JP2003315060A - Onboard navigation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an onboard navigation apparatus by which a navigation operation inside a vehicle and a navigation operation outside the vehicle are performed. <P>SOLUTION: A portable navigation part 1 connected to an onboard server 2 in a separable state is installed. Nucleus parts required for a navigation function such as a GPS receiver 13, a monitor device 17, a display control means 11D used to control it and the like are installed so as to be integrated at the navigation part 1. A comparatively-small-capacity storage device 11A used to store narrow-area map information is installed at the navigation part 1, and a storage device 22 for wide-area information requiring a large storage capacity is installed at the onboard server 2. The narrow-area map information fed out from the storage device 22 for wide-area map information is stored in the storage device 11A at the navigation part 1, and map information read out from the storage device 11A is displayed on the monitor device 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,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 capable of performing navigation even outside a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, GPS [Global Positioning Sys
In-vehicle navigation devices using tem (Global Positioning System) have become widely used. GPS
Then, the position coordinate data (X, Y, Z coordinate data or latitude / longitude data) of the receiver is obtained by obtaining the distances between the GPS receiver on the earth and three or more GPS satellites. I have to. When measuring the distance between the GPS satellite and the receiver, the pseudo distance between the GPS satellite and the receiver is obtained from the difference between the time possessed by the GPS satellite and the time possessed by the GPS receiver on the earth. The true distance between the satellite and the receiver is obtained by subtracting the error generated during measurement from this pseudo distance. Errors that occur when measuring the distance between the GPS satellite and the receiver include satellite orbit errors, errors due to time fluctuations on the satellite side, errors due to time fluctuations on the receiver side, and radio waves in the ionosphere and troposphere. There is a delay error that occurs when passing through, an error due to radio wave multipath, an error due to SA (Selective Availability), and the like. The SA error is an error that is intentionally given for US defense reasons.

A DGPS (Differential GPS) method is used as a method for correcting these errors and improving the positioning accuracy. In the DGPS method, the positioning error of GPS is measured by a reference receiver installed at a reference point where accurate measurement has already been performed and accurate position chart data has been obtained, and a signal indicating this positioning error (DGPS Signal) is generally provided by public broadcasting (for example, multiple FM broadcasting), and the error generated at other measurement points is almost the same as the positioning error generated at the reference point, and the pseudo distance or position measured at each measurement point Coordinate data (X, Y, Z coordinate data or latitude, longitude, and height data) is corrected using the DGPS signal.

A vehicle-mounted navigation device utilizing GPS is basically a GP which is launched from a GPS satellite.
A GPS receiver that receives an S signal to measure the current position, a monitor device that uses a liquid crystal display, a storage device that stores map information, and the current position information that is obtained from the GPS receiver is read from the storage device. And display control means for displaying the map information on the monitor device.

Further, in order to improve the positioning accuracy, D
A DGPS signal receiving unit that receives a GPS signal and a position correction unit that corrects positioning data using the DGPS signal received by this receiving unit are further provided.

[0006]

The conventional vehicle-mounted navigation device is exclusively for vehicle-mounted use and cannot be used for the purpose of performing navigation outside the vehicle.

[0007] Therefore, for example, when a car has to be parked in a parking lot away from the destination and the user has to walk from the parking lot to the destination, it is impossible to get directions to the destination. It was In addition, when the parking lot where the car is parked is vast, it may sometimes be difficult to know the position of one's own car when returning to the car after making a supplement.

Although it is possible to prepare a portable navigation device in order to enable navigation outside the vehicle, it is extremely difficult to prepare both a vehicle-mounted navigation device and a portable navigation device. It is uneconomical. Further, the conventional portable navigation device is large in size because it uses a CDROM or the like as a vehicle-mounted navigation device as a storage means for storing map information, and has a problem of poor portability.

As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-253327, a portable navigation device having a GPS receiver and a monitor device for displaying the positioning result by this GPS receiver, and a storage device for storing map information. And a vehicle-mounted navigation device having a monitor device for displaying the current position of the vehicle together with map information, and connecting the portable navigation device and the vehicle-mounted navigation device through a communication line to thereby receive GPS signals from the portable navigation device. It is known that positioning information obtained by a vehicle is read into a vehicle-mounted navigation device so that the current position can be displayed on a display of the vehicle-mounted navigation device.

According to this structure, the GPS receiver can be used both as the on-vehicle navigation device and the portable navigation device, so that the on-vehicle and portable navigation devices can be constructed while suppressing the cost increase to some extent. be able to.

However, in this already proposed device, it is necessary to provide the monitor device and the display control unit for both the vehicle-mounted navigation device and the portable navigation device, so that the cost cannot be avoided. .

Further, in the above-mentioned proposed device, the portable navigation device does not have a part for storing map information, and the monitor device of the portable navigation device can display the direction of the target position viewed from the current position and the target position. Since it was not possible to display a map of the surroundings because it was only the distance to, etc., it was not possible to make the navigation easy for the user to understand.

An object of the present invention is to carry a main part having a GPS receiver, a monitor device, and display control means for displaying information on the current position obtained from the GPS receiver together with map information on the monitor device. (EN) Provided is a vehicle-mounted navigation device that can be compactly integrated as a navigation unit, and can be taken out of the vehicle by removing the navigation unit as needed to perform easy-to-understand navigation even outside the vehicle. Especially.

[0014]

An on-vehicle navigation system according to the present invention comprises an on-vehicle server having a wide area map information storage device storing wide area map information and a detachable connector which is configured to be portable. And a navigation unit connected to the vehicle-mounted server via the interface.

The on-vehicle server is a server (high-performance computer) mounted on an automobile, and is originally connected to various sensors and portable terminals to ensure safe driving of the automobile. It monitors the mechanical or electrical condition and sends it to the safety management center outside the vehicle, gives control commands to each part of the vehicle in response to commands from the security management center, notifies the driver of danger, and It is used for the purpose of connecting to the Internet and giving various information such as traffic information and tourist information to the driver.
With the progress of IT technology, it is expected that the number of servers of this type installed in automobiles will increase in the future.

The wide area map information is map information of a wide area such as the whole of Japan, the entire Kanto region, or the whole of Tokyo.

The navigation unit uses a GPS antenna for receiving a GPS signal generated by a satellite and a GPS signal received by the GPS antenna to obtain a current position GP.
A narrow area map information storage device (RAM or RAM that is rewritable by cutting out from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle-mounted server the narrow range map information of a certain range around the current position obtained by the S receiver and the GPS receiver. A narrow area map information storage control means to be stored in an EEPROM or the like, a monitor device having a screen for image display, and a monitor together with map information read out from the narrow area map information storage device at the current position obtained by the GPS receiver. The display control means for displaying on the screen of the device and the direct current power supply unit for supplying a necessary power supply voltage to each unit are provided.

The narrow area map information storage control means and the display control means can be realized by causing a CPU to execute a predetermined program.

The narrow area map information is the map information of an area limited to a narrower area than the wide area map information, and is the map information of a certain distance around the current position of the automobile. This narrow area map information is set to include at least map information of an area where the driver acts on foot. Normally, it is sufficient to use the map information in the range of 2 km to 3 km around the stop position of the automobile as the narrow area map information.
When the storage capacity of the narrow area map information storage device provided in the navigation unit can be increased, a wider range of map information can be used as the narrow area map information.
It is preferable that the range of the narrow area map information can be appropriately changed by a key operation or the like.

With the above-mentioned structure, while the vehicle is traveling, the navigation unit should be installed in front of the driver at a location where GPS signals can be received (for example, the dashboard) and be connected to the vehicle server. As a result, it is possible to display the current position and the map information on the monitor device and perform a navigation operation.

When the vehicle is parked and headed for the destination on foot, the navigation unit is separated from the in-vehicle server so that the driver can carry it, and the current position and surrounding map information can be displayed on the monitor device. It is possible to perform easy-to-understand navigation.

Further, with the above configuration, wide area map information may be stored in the vehicle-mounted server, and only the narrow area map information may be stored in the map information storage device of the navigation unit. The storage unit provided in the navigation unit can be downsized, the navigation unit can be made compact, and its portability can be improved.

Further, as described above, when the central portion for performing the navigation function is collectively provided in the navigation section,
Navigation inside and outside the vehicle can be realized by common components, and dual monitor devices are provided for the inside and outside of the vehicle, or dual GPS receivers for inside and outside the vehicle. Since it is not necessary to provide such a device, it is possible to provide a function for enabling navigation outside the vehicle without increasing the cost.

The map information storage control means is configured to update the narrow area map information stored in the narrow area map information storage device each time the current position calculated by the GPS receiver is displaced by the set distance. Is preferred.

According to this structure, since the narrow area map information storage device always stores the map information in a fixed range around the current position, the navigation unit is opened after the vehicle is stopped. This is convenient because it is not necessary to be aware of the operation for particularly storing the narrow area map information when carrying the vehicle out of the vehicle.

In order to improve the positioning accuracy, the navigation unit uses a GPS that receives GPS signals generated by satellites.
A DG provided on a public radio wave from a terrestrial broadcasting station or the like in addition to an antenna and a GPS receiver that obtains a current position by using a GPS signal received by the GPS antenna.
DGPS signal receiving section for receiving PS signal and this DGP
It is preferable to provide position correction means for correcting the current position obtained by the GPS receiver using the DGPS signal received by the S signal receiving section.

When the position correcting means using the DGPS signal is provided in this way, the current position obtained by the GPS receiver or the narrow area map information of a certain range around the current position corrected by the position correcting means is displayed. The narrow area map information storage control means is configured to cut out from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle-mounted server and store in the rewritable narrow area map information storage device, and the current position corrected by the position correction means is narrowed. The display control means is configured to display the map information read from the area map information storage device on the screen of the monitor device.

In this case, the narrow area map information storage control means is
The narrow area map information stored in the narrow area map information storage device may be updated every time the current position obtained by the GPS receiver is displaced by the set distance, and the narrow area map information is corrected by the position correcting means. The narrow area map information stored in the narrow area map information storage device may be updated each time the current position is displaced by the set distance.

When the narrow area map information around the current position is cut out from the wide area map information, it is preferable to use the information of the current position after being corrected by the position correcting means as the current position. Since the error between the current position before correction and the current position after correction is not so large, even when using the current position information before correction as the current position when cutting out the narrow area map information It does not hinder practical use.

The DGPS signal is currently being broadcast by being carried on the electric wave of public multiple FM broadcasting. Therefore, the above DG
The PS signal receiving unit can be composed of an FM antenna and an FM receiver.

Since the positioning accuracy can be improved by providing the position correcting means using the DGPS signal as described above, the navigation can be performed with high accuracy even while the vehicle is running or walking outside the vehicle. Can be done.

When the navigation unit is not provided with the position correction means using the DGPS signal, the display control means uses the current position obtained by the GPS receiver when the navigation unit is connected to the on-vehicle server. Depending on the position, it is displayed on the screen of the monitor device together with the map information read from the wide area map information storage device of the in-vehicle server, and when the navigation unit is disconnected from the in-vehicle server, the current position obtained by the GPS receiver is narrowed. It is preferable to display the map information together with the map information read from the area map information storage device on the screen of the monitor device.

In the case where the navigation section is provided with a position correction means using the DGPS signal, the GPS is used when the navigation section is connected to the on-vehicle server.
The current position obtained by the receiver is displayed on the screen of the monitor device together with the map information read from the wide area map information storage device of the in-vehicle server, and is corrected by the position correcting means when the navigation unit is in a state of being separated from the in-vehicle server. It is preferable that the display control means is configured to display the present position on the screen of the monitor device together with the narrow area map information stored in the narrow area map information storage device.

The navigation section of the vehicle-mounted navigation device according to the present invention also includes a GPS antenna for receiving a GPS signal generated by a satellite, a GPS receiver for obtaining the current position using the GPS signal received by the GPS antenna, and a wide area. A map information cutout range designating means for designating a range of the narrow area map information to be cut out from the wide area map information stored in the map information storage device, and the narrow area map information in the range designated by the map information cutout range designating means. A narrow area map information storage control unit that is cut out from the wide area map information storage device and stored in a rewritable narrow area map information storage device; and a monitor device having a screen for image display,
It is also possible to adopt a configuration including a DC power supply unit that supplies a necessary power supply voltage to each unit. In this case, the display control means displays the current position obtained by the GPS receiver when the navigation unit is connected to the vehicle-mounted server together with the map information read from the wide-area map information storage device of the vehicle-mounted server. When the navigation unit is separated from the vehicle-mounted server, the current position obtained by the GPS receiver is displayed on the screen of the monitor together with the map information stored in the narrow area map information storage device. To configure.

When performing position correction by DGPS,
It goes without saying that the map information cutout range designating means can be provided.

As described above, when the map information cutout range designating means is provided, the map information cutout range designating means may be configured to designate the range of the narrow area map information to be cut out only when necessary. In this case, the narrow area map information storage control means is configured as shown below.

That is, when the DGPS signal receiving unit and the position correcting unit are not provided, the current position obtained by the GPS receiver when the range of the narrow area map information to be cut out by the map information cutting range specifying unit is not specified. The narrow area map information of a certain area around the is cut out from the wide area map information storage device of the on-vehicle server and stored in the rewritable narrow area map information storage area, and the narrow area map information is cut out by the map information cut out range designating means. When the range is specified, the narrow area map information storage control is performed so that the narrow area map information in the specified area is cut out from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle server and stored in the narrow area map information storage device. Constitutes a means.

When the DGPS signal receiving section and the position correcting means are provided, the current position obtained by the GPS receiver when the range of the narrow area map information to be cut out by the map information cutting range specifying means is not specified or The narrow area map information in the fixed range around the current position corrected by the position correcting means is cut out from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle-mounted server and stored in the rewritable narrow area map information storage device, and the map information is stored. When the range of the narrow area map information to be cut out is specified by the cut out area specifying means, the narrow area map information in the specified area is cut out from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle server and stored in the narrow area map information storage device. The narrow area map information storage control means is configured so as to perform.

As described above, the map information cutout range designating means for designating the range of the narrow area map information cut out from the wide area map information stored in the wide area map information storage device is provided,
When the narrow area map information in the range specified by the map information cut-out area specifying means is cut out from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle-mounted server and stored in the rewritable narrow area map information storage device, Instead of the narrow area map information centered on the stopped position, the narrow area map information centered on a place away from the parking position of the car is stored in the storage unit of the navigation unit to perform car navigation. You can also

As described above, when the map information cut-out range designating means is provided, the narrow area map information storage device is composed of a replaceable small memory and stores different narrow area map information (narrow area map information). The storage device) can be appropriately exchanged and used, so that navigation during walking can be performed in a plurality of different areas.

[0041]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an example of the structure of a vehicle-mounted navigation device according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a navigation unit configured to be portable.
Is a vehicle-mounted server, and the navigation unit 1 and the vehicle-mounted server 2 are connected via an interface 3 having detachable connectors 3A and 3B.

The navigation unit 1 includes an arithmetic control unit 11
A GPS antenna 12 for receiving a GPS signal emitted from a satellite, a GPS receiver 13 for obtaining a current position using the GPS signal received by the GPS antenna 12, and an FM.
A DGPS signal receiving unit 16 including an antenna 14 and an FM receiver 15, a monitor device 17 for displaying an image having a liquid crystal display, and an operation unit 18 for giving a necessary operation command to the arithmetic control unit 11 by a push button switch or the like. , A direct-current power supply unit P that supplies a necessary power supply voltage E to each component of the navigation unit by using a rechargeable battery as a power supply
S and S.

The arithmetic and control unit 11 includes at least a CPU (not shown) and a rewritable narrow area map information storage device 11A, and causes the CPU to execute a predetermined program to generate a DGPS signal. Position correction means 11B that corrects the current position calculated by the GPS receiver 13 using the DGPS signal received by the reception unit 16, and narrow area map information of a certain range around the current position calculated by the GPS receiver 13, A narrow area map information storage device 1 that can be cut out and rewritten from a wide area map information storage device of an in-vehicle server described later.
Narrow area map information storage control means 11C to be stored in 1A,
Display control means 11D for displaying the current position corrected by the position correction means 11B on the screen of the monitor device 17 together with the map information read from the narrow area map information storage device 11A.
And realize.

The in-vehicle server 2 includes an arithmetic processing unit (CPU) 2
1, a wide-area map information storage device 22, and an operation unit 23 that gives a necessary command signal to the arithmetic processing unit 21 by key operation, touch panel operation, or the like. The part 21 is connected via an interface 3 having detachable connectors 3A and 3B. In the example shown in the figure, a charger 24 for charging the battery of the direct-current power supply PS using the generator driven by the engine of the automobile as a power source is provided on the in-vehicle server side, and the output of this charger 24 is the connector 3A, It is applied to the battery of the DC power supply unit PS through 3B.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the principles of the GPS antenna 12, the GPS receiver 13, the DGPS signal receiving section 16 and the position correcting means 11B are already known.

An example of the appearance of the navigation unit 1 is shown in FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 2, a rectangular plastic frame 102 having a window 101 is provided,
A liquid crystal display 103 is attached so as to face the window portion 101 of this frame.

The GPS antenna 12 is attached to the upper portion of the frame 102, and the connector 3A is attached to the lower portion. The connector 3A is connected to the connector 3B connected to the vehicle-mounted server 2 through the bus 4 while the vehicle is running.

On the lower part of the front surface of the frame 102, there are provided push button switches 104 constituting the operation section 18.

In the navigation system shown in FIG. 1, the navigation unit 1 is connected to the vehicle-mounted server 2 via the interface 3 while the automobile is running. G
The PS receiver 13 receives GPS signals emitted from a plurality of satellites through a GPS antenna,
Positioning of the current position is performed using the S signal. GPS receiver 1
Positioning data of the current position (positional coordinate data) obtained from No. 3 is given to the position correcting means 11B. Also DGP
The S signal receiving unit 16 extracts the DGPS signal carried by the radio waves of the multiple FM broadcast and gives the DGPS signal to the position correcting means 11B. The position correction means 11B is a DGPS.
The signal is used to correct the positioning data of the current position obtained from the GPS receiver 13, and the corrected positioning data of the current position is given to the display control means 11D.

On the other hand, the narrow area map information storage control means 11C is
Based on the current position information obtained from the position correction means 11B, a fixed range around the current position (for example, radius 2 km)
The map processing unit 21 of the vehicle-mounted server 2 is instructed to cut out the map information of the area of the area). In response to this instruction, the arithmetic processing unit 21 reads the specified narrow area map information from the wide area map information storage device 22 and transfers the read narrow area map information to the CPU of the navigation unit 11. The narrow area map information storage control means 11C realized by the CPU of the navigation unit transfers the narrow area map information transferred from the vehicle-mounted server 2 to the narrow area map information storage device 11A and stores it in the storage device 11A. . After that, the above operation is repeated every time the current position obtained from the position correcting means 11B moves by a predetermined distance, and the stored contents of the narrow area map information storage means are updated.

The display control means 11D is the position correction means 11
The current position corrected by B is displayed on the screen of the monitor device 17 together with the map information read from the storage device 11A.

In this way, it is possible to perform navigation while the vehicle is running.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the navigation unit 1 may be provided with guide means for guiding the travel route by voice. In addition, this voice guidance means
It can also be provided on the in-vehicle server side. When the voice guide means is provided on the vehicle server side, the position correction means 11
The positioning data of the current position corrected by B is also given to the arithmetic processing unit 21 of the vehicle server.

When the driver parks the vehicle in a parking lot away from the destination and walks to the destination, the connector 3A is removed from the connector 3B and the navigation unit 1
Is separated from the in-vehicle server 2. Since all the parts necessary for fulfilling the navigation function are provided in the navigation unit 1, it is possible to perform GPS navigation even if the navigation unit is removed from the in-vehicle server.

In this embodiment, the narrow area map information storage device 11 of the navigation unit removed from the on-vehicle server.
Since narrow area map information of a certain range around the current position of the place where the car is stopped is stored in A, the monitor device of the navigation unit 1 displays the current map of the pedestrian and the surrounding map information. Therefore, it is possible to make the navigation easy for the pedestrian to understand.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the position correction means 11B
Although the narrow area map information is cut out from the wide area map information using the information of the current position corrected by, the difference between the current position obtained from the GPS receiver and the current position corrected by the position correcting means is large. If there is not, the narrow area map information may be cut out from the wide area map information by using the information of the current position before correction obtained from the GPS receiver.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the position correction is performed by the DGPS signal. However, when high precision navigation is not required, as shown in FIG.
By omitting the signal receiving unit and the position correction unit, the positioning data obtained by the GPS receiver is given to the display control unit 11D so that the current position obtained by the GPS receiver is displayed on the monitor device together with the map information. Good.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the output of the vehicle speed sensor 5 and the output of the azimuth sensor 6 are input to the arithmetic processing unit 21 of the vehicle server 2. These sensors are provided in order to increase the positioning accuracy by using the navigation for calculating the current position from the traveling distance and the traveling direction of the automobile, but they may be omitted.

In the above example, the display control means 11D always displays the calculated present position as the narrow area map information storage device 11.
Although it is configured to be displayed on the monitor together with the narrow area map stored in C, the current position (or position correction) obtained by the GPS receiver when the navigation unit 1 is connected to the in-vehicle server 2 is displayed. Means 11B is D
(Current position corrected using GPS signal) is displayed on the screen of the monitor device together with the map information read from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle-mounted server according to the current position,
When the navigation unit is in a state of being separated from the vehicle-mounted server 2, the current position obtained by the GPS receiver (or the current position corrected by the position correcting means 11B using the DGPS signal) is read from the narrow area map information storage device. The display control unit 11D may be configured to display the map information on the screen of the monitor device.

In the above example, based on the obtained current position, the narrow area map information in a fixed range around the current position is cut out and stored in the narrow area map information storage device 11A. With this configuration, it is not necessary to perform an operation for cutting out the narrow area map information before removing the navigation unit and taking it out of the office, so that the handling can be facilitated.

However, the present invention is not limited to the case where the narrow area map information is cut out based on the current position immediately before the navigation unit is removed from the vehicle-mounted server as described above, and the navigation unit is removed from the vehicle-mounted server. Alternatively, the narrow area map information in the range specified by the user may be cut out and stored in the narrow area map information storage device. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, in the navigation unit 1, the range of the narrow area map information cut out from the wide area map information stored in the wide area map information storage device by the key operation of the operation unit 17 or the like is displayed. A map information cutout range designating means 19 for designating is provided in advance, and the narrow area map information in the range designated by the map information cutout range designating means is cut out from the wide area map information storage device 22 of the vehicle-mounted server 2 and is stored in the navigation unit 1. The narrow area map information storage control means 11C is configured to be stored in the narrow area map information storage device 11A.

As described above, the map information cutout range designating means 19 is provided and the narrow area map information of the range designated by the map information cutout range designating means is cut out from the wide area map information storage device 22 of the vehicle server 2. If it is made to memorize | store in the storage device 11A for narrow area map information, instead of the narrow area map information centering on the position which stopped the vehicle, the narrow area map centering on the place away from the position where the vehicle was parked. The information can be stored in the storage device of the navigation unit so that the car can be navigated.

For example, when the car is parked in the parking lot of Haneda Airport in Tokyo, it is specified that the narrow area map information of the business trip destination in Osaka is cut out, and the narrow area map information is used for the narrow area map information of the navigation section. By storing in a storage device,
It is possible to make navigation at a business trip destination in Osaka.

As described above, when the map information cutout range designating means 19 is provided, the narrow area map information storage device 11A.
Is configured with a small memory that can be easily replaced, such as a memory stick, CF memory card (Compact Flash Memory Card), SD memory card (Secure Digital Memory Card), and stores different narrow area map information. If the memory (a storage device for narrow area map information) can be exchanged and used appropriately, it is possible to perform navigation during walking in a plurality of different areas.

[0065]

As described above, according to the present invention, the central portion required for the navigation function is collectively provided in the portable navigation portion which is detachably connected to the vehicle-mounted server, and the navigation portion is provided. A relatively small-capacity storage device for storing narrow area map information is provided in the vehicle, and a storage device for wide-area map information that requires a large storage capacity is provided on the in-vehicle server side and cut out from the storage device for wide-area map information. Since the narrow area map information is stored in the storage unit of the navigation unit, the navigation unit is installed in front of the driver at a location where GPS signals can be received and connected to the in-vehicle server while the vehicle is running. By doing so, it is possible to display the current position and map information on the monitor device for navigation operation, park the car and walk. When toward the target ground is by portable navigation unit to the driver separately from the vehicle-mounted server, to display the current position and a map of the information to the monitoring device, it can perform a straightforward navigation.

Further, according to the present invention, the wide area map information may be stored in the in-vehicle server, and only the narrow area map information may be stored in the map information storage device of the navigation unit. The navigation unit can be made compact and the portability can be improved by reducing the size of the storage device provided in the unit.

Further, according to the present invention, since the central portion for performing the navigation function is integratedly provided in the navigation portion, it is possible to realize the navigation inside the vehicle and the navigation outside the vehicle by using the common component parts. Since it is not necessary to provide dual monitor devices for vehicle exterior and vehicle exterior and dual GPS receivers for vehicle interior and vehicle exterior, navigation outside the vehicle is possible without increasing costs. Can have a function for doing.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an appearance of a navigation unit used in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Navigation part, 2 ... In-vehicle server, 3 ... Interface, 3A, 3B ... Connector, 11 ... Arithmetic control part,
11A ... Narrow area map information storage device, 11B ... Position correction means, 11C ... Narrow area map information storage control means, 11D ... Display control means, 12 ... GPS antenna, 13 ... GPS receiver, 14 ... FM antenna, 15 ... FM receiver, 16 ... D
GPS signal receiving unit, 17 ... Monitor device, 19 ... Map information cutout range designating unit, 21 ... Arithmetic processing unit, 22 ... Wide area map information storage device, 24 ... Charger, PS ... DC power supply unit.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hiroshi Shida             5-30-9 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Shiba Co., Ltd.             Tsunai (72) Inventor Masaaki Kurokawa             5-30-9 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Shiba Co., Ltd.             Tsunai (72) Inventor Tetsuro Furushima             5-30-9 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo Shiba Co., Ltd.             Tsunai F term (reference) 2C032 HB22 HB23 HC08 HC11 HC14                       HC31 HD03                 2F029 AA02 AA07 AB01 AB07 AC02                       AC14 AC18 AD05                 5H180 AA01 AA21 BB08 BB12 CC12                       EE18 FF04 FF05 FF07 FF22                       FF25 FF27 FF33                 5J062 AA05 BB01 BB05 CC07 EE04                       FF01 HH04 HH06 HH07

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. An in-vehicle server including a wide-area map information storage device that stores wide-area map information, and an in-vehicle server that is connected to the in-vehicle server through an interface that is configured to be portable and has a detachable connector. A navigation unit, wherein the navigation unit receives a GPS signal generated by a satellite, a GPS receiver that obtains a current position using the GPS signal received by the GPS antenna, and the GPS receiver A narrow area map information storage control unit that cuts out the narrow area map information in a certain range around the obtained current position from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle-mounted server and stores it in the rewritable narrow area map information storage device. A monitor device having a screen for displaying an image, and a current position obtained by the GPS receiver from the storage device for narrow area map information. An in-vehicle navigation device comprising: display control means for displaying the read map information on the screen of the monitor device; and a DC power supply unit for supplying a necessary power supply voltage to each unit. 2. The narrow area map information storage control means updates the narrow area map information stored in the narrow area map information storage device each time the current position calculated by the GPS receiver is displaced by a set distance. The vehicle-mounted navigation device according to claim 1, which is configured to: 3. An in-vehicle server having a wide-area map information storage device storing wide-area map information, and an in-vehicle server connected to the in-vehicle server via an interface having a detachable connector configured to be portable. A navigation unit, wherein the navigation unit receives a GPS signal generated by a satellite, a GPS receiver for determining a current position using the GPS signal received by the GPS antenna, and a DGPS signal A DGPS signal receiving unit, a position correcting unit that corrects the current position obtained by the GPS receiver using the DGPS signal received by the DGPS signal receiving unit, and a current position obtained by the GPS receiver or the position correction The narrow area map information of a certain range around the current position corrected by the means is displayed on the wide area map of the vehicle server. A narrow area map information storage control unit that is cut out from the information storage apparatus and stored in the rewritable narrow area map information storage apparatus, a monitor apparatus having a screen for image display, and corrected by the position correction unit. A vehicle-mounted navigation device comprising display control means for displaying the current position on the screen of the monitor device together with map information read out from the storage device for narrow area map information, and a DC power supply part for supplying a necessary power supply voltage to each part. . 4. The narrow area map information storage control means, each time the current position obtained by the GPS receiver or the current position corrected by the position correcting means is displaced by a set distance, the narrow area map information. The vehicle-mounted navigation device according to claim 3, which is configured to update the narrow area map information stored in the information storage device. 5. An in-vehicle server equipped with a wide-area map information storage device storing wide-area map information, and an in-vehicle server connected via an interface equipped with a detachable connector configured to be portable. A navigation unit, wherein the navigation unit receives a GPS signal generated by a satellite, a GPS receiver for obtaining a current position using the GPS signal received by the GPS antenna, and a screen for displaying an image. And a GP equipped with a monitor device
Display control means for displaying the present position obtained by the S receiver together with the narrow area map information around the present position on the screen of the monitor device, and map information of a certain range around the present position obtained by the GPS receiver. A narrow area map information storage control means for storing the narrow area map information in the rewritable narrow area map information storage device that is cut out from the wide area map information storage device of the in-vehicle server, and a power supply voltage required for each part. A direct current power supply unit for giving a current position obtained by the GPS receiver when the navigation unit is connected to the vehicle-mounted server, and stores the wide-area map information of the vehicle-mounted server according to the current position. It is displayed on the screen of the monitor device together with the map information read from the device, and when the navigation unit is in a state of being separated from the in-vehicle server, GP
The vehicle-mounted navigation device, wherein the display control means is configured to display the current position obtained by the S receiver on the screen of the monitor device together with the map information read from the storage device for narrow area map information. 6. The map information storage control means is the GP.
6. The in-vehicle navigation according to claim 5, wherein the narrow area map information stored in the narrow area map information storage device is updated each time the current position calculated by the S receiver is displaced by a set distance. apparatus. 7. A vehicle-mounted server equipped with a storage device for wide-area map information storing wide-area map information, and connected to the vehicle-mounted server via an interface equipped with a detachable connector configured to be portable. A navigation unit, wherein the navigation unit receives a GPS signal generated by a satellite, a GPS receiver for obtaining a current position using the GPS signal received by the GPS antenna, and a DGPS signal. A DGPS signal receiving unit, a position correcting unit that uses the DGPS signal received by the DGPS signal receiving unit to correct the current position obtained by the GPS receiver; a monitor device including a screen for displaying an image; The current position corrected by the position correcting means is displayed on the screen of the monitor together with the narrow area map information around the current position. The map information of the display control means to be displayed on the display unit and the map of a certain range around the current position obtained by the GPS receiver or the current position corrected by the position correction unit are cut out from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle server. The rewritable narrow area map information storage device includes a narrow area map information storage control unit for storing the narrow area map information, and a direct current power supply unit that supplies a necessary power supply voltage to each unit, and the navigation unit includes the When connected to the vehicle-mounted server, the current position obtained by the GPS receiver is displayed on the screen of the monitor device together with the map information read from the wide-area map information storage device of the vehicle-mounted server according to the current position. However, when the navigation unit is separated from the vehicle-mounted server, the current position corrected by the position correction unit is displayed. Said to display on the screen of the monitor device together with the map information read from the narrow area map information storage device, the display control means vehicle navigation system is configured. 8. The narrow area map information storage control means, each time the current position obtained by the GPS receiver or the current position corrected by the position correcting means is displaced by a set distance, the narrow area map information. The vehicle-mounted navigation device according to claim 7, which is configured to update the narrow area map information stored in the information storage device. 9. An in-vehicle server equipped with a wide-area map information storage device that stores wide-area map information, and is connected to the in-vehicle server via an interface that is configured to be portable and has a detachable connector. A navigation unit, wherein the navigation unit receives a GPS signal generated by a satellite; a GPS receiver that obtains a current position using the GPS signal received by the GPS antenna; Map information cutout range designating means for designating a range of narrow area map information to be cut out from the wide area map information stored in the storage device, and narrow area map information of the range designated by the map information cutout range designating means of the in-vehicle server. Narrow area cut out from the wide area map information storage device and stored in the rewritable narrow area map information storage device When the navigation unit is in a state of being connected to the vehicle-mounted server, it is provided with a graphic information storage control unit, a monitor device having a screen for image display, and a DC power supply unit that supplies a necessary power supply voltage to each unit. The current position obtained by the GPS receiver is displayed on the screen of the monitor device together with the map information read from the wide area map information storage device of the in-vehicle server, and when the navigation unit is in a state of being separated from the in-vehicle server. The vehicle-mounted navigation device, wherein the display control means is configured to display the current position obtained by the GPS receiver on the screen of the monitor device together with the map information read from the storage device for narrow area map information. 10. An in-vehicle server equipped with a wide-area map information storage device storing wide-area map information, and an in-vehicle server connected to the in-vehicle server via an interface equipped with a detachable connector that is configured to be portable. A navigation unit, wherein the navigation unit receives a GPS signal generated by a satellite, a GPS receiver for obtaining a current position using the GPS signal received by the GPS antenna, and a DGPS signal A DGPS signal receiving unit, a position correcting unit that corrects the current position obtained by the GPS receiver using the DGPS signal received by the DGPS signal receiving unit, and wide area map information stored in the wide area map information storage device. A map information cutout range designating means for designating a range of narrow area map information to be cut out from the map information cutout And a narrow area map information storage control means that cuts out the narrow area map information in the area specified by the area specifying means from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle-mounted server and stores it in the rewritable narrow area map information storage device. A monitor device having a screen for image display and a direct current power supply unit for supplying a necessary power supply voltage to each unit, and when the navigation unit is connected to the vehicle-mounted server, the position correction unit corrects The displayed current position is displayed on the screen of the monitor device together with the map information read from the wide area map information storage device of the in-vehicle server, and when the navigation unit is in a state of being separated from the in-vehicle server, the position correction means is used. The screen of the monitor device together with the map information read out from the storage device for narrow area map of the corrected current position The vehicle-mounted navigation device, wherein the display control means is configured to be displayed on. 11. An in-vehicle server equipped with a wide-area map information storage device that stores wide-area map information, and is connected to the in-vehicle server via an interface equipped with a detachable connector that is configured to be portable. A navigation unit, wherein the navigation unit receives a GPS signal generated by a satellite; a GPS receiver that obtains a current position by using the GPS signal received by the GPS antenna; A map information cut-out range designating unit for designating a range of narrow-range map information to be cut out from the wide-range map information stored in the wide-range map information storage unit, and a range of narrow-range map information to be cut out by the map information cut-out range designating unit are designated. When not in the GPS
The narrow area map information of a certain range around the current position obtained by the receiver is cut out from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle-mounted server and stored in the rewritable narrow area map information storage device, and the map information cutout is performed. When the range of the narrow area map information to be cut out is specified by the range specifying means, the narrow area map information of the specified range is cut out from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle server and stored in the narrow area map information storage device. A narrow area map information storage control means for storing, a monitor device having a screen for image display, the present position obtained by the GPS receiver together with the map information read out from the narrow area map information storage device, and the monitor device. An on-vehicle navigation device comprising: a display control unit for displaying on the screen of 1. and a DC power supply unit that supplies a necessary power supply voltage to each unit. 12. An in-vehicle server equipped with a wide-area map information storage device that stores wide-area map information, and a vehicle-mounted server connected via an interface that is configured to be portable and has a detachable connector. A navigation unit, wherein the navigation unit receives a GPS signal generated by a satellite, a GPS receiver for determining a current position using the GPS signal received by the GPS antenna, and a DGPS signal A DGPS signal receiving unit, a position correcting unit that corrects the current position obtained by the GPS receiver using the DGPS signal received by the DGPS signal receiving unit, and if necessary, stored in the wide area map information storage device. Map information cutout range designating means for designating a range of narrow area map information to be cut out from the wide area map information, The GPS when the range of the narrow area map information to be cut out by Figure information extraction range designating means is not specified
The narrow area map that can be rewritten by cutting out the narrow area map information of the current position obtained by the receiver or the fixed area around the current position corrected by the position correcting means from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle-mounted server. When the range of the narrow area map information to be cut out is specified by the map information cut-out range specifying means stored in the information storage device,
A narrow area map information storage control unit that cuts out narrow area map information in a specified range from the wide area map information storage device of the vehicle-mounted server and stores the narrow area map information in the narrow area map information storage device, and an image display screen. Monitor device, display control means for displaying the current position corrected by the position correction means on the screen of the monitor device together with the map information read from the narrow area map information storage device, and a power supply voltage required for each part. An in-vehicle navigation device having a DC power supply unit for supplying the power. 13. The vehicle-mounted navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the storage device for narrow area map information is composed of a replaceable small memory. 14. The DC power supply unit is configured to output a required power supply voltage using a rechargeable battery as a power supply, and a charger for charging the battery through the connector using the power generator of an automobile as the power supply is provided. The in-vehicle navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, which is provided on the in-vehicle server side.