JP4526285B2 - On-vehicle electronic device and map display method in the device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device having a navigation function for searching for a route to a destination or displaying a map around a vehicle position, and more particularly to a method for displaying a map displayed on a display.

  The navigation device detects the current position of the vehicle, reads map data around the vehicle position from the map database, draws the map on the display, and displays the vehicle mark on the map. When the current position changes due to the movement of the vehicle, the map scrolls and the vehicle mark moves accordingly.

  In order to present the right / left turn route guidance at the intersection to the driver and the like in an easy-to-understand manner, when the vehicle position approaches the intersection, an enlarged view of the intersection is displayed on the display. Along with this, voice guidance is also performed.

  With regard to guidance for such intersections, Patent Document 1 discloses an enlarged view of the shape of a complex intersection in order to make it easier to understand guidance at intersections (compound intersections) where there are a plurality of branch paths and the branch paths do not necessarily diverge from the same point. These data are stored separately, and the stored enlarged view of the shape is used when approaching the composite intersection. Thus, unlike a normal intersection, the composite intersection is displayed accurately in accordance with the actual intersection field.

  In addition, there are two methods for displaying maps on the display, two-dimensionally displaying roads and buildings, and three-dimensionally displaying roads and buildings from the driver's line of sight to increase reality. Yes.

JP-A-5-53500

  However, the map display in the conventional navigation device has the following problems. FIG. 10 shows an example of an enlarged view of an intersection. In the enlarged view of the intersection, in addition to the vehicle position mark, the traveling direction Y at the intersection is indicated by an arrow. By simplifying the display, the traveling direction and the remaining distance (50 m in the figure) can be easily understood. is doing. However, on the other hand, there is a problem that it is difficult to grasp the relative positional relationship between the position of the vehicle and the real world due to lack of detail as a map. In particular, such a problem is significant in intersection guidance.

  In order to solve these problems, it is also possible to use a city map that reflects the real world map in more detail and expand it to guide the intersection. However, if a movie is used to smoothly enlarge the city map, a very large amount of image data is required to process the movie, and an inexpensive processor can reduce the processing speed and display a smooth enlarged image. difficult. On the other hand, if a high-performance processor is used, high-speed enlargement display is possible without reducing the processing speed, but the cost of the navigation device increases. In addition, although it is possible to instantly change the scale of the map and display the enlarged intersection, the user may not be able to easily grasp the correspondence at the moment of changing the scale.

Accordingly, the present invention solves the above-described problems of the prior art, and when switching the scale of a map, there is no sense of incongruity, and an on-vehicle electronic device with a navigation function that can easily recognize an equality and a map display thereof It aims to provide a method.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an in-vehicle electronic device and a map display method thereof that can display easy-to-understand guidance that is close to an actual map without delay while being low-cost.

  An in-vehicle electronic device according to the present invention has a navigation function for guiding a route to a destination, map data storage means for storing map data, and a map based on map data stored in the map data storage means And a display control means for synthesizing a shutter image for narrowing the display area on the map when the map displayed on the display is switched from the first scale to the second scale. The

  Preferably, the display control unit includes a plurality of shutter images, combines at least the first shutter image with respect to the map of the first scale, and combines at least the second shutter image with respect to the map of the second scale. To do. Since the apertures or exposure areas of the first and second shutter images are different, the shutter image is displayed in accordance with the map scale change, and the discomfort caused by the scale change is suppressed by the shutter effect. The scale here may include a display format (for example, two-dimensional display or three-dimensional display) in addition to the scale or magnification of the map. That is, when the map of the display is switched from the two-dimensional display to the three-dimensional display, and conversely, when the map is switched from the three-dimensional display to the two-dimensional display, the first and second shutter images may be synthesized.

  The map display method in the vehicle-mounted electronic device according to the present invention synthesizes a shutter image for narrowing the display area on the map when the map displayed on the display is switched from the first scale to the second scale. Preferably, when the vehicle position approaches the intersection, the first shutter image is synthesized on the map of the first scale, the vicinity of the intersection is exposed, and the timing at which the first scale is switched to the second scale Thus, the second shutter image is synthesized on the map of the second scale to expose the enlargement near the intersection.

  According to the in-vehicle electronic device according to the present invention, when the scale is switched, the shutter image is synthesized, so even if the scale is switched instantaneously, the user is prevented from feeling uncomfortable due to the screen switching. Can do. In addition, since the shutter images are combined, it is not always necessary to transfer the images smoothly like a moving image, and a quick map display can be performed while suppressing the amount of data to be processed. Furthermore, since the shutter images are synthesized before and after the scale change, the user's viewpoint can be kept constant, and the correspondence can be easily grasped even after the scale change.

  The in-vehicle electronic device of the present invention is preferably implemented in an in-vehicle navigation device. Details of the navigation device will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The GPS receiver 10 receives radio waves from an artificial satellite (GPS satellite) and measures the current position and current direction of the vehicle. The self-contained navigation sensor 11 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects a moving distance of the vehicle and an angle that detects a rotation angle of the vehicle. The position detection signals of the GPS receiver 10 and the self-contained navigation sensor 11 are supplied to the control unit 80, and the control unit 80 maps the vehicle position on the map based on these position detection signals.

  The VICS / FM multiple receiver 12 sequentially receives the current road traffic information outside the vehicle via the antenna 13. The operation panel 20, the voice input unit 21, and the remote control operation unit 22 constitute an input of the navigation device 1. The operation panel 20 includes a touch panel of the display 51, for example. The input interface 23 transmits input information from the operation panel 20, the voice input unit 21, and the remote control operation unit 22 to the control unit 80.

  The storage device 30 is preferably composed of a large capacity hard disk drive (HDD). The hard disk can store map data, addresses, data such as telephones and facilities, and programs for executing various navigation functions.

  The map data includes drawing data and road data for drawing facilities and buildings. The drawing data includes a position, a planar shape, a height, a polygon / line type, color information, and the like that can display buildings, roads, signals, etc. in an urban area equivalent to an actual landscape. The road data includes link information and node information connected to the link. The link information includes information such as a road width, a distance, and a road type including the link position information. The node information includes the position of the intersection. , Type, intersection lane information, and the like.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the scale of the map displayed on the display is switched, a shutter image to be combined with the map screen is prepared and stored in the storage device 30. As shown in FIG. 2A, the shutter image 100 has a circular transmissive region 102 in the center and a non-transmissive region 104 around the transmissive region. When a map 110 as shown in FIG. 2B is displayed on the display, if the shutter image 100 is combined and drawn on the map 110, it corresponds to the transparent area 102 as shown in FIG. The map corresponding to the non-transparent area 104 is shielded or suppressed. The shutter image 100 preferably has the same size as the display area of the display, and the display of both is synthesized by superimposing the shutter image layer on the map layer displayed on the display. For example, black or dark colors can be used for the non-transmissive region 104, but other colors may be used. Further, it may be shaded as shown in FIG.

  Further, the storage device 30 stores a plurality of shutter image patterns in which the diameter D of the transmission region 102 of the shutter image 100 shown in FIG. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of shutter images having diameters D1, D2,... Dn and corresponding map scales (S1, 2D), (S1, 3D),. ) Are stored in association with each other. The map scale of FIG. 3 is indicated by a combination of a scale (S1, S2,... Sn) and a display method (2D: 2D display, 3D: 3D display). The scale includes from a wide area scale indicating a wide area to a narrow area scale indicating details of an urban area. For example, a shutter image having a small diameter D is assigned to the wide area scale, and a shutter image having a large diameter D is assigned to the narrow area scale.

  Returning to FIG. 1 again, the data communication control unit 31 transmits and receives data wirelessly. The data communication control unit 31 may include a communication device that transmits and receives data in the navigation device, or may externally attach a mobile phone or an electronic device having a communication function to the navigation device. .

  The sound output unit 40 includes a speaker 41, and outputs sound from the speaker 41 under the control of the control unit 80. For example, as information until reaching the destination, a voice prompting attention in the course direction is output before the intersection.

  The display control unit 50 is connected to the display 51 and, under the control of the control unit 80, displays the map data read from the storage device 30 or the data memory 70 on the display 51, or displays the current position of the vehicle on the map. The vehicle mark to be shown, the route to the destination, the guidance display of the intersection, or the landmark of the facility are combined and displayed. Further, in this embodiment, the display control unit 50 has a function of synthesizing the shutter image described above with a map on the display.

  The program memory 60 stores various programs executed in the navigation device, and the control unit 80 operates according to these programs. The program memory 60 may store a program in advance or may load a program from the storage device 30. In the program memory 60, for example, a program 61 for searching for a route to a destination, a program 62 for performing various settings / changes such as a map displayed on the display 51, and a program 63 for synthesizing a shutter image on the map. Etc. are memorized.

  The data memory 70 includes processing results of various operations processed by the control unit 80, map data 71 read from the storage device 30, guidance route data 72 to the destination, and travel locus data 73 on which the vehicle has actually traveled. Remembered. Further, a shutter image 100 to be combined with the map is stored. The data memory 70 can be a DRAM, SRAM, flash memory or the like, and the contents of the data memory 70 may be transferred to the storage device 30. Further, the external memory 76 that can be attached to the navigation device 1 may be used together with the data memory 70.

  Next, the map display operation of the navigation device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, as a preferred mode, an example of an enlarged intersection display during guidance of a guidance route to a destination will be described.

  When the setting from the user to the destination is input, the control unit 80 searches for the optimum route from the current position to the destination (step S101), and stores the searched route data in the data memory 72 (step S102). ).

  As the host vehicle travels, the control unit 80 detects the host vehicle position based on a position detection signal from the GPS receiver 10 and / or the autonomous navigation sensor 11 (step S103). In response to this, the peripheral map data is read from the storage device 30 (step S104). The controller 80 determines whether or not the vehicle position has reached 300 m before the intersection while referring to the route data (step S105). When reaching 300 m before the intersection, the control unit 80 determines whether or not the map scale of the display 51 is a wide area city map (step S106). The wide-area city map is a scale that can display the position of the vehicle and the intersection on the display, and reflects the shape of the actual road and intersection.

  If it is not the wide area city map, the scale is switched to the wide area city map scale (step S107). To change the map scale, map data of different scales may be prepared in advance, and the corresponding map data may be selected from the map data, or the map data may be processed digitally and processed into the corresponding scale. Also good.

  Simultaneously with the transition to the wide-area city map, the control unit 80 performs a three-dimensional radiation display in which surrounding buildings are tilted around the vehicle position (step S108). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the landscape display is such that the building B existing in the peripheral area 120 of the vehicle position M is inclined radially about the vehicle position. A guide route R is shown on the road. When a wide area city map has been displayed from the beginning, it is assumed that radiation three-dimensional display has been performed.

  The map screen scrolls as the vehicle approaches the intersection. When detecting that the vehicle position has reached 150 m before the intersection, the control unit 80 switches from the three-dimensional display at the center of the own vehicle to the three-dimensional display at the center of the intersection. At the same time, the shutter process is started (step S109). As described with reference to FIG. 3, the control unit 80 reads out a shutter image previously associated with the scale of the wide area city map from the storage device 30, and synthesizes it on the wide area city map (step S110). FIG. 6 is a display example when the shutter image 130 is synthesized on the wide area city map. The transmissive region 132 of the shutter image 130 is aligned with the center of the intersection, and as a result, a certain region centered on the intersection is exposed by the transmissive region 132, and the other regions are shielded or suppressed by the diaphragm (in the figure, the mesh). Display).

  Next, the scale is switched from the wide area city map to the narrow area city map. At the same time, another shutter image is synthesized so that the transparent area 132 of the shutter image is opened, and the exposure area is zoomed up (step S111). Another shutter image is read from the storage device 30 or the data memory 70 in accordance with the correspondence shown in FIG. The narrow-area city map may be obtained by processing the high-area city map digitally and processing the corresponding magnification, or reading the data of the narrow-area city map prepared separately from the storage device 30.

  FIG. 7 is a display example in which the shutter image 140 is synthesized on the narrow area city map. The transmissive area 142 of the shutter image 140 is larger than the diameter of the transmissive area 132 of the shutter image 130 of FIG. 6, and the transmissive area 132 transitions to the transmissive area 142, so that a zoom-up effect is obtained along with the scale magnification.

  By switching to the shutter image in synchronization with the scale switching, even if the map screen is changed instantaneously, the user's line of sight can be directed to the center of the intersection, and the correspondence relationship after switching the map screen can also be understood. It won't be difficult. Furthermore, since the area other than the vicinity of the intersection is shielded, the user does not feel uncomfortable due to instantaneous switching of the scale.

  After switching to the narrow area city map, the shutter process ends (step S112). After erasing the shutter image 140, as shown in FIG. 8, the narrow city map may be further enlarged so as to be further zoomed up. In addition, voice guidance for the guidance route may be performed simultaneously with the deletion of the shutter image. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, processing may be performed so that a point far from the intersection, that is, the corner C of the display is less noticeable than the center of the intersection. For example, the display of the area C can be blurred, the contrast ratio can be reduced, and monochrome display can be performed. The narrow-area city map more accurately reflects actual roads and intersections, and it is sufficient for the user to fully understand the intersection guidance. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the display of the region C that is not directly related to the intersection guidance, to highlight the intersection central portion, and to reduce the amount of data to be processed at the same time.

  After the vehicle position passes the intersection, the map display on the display is switched to the wide-area city map or the original map scale, and the map display by the three-dimensional radiation display centered on the vehicle position as shown in FIG. (Step S113). The above steps are performed until the destination is reached (step S114).

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the first embodiment, when switching from the wide area city map to the narrow area city map, the shutter image 130 is displayed in two stages from the shutter image 140. In the second embodiment, this is displayed in multiple stages.

  In step S110 of the flow of FIG. 4, when the shutter image is combined with the wide area city map, the shutter image 160 to the shutter image 190 are continuously switched. The diameters of the transmission regions 162, 172, 182, and 192 of the shutter images 160, 170, 180, and 190 are gradually reduced. By continuously switching from the shutter image 160 to 190, it is possible to provide a zoom-in effect such that a predetermined area continuously changes on the map screen.

  On the other hand, when shifting to the narrow city map in step S111, the shutter images 190 to 160 are continuously switched. By doing so, it is possible to provide a zoom-out effect in which the display area continuously changes from a small transmissive area to a large transmissive area.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. Deformation / change is possible.

  In the above embodiment, the shutter effect by the shutter image has been described by taking the intersection display as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to apply the shutter image when the map scale is switched in another scene. The map scale may be switched, for example, when the user operates a touch panel or the like to enlarge or reduce a predetermined area on the map. Further, even when the scale of the map scale is constant, the shutter effect using the shutter image is also used when the display format is switched from the two-dimensional display to the three-dimensional display, and vice versa. Can be presented.

  In the above-described embodiment, the route guidance is targeted, but the present invention can be applied to other cases. Further, in the map display, the radiation three-dimensional display centering on the vehicle position and the intersection is used. However, the present invention is similarly applied to a two-dimensional map display and a three-dimensional display such as a bird's-eye view. be able to.

  In the above-described embodiment, the transmission area of the shutter image is circular. However, other shapes such as a quadrangle and a polygon may be used. Also, the design of the color and shading of the non-transmissive area can be selected as appropriate according to the design.

  The vehicle-mounted electronic device provided with the navigation function according to the present invention can be used in a navigation device, a navigation system, or an electronic device such as a computer including these functions. Further, the electronic device can be used in a multimedia-compatible electronic device having an audio function, a TV broadcast receiving function, etc. in addition to a navigation function, or an electronic system composed of a plurality of electronic devices having such a function. it can.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure explaining the shutter image of a present Example. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a shutter image and a map scale. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the navigation apparatus of a present Example. It is a display example of a wide area city map. It is an example of a display when combining a shutter image with a wide area city map. It is an example of a display when combining a shutter image with a narrow city map. It is a figure which shows the blurring expression of an intersection enlarged display. It is a figure which shows the usage example of the shutter image by the 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the conventional intersection guidance.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Navigation apparatus 10: GPS receiver 11: Self-contained navigation sensor 12: VICS receiver 20: Operation panel 30: Storage device 40: Audio | voice output part 50: Display control part 51: Display 60: Program memory 70: Data memory 80 : Control unit 100, 130, 140, 160, 170, 180, 190: Shutter image 102, 132, 142, 162, 172, 182, 192: Transmission region

Claims (5)

An in-vehicle electronic device having a navigation function for guiding a route to a destination,
Map data storage means for storing map data;
A display for displaying a map based on the map data stored in the map data storage means;
Storage means for storing at least first and second shutter images, each of the first and second shutter images including a transmissive region and a non-transmissive region, wherein the first shutter image is assigned to a wide area scale; The storage means, wherein the second shutter image is assigned to a narrow scale, and the second transmission area of the second shutter image is larger than the first transmission area of the first shutter image;
When the map displayed on the display is switched from the wide area scale to the narrow area scale, the first shutter image read from the storage means is combined and displayed on the wide area scale map, and then read from the storage means. Display control means for synthesizing and displaying the second shutter image thus obtained on a narrow-scale map,
The first and second shutter images each include a plurality of shutter images, and the transmission areas of the first and second plurality of shutter images change stepwise,
When the display control means switches from the wide scale to the narrow scale, the first plurality of shutter images are continuously displayed so that the size of the first transmission area gradually decreases on the scale before the switching. An in-vehicle electronic device that switches and synthesizes, and then continuously switches and synthesizes the second plurality of shutter images so as to gradually increase to the size of the second transmission region on the scale after switching. The electronic device further includes position detection means for detecting the position of the own vehicle, and the display control means detects the vicinity of the intersection displayed on a wide scale when the position detection means detects that the own vehicle has approached the intersection. When the first plurality of shutter images are continuously switched and combined so that the size of the first transmission region is gradually reduced so as to be exposed and switched from the wide area scale to the narrow area scale, The in-vehicle electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the second plurality of shutter images are continuously switched and combined so as to gradually increase in size of the second transmission region so as to expose the enlargement. . The first and second shutter images each have a circular transmission region, and the diameter of the transmission region between the first and second shutter images changes stepwise. Automotive electronic device. A navigation function for guiding a route to a destination and a storage device are provided, and at least first and second shutter images are stored in the storage device, and the first and second shutter images are respectively a transmission region and a non-transmission region. The first shutter image is assigned to a wide scale, the second shutter image is assigned to a narrow scale, and the second transmission area of the second shutter image is the first of the first shutter image. The first and second shutter images each include a plurality of shutter images, and the transmission regions of the first and second shutter images change stepwise. A map display method in
Displaying a map on the display based on the map data;
When switching the map displayed on the display on the narrow area scale from wide scale, a first plurality of read out from the storage device such that the magnitude of the first transmissive region decreases gradually in the scale before switching The shutter images are continuously switched , combined and displayed on a wide-scale map, and then read out from the storage device so as to gradually increase to the size of the second transmission area in the scale after switching . A step of continuously switching a plurality of shutter images of 2 and compositing and displaying the map on a narrow scale; and
A map display method comprising: The map display method further includes the step of detecting that the vehicle position approaches the intersection,
When an approach to the intersection is detected by the detection step , the first plurality of shutter images are continuously switched and combined so that the size of the first transmission area is gradually reduced on the wide-scale map. The second plurality of shutter images are gradually enlarged to the size of the second transmission area on the map of the narrow area scale at the timing when the vicinity of the intersection is exposed and then switched from the wide area scale to the narrow area scale. Continuously switch and combine to expose the enlargement near the intersection,
The map display method according to claim 4 .

Images