JP5029589B2 - In-vehicle display control apparatus, in-vehicle display control method, and in-vehicle display control program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted display control device, a vehicle-mounted display control method, and a vehicle-mounted display control program that display information indicating a travelable range on a map.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for displaying a travelable range corresponding to the remaining power amount of a rechargeable battery on a display unit together with the current position of the self vehicle in a self-vehicle traveling with the power of the rechargeable battery is known (for example, Patent Document 1). reference). Specifically, the travel distance of the vehicle is obtained in consideration of the climbing ability of the vehicle according to the remaining power amount of the rechargeable battery and the terrain information of each road on the road map, and based on the obtained travel distance The driving range is displayed on the map.
Japanese Patent No. 3177806

  In the conventional technique, an image indicating a travelable range corresponding to the remaining power amount of the rechargeable battery (hereinafter simply referred to as “travelable range image”) indicates a range starting from the current position of the host vehicle. In this configuration, when the scale of the map displayed on the display unit is switched to display a wider area map, the size of the travelable range image becomes smaller on the screen of the display unit than before the scale change. Therefore, depending on the scale of the map, a travelable range image and an image indicating the current position of the host vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as “current position image”) overlap, and it is difficult to clearly identify both.

In addition, when the vehicle travels using the remaining power amount of the rechargeable battery, the travelable range image becomes smaller due to a decrease in the travelable range due to a decrease in the remaining power amount associated with travel, and the travelable range image It is difficult to clearly distinguish the current position image from the current position image.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of clearly showing a travelable range to a user.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a map is displayed on the display unit, and a current position image indicating the current position of the host vehicle and a travelable range image indicating the travelable range are displayed on the map, The size of the travelable range image is compared with the size of the current position image. Then, based on the result of the comparison, a display method that can identify the current position of the host vehicle and the travelable range on the display unit is selected.

  Since the travelable range image shows the travelable range, the size of the travelable range image can be changed by changing the remaining power amount or the scale of the rechargeable battery. However, since the current position image indicates the current position of the host vehicle, the size does not vary according to the remaining power amount of the rechargeable battery unlike the travelable range image. For this reason, depending on the remaining power amount of the rechargeable battery, the current position image and the travelable range image overlap, and the two images cannot be clearly identified. Therefore, when a display method capable of identifying the current position of the host vehicle and the travelable range on the display unit is selected, the travelable range can be clearly shown to the user.

  Here, as long as the current position acquisition unit can acquire information indicating the current position of the host vehicle, various configurations can be adopted. For example, a configuration for specifying the current position of the host vehicle based on a signal from GPS, a configuration for specifying the position of the host vehicle with a sensor or a camera, a trajectory of the host vehicle on a map, inter-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication The structure etc. which identify the position of the own vehicle based on etc. are employable.

  The travelable range acquisition unit may adopt various configurations as long as it can acquire the travelable range in which the host vehicle can be driven with the remaining power amount of the rechargeable battery mounted on the host vehicle. For example, the required power amount for traveling in each road section is calculated based on the parameters such as the vehicle speed and gradient in each road section and the weight of the host vehicle, and based on the required power amount and the remaining power amount of the rechargeable battery. To obtain a travelable range. Moreover, you may employ | adopt the structure which acquires a driving | running | working possible range based on the past driving | running history of the own vehicle, the log | history of power consumption, and the remaining electric energy of a rechargeable battery. Further, a configuration may be adopted in which the travelable distance is acquired from a device different from the in-vehicle display control device mounted on the host vehicle and the travelable range is determined based on the travelable distance.

  The display control means only needs to display a map on the display unit and display a current position image indicating the current position of the host vehicle and a travelable range image indicating the travelable range on the map. The current position image may be an image for visually indicating the current position of the host vehicle, and may be displayed by, for example, an arrow, a symbol, or a character. The current position image is preferably an image having a fixed size or an image having a fixed size for each map scale. The travelable range image is preferably an image showing the travelable range starting from the current position by size. For example, a limit point that can be traveled from the current position based on the remaining power amount of the rechargeable battery is displayed on the road on the map. It may be displayed by showing. Further, the travelable range image may be displayed as a specific figure whose size changes with the travelable distance centered on the current position of the host vehicle (for example, a circle whose radius changes with the travelable distance). Further, the travelable range may be displayed by a line segment having a length corresponding to the travelable distance extending along the road on the map, and various configurations can be employed.

  Furthermore, the display control means may display either one of the current position image and the travelable range image on the other image. When the travelable range is narrow, there is a case where an overlapping portion on the display exists in both images when trying to display the current position image and the travelable range image on the display unit. Therefore, about the said overlap part, the said one image is displayed preferentially by displaying any one image on the other image.

  The image comparison unit may adopt various configurations as long as it can compare the size of the current position image and the size of the travelable range image. The size of the image may be determined by the area of the image or may be determined by the diameter of the image. Further, it may be determined by the distance between the center of the image and a point farthest from the center on the image.

  Further, the image comparison means may be able to acquire a ratio of the size of the travelable range image to the size of the current position image (hereinafter simply referred to as “image ratio”). The image ratio may be any index that can be used to evaluate whether or not the user can clearly recognize the travelable range on the display unit, and is expressed by (size of travelable range image) / (size of current position image). Is done.

  The display method selection means can adopt various configurations as long as it can select a display method that can identify the current position of the host vehicle and the travelable range on the display unit. That is, referring to the comparison result between the size of the current position image and the size of the drivable range image, whether to change the display method for indicating the current position of the host vehicle and the drivable range based on a preset rule Determine whether or not. When it is determined that it is necessary to change the display method, a display method that can identify the current position of the host vehicle and the travelable range on the display unit is selected.

  The display method is a method for expressing an image indicating the current position on the screen as a current position image and expressing a travelable range image indicating the travelable range on the screen. The display method is changed when a new display method is selected by the display method selection means. In the display method before the change, since the display method is not selected depending on the relationship between the current position image and the travelable range image, each may vary independently, and the travelable range may not be recognized accurately. Therefore, the display method after the change may be any method that can clearly show the travelable range to the user by showing the current position of the host vehicle and the travelable range in an identifiable manner.

  Furthermore, the display method selection means may select a display method for determining the scale of the map. That is, since the size of the travelable range image changes according to the scale of the map, the image ratio is not more than a predetermined value (it is difficult to clearly distinguish the current position image and the travelable range image). In this case, the display method for determining the scale of the map is selected so that the image ratio is larger than a predetermined value. Specifically, in order to make the image ratio larger than a predetermined value, the map scale is switched to display a narrower map.

  The predetermined value may be a value determined in advance as a value that makes it difficult to clearly identify the current position image and the travelable range image on the display unit. For example, when the travelable range image is indicated by a circle, the image ratio when the circumferential portion of the travelable range image starts to overlap the contour of the current position image may be employed. This is because the user may not be able to clearly identify the current position image and the travelable range image when the circumferential portion indicating the travelable range of the host vehicle overlaps the current position image. The predetermined value may be arbitrarily determined by the user. In this case, since the user can determine after confirming the image ratio at which both images cannot be clearly identified, a setting reflecting the subjectivity of each user is possible.

  Further, the display method selection means may select a display method for determining the size of the current position image so that the image ratio becomes larger than a predetermined value. According to such a display method, the current position image and the travelable range image can be accurately identified. The size of the current position image is preferably a fixed size or a size determined in advance with respect to a map scale. In such a configuration, when the image ratio is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the size of the current position image is changed so that the image ratio becomes larger than the predetermined value, and the travelable range is clearly indicated. Specifically, in order to make the image ratio larger than a predetermined value, it is necessary to make the size of the current position image smaller than the size before the change. Since the map scale is not changed when the current position image is changed, the size of the travelable range image hardly changes. Therefore, the image ratio can be made larger than a predetermined value by reducing the size of the current position image corresponding to the denominator in the calculation of the image ratio.

  Further, the display method selection means displays the current position image and the travelable range image simultaneously on the second map having a different scale from the map already displayed on the display unit, and the second map has already been displayed. You may select the display method displayed with a map. That is, referring to the comparison result between the current position image and the travelable range image, when it is determined that both images cannot be clearly identified on the already displayed map, the current position image can be traveled on the second map. A range image can be identified. By adopting such a configuration, the user can accurately recognize the travelable range.

  Furthermore, the display method selection means may select a display method that transmits the image displayed above when the current position image and the travelable range image have overlapping portions on the display unit. About an overlapping part, the user can visually recognize the other image by transmitting one image displayed above. According to such a configuration, the user can recognize the travelable range appropriately, and thus can know how far the vehicle can travel with the remaining power amount of the rechargeable battery.

  Note that the method of selecting a display method capable of identifying the current position of the host vehicle displayed on the map and the travelable range as in the present invention can also be applied as a program or method. In addition, the above-described device, program, and method may be realized as a single device or may be realized by using components shared with each part of the vehicle, and include various aspects. It is a waste. For example, it is possible to provide a navigation device, a method, and a program that include the above devices. Further, some changes may be made as appropriate, such as a part of software and a part of hardware. Furthermore, the invention is also established as a recording medium for a program for controlling the apparatus. Of course, the software recording medium may be a magnetic recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, or any recording medium to be developed in the future.

Here, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order.
(1) Configuration of in-vehicle display control device:
(2) In-vehicle display control processing:
(3) Other embodiments:

(1) Configuration of in-vehicle display control device:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an in-vehicle display control device mounted on the host vehicle. In the present embodiment, the in-vehicle display control device is realized by the navigation device 10. The navigation device 10 includes a control unit 20 including a CPU, RAM, ROM, and the like and a storage medium 30, and the control unit 20 can execute a program stored in the storage medium 30 or the ROM. In the present embodiment, the in-vehicle display control program 21 can be executed as one of the programs, and the in-vehicle display control program 21 has a current position and a travelable range of the host vehicle displayed on the map as its functions. And a function for selecting a display method that can be identified.

  In the present embodiment, the host vehicle (the vehicle on which the navigation device 10 is mounted) has a GPS receiver 40, a vehicle speed sensor 41, an acceleration sensor 42, a fuel tank 43, and an internal combustion engine in order to realize the functions of the in-vehicle display control program 21. 44, an electric motor 45, a rechargeable battery 46, a drive control ECU 47, and a user I / F 48 unit. These units and the control unit 20 cooperate to realize the function of the in-vehicle display control program 21.

  The GPS receiver 40 receives radio waves from GPS satellites and outputs information for calculating the current position of the host vehicle via an interface (not shown). The control unit 20 acquires this signal and acquires the current position and current time of the host vehicle. The vehicle speed sensor 41 outputs a signal corresponding to the rotational speed of the wheels provided in the host vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown), and acquires the speed of the host vehicle.

  The acceleration sensor 42 outputs a signal corresponding to the acceleration acting on the host vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires this signal via an interface (not shown). The vehicle speed sensor 41 and the acceleration sensor 42 are used to acquire information indicated by the output signals of the sensors and are also used to correct the current position of the host vehicle specified from the output signals of the GPS receiver 40. Is done. Of course, the configuration for acquiring the current position of the host vehicle is not limited to the above-described configuration, and a configuration in which the operation of the host vehicle is acquired using a gyro sensor or the like may be adopted, or the vehicle speed sensor 41 or the gyro sensor may be used. A configuration in which the current position is corrected based on an output signal such as the above or a trajectory of the host vehicle may be employed. Various other configurations can be adopted for acquiring information indicating the operation of the host vehicle, such as a configuration for specifying the current position of the host vehicle with a sensor or camera, a signal from GPS or a map. The structure etc. which acquire the operation information of the own vehicle by the above-mentioned vehicle locus, inter-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, etc. can be adopted.

  The host vehicle of the present embodiment is a hybrid vehicle that includes an internal combustion engine 44 that uses the fuel stored in the fuel tank 43 as a power source and an electric motor 45 that uses the rechargeable battery 46 as a power source. The internal combustion engine 44 and the electric motor 45 are connected to a power transmission mechanism (not shown), and the host vehicle is driven by converting the rotational driving force into the driving force of the vehicle by the power transmission mechanism. The host vehicle can be driven by either or both of the internal combustion engine 44 and the electric motor 45. In addition, a part of the rotational driving force generated by the internal combustion engine 44 is transmitted to the electric motor 45 as regenerative energy, and the electric power generated by the electric motor 45 at this time is stored in the rechargeable battery 46.

  The internal combustion engine 44 and the electric motor 45 are controlled by a drive control ECU 47. The drive control ECU 47 can output a control signal to the internal combustion engine 44 and the electric motor 45, and outputs a control signal to the internal combustion engine 44 and the electric motor 45 to either one of the internal combustion engine 44 and the electric motor 45 or Both are controlled to generate a rotational driving force. Therefore, in the present embodiment, driving and stopping of the internal combustion engine 44, charging by the electric motor 45, and driving of the electric motor 45 by discharging of the rechargeable battery 46 are selected by a control signal output by the drive control ECU 47. Further, the drive control ECU 47 acquires the remaining power amount [%] (SOC: State Of Charge) from the rechargeable battery 46 and notifies the control unit 20 of it. Note that the current remaining power amount of the rechargeable battery 46 can be obtained by various parameters relating to the rechargeable battery 46 corresponding to the remaining power amount. In addition to the SOC, the remaining power can be determined by voltage, current, electrolyte pH, and the like. The amount may be specified.

  The user I / F unit 48 is an interface unit for a user to input an instruction or provide various kinds of information to the user, and includes a touch panel display, a switch, a speaker, and the like (not shown). Further, the control unit 20 can guide the current position and travelable range of the host vehicle to the user via the display unit of the user I / F unit 48.

  The control part 20 performs the process which selects the display method which can identify the present position of the own vehicle displayed on a map, and a driving | running | working possible range by running a vehicle-mounted display control program. Therefore, the in-vehicle display control program 21 includes a current position acquisition unit 21a, a travelable range acquisition unit 21b, a display control unit 21c, an image comparison unit 21d, and a display method selection unit 21e. Map information 30a is stored. The map information 30a indicates node data indicating nodes set on the road on which the vehicle travels, shape interpolation data for specifying the shape of the road between the nodes, link data indicating connection between nodes, and road gradient. It includes gradient data, a travel history of the host vehicle, a history of power consumption, and the like, and is used when specifying the current position of the host vehicle or specifying a travelable range from the current position.

  The current position acquisition unit 21a is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of acquiring information indicating the current position of the host vehicle. The control unit 20 outputs the GPS reception unit 40 through the processing of the current position acquisition unit 21a. Information indicating the current position of the host vehicle indicated by the signal is acquired. The control unit 20 acquires an output signal output from the vehicle speed sensor 41, and appropriately corrects the current position of the host vehicle based on the trajectory of the host vehicle on the map with reference to the map information 30a. Information indicating the current position is transferred to the travelable distance acquisition unit 21b and the display control unit 21c.

  The travelable range acquisition unit 21b is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of acquiring a travelable range in which the host vehicle can be driven with the remaining power amount of the rechargeable battery mounted on the host vehicle. The control unit 20 acquires a travel history and a history of power consumption during travel and records them in the storage medium 30. When acquiring the travelable range, the control unit 20 selects the travel history and power consumption. Are acquired from the storage medium 30. Then, based on the travel history and the power consumption history, the travelable distance per unit power amount when the host vehicle is traveled using only the power of the rechargeable battery 46 is acquired. Further, the control unit 20 calculates a travelable distance based on the remaining power amount acquired from the rechargeable battery 46 and the travelable distance per unit power amount. Specifically, the travelable distance is obtained by (remaining power amount) × (travelable distance per unit power amount). In the present embodiment, the travelable range is a circular inner area (including the circumference) whose center is the current position of the host vehicle and whose radius is the travelable distance on the map, and the control unit 20 acquires the current position. The travelable range is specified based on the current position acquired by the process of the unit 21a and the calculated travelable distance.

  The display control unit 21c is a module that causes the control unit 20 to display a map on the display unit of the user I / F unit 48 and to display a current position image and a travelable range image on the map. In the present embodiment, the control unit 20 refers to the information indicating the current position of the host vehicle acquired by the processing of the current position acquisition unit 21a, and the current position image is displayed at a location on the map corresponding to the current position. In this manner, a signal is output to the user I / F unit 48. In the present embodiment, the current position image is indicated by a circle having a size determined for each scale, and a triangle is indicated in the circle. Similarly, the control unit 20 acquires information indicating the travelable range acquired by the process of the travelable range acquisition unit 21b, and based on the information, the travelable range image (can travel around the current position of the host vehicle). A signal is output to the user I / F unit 48 so that a circular image having a radius as the distance is displayed on the map.

  The image comparison unit 21d is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of comparing the size of the current position image with the size of the travelable range image. The control unit 20 acquires information indicating the current position image acquired by the processing of the display control unit 21c and information indicating the travelable range image, and compares the sizes of both images. That is, the control unit 20 acquires the radius of the current position image and the radius of the current position image indicated by a circle, and the ratio of the radius of the travelable range image to the radius of the current position image {(radius of the travelable range image) / (Radius of current position image)} is calculated. Information indicating the calculated image ratio is transferred to the display method selection unit 21e.

  The display method selection unit 21e is a module that causes the control unit 20 to realize a function of selecting a display method for indicating the current position of the host vehicle and the travelable range in an identifiable manner. The image ratio calculated by the processing of the image comparison unit 21d is referred to, and the image ratio is determined based on a preset rule. The control unit 20 determines whether or not to change the display method for indicating the current position of the host vehicle and the travelable range based on the determination result. When it is determined that the display method needs to be changed, the control unit 20 selects a new display method, information indicating the display method is transferred to the display control unit 21c, and the display of the user I / F unit 48 is displayed. The display method in the section is changed.

(2) In-vehicle display control processing:
Next, the in-vehicle display control process performed by the navigation device 10 in the above configuration will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the in-vehicle display control process. In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which the current position image is already displayed together with the map on the display unit of the user I / F unit 48 and the in-vehicle display control process is executed after receiving an input from the user.

  First, the control unit 20 acquires a travelable distance based on the travelable distance per unit power amount of the host vehicle and the remaining power amount acquired from the rechargeable battery 46 (step S100). Specifically, the control unit 20 acquires a travel history of the host vehicle and a history of power consumption from the storage medium 30. The control unit 20 acquires a travelable distance per unit power amount when the host vehicle is driven using only the power of the rechargeable battery 46 based on the travel history and the power consumption amount history. The control unit 20 acquires the travelable distance based on the travelable distance per unit power amount and the remaining power amount acquired from the rechargeable battery 46. That is, the travelable distance is obtained by (remaining power amount) × (travelable distance per unit power amount). Note that the control unit 20 may directly acquire the travelable distance from a specific device mounted on the host vehicle.

  The control unit 20 acquires information indicating the scale of the map displayed on the display unit (step S105). The control unit 20 identifies the size of the travelable range image corresponding to the acquired map scale (step S110). That is, the length of the travelable distance in the map displayed on the display unit is specified based on the information indicating the scale and the travelable distance acquired in step S100. The travelable range image is indicated by a circle whose radius is the travelable distance, and the size of the travelable range image is indicated by the radius of the travelable range image. Therefore, by specifying the length of the travelable distance on the map, the size of the travelable range image corresponding to the scale of the map is specified.

  The control unit 20 calculates the image ratio with reference to the size of the current position image and the size of the travelable range image (step S115). The image ratio is a ratio of the size of the travelable range image to the size of the current position image, and is represented by (radius of the travelable range image) / (radius of the current position image). Since the size of the current position image is determined for each scale, the radius of the current position image is acquired based on information indicating the scale.

  The control unit 20 refers to the calculated image ratio and determines whether the image ratio is equal to or less than a predetermined value (step S120). The predetermined value is preferably set between 1.1 and 1.2, which makes it difficult to distinguish the current position image and the travelable range image. When it is determined that the image ratio is larger than the predetermined value (N in Step S120), information indicating the travelable range image having the size specified in Step S110 is output to the display unit of the user I / F unit 48, The travelable range is displayed together with the current position image (step S125). That is, when the image ratio is not less than or equal to the predetermined value, the user can clearly identify the travelable range image and the current position image, so the size of the travelable range image specified in step S110 is changed. Without being displayed on the display unit.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the image ratio is equal to or less than the predetermined value (Y in step S120), the control unit 20 selects a display method that can identify the travelable range and the current position of the host vehicle on the display unit. (Step S130). Information indicating the travelable range based on the selected display method is output to the display unit of the user I / F unit 48, so that the travelable range is displayed so as to be identifiable with respect to the current position (step S125). . Specifically, the scale of the map displayed on the display unit can be selected in stages, and the control unit 20 acquires the length of the travelable distance on the map and the radius of the current position image for each scale. . The control unit 20 calculates an image ratio for each scale based on the acquired information, and specifies a scale at which the image ratio is greater than a predetermined value. The control unit 20 displays the current position image and the travelable range image on the display unit at the scale. According to such processing, the travelable range image is displayed larger than before the scale change, and the user can clearly identify the current position image and the travelable range image.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing in steps S120 to S130. 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate a screen 48a displayed on the display unit of the user I / F unit 48. FIG. The scale of the displayed map is shown on the upper left in the screen 48a. The line segment shown at the lower left in the screen 48a indicates the distance of the line segment on the map at the scale. Only the scale of FIG. 3C is different from FIGS. 3A and 3B, and the distance on the map indicated by the lower left line segment is also different. A circular image displayed at the center of the screen 48 a and including a triangle is the current position image 51. A circular image displayed around the current position image 51 is the travelable range image 50. An image indicated by a broken line on the screen 48 a is a road image 52.

  FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a screen 48a when the travelable range is shown without selecting a new display method as a result of determining that the image ratio is larger than the predetermined value in S120. Since the radius of the travelable range image 50 is sufficiently larger than the radius of the current position image 51, the user can clearly identify the current position image 51 and the travelable range image 50.

  FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a screen 48a when the image ratio is determined to be equal to or less than a predetermined value in S120. Although FIG. 3B is shown here for explanation, when the image ratio is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, a new display method is selected, so that such a screen is actually displayed on the user I / F unit 48. It is not displayed on the display unit. In FIG. 3B, since the radius of the travelable range image 50 is not sufficiently large compared to the radius of the current position image 51, it is difficult for the user to clearly identify the current position image 51 and the travelable range image 50. . Therefore, the control unit 20 selects a display method for displaying a narrower map by switching the scale of the map so that the image ratio becomes larger than a predetermined value. As a result, the screen displayed on the display unit is shown in FIG. 3C. By selecting this display method, the current position and the travelable range are always identifiable. That is, as shown in FIG. 3C, by displaying a narrower map, the travelable range image is displayed larger than before the scale change. As a result, the user can clearly identify the current position image and the travelable range image.

  As described above, when the image ratio is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the display method for indicating the current position of the host vehicle and the travelable range is selected so that the user can always set the travelable range appropriately. It can be recognized accurately. Therefore, the user can know how far the host vehicle can travel by traveling in the EV mode that travels only by the motor using the power of the rechargeable battery. For example, in a plug-in hybrid vehicle, it is possible to suppress fuel consumption by the internal combustion engine as much as possible by charging a rechargeable battery at a familiar charging facility such as a home and repeatedly traveling in a relatively short distance section in the EV mode. It is often assumed. Therefore, if this embodiment is applied to a plug-in hybrid vehicle, it is possible to know how far it can travel with only the remaining power of the rechargeable battery without driving the internal combustion engine with fuel. Convenience when using can be improved.

(3) Other embodiments:
The above embodiment is an example for carrying out the present invention, and various other embodiments can be adopted. For example, although the example applied to a hybrid vehicle was demonstrated in the said embodiment, you may apply to the electric vehicle etc. which drive with the electric power of a rechargeable battery.

  In addition, if the display range for displaying a narrower map is selected because the image ratio is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and the travelable range is expanded by charging the rechargeable battery, the scale of the map before the change is changed. You may employ | adopt the structure returned to. Specifically, the rechargeable battery is charged so that the travelable distance is extended, so the travelable range image becomes larger than before the charge, and the current position image and the travelable range image are displayed by returning to the scale before the change. Even if this is done, the image ratio may be larger than a predetermined value. That is, even if both images are displayed at the scale before the change, the user can clearly identify the current position image and the travelable range image. In such a case, the display method shown at the scale before the change is selected, and the display method is reflected on the display unit of the user I / F unit 48. According to such a configuration, even if the scale is changed by the in-vehicle display control process even though the map is displayed on the display unit at a preferred scale, the image ratio is a predetermined value by charging. By becoming larger, the scale of the map is automatically switched to the scale preferred by the user.

  However, the entire travelable range image may not be displayed on the display unit by returning to the scale before the change. For example, the rechargeable battery is sufficiently charged and the travelable range image is larger than the display size of the display unit. In such a case, the travelable range image and the current position image can be clearly identified, but the entire travelable range image is not displayed on the display unit. I can't know exactly if it exists. Therefore, when returning to the scale before a change, you may employ | adopt the structure which discriminate | determines whether the whole driving range image can be displayed on a display part. When the display is possible, the scale is returned to the original scale, and when the display is impossible, the entire travelable range image is adjusted to a displayable scale. According to such a configuration, the scale of the map can be brought close to the scale desired by the user, and it can be accurately known how far the vehicle can travel with the remaining power amount of the rechargeable battery.

  In addition, as a selection of the display method when the image ratio is equal to or less than a predetermined value, a display method for reducing the size of the current position image so that the image ratio becomes larger than the predetermined value may be employed. That is, the size of the current position image is fixed for each scale, but when the image ratio is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the user can clearly show the travelable range by changing the size of the current position image. Specifically, the radius indicating the size of the current position image is calculated so that the image ratio becomes larger than a predetermined value based on the radius indicating the size of the travelable range image and the predetermined value. By calculating (radius of travelable range image) / (predetermined value), the radius of the current position image at which the image ratio becomes equal to the predetermined value is calculated, and the current position image is set to be shorter than the calculated value. A radius is specified.

  Furthermore, after the display method for reducing the size of the current position image is selected so that the image ratio becomes larger than a predetermined value, the size of the current position image is increased when the travelable range is expanded by charging the rechargeable battery. A display method for returning to the size before change may be adopted. Specifically, the chargeable battery is charged so that the size of the travelable range image becomes larger than that before charging, and the image ratio is larger than a predetermined value even if the current position image is returned and displayed before the change. Sometimes. That is, even if the current position image of the size before the change is displayed, the user can clearly distinguish the current position image and the travelable range image. In such a case, a display method for displaying the current position image in the size before the change is selected and reflected on the display unit of the user I / F unit 48. According to such a configuration, the current position image can be returned to the normal size even when the size of the current position image is changed by the in-vehicle display control process. Improves.

  Further, as a selection of a display method when the image ratio is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the map already displayed on the display unit of the user I / F unit 48 (hereinafter simply referred to as “first map”) is not scaled. A display method may be employed in which the current position image and the travelable range image are displayed in a different second map so as to be distinguishable, and the second map is displayed together with the first map. Specifically, when the travelable range image is displayed at the scale of the first map, the scale of the second map is determined so that the image ratio becomes larger than the predetermined value when the image ratio becomes equal to or smaller than the predetermined value. . The size of the second map is adjusted and displayed together with the first map so that the current position image and the travelable range image are displayed so as to be identifiable at the determined scale. That is, by switching the scale and displaying a narrower map as the second map, the size of the travelable range image displayed on the second map is larger than the size of the travelable range image displayed on the first map. To do.

  An example of a screen by such a display method is shown in FIG. Here, the travelable range image 50 is displayed on the first map together with the display of the second map, but the travelable range image 50 may not be displayed on the first map. In FIG. 4, a second map whose scale has been adjusted so that the image ratio is larger than a predetermined value is displayed at the upper right in the screen 48a. According to such a display method, since the current position image and the travelable range image can be clearly identified on the second map, the user can appropriately recognize the travelable range.

  In addition, as a selection of a display method when the image ratio is equal to or less than a predetermined value, a display method that can identify the current position image and the travelable range image by transmitting the current position image may be employed. When the image ratio is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the size of the travelable range image may be smaller than the size of the current position image. For example, this is a case where the radius of the travelable range image is smaller than the radius of the current position image. In such a case, the current position image is displayed preferentially by displaying the current position image on the travelable range image for the portion where both images overlap. Therefore, the current position image and the travelable range are displayed in a distinguishable manner by transmitting the current position image. According to such a configuration, the user can accurately recognize the travelable range. In addition, although the description has been made on the assumption that the current position image is displayed with priority in the overlapping portion of the current position image and the travelable range image, the setting where the travelable range image is displayed with priority is adopted. Good.

  Furthermore, as a selection of the display method when the image ratio is equal to or less than a predetermined value, a display method that indicates the travelable range by the display mode of the current position image may be employed. Specifically, by changing the display mode of the current position image, the current position of the host vehicle and the travelable range are visually displayed using only the current position image. For example, the color of the current position image may be changed according to the image ratio, or the image itself adopted as the current position image may be changed according to the image ratio. According to such a display method, the user can know the status of the travelable range through the display mode of the current position image. In addition, when the size of the travelable range image is smaller than the size of the current position image, according to the display method, it is possible to know the status of the travelable range that is not displayed on the display unit.

  Furthermore, when the input from the user is received after changing the display mode of the current position image, a display method for displaying the second map together with the first map as described above may be employed. Specifically, after confirming the change in the display mode of the current position image, the user inputs that the display method is changed by touching the current position image on the screen of the user I / F unit 48. In response to the input, the scale of the second map is determined so that the image ratio becomes larger than a predetermined value, and the second map is displayed on the display unit together with the first map. According to such a display method, since the travelable range image and the current position image can be clearly identified on the second map, more information can be obtained compared to the information on the travelable range indicated by the change in the display mode of the current location image. Obtainable.

  Another method may be used in obtaining the travelable distance in step S100 of FIG. That is, the control unit 20 obtains the gradient of the road section displayed on the map of the display unit from the map information 30a, predicts the vehicle speed when the vehicle travels on the road section, and the road section of the gradient. The energy required when traveling at the vehicle speed is acquired. And in order to drive the electric motor 45 with the rechargeable battery 46 (running in the EV mode) and output the energy, the necessary amount of power required for the rechargeable battery 46 is acquired. The control unit 20 acquires the distance that can be traveled from the current position of the host vehicle based on the required power amount of each road section and the remaining power amount output by the drive control ECU 47. For road sections where the host vehicle has traveled in the past, the travel history and power consumption history stored in the storage medium 30 are referenced to obtain the required power amount for traveling on the road section. May be.

  In the in-vehicle display control process, the above-described display methods may be combined as appropriate. For example, in a display method that transmits either the current position image or the travelable range image, the second map may be displayed together with the first map in response to an input from the user. Furthermore, although the in-vehicle display control process has been described as a process executed after receiving an input from the user, the in-vehicle display control process is automatically performed at predetermined intervals after the in-vehicle display control process is executed once. A configuration that is repeated may be adopted. According to such a configuration, it is possible to accurately recognize the travelable range without requiring any further input action after the input is once performed for the execution of the processing.

It is a block diagram of the navigation apparatus containing the vehicle-mounted display control apparatus. It is a flowchart of a vehicle-mounted display control process. (3A)-(3c) is a figure which shows the example of a screen of a display part. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen of a display part.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Navigation apparatus, 20 ... Control part, 21 ... Vehicle-mounted display control program, 21a ... Current position acquisition part, 21b ... Travelable range acquisition part, 21c ... Display control part, 21d ... Image comparison part, 21e ... Display method selection , 30 ... storage medium, 30a ... map information, 40 ... GPS receiver, 41 ... vehicle speed sensor, 42 ... distance sensor, 43 ... fuel tank, 44 ... internal combustion engine, 45 ... electric motor, 46 ... rechargeable battery, 47 ... Drive control ECU 48 ... User I / F unit 50 ... Drivable range image 51 ... Current position image 52 ... Road image

Claims (6)

Current position acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the current position of the host vehicle;
A travelable range acquisition means for acquiring a travelable range in which the host vehicle can travel with the remaining power amount of a rechargeable battery mounted on the host vehicle;
Display control means for displaying a map on the display unit and displaying a current position image indicating the current position of the host vehicle and a travelable range image indicating the travelable range on the map;
Image comparison means for comparing the size of the current position image and the size of the travelable range image;
Display method selection means for selecting a display method that can identify the current position of the host vehicle and the travelable range on the display unit based on the result of the comparison;
A vehicle-mounted display control device. The image comparison means obtains a ratio of the size of the travelable range image to the size of the current position image;
The display method selection means selects a display method for determining the scale of the map so that the ratio is larger than a predetermined value.
The in-vehicle display control device according to claim 1. The image comparison means obtains a ratio of the size of the travelable range image to the size of the current position image;
The display method selection means selects a display method for determining the size of the current position image so that the ratio is larger than a predetermined value.
The in-vehicle display control device according to claim 1. The display control means displays one of the current position image and the travelable range image on the other image,
The display method selection means selects a display method that transmits the image displayed above.
The in-vehicle display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. A current position acquisition step of acquiring information indicating the current position of the host vehicle;
A travelable range acquisition step of acquiring a travelable range in which the host vehicle can travel with the remaining power amount of the rechargeable battery mounted on the host vehicle;
A display control step of displaying a map on the display unit and displaying a current position image indicating the current position of the host vehicle and a travelable range image indicating the travelable range on the map;
An image comparison step for comparing the size of the current position image and the size of the travelable range image;
A display method selection step of selecting a display method capable of identifying the current position of the host vehicle and the travelable range on the display unit based on the result of the comparison;
A vehicle-mounted display control method. A current position acquisition function for acquiring information indicating the current position of the host vehicle;
A travelable range acquisition function for acquiring a travelable range in which the host vehicle can travel with the remaining power amount of a rechargeable battery mounted on the host vehicle;
A display control function for displaying a map on the display unit and displaying a current position image indicating the current position of the host vehicle and a travelable range image indicating the travelable range on the map;
An image comparison function for comparing the size of the current position image and the size of the travelable range image;
A vehicle-mounted display control program that causes a computer to realize a display method selection function that selects a display method that allows the display unit to identify the current position of the host vehicle and the travelable range based on the result of the comparison.

Images