JP2004163525A - Map display system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance operation convenience by making it possible to control the information amount of various data displayed on a map. <P>SOLUTION: A car navigation system 1 in which, when the map is displayed, the information amount of various data to be displayed on the map is automatically increased/decreased in accordance with the map scale is so constituted that the information amount of various data to be displayed can be manually controlled irrespective of the map scale by properly operating an increase-key 16 or a decrease-key 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a map display device configured to automatically increase or decrease the information amount of various data displayed on a map according to the scale of the map.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in a car navigation device, when a map is displayed on a display, the amount of map information displayed on the display changes according to the scale of the map. More specifically, on a detailed map with a large scale, detailed map information, that is, on a narrow road or a detailed place name, is configured to be displayed. On the other hand, on a large-scale map with a small scale, the displayed information is displayed. The configuration is such that the amount is small, that is, thin roads and detailed place names are not displayed.
[0003]
This is because, when trying to display map information (roads, place names, backgrounds, etc.) on a wide area map at the same level as a detailed map, the amount of information is too large and the information is displayed in multiple layers. This is to avoid a situation where the contents are not well understood. Actually, as the scale of the map becomes smaller, the amount of data to be displayed is automatically reduced according to a predetermined rule, whereby the information is displayed on the display without overlapping. , So that the displayed contents are easy to see.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the car navigation device having the above-described conventional configuration, when displaying a detailed map, the user pays attention to a certain narrow road and wants to follow the road to see the future, and switches the scale of the map to a wide area. Then, the narrow road may not be displayed. Such a phenomenon occurs not only for roads but also for characters and backgrounds.
[0005]
In such a case, the user may repeat the map scrolling operation while keeping the detailed map scale to follow the road and look ahead, or after forming a wide-area map, It is necessary to anticipate a portion that is considered to be the end of a road, center that map on the map, change the map to a detailed map, and use the method of searching for the road in the detailed map. Both of the above two methods require considerably troublesome operations, and are difficult for the user to use.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a map display device which can be configured to be able to adjust the information amount of various data of a map to be displayed, thereby improving usability. To provide.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the information amount of various kinds of data to be displayed is configured to have the adjusting means for manually adjusting regardless of the scale of the map, when switching from the detailed map to the wide area map, The user can adjust the information amount of the displayed map to a desired information amount.
[0008]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the adjusting means is configured to include an increase key for increasing the information amount of the various data and a decrease key for decreasing the information amount of the various data. The amount of data information can be easily increased or decreased.
[0009]
According to the invention of claim 3, the adjustment means is configured to include an increase key for increasing the information amount of the various data for each data and a decrease key for decreasing the information amount of the various data for each data. Therefore, only the information amount of the data desired by the user can be increased or decreased, and the usability is further improved.
[0010]
Further, as in the invention of claim 4, it is preferable that the information amount of various data can be manually adjusted only for a map in a partial area of the map displayed on the display screen. .
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a car navigation device will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the car navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the car navigation device 1 includes a control circuit 2, a position detector 3, a map data input device 4, an operation switch group 5, an external memory 6, a display device 7, an external information It comprises an input / output device 8 and a remote control sensor 9.
[0012]
The control circuit 2 has a function of controlling the overall operation of the car navigation device 1, and is configured as a normal computer (for example, a microcomputer). That is, the control circuit 2 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, and a bus (not shown) for connecting them.
[0013]
The position detector 3 constitutes a position detecting means, and includes a geomagnetic sensor 11, a gyroscope 12, a distance sensor 13, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 14. The position detector 3 is configured to detect the current position of the vehicle while interpolating each other by the four sensors 11 to 14 and has a highly accurate position detection function. When the position detection accuracy is not so required, the position detector 3 may be constituted by any of the four sensors 11 to 14 (or by a combination of a plurality of sensors). Further, the position detector 3 may be configured by combining a rotation sensor of the steering of the vehicle, a wheel sensor of the wheel, and the like.
[0014]
The map data input device 4 is configured by a reading device that can read a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or the like, and inputs various data such as map data, map matching data, landmark data, and voice recognition dictionary data. It is a device for.
[0015]
The operation switch group 5 includes a touch switch (touch panel) provided on the upper surface of the display screen of the display device 7 and a mechanical push switch (not shown) provided on a peripheral portion of the display device 7. . The operation switch group 5 and the control circuit 2 constitute an adjusting means of the present invention.
[0016]
The external memory 6 is configured by a reading device such as a memory stick, a memory card, or a magnetic tape, and is a device for inputting map data, music data, video data, and the like.
[0017]
The display device 7 is configured by, for example, a color liquid crystal display for displaying a map screen, and is configured to be able to superimpose and display map data, own vehicle position marks, additional data such as guidance routes, and the like. ing.
[0018]
The external information input / output device 8 includes, for example, a VICS communication device or a mobile phone (a dedicated mobile phone terminal, a general-purpose mobile phone, or the like). The control circuit 2 is configured to be able to transmit and receive data to and from an external information supply center (for example, a VICS center or various information centers) via the external information input / output device 8. In the case of the present embodiment, the map data (road data, character data, background data, etc.) is configured to be able to be input from the map data input device 4, the external memory 6, or the external information input / output device 8. ing.
[0019]
When the user operates the operation switches 5 and the remote controller 15 to set a destination, the control circuit 2 of the car navigation device 1 automatically calculates an optimal route (guide route) from the current position to the destination. And a function of executing a map matching process for locating the current position on the map. As a method for automatically setting the optimum route, for example, the Dijkstra method is known. When the remote controller 15 is operated, the operation signal is provided to the control circuit 2 via the remote controller sensor 9.
[0020]
Next, the operation of the car navigation device 1 having the above-described configuration, in particular, the operation of manually adjusting the information amounts of various data while a map is displayed on the screen of the display device 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. This will be described with reference to FIG. Here, various types of data are mainly data such as road data, character data, and background data in map data, and other data include a mark of a store (such as a convenience store or a restaurant) and a mark of a facility ( Landmark) and data indicating traffic congestion information.
[0021]
Now, the map screen of FIG. 2 is a screen that displays a map of a scale approximately halfway between the most detailed map and the widest wide area map. The information amount of various types of data displayed on the map screen is a predetermined information amount corresponding to the scale, that is, an appropriate information amount that provides a display density (display mode) that is easy for the user to see. ing. In the case of the present embodiment, when displaying the map on the display device 7, the information amount of various data to be displayed on the map is automatically increased or decreased according to the scale of the map so as to correspond to the scale. It is configured to set a predetermined amount of information.
[0022]
Operation keys 16 and 17 for manually adjusting the information amounts of various data to be displayed are provided at the left end of the map screen in FIG. Of these operation keys 16, 17, the lower operation key 16 is an increase key for increasing the information amount of various data, and the upper operation key 17 is a decrease key for decreasing the information amount of various data.
[0023]
Below the increase key 16 is displayed a character of "high density" which means that the information amount is increased. Above the decrease key 17, a character "low density" indicating that the information amount is to be reduced is displayed. When the information amount is increased, the map display density (display density of the information in the map) is increased, and when the information amount is decreased, the map display density is decreased. Therefore, the display is performed as described above. In an area between the increase key 16 and the decrease key 17, a scale (step mark) indicating a level of increase or decrease of the information amount is displayed.
[0024]
In the screen state shown in FIG. 2, when the user desires to increase the information amount of various data (for example, road data), the increase key 16 may be operated. Then, the scale of the scale portion indicating the level of increase or decrease of the information amount is displayed as shown in FIG. 3, and the information amounts of various data in the map data are increased and displayed so as to correspond to the level. It is configured to be. In the case of the map screen of FIG. 3, the number of displayed roads and characters (such as place names) are increased as compared to the map screen of FIG.
[0025]
Here, the control for increasing the information amount of various data by the control circuit 2 will be briefly described. In the case of this embodiment, a plurality of display priorities, such as, for example, a plurality of levels of display priorities are set in advance for all of various types of map data input from the map data input device 4, the external memory 6, the external information input / output device 8, and the like. The display priority of about five or six steps is set.
[0026]
The control circuit 2 is configured to display even data having a low display priority when instructed to increase the information amount of various types of data by a user operation. Specifically, when the amount of information is maximized, all data including the data with the lowest display priority is displayed, and when the amount of information is minimized, the highest display priority is displayed. Only data is displayed, and in the middle between the two, control is performed so that data having a display priority equal to or higher than the display priority corresponding to the specified information amount level is displayed.
[0027]
When a large amount of information of various data is displayed on the screen of the display device 7 and there is no empty area to be displayed, the various data are displayed in an overlapping manner. In this case, it is difficult to see if the display of roads and characters overlap, but since the amount of information increases as well as the user's request, such a screen display is sufficient. Further, when displaying with a large amount of information, when it is necessary to add traffic information as road data, for example, as various data, the traffic information is appropriately acquired and displayed. .
[0028]
On the other hand, when the user desires to reduce the information amount of various data (for example, road data) in the screen state of FIG. 2, the decrease key 17 may be operated. Then, the scale of the scale portion indicating the level of increase or decrease of the information amount is displayed as shown in FIG. 4, and the information amounts of various data in the map data are reduced and displayed so as to correspond to the level. It is configured to be. In the case of the map screen of FIG. 4, the displayed roads and characters (such as place names) are reduced compared to the map screen of FIG. The control of the control circuit 2 when the information amount of various data is reduced by the control circuit 2 is almost the same as the control when the information amount is increased as described above.
[0029]
According to the present embodiment having such a configuration, by operating the increase key 16 or the decrease key 17 on the map screen, the information amount of various data to be displayed can be manually adjusted. When switching to the wide area map, the information amount of the displayed map can be adjusted.
[0030]
By this, for example, when displaying a detailed map, if the user focuses on a certain narrow road, wants to follow the road and see the future, and switches the scale of the map to a wide area, In such a case, in the above-described embodiment, by operating the increase key 16 or the decrease key 17 on the map screen, the information amount of various data to be displayed is reduced. By increasing the number, the narrow road can be displayed again. Therefore, the operation of following a narrow road to look ahead is greatly simplified, and usability is greatly improved.
[0031]
In the above-described embodiment, when the information amount (display density) of various data on the map screen is changed, the changed state is maintained. However, instead of this, a predetermined setting after the change is performed. The configuration may be such that, after a lapse of time, the information amount before the change (the information amount adapted to the scale of the map) is automatically returned.
[0032]
Further, in the above embodiment, when increasing or decreasing the information amount of various data and displaying the data, the display priority is set in advance for all of the various data, and the level of increase and decrease of the specified information amount and the display priority are set. Is configured to display data based on the information. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, various types of data of the most detailed map may be appropriately processed (reduced, reduced, (Enlargement, deformation, deletion, etc.) and display the processed data.
[0033]
On the other hand, in the above-described embodiment, when increasing or decreasing the information amount of various data, various types of data are grouped together to increase or decrease the information amount. However, instead of this, the second information shown in FIG. As in the embodiment, the information amount of various data may be increased or decreased for each data.
[0034]
That is, in the second embodiment, in order to increase or decrease the information amount of various data for each data, as shown in FIG. 5, increase keys 18, 19, and 20 for increasing road data, character data, and background data, respectively. And decrease keys 21, 22, and 23 for decreasing road data, character data, and background data, respectively. Thus, the information amount of the road data, character data, and background data can be increased or decreased individually.
[0035]
The configuration of the second embodiment other than the above is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the second embodiment, almost the same operation and effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In particular, according to the second embodiment, since the information amount of various data can be increased or decreased for each data, the user can increase or decrease only the information amount of necessary data, Since the amount does not increase, the map screen is easy to see, and the usability is further improved.
[0036]
Further, in each of the above embodiments, when the information amount of various data is increased or decreased and displayed, the information amount of various data is increased or decreased with respect to all the maps displayed on the display screen of the display device 7. However, instead of this, as in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the information amount of various data is increased or decreased only for a map in a partial area 24 in the display screen of the display device 7. It is preferable to configure.
[0037]
More specifically, in the case of the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, only the map data inside the set rectangular area 25 around the own vehicle position mark 24 has the information amount of various data. Was increased or decreased. The configuration of the third embodiment other than that described above is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the third embodiment, almost the same operation and effect as those in the first embodiment can be obtained.
[0038]
In the third embodiment, the size, position, and the like of the rectangular area 25 may be configured to be variable and designated by the user.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a car navigation device showing a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state where a map is displayed on a display screen of a display device; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a state in which the amount of information is reduced; FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 equivalent view showing an embodiment.
1 is a car navigation device (map display device), 2 is a control circuit, 4 is a map data input device, 5 is an operation switch group, 6 is an external memory, 7 is a display device, 8 is an external information input / output device, and 16 is an increase. Key, 17 is a decrease key, 18, 19, and 20 are increase keys, 21, 22, and 23 are decrease keys, and 25 is a partial area.

Claims (4)

When displaying a map, in a map display device configured to automatically increase or decrease the information amount of various data displayed on the map according to the scale of the map,
A map display device comprising an adjusting means for manually adjusting the information amount of various data to be displayed regardless of the scale of the map. 2. The map display device according to claim 1, wherein said adjusting means includes an increase key for increasing an information amount of said various data and a decrease key for decreasing an information amount of said various data. . 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting unit includes an increase key for increasing the information amount of the various data for each data, and a decrease key for decreasing the information amount of the various data for each data. 1. The map display device according to 1. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information amount of various data can be manually adjusted only for a map in a partial area of the map displayed on the display screen. The map display device described in Crab.

Images