JP3657763B2 - Map display device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a map display device that sets, displays, or searches a desired route based on map data.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Recently, map display devices such as in-vehicle navigation devices and personal computers (hereinafter referred to as “personal computers”) that execute map search software are becoming widespread. In these map display devices, data relating to drawing necessary for map display, data relating to roads necessary for route search, and the like are stored as map data and provided on a medium such as a CD-ROM. .
[0003]
For example, the in-vehicle navigation device reads map data in the vicinity of the current position of the vehicle from the CD-ROM and displays the map on the screen, and searches for a route from the departure point to the destination using the map data, By displaying the searched route as a guidance route on the screen, the driver is guided to the destination. In the personal computer, the map data is read from the CD-ROM, the map is displayed on the screen, and the map to be displayed is switched according to the user's instruction, so that the user can see the map of the area to be confirmed.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in daily life, for example, when you give directions, you can use a road name (such as “National Route XX”) or “× Common name) is often used. However, it may not be clear from the road name alone where the road passes or where the road is from. Various map display devices may be used to confirm these things, but with conventional in-vehicle navigation devices and personal computers, it is not possible to directly specify a road name and display a specific road on the screen. It was. Also, in route search, users may want to specify in advance the road that will be the driving route for reasons such as wanting to travel on the road that they are used to running, but with conventional in-vehicle navigation devices and personal computers, It was not possible to set or search for a route that specified a road by the road name.
[0005]
The present invention was created in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a map display device that can specify a road by a road name and perform various processes.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problem, the map display device of the present invention specifies a road corresponding to the road name specified by the road name specifying means by the road specifying means, and uses data relating to the specified road. Various processes such as route display, route setting, and route search are executed. Therefore, various processes can be performed only by designating the road name, and the operation can be simplified and the operability can be improved.
[0007]
Further, the map display device of the present invention specifies a road corresponding to the road name specified by the road name specifying means by the road specifying means, and a map image created based on the map data stored in the map data storage means The identified road is highlighted and displayed, and the road corresponding to the road name can be displayed on the map simply by designating the road name. In particular, by setting the display scale of the map display so as to include the entire length of the road designated by the road name, it becomes easy to grasp the shape of the entire road from the start point to the end point, the state of the surrounding area, and the like. In addition, when road names of a plurality of roads intersecting each other are specified, a map image near the intersection is displayed, so that it is easy to check a branching point when these roads are set as a route. .
[0008]
In addition, the map display device of the present invention performs route setting in which the roads specified by the road names are sequentially set as passage routes, and the map image is created on the map image created based on the map data stored in the map data storage means. The roads constituting the route are highlighted and displayed, the route can be set just by specifying the road name, and the result can be displayed. In particular, when specifying road names in order, a selection screen including a road name list of other roads intersecting with a road corresponding to the road name already specified is displayed, and a road name included in this road name list is selected. Thus, if the road name is designated, the route can be set simply by following the road name in order, and the operability can be improved.
[0009]
The map display device of the present invention is prepared based on the map data stored in the map data storage means by performing a predetermined route search by prioritizing the road designated by the road name and setting the route. The road constituting the route is highlighted on the map image, and the route with priority given to the specific road can be set just by specifying the road name, and the result can be displayed. In particular, by changing the cost of a road designated by a road name to a small value, it is possible to perform route search with priority on a specific road.
[0010]
Moreover, it is preferable to perform designation | designated of the road name mentioned above by a voice recognition means. Since the road name uttered by the user can be analyzed by voice recognition means and the road can be identified based on the road name corresponding to the analysis result, the desired road name from among the many displayed road names Compared with the case of finding and designating, the operation is easier and the operability can be improved.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A navigation device as a map display device according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied allows a user to designate a road name to display (1) a corresponding road and (2) a route constituted by the corresponding road. It is characterized in that setting (manual route setting) and (3) route setting (automatic route setting) by route search processing prioritizing the corresponding road are performed. Hereinafter, a navigation device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0012]
(1) Overall configuration of navigation device
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an in-vehicle navigation device according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied. The navigation device shown in FIG. 1 reads a navigation controller 1 that controls the whole, a CD-ROM 2 that records various map data necessary for map display, route search, and the like, and reads the map data recorded on the CD-ROM 2. A disk reader 3, a remote control (remote control) unit 4 as an operation unit for a driver or a passenger to input various instructions, a GPS receiver 5 and an autonomous navigation sensor for detecting the position and direction of the vehicle 6, a display device 9 that displays a map image and a guidance route over the map image, and an audio unit 10 that outputs a predetermined guidance voice when performing route guidance.
[0013]
The disk reader 3 described above can be loaded with one or more CD-ROMs 2 and reads map data from any of the CD-ROMs 2 under the control of the navigation controller 1. The remote control unit 4 includes a search key for giving a route search instruction, a route guidance mode key used for setting the route guidance mode, a destination input key, left / right / up / down cursor keys, a map reduction / enlargement key, and a cursor on the display screen. Various operation keys such as a setting key for determining an item at a position are provided, and an infrared signal corresponding to the operation state of the key is transmitted to the navigation controller 1.
[0014]
The GPS receiver 5 receives radio waves transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites, performs a three-dimensional positioning process or a two-dimensional positioning process, and calculates the absolute position and direction of the vehicle (the vehicle direction is determined by the current vehicle). Calculated based on the position and the vehicle position before one sampling time ΔT), and these are output together with the positioning time. The autonomous navigation sensor 6 includes an angle sensor 12 such as a vibration gyro that detects a vehicle rotation angle as a relative direction, and a distance sensor 14 that outputs one pulse for each predetermined travel distance. Detect position and orientation.
[0015]
Based on the image data output from the navigation controller 1, the display device 9 displays map information around the vehicle along with the vehicle position mark, departure point mark, destination mark, etc., and displays a guidance route on the map. To do. Further, the display device 9 displays an operation screen for the user to input various operation instructions, and displays a road corresponding to the road name designated by the user and a map image around the road. The audio unit 10 outputs a guidance voice at an intersection where the vehicle is approaching.
[0016]
(2) Detailed contents of map data
Next, details of the map data recorded on the CD-ROM 2 will be described. The map data recorded on the CD-ROM 2 is based on a map leaf divided by a predetermined longitude and latitude, and is divided into a plurality of levels (scales) according to the way of division. The map data of each leaf can be specified and read by designating the leaf number. In addition, the map data for each map leaf includes (1) a drawing unit composed of various data necessary for map display, and (2) data necessary for various processes such as map matching, route search, and route guidance. Road unit and (3) intersection unit consisting of detailed data of the intersection. The drawing unit described above includes background layer data necessary for displaying buildings, rivers, and the like, and character layer data necessary for displaying city names, road names, and the like.
[0017]
In the road unit described above, a line connecting a certain intersection on the road with another adjacent intersection or the like is called a link, and a point connecting two or more links is called a node. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of the road unit described above. As shown in the figure, the road unit includes a unit header for identifying the road unit, a connection node table storing detailed data of all nodes, and a node table indicating a storage position of the connection node table. And a link table storing detailed data of links specified by two adjacent nodes.
[0018]
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating detailed contents of various tables included in the road unit. As shown in FIG. 3A, the node table stores node records # 0, # 1,... Corresponding to all the nodes included in the drawing of interest. Each node record is given a node number from # 0 in the order of arrangement, and indicates the storage position of the connection node table corresponding to each node.
[0019]
In addition, as shown in FIG. 3B, the connection node table is provided for each existing node.
a. Normalized longitude / latitude,
b. "Node attribute flag" consisting of an intersection node flag indicating whether or not this node is an intersection node, an adjacent node flag indicating whether or not the node is at the boundary with other leaves,
c. "Number of connected nodes", which indicates the number of nodes that make up the other end of each link when there is a link with this node as one end of the link,
d. If the link connected to this node has traffic restrictions such as right turn prohibition or U turn prohibition, the "number of traffic restrictions"
e. Connection node records for the number of links indicating the link number of each link where this node is one end,
f. A traffic regulation record showing the specific contents of the traffic regulation corresponding to the number of traffic regulations mentioned above,
g. If this node is a node at the boundary with another leaf, an “adjacent node record” indicating the position of the connection node table of the corresponding node in the adjacent leaf,
h. If this node is an intersection node, the storage location and size of the corresponding intersection record in the intersection unit;
Etc. are included.
[0020]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3C, the link table includes a plurality of link records in the order of link numbers corresponding to all the links included in the drawing of interest. Each of these link records
a. Link ID, which is a code attached to each link mainly for the search route display,
b. Node number 1 and node number 2 identifying two nodes located at both ends of the link,
c. Link distance,
d. The cost in minutes of the time required to pass this link,
e. Various road attribute flags, including road attribute information corresponding to this link,
f. A road type flag indicating the width of the road such as whether the actual road corresponding to this link is a highway or a general road, how many meters the road is wide,
g. The route number given to the road corresponding to this link,
Etc. are included.
[0021]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the detailed contents of the road name table included in the character layer of the drawing unit. As shown in the figure, the road name table includes a road name record corresponding to each road included in the leaf of interest, and each road name record includes
a. The route number attached to the road,
b. A road type code indicating the content of this road (highway, urban highway, national highway, etc.)
c. Route code corresponding to the numbers attached to national and prefectural roads,
d. Route name reading kana character string,
e. Route name string,
Etc. are included.
[0022]
(3) Detailed configuration and operation of the navigation controller
Next, a detailed configuration of the navigation controller 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The navigation controller 1 includes a map buffer 16 for displaying a predetermined map on the display device 9 based on the map data read from the CD-ROM 2, a map reading control unit 18, a map drawing unit 20, a VRAM 22, a reading control unit 24, An image composition unit 26, a data storage unit 30 for performing calculation of the vehicle position, map matching processing, route search processing, route guidance processing and displaying the result, vehicle position / orientation calculation unit 32, map matching processing unit 34, a route search processing unit 36, a set route memory 38, a route search memory 40, a set route drawing unit 42, a mark image generating unit 44, an intersection guide unit 46, various operation screens for the user, and the remote control unit 4 Remote control unit 60, cursor position calculation unit 62, operation screen for transmitting operation instructions from each unit to each unit A generation unit 64, and a road selection processing unit 48 for performing various controls of the road display or the like according to the specification of the road name by the user.
[0023]
The map buffer 16 is for temporarily storing map data read from the CD-ROM 2 by the disk reader 3. When the map readout control unit 18 calculates the screen center position, an instruction to read out a predetermined range of map data including the screen center position is sent from the map readout control unit 18 to the disk reader 3 and is necessary for map display. Map data is read from the CD-ROM 2 and stored in the map buffer 16. For example, map data corresponding to four map leaves including the screen center position is read and stored in the map buffer 16.
[0024]
The map drawing unit 20 creates a map image necessary for display based on the drawing unit included in the map data of the leaf stored in the map buffer 16. The created map image data is stored in the VRAM 22, and the map image data for one screen is read by the read control unit 24. The image composition unit 26 performs image composition by superimposing the image data output from the mark image generation unit 44, the intersection guide unit 46, and the operation screen generation unit 64 on the read map image data. The image thus displayed is displayed on the screen of the display device 9.
[0025]
The data storage unit 30 sequentially stores positioning position (own vehicle position) data output from the GPS receiver 5. Further, the vehicle position / orientation calculation unit 32 calculates the absolute vehicle position and direction from the relative position and direction of the own vehicle output from the autonomous navigation sensor 6. The map matching processing unit 34 determines whether or not the vehicle position calculated by the vehicle position / orientation calculating unit 32 by the GPS receiver 5 stored in the data storage unit 30 is on the road of the map data. If the vehicle is off the road, a process for correcting the vehicle position obtained by calculation is performed. Pattern matching and projection methods are known as typical map matching methods.
[0026]
When the destination input key is pressed after the cursor is moved to a specific location on the map by the operation of the cursor key of the remote control unit 4, the route search processing unit 36 calculates the cursor calculated by the cursor position calculation unit 62 at this time. Set the location as the destination of the route search. The set destination data is stored in the set path memory 38. Further, when the search key of the remote control unit 4 is pressed, the route search processing unit 36 sets the own vehicle position after being corrected by the map matching processing unit 34 as a departure place and stores it in the set route memory 38. The travel route connecting the starting point and the destination stored in the set route memory 38 under a predetermined condition is searched. For example, a guide route with a minimum cost is set under various conditions such as the shortest time. As a typical method of route search, Dijkstra method and horizontal search method are known.
[0027]
The route search memory 40 stores intersection network list data necessary for route search. The stored route data is read out by the route search processing unit 36 described above, and a predetermined route search process is performed. .
[0028]
The setting route drawing unit 42 selects from the setting route data stored in the setting route memory 38 what is included in the map area drawn in the VRAM 22 at that time, and is overlaid on the map image and emphasized thickly with a predetermined color. Draw a guidance route. The mark image generation unit 44 generates a vehicle position mark at the own vehicle position after the map matching process, or generates a cursor mark having a predetermined shape.
[0029]
The intersection guide unit 46 performs guidance at the intersection where the vehicle is approaching with a display image and sound. When the vehicle approaches within a predetermined distance from the intersection ahead of the guidance route, A guide map (intersection enlarged view, destination, travel direction arrow) of the approaching intersection is displayed on the screen of the display device 9, and the travel direction is guided by voice through the audio unit 10.
[0030]
The road selection processing unit 48 creates various screens (search road setting screen, passing road setting screen, priority road setting screen) necessary for road name selection, and extracts road names to be displayed on these screens from map data. Perform the process. The road selection processing unit 48 controls various operations such as route display using a road name, route setting, route search, etc., details of which will be described later.
[0031]
The map buffer 16 described above serves as map data storage means, the remote control unit 4, road selection processing section 48 and operation screen generation section 64 serve as road name designation means, road selection processing section 48 serves as road identification means, route setting means, route information. The search processing unit 36 and the road selection processing unit 48 are route search means, the map drawing unit 20, the VRAM 22, the set route memory 38, the set route drawing unit 42 and the road selection processing unit 48 are control means, the route search processing unit 36, The setting route memory 38, the setting route drawing unit 42, and the road selection processing unit 48 correspond to processing execution means, respectively.
(4) Operation of navigation device
The navigation device as a whole and the navigation controller 1 have the above-described configuration. Next, (1) a display operation of a road designating a road name, and (2) a route set by a road designating the road name Each of the operation and the route search operation with priority given to the road with the designated road name will be described separately.
[0032]
(4-1) Display operation of road with road name specified
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure when a road having a road name designated by the user is displayed on the screen. First, the road selection processing unit 48 determines whether or not a road search is instructed by the user (step 100).
[0033]
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation selection screen. The road selection processing unit 48 determines whether or not the user has operated the remote control unit 4 and selected “1. Road search” when the operation selection screen shown in FIG. The determination is made based on the cursor position calculated by the cursor position calculation unit 62.
[0034]
When “1. road search” is selected by the user, the road selection processing unit 48 sends a map data reading instruction within a predetermined range to the map reading control unit 18 and is stored in the CD-ROM 2 by the disk reading device 3. The road name table included in the character layer of the drawing unit of each figure is read (step 101). For example, as for the range of the leaf from which the road name table is read, when the Kanto version CD-ROM 2 is used so that the whole country of Japan is covered when the national version CD-ROM 2 is used. Is set to cover the entire Kanto region. Alternatively, the user may designate a narrow area and read out map data in a range corresponding to the designated area. For example, when the Kanto version CD-ROM 2 is used, the user specifies Tokyo, Kanagawa, etc., and the road name table included in the map data of the map corresponding to the specified range is read. It is.
[0035]
Next, the road selection processing unit 48 searches the road name table of each leaf stored in the map buffer 16 and extracts the “route name character string” of each road name record (step 102). A search road setting screen including “route name character string” is displayed on the display device 9 via the operation screen generating unit 64 (step 103).
[0036]
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a search road setting screen. As shown in the figure, the search road setting screen includes a list of road names based on the “route name character string” extracted by the road selection processing unit 48. The user can select any road name by operating one of the cursor keys of the remote control unit 4 to designate one of the road names and then pressing the “setting” key of the remote control unit 4. When selecting a plurality of road names, the above operation is repeated.
[0037]
The road selection processing unit 48 determines whether or not the “OK” button is selected after one or more road names are designated by the user in a state where the search road setting screen is displayed ( Step 104) When the “OK” button is selected, it is next determined whether or not a plurality of road names have been selected (Step 105).
[0038]
If there is only one selected road name, a negative determination is made in step 105, and the road selection processing unit 48 searches for a route from the start point to the end point of the road specified by the road name (step 106). Specifically, the road selection processing unit 48 extracts a road name character string specified on the search road setting screen from road name records included in the road name table stored in the map buffer 16. The route number included in the extracted road name record is specified. Further, the road selection processing unit 48 identifies “node numbers” at both ends of all links corresponding to this “route number” based on the link table shown in FIG. Based on the connected node table shown, node information such as “normalized longitude / latitude of the node” is acquired. As a result, the road selection processing unit 48 can acquire node information of all nodes constituting the road from the starting point to the ending point of the road selected by the user. The acquired node information is stored in the setting path memory 38.
[0039]
Next, the road selection processing unit 48 obtains the maximum and minimum longitude / latitude based on the “node normalized longitude / latitude” of each acquired node (step 107). FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a route from the starting point of the road to the ending point. The route shown in FIG. 5 starts from node A and ends at node E, and the road selection processing unit 48 acquires node information for five nodes A to E. For such a route, the road selection processing unit 48 uses the node A longitude as the maximum longitude, the node D longitude as the minimum route, the node B latitude as the maximum latitude, and the node C longitude as the minimum latitude. Find each latitude.
[0040]
Next, the road selection processing unit 48 determines a map scale such that the entire route is displayed on one screen based on the maximum and minimum longitude / latitude, and the map reading control unit 18 An instruction is issued to read the map data corresponding to the scale of the leaves from the CD-ROM 2, and the map data read from the CD-ROM 2 in accordance with this instruction is stored in the map buffer 16 (step 108). The map drawing unit 20 creates a map image necessary for display based on the drawing unit included in the map data and draws it on the VRAM 22. Further, the set route drawing unit 42 creates an image in which a predetermined color is given to the links constituting the route based on the node information of all the nodes of the route acquired by the road selection processing unit 48 in Step 106. The image is drawn over the map image stored in the VRAM 22.
[0041]
In this way, the map image in which the route is emphasized is read from the VRAM 22 by the read control unit 24, and the map image is displayed on the screen of the display 9 so as to include the entire length of the road designated by the road name. (Step 109). FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a map image including the entire length of the road. For example, when the road name “National Route 246” is selected, a map image including the entire length is displayed.
[0042]
When there are a plurality of roads selected on the search road setting screen (in the case of an affirmative determination in step 105), the road selection processing unit 48 is the same as step 106 described above for the selected plurality of roads. Next, a route from the starting point to the ending point of each road is searched (step 110), node information about each road is acquired and stored in the set route memory 38, and whether or not the selected roads intersect is determined. Determination is made (step 111). Specifically, the road selection processing unit 48 determines that if there is something common to a node constituting one road and a node constituting another road, these roads intersect with each other as the intersection. to decide.
[0043]
If there is an intersection, the road selection processing unit 48 sends an instruction to the map reading control unit 18 to read out map data of a leaf necessary for enlarging and displaying the vicinity of the intersection, and a necessary response corresponding to this instruction is sent. Map data is read and stored in the map buffer 16. The map drawing unit 20 creates a map image necessary for display based on the drawing unit included in the map data and draws it on the VRAM 22. Further, the set route drawing unit 42 extracts only those included in the drawing area of the VRAM 22 among the links constituting the selected road, creates an image with a predetermined color on the extracted links, The image is drawn over the map image stored in the VRAM 22.
[0044]
In this way, a map image in which the vicinity of the intersection is enlarged and the intersecting road is emphasized is displayed on the screen of the display device 9 (step 112). In this display, it is preferable to display the intersection name together. This intersection name can be obtained from the “intersection name character string” of the intersection record specified by the “storage position of the intersection record” included in the connection node table (FIG. 3B) corresponding to the node of this intersection. . FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a map image including the vicinity of an intersection. For example, when the road names “National Route 246” and “Fuchu Highway” are selected, a map image including an image near this intersection and this intersection name “Mizoguchi Intersection” is displayed.
[0045]
Further, when the plurality of selected roads do not intersect (when a negative determination is made at step 111), the above-described operations of step 107 to step 109 are performed in order to display the total length of each road. Is called. As a result, a map image including the entire lengths of the plurality of roads having the road name selected by the user is displayed.
[0046]
Thus, in the navigation device of the present embodiment, the road name is designated by the user using the search road setting screen, and when the designated road is one or a plurality of roads that do not intersect each other, the road Is displayed, and a map image in which this road is emphasized is displayed. Therefore, the user can display the full length of the road only by specifying the road name, and can easily understand where the starting point and the ending point of this road are, what shape they have, etc. it can.
[0047]
When a plurality of designated roads intersect, an enlarged image near the intersection is displayed. Therefore, the user can display the vicinity of the intersection of these roads simply by specifying a plurality of road names, and where to branch when setting these roads as a route, You can easily understand what is around the branch point.
[0048]
(4-2) Setting operation of a route composed of roads having designated road names
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure when a route configured by a road having a road name designated by the user is set. First, the road selection processing unit 48 determines whether or not manual route setting is designated by the user (step 200). When the remote control unit 4 is operated by the user while the operation selection screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed and “2. Manual route setting” is selected, the road selection processing unit 48 next selects “1. The road name table is read (step 201) and the route name character string is extracted (step 202) in the same manner as when “road search” is selected. Next, the road selection processing unit 48 displays a passing road setting initial screen including the extracted “route name character string” on the display device 9 via the operation screen generating unit 64 (step 203).
[0049]
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a passing road setting initial screen. The passing road setting initial screen shown in the figure includes a list of road names based on the “route name character string” extracted by the road selection processing unit 48. The user can arbitrarily select the first passing road constituting the route to be set by operating the remote control unit 4 to select one of the road names and then selecting the “Next” button. it can. The passing road setting initial screen includes an “end” button in consideration of the case where there is only one road name selected by the user.
[0050]
The road selection processing unit 48 determines whether or not the “End” button or the “Next” button has been selected after the road name is designated by the user in the state where the passing road setting initial screen is displayed. (Steps 204 and 205) When the “Next” button is selected, a road that intersects the road corresponding to the selected road name is searched, and the “route name character string” corresponding to these intersecting roads is searched. Extraction is performed (step 206), and a passing road setting screen including the extracted “route name character string” as a list is displayed on the display device 9 via the operation screen generating unit 64 (step 207).
[0051]
A search for a road intersecting with a certain road is performed as follows, for example. First, the road selection processing unit 48 sequentially traces from the starting point of the road corresponding to the selected road name, and extracts all the intersection nodes included in this road. Next, the road selection processing unit 48 searches for a connection node record included in the connection node table (FIG. 3B) corresponding to each intersection node, and extracts a link having each connection node as one end. In this way, the links included in the road intersecting with a certain road are extracted, and the route numbers corresponding to these links are searched based on the link table shown in FIG. The “route name character string” corresponding to the route number is extracted based on the road name table shown in FIG.
[0052]
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a passing road setting screen. The layout of the passing road setting screen shown in the figure is basically the same as the passing road setting initial screen shown in FIG. 12, but a “return” button is added to give an instruction to return to the previous screen. ing. For example, when the “next” button is selected after the user selects “National road 246” on the passing road setting initial screen shown in FIG. 12, the passing road setting screen shown in FIG. A list of road names given to roads intersecting with “National Route 246” is displayed. The list display may be arranged in the order of crossing or arranged in the order of 50 sounds.
[0053]
The road selection processing unit 48 determines whether or not the “End” button or the “Next” button is selected after the road name is specified by the user in the state where the passing road setting screen is displayed, or the designation of the road name is performed. It is determined whether or not the “return” button has been selected regardless of whether or not (steps 208, 209, and 210). In this state, when a “next” button is selected after any road name is selected, a road that intersects with the road corresponding to the selected road name is searched, and the processing after step 206 described above is performed. Is repeated.
[0054]
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a passing road setting screen displayed next. For example, this corresponds to the case where the road name “Fuchu Highway” is selected on the passing road setting screen shown in FIG. ing. In addition, using a part of the passing road setting screen shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, all road names selected by the previous operation are displayed in the order of selection, and the user selects the selection contents. It can be confirmed.
[0055]
In addition, when the road with the road name selected using the passing road setting screen intersects with the road with the road name previously selected at multiple locations, it is not known at which intersection to branch. The intersection name is displayed and the user selects one of the intersections so that the route is uniquely determined. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of an intersection selection screen. The displayed intersection name can be obtained from the “intersection name character string” of the intersection record specified by the “intersection record storage position” included in the connection node table (FIG. 3B) corresponding to the intersection node. .
[0056]
When the “return” button is selected in the state where the passing road setting screen shown in FIG. 13 or the like is displayed, the road selection processing unit 48 next passes through the operation screen generating unit 64. A passing road setting screen is displayed (step 211), and it is determined whether or not the displayed screen is the passing road setting initial screen shown in FIG. 12 (step 212). If it is a passing road setting initial screen, the processing after step 204 is repeated, and if it is not a passing road setting initial screen, the processing after step 208 is repeated.
[0057]
When the “End” button is selected in the state where the passing road setting initial screen shown in FIG. 12 or the passing road setting screen shown in FIG. 13 is displayed, the road selection processing unit 48 next A route that sets each road corresponding to each of the one or more road names selected so far as a passing road is set in order (step 213), and the set route is highlighted to display the map image together with the map image. It is displayed on the screen (step 214).
[0058]
Various methods can be considered as a route setting method and a display method. For example, each time a new road name is selected, it is determined which part of the road corresponding to the road name selected immediately before is adopted as the part included in the route. When a set of nodes corresponding to road sections is stored in the set route memory 38 in order from the closest to the starting point, after all the roads constituting the route are determined, the nodes on each road are extracted and set in order from the starting point. In the case of storing in the path memory 38, a case of extracting a link instead of a node can be considered. In addition, regarding the display of the set route, when the full length of the set route is included in one screen and displayed in detail according to an instruction from the subsequent user, at least the route in the vicinity of the starting point only In such a case, it is possible to display a screen that includes, and to display a route according to a subsequent scroll instruction from the user.
[0059]
As described above, in the navigation device of the present embodiment, a route having a plurality of branches is set by repeating the operation of extracting a road intersecting with a certain road and designating any one of the road names. The route can be set simply by specifying the road name. In particular, operability can be improved by using road names that are used on a daily basis.
[0060]
(4-3) Route search operation giving priority to roads with designated road names
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of a route search operation in which a road designated by a road name is prioritized. First, the road selection processing unit 48 determines whether or not automatic route search is designated by the user (step 300). When the operation selection screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed, when the remote control unit 4 is operated by the user and “3. Automatic route search” is selected, the road selection processing unit 48 next performs the route search. It is determined whether or not a destination has been set (step 301). For example, the destination is set by pressing the destination input key of the remote control unit 4 by the user when the map image and the cursor mark near the desired point are displayed on the screen of the display device 9. .
[0061]
When the destination is set, the road selection processing unit 48 next reads the road name table (step 302), extracts the route name character string (step 303), and uses the extracted “route name character string”. The priority road setting screen including this is displayed on the display device 9 via the operation screen generating unit 64 (step 304).
[0062]
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a priority road setting screen. As shown in the figure, a list of road names is displayed on the priority route setting screen based on the “route name character string” extracted by the road selection processing unit 48. The user designates any road name by operating the cursor key of the remote control unit 4, and further presses the “setting” key of the remote control unit 4 and then selects the “end” button, thereby selecting any road name Can be selected. When a plurality of road names are designated, the designation of the road name and the pressing of the “set” key are repeated alternately, and then the “end” button is selected.
[0063]
Next, the road selection processing unit 48 determines whether or not the “end” button is selected after the road name is designated by the user in the state where the priority road setting screen is displayed (step 305). ), When the “end” button is selected, the cost of each link constituting the road corresponding to the one or more road names selected next is corrected (step 306). Specifically, the road selection processing unit 48 specifies a “route number” corresponding to the selected road name based on the road name record (FIG. 4) included in the map data read from the map buffer 16, The “cost” of all the link records (FIG. 3C) including the specified “route number” is corrected to a value smaller than normal (for example, ½ of the normal time).
[0064]
Next, the route search processing unit 36 performs a route search from the departure point to the destination by using the corrected cost for each link constituting the road with the selected road name (step 307). ). The result of the route search is stored in the set route memory 38 as a set of nodes (or a set of links), and the set route is displayed on the screen of the display device 9. In the navigation device, the vehicle position is usually set as the starting point in the route search. However, as with the destination, the map image near the desired point is displayed and the cursor mark is set to the desired point. A departure point may be set by pressing a predetermined key (for example, a “decision” key).
[0065]
As described above, in the navigation device of the present embodiment, when a route search is to be performed with priority given to a certain road, the name of the road can be directly specified, and an equivalent waypoint can be specified and equivalent to this. Compared with the setting, the operation can be simplified and the operability can be improved.
[0066]
In particular, when setting an appropriate waypoint, it is necessary to first display each waypoint on the screen, but the road you want to drive with priority is not displayed highlighted on the map. The operation of setting a plurality of waypoints on the road where the user wants to travel is very complicated and is often difficult in practice. On the other hand, an operation for designating a road name that is used on a daily basis is only to select a desired road name while looking at the priority road setting screen shown in FIG. It becomes.
[0067]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation implementation is possible within the range of the summary of this invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the user selects the road name by operating the remote control unit 4, but may select the road name by voice recognition. For example, a speech recognition device as speech recognition means is connected to the navigation controller 1 and the one that matches the reading name kana character string of the road name obtained as a result of the speech recognition, By searching from the “character string”, it becomes possible to select a road name by a user's utterance.
[0068]
In the above-described embodiment, the user selects a desired operation from the operations displayed on the operation selection screen shown in FIG. 6, and each operation is independent. For example, “1. When the route highlighted on the screen by the operation corresponding to “Road search” is selected by a cursor operation or the like, the route is designated as one of the passing roads set by the operation corresponding to “2. Manual route setting”. As described above, the operations may be combined. In the operation corresponding to “3. Automatic route search”, the cost of a road corresponding to one or more selected road names is set to be small. As a method for selecting a plurality of roads, “2. The method used in the “setting” operation may be adopted. That is, when one road name is designated, the road name of the road intersecting with the designated road is displayed, and the operation of designating one of the displayed road names is repeated. Thus, a route composed of a plurality of roads may be selected, and the cost of the road included in the selected route may be changed to a small value. In this case, the layout of the priority road setting screen displayed on the display device 9 is basically the same as that shown in FIGS. 12 to 15, and the operation procedure includes steps 304 and 305 shown in FIG. Each operation procedure may be replaced with each operation procedure in steps 203 to 212 shown in FIG. After the designation of the road name is completed and the “end” button is selected (after an affirmative determination is made in step 204 or 208), the cost of the road included in the selected route is corrected (step 306).
[0069]
In the above-described embodiment, an in-vehicle navigation device is considered as an example of the map display device. However, a personal computer that executes map software may be used as the map display device. The personal computer can realize a function equivalent to the navigation controller 1 described above by program processing, and can perform the above-described road display, route setting, and route search. However, in general, since the GPS receiver 5 and the autonomous navigation sensor 6 are not connected to the personal computer, it is necessary for the user to manually input the departure place.
[0070]
If a printer is connected to a personal computer as a map display device, a map highlighting a road with a desired road name, a map including a route set by following the road name, or a road specified by the road name will be displayed. It is possible to print out a map or the like including the result of the route search performed with priority. Further, by providing card slots in both the personal computer and the in-vehicle navigation device, it is possible to store a route search result in the personal computer in a memory card and use it for route guidance in the in-vehicle navigation device.
[0071]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the road corresponding to the road name specified by the road name specifying means is specified by the road specifying means, and the route display and route setting are performed using the data relating to the specified road. Various processes such as route search are executed. Therefore, various processes can be performed only by designating the road name, and the operation can be simplified and the operability can be improved.
[0072]
Specifically, according to the present invention, the road name specified by the road name is identified and displayed on the map image created based on the map data in an emphasized manner. A road corresponding to this road name can be displayed on the map simply by specifying.
[0073]
Further, according to the present invention, the route specified by the road name is sequentially set as a passage route, and the passage road constituting the route is emphasized on the map image created based on the map data. By displaying, it is possible to set a route only by specifying a road name and display the result.
[0074]
Further, according to the present invention, a predetermined route search is performed by prioritizing the road designated by the road name, the route is set, and this route is configured on the map image created based on the map data. By highlighting and displaying the road, it is possible to set a route that prioritizes a specific road simply by designating the road name and display the result.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an in-vehicle navigation device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a road unit.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing detailed contents of various tables included in a road unit.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing detailed contents of a road name table included in a character layer of a drawing unit.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure when a road having a road name designated by a user is displayed on the screen.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation selection screen.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a search road setting screen.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a route from a starting point to an ending point.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a map image including the entire length of a road.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a map image including the vicinity of an intersection.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure when a route constituted by a road having a road name designated by a user is set.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a passing road setting initial screen.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a passing road setting screen.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another example of a passing road setting screen.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of an intersection selection screen.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of a route search operation in which a road designated by a road name is prioritized.
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a priority road setting screen.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Navigation controller
3 Disc reader
4 Remote control unit
9 Display device
16 Map buffer
18 Map readout controller
20 Map drawing part
22 VRAM
36 Route search processing unit
38 Setting path memory
42 Setting path drawing section
48 Road selection processing section
64 Operation screen generator

Claims (3)

Map data storage means for storing map data necessary for map display;
Road name designating means for designating a road name;
Based on the road name specified by the road name specifying means, road specifying means for specifying a road corresponding to the road name;
The display scale of the map image is set so that the total length of the road corresponding to the road name specified by the road name specifying means is included, and the road specifying means on the map image created based on the map data Control means for highlighting and displaying the road identified by
A map display device comprising: Map data storage means for storing map data necessary for map display;
Road name designating means for designating a road name;
Route setting means for setting a route corresponding to a road name sequentially specified by the road name specifying means as a passing road;
On the map image created based on the map data, the control means for highlighting and displaying the passing road constituting the route set by the route setting means,
The road name designating means displays a selection screen including a road name list of other roads intersecting with a road corresponding to the road name when a road name is designated, and the road name list A map display device , wherein a road name is designated by selecting an included road name . In claim 1 or 2,
The map display device characterized in that the road name designation means inputs a road name by voice recognition means .

Images