JP2005127994A - Navigation system, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation technology, i.e. a navigation system, a method, and a program, capable of easily grasping user location and other location, or a relative relation between the user location and an object while moving. <P>SOLUTION: An arbitrary point on a map is registered in advance; a registered point outside a display region on a display device is determined; a present location is detected; the location of the registered point is determined with the detected location as a nominal; and the name of a registered point close to the present location from among the registered points outside the display region, the azimuth of the registered point to the present location, the distance from the present location to the registered point are displayed on each of locations corresponding to them. A user can recognize the direction from his vehicle to a known point and the distance, and can easily grasp the present location. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation technology, that is, a navigation device, a method, and a program in which displayed guidance information is improved in a navigation device mounted on a moving vehicle, for example.

  In recent years, with the generalization of automobiles and the development of information processing technology, navigation devices typified by in-vehicle use are rapidly spreading. The navigation device uses the road map data prepared in advance, displays the current position sequentially detected by GPS, etc. on the surrounding map, calculates the optimum guidance route to the destination specified by the user, and the direction of travel Is guided and guided by screen display or voice synthesis.

If such a navigation device is used, it is a great advantage that the user can grasp the current position from the current position displayed together with the map. In particular, even when traveling on an unknown land, it is convenient because it is possible to grasp which position on the map is traveling. Furthermore, a technique that can be used as a guideline for grasping the current position and the traveling direction by displaying administrative division names, intersection direction names, point names, etc. on the top, bottom, left and right of the display screen has been proposed (Patent Document 1, Patent Document) 2)
JP 2000-298027 A JP 2002-122435 A

  By the way, in the conventional technology as described above, even if it is possible to grasp which position on the displayed map is running, if it is an unknown land, the relative position to a known point Since the relationship is not known at all, there is a case where anxiety is felt in grasping the position of the own vehicle. Even the techniques disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are not very useful if the user does not know at all the administrative division names and intersection names that are displayed.

  For example, the user cannot grasp the name or location of a spot name or a famous facility, as well as an administrative district name, an intersection name, a road name, etc., in a tourist spot or land that has just moved. There is a case. In such a case, the user can grasp the position of the vehicle at a point where the vehicle has already passed or a point where it happened to stop (in particular, it may be a supermarket, convenience store, police box, etc., not a tourist attraction). There is sex.

  However, depending on the scale of the map, the display information is limited such that detailed points are not displayed in order to improve the information visibility of the user, and it is difficult for the user to find a known point. For this reason, for example, the user is trying to grasp the current position by switching the scale of the display map and comparing the position of the vehicle with a known point, which is very troublesome for the user. . Thus, it can be said that the conventional technology lacks the function of assisting in grasping the position of the vehicle on an unknown land.

  Currently, a so-called “point party (registered trademark)” service can be used in a communication-type navigation apparatus connected to a server outside the vehicle via a communication network. This is to display the current positions of other members in the group in the navigation device of each user registered as a group, and is realized as follows. First, a group sharing a vehicle position among a plurality of users is transmitted to the server and registered in advance. And the navigation apparatus mounted in the vehicle of each member in this group transmits a self-vehicle position to a server regularly. As a result, each member's navigation device can periodically receive the position information of the other member's vehicle from the server and display the position of the other member. At the same time, it is possible to know where other members are currently.

  However, the “point party” function as described above displays a mark indicating another member at a position on the map only when another member exists within the area of the map displayed on the navigation device. It is only done. Therefore, as with the point display, when the distance from the vehicle to other members is far away, it is not displayed on the navigation device of the vehicle, and the relative relationship between the vehicle position and the positions of other members is grasped. Can not. In order to cope with this, it is necessary to switch the scale of the display map as described above, which is very troublesome for the user.

  The present invention solves the problems of the prior art as described above, and the main purpose of the present invention is to allow the user to easily grasp the relative relationship between the user's own position and other points or moving objects. It is to provide a navigation technology, that is, a navigation device, a method and a program.

  Another object of the present invention is a navigation technique that can be easily grasped from a relative relationship with its own position even if it is a point or a moving body outside the display area, that is, a navigation device, method, and Is to provide a program.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a navigation technique, that is, a navigation device, a method, and a program that make it easy to grasp the position of the user even in a land that the user does not know.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a navigation technique, that is, a navigation device, a method, and a program, that facilitates grasping the position of another moving body when the user moves with the other moving body. .

  In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is a navigation device for guiding and guiding a route by displaying a map based on road map data on a display device using a computer or an electronic circuit. The location of the location registered by the location registration unit with reference to the current location detected by the current location detection unit, a current location detection unit that detects the current location, and a current location detection unit It has a position determination part to determine, and a position information display part which displays the information about the position of the registration spot determined by the position determination part on the display device.

  The invention of claim 4 captures the invention of claim 1 from the viewpoint of a method, and a computer or an electronic circuit guides a route by displaying a map based on road map data on a display device. In the navigation method, the step of the computer or electronic circuit registering an arbitrary point on the map, the step of detecting the current position, and the step of determining the position of the registered point on the basis of the detected current position And displaying information on the position of the determined registration point on the display device.

  The invention of claim 7 captures the inventions of claims 1 and 4 from the viewpoint of a computer program. By controlling the computer, a map based on road map data is displayed on a display device. In the navigation program for guiding and guiding the route, the computer is caused to register an arbitrary point on the map, to detect the current position, and to determine the position of the registered point based on the detected current position. The information regarding the position of the registered point is displayed.

  In the inventions of claims 1, 4, and 7 as described above, information on the position of the registered point viewed from the current position is displayed by registering a desired known point in advance by the user. Even in the case of land, the current position can be easily grasped based on the position information of known points.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the first aspect, the display area of the display device is configured such that the position information is displayed by the position information display unit with respect to a registration point not included in the display area of the display device. And an area determination unit for determining whether or not the registration point is included.

  The invention of claim 5 captures the invention of claim 2 from the viewpoint of the method, and in the navigation method of claim 4, it is determined whether or not the registration point is included in the display area of the display device. And a step of displaying position information regarding registered points not included in the display area of the display device.

  The invention of claim 8 captures the inventions of claims 2 and 5 from the viewpoint of a computer program. In the navigation program of claim 7, the registration point is displayed in the display area of the display device on the computer. Whether or not it is included is determined, and the position information of the registered points that are not included in the display area of the display device is displayed.

  In the inventions of claims 2, 5, and 8 as described above, even when a known registered point is not displayed on the map, information on the position can be obtained, so that it is not necessary to expand the display scale. This makes it easier to grasp the current position.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device of the first or second aspect, the information on the position of the registered point is at least a registered point name, an orientation of the registered point with respect to the current position, and a distance from the current position to the registered point. It is characterized by being one.

  The invention of claim 6 captures the invention of claim 3 from the viewpoint of the method, and in the navigation method of claim 4 or claim 5, the information relating to the position of the registered spot is a registered spot name, a current position It is at least one of the azimuth | direction of the registration point with respect to and the distance from a present position to a registration point, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  The invention of claim 9 captures the inventions of claims 3 and 6 from the viewpoint of a computer program, and in the navigation program of claim 7 or claim 8, the information on the location of the registered point is a registered point name. It is at least one of the azimuth of the registration point with respect to the current position and the distance from the current position to the registration point.

  In the inventions of claims 3, 6, and 9 as described above, the user can obtain any of the point name, azimuth, and distance of a known point, so that the current position can be easily grasped.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a navigation device that guides a route by displaying a map based on road map data on a display device using a computer or an electronic circuit. Based on a current position detection unit that detects a current position, a position storage unit that stores a position of another moving body different from the main moving body, a current position of the main moving body, and position information of the other moving body A position determining unit that determines a relative position of the other moving body with respect to the main moving body, and a relative position between the main moving body and the other moving body determined by the position determining unit. And a position information display unit for displaying information on the display device.

  The invention of claim 15 captures the invention of claim 10 from the viewpoint of a method, and a computer or an electronic circuit displays a map display based on road map data on a display device, thereby guiding a route. In the navigation method, the computer or the electronic circuit detects the current position of the main moving body to be guided and guided, stores the position of another moving body different from the main moving body, A step of determining a relative position of the other moving body with respect to the main moving body based on a current position of the main moving body and position information of the other moving body; and the main moving body and the other moving body. And displaying information on a relative position with respect to the display device.

  The invention of claim 20 captures the inventions of claims 10 and 15 from the viewpoint of a computer program, and displays a map display based on road map data on a display device by controlling the computer. In a navigation program for guiding and guiding a route, the computer is caused to detect a current position of a main moving body which is a target of guidance guidance, and a position of another moving body different from the main moving body is stored, and the main moving body is stored. And determining the relative position of the other moving body with respect to the main moving body based on the current position of the other moving body and the position information of the other moving body. Information on the position is displayed on the display device.

  In the inventions of claims 10, 15, and 20 as described above, information on the relative position of the other moving body viewed from the current position is displayed, so that the current position can be easily determined from the relationship with other moving bodies. I can grasp it.

The invention according to claim 11 is the navigation device according to claim 10, further comprising a moving body registration unit that registers at least one of the other moving bodies.
The invention of claim 16 captures the invention of claim 11 from the viewpoint of the method, and the navigation method of claim 15 includes a step of registering at least one of the other moving objects. To do.
The invention of claim 21 captures the inventions of claims 11 and 16 from the viewpoint of a computer program. In the navigation program of claim 20, the computer causes the computer to register at least one other moving object. It is characterized by that.
In the inventions of claims 11, 16 and 21 as described above, by registering a plurality of moving bodies, it is possible to grasp each other's position even when moving in a group, which is convenient.

A twelfth aspect of the invention is the navigation device according to the tenth or eleventh aspect, further comprising a communication device capable of receiving the position data of the other moving body via a communication network. To do.
The invention of claim 17 captures the invention of claim 12 from the viewpoint of the method. In the navigation method of claim 15 or claim 16, the position data of the other moving body is Receiving via a communication network.
The invention of claim 22 captures the inventions of claims 12 and 17 from the viewpoint of a computer program. In the navigation program of claim 20 or claim 21, the computer is provided with the other program. The position data of the moving body is received via a communication network.

  In the inventions of claims 12, 17 and 22 as described above, by receiving information on the positions of a plurality of moving objects processed in an external server or the like, the processing load is not imposed on each moving object side. Can accurately grasp the position of the moving body.

  The invention according to claim 13 is the navigation device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the other moving body not included in the display area of the display device is positioned relative to the main moving body. An area determination unit that determines whether or not the other moving body is included in the display area of the display device so that the information on the position information display unit is displayed.

  The invention of claim 18 captures the invention of claim 13 from the viewpoint of the method, and in the navigation method of any one of claims 15 to 17, the other movement is performed in the display area of the display device. A step of determining whether or not a body is included, and a step of displaying information on a relative position of the other moving body not included in the display area of the display device with respect to the main moving body. It is characterized by including.

  The invention of claim 23 captures the inventions of claims 13 and 18 from the viewpoint of a computer program. In the navigation program of any one of claims 20 to 22, the display of the display device is displayed on the computer. It is determined whether or not the other moving body is included in the area, and information on the relative position of the other moving body not included in the display area of the display device with respect to the main moving body is displayed. It is characterized by that.

  In the inventions according to claims 13, 18 and 23 as described above, even if the moving object is out of the display area of the display device, information on the position can be obtained. Even if it does not apply, it can grasp other moving bodies reliably.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the tenth or eleventh aspect, the information on the relative position with respect to the other moving body includes a moving body name and the other movement with respect to a current position of the main moving body. It is at least one of a body orientation and a distance from the current position of the main mobile body to the other mobile body.

  The invention of claim 19 captures the invention of claim 14 from the viewpoint of the method, and in the navigation method according to any one of claims 15 to 18, it is relative to the other moving body. The position-related information is at least one of a moving object name, an orientation of the other moving object with respect to a current position of the main moving object, and a distance from the current position of the main moving object to the other moving object. And

  The invention of claim 24 is the one in which the inventions of claims 14 and 19 are grasped from the viewpoint of a computer program. In the navigation program of any one of claims 20 to 23, relative to the other moving object. The information regarding the position is at least one of the name of the moving object, the orientation of the other moving object with respect to the current position of the main moving object, and the distance from the current position of the main moving object to the other moving object. Features.

  In the inventions of claims 14, 19 and 24 as described above, the user can obtain any one of the names of other moving bodies, directions, and distances, so that the position of the other moving bodies can be easily grasped.

  According to the present invention as described above, a navigation technology, that is, a navigation device, a method, and a program that allow a user to easily grasp the relative relationship between the user's position and another point or a moving body. Can be provided.

  In addition, according to the present invention, a navigation technique, that is, a navigation device, a method, and a program that can be easily grasped from a relative relationship with the position of the user even if the point is outside the display area or a moving body. Can be provided.

  Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a navigation technique, that is, a navigation device, a method, and a program that make it easy to grasp one's position even in a land that the user does not know.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a navigation technique, that is, a navigation device, a method, and a program that facilitate the grasp of the position of another moving body when the user moves with the other moving body.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. In addition, although this embodiment is realizable by controlling the computer provided with the peripheral device by the program, the implementation | achievement aspect of the hardware and program in this case can be variously changed. In addition to the navigation apparatus and method, the present invention can be grasped as a program as described above and a computer-readable storage medium storing such a program. Therefore, in the following description, virtual circuit blocks that realize the functions of the present invention and the present embodiment are used.

[1. Configuration of First Embodiment]
[1-1. overall structure〕
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, the navigation device in this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as “this device”) is generally registered in a navigation device that searches and guides a route to a destination based on road map data prepared in advance. The point information about the point closest to the current position outside the map display range is detected for each direction, and for example, the direction of the point (arrow), distance, point name, and other additional information are displayed. Yes, it has the following elements shown in the functional block diagram of FIG.

  That is, the absolute position / orientation detection unit 1 calculates the absolute position coordinates and direction on the ground surface with respect to the current position of the automobile (referred to as the own vehicle) on which the apparatus is mounted, that is, the own vehicle position. This is a part for receiving GPS radio waves transmitted from GPS satellites with an antenna or a receiver. The relative orientation detection unit 2 is a part for detecting the relative orientation of the host vehicle using a gyro or the like. Moreover, the vehicle speed detection part 3 is a part which calculates the speed of the own vehicle by processing the vehicle speed pulse obtained from a motor vehicle.

  The main CPU and its peripheral circuit 4 are parts that serve as a control circuit for controlling the entire apparatus. The memory group M is various memories necessary for the operation of the apparatus. For example, the ROM 5 for storing programs is accessed by the main CPU when the apparatus is activated. A main program is loaded into a dynamic RAM (DRAM) 6 that provides a work area and the like. The SRAM (static RAM) 7 is a storage means for storing various settings such as a registration point table, an azimuth angle table, and a display table, which will be described later, and information including map data. The SRAM 7 is also in a state where the main power is off. The memory contents are provided when the battery is backed up and turned on, but can be replaced by other storage means such as a flash memory or a hard disk drive. A display VRAM (video RAM) 8 stores bitmap data of an image to be displayed on the display unit 10.

  The display unit 10 is a display device that displays various information such as a map, an operation menu, and position information described later on a liquid crystal display screen (not shown), and is preferably used in combination with speech synthesis. The input unit 11 is a part for a user to input information such as a command from a switch or the like, and includes a touch sensor function, a remote control unit, an infrared transmission / reception unit, and the like, but is configured integrally with the display unit 10 as a touch panel. It is desirable. The user interface unit 9 is a user interface that connects the display unit 10 and the input unit 11 to the main CPU and its peripheral circuit 4 using an I / O control circuit, a device driver, or the like.

  The HDD control unit 12 is means for reading various data such as a navigation program recorded in a hard disk (mass storage device) from a database, and stores road map data that preliminarily represents a network structure of a road or a road section. The In this apparatus, as will be described later, position information related to the position of each point, such as data related to the name of the point on the map, longitude, and latitude included in the road map data, is used. Note that the CD-ROM control unit, the DVD-ROM control unit, and the like may use data read from the CD-ROM and DVD-ROM.

  The FM multiplex reception and processing unit 13 is a part that receives FM broadcast waves and extracts desired data such as traffic information of the VICS service from the broadcast waves. The traffic information includes traffic jam information. The optical / beacon reception and processing unit 14 is a part that receives and processes information such as identification information of each beacon and traffic information of the VICS service from an optical beacon or a radio wave beacon installed on a roadside.

[1-2. Role of main CPU and its peripheral circuits]
Further, the main CPU and its peripheral circuit 4 are configured to realize the roles as the following parts shown in FIG. 1 by the action of the program as described above. That is, the current position detection unit 40 is means for sequentially calculating the own vehicle position, and specifically, is configured to calculate the own vehicle position by combining GPS navigation positioning and autonomous navigation positioning. .

  Here, in GPS navigation positioning, the current position is calculated using information obtained by the absolute position / orientation detection unit 1 based on radio waves from an artificial satellite. In the autonomous navigation positioning, the current position is calculated using information obtained from the relative bearing detection unit 2 and the vehicle speed detection unit 3 based on the geomagnetism and the speed of the host vehicle.

  The destination designation unit 41 is means for receiving designation of a destination, that is, input by facility search from a database in which the road map data is recorded or cursor designation on a map. The point registration unit 42 registers the specified point by facility search from a database in which the road map data is recorded or cursor designation on the map, and creates a registered point table. As shown in FIG. 2, this registration point table is a table in which registration point numbers, registration point names, diameters, latitudes, and additional information (such as place names) are collected. The point registered by the point registration unit 42 is preferably a user's known point.

  The position determination unit 44 is a means for determining information related to the position of a registered point based on the current position, for example, an azimuth, a distance, and the like from the current position and traveling direction of the host vehicle. This determination is performed by, for example, comparing the coordinates of the current position and the registered point, or determining the angle from the direction of the host vehicle. The area determination unit 45 is a means for determining a registration point that is not included in the display area displayed on the display unit 10 by the map display unit 47 and is closest to the current position of the host vehicle. This determination can be made, for example, by comparing the data related to the display area (coordinates defining the display area, etc.) corresponding to the display scale set in the scale display table with the coordinates of the registered point, and the coordinates of the current position and the registered point. Perform by comparison. The position information display unit 46 is a means for controlling the display of the position information by determining the registered spot to be displayed and the position information.

  For example, the position determination unit 44, the region determination unit 45, and the position information display unit 46 perform processing in a linked manner as follows. That is, the position determination unit 44 creates an azimuth angle table as shown in FIG. 3, and the position information display unit 46 displays the azimuth angle table, the registration point table, and the region determination unit 45 based on the determination results. A display table as shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the azimuth angle table is a table storing each azimuth area when equally allocated by the “number of azimuths (nAngleNo)” numbered with reference to the vehicle orientation θa. That's it. 3 and 5 are examples when nAngleNo = 8, the number is not necessarily limited to this. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the display table is a table in which the registration point information to be displayed for each azimuth, the registration point number to be displayed, the azimuth number, the distance from the own vehicle position, and the like are collected.

  The route setting unit 43 calculates a route from the current position detected by the current position detecting unit 40 to the destination specified by the destination specifying unit 41 based on the road map data, and as a result It is a means for setting the obtained route. Further, the map display unit 47 displays the own vehicle position on the surrounding map, at least a part of the set route, the position information of the registered point, etc. based on the calculated own vehicle position and the road map data. It is a means for displaying on the part 10 in a three-dimensional display or other manners. The guidance control unit 48 is a means for controlling the guidance guidance by determining elements to be displayed in the route, elements such as blinking emphasis, and using combined speech. That is, the current position detection unit 40, the route setting unit 43, the map display unit 47, and the guidance control unit 48 are connected to a designated destination based on the road map data read from the HDD control unit 12. It constitutes navigation means for searching for routes and guiding them.

[2. Operation of First Embodiment]
An example of the processing according to the present embodiment as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.
[2-1. (Route setting and guidance)
First, when the user inputs a known point in advance, the point registration unit 42 registers the point. Thereby, a registration point table like the above-mentioned example is created. When a route search request is input by the user specifying the destination and waypoint, the route setting unit 43 calculates a route from the current position to the destination via the waypoint. Since the setting is made, processing such as guidance is performed based on the setting.

[2-2. (Acquisition / creation of various data according to point display request)
When guidance is given based on the route set as described above, if the azimuth display of the registered point is requested, the vehicle position information (“longitude Xa”, “latitude Ya”) “Own vehicle direction information θa” is acquired. In step 2, the currently displayed “map scale SclData” is acquired. In S3, the “display area Visible Area” data in the current “scale SclData” is acquired from the “scale display table SclTable” storing the map display range data in each scale. In step 4, “registered spot number nRecNo” is acquired from “registered spot table RecTable”. In step 5, “azimuth angle table AngleTable” is created, and “display table DispTable” is generated and initialized using “own vehicle direction θa”. A specific example of the azimuth angle table is as described above.

[2-3. (Select registration points outside the display area)
Next, in step 6, a “registration point confirmation counter nChckCnt” for investigating whether or not to display the direction at all the registration points is initialized. In step 7, the “registration point confirmation counter nChckCnt” is compared with the “registration point number nRecNo”. If nChckCnt <nRecNo, the process proceeds to step 8. If nChckCnt ≧ nRecNo, the process proceeds to step 20.

  In step 8, the nChckCnt-th data (“longitude Xn”, “latitude Yn”) of the “registration point table RecTable” is acquired. In step 9, “registration latitude / longitude Xn, Yn” acquired in step 8 is compared with “display area Visible Area”. If the longitude and latitude of the registration point is within the display area, the process proceeds to step 19. If it is outside the display area, the process proceeds to step 10. Thereby, the registration spot outside the display area (display area) becomes a display target candidate.

[2-4. (Create display table)
Further, in step 10, “angle θn from own vehicle direction” and “distance nDist from own vehicle position” of the registration point are calculated from “own vehicle position Xa, Ya” / “own vehicle direction θa”. In step 11, the “azimuth angle confirmation counter nCompassCnt” is initialized. In step 12, the “azimuth angle confirmation counter nCompassCnt” is compared with the “azimuth number nAngleNo”. If nCompassCnt <nAngleNo, the process proceeds to step 13. If nCompassCnt ≧ nAngleNo, the process proceeds to step 19.

  In step 13, the nCompassCnt-th data in the “azimuth angle table AngleTable” is compared with the “angle θn from the direction of the host vehicle”. If θn is within the table data area, the process proceeds to step 14. If it is out of the region, the process proceeds to Step 18. In step 14, it is confirmed whether there is existing data at the nCompassCntth of the “display table DispTable”. If there is existing data, the process proceeds to step 15. If there is no existing data, the process proceeds to step 17.

  In step 15, “distance between registered location and own vehicle position nCmpDist” of nCompassCnt-th data of “display table DispTable” is acquired. In S16, “distance nDist from own vehicle position” and “distance nCmpDist between registered point and own vehicle position” are compared. If nDist <nCmpDist, the process proceeds to step 17. If nDist ≧ nCmpDist, the process proceeds to step 18. In step 17, nCompassCnt-th “display table DispTable” is “distance nDist from own vehicle position (after storage,“ distance between registered point and own vehicle position nCmpDist ””) and “nChckCnt (registered in RecTable) Data registration number) ”. In step 18, the “azimuth angle confirmation counter nCompassCnt” is incremented.

[2-5. (Display based on display table)
In step 19, “registration point confirmation counter nChckCnt” is incremented. In step 20, a “display counter nDispCnt” for displaying information of the display table DispTable on the screen is initialized. In step 21, “display counter nDispCnt” is compared with “azimuth number nAngleNo”. If nDispCnt <nAngleNo, the process proceeds to step 22. If nDispCnt ≧ nAngleNo, the azimuth display process ends.

  In step 22, it is confirmed whether data is stored in the nDispCnt-th “display table nDispTable”. If data exists, the process proceeds to step 23. If there is no data, the process proceeds to step 26. In step 23, “display registration spot number nDRNo” is acquired from the nDispCnt-th data of “display table nDispTable”. In step 24, nDRNo-th registered spot data (point name, additional information) is acquired from the “registered spot table RecTable”. In step 25, “point name”, “additional information”, and “distance between registered point and own vehicle position” are displayed on the screen for each direction. In step 26, “display counter nDispCnt” is incremented.

[2-6. Specific example of point information display)
Here, a specific example of processing in the case where the registration point to be displayed is determined and the point information is displayed by the procedure as described above will be described with reference to the screen example of FIG. 9 and the flowcharts of FIGS. explain. This example is an example in the situation shown in the registration point table shown in FIG. 2 (“place name” is used as additional information) and FIG. 4 (vehicle direction = north). Further, the number of azimuths nAngleNo = 8. In the following example, “home” is included in the registration point for convenience of explanation. However, as described above, this apparatus is effective in the land that the user does not know.

  That is, when a registration point orientation display request is generated, a transition is made in the order of S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, and S7 (S is a step). Since θa = 0 ° and nAngleNo = 8, the azimuth angle table nAngleTable created in step 5 has the contents shown in FIG. No. in the registration point table of FIG. The data of 0 is outside the display area VisibleArea and the azimuth angle table No. Since it corresponds to 0, S7 → S8 → S9 → S10 → S11 → S12 → S13 (corresponding to No. 0 of the azimuth angle table) → S14 → S17 → S18 → S12 →... → S12 → S19 → S7 become. The corresponding data is displayed in the display table No. Stored in 0.

  Next, No. of the registration point table. 1 data is outside the display area VisibleArea and the azimuth angle table No. S7 → S8 → S9 → S10 → S11 → S12 → S13 → S18 → S12 → S13 (corresponding to No. 1 in the azimuth angle table) → S14 → S17 → S18 → S12 →... → S12 → S19 → Transition to S7. The corresponding data is displayed in the display table No. 1 is stored.

  No. in the registration point table. 2 data is outside the display area VisibleArea and the azimuth angle table No. 4, S7 → S8 → S9 → S10 → S11 → (S12 → S13 → S18) × 4 → S12 → S13 (corresponding to No. 4 in the azimuth angle table) → S14 → S17 → S18 → S12 →. → S12 → S19 → S7. The corresponding data is displayed in the display table No. 4 is stored.

  No. in the registration point table. Since the three data are in the display area VisibleArea, transition is made from S7 → S8 → S9 → S19 → S7. No. in the registration point table. 4 data is outside the display area VisibleArea and the azimuth angle table no. 3. Since S7 → S8 → S9 → S10 → S11 → (S12 → S13 → S18) × 3 → S12 → S13 (corresponds to No. 3 in the azimuth angle table) → S14 → S17 → S18 → S12 →. → S12 → S19 → S7. The corresponding data is displayed in the display table No. 3 is stored.

  No. in the registration point table. 5 data is outside the display area VisibleArea and the azimuth angle table no. 0, but display table no. Registration point No. stored in 0 is stored. In order to compare 0 (home) and “distance between registered point and own vehicle position”, S7 → S8 → S9 → S10 → S11 → S12 → S13 (corresponding to No. 0 in the azimuth angle table) → S14 → S15 → S16 → S18 → S12 →... → S12 → S19 → S7. Thereby, the registration point number No. Data of 0 is held in the display table.

  The display table DispTable is as shown in FIG. 6 in accordance with the processing transition as described above. Further, after the transition to step 20, processing for displaying the information stored in the display table DispTable is performed on the screen. As a result, the display unit 10 displays as shown in FIG. . That is, on the enlarged display screen, the registration point No. 1-5, if the relationship between the vehicle position (center ▲ in the figure) and the normal display area (area enclosed by a rectangle in the figure) is as shown in the upper figure of FIG. In addition, for a registration point (home, company A, company B, bookstore A) that is out of the display area in the normal display and is closest to the vehicle position in each direction, the direction is indicated at the position corresponding to the direction. Additional information such as an arrow, a distance from the vehicle position, and a place name is displayed.

[3. Effects of the first embodiment]
According to the present embodiment as described above, the user registers in advance a desired known point, so that information on the position of the registered point viewed from the current position, for example, the direction to the own vehicle position, the own vehicle Since the distance from the location, etc. is displayed, it is possible to recognize in which direction a known point is with respect to the vehicle and how far away it is even if you do not know the land, making it easy to grasp the current location . In particular, since the position information can be obtained for a registered point that is not in the display area, the current position can be grasped without the trouble of switching the display scale, and the convenience for the user is improved.

[4. Second Embodiment]
[4-1. Constitution〕
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The basic configuration of this embodiment is almost the same as that of the first embodiment. However, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the navigation apparatus V of the present embodiment transmits a member registration request to the server S, the current position of the host vehicle, etc. via the communication network N, and belongs to the group. A communication device 15 for receiving the current position of the member is provided. Further, the main CPU and its peripheral circuit 4 are configured to realize a role as a member position storage unit 49 for storing the current position of the received member in a memory (SRAM 7 or the like) by the action of the program. .

  The communication device 15 may be a mobile phone, PHS, PDA, etc., but any communication that can be used at present or in the future as long as it can connect to the communication network N and transmit and receive information wirelessly. Means are available. In addition, the communication device 15 may be a method built in the navigation device V in advance or a method in which a user separately owns a method connected to the navigation device V. As for the communication network N, any wired or wireless communication network can be used, and it does not matter what LAN or WAN is used.

  Furthermore, a server S that receives and distributes position information from each member is connected to the communication network N. The server S includes a communication unit in which a computer controlled by a program transmits and receives data via the communication network N, a registration unit that registers members by creating a member location table based on a registration request, and each member Is configured to function as an update unit that updates the member position table based on the position information.

  Further, the server S can provide an interface for transmitting / receiving information to / from the navigation device V. For example, bidirectional information can be exchanged via a Web page by using a page description language such as HTML and a program such as CGI according to a standard protocol of the Internet. For this reason, for member registration, for example, it is also possible to register members using a dedicated registration form. Further, for example, even a computer other than the navigation device V such as a personal computer, a PDA, a mobile phone, or the like used by a user at home or at work can access the server S and perform member registration.

[4-2. Action)
An example of the processing according to the present embodiment as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 11, steps 1101 to 1109 are processing on the navigation device V side, and steps 1201 to 1204 are processing on the server S side. First, the user who becomes a member of a group accesses the server S by each navigation apparatus V, and inputs required information into the registration form displayed on the display part 10 using the input part 11 (step 1101). The input information may be, for example, a member name, identification information of each navigation device V (which may be assigned uniquely to the device or assigned for each user), and the like.

  The input information is transmitted as a registration request by the communication device 15 of each navigation device V to the server S via the communication network (step 1102). At this time, the current position detected in each navigation device V and its detection time may be automatically transmitted. The identification information may also be automatically transmitted from each navigation device V.

  The server S receives such a registration request by the communication unit (step 1201), and the registration unit creates a member location table and is registered as a group (step 1202). For example, as shown in FIG. 12, this member position table is a table having number, member name, latitude and longitude (current position), update time, etc. as column item names. In the server S, the identification information of each navigation device V or each user is also used as information for distinguishing each member. The member position table created in this way is distributed in advance to the registered member navigation device V and stored in the memory of each navigation device V, so that each navigation device V side also has member information. It is good also as a structure which functions as a registration part which registers.

  After the registration process as described above, in the navigation device V, when the user inputs a route search request by designating the destination and the waypoint, the route setting unit 43 goes from the current position via the waypoint. Since a route to reach the destination is calculated and set, navigation processing such as guidance is performed based on the calculated route (step 1103). In addition, the own vehicle or its user for each navigation apparatus V is the main mobile body described in the claims, and the other members correspond to the other mobile bodies described in the claims.

  During this navigation processing, the current position detected in each navigation device V of the registered member is transmitted to the server S (step 1104), and based on this, the update unit of the server S updates the member position table ( Step 1203). At the same time, since the information of the member position table is continuously distributed from the server S to each navigation device V (step 1204), each navigation device V receives this and the member position storage unit 49 stores it in the memory or the like. (Step 1105). Note that the server S may transmit information on the member position table in response to a periodic transmission request from each navigation device V, and each navigation device V may receive and store this information. In other words, it is possible to freely set which of the server S side and the navigation V side should mainly perform the transmission / reception of information in the member position table. In each navigation device V, based on the received member position table, the position determination unit 44 determines the relationship (distance, direction, etc.) between the vehicle position and the registered member position (step 1106), and the region determination unit 45. However, it is determined whether or not the position of the registered member is outside the display area of each navigation device V (step 1107).

  Then, the position information is displayed at the position corresponding to the orientation of the member determined to be outside the display area (step 1108), and the mark is displayed at the corresponding position on the map for the member determined to be within the display area. (Step 1109). For example, on the enlarged screen, the relationship between the member numbers 1 to 6, the vehicle position (center ▲ in the figure) and the normal display area (area enclosed by a rectangle in the figure) is shown in the upper diagram of FIG. In the case as shown, as shown in the figure below, for member numbers 1 to 3, 5 and 6 that are outside the display area in the case of normal display, the number, the arrow indicating the direction, at the position corresponding to the direction, Information such as the distance from the vehicle position and the member name is displayed. As for the member number 4 in the display area, information such as a number, a distance from the vehicle position, and a member name is displayed at a corresponding position on the map.

  The processing as described above is continuously performed during navigation. The detailed specific example is a member position table distributed from the server S instead of the registration point table used in the first embodiment. It is almost the same as that using. That is, in the flowcharts of FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the number of registered members, the current position (longitude, latitude) of the registered member, registration instead of data on the number of registered points, the longitude and latitude of the registered points, the registered point number, and the name of the registered points Data on member numbers and registered member names are used. Then, in step 9 in the flowchart of FIG. 7, when the registered member position coordinates Xn, Yn are not within the display area, the same processing as that for the registered point is performed.

  On the other hand, if the position coordinates Xn, Yn of the registered member are within the display area in step 9, a process of displaying the member's mark at the corresponding position on the map on the display screen is performed before step 19. Is called. If there are members in the same direction, the member names and distances are displayed as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. In addition, other data included in the member position table, for example, the update time of the data can be displayed.

[4-3. effect〕
According to the present embodiment as described above, in each navigation device V registered in the group, it is possible to recognize in which direction the other members are located and how far away from the own vehicle, and grasp the own vehicle position. Becomes easy. In particular, even if the current position of the other member deviates from the display area, information on the relative position with the host vehicle can be obtained, so the current position and other vehicles can be obtained without having to switch the display scale. The user's convenience can be improved.

  Therefore, when a group needs to move for a certain purpose, such as when a specific person or object is moved by a large number of vehicles, or when driving in a group, each vehicle will move to the entire group regardless of its display scale. You can move while always grasping. This is useful, for example, in preventing a specific member from getting out of the group and getting lost or taking any unintended behavior. It is also useful when it is necessary to maintain a large number of vehicle intervals within a certain distance or outside a certain distance.

[5. Other embodiments]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Other embodiments which are illustrated below are included. For example, the displayed registration point or the name of the moving object, additional information, etc. can be displayed in advance in the database, or the desired name, additional information, etc. input by the user can be displayed. May be. You may abbreviate | omit either the point name displayed or a mobile body name, distance, and an azimuth | direction. The registration point or the latitude and longitude of the moving object may be included in the display content.

  Further, in addition to or instead of the arrow indicating the direction, a registration point or a moving body and a figure, a symbol, a character, an icon, or the like indicating the direction may be displayed. When there are a plurality of registered points or mobile objects in the same direction, all the spot information or mobile object information may be displayed, or a preset number of point information or mobile object information may be displayed as the upper limit. . You may display only the thing which exists in the front (traveling direction) seeing from the own vehicle, or only the thing which exists in the back (passing direction).

  And the display position of these position information is the vicinity of the frame of a display area like the above-mentioned embodiment, and the position corresponding to each registration point or the direction of a mobile object is easy for a user to understand and is convenient. However, it is not limited to this. Reference may be made by window display or split screen display. Further, the display area in the present invention is not limited to the meaning of the physical display range of the display device. For example, when a map display area is restricted by a plurality of menus, window displays, divided displays, etc., the map display area may be meant.

  Further, the present invention is not applicable to a so-called on-board type in which navigation data is placed in a vehicle, but is applicable to a so-called off-board type navigation system that can receive provision of the latest data via a wireless communication network. is there. In this case, a server outside the vehicle connected via the communication network can perform all or part of the above processing, and the processing result is reduced by the in-vehicle computer to acquire the processing result. be able to. For example, by providing road map data, a route setting unit, a guidance control unit, and the like on the server side in the second embodiment, the route setting is performed on the server side based on the destination and the current position received from each navigation device. The communication-side navigation system that creates various data for guidance and distributes it to each navigation device may be configured. Furthermore, the information indicating the respective display area is transmitted from the navigation system side, and on the server side that has received this, determination of the relative position between each member and determination whether each member is outside the display area, The position information of each member may be transmitted to each navigation system depending on whether or not it is outside the display area.

  In the case of the off-board type navigation system as described above, a computer other than the navigation device such as a personal computer, a PDA, or a mobile phone used by a user at home or at work can be used in the same manner as the navigation device. By accessing the server, a navigation screen can be referred to. Therefore, for example, in the second embodiment described above, the current position of the registered member's moving body is confirmed on the display screen at home, work, or other places outside the home, regardless of whether it is within the display area or not. be able to. In addition, this invention is not limited to vehicle-mounted use, It is applicable also to another moving means and portable navigation.

The functional block diagram which shows the structure of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the registration point table in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the azimuth angle table in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure explaining the direction of the own vehicle in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the numbered azimuth | direction area | region in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the display table in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the process in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the example of a display screen in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The functional block diagram which shows the structure of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the process of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the member position table in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the example of a display screen in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Absolute position and direction detection part 2 ... Relative direction detection part 3 ... Vehicle speed detection part 4 ... Main CPU and its peripheral circuit 5 ... ROM
6 ... DRAM
7 ... SRAM
8 ... VRAM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... User interface part 10 ... Display part 11 ... Input part 12 ... HDD control part 13 ... FM multiplex reception and processing part 14 ... Light / beacon reception and processing part 15 ... Communication apparatus 40 ... Current position detection part 41 ... Destination specification Unit 42 ... Point registration unit 43 ... Route setting unit 44 ... Position determination unit 45 ... Area determination unit 46 ... Position information display unit 46 ... Area determination unit 47 ... Map display unit 48 ... Guidance control unit 49 ... Member position storage unit M ... Memory group N ... Communication network S ... Server V ... Navigation device

Claims (24)

In a navigation device that guides a route by performing map display based on road map data on a display device using a computer or an electronic circuit,
A point registration unit for registering any point on the map;
A current position detector for detecting the current position;
A position determination unit that determines the position of the spot registered by the spot registration unit with reference to the current position detected by the current position detection unit;
A position information display unit that displays information on the position of the registration point determined by the position determination unit on the display device;
A navigation device comprising:   An area for determining whether or not the registration point is included in the display area of the display device so that position information is displayed by the position information display unit with respect to the registration point that is not included in the display area of the display device. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising a determination unit.   3. The navigation according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the position of the registered spot is at least one of a registered spot name, an orientation of the registered spot with respect to the current position, and a distance from the current position to the registered spot. apparatus. In a navigation method in which a computer or an electronic circuit guides a route by displaying a map based on road map data on a display device,
The computer or electronic circuit is
Registering any point on the map;
Detecting the current position;
Determining the position of the registered point based on the detected current position;
Displaying information on the position of the determined registration point on the display device;
A navigation method comprising: Determining whether or not the registration point is included in a display area of the display device;
Displaying the location information for registration points not included in the display area of the display device;
The navigation method according to claim 4, further comprising:   6. The navigation according to claim 4, wherein the information related to the position of the registered spot is at least one of a registered spot name, an orientation of the registered spot with respect to the current position, and a distance from the current position to the registered spot. Method. In a navigation program that guides a route by displaying a map based on road map data on a display device by controlling a computer,
In the computer,
Register any point on the map,
Detect the current position,
The position of the registered point is determined based on the detected current position,
A navigation program that displays information about the position of a determined registration point. In the computer,
Determining whether or not the registration point is included in the display area of the display device;
The navigation program according to claim 7, wherein the position information is displayed with respect to a registered spot that is not included in the display area of the display device.   9. The navigation according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the information related to the position of the registered spot is at least one of a registered spot name, an orientation of the registered spot with respect to the current position, and a distance from the current position to the registered spot. program. In a navigation device that guides a route by performing map display based on road map data on a display device using a computer or an electronic circuit,
A current position detection unit for detecting a current position of a main moving body that is a target of guidance guidance;
A position storage unit that stores the position of another moving body different from the main moving body;
A position determination unit that determines a relative position of the other moving body with respect to the main moving body based on the current position of the main moving body and the position information of the other moving body;
A position information display unit that displays information on a relative position between the main moving body and the other moving body determined by the position determination unit on the display device;
A navigation device comprising:   The navigation apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a moving body registration unit that registers at least one of the other moving bodies.   The navigation device according to claim 10, further comprising a communication device capable of receiving the position data of the other mobile body via a communication network.   The display area of the display device is configured such that information on the relative position of the other moving body not included in the display area of the display device with respect to the main moving body is displayed by the position information display unit. The navigation device according to claim 10, further comprising an area determination unit that determines whether or not the other moving body is included.   The information on the relative position with respect to the other moving body includes the moving body name, the orientation of the other moving body with respect to the current position of the main moving body, and the current position of the main moving body to the other moving body. The navigation device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the navigation device is at least one of distances. In a navigation method in which a computer or an electronic circuit guides a route by displaying a map display based on road map data on a display device,
The computer or electronic circuit is
Detecting the current position of the main moving object to be guided,
Storing a position of another moving body different from the main moving body;
Determining a relative position of the other moving body with respect to the main moving body based on the current position of the main moving body and the position information of the other moving body;
Displaying information on a relative position between the main moving body and the other moving body on the display device;
A navigation method comprising:   The navigation method according to claim 15, further comprising a step of registering at least one of the other moving objects.   The navigation method according to any one of claims 15 and 16, further comprising a step of receiving the position data of the other mobile body via a communication network. Determining whether the other moving body is included in a display area of the display device; and
Displaying the information on the relative position of the other moving body not included in the display area of the display device with respect to the main moving body;
The navigation method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized by comprising:   The information on the relative position with respect to the other moving body includes the moving body name, the orientation of the other moving body with respect to the current position of the main moving body, and the current position of the main moving body to the other moving body. The navigation method according to claim 15, wherein the navigation method is at least one of distances. In a navigation program for guiding a route by displaying a map display based on road map data on a display device by controlling a computer,
In the computer,
Detect the current position of the main moving object for guidance,
Store the position of another moving body different from the main moving body,
Based on the current position of the main moving body and the position information of the other moving body, the relative position of the other moving body with respect to the main moving body is determined,
A navigation program that causes the display device to display information on a relative position between the main moving body and the other moving body. In the computer,
The navigation program according to claim 20, wherein at least one of the other moving objects is registered. In the computer,
The navigation program according to any one of claims 20 and 21, wherein the position data of the other moving body is received via a communication network. In the computer,
Determining whether the other moving body is included in the display area of the display device;
23. The information on the relative position of the other moving body not included in the display area of the display device with respect to the main moving body is displayed. Navigation program.   The information on the relative position with respect to the other moving body includes the moving body name, the orientation of the other moving body with respect to the current position of the main moving body, and the current position of the main moving body to the other moving body. The navigation program according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein the navigation program is at least one of distances.