JPH0835850A - Road information displaying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically display the name of the traveling road of a vehicle by providing a map matching function section, etc., which decides the name of the traveling road of the vehicle from the present location of the vehicle decided based on radio waves from artificial satellites. CONSTITUTION:An information reading-out means 13 reads out map information 17 and road information 18 stored in a storing means 11 and a present location deciding means 12 decides the present location of its own vehicle based on radio waves from artificial satellites. Then a map matching function section 14 decides the traveling road of its own vehicle based on the road information 18 read out by the reading-out means 13 and the present location of the vehicle decided by the deciding means 12. Thereafter, a road information retrieving means 20 retrieves the level of the road information 18 containing road names and a road name retrieving means 16 decides the name of the road. Finally, a map retrieving means 15 decides the map to be displayed from map information 17 and a displaying means 19 displays the decided map and name of the road. Therefore, the driver of the vehicle can drive the vehicle without anxiety even in a strange place.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a road information display device having a function of displaying the name of a road currently running.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, road information display devices mounted on automobiles have become widespread.
The bal Positioning System) device did not have a function of displaying the name of the road currently running on the screen. Therefore, if you want to know the road you are currently driving, map information is stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, and you can select the necessary information from it and display it on the map. The road information is displayed by using a moving means such as switching the scale level or scrolling up to the point where the road information is displayed.

[0003]

However, with the above-mentioned conventional GPS device, it is not possible to know at a glance the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling, and it is necessary to perform some operations, which is troublesome. There was a problem that it caused trouble. Further, in a GPS device having a level switching function such as enlargement / reduction, there is a problem that road names are not displayed due to the enlargement / reduction.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and uses a part of the screen and can automatically display the name of the road on which the road is running by using the map matching function. An object is to provide a display device.

[0005]

To this end, the road information display device of the present invention comprises a storage means for storing map information, an information reading means for reading out the map information stored in the storage means, and an artificial satellite. Current position determining means for determining the current position based on the radio wave, a map matching function unit for determining the road currently traveling based on the current position determined by the current position determining means, and road information including the road name , A road information search means for searching the level, a road name search means for determining a road name based on the search by the road information search means, and a map for determining a map to be displayed from the map information read by the information reading means. The search means and the display means for displaying the road name of the determined map are configured.

[0006]

With the above structure, the present invention can display the road information including the name of the road currently being traveled by using a part of the screen of the display means, so that it is possible to drive with confidence without being lost in a strange land. it can.

[0007]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a road information display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a bus line, 2 is a central processing unit which is a control main body for controlling the functions equipped on the basis of all kinds of information, 3 is an output device such as LCD for displaying, 4
Is a RAM for storing search data and the like, 5 is a ROM for storing programs, 6 is a CD-ROM for storing map information such as map information and road information, and drive-related information, and 7 is a GPS satellite It is a GPS unit that calculates the position of the own vehicle using the position information sent from.

The state and operation of the hardware configured as described above will be described below. First, C
The map information is read from D-ROM6. Next, GPS
The part 7 calculates the position of the vehicle using the position information sent from the GPS satellites. Next, the central processing unit 2 uses GPS
Based on the own vehicle position calculated by the unit 7, map information including the own vehicle position is read from the CD-ROM 6. Next, the map information read by the central processing unit 2 is used to recognize the current position on the map, and the output device 3 displays the map, drive-related information, and the current position.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the road information display device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, 11 is a storage means for storing various map information,
Reference numeral 12 is a current position determination means capable of recognizing the current position, 13 is an information reading means, 14 is a map matching function section, 1
5 is a map search means, 16 is a road name search means, 17 is map information, 18 is road information, 19 is a display means, and 20 is a road information search means.

The state and operation of the software configured as described above will be described below. First,
The information reading unit 13 reads the map information and road information stored in the storage unit 11. Current position determination means 12
Determines the current position based on radio waves from satellites. Next, based on the road information read by the information reading unit 13 and the current position determined by the current position determining unit 12, the map matching function unit 14 determines the road currently running.

Next, the road information searching means 20 searches the level of the road information including the road name, and the road name searching means 1
At 6, the road name is determined. Next, from the map information 17 read by the information reading means 13, the map search means 15
Use to determine the map to display. Next, the determined map and road name are displayed on the screen of the display means 19.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the data of the same road information according to one embodiment of the present invention for each scale level, and the structure is such that the same road can be recognized even if the scales are different. There is. In FIG. 3, it is expressed in five stages. 300
Represents the scale map data of the highest level, 301 represents the scale map data of the intermediate level, and 302 represents the scale map data of the lowest level. Further, 303 indicates an upper level data address indicating the next higher level, 304 indicates a lower level data address indicating the next lower level, 305 indicates a road name flag, and 306 indicates a flag. Indicates level road information (data).

Regarding the structure of the road information data of the present embodiment having the above-mentioned structure, the information will be described below. Since the scale map data 300 of the highest level (hereinafter referred to as level 1) has no data above it, as shown in the figure, the upper level data address 30
Do not have 3. Scale map data 302 at the lowest level
Since (hereinafter, referred to as level 5) does not have lower data, it does not have the lower level data address 304 as shown in the figure. Medium scale map data 301
(Level 2 to Level 3) has upper and lower scale levels, so the upper level data address 303,
It has a lower level data address 304. The lower level data address 304 has an address containing the level 3 road information (data) 306, and the same road can be selected even if the scale is different. Similarly,
The upper level data address 303 has an address containing level 1 road information (data) 306, and the same road can be selected even if the scale is different.

Next, the flag 305 indicating the presence / absence of a road name has information indicating whether or not the road information (data) 306 includes the road name. Flag 305 is 1
At this time, the name can be known by reading the area of the name of the road information (data) 306. Flag 305
When is 0, there is no information in the area of the name of the road information (data) 306, so the process jumps to the next level, and the flag 305 is similarly searched there. By doing so, it is possible to shorten the data search time.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a series of processes from the calculation of the current position to the display of the road name on the screen according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is the same display screen diagram. The flow and procedure of this processing will be described below using an example. This process occurs when there is a request to display the road name on the screen. Also, the scale level is based on the assumption that it is at the highest level. First, in step 1, one function of the current position determining means 12 is used to receive information on the current position from the GPS unit 7. Next, in step 2, the current position determining means 12 is used,
Determine the current position. In step 3, the map search means 15 is used to search the map information including the current location determined in step 2 from the map information stored in the storage means 11, and the information is read using the information reading means 13.
In step 4, the display means 19 is used to display the map. Next, in step 5, the road is determined by the map matching function unit 14, and in step 6, the road information stored in the storage means 11 is searched using the road information searching means 20 to read the road information. In step 7, road name search means 16
Is used to search for the existence of road name data. At this time, the flag 305 of the data structure of FIG. 3 is used. If not, in step 8, the road information search means 2
0 is used to determine whether there is a lower level, and if there is, the process proceeds to step 9 and road information (data) of the lower level
The road name search means 16 is searched for 306. At this time, the data structure of FIG. 3 is used. Next step 10
Then, the road name search means 16 is used to search for the existence of road name data. At this time, the flag 305 of the data structure of FIG. 3 is used. At this time, road information (data) 3
When the road name is not registered in 06, the process returns to step 8. If it has been registered, the process proceeds to step 11, and the road name is displayed on the screen using the display means 19. Step 8
If there is no lower level in, exit in step 12 without displaying. If registered, go to step 11,
Display the road name on the screen. For example, when the name of National Highway No. 3 is at the lowest level, steps 8 to 10 are repeated until the lowest level is reached.

As described above, according to the flowchart of the series of processes from the calculation of the current position to the display of the road name on the screen according to the embodiment of the present invention, the road name is displayed on the map when the road name is registered. can do. Therefore, the map and the road name can be displayed on the screen. Figure 5
Is an example of a display screen. In this example, an area is taken in the upper right of the screen and the road name 500 is displayed as "currently running road is Line 3."

[0017]

As described above, according to the road information display device of the present invention, the same road information can be retrieved from the map information having different scales, and the retrieved information can be displayed on the map. Therefore, the road name that is currently running can be displayed on the display means even at a scale level where the road name is not written, and therefore, driving can be performed safely even on unfamiliar land.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a road information display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a software configuration of a road information display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the structure of the same road information data according to one embodiment of the present invention for each scale level.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a series of processes from calculation of the current position to display of a road name on the screen according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a display screen diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Storage Means 12 Current Position Determining Means 13 Information Reading Means 14 Map Matching Function Section 15 Map Searching Means 16 Road Name Searching Means 17 Map Information 18 Road Information 19 Displaying Means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Storage means for storing map information, information reading means for reading out the map information stored in this storage means, current position determining means for determining the current position based on radio waves from an artificial satellite, and A map matching function unit that determines the road currently traveling based on the current position determined by the current position determination unit, a road information search unit that searches the level of road information including the road name, and this road information search unit Road name search means for determining a road name based on the search of, a map search means for determining a map to be displayed from the map information read by the information reading means, and a display for displaying the road name of the determined map And a road information display device.