JP2010008073A - Navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable route guidance by a navigation device, even when map data stored in the navigation device which performs route guidance on the basis of the map data, is insufficient. <P>SOLUTION: When the amount of information of the map data is small, a satellite photograph is obtained from external equipment for example, and the satellite photograph is displayed on a display screen. On the satellite photograph in the display screen, a user disposes route components displayed in a group 30 of route setting components prepared on the display screen. Thereby, the user sets a desired route on the satellite photograph, and make the navigation device perform guidance of the set route. By adopting a configuration like it, the navigation device achieves route guidance even for an area whose sufficient road information is not contained in the map data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device mounted on a vehicle.

  Conventionally, for example, based on the map data read from the storage device storing the map data and the current position information of the vehicle acquired by GPS (Global Positioning System), a map around the vehicle is displayed on a display device such as a liquid crystal display, There is known a navigation device that displays a current position of a vehicle, a route to a destination, and the like and performs route guidance to the destination (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In particular, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe a navigation device that can perform route guidance more easily.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes a navigation device that stores satellite photograph data and displays a route to a destination in a superimposed manner on the read satellite photograph data. In other words, satellite images can be provided to the driver as a map, which is easy for the driver to understand.

Further, Patent Document 2 stores photograph data obtained by photographing a ground surface, and changes the attribute of data in a predetermined area in the photograph data in a navigation device that displays an image represented by the read photograph data on a display device. Thus, a technique for displaying an image represented by photographic data so as to be easily understood by a driver is described. In the navigation device of Patent Document 2, the route to the destination is displayed on the photo data in an overlapping manner.
JP 2000-283784 A JP 2005-165045 A

By the way, in the navigation apparatus as described above, there has been a problem that route guidance cannot be performed in an area where there is no map data.
Further, even in an area where the map data is present, if the data included in the map data (for example, road data) is insufficient, route guidance in the area becomes insufficient. For example, if there is actually a road but there is no road data representing the road in the map data, route guidance using the road cannot be performed.

  In the navigation devices of Patent Documents 1 and 2 above, satellite photo data or photo data obtained by photographing the ground surface (hereinafter referred to simply as “photo data”) can be displayed. It is only displayed in a superimposed manner, and route guidance cannot be performed unless the navigation device has road data included in the photographic data.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device that can perform route guidance even in an area where map data is insufficient.

  The invention according to claim 1, which has been made to achieve the above object, includes a map database, a current position calculating means for calculating the current position of the vehicle, and a region including the current position of the vehicle calculated by the current position calculating means. Map data acquisition means for acquiring the map data (hereinafter referred to as current position map data) from the map database, display control means for causing the display device to display a map represented by the current position map data acquired by the map data acquisition means, A route guidance means for performing route guidance to a destination based on the map displayed on the display device, and in a navigation device mounted on a vehicle, there is no road information on the map displayed on the display device. The area includes route setting means for the user to set a desired route, and the route guidance means sets the route by the user via the route setting means. Once, it is characterized in that it comprises a set route guidance means for performing route guidance for the set route.

  In such a navigation device, for example, even if there is actually a road due to insufficient map data, the road does not appear on the map in the navigation device. However, by setting the road (route) on the map, route guidance using the road can be realized. That is, route guidance by the navigation device can be realized even in an area where map data is insufficient.

  For example, a person who is familiar with the geography of the suburbs but is not familiar with the geography of the urban area uses route guidance by the navigation device when traveling from the suburb toward the destination in the urban area. Let's assume. In the navigation device, it is assumed that the map data of the suburbs is insufficient.

  In such a case, it seems that some people operate the navigation device with the knowledge that route guidance is not provided in the suburbs, or some people set a new destination when entering the urban area while driving.

  However, according to the navigation device of the present invention, if the geography of the suburb is known, the road in the suburb can be set on the map in the navigation device by itself, and the navigation device can be used even in the suburb where map data is insufficient. This is convenient for people who have operated a navigation device that cannot perform route guidance, for example, or who have set a new destination while driving, as described above. .

Next, the navigation device of claim 1 may be configured as the navigation device of claim 2.
A navigation device according to a second aspect is the navigation device according to the first aspect, wherein the current position of the vehicle is determined from the external device by communication means for communicating with the external device for storing satellite photograph data and communication via the communication means. Satellite image data acquisition means for acquiring satellite photo data (hereinafter referred to as current position satellite photo data) of the area including the image data, and the display control means when the current position satellite photo data is acquired by the satellite photo data acquisition means Instead of the current position map data, an image represented by the current position satellite photograph data is displayed on the display device. The user can set a desired route on the image represented by the current position satellite photograph data displayed on the display device via the route setting means.

  In such a navigation apparatus according to claim 2, the user can visually recognize the road image appearing in the satellite photograph on the image represented by the satellite photograph data (hereinafter also simply referred to as satellite photograph). A desired route can be set along. That is, the user can easily and accurately set a desired route based on an actual road image. For this reason, it is possible to prevent a route from being set at a location where no road actually exists.

  Next, in the navigation device of claim 2, satellite photo data is acquired particularly when the map represented by the current position map data is insufficient (for example, not all the roads are covered). It is good to do so.

  Therefore, in the navigation device of claim 3, in the navigation device of claim 2, the information amount determination means for determining whether or not the current position map data acquired by the map data acquisition means has a predetermined amount of information. And the satellite photograph data acquisition means acquires the current position satellite photograph data when the information amount determination means determines that the current position map data does not have a predetermined amount of information. It is said.

  According to such a navigation device of claim 3, when the current position map data does not have a predetermined amount of information and the map represented by the current position map data is insufficient, the satellite photograph data is To be acquired. For this reason, in an area where map data is insufficient, a satellite photograph is displayed on the navigation device, and a user can set a desired route (road) on the satellite photograph. It can be ensured that it is executed.

  When the current position map data has a predetermined amount of information and the map represented by the current position map data is sufficient (for example, when all roads are covered), the current position map data Map data can be used as it is.

  Next, a navigation device according to a fourth aspect is the navigation device according to the second and third aspects, further comprising scale correction means for correcting the scale of the image represented by the current position satellite photograph data to the scale of the map represented by the current position map data. The display control means is characterized in that an image represented by the current position satellite photograph data and the image whose scale has been corrected by the scale correction means is displayed on the display device.

  According to such a navigation device of claim 4, since the scale of the image represented by the satellite photograph data is corrected to the scale of the map represented by the current position map data, it is convenient for the user. For example, since a satellite photograph of the same area (area) as the map represented by the current position map data is displayed, the user can easily recognize the area represented by the satellite photograph. For this reason, for example, it is possible to prevent the driver from misidentifying the current position or losing the current position.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the in-vehicle navigation device 1 of the present embodiment.

  The in-vehicle navigation device 1 is mounted on a vehicle (not shown) and displays a road map or searches for a route to a destination and guides the route. A position detector 12, an operation switch 14, a remote control sensor 16, remote controller 17, communication device 18, Bluetooth communication device (hereinafter referred to as BT communication device) 20, VICS device 22, map data input device 24, display device 26, voice input / output device 28, vehicle information database (hereinafter referred to as “BT”). (Described as DB) 30, an interface unit 32, and a control circuit 10 that performs overall control thereof.

  The position detector 12 is a sensor group for detecting the current position and direction (traveling direction) of a vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as “own vehicle”) on which the in-vehicle navigation device 1 is mounted, and includes a GPS receiver 12a, a gyro A scope 12b, a distance sensor 12c, and a geomagnetic sensor 12d are provided.

  Here, the GPS receiver 12a receives a radio wave transmitted from an artificial satellite for GPS (Global Positioning System) via a GPS antenna (not shown), and detects the position, direction (traveling direction), speed, etc. of the vehicle. To do.

The gyroscope 12b is a sensor for detecting the angular velocity (direction change amount) of the vehicle, and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the angular velocity of the rotational motion applied to the vehicle.
The distance sensor 12c detects the distance traveled from the longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle or the like.

The geomagnetic sensor 12d is an azimuth sensor using a semiconductor, and detects the azimuth (traveling direction) by detecting north-south geomagnetism occurring on the earth.
Since each of these sensor groups has an error having a different property, each sensor group is configured to be used while being complemented by a plurality of sensors.

  The operation switch 14 is an input operation panel that is configured integrally with the display device 26 and includes a touch panel set on the display screen and mechanical button switches arranged around the display device 26. The touch panel and the display device 26 are integrated by a laminated structure, and there are various types of touch panels such as a pressure-sensitive method, an electromagnetic induction method, a capacitance method, or a combination of these.

  The remote control sensor 16 and the remote control 17 are devices used by a user to operate the in-vehicle navigation device 1 from a remote location by wireless communication such as infrared rays or radio waves. The user can perform the same operation as the operation on the operation switch 14 by operating the button on the remote controller 17.

The communication device 18, the BT communication device 20, and the VICS device 22 are for communicating with external devices.
In particular, the BT communication device 20 is a device for communicating with peripheral devices wirelessly (Bluetooth).

  The VICS device 22 is a communication device for communicating with a VICS center (not shown), and is fixed for a VICS (registered trademark: Vehicle Information and Communication System) service arranged in the vicinity of a road. A radio wave beacon signal and an optical beacon signal are received from a station (not shown). Vehicle information, user information, and the like are also transmitted from the VICS device 22 to the VICS center. Various information received by the communication device 18, the BT communication device 20, and the VICS device 22 is processed by the control circuit 10.

  The map data input device 24 is a data input device for inputting map data stored in a recording medium (not shown). As map data, link data representing roads, node data representing intersections, so-called map matching data for improving the accuracy of location, mark data indicating facilities, image data for display, voice guidance There are audio data. As the stored map data, roads and intersections are each composed of a combination of links and nodes, and weights (Weight) are given numerically as default values to each link. The search from the current position to the destination is preferentially recommended from the one with a light weight. As a recording medium for these data, a CD-ROM, DVD, hard disk, various memory cards, and the like can be used.

  The display device 26 is a liquid crystal color display that displays a map, a searched road, a television, a DVD image, and the like on a screen, in addition to buttons when functioning as a touch panel integrally with the operation switch 14.

  The voice input / output device 28 converts voice uttered by a user to a microphone (not shown) into an electrical signal, compares it with vocabulary data (comparison target pattern) in a recognition dictionary stored therein, and has the highest degree of matching. This is a device that sends an object as a recognition result to the control circuit 10 or outputs a voice represented by data input from the control circuit 10 (for example, a route guidance voice) from a speaker (not shown).

The vehicle information DB 30 stores information about the own vehicle (for example, vehicle identification number, vehicle type, etc.).
The interface unit 32 is an interface for connecting to an external device.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the control circuit 10 in the in-vehicle navigation device 1 of the present embodiment.
This process is periodically executed during route guidance in the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1. First, in S110, whether or not the map information represented by the map data input from the map data input device 24 is small (map information). Is sufficient). Specifically, the determination is made based on whether or not the map data has a predetermined amount of information. If it is determined that the map data does not have the predetermined amount of information, the map data represented by the map data is displayed. If it is determined that there is little information, and it is determined that the map data has a predetermined amount of information, it is determined that there is a lot of map information represented by the map data.

If it is determined in S110 that there is a lot of map information (S110: NO), the processing in S110 is repeated again.
On the other hand, if it is determined in S110 that there is little map information represented by the map data (S110: YES), the process proceeds to S120.

  In S120, a satellite photo around the current position of the vehicle is acquired from the external device by communication with the external device via the communication device 18, the BT communication device 20, and the like, and the scale of the acquired satellite photo is previously determined as a navigation device. Is matched with the scale set in (for example, the scale of the map displayed on the display device 26), and is captured (displayed) on the display screen of the display device 26. The process of S120 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

  Next, the process proceeds to S130, where it is determined whether or not the satellite photograph has been successfully acquired (in other words, whether or not the satellite photograph has been successfully displayed on the display device 26). To do. On the other hand, if it is determined that the satellite photograph has not been successfully captured (that is, failed), the processing is terminated as it is.

  In S140, it is determined whether or not a route is set on the satellite photograph displayed on the display screen of the display device 26 (whether or not the user is to set a route) based on the user's input. Here, the user can input whether or not a desired route is set on the satellite photograph displayed on the display device 26 via the operation switch 14 or the remote control sensor 16.

If it is determined in S140 that the route is not set on the satellite photograph (S140: NO), the process is terminated as it is.
On the other hand, if it is determined in S140 that a route is set on the satellite photograph (S140: YES), the process proceeds to S150, and the mode of the display screen in the display device 26 is shifted to a route setting mode for setting a route.

Here, FIG. 4A shows a screen of the route setting mode.
In the route setting mode, a route setting component group 40, a “BACK” command 41, and an “OK” command 42 are arranged on the display screen of the display device 26.

  The route setting component group 40 displays illustrations of components for constituting a route, and the user can select a desired component from the components displayed on the route setting component group 40 via the operation switch 14 or the remote control sensor 16. By selecting these parts and placing the selected parts on the display screen, a desired route can be set on the display screen. In FIG. 4 (a), the triangular parts represent the vehicle and are automatically arranged on the display screen.

Here, components displayed in the route setting component group 40 (hereinafter also referred to as route components) will be described with reference to FIG.
As route parts, parts that represent "intersection" (hereinafter referred to as "intersection" parts, and so on for other parts), parts that represent "nodes", parts that represent "guide points", and "objectives" There are a part representing “ground”, a part representing “path link (straight line)”, a part representing “path link (curve)”, and the like.

  In addition to the route parts, the “eraser” command and “text input” command used when setting (inputting) the route are displayed in the route setting component group 40 (FIG. 4 ( This will also be described below.

  Basically, “intersection” parts, “node” parts, “path link (straight line)” parts, and “path link (curve)” parts are appropriately arranged to form a path. Yes.

  First, the “intersection” component is a component that is disposed at a connection point between the “route link (straight line)” component or the “route link (curve)” component, and is particularly disposed at the intersection. Here, the intersection is a place where three or more end points of a “route link (straight line)” component and a “route link (curve)” component gather. The “intersection” part also includes information indicating that route guidance should be provided for the intersection. In the route where the “intersection” part is arranged, the vehicle is located up to a predetermined distance at the intersection indicated by the “intersection” part. When approaching, route guidance (for example, screen display, voice notification, etc.) indicating that there is an intersection is provided.

  Here, by using the “text input” command and associating the name of the intersection with the “intersection” part, route guidance using the name is performed. For example, if the name “ABC” is associated with the “intersection” component using the “text input” command, a voice notification such as “about 300 m to ABC intersection” can be made. .

  The “node” component is a component arranged at a connection point between the “route link (straight line)” component and the “route link (curve)” component, and is particularly arranged at a location other than the intersection. The location other than the intersection is, for example, a location where two end points of a “route link (straight line)” component and a “route link (curve)” component gather.

  Next, “Guide point” parts can be placed at desired locations in the route formed by “Intersection” parts, “Node” parts, “Route link (straight line)” parts, “Route link (curve)” parts, etc. It is an important part. By arranging “guidance point” parts, guidance (screen display, voice notification, etc.) is provided at the arrangement location. In this case, if the text is associated with the “guidance point” part by using the “text input” command, guidance according to the text is performed.

  A “destination” part is a part that is placed at a desired location that the driver wants to make a destination. Note that the “destination” parts can be arranged at a plurality of locations. For example, in the case of setting a route to the point Y via the point X, place the “destination” part at both the location corresponding to the point X and the location corresponding to the point Y. It ’s fine. When the vehicle reaches the place where the “destination” part is arranged (when the vehicle approaches a predetermined distance), guidance (screen display, voice notification, etc.) that the destination has been reached is given.

  The “route link (straight line)” component is used as a component representing a straight road. The length of the “path link (straight line)” component can be freely changed. Specifically, the user performs a so-called drag operation on one end of the “route link (straight line)” component via a pointer (not shown) on the display screen of the display device 26, thereby the “route link (straight line)” component. The length of can be changed freely. In addition, route guidance according to the length of the straight line can be provided at the place where the “route link (straight line)” component is arranged. For example, a voice notification such as “Please go straight for 500 m” can be made.

  The “route link (curve)” component is used as a component representing a curved road. The curvature of the “path link (curve)” part can be freely changed. It is also possible to guide the route according to the curvature at the place where the “route link (curve)” component is arranged. For example, a voice notification such as “It is a sharp curve. Be careful” can be made.

  The “eraser” command is used when deleting a route component that has been placed, and the user can delete the route component by associating the “eraser” command with the route component to be deleted. More specifically, the user performs a drag operation on a picture (illustration) of an “eraser”, for example, a path component (or a part of a path) in the same manner as when erasing a pencil character using an eraser. ) Can be deleted.

  As described above, the “text input” command is for inputting text (characters) (associated with a path component). For example, it is conceivable to use the “text input” command to input guidance contents or to input a place name or intersection name.

  Returning to FIG. 4A, the user selects the “OK” command 42 when completing the route setting (arrangement of route parts). Further, when resetting the route (returning to the previous setting screen), the “BACK” command 41 is selected.

  When the “OK” command 42 is selected, as shown in FIG. 4B, the display of the route setting component group 40, the “BACK” command 41, and the “OK” command 42 disappears and the set route is displayed. The color of is changed so that it can be visually confirmed that the route setting is completed. FIG. 4B shows a screen mode (route guidance mode) when performing route guidance. In the case of route guidance, the display screen on the display device 26 is as shown in FIG. 4B. Become.

  Returning to FIG. 2, after S150, the process proceeds to S160, and it is determined based on the input of the user whether or not to complete the route setting. Specifically, the determination is made based on whether or not the “OK” command 42 (see FIG. 4A) is selected. If it is determined that the “OK” command 42 is not selected, it is determined that the route setting is not ended (S160: NO), and the process of S160 is repeated again.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the “OK” command 42 is selected in S160, it is determined that the route setting is to be ended (S160: YES), and the process proceeds to S170.
In S170, the route set by the user is converted into a format that can be recognized by the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1. In other words, data representing a route set by the user and recognizable by the in-vehicle navigation device 1 is created.

  Next, the process proceeds to S180, and it is determined whether or not there is an error in the conversion in the process of S170. For example, it is determined whether the route from the current position to the destination is not interrupted, whether the intersection is not present without being connected to the road, or the like.

  If it is determined in S180 that there is an error (S180: NO), the process proceeds to S200, and the error is displayed on the display screen of the display device 26. Here, the mode of the display screen in the display device 26 is the route setting mode, and the user is prompted to reset the route. Thereafter, the process returns to S160 again.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S180 that there is no error (S180: YES), the process proceeds to S190.
In S190, the display screen on the display device 26 is switched to a route guidance mode for performing route guidance (see FIG. 4B), and route guidance is performed for the user. Thereafter, the process is terminated.

Next, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the contents of the processing of S120 in FIG.
In this process, first, in S210, for example, a site connected to the Internet network via the communication device 18 is accessed to access a site where satellite photo data is uploaded (hereinafter referred to as a satellite photo site).

Next, the process proceeds to S220, and it is determined whether or not the access to the satellite photograph site is successful.
If it is determined in S220 that the access to the satellite photograph site has not been successful (S220: NO), the process proceeds to S260, and whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the attempt to access the satellite photograph site has been made (time over). Whether or not).

If it is determined in S260 that a predetermined time has not elapsed since the attempt to access the satellite photograph site (S260: NO), the process returns to S220 again.
On the other hand, if it is determined in S260 that a predetermined time has elapsed since the access to the satellite photograph site was attempted (S260: YES), the process proceeds to S270 and information indicating that acquisition of the satellite photograph data has failed (error) ) Is displayed on the display screen of the display device 26. Thereafter, the process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S220 that the access to the satellite photograph site is successful (S220: YES), the process proceeds to S230, and satellite photograph data around the current position of the vehicle is acquired from the satellite photograph site. Specifically, a reference latitude / longitude / region is set, and satellite photograph data of the set region (range) is acquired around a location corresponding to the set latitude / longitude. Here, the reference latitude / longitude is the latitude / longitude of the current position of the vehicle. The reference area is an area set in advance in the vehicle (an area that matches the map displayed on the display screen of the display device 26).

  Next, in S240, the scale of the map currently displayed on the display screen of the display device 26 is compared with the scale of the satellite photograph acquired from the satellite photograph site, and the latter is matched with the former. More specifically, the difference is obtained by comparing the two, and the range of the satellite photo to be acquired is set so that the scale of the satellite photo matches the scale of the map currently displayed on the display screen of the display device 26. Adjust and enlarge / reduce the acquired satellite photos.

  Next, the process proceeds to S250, where a position corresponding to the current position of the vehicle is calculated in the satellite photograph acquired in S240, and is displayed on the display screen of the display device 26 based on the position. Thereafter, the process is terminated.

  As described above, according to the in-vehicle navigation device 1 of the present embodiment, for example, in a region where map data is insufficient (a region where roads are not covered in the map data), satellite photo data is acquired and used. The person can set a desired route on the satellite photograph and cause the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 to guide the route according to the set route.

  For this reason, even in areas where the in-vehicle navigation device 1 does not have road information, the in-vehicle navigation device 1 can execute route guidance by setting a route by the user.

  Further, since a road image appears in the satellite photograph, the user can set a route according to the road image. That is, a route can be set along an actual road. For this reason, it is possible to prevent a route from being set at a location where there is actually no road.

In addition, when setting the route, the user only has to arrange the parts constituting the route on the satellite photograph, which is easy for the user to operate and easy to use.
In the above embodiment, the position detector 12 corresponds to the current position calculation means, the map data input device 24 corresponds to the map database and map data acquisition means, the control circuit 10 corresponds to the display control means, and the control circuit. 10, the processing of the display device 26, the voice input / output device 28, and S190 corresponds to the route guidance means and the set route guidance means, the processing of S150 corresponds to the route setting means, the communication device 18, the BT communication device 20, and the VICS. The apparatus 22 corresponds to the communication means, the process of S120 (the process of FIG. 3) corresponds to the satellite photograph data acquisition means, the process of S110 corresponds to the information amount determination means, and the process of S240 corresponds to the scale correction means. ing.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various form can be taken within the technical scope of this invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the user may be able to set a desired route on the map represented by the map data input from the map data input device 24.

  In the above embodiment, satellite photograph data is stored in a storage medium (for example, CD-ROM, DVD, hard disk, various memory cards, etc.), and satellite photograph data is acquired via the map data input device 24. You may comprise as follows.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, you may enable it to register the path | route which the vehicle actually traveled. According to this, even if the road is not included in the map data, for example, the existence of the road can be recognized when the vehicle actually travels. In this case, for example, the route (road) can be calculated by sampling the latitude / longitude of the vehicle position during traveling and connecting the sampled points.

It is a block diagram showing the whole structure of the vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus 1 of this embodiment. It is a flowchart showing the process which the control circuit 10 in the vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus 1 performs. It is a flowchart showing the process (process which acquires satellite photograph data) which the control circuit 10 in the vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus 1 performs. It is a figure showing the screen of route setting mode and the screen of route guidance mode. It is a figure showing path | route components.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus, 10 ... Control circuit, 12 ... Position detector, 12a ... GPS receiver, 12b ... Gyroscope, 12c ... Distance sensor, 12d ... Geomagnetic sensor, 14 ... Operation switch, 16 ... Remote control sensor, 17 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Remote control, 18 ... Communication apparatus, 20 ... BT communication apparatus, 22 ... VICS apparatus, 24 ... Map data input device, 26 ... Display apparatus, 28 ... Voice input / output apparatus, 32 ... Interface part.

Claims (4)

A map database,
Current position calculating means for calculating the current position of the vehicle;
Map data acquisition means for acquiring, from the map database, map data of a region including the current position of the vehicle calculated by the current position calculation means (hereinafter referred to as current position map data);
Display control means for causing the display device to display a map represented by the current position map data acquired by the map data acquisition means;
Route guidance means for performing route guidance to a destination based on the map displayed on the display device;
In a navigation device mounted on a vehicle,
A route setting means for a user to set a desired route in an area where there is no road information on the map displayed on the display device,
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the route guidance means includes setting route guidance means for performing route guidance of the set route when a route is set by a user via the route setting means. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
A communication means for communicating with an external device for storing satellite photograph data;
Satellite image data acquisition means for acquiring satellite photo data of a region including the current position of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as current position satellite photo data) from the external device by communication via the communication means;
When the current position satellite photograph data is acquired by the satellite photograph data acquisition means, the display control means, instead of the current position map data, causes the display device to display an image represented by the current position satellite photograph data,
A navigation device configured to allow a user to set a desired route on an image represented by current position satellite photograph data displayed on the display device via the route setting means. The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein
An information amount determination unit for determining whether or not the current position map data acquired by the map data acquisition unit has a predetermined amount of information;
The satellite photograph data acquisition means acquires the current position satellite photograph data when the information amount determination means determines that the current position map data does not have a predetermined amount of information. A navigation device characterized by the above. The navigation device according to claim 2 or claim 3,
Scale correction means for correcting the scale of the image represented by the current position satellite photograph data to the scale of the map represented by the current position map data;
The display control means displays an image represented by the current position satellite photograph data, the scale of which is corrected by the scale correction means, on the display device. apparatus.