JPH1114382A - Electronic map plotting method and navigation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To plainly display traffic information important for a user without displaying numerous informations more than necessary. SOLUTION: A signal processing means 6 reads out map information and facility information from a map information storage means 7 on the basis of a present position detected by a present position detecting means 1, and calculates visual point information necessary for three-dimensional plotting by a visual point calculating means 2, and plots it on a display means 10 together with traffic information received by a traffic information receiving means 8 after three-dimensional plotting processing is performed by a three- dimensional image processing means 9. Among read-out facility information, facility information to be actually displayed on the basis of visual point information and traffic information is selected by a display object selecting means 3, and in three dimensional plotting, it is plotted by setting priority order so as not to become a hindrance to traffic information by a image attribute generating means 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a map drawing method for displaying electronic map information, and a navigation device that uses the map drawing method to three-dimensionally display map information and facility information near a current position.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a navigation device, a vehicle-mounted navigation device for guiding an occupant to a predetermined destination has been known. This is to read the map information stored in the map information storage means such as a CD-ROM using the current position information of the vehicle obtained by the current position detection means such as a GPS receiver, and to display a map near the current position on a liquid crystal display. In addition to displaying the information on a monitor or other display means, the travel route from the predetermined departure point to the predetermined destination is calculated by the route search means, and based on the vehicle position information and the travel path, the direction in which the driver should travel is inserted into the intersection. This is a device that provides guidance by voice or screen display guidance when it is hit.

In addition to displaying map information two-dimensionally on a screen as a map display near the current position, a three-dimensional display of the scenery seen by the driver allows the displayed map to be displayed while traveling. There is also proposed a device devised so that it can easily correspond to actual roads. Such an in-vehicle navigation device is described in, for example, JP-A-5-203457.

FIG. 9 shows the configuration of a conventional on-vehicle navigation apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional view of a driver. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 101 denotes a current position detecting unit;
102 is a viewpoint calculation means, 103 is an operation means, 104 is a signal processing means, 105 is a map information storage means, 106 is a traffic information reception means, 107 is a three-dimensional image drawing means, and 108 is a display means. The route search means, the route guidance means, and the like are not shown.

The operation of the above conventional example will be described. FIG.
, The signal processing means 104 is constituted by a microcomputer, and upon receiving an input instruction from the operation means 103, based on the current position information calculated by the current position detection means 101, the map information storage means 105 While reading out the map information, the traffic information receiving means 106
Get traffic information from. The viewpoint calculation unit 102 receives the current position information from the signal processing unit 104 and calculates viewpoint information necessary for rendering a three-dimensional image. Signal processing means 1
04 sends the map information sent from the map information storage unit 105 and the viewpoint information sent from the viewpoint calculation unit 102 to the three-dimensional image drawing unit 107.
Display means 108 together with the traffic information
Is superimposed on the map information displayed in.

In the above conventional example, the map near the current position displayed on the display means 108 is displayed three-dimensionally, for example, as shown in FIG. This is because the map data stored in the map information storage means 105 includes three-dimensional shape data of buildings, mountains, etc. existing on the map other than the roads. This is performed by the image drawing means 107 generating an image of a landscape viewed from the viewpoint specified by the viewpoint calculation means 102. In such a three-dimensional display, the display state of the screen is similar to the actual road driving situation of the vehicle, and the user in the vehicle can determine the current position on the road map displayed on the screen with the current position. There is an advantage that it is easy to correspond to the current position on the actual road.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional in-vehicle navigation device, since an image is generated based on the three-dimensional shape data stored in the map information storage means, traffic important to the user is required. The information (indicated by the thick arrow line in FIG. 10) is
There has been a problem that the information may be hidden by information such as facilities displayed in a three-dimensional shape, and the map display may be difficult to see.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an electronic map display method capable of displaying traffic information necessary for a user in an easy-to-understand manner without displaying more information than necessary. It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation device using the same.

[0009]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, of the facility information read out from the map information storage means, the facility information which is actually displayed according to the viewpoint information and the traffic information is selected. In addition, the selected facility information is displayed with priorities so as not to obstruct the traffic information, which is important for the user without displaying more information than necessary. Traffic information can be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention relates to an electronic map drawing method for displaying a three-dimensional image of map information and facility information read from a recording medium together with traffic information received from the outside. Among the issued facility information, only the facility information near the intersection existing in the line of sight is selected, and among the selected facility information, the facility information adjacent to the displayed traffic information is displayed. This is an electronic map drawing method characterized by displaying three-dimensionally so as not to disturb the display, and has an effect that a more easily understandable display can be performed by displaying only appropriate information according to viewpoint information and traffic information. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a means for detecting current position information, a means for reading out map information and facility information near the current position information from the map information storage means based on the detected current position information. , 3 from the detected current location information
Means for calculating viewpoint information required for drawing a three-dimensional image, means for drawing a three-dimensional image from the calculated viewpoint information, means for receiving traffic information from the outside, obtained traffic information and drawn three-dimensional information A navigation device comprising: means for displaying an image; and means for selecting facility information to be actually displayed from facility information read from the map information storage means, based on the viewpoint information and traffic information. A navigation apparatus characterized in that only the selected facility is three-dimensionally rendered, and by adding a means for selecting facility information to be displayed, the user can display the information without displaying more information than necessary. It has the effect that important traffic information can be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the selected facility information is three-dimensionally rendered, an image attribute generating means for determining a display priority based on the displayed traffic information is provided. Item 2. The navigation device according to item 2, which has a function of displaying a facility that hides the display of traffic information or an insignificant facility inconspicuously, thereby providing a more intuitive display.

[0013] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when the image attribute generating means determines the display priority, the display priority of facility information located deeper than the displayed traffic information is set higher. 4. The navigation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display priority of the facility information located in the front direction is lower than that of the displayed traffic information, wherein the facility hides the display of the traffic information. Is displayed inconspicuously, so that the display can be displayed more easily.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when the image attribute generating means determines the display priority, the display priority of facility information which is not adjacent to the displayed traffic information is increased.
The navigation device according to claim 3, wherein the display priority of the facility information adjacent to the displayed traffic information is reduced, and the nearby facilities where the display of the traffic information is present are displayed inconspicuously. This has the effect that the relationship between the traffic information and the facility information along the line can be clarified, and the display can be more easily understood.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, when the image attribute generating means determines the display priority, it increases the display priority of facility information which is not adjacent to the displayed traffic information,
The display priority of the facility information adjacent to the displayed traffic information and not along the traveling lane is set to a medium priority, and the facility information adjacent to the displayed traffic information and along the traveling lane is displayed. 4. The navigation device according to claim 3, wherein the priority is lowered, and the relationship between the traffic information in the traveling direction important to the user and the facility information along the route can be clarified, and the display can be more easily understood. It has the action of:

The invention according to claim 7 of the present invention is characterized in that facility information having a high display priority is clearly displayed, and facility information having a low display priority is displayed only with a translucent or contour line. The navigation device according to claim 4, 5, or 6, wherein the difference in display priority can be clarified with a small amount of calculation.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the means for selecting facility information to be displayed selects only facility information adjacent to an intersection in the line of sight.
8. The navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
By displaying only the appropriate facility information corresponding to the viewpoint, the display can be displayed in a more easily understood manner.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a navigation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a current position detecting means for detecting current position information such as a current position coordinate, a traveling direction, and a traveling speed of a vehicle, and is constituted by a GPS receiver in the present embodiment. Reference numeral 2 denotes a viewpoint calculation unit that calculates viewpoint information including a viewpoint position and a line-of-sight direction necessary for coordinate calculation for performing map drawing by three-dimensional image processing from the current position information. It is composed of Reference numeral 3 denotes a display target selection unit that selects only the actual display of the graphic information to be displayed from its position information and viewpoint information, and is configured by a microcomputer in the present embodiment. Reference numeral 4 denotes an image attribute generation unit which determines a display priority when rendering three-dimensional shape information, and is constituted by a microcomputer in the present embodiment. Reference numeral 5 denotes an operation means, which is used by a user to input various control commands to the apparatus, and is constituted by a joystick in the present embodiment. Reference numeral 6 denotes a signal processing unit which controls the entire apparatus, acquires current position information and map information, and displays a map. In the present embodiment, the signal processing unit is constituted by a microcomputer. 7
Is map information storage means for storing three-dimensional shape information such as road information and facility information.
It consists of a D-ROM and its playback device. Numeral 8 denotes a traffic information receiving means, which is a receiver for receiving traffic information transmitted by a traffic information system such as VICS, and in this embodiment, is constituted by an FM receiving circuit, a VICS signal demodulating circuit and the like. 9 is a three-dimensional image drawing means,
The drawing processing is performed so that the three-dimensional shape information can be coordinate-converted from the viewpoint information and displayed. In the present embodiment, the drawing processing is implemented by a microcomputer. Numeral 10 denotes a display means for displaying the facility information subjected to the drawing process together with the traffic information on the map information, and is constituted by a liquid crystal display in the present embodiment. It should be noted that the route search means, the route guidance means, and the like are not shown.

The map drawing operation of the navigation device configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, in FIG. 2, the current position information detecting means 1 detects current position information (S1). Next, based on the detection result, the viewpoint calculation means 2 calculates viewpoint information including a viewpoint position and a line-of-sight direction necessary for coordinate calculation for performing map drawing by three-dimensional image processing (S2). Next, the signal processing means 6 reads map information near the current position to be drawn from the map information storage means 7 (S3), and among the read map information, the road information is read by the three-dimensional image drawing means 9. At the same time as drawing (S4), traffic information is obtained from the traffic information receiving means 8 (S5), and the obtained traffic information is drawn on the display means 10 (S6).

Next, in FIG. 3, the signal processing means 6
Among the map information, the facility information having the three-dimensional shape information is read out one by one from the map information storage means 7 (S11), and the read-out facility information is read by the display object selecting means 3 so that the facility is moved from the coordinates to the line of sight. It is determined whether the facility is adjacent to an existing intersection (S12). If the read facility information is not a facility adjacent to the intersection existing in the line of sight,
The next facility information is read without drawing the facility. If the read facility information is a facility adjacent to an intersection existing in the line-of-sight direction, it is further determined whether or not the facility is a facility on the far side of the screen of the acquired traffic information (1).
3). When the facility is located on the far side of the traffic information screen, the display priority is high (S14), and when the facility is located on the near side of the traffic information screen, the display priority is low, and each is set by the image attribute generating means 4. (S15). Next, these facilities are drawn on the display means 10 by the three-dimensional image drawing means 9 (S16). At this time, the facilities on the far side with the higher display priority are drawn using the normal display method and display color, and the facilities on the near side with the lower display priority draw only the outline,
Or draw with the display color translucent. Then, the determination of drawing and the drawing process for all the facilities belonging to the map display range are executed (S17), and the map drawing process ends.

FIG. 4 shows a drawing result in the first embodiment. In FIG. 4, V indicates the own vehicle position and the traveling direction, and arrow lines a, b, c, and d indicate traffic information. When FIG. 4 is compared with FIG. 10 which is a drawing result of the conventional example, in the first embodiment, only facilities adjacent to the intersection existing in the line of sight are displayed, so that the display is easy to understand and the traffic information b , C and the facility 12 on the near side of the traffic information d are displayed only with their outlines, so that the facilities 11, 12 do not hide the traffic information b, c, d. Since the traffic information a faces the front in the traveling direction, the traffic information a is not hidden by facilities along the route.

As described above, according to the first embodiment,
Only the facility information adjacent to the intersection existing in the line-of-sight direction is selected by the display target selection unit 3, and among the selected facility information, the facilities existing on the front side of the traffic information by the image attribute generation unit 4 are displayed only in the outline thereof. Alternatively, by displaying the traffic information in a translucent display color, the traffic information can be prevented from being hidden by the facility information, and an easy-to-view map display can be realized.

(Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The configuration of the device according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.
Here, only the map drawing operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The processing from the detection of the current position information, the calculation of the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction, the reading of the map information, the drawing of the road information, the acquisition of the traffic information and the drawing are the same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG.

Next, in FIG. 5, the signal processing means 6
Among the map information, the facility information having the three-dimensional shape information is read out one by one from the map information storage means 7 (S21), and the read-out facility information is read by the display target selecting means 3 so that the facility is moved from the coordinates in the line of sight. It is determined whether the facility is adjacent to an existing intersection (S22). If the read facility information is not a facility adjacent to the intersection existing in the line of sight,
The next facility information is read without drawing the facility. If the read facility information is a facility adjacent to an intersection existing in the line of sight, it is further determined whether or not the facility is adjacent to the acquired traffic information (2).
3). When the facility is not adjacent to the traffic information, the display priority is high (S24), and when the facility is adjacent to the traffic information, the display priority is low, and each is set by the image attribute generating means 4 (S25). Next, these facilities are drawn on the display means 10 by the three-dimensional image drawing means 9 (S26). At this time, facilities with a high display priority draw with a normal display method and display color, and facilities with a low display priority draw only the outline thereof or render the display color translucent. Then, the drawing determination and the drawing process are executed for all the facilities belonging to the map display range (S27), and the map drawing process is ended.

FIG. 6 shows a drawing result in the second embodiment. In FIG. 6, V indicates the vehicle position and the traveling direction, and arrow lines a, b, c, and d indicate traffic information. When FIG. 6 is compared with FIG. 10 which is a drawing result of the conventional example, in the second embodiment, only facilities adjacent to the intersection existing in the line of sight are displayed, so that the display is easy to understand and the traffic information a , B, c, d facilities 21 and 22, which are not adjacent to
23 is displayed in the normal display method and display color, and the facilities adjacent to the traffic information a, b, c, and d are displayed only by the outlines. Therefore, the traffic information a, b, c depends on the displayed facility. , D are not hidden, and the relationship between the traffic information a, b, c, d and the facilities along the route becomes clear.

As described above, according to the second embodiment,
Only the facility information adjacent to the intersection existing in the line-of-sight direction is selected by the display target selection means 3, and the facility adjacent to the traffic information is selected from the selected facility information by the image attribute generation means 4 only for its outline or semi-transparent. By displaying the traffic information in various colors, it is possible to prevent the traffic information from being hidden by the facility information, and to clarify the relationship between the traffic information and the facilities along the route to realize an easy-to-read map display. Can be.

(Embodiment 3) Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the configuration of the device according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.
Here, only the map drawing operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The processing from the detection of the current position information, the calculation of the viewpoint position and the line-of-sight direction, the reading of the map information, the drawing of the road information, the acquisition of the traffic information and the drawing are the same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG.

Next, in FIG. 7, the signal processing means 6
Among the map information, the facility information having the three-dimensional shape information is read out one by one from the map information storage means 7 (S31), and the read-out facility information is displayed by the display object selecting means 3 so that the facility is moved from the coordinates to the gaze direction. It is determined whether or not the facility is adjacent to the intersection existing at (S32). The read facility information is
If the facility is not adjacent to the intersection existing in the line of sight, the next facility information is read without drawing the facility. If the read facility information is a facility adjacent to an intersection existing in the line of sight, the facility further includes:
It is determined whether the facility is adjacent to the acquired traffic information (3
3). If the facility is not adjacent to the acquired traffic information, the display priority is increased (S34). If the facility is adjacent to the acquired traffic information, it is further determined whether or not the facility is adjacent to the traffic information along the lane in the traveling direction from the viewpoint (S35). If the facility is a facility along the traveling lane (left lane in Japan) from the viewpoint, the display priority is lowered (S36). If the facility is not along the traveling lane, the display priority is reduced. Medium (S3
7). Next, these facilities are drawn on the display means 10 by the three-dimensional image drawing means 9 (S38). At this time, facilities with high display priority are drawn using the normal display method and display color, facilities with low display priority draw only the outline, and facilities with medium display priority display color. Draw with translucency. Then, the determination of drawing and the drawing process for all facilities belonging to the map display range are executed (S3).
9), the map drawing process ends.

FIG. 8 shows a drawing result in the third embodiment. In FIG. 8, V indicates the own vehicle position and the traveling direction, and arrow lines a, b, c, and d indicate traffic information. When FIG. 8 is compared with FIG. 10 which is a drawing result of the conventional example, in the third embodiment, since only facilities adjacent to the intersection existing in the line of sight are displayed, the display is easy to understand, and the traffic information a , B, c, and d, among the facilities 31 adjacent to the traffic information a along the traveling lane,
4. The facility 35 adjacent to the traffic information c and the facility 36 adjacent to the traffic information d are displayed only by the outline, and the facilities 41 to 4 adjacent to the traffic information a not along the traveling lane.
4. Since the facility 45 adjacent to the traffic information c and the facility 46 adjacent to the traffic information d are displayed in a semi-transparent color, the traffic information a, c, d corresponding to the traveling lane and the facility information along the lane. Relationship becomes clear.

As described above, according to the third embodiment,
Only the facility information adjacent to the intersection existing in the line-of-sight direction is selected by the display target selection means 3, and among the selected facility information, the facilities which are not adjacent to the traffic information by the image attribute generation means 4 are the normal display method and display color. In the facilities adjacent to the traffic information, facilities along the lane in the traveling direction are displayed only in their outlines, and facilities that do not follow the lane in the traveling direction are displayed in a semi-transparent display color. The relationship between the corresponding traffic information and the facility information along the route can be clarified, and an easy-to-view map display can be realized.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, the map information is read from the map information storage means based on the viewpoint information calculated by the viewpoint calculation means, the traffic information is received by the traffic information receiving means, and the obtained viewpoint information and Based on the traffic information, the display object selecting means selects facility information for actually performing three-dimensional display from the map information, and when the selected facility information is drawn by the three-dimensional image drawing means, the image attribute generating means Priorities are set so that they do not disturb traffic information and clarify the relationship between traffic information and facility information, so it is important for users without displaying more information than necessary. This has the effect that traffic information can be displayed in an easily understandable manner.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device according to each embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a first half of a map drawing operation according to each embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the latter half of the map drawing operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a screen diagram showing an example of a map drawing result according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the latter half of the map drawing operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a screen diagram showing an example of a map drawing result according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the latter half of the map drawing operation according to the third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a screen diagram showing an example of a map drawing result according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device in a conventional example.

FIG. 10 is a screen diagram showing an example of a map drawing result in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Current position detection means 2 View point calculation means 3 Display target selection means 4 Image attribute generation means 5 Operation means 6 Signal processing means 7 Map information storage means 8 Traffic information reception means 9 Three-dimensional image drawing means 10 Display means

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An electronic map drawing method for displaying a three-dimensional image of map information and facility information read from a recording medium together with traffic information received from the outside, wherein an intersection existing in the line of sight among the read facility information. Selecting only nearby facility information, and displaying three-dimensionally, among the selected facility information, facility information adjacent to the displayed traffic information so as not to hinder display of the traffic information. Electronic map drawing method. 2. A means for detecting current position information, a means for reading map information and facility information in the vicinity thereof from the map information storage means based on the detected current position information, and three-dimensional information based on the detected current position information. Means for calculating viewpoint information required for image drawing, means for drawing a three-dimensional image from the calculated viewpoint information, means for receiving traffic information from outside,
Means for displaying the acquired traffic information and the drawn three-dimensional image, wherein the facility information actually displayed among the facility information read from the map information storage means is replaced with the viewpoint information. And a means for selecting on the basis of traffic information, and three-dimensionally rendering only the selected facility. 3. The navigation device according to claim 2, further comprising: an image attribute generation unit that determines a display priority based on the displayed traffic information when the selected facility information is three-dimensionally drawn. 4. The image attribute generating means, when determining the display priority, sets the display priority of facility information located in the depth direction higher than the displayed traffic information, and sets the display priority higher than the displayed traffic information. 4. The navigation device according to claim 3, wherein the display priority of the facility information located in the front direction is reduced. 5. The image attribute generation means, when determining the display priority, increases the display priority of facility information that is not adjacent to the displayed traffic information, and sets the display priority of the facility information adjacent to the displayed traffic information. 4. The navigation device according to claim 3, wherein the display priority is lowered. 6. The image attribute generating means, when deciding the display priority, increases the display priority of facility information which is not adjacent to the displayed traffic information, is adjacent to the displayed traffic information, and proceeds. The display priority of facility information not along the direction lane is set to medium, and the display priority of facility information adjacent to the displayed traffic information and along the traveling direction lane is lowered. 3. The navigation device according to 3. 7. The navigation according to claim 4, wherein facility information having a high display priority is clearly displayed, and facility information having a low display priority is displayed only with a translucent or contour line. apparatus. 8. The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the means for selecting facility information to be displayed selects only facility information adjacent to the intersection in the line of sight.