JP2007192881A - On-vehicle map display apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle information terminal capable of securely displaying a bird's eye map which is easy to see for a user. <P>SOLUTION: When an operation knob 22 is located at a top most section in a map operation bar 21, a road map by a plane map of (a) is displayed. When the operation knob 22 in the map operation bar 21 is moved to a lower direction of a screen, a display format of a map is switched from the plane map to the bird's eye map and the bird's eye map of (b) is displayed. When it is further moved to the lower direction of the screen, according to that, a map range further ahead is displayed by changing a looking down angle of the bird's map and height of a viewpoint. When the operation knob 22 is moved to a bottom most section, the bird's eye map of (c) is displayed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus that is mounted on a vehicle and displays a map.

  Conventionally, when an arbitrary point on the bird's-eye view map displayed on the display screen is instructed by a user's remote control operation or touch panel operation, the point-of-view position or line of sight of the bird's-eye view map is positioned so that the indicated point is located at the center of the display screen. A map display method for changing the direction is known. (See Patent Document 1)

JP 2001-324347 A

  In the map display method disclosed in Patent Document 1, since it is difficult to understand the relationship between the designated point and the changed viewpoint position and line-of-sight direction, it becomes an easy-to-see bird's-eye view map when the user is not very familiar with the operation. In some cases, the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction cannot be changed.

The on-vehicle map display device according to the invention of claim 1 is a bird's-eye view map representing a road shape when the ground surface is viewed at a predetermined look-down angle and line-of-sight direction from a viewpoint set at a predetermined height above the reference point. Map display means for displaying on the display monitor, and operation area display means for displaying on the display monitor together with the bird's eye map an operation area for continuously changing at least one or both of the look-down angle and the viewpoint height by touch panel operation And a map updating means for updating the bird's-eye view map by continuously changing at least one of the look-down angle and the height of the viewpoint or both in accordance with a touch panel operation in the operation area.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the on-vehicle map display device according to the first aspect, the map updating means continuously changes at least one or both of a look-down angle and a viewpoint height according to a touch panel operation in the operation area. At that time, the change is temporarily stopped at a specific look-down angle or the height of the viewpoint.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle map display device according to the second aspect, the specific look-down angle or the height of the viewpoint is determined based on a history of past touch panel operations in the operation area.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle map display device according to the first aspect, the vehicle-mounted map display device further includes a determination unit that determines whether or not it is necessary to check a far map range. When it is determined that it is necessary to check the operation area, the operation area is displayed on the display monitor.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the on-vehicle map display device according to the fourth aspect, the determination means determines that it is necessary to check a distant map range when the host vehicle is traveling on a highway. .
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle map display device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the determination means determines that it is necessary to check a distant map range when the host vehicle is traveling on a road with few intersections. It is.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the on-vehicle map display device according to the sixth aspect, when the distance to the next guidance intersection on the set recommended route is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, It is determined that the vehicle is traveling and it is necessary to check a far map range.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the on-vehicle map display device according to the sixth aspect, when the number of intersections in the map range is equal to or less than a predetermined number, the determination means determines that the host vehicle is traveling on a road with few intersections. Therefore, it is determined that it is necessary to check a far map range.
The vehicle-mounted map display device according to the invention of claim 9 is a bird's-eye view map representing a road shape when the ground surface is viewed from a viewpoint set at a predetermined height above a reference point at a predetermined look-down angle and line-of-sight direction. Map display means for displaying on the display monitor, and map update means for updating the bird's eye view map by continuously changing at least one of or both of the looking-down angle and the height of the viewpoint according to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. Is.
A tenth aspect of the present invention is the in-vehicle map display device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the top-down map is used instead of the bird's-eye map when the look-down angle is maximum or the viewpoint height is minimum. Is displayed on the display monitor.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the bird's-eye view map which is easy to see for a user can be displayed reliably.

-First embodiment-
A configuration of a navigation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. This navigation device is mounted on a vehicle, displays a road map around the vehicle, and guides the vehicle to a set destination. At that time, according to the user's touch panel operation, the display format of the road map can be switched between a planar map and a bird's-eye map, or the look-down angle and the height of the viewpoint of the bird's-eye map can be continuously changed. is there. The navigation device 1 includes a control circuit 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a current location detection device 14, an image memory 15, a display monitor 16, an input device 17, and a disk drive 18. The disk drive 18 is loaded with a DVD-ROM 19 in which map data is recorded.

  The control circuit 11 includes a microprocessor and its peripheral circuits, and performs various processes and controls by executing a control program stored in the ROM 12 using the RAM 13 as a work area. Based on the map data recorded in the DVD-ROM 19 by the control circuit 11, for example, a road map display in a display format of either a planar map or a bird's eye map, setting of a destination, and a recommended route to the set destination And so on.

  The current location detection device 14 is a device that detects the current location of the host vehicle. For example, a vibration gyro 14a that detects the traveling direction of the host vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor 14b that detects a vehicle speed, and a GPS sensor that detects a GPS signal from a GPS satellite. 14c and the like. The navigation device 1 can determine a route search start point when searching for a recommended route based on the current location of the host vehicle detected by the current location detection device 14.

  The image memory 15 temporarily stores image data to be displayed on the display monitor 16. The image data includes road map drawing data for displaying a road map, various graphic data, and the like, and is created by the control circuit 11 based on the map data recorded on the DVD-ROM 19. Various images such as road map images are displayed on the display monitor 16 using the image data stored in the image memory 15.

  A touch panel 16a is combined with the display monitor 16, and when any position on the display monitor 16 is touched by a user's finger or the like, information indicating the touch position is output from the touch panel 16a to the control circuit 11. . Based on the touch position information, the control circuit 11 determines which part of the image displayed on the display monitor 16 is touched at that time. The navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment performs various processes according to touch panel operations from the user detected by the touch panel 16a and the control circuit 11.

  The input device 17 is for accepting various operation inputs from the user, and is realized by an operation panel, a remote controller, or the like. For example, the input device 17 performs operations such as inputting a search condition for searching for a destination facility, instructing a map scroll direction, and changing a map scale. These operations can also be performed by the touch panel operation described above. Therefore, the input device 17 is not essential in the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment, and may not be provided.

  The disk drive 18 reads map data for displaying a road map from the loaded DVD-ROM 19. This map data represents route calculation data used for route search to the destination, route guidance data used to guide the vehicle to the destination according to the recommended route, such as intersection name and road name, and roads Includes road data. The map data also includes background data representing map shapes other than roads such as rivers, railways, various facilities on the map (landmarks), and the like.

  In the road data, the minimum unit representing a road section is called a link, and each road is composed of a plurality of links. A point connecting the links is called a node, and each node has position information (coordinate information). The link shape, that is, the shape of the road is determined based on the position information of the node. Although an example using a DVD-ROM is described here, the map data may be read from a recording medium other than the DVD-ROM, such as a CD-ROM or a hard disk.

  When the destination is set by the user by the operation of the input device 17 or the touch panel operation, the navigation device 1 uses the current location detected by the current location detection device 14 as a route search start point, based on the above-described route calculation data. A route search from the current location to the destination is performed by calculating the algorithm. The recommended route obtained as a result of the route search is displayed on the road map separately from other roads by changing its display form, for example, display color. Thus, the user can recognize the recommended route on the road map displayed on the display monitor 16. In addition, the navigation device 1 guides the host vehicle by instructing the traveling direction by an image or voice to the user so that the host vehicle can travel according to the recommended route. In this way, route guidance to the destination is performed by displaying the road map and guiding the vehicle to the destination according to the recommended route.

  An example of a road map image displayed on the navigation device 1 is shown in FIG. (A) is an example of the road map image by a plane map. Reference numeral 20 denotes a host vehicle position mark for indicating the position of the host vehicle traveling on the recommended route on a map. Reference numeral 21 denotes an operation area for switching the map display format or changing the look-down angle of the bird's-eye view map or the height of the viewpoint, and is called a map operation bar. The user switches the plane map and the bird's-eye view map by moving the operation knob 22 of the map operation bar 21 while touching the touch panel, or changes the look-down angle and the height of the viewpoint of the bird's-eye view map, Easy-to-read map display. As shown in FIG. 2A, when the operation knob 22 is located at the top of the map operation bar 21, a road map based on a planar map is displayed.

  When the operation knob 22 of the map operation bar 21 is moved downward in the screen, the map display format is switched from the planar map to the bird's eye view map. When the screen is further moved downward, the bird's eye view angle and the viewpoint height change so that a farther map area can be displayed on the bird's eye view map accordingly. At this time, for example, a bird's-eye view map as shown in FIG. 2B is displayed.

  In order to create a bird's-eye view map, an arbitrary point on the map, for example, the position of the vehicle is set as a reference point, and a viewpoint is set at a predetermined height above the reference point. The map range is determined by obtaining a trapezoidal area that is generated when a rectangular area corresponding to the screen display range is projected on the ground surface when the ground surface is viewed from the set viewpoint at a predetermined look-down angle and line-of-sight direction. . The look-down angle here is the angle of the line of sight with respect to the ground surface, and the line-of-sight direction is the direction (azimuth) when the line of sight is projected onto the ground surface. When the map range is determined in this way, a predetermined conversion process is performed on the map data included in the map range to express the road shape when the ground surface is viewed from the viewpoint at a predetermined look-down angle and line-of-sight direction. A bird's-eye view map is created.

  When creating a bird's-eye view map as described above, the distance of the map range viewed from the reference point can be changed by changing at least one or both of the look-down angle and the viewpoint height. That is, it is possible to display a farther map range on the bird's-eye view map by reducing the look-down angle to approach the horizontal direction, or increasing the viewpoint height while fixing the look-down angle. Accordingly, when the operation knob 22 of the map operation bar 21 is moved in the lower direction of the screen, the bird's-eye view map can be changed in accordance with the look-down angle and the viewpoint height, and a farther map range can be displayed on the bird's-eye view map. Like that. When the operation knob 22 is positioned on the uppermost side of the screen in the map operation bar 21, that is, when the look-down angle is maximum or the viewpoint height is minimum, the bird's-eye view map is displayed as described above. Instead, a flat map is displayed.

  When the operation knob 22 of the map operation bar 21 is moved to the bottom, a bird's eye view map as shown in FIG. 2C is displayed. The map range of the bird's-eye view map of FIG. 2C extends farther than the map range of the bird's-eye view map of FIG. As described above, by operating the operation knob 22 of the map operation bar 21 on the touch panel, the display format of the map is switched between the planar map and the bird's-eye map according to the position, Change the height of the viewpoint continuously.

  As described above, when the look-down angle and the viewpoint height of the bird's-eye view map are continuously changed according to the operation of the map operation bar 21, the operation knob is positioned at a position corresponding to the specific look-down angle or the viewpoint height. Stop 22 once. Thereby, the bird's-eye view map by the specific look-down angle and the height of the viewpoint is displayed. The specific look-down angle or the height of the viewpoint here may be set in advance on the menu screen or the like, or the look-down angle of the bird's-eye view map that the user normally displays or the bird's-eye view map that was previously displayed Or it can also be set as the height of a viewpoint.

  In this way, even if the map operation bar 21 continues to be operated, the operation knob 22 is temporarily stopped, for example, at the position shown in FIG. 2B, and the change is temporarily made at a specific look-down angle or viewpoint height. Stop. By doing in this way, it is possible to easily specify the look-down angle and the viewpoint height at which the user feels easy to see the bird's-eye view map. Note that by continuing to operate the map operation bar 21 thereafter, it is also possible to continue to change the look-down angle and the viewpoint height.

  However, the map operation bar 21 is not displayed in a situation where the user does not need to see the bird's-eye view map and the plane map is determined to be sufficient. In other words, when the user wants to check a far map range with a bird's-eye view map, for example, when the host vehicle is traveling on a highway, or only when the host vehicle is traveling on a road with few intersections. The map operation bar 21 is displayed on the screen. Thus, by controlling the on / off of the display of the map operation bar 21 according to necessity, the operability can be further improved.

  A flowchart when the control circuit 11 executes the processing described above is shown in FIG. In step S10, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle is traveling on an expressway based on road type information included in the map data. If the vehicle is traveling on a highway, the process proceeds to step S30. If the vehicle is traveling on a road other than the highway, the process proceeds to step S20.

  In step S20, it is determined whether or not the host vehicle is traveling on a road with few intersections. This determination can be performed as follows. That is, when the recommended route to the destination is set, it can be determined that the vehicle is traveling on a road with few intersections when the distance to the next guidance intersection on the recommended route is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. Alternatively, when the number of intersections in the map display range, that is, the number of nodes is equal to or less than a predetermined number, it can be determined that the vehicle is traveling on a road with few intersections. In addition, since the determination method described above is an example, it is good also as using another determination method. If it is determined that the host vehicle is traveling on a road with few intersections, the process proceeds to step S30. If not, the process returns to step S10.

  By the determination processing in step S10 and step S20 described above, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to check a far map range. That is, by satisfying the determination condition of step S10 or step S20, it is determined that it is necessary to check a far map range, the process proceeds to step S30, step S30 is executed, and the map operation bar 21 of FIG. Is displayed on the screen. However, if neither of the determination conditions of step S10 and step S20 is satisfied, it is determined that it is not necessary to check the far map range and the process does not proceed to step S30, and therefore the map operation bar 21 is not displayed.

  If the map operation bar 21 is displayed on the display monitor 16 in step S30, it is determined in the next step S40 whether or not the map operation bar 21 has been operated by a user's touch panel operation. When the map operation bar 21 is operated and the position of the operation knob 22 is changed by the operation, the process proceeds to step S50. On the other hand, if the map operation bar 21 has not been operated, the process returns to step S10 and the above processing is repeated.

  In step S50, the look-down angle and the viewpoint height when the bird's-eye view map is displayed are changed according to the position of the operation knob 22 of the map operation bar 21 at that time. At this time, as described above, at least one or both of the looking-down angle and the viewpoint height is changed so that the farther the map range is displayed on the bird's-eye view map as the operation knob 22 is located on the lower side of the screen. . In the next step S60, the map display is updated by rewriting the bird's-eye view map in which the look-down angle and the viewpoint height in step S50 are changed to the bird's-eye view map displayed so far and displaying it on the display monitor 16. When the operation knob 22 is located on the uppermost side of the screen in the map operation bar 21, a plane map is displayed instead of the bird's eye view map.

  In step S70, it is determined whether or not the look-down angle or viewpoint height after the change in step S50 has reached a specific predetermined look-down angle or viewpoint height. As the specific look-down angle or viewpoint height here, the one set in advance on the menu screen or the like as described above can be used. Or, by recording the history of past touch panel operations, based on the history, it is determined from the look-down angle or viewpoint height of the previously displayed bird's-eye view map or the bird's-eye view map that the user normally displays Also good. When the changed look-down angle or viewpoint height is such a specific look-down angle or view height, the process proceeds to step S80. Otherwise, the process returns to step S10 and the above process is repeated.

  In step S80, the map operation bar 21 is temporarily stopped, and the operation knob 22 is stopped at a position where the specific look-down angle or the viewpoint height is set. Thereby, the look-down angle and viewpoint height of the bird's-eye view map are temporarily fixed and do not change. If step S80 is performed, it will return to step S10 and the above processes will be repeated. If the operation of the map operation bar 21 is continued further thereafter, the movement of the operation knob 22 is resumed, and the look-down angle and the viewpoint height of the bird's-eye view map are changed.

  As described above, the flowchart of FIG. 3 is executed. Thereby, according to a user's touch panel operation, the look-down angle of a bird's-eye view map and the height of a viewpoint change continuously.

According to 1st Embodiment described above, there exists the following effect.
(1) The map operation bar 21 is displayed on the display monitor 16 together with the bird's-eye view map (step S30), and the look-down angle and the viewpoint height are continuously changed according to the touch panel operation on the map operation bar 21 ( Step S50) The bird's eye view map is updated (step S60). Since it did in this way, the bird's-eye view map easy to see for a user can be displayed reliably.

(2) When continuously changing the look-down angle or the viewpoint height according to the touch panel operation on the map operation bar 21, it is determined whether or not the specific look-down angle or the viewpoint height has been reached (step S70), When a specific look-down angle or viewpoint height is reached, the change is temporarily stopped (step S80). Since it did in this way, the look-down angle and viewpoint height which a user feels easy to see a bird's-eye view map can be specified easily.

(3) If the specific look-down angle or the height of the viewpoint is determined based on the past touch panel operation history in the map operation bar 21, the previously displayed bird's-eye view map or the user usually displays it well. When the bird's eye view of the current bird's eye view is at the angle or the viewpoint height, the change can be temporarily stopped.

(4) It is determined whether or not it is necessary to check a far map range (steps S10 and S20), and when it is determined that it is necessary, the map operation bar 21 is displayed on the display monitor 16 (step S10). S30). Since it did in this way, ON / OFF of the display of the map operation bar 21 can be controlled according to necessity, and operativity can be improved further.

(5) When the host vehicle is traveling on an expressway (step S10) or traveling on a road with few intersections (step S20), it is determined that it is necessary to check a far map range. At this time, when the distance to the next guidance intersection on the set recommended route is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, or when the number of intersections in the map range is equal to or less than the predetermined number, the host vehicle travels on a road with few intersections. Therefore, it was decided that it was necessary to check the map range far away. Since it did in this way, the situation which wants to confirm to a distant map range can be determined reliably.

(6) When the look-down angle is the maximum or the viewpoint height is the minimum, the plane map is displayed on the display monitor 16 instead of the bird's-eye view map. Can be switched.

-Second Embodiment-
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment described above, an example has been described in which the bird's-eye-view map is continuously changed in the look-down angle and the viewpoint height according to the user's touch panel operation. A bird's-eye view map that is easy to see for the user is displayed by continuously changing the look-down angle of the bird's-eye view map and the height of the viewpoint according to the vehicle speed. Note that the configuration of the navigation device of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Therefore, in the following description, operation | movement of the navigation apparatus of this embodiment is demonstrated using the structure of FIG.

  FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of processing executed by the control circuit 11 in the navigation device of this embodiment. In step S110, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is detected. For example, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle can be detected by counting the vehicle speed pulses output from the host vehicle at the number of pulses corresponding to the vehicle speed. If the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is detected, the process proceeds to the next step S120.

  In step S120, based on the vehicle speed of the host vehicle detected in step S110, the look-down angle or the viewpoint height of the bird's-eye view map is calculated. In the next step S130, the look-down angle and the height of the viewpoint when displaying the bird's-eye view map are changed according to the calculation result of step S120. At this time, as the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is larger, the look-down angle and the viewpoint height are set such that the farther map range is displayed on the bird's-eye view map. As described in the first embodiment, at least one or both of the viewpoint height and the look-down angle are changed at this time.

  In step S140, the map display is updated by rewriting the bird's-eye view map in which the look-down angle or the viewpoint height is changed in step S130 to the bird's-eye view map displayed so far and displaying it on the display monitor 16. If the vehicle speed of the host vehicle detected in step S110 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, a plane map is displayed instead of the bird's-eye view map, assuming that the look-down angle is maximum or the viewpoint height is minimum. If step S140 is performed, it will return to step S110 and the above processes will be repeated.

  The flowchart of FIG. 4 is executed as described above. Thereby, the look-down angle of the bird's-eye view map and the height of the viewpoint change continuously according to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle.

According to 2nd Embodiment described above, there exists the following effect.
(1) The vehicle speed of the host vehicle is detected (step S110), and the look-down angle and the viewpoint height are calculated based on the detection result (step S120), so that the look-down angle and the viewpoint are determined according to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. Are continuously changed (step S130), and the bird's-eye view map is updated (step S140). Since it did in this way, the bird's-eye view map which is easy to see for a user can be certainly displayed like a 1st embodiment.

(2) Similar to the first embodiment, when the look-down angle is the maximum or the height of the viewpoint is the minimum, the plane map is displayed on the display monitor 16 instead of the bird's-eye view map. Therefore, a plane map and a bird's-eye view map can be easily switched.

  The map display method as described in each of the above embodiments can be applied to various in-vehicle devices that display a map in addition to the vehicle navigation device.

  The embodiment and various modifications described above are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these contents as long as the features of the invention are not impaired.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the road map image displayed. It is a flowchart performed in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart performed in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Navigation device 11 Control circuit 12 ROM
13 RAM
14 Current location detection device 15 Image memory 16 Display monitor 17 Input device 18 Disk drive 19 DVD-ROM
20 Vehicle position mark 21 Map operation bar 22 Operation knob

Claims (10)

Map display means for displaying a bird's-eye view map representing a road shape when viewing the ground surface at a predetermined look-down angle and line-of-sight direction from a viewpoint set at a predetermined height above the reference point;
An operation area display means for displaying an operation area for continuously changing at least one or both of the look-down angle and the height of the viewpoint by a touch panel operation on the display monitor together with the bird's-eye view map;
Map update means for updating the bird's-eye view map by continuously changing at least one or both of the look-down angle and the height of the viewpoint according to a touch panel operation in the operation area. In-vehicle map display device. The in-vehicle map display device according to claim 1,
When the map updating means continuously changes at least one or both of the look-down angle and the height of the viewpoint in accordance with a touch panel operation in the operation area, the map update means is operated at a specific look-down angle or the height of the viewpoint. A vehicle-mounted map display device characterized by temporarily stopping the change. The in-vehicle map display device according to claim 2,
The vehicle-mounted map display device, wherein the specific look-down angle or the height of the viewpoint is determined based on a past touch panel operation history in the operation area. The in-vehicle map display device according to claim 1,
It further comprises a determination means for determining whether or not it is necessary to check a far map range,
The in-vehicle map display device, wherein the operation area display means displays the operation area on the display monitor when it is determined by the determination means that it is necessary to check a far map range. The in-vehicle map display device according to claim 4,
The vehicle-mounted map display device, wherein the determination unit determines that it is necessary to check a far map range when the host vehicle is traveling on an expressway. The in-vehicle map display device according to claim 4,
The in-vehicle map display device, wherein the determination means determines that it is necessary to check a far map range when the host vehicle is traveling on a road with few intersections. The on-vehicle map display device according to claim 6,
When the distance to the next guidance intersection on the set recommended route is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the determination unit determines that the vehicle is traveling on a road with few intersections, and confirms a far map range. An on-vehicle map display device characterized by determining that it is necessary. The on-vehicle map display device according to claim 6,
When the number of intersections in the map range is equal to or less than the predetermined number, the determination means determines that the vehicle is traveling on a road with few intersections and determines that it is necessary to check a far map range. An on-vehicle map display device characterized by the above. Map display means for displaying a bird's-eye view map representing a road shape when viewing the ground surface at a predetermined look-down angle and line-of-sight direction from a viewpoint set at a predetermined height above the reference point;
A map update unit that updates the bird's-eye view map by continuously changing at least one or both of the look-down angle and the height of the viewpoint according to the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. Display device. In the on-vehicle map display device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A vehicle-mounted map display device that displays a planar map on the display monitor instead of the bird's-eye view map when the look-down angle is maximum or the height of the viewpoint is minimum.

Images