JP2003315065A - Navigation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation apparatus by which a route is searched and guided satisfactorily even with a configuration detachable with respect to a vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: The navigation apparatus 1 is configured such that a display operation unit 3 is installed at a navigation apparatus body 2 so as to be detachable, and that the unit 3 is operated so as to set a destination and to search the route while the unit 3 is attached to the apparatus body 2. The navigation apparatus is configured such that the unit 3 is operated so as to guide the route on the basis of a route search result while the unit 3 is removed from the apparatus body 2. By this configuration, the route is searched and guided satisfactorily in the unit 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a navigation device mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Navigation devices for automobiles include a removable type and a fixed type that cannot be removed.

[0003]

The removable navigation device has a small size to some extent so that it can be used as a portable navigation device. For this reason, the removable navigation device cannot store a sufficient amount of map data, so that it may not be possible to properly execute route search and route guidance to the destination.

On the other hand, since the stationary navigation device can have a sufficient amount of map data, it can favorably execute route search and route guidance. However, the stationary navigation device cannot be used as a portable navigation device because it cannot be removed. This point was dissatisfied with the user.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device capable of favorably executing route search and route guidance while being detachable from a vehicle. There is.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a display / operation unit is detachably provided in a navigation device body, and the display / operation unit is operated with the display / operation unit attached to the navigation device body. Configured to perform a route search by setting the destination,
The display operation unit is detached from the main body of the navigation device, and the display operation unit is operated to perform route guidance based on the route search result. In the case of this configuration, the display operation unit can be attached to and detached from the vehicle, and route search and route guidance can be favorably executed in the display operation unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the display operation unit includes storage means for storing the map data fetched from the map data storage unit, and operates as a portable navigation device in a state where it is detached from the navigation device body. With this configuration, the display operation unit can be used as a portable navigation device.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the display operation unit includes image input means for taking in an image printed on paper or the like, and storage means for storing the image data taken in by the image input means. Since the image data is displayed, the display operation unit can be used as a memo pad.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a navigation device mounted on an automobile will be described below.
Description will be made with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a navigation device body 2 and a display operation unit 3 that is detachably provided on the front surface of the navigation device body 2.

The navigation device body 2 is attached and fixed to a predetermined portion of an instrument panel (not shown) of an automobile. On the front surface of the navigation device main body 2, L-shaped engaging projections 4 and 4 are provided so as to be located at both ends of the upper portion thereof, and at the same time, engaging recesses 5 are provided at both end portions of the lower portion. 5 are formed. A charging connector 6 is provided at the left end of the front surface of the navigation device body 2.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, convex portions 7, 7 that fit into the engaging concave portions 5, 5 of the navigation device body 2 are provided at both lower end portions of the rear surface portion of the display operation unit 3. ing. Then, recesses 8, 8 with which the engaging protrusions 4, 4 of the navigation device body 2 engage are formed at both ends of the upper surface of the display operation unit 3. With this configuration,
The projections 7, 7 of the display operation unit 3 are fitted into the engagement recesses 5, 5 of the navigation device body 2, and the engagement projections 4, 4 of the navigation device body 2 are fitted together.
The display operation unit 3 is detachably attached to the navigation device body 2 by engaging with the recesses 8 of the display device 8. A charging connector 9 detachably connected to the connector 6 of the navigation device body 2 is provided on the rear surface of the display operation unit 3.

Further, on the front surface of the display operation unit 3,
As shown in FIG. 2, a display 10 such as a liquid crystal display, various switches 11, and a CCD camera (image input means) 12 are provided. A touch panel 10 a is provided on the surface of the display 10. An auxiliary storage device insertion portion 13 is provided on the side surface portion of the display operation unit 3. The auxiliary storage device insertion unit 13 is configured by a device into which an auxiliary storage device such as a smart card or a memory stick can be inserted and connected.

Next, the electrical configuration of the navigation device body 2 and the display operation unit 3 will be described with reference to FIG. Of these, the display operation unit 3 includes a position detector 14, a display 10, an input unit 15, a control circuit 16, a storage device 17, an auxiliary storage device 18, and a CC.
D camera 12, battery device 19, and communication device 20
It consists of and. The control circuit 16 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer and has a function of controlling the overall operation of the display operation unit 3.

The position detector 14 is a GPS receiver 21.
And a gyroscope 22 and are configured to detect the current position of the vehicle. The display 10 can display in color and can clearly display maps, characters, images, and the like. The input unit 15 includes a touch panel 10a on the display 10 and various switches 11.

The storage device 17 is composed of a RAM, a flash memory, a hard disk, etc., and can store map data and various data acquired from the navigation device body 2 side. The auxiliary storage device 13 is composed of, for example, a smart card or a memory stick, and is inserted into the auxiliary storage device insertion portion 13.

The image data photographed by the CCD camera 12 is stored in the storage device 17, and the stored image data can be displayed on the display 10. In this case, a plurality of image data can be stored, and a desired one of the plurality of image data can be selected and displayed.

The battery device 19 is composed of a rechargeable secondary battery and supplies power to the display operation unit 3. The battery device 19 is installed on the navigation device body 2 side in a state where the display operation unit 3 is attached to the navigation device body 2 (that is, the connector 6 of the display operation unit 3 is connected to the connector 9 of the navigation device body 2). It is configured to be charged by a power source (power source for charging).

The communication device 20 is composed of a wireless communication device (for example, a Bluetooth module, an infrared communication module, a radio communication module, etc.). Data communication can be executed between the display operation unit 3 and the navigation device body 2 through the communication device 20 and the communication device 23 of the navigation device body 2.

Further, the display operation unit 3 is provided with a remote controller sensor 24, and when the remote controller 25 is operated, the operation signal is given to the control circuit 16 of the display operation unit 3 via the remote controller sensor 24. It is configured.

On the other hand, the navigation device body 2 includes a control circuit 26, a communication device 23, and an internal audio device 27.
And a map data storage unit 28. The control circuit 26 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer and has a function of controlling the overall operation of the navigation device body 2. The communication device 23 is a wireless communication device (for example, Blueto
oth module, infrared communication module, radio wave communication module, etc.). Through this communication device 23 and the communication device 20 of the display operation unit 3,
Data communication can be executed between the navigation device body 2 and the display operation unit 3.

The internal audio device 27 is a tuner,
It is composed of an audio device such as a cassette, a CD, an MD (neither is shown), and these are driven and controlled by the control circuit 26. The map data storage unit 28 is configured by a reading device that reads a recording medium such as a DVD-ROM, and is a device for acquiring map data and various data. A CD-ROM, a memory card, or the like may be used as the recording medium. When the map data storage unit 28 receives a read command from the control circuit 26, the map data storage unit 28 is configured to output map data or the like corresponding to the input read command to the control circuit 26.

Further, the control circuit 26 of the navigation device body 2 is configured to drive and control each device (for example, MD, CD changer, etc., not shown) of the external audio device 29.

In the navigation device 1 having the above-described structure, when the display operation unit 3 is attached to the navigation device main body 2, the input unit 15 of the display operation unit 3 of the navigation device 1 is installed in the same manner as a known audio integrated navigation device. By operating the keys, each function of the navigation device 1 (functions such as route search, route guidance, location, etc.) can be executed, and various audio devices (internal audio device 27, external audio device 29, etc.) can be operated. It is configured to be able to operate.

The operation of the navigation device 1 when operating an audio device will be briefly described. In this case, when the user inputs a command to operate the audio device by operating the key of the input unit 15 of the display operation unit 3, the control circuit 1 of the display operation unit 3 is input.
6 transmits the control signal for the command to the control circuit 26 of the navigation device body 2 via the communication device 20 and the communication device 23 of the navigation device body 2. Then, the control circuit 26 of the navigation device body 2 operates based on the control signal for the command.
7 or a designated audio device in the external audio device 29 is operated and operated.

Next, regarding the operation when executing the route search and route guidance in the navigation device 1,
Briefly explained. In this case, first, the user operates the keys of the input unit 15 of the display operation unit 3 to set the destination. Then, the control circuit 16 of the display operation unit 3
The process of automatically calculating and setting the guide route (optimum route) from the current position of the vehicle to the set destination, that is,
Executes route search processing.

In this case, the control circuit 16 of the display operation unit 3 is configured to execute the route search based on the map data acquired from the map data storage unit 28 of the navigation device body 2. The Dijkstra method or the like is known as a method for automatically setting the guide route.

Here, in the case of the present embodiment, even if the display operation unit 3 is detachable, the route search is performed by the map data storage unit 28 of the navigation device body 2 as described above. Since the configuration is performed based on (that is, a sufficient amount of map data), the route search can be favorably performed in the same manner as a known vehicle-mounted (that is, stationary) navigation device.

When the user wants to execute route guidance based on the route search result, the user operates the display operation unit 3
The command of executing the route guidance is input by operating the key of the input unit 15 of. Then, the control circuit 16 of the display operation unit 3 executes route guidance based on the route search result. At this time, the control circuit 16 of the display operation unit 3
Is the map data storage unit 28 of the navigation device body 2.
It is configured to execute the route guidance based on the map data acquired from.

In this case, since the route guidance is executed based on the map data (that is, a sufficient amount of map data) acquired from the map data storage unit 28 of the navigation apparatus body 2, it is well known to be mounted on a vehicle. Similar to a type (i.e., stationary type) navigation device, route guidance can be performed well.

In the present embodiment, the route guidance can be executed based on the route search result even when the display operation unit 3 is removed from the navigation device body 2. In the case of this configuration, the control circuit 16 of the display operation unit 3 is configured so that the navigation device body 2
The map data (the amount of map data required for route guidance) acquired from the map data storage unit 28 of the display operation unit 3
It is configured to be stored in the storage device (memory, hard disk, or the like) 17 and to execute the route guidance based on the stored map data.

Here, with respect to the operation method when the display operation unit 3 is detached from the navigation apparatus main body 2,
A brief description will be given with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. In this case, first, the user operates the key of the input unit 15 of the display operation unit 3 to select the attachment / detachment operation menu. As a result, the screen shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the display 10 of the display operation unit 3.

When the user presses the "remove" key on this screen, the control circuit 16 of the display / operation unit 3 is configured to execute a process of stopping the audio control. In this case, the control circuit 16 of the display operation unit 3
A command for stopping the audio control is transmitted to the control circuit 26 of the navigation device body 2 via the communication device 20 and the communication device 23 of the navigation device body 2. As a result, the control circuit 26 of the navigation device body 2 recognizes that the audio control from the display operation unit 3 has stopped.

Then, the control circuit 1 of the display operation unit 3
As shown in FIG. 5, 6 is configured to display a message on the display 10 indicating that the display / operation unit 3 can be removed. On this screen, you can only operate the "Install" key.
The "remove" key has been erased (or toned down) from the screen.

Since the display operation unit 3 of the above embodiment is provided with the CCD camera 12, the user can use the removed display operation unit 3 as a scanner (simple digital camera). In this case, the image photographed (scanned) by the CCD camera 12 is configured to be stored in the memory or the hard disk of the storage device 17, or the memory stick of the auxiliary storage device 18. When taking a picture with the CCD camera 12, the display 10 is configured to function as a finder and display an image taken (scanned).

The user operates the display operation unit 3
The external data stored in the supplementary storage device 18 or the HD data stored in the hard disk of the storage device 9 can be read out and displayed on the display 1 by operating the keys of the input unit 15. .

Specifically, when the above external data is read, when the "read" key is operated on the screen shown in FIG. 6, the external data stored in the supplementary storage device 18 is read out and shown in FIG. Is displayed on the display 10. In this case, multiple external data (image data)
Is displayed, the external data of the name can be displayed by selecting the desired name. Note that these external data are stored (written) in the storage device 17 of the display operation unit 3.
It is also possible. FIG. 8 shows a screen in which writing of external data has been completed.

On the other hand, when reading out HD data, when the "read" key is operated on the screen shown in FIG.
The HD data stored in the storage device 17 is read out and displayed on the display 10, as shown in FIG. In this case, the names of a plurality of HD data (image data) are displayed, so by selecting the desired name,
The HD data of that name can be displayed.

In this embodiment having such a structure, the display / operation unit 3 is detachably provided in the navigation device main body 2, and the display / operation unit 3 is attached to the navigation device main body 2 while the display / operation unit 3 is attached. The display / operation unit 3 is operated to set the destination and execute the route search, and the display / operation unit 3 is operated with the display / operation unit 3 removed from the navigation device body 2 to perform the route search. Configured to execute route guidance. According to this configuration, while the display operation unit 3 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the vehicle, the route search and route guidance are performed by the map data (that is, sufficient Since it is configured to execute based on the amount of map data),
The display operation unit 3 can favorably execute route search and route guidance.

Further, in the above embodiment, the user operates the keys of the input section 15 of the display operation unit 3 with the display operation unit 3 attached to the navigation device body 2, so that the internal audio device 27 or the external audio device is operated. The device 29 can be drive-controlled. That is,
The navigation device 1 of the above embodiment realizes an audio-integrated navigation device while the display operation unit 3 is detachably configured.

By the way, in the conventionally well-known audio-integrated navigation device, each function of the navigation device can be executed by operating various operation keys (including a touch panel provided on the display). , It is configured to be able to operate various audio equipment mounted on the automobile. This navigation device is quite convenient for the user. However, the user cannot remove the audio-integrated navigation device from the automobile and use it as a portable navigation device.

On the other hand, in the navigation device 1 of this embodiment, since the display operation unit 3 is detachable, the display operation unit 3 can be detached from the automobile and used as a portable navigation device. .
Moreover, according to the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, each function of the navigation device 1 can be executed in the state of being attached to the vehicle,
It is possible to operate various audio devices installed in a car. For this reason, it is considerably convenient for the user.

When the display operation unit 3 is detached from the vehicle and used as a portable navigation device, the storage device 17 of the display operation unit 3 stores only the route guidance map data. It may not be possible to properly execute the navigation function other than the route guidance.

Therefore, the storage device 1 of the display operation unit 3
A second embodiment is provided as a configuration capable of storing map data of appropriate quality and quantity as a portable navigation device. Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. In the second embodiment, when the display operation unit 3 is removed, the map data storage unit 28 of the navigation device body 2 acquires the map data desired by the user and stores it in the storage device 17.

Specifically, when the user operates the "remove" key in the attachment / detachment operation menu of FIG.
The screen shifts to the screen for reading the map data shown in 1. This screen is configured so that you can select any one of the whole country (main parts of all areas in Japan), the area (prefecture area of the current location), and the details (area with radius nkm centering on the current location). There is.

Then, when the user selects the map data to be read, the reading of the map data is started, and when the reading is completed, the message is displayed and the screen as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed. According to the second embodiment having such a configuration, the map data fetched from the map data storage unit 28 is configured to be stored in the storage device 17 of the display operation unit 3, so that the navigation device body 2 With the display / operation unit 3 removed, the display / operation unit 3 can be sufficiently used as a portable navigation device.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the display operation unit 3 has a CCD for capturing an image printed on paper or the like.
Since the camera 12 is provided and the image data captured by the CCD camera 12 is stored in the storage device 17 or the auxiliary storage device 18, and the image data is displayed on the display 10, the display operation is performed. The unit 3 can be used as a memo pad.

In each of the above embodiments, when the display operation unit 3 is detached from the navigation device body 2, when the time during which the input unit 15 of the display operation unit 3 is not operated reaches a predetermined no-operation time. , Display 1
It is preferable to turn off 0 to save power.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a navigation device showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a navigation device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the back side of the display operation unit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display screen of a display.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another display screen of the display.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another display screen of the display.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another display screen of the display.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another display screen of the display.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another display screen of the display.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another display screen of the display.

FIG. 11 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention and is a diagram showing a display screen of a display.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another display screen of the display.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a navigation device, 2 is a navigation device body, 3 is a display operation unit, 10 is a display, 11
Is a switch, 12 is a CCD camera (image input means), 1
3 is an auxiliary storage device insertion unit, 14 is a position detector, 16 is a control circuit, 17 is a storage device (storage means), 18 is an auxiliary storage device, 20 is a communication device, 23 is a communication device, 26 is a control circuit, 27. Is an internal audio device, 28 is a map data storage unit, and 29 is an external audio device.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 2C032 HB03 HB05 HB12 HB22 HC08                       HC13 HD16                 2F029 AA02 AB07 AB13 AC02 AC08                       AC14 AC17                 5H180 AA01 BB04 BB13 CC04 FF04                       FF05 FF22 FF27 FF33

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A navigation device body provided in a vehicle, a map data storage unit provided in the navigation device body, and a display unit and an operation unit detachably provided in the navigation device body. A display operation unit, wherein the display operation unit is attached to the main body of the navigation device, and the display operation unit is operated to set a destination to execute a route search. A navigation device configured to operate the display operation unit and execute route guidance based on the route search result in a state where the vehicle is removed from the navigation device body. 2. The display operation unit includes storage means for storing map data taken in from the map data storage unit, and is configured to operate as a portable navigation device in a state of being removed from the navigation device body. The navigation device according to claim 1, characterized in that 3. The display operation unit includes image input means for capturing an image printed on paper or the like, and storage means for storing the image data captured by the image input means, and displays the image data. The navigation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the navigation device is configured as follows.