JPH10267668A - Navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically display such information as related to date and time on a display screen of a navigation device. SOLUTION: When a guide is presented using an magnified figure about an intersection 5 where roads 3 and 4 cross each other, along a pare-explored course, a background 6 is changed according to time zone to which a current time belongs. A background for day time is displayed during the time zone of day time, while that for night is displayed during night time zone. If a festival day image icon 7 is stored in advance corresponding to the current date, it is displayed in the background 6. In addition, a season image icon 8 corresponding to the season to which the current date belongs is displayed in the background 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation device for guiding a route on which a user travels by displaying a road image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a navigation device that stores road map data as road network information and guides a traveling route of a vehicle while displaying a map image has been widely used. For example, a navigation device searches for a route from a starting point to a destination, simulates a running state while displaying a road map along the route, and a navigation device mounted on a car displays the current position of the car on a road map. It has a function of displaying it on the top and providing travel guidance along a preset guide route. Some navigation devices have a function of managing the date and time and displaying the date and time on an image.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a navigation device, especially for a vehicle, it is necessary to display a map on a relatively small screen. Even if it has a calendar or clock function and displays accurate date and time, it is not always easy for the driver of the vehicle to understand. On the contrary, there is a possibility that display of a necessary road map is obstructed. In addition, for accurate date and time, there are many cases where the user must perform the setting operation with responsibility. In addition, it does not have a function of displaying seasonal feeling or the like on the screen by merely displaying the date and time.

An object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device that can automatically display data relating to date and time without imposing a burden on a user.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a navigation apparatus for providing route guidance while displaying a road map as an image based on road network information stored in advance, which manages a date and a time. Date and time management means for deriving data representing the date and time to which it belongs, image storage means in which image data related to the date or time is stored in advance, and data representing the date and time from the date and time management means, An image display means for reading image data stored in an image storage means and displaying the read image data together with a part of an image for performing route guidance. According to the present invention, image data relating to date or time is stored in the image storage means in advance. The date and time management means manages the date and time and derives data representing the date and time to which the current time belongs. The image display means reads out the image data stored in the image storage means in association with the date or time according to the data representing the date and time from the date and time management means, and combines the read image data with the image displaying the road map for performing route guidance. To display. Since the data relating to the date or time is displayed as image data together with the image of the road map, it is possible to automatically perform image display in accordance with the date and time.

In the present invention, the image data stored in the image storage means includes an image icon corresponding to a predetermined specific date, and the image display means indicates that the date and time management means indicates the specific date. While deriving the data, the image icon corresponding to the date is read out from the image storage means and displayed. According to the present invention,
An image icon corresponding to a predetermined specific date, for example, a holiday, is stored in the image storage means, and while the date management means derives data representing the specific date, the image display means displays the image icon corresponding to the date. Is displayed as an image, so that a specific date can be displayed in an easily understandable manner with an image icon.

In the present invention, the image data stored in the image storage means includes an image icon corresponding to a predetermined specific season, and the image display means includes a date and time management means belonging to a specific season. While deriving the data representing the date, an image icon corresponding to the season is read out from the image storage means and displayed. According to the present invention, the image storage means stores an image icon corresponding to a specific season, for example, spring, summer, autumn, winter, etc. Since the icons are read from the image storage means and are displayed together with the road map, a seasonal display can be performed.

In the present invention, the image data stored in the image storage means includes an image icon corresponding to a specific time zone of the day. While deriving the data representing the time belonging to the band, the image icon corresponding to the time period is read out from the image storage means and displayed. According to the invention, the image storage means has a specific time zone of the day,
For example, image icons corresponding to day and night are stored. The image display means reads the corresponding image icon from the image storage means in accordance with the time zone to which the time of the data derived by the date and time management means belongs, and displays it along with the road map, so that the image display changes according to the time zone. be able to.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a state in which an intersection is enlarged and displayed three-dimensionally on a road map screen according to an embodiment of the present invention while guiding along a route searched in advance. Show. In this intersection enlarged screen 1, roads 3 and 4 and their intersections 5 are displayed in an enlarged intersection diagram 2 that is three-dimensionally enlarged based on a perspective projection. A background 6 is displayed on the information corresponding to the horizon in the intersection enlarged view 2. Although the contents of the enlarged view of the intersection 2 change according to the contents of the roads 3 and 4 to be displayed and the contents of the intersection 5, the background 6 changes depending on, for example, day and night time zones, and a constant display is maintained during that time. A holiday image icon 7 and a season image icon 8 are also automatically displayed in a part of the background 6.

FIG. 2 shows an electrical configuration of the basic hardware of the navigation device 10 that performs the display as shown in FIG. The navigation device 10 includes a processing unit 1
1, image display means 12 and CD-ROM 13 are included as basic components. The CD-ROM 13 stores road network information as digital road data in advance as an information storage medium. The stored contents of the CD-ROM 13 are read by a CD-ROM driver 14 and converted by a CD-ROM decoder 15 into data that can be handled by the processing means 11. Data and operation commands can be input to the processing unit 11 from an input device 16 such as a remote controller and a keyboard.

In the power supply of the navigation device 10,
The detection circuit 17 monitors the power supply voltage, and the regulator 18 stabilizes the power supply voltage and supplies it to each unit. Power switch 1
Numeral 9 is provided between the vehicle and a battery power source, and when turned on, power is supplied to the navigation device 10.

The interface 20 includes an azimuth sensor 21 for detecting the current position of the vehicle, an angular velocity sensor 22,
Distance sensor 23, GPS device 24, etc.
Connect to 5. The direction sensor 21 is, for example, a magnetomotive sensor, and detects the traveling direction of the vehicle as an absolute direction. The angular velocity sensor 22 is realized by, for example, a vibration gyro or the like, and electrically detects a change in the traveling direction of the vehicle as a change in the vibration mode of the vibrator based on the Coriolis force. The distance sensor 23 detects a traveling distance of the vehicle. When the azimuth sensor 21 or the angular velocity sensor 22 and the distance sensor 23 are combined, a relative change in azimuth and distance from a specific point can be measured. Also GP
The S device 24 can receive a radio wave from an artificial satellite launched around the earth as a Global Positioning System, and can specify the position and time of the receiving point.

The processing circuit 11 connected to the interface 20 by the system bus 25 includes a CPU 26, an R
An OM 27 and a RAM 28 are included. The CPU 26
When the rise of the power supply voltage is detected by the detection circuit 17, the programs stored in the ROM 27 are sequentially read out, and various processes as the navigation device 10 are executed according to the read out programs. The RAM 28 stores data necessary for the processing of the CPU 26. The CPU 26, especially as date and time management means,
The time data obtained by the S device 24 is stored in a specific storage area of the RAM 28 and managed. Image data such as the background 6, the holiday image icon 7, and the season image icon 8 shown in FIG. 1 are stored in the ROM 27 in advance.

The image display means 12 connected to the system bus 25 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a cathode ray tube (CR).
T), a display controller 31 for controlling an image displayed by the display device 30, a graphic controller 32 for drawing a graphic image to be displayed on the display device 30, and a graphic drawn by the graphic controller 32 A graphic memory 33 for storing data corresponding to an image is included.

FIG. 3 shows that the processing means 11 of FIG.
7 shows a configuration for a route search realized according to the combined program. The route search is performed by the route search device 40
The guidance along the searched route is performed by the route guidance device 41.
Done by The route search device 40 inputs data such as a departure point and a destination point to be set as a route by the input device 16 of FIG. 2 as an input unit, an intermediate point to pass along the way, and a guidance point to provide guidance. . The input point is set in the point setting means 42 in the route search device 40. The route searching means 43 in the route searching device 40
With reference to the road map data stored in the D-ROM 13, a route from the departure point set in the point setting means 42 to the target point is searched according to, for example, the Dijkstra method. If a waypoint is specified at this time,
A route through the waypoint is searched. Route search device 4
The route searched by the route search unit 43 is stored in the search result storage unit 44 of 0. The stored route is
It includes data that can specify a road that passes from the departure point to the destination through the waypoint to the destination, based on the network information, and guide points where route guidance should be performed along the way. The guide point can be specified by the user from the input device 16, for example, or an intersection at which a route is changed can be automatically specified.

When a vehicle travels along a route actually searched for, a route guidance device 41 is provided by a vehicle position search device realized by an azimuth sensor 21, an angular velocity sensor 22, a distance sensor 23, a GPS device 24, and the like. The image display means 12 displays the guidance display for moving the own vehicle position along the path searched while displaying the searched own vehicle position or as a drive simulation function, and the map data from the CD-ROM 13. Perform while displaying on the output unit. The background 6, the holiday image icon 7, and the season image icon 8 of FIG. 1 are also displayed.

FIG. 4 shows a holiday image icon 7 shown in FIG.
5 shows an example of an image icon displayed as. In "New Year's Day", the state where the first sunrise appears behind the Kadomatsu is displayed. "Adult Day" displays a state where men and women are standing side by side. On “National Day”, a Japanese flag is displayed at the position of Japan on the earth. In the "Hina Festival", a doll is displayed. On "Green Day", a tree is displayed in a heart-shaped figure. On Constitution Day, the court building and the Six Laws are displayed. In "National holiday", a map of Japan and a Japanese flag are displayed. In “Child's Day”, a figure of a carp streamer is displayed. In "Tanabata", the starry sky is displayed. On "Sea Day", turtles, small fish and coral reefs are displayed. On "Respect for the Aged Day", a picture of an old man is displayed. On “Sports Day”, a state in which the jumping box is jumped is displayed.
On “Culture Day”, a state in which a man is holding a lamp is displayed. In "Schigosan", boys and girls are displayed. On the "work thanks day", the factory and men in work clothes are displayed. "Emperor's Birthday" shows people who wave the flag in front of the Imperial Palace. In “Christmas Eve”, a state in which candles are arranged is displayed. In "Christmas", a picture of Santa Claus is displayed. In New Year's Eve, a monk with a bell is displayed. In "Four Seasons (Spring)", cherry blossoms are displayed. In "four seasons (summer)", sunflowers are displayed.

FIG. 5 shows an example of an image icon displayed as the seasonal image icon 8 in FIG. In the "four seasons (autumn)", the leaves of the autumn leaves are displayed. "Four seasons (winter)"
Now, a snowflake is displayed. Seasonal image icon 8
Can be set more finely than in the four seasons.

FIG. 6 shows "day" and "night" as background 6 in FIG. Depending on the time of day, it can be used more finely. It is also possible to determine from the map data whether the position of the vehicle is in an urban area, a rural area, a mountain area, or the like, and switch the image displayed as a background.

FIG. 7 shows a processing procedure for performing the display as shown in FIG. When the power of the navigation device 10 is turned on in step a1, the process starts, and in step a2, the date of the day is set. Hereinafter, in step a3, the GPS device 2
The time data is read from the data received in step 4, and it is determined in step a4 whether or not it is 0:00 minutes. If it is 0:00, the date data is read out at step a5 and updated to the next date. At step a5, it is determined whether or not the updated date data matches a predetermined holiday. The public holiday may also include, for example, nap, Christmas Eve or Christmas as described above.
When it is determined in step a6 that the date coincides with the holiday, the holiday image icon 7 is read from the ROM 27 in step a7. When step a7 is completed, or when it is determined in step a6 that the date does not coincide with the holiday, in step a8, the season image icon 8 corresponding to the season to which the date belongs is displayed in the RO.
Read from M27. When the processing in step a8 is completed, or when it is determined in step a4 that the time is not 0:00, it is determined in step a9 whether the time read in step a3 belongs to the daytime zone. Step a when it is determined that the time belongs to the daytime
At 10, a process of reading the daytime background 6 from the ROM 27 and displaying it on the display device 30 is performed. If it is determined in step a9 that the time does not belong to the daytime zone, the night background 6 is read from the ROM 27 and displayed on the display device 30 in step a11. After the display in step a10 or step a11 is completed, a holiday image icon or a seasonal image icon is displayed in step a12, and the process returns to step a3.

In the processing shown in FIG.
Once done, it need not be repeated until the next change is needed. For example, a flag may be provided to store the fact that the process has been performed once, and the process may be bypassed until a change is required.

In the embodiment described above, the GPS device 2
4 reads time data, but if a real-time calendar block is installed, GP
The time data from the S device 24 becomes unnecessary.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, the date and time management means manages the date and time, and the image display means displays the image data stored in the image storage means in accordance with the managed date or time. Since the data is read out and displayed together with the road map image, it is possible to automatically display the image according to the transition of the date and time.

Further, according to the present invention, an image icon corresponding to a specific date such as a holiday can be displayed together with the road map, so that the specific date can be displayed in an easily understandable manner.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a seasonal display.

Further, according to the present invention, since the image icons can be displayed together with the road map in accordance with the time zone of the day, the display of the image icons can be automatically adjusted with the passage of time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of an intersection displayed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of basic hardware of the navigation device 10 displaying the enlarged view of the intersection in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an equivalent logical configuration for route guidance realized by a program operation of a processing unit 11 of FIG. 2;

4 is a diagram showing an example of an image icon displayed as a holiday image icon 7 in the intersection enlarged view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an image icon displayed as the seasonal image icon 8 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image displayed as a background 6 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process for performing the display of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Intersection enlarged screen 2 Intersection enlarged view 3, 4 Road 5 Intersection 6 Background 7 Holiday image icon 8 Seasonal image icon 10 Navigation device 11 Processing means 12 Image display means 13 CD-ROM 16 Input device 21 Direction sensor 22 Angular velocity sensor 23 Distance sensor 24 GPS device 26 CPU 27 ROM 28 RAM 30 Display device 31 Display controller 32 Graphic controller 33 Graphic memory 40 Route search device 41 Route guidance device 42 Point setting means 43 Route search means 44 Search result storage means

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A navigation device which performs route guidance while displaying a road map as an image based on road network information stored in advance, manages a date and a time, and stores data representing a date and a time to which the present time belongs. Derived date and time management means, image storage means in which image data related to the date or time is stored in advance, and stored in the image storage means in relation to the date or time according to data representing the date and time from the date and time management means Image display means for reading out the displayed image data and displaying it together with a part of the image for performing route guidance. 2. The image data stored in the image storage means includes an image icon corresponding to a predetermined specific date. The image display means displays data indicating that the date and time management means indicates a specific date. 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein during the derivation, the image icon corresponding to the date is read out from the image storage means and displayed. 3. The image data stored in the image storage means includes an image icon corresponding to a predetermined specific season, and the image display means displays a date belonging to the specific season by the date and time management means. 3. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image icon corresponding to the season is read out from the image storage means and displayed while the data to be represented is derived. 4. The image data stored in the image storage means includes an image icon corresponding to a specific time zone of the day, and the image display means sets the date and time management means in a specific time zone. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an image icon corresponding to the time zone is read out from the image storage means and displayed while the data representing the belonging time is derived.