JP2008261804A - Navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation device capable of displaying more proper map. <P>SOLUTION: A road specification means (the road specification program 54b etc.) specifies a road where the navigation device 100 is positioning based on the present position detected by a present position detection means, a discrimination means (a discrimination program 54c etc.) discriminates the kind of the road based on the road information, a moving history memory control means stores information regarding the moved position at every time of passing through the position as a moving history in a moving history memory part 532c and also deletes the moving history after a prescribed period has elapsed after storing, a determination means (a determination program 54e) determines whether the present position is the position where the device has passed more than or equal to a prescribed frequency or not, and a display control means (a display control program 54h etc.) switches the map information for displaying on the display part 3 according to the kind of the road in the case it is determined that the present position is not the position has passed more than or equal to the prescribed frequency. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a navigation device that measures the current position using GPS (Global Positioning System) or the like and displays the measured current position on a display screen together with map information.

Patent Document 1 proposes a map display device that displays a wide area map and a detailed map including the nearest facility depending on the type of traveling road of the moving body. Specifically, when it is detected that the moving body has entered the road or the moving speed has decreased for a predetermined time, the map of the scale displayed immediately before is displayed on one divided screen. While displaying as it is, the most detailed map such as a housing map at the current position of the moving body is displayed on another screen with the nearest facility. According to this, when the moving body passes through a narrow road, it is possible to easily identify the positions of the surrounding facilities and also to easily identify the current position of the moving body.
JP 2002-202144 A

  However, in reality, even when the vehicle passes through a narrow road, there may be a case where the user knows the geography and does not need a detailed map. Even in such a case, the map display device of Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it is switched to a detailed map and is unusable.

  The subject of this invention is providing the navigation apparatus which can perform a more suitable map display.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 includes display means for displaying map information,
In a navigation device comprising a current position detecting means for detecting a current position,
Road information storage means for storing road information including information on the type of road;
Road identification means for identifying the road on which the navigation device is located based on the current position detected by the current position detection means;
Determining means for determining the type of road specified by the road specifying means based on the road information stored by the road information storage means;
A movement history storage control unit that stores information on a position to which the navigation device has moved in the storage unit as a movement history each time the position passes, and deletes a movement history that has passed for a predetermined period from the storage unit. ,
Corresponding map storage means for storing the types of roads divided into layers and the types and / or scales of map information in association with each other;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the current position detected by the current position detection unit is a position that has passed a predetermined number of times or more based on a movement history stored in the storage unit;
Based on the current position detected by the current position detection means, stop determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle has stopped for a predetermined time;
Selection means for allowing the user to select a setting of map information to be displayed on the display means when the navigation device is stopped from a plurality of setting conditions;
When the determination means determines that the current position detected by the current position detection means is not a position that has passed a predetermined number of times or more, the display means determines whether or not the display means determines the type of road determined by the determination means. The displayed map information is switched and displayed, and the map information is displayed on the display unit according to the setting condition selected by the selection unit when the stop determination unit determines that the map has been stopped for a predetermined time or more. Display control means,
With
The correspondence map storage means stores map information of a wider area in association with the type of road in the upper hierarchy,
The display control means switches the map information of the road determined by the determination means by switching to the map information of the type and / or scale corresponding to the type of road determined by the determination means in the corresponding map storage means. As the type belongs to a higher hierarchy, a wider area of map information is displayed on the display means.

The invention according to claim 2 is a display means for displaying map information;
In a navigation device comprising a current position detecting means for detecting a current position,
Road information storage means for storing road information including information on the type of road;
Road identification means for identifying the road on which the navigation device is located based on the current position detected by the current position detection means;
Determining means for determining the type of road specified by the road specifying means based on the road information stored by the road information storage means;
Road identification means for identifying the road on which the navigation device is located based on the current position detected by the current position detection means;
Discriminating means for discriminating the type of road identified by the road identifying means;
A movement history storage control unit that stores information on a position to which the navigation device has moved in the storage unit as a movement history each time the position passes, and deletes a movement history that has passed for a predetermined period from the storage unit. ,
A determination unit that determines whether or not the current position detected by the current position detection unit is a position that has passed a predetermined number of times or more based on a movement history stored in the storage unit;
When the determination means determines that the current position detected by the current position detection means is not a position that has passed a predetermined number of times or more, the display means determines whether or not the display means determines the type of road determined by the determination means. Display control means for switching and displaying the displayed map information;
It is characterized by providing.

The invention according to claim 3 is provided in the navigation device according to claim 2, further comprising correspondence map storage means for storing the road type and the map information type and / or scale in association with each other.
The display control means switches to map information of a type and / or a scale corresponding to the type of road determined by the determination means in the corresponding map storage means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation device according to the second or third aspect, the stop determination for determining whether or not the vehicle is stopped for a predetermined time or more based on the current position detected by the current position detecting means. Means,
Selection means for allowing the user to select a setting of map information to be displayed on the display means when the navigation device is stopped from a plurality of setting conditions;
The display control unit displays map information on the display unit according to the setting condition selected by the selection unit when the stop determination unit determines that the display has been stopped for a predetermined time or more. .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the road information including the display means for displaying the map information and the current position detecting means for detecting the current position, and including information on the type of the road by the road information storage means. Is stored, and the road on which the navigation device is located is specified by the road specifying means based on the current position detected by the current position detecting means, and the type of the road specified by the road specifying means is determined by the determining means. The information relating to the position where the navigation device has moved is stored in the storage means as the movement history every time the position is passed by the movement history storage control means. In addition, the movement history that has passed a predetermined period after storage is deleted from the storage means, and the corresponding map storage means And the type and / or scale of the map information are stored in association with each other, and whether or not the current position detected by the current position detection means by the determination means is a position that has passed a predetermined number of times, It is determined based on the movement history stored by the storage means, the stop determination means determines whether or not the vehicle has stopped for a predetermined time or more based on the current position detected by the current position detection means, and the selection means The setting of the map information to be displayed on the display means when the navigation device is stopped is selected by the user from a plurality of setting conditions, and the current position detected by the current position detecting means by the determining means is determined by the display control means. When it is determined that the position has not passed the predetermined number of times, the map information displayed on the display means is displayed according to the type of road determined by the determination means. With displays being Toggles by stop determination means, when it is determined that the stop more than a predetermined time, the map information is displayed on the display means according to the setting condition selected by the selection means. Further, the corresponding map storage means stores the map information in a wider area in association with the road type of the upper hierarchy, and the display control means sets the road type determined by the determination means in the corresponding map storage means. By switching to the map information of the associated type and / or scale, the map information on a wider area is displayed on the display unit as the road type determined by the determination unit belongs to a higher hierarchy.
Therefore, the map information displayed on the display means can be switched to the map information of the type and / or scale corresponding to the type of road only at the position where the predetermined number of times has not been passed within the predetermined period in the past. As the type of the road belonging to the upper hierarchy belongs, a wider area of map information is displayed on the display means, and a navigation device capable of performing a more appropriate map display can be provided. Further, when the vehicle is stopped, the map information under the setting conditions desired by the user is displayed on the display means, and the usability of the navigation device can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in a navigation device comprising display means for displaying map information and current position detection means for detecting the current position, the road information storage means includes information on the type of road. Road information is stored, and the road on which the navigation device is located is identified by the road identification means based on the current position detected by the current position detection means, and the road identification means identifies the road identified by the road identification means. The type is discriminated based on the road information stored by the road information storage means, and the movement history storage control means causes the information related to the position where the navigation device has moved to the storage means as the movement history every time the position passes. The movement history that has been stored for a predetermined period after the storage is deleted from the storage means, and the current position is determined by the determination means. Whether the current position detected by the detecting means is a position that has passed a predetermined number of times or not is determined based on the movement history stored by the storage means, and the current position detecting means is determined by the determining means by the display control means. When it is determined that the current position detected by the above is not a position that has passed a predetermined number of times or more, the map information displayed on the display means is switched and displayed according to the type of road determined by the determination means. .
Therefore, the map information displayed on the display means is switched to the map information corresponding to the type of road only at a position that has not passed a predetermined number of times within a predetermined period in the past. It is possible to provide a navigation device capable of performing the above.

According to the invention described in claim 3, it is a matter of course that the effect of the invention described in claim 2 can be obtained, and by the corresponding map storage means, the type of road, the type and / or scale of map information, Are stored in association with each other, and the display control means switches to map information of a type and / or scale corresponding to the road type determined by the determination means in the corresponding map storage means.
Therefore, the map information displayed on the display means is switched to the map information of a type and / or scale corresponding to the type of road, and thus a more appropriate map display is possible.

According to the invention described in claim 4, it is a matter of course that the effect of the invention described in claim 2 or 3 is obtained, based on the current position detected by the current position detection means by the stop determination means, It is determined whether or not the vehicle has been stopped for a predetermined time or more, and the selection unit selects a map information setting to be displayed on the display unit when the navigation device is stopped from a plurality of setting conditions, and performs display control. When it is determined by the means that the stop determination means has stopped for a predetermined time or more, the map information is displayed on the display means in accordance with the setting condition selected by the selection means.
Therefore, at the time of stop, the map information under the setting conditions desired by the user is displayed on the display means, and the usability of the navigation device can be improved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The navigation device 100 of the present embodiment is a portable navigation device mounted on a vehicle, for example, and provides the user with various information such as map information and route search / route guidance to a destination.

First, the configuration of the main part of the navigation device 100 will be described with reference to FIG.
The navigation device 100 includes, for example, a current position detection unit 1 as a current position detection unit, a communication unit 2, a display unit 3 as a display unit, an input unit 4, a control unit 5, and the like.

The current position detection unit 1 includes, for example, a direction sensor such as a gyro sensor that detects relative coordinates of the navigation device 100, a distance sensor such as a vehicle speed sensor, a GPS positioning unit that detects absolute coordinates of the navigation device 100, and the like. The current position information of the navigation device 100 itself is detected, and a current position detection signal based on the detected current position information is output to the control unit 5.
Specifically, the direction sensor is, for example, an optical fiber optic gyro, a vibration type piezoelectric vibration gyro, or the like, and detects the traveling direction of the vehicle on which the navigation device 100 is mounted. The vehicle speed sensor detects the traveling speed of the vehicle on which the navigation device 100 is mounted.
The GPS positioning unit receives, for example, radio waves from a plurality of (for example, at least three) artificial satellites whose positions are known by a GPS antenna (not shown), and from each arrival time of the radio waves received from each artificial satellite, The distance from the artificial satellite to the navigation device 100 is calculated, and the latitude / longitude data of the intersection of the distance from each artificial satellite is specified.

  For example, the communication unit 2 is connected to an information providing apparatus (not shown) via a network, and receives various information such as route guidance and map information transmitted from the information providing apparatus via the network.

  The display unit 3 is configured to include a display such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), for example, and displays map information and other various information on the display according to control from the control unit 5.

The input unit 4 includes, for example, a character / number key, various function keys, a touch panel configured integrally with the display unit 3, and the user inputs various information such as a destination point and a departure point.
Specifically, the input unit 4 outputs a key press signal based on the key press by the user to the control unit 5, and calculates the coordinates of the touch operation when the user performs a touch operation on the touch panel, A pressing signal based on the calculated coordinates is output to the control unit 5. Further, the input unit 4 may be provided, for example, in a remote controller or the like so that it can be operated remotely.

  The control unit 5 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 51, an RTC (Real Time Clock) 52, a memory unit 53, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 54, and the like.

  The CPU 51 executes various programs stored in the ROM 54 in accordance with input signals or the like input from each unit of the navigation device 100, and outputs an output signal to each unit based on the execution program. The overall control of 100 operations is controlled.

  The RTC 52 counts the current time and outputs the counted current time to the CPU 51.

  The memory unit 53 includes a work area 531 made of a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), for example. The processing result generated when various programs are executed by the CPU 51, input data, and the like The work area 531 is stored.

  The memory unit 53 includes a data area 532 made of a nonvolatile memory such as an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM). The data area 532 stores, for example, a map information DB 532a as a road information storage unit, an area code storage unit 532b, a movement history storage unit 532c as a storage unit, a corresponding map storage unit 532d as a corresponding map storage unit, and the like. .

The map information DB 532a stores, for example, map information of different types and scales in a hierarchical structure.
Specifically, the map information DB 532a stores the map information divided into three layers of first to third layers, for example, according to the road type. The first hierarchy, which is the upper hierarchy, stores, for example, a wide-area map that includes high-speed automobile national roads and general national roads, and the second hierarchy includes prefectural roads and roads that are displayed on the wide-area map. A mid-range map containing municipal roads is stored. In addition, in addition to the road displayed in the middle map, the third hierarchy, which is a lower hierarchy, further stores a detailed map in which narrow streets are recorded.

Here, the data structure of the map information stored in the map information DB 532a will be described.
The map information is a collection of unit data called a mesh in which the ground surface is divided into rectangular areas having a predetermined area. Each piece of mesh data constituting the map information includes a mesh code (for example, according to a standard area mesh system). Etc.).
Further, each mesh data is divided into grid-like divided area data, and each divided area is given an area code and stored in an area code storage unit 532b described later. Each divided area is, for example, a rectangular area having a side of 100 m ² or the like.

  Further, the map information stored in the map information DB 532a includes road information. This road information includes road width information and road lane information as information relating to the road type, road shape information, road information. Type information, road number, intersection information, other node information, link information, and the like. The road information is used for road identification by map matching processing performed based on the current position detected by the current position detection unit 1 when the road identification program 54b described later is executed, and when the determination program 54c is executed. It will be used to determine the type of the identified road.

  In addition to the road information described above, the map information includes address information, information on buildings, facilities, stores, parks, railways, topographic information, and the like. Furthermore, the map information is updated to the latest map information downloaded from an information providing device (not shown) via a network as needed.

Note that the map information DB 532a is not limited to a layer that is classified according to the road type, but is classified according to the map type based on the scale that can be displayed, the width of the road, the classification other than the road type, for example. It may be what was done.
In the case of dividing the hierarchy according to the scale, for example, the map information corresponding to the display scale of 1/5000 to 1/25000 is provided in the first hierarchy, and the display scale of 1/2500 to 1/10000 is provided in the second hierarchy. In the map information corresponding to, the third hierarchy stores map information corresponding to a display scale of 1/500 to 1/1000.
In addition, when stratifying according to the width of the road, for example, the map information in which roads with a width of 20 m or more are recorded in the first hierarchy, and the road in which roads with a width of 5 m or more are recorded in the second hierarchy. In the information and the third hierarchy, map information that also records roads with a width of less than 5 m is stored.

The area code storage unit 532b stores an area code assigned to each of the divided areas constituting the map information stored in the map information DB 532a.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the area code storage unit 532b. As shown in FIG. 2, the area code storage unit 532b assigns a 12-digit area code to each divided area in the map information, and stores a latitude range and a longitude range as position information of each divided area. Yes.

The movement history storage unit 532c stores, as a movement history, information related to the position where the navigation device 100 has moved in the execution of a movement history storage control program 54d described later.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the movement history storage unit 532c. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the movement history storage unit 532 c displays, for each area code assigned to each divided area in the map information, the number of times of passage through the divided area to which the area code is assigned and the date information at the time of passage. By memorizing, the position through which the navigation device 100 has passed is memorized as a movement history. For example, in the example of the movement history storage unit 532c in FIG. 3, the number of times of passage through the divided area of the area code “1234-56-10-11-12” is “twice”, and the first pass is 2007/03 / 10 The second pass takes place on 2007/03/11.
Further, the movement history stored in the movement history storage unit 532c is deleted when a predetermined period (for example, six months) elapses after storage, and only the movement history for the predetermined period is retained.

The correspondence map storage unit 532d associates and stores the types of roads divided in hierarchy and the types and / or scales of map information.
Here, the “road type” is any factor for classifying roads such as the width of the road, the number of lanes of the road, the type of road, etc. In this embodiment, for example, the width of the road and the road The number of lanes.
The road width and the number of lanes as the type of road are divided into hierarchies. The higher the road width, the higher the hierarchy, and the higher the road lane, the higher the hierarchy. For example, the width of the road is 20 m or more in the upper hierarchy, the width 5 to 20 m in the middle hierarchy, and the width less than 5 m in the lower hierarchy. Further, for example, the number of road lanes is 5 lanes or higher in the upper hierarchy, 2 to 4 lanes in the middle hierarchy, and 1 lane in the lower hierarchy.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the correspondence map storage unit 532d. As shown in FIG. 4, the correspondence map storage unit 532 d stores the hierarchy in the map information DB 532 a as the type of map information and the display scale in association with the width / number of lanes of the roads in each hierarchy. The map information (upper hierarchy / large scale in the map information DB 532a) is associated with the width / number of lanes of the road belonging to the upper hierarchy.
For example, in the example of the corresponding map storage unit 532d in FIG. 4, a wide-area map of the first hierarchy in the map DB is associated with a road having a width of 20m or more / 5 lanes or more as the upper hierarchy, and the display scale is 1/10000 is associated. Further, a middle-level map of the second hierarchy and a display scale of 1/2500 are associated with a road having a width of 5 to 20 m / 2 to 4 lanes as a middle hierarchy. Further, a detailed map of the third hierarchy and a display scale of 1/1000 are associated with a road having a width of 5 m or less / 1 lane as a lower hierarchy.

  The ROM 54 has a program storage area composed of, for example, a non-volatile memory. Specifically, the ROM 54 includes a current position detection program 54a, a road identification program 54b, a determination program 54c, a movement history storage control program 54d, a determination program 54e, A stop determination program 54f, a selection program 54g, a display control program 54h, and the like are provided.

The current position detection program 54a is a program for causing the CPU 51 to realize a function of detecting the current position of the navigation device 100, for example.
Specifically, the CPU 51 causes the current position detection unit 1 including an orientation sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, a GPS positioning unit, and the like to acquire current position information of the navigation device 100 itself, and is output from the current position detection unit 1. Based on the current position detection signal, the latitude and longitude as the current position of the vehicle on which the navigation device 100 is mounted are specified.
The CPU 51 functions as a current position detection unit together with the current position detection unit 1 by executing the current position detection program 54a.

The road identification program 54b is a program for causing the CPU 51 to realize a function of identifying the road where the navigation device 100 is located based on the current position detected by executing the current position detection program 54a, for example.
Specifically, the CPU 51 performs map matching processing based on the current position detected by the execution of the above-described current position detection program 54a at a predetermined timing such as when a display control program 54h described later is executed, and performs navigation. The road on which the vehicle on which the device 100 is mounted is located is specified based on the road information stored in the map information DB 532a. In the map matching process, for example, a road that is a candidate for matching is obtained according to the traveling locus of the vehicle, a road having the highest correlation is specified from the matching candidates, and pattern matching is performed to match the current position on the road. .
The CPU 51 functions as road specifying means by executing the road specifying program 54b.

The determination program 54c is a program for causing the CPU 51 to realize a function of determining the type of road specified by the execution of the road specifying program 54b based on road information stored in the map information DB 532a.
Specifically, the CPU 51 executes a map matching process based on the current position detected by the execution of the current position detection program 54a by executing the above-described road identification program 54b, and the vehicle on which the navigation device 100 is mounted. When a road that is located is identified, information (road width information or road lane information) regarding the type of road related to the road that is identified as being located is obtained from the road information stored in the map information DB 532a. Based on the acquired information on the type of road, the type of road (width / number of lanes) is determined.
In the execution of the discrimination program 54c, the type of road discriminated by the CPU 51 is selected in advance by a user on a menu screen or the like (not shown) from the width of the road and the number of lanes of the road. Based on the width of the road or the number of lanes of the road on which the vehicle on which the navigation device 100 is mounted is located.
The CPU 51 functions as a determination unit by executing the determination program 54c.

The movement history storage control program 54d, for example, causes the CPU 51 to store information on the position where the navigation device 100 has moved in the movement history storage unit 532c as a movement history every time the position passes, and a predetermined period has elapsed after the storage. This is a program for realizing a function of deleting the moved movement history from the movement history storage unit 532c.
Specifically, when the latitude / longitude as the current position detected by the execution of the current position detection program 54a is specified when the vehicle equipped with the navigation device 100 is traveling, the CPU 51 includes the latitude / longitude. The divided area to be specified is specified based on the area code storage unit 532b. When it is determined that the user has moved from one divided area to another divided area based on the specified divided area, the movement history storage unit 532c counts up the number of times the specified divided area has passed by one time each time. In addition, the date information at the time of passage is stored. The CPU 51 performs this process every time it moves to a different divided area, and counts the number of times of passage through the divided area.
Further, when the movement history storage unit 532c stores information stored before a predetermined period (for example, six months), the CPU 51 deletes the date information in the movement history and performs the division. By counting down the number of times the area has passed, only the movement history within a predetermined period is stored in the movement history storage unit 532c.
The CPU 51 functions as a movement history storage control unit by executing the movement history storage control program 54d.

The determination program 54e indicates, for example, in the movement history stored in the movement history storage unit 532c whether or not the current position detected by the execution of the current position detection program 54a is a predetermined number of times or not. This is a program for realizing a function of making a determination based on this.
Specifically, the CPU 51 detects the latitude / longitude as the current position detected by the execution of the current position detection program 54a in the execution of the above-described movement history storage control program 54d when the vehicle on which the navigation device 100 is mounted travels. Is identified based on the area code storage unit 532b, and when the number of passages of the division area in the movement history storage unit 532c is counted up, the number of passages of the division area is greater than or equal to a predetermined number of times (for example, It is determined whether it is 5 times or more.
The CPU 51 functions as a determination unit by executing the determination program 54e.

The stop determination program 54f is, for example, a program for causing the CPU 51 to realize a function of determining whether or not the vehicle has stopped for a predetermined time or more based on the current position detected by executing the current position detection program 54a.
Specifically, when the latitude / longitude as the current position detected by executing the current position detection program 54a does not change for a predetermined time or longer (for example, 5 seconds or longer), the CPU 51 determines that the navigation device 100 It is determined that the vehicle has stopped for a predetermined time.
The CPU 51 functions as a stop determination unit by executing the stop determination program 54f.

The selection program 54g is a program for causing the CPU 51 to realize a function of allowing the user to select the map information setting to be displayed on the display unit 3 from a plurality of setting conditions when the navigation device 100 is stopped. It is.
FIG. 5 is an illustration of a map display setting screen displayed on the display unit 3 in the execution of the selection program 54g. As shown in FIG. 5, the map display setting screen displays a plurality of (for example, three) map information setting conditions displayed on the display unit 3 when the navigation device 100 is stopped. The operation in the unit 4 allows the user to select one setting condition. In the map display setting screen of FIG. 5, for example, a first setting condition for displaying at a display scale that is one level wider than the current display scale, a second setting condition for displaying at a display scale set by the user, It is possible to select from the three setting conditions of the third setting condition that does not change the current display scale. When the second setting condition is selected, the display scale is further reduced to a plurality of scales (for example, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2500, 1/5000, 1/10000, 1/25000, etc.). When one setting condition is selected by the user on the map display setting screen, the CPU 51 stores the selected setting condition in a predetermined area in the memory unit 53 as a setting of map information to be displayed when stopped.
On the setting condition selection screen, in addition to the display scale of the map information displayed on the display unit 3, the type of map information may be selectable.
The CPU 51 functions as a selection unit by executing the selection program 54g.

For example, when the CPU 51 determines that the current position detected by the execution of the current position detection program 54a is not a position that has passed a predetermined number of times or more by the execution of the determination program 54e, the display control program 54h determines the determination program 54c. This is a program for realizing a function of switching and displaying the map information displayed on the display unit 3 in accordance with the type of road determined by. More specifically, the display control program 54h uses the type associated with the width of the road or the number of lanes of the road as the type of road determined by the execution of the determination program 54c in the correspondence map storage unit 532d and / or By switching to scale map information, as the road type (road width / number of lanes) discriminated by the discrimination program 54c becomes the road type belonging to the upper hierarchy, wider map information is displayed on the display unit 3. Let
The display control program 54h is displayed according to the setting condition selected in the execution of the selection program 54g, for example, when the CPU 51 determines that the stop has been stopped for a predetermined time or longer by the execution of the stop determination program 54f. This is a program for realizing a function of displaying map information on the unit 3.
The CPU 51 functions as a display control unit by executing the display control program 54h.

Here, first, the display control of the map information by the execution of the display control program 54h during traveling will be specifically described.
The CPU 51 counts up the number of passages through the divided area in the movement history storage unit 532c by executing the determination program 54e described above, and the number of passages through the divided area is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (for example, five or more). When the determination is made, the road specifying program 54b is executed to specify the road on which the navigation device 100 is located, and the determination program 54c is executed to specify the road information stored on the map information DB 532a together with the map information. The type of the road that has been used is determined. Then, by referring to the corresponding map storage unit 532d, the hierarchy and scale in the map information DB 532a as the type of map information associated with the determined road type are acquired, and the type and scale of the acquired map information are obtained. Based on the map information, the type and scale of the map information displayed on the display unit 3 are switched.
For example, when the navigation device 100 moves from one divided area to another divided area, the CPU 51 counts up the number of passages associated with the area code of the movement-destination divided area by one in the movement history storage unit 532c. To do. Then, it is determined whether or not the number of times of passing through the divided area is a predetermined number or more (for example, five or more), and if it is determined that the number of passages is not the predetermined number or more, the navigation device 100 is positioned by executing the road identification program 54b. The road width / number of lanes as the identified road type is determined by executing the determination program 54c, and information on the road type included in the road information of the map information DB 532a (road width information / Based on road lane information). The corresponding map storage unit 532d acquires the map information type and scale associated with the road width / lane number as the road type, and switches the map information displayed on the display unit 3 based on the map information type and scale. . Further, when the CPU 51 determines that the number of times of passage through the divided area is a predetermined number or more (for example, five times or more), the CPU 51 does not switch the map information displayed on the display unit 3.

For example, in the example of the movement history storage unit 532c in FIG. 3, when moving to the divided area of the area code “1234-56-10-11-13”, the number of passages is a predetermined number or more (for example, five times or more). Therefore, the possibility that the area is uninformable for the user is low, and the map information on the display unit 3 is not changed. On the other hand, when moving to a divided area with the area code “1234-56-10-11-11”, the number of times of passage is not more than a predetermined number (for example, 5 times or more), so it may be an uninformed area for the user Based on the map information type and scale associated with the road width / lane number as the road type in the corresponding map storage unit 532d, the map information on the display unit 3 is converted into the navigation device. It is automatically changed according to the width of the road where 100 is located or the number of lanes.
For example, if the user has set in advance to automatically switch the map information according to the width of the road, the width of the road where the navigation device 100 is located determined by the execution of the determination program 54c is 22 m. In some cases, the CPU 51 acquires a first-level wide area map from the map information DB 532a, causes the display unit 3 to display the acquired wide area map, and sets the scale of the wide area map to 1/10000. Further, for example, when the width of the road on which the navigation device 100 is located determined by the execution of the determination program 54c is 4 m, the CPU 51 acquires a detailed map of the third hierarchy from the map information DB 532a and displays the display unit 3. The acquired detailed map is displayed and the scale of the detailed map is 1/1000.
Further, for example, when the user has previously set the automatic switching of the map information in accordance with the number of lanes on the road, the lane of the road on which the navigation device 100 is determined determined by the execution of the determination program 54c. When the number is 4 lanes, the CPU 51 acquires the middle-level map of the second hierarchy from the map information DB 532a, causes the display unit 3 to display the acquired mid-range map, and sets the scale of the mid-range map to 1 / 2500. For example, when the number of lanes of the road on which the navigation device 100 is determined determined by the execution of the determination program 54c is one lane, the CPU 51 acquires a detailed map of the third hierarchy from the map information DB 532a, The acquired detailed map is displayed on the display unit 3, and the scale of the detailed map is set to 1/1000.
As a result, the map information is switched according to the width / lane number of the road only in the divided areas that have not passed the predetermined number of times within the past predetermined period. Furthermore, as the width is larger or the number of lanes is larger, more extensive map information is displayed on the display unit 3, and as the width is smaller or the number of lanes is smaller, more detailed map information is displayed on the display unit 3. It will be.

Next, the display control of the map information by executing the display control program 54h when stopped will be specifically described.
When it is determined that the CPU 51 has stopped for a predetermined time or more by executing the stop determination program 54f, the CPU 51 displays the map on the display unit 3 according to the setting condition selected on the map display setting screen by executing the selection program 54g. Display information.
For example, when the navigation device 100 stops for a predetermined time or more during traveling, the CPU 51 determines that the navigation device 100 has stopped, reads the setting conditions selected by the user on the map display setting screen from a predetermined area of the memory unit 53, and reads the settings. Based on the conditions, the map information displayed on the display unit 3 is switched. For example, when the first setting condition for displaying at a display scale that is one level wider than the current display scale is set, the CPU 51 switches from the current display scale to a scale that is one step wide (for example, 1/10000). → 1/25000). Further, for example, when the second setting condition for displaying at the display scale set by the user is set, the CPU 51 switches to the display scale set by the user (for example, 1/1000). For example, when the third setting condition that does not change the current display scale is set, the CPU 51 does not change the current display scale.
Thereby, at the time of a stop, map information desired by the user is displayed on the display unit 3.

Next, the map display switching process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, in step S <b> 1, the CPU 51 specifies the latitude / longitude as the current position of the navigation device 100 based on the current position detection signal output from the current position detection unit 1. In step S <b> 2, the CPU 51 refers to the area code storage unit 532 b based on the identified current position, and determines whether or not it has moved from one divided area to another divided area. If the CPU 51 determines in step S2 that it has moved to another divided area (step S2; Yes), in step S3, the movement history storage unit 532c corresponds to the area code of the divided area that is currently located in the movement history storage unit 532c. The number of passes through the attached divided area is counted up and the date information is stored. Furthermore, in step S4, when there is a movement history stored in the movement history storage unit 532c before a predetermined period (for example, six months) or more, the movement history is deleted and the movement history storage unit 532c is updated. .

  In step S5, the CPU 51 determines whether or not the number of times of passage through the currently located divided area is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. When the CPU 51 determines that the number of times of passage through the currently located divided area is equal to or greater than the predetermined number (step 5; Yes), the CPU 51 returns to step S1 and repeats the above processing. On the other hand, when the CPU 51 determines that the number of times of passage through the currently located divided area is less than the predetermined number (step S5; No), the current position detected by the current position detector 1 and the map information in step S6. Map matching processing is performed based on the map information stored in the DB 532a, and the road where the navigation device 100 is located is specified. Further, in step S7, the road width / number of lanes as the type of road specified in step S6 in the divided area where the navigation device 100 is located is obtained as road information acquired from the map information. It discriminate | determines based on the information regarding the kind of road included (road width information / road lane information).

  In step S8, the correspondence map storage unit 532d is referred to, and the hierarchy in the map information DB 532a as the type of map information associated with the determined road width / lane number and the map information display scale are acquired. In step S9, it is determined whether the type / scale of the map information currently displayed on the display unit 3 is different from the type / scale of the map information associated with the determined road width / lane number. To do. In step S9, the CPU 51 determines that the type / scale of the map information currently displayed on the display unit 3 is the same as the type / scale of the map information associated with the determined road width / lane number. Then (step S9; No), in step S10, the latitude / longitude as the current position of the navigation device 100 is specified based on the current position detection signal output from the current position detection unit 1. In step S <b> 11, the CPU 51 refers to the area code storage unit 532 b based on the identified current position and determines whether or not it has moved to another divided area. If the CPU 51 determines in step S11 that it has moved to another divided area (step S11; Yes), it returns to step S3 and repeats the above processing, and if it determines that it has not moved to another divided area ( Step S11; No), it returns to Step S6 and repeats the above processing.

On the other hand, in step S9, the CPU 51 determines that the type / scale of the map information currently displayed on the display unit 3 is different from the type / scale of the map information associated with the determined road width / lane number. Then (step S9; Yes), the process proceeds to step S12.
In step S12, the CPU 51 acquires the map information of the type corresponding to the determined road width / lane number from the map information DB 532a, switches the map information on the display unit 3 to the acquired map information, and reduces the scale. Switch to step S10 and repeat the above process.

According to the navigation apparatus 100 in the present embodiment described above, the display unit 3 that displays map information is provided, and the current position is detected by the execution of the current position detection program 54a by the CPU 51, and the type of road is detected by the map information DB 532a. Road information including information about the road is stored, and the road on which the navigation device 100 is located is specified based on the current position detected by the execution of the current position detection program 54a by executing the road specifying program 54b. By executing 54c, the type of road specified by executing the road specifying program 54b is determined based on the road information stored in the map information DB 532a, and the navigation device 100 moves by executing the movement history storage control program 54d. In the position The information to be stored is stored in the movement history storage unit 532c as a movement history every time the position passes, and the movement history after a predetermined period has been deleted from the movement history storage unit 532c and stored in the corresponding map storage unit 532d. , The types of roads divided into layers and the types and / or scales of map information are stored in association with each other, and the current position detected by the execution of the current position detection program 54a is determined by executing the determination program 54e. Whether or not the position has passed a predetermined number of times or more is determined based on the movement history stored in the movement history storage unit 532c, and the current detected by the execution of the current position detection program 54a by the execution of the stop determination program 54f. Based on the position, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has been stopped for a predetermined time or longer. The setting of the map information to be displayed on the display unit 3 when the gating device 100 is stopped is selected by the user from among a plurality of setting conditions, and the current position is detected by executing the determination program 54e by executing the display control program 54h. A map displayed on the display unit 3 in accordance with the type of road determined by the execution of the determination program 54c when it is determined that the current position detected by the execution of the program 54a is not a position that has passed a predetermined number of times. When the information is switched and displayed, and the execution of the stop determination program 54f determines that the information has been stopped for a predetermined time or longer, the map information is displayed on the display unit 3 according to the setting condition selected by the execution of the selection program 54g. Is displayed. Further, the correspondence map storage unit 532d stores the map information of a wider area in association with the type of road in the upper hierarchy, and the execution of the display control program 54h causes the correspondence map storage unit 532d to execute the determination program 54c. By switching to the map information of the type and / or scale corresponding to the type of road discriminated by the map type, the wider the map, the higher the class of the road discriminated by executing the discrimination program 54c belongs. Information is displayed on the display unit 3.
Therefore, the map information displayed on the display unit 3 is switched to the map information of the type and / or scale according to the type of the road only at the position that has not passed the predetermined number of times within the past predetermined period, and the position As the type of road that is in the higher level belongs, the map information on a wider area is displayed on the display unit 3, and the navigation device 100 that can perform more appropriate map display can be provided. . In addition, when the vehicle is stopped, the map information under the setting conditions desired by the user is displayed on the display unit 3, and the usability of the navigation device 100 can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various improvements and design changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the number of times of passage is counted for each divided area divided in a lattice pattern. For example, the number of times of passage is counted for each road, and the number of times of passage stored in the movement history storage unit 532c is a predetermined number of times. You may comprise so that display switching of map information may be performed on the following roads.
Further, for example, the storage medium such as the map information DB 532a, the area code storage unit 532b, the movement history storage unit 532c, and the corresponding map storage unit 532d is a hard disk (Hard Disc), CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or any other storage medium such as optical, magnetic, or semiconductor memory may be used. Further, it may be fixed (for example, magnetic tape, hard disk, etc.) or detachably provided (for example, FD, MO, DVD, etc.).
Further, for example, the setting conditions that can be selected on the map display setting screen in the execution of the selection program 54g are not limited to those exemplified in the above embodiment, and for example, the scale is changed to a more detailed scale than the scale currently being displayed. It may be possible to select a setting condition for switching, a setting condition for switching the type / scale of the map information being displayed on the display unit 3 at a predetermined time interval, and the like.
The correspondence map storage unit 532d may be configured such that the user can set the type and scale of the map information associated with the width / number of lanes of the road.
In the above embodiment, the case of switching the display of the map information based on either the width of the road or the number of lanes of the road has been described. However, the display of the map information based on both the width and the number of lanes is described. A configuration for performing switching may be used.
In the above embodiment, the road type is described as the width of the road and the number of lanes of the road. However, the road type is any element related to the classification of the road, such as the road type or the shape of the road. good.
Also, the road types such as the width of the road and the number of lanes may be divided into several levels.
Further, the map matching process for specifying the road where the navigation device 100 is located is not limited to the one exemplified in the above embodiment, and may be based on, for example, a projection method.
Further, the method for storing the movement history by the execution of the movement history storage control program 54d is not limited to the method shown in the above embodiment.

It is a block diagram which illustrates the principal part composition of the navigation device in this embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates an area code storage part. It is a figure which illustrates a movement history storage part. It is a figure which illustrates a correspondence map storage part. It is an illustration of the map display setting screen displayed on a display part in execution of a selection program. It is a flowchart which illustrates map display switching processing.

Explanation of symbols

100 Navigation device 1 Current position detection unit (current position detection means)
3 Display section (display means)
51 CPU (current position detection means, road identification means, determination means, movement history storage control means, determination means, stop determination means, selection means, display control means)
532a Map information DB (road information storage means)
532c Movement history storage unit (storage means)
532d Corresponding map storage unit (corresponding map storage means)
54a Current position detection program (current position detection means)
54b Road identification program (road identification means)
54c Discrimination program (discrimination means)
54d Movement history storage control program (movement history storage control means)
54e Determination program (determination means)
54f Stop determination program (stop determination means)
54g Selection program (selection means)
54h Display control program (display control means)

Claims (4)

Display means for displaying map information;
In a navigation device comprising a current position detecting means for detecting a current position,
Road information storage means for storing road information including information on the type of road;
Road identification means for identifying the road on which the navigation device is located based on the current position detected by the current position detection means;
Determining means for determining the type of road specified by the road specifying means based on the road information stored by the road information storage means;
A movement history storage control unit that stores information on a position to which the navigation device has moved in the storage unit as a movement history each time the position passes, and deletes a movement history that has passed for a predetermined period from the storage unit. ,
Corresponding map storage means for storing the types of roads divided into layers and the types and / or scales of map information in association with each other;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the current position detected by the current position detection unit is a position that has passed a predetermined number of times or more based on a movement history stored in the storage unit;
Based on the current position detected by the current position detection means, stop determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle has stopped for a predetermined time;
Selection means for allowing the user to select a setting of map information to be displayed on the display means when the navigation device is stopped from a plurality of setting conditions;
When the determination means determines that the current position detected by the current position detection means is not a position that has passed a predetermined number of times or more, the display means determines whether or not the display means determines the type of road determined by the determination means. The displayed map information is switched and displayed, and the map information is displayed on the display unit according to the setting condition selected by the selection unit when the stop determination unit determines that the map has been stopped for a predetermined time or more. Display control means,
With
The correspondence map storage means stores map information of a wider area in association with the type of road in the upper hierarchy,
The display control means switches the map information of the road determined by the determination means by switching to the map information of the type and / or scale corresponding to the type of road determined by the determination means in the corresponding map storage means. A navigation device characterized in that, as the type belongs to a higher hierarchy, a wider area of map information is displayed on the display means. Display means for displaying map information;
In a navigation device comprising a current position detecting means for detecting a current position,
Road information storage means for storing road information including information on the type of road;
Road identification means for identifying the road on which the navigation device is located based on the current position detected by the current position detection means;
Determining means for determining the type of road specified by the road specifying means based on the road information stored by the road information storage means;
A movement history storage control unit that stores information on a position to which the navigation device has moved in the storage unit as a movement history each time the position passes, and deletes a movement history that has passed for a predetermined period from the storage unit. ,
A determination unit that determines whether or not the current position detected by the current position detection unit is a position that has passed a predetermined number of times or more based on a movement history stored in the storage unit;
When the determination means determines that the current position detected by the current position detection means is not a position that has passed a predetermined number of times or more, the display means determines whether or not the display means determines the type of road determined by the determination means. Display control means for switching and displaying the displayed map information;
A navigation device comprising: Corresponding map storage means for storing the type of road and the type and / or scale of map information in association with each other,
3. The navigation according to claim 2, wherein the display control unit switches to map information of a type and / or a scale corresponding to the type of road determined by the determination unit in the corresponding map storage unit. apparatus. Based on the current position detected by the current position detection means, stop determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle has stopped for a predetermined time;
Selection means for allowing the user to select a setting of map information to be displayed on the display means when the navigation device is stopped from a plurality of setting conditions;
The display control unit displays map information on the display unit according to the setting condition selected by the selection unit when the stop determination unit determines that the display has been stopped for a predetermined time or more. The navigation device according to claim 2 or 3.

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