JP2007155348A - Map display system, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a map display system capable of effectively assisting users' selections of routes and destinations. <P>SOLUTION: The map display system is provided with a position information acquisition part 10 for acquiring a current location; a map DB 11 for holding activities being performed in facilities and attribute information related to the locations of the facilities for each of the plurality facilities; an input part 12 for receiving input of criteria of selection related to scheduled activities; a retrieval part 13 for extracting a plurality of facilities in which activities related to the attribute information are matched with the scheduled activities from the map DB 11 and retrieving routes from the current location to a destination indicated by the attribute information for each of the plurality of extracted facilities; a drawing content generating part 14 for drawing every retrieved route; and a display part 15 for displaying the content of drawing in a screen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a map display device and the like, and more particularly, to a support technology when a user determines one destination from a plurality of candidate locations.

  In recent years, car navigation devices that present maps to users have become widespread. This type of device generally has a function of supporting a user's driving behavior by searching for a preferable route to a destination based on a required time and a travel distance and displaying the searched route on a map. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  The navigation device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 displays a plurality of route candidates reaching a destination. As the vehicle travels on one of them, the current position of the vehicle is sequentially displayed on the actually traveling route, and it is assumed that the vehicle has traveled on the other route. In this case, the position of the vehicle that is expected at the same time is sequentially displayed.

With this configuration, the user can receive not only basic support for checking the current position of the vehicle and the remaining route to the destination, but also whether the route actually traveled was the best or a more preferable route. It can be used to determine the route of subsequent travel.
JP 2005-24387 A

  However, according to the conventional map display device, the travel position when it is assumed that the user who has selected a certain route actually traveled to some extent and traveled another route candidate with the travel time and travel pattern. Can be confirmed. For this reason, for example, when the selected route is congested, even if another route candidate is closer to the destination than the selected route, the time loss cannot be recovered. In addition, when a plurality of destination candidates are considered, there is a problem that effective support for selecting the destination itself is not provided.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a map display device that effectively supports selection of a route and a destination by a user.

  In order to solve the above problems, the map display device of the present invention includes position information acquisition means for acquiring position information representing the current location, and an action performed at each facility, and attribute information related to the location of the facility, for each of a plurality of facilities. A map database, an input means for receiving an input of a selection criterion related to a scheduled action at a destination, and a plurality of actions that match an action related to the attribute information and an action related to the selection criterion A facility for extracting a facility from the map database and searching for a route from the current location to the location represented by the attribute information for each of the extracted plurality of facilities, and all the searched routes within one screen Display means.

  The display unit may display all the extracted facilities in the one screen by changing a scale according to a size of an area including the plurality of extracted facilities.

  In addition, the map display device further includes simulation means for obtaining an expected position for each elapsed time in each route when the plurality of searched routes are traveled by starting from the current location at the same time, The display means may sequentially display the predicted position for each elapsed time obtained by the simulation means on the route.

  Further, the display means may display the predicted positions corresponding to the same elapsed time for each route simultaneously.

  The map display device further includes a traffic information database holding traffic information representing travel time based on past statistics for at least some sections of the searched plurality of routes, the simulation means May determine the predicted position in consideration of the travel time represented by the traffic information.

  The input means is a touch panel provided on the front surface of the display means, and the display means is a slider that represents a plurality of simulated elapsed times in association with different positions together with all the searched routes. When a bar is displayed and a touch operation on the slider bar portion of the touch panel is received, an expected position at an elapsed time corresponding to the touch position may be displayed.

  Further, the present invention is not only realized as such a map display device, but also includes a method having steps executed by the characteristic components included in such a map display device, and such a method for a computer. It can also be realized as a program for execution.

  The map display device of the present invention searches for a route to each destination for a plurality of destinations selected based on a scheduled action at the destination, and displays the searched route to the user within one screen. Present.

  As a result, for a plurality of destinations related to actions such as meals and shopping, the user can compare the route to reach each in advance, so that, for example, the travel distance and travel time are short and the traffic is not involved Effective support for selecting one route and destination according to the user's desire can be obtained.

  In addition, since a travel simulation of each route is performed, the user can intuitively select the route and the destination by looking at the result.

  The present invention has a particularly excellent practical value for supporting the selection of a destination when a specific one destination is not decided and only a scheduled action (for example, meal or shopping) is decided at the destination. Demonstrate.

  A map display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Functional configuration)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a map display device according to an embodiment.

  The map display device 1 accepts input of selection criteria related to an action scheduled at a destination from a user, displays routes to a plurality of destinations that match the selection criteria in one screen, and It is a device that performs a traveling simulation, and includes a position information acquisition unit 10, a map DB 11, an input unit 12, a search unit 13, a drawing content generation unit 14, a display unit 15, a traffic information DB 16, and a simulation unit 17.

  For example, the map display device 1 is mounted as a car navigation device, mounted on the vehicle, and removed from the vehicle and used outside the vehicle.

  The position information acquisition unit 10 is an interface that acquires position information indicating the current location where the map display device 1 is placed from, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver (not shown).

  The map DB 11 is a storage device that holds, in advance, map element information for drawing a map, as well as attribute information relating to the action performed at the facility and the location of the facility for each of the plurality of facilities. This is realized by a device, a semiconductor memory device or the like.

  The input unit 12 is an input device that receives an operation by a user, in particular, an input operation of a destination selection criterion related to an action scheduled at the destination, and an operation of specifying an elapsed time in a travel simulation. This is realized by a touch panel provided on the front surface of the display unit 15.

  The search unit 13 extracts, from the map DB 11, a plurality of facilities in which an action related to the attribute information held in the map DB 11 matches an action related to the selection criterion received by the input unit, For each of the extracted facilities, a route from the current location to the location represented by the attribute information is searched. Here, the search unit 13 may extract only facilities that are within a predetermined range from the current location.

  The drawing content generation unit 14 generates a map represented by the map information and a display image on the map of the plurality of routes, and outputs them to the display unit 15.

  The display unit 15 is a display device that displays a map and a route image provided from the drawing content generation unit 14 and an image provided from the simulation unit 17. For example, the display unit 15 is a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or the like. Realized.

  Here, the whole of the drawing content generation unit 14 and the display unit 15 is an example of the display means described in the claims.

  The traffic information DB 16 is a storage device that holds traffic information representing travel time based on past statistics for each road section, and is realized by, for example, a hard disk device, a semiconductor memory device, or the like.

  The simulation unit 17 obtains an expected position for each elapsed time in each route when the plurality of searched routes are traveled from the current location at the same time, and an image representing the expected position for each elapsed time is obtained. Sequentially output to the display unit 15.

  The simulation unit 17 may output the image of the slider bar to the display unit 15. This slider bar is a user interface for controlling the elapsed time to be simulated, and represents a plurality of elapsed times in association with different positions on the slider bar. When the touch operation is performed on the display portion of the slider bar on the touch panel, the simulation unit 17 outputs an image representing an expected position at the elapsed time corresponding to the touch position to the display unit 15.

  Here, the search unit 13, the drawing content generation unit 14, and the simulation unit 17 can be realized as software functions performed by executing a program prepared in advance by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown).

(Map information)
As described above, the map DB 11 holds map element information and attribute information.

  Map element information is not a feature of the present invention, so it will not be described in detail as a technique known in the art is used as appropriate. It may be information indicating the location.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the attribute information 110 held in the map DB 11.
The attribute information 110 represents a genre 111, a facility name 112, a proximity node 113, and position information 114 for each facility.

  The genre 111 is a classification of a facility based on an action performed in the facility such as a meal or shopping (in other words, a facility to do), for example, a specific name such as a restaurant, a hamburger shop, a department store, a convenience store, or a supermarket. Represented by

The facility name 112 is a name used for displaying the facility.
The proximity node 113 is an identifier for identifying a target represented in the map element information, such as an intersection or a building near the facility.

  The position information 114 is a coordinate value representing the location of the facility.

(Transportation information)
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the traffic information 160 held in the traffic information DB 16.

  The traffic information 160 represents a section 161, a day of the week / date 162, a time zone 163, and a required time 164 when the section travels during the period indicated by the day of the week / date 162 and the time slot 163.

  The section 161 is an identifier for identifying the section. Specifically, this identifier may identify two intersections represented by the map element information held in the map DB 11.

  The default of the day of the week / date 162 and the time zone 163 represents a general period not specified by other contents.

(Operation)
Hereinafter, the operation of the map display device 1 will be described in detail with reference to flowcharts and display examples. Description of general operations widely performed in conventional car navigation devices is omitted.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a main part of the operation of the map display device 1.
Prior to the search, the search unit 13 displays a genre menu on the display unit 15 in order to receive an input of selection criteria related to an action scheduled at the destination (S01).

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the genre menu. As shown in the figure, the genre menu is displayed overlapping with a map including the current location (represented by an arrowhead symbol surrounded by a circle).

  The map itself including the current location is drawn by a conventional general method based on the current location represented by the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 10 and the map element information held in the map DB 11. .

  When a touch operation is performed on the display part of the genre menu of the input unit 12 (Yes in S02), the search unit 13 selects a genre corresponding to the touch position, and attributes a facility of the genre that matches the selected genre. Extracted from the information 110 (S03). Then, the route to each extracted facility is searched. Each route is searched by a conventional general method (S04).

  In addition to the genre, the input unit 12 may accept input of additional conditions such as travel distance and required time as selection criteria. In this case, a route that does not satisfy the travel distance or the required time indicated by the received additional condition is excluded from the processing target. If all routes leading to a facility are excluded, the facility itself is also excluded.

  Whether the drawing content generation unit 14 can display the facilities that have been extracted and remain unexcluded on one screen of the display unit 15 at the current scale (the scale used for drawing the map shown in FIG. 5). If it cannot be displayed (No in S05), the scale is changed to a small scale that can be displayed in one screen (S06).

  The drawing content generation unit 14 displays the searched route on the display unit 15 at once using the maintained current scale or the changed small scale (S07).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a route. In this example, a department store is selected from the genre menu, a facility whose genre is a department store is extracted, B department store is excluded, and the route to the A department store, the C department store, and the D department store is displayed. Here, it should be noted that the map of FIG. 6 is represented on a smaller scale than the map of FIG. 5, and as a result, the searched routes are displayed at a time.

  The simulation unit 17 obtains an estimated position for each elapsed time in each route when the current location is simultaneously departed and traveled on each of the searched routes, and sequentially displays an image representing the expected position for each elapsed time. To the display unit 15.

  Specifically, the simulation unit 17 multiplies a predetermined standard traveling speed by the elapsed time, and obtains a point that will reach after the elapsed time as an expected position. Furthermore, when the traffic information is shown in the traffic information DB 16 for a part or all of the route, the predicted position is obtained on the assumption that the travel of the route takes the time indicated by the traffic information. As a result, a simulation that appropriately reflects traffic congestion due to day of the week, date, and time zone is performed.

  FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a display example of simulation. The current location is changed to a black circle, and the predicted position of the vehicle on each route is represented by an arrowhead symbol. As the simulated elapsed time progresses, the arrowhead symbols in each path are moved simultaneously to positions corresponding to the same elapsed time. A section where traffic congestion is expected, for example, the vicinity of the D department store, is represented by a thick solid line (S08).

  As a result, the user can start the current location all at once and see the expected positions of the vehicles traveling on each route, and obtain intuitive support in advance for selecting the route and the destination. Can do.

  Further, it is conceivable that a flag indicating the arrival order is displayed at the facility where the vehicle has arrived so that the length of the required time is highlighted for each facility. According to this display, the user can intuitively know the facilities that can arrive earlier.

  As described above, the simulation unit 17 may display the image of the slider bar on the display unit 15 together with the searched route.

FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating a display example of the slider bar.
When a touch operation is performed on the display portion of the slider bar of the input unit 12, the simulation unit 17 outputs an image representing an expected position at the elapsed time corresponding to the touch position to the display unit 15.

  As a result, the user can immediately know the expected position on each route corresponding to the desired elapsed time according to the touch operation (including slide operation) on the slider bar, and the simulation result is more flexible. And the convenience that can be confirmed quickly is given.

(Modification)
In the description so far, the search unit 13 simply searches for a route, and then the simulation unit 17 performs the simulation. However, the search unit 13 determines the required time, travel distance, and traffic for each searched route. It is also possible to calculate at least one of the charges and present it to the user prior to the simulation.

  For example, in order to calculate the toll, the map DB 11 holds information indicating the toll for each section (not shown), and the search unit 13 may accumulate the toll for the section included in the searched route. .

  The calculated required time, travel distance, toll, etc. may be displayed in the vicinity of each route on the route display screen (for example, FIG. 6) or may be displayed in the form of a list.

  By doing so, it is possible for the user to obtain a determination material for route selection to some extent before performing the simulation, and an improvement in convenience can be expected.

  So far, the example of presenting the simulation result by moving the arrowhead symbol displayed on the route has been explained. Alternatively, the simulation is performed by using computer graphics representing the scenery that the driver will see every moment. It is also possible to present the results of

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another display example of the simulation. In the display example shown in FIG. 8, computer graphics representing the scenery that the driver will see at the expected position on each route is shown. A lot of vehicles may be drawn and presented together with a cityscape in a section where traffic congestion is expected.

  Such a scene changes every moment according to the elapsed time to be simulated, so that the user can obtain a very realistic simulation result.

  Of course, the present invention also includes a case where the result of the simulation is presented by combining such computer graphics and a slider bar (see FIG. 7B).

  In addition, the data used as the origin for displaying computer graphics are memorize | stored in map DB11.

  In addition, the example of simulating a plurality of routes to each of the plurality of facilities has been described so far. However, when there is only one facility of a specified genre or an additional condition does not exclude one facility. Needless to say, the present invention is useful for comparing multiple routes to a facility.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another display example of the route. FIG. 9 shows a plurality of routes to one facility. A simulation similar to the above is performed in advance on the plurality of routes, so that the user can obtain route selection support even if the user has never visited the facility in the past.

  The map display device according to the present invention can be used for a device that supports the selection of a route and a destination by a user, and is particularly suitable for use in a car navigation device.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of the map display apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the attribute information currently hold | maintained at map DB. It is a figure which shows an example of the traffic information currently hold | maintained in traffic information DB. It is a flowchart showing an example of the principal part of operation | movement of a map display apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a genre menu. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a path | route. (A) is a figure which shows the example of a display of simulation. (B) is a figure which shows the example of a display of a slider bar. It is a figure which shows the other example of a display of simulation. It is a figure which shows the other example of a display of a path | route.

Explanation of symbols

1 Map Display Device 10 Location Information Acquisition Unit 11 Map DB
12 input unit 13 search unit 14 drawing content generation unit 15 display unit 16 traffic information DB
17 Simulation part 110 Attribute information 111 Genre 112 Facility name 113 Proximity node 114 Location information 160 Traffic information 161 Section 162 Day of the week / date 163 Time zone 164 Time required

Claims (8)

Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information representing the current location;
For each of a plurality of facilities, a map database holding attribute information related to the actions performed at the facilities and the location of the facilities;
An input means for accepting input of selection criteria related to the scheduled action at the destination;
A plurality of facilities in which an action related to the attribute information and an action related to the selection criterion match are extracted from the map database, and the location represented by the attribute information from the current location for each of the extracted facilities Search means for searching for a route to,
A map display device comprising: display means for displaying all the searched routes in one screen. The display means displays all the extracted facilities in the one screen by changing a scale according to the size of an area including the extracted facilities. The map display device according to 1. The map display device further includes:
When it is assumed that the current location is departed simultaneously and each of the searched plurality of routes is traveled, simulation means for obtaining an expected position for each elapsed time in each route is provided,
The map display device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit sequentially displays the predicted position for each elapsed time obtained by the simulation unit on the route. The map display device according to claim 3, wherein the display unit displays the predicted positions corresponding to the same elapsed time for each route simultaneously. The map display device further includes:
A traffic information database that holds traffic information representing travel time based on past statistics for at least some sections of the searched plurality of routes,
The map display device according to claim 3, wherein the simulation unit obtains the predicted position in consideration of a travel time represented by the traffic information. The input means is a touch panel provided on the front surface of the display means,
The display means displays a slider bar representing a plurality of simulated elapsed times in association with different positions together with all the searched routes, and receives a touch operation to the slider bar portion of the touch panel. The map display device according to claim 3, wherein an expected position at an elapsed time corresponding to the touch position is displayed. A location information acquisition step for acquiring location information representing the current location;
An input step for accepting input of selection criteria related to the scheduled action at the destination;
For each of a plurality of facilities, referring to a map database that holds attribute information related to the location of the facility and the location of the facility, an action related to the attribute information and an action related to the selection criteria are A search step of extracting a plurality of matching facilities from the map database, and searching for a route from the current location to the location represented by the attribute information for each of the extracted plurality of facilities;
And a display step of displaying all the searched routes in one screen of a display device. A computer executable program for displaying a map,
A location information acquisition step for acquiring location information representing the current location;
An input step for accepting input of selection criteria related to the scheduled action at the destination;
For each of a plurality of facilities, referring to a map database holding attribute information related to the location of the facility and the location of the facility, an action related to the attribute information and an action related to the selection criteria are A search step of extracting a plurality of matching facilities from the map database, and searching for a route from the current location to the location represented by the attribute information for each of the extracted plurality of facilities;
A program causing a computer to execute a display step of displaying all the searched routes on one screen of a display device.

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