JPH0749506Y2 - Map search device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a map search device, and more particularly to a map search device for searching a specific position or area in map information stored in advance.

[Prior Art] Maps are widely used for visiting customers, shopping, traveling, etc. In particular, if the location and address of the destination are known, the current location or the shortest distance to the destination can be found. It is used to calculate the distance.

Searching for a destination using a map is quite troublesome if you are not familiar with handling maps, and the search work is quite complicated especially when the area to be searched is large, that is, when the number of pages on the map is large. . In addition to the method of manually handing out the map book, a system is known in which map information is previously stored in a computer as an image file or the like to retrieve the destination position and other information.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] However, such a map file system is mainly developed for military use and industry, is complicated and expensive, and has a small size such as a personal computer, a word processor, or an electronic notebook. It is difficult to use on an inexpensive system, and the file structure and search method are not suitable for individual use.

Currently, the most realistic map search system that can be used by individuals has a well-known address book file (consisting only of character strings such as addresses and zip codes) as files for personal computers, word processors, etc. This is a method of searching for a name or name in this address book file, outputting the address, and then searching for a destination using a commercially available map book or the like.

However, in the above-described search system, since the most troublesome map book search work has to be performed manually, the complexity of the work is not so different. Also, it goes without saying that such a system cannot be used when the destination address is already known.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a simple and inexpensive map search means capable of specifying the position of a destination on a map by a simple operation and a work mainly for personal use. It is in.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, in the map search device of the present invention, first storage means for storing image information of a map and the first storage means are stored. Second storage means for storing a specific position or area in the image information of the map and address data corresponding to the specific position or area in association with each other; and storing the address data and predetermined data in association with each other. 3 storage means, display means for displaying the image information of the map stored in the first storage means together with highlighting of a specific position or area in the image information, and the third storage means Then, the first search means for searching the address data stored in association with the predetermined data input by the user, and the second storage means with reference to the search by the first search means. A second search means for searching a specific position or area in the image information of the map stored in association with the address data searched by the first search means, and searched by the second search means. The image information of the map including the specific position or area is output from the first storage means to the display means to be displayed, and the display control means for controlling to highlight the specific position or area is adopted. did.

[Operation] According to such a configuration, when the user inputs predetermined data such as a desired name, the address data stored in association with the predetermined data is retrieved, and further associated with the address data. The specific position or area in the stored image information of the map is searched, the image information of the map including the specific position or area is displayed, and the specific position or area is highlighted.

[Embodiment] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a map search device adopting the present invention.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a CPU composed of a microprocessor and the like, to which memories of ROM4 and RAM5 are connected. C
Some of PU1's programs (startup program etc.) are ROM4
RAM5 is used as a work area for control described later. Also, the search program described below is a CD
Stored in ROM7.

In this embodiment, a display 2 and a keyboard 3 each including a CRT display are provided as user interface means. Of these, the display 2 can display a map in bit image,
Also, the predetermined coordinates of the map being displayed can be highlighted by a method such as blinking. The keyboard 3 is a keyboard having a known JIS layout or the like and is capable of inputting characters.

In the present invention, a floppy disk drive 6 and a CDROM 7 are provided as an external storage device. The floppy disk drive 6 is used for storing address book data described later. The address book data can be entered by the user as necessary, and the data of the customer can be deleted or changed as necessary.

The CDROM 7 is a read-only storage device and uses a CD (compact disk) as a storage medium.
CDROM7 stores the image data of multiple pages of maps
A CD can be attached. This CD shall be supplied as a manufacturer's memorized map of a certain city, etc., if necessary.

The hardware configuration as described above can be easily realized by connecting a CDROM to a personal computer or the like.

In the above configuration, the user constructs a database of address book data necessary for himself / herself using the floppy disk drive 6 by a known address book database process. Then, the address can be displayed on the display 2 from the data such as the destination or the name stored in the address book. Such an address book file search system can be easily realized by a known technique.

Further, in this embodiment, a table in which the character strings of the address data retrieved as described above and the XY coordinates on the image data of the map of a page stored in the CDROM 7 are associated in advance with the image data of the map in the CDROM 7. Store it,
Using this table, the map page including the destination is displayed on the display 2, and the address of the destination is highlighted on the display 2.

In FIG. 2 (A), the user has a floppy disk drive 6
It shows the database information to be built inside. Here, the address book database file is composed of four fields f1 to f4. One horizontal line in FIG. 2A indicates one database record.

The field f1 is a serial number address (data number) generated in the order of input, and is used for identifying and rearranging individual data. Field f2 is a field for name or destination name, field f3
Is the area for the kanji code of the destination address with that name or name, field f4 is the street address display, zip code,
Alternatively, it is a field for data that the user stores as needed.

On the other hand, FIG. 2B is a map search table stored in the CDROM 7, and has the same structure as the database file of FIG. 2A.

That is, this table can also be considered as one database file, and each record is composed of fields f1 to f5. The field f1 is a field for an address (data number), the field f2 is a field for a kanji code of an address, and stores characters of town names that belong to each special ward of Tokyo and classes directly under it.

Field f3 is a field for page numbers of a plurality of segment maps (in this case, segment map of Tokyo) stored in CDROM7, and fields f4 and f5 are fields f2 in the page.
This is a field for the XY coordinates of the address Kanji code stored in.

Next, the map search processing in the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

In step S1 of FIG. 3, first, an address Kanji code is searched. Here, it is assumed that the address book database as shown in FIG. 2A is stored in advance in the floppy disk of the floppy disk drive 6.

The user inputs the desired name or destination name using the keyboard 3, and the CPU 1 refers to the field f2 in FIG. 2A based on this, and the address kanji code of the field f3 corresponding to the record. To get.

Next, in step S2, the address Kanji code obtained in step S1 is used as a key to refer to the table in FIG. Here, the address kanji code obtained in step S1 is searched from the field f2 in FIG. 2 (B).

When the target address Kanji code is searched from the table of FIG. 2 (B), the page number of the field f3 of FIG. 2 (B) can be obtained, so the CPU1 maps the searched page stored in the CDROM7. Output the image of to the display 2,
Display it.

Furthermore, in step S3, fields f4 and f of the same record are
The XY coordinates of 5 are searched, and in step S4, the corresponding XY coordinates in the image of the map being displayed using the XY coordinates of the searched record.
Highlight coordinates. For this highlighting, it is possible to use a method such as blinking dots or cursors, or displaying the entire area having the retrieved address Kanji code as a town name in a different display color. For highlighting an area having this address Kanji code as a town name, etc., not only XY coordinates but also a large number of inflection point data that two-dimensionally represent that area, field data of the table in FIG. 2 (B), etc. It may be stored as

According to the above configuration, in the known hardware configuration
If a CDROM is added and a CD storing the image data of the map and the table data for searching the map (FIG. 2 (B)) and the search program as shown in FIG. 3 is supplied, it can be used for personal computers, word processors, etc. You can build a map search system that can be used by individuals by using the hardware (which may already be supplied if you have the interface of CDROM7).

In that case, unlike the conventional method, it is not necessary to manually search the map book by the user, and the position of the destination can be easily searched as two-dimensional map information from the name or the name of the destination. The search operation is very easy even when a search is performed from a large number of pages of map information or when the user is not familiar with map search.

In particular, the above-mentioned CDROM and CD can be set as an option of the apparatus, and if this option is not selected, a known address book file as shown in FIG. It is also possible to execute only the creation / search processing of.

In addition, ROM, RAM, floppy disk, CD shown above
A storage medium such as a ROM is not limited to this,
Various media can be used as needed.

In particular, as a storage medium for the map image information corresponding to the CDROM 7 described above, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk based on various standards can be used. In a rewritable medium such as a magneto-optical disk, the database portion of the address book may also be stored in this medium. This greatly facilitates management of the address book database and associated map information, as compared to both being stored on separate media.

Although the Kanji code is exemplified as the character code of the address, various character systems such as ASCII code can be used as the code system of the character code of the address.

[Advantage of Device] As is apparent from the above, according to the map search device of the present invention, the image information of the map is stored in the first storage means, and the image information of the map is stored in the second and third storage means. Specific location or area, corresponding address data, and predetermined data such as a name are stored in association with each other. When the user inputs predetermined data such as a desired name, the data is associated with the predetermined data. The stored address data is searched,
Further, the specific position or area in the image information of the map stored in association with the address data is searched, the image information of the map including the specific position or area is displayed, and the specific position or area is highlighted. . Therefore, there is an excellent effect that the user can specify the position or the area of the destination corresponding to the predetermined data on the map by a simple operation or work of only inputting the predetermined data such as the name.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a map search device adopting the present invention,
FIGS. 2A and 2B are explanatory views showing the structure of data used in the apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the map search processing in the apparatus of FIG. 1 ... CPU, 2 ... Display 3 ... Keyboard, 4 ... ROM 5 ... RAM 6 ... Floppy disk drive 7 ... CDROM

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A first storage means for storing image information of a map, a specific position or area in the image information of the map stored in the first storage means, and an address corresponding to the specific position or area. A second storage unit that stores the data in association with each other; a third storage unit that stores the address data and predetermined data in association with each other; and image information of the map stored in the first storage unit. Display means for displaying together with highlighting of a specific position or area in the image information, and the third storage means to search for address data stored in association with predetermined data input by the user. A map stored in association with the first search means and the second storage means in response to the search by the first search means, in association with the address data searched by the first search means. Second search means for searching a specific position or area in the image information, and image information of a map including the specific position or area searched by the second search means from the first storage means to the display means. A map search device comprising: a display control unit that controls the output and display of the specific position or the region to be highlighted.