayed at a distance from the current location more than necessary. Next, a locus interpolation area judging means (step 1) for judging whether the area for drawing the locus is near the current position.
143), it is determined whether the displayed locus is near the current position, and if the locus is near the current position, the process proceeds to step 1144. The interpolation data amount calculation means (step 1144) determines the amount of locus data to be newly interpolated between the loci so that the distance between the points representing the loci becomes a data amount that is easy to see when the bird's-eye view map display is executed (step 1144). 1144). In the trajectory interpolation process, step 114
According to the interpolation amount of the locus data determined in step 4, by setting the locus data to be newly displayed between the loci and on the road on which the vehicle has traveled, it is possible to prevent the locus data from opening, and to prevent the vicinity of the current location. It operates so that the locus data is displayed so that the road you have traveled can be seen (Step 1
145). Next, an example of displaying a trajectory is shown in a) and b) of FIG.
Shown in. In the conventional method, the locus data indicated by a circle as shown in a) is displayed so that it spreads near the current location and becomes narrower in the distance from the current location. However, by using this method, the current location is displayed as shown in b). Since it is displayed at equal intervals both in the distance and in the vicinity, the display quality is improved and it becomes easy to identify the road including the trajectory. Therefore, the locus recognition rate of the driver is improved.

The drawing processing method of the objects forming the bird's-eye view map has been described above. Next, a method of drawing a pseudo background such as the sky or the horizon will be described. When displaying a bird's-eye view map, the problem is that when the map is displayed far away from the current location as shown in Fig. 31 a), the scale of the map becomes smaller and a very large amount of map data is drawn. Required, takes time to display,
This is because high-speed response performance cannot be obtained.
In order to solve this problem, in the display of the bird's-eye view map, the area where the map should be displayed at a distance from the present location as shown in b) of FIG. I have proposed a method to display objects such as a clear horizon and the sky. Specifically, the display area determining means 81 shown in FIG. 8 determines the area where the map is actually displayed. After the bird's-eye view map is displayed by the subsequent processes 82 to 85, the pseudo background setting unit 86 sets the pseudo background data. The processing content will be described with reference to FIG. First, the pseudo background area calculation (step 1161)
The area information determined to be displayed by the display area determination means 81 is read out, and the area in which the pseudo background is displayed is determined from the difference from the screen size information. Next, the pseudo background color determining means (step 1162) and the pseudo background pattern setting means (step 1163) determine the color and pattern of the background area based on various information such as vehicle information and time information. As one example thereof, a method of determining a color based on vehicle information will be described. The vehicle information S10 is loaded into the arithmetic processing unit via the in-vehicle LAN 11. At this time, when the small lamp is lit, it is possible to determine that the surroundings are dark and it is a night state, so the pseudo background is set to be displayed in black or gray. Also, when the small lamp is not lit,
Since it can be determined that it is a daytime state, the pseudo background is set to be displayed in sky blue. When the sky blue color cannot be displayed due to the color palette, it is preferable to perform dither processing for setting the pattern so that blue and white are displayed in order. Next, an example in which the same effect is obtained by different methods will be described.
The navigation device can obtain date and time by receiving and analyzing signals from GPS satellites. Using this information, it is preferable to set the pseudo background to be displayed in sky blue when it is determined to be daytime and to be displayed in black or gray when it is determined to be nighttime. In the morning and evening, a pseudo background may be displayed in red representing the morning glow or the evening glow.
Next, an example in which the same effect is obtained by different methods will be described. This is a method in which weather information included in the information S9 received by the traffic information receiver 10 is used, and a pseudo background is displayed in sky blue during fine weather and gray during rainy or cloudy weather. As a result, the pseudo background operates so as to be displayed so as to match the surrounding conditions, so that the driver can easily determine what the pseudo background represents. Next, a display means for displaying additional information such as a menu displayed on the bird's-eye view map will be described. In a navigation device that displays a bird's-eye view map, the user interface is improved by displaying information such as which method the currently displayed map is drawn on, overlaid on the map.
The menu drawing means 70 that performs the processing will be described below with reference to FIG. The content operated by the user with the input device 5 is transmitted to the user operation analysis means 61, and the content is analyzed here. When it is determined that the display needs to be performed using the menu drawing means 70, the contents are transmitted to the menu drawing means 70 using a message. After receiving the message, the menu drawing means starts the process and determines whether the request for the message is a plan view map display request (step 1180). When it is determined that the message is a message requesting the display of the floor plan map, a mark indicating that the floor plan map is being displayed as shown in the lower left of FIG. 32a) is displayed (step 1181). Further, it operates so as to display a mark (lower right in the figure) showing the scale of the map currently displayed (step 118).
2). If the message is not the above message, it is determined whether the message request is a bird's eye view map display request (step 1183). When it is determined that the message is a message requesting the display of the bird's-eye view map, a mark indicating that the bird's-eye view map is being displayed as shown in the lower left of FIG. 32b) is displayed (step 1184). Further, the mark indicating the scale of the currently displayed map is hidden (step 1185). If it is not the above message, it is determined whether the request for the message is a request for changing the projection angle on the bird's-eye view map (step 1186). When it is determined that the message requires changing the projection angle,
Like the current position mark in FIG. 3, the mark position indicating the current position is changed according to the projection angle (step 1187). At this time, when the projection angle θ is close to 0 degrees, that is, when it is close to the plan view, the current position mark is matched with the shape of the current position mark in the plan view map, and the current position mark is set as the projection angle θ approaches 90 degrees. It suffices to display using a mark that has been perspective-transformed at the projection angle θ. With the above processing, the driver can easily determine the display mode and the display area of the map, and thus the recognizability is improved.

[0055]

According to the first means, in the bird's-eye view map display, the overlapping of the character strings is reduced, and the user does not have to guess what the displayed character string is based on the relationship between the character strings before and after the character string. And symbols are easier to read. Therefore, the bird's-eye view map can be easily recognized even when the user is driving, and the safety is further improved.

By the second means, the display of the same character string is reduced in the bird's-eye view map display, and the bird's-eye view map can be displayed more simply. Therefore, the bird's-eye view map can be easily recognized even when the user is driving, and the safety is further improved.

By the third means, in the bird's-eye view map display, the line of the viewpoint is displayed with a thicker line width than the route far from the viewpoint, so that the map can be more three-dimensionally expressed. As a result, the user can easily obtain the depth feeling of the bird's-eye view map, and can obtain an easy-to-understand map.

By the fourth means, in the bird's-eye view map display, the point sequence representing the traveling locus is displayed at appropriate intervals both in the distance from the viewpoint and in the vicinity of the viewpoint, so that the point sequence representing the trajectory generated near the viewpoint is displayed. It is possible to avoid the phenomenon that the interval is widened and the phenomenon that the interval of the point sequence representing the trajectory generated at a distance from the viewpoint becomes unnecessarily narrow, and the display quality of the bird's-eye view map and the traveling trajectory is improved.

According to the fifth means, in the bird's-eye view map display, the display quality of the pattern included in the line or the surface is slightly deteriorated, but the display time is shortened, so that the time required to display the bird's-eye view map is short. Become. Therefore, the re-display cycle of the bird's-eye view map is shortened, and the bird's-eye view map can be displayed more realistically.

According to the sixth means, in the bird's-eye view map display, the pseudo background representing the virtual sky and the horizon operates so as to match the surrounding situation, so that the user is not unnecessarily confused.

The seventh means enables the user to easily classify whether the currently displayed map is a bird's-eye view map or a plan view map. In addition, since the operation is performed so that the current situation is displayed according to the change in the viewpoint position, the usability is improved and, accordingly, the safety is improved.

The eighth means operates so that the destination is always displayed in a predetermined direction, so that the driver can drive while always confirming the direction of the destination.

By means of the ninth means, the information that the driver wants is displayed with priority, so that the need for extra operations during driving is reduced, thus contributing to improved safety.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a bird's-eye view map display according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a perspective conversion process of a map.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a perspective conversion process of a map.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a navigation device that realizes the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of an arithmetic processing unit that realizes the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a navigation device.

FIG. 7 is a functional configuration diagram of a calculation processing unit that realizes a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of map drawing means for realizing a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of coordinate conversion means for realizing a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of perspective transformation calculation for realizing a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of display position calculation for realizing a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a drawing determination unit that realizes a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of polygonal and line pattern display in the bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of character string display in the bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of route display in a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart of trajectory display in a bird's eye view map display.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of pseudo background display in the bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of mark display in the bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a method of setting a viewpoint and a projection plane in a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a method of setting a viewpoint and a projection plane in a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 21 is an example of an optimized display of the present location in a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 22 is an example of character string overlap determination in a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 23 is an example of character string overlap determination in a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 24 is an example of character string overlap determination in a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 25 is an example of avoiding overlapping display of character strings in a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 26 is an example of avoiding display of overlapping character strings in a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 27 is an example of displaying the same character string in the bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 28 shows an example of polygon and line pattern display in a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 29 is an example of route display in a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 30 shows an example of trajectory display in a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 31 shows an example of pseudo background display in a bird's eye view map display.

FIG. 32 shows an example of mark display in a bird's-eye view map display.

FIG. 33 is an example of a current position mark display in a bird's-eye view map display.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Arithmetic processing unit, 2 ... Display, 3 ... Map storage device, 4 ... Voice input / output device, 5 ... Input device, 6 ... Wheel speed sensor, 7 ... Geomagnetic sensor, 8 ... Gyro, 9 ... GPS receiver, 10 ... traffic information receiving device, 11 ... in-vehicle LAN device, 21 ... CPU, 22 ... RAM, 23 ... ROM, 24
... DMA (Direct Memory Access), 25 ... Drawing controller, 26 ... VRAM, 27 ... Color palette, 28
... A / D converter, 29 ... SCI, 30 ... I / O (Input /
Output), 31 ... Counter, 41 ... Scroll key,
42 ... Scale key, 43 ... Projection angle changing key, 44 ... Navigation device, 61 ... User processing analysis means, 62 ... Route calculation means, 63 ... Route storage means, 64 ... Route guidance means, 65 ... Map drawing means, 66 ... Current position calculation means, 6
7 ... Map match processing means, 68 ... Data reading processing means, 69 ... Trajectory storage means, 70 ... Menu drawing means,
71 ... Graphics processing means, 81 ... Display area determination means, 82 ... Initial data clipping means, 83 ... Coordinate conversion means, 84 ... Drawing determination means, 85 ... Data clipping means,
86 ... Pseudo background setting means, 87 ... Drawing command issuing means.

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] May 20, 2002 (2002.5.2)
0)

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be amended] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Claims]

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI theme code (reference) G09B 29/10 G09B 29/10 A (72) Inventor Toshio Fujiwara 1-chome, Omika-cho, Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki Hitachi Co., Ltd. Hitachi Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Hiroshi Masashima 4-6 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Hitachi Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Motomiki Hirano 2-499 Hironodai, Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture In-house company Xanavi Informatics (72) Inventor Kaoru Harada 2-4991, Hironodai, Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture F-term in In-house company Xanavi Informatics (reference) 2C032 HC08 HC23 HC24 HC25 HC30 HD03 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AB09 AB13 AC02 AC04 AC08 AC14 AC17 AD08 5B050 AA10 BA08 BA09 BA17 BA20 CA06 EA12 EA13 EA19 EA23 EA24 EA27 FA02 FA14 5 H180 AA01 BB04 BB05 BB13 EE18 FF04 FF05 FF12 FF13 FF22 FF25 FF35

Claims (33)

[Claims] 1. A storage unit for storing map data necessary for drawing a map of a predetermined area, a character data selection unit for selecting a character string having a predetermined attribute from the character data read from the storage unit, and the character. A map display comprising: character data display means for perspective-converting the character data selected by the selection means to display a bird's-eye view; and vector data display means for perspective-converting the vector data read from the storage means to display a bird's-eye view. apparatus. 2. The character data selecting means according to claim 1, wherein the character overlap determining means determines overlap between different character strings, and a character having a predetermined attribute for each character string determined to overlap by the character overlap determining means. A map display device, comprising: a character string selection means for selecting a column. 3. The character data selecting means according to claim 1, wherein the character overlap determining means for determining an overlap between different character strings, and the character near the viewpoint for the character strings determined to overlap with each other by the character overlap determining means. A map display device, comprising: a character string selection means for selecting a column. 4. The character data selecting means according to claim 1, wherein the character data selecting means determines a character overlapping judgment between different character strings, and a font for replacing the character string judged by the character overlapping judging means with a small font. A map display device comprising a replacement means. 5. The map display device according to claim 2, wherein the character overlap determination means determines the overlap of the character strings by using rectangular area information circumscribing the character strings. 6. The character overlapping determination means according to claim 2, wherein the character overlapping determining means determines the overlapping of the character strings by using rectangular area information that is inside a rectangle circumscribing the character strings by a predetermined amount. And a map display device. 7. The character overlapping determination means according to claim 2, wherein the character overlapping determining means determines the overlapping of the character strings by using polygon area information that is inside a polygon surrounding the character strings by a predetermined amount. Characteristic map display device. 8. A storage means for storing map data necessary for drawing a map of a predetermined area, a same character string selection means for selecting the same character string from the character data read from the storage means, and the same character. Character data selecting means for selecting a predetermined character string from the same character string selected by the column selecting means, character data displaying means for perspective-converting and displaying a bird's-eye view of the character string selected by the character data selecting means, and reading from the storing means. And a vector data display means for perspective-transforming the vector data and displaying the bird's-eye view. 9. The map display device according to claim 8, wherein the character data selection means selects a character string near the viewpoint. 10. The same character string selection means according to claim 8, wherein the character strings are determined to be the same character string when the distance between the character strings determined to be the same character string is within a predetermined range. Map display device. 11. The same character string selecting means according to claim 8, wherein when the character strings determined to be the same character string are perspective-transformed and displayed in a bird's-eye view, if the distance between the character strings is within a predetermined range, the same character string is selected. A map display device characterized by being judged as a column. 12. A storage unit for storing map data necessary for drawing a map of a predetermined area, a map display unit for displaying a bird's-eye view map using the map data read from the storage unit, and a current location and a destination. A map display device comprising: route calculation means for selecting an optimum road to be connected; and vector data display means for perspectively transforming the route calculated by the route calculation means and displaying the route on a bird's-eye view map. 13. The map display device according to claim 12, wherein the vector data display means displays a line width of a route near the viewpoint thicker than a route far from the viewpoint. 14. The map display device according to claim 12, wherein the vector data display means determines and displays a line width for displaying a route according to a region for displaying the route calculated by the route calculating means. . 15. A storage means for storing map data necessary for drawing a map of a predetermined area, a map display means for displaying a bird's-eye view map using the map data read from the storage means, and a traveling locus of the own vehicle. And a running locus display means for displaying a locus point sequence at equal intervals when a plurality of loci stored in the running locus storage unit are perspective-transformed and displayed in a bird's-eye view. Characteristic map display device. 16. The running locus display means according to claim 15, wherein when the plurality of loci stored in the running locus storage means are perspectively transformed and displayed in a bird's-eye view, locus data are thinned out so that loci point sequences are arranged at equal intervals. A map display device characterized by displaying. 17. The trajectory data interpolation means according to claim 15, wherein the trajectory data is interpolated so that the trajectory point sequences are equidistant when the plurality of trajectories stored in the traveling trajectory storage means are perspective-transformed and displayed in a bird's-eye view. A map display device that calculates and displays points. 18. A plan view map in which storage means for storing map data necessary for drawing a map of a predetermined area, and background data read out from the storage means in which a pattern is present are subjected to perspective transformation of respective vertices. A map display device comprising: a background data display means for displaying using a pattern used for display; and a character data display means for perspectively converting the character data read from the storage means and displaying a bird's-eye view. 19. The background data display means according to claim 18, when the background data composed of vector data has a pattern, the vertexes of the vector are perspective-transformed and used for the plan view map display. A map display device comprising means for displaying a vector using a pattern. 20. The plan view map according to claim 18, wherein the background data display means perspectively transforms each vertex forming the polygon when the pattern exists inside the polygon surrounded by the polygon data. A map display device comprising means for displaying a polygon using a pattern used for display. 21. Storage means for storing map data necessary for displaying a map of a predetermined area, map display means for displaying a bird's-eye view map using the map data read from the storage means, and display of the bird's-eye view map. Display area limiting means for constraining the area before the vanishing point of perspective transformation, background display means for displaying a pseudo background such as the horizon or sky in the area where the map display is constrained by the display area limiting means, and the background display A map display device comprising: background area control means for changing the color and pattern of the pseudo background area by means. 22. The map display device according to claim 21, wherein the background area control means changes the color or pattern of the pseudo background area according to a signal or a state from a vehicle equipped with the map display device. 23. The map display device according to claim 21, wherein the background area control means changes the color or pattern of the pseudo background area according to a light-on state of a vehicle equipped with the map display device. 24. Storage means for storing map data necessary for displaying a map of a predetermined area; map display means for displaying a bird's-eye view map and a plan view map using the map data read from the storage means; A map display device comprising mark selection means for selecting a mark to be displayed on a map or a plan view map and mark display means for displaying a mark on a bird's-eye view map and a plan view map. 25. The mark selecting means according to claim 24, wherein the mark indicating the plan view display is selected and displayed during the display of the plan view map, and the mark indicating the bird's eye view display is selected and displayed during the display of the bird's eye view map. And a map display device. 26. The map display device according to claim 24, wherein the mark selecting means changes a mark shape indicating a current position on the bird's-eye view map and the plan view map. 27. The map display device according to claim 24, wherein the mark selecting means changes a mark shape indicating a current position in the bird's-eye view map according to a viewpoint position and a projection angle. 28. The mark selecting means according to claim 24, wherein the mark showing the scale of the map is displayed on the plan view map, and the mark showing the scale of the map is erased on the bird's-eye view map display. Map display device. 29. Storage means for storing map data necessary for displaying a map of a predetermined area, destination input means for setting a destination, and a viewpoint for displaying the destination in a predetermined direction on the display screen. Coefficient determining means for determining the position and projection angle, and map display means for perspectively converting the map data read from the storage means at the viewpoint position and projection angle obtained by the coefficient determining means to display a bird's-eye view map A map display device. 30. The coefficient determining means according to claim 29, wherein the current position obtained from the current position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle is set to 1/3 at the bottom of the screen of the map displaying means.
A map display device characterized in that a viewpoint position and a projection angle are determined so as to be fixed and displayed at a predetermined one point in an area. 31. Storage means for storing map data necessary for displaying a map of a predetermined area, current position detecting means for detecting the current position of a vehicle, and a screen for the current position obtained by the current position detecting means. Current position display position setting means for determining the display position, coefficient determining means for determining the viewpoint position and projection angle so that the current position is displayed in a bird's eye view at the screen display position set by the current position display position setting means, and read from the storage means. And a map display means for displaying a bird's-eye view map by perspective-transforming the map data with the viewpoint position and projection angle obtained by the coefficient determining means. 32. The map display device according to claim 31, wherein the current position display position setting means determines the screen display position of the current position so that the number of objects having the same attribute is reduced. 33. The map display device according to claim 31, wherein the current position display position setting means determines the screen display position of the current position so that the number of objects to be displayed increases.