JP2007139931A - Navigation system and map display method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation system and a map display method wherein POI (point) icons are displayed in a natural manner according to their positional relationships on a map. <P>SOLUTION: When two sections of a section B and a section D are located in a map display range 510 (a), respective section data of the section B and the section D are read out successively, the coordinates of the map in the map display range 510 indicated by the section data are transformed (b), and a sky picture 521 showing the sky above the horizon in the upper part is drawn (c2-c3) in an image area 520 (c1) of the plotted map picture. Also, POI icons defined by the read-out section data of the section B and the section D are successively drawn (c4-c6) according to the descending order of the distance from the bottom of the image area 520 of the map picture containing the drawing position of the POI icons. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a map display technique in a navigation apparatus that performs position guidance using a map.

  As a map display technique in the navigation device, the position and type of a point (POI) selected in advance as a point that the user will be interested in are represented in the position on the map corresponding to each point, and the type of the point is represented. A technique for presenting a user on a map by drawing an icon is known.

  In addition, as a technique for drawing such icons on the map and presenting them to the user, when all the icons are drawn on the map, when the icons overlap on the map, a plurality of overlapping icons are displayed. A technique for drawing only an icon selected according to a predetermined standard on a map is also known (for example, Patent Document 1).

Further, as a map display technique in the navigation device, a bird's eye view (pseudo three-dimensional) map obtained by observing a two-dimensional map from a viewpoint virtually set above the map is used as the two-dimensional map. A technique for generating and displaying the map based on the map data representing is also known (for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2005-010091 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-258455

The map data used for drawing the map in the navigation device is prepared by corresponding to each of a plurality of sections obtained by dividing the geographical range covered by the map data, and is the section data representing the map or POI in the corresponding section. Often configured as a set.
In such a case, the drawing of the map in the navigation device is the map display of the map represented by the block data for the block data of all the blocks including the area within the map display range that is the geographical range in which the map is drawn. This is done by drawing a portion within the range.
In such a case, when a bird's eye view (pseudo three-dimensional) map obtained by observing a two-dimensional map from the viewpoint virtually set above the map as described above is displayed. The following problems arise.
Now, as shown in FIG. 7a, a part of the section A and the section B adjacent at the boundary 701 are included in the map display range, and icons to be drawn at the points 711 and 712 in the section A are the sections of the section A. Consider a case where the icons defined in the section data and the icons to be drawn at the points 713 and 714 in the section are defined in the section data of the section B.

In such a case, when a map and an icon within the map display range represented by each section data are drawn in the order of the section data of the section A and the section data of the section B, as shown in FIG. An unnatural icon is displayed in which the icon 724 of the point 714 that is recognized by the user as being closer is hidden behind the icon 722 of the point 712 that is recognized as being rearward by the user. Will end up. On the other hand, when a map and an icon within the map display range represented by each section data are drawn in the order of the section data of the section B and the section data of the section A, as shown in FIG. An unnatural icon is displayed in which the icon 721 of the point 711 that is recognized by the user as being closer is hidden behind the icon 723 of the point 713 that is recognized as being rearward by the user. Will end up.
In addition, the display of an unnatural icon that is hidden behind the icon of the point recognized by the user as being closer to the user and the icon of the point recognized by the user as being behind is a map display. Even if the range includes only a single section, it may occur depending on the drawing order of the icons.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to display an icon representing a point on the map in a natural form according to the positional relationship of the point on the map.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides map data for defining a map and an icon representing a corresponding point on the map provided corresponding to each of a plurality of points in a navigation device for displaying a map. Based on the map data stored in the storage means, with the storage means storing the icon data defining the map and the map within the map display range which is the geographical range set as the map display range as a map image The icon defined by each display object icon data is displayed as icon data defining a map drawing means for drawing, and icon data defining an icon representing a point within the map display range stored in the storage means. The map image drawn by the map drawing means so that an icon with a lower position on the map image of the point represented by is drawn later An icon drawing means for drawing the one in which the icon drawing means and a display means for displaying the map image drawn the icon.

  However, in such a navigation device, in the icon drawing means, an icon defined by each display target icon data is drawn later, and an icon having a lower position on the map image of a point represented by the icon is drawn later. In addition, instead of drawing on the map image drawn by the map drawing means, the icons defined by the respective display object icon data are represented by the position on the map image of the point represented by the icon and the position of the center of the lower side of the map image. The map may be configured to be drawn on the map image drawn by the map drawing means so that an icon having a smaller distance between the two is drawn later.

  In each of the above navigation devices, the map drawing means draws a map expressed in a bird's eye view within the map display range as the map image based on the map data stored in the storage means. Good.

  Further, when the map drawing unit is configured as described above, the icon drawing unit displays an icon defined by each display target icon data, and an icon whose position on the map image of the point represented by the icon is lower. Instead of drawing on the map image drawn by the map drawing means, the icon defined by each display target icon data is represented in a bird's eye view and the point represented by the icon and the map For this purpose, the map drawing unit may draw the map image so that an icon having a smaller distance from the set virtual map observation viewpoint is drawn later.

  According to these navigation devices, the bird's-eye view representation in the case of using an icon below the map image, an icon closer to the center of the lower side on the map image, or a map image of the bird's-eye view representation The icon of the point recognized by the user as being closer to the location on the map image, such as the icon representing the location closer to the virtual viewpoint used in If the drawing positions of the two overlap, the icon of the point that is recognized by the user as being closer is always the icon of the point that is recognized by the user as being farther away. Represented above. That is, each icon so that the user can recognize that the icon of the point recognized by the user as being closer to the icon is located in front of the icon of the point recognized by the user as being farther away. An icon will be displayed. Therefore, according to these navigation devices, an icon representing a point on the map can be displayed in a natural form corresponding to the positional relationship of the point on the map.

  By the way, each of the above navigation devices defines the icon of the point in the section corresponding to the map data representing the map of the corresponding section provided in the storage means corresponding to each of the plurality of sections. You may make it memorize | store the division data containing data. In this case, the map drawing means identifies a section including the area within the map display range, and for each identified section, the section data of the section is read from the storage means, and each section data read The map image is drawn by drawing a map of the area in the map display range of the section based on the map data included in the map, and the icon drawing means includes each area including the area in the map display range. Icon data defining icons representing points in the map display range are collected from the section data of the section and used as the display object icon data.

  By doing in this way, when a map or icon is defined for each section by section data for each section, even when the map display range spans a plurality of sections, it is closer to the map image Each icon can be displayed so that the user can recognize that the icon of the point recognized by the user is located in front of the icon of the point recognized by the user when the icon is farther away. become.

  In the above navigation apparatus, the current position calculating means for calculating the current position and the current position presenting means for drawing a mark representing the current position calculated by the current position calculating means on the map image displayed by the display means. It is desirable to provide

  As described above, according to the present invention, an icon representing a point on the map can be displayed on the map in a natural form corresponding to the positional relationship of the point on the map.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a navigation system according to the present embodiment.
As illustrated, the navigation system includes a navigation device 1, an operation unit 2, a display device 3, a vehicle state sensor 4, and a GPS receiver 5. Here, the vehicle state sensor 4 is a set of sensors that detect a vehicle state, such as an azimuth sensor such as an angular acceleration sensor or a geomagnetic sensor, or a vehicle speed sensor such as a vehicle speed pulse sensor.

  The navigation device 1 includes a map data storage unit 11, a current state calculation unit 12, and an operation unit 2, which are storage devices such as a DVD drive loaded with a DVD disk storing map data representing a map and an HDD storing map data. And a GUI control unit 13 that provides a user with a GUI using the display device 3, a route search unit 14, a memory 15, a control unit 16, and a guidance image generation unit 17.

  However, the above navigation apparatus 1 may be a CPU circuit having a general configuration including peripheral devices such as a microprocessor, a memory, and other graphic processors and geometric processors in terms of hardware. In this case, each unit of the navigation device 1 described above may be realized as a process embodied by a microprocessor executing a program prepared in advance. In this case, such a program may be provided to the navigation apparatus 1 via a recording medium or an appropriate communication path.

Next, FIG. 2 shows the contents of the map data stored in the map data storage unit 11.
As shown in the figure, the map data includes management data describing the date and version of map data production, version, etc., basic map data representing a map, and resource data.
The map basic data includes section data provided for each section of a plurality of sections, and section management data describing the correspondence between the geographical range of each section and the section data.
Each section data has a map unit representing a two-dimensional map in the corresponding section and a POI unit. The POI unit has a POI data record provided for each POI icon represented on the map in the section corresponding to the section data to which the POI unit belongs. Here, the POI icon is an icon used to represent a position and type of a point selected by the user that the user will be interested in or a point (POI) set by the user on the map. For example, a graphic representing the type of the point represented by the POI icon is used. Each POI icon is displayed at a position on the map corresponding to the point represented by the POI icon.

  Now, in each POI data record provided for each such POI icon, a POI number that is an identifier of a point corresponding to the POI icon, a POI name that represents the name of the point corresponding to the POI icon, and a point corresponding to the POI icon POI types representing types such as “parking lot”, “post office”, “restaurant”, and POI coordinates representing coordinates for displaying POI icons are stored.

  Next, the resource data of the map data includes a plurality of POI graphic records. The POI graphic record is provided for each graphic used as a POI icon, and stores a POI type representing a type of a point where the corresponding graphic is used as a POI icon and POI graphic data which is data defining the corresponding graphic. ing.

Now, in such a configuration, the current state calculation unit 12 of the navigation device 1 repeatedly performs the following processing.
That is, the current state calculation unit 12 determines the previous time indicated by the map basic data of the map data read from the map data storage unit 11 with respect to the current position estimated from the outputs of the vehicle state sensor 4 and the GPS receiver 5. By performing map matching processing with a map around the current position, the most probable coordinates as the current position and the most probable direction as the current traveling direction are determined as the current position and the current traveling direction, respectively, and the memory 15 Set to.

  Further, the control unit 16 accepts a destination setting from the user via the operation unit 2 and the GUI control unit 13 in response to the user destination setting request, and sets this in the memory 15. When the destination setting is accepted, the control unit 16 causes the route search unit 14 to search for a recommended route to the destination set in the memory 15. The route search unit 14 reads out the map basic data representing the map of the section of the necessary geographical range from the map data storage unit 11, and sets the minimum cost route from the current position set in the memory 15 to the destination at the minimum distance. The recommended route is calculated based on a predetermined cost model such as the above, and the calculated recommended route is set in the memory 15.

In addition, when the current position set in the memory 15 becomes near the destination, the control unit 16 determines that the destination has arrived and also performs a process of clearing the recommended route set in the memory 15.
The control unit 16 repeatedly performs the following guide image generation process.
That is, the control unit 16 first sets the current position set in the memory 15 as the reference position. However, during the user's map scroll operation, the position determined by the user operation is set as the reference position. Then, the control unit 16 determines the map display orientation so that the current traveling orientation set in the memory 15 or the orientation selected by the user is on the top, and maps according to user settings and initial settings made in advance. A scale is determined, and a geographical range having a predetermined size determined according to the determined map display orientation and the determined map scale around the reference position is determined as the map display range.

  The guidance image generation unit 17 is instructed to draw a map image representing a map within the determined map display range. Upon receiving an instruction to draw a map image from the control unit 16, the guide image generation unit 17 executes map image drawing processing described later, and each section including an area within the map display range of the map basic data of the map data. Based on the data, an image in which POI icons are arranged on a map within a map display range represented in a bird's eye view is generated as a map image. Further, when the current position set in the memory 15 is included in the map display range, the guide image generation unit 17 adds a current position mark indicating the current position to the position corresponding to the current position on the map image. The determined map display orientation is drawn as the upward direction. In addition, when the recommended route is set in the memory 15, the guide image generating unit 17 displays a recommended route graphic representing a portion closer to the destination side than the current position of the recommended route in the determined map display range. Draw on top. Further, when the destination set in the memory 15 is included in the map display range, the guide image generating unit 17 also draws a destination mark indicating the position of the destination on the map image.

The guide image generation unit 17 displays the guide image generated by drawing each of the map image, the current position mark, the recommended route graphic, and the destination mark on the display device 3 via the GUI control unit 13. .
FIG. 3 shows an example of the guide image displayed in this manner. As shown in the figure, the guide image is a map image 31 on which a current position mark 32, a recommended route graphic 33, and the like are represented. become. Further, the map image 31 includes a map 311 within a map display range represented in a bird's eye view and a POI icon 312 arranged on the map 311.

Hereinafter, a map image drawing process performed by the guide image generating unit 17 for drawing the map image 31 will be described.
FIG. 4 shows the procedure of the map image drawing process performed by the guide image generating unit 17.
As shown in the figure, in this map image drawing process, first, an empty image representing the sky on the horizon is drawn in an area above the image area of the map image (step 400). Then, for the partition data of each partition included in the map display range (steps 402, 410, 412), the processing of steps 404-408 is sequentially performed for each partition data. Note that the section included in the map display range refers to a section in which the map display range includes the entire region or a part of the region.

  Now, in the processing of Steps 404-408 performed for the section data of each section included in the map display range, first, the section data is read (Step 404). Then, the part included in the map display range of the map represented by the map unit of the read section data is drawn in the area in the image area of the map image where the geographical range corresponding to the part is to be drawn (step 406). . Further, the POI record in which the POI coordinates are included in the map display range among the POI records included in the POI unit of the read section data is held in the memory 15 as a display target POI record (step 408).

  If the processing of steps 404-408 is completed for all the section data included in the map display range, the display target POI record held in the memory 15 is described in the display target POI record. Based on the POI coordinates that are present, sorting is performed in descending order from the lower side of the map image to the position on the image area of the map image corresponding to the POI coordinates (step 414).

  Then, the POI icons corresponding to the display target POI records are sequentially displayed in the order according to the sorted order, that is, in the descending order of the distance from the lower side of the map image to the position on the image area of the map image corresponding to the POI coordinates. Then, the map image is drawn at a position on the image area of the map image corresponding to the POI coordinates of the display target POI record (step 416) to complete the map image. Here, the POI icon corresponding to the POI record is drawn by using the POI graphic data stored in the POI graphic record having the POI type described in the POI record and included in the map data resource data. This is done by drawing at a position on the image area of the map image corresponding to the POI coordinates described in the record.

Here, FIG. 5 shows a drawing example of a map image by the map image drawing process as described above.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5a, it is assumed that there are sections A, B, C, and D, and a map display range 510 that spans sections B and D is set with reference to the reference position 501. In order to generate a map image in a bird's eye view, the control unit 16 determines the map display azimuth direction (upward direction of the map image) from the position of the viewpoint 502 where the map display range 510 is set above the map. It is determined as a trapezoidal range included in the observation range when the map is observed with a specific viewing angle in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction in the line-of-sight direction to be observed obliquely downward. Further, the position of the viewpoint 502 is determined as, for example, a position in the sky that is a predetermined distance from the reference position 501 in a direction opposite to the map display azimuth direction (upward direction of the map image).

In the map image drawing process, first, an empty image 521 representing the sky on the horizon prepared in advance is drawn on the upper part of the image area 520 of the map image (step 400).
Next, in accordance with the set map display range 510 shown in FIG. 5a, two sections, a section B and a section D, are obtained as the sections included in the map display range. First, for the section D, the section data of the section D is read (step 404), and the map unit of the read section data of the section D1 in FIG. A map D2 obtained by coordinate-transforming the map shown in FIG. 5B so that the map is reduced as it is farther from the viewpoint 502 as shown in FIG. 5B, as shown in FIG. 5C2, in the geographical area corresponding to the D1 portion of the image area 520 The map of the range is drawn in the area to be drawn (step 406). When the coordinate conversion shown in FIG. 5b is performed, the control unit 16 converts the map in the map display range 510 after the coordinate conversion into a square map of a predetermined size, and the scale around the reference position 501 is approximately determined. A map display range 510 is determined so as to have a map scale.

  If the portion D1 included in the map display range 510 of the section D is drawn in this way, then the section data of the section B is read (step 404) and included in the map display range 510 of the section B. FIG. 5c3 shows a map B2 obtained by coordinate-transforming the map indicated by the map unit of the read section data in the B1 part of FIG. 5a, which is a part to be reduced, as the distance from the viewpoint 502 is reduced as shown in FIG. 5b. As described above, the map of the geographical area corresponding to the B1 portion of the image area 520 of the map image is drawn in the area to be drawn (step 406).

  Next, among the POI records included in the POI unit of the section data of section D and section B read out above, the POI record in which the POI coordinates are included in the map display range is the image of the map image shown in FIG. 5c3. The POI record included in the POI unit of the section data of the section D having the POI coordinates corresponding to the coordinates 531 on the area 520 and the section data of the section B having the POI coordinates corresponding to the coordinates 532 on the image area 520 of the map image If there are three POI records, the POI record included in the POI unit and the POI record included in the POI unit of the partition data of the partition D having the POI coordinates corresponding to the coordinates 533 on the image area 520 of the map image Three POI records are held in the memory 15 as display target POI records (step 08). Then, these three display target POI records are extracted from the lower side of the map image image area 520 at the coordinates 531, 532, and 533 on the map image image area 520 corresponding to the POI coordinates described in the display target POI record. The distances L3, L2, and L1 are sorted in descending order (step 414). In the illustrated example, since the distance is larger in the order of L3, L2, and L1, the display target POI record having the POI coordinate corresponding to the coordinate 531 corresponds to the display target POI record having the POI coordinate corresponding to the coordinate 532 and the coordinate 533. The three display target POI records are sorted in the order of the display target POI records having the POI coordinates.

  If the display target POI records are sorted, the POI icons indicated by the respective display target POI records are drawn according to the sorted order (step 416). That is, first, as shown in FIG. 5 c 4, the POI icon 541 corresponding to the coordinate 531 on the image area 520 of the map image is drawn so that the center is located at the coordinate 531. Next, as shown in FIG. 5 c 5, the POI icon 542 corresponding to the coordinate 532 on the image area 520 of the map image is drawn so that the center is located at the coordinate 532. Finally, as shown in FIG. 5c6, the POI icon 543 corresponding to the coordinate 533 on the image area 520 of the map image is drawn so that the center is located at the coordinate 533, thereby completing the map image.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the POI icons that represent the position and type of POI on the map image are sequentially drawn from the higher position on the map image. Here, in the map represented in a bird's eye view, the position above is a position farther from the viewpoint. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the POI icon before the viewpoint is always displayed in front of the POI icon behind the viewpoint.

  Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 7a, a part of the sections A and B adjacent to each other at the boundary 701 are included in the map display range, and are drawn at points 711 and 712 in the section A on the map image. A bird's eye view of a map when a POI icon to be drawn is defined in the block data of the block A and a POI icon to be drawn at the points 713 and 714 in the block on the map image is defined in the block data of the block B When a POI icon at a point that is recognized by the user as being closer to the position by a typical expression and a POI icon at a point that is recognized by the user as being at a farther position overlap each other, as shown in FIG. The POI icon at the point recognized by the user as being closer is drawn on the POI icon at the point recognized by the user as being farther away. Therefore, if the POI icon at a point recognized by the user as being closer to the position on the map image is positioned in front of the POI icon at a point recognized by the user as being farther away, the user is notified. As will be appreciated, each POI icon 721-724 will be displayed.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the POI icon representing the POI on the map can be displayed in a natural form according to the positional relationship of the point on the map.
In the above, the sorting of the display target POI records held in the memory 15 in step 414, which determines the order in which the POI icons corresponding to the respective display target POI records are drawn in the image area of the map image in step 416, The sorting is performed such that the display target POI records are ordered in descending order from the lower side of the map image described in the display target POI record to the position on the image area of the map image corresponding to the POI coordinates. The sorting in this step 414 is the distance r1 from the center position 61 of the lower side of the map image to the position 62 on the image area 520 of the map image corresponding to the POI coordinates, which is obtained by the sorting as shown in FIG. 6a. The display target POI records held in the memory 15 are ordered in descending order. It may be carried out as. Alternatively, the sort in step 414 is stored in the memory 15 in the descending order of the distance r2 from the virtual viewpoint 502 to the POI coordinate 63 shown in FIG. You may perform so that a display object POI record may be ordered.

  In the above description, the case where a map image representing a map in a bird's eye view is used has been described. However, the POI icon display technology according to the present embodiment is applicable to a case where a map image representing a two-dimensional map is used, or to three-dimensional map data. The present invention can be similarly applied to a case where a map image representing a three-dimensional map generated based on the map image is used.

  For example, when a map image representing a two-dimensional map is used, the map image drawing process may be performed as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 6 c 1, when there are A, B, C, and D sections and the map display range 610 is set based on the reference position 601, the sections obtained as the sections included in the map display range For B and section D, the two-dimensional maps B1 and D1 within the map display range 610 represented by the map data of each section data are sequentially drawn in the image area 620 of the map image as shown in FIG. 6c2. Here, as shown in FIG. 6c2, the icon to be drawn at the position 611 of the image area 620 of the map image is defined in the section data of the section B, and is drawn at the position 612 of the image area 620 of the map image. When the power icon is defined in the section data of the section D, the distances L2 and L1 from the lower side of the map image to the position on the image area 620 of the map image corresponding to the position 611 and the position 612 First, the icon 621 is drawn at the position 611 as shown in FIG. 6c3, and then the icon 622 at the position 612 is drawn as shown in FIG. 6c4 to complete the map image.

  Further, the POI icon display technique shown in the present embodiment can be similarly applied to any device that displays a map including the POI icon other than the navigation device.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the map data with which the navigation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention is provided. It is a figure which shows the example of a display screen of the navigation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the map image drawing process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a production | generation of the map image of the navigation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a production | generation of the map image of the navigation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the comparison of the map image which the navigation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention produces | generates, and the map image which a conventional navigation apparatus produces | generates.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Navigation apparatus, 2 ... Operation part, 3 ... Display apparatus, 4 ... Vehicle state sensor, 5 ... GPS receiver, 11 ... Map data storage part, 12 ... Current state calculation part, 13 ... GUI control part, 14 ... Route Search unit, 15 ... memory, 16 ... control unit, 17 ... guide image generation unit.

Claims (7)

A navigation device for displaying a map,
Storage means for storing map data defining a map, and icon data defining icons representing corresponding points on the map, provided corresponding to each of a plurality of points;
Map drawing means for drawing a map within a map display range, which is a geographical range set as a range for displaying a map, as a map image based on map data stored in the storage means;
The map image of the point represented by the icon representing the icon defined by each display target icon data, with the icon data defining the icon representing the point within the map display range stored in the storage means as the display target icon data Icon drawing means for drawing on the map image drawn by the map drawing means so that the lower icon is drawn later,
The navigation apparatus, wherein the icon drawing means includes display means for displaying the map image on which the icon is drawn. A navigation device for displaying a map,
Storage means for storing map data defining a map, and icon data defining icons representing corresponding points on the map, provided corresponding to each of a plurality of points;
Map drawing means for drawing a map within a map display range, which is a geographical range set as a range for displaying a map, as a map image based on map data stored in the storage means;
The map image of the point represented by the icon representing the icon defined by each display target icon data, with the icon data defining the icon representing the point within the map display range stored in the storage means as the display target icon data Icon drawing means for drawing on the map image drawn by the map drawing means so that an icon having a smaller distance between the upper position and the position of the lower center of the map image is drawn later;
The navigation apparatus, wherein the icon drawing means includes display means for displaying the map image on which the icon is drawn. The navigation device according to claim 1 or 2,
The map drawing means draws a map expressed in a bird's eye view within the map display range as the map image based on the map data stored in the storage means. A navigation device for displaying a map,
Storage means for storing map data defining a map, and icon data defining icons representing corresponding points on the map, provided corresponding to each of a plurality of points;
The map in a bird's eye view representation obtained by observing a map within a map display range that is a geographical range set as a map display range from a virtual viewpoint set above the map as a map image, and storing the map Map drawing means for drawing based on the map data stored in the means;
The icon data defining the icon representing the point in the map display range stored in the storage means is used as display object icon data, and the icon defined by each display object icon data is defined as the point represented by the icon and the virtual Icon drawing means for drawing on a map image drawn by the map drawing means so that an icon having a smaller distance from the viewpoint is drawn later;
The navigation apparatus, wherein the icon drawing means includes display means for displaying the map image on which the icon is drawn. The navigation device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4,
The storage means stores partition data provided corresponding to each of a plurality of partitions, the map data representing a map of the corresponding partition, and the icon data defining an icon of a point in the corresponding partition. And
The map drawing means specifies a section including an area within the map display range, reads out the section data of the section from the storage section for each specified section, and based on the map data included in each read section data Drawing the map image by drawing a map of the area within the map display range of the section,
The icon drawing means collects icon data defining an icon representing a point in the map display range from the section data of each section including an area in the map display range and sets the icon data as the display target icon data. A featured navigation device. The navigation device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5,
Current position calculating means for calculating the current position;
A navigation apparatus comprising: a current position presenting means for drawing a mark representing the current position calculated by the current position calculating means on a map image displayed by the display means. In a map display device that stores map data that defines a map and icon data that is provided corresponding to each of a plurality of points and defines an icon that represents the corresponding point on the map, the icon is arranged A map display method for displaying a map,
Drawing a map within a map display range, which is a geographical range set as a map display range, as a map image based on the map data stored in the storage means;
The icon data defining an icon representing a point within the map display range is set as display object icon data, and the icon defined by each display object icon data is an icon whose position on the map image of the point represented by the icon is lower. Drawing on the drawn map image so that is drawn later.
And a step of displaying the map image on which the icon is drawn.