JP2009264796A - Information displaying apparatus, its controlling method, and controlling program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processing apparatus, its controlling method, and controlling program, with high convenience, capable of displaying an image of a facility displayed on a map without interfering the map display and easily setting the facility as a destination or a via-point, or easily referring to information of the facility. <P>SOLUTION: An image processing section 37 is a means for processing image data regarding a facility selected from surrounding facilities into a size displayable in a displaying section 7, and a means for extracting from a memory apparatus 12 image data corresponding to the facility that is input from a surrounding facilities selecting section 36 and performing a thumbnail processing to make it into a size displayable in the displaying section 7. A display controlling section 38 is a means for displaying picked-up surrounding facilities information including the image data image-processed in the image processing section 37, together with the map data, at such a location as not interfering the map data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement of an information processing apparatus that can easily refer to information about a facility displayed on a map without obstructing the map display.

  In recent years, with the spread of automobiles and the development of electronic technology, information display devices including in-vehicle navigation devices that are mounted on vehicles and perform route guidance are rapidly spreading. Such an information display device calculates and sets a route to a designated destination based on information such as roads and various facilities, and detects a vehicle position by GPS or the like, and detects a map along the route or Route guidance is performed by displaying the vehicle position on the screen.

Such an information display device has conventionally been provided with a facility search function for searching for facilities around the vehicle position. As a result, it is possible to easily pick up facilities around the vehicle position, and it is possible to set the picked-up facility as a destination or stopover point. Further, in general facility search functions including a peripheral search function, not only the location information related to facilities but also various character information (facility information) and facility images can be displayed.
JP 2002-303529 A

  By the way, in the facility search in the conventional information display device, from the surrounding search function, first, a list of surrounding facilities is displayed, and further, an operation for browsing character information, images, and positions regarding each facility is performed. Finally, it was necessary to determine the destination and destination facilities.

  However, when the user is driving and wants to go if there is an interesting facility in the vicinity, browsing the facility information by repeating the above operation is very troublesome for the user. It was necessary.

  Also, if you have already decided on a clear destination and you are driving to the destination, if you have an interesting facility on the way to the destination, you might want to stop there. Sometimes it is considered.

  In order to respond to such needs with the conventional surrounding search function, it is necessary to perform the surrounding search and browse the facility information from the displayed surrounding facility list every time the vehicle position advances to some extent. There was a problem in terms of convenience for the user. Further, when performing these operations, the navigation screen is switched to the navigation screen for guiding the vehicle, and the peripheral search menu is displayed, so that the navigation screen cannot be viewed.

  The present invention solves the problems of the prior art as described above, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to display an image of a facility displayed on a map without interfering with the map display. An object of the present invention is to provide a highly convenient information processing apparatus that can easily set a facility as a destination or waypoint, or that can easily refer to information on the facility, a control method thereof, and a control program.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that claim 1 includes map data provided from a database provided inside or outside the apparatus and facility information existing on a map including image data. In an information display device comprising: a display unit for displaying; and a current position calculation means for calculating a current position based on navigation data obtained from a sensor group, a facility located around the current position based on the information on the current position Peripheral facility searching means for searching for facility information, image processing means for processing the image data related to the facility to a size that can be displayed on a display unit for the peripheral facilities searched by the peripheral facility searching means, and the image processing And display control means for displaying the image data together with the map data at a position that does not interfere with the display of the map data.In addition, this invention can also be grasped | ascertained as the control method or control program of an information display apparatus as prescribed | regulated to Claim 8 or Claim 9.

  In the above aspect, the peripheral facility search unit searches for the peripheral facility, the image processing unit processes the image data related to the narrowed down facility to a size that can be displayed on the display unit, and the display control unit By displaying the image processed image data together with the map data at a position that does not interfere with the display of the map data, it is possible to present the image data of the surrounding facilities to the user without hindering the map display. This enables users to respond to needs such as “I want to go if there are interesting facilities in the vicinity” or “I want to stop if there are interesting facilities on the way to my destination” and express the surrounding facilities as images. By doing so, the user can instantly grasp the atmosphere of the facility.

  A second aspect of the invention is the peripheral facility according to the first aspect of the invention, further comprising an input unit that accepts selection or input of information from a user, and a peripheral facility that accepts an input of a search for neighboring facility from the user via the input unit A search receiving means is provided.

  In the above aspect, the input of the start of the peripheral facility search from the user in the peripheral facility search reception means is used as the start condition of the processing of the peripheral facility search and the image display of the picked up peripheral facility, so that the user's intention is met. The process can be executed at the timing.

  The invention of claim 3 is the invention of claim 1 or 2, wherein the surrounding facility search means sets a predetermined number of facilities information searched by the surrounding facility search means in order of increasing distance from the current position. It is determined as a target to be displayed on the display unit.

  In the above aspect, by setting the search conditions of the peripheral facility search means in the order of the distance from the current position, it is possible to provide appropriate peripheral facility information suitable for the current state of the user, and the processing speed Can be speeded up.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, the image processing means thumbnails image data related to the narrowed surrounding facilities.

  In the above aspect, the image processing means converts the image data to be displayed into thumbnails, and displays the image data processed by the display control means together with the map data at a position that does not interfere with the display of the map data. It is possible to easily provide peripheral facility information in a state where a map is displayed.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an input unit that receives selection or input of information from the user, and the destination of the destination from the user via the input unit. A destination receiving means for accepting designation, and a route calculating means for calculating an optimum route from the current position to the designated destination, and when the optimum route to the destination is set, The facility search means is characterized in that only the facilities on the route are searched.

  In the above aspect, when a destination has already been set and a route to the destination has been calculated, the peripheral facility searching means searches only the facilities on the route and is unnecessary for the user. It is possible to avoid presenting such a facility and to provide useful and appropriate surrounding information.

  The invention of claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the image from the user is about the facility related to the image data displayed together with the map data by the display control means. When the selection of data is accepted, a facility setting means for setting the facility as a destination or waypoint is provided.

  In the above aspect, since the facility related to the image data displayed together with the map data can be set as the destination or waypoint by the selection from the user by the facility setting means, the user is interested, or Guidance guidance to the facility where you want to stop can be started immediately, and a highly convenient information display device can be provided.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display control unit is configured to provide the image from the user for the facility related to the image data displayed together with the map data. When the selection of data is accepted, the facility-related information including the facility name and the distance from the current position to the facility is displayed on the display unit.

  In the above aspect, when the display control unit accepts selection of image data from the user for the facility related to the image data, the user can display the image by displaying detailed information about the facility on the display unit. It is possible to easily refer to more detailed information about facilities that are visually interesting.

  According to the present invention as described above, the facility displayed on the map can be displayed as an image of the facility without interfering with the map display, and the facility can be easily set as the destination or waypoint. In addition, it is possible to provide a highly convenient information processing apparatus that can easily refer to information on the facility, a control method thereof, and a control program.

Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1. This embodiment]
[1-1. Constitution]
This embodiment describes an example of an information display device (hereinafter referred to as “this device”) of the present invention, and can be grasped as its control method and control program. The configuration of this device is shown in FIG. .

  That is, 1 is an FM multiplex reception and processing unit for acquiring VICS information, and 2 is a beacon reception and processing unit for acquiring VICS (registered trademark) information. Reference numeral 3 denotes a main CPU (central processing unit) that controls the entire system and its peripheral circuits, and is a control unit that performs information processing including control of each part of the apparatus. 4 is a dynamic RAM (DRAM) for loading the main program, 5 is a static RAM (SRAM) with battery backup for holding memory contents such as settings while the main power is off, 6 Is a ROM that is accessed by the control unit 3 at the time of startup or the like.

  Reference numeral 7 denotes a display unit for drawing and displaying information such as a map, and has a display screen such as a liquid crystal display panel. In the present invention, a display having a touch panel function is used. Reference numeral 8 denotes a video RAM (VRAM) provided for the display unit 7. Reference numeral 9 denotes a speaker for outputting sound. 10 is a TV reception and processing unit for receiving TV (various television broadcasts), and 11 is a vehicle information acquisition unit that detects operations and states of illumination (lighting of instrument panels, etc.), vehicle speed pulses, and parking. It is.

  12 records road map data (typically, route search data and map display data), other search data, map-related data, etc., using a drive such as an HDD, DVD-ROM, or CD-ROM. This is a map data storage device. In the present embodiment, in addition to the road map data, the storage device has data about facilities such as landmarks and stores that exist on the map, together with image data about the facilities. Note that the present invention is not limited to such a mode in which these data are stored in the storage device inside the device, but only necessary information is provided by providing the storage device outside the server and accessing it. It also includes a mode in which is read and used.

  Reference numeral 13 denotes an input unit that receives input of information and operations, and is a control device that detects an input from a touch key, a touch panel, or the like. However, the configuration and type of the input unit are arbitrary and are integrated with the display panel of the display unit 7. In addition to the touch sensor, surrounding operation switches, a remote control unit, and the like may be used alone or in any combination. In the present embodiment, the user can scroll the map screen displayed on the display panel of the display unit 7 through the input unit 13 through the remote control unit, the touch keys, and the touch panel.

  Reference numeral 14 denotes a positioning unit that obtains navigation information relating to the behavior of the vehicle such as the current position, direction, and speed by using a positioning technique (for example, GPS, gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, acceleration sensor, vehicle speed pulse). That is, the positioning unit 14 calculates the vehicle position and the vehicle direction from self-contained navigation using a gyroscope or vehicle speed pulse, and radio navigation using GPS, etc. It is an estimate.

  Moreover, the control part 3 implement | achieves and performs the process means (31, 32 ... shown in FIG. 1) corresponding to the following functions and an effect | action by a predetermined control program. Note that the basic functions of the current position detection unit 31, the destination reception determination unit 32, the route calculation unit 33, the guidance information control unit 38, and the display control unit 39 are not elements peculiar to the present invention but are common navigation processes. Therefore, the description other than the points related to the present embodiment will be omitted in some cases.

  First, the peripheral facility search receiving unit 34 is a condition for starting the image thumbnail display process, which is a characteristic process in the present embodiment, and is a unit that receives an input of a peripheral facility search start from the user in the input unit 13. .

  The basic configuration of the peripheral facility search unit 35 is the same as the conventional one, and is a means for searching for facility information related to facilities in the vicinity of the current position based on the position information of the current position detected by the current position detection unit 31. . For example, the storage device 12 stores a peripheral search file dedicated to the peripheral search in which the facility information is stored in a predetermined format. This file uses the coordinate value as a key and stores the peripheral facility information as many times as necessary. Has a function to extract. That is, the position coordinates of the current position are acquired from the current position detection unit 31, and the surrounding search file is searched using the coordinates as a key. For example, facility information within 30 km from the current position is searched, and facility information for 100 of them is searched. To extract. The peripheral search file here does not indicate a file used in a general peripheral search function, but means a file having a function of extracting peripheral facilities, and is a general peripheral search function. And do not share files.

  The peripheral facility number narrowing unit 36 is a means for determining a facility to be displayed on the display unit 7 among the peripheral facilities searched by the peripheral facility searching unit 35. Specifically, assuming that there are 100 facilities read by the peripheral facility search unit 35, for example, 10 facilities closest to the current position are taken out of these, and the narrowed facility information is subjected to image processing. This is input to the unit 37. The peripheral facility number narrowing unit 36 is not an essential component, and in the present invention, it is possible to determine a facility for displaying all of the peripheral facilities searched by the peripheral facility search unit 35 on the display unit 7. The peripheral facility number narrowing part 36 is a component provided arbitrarily for the purpose of improving the processing speed of the apparatus.

  The image processing unit 37 has a size that allows the display unit 7 to display image data related to the peripheral facility searched by the peripheral facility search unit 35 or the peripheral facility narrowed down by the peripheral facility number narrowing unit 36 on the display unit 7. It is a means to process. Specifically, the image processing unit 37 can extract the image data corresponding to the facility input from the surrounding facility search means 35 or the surrounding facility narrowing-down unit 36 from the storage device 12 and display it on the display unit 7. It is a means for executing thumbnail processing in order to make the size sufficiently small so as not to interfere with the map displayed on the display unit 7. As described above, since the peripheral facility number narrowing unit 36 is an optional component, when performing the thumbnail processing, the peripheral facility narrowing unit 36 performs a narrowing process after performing a search by the peripheral facility search unit. Instead, the peripheral facility search unit 35 may perform thumbnail processing on a predetermined number of image data directly close to the searched peripheral facility. When the image data is already thumbnailed, the image processing unit 37 does not perform image processing.

  Based on the processing of the image processing unit 37, the display control unit 38 displays the picked-up peripheral facility information including the image data processed by the image processing unit 37 together with the map data at a position that does not interfere with the map data. It is. Here, a display example of image data whose display is controlled by the display control unit 38 will be described with reference to the screen example of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image display by the display control part 38 can consider the three aspects shown to (a)-(c). First, as shown in FIG. 2A, a predetermined number of search is performed by the peripheral facility search unit 35, or the peripheral facilities narrowed down to a predetermined number near the current position by the peripheral facility number narrowing unit 36 is displayed on the map. When the star marks 1-4 as the icons are the four nearest to the current position, and these are the screen display targets, the display control unit 38 displays the positions of the stars 1-4 on the map and performs image processing. The image picked up by the unit 37 and displayed as a thumbnail is displayed at a position that does not interfere with the road display on the map, and is connected to the position where the star and number are drawn by the lead line, so that the image at any position can be obtained. Or something to identify. Here, the image corresponding to the star 2 represents a music facility, the image corresponding to the star 3 represents a music facility such as a concert hall, and the image corresponding to the star 4 represents a park or the like.

  FIG. 2B shows the thumbnail image displayed in the form of FIG. 2A while being surrounded by a rectangular frame at a position that does not hinder road display on the map. The position of the image is specified by making a so-called balloon drawn out in a triangular shape from the position to the position where the star and number are drawn.

  Further, FIG. 2C shows a typical aspect in the present embodiment, in which the map display screen and the image display screen are divided into two vertically, for example, the lower quarter is an image. A display screen is used, and the upper three-quarters is a map display screen. The image display screen and the map display screen can be configured upside down or divided into left and right.

  In the map display screen displayed on the upper side, as in FIGS. 2A and 2B, among the peripheral facilities narrowed down to a predetermined number in the vicinity of the current position, the stars 1 to 4 are the four nearest to the current position. When this is the screen display target, the display control unit 38 displays the positions of the stars 1 to 4 on the map displayed on the map display screen. On the other hand, on the image display screen displayed on the lower side, the images corresponding to the star marks 1 to 4 are arranged in order on the left and right, and a star mark and a number corresponding to any part of the image are attached. At this time, on the image display screen, the four images are sequentially scrolled in the horizontal direction. For example, when the user presses the page turning buttons provided on the left and right of the first to fourth images, Thumbnail images of the fifth and sixth facilities not displayed are displayed. At the same time, when the second or third image from the left is a specific image, the second or third image is displayed slightly larger than the other images, and the upper map On the display screen, a star and a number corresponding to the image are configured to be highlighted.

  The guidance information control unit 39 is a means for guiding various types of information for executing navigation according to the set route to the user, and has the same configuration as the conventional one.

[1-2. Action]
Next, the effect of the information display apparatus according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 and the screen example of FIG.

  First, the peripheral facility search receiving unit 34 detects an input of the peripheral facility search start from the user in the input unit 13 as a search start instruction (YES in S301). Next, the surrounding facility search unit 35 searches for facility information related to facilities in the vicinity of the current position based on the position information of the current position detected by the current position detection unit 31 (S302).

  Specifically, the position coordinates of the current position are acquired from the current position detection unit 31, and a peripheral search file is searched using the coordinates as a key. For example, facility information within 30 km from the current position is searched, and 100 of them are searched. The facility information is extracted.

  The peripheral facility number narrowing unit 36 narrows down the number of facilities in order to determine the facilities to be displayed on the display unit 7 among the peripheral facilities searched by the peripheral facility searching unit 35 (S303). Specifically, assuming that there are 100 facilities read by the peripheral facility search unit 35, for example, the peripheral facility number narrowing-down unit 36 extracts ten facilities closest to the current position. That is, the peripheral facility number narrowing-down unit 36 determines an area to be displayed on the display unit 7. Then, the peripheral facility number narrowing unit 36 orders the narrowed ten cases, for example, A, B, C..., 1, 2, 3,... (S304), and these pieces of information are subjected to image processing. Input to the unit 37. As described above, the peripheral facility number narrowing unit 36 is not an essential component, and in the present invention, a facility for displaying all the peripheral facilities searched by the peripheral facility search unit 35 on the display unit 7 is determined. The peripheral facility number narrowing-down unit 36 is a component provided arbitrarily for the purpose of improving the processing speed of the apparatus.

  The image processing unit 37 processes the image data related to the facility for the peripheral facility searched by the peripheral facility search unit 35 or the peripheral facility narrowed down by the peripheral facility number narrowing unit 36 into a size that can be displayed on the display unit 7. (S305, S306). Specifically, the image processing unit 37 reads, for example, image data corresponding to ten facilities input from the peripheral facility narrowing unit 36 from the storage device 12 (S305), and can display this on the display unit 7. Thumbnail processing is executed in order to make a large size, that is, a sufficiently small size so as not to interfere with the map displayed on the display unit 7 (S306). When executing the thumbnail processing, as described above, after the search by the peripheral facility searching unit 35, the peripheral facility searched by the peripheral facility searching unit 35 without performing the peripheral facility narrowing process by the peripheral facility narrowing unit 36. Four thumbnails may be processed for facilities that are close to the facility. If the image data is already thumbnailed, the image processing unit 37 does not perform image processing.

  The display control unit 38 displays the picked-up peripheral facility information including the image data processed by the image processing unit 37 together with the map data at a position that does not interfere with the map data (S307). Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the map display screen and the image display screen, which are typical aspects of the present embodiment, are divided into upper and lower parts, the lower quarter being the image display screen, and the upper four minutes. 3 is displayed in the form of a map display screen.

  When the display processing of peripheral facility information including image data is completed as described above, the peripheral facility search accepting unit 38 then displays the genre switching button on the display control unit 38 as shown in the screen example of FIG. Display on the display unit 7 and accepts genre switching (S308). This genre switching button is information that categorizes peripheral facilities such as “gourmet” and “leisure” as exemplified in FIG.

  Here, FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in the case where the peripheral facility search accepting unit 38 accepts pressing of the genre switching button. That is, FIG. 5A shows an example in which all the peripheral facilities are searched and displayed regardless of the genre of “gourmet” and “leisure” by the processing of S301 to S307 in FIG. When the “leisure” button is pressed in the state of FIG. 5A (YES in S308), the process returns to S302, and the processes of S302 to S307 are repeated.

  In this case, if there is no change in the current position, the processing in the peripheral facility search unit 35 and the image processing unit 37 is not necessary, and the peripheral facility narrowing unit 36 determines that the “gourmet” -related facilities other than “leisure” And “gourmet” related facilities are excluded as shown in FIG. Alternatively, when the “leisure” button is pressed in the state of FIG. 5A (YES in S308), the surrounding facility search unit 35 targets only the “leisure” facility regardless of whether or not the current position has changed. The processing is returned to S302, and the processing of S302 to S307 is repeated. In this case, even if there are “gourmet” facilities nearby, only four “leisure” facilities are displayed from the vicinity.

  When the peripheral facility search reception unit 38 does not accept the pressing of the genre switching button (NO in S308), the display control unit 38 determines whether display image data is selected by the user via the input unit 13 ( S309), it is determined whether or not a next candidate button is selected (S310). When there is no selection of display image data from the user (NO in S309) and there is a selection of the next candidate button (YES in S310), the display control unit 38 changes from FIG. 4 (a) to FIG. 4 (b). As in the transition, the other six cases other than the four that have already been displayed may be displayed in the closest order, or the display image data may be scrolled by one in the direction of the next candidate button. Specifically, if the next candidate button is pressed when the facility closest to the current position to the fourth position is displayed, the display image data display scrolls the display to the second position from the current position. The fifth closest facility will be displayed.

  On the other hand, if there is no selection of display image data from the user (NO in S309) and no next candidate button is selected (NO in S310), the display control unit 38 moves the current position by a predetermined distance, for example, about 500 m. If there is no change in the current position (NO in S311), the process returns to S308, and if there is a change in the current position (YES in S311), the process proceeds to S302. The display control unit 38 transitions the screen from FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C through the processing of S302 to S307. The display control unit 38 can display an icon instead of the reduced image at the display position of the reduced image as shown in FIG. 5D while the vehicle is traveling or moving.

  In S309, when there is selection of display image data from the user (YES in S309), the display control unit 38 uses the third right of the screen as shown in FIG. Whether the facility for which the image data has been selected is set as the destination (S313), whether it is set as the waypoint (S315), or whether the detailed information of the facility is displayed is asked (S317). However, it is only when the destination is set that the presence or absence of the setting as a waypoint is asked.

  When the user inputs that the facility for which the image data is selected is set as the destination (YES in S313), the display control unit 38 informs the destination reception determination unit 32 of the fact. After that, the route calculation unit 33 performs route calculation using the facility as the destination as in the conventional case (S314).

  On the other hand, if the user inputs that the facility for which the image data has been selected is set as a transit point (YES in S315), the display control unit 38 also determines the destination reception in this case. After that, the route calculation unit 33 performs route calculation using the facility as a transit point as in the past (S316).

  In the present embodiment, when the facility is selected and set as a destination or waypoint, for example, in order to clearly distinguish it on the display, for example, the following display device is applied. Yes. That is, when a facility is set as a destination, a flag (checker flag) indicating the destination is displayed on the shoulder portion of the reduced image of the facility at the destination and the corresponding icon on the display.

  In addition, when a facility is set as a stopover, a flag indicating the stopover (a flag with a number indicating the number of stopovers) is displayed on the shoulder of the reduced image and the icon on the display. To do. When there are a plurality of waypoints, a reduced image with flags with different numbers is displayed. This reduced image flag disappears when the reduced image displayed in the display space disappears as a result of pressing the next candidate and previous candidate buttons, but when the reduced image is displayed again, the flag is also displayed. The Therefore, when the waypoint search is performed, a reduced image having a plurality of waypoint flags and a destination flag is displayed in the display space. In addition, when the host vehicle travels and passes through the waypoint, the color of the flag on which the number is written changes (for example, turns gray).

  In addition, when the user inputs to display the detailed information of the facility (YES in S317), the display control unit 38 accesses the storage device 12 or the like and displays the detailed information of the facility as text. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 4C, the thumbnail image is enlarged and displayed.

[1-3. effect]
According to the information display device in the present embodiment as described above, the peripheral facility search unit can search for the peripheral facility, and the image processing unit can display the image data regarding the facility on the narrowed down peripheral facility on the display unit. By displaying the image data processed to the appropriate size and processed by the display controller together with the map data at a position that does not interfere with the display of the map data, the image data of the surrounding facilities can be obtained without obstructing the map display. It can be presented to the user. This enables users to respond to needs such as “I want to go if there are interesting facilities in the vicinity” or “I want to stop if there are interesting facilities on the way to my destination” and express the surrounding facilities as images. By doing so, the user can instantly grasp the atmosphere of the facility.

  In addition, by inputting the start of the peripheral facility search from the user in the peripheral facility search reception unit as a start condition for the peripheral facility search and the image display processing of the picked-up peripheral facility, the timing coincides with the user's intention. The process can be executed.

  By setting the conditions for narrowing down the number of peripheral facilities in order of increasing distance from the current position, it is possible to provide appropriate peripheral facility information that matches the user's current situation, and speed up the processing speed. It becomes possible to plan. .

  Since the image processing unit converts the image data to be displayed into thumbnails, the image data processed by the display control unit can be easily displayed together with the map data at a position that does not interfere with the display of the map data. In addition, it is easy to provide peripheral facility information in a state where the map is displayed.

  If the destination has already been set and the route to the destination has been calculated, the peripheral facility search unit can search for only the facilities on the route to present facilities that are unnecessary for the user. Therefore, it is possible to provide useful and appropriate peripheral information.

  Since the facility related to the image data displayed together with the map data can be received as a destination or waypoint by the selection from the user by the destination reception unit, the user can visit the facility that he / she is interested in or wants to visit Guidance guidance can be started immediately, and a highly convenient information display device can be provided.

  When the display control unit accepts selection of image data from the user for a facility related to the image data, the display controller displays detailed information about the facility on the display, so that the user visually sees the image. It is possible to easily refer to more detailed information about the facility that is interested.

[2. Other Embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes other embodiments as follows.
(1) In a navigation device using a storage device such as a hard disk that takes a relatively long time to access data, the image data of the next candidate or the previous candidate facility or the facility image data existing in the area displayed on the display is stored in advance. The switching speed of the reduced image can be improved by enlarging or reducing the size according to the display space and storing it in a memory having a higher reading speed.

(2) In the above embodiment, when the own vehicle position changes by a certain distance, for example, 500 meters according to traveling, the surrounding search is performed again according to the own vehicle position, so that the facility corresponding to the new own vehicle position can be obtained. Although a reduced image is displayed, the timing for performing this re-periphery search is not limited to 500 meters. When facilities located in the display display area around the location of the vehicle are ranked from the facilities listed by searching around, the display display area changes due to the movement of the vehicle and ranks within that area. When the attached facility does not exist, or when the number of facilities falls below a certain value, a peripheral search can be performed. In addition, it is possible to extract a plurality of facilities from the facilities listed by the previous periphery search and to rank them according to the new display display area without performing a new periphery search. It is also possible to delete the facility existing in the opposite direction of the traveling direction from the memory and exclude it from the display target.

(3) Instead of performing a peripheral search in a certain range (for example, 30 km) with the vehicle position as a reference and ranking the facilities in the area displayed on the display from the beginning as in the above embodiment, from the beginning It is also possible to search around the facilities only in the area displayed on the display, rank them, and display reduced images of several facilities close to the vehicle position.

(4) The correspondence between the reduced image and the icon can be linked with an arrow or a straight line between them, in addition to attaching the same symbol or symbol to each.

(5) The facility ranking in the display area can be performed according to various criteria such as the position of the vehicle and the straight line distance between the facility, the road distance, and the estimated travel time. It is also possible to give priority to a facility located in front of the traveling direction of the host vehicle, or to give priority to a facility having a straight distance or a short distance from the currently set route.

(6) When the facility is selected by touching the touch panel on which the reduced image is displayed, the reduced image of the facility is compared with the reduced images of other facilities so that it can be easily understood that the facility has been selected. It can also be displayed in a larger size, or a colored frame can be displayed around the selected reduced image. At the same time, the icon on the map indicating the facility corresponding to the selected reduced image can be displayed with attention, such as changing the color or shape of the icon, flashing or setting other flags.

(7) As a means for selecting the facility where the reduced image is displayed, a mechanical button is provided around the display in accordance with the position of the reduced image to be selected in addition to the touch panel, and the button is operated. Alternatively, it is possible to adopt a method in which reduced images are sequentially selected with a remote controller or the like and the enter button is pressed.

(8) For a small reduced image that is difficult to see, an icon can be displayed instead of the reduced image at the display position of the reduced image, as in the traveling of the vehicle mentioned in the above embodiment. In that case, when the stop of the host vehicle is detected and the icon is switched to a reduced image, or the icon is selected, the image is enlarged and displayed on the entire display of the facility (photos of displaying facility information) The same as when the button is pressed).

(9) The display position of the reduced image does not necessarily have to be arranged below the map. A map is displayed at the center of the display, a display space is provided in a frame shape so as to surround the periphery of the map, and a reduced image can be displayed at a position corresponding to the direction of the facility as viewed from the own vehicle position. Further, a balloon may be displayed in accordance with the position of the icon on the map, and a reduced image may be displayed inside the balloon. In the map north mode (north-up display), a reduced image display space may be provided below or above the map according to the traveling direction of the vehicle.

(10) The reduced image is displayed in accordance with the size and shape of the display space, and this display space can be freely set to be either vertically long or horizontally long according to the number of reduced images displayed (4 in the above embodiment). be able to. On the other hand, if the facility image is stored in the facility information as a horizontally long display space in which the facility image is previously matched to the shape of the display space, for example, a horizontally long display space, a plurality (four) These reduced images can be displayed in a line with the same size and without unevenness. However, when the facility information image is vertically long, the enlargement / reduction ratio of the reduced image is adjusted so that the height of the image matches the height of the display space without rotating the image by 90 °. As a result, in the case of a vertically long image, black non-display portions are formed on the left and right sides of the image.

  On the other hand, it is possible to change the display space side according to the shape of the reduced image. That is, both the vertically long image and the horizontally long image have the same reduction ratio (or enlargement / reduction depending on the size of the stored image data and the size of the display space) with respect to the stored original image data. It can also be displayed in the display space. In that case, since the display space shape of the reduced image of each facility differs depending on the portrait and landscape images, when using the reduced image as a facility selection button, the button shape will be different. Has the same enlargement / reduction ratio, so it has the advantage of being easy to see.

The functional block diagram which shows the structure of embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the example of a screen of the image display in embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the process in embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the example of a screen of the image display in embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the example of a screen of the image display in embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... FM multiplex reception and processing part 2 ... Beacon reception and processing part 3 ... Control part (Main CPU and its peripheral circuit)
31 ... Current position detection unit 32 ... Destination reception determination unit 33 ... Route calculation unit 34 ... Peripheral facility search reception unit 35 ... Peripheral facility search unit 36 ... Peripheral facility number narrowing unit 37 ... Image processing unit 38 ... Display control unit 39 ... Guide control unit 4 ... Dynamic RAM (DRAM)
5. Static RAM (SRAM)
6 ... ROM
7 ... Display 8 ... Video RAM (VRAM)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Speaker 10 ... TV reception and processing part 11 ... Vehicle information acquisition part 12 ... Storage device 13 of road map data / search data and map related data ... Input part (touch key control device)
14: Positioning unit M ... Memory group

Claims (9)

A display unit that displays map data provided from a database provided inside or outside the apparatus and facility information existing on a map including image data, and calculates a current position based on navigation data obtained from a sensor group. In an information display device comprising a current position calculation means,
Based on the information on the current position, the peripheral facility search means for searching for facility information about the facility around the current position,
Image processing means for processing the image data related to the facility to the size that can be displayed on the display unit for the peripheral facility searched by the peripheral facility search means;
An information display device comprising: display control means for displaying the image processed image data together with the map data at a position that does not interfere with the display of the map data. An input unit that accepts selection or input of information from the user is provided,
The information display device according to claim 1, further comprising a peripheral facility search receiving unit that receives an input of a start of a peripheral facility search from a user via the input unit.   2. The peripheral facility searching means determines a predetermined number of facilities information searched by the peripheral facility searching means in order of increasing distance from a current position as targets to be displayed on the display unit. Or the information display apparatus of 2 description.   The information display device according to claim 1, wherein the image processing unit converts image data related to the narrowed down facilities into thumbnails. An input unit that accepts selection or input of information from the user is provided,
A destination receiving means for receiving designation of a destination from the user via the input unit; and a route calculating means for calculating an optimum route from the current position to the designated destination,
5. The information according to claim 1, wherein, when an optimum route to the destination is set, the peripheral facility search unit searches only the facility on the route. 6. Display device.   Facility setting means for setting the facility as a destination or waypoint when a selection of the image data from a user is accepted for the facility related to the image data displayed together with the map data by the display control means The information display device according to claim 1, further comprising:   When the display control means receives a selection of the image data from the user for a facility related to the image data displayed together with the map data, the display control unit calculates the facility name and the distance from the current position to the facility. The information display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the facility-related information is displayed on the display unit. A display unit that displays map data provided from a database provided inside or outside the apparatus and facility information existing on a map including image data, and calculates a current position based on navigation data obtained from a sensor group. In the control method of the information display device comprising the current position calculation means,
Based on the information on the current position, a peripheral facility search process for searching for facility information related to facilities in the vicinity of the current position;
With respect to the peripheral facilities searched by the peripheral facility search processing, image processing for processing image data related to the facilities into a size that can be displayed on a display unit;
And a display control process for displaying the image processed image data together with the map data at a position that does not interfere with the display of the map data. A display unit that displays map data provided from a database provided inside or outside the apparatus and facility information existing on a map including image data, and calculates a current position based on navigation data obtained from a sensor group. In a control program for an information display device comprising a current position calculation means,
This control program is stored in the information display device.
Based on the information on the current position, a peripheral facility search process for searching for facility information related to facilities in the vicinity of the current position;
With respect to the peripheral facilities searched by the peripheral facility search processing, image processing for processing image data related to the facilities into a size that can be displayed on a display unit;
A control program for an information display device, comprising: a display control process for displaying the image data subjected to the image processing together with the map data at a position that does not interfere with the display of the map data.