JP2003240586A - On-vehicle navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle navigation system from which contents of guidance and location where the guidance can be received can be confirmed in advance through simple operation. <P>SOLUTION: When a specific button provided in an operating section is pressed down, a display screen is divided into two parts. When the map image displayed on one divided part of the screen is scrolled to a guiding point while the map image of the circumference of the present location of the vehicle having the on-vehicle navigation system is displayed on the other divided part, the map of the circumference of an access point is displayed. When the specific button in the operating section is again pressed down, the map image is scrolled to the next guiding point. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted navigation device for guiding a vehicle to a destination along a guide route, and more particularly to a vehicle-mounted navigation device having a function of confirming a point where guidance information is output in advance. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle-mounted navigation device is a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) -RO that stores map data.
A map data storage device such as M, a display device, a gyro,
It has a vehicle movement detection device such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver and a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the current position and current direction of the vehicle. Then, the map data including the current position of the vehicle is read from the map data storage device,
A map image around the vehicle position is drawn based on the map data and displayed on the display device, and a vehicle position mark (location) is displayed by being superimposed on the map image, and the map image is scrolled according to the movement of the vehicle. Display or fix the map image on the screen and move the vehicle position mark,
At a glance, you can see where the vehicle is currently traveling.

In addition, a vehicle-mounted navigation device is usually equipped with a route guidance function that allows a user to easily travel to a desired destination without making a mistake on the road. According to this route guidance function, the route with the lowest cost connecting the starting point to the destination is automatically searched by using the map data by performing a simulation calculation such as horizontal search method or Dijkstra method, and the searched route is guided. It is stored as a route, and while driving, the guide route is drawn in a different color from the other roads on the map image and displayed thickly on the screen, or at a certain distance to the intersection where the vehicle should change the route on the guide route. When approaching inside, the user is guided to the destination by drawing an arrow indicating the route and displaying it on the screen at an intersection where the route should be changed on the map image.

The cost is a value obtained by multiplying a road width, a road type (whether it is a general road or a highway, etc.), a constant according to a right turn, a left turn, or the like, a predicted travel time of a vehicle, etc. , Is a numerical representation of the degree of suitability as a guide route. Even if there are two routes with the same distance, the cost will be different depending on whether or not the user uses the toll road, whether the distance is prioritized or the time is prioritized.

Map data stored in a map data storage device such as a DVD-ROM is 1/12500, 1/25000, 1 /
According to the scale level such as 50000 and 1/100000, it is divided into longitude and latitude of appropriate size, and roads are stored as a set of coordinates of vertices (nodes) expressed in longitude and latitude. . A road is formed by connecting two or more nodes, and a part connecting two nodes is called a link.
Further, the map data includes (1) a road layer including a road list, a node table, and an intersection constituent node list,
(2) Background layers for displaying roads, buildings, parks, rivers, etc. on the map screen, (3) Administrative division names such as municipalities names, road names, intersection names and building names, etc. It is composed of character / symbol layers for displaying symbols.

In recent years, VICS (VEHICLE INFORMATION AN
D COMMUNICATION SYSTEM: Road Traffic Information Communication System)
A system that provides traffic information from outside the vehicle such as a vehicle has been put into practical use. In VICS, various traffic information such as accident information, traffic jam information on each road, and parking lot availability information is provided by optical beacons, radio beacons, and FM multiplex broadcasting. The in-vehicle navigation device receives the traffic information via the beacon receiver or the FM multiplex broadcast receiver and displays it on the display device. For example, when the received traffic information includes traffic jam information, the navigation device displays a red arrow indicating traffic jam in the traffic jam portion of the map image.

[0007]

The present inventors consider that the conventional navigation device has the following problems. As mentioned above, the car navigation system
The guide information is appropriately output along with the movement of the vehicle so that the vehicle travels along the guide route. However, for example, in the case of intersection guidance, the vehicle is at a certain distance (for example, 7
Since the guidance information is output when approaching to the intersection (00 m or 300 m), the time from the driver recognizing the intersection to reaching the intersection is short, and it may be delayed depending on the road conditions.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-292253 proposes a vehicle-mounted navigation device having a function of skipping the screen to the next guidance intersection when the "skip" button is pressed during the "demo" mode operation. . "Demo" mode is a mode that displays the screen displayed when the vehicle moves along the guide route at high speed, and is used, for example, to confirm the guide route before the user actually starts traveling. To be done.

However, in the device proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-292253, the menu screen is called and "Demo" is displayed.
The operation is complicated because it is necessary to select a mode and then press the skip button. Further, in this case, since the screen is switched to the display of the guidance intersection when the "skip" button is pressed, the position of the guidance intersection cannot be intuitively grasped.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-2538 discloses a VIC.
A vehicle-mounted navigation device has been proposed which has a function of scrolling a map image to the end point of a traffic jam when a traffic jam location on a guide route is detected based on S information. However, in this case, since the VICS information only informs the position of the end of the traffic jam at the time when the traffic jam information on the guide route is received, it is confirmed what kind of guidance can be received at what place. It does not satisfy the desire to do.

In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle-mounted navigation device capable of confirming in advance what kind of guidance can be received at what place by a simple operation.

[0012]

A vehicle-mounted navigation device according to the present invention comprises a map data storage means for storing map data, a vehicle position detection means for detecting a current position of a vehicle,
A display means capable of displaying a map image, an operation means provided with a plurality of operation buttons, and a guide route to a destination are searched using the map data, and the vehicle is moved by the output of the vehicle position detection means. And a control means for guiding the vehicle to the destination along the guide route by outputting guidance information to the display means for each guidance point,
The control means transits to a predetermined operation mode when a specific button provided on the operation means is pressed, and scroll-displays a map image from the current position of the vehicle to the guide point on the display means. Is characterized by.

In the present invention, when a specific button provided on the operating means is pressed, a transition is made to a predetermined operation mode (hereinafter also referred to as "on-route information mode"). In this operation mode, the control means scrolls the map image displayed on the display means from the current position of the vehicle to a guide point (a portion to be the target of guide information). As a result, the user can confirm the situation around the guide point and also know the approximate distance and direction from the current position of the vehicle to the guide point.

If the map image is scrolled to the next guide point each time a specific button provided on the operation means is pressed, a plurality of guide points can be confirmed in order. In addition, generally, you can set intersections where you should turn right and left, places with sharp curves, crossings, etc. as guidance points, but if traffic information can be obtained from outside the vehicle, congestion points and traffic regulation points are also guidance points. It is preferable to set to.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle-mounted navigation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numeral 1 is a storage medium in which map data is stored. In this embodiment, a DVD (DVD-ROM) is used as a storage medium for storing map data, but a hard disk or other storage medium may be used.
Reference numeral 3 denotes an operation unit provided with operation buttons and the like for operating the navigation device body 10 described later. In the present embodiment, the operation unit 3 includes a remote control transmitter and a remote control receiver, and the user can also operate the navigation device body 10 with the remote control transmitter at hand.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the remote control transmitter. As shown in FIG. 2, the remote control transmitter 30 includes a joystick 31, a “Enter” button 32,
Various buttons such as a “menu” button 33 and a “return” button 34 are provided. Functions according to the operation mode are assigned to the joystick 31 and the operation buttons 32 to 34. Further, in the present embodiment, remote control transmitter 30 is provided with on-route information (hereinafter also referred to as “on-route”) button 35 and “current location” button 36. When the "on route" button 35 is pressed after the guide route search is completed, the vehicle-mounted navigation device shifts to the on route information mode, as described later. When the “current position” button 36 is pressed, the navigation device transits from the operation mode up to that point to a predetermined operation mode in which the map of the current position of the vehicle is displayed on the display device 7.

Reference numeral 4 is a VICS receiver for receiving VICS information, and 5 is a GPS receiver for receiving a GPS signal sent from a GPS satellite to detect the longitude and latitude of the current position of the vehicle. Reference numeral 6 denotes a self-contained navigation sensor. The self-contained navigation sensor 6 is composed of an angle sensor 6a such as a gyro that detects a vehicle rotation angle, and a traveling distance sensor 6b that generates a pulse at every constant traveling distance. Reference numeral 7 denotes a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, and the navigation device body 10
Displays a map around the current position of the vehicle on the display device 7, or displays a guide route from the starting point to the destination, the vehicle position mark, and other guidance information. Reference numeral 8 is a speaker for providing guidance information to the user by voice.

The navigation device body 10 is composed of the following components. Reference numeral 11 is a DVD controller that controls reading of map data from the DVD 1. 12
Is a buffer memory for temporarily storing the map data read from the DVD 1. Reference numeral 13 is an interface connected to the operation unit 3, 14 is an interface connected to the VICS receiver 4, 15 is an interface connected to the GPS receiver 5, and 16 is an interface connected to the self-contained navigation sensor 6.

Reference numeral 17 is a control unit composed of a microcomputer. The control unit 17 uses the interface 1
The current position of the vehicle is detected based on the information input from 5, 16 and predetermined map data is read from the DVD 1 to the buffer memory 12 via the DVD controller 11, or the map data read to the buffer memory 12 is read. Various processes are executed, such as searching for a guide route from the starting point to the destination under the search condition set using. Further, the control unit 17 is provided with a memory 17a for storing information received by the VICS receiver 4.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a map drawing unit for generating a map image using the map data read out to the buffer memory 12,
Reference numeral 9 denotes an operation screen / mark generation unit that generates various menu screens (operation screens) according to the operation status and various marks such as a vehicle position mark and a cursor.

Reference numeral 20 is a guide route storage unit for storing the guide route searched by the control unit 17, and reference numeral 21 is a guide route drawing unit for drawing the guide route. The guide route storage unit 20 includes the control unit 1
All the nodes of the guide route searched by 7 are stored from the starting point to the destination. When displaying the map, the guide route drawing unit 21 reads the guide route information (node sequence) from the guide route storage unit 20 and draws the guide route in a color and line width different from those of other roads.

Reference numeral 22 is a voice output unit, which supplies a voice signal to the speaker 8 based on a signal from the control unit 17.

Reference numeral 24 denotes an image synthesizing section, which is a map drawing section 18
The operation screen / mark generation unit 19 is added to the map image drawn in
Various marks and operation screens generated in step 3, guide route drawing unit 21
The guide route and the like drawn in step 3 are displayed on the display device 7 in an overlapping manner.

In the thus constructed navigation device, the control unit 17 controls the G received by the GPS receiver 5.
The current position of the vehicle is detected from the PS signal and the signal input from the self-contained navigation sensor 6. Then, the map data around the current position of the vehicle is read from the DVD 1 and stored in the buffer memory 12. The map drawing unit 18 generates a map image based on the map data read in the buffer memory 12, and displays the map image around the current position of the vehicle on the display device 7.

Further, the control unit 17 detects the current position of the vehicle by the signals input from the GPS receiver 5 and the self-contained navigation sensor 6 as the vehicle moves, and displays it on the display device 7 according to the detection result. The vehicle position mark is superimposed on the displayed map image, the vehicle position mark is moved as the vehicle moves, or the map image is scroll-displayed.

Further, when the user operates the operation unit 3 to set the destination, the control unit 17 sets the current position of the vehicle as the departure place, and sets the route from the departure place to the destination as the lowest cost route.
Search using the map data of VD1. Then, the guide route storage unit 2 uses the route obtained by the search as the guide route.
It is stored in 0 and the guide route is superimposed and displayed on the map image.

Furthermore, the control unit 17 outputs guidance information as the vehicle travels, and guides the vehicle to travel to the destination along the guide route. Furthermore, the control unit 17
When the information such as traffic jam and accident is acquired through the VICS receiver 4, the information is displayed on the display device 7 and stored in the memory 17a.

The operation of the vehicle-mounted navigation device of this embodiment in the on-route information mode will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, the operation explanatory diagram shown in FIG. 4 and the screen display examples shown in FIGS. And explain.
In FIG. 4, a rectangular frame indicates the screen of the display device 7, and
(B) to (f) show that the two divided screens display maps of different places.

In the following description, it is assumed that the guide route to the destination has already been searched. Further, it is assumed that the guide points are set in advance such as intersections for turning right and left, traffic congestion points, traffic regulation points, and dangerous points (before a sharp curve or a takeoff).

After the guide route search is completed, when the user presses the "on route" button 35 of the remote control transmitter 30 (step S11), the control unit 17 causes the guide route information stored in the guide route storage unit 20 to be stored. Then, with reference to the VICS information stored in the memory 17a and the map data stored in the DVD 1, a guide point within 10 km ahead of the vehicle in the traveling direction is extracted (step S12). The range in which the guide point is checked is not limited to within 10 km from the current position, and the target range may be expanded until the guide point is extracted.

When the guide point is extracted, the screens shown in FIGS. 4A and 5 showing the map around the current position of the vehicle are forcibly switched to the screen of the on-route information mode (step S13). In the present embodiment, in the on-route information mode, as shown in FIG. 4 (b) and FIG.
While displaying the map image around the current position of the vehicle on one screen, the other screen scrolls the map image along the guide route to the guide point as shown in FIG. 4C. Step S14).

In this case, the scroll time from the current position to the guide point should be about 5 to 10 seconds,
It is preferable to adjust the display scale (scale) of the map image. For example, when the distance to the guidance point is within 1.6 km, the display scale is set to 25 m and 1.6 to 3.2.
When it is km, the display scale is set to 50 m, and 3.2 to 6.
At 4 km, the display scale is 100 m and 6.4 k
When m to 10 km, the display scale is 200 m.
In this case, the maximum scroll time is 6.7 seconds, and the map image can be scrolled to the guidance point in a short time while confirming the guide route. Instead of changing the display scale of the map image or simultaneously with changing the display scale of the map image, the scroll speed of the map image may be adjusted so that the scroll time to the guide point is within a certain range.

When the scroll screen is displayed in 3D (3D display), the user can more intuitively recognize a building on the way to the guide point and other landmark facilities.

As shown in FIG. 4 (d), when the scroll screen reaches the guide point, the display scale is set to 25 m, for example, and the guide point is displayed three-dimensionally (3D display) as shown in FIGS. 4 (e) and 7. ) Do. Then, FIG. 4 (f)
As shown in, the viewpoint goes around the guide point (step S15). This allows the user to check the state around the guidance point in more detail. At this time, the voice guidance at the guidance point may be output from the speaker 8.

After that, the control section 17 determines whether or not there is an interruption process such as voice recognition processing, output of guidance information accompanying vehicle movement and reception of VICS information, and a "return" button 34 or "current location" button of the remote control transmitter 30. It is checked whether or not 36 is pressed (steps S16 and S17). Then, when the interrupt processing occurs, or when the "return" button 34 or the "current location" button 36 of the remote control transmitter 30 is pressed, the on-route information mode is ended, and the screen of the display device 7 is displayed according to the processing. Is changed (step S19).

When the "on route" button 35 of the remote control transmitter 30 is pressed (step S18)
Returns to step S12 and extracts the next guidance point. In this way, each time the "on route" button 35 is pressed, the map image scrolls to the next guidance point, and the guidance point can be confirmed on the stereoscopic display screen.

In the present embodiment, the map image on one of the two screens divided along the guide route is guided to the guide point by a simple operation of pressing the "on route" button 35 provided on the remote control transmitter 30. To scroll. As a result, the user can not only confirm the state around the guide point, but also the guide route to the guide point and the facilities around the guide route. Therefore, it is possible to take measures such as appropriately selecting the lane in which the vehicle is traveling in advance, and it is possible to drive more safely.

Further, in the present embodiment, due to the occurrence of interrupt processing such as voice recognition and reception of VICS information,
Since the on-route information mode is automatically terminated, even if the guide point is confirmed while the vehicle is traveling, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from deviating from the guide route and provide the latest VICS information to the user.

In the present embodiment, the intersections for turning right and left, the points where traffic jams and accidents have been acquired by VICS, and the preset dangerous points (a sharp curve, a take-off point, etc.) are set as the guide points. A desired point may be set as a guide point according to a user setting.

In the above embodiment, the case where the display screen is divided into two screens by the "on route" button 35 has been described, but the map image may be scrolled to the next guidance point with one screen. . For example, in FIG.
When a map image around the current position of the vehicle is displayed on the display device 7 as shown in (a) (stopped or running)
When the "on route" button 35 is pressed,
The shape of the pointer changes as shown in (b), and the map image is scrolled along the guide route to the next guide point. Then, when the scroll screen reaches the guide point as shown in FIG. 8C, the display scale is changed and the guide point is stereoscopically displayed as shown in FIG. 8D. Then, the viewpoint goes around the guide point. Even with such a method, the same effect as that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0043]

As described above, according to the vehicle-mounted navigation device of the present invention, when a specific button provided on the operation means is pressed down, the operation mode changes to a predetermined operation mode, and the control means changes to the display means. The displayed map image is scrolled from the current position of the vehicle to a guidance point (a target location of the guidance information). Thus, the user can confirm the approximate distance and direction from the current position of the vehicle to the guide point and the situation around the guide point with an extremely simple operation. Therefore, there is an effect that the usability of the vehicle-mounted navigation device is improved as compared with the related art.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle-mounted navigation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a remote control transmitter.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the vehicle-mounted navigation device of the present embodiment in an on-route information mode.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation of the vehicle-mounted navigation device of the present embodiment in an on-route information mode.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a screen display example (part 1) of the vehicle-mounted navigation device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a screen display example (No. 2) of the vehicle-mounted navigation device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a screen display example (No. 3) of the vehicle-mounted navigation device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation in a case where a map image is scrolled to a guide point in a single-screen display.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... DVD, 3 ... operation part, 4 ... VICS receiver, 5 ... GPS receiver, 6 ... Self-contained navigation sensor, 7 ... Display device, 10 ... navigation device body, 11 ... DVD controller, 12 ... buffer memory, 17 ... control unit, 18 ... Map drawing unit, 19 ... Operation screen / mark generation unit, 20 ... Guidance route storage unit, 24 ... Image combining unit, 30 ... remote control transmitter, 35 ... On-route button.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G09B 29/10 G09B 29/10 AF term (reference) 2C032 HB02 HB05 HB22 HB23 HC08 HC15 HC27 HC31 HD03 HD07 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AC02 AC03 AC08 AC14 AC18 AC19 5H180 AA01 BB02 BB04 BB13 CC12 EE18 FF04 FF05 FF12 FF22 FF25 FF27 FF33 FF38

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A map data storage means for storing map data, a vehicle position detection means for detecting a current position of a vehicle, a display means capable of displaying a map image, and an operation means provided with a plurality of operation buttons. A vehicle by detecting a guide route to a destination using the map data, detecting the movement of the vehicle by the output of the vehicle position detecting means, and outputting guide information to the display means for each guide point. And a control unit that guides the vehicle to a destination along the guide route, the control unit transitioning to a predetermined operation mode when a specific button provided on the operation unit is pressed, and the display is displayed. A vehicle-mounted navigation device, wherein a map image is scroll-displayed from the current position of the vehicle to the guide point on the means. 2. The control means divides the screen of the display means when transitioning to the predetermined operation mode, one screen displaying a map image around the current position of the vehicle, and the other screen. The vehicle-mounted navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the map image displayed on the screen is scrolled to the guide point. 3. The vehicle-mounted navigation according to claim 1, wherein the control means sets a display scale of the map image to be scrolled according to a distance from the current position of the vehicle to the guide point. apparatus. 4. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising traffic information acquisition means for acquiring traffic information from outside the vehicle, wherein the control means sets the guide point according to the traffic information. In-vehicle navigation device. 5. The vehicle-mounted navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the map image scroll-displayed is a stereoscopic map image. 6. Each time the specific button is pressed,
The vehicle-mounted navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit scrolls the map image displayed on the display unit to a next guidance point. 7. The vehicle-mounted navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit ends the predetermined operation mode when a predetermined interrupt process occurs. 8. The control means, when the map image displayed on the display means is scrolled to a guide point, stereoscopically displays the guide point.
The in-vehicle navigation device according to [1].