JP2023101582A - Route display device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a route display device that can partially change a preset route, while comparing pieces of information on points on the route before and after the change.SOLUTION: While a first route to a destination is displayed, when a moving target point on the first route is operated by a user, a route display device determines two end points on the first route according to the position of the moving target point. When the position of the destination for the moving target point is determined, the route display device determines a second route including the position of the destination and the two end points. The route display device then displays the first route and the second route on a map, and displays route comparison information indicating information on the first route and information on the second route in a comparable manner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for editing set routes.

A navigation device has a function of determining a route to a destination designated by a user and providing guidance along the route. Patent Literature 1 describes a technique in which a user changes a set route. Specifically, in Patent Document 1, when a user drags a point on a set route with a finger or the like, two points on the set route are set as fixed points, and a corrected route including these fixed points and the point specified by the drag operation is determined.

International publication WO2008/117712

In Patent Literature 1, the fixed point is defined as "the end point closest to the operation target, the right/left turn point, the destination point, the departure point (current point), etc." If there is no fixed point on the currently displayed screen, that is, if the fixed point needs to be set beyond the current scale, the fixed point cannot be set. In Patent Literature 1, if a route is to be reset in a range exceeding the current scale, the fixed point is set to the end point on the display screen at the current scale.

Moreover, in Patent Document 1, once a fixed point is set, it is fixed and is not dynamically changed by a user's operation. Therefore, for example, if the endpoint closest to the object to be operated is set as a fixed point, the route can only be changed within the range between those endpoints, which is inefficient. Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, detailed information about points on the changed route is not displayed.

Examples of the problems to be solved by the present invention include the above. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a route display device capable of partially changing a preset route while comparing information about points on the route before and after the change.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a route display device, comprising: display means for displaying a first route on a map; and acquisition means for acquiring a second route including roads not included in the first route and roads determined based on user input. It is characterized by displaying in

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program executed by a route display device having a computer, the computer functioning as display means for displaying a first route on a map and acquisition means for acquiring a second route including roads not included in the first route and determined based on user input, and when the second route is acquired, the display means displays the first route and the second route on the map in a comparable manner, and further displays information on points included in the first route and the second route. is characterized by displaying the information of the points included in so that they can be compared.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a navigation device according to an embodiment; FIG. It is a figure explaining the outline of course edit. It is a figure explaining the determination method of the boundary circle in path|route editing. It is a figure explaining the determination method of the boundary circle in path|route editing. It is a figure explaining the scale change in route editing. It is a flow chart of route edit processing. 8 is a flowchart of mode determination processing; 9 is a flowchart of end point search processing; 10 is a flowchart of destination node determination processing; A display example before route editing by route editing processing is shown. A display example during route editing by route editing processing is shown. Another display example before route editing by route editing processing is shown. 13 shows another display example during route editing by route editing processing. 13 shows another display example during route editing by route editing processing.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the route display device comprises: display control means for displaying a first route displayed on a map on a display unit; end point determination means for determining two end points on the first route according to the position of a moving object point which is a point on the first route and is moved by a user; position determining means for determining a destination position of the moving point; and second route determining means for determining a second route including the destination position of the moving point and the two end points. and, when the second route is determined, the display control means displays the first route and the second route on a map, and displays route comparison information showing the information on the first route and the information on the second route in a comparable manner.

In the route display device described above, when the user operates a movement target point on the first route while the first route to the destination is displayed, two end points on the first route are determined according to the position of the movement target point. Also, when the destination position of the movement target point is determined, a second path including the destination position and the two end points is determined. Then, the first route and the second route are displayed on the map, and the route comparison information is displayed so that the information regarding the first route and the information regarding the second route can be compared. This allows the user to edit the first route while comparing the first route and the second route.

In one aspect of the route display device, the route comparison information includes point information of points corresponding to the destination positions of the two end points and the movement target point. In another aspect, the point information includes an intersection name of the corresponding point.

In another aspect of the route display device, the route comparison information includes a list indicating guidance points on the first route and the second route. In this case, preferably, the point information includes at least one of presence/absence of a signal at the corresponding point and lane information.

In another aspect of the route display device, the route comparison information includes route bars indicating the first route and the second route.

In another aspect of the route display device, the display control means displays on a map destination candidate points that can be specified as the destination position of the movement target point, and the position determination means determines the destination candidate point as the destination position when the position of the movement target point matches the destination candidate point. Therefore, it is possible to determine only points previously determined as destination candidate points as destination positions.

Another aspect of the above-described route display device includes scale display means for displaying a scale display indicating the scale of the map displayed on the display unit, and scale change means for changing the scale of the displayed map in accordance with a user's change operation on the scale display, wherein the scale change means receives the change operation and changes the scale of the map when the position of the movement target point does not match the destination candidate point. As a result, when the desired destination candidate point is not displayed, the user can change the scale of the map to display another destination candidate point.

In another aspect of the route display device, the end point determination means determines two points on the first route adjacent to the position of the movement object point as the two end points, and changes the determined two end points based on the positional relationship between the movement object point and a boundary circle having a diameter corresponding to the two determined end points. Accordingly, an appropriate end point is determined according to the position of the movement target point.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a route display method executed by a route display device having a display unit includes: a display control step of displaying a first route displayed on a map on the display unit; an end point determination step of determining two end points on the first route according to the position of a movement target point which is a point on the first route and is moved by a user; a position determination step of determining a destination position of the movement target point; and a second route determination step of determining two routes, wherein the display control step displays the first route and the second route on a map when the second route is determined, and displays route comparison information showing the information on the first route and the information on the second route in a comparable manner. This allows the user to edit the first route while comparing the first route and the second route.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a route display program executed by a route display device comprising a display unit and a computer comprises: display control means for displaying a first route displayed on a map on the display unit; end point determination means for determining two end points on the first route in accordance with the position of a point on the first route that is moved and operated by a user; position determination means for determining a destination position of the point to be moved; When the second route is determined, the display control means displays the first route and the second route on a map, and also displays route comparison information that allows comparison between the information on the first route and the information on the second route. The above-described route display device can be realized by executing this program on a computer. This program can be stored in a storage medium and handled.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, it is assumed that the route display device of the present invention is applied to a navigation device.

[1] Navigation Device FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a navigation device 1 . As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device 1 includes an autonomous positioning device 10, a GPS receiver 18, a system controller 20, a disk drive 31, a data storage unit 36, a communication interface 37, a communication device 38, a display unit 40, an audio output unit 50, an input device 60, and an external data storage unit 61.

The self-supporting positioning device 10 has an acceleration sensor 11 , an angular velocity sensor 12 and a distance sensor 13 . The acceleration sensor 11 is composed of, for example, a piezoelectric element, detects acceleration of the vehicle, and outputs acceleration data. The angular velocity sensor 12 is composed of, for example, a vibrating gyro, detects the angular velocity of the vehicle when the vehicle changes direction, and outputs angular velocity data and relative azimuth data. The distance sensor 13 measures a vehicle speed pulse, which is a pulse signal generated as the wheels of the vehicle rotate.

The GPS receiver 18 receives radio waves 19 carrying downlink data including positioning data from a plurality of GPS satellites. The positioning data is used to detect the absolute position of the vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as "current position") from latitude and longitude information.

The system controller 20 includes an interface 21 , a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 22 , a ROM (Read Only Memory) 23 and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 24 , and controls the entire navigation device 1 .

The interface 21 performs interface operations with the acceleration sensor 11 , the angular velocity sensor 12 , the distance sensor 13 and the GPS receiver 18 . From these, the vehicle speed pulse, acceleration data, relative direction data, angular velocity data, GPS positioning data, absolute direction data, etc. are input to the system controller 20 .

The CPU 22 controls the system controller 20 as a whole. The ROM 23 has a non-illustrated non-volatile memory or the like storing a control program or the like for controlling the system controller 20 . The RAM 24 readablely stores various data such as route data preset by the user via the input device 60 and provides a working area for the CPU 22 .

A system controller 20 , a disk drive 31 such as a CD-ROM drive or DVD-ROM drive, a data storage unit 36 , a communication interface 37 , a display unit 40 , an audio output unit 50 and an input device 60 are interconnected via a bus line 30 .

Under the control of the system controller 20, the disc drive 31 reads and outputs content data such as music data and video data from discs 33 such as CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and the like.

The data storage unit 36 is configured by, for example, an HDD or the like, and is a unit that stores various data used for navigation processing such as map data.

The communication device 38 acquires information managed by an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) through an in-vehicle communication network.

The display unit 40 displays various display data on a display device such as a display under the control of the system controller 20 . Specifically, the system controller 20 reads map data from the data storage unit 36 . The display unit 40 displays map data and the like read from the data storage unit 36 by the system controller 20 on the display screen. The display unit 40 includes a graphic controller 41 that controls the entire display unit 40 based on control data sent from the CPU 22 via the bus line 30, a buffer memory 42 that temporarily stores image information that can be displayed immediately, and that includes a memory such as a VRAM (Video RAM). and a display 44 . The display 44 functions as a display unit, and is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display device or the like having a diagonal size of about 5 to 10 inches, and is mounted near the front panel in the vehicle.

The audio output unit 50 includes, under the control of the system controller 20, a D/A converter 51 that performs D/A (Digital to Analog) conversion of audio digital data sent from the CD-ROM drive 31, the DVD-ROM 32, or the RAM 24 via the bus line 30, an amplifier (AMP) 52 that amplifies the audio analog signal output from the D/A converter 51, and a speaker 53 that converts the amplified audio analog signal into audio and outputs it to the vehicle. is configured with

The input device 60 is composed of keys, switches, buttons, a remote control, a voice input device, etc. for inputting various commands and data. The input device 60 is arranged around the front panel and the display 44 of the main body of the in-vehicle electronic system installed in the vehicle. Moreover, when the display 44 is of a touch panel type, the touch panel provided on the display screen of the display 44 also functions as the input device 60 .

The external data storage unit 61 is composed of, for example, a USB memory or the like, and is used for the purpose of exchanging edited route information with other devices.

In the above configuration, the display unit 40 functions as display control means of the invention, and the CPU 22 functions as designated position determination means, endpoint determination means and second route determination means of the invention.

[2] Route editing Next, route editing in this embodiment will be described.

(1) Overview First, an overview of route editing will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an outline of route editing. An example of the route display image 70 is shown in FIG. The route display image 70 is an image in which a route that has already been set is displayed on a map. It is now assumed that a route 73 from a starting point 71 to a destination 72 is determined and displayed on the map. A plurality of points (also referred to as “nodes”) including guidance points are indicated by black point marks 74 on the route 73 . Roads 75 that are not included in the route 73 and blank point marks 76 that indicate points that are not included in the route 73 are also shown on the map. It should be noted that the nodes displayed by the point marks 76 are nodes that can be selected as destinations when a certain node on the route 73 that has already been set is moved to another node.

Here, if the user wishes to change the route 73 so as to pass through the node 76x instead of the node 74x, the user operates the touch panel on the display 44 to drag the point 74x to move to the point 76x and drop it. Specifically, when the user touches the touch panel with a finger or the like, a pointer 77 is displayed on the display 44 as shown in FIG. 2(b). When the user touches the point 74x with his finger and drags it in the direction of the point 76x while maintaining contact with the touch panel, a pointer 77 shaped like a hand holding an object moves in the direction of an arrow 78 as shown in FIG. 2(b). Then, as shown in FIG. 2(c), when the user releases the finger from the touch panel at the point 76x and drops the pointer 77, the route 73 is changed to pass through the point 76x. At this time, the pointer 77 has a shape in which the hand is released.

In this way, an instruction to edit the route to change the node 74x to the node 76x is input. In response, the navigation device 1 creates a route through node 76x instead of node 74x, as shown in FIG. 2(d).

(2) Detailed Operations Next, detailed operations in route editing will be described. Now, as shown in FIG. 3A, a route 73 from a departure point 71 to a destination 72 is determined, and nodes (points) P1 to P6 are present on the route 73. FIG. It is also assumed that the user changes the route 73 so that it passes through node P10 instead of node P3. Hereinafter, the node P3 to be moved will be referred to as a "movement target node", and the node P10 to which the movement target node will move will be referred to as a "destination node". Nodes P10, P11, etc. are not included in the current route 73, but are nodes that can be designated as destination nodes by route editing, and are called "destination candidate nodes". The movement target node corresponds to the movement target point of the present invention, and the destination candidate node corresponds to the destination candidate point of the present invention.

In this embodiment, when the user moves (drag) the node to be moved on the map, two endpoints defining the section to be changed are determined according to the position. Next, when the user determines a target destination candidate node from a plurality of destination candidate nodes, and drags and drops the target node on the touch panel to the target destination candidate node, the destination candidate node is determined as the destination node. The navigation device 1 then determines a new route passing through the two end points and the destination node. Note that while the user touches the node to be moved with a finger and drags the pointer 77 in an arbitrary direction, the pointer 77 is displayed as a clenched hand. Also, when the user drops the pointer 77 being dragged on the destination candidate node, the pointer 77 is displayed with an open hand.

(Determination of endpoints)
Next, a method for determining endpoints will be described. As shown in FIG. 3A, when the user touches the movement target node P3 and drags it in the direction of the node P10, the CPU 22 of the navigation device 1 first determines two nodes P2 and P4 adjacent to the movement target node P3 as endpoints. Here, the end points are points that define both ends of a section on the route 73 that is changed by route editing. That is, a new route is created for the section having the endpoints as both ends. Note that the CPU 22 displays a direction line (auxiliary line) 79 connecting each of the two end points P2 and P4 and the pointer 77 while the user is moving the movement target node. The direction line 79 has the role of indicating to the user the relationship between the two endpoints determined at that time and the movement direction (direction being dragged) of the movement target node.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the CPU 22 assumes a boundary circle R1 whose diameter is the line connecting the two end points. Note that the boundary circle R1 is a virtual circle used by the navigation device 1 in the route editing process, and is not displayed on the display 44 so as to be visible to the user. The CPU 22 maintains the nodes P2 and P4 as two end points while the pointer 77 indicating the movement target node P3 is positioned within the boundary circle R1. The CPU 22 also displays the destination candidate node 76 (the node P10 in this example) existing within the boundary circle R1.

On the other hand, when the user moves the pointer 77 beyond the boundary circle R1, as shown in FIG. That is, the CPU 22 changes the endpoint on the departure point 71 side from the node P2 to the node P1 from the departure point 71, and changes the endpoint on the destination 72 side from the node P4 to the node P5 from the destination. A bounding circle R2 having a diameter of a line connecting the newly determined nodes P1 and P5 is assumed. While the pointer 77 is positioned within the boundary circle R2, the CPU 22 maintains the nodes P1 and P5 as endpoints, and displays the destination candidate nodes 76 (nodes P10 and P11 in this example) within the boundary circle R2. When the user moves the pointer 77 in the opposite direction and the pointer 77 returns to the boundary circle R1, the CPU 22 returns the end points to the nodes P2 and P4 and returns the boundary circle from R2 to R1.

When the pointer 77 moves further beyond the boundary circle R2, the CPU 22 sets nodes further outside (on the departure point side and the destination side) as end points. When the user moves the pointer 77 further outward, the CPU 22 repeats this process until the endpoints match the starting point 71 and the destination point 72 .

In the example of FIG. 3, when the movement target node moves beyond the boundary circle R2 shown in FIG. 3(c), the CPU 22 assumes a boundary circle Rn whose diameter is the line connecting the starting point 71 and the destination 72 as shown in FIG. In this state, even if the pointer 77 moves beyond the boundary circle Rn, the CPU 22 maintains the starting point 71 and the destination 72 as endpoints.

As described above, in this embodiment, the end points of the section to be changed are automatically determined based on the position of the movement target node indicated by the pointer 77 and the positional relationship with other nodes on the original path. Therefore, when changing a part of a route that has already been determined, the user does not need to specify sections to be changed, specifically two end points.

When the user drops the pointer 77 on the destination candidate nodes P10, P11, etc. (releases the finger on the node), the CPU 22 determines the node where the pointer 77 is dropped as the destination node. Then, the CPU 22 determines a new route (hereinafter referred to as "alternative route") passing through the destination node with the two end points set at that time as both ends. Note that the alternative route corresponds to the second route of the present invention.

(Change in scale)
Next, changing the scale during route editing will be described. The destination candidate nodes 76 (nodes P10, P11, etc.) displayed on the map are determined according to the scale of the map displayed at that time. In general, only large intersections are displayed as the destination candidate nodes 76 on the scale of the wide area map, and small intersections are also displayed in the destination candidate nodes 76 on the scale of the detailed map. For example, in a wide-area map, only intersections on roads (or roads with two lanes in one direction) of a predetermined width or more are set as the destination candidate nodes 76. On a more detailed map scale, intersections with traffic lights are added to the destination candidate nodes 76. On a more detailed map scale, intersections without traffic lights are also added to the destination candidate nodes 76. In this way, the nodes displayed as destination candidate nodes 76 are determined in advance for each scale of the map data.

Now, in FIG. 5(a), it is assumed that the user wants to move the target node P3 to another node, but the node desired as the destination is not displayed as the destination candidate node 76 on the map at the current scale. In this case, the user who touches the movement target node P3 and starts dragging the pointer 77 lifts his finger at any position other than the position of the movement destination candidate node 76, that is, releases the pointer 77 once. When the pointer 77 is released at a position other than the position of the destination candidate node 76, the CPU 22 stops the movement of the pointer 77 at that position and allows the user to change the scale. That is, the user cannot drop the pointer 77 at a place other than the destination candidate node 76, and when the user releases the finger from the touch panel other than the destination candidate node 76, the pointer 77 is once released at that position, and the route editing work is temporarily suspended. When the user puts the pointer 77 on the destination candidate node, the user may be informed that the pointer 77 is on the destination candidate node by changing the color of the pointer 77 or the like. Also, when the pointer 77 is released at a location other than the destination candidate node 76, it is preferable to display the pointer 77 with the hand spread as shown in FIG.

A scale ruler 81 shown in FIG. 5A is used to change the scale. A scale ruler 81 indicates the scale of the map being displayed, and the user can change the scale of the map being displayed by moving a bar 82 on the scale ruler 81 . Note that the reduced scale ruler 81 is preferably always displayed during route editing. The scale ruler corresponds to the scale display body of the present invention.

In the situation shown in FIG. 5A, when the user releases the pointer 77 corresponding to the movement target node P3 at a position other than the destination candidate node 76 and operates the scale bar 82 to change the scale and display a detailed map as shown in FIG. In this manner, when a node desired to be designated as a destination of a node to be moved is not displayed as a destination candidate node 76, the user can display the node as a destination candidate node 76 by changing the scale. When the user changes the scale and displays a detailed map, a window 90 showing the positional relationship between the current display area and the entire route is also displayed as shown in FIG. 5(b). A window 90 shows, in a frame 91, a currently set route outline 93 and a display range 92 according to the current scale. By displaying the window 90, the user can easily grasp the relationship between the current display area and the entire route even if the user changes the scale and displays a detailed map while editing the route. Conversely, even if the user changes the scale to display a wide-area map, if the situation around the pointer 77 becomes difficult to understand, a detailed map around the pointer may be displayed in a separate window.

When the desired destination candidate node 76 is displayed by changing the scale, the user can restart the route editing by starting to drag the pointer 77 again.

(Route editing process)
Next, route editing processing will be described. FIG. 6 shows the main routine of the route editing process, and FIGS. 7-9 show the subroutines of the route editing process. The route editing process is realized by executing a program prepared in advance by the CPU 22 of the navigation device 1 . As a premise of the route editing process, it is assumed that the user designates a destination, searches for a route, and sets one route to the destination. That is, as shown in FIG. 3A, it is assumed that the display 44 displays a route display image 70 showing a route 73 including a starting point 71 and a destination 72 on a map. The route editing process is started by the user instructing route editing when the user wants to change a part of the set route.

In FIG. 6, the CPU 22 first displays the destination candidate nodes 76 (step S11). The destination candidate node 76 is a node that can be specified as the destination of the node to be moved, and is determined in advance according to the scale of the map being displayed as described above.

Next, the CPU 22 performs mode determination (step S12). Mode determination is processing for determining the mode of route editing based on the state of the pointer 77 operated by the user through an input device such as a touch panel. Details of the mode determination are shown in FIG.

First, the CPU 22 determines whether any node is active (step S31). Here, when the user touches a node with a finger and the pointer 77 grabs the node, the node is said to be "active". That is, the CPU 22 determines whether or not the user is grabbing any node with the pointer 77 . A node grabbed by the user with the pointer 77 is a node to be moved. Note that a node is said to be "inactive" if it is not grabbed by a pointer 77 .

If any node is active (step S31: Yes), the CPU 22 determines that the current mode is "editing". In other words, the CPU 22 determines that the user is in the process of moving the pointer 77 corresponding to the movement target node in the desired direction and dragging it to the desired movement destination candidate node. Then, the process returns to the main routine of FIG.

On the other hand, if none of the nodes is active (step S31: No), it is considered that the pointer 77 is not being dragged by the user, but placed somewhere. Therefore, the CPU 22 determines whether or not the pointer 77 overlaps the destination candidate node 76 (step S33). If the pointer 77 overlaps the destination candidate node 76 (step S33: Yes), it is considered that the user has instructed a route change to change the destination node to the destination candidate node, so the CPU 22 determines that the current mode is "editing" (step S34). Then the process returns to the main routine.

On the other hand, if the pointer 77 does not overlap the destination candidate node 76 (step S33: No), the user has released the pointer 77 at a position other than the destination candidate node 76, so the CPU 22 determines that the current mode is "on hold" (step S35). Then the process returns to the main routine. In the pending state, the user can change the scale by operating the scale ruler 81 as described above.

Returning to FIG. 6, the CPU 22 determines whether or not the current mode determined by the mode determination is pending (step S13). If the current mode is pending (step S13: Yes), the CPU 22 performs scale change processing. Specifically, the CPU 22 determines whether or not the user has performed a scale change operation using the scale ruler 81 (step S19). If the scale change operation has been performed (step S19: Yes), the CPU 22 changes the scale (step S21). That is, the CPU 22 changes the scale of the displayed map as illustrated in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b). Then, the process returns to step S11.

If the scale change operation has not been performed (step S19: No), the CPU 22 determines whether or not the user has input an instruction to finish editing the route (step S20). If an end instruction has been input (step S20: Yes), the route editing process ends. If the end instruction has not been input (step S20: No), the process returns to step S11.

If it is determined in step S13 that the current mode is not on hold (step S13: No), the CPU 22 determines whether or not a node change operation has been performed, specifically whether or not the node to be moved held by the user with the pointer 77 has moved (step S14). If no node change operation has been performed (step S14: No), the process returns to step S12.

On the other hand, if a node change operation has been performed (step S14: Yes), the CPU 22 performs endpoint search (step S15). End point search is a process of determining two end points based on the position of the pointer 77 . Details of the endpoint search are shown in FIG.

The CPU 22 first searches for adjacent nodes of the node to be moved (step S41). Here, the "adjacent nodes" are nodes adjacent to the movement object node, and refer to two nodes each on the destination side and the departure point side. Of these total four nodes, two nodes closer to the node to be moved are called near-end nodes, and two nodes farther from the node to be moved are called far-end nodes. In the example of FIG. 3, the CPU 22 determines the near-end nodes P2 and P4 and the far-end nodes P1 and P5 based on the movement target node P3.

Next, the CPU 22 calculates a circle whose diameter is the two far-end nodes (referred to as the “far-end circle”) (step S42), and further calculates a circle whose diameter is the two near-end nodes (referred to as the “near-end circle”) (step S43). Thus, in the example of FIG. 3, the far end circle R2 and the proximal end circle R1 are determined.

Next, the CPU 22 determines the positional relationship between the pointer 77 and the far end circle and the near end circle (step S44). Specifically, if the pointer 77 is inside the near-end circle, the process proceeds to step S45, if the pointer 77 is between the near-end circle and the far-end circle, the process proceeds to step S47, and if the pointer 77 is outside the far-end circle, the process proceeds to step S48.

Now, in step S45, the CPU 22 determines whether or not the near-end node matches the initial position of the movement target node (step S45). If the near-end node does not match the initial position of the node to be moved (step S45: No), the CPU 22 sets the near-end node at that time as the far-end node, and sets the adjacent node closer to the initial position of the node to be moved as the near-end node (step S46). That is, the near-end node and the far-end node are shifted one by one toward the initial position of the node to be moved. Then, the process returns to step S42. On the other hand, if the near-end node matches the initial position of the movement target node (step S45: Yes), the two far-end nodes at that time are set as endpoints (step S47). In this case, since the near-end node matches the initial position of the node to be moved, the far-end nodes are two nodes adjacent to the initial position of the node to be moved. In the example of FIG. 3, since the near-end node and the node P3 match, the far-end nodes are the nodes P2 and P4, and the nodes P2 and P4 are determined as the endpoints.

Next, in step S47, the CPU 22 sets the two far-end nodes at that time as endpoints. In the example of FIG. 3, when the pointer 77 is at the position shown in FIG. 3(c), it is between the far end circle R2 and the circle R1 (see FIG. 3(b)) whose diameter is the nodes P2 and P4, so the far end nodes P1 and P5 at that time are determined as the end points.

Also, in step S48, the CPU 22 determines whether or not the far-end node matches the departure point or the destination. If the far-end node coincides with the starting point or the destination, that is, in the case shown in FIG. 4, the boundary circle is not enlarged any more, so the CPU 22 determines the two far-end nodes at that time as endpoints (step S47). That is, in the example of FIG. 4, the starting point and the destination are determined as endpoints. In this case, the entire route 73 is to be edited.

On the other hand, if the far-end node is neither the departure point nor the destination (step S48: No), the CPU 22 sets the far-end node at that time as the near-end node, and sets the adjacent node next farthest from the movement target node as the far-end node (step S49). That is, the CPU 22 shifts the near-end node and the far-end node by one in the direction farther from the movement target node (that is, toward the departure point and the destination, respectively). Then, the process returns to step S42.

Thus, when the endpoint is determined in step S47, the process returns to the main routine. Next, the CPU 22 determines the destination node (step S16). Destination determination is processing for determining a destination node. Details of destination node determination are shown in FIG.

The CPU 22 determines whether or not the position of the movement target node, that is, the pointer 77 matches the position of the movement destination candidate node 76 (step S51). That is, the CPU 22 determines whether or not the user has dragged the movement target node onto the movement destination candidate node 76 . If the position of the movement target node does not match the position of the movement destination candidate node 76 (step S51: No), the CPU 22 determines that the movement destination node is undetermined (step S54), and the process returns to the main routine.

On the other hand, if the position of the pointer 77 matches the position of the destination candidate node 76 (step S51: Yes), the CPU 22 determines whether the node to be moved has changed from active to inactive (step S52). That is, the CPU 22 determines whether or not the pointer 77 being dragged by the user has been dropped. When the movement target node has not changed to inactive (step S52: No), the CPU 22 determines that the movement destination node is undetermined (step S54), and the process returns to the main routine.

On the other hand, if the node to be moved has changed to inactive (step S52: Yes), the CPU 22 determines the position where the pointer 77 is dropped and released as the destination node (step S53). In other words, if both steps S51 and S52 result in Yes, the user has dropped the pointer 77 indicating the node to be moved onto any of the destination candidate nodes 76, so the CPU 22 determines that destination candidate node 76 as the destination node. Then the process returns to the main routine.

Next, in the main routine of FIG. 6, the CPU 22 determines whether or not the destination node has been determined (step S17). If the destination node determination determines that the destination node is undetermined (step S17: No), the process returns to step S12. On the other hand, if the destination node is determined by the destination node determination (step S17: Yes), the CPU 22 searches for an alternative route connecting the end points determined by the end point search in step S15 and passing through the destination node determined in step S16 (step S18). More specifically, the CPU 22 searches for an alternative route having the endpoint on the departure side as the starting point, the destination node as the waypoint, and the endpoint on the destination side as the destination. In this way, an alternative route passing through the destination node specified by the user is obtained. In addition, when a plurality of routes are obtained as alternative routes, the CPU 22 can present the plurality of routes to the user to prompt the user to make a selection.

(Display example)
Next, a display example of an alternative route obtained by route editing will be described. FIG. 10 shows a display example before route editing, that is, when one route is obtained by the first route search. A route display image 70 showing a route 73 from a starting point to a destination on a map is displayed on the display 44 . Furthermore, a node list 75 for each of the nodes P1-P6 on the path 73 is displayed. A node list 75 indicates point information at each node on the route 73 . Here, the spot information includes traveling direction, intersection name, presence/absence of traffic lights, lane information (presence/absence of right-turn lane), and the like.

FIG. 11 shows a display example when an alternative route is obtained by moving node P3 on route 73 to node P10. The alternate path (node P2->P10->P4) is shown in solid lines and the original path (nodes P2->P3->P4) is shown in dashed lines. Thus, in the route display image 70, the original route and the alternative route are displayed in a distinguishable manner. Further, in the node list 75, in addition to the list for the entire original route, point information at each node constituting the alternative route (node P2→P10→P4) is displayed as an additional list 75x. The additional list 75x includes point information of the two endpoints (nodes P2 and P4 in this example) determined in the above-described route editing process and the destination node (node P10 in this example). Also, although not applicable to this example, if there is a node other than the destination node between the two end points, point information of that node is also displayed.

As a result, the user can compare and see point information (traveling direction, intersection name, presence/absence of traffic lights, lane information, etc.) on the original route and the alternative route. As a result, the user can search for a preferred alternate route, such as a route in which there are more left and right turns at intersections with traffic lights than at intersections without traffic lights, and a route in which more right turns are made at intersections with right turn lanes than right turns at intersections without right turn lanes.

Next, another display example of an alternative route obtained by route editing will be described. FIG. 12(a) shows a display example before route editing, that is, when one route is obtained by the first route search. A route display image 70 showing a route 73 from a starting point to a destination on a map is displayed on the display 44 . Furthermore, a route bar 60 linearly indicating the nodes passed along the route 73 is displayed. In the path bar 60, nodes P1 to P6 existing on the path 73 are shown on a straight line 61 indicating the original path 73. FIG. Note that the names of intersections and the like may be displayed at the positions of the nodes P1 to P6. Intervals between nodes P 1 to P 6 shown on straight line 61 correspond to intervals between nodes on path 73 .

In addition, target node selection buttons 55L and 55R are displayed so that the user can easily select a node to be moved. When the input device is a touch panel, it may be difficult to accurately drag the node to be moved. In particular, when the nodes on the route are close to each other on the displayed map, it is possible that the adjacent node is selected by mistake. Therefore, the target node selection buttons 55L and 55R are displayed, and the cursor 62 is displayed on the route bar 60. FIG. When the user operates the object node selection button 55L, the cursor 62 moves to the left node on the route bar 60, and when the object node 55R is operated, the cursor 62 moves to the right node on the route bar 60. By operating the target node selection buttons 55L and 55R in this manner, the user can easily select the movement target node. After selecting the movement target node, the user can edit the route by moving the pointer 77 within the route display image 70 .

FIG. 12(b) is a display example of an alternative route obtained when the user edits the route to change the node P3 to the node P10. In the route display image 70, the alternative route (node P2->P10->P4) is indicated by a solid line, and the original route (node P2->P3->P4) is indicated by a broken line. In the route bar 60 , in addition to the straight line 61 representing the original route 73 , a straight line 63 representing an alternative route is displayed at corresponding positions along the straight line 61 . A cursor 62 indicating the movement target node (node P3 in this example) is displayed on the straight line 61 indicating the original route, and a mark 64 indicating the destination node (node P10 in this example) is displayed on the alternative route.

FIG. 13(a) is a display example of an alternative route obtained when the user edits the route to change the node P3 to another node P11. In the route display image 70, the alternative route (nodes P1->P11->P5) is indicated by solid lines, and the original route (nodes P1->P2->P3->P4->P5) is indicated by dashed lines. In the route bar 60 , in addition to the straight line 61 representing the original route 73 , a straight line 63 representing an alternative route is displayed at corresponding positions along the straight line 61 . A cursor 62 indicating the movement target node (node P3 in this example) is displayed on the straight line 61 indicating the original route, and a mark 64 indicating the destination node (node P11 in this example) is displayed on the alternative route.

FIG. 13(b) is an example in which more information is displayed on the route bar 60 in FIG. 13(a). Specifically, the nodes P1 and P5 corresponding to the endpoints determined in route editing are displayed by boxes 65 to distinguish them from other nodes. Also, the name of the intersection is indicated by a balloon 66 for the nodes P1 and P5 corresponding to the endpoints. Furthermore, for a node corresponding to an end point, for example node P5, intersection information 69 for that intersection may be displayed. Also, if the original route or alternative route has congestion information, congestion information, road closure information, etc., such information may be indicated by the mark 68 indicating the section.

In the above example, for convenience of explanation, the original route and the alternative route are distinguished by a solid line and a broken line.

FIG. 14 shows another display example. In the example of FIG. 14, instead of displaying the node list 75 in the example of FIG. 11, a guidance panel 78 is displayed. The guide panel 78 indicates the direction of travel, traffic signs, etc. at each point with marks. This allows the user to easily visually recognize the information at each point on the route before and after the change. If there is enough space in the display area on the display 44, the guidance panel 78 may be additionally displayed in the examples of FIGS. 11 and 13(b). In addition, in the examples of FIGS. 11 and 13B, the guide panel 78 may be displayed like a balloon according to the user's instruction.

[Modification]
(1) In the above route editing, when displaying destination candidate nodes, it is preferable to exclude from the destination candidate nodes nodes that cannot be passed due to reasons such as one-way roads, entry prohibitions, and road closures. In addition, when the present invention is applied to a portable navigation device, the user may select and set the means of transportation from among walking, bicycle, automobile, etc., and select destination candidate nodes to be displayed according to the setting of the means of transportation. For example, if the means of transportation is an automobile, destination candidate nodes may be displayed in consideration of one-way traffic signs and traffic conditions as described above, and if the means of transportation is on foot, the destination candidate nodes may be displayed without considering traffic signs for vehicles.

In addition, the user may be allowed to separately specify traffic volume, road width, etc. as conditions for presenting destination candidate nodes. For this, when node and path data in the map data are created in advance, traffic volume and road width data are added to those data, and only destination candidate nodes that satisfy the traffic volume and road width conditions specified by the user may be presented. In addition, the traffic volume and road width data added to the data in this way can also be used for weighting when searching for alternative routes.

(2) The above embodiment is based on the premise of a system in which the route editing is temporarily put on hold when the scale is changed. That is, when the pointer 77 is released at a location other than the destination candidate node 76, the scale can be changed. However, in a system in which a route edit operation and a scale change operation can be performed in parallel, it is not necessary to suspend the route edit operation in order to perform a scale change operation. In this case, steps S12 and S13 in FIG. 6 can be omitted.

(3) In the above embodiment, the calculated alternative route may be temporarily stored. For example, a button such as a temporary save is provided on the display 44 so that the alternative route can be saved according to the user's instruction. After saving one alternative route, the user may continue to edit the route to obtain other alternative routes and compare them with the saved alternative routes to determine the final alternative route.

(4) In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a vehicle-mounted navigation device, but the present invention can also be applied to devices such as smartphones, tablet PCs, and PCs, and applications that operate on these devices. When the present invention is applied to an in-vehicle navigation device, a remote controller may be used as an input device, and the cursor or pointer displayed on the display 44 may be operated by the remote controller. Further, when the present invention is applied to a normal PC, a mouse may be used as an input device, and a cursor or pointer displayed on the display may be operated with the mouse.

1 navigation device 20 system controller 22 CPU
40 display unit 44 display 50 audio output unit 60 input device 70 route display image

Claims (1)

display means for displaying the first route on a map;
obtaining means for obtaining a second route including roads not included in the first route and determined based on user input;
The route display device is characterized in that, when the second route is acquired, the display means displays the first route and the second route on a map in a comparable manner, and further displays information on points included in the first route and information on points included in the second route in a comparable manner.

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