JP4175654B2 - Navigation system, portable terminal device, and map display method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention makes a route search request to a route search server using a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone, receives map data, guidance route data, guidance points, guidance data, etc. from the route search server and displays the display screen of the mobile terminal device It is related with the navigation system which displays it.
The present invention provides a display that is easy for the user to visually recognize, without displaying a detailed map or guide route on a mobile terminal device with a limited display screen size, particularly in the navigation system as described above. The present invention relates to a navigation system, a portable terminal device, and a map display method that make it possible to easily identify a guidance point that arrives next from a current position on a guide route and displays related to each guidance point ahead.

  Conventionally, there are known navigation devices and navigation systems that guide a user by searching for a route from a desired departure point to a destination using map data and road data. Such navigation devices and navigation systems are known. As a car navigation device that is installed in a car and guides the route to the driver, a mobile phone is used as a navigation terminal to send a route search request to the route search server, receive the result, and receive route guidance Navigation systems have been put into practical use.

  The car navigation device uses a GPS (Global Positioning System), receives GPS signals transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites orbiting the earth with a GPS antenna, The position is specified by analyzing the satellite position and clock information included in the signal. At least four GPS satellites are required. The single positioning accuracy of GPS is generally over 10 m, but it is improved to 5 m or less by adopting DGPS (Differential GPS). In particular, a positioning unit that is currently installed only in some mobile phones, for example, a GPS receiver that receives a signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite and performs positioning, is called the third generation. Mobile phones tend to be installed in all models.

  In recent years, the performance of mobile communication terminal devices such as mobile phones and PHS has been dramatically improved, and multi-functionalization has been progressing. In particular, the data communication function is strengthened in addition to the call function, and various data communication services are provided to users via the Internet. Mobile phones with a positioning function have also been realized, and as a technology for use, the in-vehicle navigation device (car navigation system) has been developed, and the communication type for pedestrians that delivers map / route information from the route search server using the mobile phone as a terminal Navigation systems have also been put into practical use.

  A general navigation device, a route search device and a route search method used in a communication navigation system are disclosed in, for example, the following Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-165681). This navigation system is configured to send information of departure and destination from a portable navigation terminal to a route search server, and search and guide a route that matches a search condition from road network and traffic network data by the route search server. Has been. As the search condition, there are means for moving from the departure place to the destination, for example, walking, automobile, combined use of railroad and walking, and the route is searched as one of the search conditions.

  For example, when the road network for route search in the pedestrian navigation system or the car navigation system includes roads A, B, and C as shown in FIG. 10, the end points, intersections, bending points, etc. of the roads A, B, and C The road connecting each node is represented by a directional link, and node data (node latitude / longitude), link data (link number) and link cost (link distance or link travel) of each link The road network data is composed of link cost data using the required time required for data).

  That is, in FIG. 10, ◯ and ◎ indicate nodes, and ◎ indicates a road intersection. Directional links connecting the nodes are indicated by arrow lines (solid line, dotted line, two-dot chain line). As for the links, there are links facing in the upward and downward directions of the road, but in FIG. 10, only the links in the direction of the arrows are illustrated for the sake of simplicity.

  When route search is performed using such road network data as a route search database, links linked from the starting node to the destination node are traced to accumulate the link cost, thereby minimizing the accumulated link cost. Search and guide the route. That is, in FIG. 10, when a route search is performed with the departure point as the node AX and the destination as the node CY, the road travels from the node AX along the road A, turns right at the second intersection, enters the road C, and reaches the node CY. The link cost is accumulated sequentially, and a route that minimizes the accumulated link cost is searched for and guided.

  Although other routes from the node AX to the node CY are not shown in FIG. 10, in reality there are other such routes, so a possible route from the node AX to the node CY is similarly searched. Of these routes, the route with the lowest link cost is determined as the optimum route. Such a road network is static network data in which the link cost is fixed as schematically shown in FIG. 10 and the accumulated link cost is uniquely determined when the route is determined. The amount of data is also the road network. Is proportional to the amount of. As a method for searching for a route from the departure place to the destination, a known technique called the Dijkstra method can be used. A route search method using the Dijkstra method is disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above.

  The optimal guide route data searched by the route search server includes a map including the current position of the terminal device, route data of the guide route, guidance point data such as intersection nodes and branch point nodes on the guide route, and the guidance point. It consists of related guidance (traveling direction guidance such as going straight and turning left and right), etc., and sent to the terminal device. The terminal device receives the guidance route data, and displays the guidance route, guidance points, and guidance at the guidance points together with the map on the display means. In addition to being displayed with arrows and the like, a system that outputs voice guidance is also known.

  In a communication type navigation system, the distribution method of guidance routes, guidance points, and guidance data (voice data, etc.) can take various forms, for example, disclosed in the following Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-134209). In the route guidance system, the route search server searches for a guide route according to the route search conditions transmitted from the mobile terminal device, the route creation means creates guide route data in which guidance points are set, The guide route to the ground is collectively transmitted to the mobile terminal device, and the map data is transmitted to the mobile terminal device by the map information transmitting means based on the map request from the mobile terminal device.

  That is, in the navigation system disclosed in Patent Document 2, route data and map data are separately delivered from the route search server to the mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal has a shortage of map data necessary for map display. The route search server can be requested to deliver the unit map including the route from the route data. Usually, map data is distributed to nine mesh units of map data in the upper, lower, left, and right directions centering on mesh unit map data including the current position. Therefore, according to the configuration in which the guide route data and the map data are separately distributed to the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal can know the entire guide route from the data of the guide route, and the map data is transferred as the mobile terminal moves. When there is a shortage, it is possible to request only a shortage map along the direction of travel from the server, and guidance at guide points is possible without increasing the communication load associated with map data distribution between the route search server and the mobile terminal. Become.

  Upon receiving map data, guidance route data, or guidance data (voice data, etc.) added to the guidance route data distributed from the route search server, the mobile terminal device uses the current position as a map image, guidance route image, or current position. Is displayed superimposed on the display means. Such a navigation system is disclosed in the following Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-208095).

  That is, in the navigation system disclosed in Patent Document 3, when the map scroll mode is off, the control unit uses the map data stored in the storage unit to display the map image around the current position detected by the GPS receiving unit as the current position. It is comprised so that it may display on the screen of a display part with a mark. When the map scroll operation is started in the operation unit, the control unit turns on the map scroll mode, the map image and the current position mark are not moved, and the scroll cursor is set to the current position at the start of the map scroll operation as the initial position. The map image is moved according to the map scroll operation. When the scroll cursor reaches the end of the map image, the control unit displays the map image centered on the scroll cursor position on the display unit together with the scroll cursor and the current position mark using the map data stored in the storage unit. Let

  In this navigation system, as shown in FIG. 11, the display image displayed on the mobile terminal device includes a guide route on the road map MI, a current position mark MM indicating the current position of the pedestrian, and an arrow indicating the direction of travel. It is displayed as a humanoid icon image with a mark. In a general navigation system, the current position of a user such as a pedestrian and the guidance point such as an intersection that makes a right or left turn and the direction of a right or left turn are displayed in characters on the screen display of the guidance route, or by voice. Output is also done.

  By the way, in the communication-type navigation system, especially when the terminal device is a portable terminal device such as a mobile phone, the display means is limited in size, so that the map display becomes small and the user Display is difficult to see. In addition, when guidance related to the guidance point is added as a character display, the display becomes worse for the user.

  Such a display method is not a preferable display method as a display method of a navigation system for pedestrians or automated persons, and a navigation system using a display method having excellent visibility for a user is desired. In order to improve the visibility of the user, for example, a vehicle navigation device disclosed in Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent No. 2698356) is known.

  The vehicle navigation device disclosed in Patent Document 4 includes a measuring unit that measures the vehicle position, a storage unit that stores guidance information about a remaining distance to an intersection as guidance information about an intersection, and the like. Display means for displaying guidance information relating to the remaining distance of the vehicle, and guiding and notifying the intersection to be bent next, and determining and storing the remaining distance from the vehicle position measured by the measuring means to the intersection to be bent next It is the structure which reads the guidance information regarding the remaining distance to an intersection etc. from a means, and displays it on a display means. And this vehicle navigation device sets a distance for switching the display of guidance information related to the remaining distance to the intersection, etc., up to the intersection, etc., provided that the remaining distance to the intersection, etc. is smaller than the set distance. The display of the guidance information regarding the remaining distance is switched to display using different display colors.

  That is, the vehicle navigation device disclosed in Patent Document 4 displays information related to the guidance point according to the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the guidance point such as an intersection, for example, a character display indicating the remaining distance to the intersection. The display bar, the background image of the character display, etc. are displayed in different colors, or blinked to alert the user.

JP 2001-165681 A (FIGS. 1 and 2) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-134209 (FIG. 2, paragraphs [0006], [0007], [0013], [0014]) JP 2003-208095 A (FIGS. 1 and 6) Japanese Patent No. 2698356 (FIGS. 2 and 4)

  When a portable terminal device such as a mobile phone is used as the terminal device of the navigation system, the screen size of the display means of the terminal device is smaller than that of the vehicle navigation device as described above. Therefore, when a display method such as a guidance route that has been conventionally performed, such as a navigation device for a vehicle as disclosed in Patent Document 4 described above, is adopted, the system has poor visibility for the user. There was a problem that it was.

  That is, in the display method of the navigation device disclosed in Patent Document 4, although consideration is given to alerting the user by changing the color, guidance characters and backgrounds related to the guidance points are considered. There is a problem that it is difficult to say that the visibility of the entire display image including the display of the map and the guidance route is improved only by changing the color.

  The in-vehicle navigation system guides the user to the destination accurately even in an unknown land, thus reducing the burden on the driver and contributing to smooth traffic. Realizing a navigation system using a mobile phone as a terminal device can give many people the opportunity to use a navigation service, so a safe usage pattern should be studied.

  An example of gazing at a mobile phone while driving is browsing emails. Since this is an act of reading a document, it is extremely dangerous. In addition, since it is unrelated to the original driving operation, it must be avoided. Car navigation systems using mobile phones are beginning to be commercialized, but displaying a map on a mobile phone like a car navigation system may also cause a driver's attention. Visibility is still good if there is a large display like the screen of an in-vehicle car navigation system, but sufficient visibility cannot be ensured with the screen size of a mobile phone. If a map is to be displayed on the mobile phone, it would be for the passenger on the passenger seat and it would be desirable for the passenger to guide the driver.

  Such problems have an impact on user safety, and the law regarding the use of mobile phones while driving a vehicle should not be watched with attention to the display screen of the mobile phone while driving the vehicle. Regulations are also in place.

  When passengers use the terminal to guide the driver, or when the driver uses a mobile terminal device, not only displays and outputs a map or guidance on the next guidance point on the guide route, but also on the guide route. Convenience increases if maps and guidance for each guidance point to the destination can be displayed or output in sequence or selected. If such display and output can be performed, the passenger can display and output a map and guidance related to each guidance point on the guide route in advance and inform the driver of the information.

  At that time, on the guidance route to the destination, when the guidance point that arrives next from the current position is used as the display point, a map or guidance related to the guidance point is displayed, and further, the display point is sequentially displayed at the further guidance point. It is preferable that the user can easily identify the map display image or the like when the map is moved and the map and guidance related to each display point are displayed and output. Of course, this display and output may be used by the user for the purpose of obtaining a map and guidance related to the guidance point to the destination.

  As a result of various studies to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventor of the present application has obtained only information related to guidance points such as intersections to be bent and branch locations on the guide route without displaying a map. Displayed as image information that can be understood by the user and displayed as a display image that can be distinguished at a glance from the display related to the next guidance point on the guidance route and the display related to the further guidance point. Thus, it has been found that the above problems can be solved, and the present invention has been completed.

  That is, the present invention has an object to solve the above problems, and provides an operation mode for displaying a display image that allows a user to instantly recognize necessary information without gazing at a display screen. An object is to provide a navigation system, a portable terminal device, and a map display method in which the next guidance point that arrives from the current position on the guide route and the display of each guidance point ahead are easily identified. It is what.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is
Based on the route search conditions input from the mobile terminal device, the route search server searches the route from the departure place to the destination and sends the guide route to the mobile terminal device, and the mobile terminal device displays the guide route on the display means. Navigation system
The route search server includes guidance data creation means for creating guidance route data including guidance points on the guidance route and guidance information related to the guidance point based on the searched guidance route,
The portable terminal device has at least an operation mode of a drive mode, and includes a current position detection unit, a distance calculation unit, an image creation unit, a display unit, and a guidance point selection unit,
When the mobile terminal device is operating in the drive mode, the image creation means creates a display image composed of a background image and a guidance image displayed on the display means, and the guidance point selection means displays a continuous guidance point display Is selected, the guidance point to be reached next from the current position detected by the current position detection means based on the guidance route data, and the guidance point to the destination ahead are selected in order to the image creation means. The image creation means sends the background image color of the display image at the guidance point that arrives next from the current position and the display image at the further guidance point on the guidance route to the destination. A different display image is created and displayed on a display means.

The invention according to claim 2 of the present application is the navigation system according to claim 1,
The portable terminal device has another operation mode for displaying a map together with guide route data, and includes a mode switching means.

The invention according to claim 3 of the present application is the navigation system according to claim 2,
The mode switching means switches to the drive mode when the portable terminal device is not operated for a predetermined time or longer.

The invention according to claim 4 of the present application is the navigation system according to claim 1,
When returning the display image to the previously displayed guidance point display image, the guidance point selection means returns the current guidance position to the next arrival guidance point from the current position detected by the current position detection means at the time of the restoration. It is characterized by selecting a dance point.

The invention according to claim 5 of the present application is
Based on the route search conditions input from the mobile terminal device, the route search server searches for a route from the departure place to the destination, and based on the searched guidance route, the guidance point on the guidance route and the relation to the guidance point A mobile terminal device connected via a network to a route search server having guidance data creation means for creating guidance route data including guidance information
The portable terminal device has at least an operation mode of a drive mode, and includes a current position detection unit, a distance calculation unit, an image creation unit, a display unit, and a guidance point selection unit,
When the mobile terminal device is operating in the drive mode, the image creation means creates a display image composed of a background image and a guidance image displayed on the display means, and the guidance point selection means displays a continuous guidance point display Is selected, the guidance point to be reached next from the current position detected by the current position detection means based on the guidance route data, and the guidance point to the destination ahead are selected in order to the image creation means. The image creation means sends the background image color of the display image at the guidance point that arrives next from the current position and the display image at the further guidance point on the guidance route to the destination. A different display image is created and displayed on a display means.

The invention according to claim 6 of the present application is the portable terminal device according to claim 5,
The portable terminal device has another operation mode for displaying a map together with guide route data, and includes a mode switching means.

The invention according to claim 7 of the present application is the portable terminal device according to claim 6,
The mode switching means switches to the drive mode when the portable terminal device is not operated for a predetermined time or longer.

The invention according to claim 8 of the present application is the portable terminal device according to claim 5,
When returning the display image to the previously displayed guidance point display image, the guidance point selection means returns the current guidance position to the next arrival guidance point from the current position detected by the current position detection means at the time of the restoration. It is characterized by selecting a dance point.

The invention according to claim 9 of the present application is
Based on the route search conditions input from the mobile terminal device, the route search server searches the route from the departure place to the destination and sends the guide route to the mobile terminal device, and the mobile terminal device displays the guide route on the display means. A display method in a navigation system,
The route search server includes guidance data creation means for creating guidance route data including guidance points on the guidance route and guidance information related to the guidance point based on the searched guidance route,
The portable terminal device has at least an operation mode of a drive mode, and includes a current position detection unit, a distance calculation unit, an image creation unit, a display unit, and a guidance point selection unit,
When the mobile terminal device is operating in the drive mode, the image creating means creates a display image composed of a background image and a guidance image to be displayed on the display means, and the guidance point selecting means is a continuous guidance When the point display is designated, the image is created by selecting the next guidance point from the current position detected by the current position detection means based on the guidance route data and the guidance point to the destination ahead in sequence. The image generating means includes a display image at a guidance point that arrives next from the current position and a display image at a further guidance point on the guidance route to the destination, and a background thereof. Creating a display image with different colors of the image and displaying it on the display means And wherein the door.

  The invention according to claim 10 of the present application is the display method according to claim 9, wherein the mobile terminal device has another operation mode for displaying a map together with the data of the guide route, includes a mode switching means, and includes mode switching. The method further includes the step of switching the operation mode based on the operation of the means.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the display method according to the tenth aspect, in the display method, the step of switching the mode includes a process of switching to the drive mode when the portable terminal device is not operated for a predetermined time or more. It is characterized by including.

  The invention according to claim 12 of the present application is the display method according to claim 9, wherein in the display method, the guidance point selection means returns the display image to the display image of the guidance point displayed previously. The method further comprises the step of selecting a gun dance point by returning from the current position detected by the current position detecting means to the next reaching guidance point at the time of returning.

In the invention according to claim 1, when operating in the drive mode, the image creating means creates a display image composed of a background image and a guidance image displayed on the display means, and the guidance point selecting means comprises the continuous guidance. When point display is specified, the guidance point that arrives next from the current position detected by the current position detection means based on the guidance route data and the guidance point to the destination ahead are sequentially selected and used as the image creation means. The image creation means sends out the background image in a different color from the display image at the guidance point that arrives next from the current position on the guidance route to the destination, and the display image at the further guidance point. Create and display the selected display image.
Accordingly, the user can instantly identify whether the user is looking at the display image of the next guidance point that arrives from the current position or whether the user is looking at the display image of the further guidance point. It becomes like this. Moreover, since this display image does not display a map, there is nothing to watch, and even if the driver uses the mobile terminal device, it does not hinder driving. For this reason, safety can be improved.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the navigation system according to the first aspect, the mobile terminal device has another operation mode for displaying a map together with the guidance route data, and includes a mode switching means. Therefore, if a mode for displaying a map is selected, a passenger in the passenger seat can guide the driver by looking at the map display.

  In the invention according to claim 3, in the navigation system according to claim 2, the mode switching means switches to the drive mode when the portable terminal device is not operated for a predetermined time or more. Therefore, even when the driver operates the mobile terminal device and operates in the map display mode, if the mobile terminal device is not operated for a predetermined time, the driver mode is automatically switched to the drive mode. A messy display is made, and safety can be improved.

  In the invention according to claim 4, when returning the display image to the display image of the previously displayed guidance point, the guidance point selecting means is next to the current position detected by the current position detecting means at the time of the return. Go back to the guidance point to reach and select the Gundance point. Accordingly, the processing efficiency can be improved without returning to the display of the guidance points that have already passed.

  In the inventions according to claims 5 to 8, mobile terminal devices constituting the navigation system according to claims 1 to 4 can be provided, respectively, and claims 9 to 12 can be provided. In the invention according to the present invention, a display method in the navigation system according to claims 1 to 4 can be provided.

  Hereinafter, specific examples of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples and drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  A navigation system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a mobile terminal device 30 and a route search server 20 that communicate via a network 11 such as the Internet. For example, a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone can be used as the mobile terminal device 30, and the user can set route search conditions such as a departure point, a destination, a departure time and an arrival time from the mobile terminal device 30 to the route search server 20. Send. The route search server 20 searches for the optimum route from the departure point to the destination in accordance with the route search conditions sent from the mobile terminal device 30, creates searched guide route data, and transmits the data to the mobile terminal device 30.

  The guide route data sent from the route search server 20 to the mobile terminal device 30 is the same as in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, the route data of the guide route searched by the route search server, and guidance such as intersection nodes and branch point nodes on the guide route. It consists of point data and guidance related to the guidance point (guidance in the direction of travel such as going straight and turning left and right). The mobile terminal device 30 receives the guide route data sent from the route search server 20 and displays it on the display screen. The map data is distributed from the route search server 20 in response to a request from the mobile terminal device 30 separately from the guide route data.

  As map data, a unit map including the current position of the mobile terminal device 30 is mainly sent to the surrounding 8 unit maps, and a total of 9 unit maps are sent to the mobile terminal device 30. When the mobile terminal device 30 moves and the unit map becomes insufficient, the mobile terminal device 30 transmits a map transmission request so as to transmit the unit map data of the missing part to the route search server, as in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2. To do.

  In the present invention, the mobile terminal device 30 has a plurality of operation modes. There are three types of operation modes: map mode, navigator mode, and drive mode. The map mode is, for example, an operation mode for the user (user) to grasp the route from the departure place to the destination geographically on the map at the time of departure, and as shown in FIG. In this mode, a map 212 in a relatively large range including the current position 211 is displayed.

  In this operation mode, a guidance point 213, a guidance image 214 indicating guidance at the guidance point, and a direction image 215 indicating a direction are displayed on the display screen. The guidance image 214 is displayed as a large arrow image indicating the traveling direction in FIG. The map display in the map mode is the same as the route display in the conventional navigation system. Further, this map mode is used by the user when the vehicle is at the time of departure, and does not affect the driving operation even if a detailed map is displayed.

  The navigator mode is an operation mode used when, for example, a passenger in a passenger seat guides a route to a user as a navigator, and includes guidance points 313 such as intersections and branch points on the route as shown in FIG. A map 312 in a relatively narrow range, a guidance image 314 indicating guidance at the guidance point 313, and an orientation image 315 are displayed on the display screen. The navigator can identify and convey the map and guidance points displayed on the display screen and the guidance (straight or left / right turn) related to the guidance points to the user. The map display in the navigator mode is the same as the route display in the conventional navigation system, similar to the map mode.

  The drive mode is an operation mode to which the display method of the present invention is applied. This operation mode is to display the guidance point and the guidance at the guidance point so that the user can instantly identify the user by merely looking at the display screen during the driving operation. Of course, this passenger can also use this mode of operation.

  For this reason, in the display in the drive mode, map information is not displayed as shown in FIG. 4, and a large arrow image indicating guidance at the guidance point is displayed as the guidance image 414. The distance from the current position to the guidance point is displayed by a character image 416, a bar display 417, and a total travel distance bar display 419. Accordingly, when in the drive mode operation state, the mobile terminal device 30 does not need to send a map transmission request for requesting new map data to the route search server 20 even if the map data is insufficient.

  The image that occupies the largest display area in the screen configuration of the display screen is the background image 418, which is an image that the user does not need to pay attention to. The main feature point of the display image is that the display color of the background image 418 is changed according to the distance from the current position to the guidance point. The background image 418 can be a pseudo three-dimensional image that gives an image of a road, not a map or a road, and can give a feeling of traveling on the road when the user glances at the display image. In addition, the color of the background image 418 occupying the largest image on the screen changes depending on the distance from the current position to the guidance point.

  For example, when the distance to the guidance point is sufficiently large, the background image 418 is displayed in green, when the distance range is reached, the background image 418 is displayed in yellow, and when the distance is sufficiently close to the guidance point, the background image 418 is displayed in red. Such a display allows the user to instantly recognize the meaning of the guidance that the user has looked at the screen and has approached the guidance point. In this way, when approaching the guidance point, the color of the widest area of the display screen of the mobile terminal device changes, so the color change can be noticed even by the indirect visual field, and the degree of approach to the guidance point is known. be able to. By combining with voice guidance, it becomes more effective guidance. Since no map is displayed, there is nothing to watch and does not hinder driving.

  When the mobile terminal device 30 is operating in the drive mode, map data is essentially unnecessary, and location information of guidance points such as intersections and branch points and guidance information related to the guidance points, such as straight ahead and right The route guidance is displayed only by information for guiding the traveling direction on the route to the user such as a left turn. The portable terminal device 30 is provided with current position detection means such as GPS receiving means and autonomous navigation means in order to recognize the distance relationship between the current position and the position of the guidance point. It is configured to detect approaching and output guidance information related to the guidance point.

  That is, in the drive mode, the map is not displayed when the mobile terminal device 30 displays the guide route data. That is, the mobile terminal device 30 is configured from guidance route data received from the route search server 20 with guidance points that set intersections and branch locations and guidance information that indicates the direction of travel at the guidance points (straight or left / right turn). The mobile terminal device 30 is greatly different from the conventional navigation system in that a simple display method for displaying only the guidance information at the guidance point is adopted.

  When performing these displays, the user (user) occupies the largest display area in the screen configuration so that the user (user) can recognize the meaning of the guidance at a glance as described above. The display color of the image is configured to change according to the distance from the current position to the guidance point, and the distance to the guidance point can be changed instantly by the displayed color, or when the user glances at the guidance image. It is designed to be recognized.

  In the navigation system according to the present embodiment, when the map is displayed on the display means of the mobile terminal device 30 during the drive mode operation, the next guidance point that arrives from the current position on the guidance route to the destination is displayed. In addition to displaying and outputting the map and guidance related to the guidance point as a display point, the display point is sequentially moved to the guidance point ahead, and the map and guidance related to each display point are displayed and output. Can do. In the present invention, on the guidance route to the destination, the operation of advancing the display point to the destination sequentially with the guidance point that arrives next from the current position as the display point and the further guidance point as the display point is “continuous”. This is referred to as “guidance point display”.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display image displayed on the display unit in the above-described continuous guidance point display during the drive mode operation. The display image of FIG. 5 has basically the same configuration as the display image of FIG. 4, but a guidance point display column 512 next to the displayed guidance point is provided, and guidance indicating a right / left turn at the guidance point. An image (an arrow image) 513 is displayed. On this display screen, when an arrow key is operated, the guidance point (display point) to be displayed advances sequentially to the next guidance point on the guidance route.

  Selection of display points in the continuous guidance point display uses the up / down / left / right arrow keys of the portable terminal device 20, and each time the up arrow key is operated, the guidance points to be displayed advance to the destination one by one, and the down arrow key This can be done by setting the key definition so that the guidance points to be displayed each time the button is operated returns one by one from the current position to the next reaching guidance point. Alternatively, define a function key that automatically advances the display point (guidance point) automatically in sequence at a predetermined time and automatically returns from the current position to the next guidance point when the display point advances to the destination. Can also be done. In the following description, the continuous guidance point display designation using the arrow keys is taken as an example.

  In the above-mentioned continuous guidance point display, when the guidance point that arrives next from the current position is used as the display point and a map or guidance related to the guidance point is displayed, the display point is moved to the guidance point further ahead, Different display images are used so that the user can easily identify the map and guidance related to each display point when displaying and outputting. In the present embodiment, the display color of the background image 418 having the largest area among the display images in the drive mode shown in FIG. 4 is displayed in a different color.

  In this embodiment, as described above, the background image 418 is changed to “green”, “yellow”, and “red” as shown in FIG. 6 according to the distance to the next guidance point. When displaying the map and guidance regarding the background image 418, the background image 418 is displayed in “gray” as shown in FIG. By performing such display, the user glances at the background image 418 whether the user is looking at the next guidance point display that arrives from the current position, or whether the user is looking at the further guidance point display. Can be identified instantly.

  Hereinafter, a configuration for realizing display having the above-described features will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The route search server 20 includes control means 21, communication means 22, route search means 23, guidance data creation means 24, guidance point setting means 25, and road network DB (database) 26. Although not shown, the control unit 21 is a microprocessor having a RAM, a ROM, and a processor, and controls the operation of each unit by a control program stored in the ROM. The communication unit 22 is an interface for communicating with the mobile terminal device 30 via the network 11.

  The route search means 23 searches the optimum route from the departure point to the destination with reference to the road network DB 26 based on the route search condition sent from the mobile terminal device 30. This route search uses a technique such as the aforementioned Dijkstra method. The guidance route data searched by the route searching means 23 is sent to the guidance data creating means 24 and the guidance point setting means 25. The guidance point setting means 25 sets intersections and branch points in the guidance route as guidance points. The position information is sent to the guidance data creation means 24. The guidance data creation means 24 creates each guidance point and guidance related to the guidance point (straight forward, left / right guidance data) as guidance route data, and communication means 22 To the mobile terminal device 30 that requested the route search. Map data in a predetermined range including the current position is read from a map database (not shown) and distributed to the mobile terminal device 30 separately from the guide route data.

  On the other hand, the mobile terminal device 30 includes a control unit 31, an input unit 32, a display unit 33, a communication unit 34, a current position detection unit 35, a distance calculation unit 36, an image creation unit 37, a mode switching unit 38, and a guidance point selection unit 39. And so on. Although not shown, the control unit 31 is a microprocessor having a RAM, a ROM, and a processor, and controls the operation of each unit by a control program stored in the ROM. The input means 32 is an input means composed of numbers, alphabet keys, other function keys, selection keys, etc., and selects a desired menu from a menu screen displayed on the display means 33 or operates numbers and alphabet keys. Then, a route search condition is input. The communication unit 34 is an interface for communicating with the route search server 20 via the network 11.

  The route search condition input by the mobile terminal device 30 is sent to the route search server 20, and the route search server 20 searches for the optimum route based on the route search condition. The guidance route data searched by the route search server 20 is composed of the guidance points on the guidance route, guidance information related to the guidance points, and map data as described above, and is sent to the mobile terminal device 30. When receiving the guidance route data, the portable terminal device 30 displays the first guidance point in the guidance route data and the guidance information of the guidance point based on the current position of the portable terminal device 30 detected by the current position detection unit 35. 33. The mode switching unit 38 switches to one of the three operation modes described above in response to an operation mode designation input from the input unit 32.

  Further, when an input for activating the continuous guidance point display in the input means 32 during operation while the drive mode is specified (for example, the up / down arrow keys or the continuous guidance point display specification key is operated), the guidance point is displayed. The selection means 39 sequentially selects the guidance points to be displayed on the display means 33 from the guidance route data sequentially.

  The current position detection means 35 is composed of, for example, a GPS receiver and receives a GPS satellite signal and measures the current position (latitude / longitude) of the mobile terminal device 30. When the mobile terminal device 30 is a mobile phone, a method such as MS-based unique to the mobile phone can also be used. When mounted on a vehicle, it is also possible to acquire a vehicle speed pulse signal by a vehicle speed sensor, and in that case, autonomous navigation is possible with respect to distance. Furthermore, if an acceleration sensor, a steering angle sensor, or the like is used, the current position can be detected by autonomous navigation.

  As described above, the guidance route data includes guidance points. A guidance point is a place where the traveling direction of a vehicle should be changed at an intersection or a branch point. Since the guidance point is set to the node, the direction of the course change, that is, the guidance at the guide point (arrow 414 in FIG. 4) is expressed by the angle formed by the incoming link and the outgoing link. For example, it is classified into five directions of 45 degrees, left, diagonally left, straight ahead, diagonally right, and right, and is displayed as a large arrow image (guidance 414) on the display screen as shown in FIG. . Although it seems that the display of the straight direction is not necessary at first glance, even if it is straight, it is used to indicate a road type, for example, a case where a general road is switched to a highway.

  The distance from the current position to the next guidance point is calculated by the distance calculation means 36. The distance from the current position to the next node on the route (may be approximately calculated from the latitude and longitude of the node as a straight line distance) plus the length of the link to the next guide point The distance to the next guide point. During operation in the drive mode, when the distance is equal to or less than the predetermined first level, the image creation means 37 changes the color of the background image 418 (see FIG. 4) when creating image data to be displayed on the display means 33. Image data having a predetermined color is created. As described above, the image of the guidance 414 (see FIG. 4) is an arrow image, and the background image 418 is not a map, but a fixed background having the same perspective as the arrow, and is intentionally watched. There is no need to do it. The display color of that part is changed from green to yellow. Further, when the remaining distance becomes equal to or less than a predetermined second level, the yellow color is changed to red.

  When continuous guidance point display is designated during operation in the drive mode, the guidance point selection unit 39 selects a guidance point to be displayed on the display unit. The first gun dance point selected is a guidance point that reaches from the current position and arrives next, and sends the guidance route data of the guidance point to the image creation means 37 to create a guidance image at the guidance point. The guidance image at the guidance point is displayed like the display image shown in FIG. At that time, the next next guidance point is also selected, and the guidance image 513 at the next guidance point is displayed. Then, guidance points on the guidance route are sequentially selected to the destination by key operation or automatically, and the above processing is repeated to display a guidance image similar to that in FIG.

  When displaying the guidance image of the next guidance point that arrives from the current position, the display image color is changed from green to yellow according to the distance from the current position to the guidance point as described above. , And display it in red (see FIG. 6). Further, when displaying the guidance image of each further guidance point, the color of the display image is further changed to “gray” different from the above as shown in FIG. In the above specific example, the description has been made assuming that the color of the display image is “green”, “yellow”, “red”, “gray”, but the display image may be different depending on the combination of other colors. Needless to say.

  Next, the operation procedure of the navigation system 10 of the present embodiment described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure for switching the display image according to the operation mode of the mobile terminal device 30, and FIG. 9 shows an operation procedure when continuous guidance point display is designated while the mobile terminal device 30 is operating in drivebird. It is a flowchart.

  In the flowcharts of FIGS. 8 and 9, after the operation mode of the mobile terminal device 30 is set by any of the methods described above, route search conditions such as a departure place and a destination are sent to the route search server 20. The operation is shown. That is, this is an operation flowchart of the mobile terminal device 30 in a state in which the route search server 20 searches for the optimum route according to the route search condition and the guide route data is transmitted to the mobile terminal device 30.

  First, in the mobile terminal device 30, the current position detecting means 35 detects the current position at a constant cycle in the process of step S10. In the process of step S11, the control unit 31 determines whether the operation mode of the mobile terminal device 30 is the drive mode. If the operation mode of the portable terminal device 30 is not the drive mode, the display means 33 displays the map mode or the navigator mode in the process of step S12. If the operation mode of the mobile terminal device 30 is the drive mode, the image creation means 37 obtains the position (latitude / longitude) of the next guidance point in the process of step S13 based on the guidance route data received from the route search server 20. Then, in the process of step S14, guidance information (straight forward / left / right turn guidance) at the guidance point is obtained.

  On the other hand, in the process of step S15, the distance calculation means 36 calculates the distance from the current position to the next guidance point from the current position detected in step S10 and the position of the next guidance point obtained by the image creation means 37. . As described above, this calculation is based on the distance from the current position to the next node on the route (which may be approximately calculated as a straight line distance from the latitude and longitude of the node) and the length of the link to the next guide point. Is obtained by adding Then, in the process of step S16, the distance calculation means 36 determines whether the distance to the next gun dance point calculated in step S15 is equal to or lower than the first level, or equal to or lower than the second level, and creates an image of the result. Send to means 37.

  The image creation means 37 receives the determination result from the distance calculation means 36, and creates image data to be displayed on the display means 33 in the process of step S17 when the distance is equal to or greater than the first level. Set the color of the part to green. This display image is sent to the display means 33 and displayed on the display means 33 in the process of step S20. The display image is the image shown in FIG. 4, and the background image 418 is displayed in green.

  When the distance is less than or equal to the first level, the image creation means 37 creates image data to be displayed on the display means 33 in the process of step S18, and at this time, the color of the background image portion is set to yellow. This display image is sent to the display means 33 and displayed on the display means 33 in the process of step S20. The display image is the image shown in FIG. 4, and the background image 418 is displayed in yellow.

  When the distance is less than or equal to the second level, the image creation means 37 creates image data to be displayed on the display means 33 in the process of step S19, and at this time, the color of the background image portion is set to red. This display image is sent to the display means 33 and displayed on the display means 33 in the process of step S20. The display image is the image shown in FIG. 4, and the background image 418 is displayed in red. In step S21, the control means 31 determines whether or not the destination has been reached. If the destination has been reached, the processing is terminated. If the destination has not been reached, the processing returns to step S10 and the above-described processing is repeated.

  That is, as for the guidance image displayed on the display means 33, the color of the background image occupying the widest portion of the display image changes from green to yellow and red as the guidance point approaches according to the distance to the next guidance point. Therefore, the user can instantly approach the guidance point just by glance at the color of the background image 418 displayed on the display screen, and can instantly understand the meaning of the guidance. Become. The guidance image 414 is displayed with a large arrow, and the user can instantaneously determine the traveling direction at the next guidance point.

  If the continuous guidance point display is designated while the mobile terminal device 30 is operating in the drive mode, it is assumed that the drive mode is designated and the operation is performed in the process of step S30 as shown in FIG. It is determined whether or not there has been a continuous guidance point (GP) display designation operation in the process of step S31. If there is no operation, the determination process of step S31 is repeated, and if there is an operation of continuous guidance point display, the process of step S32 is performed. Proceed to

  In the process of step S32, the guidance point selection means 39 selects a guidance point to be displayed on the display means. The first gun dance point selected is a guidance point that reaches from the current position and arrives next. The guidance route data of the guidance point is sent to the image creation means 37 and the image creation means 37 is processed in step S33. A guidance image at the guidance point is created, and the guidance image at the guidance point is displayed like the display image shown in FIG. At that time, the next next guidance point is also selected, and the guidance image 513 at the next guidance point is displayed. Then, guidance points on the guidance route are sequentially selected to the destination by key operation or automatically, and the above processing is repeated to display a guidance image similar to that in FIG.

  In displaying the guidance image at the guidance point, when the guidance point selected by the guidance point selection means 39 displays the guidance image of the guidance point that will be reached next from the current position in the process of step S33, first. As described, the color of the display image (background image) is changed from green to yellow and red depending on the distance from the current position to the guidance point (see the flowchart in FIG. 8). Further, when displaying the guidance image of each further guidance point, the color of the display image is further changed to “gray” different from the above as shown in FIG.

  Next, the portable terminal device 30 determines whether or not the destination has been reached in the process of step S34. If the destination has been reached, the process is terminated. If the destination has not been reached, the process proceeds to step S35. Then, it is determined whether or not there has been an operation of returning or advancing the guidance point to be displayed. If there is no operation, the process returns to the determination process of step S34, and if there is an operation, the guidance point selection means 39 should display in the process of step S36. The guidance points on the guidance route are sequentially advanced one by one, and the processes in steps S32 to S36 are repeated until the destination is reached and navigation is terminated.

  By changing and displaying the display image in this way, does the user see the guidance point that arrives next from the current position, or does the user see further guidance points? The background image 418 can be identified at a glance.

  When returning the guidance point to be displayed in the continuous guidance point display to the guidance point display screen that was previously displayed, if the mobile terminal device 20 has already passed the guidance point, The process of returning to the guidance point is not performed, and control is performed so as to return to the next arrival guidance point from the current position.

  However, if there is a request to retrospectively check the display image of the guidance point that the user has already passed, the display history after the guidance point at which the continuous guidance point is specified is stored and passed. It is also possible to allow the processing to return and display the guidance points that have been sequentially returned.

  The switching of the operation mode to the drive mode is automatically selected when the mobile terminal device 30 is mounted on a hands-free kit provided in the vehicle, regardless of an input instruction by the input means 32. Alternatively, the mounting on the holder may be mechanically read, or the mode switching means 38 automatically switches to the drive mode on condition that power is supplied or a signal such as a vehicle speed pulse is input. It is good also as a structure switched to operation | movement. In particular, when a mobile phone is used as the mobile terminal device 30, the following operation modes can be automatically switched in addition to the above.

  For example, a mobile phone that is the mobile terminal device 30 includes hands-free kit detection means, a triaxial acceleration sensor, and the direction in which the acceleration sensor detects the greatest acceleration is excluded as the gravitational acceleration direction (vertical), and the remaining 2 When a change in acceleration is observed on the axis, it may be determined that the vehicle is running and the display may be switched to the drive mode display. The normal acceleration of a passenger car is generally about 0.1G to 0.4G. Even when turning right or left at an intersection, an acceleration change of about 0.4G is detected, and when the brake is operated, an acceleration change of up to about 0.8G is detected. Is observed. Accordingly, it is detected that the mobile phone is set in the hands-free kit by the hands-free kit detecting means, and it can be determined that the vehicle is running when the acceleration changes within the dynamic range of the acceleration sensor.

  Even when the hands-free kit is not used, after the route guidance starts, if a predetermined time elapses without the mobile phone being the mobile terminal device 30 being operated, the mode is switched to the drive mode operation. Also good. If there is an operation of the mobile phone, it is a passenger's operation, so it may be automatically switched to the map display operation mode in the map mode or the navigator mode.

  When the user uses a mobile phone as the mobile terminal device 30, the display screen is fixed at an angle close to vertical because it is fixed to a hands-free kit or the like. When a passenger uses the mobile phone, the mobile phone is used in a relatively laid state, so there is an angle difference between the usage states of the two. The mobile phone is equipped with posture detection means, and when the mobile phone's posture is nearly vertical, it is set as the drive mode operation mode, and when the mobile phone's posture is almost horizontal, it is automatically switched to the navigator mode with map or the map mode operation mode. be able to.

  As described above in detail, according to the navigation system of the present invention, when the continuous guidance point display is designated during the drive mode operation, the display image of the guidance route is displayed and the display image of the next guidance point is displayed. The background image occupying the widest part of the display image changes to a different color depending on whether the display image of the guidance point ahead is displayed. As a result, the user can instantly understand whether he / she is looking at the next guidance point display image or looking at the next guidance point display image by simply looking at the display screen. Become.

  Therefore, it is possible to provide a navigation system that is highly safe for the user, and in particular, it is possible to provide a navigation system suitable for a communication-type navigation system that uses a mobile phone as the mobile terminal device 30. .

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation system concerning the Example of this invention. It is a screen block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the display screen of map mode. It is a screen block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the display screen of navigator mode. It is a screen block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the display screen of drive mode. It is a screen block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the display screen in the case of performing a continuous guidance point display at the time of drive mode operation | movement. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example in which the display color of the background image is changed according to the distance to the guidance point on the display screen of FIG. 5. It is a figure for demonstrating the example which changes the display color of a background image by the guidance point currently displayed when performing a continuous guidance point display. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the portable terminal device concerning this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the portable terminal device in the continuous guidance point display concerning the Example of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure of the road network for a general route search. It is a figure which shows an example of the display image in the conventional navigation system.

Explanation of symbols

10 navigation system 20 route search server 21 control means 22 communication means 23 route search means 24 guidance data creation means 25 guidance point setting means 26 road network DB
30 mobile terminal device 31 control means 32 input means 33 display means 34 communication means 35 current position detection means 36 distance calculation means 37 image creation means 38 mode switching means 39 guidance point selection means

Claims (12)

Based on the route search conditions input from the mobile terminal device, the route search server searches the route from the departure place to the destination and sends the guide route to the mobile terminal device, and the mobile terminal device displays the guide route on the display means. Navigation system
The route search server includes guidance data creation means for creating guidance route data including guidance points on the guidance route and guidance information related to the guidance point based on the searched guidance route,
The portable terminal device has at least an operation mode of a drive mode, and includes a current position detection unit, a distance calculation unit, an image creation unit, a display unit, and a guidance point selection unit,
When the mobile terminal device is operating in the drive mode, the image creation means creates a display image composed of a background image and a guidance image displayed on the display means, and the guidance point selection means displays a continuous guidance point display Is selected, the guidance point to be reached next from the current position detected by the current position detection means based on the guidance route data, and the guidance point to the destination ahead are selected in order to the image creation means. The image creation means sends the background image color of the display image at the guidance point that arrives next from the current position and the display image at the further guidance point on the guidance route to the destination. A navigation system characterized by creating different display images and displaying them on a display means.   The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the portable terminal device has another operation mode for displaying a map together with guide route data, and includes a mode switching unit.   The navigation system according to claim 2, wherein the mode switching means switches to the drive mode when the portable terminal device is not operated for a predetermined time or longer.   When returning the display image to the previously displayed guidance point display image, the guidance point selection means returns the current guidance position to the next arrival guidance point from the current position detected by the current position detection means at the time of the restoration. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein a dance point is selected. Based on the route search conditions input from the mobile terminal device, the route search server searches for a route from the departure place to the destination, and based on the searched guidance route, the guidance point on the guidance route and the relation to the guidance point A mobile terminal device connected via a network to a route search server having guidance data creation means for creating guidance route data including guidance information
The portable terminal device has at least an operation mode of a drive mode, and includes a current position detection unit, a distance calculation unit, an image creation unit, a display unit, and a guidance point selection unit,
When the mobile terminal device is operating in the drive mode, the image creation means creates a display image composed of a background image and a guidance image displayed on the display means, and the guidance point selection means displays a continuous guidance point display Is selected, the guidance point to be reached next from the current position detected by the current position detection means based on the guidance route data, and the guidance point to the destination ahead are selected in order to the image creation means. The image creation means sends the background image color of the display image at the guidance point that arrives next from the current position and the display image at the further guidance point on the guidance route to the destination. A portable terminal device that creates a different display image and displays it on a display means.   The portable terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the portable terminal device has another operation mode for displaying a map together with guide route data, and includes a mode switching unit.   The portable terminal device according to claim 6, wherein the mode switching unit switches to the drive mode when the portable terminal device is not operated for a predetermined time or more.   When returning the display image to the previously displayed guidance point display image, the guidance point selection means returns the current guidance position to the next arrival guidance point from the current position detected by the current position detection means at the time of the restoration. 6. The portable terminal device according to claim 5, wherein a dance point is selected. Based on the route search conditions input from the mobile terminal device, the route search server searches the route from the departure point to the destination and sends the guide route to the mobile terminal device, and the mobile terminal device displays the guide route on the display means Display method in a navigation system,
The route search server includes guidance data creation means for creating guidance route data including guidance points on the guidance route and guidance information related to the guidance point based on the searched guidance route,
The portable terminal device has at least an operation mode of a drive mode, and includes a current position detection unit, a distance calculation unit, an image creation unit, a display unit, and a guidance point selection unit,
When the mobile terminal device is operating in the drive mode, the image creating means creates a display image composed of a background image and a guidance image to be displayed on the display means, and the guidance point selecting means is a continuous guidance When the point display is designated, the image is created by selecting the next guidance point from the current position detected by the current position detection means based on the guidance route data and the guidance point to the destination ahead in sequence. The image generating means includes a display image at a guidance point that arrives next from the current position and a display image at a further guidance point on the guidance route to the destination, and a background thereof. Creating display images with different colors of the images and displaying them on the display means Display wherein the door.   In the display method, the portable terminal device has another operation mode for displaying a map together with guide route data, further comprising a mode switching unit, and further switching the operation mode based on an operation of the mode switching unit. The display method according to claim 9, further comprising:   11. The display method according to claim 10, wherein the step of switching the mode includes a process of switching to the drive mode when the portable terminal device is not operated for a predetermined time or more.   In the display method, when returning the display image to the previously displayed guidance point display image, the guidance point selecting means is a guidance that reaches next from the current position detected by the current position detecting means at the time of the return. The display method according to claim 9, further comprising a step of selecting a gun dance point by returning to the point.

Images