JP2792167B2 - Vehicle running information display device - Google Patents

Description

Description: Object of the Invention [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to a vehicle driving information display device, and more specifically, displays a current position and a target position of a running vehicle in combination with a map. The present invention relates to a vehicle travel information display device that attempts to assist driving.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a so-called navigator device for displaying traveling position information such as a traveling start position, a destination, and an azimuth of a vehicle and a current position is known as this type of vehicle traveling information display device (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 1-16369). Such devices are:
A means for detecting the position of the vehicle, and a storage medium such as a cassette tape, a CD-ROM or a memory card in which a map of the running area is stored in advance, and a desired area is called out on the screen from the storage medium, and displayed on the screen. , The current position, destination, route, etc. of the vehicle are displayed for the convenience of the vehicle driver.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Such a vehicle traveling information display device is an excellent device that provides useful information on traveling and contributes to improvement of driving safety and the like, but a CD-ROM that stores map data. There is a problem in that the device and configuration are complicated, such as the need for a special storage medium such as the above or a high-resolution display device.

An object of the present invention is to provide driving information to a driver with a simple configuration.

Configuration of the Invention The configuration of the present invention that achieves the above object will be described below.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The vehicle traveling information display device of the present invention is, as exemplified in FIG. 1, a map MAP divided into a plurality of pages P and each page P divided into a plurality of areas E. Is printed on the map print medium; a transmissive display panel M1 placed on the map MAP printed on the map print medium; and a page P, area of the map MAP on which the display panel M is placed. E, a page area input unit M2 for inputting E, a current position calculating unit M3 for obtaining a current position of the vehicle, and a current position obtained by the current position calculating unit M3 is within the input page P, area E. When the current position, the display means M4 shown in the display panel M1, based on the current position shown in the display panel M1, the map MAP obtained through the display panel M1 and the current A configuration that can specify the positional relationship with the position And wherein the door.

[Operation] The vehicle traveling information display device of the present invention having the above configuration,
A map printed on a map print medium with a transparent display panel M1
First, the page P and the area E of the map MAP on which the display panel M1 is mounted are input by the page area input means M2. On the other hand, the current position of the vehicle is obtained by the current position calculating means M3. When the obtained current position is within the input page P and area E, the display means M4 indicates the current position on the display panel M1. Since the positional relationship between the map MAP obtained through the display panel M1 and the current position can be specified based on the current position shown on the display panel M1, the driver superimposes the current position of the vehicle on the map MAP. Can be read.

Embodiment In order to further clarify the configuration and operation of the present invention described above, a preferred embodiment of a vehicle running information display device of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an external configuration of a vehicle traveling information display device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are system configuration diagrams.

As shown in the figure, the vehicle traveling information display device includes a main body 3 in which a transmissive liquid crystal panel 1 is fitted on an upper part, and an illumination mounted on the upper end of the main body 3 so as to be rotatable and capable of being held at a desired position. It comprises a board 5 and a position detecting device 7 connected to the main body 3 to detect the position of the vehicle. Connected to the position detecting device 7 are a sensor 10 utilizing geomagnetism and a distance sensor 12 for detecting the traveling distance of the vehicle from the rotation speed of the wheels. It should be noted that other navigation devices using satellites or the like may be used instead of these sensors.

The main body 3 has a region number selection switch 21 for selecting a region number D, a page number selection switch 22 for selecting a page number P, an area selection switch 23 for selecting an area number E in a page, and a liquid crystal display at a lower portion of the liquid crystal panel 1. A cursor switch 25 for moving a cursor displayed on the panel 1; setting switches 26, 27 for setting a current position, a destination, and a direction, respectively;
28, Set switch for setting each selected number etc.
30, a power switch 32 for turning on / off the power of the entire apparatus. Of these switches, area number selection switch 2
1, page number selection switch 22, area selection switch 23
Has display units 21a, 22a, 23a, respectively, and each selection switch 21,
The display number D, P, E is of the type that increments each time the user operates 22, 23. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 3 places a frame FR of the liquid crystal panel 1 on an area required for the map MP printed on a predetermined page of a map book divided for each region. Is used in accordance with the area frames FV and FH described in the above. Note that the map book corresponds to a map print medium.

The illumination board 5 is of a surface emission type, and can be configured by a cold cathode ray tube, a light emitting diode, an EL panel, or the like. Light emitted from the lighting board 5 illuminates the map MP via the transmissive liquid crystal panel 1. The lighting board 5 is detachable and can be set on the back of the liquid crystal panel 1 to provide travel information unrelated to the map MP (for example, temperature, humidity, altitude, inclination, GPS satellite position, constellation, cumulative travel distance). , Etc.) can be used as a backlight.

The liquid crystal panel 1 performs display by blocking light from the display-controlled dots, and any liquid crystal panel such as a twisted nematic type liquid crystal panel and an active matrix type liquid crystal panel may be used. Can be. In addition, a light-emitting element may be used as long as it is a transmission type.

The main body 3 has an electronic control circuit 40 shown in FIG. 3B incorporated therein.
Is configured as an arithmetic and logic operation circuit around a well-known CPU 51, ROM 52, and RAM 53. These elements, the display interface 55, the switch interface 57, and the input / output interface 58 are interconnected by a bus 59. ROM5
2 includes a map M used in addition to a control program described later.
In accordance with P, information relating to the connection of each area of the map MP, that is, information such as which area is connected to which area at the top, bottom, left and right, and where the separated maps and pages are updated are stored. . These information are only about the connection of the area. That is,
It is not necessary for the conventional navigator to have detailed data such as road information which had to be stored in a form stored in a CD-ROM or the like, and the data amount is only tens of minutes. If the absolute position (latitude, longitude) is output by radio navigation such as GPS, the absolute position of the representative point (for example, lower left corner) of each area is stored instead of the connection information of each area. It is good.

The display interface 55 drives the liquid crystal panel 1, and is a circuit that dynamically drives each liquid crystal element of the liquid crystal panel 1 based on a control signal from the CPU 51. The switch interface 57 is a circuit for reading on / off of each of the switches 21 to 28 provided in the main body 3. The input / output interface 58 is provided for the position detecting device 7.
This is an interface for exchanging data with the server. The power supply circuit 60 supplies a stabilized voltage to the entire circuit by turning on and off the power switch 32, and the power is supplied from the power supply circuit 60 in the main body 3 according to the brightness of the surroundings. An illumination board drive circuit 62 for driving and emitting light from the illumination board 5 with the amount of light is also incorporated.

Next, the functions of the travel information display device of the present embodiment will be described, focusing on the control routine executed by the electronic control circuit 40 incorporated in the main body 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the electronic control circuit 40 checks the state of the current position setting switch 26 and the destination setting switch 27 (steps 100 and 110). When each of the switches 26 and 27 is pressed, the current position setting routine (step 120) Alternatively, a destination setting routine (step 130) is executed, and if none of the switches is operated, a navigation routine (step 140) is executed. Each routine will be described in turn.

The current position setting routine is a routine for setting a current position (normally, a traveling start position) where the vehicle is currently located. When using the travel information display device, the user is required to enter a page describing the current position of a map MP (in this embodiment, divided into eastern Japan, the Chubu region, etc.) of the area where the vehicle is currently located. Open the main body 3 and the frame of the liquid crystal display panel 1
The FR is placed so as to match the frames FV and FH of each area described on the map MP.

In the present location setting routine, as shown in FIG. 5, the state of each of the switches 21, 22, 23, 25, and 28 on the main body 3 is determined (step 121), and the area selection switch 21 selects the area number D1. The process (step 123), the process of selecting the page number P1 with the page selection switch 22 (step 124), the process of selecting the area number E1 in the page with the area selection switch 23 (step 125), A process of moving the current position by the cursor switch 25 while watching the placed transparent liquid crystal panel 1 (step 126), and a process of setting the vehicle direction by operating the direction setting switch 28 (step 12)
7) Until set switch 30 is operated (switch 1
28) Repeatedly, when the set switch 30 is operated, a process of transmitting the set area number D1, page number P1, area number E1, current position and direction data to the position detecting device 7 (step 129) is performed. is there.

The process of selecting the region number D1 with the region selection switch 21 (step 123) is a process of reading the setting of the region selection switch 21 and storing it in a predetermined area of the RAM 53. The user uses the switch 21 to set the number D1 of the area where the vehicle is currently located, that is, which of the divided maps is being used. That is, the user operates the area number selection switch 21 while watching the display on the display unit 21a until the displayed number matches the area number given on the cover of the map MP or the like.

The process of selecting the page number P1 with the page selection switch 22 (step 124) is a process of reading the setting of the page selection switch 22 and storing it in a predetermined area of the RAM 53.
The user selects the page number P1 of the area where the vehicle currently exists. In other words, as in the case of selecting the area (step 123), the user operates the page number selection switch 22 while watching the display on the display unit 22a until the page number matches the page number described at the upper end of each page of the map MP. .

The process of selecting the area number E1 in the page with the area selection switch 23 (step 125) is performed in the area selection step 23.
This is a process of reading the setting of and storing it in a predetermined area of the RAM 53. The user may select the area where the vehicle is currently located, that is, in the embodiment, 6 columns (A to F) and 5 rows (1 to 5).
The switch 23 selects the number of the area at the position in the box. In other words, the user operates the area number selection switch 23 until it matches the area number while watching the display on the display unit 23a. The area number selection switch 23 is a bidirectional momentary switch having left and right contacts, whereas the other switches 21 and 22 are simple momentary switches. (A to F), when the right side of the switch is pressed, the horizontal numbers (1 to 5) are respectively cyclically incremented.

Through the above processing, the area, page, and area numbers D1, P1, and E1 in the map MP at the position where the liquid crystal panel 1 of the main body 3 is set are set.

The process of moving the current position by the cursor switch 25 (step 126) includes reading the presence / absence of the operation of the cursor switch 25, updating the coordinates of the cursor (the current value mark G indicated by “▲” shown in FIG. 2), This is processing for moving the display of the current location mark G based on the updated coordinates. The user operates the cross-shaped cursor switch 25 while looking at the transparent liquid crystal panel 1 placed in the corresponding area on the map MP to move the current location mark G up, down, left, and right, to the place where the vehicle exists. A current location mark G (cursor) is set. The cursor switch 25 is a bidirectional momentary switch for each of the vertical and horizontal directions.
The current position mark G moves on the liquid crystal panel 1 in the operation direction in units of one dot.

The process of operating the azimuth setting switch 28 to set the vehicle azimuth (step 127) reads the operation of the switch 28, updates the direction of the current position mark G, and updates the current position mark G in accordance with the updated direction. This is the process of displaying. Each time the azimuth setting switch 28 is pressed once, the current location mark G is displayed at that location rotated by 1.4 degrees. Therefore, the user operates the azimuth setting switch 28 while watching the current location mark G on the liquid crystal panel 1 until the user matches the current traveling direction of the vehicle.

The process of matching the current location mark G on the liquid crystal panel 1 with the position where the vehicle is present and the current direction is continued until the set switch 30 is pressed (step 128).
When the set switch 30 is turned on, it is determined that the setting of the current position has been completed and each of the processes (steps 123 to 12) is performed.
The data set / updated in step 7), that is, the area number D1, page number P1, area number E1, current position and direction data are transmitted to the position detecting device 7 via the input / output interface 58 (step 129). The position detection device 7 uses the received data for subsequent calculation of the position of the vehicle.

Next, a destination setting routine will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the destination setting routine determines the state of each of the switches 21 to 25 on the main body 3 (step 131) as in the current location setting routine, and operates the area number switch 21 to set the destination. Existing region number (part number of atlas)
A process of selecting D2 (step 133), a process of selecting the page number P2 where the destination exists by operating the page selection switch 22 (step 134), and an area selection switch 23
Is the number of the area where the destination is on the page
The process of selecting E2 (step 135) and the process of moving the destination by the cursor switch 25 while looking at the transparent liquid crystal panel 1 placed in the corresponding area on the map MP (step 13)
6) until the set switch 30 is operated (step 1
38) is repeated, and when the set switch 30 is operated, a process of transmitting each data of the set area number D2, page number P2, area number E2, and coordinates of the destination to the position detecting device 7 (step 139). It is what you do. The contents of each process are the same as those of the current location setting routine (steps 123 through 1).
Since there is no difference from 26), detailed description is omitted. Through these processes, the destination is set as the destination mark J indicated by “●” as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the current location mark G and the destination location mark J are displayed in the same area.
These are set for different pages and different areas.

Next, details of the navigation routine (step 140) will be described. In the navigation routine, as shown in FIG. 7, the current position and direction data are received from the position detecting device 7 (step 200), and based on this data, a message display, a current position mark G, a destination mark J, etc. are made. Is displayed. As shown in FIG. 5 step 129 and FIG. 6 step 139, the position of the vehicle, the position and the direction of the destination at the start of traveling are input to the position detection device 7, and thereafter, The traveling direction and the traveling distance of the vehicle are received from the direction sensor 10 and the distance sensor 12, and the current traveling position is constantly calculated.
Is sending to. Accordingly, the electronic control circuit 40 determines whether or not the current position of the vehicle is outside the area where the main body 3 is placed (step 210) based on the data and the position of the vehicle so far. Or not (step 230) and whether or not it is outside the area (step 260).
Is easy to make.

If it is determined that the current position is within the current area (step 210), as shown in FIG.
If the destination exists in the area, the display of the azimuth of the destination mark J, the current position mark G, the trajectory up to that point, etc. is performed, and the present routine is temporarily ended (step 220). On the other hand, when it is determined that the current location is outside the current area but within the page (steps 210 and 230), the next area number E is displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 1 as shown in FIG.
("D3" in this example) for a few seconds (step 24
0) Then, as shown in FIG. 8 (B), a grid display for alternately blinking the area P so far and the current area N is performed for 5 seconds (step 250). After the display, the display returns to the display of the current position, the destination, and the like described above (step 220).
Exit to "NEXT" and end this routine once. In this way, by performing the grid display, it is possible to easily know at which position on the map the driving information display device should be placed next.

If the location of the vehicle is outside the current map page (step 230), it is further determined whether the vehicle is outside the area of the map MP currently in use (step 260). If it's off the page but not out of the area (steps 230 and 260),
In a format similar to that of FIG. 8A, a new page and area number of the map MP in use are displayed for a few seconds (step 270). Next, as shown in FIG. 8C, grid display is performed for 5 seconds (step 280). After the display is completed, the display returns to the normal display of the current position, the destination, and the like (step 220).
Exit to "NEXT" and end this routine once. Even when the page is new, the grid display is performed, so that the driving information display device can be easily replaced.

If the vehicle travels and departs from the area and page of the map MP currently in use, as well as the area recorded in the map MP, all of the determinations in steps 210, 230, and 260 are “YES”. In this case, a message "Please change to a regional map" is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 1 (step 29).
0) After that, a new area, page, and area number are displayed (step 300), and a new area is displayed in a grid for only 5 seconds as shown in FIG. 8C (step 310). The number of the new area is on the map MB
Is displayed as a separate volume number. After the grid display is completed, the display returns to the normal display of the current position, the destination, and the like (step 220).
Exit to "NEXT" and end this routine once.

According to the vehicle traveling information display device of the present embodiment described above, the vehicle traveling start position, the vehicle traveling start position, and the small-sized device in which the transmission type liquid crystal panel 1 is fitted in the main body 3 are used.
It is possible to clearly display advanced traveling information such as the current position G and the destination J. As a result, there is no need for a special storage medium such as a CD-ROM for storing map data of a region where the vehicle travels or a high-resolution display device for displaying a map, thereby reducing the number of parts, improving reliability, and reducing cost. Can be achieved.
In addition, the transmissive liquid crystal panel 1 can be small.

Further, in this embodiment, since the map MP is printed on a paper medium, there is an advantage that the map MP can be easily stored and easily repaired / replaced even if it is soiled by use. On the other hand, magnetic media and the like are vulnerable to high temperatures, and there is a concern that a rise in temperature in a vehicle in summer may have an adverse effect. Furthermore, it can be used as a single map, and if data on the map configuration (such as which page is connected to which page) is created, it is even possible to use a conventional road map that has existed conventionally. The small size of the device and the adoption of a paper map facilitate supply of the device and the map.

In this embodiment, since the liquid crystal panel 1 is illuminated by the illumination board 5, the driving information can be visually recognized even in a dark environment such as in a car at night. Further, since the entire traveling information display device is extremely miniaturized, it takes up little space in a vehicle, and can be easily stored in a dashboard or the like when not in use.

In this embodiment, the map MP is divided into several volumes and each map MP is described as covering a plurality of page areas. However, the whole country may be provided by a single map. In the present embodiment, the traveling start position is described as one position,
When the travel start position and the destination are largely separated, some elapsed points may be set in the middle of the travel route, and these may be input. In this case, it is also preferable to check whether or not the vehicle passes through the elapsed point, and to display a warning if the vehicle greatly deviates.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described.
The traveling information display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention has, in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, a switch PRV called “previous screen” provided on the main body 3 as shown in FIG. 9 (A). It is. When this switch PRV is pressed, as shown in FIG. 9 (B), step 22 of the navigation routine (FIG. 7) is performed.
After displaying the current position, destination, direction, and trajectory at 0, it is determined whether or not the previous screen switch PRV is "ON" (step 400). If it is "ON", processing for displaying the trajectory of the previous area is performed. Is performed (step 410). As a result, the user can recognize the traveling locus of the vehicle up to the current area. In actual driving of a vehicle, there is a demand that the driver wants to know the state of traveling up to that point, for example, when he gets lost. This embodiment responds to such a demand, and has the advantage that the traveling trajectory can be easily recognized, coupled with the fact that the traveling information display device is small and easily movable. There is.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIGS. 10 (A) and 10 (B), the traveling information display device of the third embodiment includes a barcode reading section 500 at the lower end of the main body 3 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment. . The bar code reading unit 500 includes a CCD 510 and, as shown in FIG. 10 (C), reads a numerical value such as a page number, an area number, and the like by a bar code printed on an end of the map MP. By using the barcode WH printed on the margin of the map MP, a famous intersection or building (ward office, police, etc.) is directly input as a traveling start position, a destination or a transit point without using the cursor switch 25. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate errors in inputting area numbers and the like, and to greatly reduce the trouble of inputting area numbers and the like and inputting destinations and the like.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above,
The present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG.
00, a configuration also used as a digital tachograph for recording travel trajectories and other travel information (fuel efficiency, travel speed, etc.), and a telescopic mounting hook as shown in FIG.
It is needless to say that the present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention, such as a configuration including 700 and 710, which can be hooked on the upper end of the map MP and fixed at a desired position.

Effects of the Invention As described in detail above, according to the vehicle traveling information display device of the present invention, there is an excellent effect that at least the current position of the vehicle can be clearly displayed despite an extremely simple configuration. . As a result, there is no need for a special storage medium such as a CD-ROM for storing map data of a region where the vehicle travels or a high-resolution display device for displaying a map, thereby reducing the number of parts, improving reliability, and reducing cost. Can be achieved.

In addition, since the map can be printed on an existing medium such as paper, it has an advantage that it can be easily stored and repaired or replaced even if it is soiled by use. In some cases, it is even possible to use existing road maps. As described above, since the entire vehicle traveling information display device of the present invention is extremely miniaturized, it does not take up space in the vehicle and has excellent storage stability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a basic configuration of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an appearance of a vehicle driving information display device as one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B). FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a driving information display control routine executed in the electronic control circuit 40, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a current location setting routine, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a destination setting routine. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a navigation routine, FIGS. 8 (A), (B) and (C) are explanatory diagrams each showing a state of display on the liquid crystal panel 1, and FIGS. 9 (A) and 9 ( B) is an external view and a flow chart showing the main part of the second embodiment, respectively. FIGS. 10 (A) and (B) are external views showing the main part of the third embodiment, respectively, and FIG. Description showing the main part of the map in the third embodiment , FIG. 11, FIG. 12 is an external view showing another example of the configuration of each travel information display device, it is. 1 ... Liquid crystal panel, 3 ... Main body 5 ... Lighting board, 7 ... Position detection device 21 ... Local number selection switch 22 ... Page number selection switch 23 ... Area selection switch 25 ... Cursor switch 26 ... Current location setting switch 27… Destination setting switch 28… Azimuth setting switch 30… Set switch, 40… Electronic control circuit 51… CPU, MP… Map

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-61-7413 (JP, A) JP-A-1-195317 (JP, A) JP-A-1-308916 (JP, A) JP-A-3- 154525 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G01C 21/00

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A map printing medium on which a map divided into a plurality of pages and each page is divided into a plurality of areas is printed, and a transmissive type mounted on a map printed on the map printing medium. A display panel; a page area input means for inputting a page and an area of the map on which the display panel is mounted; a current position calculating means for obtaining a current position of the vehicle; and a current position calculated by the current position calculating means. When the position is within the input page or area, the current position is
Display means shown on the display panel, and based on the current position shown on the display panel, a configuration capable of specifying a positional relationship between the map obtained through the display panel and the current position. A vehicle travel information display device, characterized in that: