JPH1038593A - Navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attract attention at the time of a route guidance by improving the visibility of a display which displays navigation information and make it easy to grasp the display contents. SOLUTION: The display 4 which displays the navigation information found by a navigation device main body is provided on the top surface of the instrument panel 1 of a vehicle so that it can freely move up and down, and the display 4 is moved up and down by a slide mechanism 11 to change a display screen projecting on the top surface of the instrument panel 1. The navigation device main body, on the other hand, is provided with a display control means which displays the navigation information by maximizing the display screen area projecting on the top surface of the instrument panel 1 of the display 4 by driving the slide mechanism 11 when it is judged that a course guidance is needed according to the navigation information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus suitable for performing route guidance while presenting map information using a display.

[0002]

[Related Background Art] Recently, a signal of a global positioning system (GPS) using a satellite is received, a current position is detected, and map information around the current position obtained according to the information is displayed together with the current position information. 2. Description of the Related Art Navigation devices that perform route guidance and the like by displaying information have become widespread. If a vehicle is equipped with this type of navigation device as standard, its display is exclusively installed in the front of the central part of the instrument panel.
When the device is optionally retrofitted, the display is often mounted on the front side of the center console using a predetermined mounting tool.

[0003]

When visually recognizing the display contents of the display provided at the above-mentioned position,
The angle of gaze movement of the driver who gazes ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle must be relatively large, and it is hard to say that the visibility of the display is good. In this respect, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-699
Japanese Patent Publication No. 13 discloses a configuration in which the orientation of the display can be set to a direction that matches the physique and posture of the driver.
A technique for improving the visibility is shown. Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-1
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11193 discloses that, by changing the scale of map information displayed on the display in accordance with the driving condition of the own vehicle, map information including a point of occurrence of traffic congestion or the like is enlarged and displayed in detail, thereby displaying the map information. A technique for facilitating the understanding of the contents is disclosed.

[0004] However, even if the display orientation is variable, the effect of improving the angle of the driver's line of sight cannot be expected much. Also, if the scale required for route guidance etc. is enlarged and displayed by changing the scale of the map information, it is certainly easier to grasp the displayed contents, but if it is not enlarged, the surrounding area A large amount of information is displayed, and the display screen becomes complicated, which makes it difficult to grasp the displayed contents, and the like, easily causes problems.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to improve the visibility of a display for displaying navigation information so that the display contents can be easily grasped. It is to provide a navigation device.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, a navigation device according to the present invention includes a navigation device main body for obtaining navigation information for a vehicle in accordance with current vehicle position information. A display for displaying navigation information provided is provided on the upper surface of the instrument panel of the vehicle so as to be vertically movable, and the display screen area protruding from the upper surface of the instrument panel can be changed by moving the display vertically by a slide mechanism. On the other hand, the navigation device body determines a necessity of route guidance for the vehicle based on the current position information and the navigation information, and the determination unit determines that the route guidance is necessary. When the slide mechanism is driven, It is characterized in that the display screen area projected on the instrument panel upper surface of the display by maximizing provided a display control means for displaying the navigation information.

In other words, the display is protruded from the upper surface of the instrument panel, and preferably is provided at the center of the upper surface of the instrument panel so as to be freely movable up and down. When there is a need for route guidance by an enlarged detail display, the display screen area protruding from the upper surface of the instrument panel of the display is maximized, that is, the navigation information is displayed in a full screen state. And

According to a second aspect of the present invention, as the determination means, it is determined whether or not the current position of the vehicle is in an urban area based on the map information given as the navigation information, and whether there is a branch road ahead in the vehicle traveling direction. The method is characterized in that it is determined whether or not the route guidance is necessary. In other words, a situation where route guidance by information display using the full screen of the display is necessary is determined and detected as a case where a road is complicated like a city or a case where a branch road exists ahead in the traveling direction. The display is set to the full screen state only when the route guidance based on such detailed map information is performed. In other words, when the route guidance based on the detailed map information is unnecessary, the display screen area itself is reduced by setting the display to, for example, a half screen state, and only the necessary information is appropriately displayed. It is characterized by having.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A navigation device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an instrument panel unit incorporating a navigation device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part thereof. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an instrument panel disposed at the front of the vehicle compartment. Reference numeral 2 denotes a center console extending from the front surface of the central portion of the instrument panel 1 toward the driver's seat foot. Reference numeral 3 denotes a combination meter 3 incorporated in a right portion of the instrument panel 1 at a position in front of the driver's seat.

[0010] Thus, the display 4 which constitutes the display unit of the navigation device, for example, comprises a color liquid crystal element,
The instrument panel 1 is provided at the center of the upper surface at the back of the upper surface so as to be vertically movable while being supported by a slide mechanism described later. The display 4 is moved up and down by the operation of the slide mechanism, and its display screen is projected on the upper surface of the instrument panel 1 to be used for displaying information such as navigation information (map information).

The display 4 has a full screen state in which information is displayed by projecting the entire display screen on the upper surface of the instrument panel 1, and a display screen in which only the upper half of the display screen projects on the upper surface of the instrument panel 1. Then, in a state where the lower half of the display screen is housed inside the instrument panel 1, the display screen is selectively set and controlled to a half screen state in which information is displayed only on the exposed display screen portion protruding from the upper surface of the panel 1. You.

An operation switch section 5a of an air conditioner and an operation section 5b of an audio device are provided on the front portion of the instrument panel 1 from the front center portion to the center console 2 for each functional purpose. They are arranged together. On the near side of the center of the upper surface of the instrument panel 1, a retractable switch support 6 having its front portion as a pivot point is provided. The switch support 6 mainly supports operation switches for controlling display of information such as navigation information on the display 4, so-called multi-function multi-switch 6a.

The switch support 6 is always tilted so as to be flush with the upper surface of the instrument panel 1, and is popped up by operating the operation switch 7 to stand on the upper surface of the instrument panel 1.
With the pop-up (standing) of the switch support 6,
The multi-switch 6 supported by the switch support 6
a is selectively positioned at the operable state position so that a is substantially flush with the operation switch 5a and the operation unit 5b. The operation switches 7 are arranged together with operation switches 5c for driving assistance, for example, and are arranged on the front surface of the instrument panel 1.

The pop-up structure of the switch support 6 and the slide structure of the display 4 will be briefly described, for example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. That is, the slide mechanism 11 operates in response to the driving force of the motor 12, moves the display 4 up and down, and variably sets the amount of projection of the display 4 from the upper surface of the instrument panel 1. Is mounted via a bracket 13 to a cross member 8 provided by connecting left and right skeletal members (for example, front pillars and lowers) of the vehicle on the back side. The slide mechanism 11 itself has a pair of left and right rails 15 provided in parallel at both ends of a base 14 fixed to the cross member 8 via a bracket 13, and a slide provided movably up and down along these rails 15. The display 4 is supported between the upper ends of the guides 16. The slide guide 16 is connected to a gear mechanism 17 that is driven to rotate by the motor 12 via a link mechanism 18, and the display 4 is moved up and down by the operation of the link mechanism 18 accompanying the rotation of the motor 12. The slide drive is performed.

With the slide mechanism 11 configured as described above, the display 4 is held at the highest position of the link mechanism 18.
Makes the entire display screen project from the upper surface of the instrument panel 1, and the entire display screen is set to a full screen state usable for information display. At the lowermost position of the link mechanism 18, the display 4 projects only the upper half of the display screen from the upper surface of the instrument panel 1 as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure, and only the upper half of the display screen It is set to a half screen state used for information presentation.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the switch support 6 is rotatably attached to the central portion of the instrument panel 1 with the lower portion on the near side of the main body as a pivot point. The switch support 6 is provided on the back side of the instrument panel 1 via a bracket 21 and is driven by a motor 22 by a link mechanism 23.
(Drive mechanism), and is tilted up with respect to the upper surface of the instrument panel 1 by the operation of the link mechanism 23. That is, when the link mechanism 23 is at the lowermost position, the switch support 6 is tilted so as to be substantially flush with the upper surface of the instrument panel 1, and when the link mechanism 23 is moved to the uppermost position by the motor 22, Accordingly, the instrument panel 1 is tilted up and protrudes from the upper surface of the instrument panel 1, and the panel surface is set so as to be substantially flush with the front side surface of the instrument panel 1.

The motor 12 of the slide mechanism 11 and the motor 22 of the drive mechanism are driven forward and reverse by a motor control circuit 25 which operates in response to the operation of the operation switch 7 and the like. By the way, the motor control circuit 25
Is constituted by, for example, a relay or a semiconductor switch. Basically, the operation of the operation switch 7 is detected, the motors 12 and 22 are driven forward, respectively, and the slide mechanism 11 is driven to make the display 4 full. An operation that allows the driver to operate the switches (such as the multi-switch 6a) incorporated in the switch support 6 by setting the screen state and tilting the switch support 6 without changing the driving posture. Position in the operable state position within the reach range.

The motor control circuit 25 changes the display mode of the display 4 based on display control information by operating switches incorporated in the switch support 6 and control information given from other switches. Then, the slide mechanism 11 is driven in accordance with the displayed content to selectively set the display 4 to a full screen or a half screen.

Now, the display 4 is provided as described above,
In addition, the navigation device in which the switches 6a for controlling the display are incorporated in the switch support 6 is mainly composed of a navigation unit 31 as shown in FIG. 5, for example. Describing this navigation device, a navigation unit 31, which is a main body of the navigation device, includes a global positioning signal from a satellite received via a GPS antenna 32, geomagnetic direction information detected by a geomagnetic sensor 33, and Is provided with a sensor processing unit 35 which processes turning angular velocity information of the vehicle detected by an angular velocity sensor 34 such as a vibrating gyroscope mounted on the vehicle to obtain a current position and a vehicle direction of the vehicle. The arithmetic processing unit 36 performs processing necessary for location, route search, route guidance, and the like according to the sensor information and map information described later. The map display guidance voice unit 37 uses the display 4. It controls the display of map information related to navigation and the output of guidance voice messages.

The map information and the like necessary for the route search and display are obtained from a CD (compact disc) which is an information recording medium set in the CD drive 38,
The data is fetched by the map display guidance voice section 37 via the decoder section 39 and is used for the above-described route search, output of guidance voice, and the like. The navigation unit 31 operates by receiving power from the accessory power supply unit 40 and displays map information and the like using the display 4 incorporated in the monitor unit 41. Further, in this example, an electronic circuit unit (ECU) 42 for controlling the air conditioner, an audio unit (sound device) 43, and a television tuner 44 are provided around the navigation unit 31. Information on the device is also selectively displayed using the display 4 incorporated in the monitor unit 41.
In the figure, reference numeral 45 denotes an engine control ECU.
The driving condition detected by the CU 45 is also transmitted to the display 4 via the navigation unit 41.
Is displayed as appropriate.

In the navigation device configured as described above, the navigation unit 31 basically operates according to the current position information and the vehicle direction information.
(Information recording medium) to obtain road map information around the current position. Then, in accordance with the information of the destination selectively specified and the current position information, an optimum route to the destination is searched from the road map information (route search). The display 4 has a function of displaying the searched optimum route together with the map information around the own vehicle. In addition, the navigation unit 31 operates according to instructions from the driver and the like.
Alternatively, a display function for enlarging and displaying map information used for route guidance in detail based on a route guidance determination result described later is provided.

The display of various information on the display 4 is performed, for example, as shown in FIG. That is, the display of the navigation information including the map information is, for example, as shown in FIG.
Display 4 set to full screen state as shown in
This is performed using Incidentally, in the navigation image shown in FIG. 6A, the triangular mark M indicates the own vehicle position and the own vehicle direction, the thin line L indicates the road, the thick line G indicates the guidance route set along the road, and Mark B indicates a road condition such as traffic congestion. As described above, since the amount of display information is large, the display 4 is set to the full screen state, and information display is performed by making the most of the display screen. In particular, FIG.
When route guidance is required as shown in FIG. 2, the map information is enlarged and the information is displayed in detail.

When route guidance by enlarging and detailing map information is not required, such as when driving on a suburb or an expressway, for example, the display 4 is set to a half screen, and Display of navigation information is performed. If you do not need to display navigation information,
As a steady information display on the display 4, for example, the weather forecast information W is displayed together with the date D and the current time T in the half screen state as shown in FIG. 6B (daily information display). Audio unit 4
3 is activated, so-called visible radio information R obtained as character information together with channel switching information C on the half screen as shown in FIG.
Is displayed (visible radio information display). Further, at the time of operating the air conditioner, the current vehicle room temperature TM and the air conditioner status AC are displayed on the half screen as shown in FIG. 6D (air conditioner operation information display). As shown in (e), based on the information obtained from the ECU 45, the possible travel distance PD estimated from the remaining fuel amount and the like is displayed (vehicle information display).

As described above, the display of various information by the display 4 is performed by selectively setting the display 4 to a full screen state or a half screen state in accordance with the display contents, and only necessary information at that time is displayed. The display is characteristically displayed in an appropriate size that is easy to see. In particular, in the device according to this embodiment, as described below, according to the driving situation obtained from the navigation information based on the current position information, when traveling in an urban area, the route should be guided forward in the traveling direction. If there is a fork,
It is determined that this is the case where the route should be actively guided, the display 4 is set to the full screen state, and the navigation image (map information) is enlarged and displayed by effectively using the entire area of the display screen. It has become.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a processing procedure for executing the above-described navigation image display control, which is started as part of the navigation processing when map information around the own vehicle is displayed on a display. That is, in this process, it is determined whether or not the navigation guidance mode is set (step S1), and the process is executed when the mode is set. Then, in this case, it is first determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling in an urban area according to the current position information and the map information around the own vehicle (step S2).
That is, it is determined whether the vehicle is traveling in an urban area where there are many intersections and side roads and these are complicated. If it is determined that the vehicle is not traveling in an urban area, it is determined whether the vehicle is traveling in a vicinity where route guidance is required next (step S).
3).

When it is determined that the vehicle is traveling in an urban area or in a place where route guidance is required, the slide mechanism 11 is driven to slide up the display 4 to set a full screen state. The map information necessary for route guidance is enlarged and displayed in detail (step S
4). On the other hand, when the vehicle is not traveling in an urban area and it is determined that the route guidance is unnecessary, the display 4 is slid down and the half screen state is set to display only the rough map information. Perform (Step S
5).

Incidentally, in step S3, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling in a place where route guidance is required. Basically, it is determined whether or not there is a branch road to turn left or right ahead in the traveling direction. It is done by doing. In particular, when another branch road (intersection) exists at a short distance before and after a branch road (intersection) to be turned left (right turn) ahead in the traveling direction, which branch road (intersection) turns left (right turn). In order to clearly indicate the necessity, for example, the necessity of route guidance is determined based on a branch road (intersection) that arrives first.

In this case, it is assumed that the vehicle is going straight ahead along the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling, and it is determined whether it is necessary to turn left or right with operation of the direction indicator. May be determined that route guidance is unnecessary. Further, information such as whether or not the vehicle deviates from the main road to the side road, whether or not the main road is branched, and whether or not the intersection is multiplexed may be comprehensively determined.

Thus, according to the navigation device configured as described above, the display 4 is separated from the operation system (operation switch) and is provided at the back of the instrument panel 1 so as to be vertically movable. As compared with the case where the display is provided on the front side of the central part of the instrument panel 1 as described above, the driver who gazes ahead in the vehicle traveling direction can visually recognize the display 4 without accompanying a large movement of the line of sight. , The display contents can be confirmed. That is, since the display 4 is provided in front of the driver and on the upper surface at the back of the instrument panel 1, the driver moves his / her gaze to the same extent as when the display contents of the combination meter 3 are visually recognized. This makes it possible to grasp the display contents of the display 4.

Further, the display 4 is provided so that the amount of protrusion from the upper surface of the instrument panel 1 can be variably set, and is configured to be a full screen or a half screen according to the display contents. Only when the detailed route guidance by the navigation image is required, it is set to the full screen state, the navigation image is controlled to be enlarged and displayed in detail, and otherwise, the half screen state is set. It has become. Therefore, according to the content to be displayed, only necessary information can be displayed in an easily viewable manner.

In other words, when the map information for performing the route guidance is locally enlarged and displayed, the map information around the own vehicle is displayed in a full screen state, so that the detailed road information can be displayed in a wide range in detail. It is possible to present it, and the contents can be easily grasped. On the other hand, when the route guidance is unnecessary, only the rough navigation information is simply and simply displayed on the half screen for reference, so that the information can be appropriately displayed within the restricted screen area.

Incidentally, when information is displayed using only a part of the display 4 in the full screen state, if a lot of screen parts not used for the display are left, the appeal of the displayed information is impaired and the display screen is not displayed. The display size of the information is perceived to be small compared to the whole, and the visibility is deteriorated. Conversely, if other information is displayed using an area that was not used to display message information, the display screen becomes complicated with a mixture of miscellaneous information. Worse. Therefore, as described above, by setting the half screen according to the display content and displaying only the necessary information, the complexity of the display on the large screen is eliminated, and the appeal degree is increased,
Visibility can be improved.

In particular, only when the route guidance is necessary as described above, the display 4 is automatically slid up and the map information is enlarged and displayed.
By setting to full screen status (slide up)
This allows the driver to visually recognize that the route guidance is to be performed, and consequently it is possible to evoke driving attention accompanying a left turn or a right turn.

Further, since the display 4 displays information with a certain brightness, the brightness may be annoying when driving at night. In this regard, according to the above-described embodiment, the display 4 is set to the full screen or the half screen according to the display content, so that the display 4 does not feel unnecessarily bright. In particular, in the half screen state, the size of the shining surface is suppressed to about half, and the amount of light leaking into the cabin is suppressed to about half of that in the full screen, so the driving environment during night driving is undesirably disturbed. There are advantages such as not having any.

On the other hand, the operation switches which are movably supported by the switch support 6 are always arranged along the upper surface of the instrument panel 1 by tilting the switch support 6, It is hard to see directly from the driver, and it is hard to operate. Therefore, the switches supported by the switch support 6 can be positively excluded from the group of operation switches that the driver is conscious of as an operation target, and unintended operation of those switches can be prevented. Can be prevented. Then, when the switch support 6 is tilted up under the driver's operation intention by operating the operation switch 7, the switches are operated toward the driver within the range of the driver's operation reach. Since they are positioned in a possible state, these operation switches can be easily operated. That is, by tilting up the switch support 6 when necessary, it is possible to sufficiently secure the operability of the operation switches provided on the switch support 6.

In this way, by using the switch support 6 selectively positioned at the operable state, the infrequently used switches, such as operation switches for navigation, are always provided on the upper surface of the instrument panel 1. If stored, a large number of switches can be effectively classified and arranged on the instrument panel 1, and only the switches that are frequently used can be constantly installed in the operable state. Becomes As a result,
Combined with the layout arrangement of the entire switches, it is possible to increase the size of each switch, thereby also improving the operability. Moreover, it is possible to clarify the difference between the operation switches provided on the switch support 6 and the operation switches provided on the instrument panel 1 and to prevent the interference between them, thereby effectively preventing erroneous operation. The effect can also be achieved.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the display 4 may be configured to be completely housed inside the instrument panel 1 when not in use. Further, the display screen area of the display 4 may be variably set in more steps according to the display contents. Further, the configuration of the slide mechanism 11 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the display 4 may be moved up and down using a rack and a pinion, and using a spring force or an air force instead of the motor. It is of course possible to mechanically control the movement of the display 4 or the like. Also, the determination conditions and the determination algorithm when displaying the navigation information by setting the display 4 to the full screen state can be variously modified, and the display mode is also, for example, the enlargement ratio (scale ratio) of the map information. May be determined according to use. In addition, the present invention can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist thereof.

[0038]

As described above, according to the present invention, a display for displaying navigation information required by the navigation apparatus body is provided on the upper surface of an instrument panel of a vehicle so as to be vertically movable, and the display is provided by a slide mechanism. When the display screen area protruding from the upper surface of the panel is made variable by moving it up and down, the navigation device body determines a necessity of route guidance to the vehicle, and a route guidance is required. Display control means for driving the slide mechanism to maximize a display screen area protruding above the panel upper surface of the display to display the navigation information.

Therefore, according to the present invention, when there is a need for route guidance, the display screen area protruding from the upper surface of the instrument panel of the display is maximized, that is, set to a full screen state to display navigation information. Therefore, the visibility (grasping) of the display content can be sufficiently ensured. Furthermore, when the route guidance is not necessary, the display of the navigation image and the like is performed in the half screen state in which the display screen area is set to be small, so that the troublesome display itself is eliminated and the appropriate information display is performed. Becomes possible.

That is, the display is set to a large screen only when route guidance is required, and is always set to a small screen. Therefore, information is displayed on a display screen of an appropriate size, that is, display on an unnecessarily large display. Can be eliminated, and the visibility of the displayed content can be improved. Moreover, by setting the large screen of the display, it is possible to bring about effects such as being able to call attention to route guidance.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in particular, the determination means determines whether or not the current position of the vehicle is in an urban area based on the map information given as the navigation information.
In addition, check whether there is a branch road ahead of the vehicle traveling direction,
Since the necessity of route guidance is determined by this, for example, when the road is complicated like a city area, or when there is a branch road ahead in the traveling direction,
The display can be effectively set to the full screen state only when route guidance based on detailed map information is performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an instrument panel unit incorporating a display operation device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a main part of the instrument panel shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a pop-up structure of a switch support and a slide structure of a display according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front configuration diagram showing a slide structure of the display according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block configuration diagram of a vehicle accessory that is incorporated as the embodiment device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a display in which a display effective area is controlled and display contents thereof.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a procedure for determining the necessity of route guidance.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Instrument panel 2 Center console 3 Combination meter 4 Display 6 Switch support 7 Operation switch 11 Slide mechanism 12 Motor 18 Link mechanism 31 Navigation unit 36 Arithmetic processing unit 37 Map display guidance sound unit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A navigation device main body for obtaining navigation information for a vehicle according to current position information of the vehicle, a display provided on an upper surface of an instrument panel of the vehicle, and an upper surface of the instrument panel by moving the display up and down. A slide mechanism that changes a display screen area protruding from the vehicle, a determination unit that determines the necessity of route guidance to the vehicle based on the current position information and the navigation information, and a necessity of route guidance by the determination unit. And display control means for driving the slide mechanism to maximize a display screen area protruding from the upper surface of the instrument panel of the display to display the navigation information when the slide mechanism is determined to be present. Navigation device. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines whether the current position of the vehicle is in an urban area or whether there is a fork in front of the vehicle in the vehicle traveling direction based on the map information given as the navigation information. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the determination is made as follows.