JPH07104169B2 - In-vehicle navigator device - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle-mounted navigator device that gives position information to a driver, for example.

Conventional technology For a vehicle-mounted navigator device that obtains the current position in a moving vehicle and displays the current position and heading on a map, for example, the driver wants to rotate the map so that the heading is displayed upward and the driver wants to proceed. There is a device that makes it easy to determine the direction of thought (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-181914). FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of the vehicle-mounted navigator device of this conventional example. Reference numeral 601 denotes a vehicle azimuth detecting means, which detects a traveling azimuth or a front azimuth of the vehicle by a geomagnetic sensor, for example. Reference numeral 602 denotes a traveling distance detecting means, which detects the traveling distance of the vehicle from the number of rotations of wheels and the like. The current position of the vehicle is estimated and calculated by the estimated position calculation means 603 by the method of obtaining the relative position from the starting point from the vehicle azimuth and the traveling distance. A map storage unit 604 stores road data and the like. Of this map data,
The data around the estimated position is taken out, and only the direction of the vehicle is 60.
The coordinates are rotated by the map rotating means 5 and, for example, the vehicle azimuth is turned upward and displayed on the display device 606 together with the mark indicating the estimated position.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a display screen. When the north direction is displayed upward, for example, as shown in (a), the vehicle is traveling southwest on the map. In the above-mentioned conventional example, the traveling direction or the forward direction is displayed upward and is displayed as shown in (b),
The direction in which the driver should go is easy to understand. However, in the conventional example, due to the error of the direction sensor, this screen will swing left and right around the estimated position.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the above-described conventional method, even if a straight road is traveling straight, the map sways to rotate left and right due to the error of the direction sensor, which makes it difficult to see the screen while driving. There were challenges.

Means for Solving the Problems According to the present invention, when it is determined that a vehicle is traveling on a road on a map, the estimated position is moved to the road to correct the estimated position and the direction of the road is set as a display direction. When it is determined that the vehicle is not traveling on the road, the traveling azimuth or the forward azimuth is output as the display azimuth, the road data stored in the map storage means is subjected to the rotation calculation of the coordinates based on the display azimuth, and the rotated map. And the estimated position is displayed.
At this time, when the newly determined display azimuth is deviated from the previously displayed display azimuth by a predetermined angle or more, the display azimuth calculating means for dividing the display azimuth by a predetermined angle and outputting in time series is provided. To do.

Further, it is characterized in that the vehicle direction corresponding to the displayed map is displayed.

According to the present invention, when the map matching means determines that the vehicle is traveling on a road, the display azimuth calculating means sets the azimuth of the road to the display azimuth, and when the vehicle turns at an intersection or the like, a predetermined angle or more is obtained. Preventing the map from rotating and making the screen difficult to see, and by displaying the direction of travel in accordance with the rotation of the map, it is possible for the driver to easily and accurately determine the desired direction. Become.

First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle-mounted navigator device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 101 is a vehicle azimuth detecting means for detecting the azimuth in front of the vehicle or the traveling azimuth by a geomagnetic sensor or the like. Reference numeral 102 denotes a traveling distance detecting means, which detects the traveling distance of the vehicle by measuring the number of rotations of wheels and the like.
An estimated position calculation means 103 calculates the estimated position of the vehicle by performing a calculation to advance the position of the vehicle in the past to the traveling direction by the traveling distance. A map storage unit 104 approximates a road with a polygonal line and stores road data as coordinate data expressing the polygonal line. Reference numeral 105 is a map matching means that compares past estimated position and heading with road data, and if the road currently running can be estimated, moves the estimated position on the road. This specific method is described, for example, in JP-A-61-56.
It is already known from Japanese Patent No. 910. Reference numeral 106 is a display azimuth calculation means, and this operation will be described in detail later. Reference numeral 107 denotes a map rotation means, which creates rotated map data by applying rotation conversion to coordinate data such as roads. Reference numeral 108 denotes a display unit that displays the rotation-converted map data, the estimated position, and the like on a CRT, for example.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the vehicle-mounted navigator device in the second embodiment of the present invention, and 201 to 208 are the same as 101 to 108, respectively. However, the display means 208 displays not only the rotated map and the estimated position but also the traveling direction or the forward direction.

FIG. 3 is a main part configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. 30
1 is a direction sensor such as a geomagnetic sensor, 302 is a distance sensor that detects the number of rotations of the wheel, 303 is a control device such as a microprocessor that controls the entire vehicle-mounted navigator device, 30
4 is a map storage device storing map data, 305 is a display control unit for converting the contents of the image memory into image signals, 306
Is a display device such as a CRT that displays an image signal.

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart showing an embodiment of the control system. In process 401, the traveling azimuth or forward azimuth is input from the azimuth sensor, and in step 402, the traveling distance is input from the distance sensor. In process 403, a position in which the previous estimated position is advanced in the traveling direction by the travel distance is calculated, and this position is set as a new estimated position. In process 404, the road data of the map is compared with the estimated position and traveling direction that have been traveled so far to determine whether or not the vehicle is traveling on the road. As a result, if it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a road, the estimated position is moved to this road. When it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on the road in process 404, after the determination 405, the direction of the road is substituted for the direction 1 in process 406. If it is determined in the process 404 that the vehicle is not traveling on the road, after the determination 405, the traveling azimuth or the forward azimuth obtained in the process 401 is substituted for the azimuth 1 in the process 407. After that, if the difference between the azimuth 1 and the previous display azimuth is less than or equal to a predetermined value in judgment 408, the process proceeds to step 409, and if not, the process proceeds to step 410. In process 409, azimuth 1 is substituted for the current display azimuth. In process 410, the bearing 1 is approached by adding or subtracting a predetermined value to the previous bearing. By this processing, the maps that are rotated little by little are displayed in time series, and it is possible to prevent the maps from suddenly rotating and becoming difficult to see. The above-mentioned predetermined value may be a constant value, or may be a value obtained by multiplying the difference between the previous display azimuth and azimuth 1 by a constant value. Further, it may be the minimum value of a value obtained by multiplying a difference between the previous display direction and the direction 1 by a constant value and another constant value. In process 411, the map is read from the map storage means, and in process 412, the coordinate value of this map data is rotated by the current display direction to be converted into the coordinate value in which the forward direction or the forward direction is upward. Next, in process 413, a map is displayed with this coordinate value. At the position corresponding to the estimated position on this map, a mark of the estimated position is displayed in process 414.
At this time, this mark may indicate not only the position but also the vehicle direction. The direction of the vehicle direction mark may simply be fixed upward. (First claim). However, in order to accurately represent the direction even when the map rotation is delayed, the vehicle direction mark is displayed as the direction of the difference between the traveling direction or the forward direction and the displayed direction without fixing the direction upward, and on the displayed map. It may be possible to accurately represent the traveling direction or the forward direction in (2nd claim).

As described above, according to the present invention, when traveling on a road, the map is rotated according to the direction of the road to provide a stable screen, and when the intersection is bent, the map suddenly rotates. To prevent it from becoming difficult to see. Further, it is possible to realize a vehicle-mounted navigator device having an excellent effect that it is possible to display a mark indicating the traveling direction and display the accurate traveling direction even if the rotation of the map is delayed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle-mounted navigator device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vehicle-mounted navigator device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is FIG. 1 and FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic flow chart showing an embodiment of the control system in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a display screen, and FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a conventional vehicle-mounted navigator device. is there. 101: vehicle direction detecting means, 102: mileage detecting means,
103: estimated position calculation means, 104: map storage means, 105
…… Map matching means, 106 …… Display direction calculation means, 107 ……
Map rotation means, 108 ... Display means.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle azimuth detecting means for detecting a traveling azimuth or a forward azimuth of a vehicle, a mileage detecting means for detecting a mileage of a vehicle, a traveling azimuth or a forward azimuth obtained by the vehicle azimuth detecting means, and An estimated position calculation means for calculating an estimated position of the vehicle by obtaining a relative position from the traveling distance obtained by the traveling distance detection means, a map storage means in which road data is stored, and the estimated position calculation means. When the vehicle is judged to be traveling on a road on the map by collating the past estimated position of the vehicle with the road data stored in the map storage means, the estimated position is moved to the road and the estimated position calculation is performed. The map matching means for correcting the estimated position obtained by the means, and when the map matching means determines that the vehicle is traveling on the road, the direction of the road is set as the display direction and the road on the map is driven. When it is determined that the display direction is the traveling direction or the front direction obtained by the vehicle direction detecting means, when the display direction thus determined deviates from the previously displayed display direction by a predetermined angle or more. A display azimuth calculating means for dividing each predetermined angle and outputting in time series, and a map rotation for rotating coordinates of road data stored in the map storing means by the display azimuth obtained by the display azimuth calculating means. An in-vehicle navigator device comprising: a means, a rotated map obtained by the map rotation means, and a display means for displaying the estimated position obtained by the estimated position calculating means. 2. A rotated map obtained by the map rotating means, an estimated position obtained by the estimated position calculating means, a traveling direction or a forward direction obtained by the vehicle direction detecting means, or a road obtained by the map matching means. The vehicle-mounted navigator device according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying a direction, and displaying a vehicle direction corresponding to the displayed map.