JP2004144584A - Facility position searching apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make searchable also for a facility that is not registered as data for searching. <P>SOLUTION: Character display data positioned within a search area 210 around a current position 200 of a vehicle are extracted, and a facility name corresponding to the extracted display character data is displayed on the screen. Then, the facility selected by the user and the peripheral road map around the facility are displayed on the screen from the facility names being displayed on the screen, thus, the searching for a facility within the search area 210 even it is displayed on the road map but is not registered as data for searching, such as a park having a small site area, is made possible. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a facility position search device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As one function of a conventional car navigation device, there is a position search function for searching for a place where a user wants to go, a facility, or the like. For example, when a user inputs a desired address, facility name, or the like, the position search function specifies a place, facility, or the like that matches the input information based on the search data, and specifies the specified place, facility, or the like. Is displayed on the display screen together with the road map around it. The search data includes, for example, data such as a facility name, a facility type, an address, and a position (for example, coordinates of latitude and longitude). In addition, data such as a telephone number and a postal code are also registered as search data in order to make it easy for the user to find a place to go.
[0003]
As described above, a large amount of data is registered as search data used in the conventional position search function in order to enable position search that meets various needs of the user.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The search data used for the conventional position search function is registered with a lot of data that can be search information in order to meet the needs of various search methods of users, but a road map displayed on a display screen of a car navigation device. Not all facilities above are registered. This is because if all the facilities displayed on the road map are registered as search data, the number of registrations is enormous, so it is necessary to increase the storage capacity of the storage medium for storing the search data, This is because it takes a lot of time. Therefore, among the facilities on the road map displayed on the display screen, those that are not registered as the search data are included. Therefore, although displayed on the display screen, the position of the displayed facility can be searched. There was a problem that could not be done.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and has as its object to provide a facility location search device capable of searching for a facility that is not registered in search data.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The facility location search device according to claim 1 stores map display data used for displaying a map and facility display data used for displaying a facility location on a map and having information on the location and name of the facility. Map data storage means, extraction means for extracting facility display data of facilities located within a predetermined area on a map, and list generation for generating a list of facility names corresponding to the extracted facility display data and displaying the list on a display unit Display means, selecting means for selecting an arbitrary facility from a list of displayed facility names, and, when an optional facility is selected by the selecting means, the selected facility and a map of its surroundings are displayed on the display section. Display control means for displaying.
[0007]
As described above, the facility position search device of the present invention searches for a facility located within a predetermined area from the facility display data used for displaying the facility position on the map. As a result, for example, even if a facility is displayed on the map but not registered as search data, such as a park with a small site area, the facility can be searched for. Then, by displaying the facility selected by the user and the map of the surroundings from the list of the extracted facility names, the user can grasp the position of the desired facility on the map. The facility in the present invention is not limited to a facility such as a park or a school, but may be a facility such as an intersection or a building such as a bridge.
[0008]
The facility position search device according to claim 2, further comprising a position detecting means for detecting a current position, wherein the list generation and display means displays a list of facility names corresponding to the extracted facility display data from the current position. Are arranged and displayed from the top of the list in ascending order of distance. Thereby, the user can refer to a desired facility from a facility near the current position.
[0009]
According to the facility position search device of the third aspect, the predetermined area is an area around the current position detected by the position detecting means. For example, by setting an area of 1 km around the current position and the like, the user can search for facilities displayed around the current position on the map. The area is not limited to the area around the current position, but may be, for example, an area in units of prefectures, municipalities, towns, villages, streets, and addresses. Furthermore, it may be an area set by a map code (registered trademark) that specifies various places in Japan by a 6- to 10-digit number.
[0010]
According to the facility position search device of the fourth aspect, when displaying the list of the facility names corresponding to the extracted facility display data, the list generation display means sorts the facility names from the top of the list in the order of the Japanese syllabary. It is characterized by being displayed side by side. For example, they are arranged in alphabetical order according to the first word of the facility name. Thus, for example, if the user knows the name of the facility to be searched, it is possible to easily search for a desired facility from a list arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary.
[0011]
In the facility location search device according to claim 5, the facility display data further includes information on a facility type, and the list generation and display means displays a list of facility names corresponding to the extracted facility display data. Among the facilities to which the landmark indicating the type is allocated and the facilities to which the landmark is not allocated, the facilities to which the landmark is allocated are displayed side by side from the top of the list.
[0012]
For example, hospitals, post offices, and the like whose facilities are indicated on the map by landmarks indicating the types of facilities are displayed side by side from the top of the list. Thereby, the user can easily grasp the facility displayed by the landmark.
[0013]
7. The facility position search device according to claim 6, further comprising a facility type designating unit for designating a desired facility type, wherein the list generation display unit is a facility type designated by the facility type designating unit in the extracted facility display data. Is generated and displayed on the display unit. Thus, the facility name of the facility type desired by the user can be displayed on the list.
[0014]
In the facility position search device according to the seventh aspect, search data storage means for storing search data used for searching for a facility on a map, and a position on the map corresponding to the facility specified by the user based on the search data. A designated facility searching means for searching, wherein the extracting means extracts facility display data of the facility located in the predetermined area when the position on the map corresponding to the facility designated by the designated facility searching means cannot be searched. It is characterized by the following. This makes it possible to search for facilities displayed on the map, although searching from the search data is not possible.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a facility position search device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
(1st Embodiment)
In the present embodiment, an example in which the function of the facility position search device is realized in a car navigation device will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a car navigation device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the car navigation device according to the present embodiment includes a position detector 10, a map data input device 20, an input device 30, a display device 40, an external output device 50, and a control device 100 connected thereto. Is done.
[0017]
The control device 100 includes an input / output unit such as a position input unit 110, a map data input unit 120, a SW input unit 130, and a data output unit 140, and a control unit 150. The control unit 150 is configured as a normal computer, and includes a well-known CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, and a bus line for connecting these components. A program to be executed by the control device 100 is written in the ROM, and the CPU and the like execute predetermined arithmetic processing according to the program.
[0018]
The position detector 10 includes a well-known geomagnetic sensor, a gyroscope, a distance sensor, and a GPS receiver for a GPS (Global Positioning System) that detects the position of the vehicle based on radio waves from satellites, all of which are not shown. are doing. These are configured to be used while being complemented by a plurality of sensors, since each has an error having a different property. A signal of the detected position of the vehicle is transmitted to the control unit 150 via the position input unit 110.
[0019]
Note that, depending on the accuracy of each sensor, the position detector 10 may be constituted by a part of the above-described components, and a rotation sensor of a steering wheel, a vehicle speed sensor of each rolling wheel (not shown), or the like may be used.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1, the map data input device 20 is a device for inputting various data such as search data 21 and display data 22. Send various data via As a storage medium for storing these various data, a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM is generally used in view of the amount of data, but a memory card, a hard disk, or the like may be used. Here, the search data 21 and the display data 22 will be described.
[0021]
The search data 21 is composed of data such as a facility name, a facility type, a telephone number, an address, and coordinates of latitude and longitude, and is used in a search function for searching for a point or facility designated by a user. It is. The display data 22 is composed of map data, background data, road data, character display data, and the like, and is data used to display a road map on the screen of the display device 40. The character display data is data used to display a facility position and a facility name on a road map, and is composed of facility names, facility types, and coordinates of latitude and longitude.
[0022]
As the input device 30, for example, a touch switch or a mechanical switch integrated with the display device 40 is used, and is used for various inputs. An input signal from the input device 30 is transmitted to the control unit 150 via the SW input unit 130.
[0023]
The display device 40 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display. The display device 40 receives an image output signal from the control unit 150 via the data output unit 140, and displays a vehicle position mark corresponding to the current position of the vehicle input from the position detector 10 and a map data input device. A road map or the like around the vehicle generated by the display data 22 input from the device 20 is displayed on the screen. The external output device 50 is, for example, a device that outputs guidance voice and the like, and includes a speaker, an audio amplifier, and the like.
[0024]
Further, when the position of the destination is input from the input device 30, the car navigation device of the present embodiment automatically selects an optimal route from the current position to the destination to form and display a guidance route. It also has a route guidance function. As a technique for automatically setting the optimum route, a technique such as the well-known Dijkstra method is known. Further, a search function is provided for searching for a position that matches a point, facility, or the like input from the input device 30 by a user operation using the search data 21.
[0025]
These functions are mainly performed by the control unit 150 performing various arithmetic processing. That is, when the destination is input, the control unit 150 calculates a route using the road data of the display data 22 of the map data input device 20, displays the route on the display device 40, and turns off or turns right or left. Enlarge the road map and provide voice guidance at the intersection where it should be. Further, when a point, facility, or the like is input, the control unit 150 extracts a position matching the input point, facility, or the like from the search data 21, and extracts the position of the extracted point, facility, or the like and its surroundings. The road map is displayed on the display device 40.
[0026]
Next, a facility position search process using the display character data of the display data 22, which is a feature of the present embodiment, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2 and the image diagrams shown in FIGS.
[0027]
In step S10, initialization is performed. The initial settings include, for example, acquisition of the current position, setting of an area for searching display character data, selection of a list display rearrangement process described later, and the like. In the setting of the search area in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, 1 km around the current position 200 of the vehicle is set as the search area 210. The set search area 210 is not limited to an area centered on the current position 200 of the vehicle, but may be, for example, an area in units of prefectures, municipalities, towns, villages, streets, addresses, and the like. Alternatively, the area may be set by a map code (registered trademark) that specifies various places in Japan by a 6- to 10-digit number.
[0028]
In step S20, facility character display data relating to facilities, points, and the like located in the search area 210 is extracted. Here, an example of a method of extracting character display data located in the search area 210 according to the present embodiment will be described. The method of extracting the character display data is not limited to the method described below.
[0029]
First, display data 22 necessary for displaying a road map including the search area 210 is extracted based on the coordinates of the current position 200 of the vehicle acquired in step S10. Next, it is determined whether or not each of the extracted character display data of the display data 22 is included in the search area 210 based on the latitude / longitude coordinates of the character display data. Finally, only the character display data is extracted.
[0030]
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, it is assumed that a total of seven pieces of character display data have been extracted. These extracted character display data are composed of facility types (landmarks, etc.), facility names, and coordinates of latitude and longitude, as shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the character display data also includes facilities that do not have a landmark indicating a specific facility type.
[0031]
In step S30, a process for displaying the facility names of the character display data finally extracted in step S20 on the display device 40 in a list format is performed. For example, processing is performed so that landmarks indicating facility types are displayed on the road map side by side from the top of the list, or based on the coordinates of each facility and the coordinates of the current position, from the current position to each facility , And processing is performed so as to be arranged and displayed from the top of the list in ascending order of the distance, or processing of rearranging according to the order of the Japanese syllabary of the facility name is performed. Note that which of the rearrangement processes is to be executed is based on the user's selection result in step S10.
[0032]
In step S40, the list processed in step S30 is displayed on the display device 40. FIG. 7 is an example in which the facilities whose positions on the road map are indicated by landmarks indicating the facility types are arranged from the top of the list. By displaying the list as shown in the figure, the user can easily grasp the facilities displayed on the road map by the landmarks.
[0033]
FIG. 8 is an example in which the list is arranged from the top of the list in ascending order of the linear distance from the current position. By displaying the facility names in ascending order of the distance as shown in the figure, the user can refer to the facilities near the current position. Further, FIG. 9 is an example in which the names of the facilities are arranged from the top of the list in the order of the Japanese syllabary. By displaying the facility names in alphabetical order as shown in the figure, the user can easily find a desired facility from the list.
[0034]
If the number of character display data finally extracted in step S20 is large, the list of facility names may not be displayed on one screen of the display device 40. In such a case, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, operation keys for the previous page 41 and the next page 42 are provided on the screen of the display device 40, and the list is displayed for each page according to the input of the operation keys. . Further, the display is not limited to such a list display for each page, but may be a display in which the list is scrolled up and down on the screen as shown in FIG.
[0035]
In step S50, the user is caused to select an arbitrary facility from the list displayed on the screen of the display device 40. This selection operation is performed by the input operation of the input device 30. Then, in step S60, the position of the facility selected by the user and the road map around the facility are displayed on the display device 40. Thereby, the user can grasp the position on the road map of the facility selected by himself. Note that a guidance route from the current position may be finally formed with the location of the facility selected by the user as the destination.
[0036]
As described above, the facility position search process in the car navigation device of the present embodiment searches character display data located within a predetermined area on the road map from the display data 22 used for displaying the facility position on the road map. It is targeted. Thus, for example, it is possible to search for a facility that is displayed on a road map but is not registered in the search data 21, such as a park with a small site area. Further, by selecting a desired facility name from a list that displays the facility names, the selected facility and a road map around the selected facility are displayed, so that the user can grasp the position of the desired facility on the road map. Can be. The facility in the present embodiment is not limited to a facility such as a park or a school, but may be a facility such as a point such as an intersection or a building such as a bridge.
[0037]
(Modification)
In the present embodiment, although the facility names of all the character display data located in the predetermined area on the road map are displayed in the list, the user is allowed to designate in advance the facility type to be searched, and the designated facility is designated. Only the facility name corresponding to the type may be displayed in the list.
[0038]
For example, in the initial setting in step S10 shown in FIG. 2, the user is caused to specify a facility type (for example, a park or a hospital) to be searched. Thereafter, in step S30 shown in the figure, only the character display data corresponding to the facility type designated in step S10 is extracted from the character display data finally extracted by the processing in step S20, and the extracted character display data is extracted. For example, the processing may be such that the facility names displayed as landmarks are displayed side by side from the top of the list, the processing is performed so as to be displayed side by side from the top of the list in order from the current position, or 50 Processing is performed such that the images are displayed side by side according to the order of sounds and the like.
[0039]
Thus, only the facility name corresponding to the facility type desired by the user can be displayed on the list, and as a result, the user can easily find the desired facility name from the list.
[0040]
(Second embodiment)
Since the second embodiment has much in common with the first embodiment, a detailed description of the common parts will be omitted, and different parts will be mainly described below. The second embodiment executes a search function for searching using the conventional search data 21. If a desired facility of the user cannot be searched, the facility position search using the character display data described in the first embodiment is performed. It differs in that it performs processing.
[0041]
Hereinafter, a process of executing a search function using the search data 21 and executing a facility location search using display character data when a desired facility cannot be searched will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. . Steps S10 shown in FIG. 3 and steps S20 to S60 shown in FIG. 4 are the same as those shown in FIG.
[0042]
First, in step S11 shown in FIG. 3, a facility name, a facility type, and the like desired by the user are input from the input device 30. In step S12, a facility matching the input facility name, facility type, and the like is searched from the search data 21.
[0043]
In step S13, it is determined whether or not a facility matching the facility name, facility type, and the like input by the user has been searched from the search data 21. Here, if the search from the search data 21 is successful, the process proceeds to step S14, and in step S14, the location of the searched facility and a road map around it are displayed on the display device 40. If the search from the search data 21 has failed, the process proceeds to step S20 shown in FIG. 4, and the same process as described above is performed.
[0044]
As described above, when a facility desired by the user cannot be searched using the search data 21, the facility location search using the display character data is executed, so that the facility data is displayed on the road map. It is possible to search for facilities that are not registered as.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a configuration of a car navigation device according to first and second embodiments.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a search process using display character data according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a search process using search data 21 according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a search process using display character data according to a second embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an image diagram showing a search area 210 and facilities included in the area according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a data configuration of display character data included in a search area 210 according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 7 is an image diagram in which facilities corresponding to extracted display character data according to the first embodiment are displayed on a road map by landmarks, arranged side by side from the top of the list.
FIG. 8 is an image diagram of a list according to the first embodiment in which facility names corresponding to extracted display character data are rearranged and displayed according to a distance from a current position.
FIG. 9 is an image diagram of a list according to the first embodiment in which facility names corresponding to extracted display character data are rearranged and displayed according to the order of the Japanese syllabary.
FIG. 10 is an image diagram when a facility name corresponding to extracted display character data is displayed in a list of a plurality of pages according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 11 is an image diagram when a facility name corresponding to extracted display character data is displayed in a scrollable list according to the first embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 position detector 20 map data input device 30 input device 40 display device 50 external output device 100 control device

Claims (7)

Map data storage means for storing map display data used for displaying a map, and facility display data used for displaying a facility position on the map and having information on the location and name of the facility,
Extracting means for extracting facility display data of the facility located in a predetermined area on the map,
List generation display means for generating a list of facility names corresponding to the extracted facility display data and displaying the list on the display unit;
Selecting means for selecting an arbitrary facility from the displayed list of facility names;
A facility position search device comprising: a display control unit that, when an arbitrary facility is selected by the selection unit, displays a map of the selected facility and its surroundings on the display unit. Further provided is a position detecting means for detecting the current position,
2. The list generating and displaying means, when displaying a list of facility names corresponding to the extracted facility display data, displays the list from the top of the list in ascending order of distance from the current position. Facility location search device. 3. The facility position search device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined area is an area around a current position detected by the position detection unit. 2. The list generating and displaying means, when displaying a list of facility names corresponding to the extracted facility display data, displays the facility names in order from the beginning of the list in alphabetical order. Described facility location search device. The facility display data further includes facility type information,
When displaying the list of facility names corresponding to the extracted facility display data, the list generation and display means includes a facility to which a landmark indicating the facility type is assigned and a facility to which the landmark is not assigned. 2. The facility position search device according to claim 1, wherein the facilities to which the landmarks are assigned are displayed side by side from the top of the list. Further comprising a facility type designation means for designating a desired facility type,
The list generating and displaying means generates a list of facility names corresponding to the facility type specified by the facility type specifying means in the extracted facility display data, and displays the list on the display unit. 5. The facility position search device according to 5. Search data storage means for storing search data used for searching for facilities on a map;
Designated facility search means for searching a position on a map corresponding to a facility designated by the user based on the search data,
The extraction means extracts facility display data of a facility located within the predetermined area when a location on a map corresponding to the designated facility cannot be retrieved by the designated facility retrieval means. Item 7. A facility position search device according to any one of Items 1 to 6.

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