JP2012037354A - Navigation device, method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide techniques enabling a user to intuitively recognize a desired spot.SOLUTION: A navigation device stores information of a spot in a storage medium and sets a living area of a user in advance, searches the stored spot, and when displaying a map including the searched spot on a display unit, determines a scale of the map so as to display on the display unit an area which gets wider when a distance between the searched spot and the living area gets longer.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for providing support for selecting a desired point using a navigation device or the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a user selects a destination in a navigation device or the like, a technique for displaying a list of destinations searched from names or addresses and destinations selected in the past by a user is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which characters indicating the name of a destination are displayed side by side on a screen so that a user can select a desired destination.

JP-A-10-115530

In the conventional technology, in order to select a destination, only the characters indicating the name of the destination are displayed, and it is difficult for the user to intuitively associate the destinations displayed in a list. . Therefore, in order for a user to select a desired destination, information associated with the destination such as a map including the destination, an address, and an attribute is often required, and the operation for selecting the destination is complicated. It had become.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that enables a user to intuitively recognize a desired point.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, when displaying a search result of a point, the map is scaled so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as the distance between the searched point and the living area is longer. The map including the determined point is displayed at the scale.

  That is, when the scale of the map is small (n is large when the scale is expressed as 1 / n), a map of a wider area can be displayed on the display unit than when the scale is large. In addition, when the scale of the map is increased, more detailed information can be displayed on the display unit than when the scale is small.

  And since the living area is an area that the user knows well, it is considered that the user knows or can estimate the concrete situation of the road and the features around the road. Therefore, if the scale of the map is determined so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as the distance between the searched point and the living area is longer, the search is performed when the distance between the searched point and the living area is short. The point is displayed on a detailed map with a large scale, and the point can be presented to the user in an intuitively understandable state. On the other hand, when the user does not know the searched point well, even if the searched point is shown on the detailed map, the user cannot recognize the point. Therefore, when the distance between the searched point and the living area is long, the region where the user knows the approximate location can be obtained by configuring the searched point on a small-scale wide area map. There is a high possibility that the map is displayed in a state where it is included on the map. Therefore, the user can intuitively recognize the approximate position of the point based on the information included on the wide area map.

  Here, the location storage means stores location information, and the search means only needs to be configured so that the location stored in the location storage means can be searched. That is, information indicating a point is stored in a storage medium, and a search for extracting information that matches a desired condition from the stored information can be executed. It may be configured so that it can be set as a place or a planned return place.

  The living area setting means only needs to be able to set the living area of the user who uses the navigation device. That is, when roads and features are included in the user's living sphere, there is a high possibility that the user knows or can estimate the state of these roads and the features around the roads. Therefore, it is sufficient that the living area is defined in advance as an area where the state of the road included in the area or the state of the features around the road can be estimated. In order to identify the living sphere, a configuration that identifies the actual living sphere for each individual user, or a configuration that identifies areas that can be considered as known by the user as living spheres according to predetermined rules, etc. Is possible.

  As the former, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the user himself / herself inputs the living area via the user I / F. As the latter, it is possible to adopt a configuration that is set according to a distance from a reference point or a reference feature. For example, an area within a predetermined distance from the user's home point can be a living area. That is, a normal user can easily set a living area by setting an area within a predetermined distance from the home point as the living area since the area at and around the home point is the living area. Further, a road in which the number of times of travel by the user is a predetermined number or more and an area within a predetermined distance from the road may be defined as a living area. In other words, the roads that are used more frequently than the predetermined number of times and are used on a daily basis by the user are roads within the living area. Furthermore, since the user can estimate the state of the road in the area around the road or the feature in the area around the road, a predetermined distance is set as a range in which such estimation is possible. According to this configuration, it is possible to easily set a living area.

  Further, in the map display means, when the map including the searched point is displayed on the display unit, a larger area is displayed on the display unit as the distance between the searched point and the living area is longer. It is sufficient that the scale can be determined. In other words, the longer the distance between the searched location and the living area, the less likely that the user knows the searched location, and the scale should be set so that a wider map is displayed. If you can. Here, the map may be a map including the searched point. That is, it is only necessary that the user can be provided with information for determining whether or not to use the point of the search result by indicating the searched point on the map.

  The distance between the searched point and the living area may be an index for adjusting the degree of detail of the map that can be understood by the user. In other words, because the living area is an area that the user knows well, it can be assumed that the user knows or can estimate the specific state of the road and the features around the road within the living area. However, it can be estimated that the more detailed the roads and features are, the farther away from the living area. Therefore, the distance between the searched point and the living area corresponds to the level of detail of the map that can be understood by the user, and can be used as an index indicating the level of detail. The scale may be changed according to the distance between the searched point and the living area, and may be changed continuously or stepwise. As the latter, n scales (n is a natural number of 2 or more) are set in advance, and the distance is such that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as the distance between the searched point and the living area is longer. It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the scale is changed in n stages according to the above.

  Further, the distance between the searched point and the living area may be defined by a predetermined criterion, for example, the distance between the reference point (center or home point) in the living area and the searched point. Alternatively, it may be defined by the distance between the boundary line constituting the outer periphery of the living area and the searched point. Further, when the searched point is within the living area, it can be considered that the distance between the point and the living area is shorter than all other points outside the living area. Of course, for a plurality of points in the living area, for example, the scale may be determined so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as the distance from the home point is longer.

  Furthermore, as an example of a configuration for determining the scale of the map so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as the distance between the searched point and the living area is longer, when the searched point is not included in the living area, It is good also as a structure which displays a map by the reduced scale from which the map of a larger area | region is displayed rather than the case where the searched point is contained in a living area. That is, the case where the searched point is not included in the living area is regarded as the case where the distance between the searched point and the living area is greater than 0, and the case where the searched point is included in the living area is searched. It is considered that the distance between the point and the living area is 0. According to this configuration, a detailed map is displayed when the user knows or can estimate the state of the road and features around the road, and the user can see the state of the road and features around the road. If you don't know or can't estimate it, you can display a wide area map.

  Furthermore, as an example of the configuration for determining the scale of the map so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as the distance between the searched point and the living area is longer, the distance between the searched point and the living area is a predetermined value. When it is above, it is good also as a structure which displays a map with the reduced scale in which the whole prefecture to which the searched point belongs is displayed. In other words, if an upper limit is set for the distance between the searched spot and the living area, which is an index for determining the scale, and the distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined value corresponding to the upper limit, the scale is set according to the distance. Instead of the scale, the scale of the whole prefecture is displayed.

  According to this configuration, for a point that the user seems to be hardly aware of because the distance from the user's living area is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the position of the point in the prefecture can be clearly indicated on the map. it can. And since many users can recognize the shape of a prefecture, if the position in a prefecture is shown, many users can recognize the rough position of the searched point. Note that the scale on which the entire prefecture is displayed may be determined in advance, or may be specified by calculation for the prefecture to which the searched point belongs. Furthermore, here, prefectures are illustrated as administrative divisions that can be recognized by many users. However, since administrative divisions are hierarchically configured, the scale is set to display the entire administrative divisions at other levels. You may decide. For example, you may employ | adopt the structure set as the reduced scale which displays the whole country, and the reduced scale which displays the whole in the administrative division of a hierarchy lower than a country as a unit.

  Furthermore, in the configuration for accepting the selection of the searched spot, after accepting the selection of the spot, as a configuration for displaying the map at a scale where a region narrower than the map displayed on the display unit is displayed before the selection. Also good. According to this configuration, whether or not the point selected on the wide-area map is a user-desired point can be confirmed on the detailed map displayed later.

  Furthermore, as in the present invention, the method of determining the map scale so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as the distance between the searched point and the living area is longer can be applied as a program or a method. . In addition, the above-described device, program, and method may be realized as a single device or may be realized by using components shared with each part of the vehicle, and include various aspects. It is a waste. For example, it is possible to provide a navigation device, a method, and a program that include the above devices. Further, some changes may be made as appropriate, such as a part of software and a part of hardware. Furthermore, the invention is also established as a storage medium for a program for controlling the apparatus. Of course, the software storage medium may be a magnetic storage medium, a magneto-optical storage medium, or any storage medium that will be developed in the future.

It is a block diagram of a navigation apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows a point search process. It is explanatory drawing explaining the searched point and a living area. It is a figure which shows the example of the map drawn. It is a figure which shows the list of the maps displayed on a display part.

Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
(1) Configuration of navigation device:
(2) Point search processing:
(3) Other embodiments:

(1) Configuration of navigation device:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device 10 according to the present invention. The navigation device 10 according to the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle, includes a control unit 20 including a CPU, RAM, ROM, and the like, and a storage medium 30. The control unit 20 executes a program stored in the storage medium 30 or the ROM. can do. In the present embodiment, the navigation program 21 can be executed as this program. The navigation program 21 is a program that causes the control unit 20 to implement functions such as route guidance. In the present embodiment, the navigation program 21 causes the control unit 20 to implement a function that supports a user who searches for and selects a spot.

  A vehicle on which the navigation device 10 is mounted includes a GPS receiver 41, a vehicle speed sensor 42, a gyro sensor 43, and a user I / F unit 44. The GPS receiver 41 receives radio waves from GPS satellites and outputs information for calculating the current position of the vehicle via an interface (not shown). The vehicle speed sensor 42 outputs a signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the wheels provided in the vehicle. The gyro sensor 43 outputs a signal corresponding to the angular velocity acting on the vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown) and acquires the direction of the vehicle. The control unit 20 corrects the current position of the vehicle specified from the output signal of the GPS receiving unit 41 based on signals from the vehicle speed sensor 42, the gyro sensor 43, and the like. The navigation program 21 uses the current position specified based on the GPS receiver 41, the vehicle speed sensor 42, the gyro sensor 43, and the like as described above to perform guidance on the current position of the vehicle and route guidance to the destination. To do.

  The user I / F unit 44 is an interface unit including an input unit that inputs a user's instruction and a display unit 44a that provides various types of information to the user. In this embodiment, the input unit includes a touch panel (not shown) The display unit 44a is configured by a display. The control unit 20 can specify a user instruction based on an output signal from the input unit, and can display arbitrary information on the display unit 44a by an output signal to the display unit 44a.

  In the storage medium 30, map information 30a is recorded in advance. The map information 30a is information used for specifying the position of the vehicle, etc., node data indicating the position of the node set on the road on which the vehicle travels, and the shape for specifying the shape of the road between the nodes. Interpolation point data, link data indicating the connection of nodes, point data indicating the position and attribute information of roads and their surrounding features, and the like are included. The attribute information is information indicating the name of the feature, the type of the feature, the purpose of visiting the feature, and the like. In the present embodiment, the desired attribute information is specified to search for the feature, and the desired feature is searched. It is possible to specify a point where an object exists. Further, the map information 30a includes life area information 30b indicating the life area of the user. In the present embodiment, the living area is an area within a predetermined distance including the user's home point. The home area is set in advance by the processing of the living area setting unit 21b described later, and the living area is based on the home point. Is set.

  In order for the navigation program 21 to cause the control unit 20 to realize the function of causing the user to select the point searched by performing the above-described search, the search unit 21a, the living area setting unit 21b, the map display unit 21c, and the selection receiving unit 21d. And. The search unit 21 a is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of searching for a spot stored in the storage medium 30. That is, the control unit 20 receives the output signal from the input unit of the user I / F unit 44 by the processing of the search unit 21a, identifies the point search conditions, and refers to the map information 30a to match the conditions. The point data associated with the information is extracted.

  The living area setting unit 21b is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of setting a user's living area in advance prior to searching for a spot. That is, the control unit 20 receives the output signal from the input unit of the user I / F unit 44 by the process of the living area setting unit 21b, specifies the point designated by the user of the navigation device 10 as the home, and the map information 30a. To add information indicating the home location. And the control part 20 specifies the area | region within the predetermined distance from the said home point as a living sphere. As a result, it is possible to specify whether or not a point where an arbitrary feature exists is within the living area. That is, the control unit 20 refers to the point data of the map information 30a, and when the feature indicated by the point data exists in an area within a predetermined distance from the home point, the point where the feature exists is within the living area. I reckon. Further, when a feature indicated by the point data exists in an area within a predetermined distance from the home point, the point where the feature exists is regarded as being outside the living area.

  The map display unit 21c determines the scale of the map so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit 44a as the distance between the point searched by the processing of the search unit 21a and the life zone is longer, and includes the searched point. This is a module for causing the control unit 20 to realize the function of displaying the map on the display unit 44a at the scale. That is, the control unit 20 specifies part or all of the searched points as a display target by the processing of the map display unit 21c, and refers to the living area information 30b to determine the distance between the living area and the searched point. Identify. Then, for each searched point, a scale is determined according to the distance between the living area and the searched point, and a map in which the point searched at the determined scale is located at the center is drawn. In other words, by displaying a map including the searched points, it is configured to provide the user with information for determining whether or not to use the point of the search result as, for example, a destination. ing.

In the present embodiment, the scale is changed in two steps according to the distance between the living area and the searched point. That is, when the distance between the living area and the searched point is 0 (when the searched point is included in the living area), the control unit 20 reduces the scale to 1 / N ₁ and searches for the living area. The scale is set to 1 / N ₂ when the distance to is greater than 0 (when the searched point is not included in the living area). In the present embodiment, N ₁ <N ₂ is set, and when the distance between the living area and the searched point is 0, the detailed map and the distance between the living area and the searched point are 0. If it is larger, the scale is determined so as to display a wide area map.

  Further, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal to the display unit 44 a of the user I / F unit 44 and causes the user I / F unit 44 to display the drawn map. In the present embodiment, the control unit 20 displays one point on one map and displays a plurality of maps indicating the plurality of points on the display unit 44a of the user I / F unit 44 at a time. The list of points is displayed on the display unit 44a.

  The selection receiving unit 21d is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of receiving selection of a spot displayed on the display unit 44a. That is, the control unit 20 outputs an output signal corresponding to a user's operation on the touch panel provided in the display unit 44a of the user I / F unit 44 (for example, two touches during a unit period on the instruction target map). get. And the control part 20 specifies a user's operation based on the said output signal, and specifies the point which the user selected. As a result, information indicating the specified point is transferred to the search process executed by the navigation device 10.

  In the present embodiment, the user can select a point while changing the point to be displayed. That is, the control unit 20 displays a single map as a rectangle on the display unit 44a and displays it at the center of the display unit 44a, and deforms other maps to display them side by side on the left and right sides of the central map. An operation of touching any one of a plurality of maps on which a flow display is made with a finger can be detected by the touch panel. In addition, the control unit 20 accepts an operation for moving the finger to the left or right while the map is touched by the touch panel, and moves the map displayed in the cover flow to the left or right in accordance with the operation for moving to the left or right. Let And the control part 20 draws a map with the reduced scale according to the distance of the said point and a living area while setting an undisplayed point among the searched points as a display object, and maps according to finger operation. The newly drawn map is displayed in the space formed on the display unit 44a by the movement of. And the control part 20 receives selection of the point in the display part 44a after a change.

  In the above configuration, when the scale of the map displayed on the display unit 44a is small (n is large when the scale is expressed as 1 / n), the display unit 44a has a larger scale than when the scale is large. A wide area map can be displayed. That is, when displaying a map for a plurality of points on the display unit 44a, the size of the map drawing area (drawing area before deformation described later) is common to each map, and the scale is larger when the map scale is smaller. Compared to the case, the area in the real space of the area indicated by the map displayed in the drawing area becomes larger.

  And since the living area is an area that the user knows well, it is considered that the user knows or can estimate the concrete situation of the road and the features around the road. On the other hand, when the user does not know the searched point well, even if the searched point is shown on the detailed map, the user cannot recognize the point. In this embodiment, since the scale is determined so that it becomes a detailed map when the distance between the searched point and the living area is 0, the detailed information around the point and the point is presented to the user. The map can be presented to the user in a state where the point is intuitively easy to understand. In addition, since the scale is determined to be a wide area map when the distance between the searched point and the living area is larger than 0, the user intuitively recognizes the approximate position of the searched point. Is possible.

(2) Point search processing:
Next, the point search process by the navigation program 21 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a point search process. The point search process is executed when a point to be a destination is selected from a search result when performing route guidance or the like in the navigation device 10. In the present embodiment, before the spot search process is executed, the living area information 30b is created in advance by the process of the living area setting unit 21b and stored in the storage medium 30 as a part of the map information 30a.

  In the point search process, the control unit 20 acquires a search result by the process of the search unit 21a (step S100). That is, the control unit 20 extracts point data that matches the condition instructed by the user's operation on the user I / F unit 44. Next, the control part 20 acquires the living area information 30b by the process of the map display part 21c (step S105). Next, the control part 20 pinpoints a display target point by the process of the map display part 21c (step S110). In the present embodiment, when there are a plurality of searched points, a configuration is adopted in which n points are displayed as objects to be displayed in order from the home point. For this reason, the control unit 20 refers to the map information 30a, specifies the distance between the searched point and the home point based on the point data of the searched point and the information indicating the home point, and is close to the home point. In order, n points are specified as display targets.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a searched point and a living area. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the searched point is indicated by a solid line with a road and a flag icon, and the home point is indicated. The living area L is indicated by H and indicated by a dashed curve. In this example, two points within the living area L are searched, and three points outside the living area L are searched. Therefore, when five points are set as display targets, the points P ₁ to P ₅ are the display targets in order from the home point H.

  Next, the control unit 20 sets one of the points that are not displayed as a display target to which the map is not drawn as the drawing target, and performs the loop process of steps S115 to S145. Specifically, the control unit 20 acquires the coordinates of the drawing target point with reference to the map information 30a by the processing of the map display unit 21c (step S115). Next, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the drawing target point is within the living area by the processing of the map display unit 21c (step S120). That is, the control unit 20 specifies the coordinates of the home point with reference to the map information 30a, and specifies the range within a predetermined distance from the home point as the living area L. Then, it is determined whether or not the coordinates of the drawing target point are included in the living sphere L.

When it is determined in step S120 that the drawing target point is within the living area, the control unit 20 sets the map scale to the scale for detailed display by the processing of the map display unit 21c (step S125). . On the other hand, when it is not determined in step S120 that the drawing target point is within the living area, the control unit 20 sets the map scale to a scale for wide-area display by the processing of the map display unit 21c (step S130). ). In the present embodiment, the scale for detailed display is 1 / N ₁ described above, the scale for wide-area display is 1 / N ₂ , and N ₁ <N ₂ .

  Next, the control unit 20 draws the map centered on the coordinates of the drawing target point with the scale determined in step S125 or S130 (step S135). In other words, the control unit 20 sets the coordinate axes to face a predetermined direction (for example, sets the coordinate axes indicating north and south to face up and down and north to face up), and draws the drawing object in a predetermined drawing area. Draw a map centered on the coordinates of the point. Here, drawing refers to recording image data indicating a map in a RAM (not shown).

  Next, the control part 20 displays a map on the display part 44a by the process of the map display part 21c (step S140). That is, the control unit 20 outputs a control signal for displaying the map indicated by the image data recorded in the RAM to the display unit 44a. As a result, the user I / F unit 44 displays a map on the display unit 44a according to the control signal. In the present embodiment, the map is configured to display a cover flow. When a plurality of maps are displayed in a list on the display unit 44a, one map is displayed in a rectangle and displayed in the center of the display unit 44a. Then, other maps are transformed and displayed side by side on the center map. Therefore, in step S140, the control unit 20 appropriately deforms the map indicated by the image data recorded in the RAM according to the display position on the map display unit 44a indicating the drawing target point. And the control part 20 determines whether the display was completed about all the display objects by the process of the map display part 21c (step S145), and it determines with the display about all the display objects having been complete | finished in step S145. Steps S115 and after are repeated.

  4A to 4E are diagrams schematically showing maps drawn in steps S115 to S145. In these figures, points are indicated by roads and flag icons by lines in a rectangular frame, and a map constituted by these lines and icons is schematically shown. 4A and 4B show that the region between the two lines is a road, and in FIGS. 4C to 4E, the road is shown by a single line. That is, FIGS. 4C to 4E schematically show that the map is a wider area than FIGS. 4A and 4B.

Such a difference in the scale of the map is caused by the positional relationship between the drawing target point and the living area. That is, the point is a scale of 1 / N ₁ contained in living area L as point P _1, P ₂ shown in FIG. 3, the point not included in living area L as point P ₃ to P ₅ scale 1 / Although the map is drawn by N ₂ , the drawing area secured in the RAM for drawing the map for each point has a common size, so that the real space included in the map drawn according to the scale The area of will be different. For example, the points P _{3 to} P ₅ are drawn when the areas in the real space included in the map drawn with the points P ₁ and P ₂ shown in FIG. 3 being drawn are M ₁ and M ₂ , respectively. The areas on the real space included in the map drawn as the target are as M _{3 to} M ₅ , respectively.

For this reason, even if the size of the drawing area of the drawn map is common as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4E, the amount of information and the quality of information provided to the user differ depending on each of FIGS. . That is, in the case of a map as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B (M ₁ and M ₂ shown in FIG. 3), although the area in real space that can be presented to the user is small, information on roads and features in the map Can be presented in detail. And if it is a road in the user's living area L or a feature around it, the user knows or can estimate the feature around the road or the road, so search on a detailed map Even if the point is shown, the user can understand or estimate the detailed position of the searched point. For this reason, the user can grasp | ascertain the searched location intuitively.

On the other hand, in the case of the maps as shown in FIGS. 4C to 4E (M _{3 to} M ₅ shown in FIG. 3), the map cannot show the details of roads and features in the map to the user. The area in real space that can be presented by is widened. And if it is a road outside the user's living area L and the surrounding features, the user is unlikely to know or be able to know the road or the surrounding features of the road. Therefore, even if the road around the searched point is shown in detail, it is unlikely that the user can estimate the searched point. However, in this embodiment, since a wide area map is presented to the user as shown in M _{3 to} M ₅ in FIG. 3, roads and places where the user knows the approximate state are included in the map. The possibility of being included becomes high, and the user can intuitively grasp the approximate positions of the points P _{3 to} P ₅ searched based on the road or place.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a map displayed as a list on the display unit 44a by the process of step S140. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the maps shown in FIGS. That is, the maps shown in FIGS. 4A to 4E are arranged from left to right. As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the map displayed in the center displays the rectangular map drawn in steps S115 to S135 without deformation, and the map displayed on the left and right of the map is displayed. In, the rectangular map is transformed. That is, the map of FIGS. 4A and 4B displayed on the left side of the center is displayed by being deformed so as to compress the right side of the rectangular drawing area and the length in the left-right direction. Also, the maps shown in FIGS. 4D and 4E displayed on the right side of the center are displayed by being deformed so as to compress the left side of the rectangular drawing area and the length in the left-right direction.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5, the map information displayed in the center is a map near the address of the point indicated by the map (in the example shown in FIG. 5, “near address C”) and the current location. The distance to the point is shown. Further, a button for instructing to return to the previous screen is displayed at the upper right of the display unit 44a, and a button for instructing to change the rearrangement condition of the searched points is displayed at the lower right of the display unit 44a. It is displayed. That is, in the above example, the display target is determined according to the distance from the home point, but the display target is determined by rearranging based on other conditions, for example, the attribute indicated by the attribute information. Is possible.

  In this embodiment, each button and map shown in FIG. 5 and an input for instructing selection of a point on the map are accepted. That is, when it is determined in step S145 described above that display has been completed for all display targets, the control unit 20 performs processing of the selection receiving unit 21d based on the output signal of the input unit of the user I / F unit 44. A point selection operation by the user is accepted (step S150).

  Specifically, the control unit 20 accepts the selection of a point by an operation of touching any one of the maps displayed on the display unit 44a illustrated in FIG. 5 twice within a unit period. When the selection of the point is accepted, the control unit 20 sets the selected point as a route guidance destination or the like in the navigation device 10. In addition, when the control unit 20 receives an operation of moving the finger left or right while touching any one of the maps displayed on the display unit 44a shown in FIG. 5 with the finger, the control unit 20 displays the cover flow displayed map. Move left or right. Then, by executing the processing after step S110 again, a new display target point is displayed in the space vacated by the movement, and the selection of the reference point is accepted again.

(3) Other embodiments:
The above embodiment is an example for carrying out the present invention, and as long as the scale of the map is determined so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as the distance between the searched point and the living area is longer, Various embodiments can also be adopted. For example, the configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the searched point is the destination, and the configuration may be such that the searched point is set as the planned revisited location.

  In addition, the living area only needs to be defined as an area where the user knows or can estimate the state of the road in the living area and the features around the road. In addition to the configuration in which the area that can be considered to be known by the user according to the predetermined rules as described above is used as the living area, it is possible to adopt an actual living area specified for each individual user. For example, a configuration in which the user himself / herself inputs the living area via the user I / F can be employed.

  As the predetermined rule, in addition to the configuration in which the living area is set based on the distance from the reference point to the home point described above, a configuration in which the living area is set based on the distance from the reference feature can be adopted. A road having a predetermined number of times of traveling by the user may be used as a reference feature, and an area within a predetermined distance from the road may be a living area. In other words, the roads that are used more frequently than the predetermined number of times and are used on a daily basis by the user are roads within the living area. Furthermore, since a user can estimate the situation of a road in the area around the road in the living area or a feature in the area, a predetermined distance is set as such an estimation possible range. To do. According to this configuration, it is possible to easily set a living area.

  Further, the scale of the map may be determined so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as the distance between the searched point and the living area is longer. Therefore, the scale may be changed according to the distance between the searched point and the living area, and may be continuously changed. In addition, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the scale is changed in n steps according to the distance so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as the distance between the searched point and the living area is longer. That is, it is not limited to the case where n is 2 as in the above example, the threshold is set so that n is 3 or more, the threshold is compared with the distance between the searched point and the living area, and the comparison is made. It is good also as a structure which determines a reduced scale based on a result.

  Furthermore, the distance between the searched point and the living area may be an index for adjusting the degree of detail of the map that can be understood by the user. In other words, because the living area is an area that the user knows well, it can be assumed that the user knows or can estimate the specific state of the road and the features around the road within the living area. However, it can be estimated that the more detailed the roads and features are, the farther away from the living area. Therefore, the distance between the searched point and the living area corresponds to the level of detail of the map that can be understood by the user, and can be used as an index indicating the level of detail. For this reason, for example, the above-described threshold value can be determined according to the probability that the user knows the specific state of the road or the feature.

  Further, the distance between the searched point and the living area may be defined by a predetermined criterion, for example, the distance between the reference point (center or home point) in the living area and the searched point. Alternatively, it may be defined by the distance between the boundary line constituting the outer periphery of the living area and the searched point. In addition, when the searched point is within the living area, for example, the scale may be determined so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as the distance from the home point is longer, for example. .

  Furthermore, as an example of the configuration for determining the scale of the map so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as the distance between the searched point and the living area is longer, the distance between the searched point and the living area is a predetermined value. When it is above, it is good also as a structure which displays a map with the reduced scale in which the whole prefecture to which the searched point belongs is displayed. In other words, if an upper limit is set for the distance between the searched spot and the living area, which is an index for determining the scale, and the distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined value corresponding to the upper limit, the scale is set according to the distance. Instead of the scale, the scale of the whole prefecture is displayed.

  According to this configuration, for a point that the user seems to be hardly aware of because the distance from the user's living area is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the position of the point in the prefecture can be clearly indicated on the map. it can. And since many users can recognize the shape of a prefecture, if the position in a prefecture is shown, many users can recognize the rough position of the searched point. Note that the scale on which the entire prefecture is displayed may be determined in advance, or may be specified by calculation for the prefecture to which the searched point belongs. Furthermore, here, prefectures are illustrated as administrative divisions that can be recognized by many users. However, since administrative divisions are hierarchically configured, the scale is set to display the entire administrative divisions at other levels. You may decide. For example, you may employ | adopt the structure set as the reduced scale which displays the whole country, and the reduced scale which displays the whole in the administrative division of a hierarchy lower than a country as a unit.

  Furthermore, in the configuration for accepting the selection of the searched spot, after accepting the selection of the spot, as a configuration for displaying the map at a scale where a region narrower than the map displayed on the display unit is displayed before the selection. Also good. According to this configuration, whether or not the point selected on the wide-area map is a user-desired point can be confirmed on the detailed map displayed later. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, when one of the points on the two maps displayed at the center and the right side is selected, if a detailed map around the selected point is presented to the user, it is used. It becomes easy for a person to confirm whether or not it is a desired point.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Navigation apparatus, 20 ... Control part, 21 ... Navigation program, 21a ... Search part, 21b ... Living area setting part, 21c ... Map display part, 21d ... Selection reception part, 30 ... Storage medium, 30a ... Map information, 30b ... life zone information, 41 ... receiving unit, 42 ... vehicle speed sensor, 43 ... gyro sensor, 44 ... user I / F unit, 44a ... display unit

Claims (8)

Point storage means for storing point information;
Search means for searching for points stored in the point storage means;
A life zone setting means for setting a user's life zone;
Map display means for displaying on the display unit a map including the point searched by the search means,
The said map display means is a navigation apparatus which determines the scale of the said map so that a larger area | region is displayed on the said display part, so that the distance of the said searched point and the said living area is long. The map display means displays the map at a scale at which a map of a larger area is displayed when the searched spot is not included in the living area than when the searched spot is included in the living area. To
The navigation device according to claim 1. The living area is an area within a predetermined distance from the user's home point,
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The living area is a road where the number of travels by the user is a predetermined number or more and an area within a predetermined distance from the road,
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The map display means displays the map at the scale where the entire prefecture to which the searched point belongs is displayed when the distance between the searched point and the living area is a predetermined value or more.
The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Comprising selection accepting means for accepting selection of the searched spot;
The map display means displays a map at a scale at which a region narrower than the map displayed on the display unit is displayed after the selection of the searched spot is displayed.
The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. A point storage step for storing the information of the points in the storage medium;
A search step for searching for a point stored in the storage medium;
A life zone setting process for setting a user's life zone;
Including a map display step of displaying a map including the point searched by the search step on a display unit,
The map display step is a navigation method for determining a scale of the map so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as a distance between the searched point and the living area is longer. A point storage function for storing point information in a storage medium;
A search function for searching for points stored in the storage medium;
A life area setting function for setting a user's life area,
A navigation program for causing a computer to realize a map display function for displaying a map including a point searched by the search function on a display unit,
The map display function is a navigation program that determines a scale of the map so that a larger area is displayed on the display unit as a distance between the searched spot and the living area is longer.

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