JP2007218770A - Map display device, method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a map display device, a method and a program capable of displaying with excellent visibility on a map, time information (an arrival time to a prescribed spot, a round-trip time determined by adding a return time to an original route to the arrival time, a loss time or the like) when dropping in at a prescribed spot existing near the route from an optional spot on the route. <P>SOLUTION: The device has a first route searching part for searching for a first route from the first starting place to a destination by using map data in a map information storage part, a second route searching part for searching for a plurality of passing spots enabling to reach within a prescribed time from each of second starting places by defining at least one node on the first route as the second starting place, a time curve calculation part for determining a time curve showing a time separation degree from on the first route by connecting the plurality of passing spots, and a display part for displaying the first route and the time curve together with the map data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a map display apparatus, method, and program for displaying time information on a map, and is suitable for application to, for example, mounting on a mobile body for route guidance and facility search.

  In recent years, navigation apparatuses that display and guide the current position of the vehicle and the shortest route from the departure point to the destination in map information stored in an HDD, a DVD, or the like have become widespread.

In such a navigation device, the user can select which point to stop by calculating the shortest time route to a plurality of predetermined points in the vicinity of the current location and displaying it on the display device in a form that compares the required time etc. There has been proposed a vehicle route guidance method (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This vehicle route guidance method uses the time required to reach another predetermined point during route guidance to a specific destination, and the loss time when stopping there (when the vehicle detours, it reaches the original destination) In addition to the user being able to recognize how much extra time it takes for the time to perform, it is also possible to know the shortest time path in the detour via that point.
JP-A-8-292057

  However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the location of a detour point different from the original destination is displayed at the actual location on the map, and time information (arrival time, round trip time, loss time, etc.) is listed. Since it is displayed separately, the amount of information increases as the number of detour points increases, and it is not possible to immediately determine which facility best meets his request. Further, since only the information on the designated detour point is displayed, it is not possible to search for a detour point that can be reached with a predetermined loss time while looking at the map.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems. That is, according to the present invention, the range that can be temporarily deviated from the set route and can stop within the predetermined stop time is displayed on the map in a form with excellent visibility, and the desired stop point is intuitively displayed. An object of the present invention is to provide a map display device, a method, and a time curve calculation program.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the map display device according to the present invention is a first route search for searching for a first route from a first departure point to a destination using map data in a map information storage unit. And at least one node on the first route as a second departure point, and can be reached within a predetermined time from each of the second departure points, or a plurality of transit points whose round trip time is within a predetermined time range A second route search unit that searches for a time curve, a time curve calculation unit that obtains a time curve that represents a temporal separation from the first route by connecting a plurality of waypoints, and the first route and the time curve are represented by the map And a display unit for displaying the data together.

  Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, the second aspect further includes a third route search unit that searches for a third route that passes through the route from the first departure point to the destination, and the time curve calculation unit includes a plurality of time curve calculation units. A time curve representing the time separation from the first route is obtained by connecting the transit points where the difference in required time between the third route and the first route is a predetermined time. And In the third aspect, the time curve calculation unit obtains a time curve by connecting the plurality of waypoints obtained from each of the plurality of second starting points to form a closed curve, and connecting the plurality of closed curves. Features. The fourth aspect is characterized in that a time curve is not obtained when a transit point exists inside a plurality of closed curves obtained from each of a plurality of second starting points.

  With these configurations, it is possible to display a range that can be reached within a certain time from a point where the moving body is scheduled to travel on the route (a range that can be reached by a round trip time, a range of loss time). In particular, by displaying a route and a time curve at the same time on a map that is normally displayed, the user can simultaneously check the distance perspective and time perspective from multiple points on the map along the route. This is effective in determining the location to stop by.

  The fifth aspect is characterized in that when the plurality of closed curves obtained from each of the plurality of second starting points do not intersect, the display unit displays a message indicating that the time curve cannot be displayed.

  The sixth aspect is characterized in that a closed curve connecting a transit point searched from the second departure point in the link to which the present location belongs is displayed so as to be distinguishable from other closed curves. As a result, the range drawn in the time curve from each point on the route can be reached from each point in a predetermined time (can be reached in a predetermined round-trip time, loss time can be reached in a predetermined time). Can be presented clearly.

  The seventh aspect includes an input unit for inputting an instruction related to time information, and the display unit is changed to a time curve corresponding to a movement instruction of an arbitrary point associated with the time information by the input unit. And The eighth aspect is characterized in that a slider bar capable of changing time information is displayed on the display unit, and the display unit displays a time curve according to the setting of the slider bar by the input unit. Thereby, the intuitive operation of a time curve is realizable.

  The ninth aspect is characterized by having a search unit that searches for facilities in a range surrounded by the first route and the time curve. Thereby, it is possible to perform a search taking into account time information along the route at the time of facility search, and it is possible to improve user convenience.

  In the tenth aspect, the map data in the map information storage unit is used to search for a first route from the first departure point to the destination, and to at least one node on the first route. A facility search unit that searches for facilities within a predetermined distance range centered on each of the second departure points, and a route from each of the second departure points to each facility searched by the facility search unit The second route search unit for searching for and the arrival time or round-trip time from each of the second departure points to the facility within the predetermined time range from the facilities searched by the second route search unit, or the first A coordinate point extraction unit that extracts a plurality of facility positions within a predetermined time range as a difference in required time between one route and the third route searched from the first departure point to the destination via the facility; , Connecting the first departure point, coordinate point and destination And by, and having a time curve calculating unit for determining the time curve representing the temporal away degree from the first route, and a display unit for displaying the first route and the time curve together with the map data. Thereby, a time curve can be calculated | required more simply and it becomes applicable also in the map display apparatus whose processing performance is not so high.

  Note that the present invention can be realized not only as such a map display device but also as a method, a program, and a storage medium for storing the program.

  As is clear from the means for solving the above-described problems, the present invention provides time information (arrival time to a predetermined point, when stopping at a predetermined point in the vicinity of the route from any point on the route). The round trip time obtained by adding the return time to the original route to the arrival time, the loss time, etc.) can be displayed on the map with good visibility, and the stop point can be set intuitively.

  In addition, more clearly indicate that the range drawn by the time curve on the route can be reached from each point in a predetermined time (can be reached in a predetermined round-trip time, loss time can be reached in a predetermined time) Can do.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the map display apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of the map display device of the present embodiment. The map display device 1 includes a control unit 11, a map information storage unit 12, a positioning unit 13, a working area unit 15, an input unit 16, a traffic information receiving unit 17, and an output unit 18. Further, the route search unit 141, another route search unit 142, the time curve calculation unit 143, the display control unit 144, and the facility search unit 145 are a part of the configuration of the control unit 11. The output unit 18 includes a display device 181 and a speaker 182. In each drawing, components not related to the present invention are omitted.

  The control unit 11 is a CPU, MPU, ROM (Read Only Memory), or RAM (Random Access Memory) that controls the operation of the entire map display device 1. The control unit 11 may proceed with processing while reading and writing information necessary for processing in a memory (typically, RAM (Random Access Memory)) as the working area unit 15. A detailed operation flow representing the processing content will be described later.

  The map information storage unit 12 is, for example, an HDD or a DVD in which map information such as road network data including nodes and links, background data, and facility information is stored. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which information stored in the map information storage unit 12 is downloaded from the center facility (not shown) by communication means (not shown) (for example, a mobile phone, PHS, etc.) is also possible.

  The positioning unit 13 is a means for positioning the current position, speed, and direction of the map display device 1, and includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, a vehicle speed sensor, a gyro (angular velocity) sensor, an acceleration sensor, and the like. is there. The GNSS receiver is a GPS receiver, for example, which receives radio waves from a plurality of satellites and demodulates them to measure the absolute position of the receiver. Note that the GNSS receiver and various sensors are used alone or in combination for positioning the current position, speed, and direction.

  The input unit 16 inputs information necessary for the user to execute a desired function such as route search or facility search. The input unit 16 has a configuration in which a predetermined number of push-type switches are arranged, A microphone, a voice recognition engine, or the like that recognizes a user's voice, a remote control, or a user's voice and converts it into input information to the map display device 1.

  Various types of traffic information receiving unit 17 can be used according to the type of traffic congestion information provided, and a receiving device corresponding to FM broadcast waves, optical / radio wave beacons, DSRC receivers, mobile phones, and the like is used. Further, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a traffic jam prediction database storing past traffic jam statistical data may be provided in the map display device 1 to receive traffic jam information.

  The display device 181 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic EL display, or the like that displays an image according to display image data created by the control unit 11.

  The speaker 182 outputs sound according to sound data such as route guidance data created by the control unit 11. Note that an amplifier and the like are omitted.

  The route search unit 141, the separate route search unit 142, the time curve calculation unit 143, the display control unit 144, and the facility search unit 145 that constitute a part of the control unit 11 may be stored in a center facility (not shown). Yes, in such a case, the map display device 1 downloads the calculation result from the center facility and uses it.

  The route search unit 141 is instructed by the function of searching for the destination input by the input unit 16 from the map information stored in the map information storage unit 12 and the current location or another route search unit 142 that the positioning unit 13 measures. It has two functions: a function of searching for a recommended route from the departure place to the destination from the road network data stored in the map information storage unit 12. A well-known Dijkstra or A * algorithm is used for searching for a recommended route. In addition, as search conditions, conditions such as general road priority, highway priority, distance priority, time priority, fee saving, and trunk line priority are used alone or a combination of these. When the time priority condition is included, the traffic congestion information received by the traffic information receiving unit 17 is added to the cost calculation when searching.

The different route search unit 142 uses one or more nodes (described below as n) on the recommended route as a starting point, and refers to the road network data stored in the map information storage unit 12 while referring to another route within a predetermined range. It has a function of searching for a route in all directions (that is, a plurality of destinations). Note that time priority is used as a search condition, and traffic congestion information received by the traffic information receiving unit 17 is added to cost calculation when searching. The search termination condition is when either of the following conditions is satisfied.
(1) When the arrival time reaches a predetermined time (2) When the round-trip time obtained by adding the return time to the recommended route to the arrival time reaches a predetermined time (assuming that the same route is used for the forward route and the return route)
(3) When the loss time reaches a predetermined time It is preferable to let the user select in advance which of (1) to (3) to use using a setting menu screen or the like (not shown).

  The above loss time means that when the destination is inputted by the input unit 16 and the recommended route is searched by the route searching unit 141 and the destination is routed through a new waypoint, the original recommended route is passed. This is the amount of time it takes more than if you go. Specifically, when (3) is the search end condition, the different route search unit 142 expands the route search range in cooperation with the route search unit 141 and searches for a waypoint. The process up to this point is the same as when (1) and (2) are used as the search end conditions. Thereafter, in a process where the different route search unit 142 expands the search, a predetermined node (arrival time = Ti, i = 1 to n) is further set as the departure point of the route search unit 141 and the route search to the initial destination is executed. (Arrival time to the destination = Ti ′, i = 1 to n). At this time, assuming that the arrival time of the recommended route from the current location to the destination calculated by the route search unit 141 is T, the loss time is calculated as LTi = (Ti + Ti ′) − T. Note that the route search unit 141 may re-search all routes to the destination by using a predetermined node in the process where the different route search unit 142 expands the search from the current location.

  The time curve calculation unit 143 connects the plurality of nodes as the processing result of the different route search unit 142 in a form of one round, and thereby the time from the recommended route from the current location to the destination calculated by the route search unit 141. It has a function to obtain a time curve that represents the degree of separation. In some cases, in addition to a plurality of nodes, an interpolation point is obtained, and a time curve to which the interpolation point is connected is obtained.

  The display control unit 144 has a function of combining and displaying the recommended route from the current location to the destination calculated by the route search unit 141 and the time curve calculated by the time curve calculation unit 143 on a map displayed on the display device 181. ing. When the time curve cannot be displayed, a message indicating that the time curve cannot be displayed is displayed on the display device 181. The display control unit 144 further has a function of displaying a partial section on the time curve so as to be distinguishable from other sections according to the position of the moving body during route guidance. This avoids the misunderstanding that the range drawn in the time curve from all points on the route can be reached in a predetermined time (can be reached in a predetermined round trip time, and the loss time can be reached in a predetermined time). be able to. The display control unit 144 further has a function of changing to arbitrary time information in response to a user operation on the displayed time curve from the input unit 16.

  The facility search unit 145 selects a facility existing between the recommended route and the time curve based on a keyword (for example, a genre name such as a family restaurant or a gas station) necessary for searching for the facility input by the input unit 16. It has a function to search from the map information stored in the map information storage unit 12.

  Next, the recommended route and the time curve displayed by the display control unit 144 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a display example of a recommended route and a time curve displayed by the display control unit 144. In FIG. 2, 2 a is a recommended route, 2 b is a time curve, 2 c is a mark representing time information, and is displayed on the display device 181. In addition, display of road network data other than the recommended route 2a, background data, scale level, direction mark, facility information (for example, a landmark icon indicating a family restaurant or a gas station), other menus, etc. is for simplifying the description. Omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, with respect to the recommended route 2a from the current location to the destination, time information in the form of a time curve 2b in the case of a stop at a predetermined point existing in the vicinity of the route from any point on the route By displaying on the top with good visibility, the user can grasp the situation while intuitively comparing in a case where a stop point is determined from a plurality of candidate points.

  Next, the flow of the time curve display process processed by the map display device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The time curve display process described below is executed by the above-described route search unit 141, another route search unit 142, time curve calculation unit 143, and display control unit 144.

  FIG. 3 is an operation flow diagram showing the operation from the setting of the current location and the destination to the display of the recommended route and the time curve on the map. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram supplementing the operation flow of FIG. FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart illustrating in detail the processing in step S15 in the operation flowchart of FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram supplementing the operation flow diagram of FIG.

In FIG. 3, first, when the current location and the destination are set (step S10), a recommended route is searched (step S11). Step S11 is executed by the route search unit 141 described above. Next, one or more nodes that satisfy the condition that the number of connection links on the recommended route is three or more are extracted (step S12). In other words, intersection nodes with three or more roads are extracted. Here, the nodes 4a, 4b, and 4c in FIG. 4 correspond to the nodes extracted in step S12. The extracted nodes may be all nodes on the recommended route that satisfy the condition that the number of connection links is 3 or more, or may be nodes that serve as branch points for route guidance. Next, another route within a predetermined range starting from each extracted node is searched in all directions (step S13). Then, the search is terminated when the above-described search termination condition is satisfied, and a temporary representative node is extracted from the nodes at points where the search has spread (step S14). Here, P _{1 to} P ₁₆ in FIG. 4 are provisional representative nodes when another route is searched with the node 4a as a departure point. Similarly, Q _{1 to} Q ₁₆ are provisional representative nodes when another route is searched using the node 4b as a departure point, and R _{1 to} R ₁₆ are provisional representative nodes when another route is searched using the node 4c as a departure point. It is a representative node. This provisional representative node calculation method divides the target map equally in the m direction centering on the departure place, and the reachable position (node) farthest from the departure place in the area from direction 1 to direction m is the representative node. (A method similar to the amoeba display node extraction process disclosed in JP-A-11-16094). In addition, S12-S14 are performed by the above-mentioned another route search part 142. FIG. Returning to the operation flow of FIG. In step S15, a time curve to a predetermined point near the recommended route is calculated. Here, the time curve 6 in FIG. 6 represents the time curve calculated in step S15. Step S15 is executed by the time curve calculation unit 143. Next, in step S16, it is determined whether or not a time curve has been obtained. When the time curve is not obtained (step S16: No), the recommended route is displayed on the map and a message that the time curve cannot be calculated is displayed (step S17). On the other hand, when the time curve is obtained (step S16: Yes), the recommended route and the time curve are displayed on the map (step S18). Note that steps S17 and S18 are executed by the display control unit 144.

  Next, a detailed operation flow until the time curve calculation unit 143 calculates the time curve will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 5, first, all temporary representative nodes obtained in S14 of FIG. 3 are registered as finalized representative nodes (step S20). The fixed representative node represents a representative node for finally drawing a time curve. Next, a provisional curve connecting provisional representative nodes for all nodes on the recommended route is drawn (step S21). Provisional curve connecting in the step S21 5a shown in FIG. 4, 5b, an _5c, continuous respectively Bezier curves and spline curves provisional representative node of _{P 1 ~P 16, Q 1 ~Q} 16, R 1 ~R 16 Connected. The provisional curves 5a, 5b, and 5c are drawn (managed) by the working area unit 15 of the map display device 1 and are not actually displayed on the display device 181. Next, in step S22, it is determined whether all provisional curves intersect. If they do not intersect (step S22: No), it is assumed that the time curve cannot be calculated (step S23). If all the curves intersect (Step S22: Yes), the process proceeds to Step S24. In step S24, it is confirmed whether or not there is a temporary representative node inside the intersection of the curves. If it exists (step S24: Yes), the process proceeds to step S25. If it does not exist (step S24: No), the process proceeds to step S26. Here, the interior of the provisional representative node of intersection of the curve and the curve, in the provisional representative node shown in FIG. _{4, P 1 ~P 3, Q} 1 ~Q 4, Q 6 ~Q 8, R 1 ~R ₂ , R _{12 to} R ₁₄ . In step S25, the temporary representative node is deleted from the confirmed representative node. Next, the fixed representative nodes are arranged (step S26). Here, in the case of FIG. 4, P _{4 to} P _16, Q ₅ , R _{3 to} R ₁₁ ,..., R _{15 to} R ₁₆ , Q _{9 to} Q ₁₆ , etc. The fixed representative nodes are aligned with each other. Then, the time curves connecting the aligned confirmed representative nodes are continuously connected using a Bezier curve or a spline curve (step S27). In this way, the time curve 6 shown in FIG. 6 is drawn.

  As described above, it is possible to display a range that can be reached within a certain time from a point where the moving body is scheduled to travel on the route (a range that can be reached by a round trip time, a range of loss time). In particular, by displaying a route and a time curve at the same time on a map that is normally displayed, the user can simultaneously check the distance perspective and time perspective from multiple points on the map along the route. This is effective in determining the location to stop by.

Further, the time curve calculation method is not limited to the method shown in the operation flow of FIG. 5, and other methods may be employed. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of a time curve displayed by another method. As shown in FIG. 7, the time curve 7 may be obtained using S _{1 to} S ₆ , which are points where the provisional curves 5 a, 5 b, and 5 c intersect, as interpolation points. Thereby, it is possible to draw a more accurate time curve than the time curve 6.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating another display example of the recommended route and the time curve displayed by the display control unit 144. In FIG. 8, 8a is a recommended route, 8b and 8d are time curves, 8c and 8e are marks representing time information, and are displayed on the display device 181. In addition, display of road network data other than the recommended route 8a, background data, scale level, direction mark, facility information (for example, a landmark icon indicating a family restaurant or a gas station), other menus, etc. is for simplifying the description. Omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, with respect to the recommended route 8a from the current location to the destination, the time information when stopping at a predetermined point near the route from any point on the route is shown as time curves 8b and 8d. A plurality of lines may be displayed on the map. By displaying a plurality of time curves in this way, it is possible to grasp the degree of congestion in a predetermined direction as if it were a change in the gradient of a contour line, compared to displaying only one time curve. In other words, if the interval between the time curves is narrow, it means that the traffic is congested accordingly, and if the interval between the time curves is wide, it means that the time can be smoothly advanced. However, the user can make a judgment that the stop point is determined at a place where the interval of the time curve is wider, which is useful.

  Next, the flow of time curve display processing during route guidance that is processed by the map display device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. It should be noted that the time curve display processing during route guidance described below is executed by the display control unit 144 described above.

  FIG. 9 is an operation flowchart showing a flow of time curve display processing during route guidance. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram supplementing the operation flow of FIG.

In FIG. 9, first, the link to which the current location on the recommended route belongs is calculated by map matching processing, and the vehicle position mark is updated (step S30). Next, a search is made for a node closer to the destination from the link obtained in step S30 and extracted in step S12 of FIG. 3 (step S31). Here, the node searched in step S31 will be described with reference to FIG. When the interval d ₁ on the recommended route in FIG. 10 is the current position (vehicle position mark) would node 4a is searched. Similarly, when the current location is in the sections d ₂ and d ₃ , the nodes 4 b and 4 c are searched for, respectively. Returning to the operation flow of FIG. In step S32, a partial section corresponding to the node obtained in step S31 on the time curve is displayed so as to be distinguishable from other sections. Here, the partial sections corresponding to the nodes obtained in step S31 on the time curve are e ₁ , e ₂ , and e ₃ in FIG. 10, and the time curve 6 and the provisional curves 5a, 5b, and 5c It is an overlapping section. Thus, for example, when the current position is in the interval d ₁ is, e ₁ of segments on the curve is identifiably displayed to the display of the entire time curve. For example, display in an identifiable manner means changing the color, blinking, increasing the thickness of a line, or emphasizing by another method. Note that the corresponding nodes 4a, 4b, and 4c may be highlighted at the same time. Returning to the operation flow of FIG. In step S33, it is determined whether the destination has been reached. If the destination has not been reached (step S33: No), the process returns to step S30. On the other hand, when arriving at the destination (step S33: Yes), the route guidance is terminated. As described above, the range drawn by the time curve from all points on the route can be reached at a predetermined time (can be reached at a predetermined round-trip time, or a loss time can be reached at a predetermined time). You can avoid that.

  In FIG. 11, when a user's operation on the time curve displayed by the display control unit 144 is received from the input unit 16 (in this case, a touch panel type integrated with the display device 181), any operation is performed accordingly. It is a figure explaining the function changed to time information.

  As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the time mark on the displayed time curve (arrival time = 10 minutes, or round trip time = 10 minutes, or loss time = 10 minutes) is pressed, It shows an example in which the time information = 20 minutes is displayed by sliding as it is. Of course, the time curve may be displayed even in the time between 10 minutes and 20 minutes, and the time curve at an arbitrary position pressed by the user is continuously displayed. The time mark may be changed to a reaction color while the user is pressing it.

  Further, in FIGS. 11C and 11D, a slider bar is displayed on the screen, and the user can display a time curve of arbitrary time information by moving the slider left and right. is there. When the slider bar is displayed vertically in the vertical direction, the slider may be moved in the vertical direction. Thereby, the intuitive operation of a time curve is realizable.

  In this way, in addition to the touch panel type shown in FIG. 11, an operation on the time curve may be received by a remote controller or the like.

  Further, an effect of sequentially displaying ripple information from a small value to a large value of time information (arrival time or round trip time or loss time) may be obtained. As a result, the time curve can be displayed in continuous fine units, so that it is easier to understand the time information by appealing to the user's vision.

  Next, the flow of the facility search process processed by the map display device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The facility search process described below is executed by the facility search unit 145 described above.

  FIG. 12 is an operation flowchart showing an operation when a facility search request is generated by the user. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram supplementing the operation flow of FIG.

In FIG. 12, the standby state is maintained until a facility search request is generated by the user (step S40 and step S41: No). At this time, it is assumed that the route from the departure point to the destination and its time curve are calculated. If a facility search request is generated (step S41: Yes), the process proceeds to step S42. Here, a case where a family restaurant is selected and the search button 91 is pressed on the search menu screen 9a illustrated in FIG. 13 will be described below. In step S42, a facility existing within the range of the recommended route and the time curve is searched. Then, the search result of the corresponding facility (referred to as points L _{1 to} L _n ) is displayed (step S43). Here, the search result of the corresponding facility is displayed in the form shown in the search result screen 9b in FIG. FIG. 13 shows an example in which search results are sorted along the route and sorted in order of arrival time from the route. Of course, it is possible to sort in order of round trip time and loss time. Next, when one facility is selected from the points L _{1 to} L _n by the user (step S44), the route is searched again (step S45). However, when the time information is a round trip time, the route from the original departure point to the destination is not changed. This is because the user returns to the original route after stopping at the facility.

  Thereby, at the time of a facility search, it is possible to perform a search that takes into account time information from the already set route to the facility, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

  In FIG. 13, the time information from the route can be further operated by operating the time UP / DOWN button 92. After manipulating the time information, the facility can be further narrowed (or expanded) by selecting the narrowing button 93.

  In the operation flow chart of FIG. 5, when all the provisional curves do not intersect, the time curve cannot be calculated. However, a predetermined threshold is provided, and the time curve is obtained even if there are some places where the intersection does not occur. You may do it. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a time curve is displayed even when there are some places where a predetermined threshold is provided and several places do not intersect even when all the provisional curves do not intersect. In FIG. 14, 10 a is a recommended route, 10 b and 10 d are time curves, 10 c and 10 e are marks representing time information, and are displayed on the display device 181. 10f and 10g are provisional curves and are not actually displayed on the display device 181. As shown in FIG. 14, even if there is a place where the provisional curves 10f and 10g do not intersect at only one place, the time curves 10b and 10d are obtained as separate closed curves, so that the degree of time separation from the route can be reduced. It may be expressed.

  By the map display device according to the first embodiment described above, time information when the user stops at a predetermined point existing in the vicinity of the route from any point on the route (arrival time to the predetermined point, initial route at the arrival time) The round trip time, loss time, etc. obtained by adding the return time until the time can be displayed on the map with good visibility. Therefore, the user can immediately know how much additional time the facilities on the map can go to, and can easily recognize whether it is possible to stop by and where the optimal stop location is. .

  Although the present invention has been described in detail above, the above description is merely illustrative of the present invention in all respects and is not intended to limit the scope thereof. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In particular, this apparatus can be used as a portable map display device or a map display application for displaying on a personal computer.

(Embodiment 2)
In the map display device according to Embodiment 1, in order to obtain a time curve, a route within a predetermined range starting from a plurality of nodes on the recommended route is searched in all directions until the search end condition is satisfied. However, in the second embodiment, a time curve is obtained more simply by inputting a desired facility existing in the vicinity of the recommended route in advance.

  Hereinafter, the map display apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  Since the overall configuration of the map display device of the present embodiment is the same as that of FIG. 1, the description regarding the configuration of the map display device is omitted.

  First, an outline of the route search unit 141, the different route search unit 142, the time curve calculation unit 143, the display control unit 144, and the facility search unit 145 stored in the control unit 11 will be described. These configurations may be stored in a center facility (not shown). In such a case, the map display device 1 can download and use the calculation result from the center facility.

  The route search unit 141 has a function of searching for the destination input by the input unit 16 from the map information stored in the map information storage unit 12, and a recommended route from the current location measured by the positioning unit 13 to the destination. And the function of searching from the road network data stored in the map information storage unit 12. A well-known Dijkstra or A * algorithm is used for searching for a recommended route. In addition, as search conditions, conditions such as general road priority, highway priority, distance priority, time priority, fee saving, and trunk line priority are used alone or a combination of these. When the time priority condition is included, the traffic congestion information received by the traffic information receiving unit 17 is added to the cost calculation when searching.

  The separate route search unit 142 uses one or more nodes on the recommended route as the departure point, a stop route to the desired facility searched by the facility search unit 145 described later, or a stop route to the desired facility and the recommended route from the desired facility It has a function of searching for a return route up to or a stop-off route to the desired facility and a new route from the desired facility to the destination. Note that time priority is used as a search condition, and traffic congestion information received by the traffic information receiving unit 17 is added to cost calculation when searching.

The time curve calculation unit 143 determines a time curve representing a degree of time separation associated with the desired time input from the input unit 16 from the recommended route from the current location to the destination calculated by the route search unit 141 as another route. It calculates | requires using the process result of the search part 142. FIG. Here, the desired time is a time during which the user desires one of the following (1) to (3).
(1) Arrival time from the recommended route to the desired facility (2) Round trip time obtained by adding the return time from the desired facility to the recommended route to the arrival time from the recommended route to the desired facility. Does not necessarily pass)
(3) Loss time It is preferable to let the user select in advance which of (1) to (3) to use using a setting menu screen or the like (not shown). Moreover, you may make it select on the screen (not shown) which inputs desired time by the input part 16. FIG.

  The display control unit 144 displays a recommended route from the current location calculated by the route search unit 141 to the destination, a time curve calculated by the time curve calculation unit 143, and a list of desired facilities searched by the facility search unit 145 described later. It has a function of combining and displaying on a map displayed on the display device 181. When the time curve cannot be displayed, a message indicating that the time curve cannot be displayed is displayed on the display device 181.

  The facility search unit 145 is centered on one or more nodes on the recommended route based on a keyword (for example, a genre name such as a family restaurant or a gas station) necessary for searching for a facility input by the input unit 16. It has a function of searching for desired facilities within a predetermined distance range from map information stored in the map information storage unit 12.

  The recommended route and time curve displayed by the display control unit 144 are the same as the schematic diagram shown in FIG. 2, and the recommended route 2a from the current location to the destination is shown on the route as shown in FIG. By displaying time information on a map in the form of a time curve 2b with a high visibility when stopping at a predetermined point in the vicinity of the route from any point of the user, the user can select from a plurality of candidate points When deciding on a stop-off point, it is possible to grasp while intuitively comparing.

  Next, the flow of the time curve display process processed by the map display device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The time curve display process described below is executed by the above-described route search unit 141, another route search unit 142, time curve calculation unit 143, display control unit 144, and facility search unit 145.

  FIG. 15 is an operation flowchart showing an operation until a time curve and a facility list are combined and displayed on a map. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram supplementing the operation flow of FIG. FIG. 17 is an operation flowchart for explaining in detail the processing in step S57 in the operation flowchart of FIG. FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing a time curve obtained from the operation flow chart of FIG.

  In FIG. 15, first, when the current location and the destination are set (step S50), a recommended route is searched (step S51). Step S51 is executed by the aforementioned route search unit 141. Next, a recommended route is displayed on the map (step S52). Step S52 is executed by the display control unit 144. Next, when the user receives input of desired time and desired facility via the input unit 16 (step S53), one or more nodes on the recommended route are extracted (step S54). Further, a desired facility within a predetermined distance range centering on each node extracted in step S54 is searched (step S55). The predetermined distance can be a fixed value, for example, 5 km, or can be a variable value depending on the desired time and the average vehicle speed. When taking a variable value, for example, when the desired time (arrival time from the recommended route to the desired facility) is 10 minutes and the average vehicle speed is 30 km / h, the predetermined distance is set to 5 km. The average vehicle speed can be acquired using a value stored in advance in the map information storage unit 12 or via the traffic information receiving unit 17. In addition, the process of step S54 and step S55 is performed by the facility search unit 145. Next, in step 56, one or more nodes on the recommended route obtained in step 54 are set as departure points, and a stop-off route to the desired facility (when the desired time is (1)) or a stop-off route to the desired facility is desired. A return route from the facility to the recommended route (when the desired time is (2)) or a stop-off route to the desired facility and a new route from the desired facility to the destination (when the desired time is (3)) are searched. Step S56 is executed by the different route search unit 142. Next, a time curve with respect to the desired time in step S53 is obtained using the search result in step S56 (step S57). Then, a time curve and a facility list are displayed on the map (step S58).

  In step S55, if no search for the desired facility is found, a message indicating that the time curve cannot be displayed is displayed on the display device 181. That is, the time curve cannot be written unless some desired facilities are hit.

  Here, step S54 to step S56 will be supplemented using FIG. In the following description, it is assumed that the desired time is (1) described above, and that the different route search unit 142 has searched for a stop-by route to the desired facility in step S56.

  In FIG. 16, reference numerals 21 and 22 denote nodes, which correspond to the nodes extracted in step S54. In addition, in step S55, two desired facilities 23a and 24a are located in a radius 5km circle 20b centered on the node 21, and two desired facilities 25a and 26a are located in a radius 5km circle 20c centered on the node 22. Indicates that the search has been performed. 23b and 24b are routes from the node 21 on the recommended route 20a obtained in step S56 to the desired facilities 23a and 24a. Similarly, 25b and 26b are routes from the node 22 on the recommended route 20a obtained in step S56 to the desired facilities 25a and 26a. In addition, it is assumed that the desired facility 23a can be reached in 8 minutes, the desired facility 24a in 12 minutes, the desired facility 25a in 14 minutes, and the desired facility 26a in 7 minutes.

  Next, a detailed operation flow until the time curve calculation unit 143 calculates the time curve will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 17, first, it is determined whether or not the desired facility is reached within the desired time (step S60). When arriving within the desired time (step S60: Yes), a coordinate point corresponding to the desired time on the route from the recommended route to the desired facility is obtained (step S61). On the other hand, if it does not arrive within the desired time (step S60: No), a perpendicular is drawn from the desired facility to the recommended route (step S62). Next, a coordinate point corresponding to the desired time on the perpendicular is obtained (step S63). Next, in step S64, the starting point and destination are added to the coordinate points and aligned. And a time curve is calculated | required by connecting a coordinate point in order (step S65). A total of two time curves are drawn for one side of the recommended route. The time curve is continuously connected using a Bezier curve or a spline curve.

  Here, the operation flow diagram of FIG. 17 will be supplemented with reference to FIGS. 16, 18, and 19. In the following description, it is assumed that the desired time is 10 minutes.

  In FIG. 16, coordinate points 24c and 25c correspond to the coordinate points obtained in step S61 of FIG. The perpendiculars 23d and 26d correspond to the perpendicular obtained in step S62 of FIG. The coordinate points 23c and 26c correspond to the coordinate points obtained in step S63 in FIG. Note that the radius 5 km circles 20b and 20c and the vertical lines 23d and 26d in FIG. 16 are drawn (managed) by the working area unit 15 of the map display device 1 and are not actually displayed on the display device 181. In FIG. 16, the radius 5 km circles 20b and 20c are drawn so as not to intersect. However, if they intersect, the overlapping desired facility will hit the search of the facility search unit 145, but the desired time The shorter one will be adopted.

  More specifically, the coordinate point 23c obtained in step S63 is a ratio of the length from the recommended route to the desired facility 23a and the length from the desired facility 23a to the coordinate point 23c on the perpendicular 23d as shown in FIG. Is calculated to be 8: 2 (the desired time is 10 minutes, so a coordinate point assumed to be around 10 minutes on the vertical line 23d is obtained).

  In FIG. 19, time curves 20 d and 20 e represent the time curves drawn in step S <b> 65 of FIG. 17 and are displayed on the display device 181. 20f represents a time mark. In this way, a time curve that smoothly connects coordinate points can be drawn. Further, as shown in FIG. 19, by displaying the routes 23b, 24b, 25b, and 26b to the desired facility together with the time curves 20d and 20e on the display device 181, from which point of the recommended route 20a should be directed to the desired facility The user can easily grasp.

  As described above, in the map display device according to the second embodiment, it is necessary to input a desired facility existing in the vicinity of the recommended route in advance as compared with the map display device according to the first embodiment. It can be obtained and can be put into practical use even in a map display device whose processing performance is not so high.

  In the above description, the different route search unit 142 searches for the stop route from the recommended route to the desired facility, and the desired time is described as the arrival time from the recommended route to the desired facility. When searching for the stop-off route to the desired facility and the return route from the desired facility to the recommended route, the desired time is set to (2) above, and the stop-off route to the desired facility and the new route from the desired facility to the destination are similarly set. When searching for a route, it is possible to similarly obtain a time curve with the desired time as the above (3). In particular, when the desired time is (2), the display device 181 may simultaneously display the return route to the recommended route in addition to the route to the desired facility. When the desired time is (3), a new route to the destination may be simultaneously displayed on the display device 181 in addition to the route to the desired facility.

  Time information when the map display device according to the second embodiment described above stops at a predetermined point in the vicinity of a route from any point on the route (the arrival time to the predetermined point, the initial route at the arrival time) A map display device and a time curve calculation unit that can display a round trip time, a loss time, and the like obtained by adding up to the return time until a high visibility on a map can be realized.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail above, the above description is merely illustrative of the present invention in all respects and is not intended to limit the scope thereof. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In particular, this apparatus can be used as a portable map display device or a map display application for displaying on a personal computer.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The map display device of the present invention is useful as a map display device and an in-vehicle information terminal that are installed on a moving body and display route information including the current position of the moving body together with a map. The present invention can also be applied to a portable map display device and a map display application displayed on a personal computer.

Configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a map display device according to the first embodiment The schematic diagram which shows the example of a display of the recommended path | route and time curve which are displayed by the display control part 144 Operation flow diagram showing the operation from setting the current location and destination to displaying the recommended route and time curve on the map. Schematic diagram supplementing the operation flow of FIG. Operation flow diagram illustrating in detail the processing of step S15 in the operation flow diagram of FIG. Schematic diagram supplementing the operation flow diagram of FIG. Schematic diagram showing a display example of the time curve displayed by other methods The schematic diagram which shows the other example of a display of the recommended path | route and time curve which are displayed by the display control part 144 Operation flow diagram showing the flow of time curve display processing during route guidance Schematic diagram supplementing the operation flow of FIG. The figure which showed a mode that it changed to arbitrary time information according to it, if the operation of the user with respect to the time curve displayed by the display control part 144 is received from the input part 16. Operation flow diagram showing the operation when a facility search request is generated by the user Schematic diagram supplementing the operation flow of FIG. Schematic diagram showing how a time curve is displayed even if there are some places where a predetermined threshold is set and there are some places where all provisional curves do not intersect Operation flow diagram showing the operation until the time curve and facility list are combined and displayed on the map Schematic diagram supplementing the operation flow of FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating in detail the processing in step S57 in the flowchart of FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing a time curve obtained from the operation flow diagram of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Map display device 2a, 8a, 10a, 20a Recommended route 2b, 6, 7, 8b, 8d, 10b, 10d, 20d, 20e Time curve 2c, 8c, 8e, 10c, 10e, 20f Time mark 4a, 4b, 4c , 21, 22 Nodes 5a, 5b, 5c, 10f, 10g Provisional curve 9a Search menu screen 9b Search result screen 11 Control unit 12 Map information storage unit 13 Positioning unit 15 Working area unit 16 Input unit 17 Traffic information reception unit 18 Output unit 20b, 20c radius 5km circle 23a, 24a, 25a, 26a desired facility 23b, 24b, 25b, 26b route from recommended route to desired facility 23c, 24c, 25c, 26c, 27, 28 coordinate point 23d, 26d perpendicular 91 search button 92 Time UP / DOWN button 93 Narrow down button 141 Route search part 42 Another route search section 143 hours curve computation unit 144 display control unit 145 facility search unit 181 display device 182 speaker

Claims (16)

A first route search unit that searches for a first route from the first departure point to the destination using the map data in the map information storage unit;
At least one node on the first route as a second departure point, and a plurality of waypoints that are reachable within a predetermined time from each of the second departure points or that have a round trip time within a predetermined time range A second route search unit to search;
A time curve calculating unit for obtaining a time curve representing a degree of temporal separation from the first route by connecting a plurality of the waypoints;
A display unit for displaying the first route and the time curve together with the map data;
A map display device comprising: A third route search unit for searching for a third route passing through the waypoint from the first departure point to the destination;
The time curve calculation unit is configured to connect time points on the first route by connecting a route point where a difference in required time between the third route and the first route is a predetermined time among the plurality of route points. The map display device according to claim 1, wherein a time curve representing a certain degree of separation is obtained. The time curve calculation unit obtains a time curve by connecting the plurality of route points obtained from each of the plurality of second starting points to form a closed curve, and connecting the plurality of closed curves. The map display apparatus of Claim 1 or Claim 2. The map display device according to claim 3, wherein when the waypoint is present inside a plurality of the closed curves obtained from each of the plurality of second starting points, a time curve is not obtained. 4. The map display according to claim 3, wherein when the plurality of closed curves obtained from each of the plurality of second starting points do not intersect, the display unit displays a message indicating that the time curve cannot be displayed. apparatus. 5. The map display device according to claim 3, wherein a closed curve connecting a transit point searched from the second departure point in the link to which the present location belongs is displayed so as to be distinguishable from other closed curves. It has an input part for inputting instructions related to time information,
The map display device according to claim 3, wherein the display unit changes to a time curve corresponding to a movement instruction of an arbitrary point associated with the time information by the input unit. A slider bar capable of changing time information is displayed on the display section,
The map display device according to claim 3, wherein the display unit displays a time curve corresponding to a setting of a slider bar by the input unit. The map display device according to claim 3, further comprising a search unit that searches for facilities within a range surrounded by the first route and the time curve. A first route search unit that searches for a first route from the first departure point to the destination using the map data in the map information storage unit;
A facility search unit that searches at least one node on the first route as a second departure point, and searches for facilities within a predetermined distance range around each of the second departure points;
A second route search unit for searching for a route from each of the second departure places to each of the facilities searched by the facility search unit;
Of the facilities searched by the second route search unit, the arrival time or round trip time from each of the second departure points to the facility is within a predetermined time range, or the first route and the first A coordinate point extraction unit that extracts a plurality of facility positions within a predetermined time range as a required time difference from a third route searched from the departure point to the destination via the facility;
A time curve calculating unit for obtaining a time curve representing a temporal separation from the first route by connecting the first starting point, the coordinate point, and the destination;
A display unit for displaying the first route and the time curve together with the map data;
A map display device comprising: A map display method for displaying a map and a route from a departure place to a destination,
A first route search step for searching for a first route from the first departure point to the destination using the map data in the map information storage unit;
At least one node on the first route as a second departure point, and a plurality of waypoints that are reachable within a predetermined time from each of the second departure points or that have a round trip time within a predetermined time range A second route searching step to search;
A time curve calculating step for obtaining a time curve representing a degree of temporal separation from the first route by connecting a plurality of the waypoints;
Displaying the first route and the time curve together with the map data;
A map display method characterized by comprising: A third route search step for searching for a third route passing through the waypoint from the first departure point to the destination;
In the time curve calculating step, the time from the first route is connected by connecting the route points where the difference in the required time between the third route and the first route is a predetermined time among the plurality of route points. The map display method according to claim 11, wherein a time curve representing a certain degree of separation is obtained. A computer-executable program for displaying a map and a route from a starting point to a destination,
A first route search step for searching for a first route from the first departure point to the destination using the map data in the map information storage unit;
At least one node on the first route as a second departure point, and a plurality of waypoints that are reachable within a predetermined time from each of the second departure points or that have a round trip time within a predetermined time range A second route searching step to search;
A time curve calculating step for obtaining a time curve representing a degree of temporal separation from the first route by connecting a plurality of the waypoints;
Displaying the first route and the time curve together with the map data;
A program that causes a computer to execute. A third route search step for searching for a third route passing through the waypoint from the first departure point to the destination;
In the time curve calculating step, the time from the first route is connected by connecting the route points where the difference in the required time between the third route and the first route is a predetermined time among the plurality of route points. The program according to claim 13, wherein a time curve representing a certain degree of separation is obtained. A map display method for displaying a map and a route from a departure place to a destination,
A first route search step for searching for a first route from the first departure point to the destination using the map data in the map information storage unit;
A facility search step of searching for facilities within a predetermined distance range centered on each of the second departure locations, with at least one node on the first route as a second departure location;
A second route search step for searching for a route from each of the second departure points to each of the facilities searched by the facility search step;
Of the facilities searched in the second route search step, the arrival time or round-trip time from each of the second departure points to the facility is within a predetermined time range, or the first route and the first route A coordinate point extraction step for extracting, as coordinate points, a plurality of facility positions within a predetermined time range in a required time difference from a third route searched from the departure point to the destination via the facility;
A time curve calculating step for obtaining a time curve representing a temporal separation from the first route by connecting the first starting point, the coordinate point, and the destination;
Displaying the first route and the time curve together with the map data;
A map display method characterized by comprising: A computer-executable program for displaying a map and a route from a starting point to a destination,
A first route search step for searching for a first route from the first departure point to the destination using the map data in the map information storage unit;
A facility search step of searching for facilities within a predetermined distance range centered on each of the second departure locations, with at least one node on the first route as a second departure location;
A second route search step for searching for a route from each of the second departure points to each of the facilities searched by the facility search step;
Of the facilities searched in the second route search step, the arrival time or round-trip time from each of the second departure points to the facility is within a predetermined time range, or the first route and the first route A coordinate point extraction step for extracting, as coordinate points, a plurality of facility positions within a predetermined time range in a required time difference from a third route searched from the departure point to the destination via the facility;
A time curve calculating step for obtaining a time curve representing a temporal separation from the first route by connecting the first starting point, the coordinate point, and the destination;
Displaying the first route and the time curve together with the map data;
A program that causes a computer to execute.

Images