JP5115515B2 - Navigation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation device having a display device stored in a meter.

  The display device (display) of the vehicle navigation device is usually disposed in the center console or on the dashboard. In recent years, a technique for storing the display device in a meter has been proposed. According to this, it is possible to reduce the movement of the driver's line of sight when viewing the display device. However, since there is only a limited space in the meter, the size of the display device must be reduced, particularly in the case of small cars. If the size of the display device is reduced, it becomes difficult to see the map to be displayed and information related to route guidance. If the map becomes difficult to see, the surrounding road conditions may not be grasped. In addition, when it becomes difficult to see information related to route guidance, there is a possibility that necessary information may be overlooked. In this case, there is a possibility that the route according to the guidance cannot be traveled.

  As a technique for making the display content of the display device easy to see, techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example, can be cited. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for automatically switching a scale value of a map to be displayed to an optimum value according to a distance to a point of interest when approaching a destination or a branch point (point of interest). Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for changing and controlling the scale value of a map to be displayed so that the positional relationship between the destination and the current location can be easily grasped when approaching the vicinity of the destination.

JP 2000-074677 A JP 2008-089483 A

  The technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are technologies for making it easy to see the map display at the time of route guidance on the premise that a display device of a conventional size is used, and when the size of the display device is small, It is not intended to make the displayed content easier to see.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device that makes it easy to see the display content of a display device stored in a meter.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the route guidance unit performs route guidance by searching for a route from the current position of the vehicle detected by the position detection unit to the set destination. The display control means causes a part of the vehicle information to be displayed in a predetermined area of the display device stored in the meter for displaying the vehicle information indicating various states of the vehicle at the normal time when the route guidance is not performed. In addition, the display control means displays the route guidance information related to the route guidance in place of a part of the vehicle information in a predetermined area of the display device when the route guidance is performed.

Thus, by displaying a part of the vehicle information in a predetermined area of the display device at the normal time, it is not necessary to provide a space for displaying the part of the vehicle information in the meter. Therefore, the size of the display device can be increased by this space. In addition, during route guidance, route guidance information related to route guidance is displayed in a predetermined area instead of part of the vehicle information, so information necessary for route guidance is displayed without reducing the area for map display. can do. Therefore, it is possible to make the map displayed on the display device stored in the meter easier to see and improve the visibility of the route guidance information.
In addition, even when the route control is in progress, the display control means may change a part of the vehicle information to a predetermined area instead of the route guidance information when a part of the vehicle information changes with a predetermined operation by the driver. Display only for a predetermined time. By this display, the driver can recognize that the state of the vehicle has been changed by his / her own operation. In addition, after the predetermined time has elapsed, the display state of the predetermined area is restored and the route guidance information is displayed, so that it is possible to prevent the driver from overlooking the route guidance information.
When a part of the vehicle information is displayed in the predetermined area and the vehicle approaches the branch point before the predetermined time elapses, the driver may not be able to confirm the route guidance information. Therefore, the display control means displays a part of the vehicle information instead of the route guidance information in the predetermined area, and at the time when the voice guidance is first performed by the voice guidance means, a part of the vehicle information is displayed in the predetermined area. Instead, the route guidance information is displayed. That is, the display state of the predetermined area is returned to the original state when voice guidance is executed. Thereby, the driver can check the route guidance information together with the voice guidance.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the display control means is configured so that at the time of route guidance, as the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the next branch point becomes shorter, at least one of the route guidance information becomes easier to see. Change the display state. As a result, the closer to the next branch point, the easier it is to see at least one piece of route guidance information. This route guidance information is often information related to a branch point. For this reason, the visibility can be improved as the necessity of route guidance information increases.

  According to the means of claim 3, the display control means makes it easier to see the branch direction information indicating the branch direction at the branch point as the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the next branch point becomes shorter during route guidance. The display state is changed to. That is, the closer to the next branch point, the easier it is to see the branch direction information, so that the visibility can be improved as the necessity of the branch direction information increases.

  According to the means of claim 4, the display control means makes it easier to see the branch point distance information indicating the distance to the branch point as the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the next branch point becomes shorter at the time of route guidance. The display state is changed to. That is, the closer to the next branch point, the easier it is to see the branch point distance information, so that the visibility can be improved as the necessity of the branch point distance information increases.

  According to the means described in claim 5, the display control means displays at least one of the route guidance information larger as the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the next branch point becomes shorter at the time of route guidance. That is, as the next branch point is approached, at least one piece of information on the route guidance information is displayed larger, so that the visibility can be improved as the necessity of the route guidance information increases.

  According to the sixth aspect, at the time of route guidance, the display control unit highlights at least one piece of information in the route guidance information as the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the next branch point becomes shorter. That is, as the next branch point is approached, at least one piece of information on the route guidance information is highlighted, so that the visibility can be improved as the necessity of the route guidance information increases.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the navigation apparatus which shows one Embodiment of this invention. Front view schematically showing the appearance of the meter Diagram showing an example of normal screen display 3 equivalent diagram when the distance to the branch point exceeds 700 m during route guidance Fig. 3 equivalent diagram when the distance to the branch point is within 700m during route guidance 3 equivalent diagram when the distance to the branching point is within 500m during route guidance Fig. 3 equivalent diagram when the distance to the branch point is 250m or less during route guidance Fig. 5 equivalent when the shift position is changed during route guidance 6 equivalent view when the shift position is changed during route guidance Flow chart showing control related to screen display Flow chart showing interrupt control for screen display

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of a navigation device mounted on a vehicle using functional blocks. The navigation device 1 has a position detector 3, a map data input device 4, an external memory 5, an operation switch group 6, a remote control sensor 7, an audio output device 8, and a navigation control circuit 2 that controls the overall operation of this device. The display device 9 and the meter control circuit 10 are connected.

  The navigation control circuit 2 (corresponding to route guidance means and display control means) is mainly composed of a microcomputer provided with a CPU, a ROM, a RAM and the like. Among these, the ROM stores a program for the navigation function, and the RAM temporarily stores processing data at the time of executing the program, road map data acquired through the map data input device 4, and the like.

  A position detector 3 (corresponding to position detection means) receives signals from a gyroscope 11 for detecting the relative direction of the vehicle, a distance sensor 12 for detecting the travel distance of the vehicle, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite. It consists of a GPS receiver 13 for receiving. The position detector 3 detects the position of the vehicle with high accuracy while interpolating the detection signals of the respective position detection elements. Depending on the required detection accuracy, only a part of them may be used, or an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration, a geomagnetic sensor for detecting the absolute azimuth of the vehicle, or the like may be added.

  The map data input device 4 is for inputting various data using a large-capacity information storage medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, hard disk, and nonvolatile semiconductor memory. Examples of the various data include road map data, landmark data, map matching data, facility data, and the like. The road map data includes data such as road shape, road width, road type (general roads, prefectural roads, national roads, expressways, etc.), signals, and level crossings, and the road map is displayed on the screen of the display device 9. Contains data to do. When one-way traffic, entry prohibition, etc. are set for each road, the traffic rule information is also recorded.

  The facility data includes information regarding facilities that can be set as destinations in the navigation function. That is, the facility data includes information on transportation facilities such as airports, stations, leisure facilities, accommodation facilities, public facilities, various stores such as retail stores, department stores, restaurants, houses, apartments, and place names. The facility data includes data of those telephone numbers and addresses, and point information (latitude, longitude, etc.) of representative points of the facility. The facility data also includes data for displaying a landmark or the like indicating the facility on the screen of the display device 9 on the road map.

  The external memory 5 is configured by a data rewritable nonvolatile memory (for example, a flash memory) or a hard disk. The external memory 5 is provided, for example, for storing or calling specific data such as location registration data, music data, and video data.

  As the operation switch group 6, since the display device 9 is arranged in a meter (shown with reference numeral 14 in FIG. 2) as will be described later, a configuration in which a mechanical switch is provided near the screen of the display device 9, The configuration (touch panel) in which the touch switch is provided on the screen of the display device 9 cannot be employed. Therefore, the operation switch group 6 includes switches (not shown) installed on a steering wheel (not shown) or next to the meter 14. The operation switch group 6 is used to input the vehicle destination, information necessary for searching the destination (destination search conditions), passing points, etc., and to switch the screen and display mode of the display device 9 (map scale change, menu display). Selection, route search, route guidance start, current position correction, volume adjustment, etc.) are provided for giving the navigation control circuit 2 various commands.

  The remote controller 15 is provided with a plurality of operation switches (not shown), and various command signals (commands) are transmitted from the remote controller 15 to the navigation control circuit 2 via the remote controller sensor 7 by the switch operation. The operation switch group 6 and the remote controller 15 can cause the navigation control circuit 2 to execute the same function by any operation. The voice output device 8 (corresponding to voice guidance means) outputs a voice based on a voice output command given from the navigation control circuit 2 through, for example, a speaker. The sound output from the speaker is a sound related to guidance, a sound related to operation explanation, and the like.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows the external appearance of the meter 14. The meter 14 is provided so as to be embedded in the driver's seat side of an instrument panel (not shown). A speedometer 16 and a tachometer 17 are provided in the meter 14. Although not shown, various meters such as a water temperature gauge and a fuel gauge, a blinker display lamp (not shown), various warning lamps (not shown) and the like are provided in the meter 14. A display device 9 is provided in a central portion in the meter 14 (a portion between the speedometer 16 and the tachometer 17). The display device 9 is composed of, for example, a TFT color liquid crystal display, and is configured to have a relatively vertically long and relatively small screen (for example, 3.5 inches). In addition, the display apparatus 9 should just be arrange | positioned in the meter 14, and the position can be changed suitably.

  As will be described in detail later, a road map around the current position of the vehicle is displayed on the screen of the display device 9 during a period (normal time) when the route guidance is not executed. In addition, during the route guidance period (during route guidance), a route guidance screen is displayed, and the user inputs information necessary for the destination search or searches for and sets the destination. An input screen for the user and various messages are also displayed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, vehicle information indicating various states of the vehicle is given to the meter control circuit 10. The vehicle information includes, for example, the vehicle traveling speed, the engine speed, the water temperature, the remaining amount of fuel, the shift position, the vehicle traveling distance, and the date and time. The meter control circuit 10 controls the speedometer 16, the tachometer 17, various meters, various lamps and the like in the meter 14 based on the vehicle information. Also, the meter control circuit 10 outputs information indicating the shift position, the travel distance of the vehicle, and the date and time among the vehicle information to the navigation control circuit 2.

  The navigation control circuit 2 realizes a location function that informs the current position of the host vehicle by its software configuration (execution of a program), and a route guidance function that searches and guides a route to a specified destination. Realize. The location function displays the road map at various scales on the display device 9 based on the road map data acquired via the map data input device 4, and the current position and traveling direction of the host vehicle detected by the position detector 3. And a current location mark (indicated by reference numeral M in FIGS. 3 to 9) is displayed superimposed on the road map. The current location mark M relatively moves on the road map as the host vehicle travels, and the road map is scrolled. At this time, map matching is performed in which the current position of the host vehicle is placed on the road.

  The route guidance function calculates (searches) a recommended travel route from the departure point (current position) of the host vehicle to the destination specified by the user, and guides the route to the determined destination. As this route search method, for example, the Dijkstra method is used. At the time of this route guidance, in addition to the road map and the current location mark M, the guidance route to be traveled (shown with a symbol R in FIGS. 3 to 9) is displayed in a conspicuous color on the screen of the display device 9. At the time of this route guidance, guidance voice is output from the voice output device 8 at every predetermined timing. If a destination exists in the screen, a destination mark (not shown) is also displayed.

  Note that the predetermined timing in the present embodiment is the time when the distance from the current position of the host vehicle to the next branch point becomes 700 m, the time when the distance reaches 300 m, and the time when the host vehicle approaches the branch point ( And just before the branch point). The number of preset timings is not limited to three, and may be one or four or more. The predetermined timing can be changed as appropriate. In the present embodiment, the above-described branch points include all of the guide points such as intersections to be turned left and right, entrances and exits of highways, and junctions.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a display screen in a normal state. FIG. 4 shows an example of a display screen during route guidance. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the area excluding a part below the screen of the display device 9 is a first area 9 a for displaying the road map and the current location mark M described above. A second region 9b (corresponding to a predetermined region) is provided below the first region 9a. Normally, the second area 9b has a shift position (“D”, “3”, “2”, “L”, etc.), a travel distance (◯◯◯ km), and a current time (ΔΔ: xx). Vehicle information is displayed (see FIG. 3).

  Among these, as the travel distance, either an odometer (ODO) that is an integrated distance meter or a trip meter (TRIP) that is a section distance meter is displayed. These can be switched by a changeover switch (not shown) operable from outside the meter 14.

  On the other hand, at the time of route guidance, the second area 9b has a branch direction at the next branch point (corresponding to the branch direction information, a symbol indicating right or left turn, etc.), a distance to the destination (such as OOkm) or The route guidance information related to the route guidance such as the distance to the next branch point (corresponding to the branch point distance information, XXm, etc.) and the estimated arrival time at the destination (ΔΔ: XX) is displayed (see FIG. 4). ). In the case of FIG. 4, the branch direction at the next branch point is “right”, the distance to the destination is “135 km”, and the estimated arrival time at the destination is “20:25”. In the present embodiment, the display state of the second region 9b is changed according to the distance from the current position of the host vehicle to the next branch point (details will be described later in the description of the operation). At that time, the sizes of the first region 9a and the second region 9b are also changed slightly.

Next, control related to display on the display device 9 by the navigation control circuit 2 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 10 and 11.
During normal times when route guidance is not executed ("NO" in step S1), vehicle information is displayed in the second area 9b (see step S2, FIG. 3). Here, when the route guidance is started (“YES” in step S1), the branch direction, the distance to the destination, and the estimated arrival time at the destination are displayed in the second area 9b (see step S3, FIG. 4). The display state of FIG. 4 is continued until the distance to the next branch point is within 700 m (during “NO” in step S4).

  When it is within 700 m to the branch point (“YES” in step S4), the display state of the second area 9b is changed as follows. That is, the distance to the branch point (700 m) is displayed instead of the distance to the destination (see step S5, FIG. 5). The display state of FIG. 5 is continued until the distance to the branch point is within 500 m (during “NO” in step S6). When it is within 500 m to the branch point (“YES” in step S6), the display state of the second area 9b is changed as follows. That is, the display size of the branch direction and the distance to the branch point is enlarged and highlighted (step S7, see FIG. 6). Along with this, the second region 9b becomes a little wider, and the first region 9a becomes narrower accordingly. The display state of FIG. 6 is continued until the distance to the branch point is within 250 m (during “NO” in step S8).

  When the distance to the branch point is within 250 m (“YES” in step S8), the display state of the second area 9b is changed as follows. In other words, the display size of the branch direction and the distance to the branch point is further enlarged and further highlighted (see step S9, FIG. 7). Along with this, the second region 9b becomes a little wider and the first region 9a becomes narrower accordingly. The display state of FIG. 7 is continued until the branch point is reached (“NO” in step S10). When arriving at the branch point (“YES” in step S10), the process returns to step S1. Thereafter, as described above, the display state of the second region 9b is further changed according to the distance to the next branch point.

  Now, according to the control of the display state described above, even if the driver performs a shift change, for example, during the period when the route guidance information is displayed in the second area 9b (the route guidance), the driver intends I can't check if the shift position has been changed. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the shift position is changed during route guidance, the interrupt control shown in FIG. 11 is executed.

  For example, if the shift position is changed from “D” to “3” when the distance to the branch point exceeds 500 m and is within 700 m (step S5), the display state of the second area 9b is as follows: Change it. That is, the shift position (“3”) is displayed instead of the branch direction (step T1, see FIG. 8). The display state of FIG. 8 is continued until a predetermined time (for example, 30 seconds) elapses or until the guidance voice is output. When a predetermined time elapses (timeout) (“YES” in step T2), the process returns to step S5. In addition, if it is time to output the guidance voice (“YES” in step T3) before the predetermined time has elapsed (“NO” in step T2), the process returns to step S5.

  If the shift position is changed from “D” to “3” when the distance to the branch point exceeds 250 m and is within 500 m (step S7), the shift position is changed instead of the branch direction in the second region 9b. (“3”) is displayed (see step T1, FIG. 9). Then, when the predetermined time has elapsed (“YES” in step T2) or when it is time to output the guidance voice (“YES” in step T3), the process returns to step S7.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
The navigation control circuit 2 normally displays a part of vehicle information (shift position, travel distance, etc.) in the second area 9b of the display device 9 stored in the meter 14, and the second area is used for route guidance. The route guidance information (distance to the next branch point, branch direction, etc.) is displayed on 9b. Thus, by displaying a part of vehicle information in the 2nd area | region 9b of the display apparatus 9 at normal time, it becomes unnecessary to provide the space which displays these in the meter 14. FIG. Therefore, the size of the display device 9 can be increased by this space. Further, since route guidance information is displayed in the second area 9b at the time of route guidance, information necessary for route guidance can be displayed without making the area for map display as small as possible. Accordingly, it is possible to make the map displayed on the display device 9 stored in the meter 14 easier to see and improve the visibility of the route guidance information.

  Most of the display device 9 is defined as a first region 9a, and a region below the first region 9a is defined as a second region 9b. When the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the next branch point exceeds 500 m during route guidance (when far from the next branch point), the navigation control circuit 2 displays a road map or the like in the first area 9a. And the route guidance information such as the branch direction and the distance to the branch point is displayed in the second area 9b. When it is far to the next branch point, the need for route guidance information is low. Thus, by displaying small route guidance information that is less necessary at that time, a road map or the like can be displayed in a larger size, and the visibility is improved.

  The navigation control circuit 2 widens the second area 9b when the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the next branch point is within 500 m during route guidance, and increases the display size of the branch direction and the distance to the branch point. And highlight. Further, when the distance is within 250 m, the second area 9b is further enlarged, and the display size of the branch direction and the distance to the branch point is further enlarged and further highlighted. That is, the navigation control circuit 2 increases and highlights the display size of the branch direction and the distance to the branch point as the distance to the branch point becomes shorter. Thereby, since the visibility improves as the driver approaches the branch point that requires the route guidance information, oversight and misreading can be prevented.

  The navigation control circuit 2 executes the interrupt control shown in FIG. 11 when the shift position is changed even during route guidance. That is, when the shift position is changed, the shift position is displayed instead of the branch direction in the second region 9b. Thereby, it can be confirmed whether it changed to the shift position which the driver | operator intended. In addition, since the display state of the second area 9b is restored after a predetermined time has elapsed after the display state is changed in this way, it is possible to prevent the driver from overlooking necessary route guidance information. Furthermore, this change in the display state is also restored at the timing when the guidance voice is output. That is, when the voice route guidance is executed, the display state of the second area 9b is restored, so that even when the driver approaches the branch point before the predetermined time elapses, the driver can The route guidance information can be confirmed.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following modifications or expansions are possible.
If there is no branch point between the current position of the host vehicle and the destination, the display state of the second area 9b is changed according to "distance to destination" instead of "distance to branch point" May be changed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. In that case, in steps S5, S7, and S9, “distance to destination” may be displayed instead of “distance to branch point”.
The interrupt control shown in FIG. 11 only needs to be executed when a part of the vehicle information changes with a predetermined operation by the driver. For example, it may be performed when a trip meter (TRIP), which is a section distance meter, is reset by a driver's operation. In this case, step T1 may be changed so that “travel distance” is displayed instead of “branch direction” .

The route guidance information displayed in the second area 9b at the time of route guidance is not limited to that described in the above embodiment, and may include, for example, the name of an intersection. The route guidance information that changes the display state according to the distance from the current position of the host vehicle to the next branch point includes the “branch direction at the next branch point” and the “distance to the next branch point”. Either one is acceptable. Moreover, the structure which changes the display state of route guidance information other than these may be sufficient. In the above embodiment, as a method of changing the display state, the display size is enlarged and highlighted, but only one of them may be used. Further, it is only necessary to make the route guidance information easy to see, and other methods such as blinking display may be employed.
In the above embodiment, the display state of the second area 9b is divided into four stages (steps S3, S5, S7, and S9 in FIG. 10) according to the distance from the current position of the host vehicle to the next branch point during route guidance. Although the configuration is changed, the number of stages of the display state change can be appropriately changed.

  In the drawings, 1 is a navigation device, 2 is a navigation control circuit (route guidance means, display control means), 3 is a position detector (position detection means), 8 is a voice output device (voice guidance means), 9 is a display device, Reference numeral 14 denotes a meter.

Claims (6)

Position detecting means for detecting the current position of the vehicle;
Route guidance means for searching for a route from the current position of the vehicle detected by the position detection means to a set destination and performing route guidance;
A display device stored in a meter for displaying vehicle information indicating various states of the vehicle;
In normal times when the route guidance is not performed, a part of the vehicle information is displayed in a predetermined area of the display device, and when the route guidance is performed, one part of the vehicle information is displayed in the predetermined area. Display control means for controlling display of the display device so as to display route guidance information related to the route guidance instead of a unit ;
Voice guidance means for guiding the route by voice during the route guidance;
With
The display control means includes
Even during the route guidance, if a part of the vehicle information changes with a predetermined operation by the driver, a part of the vehicle information is transferred to the predetermined area instead of the route guidance information for a predetermined time. Only display
After displaying a part of the vehicle information instead of the route guidance information in the predetermined area, when the voice guidance is first performed by the voice guidance means, the vehicle information is included in the predetermined area. Instead , the navigation device displays the route guidance information .   In the route guidance, the display control means changes the display state so that at least one of the route guidance information becomes easier to see as the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the next branch point becomes shorter. The navigation device according to claim 1. The route guidance information includes branch direction information indicating a branch direction at the next branch point,
The display control means, at the time of the route guidance, changes the display state so that the branch direction information becomes easier to see as the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the next branch point becomes shorter. 3. The navigation device according to 2. The route guidance information includes branch point distance information indicating a distance from the current position of the vehicle to the next branch point,
The said display control means changes the display state so that the said branch point distance information becomes easy to see, so that the distance from the present position of the said vehicle to the next branch point becomes short at the time of the said route guidance. Item 4. The navigation device according to Item 2 or 3.   3. The display control means, at the time of the route guidance, displays at least one of the route guidance information larger as the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the next branch point becomes shorter. 5. The navigation device according to any one of 4 to 4.   The display control means emphasizes and displays at least one of the route guidance information as the distance from the current position of the vehicle to the next branch point becomes shorter during the route guidance. Item 6. The navigation device according to any one of Items 2 to 5.

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