JP2848329B2 - Image display device and method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image display apparatus suitable for a navigation system mounted on an automobile and displaying a map, and more particularly, to an apparatus for displaying a map in perspective.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 6, a conventional image display device in a navigation system has a map information storage means 61 for storing map information as straight or circular data.
And a map image drawing means 62 connected to the map information storage means 61 via a data bus 67 for drawing an actual map image based on data indicating a straight line or a circle. Display image storage means 63 for storing a display image of the displayed map, and display means such as a CRT 64 for displaying the display image stored in the display image storage means 63. , 62, 63, each means 61,
A processor 65 is provided for controlling the components 62 and 63. Reference numeral 67 denotes a data bus for transmitting data between each means.

[0003] The map information storage means 61 includes drawing data such as "draw a straight line from a certain coordinate to another coordinate", "draw a circle of a radius around a certain point", and the location of the map. Character data is stored. The map image drawing means 62 processes the drawing data to form a display image corresponding to an actual map, and displays the display image together with the characters on the CRT 64.

[0004]

However, in the conventional image display device shown in FIG. 6, the map image displayed on the CRT 64 is a plan view as shown in FIG. Since it is displayed at the same scale even in a distant place, it is not possible to display a bird's-eye view map image in which the one in the foreground is displayed large and the one in the distance is displayed small.

The present invention, when applied to a navigation system, enables a perspective display in which a map on the near side is displayed larger and a map on the far side is displayed smaller.

[0006]

To achieve this object, the present invention provides a map information storage means for storing map information,
Map image drawing means for drawing a map image from map information stored in the map information storage means; and the map image drawing means
Image transformation that transforms the map image drawn in
Shaped means and transformed into perspective by said image deforming means
Image display means for displaying a display image.
Sign.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An image display apparatus according to the present invention has a map information storage means 1 for storing map information as shown in the block diagram of FIG. Map image drawing means 2 for drawing a map based on the present map information; original image storage means 3 for storing map image information drawn by the map image drawing means 2; Image deforming means 4 for deforming the deformed map image information, and display data storage means 5 for storing display image information deformed by the image deforming means 4
A CRT 6 for displaying the display image information stored in the display data storage means 5; and a processor 7 for controlling each of the means 1 to 6 via a control bus 8. Reference numeral 9 denotes a data bus for transmitting data between the units.

[0008] The map information storage means 1 stores drawing data which is the basis of map display. This drawing data is
The data is "draw a straight line from one coordinate to another coordinate" or "draw a circle with a radius around a certain point". This drawing data is sent to the map image drawing means 2 via the data bus 9. The map image drawing means 2 processes the drawing data to draw map information corresponding to the actual map, and stores the map information in the original image storage means 3. The map information stored in the original image storage means 3 corresponds to a plan view map viewed from directly above.

The plan-view map information stored in the original image storage means 3 is transformed by the image transformation means 4 into a perspective map image.

As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2, the image deforming means 4 has an image position indicating means 24, an input buffer 28 for storing map information from the original image storing means 3, and a horizontal arrangement. A deformation pattern generating means 27 for generating a pattern for deforming each line of pixels; a deformation pattern storage means 26 for storing a deformation pattern generated by the deformation pattern generating means 27; The comparison unit 25 includes a comparison unit 25 for comparing the deformation information of the pattern storage unit 26 one line at a time to deform the map information, and an output buffer 29 for storing the deformed map information.

As described above, the map information for each line read from the original image storage means 3 is transformed by the image transformation means 4 and stored for each corresponding line of the display data storage means 5. In this reading and storing, the position of each line corresponding to each other is specified by the image position specifying means 24.

The deformation pattern generating means 27 generates a pattern for deforming the map information for each line, and stores it in the deformation pattern storage means 26.

One line of map information stored in the original image storage means 3 and read out by the instruction of the image position instruction means 24 is stored in the input buffer 28. The map information stored in the input buffer 28 is reduced in scale by the comparison means 25 comparing with the deformation pattern stored in the deformation pattern storage means 26 and thinning out the pixels.

The method of generating a deformation pattern in the deformation pattern generating means 27 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
When reducing to 3, a straight line having a slope of 1/3 is drawn. Each time this straight line crosses a vertical grid line, "0" or "1"
Generates the pattern By the time the straight line crosses the next vertical grid line, if the horizontal line is not crossed, "0" is generated. If the straight line crosses the horizontal grid line, "1" is generated.
According to a straight line having a slope of 1/3, a pattern including "1" is generated once every three times since the straight line crosses the horizontal grid line once every three times across the vertical grid line. In this way,
A pattern is created that reduces the image by a factor of three. When changing the reduction ratio, the inclination angle of the straight line may be changed.

Next, a deformation method using this deformation pattern will be described with reference to FIG. 1 stored in the original image storage means 3 and read out by the instruction of the image position instructing means 24
The original image 41 for the line is stored in the input buffer 28. The map information stored in the input buffer 28 is reduced by comparing the deformed pattern stored in the deformed pattern storage means 26 one pixel at a time by the comparing means 25 and thinning out the pixels.

At this time, the image position indicating means 24 indicates the positions of the original image 41 for one line and the display image 42 for one line stored in the display data storage means 5.
Based on this instruction, the original image 41 for one line is transformed and transferred as the corresponding display image 42 for one line.

The original image 41 for one line is taken into the input buffer 28 of the image deforming means 4. Input buffer 2
The data (a to) captured in 8 is compared by the comparing means 25 with the deformed pattern 26a and the original image 41 for one line one pixel at a time. The deformation pattern 26a is
Pixels which are composed of “0” and “1” are output to the output buffer 29, and the pixels which coincide with “1” are sequentially output to the output buffer 29, and the pixels which coincide with “0” are thinned out. Is not output. Thus, the map image is reduced and stored in the output buffer 29.

The data stored in the output buffer 29 is written as a display image 42 at a location of one line of the display data storage means 5 designated by the image position designation means 24. After the processing for one line is completed, the image position instructing means 24 instructs the next line of the original image 41 and the display image 42, and also rewrites the deformation pattern 26a,
Move to the next line.

The display data stored in the display data storage means 5 is sent to the CRT 6 and is displayed as a perspective map image which becomes smaller as the distance from the viewer increases, as shown in FIG. You.

[0020]

As is clear from the description based on the above embodiment, according to the image display device of the present invention, a map image is formed by a perspective method in which an image deforming means enlarges a near object and makes a distant object small. Since the display can be performed, the relationship between the current position on the map and the actual current position can be easily grasped when the vehicle is running.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an image display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block connection diagram of an image transformation unit which is a main part of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a plan view map (a) and an example of a map (b) deformed by image deforming means.

FIG. 4 is a block connection diagram of an image transformation unit which is a main part of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a method of transforming an image by an image transforming means.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a conventional image display device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Map information storage means 2 Map image drawing means 3 Original image storage means 4 Image deformation means 5 Display data storage means 6 CRT 7 Processor 8 Control bus 9 Data bus 27 Deformation pattern generation means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Akio Uesugi 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Inside Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasuhide Sakai 4-3-1 Tsunashima Higashi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hideo Ito 4-3-1 Tsunashima Higashi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-1-263688 (JP, A) ( 58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G09B 29/00 G01C 21/00 G06T 1/00 G08G 1/0969

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A map information storage means for storing map information, a map image drawing means for drawing a map image from the map information stored in該地diagram information storing means, the map image drawn by該地view image drawing unit an image deformation unit which deforms the image of the perspective method, an image display apparatus characterized by comprising an image display means for displaying a display image deformed in perspective by the image deforming means. Chi wherein the drawing the map information stored in map information storage means on the map image, the modification of the map image to the display image of the perspective, displaying a modified display image by the image display means An image display method characterized by the following.