JPH11160088A - Navigation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a navigation system in which visibility of land mark and operability are enhanced. SOLUTION: A navigation system comprising means for displaying a road map and indicating a land mark indicative of a facility on the road map is provided with means for storing the frequency of utilizing each facility, and means for selecting a facility to be marked on the display means depending on the frequency of utilizing the facility thus stored.

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 displaying road maps on display means and displaying landmarks indicating various facilities to provide road guidance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Navigation devices for guiding the route of a vehicle and the like have become widespread.
-Map information such as road data, landmarks representing facilities, and characters such as place names stored in a ROM or the like are read and displayed, and the position of the own vehicle obtained by GPS radio positioning, direction sensor, vehicle speed sensor, Further, a route or the like searched based on the position of the vehicle and the input destination is displayed in a superimposed manner.

[0003]

The display of landmarks on a map is convenient because the locations of facilities can be grasped. However, when landmarks are displayed for all facilities, many landmarks overlap, There is a problem that it is difficult to see. In particular, in an urban area, the number of facilities is large, and they are displayed on a map of a congested road. Therefore, if all of them are displayed, the display becomes too dense and the map becomes useless. For this reason, in the conventional navigation device, the facility type for displaying the landmark is manually selected. However, landmarks that the user wants to display vary depending on the time and place, and must be selected each time, which is very troublesome.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to realize a navigation device that automatically selects and displays landmarks related to facilities required by a user.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described problems. A road map is displayed on a display means, and a landmark indicating a facility is displayed at a position on the road map where the facility exists. In the display navigation device,
Use frequency storage means for storing the use frequency of each facility,
According to the use frequency stored in the use frequency storage means,
Facility selection means for selecting the facility for displaying a landmark on the display means.

In a navigation apparatus for displaying a road map on a display means and displaying a landmark indicating a facility at a position where the facility is present on the road map, a use frequency for storing the use frequency of each facility is stored. Frequency storage means, a facility selection means for selecting the facility to display a landmark on the display means, and a facility selected by the facility selection means, according to the use frequency stored in the use frequency storage means. Landmark selection means for selecting a landmark corresponding to the same kind of facility as a landmark to be displayed on the display means.

[0007] In a navigation apparatus for displaying a road map on a display means and displaying a landmark indicating a facility at a position where the facility is present on the road map, a corresponding type of the landmark is provided. A use frequency storage unit for storing the use frequency of the facility; and a landmark selection unit for selecting a landmark to be displayed on the display unit according to the use frequency stored in the use frequency storage unit for each type. It is characterized by the following.

Further, the facility selecting means selects a facility whose use frequency stored in the use frequency storage means is equal to or higher than a predetermined frequency. Also, a position detecting means for detecting a position of the vehicle, a stop time detecting means for detecting a stop time of the vehicle, and a stop detected by the position detect means when the time detected by the stop time detecting means is longer than a predetermined time. And a use frequency counting means for increasing the use frequency stored in the use frequency storage means corresponding to the facility existing at the position of the vehicle inside.

Further, a position detecting means for detecting a position of the vehicle, a stop time detecting means for detecting a stop time of the vehicle, and when the time detected by the stop time detecting means is longer than a predetermined time, the position detecting means And a use frequency counting unit for increasing the use frequency stored in the use frequency storage unit for each type corresponding to the landmark type of the facility present at the detected position of the stopped vehicle.

[0010] Further, there is provided a data erasing means for erasing data whose use frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined frequency when the storage capacity of the use frequency storage means is insufficient. Also,
The use frequency storage means also stores the use time of the facility, and has a past data erasing means for deleting the oldest use time data when the storage capacity of the use frequency storage means is insufficient. .

In a navigation device for displaying a road map on a display means and displaying a landmark indicating a facility at a position where the facility is present on the road map, a position detecting means for detecting a position of a vehicle is provided. A stop time detecting means for detecting a stop time of the vehicle, and a landmark of a facility existing at the position of the stopped vehicle detected by the position detect means if the time detected by the stop time detecting means is longer than a predetermined time. Is deleted from the display.

[0012] In a navigation device for displaying a road map on a display means and displaying a landmark indicating a facility at a position where the facility is present on the road map, a use frequency for storing the use frequency of each facility is stored. Frequency storage means, fuel amount detection means for detecting the remaining fuel amount of the vehicle, and when the remaining fuel amount detected by the fuel amount detection means becomes equal to or less than a first predetermined amount, the usage frequency storage means stores the fuel amount. A first gas station landmark selecting means for selecting, as a landmark to be displayed on the display means, a landmark corresponding to a gas station of the same system as a gas station whose usage frequency is equal to or higher than a predetermined frequency. .

When the remaining fuel amount detected by the fuel amount detecting means becomes equal to or less than a second predetermined amount which is smaller than the first predetermined amount, landmarks corresponding to all service stations are displayed on the display means. And a second gas station landmark selecting means for selecting as a landmark to be displayed. In addition, a route to the input destination is calculated, a road map and the calculated route are displayed on the display means, and a landmark indicating the facility is displayed at a position where the facility exists on the road map. Search means for searching for a facility equivalent to a facility present at the input destination, and displaying a landmark of the facility searched by the search means on a road map displayed on the display means. And a destination facility landmark display means.

Further, in a navigation device for displaying a road map on a display means and displaying a landmark indicating a facility at a position where the facility is present on the road map, a use frequency for storing the use frequency of each facility is stored. A frequency storage means, a non-display area setting means for setting a non-display area in which a landmark is not displayed from a position of a facility whose use frequency stored in the use frequency storage means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and the non-display area setting means A display inhibiting means for inhibiting display of a landmark of a facility existing in the set non-display area.

[0015] The non-display area means may extract an endmost facility located at the end in each azimuth direction from the facilities whose use frequency stored in the use frequency storage means is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. It is characterized by comprising facility extraction means, and boundary setting means for setting a rectangular area having the endmost facility extracted by the endmost facility extraction means as a boundary in each azimuth direction as a non-display area.

[0016]

Next, a navigation device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a navigation device according to one embodiment of the present invention. 2 is
An operation unit for the user to perform various operations such as setting a destination, and includes a key switch, a joystick for designating a direction, and the like. Reference numeral 3 denotes a display unit for displaying map information such as a road map and a landmark and various kinds of information, and includes a liquid crystal display panel and the like. Reference numeral 4 denotes a memory in which, for example, a control program and the frequency of use of facilities are stored.
It is composed of AM, ROM and the like. Reference numeral 5 denotes a map database in which map information (road data, landmarks, and the like) is recorded. Road map data and the positions and data of various facilities are stored with hierarchical attributes required for retrieval. , C
It is composed of a recording medium such as a D-ROM and its reading device. Reference numeral 6 denotes a GPS receiver that obtains the current position (latitude / longitude) of the vehicle based on a radio wave received from a GPS satellite, and includes a receiving circuit that receives a GPS satellite radio wave, a circuit that calculates the current position, and the like. Reference numeral 11 denotes a direction sensor that detects the traveling direction of the vehicle, and includes a geomagnetic sensor, a rotating gyro, and the like.
Reference numeral 12 denotes a vehicle speed sensor for measuring the running speed of the vehicle, which is constituted by a wheel tachometer or the like. Reference numeral 13 denotes an ignition sensor for detecting the presence or absence of operation of the engine, and includes a switch for detecting an operation position of an ignition key. Reference numeral 14 denotes a parking brake sensor that detects an operation state of a parking brake (parking brake), and includes a switch and the like that detects an operation position of a parking brake lever.
A service brake sensor 15 detects an operation state of a service brake (foot brake) of the vehicle, and includes a switch for detecting a position of a foot brake pedal. 16
Is a fuel remaining amount sensor that detects the remaining amount of fuel such as gasoline, and can be composed of a floater that moves with the fuel level and a volume whose resistance value changes according to the position of the floater. It is also possible to use it. 1 is a process for specifying the position of the own vehicle, a display process for displaying the location of the facility on the display unit 3 based on a road map, the position of the own vehicle, landmarks, etc., a route search process for searching for a route to the destination, an ignition Sensor 13, parking brake sensor 14, service brake sensor 15, fuel remaining amount sensor 16
And the like, which determines the state of the host vehicle based on a signal indicating the state of the vehicle, and performs appropriate processing in accordance with the determination, and is configured by a microcomputer. The control unit 1 has a clock function (not shown).
Control by timer processing is possible.

Next, a process performed by the control unit 1 for selecting and displaying a landmark will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a landmark display process performed by the control unit 1, and roughly shows the entire display process. This processing is repeatedly performed together with other basic operations while the navigation device is displaying the map and the landmark. In step a1, a facility use determination process is performed. This facility use determination process determines whether or not a facility has been used, based on the position of the vehicle, the stopped state, etc., and detects which facility was used when it was determined that the facility was used. It is. Next, in step a2, a storage process of facility use is performed. The storage process of facility use is to record data on the use status of the facility in the memory 4.
The facility and the use frequency of the facility are stored in association with each other. Further, data deletion processing is performed according to the remaining capacity of the memory 4 and the like. In step a3, near-field determination processing is performed. The near-field determination process is based on the frequency of use of the facility, and determines that the area where the frequently used facility is distributed is an area where the user is familiar with the geography of the area, for example, the facility information. This is a process for distinguishing an area from other areas by using the area as a nearby area and using the area for subsequent processing. At step a4, a time-limited guidance process is performed. The time-limited guidance process is a process for guiding and displaying a particular facility when it is time to use a particular facility. Is a process of selecting and extracting as a facility for displaying. At step a5, a refueling guidance process is performed. The refueling guidance process is a process of selecting and extracting a gas station that displays a landmark when the remaining amount of fuel such as gasoline has decreased to a level that requires refueling. In step a6, guidance processing for similar facilities is performed. In the similar facility guidance processing, a facility similar to the facility at the destination is selected and extracted as a facility displaying a landmark. At step a7, a display landmark is selected. In the display landmark selection, a landmark to be displayed is selected.
4. Landmarks selected and extracted in step a5 and step a6, landmarks of facilities in areas other than nearby areas, and the like are selected. In step a8, a process of displaying a landmark, that is, a process of displaying the display landmark selected in step a7 on the display unit 3 is performed.

With the above processing, landmarks that need to be displayed are selected and displayed.
Is easy to read, and displays necessary for eating and drinking, lodging, refueling, etc. are displayed at appropriate timing, which is convenient. Next, the details of the facility use determination process described in step a1 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
explain.

In step b1, the state of the engine is determined from the ignition sensor 13, and if the engine is not running, the process proceeds to step b2. Move to step d1 of the process. In step b2, the state of the parking brake is determined from the parking brake sensor 14. If the parking brake is not applied, the process proceeds to step b3, and if the parking brake is applied, the process proceeds to step b4. In step b3, the state of the service brake (foot brake) is determined from the service brake sensor 15, and if the service brake has not been applied, the facility use determination process ends, and the process proceeds to step d1 of the near-field determination process, in which the service brake is applied. If so, the process proceeds to step b4. That is,
By the processing of steps b1 to b3, the engine is stopped, and the state where the parking brake and the service brake are applied, that is, the state where the vehicle is parked is detected. Then, in step b4, it is determined whether or not this state has continued for 2 minutes or more.
If it has continued, the process proceeds to step b5. If it has not continued, the process proceeds to near-field determination processing step d1. In step b5, a process of detecting the use facility is performed. This processing is, for example, GP
Using the current position of the vehicle detected by the S receiver 6 and the map database 5, a facility located within 10 meters from the current position of the vehicle is searched and detected as a facility using the facility. In addition, the distance of the use facility is not limited to within 10 meters, and may be another appropriate distance.

That is, in the facility use determination process, it is determined that the facility has been used when the engine is stopped and the parking brake or the service brake is applied (parking state) continues for a predetermined time (two minutes) or more. The facility at that position is detected as a use facility. In this processing, it is determined that the facility is used even if the state where the service brake is applied as well as the parking brake continues, but this takes into account the facility use by passengers other than the driver.

[0021] By the above-described processing, the use facility is appropriately detected. Next, details of the facility use storage processing in step a2 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step c1, it is determined whether or not there is registered data of the facility in the facility 4 for which facility use has been detected. If there is no registered data, the process proceeds to step c4, and if there is registered data, the process proceeds to step c2. . In step c4, it is determined whether the remaining memory capacity of the memory 4 (capacity capable of storing new data) is small (not more than a predetermined capacity),
If the remaining memory capacity is small, the process proceeds to step c5. If the remaining memory capacity is not small, the process proceeds to step c10. At step c5, data having a frequency of 1 (one use: lowest frequency at a registered facility) and an old registration date (for example, the latest data is 6 months or less) is selected from the registered data and deleted. Then, the process proceeds to Step c6. In step c6, it is determined whether the remaining memory capacity is small. If the remaining memory capacity is not small, the process proceeds to step c10, and if the remaining memory capacity is small, the process proceeds to step c7. At Step c7, the data whose frequency data of the registered data is 2 and the registration date is older (the latest data is six months or earlier) is selected and deleted, and the process proceeds to Step c8. In step c8, it is determined whether the remaining memory capacity is small,
If the remaining memory capacity is not small, proceed to step c10,
If the remaining memory capacity is small, the same processing steps as steps c4 to c7 (not shown) are performed (the same processing is sequentially performed on the data to be erased as frequency data of 3, 4, and 5). Then, the process proceeds to step c10 (for example, in step c9, the frequency data of the registered data =
5, and deletes the data whose registration date is old, and proceeds to step c10). The process MC from step c5 to step c9 is a process of deleting past data (deleting old data of a facility with low frequency data among registered data to make a storage capacity in a memory). Then, data having a low recording usefulness is preferentially erased to free up memory, and new registration data can be written. In the past data erasing process MC, the record used as the old data is set to six months in the present embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be any period suitable for the user's facility use situation.

At step c10, the facility for which facility use is detected is stored in the memory 4 as a newly registered facility, and the process proceeds to step c11. In step c11, 1 is stored in the memory 4 as the frequency data of the newly registered facility, and the process proceeds to step c12. Next, in step c2, it is determined whether or not the frequency of the registered data of the facility whose facility use has been detected is the highest value (in this example, the maximum value FF of one byte: represented by a hexadecimal value). It moves to step c3, and if it is the highest value, it moves to step c12. In step c3, 1 is added to the frequency in the registered data of the facility whose facility use has been detected, and the process proceeds to step c12. In step c13,
The latest registration date in the registered data of the facility where the use of the facility is detected is updated on the day, and the process proceeds to step c13. In step c13, the n types of landmarks that are frequently used for the facility are stored, and the process ends. In this example, the process of storing the top n types of landmarks with the highest use frequency of the facility, that is, for example, totaling for each same store series with the same landmark, comparing the use frequency, and selecting The displayed landmarks may be different, but may be a process of collecting and summarizing groups for each type based on types (for example, all convenience stores and all gasoline stores) that are the same type of service.

As described above, in the facility use storage processing, the detected use frequency of each facility is newly / updated and stored in the memory 4 for each use of the facility, and judgment data used for selecting a landmark display described later is prepared. You. Further, when these data are accumulated in the memory 4 and the remaining storage capacity is exhausted, a process of erasing data which is less necessary and freeing a storage area is performed, and registration of useful new data is continued. .

Next, facility use determination processing (step a)
1) The registered data will be described in association with the map display by the use facility storage process (step a2). FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the data stored in the memory 4 and shows a case where all the stored data is displayed, and is not displayed on the display unit 3 as a normal route guide map. . The map database 5 contains road map data,
Location of each facility and corresponding landmark ("○",
If “□” or the like is stored and displayed on a map, landmarks indicating each facility are displayed on the road map at the position (longitude and latitude) of the corresponding facility as shown in FIG. The memory 4 stores the frequency of use of each facility,
In FIG. 5, the number displayed near each landmark is shown as the frequency of use of the facility indicated by each landmark. It should be noted that the facilities shown in the figure (“」 ”) have not been used in the past and are not stored in the memory 4 as facilities used. In other words, when the facility use determination process (step a1) and the use facility storage process (step a2) are performed, the data of the location, landmark, and use frequency of each facility is ready to be used for route guidance display. I have.

Next, the details of the near-field determination processing in step a3 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. At step d1, the user determines whether or not the home position has been set from the operation unit 2. If the home position has been set, the process proceeds to step d3, and if not, the process proceeds to step d2. In step d2, it is displayed that the input of the home position is necessary, and the process returns to step d1. In step d3, the use frequency data stored in the memory 4 is searched, and the location of the facility having the use frequency of 3 or more and the minimum value existing in the facility north of the house (if there is no facility more than 3; Is determined as the near north limit latitude data, and the latitude data is stored in step d4.
Move on to In step d4, the location of the facility having a minimum usage frequency of 3 or more and located at a facility south of the home (or, if there is no facility of 3 or more, a location at a predetermined distance south from home).
Is determined as the near southern latitude data, the latitude data is stored, and the process proceeds to step d5. In step d5, the location of the facility having a usage frequency of 3 or more and the minimum value existing in the eastern facility from the home (or the location at a predetermined distance from the home to the east when there is no more than 3 facilities) is set to the nearby eastern limit longitude. The data is determined, the longitude data is stored, and the process proceeds to step d6. In step d6, the location of the facility having a usage frequency of 3 or more and the minimum value existing in the facility west of the home (or, if there is no facility of 3 or more, the location of a predetermined distance west from the home) is set as the near-west limit longitude. The data is determined, the longitude data is stored, and the process ends.

As described above, in this near-field determination processing, the longitude and latitude of the east, west, south and north of the nearby area are obtained, and the area of the nearby area is determined. This will be described with reference to FIG. In this example, a boundary line 32 (dashed line) of the near area is obtained based on the data of each facility shown in FIG. That is, the facility with the minimum usage frequency of 3 or more is searched around the home, and the facilities at the northern end, southern end, eastern end, and westmost are searched. As a result, at the north end (north latitude), "▲" NL (use frequency is 3), at the south end (south latitude), "☆" SL (use frequency is 3), and at the east end (east longitude), "経" EL (use frequency is 3) , At the western end (west longitude), the facilities of “□” WL (frequency of use 5) are selected, and the locations of those facilities are the eastern, western, southern, and northern boundaries 32.
The near area is determined as (broken line). At the left end (west longitude), there are no facilities with a usage frequency of 3 or 4,
“□” with a use frequency of 5 is selected as a facility with a minimum value of 3 or more.

When the home is not located at the center of FIG. 5, for example, when the home is out of the city where the facilities are concentrated and is located at the position of "X" J at the lower left of FIG. Although there is no facility with a frequency of 3 or more, if there is no facility with a usage frequency of 3 or more, a position located a predetermined distance (for example, 3 km) south from the home is the southern limit of the near area, and the near area is determined.

Next, the details of the time-limited guidance processing in step a4 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of the time-limited guidance processing of FIG. In step e1, it is determined whether or not the time is in the 7 o'clock range (breakfast time) by using the clock function of the control section 1. If the time is in the 7 o'clock range, the process proceeds to step e6.
If not, the process proceeds to step e2. At step e2, it is determined whether or not the time is in the midnight (lunch time).
If it is the hour, the process proceeds to step e6. If it is not 12:00, the process proceeds to step e3. In step e3, it is determined whether or not the time is in the 18:00 (dinner time). If the time is in the 18:00, the process proceeds to step e4. If not, the process ends.
In step e4, it is determined whether the current location is in a nearby area. If it is in a nearby area, the process proceeds to step e6. If not, the process proceeds to step e5. At step e5, a landmark of an accommodation facility such as a hotel or a ryokan is selected, and the routine goes to step e6. This is a process performed for the reason that an accommodation facility may be searched because the time is in the evening except for the nearby area, and the accommodation facility is displayed. At step e6, a landmark of a restaurant or the like is selected, and the routine goes to step e7. Since this is a meal time zone, this is a process performed to display a restaurant. In step e7, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is stopped at the display position of the restaurant. If the vehicle has not stopped, the process proceeds to step e9. If the vehicle has stopped, the process proceeds to step e8. The stop state is determined by detecting whether the engine is stopped from the ignition sensor 13 or not.
When parking is detected from the parking brake sensor, it is determined to be parking. In step e8, it is determined whether or not the measurement time of the timer for measuring the time from the start of the stop, that is, whether or not the stop time exceeds 30 minutes.
The process moves to step e12, and when it is completed within 30 minutes or less, the process moves to step e9. That is, when the vehicle stops for more than 30 minutes, it is determined that a meal has been taken, and the subsequent processing is changed according to the result. At step e9, it is determined whether it is at 7 o'clock or not. If it is not at 7 o'clock, the process proceeds to step e10. In step e10, it is determined whether it is the 12:00 or not. If it is not the 12:00, the process proceeds to step e11. If it is the 12:00, the process ends. In step e11, 18
It is determined whether it is the hour or not, and if it is not the 18 o'clock, the process proceeds to step e12. That is, in steps e9 to e11, a process for changing the subsequent process is performed depending on whether the time is within the meal time zone. Step e12 is a process performed when it is determined that the meal has ended or the meal time zone has ended. In step e12, the selection of the landmark of the eating facility such as a restaurant is deleted, and the process ends.

As described above, in the guidance processing limited to the present time,
7:00 (breakfast), 12:00 (lunch),
At 18:00 (dinner time zone), that is, during the meal time zone, a restaurant is automatically selected as a landmark display target so that the landmark of the restaurant is displayed.
In addition, when the vehicle position is other than nearby, and the time is further evening (at 18:00), the accommodation facility is automatically selected as a landmark display object so that the landmark of the accommodation facility is displayed. Further, when the time passes the meal time zone or when it is estimated that the meal is over, the restaurant is deleted from the display target of the landmark.

Next, the details of the refueling guidance process in step a5 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of the refueling guidance process of FIG. In step f1, it is determined from the signal of the remaining fuel sensor 16 whether the remaining fuel amount of gasoline or the like is lower than a predetermined level G1 at which refueling is desired. If not, the present process is ended. If not, the process proceeds to step f2.
In step f2, it is determined from the signal of the remaining fuel amount sensor 16 whether the remaining fuel amount is less than a predetermined level G2 (the remaining fuel amount is further lower than the level G1 and the degree of urgency of refueling is high), and if not, the process proceeds to step f4. If not, the process proceeds to step f3. In step f3, a landmark of a gas station series that is frequently used is selected from the registered data of facility use, and the process ends. In step f4, all the gas stations are selected, and the process ends.

As described above, in the refueling guidance process, when the refueling is at a desired stage, the refueling facility is selected as a landmark display object such that the facility of the gas station is displayed by the landmark. In other words, explaining the state where the selected display target landmark is displayed,
At the stage of level G1 (stage where refueling is necessary or the traveling distance based on the remaining fuel amount is relatively large), step f3
, The station series having a usage history is selected from the registered data of the facility use for the gas station series that is used daily, so that, for example, as shown in FIG. The display is selected and displayed, and the readability of the refueling guide on the display screen is improved.
Further, at the level G2 stage (when the travelable distance based on the remaining fuel amount becomes small and the urgency of refueling is imminent),
By the process of step f4, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, all the gas station series A, series B, and series C are selected and displayed, so that the user can determine and use the location of the most convenient station. It becomes possible.

Next, details of the similar facility guidance processing in step a6 in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of the similar facility guidance processing in FIG. At step g1, it is determined whether or not the destination of the route has been set. If no setting has been made, the process ends, and if there is a setting, the process proceeds to step g2. In step g2, it is determined whether or not there is a facility at the destination. If there is no facility, the process is terminated.
Move on to In step g3, a landmark of a facility of the same type as the attribute of the facility at the destination (if the destination is set by a facility, the facility) is selected, and the process ends.

As described above, in the guidance processing for the similar facility,
Landmarks for facilities of the same type as the facility at the destination are also selected to be displayed. Next, a state where the selected landmark to be displayed is displayed will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 12A, if the attribute of the destination facility is, for example, "@" (post office), during the route guidance, as shown in FIG.
(B) A similar facility displayed on the road map with the same type of landmark as the destination, here “〒” (post office) is selected and displayed. Therefore, facilities similar to the facilities at the destination are displayed, and facilities equivalent to or similar to the original destination can be found as facilities on the way to travel.For example, although originally aiming for the post office, This is very convenient because it can be completed at a specific post office on the travel route. When the destination facility is a hot spring, an amusement park, or the like and is located at a long distance, the guidance information of such an alternative facility is sometimes particularly useful.

Next, in step a7 of FIG. 2, a process of selecting a display landmark is performed. In this processing, the top n types of facilities selected in step a2, the guidance facilities (restaurants and accommodation facilities) limited in time selected in step a3, the gas station selected in step a5, and From the similar facilities selected in step a6, a process of further selecting the similar facilities as landmark display target facilities is performed.

In this process, if the current position is in the near area and the user sets the operation unit 2 so as not to display the landmark in the near area, the near area determined in step a3 is used. Only the facilities outside the area are marked with landmarks. Then, in step a8, the landmark of the facility to be displayed is displayed. FIG. 13 shows this display state. FIG. 5 shows a display in which the landmarks in the near area are deleted from the displayed landmarks. Note that “(numerical value)” indicates the frequency of use and is not actually displayed. This is because the user knows the facilities that normally require near areas, so it is not usually necessary to use landmarks to provide facility guidance, so landmarks are displayed only for facilities outside the near areas. Thus, the readability of the map screen is improved.

Next, a case in which only landmarks of facilities that are frequently used is displayed will be described with reference to FIGS. This display is also performed by the user's selection operation.
First, a method for selecting n types of landmarks that are frequently used in this process will be described (step c13 in FIG. 4). The method of selecting the n types of landmarks is a method of selecting the landmarks of the n facilities having the highest use frequency. A method of selecting a store landmark, or counting the use frequency in units of the same type of store (for example, a convenience store or the like as a type),
Any of the methods of selecting the n types of landmarks with the highest total use frequency (in this method, the types of the selected landmarks are n or more) may be used. Alternatively, a facility with the highest use frequency may be selected in the facility (or the same affiliated store), and then the same affiliated store (or the same type of store) as the selected facility (or the same affiliated store) may be selected. .

Next, a state in which the selected landmark to be displayed is displayed will be described. If the method of selecting a landmark display target is set to the top three types of facilities (the same affiliated store, etc.) of the same landmark, the eight types of landmarks (35 facilities) previously shown in FIG. The three most frequent types are "□", "○", "♯"
Are selected (15 facilities), and the landmark is displayed. In the case of facilities of the same type, for example, facilities with the same landmark “□”, all “□” are displayed regardless of the frequency of use of individual facilities. Since the number of landmarks displayed in this way is limited to n, the number of displayed facilities is reduced to facilitate reading, and the facilities that the user uses on a daily basis are displayed. Become. Although the number and types of facilities shown in FIG. 5 are limited to eight types of landmarks (35 facilities) for the sake of drawing, an extremely large number of facilities are recorded in an actual map database. The readability is greatly improved by selecting the type.

Assuming that a method of selecting a landmark display target facility is a method of selecting and displaying three types of top n types of facilities (stores of the same type, etc.) which are frequently used, as shown in FIG. For example, "□", "■", "○",
The four marks (20 facilities) of “♯” are selected as the types of facilities that are frequently used, and landmarks are displayed.
That is, for example, if there are two affiliated stores in the convenience store, if the frequency of use of the convenience store is high, the S store affiliate “□” and the K store affiliate “■” regardless of the affiliated store
Is also displayed. In this method, the facilities that provide the same type of service can be displayed together, thereby expanding the range of facilities that can be selected, and
Since the display is limited to facilities where the display would be useful, readability is also improved. In this embodiment, the control for not displaying the landmark in the near area and the landmark display control for the frequently used facility are separately performed. However, only the frequently used facility outside the near area is displayed. Various combinations are possible.

As described above, in the conventional navigation device, the map information such as road data, landmarks, character data such as place names, etc., and the position and route of the own vehicle are superimposed and displayed. When the mark is displayed, the display overlaps and it is difficult to see. For this reason, a navigation device that manually selects a facility type for displaying a landmark has been devised. However, the facility that the user wants to display differs depending on the time and place, and it is necessary to perform a selection operation each time, which is a troublesome operation for the user. In this embodiment, the facility is selected according to the frequency of use of the user, or the timing of facility use is detected, and the facility required by the user is automatically selected and displayed. A good navigation device can be realized.

[0040]

As described in detail above, according to the navigation apparatus of the present invention, the landmarks required by the user are automatically selected and displayed, so that the readability of the display screen is improved. As a result, the troublesome operation is eliminated and the operability is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a navigation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a process performed by a control unit.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a facility use determination process.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a facility use storage process.

FIG. 5 is a first explanatory diagram of a display screen.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a near-field determination process.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a time-limited guidance process.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a refueling guide process.

FIG. 9 is a second explanatory diagram of the display screen.

FIG. 10 is a third explanatory diagram of a display screen.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a guidance process for a similar facility.

FIG. 12 is a fourth explanatory diagram of the display screen.

FIG. 13 is a fifth explanatory diagram of the display screen.

FIG. 14 is a sixth explanatory diagram of the display screen.

FIG. 15 is a seventh explanatory diagram of the display screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Control part 2 ... Operation part 3 ... Display part 4 ... Memory 5 ... Map database 6 ... GPS receiver

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A navigation device for displaying a road map on a display means and displaying a landmark indicating a facility at a position where the facility is present on the road map, wherein a usage frequency of each of the facilities is stored. Frequency storage means, according to the use frequency stored in the use frequency storage means,
A navigation device for selecting the facility for displaying the landmark on the display means. 2. A navigation apparatus for displaying a road map on a display means and displaying a landmark indicating a facility at a position where the facility is present on the road map, wherein a usage frequency of each facility is stored. Frequency storage means, according to the use frequency stored in the use frequency storage means,
A facility selecting means for selecting the facility for which a landmark is to be displayed on the display means; and a landmark corresponding to the same kind of facility as the facility selected by the facility selecting means is selected as a landmark to be displayed on the display means. A navigation device comprising landmark selecting means. 3. A navigation device for displaying a road map on a display means and displaying a landmark indicating a facility at a position where the facility is present on the road map, wherein the landmark corresponds to each type of the landmark. Type-specific use frequency storage means for storing facility use frequency, and landmark selection means for selecting landmarks to be displayed on the display means according to the use frequency stored in the type-specific use frequency storage means A navigation device characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the facility selecting means selects a facility whose use frequency stored in the use frequency storage means is equal to or higher than a predetermined frequency. 5. A position detecting means for detecting a position of a vehicle, a stop time detecting means for detecting a stop time of the vehicle, and a stop time detecting means for detecting a stop time of the vehicle when the time detected by the stop time detecting means is longer than a predetermined time. 3. The use frequency counting means for increasing the use frequency stored in the use frequency storage means corresponding to the facility located at the position of the detected stopped vehicle. Navigation device. 6. A position detection means for detecting a position of the vehicle, a stop time detection means for detecting a stop time of the vehicle, and when the time detected by the stop time detection means is longer than a predetermined time, the position detection means 4. A use frequency counting means for increasing a use frequency stored in the use frequency storage means for each type corresponding to a landmark type of a facility existing at the position of the detected stopped vehicle. A navigation device as described. 7. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a data erasing means for erasing data whose use frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined frequency when the storage capacity of said use frequency storage means is insufficient. . 8. The use frequency storage means also stores the use time of the facility, and has a past data deletion means for deleting the oldest use time data when the storage capacity of the use frequency storage means is insufficient. The navigation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 9. A navigation device for displaying a road map on a display means and displaying a landmark indicating a facility at a position where the facility is present on the road map, wherein the position detection means detects a position of the vehicle. A stop time detecting means for detecting a stop time of the vehicle; and a landmark of a facility present at the position of the stopped vehicle detected by the position detect means when the time detected by the stop time detecting means is longer than a predetermined time. A navigation device characterized by deleting from the display. 10. A navigation device which displays a road map on a display means and displays a landmark indicating a facility at a position where the facility is present on the road map, wherein a use frequency of each of the facilities is stored. Frequency storage means, fuel amount detection means for detecting the remaining fuel amount of the vehicle, and when the remaining fuel amount detected by the fuel amount detection means becomes equal to or less than a first predetermined amount, the fuel frequency storage means is stored in the use frequency storage means. A first gas station landmark selecting means for selecting, as a landmark to be displayed on the display means, a landmark corresponding to a gas station of the same system as a gas station whose usage frequency is equal to or higher than a predetermined frequency. Navigation device. 11. When the remaining amount of fuel detected by the fuel amount detecting means becomes equal to or less than a second predetermined amount which is smaller than the first predetermined amount, landmarks corresponding to all service stations are displayed on the display means. 11. A navigation apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a second gas station landmark selecting means for selecting a landmark to be displayed as a landmark to be displayed. 12. A route to an input destination is calculated, a road map and the calculated route are displayed on a display means, and a landmark indicating a facility is displayed on the road map. In a navigation device for displaying a position, a search unit for searching for a facility equivalent to a facility existing at the input destination, and a road map on which a landmark of the facility searched by the search unit is displayed on the display unit A destination facility landmark display means for displaying the target facility landmark on the navigation apparatus. 13. A navigation device for displaying a road map on a display means and displaying a landmark indicating a facility at a position where the facility is present on the road map, wherein a use frequency of each of the facilities is stored. A frequency storage unit, a non-display area setting unit that sets a non-display area in which a landmark is not displayed, from a position of a facility whose use frequency stored in the use frequency storage unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and A navigation device comprising: an area display prohibiting unit for prohibiting display of a landmark of a facility existing in a set non-display area. 14. The non-display area means, wherein an endmost facility located at the end in each azimuth direction is extracted from a facility whose use frequency stored in the use frequency storage means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. A facility extraction means, and boundary setting means for setting a rectangular area having the endmost facility extracted by the endmost facility extraction means as a boundary in each azimuth direction as a non-display area. 13
A navigation device as described.