JP2007163563A - Map image display program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a map image display program capable of executing scroll processing without depending on input of a specific signal from a pointing device and also capable of simplifying designating operation of an operator who designates the execution. <P>SOLUTION: In the map image display program, when the position coordinate (x, y) of a cursor is positioned in any one of scroll areas and the present position coordinate (x, y) of the cursor is not in the area (S13: No) stored in an area code memory, an under-scrolling flag to indicate that scrolling is under way is turned ON and a timer is set (S16) for prescribed time (for example, 200 counts). When the timer indicates that the prescribed standby time has passed, scroll execution processing for scrolling the map image is executed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a map image display program for displaying a map image on a display device and executing a scroll process on the displayed map image. In particular, the scroll process can be executed regardless of a specific signal input from a pointing device. In addition, the present invention relates to a map image display program capable of simplifying the designation operation of an operator who designates execution thereof.

  The electronic map is a map formed of electronic data, and allows a map image to be viewed on a display screen of various display devices such as a liquid crystal display device (hereinafter simply referred to as “LCD”). In many cases, a system for displaying this electronic map (map image) uses a personal computer (hereinafter simply referred to as “PC”) or the like, and maps it from compressed map information stored in a database provided in the PC. A map image is displayed by generating an image and outputting the generated map image to an LCD or the like connected to a PC. In general, the displayed map image can be scrolled by sequentially shifting the display range on the LCD screen. According to this, even if it is a wide range of map images that cannot be displayed on one screen, the operator can continuously browse the map images from the current display position to the other display position by moving the display range. This is because the usability of the operator can be improved.

  Also, a cursor serving as a pointer indicating the position is usually displayed on the display screen of the electronic map, and a pointing device is connected to the PC as an input device for instructing an operation for the cursor. ing.

  Here, a representative pointing device is an input device called a mouse. The mouse is a device formed so that a move operation and a click operation can be executed. The movement operation is an operation in which the operator moves (moves) the mouse, and generates a movement signal corresponding to the movement amount, movement direction, and movement speed. The click operation is an operation of pressing buttons (right button and left button) provided on the mouse, and generates a signal corresponding to the pressed button.

  On the other hand, in the PC, the cursor on the display screen is moved according to the movement signal from the mouse. On the PC, when a specific signal indicating right click or left click is input from the mouse, the cursor position displayed on the screen is set as the input position, and is set (displayed) corresponding to the input position. B) As a command input, a process corresponding to the command is executed.

  Here, the above-described scrolling of the map image is often executed in accordance with a mouse drag-and-drop operation (an operation for scrolling the mouse while left-clicked). According to this, when a signal indicating an input position is input by a left click of the mouse, scrolling is started, and the map image is moved in response to a movement signal input from the mouse. Thereby, the operator can scroll the map image in a desired direction.

Examples of pointing devices other than a mouse include cursor movement keys provided on a keyboard, a joystick, a touch pad, and a control ball. Each of these devices is configured to generate a movement signal indicating the amount of movement of the cursor and a signal for inputting a command (designating an input position). Therefore, even if the pointing device is other than the mouse, the map image display program can execute the scrolling of the map image by executing the same operation as the drag and drop operation of the mouse.
JP-A-10-333552 (in particular, paragraphs [0031] [0032], FIG. 9)

  However, when a map image is scrolled by a conventional method such as the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-333552, the start of scrolling the map image is specified based on a button operation of the pointing device, such as a left click of the mouse. Signal input is required. If a specific signal input is indispensable for the execution of this scroll, the degree of freedom of processing that can be executed by the button operation of the pointing device is greatly reduced, and the few buttons on the pointing device cannot be used effectively. There was a problem.

  For example, if the pointing device is a mouse, a general mouse has two buttons. If the left click of the mouse is assigned to the execution of scrolling, the process other than the scrolling that can be executed by the PC in response to the mouse operation is simply one process that can be executed by the right click. Furthermore, when the pointing device is a mouse, the PC side often performs scrolling in response to a drag and drop operation. This makes it impossible to perform any input operation on the map image. This is because, in a normal program operation, the PC is configured to respond to a left click of the mouse for a selection operation such as designation of an input position. Therefore, the conventional system for displaying an electronic map has a problem that it is difficult for an operator to execute some input operation (action) on the electronic map by operating the mouse.

  Here, in order to improve the degree of freedom of processing that can be performed on the displayed map image, first, the number of buttons arranged on the pointing device is increased, and second, the scroll mode is set. Two methods are conceivable in which the PC side is configured to determine the input signal depending on whether the mode is the scroll mode or the normal mode. However, in the first method, a general-purpose pointing device cannot be used, and an operator must prepare a dedicated pointing device in order to view an electronic map, resulting in new costs. There was a problem. In the second method, the operator performs an operation of displaying a map image of a desired area on the PC, operates the pointing device to switch the mode to the scroll mode, and further operates the map by operating the pointing device. When the image is scrolled and the scroll of the map image is finished, there is a problem that a complicated operation of switching to the normal mode has to be performed. Further, when scrolling is repeatedly executed, there is a problem that the operator is forced to perform such a complicated operation many times.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems. The scroll process can be executed regardless of a specific signal input from the pointing device, and an operator's specifying operation for specifying the execution can be performed. An object of the present invention is to provide a map image display program that can be simplified.

  To achieve this object, a map image display program according to claim 1 includes a display step of displaying a map image on the display means based on the map image data stored in the map image data storage means, and the display step. When scrolling for sequentially moving the display range toward the specified traveling direction is requested for the map image displayed on the display means, the display range is specified for the map image displayed in the display step. And a scroll step for scrolling the map image displayed on the display means, and the predetermined area on the display screen of the display means is a scroll area for instructing execution of scrolling And a cursor for displaying a cursor indicating a position on the display screen of the display means. The cursor displayed in the cursor display step is changed to the input movement signal when the movement signal is input from the display means and the pointing means for generating the movement signal for moving the cursor according to the operation of the operator. A cursor movement step that moves according to the movement, and a cursor placement scroll execution step that causes the scroll step to perform scrolling when the cursor is placed in the scroll area in accordance with a movement signal from the pointing means. It has.

  The map image display program according to claim 2 is the map image display program according to claim 1, wherein the cursor placement scroll execution step uses the movement signal from the pointing means during the scroll execution. Accordingly, when the cursor located in the scroll area is arranged outside the area of the scroll area, the scrolling by the scroll step is stopped, and the scroll step is scrolled during the period when the cursor is in the scroll area. Let it run.

  The map image display program according to claim 3 is the map image display program according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the cursor is arranged in the scroll area by the cursor moving step, a time measuring step for measuring a predetermined first waiting time. The cursor placement scroll execution step causes the scroll step to execute scrolling when the time counting step measures the first waiting time or longer.

  The map image display program according to claim 4 is the map image display program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the scroll area is arranged at a peripheral portion of the map image displayed on the display means. A plurality of areas are provided, and in each of the areas, a scroll advance direction is set according to a position on the map image where the areas are arranged, and the cursor arrangement scroll execution step includes the cursor movement step. As a result, the scroll step is caused to execute scrolling with the traveling direction set in the area where the cursor is placed as the designated direction.

  The map image display program according to claim 5 is the map image display program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the scroll area is located on the upper, upper right, right, lower right, lower on the plane of the map image. , Lower left, left, and upper left area corresponding to at least eight directions, the cursor placement scroll execution step, the direction corresponding to the area where the cursor is placed by the cursor movement step, as a designated traveling direction, The scroll step performs scrolling.

  The map image display program according to claim 6 is the map image display program according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the cursor placement scroll execution step is executed while the cursor movement step is performed during the scroll operation. When the cursor already located in one of the areas is moved to another area in the scroll area in accordance with a movement signal from the pointing means, the direction of scrolling is the direction corresponding to the destination area And scrolling is continued in the scroll step.

  The map image display program according to claim 7 is the map image display program according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the time measuring step is executed while scrolling is performed, and the cursor moving step is performed in the scroll area 1. When the cursor already located in the area is moved to another area in the scroll area in accordance with a movement signal from the pointing means, a predetermined second waiting time is counted, and the cursor arrangement In the scroll execution step, when the cursor is moved to another area in the scroll area during the execution of the scroll, the scrolling by the scroll step is temporarily stopped and the time measured by the timing step is longer than the second waiting time. And scroll in the direction according to the destination area. It is intended to be executed by the roll step.

  The map image display program according to claim 8 is the map image display program according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein whether or not scrolling is executed when a cursor is placed in the scroll area is determined by the operator. When the designation step designated according to the operation and the designation step is designated to execute scrolling with the cursor placement in the scroll area, the operation of the cursor placement scroll execution step is permitted, And a permission step for prohibiting the operation of the cursor placement scroll execution step when it is designated that the scrolling is not executed even when the cursor is placed in the scroll area in the designation step.

  According to the map image display program of the first aspect, the cursor displayed in the cursor display step is moved in the cursor movement step in accordance with the movement signal input from the pointing means. And if a cursor is arrange | positioned in the scroll area on the display screen of a display means, the scroll of the map image by a scroll step will be performed by a cursor arrangement | positioning scroll execution step. Therefore, there is an effect that the map image can be scrolled only by placing the cursor in the scroll area.

  Conventional scrolling of map images generally performs scrolling in response to a specific signal input from pointing means. However, since this program can execute scrolling simply by placing the cursor in the scroll area, it is possible to execute map image scrolling regardless of a specific signal input from the pointing means. For this reason, a specific signal from the pointing means that has been assigned to the scroll process in the past can be assigned to other processes, thereby executing the operation (button operation or the like) for generating the specific signal of the pointing means. The number of processes other than the scroll process that can be performed can be increased. In other words, the number of processes assigned to specific signals that can be generated by the pointing means is not reduced for the scroll process. For this reason, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom in setting the processing executed by the pointing means and to effectively use the few buttons of the pointing means.

  Here, a scroll mode for scrolling the map image is provided, and the map image display program is configured to execute different operations even when the same specific signal is used depending on whether or not the scroll mode is in effect. By doing so, it is possible to increase processing that can be executed (in addition to scroll processing) by an input operation of a specific signal of the pointing means. However, in this method, the operation procedure required for the operator to scroll the map image becomes complicated. However, in this program, in order to execute the scrolling of the map image, the operator only has to perform the operation of placing the cursor in the scroll area, so that it is executed according to the operation of generating a specific signal of the pointing means. Even if the number of processes other than the scroll process that can be performed is increased, the operation required by the operator at the time of scroll execution can be simplified, and there is an effect that the usability is good.

  In addition, for example, when scrolling a map image by a mouse drag-and-drop operation as in the prior art, during the scrolling, after one button provided on the mouse is pressed, Will continue to be pressed. However, in this program, since the pointing means can be in a free state during scrolling, there is an effect that other processing can be executed while scrolling the map image.

  According to the map image display program of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the map image display program of claim 1, the cursor moving step is scrolled according to the movement signal from the pointing means during the execution of scrolling. When the cursor located in the area is arranged outside the area of the scroll area, scrolling by the scroll step is stopped by the cursor arrangement scroll execution step. That is, there is an effect that it is unnecessary to input a specific signal from the pointing means for starting and stopping the scrolling process. For this reason, a process different from the scroll process can be associated with a specific signal that can be generated by the pointing means, and when a specific signal is input from the pointing means, the specific signal It is possible to execute another predetermined process (a process other than the scroll process). In other words, the few buttons provided on the pointing means can be used effectively, and variations of processing that can be executed by operating the pointing means can be increased.

  In addition, by placing the cursor inside and outside the scroll area, it is possible to switch between the start and stop of scrolling, which makes it easier for the operator to understand the operation for starting and stopping scrolling and starting scrolling. In addition, it is possible to execute stop and stop with a simple operation, and there is an effect that it is easy to use.

  According to the map image display program of claim 3, in addition to the effect produced by the map image display program of claim 1 or 2, when the time counting step causes a time longer than the first waiting time, The scrolling of the map image by the scroll step is executed by the cursor arrangement scroll execution step. Therefore, until the predetermined time has elapsed, there is an effect that even if the cursor is placed in the scroll area, it is possible to wait for the scroll to be executed.

  If scrolling starts immediately after the cursor is placed in the scroll area, the time required from the cursor placement to the start of scrolling may be shorter than the reaction time required for the operator to recognize the scrolling action. There is a risk that the operator cannot follow the started scroll immediately after the scroll is started. As a result, the current location of the scrolling map image may be lost. However, since the scrolling is started after the first waiting time after the cursor is placed in the scroll area, the operator can sufficiently react to the started scrolling, and the current position of the map image being scrolled. There is an effect that it is difficult to lose sight.

  In addition, for example, a command button for inputting a command or a map image can be displayed in the scroll area, but if scrolling starts immediately due to the cursor placement in the scroll area, the command displayed in the scroll area is displayed. Operations on buttons and map images cannot be executed. However, even if the cursor is placed in the scroll area, scrolling does not start immediately, so operations and processing for map images and command buttons displayed in the scroll area can be executed until scrolling is started. it can. Therefore, there is an effect that the display screen which is a limited space can be used effectively without making the scroll area a dead space.

  According to the map image display program according to claim 4, in addition to the effect of the map image display program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, as a scroll area, a position on the map image is arranged at a peripheral portion of the map image. A plurality of areas in which the scrolling direction is set are arranged according to the map, and the map image is scrolled by the scrolling step with the direction set in the area where the cursor is placed by the cursor moving step as the designated direction. Is executed by the cursor placement scroll execution step. Therefore, there is an effect that it is easy for an operator to grasp the scrolling direction sensuously.

  Since the map image is displayed in a limited space, it always has a peripheral edge. Here, the peripheral portion has a relative positional relationship (for example, east, west, south, north, or up, down, left and right) with respect to the center of the map image. Therefore, by providing each area of the scroll area at the peripheral portion and further setting the scroll progress direction according to the position on the map image for each area, the operator can change the cursor placement and the scroll direction. The correspondence can be easily grasped. For example, if the cursor is placed in the scroll area on the upper side of the map image peripheral portion, the scroll progressing upward is executed, so that the operator can easily grasp the scroll progress direction sensuously. In other words, the operator can easily recognize the scroll position when the cursor is placed and the location of the cursor for scrolling in the desired direction by associating it with the position on the map image. can do.

  This makes it possible for the operator to easily recognize the scroll area without displaying a display indicating the scrolling direction separately from the map image. As a result, there is an effect that it is possible to enlarge the display area of the map image (for example, display on the entire screen) by setting the display indicating the scrolling direction to non-display. In addition, even if the display indicating the scrolling direction is not displayed, it is easy to grasp the scrolling direction, so that the scrolling that is not intended by the operator or the scrolling in a direction different from the desired direction can be performed. Execution can be suppressed.

  According to the map image display program of claim 5, in addition to the effect of the map image display program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the scroll area is located on the upper, upper right, and right on the plane of the map image. , Lower right, lower, lower left, left, upper left area corresponding to at least 8 directions, the map set by the scroll step with the direction of travel set in the area where the cursor is placed by the cursor moving step as the designated direction Image scrolling is executed by the cursor placement scroll execution step. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to execute scrolling along the direction (path) desired by the operator up to the position desired by the operator. Further, the eight directions of upper, upper right, right, lower right, lower, lower left, left, and upper left are clear directions that are easy for the operator to grasp. Has the effect that the scroll direction can be selected accurately.

  According to the map image display program of the sixth aspect, in addition to the effect of the map image display program according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, during the scrolling, the cursor moving step can be used to change one of the scroll areas. When a cursor already located in the area is moved to another area in the scroll area in response to a movement signal from the pointing means, the scroll direction of the scroll corresponds to the destination area by the cursor placement scroll execution step. The direction is changed, and scrolling by the scroll step is continued. Therefore, while the map image is continuously scrolled, the traveling direction can be changed, and an operator who browses the map image being scrolled can switch to a desired direction at a desired timing to advance the scroll. There is an effect that can be done. In addition, if the operator performs an operation to change the scroll direction using the pointing means (moving the cursor), the scroll direction is immediately changed, so that the actual progress is made from the change instruction (the operation of the pointing means). There is an effect that the stress felt by the operator can be reduced by the time lag until the direction is changed.

  According to the map image display program of the seventh aspect, in addition to the effect of the map image display program according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, during the scrolling, the cursor moving step can be used to change one of the scroll areas. When a cursor already located in the area is moved to another area in the scroll area in response to a movement signal from the pointing means, a predetermined second waiting time is counted by the timing step. Further, when the cursor is moved to another area in the scroll area during the execution of the scroll, the scroll by the scroll step is temporarily stopped by the cursor placement scroll execution step. Then, when the time is measured for the second standby time or longer in the time measuring step, scrolling in the direction corresponding to the area to be moved in the scroll step is executed in the cursor placement scroll executing step.

  Thus, when the scrolling direction is changed, the operator can be prepared for a change in the scrolling direction during the predetermined second waiting time when the scrolling is stopped. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to cope with a change in the traveling direction. When the map image is scrolled, the operator visually follows the scrolled map image and grasps the current display range with respect to the display range of the map image that is continuously changed in appearance. Work to do. Here, if the direction of scrolling changes suddenly (without interruption), the operator is confused without being able to respond to the change, and the operator is made to grasp the current display range of the displayed map image. May make it difficult. However, in this program, when the scrolling direction is changed, the scrolling is temporarily stopped, and then the scrolling in the changed direction is started after the time equal to or longer than the second waiting time has elapsed. Therefore, it is possible to allow the operator to respond to the change in the scrolling direction with a margin.

  As a result, when the scrolling direction is changed, the scrolling can be sufficiently followed without confusing the operator. Therefore, the operator can accurately grasp the current display range of the displayed map image even if the scrolling direction is changed.

  According to the map image display program according to claim 8, in addition to the effect of the map image display program according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the designation step is to execute scrolling by placing the cursor in the scroll area. If the specified step specifies that the operation of the cursor placement scroll execution step is permitted by the permission step and the scroll is not executed even if the cursor is placed in the scroll area, In the permission step, the operation of the cursor placement scroll execution step is prohibited. Since the designation step is performed in accordance with the operation of the operator, it is possible to determine whether or not to execute the scrolling of the map image by reflecting the operator's intention based on the cursor arrangement in the scroll area. There is an effect that can be done. In other words, there is an effect that the scroll of the map image by the cursor arrangement in the scroll area can be executed when the operator desires.

  It should be noted that if the program is configured to execute the scrolling of the map image in accordance with another operation procedure when the operation of the cursor placement scroll execution step is prohibited by the permission step, an operator within a different operation procedure can be obtained. There is an effect that the scrolling of the map image can be executed in the procedure preferred by the user. Other operation procedures include, for example, a combination of a specific signal input by a pointing means such as a mouse drag and drop operation and a cursor movement operation, a switching operation to a scroll mode by a pointing means and a command for executing a scroll. Examples are combinations with input operations.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”) 10 equipped with a map image display program of the present embodiment.

  The PC 10 is a device that displays a map image (a so-called electronic map) based on map information stored therein, and in accordance with the operation of the pointing device by the operator, the displayed map image can be scrolled or an arbitrary point. The designation operation is performed. In the present embodiment, a map image is displayed on the entire screen of the LCD 17.

  The PC 10 includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as “HDD”) 14, an input / output port 16, an LCD 17 that is a display device, a keyboard 18 that is an input device, and a mouse 19. have. The CPU 11 is an arithmetic device and executes programs stored in the ROM 12, RAM 13, and HDD 14. Further, the CPU 11 displays a map image on the LCD 17 based on the map image data stored in the display image memory 13a, and displays an arrow-like cursor that is a mark indicating a position on the display screen of the LCD 17, Operations such as movement of the cursor are executed in conjunction with the operation of the mouse 19.

  The CPU 11 includes a timer 11a. The timer 11a is for measuring a predetermined time, and in a scroll process (see FIG. 5) described later, the predetermined time is set when the cursor is arranged in the scroll area. . Further, the value (t) of the timer 11a is subtracted by 1 every time it is executed until 0 in the timer management process (see FIG. 6). Then, when the elapse of a predetermined standby time (first standby time) is measured by the value (t) of the timer 11a, the CPU 11 determines that the timing for starting the scrolling of the map image has arrived.

  The ROM 12 is a non-rewritable memory that stores a basic program such as a boot program. The RAM 13 is a rewritable memory, and includes a display image memory 13a, a peripheral image memory 13b, a save memory 13c, a point coordinate memory 13d, an area code memory 13e, a scroll switching flag 13f, and a scrolling flag 13g. It has.

  The display image memory 13a is a memory that stores image data (map image data) generated from the map information, and has a second display wider than the display range (first display range W1) of the map image data displayed on the LCD 17. Map image data corresponding to the range W2 is stored. The map image data is a group of information composed of pixel data corresponding to each pixel of the map image to be formed, and each pixel data is stored in the display image memory 13a in association with the coordinates (x, y). ing. The coordinate is information indicating a position by an X coordinate (x) indicating a position on the X axis and a Y coordinate (y) indicating a position on the Y axis orthogonal to the X axis. The top coordinates (0, 0) are assigned to the top pixel data of the map image data in the second display range W2 stored in the display image memory 13a, and the final coordinates (m, n) are assigned to the last pixel data. ing.

  When the map image of the second display range W2 is virtually formed from the map image data stored in the display image memory 13a, the pixel located at the upper left corner of the map image with the pixel data of the leading coordinates (0, 0). And the pixel located at the lower right corner of the map image is formed with the pixel data of the final coordinates (m, n). Also, pixels corresponding to each pixel data are arranged at positions defined by the coordinates of the pixel data, with the horizontal direction of the map image being the X axis and the vertical direction orthogonal to the X axis being the Y axis. The map image formed by the map image data in the second display range has a size expressed by (m + 1) × (n + 1) pixels.

  In the LCD 17, map image data of a display target area (map image) is extracted from the map image data stored in the display image memory 13a mainly in the first display range W1 and extracted. The map image data in the first display range W1 is output to the LCD 17 and displayed. By displaying the map image data on the LCD 17, a map image is formed on the display screen of the LCD 17.

  When the CPU 11 is requested to scroll the map image displayed on the LCD 17, the CPU 11 sequentially shifts the coordinates of the first display range W1 to be extracted in the specified scrolling direction until the scroll limit point is reached. Map image data is extracted from the display image memory 13a and output. Thereby, on the LCD 17, the scroll of the map image is apparently executed.

  The peripheral image memory 13b is a memory that stores map image data to be newly written in the display image memory 13a when the scroll limit point is reached. The peripheral image memory 13b stores map image data of the second display range W2 in an area adjacent to (partially overlaps) the map image data stored in the display image memory 13a.

  Since the size of the display image memory 13a is finite, when the scroll of the map image progresses, the map image data that can be displayed (extracted from the current display position) in the direction of travel is eventually displayed. A scroll limit point that does not exist in the memory 13a is reached. In such a case, in order to perform further scrolling, it is necessary to replace the map image data stored in the display image memory 13a with the map image data of the farther area.

  The peripheral image memory 13b stores map image data adjacent to the map image data stored in the display image memory 13a. The adjacent map image data is stored at a predetermined timing until the scroll limit point is reached. After being read out from a map information memory 14c, which will be described later, and expanded, it is written in the peripheral image memory 13b. The map image data stored in the peripheral image memory 13b is read by the CPU 11 when the scroll limit point arrives, and is written in the display image memory 13a.

  The save memory 13c is a memory for temporarily saving the map image data displayed on the LCD 17 when the scroll limit point comes. When the scroll limit point arrives, the CPU 11 writes the map image data (corresponding to the first display range W1) of the map image being displayed on the LCD 17 to the save memory 13c. Then, the map image data stored in the save memory 13c is displayed on the LCD 17. Thereby, the display of the map image on the LCD 17 can be continued even during the writing of the map image data of the new second display range W2 from the peripheral image memory 13b to the display image memory 13a.

  The point coordinate memory 13d is a memory for storing the coordinates of the reference point A of the map image data output to the LCD 17, and the map image data currently output to the LCD 17 is the map image data stored in the display image memory 13a. It is for managing which part (position) of the.

  As described above, the map image data displayed on the LCD 17 is the map image data in the first display range W1, and is a part of the map image data in the second display range W2 stored in the display image memory 13a. Therefore, the CPU 11 determines which portion (position) of the map image data currently stored on the LCD 17 (first display range W1) is stored in the display image memory 13a. Need to manage.

  If the position of the map image data currently being output to the LCD 17 in the display image memory 13a (the position in the map image data of the second display range W2) is unknown, it is impossible to execute the scrolling of the map image. . When scrolling the map image, it is necessary to sequentially shift the position of the map image data to be extracted in the designated scroll direction with reference to the position of the map image data currently output to the LCD 17 in the display image memory 13a. Because. For this reason, for the map image data in the first display range W1 extracted from the display image memory 13a, the coordinates of the reference point A indicating the position in the display image memory 13a are managed in the point coordinate memory 13d.

  Specifically, the reference point A is the position of pixel data corresponding to the pixel at the upper left corner of the map image on the display screen, and is assigned to the top pixel data of the map image data extracted from the display image memory 13a. Indicated by coordinates.

  Here, in the map image data (in the second display range W2) stored in the display image memory 13a, coordinates (0, 0) to (m, n) are assigned to each pixel data. The first display range W1 is a predetermined rectangular range. Therefore, based on the coordinates of the reference point A stored in the point coordinate memory 13d, the CPU 11 outputs the first display being output to the LCD 17 from the map image data in the second display range W2 stored in the display image memory 13a. A part (position and range) of the map image data in the range W1 can be grasped.

  For example, in the present embodiment, since the map image is sized to be displayed on the entire screen of the LCD 17, the range corresponding to the display screen of the LCD 17 (for example, 1024 × 768 pixels) is the first display range W1. Therefore, when the coordinate (0, 0) of the reference point A is stored in the point coordinate memory 13d, if the first display range W1 is 1024 × 768 pixels, the map image data currently output to the LCD 17 Is pixel data in the range of coordinates (0,0) to (1023,767) in the map image data stored in the display image memory 13a.

  The area code memory 13e is a memory for storing the area to which the cursor belongs (the cursor is arranged) on the display screen, and the area code assigned to the area where the cursor is arranged (displayed) is stored. Has been. Here, the cursor is a mark for indicating a position on the display screen, and is displayed in an arrow shape. This cursor is moved on the display screen by the CPU 11 in accordance with a moving operation of the mouse 19 which is a pointing device. Further, command buttons for inputting various commands are displayed on the display screen, and when the mouse 19 is clicked, the CPU 11 recognizes the input of the command button on which the cursor is superimposed.

  Which position (area) the cursor is placed on the display screen is constantly monitored by the CPU 11 (see FIG. 4), and an area code indicating the area to which the cursor belongs is a scroll process (see FIG. 5) is stored in the area code memory 13e. When the cursor moves, the area code stored in the area code memory 13e is updated according to the movement destination. Specifically, the area codes “00” to “08” individually assigned to the respective areas set in advance for the map image displayed on the LCD 17 are stored in the area code memory 13e ( (See FIG. 3).

  Note that when the map image display program is activated and the initial screen of the map image is displayed, the cursor is arranged in the “00” area. At the time of activation, “00” is stored in the area code memory 13e.

  The scroll switching flag 13f is a flag indicating whether or not to execute the scrolling of the map image when the cursor is placed in the scroll area, that is, permission or prohibition of the scroll operation. When the operator sets execution of the scroll operation by a predetermined operation of the keyboard 18, the CPU 11 turns on the scroll switching flag 13f. When the non-execution of the scroll operation is set, the CPU 11 turns off the scroll switching flag 13f. When the scroll switching flag 13f is ON, the CPU 11 executes scrolling of the map image based on the cursor being placed in the scroll area. Accordingly, when the scroll switching flag 13f is off, the map image is not scrolled even if the cursor is placed in the scroll area. When the scroll switching flag 13f is off, the map image is scrolled in accordance with the drag and drop operation of the mouse 19.

  The scrolling flag 13g is a flag indicating that the map image is being scrolled. This in-scroll flag 13g is turned on when the scroll switching flag 13f is on and a predetermined waiting time has elapsed since the cursor was placed in the scroll area. The scrolling flag 13g that is turned on is turned off when the cursor is moved to the central area. When the cursor is placed in the scroll area, the CPU 11 executes scrolling of the map image (scroll execution processing S26, see FIG. 7) on the condition that the scrolling flag 13g is on. Therefore, even if the cursor is placed in the scroll area, the scrolling of the map image is not started immediately, and the scrolling of the map image is executed after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed.

  In addition, the state in which the scroll is in execution includes not only the state in which the scroll is actually executed, but also the state in which the scroll is repeatedly executed during the period in which the scroll is executed. This includes a state in which the execution of scrolling is confirmed after a predetermined waiting time elapses from the cursor placement in the scroll area.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are connected to each other via a bus line 15 that includes an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. The bus line 15 is also connected to an input / output port 16, which is connected to the HDD 14, LCD 17, keyboard 18, and mouse 19.

  The HDD 14 is a rewritable large-capacity storage medium including a control program 16a such as an operating system (OS) of the PC 10 and various application programs. The map image display program of this embodiment is stored in the HDD 14 as a part of the control program 16a. Moreover, the program shown in the flowchart of FIGS. 4-7 is memorize | stored as a part of this map image display program. The HDD 14 is provided with a scroll area memory 14b and a map information memory 14c.

  The scroll area memory 14b is a memory that stores area information indicating an area and an area code in association with each area preset for a map image displayed on the LCD 17. The map image displayed on the LCD 17 is an image of the first display range W1 composed of a predetermined number of pixels, and the position coordinates on the display screen of the upper left pixel of the image of the first display range W1. Is (0,0), and the coordinates of the position pixel at the lower right corner are (p, q) (for example, (1023,767)).

  The area information is coordinate data indicating the range of the area set in the map image by the position coordinates on the display screen described above. Therefore, each area on the map image can be defined by the position coordinates of the area information. Since each area has a rectangular shape, the area information is composed of four position coordinates (or two diagonal position coordinates) of the vertices of the rectangle.

  The area code is a code for identifying each area defined by each area information, and one area code is assigned to each area. In the present embodiment, the map image is divided into nine rectangular areas, and area codes “00” to “08” are assigned to the respective areas. Accordingly, nine area information is stored in the scroll area memory 14b in association with the area codes “00” to “08”.

  The map information memory 14 c is a memory formed with a large-capacity storage area, and is a database that stores map information for forming map image data to be output to the LCD 17. The map information memory 14 c stores map information that covers the entire area of the electronic map that can be displayed on the LCD 17.

  The map information stored in the map information memory 14c is image information for forming a map image divided for each predetermined area block, and a plurality of map information corresponding to each area block is compressed. Is stored in the map information memory 14c in a data format. In addition, attribute information indicating the attribute of the map information is added to each map information, and each map information is managed based on the attribute information. The attribute information includes information indicating an area block corresponding to one map information and information designating map information of an area block adjacent to the one map information.

  When one area block is designated by the operator's input operation, map information corresponding to the designated area block is read from the map information memory 14c based on the attribute information. When the map image is scrolled on the LCD 17, the map information of the adjacent regional block is read from the map information memory 14 c based on the attribute information of the map information corresponding to the map image data output to the LCD 17. It is.

  The mouse 19 is one of pointing devices, and is an input device that inputs a signal corresponding to the operation to the PC. The mouse 19 includes a right button and a left button that generate specific signals when pressed, respectively. In addition, a movement mechanism that generates a movement signal indicating a movement direction and a movement amount by the rotation of the ball embedded therein is provided. The operator can operate the cursor displayed on the LCD 17 by moving the mouse 19 on the plane to input a movement signal generated by the movement mechanism to the PC 10. Here, the map image display program of this embodiment can execute the scroll of the map image by placing the cursor in the scroll area ("01" area to "08" area) by operating the mouse 19. It can be done. For this reason, in scrolling execution, it is not necessary to press the left button of the mouse 19, that is, to input a specific signal from the mouse 19 by left clicking. Therefore, in response to pressing of the left button, an operation other than requesting the execution of scrolling can be assigned. Accordingly, it is possible to increase processes other than the scroll process that can be executed by operating the buttons of the mouse 19, and the buttons with a small number of the mice 19 can be used effectively.

  In the map image display program according to the present embodiment, designation of a point on the map image is executed in response to pressing of the left button (left click) of the mouse 19, and in response to pressing of the right button (right clicking). To cancel the specified previous point (last point). The specified points are connected with a straight line, and if there are two specified points, the straight line distance between the two points is calculated. If there are three or more specified points, the area surrounded by the specified points is calculated. Be able to.

  The cursor on the display screen can be moved not only by the operation of the mouse 19 but also by the operation of the cursor movement key provided on the keyboard 18, and the cursor is moved to the scroll area by the operation of the cursor movement key. Similarly, the map image is scrolled even when it is arranged.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a memory operation when scrolling of the map image is executed by the map image display program in the PC 10 configured as described above.

  In FIG. 2, the map image data of the second display range W2 stored in the display image memory 13a is shown on the upper right side. Each pixel data included in the map image data of the second display range W2 is stored in correspondence with the coordinates (0, 0) to (m, n).

  Map image data of the designated area is extracted from the map image data in the second display range W2. The range of the extracted map image data is the first display range W1, and is indicated by a thick black frame in FIG. The extracted map image data of the first display range W1 becomes a map image that is actually displayed on one screen of the LCD 17.

  The coordinates (A (x1, y1)) of the reference point A of the extracted map image data are stored in the point coordinate memory 13d as an index indicating the position of the extracted map image data. Also, position coordinates indicating the output position on the display screen are newly given to each pixel data of the extracted map image data in the first display range W1. The newly assigned position coordinates are position coordinates on the display screen, and are different from the coordinates given to the pixel data of the map image data in the second display range W2. For the extracted map image data in the first display range W1, each pixel data is newly set with the coordinates of the top pixel data as (0, 0) and the coordinates of the final pixel data as (p, q). Position coordinates are given to each of the above. Then, the CPU 11 outputs (p + 1) × (q + 1) pixel data in an array in which the upper left corner of the display screen of the LCD 17 is the position coordinate (0, 0) and the lower right corner is the position coordinate (p, q).

  Here, the map image output to the LCD 17 can be scrolled in the eight directions of upper left, upper, upper right, right, lower right, lower, lower left, left as indicated by arrows in the map image data. It can be done. Here, when the scrolling is executed in the right direction, the coordinates of the reference point A are sequentially moved to the right by the predetermined feed amount a to move the first display range W1 of the map image data to be extracted. Thereby, on the display screen of LCD17, the scroll which advances a map image to the right direction is performed.

  Since the data that can be stored in the display image memory 13a is finite, the scroll limit point is reached as the scroll progresses. The scroll limit point is a boundary point where the map image data of the first display range W1 that forms a further map image from that position cannot be extracted from the display image memory 13a, and the coordinates of the reference point A are set to predetermined coordinates. Judged by reaching. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the coordinate of the reference point A has reached (x2, y2). When the scroll limit point is reached, the map image data being output is written to the save memory 13c (path I). When the map image data is written in the save memory 13c, the map image data stored in the save memory 13c is output to the LCD 17 until the map image data stored in the display image memory 13a is updated.

  On the other hand, if the CPU 11 determines that the scroll limit point is almost reached based on the coordinates of the reference point A (for example, the coordinate of the reference point A is a predetermined position before the coordinate of the scroll limit point), the map information memory From 14c, the map information of the adjacent regional block is read from the map image data currently stored in the display image memory 13a (path I ′). The map information stored in the map information memory 14c is formed in a range partitioned so that a part of the map overlaps between adjacent regional blocks, and the map information read out by the route I ′ includes The map image data stored in the save memory 13c is included. The read map information is subjected to expansion processing, converted to image data, and map image data in the second display range W2 is stored in the peripheral image memory 13b (path II '). When the map image data is written in the save memory 13c, the map image data in the second display range W2 stored in the peripheral image memory 13b is written in the display image memory 13a (path III '). Thereby, the map image data stored in the previous display image memory 13a is replaced with the map image data of the second display range W2 based on the newly read map information of the adjacent regional block (path II). ).

  After the replacement of the contents of the display image memory 13a is executed, the position of the displayed map image data stored in the save memory 13c is changed to a position where the coordinates of the reference point A are (x3, y3). Yes. Accordingly, the map image data of the first display range W1 is output from the display image memory 13a to the LCD 17 based on the reference point A. Note that the coordinates (x3, y3) of the reference point A are written in the point coordinate memory 13d. Thereafter, the coordinates (x3, y3) of the reference point A are sequentially shifted in the instructed traveling direction, and scrolling is subsequently executed.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between each area set for the map image displayed on the LCD 17 and the area code assigned to the area. As described above, the map image displayed on the LCD 17 is divided into nine areas, and area codes “00” to “09” for identifying each area are assigned to each area. Yes. The CPU 11 manages in which area the position of the cursor on the display screen is located using this area code.

  Specifically, the central portion of the map image displayed on the LCD 17 is a central area (“00” area) to which the area code “00” is assigned, and 8 in the peripheral portion of the map image surrounding the central area. There are two scroll areas. The “01” area is a rectangular scroll area provided at the upper left corner of the displayed map image, and is given an area code “01”. The “02” area to which the area code “02” is assigned is adjacent to the right of the “01” area. The “02” area is a scroll area formed in a strip shape at the upper end in the longitudinal direction of the map image along the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the map image displayed in a rectangular form. To the right of the “02” area, the “03” area to which the area code “03” is assigned is adjacent. The “03” area is a rectangular scroll area provided at the upper right corner of the displayed map image. That is, at the upper end of the map image, the “01” area and the “03” area are arranged at both ends of the “02” area.

  Below the “03” area, the “04” area to which the area code “04” is assigned is adjacent. The “04” area is a scroll area formed in a band shape along the short direction (Y-axis direction) of the map image. In addition, a “05” area, which is a rectangular scroll area to which an area code “05” is assigned, is provided in the lower right corner of the map image adjacent to the “04” area. Accordingly, in the right end portion of the map image, the “03” area and the “05” area are arranged at both ends (up and down) of the “04” area.

  The “06” area to which the area code “06” is assigned is adjacent to the left side of the “05” area and at the lower end of the map image. The “06” area is a scroll area provided opposite to the “02” area and formed in a strip shape along the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the map image. A “07” area, which is a rectangular scroll area to which the area code “07” is assigned, is provided in the lower left corner of the map image adjacent to the “06” area. Accordingly, at the lower end of the map image, the “05” area and the “07” area are arranged at both ends of the “06” area.

  Above the “07” area and below the “01” area, an “08” area to which the area code “08” is assigned is disposed between the “07” area and the “01” area. . The “08” area is a scroll area provided opposite to the “04” area and formed in a band shape along the short direction (Y-axis direction) of the map image. In this manner, the scroll area corresponding to the eight directions of upper left, upper, upper right, right, lower right, lower, lower left, left is arranged on the outer periphery of the central area, that is, the peripheral portion of the map image without any gap. Yes.

  In the scroll area memory 14b described above, area information and area codes corresponding to the respective areas (“00” area to “08” area) shown in FIG. 3 are stored.

  Here, when the cursor is placed in the “01” area to the “08” area, the CPU 11 determines that it is a map image scroll request and starts scrolling the map image. In addition, when the cursor is released from any of the “01” area to the “08” area to the “00” area, the CPU 11 determines that it is a scroll end request and stops scrolling the map image. To do. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the scrolling of the map image can be executed regardless of the drag-and-drop operation of the mouse 19 which is a pointing device.

  In addition, each “01” area to “08” area is associated with the scrolling direction according to the position of the scroll area on the map image. Specifically, the upper left direction is associated with the “01” area disposed on the upper left side, and the upper direction is associated with the “02” area disposed on the upper side. The “08” area is associated with an upper right direction, a right direction, a lower right direction, a lower direction, a lower left direction, and a left direction, respectively. In the map image display program of this embodiment, when a cursor is placed in any of the “01” area to “08” area, the CPU 11 displays a map image in the traveling direction corresponding to the scroll area. A scroll for moving the range is executed. According to this, since scrolling proceeds in the direction in which the cursor is arranged, when the operator executes scrolling of the map image, the execution procedure can be easily understood, and the usability is good.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the map image is displayed in the scroll area from “01” area to “08” area as well as “00” area, and “00” area to “08” area are integrated. A map image is formed. When the “01” area to “08” area is formed in a display mode unique to the scroll area, a portion other than the map image is displayed at the peripheral portion of the map image, and the display area of the map image is reduced. However, the “01” area to the “08” area does not have a special mode, and the map image is displayed in the same manner as the “00” area, so the display area of the map image is not compressed. Accordingly, the map image can be displayed (full screen display) in the entire area of the display screen. Each scroll area is arranged at the periphery of the map image, and the map image is scrolled in the traveling direction corresponding to the arrangement position. Therefore, the scroll area is displayed in a manner indicating the scroll traveling direction. Even without this, the operator is not confused by the execution of scrolling.

  Next, referring to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 to 7 and the map image display screen examples of FIGS. 8 and 9, each process of the map image display program mounted on the PC 10 configured as described above. explain.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a mouse response process executed in response to a signal input from the mouse 19 in a state where the map image and the cursor are displayed on the LCD 17. In this mouse response process, first, it is confirmed whether or not a signal is input from the mouse 19 (S1). If there is no signal input (S1: No), this mouse response process is terminated. On the other hand, if there is a signal input from the mouse 19 (S1: Yes), what the input signal is is confirmed (S2). As a result, if the signal input from the mouse 19 is a movement signal (S2: movement signal), it is a movement request for the cursor displayed on the LCD 17, and in the movement amount and movement direction indicated by the input movement signal. In response, a cursor movement display process for moving the cursor and displaying the cursor at the destination position is executed (S3). Then, the mouse response process is terminated. On the other hand, if the input signal is a specific input signal (specific input signal) corresponding to the click of the right button or the left button of the mouse 19 (S2: specific input signal), it corresponds to the input specific input signal. Each process is executed (S4), and the mouse response process is terminated.

  In each process (S4), even if the same specific input signal is used, different processes are executed depending on whether the scroll switch flag 13f is on or off. Specifically, when the scroll switching flag 13f is off, the map image display program of the present embodiment is configured to execute scrolling of the displayed map image in response to a drag and drop operation of the mouse 19. Therefore, when a specific input signal corresponding to the left click of the mouse 19 is input to the PC 10, the CPU 11 determines that the map image starts to be scrolled. In each process (S4), the mouse 19 is dragged and dropped. In response, a process of executing scrolling is performed. When a specific input signal corresponding to the right click of the mouse 19 is input to the PC 10, a screen for displaying commands in another window is displayed.

  On the other hand, when the scroll switch flag 13f is on, in the map image display program of the present embodiment, when a specific input signal corresponding to the left click of the mouse 19 is input to the PC 10, the cursor is displayed in each process (S4). The CPU 11 determines the pointing at the position where “” is displayed, and a process of displaying a mark at that position is performed (see FIG. 9). When a specific input signal corresponding to the right click of the mouse 19 is input when the scroll switching flag 13f is on, a process for canceling the mark display is executed in each process (S4).

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a scroll process for switching between execution and non-execution of the scroll of the map image displayed on the LCD 17 in accordance with the area where the cursor is arranged. This scrolling process is started every predetermined time by a timer interruption.

  As described above, when the scroll switching flag 13f is on, the CPU 11 executes the program shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 to 7 described below (that is, the cursor is placed in the scroll area). If the scroll switching flag 13f is off, the program of the flowcharts of FIGS. 5 to 7 is not executed (that is, the map is based on the cursor being placed in the scroll area). Image scrolling is prohibited).

  Therefore, in this scroll processing, first, it is confirmed whether or not the scroll switching flag 13f is on (S10). If the scroll switching flag 13f is off (S10: No), this scroll processing is terminated. On the other hand, if the scroll switching flag 13f is on (S10: Yes), it is confirmed whether or not the current cursor position coordinates (x, y) belong to the “00” area (S11). Since the position coordinates (region information) indicating the range of each area are stored in the scroll area memory 14b as described above, it is determined in which area the cursor is located by comparing with the value. .

  As a result of checking in S11, if the cursor position coordinate belongs to the “00” area (S11: Yes), the scroll execution request is not made, so the area code “00” is written in the area code memory 13e ( S12), the scroll process is terminated. Accordingly, scrolling is not executed, and the map image being output is continuously displayed as shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the “01” area to “08” area, which are each area of the scroll area, are divided and displayed by solid lines. However, in the actual display screen, such solid lines are not displayed. Only the map image is displayed on the screen.

  On the other hand, if the position coordinate (x, y) of the cursor does not belong to the “00” area as a result of checking in the process of S11 (S11: No), the cursor is moved by operating the mouse 19 or the like. As shown in FIG. 8B, it is arranged in one of the scroll areas. FIG. 8B shows a state where the cursor is placed in the “05” area.

  Therefore, it is confirmed whether or not the current position coordinates (x, y) of the cursor are in the area stored in the area code memory 13e (S13). Here, if the current position coordinate (x, y) of the cursor is not in the area stored in the area code memory 13e (S13: No), the cursor is in an area different from the time when the previous scroll process is executed. Since it is arranged in one of the scroll areas, the area code (any one of “01” to “08”) corresponding to the current position coordinate of the cursor is written in the area code memory 13e, Is updated (S14).

  When branching to No in the process of S13, the cursor has been placed in the scroll area (any of "01" area to "08" area) from the "00" area, or moved to a different area in the scroll area. Either. When scrolling the displayed map image is started, the cursor is moved from the “00” area to any one of the “01” area to the “08” area, which is the scroll area, and is therefore stored in the area code memory 13e. The area code and the area where the current cursor is located are always different, so that the process branches to No in the process of S13, and the processes after S14 are executed to start scrolling.

  After the process of S14, it is confirmed whether or not the scrolling flag 13g is on (S15). Here, if the scrolling flag 13g is not on (S15: No), the scroll is not in the execution state. In order to execute image scrolling, a predetermined time (for example, 200 counts) is set in the timer 11a (S16).

  In the present embodiment, scrolling starts after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed since the cursor was placed in the scroll area, but before the predetermined waiting time elapses (for example, until the timer counts 100), the cursor is scrolled. If the area is moved between areas, the scrolling flag 13g is off, so that the process branches to No in the process of S15. Therefore, the predetermined time is set again in the timer 11a by the process of S16. For this reason, the count-down of the timer 11a is performed from the beginning. In other words, if the operator moves the cursor between the areas of the scroll area before the scrolling starts, the scrolling is started after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed since the cursor was placed in the destination area. The Rukoto. In the process of S16, after a predetermined time is set in the timer 11a, the scroll process is terminated.

  Furthermore, as a result of checking in the process of S13, if the current position coordinate (x, y) of the cursor is in the area stored in the area code memory 13e (S13: Yes), the cursor is moved from the previous scroll process. It is continuously placed in the same scroll area as at the time of execution. Therefore, it is avoided that the scroll process is ended and the timer 11a is reset to a predetermined time.

  As a result of checking in the process of S15, if the in-scrolling flag 13g is on (S15: Yes), since the scrolling is being executed (scrolling is in an execution state), the process of S16 is skipped and the process is continued. End the scroll process. For this reason, if the cursor is moved between the areas of the scroll area during the scroll execution, the scroll is not stopped, and the progress direction of the scroll in the scroll execution process (S26) described later corresponds to the area after the movement. Will be changed.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a timer management process that is started at predetermined intervals by a timer interrupt. The timer management process is a process for managing the timer 11a and operating a scroll execution process (S26) for executing scrolling according to the value of the timer 11a.

  In this timer management process, first, it is confirmed whether or not the value (t) of the timer 11a is 0 (S20). If it is not 0 (S20: No), 1 is subtracted from the value (t) of the timer 11a. (S21). Next, it is confirmed whether the value (t) of the timer 11a after subtraction is greater than 0 and less than 100 (0 <t <100) (S22), and the value (t) is greater than 0 and less than 100. (S22: Yes), the scrolling flag 13g is turned on (S23) to indicate that scrolling is to be executed (scrolling is in an execution state), and the value of the coordinate feed amount a is set to a predetermined value k (S24). Then, it is confirmed whether the scrolling flag 13g is on (S25). As a result, if the in-scrolling flag 13g is on (S25: Yes), scroll execution processing (S26) for executing scrolling is executed. That is, when the value (t) of the timer 11a is less than 100, the map image is scrolled. Thus, in the process of S22, when it is confirmed that a predetermined waiting time (100 counts) has elapsed from the placement of the cursor in the scroll area based on the value (t) of the timer 11a, FIG. ), The scroll of the map image by the scroll execution process (S26) is started.

  Then, while the in-scroll flag 13g is on, that is, until the in-scroll flag 13g is turned off, the scroll execution process (S26) is executed intermittently every time the timer management process is executed.

  If the value (t) of the timer 11a is 0 as a result of checking in the process of S20 (S20: Yes), the process shifts to the process of S25. For this reason, after the value (t) of the timer 11a becomes 0, the value (t) of the timer 11a is not subtracted. Further, as a result of checking in the process of S22, if the value (t) of the timer 11a is not within the set range exceeding 0 and less than 100 (S22: No), the value (t) of the timer 11a is 0. (S27). As a result, if the value (t) of the timer 11a is 0 (S27: Yes), the value of the coordinate feed amount a is set to a value 2k that is twice the predetermined value k (S28), and the process is changed to the process of S25 Transition. As a result, when a certain time has elapsed since the scrolling was started, the scroll speed in the scroll execution process (S26) becomes twice the start speed.

  In addition, as a result of checking in the process of S25, if the scrolling flag 13g is not on (S25: No), the scroll execution process (S26) is avoided and the timer management process is terminated.

  Furthermore, if the value (t) of the timer 11a is not 0 (S27: No) as a result of checking in the process of S27, the value (t) of the timer 11a is 100 or more and before the predetermined standby time has elapsed. Since it is not the timing to start scrolling, this timer management process is terminated. Thereby, the start of scrolling is waited until a predetermined waiting time elapses (for 100 counts) after the cursor is arranged in the scroll area.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the scroll execution process (S26) executed in the timer management process of FIG. In this scroll execution process (S26), first, what is the area code stored in the area code memory 13e is confirmed (S31), and if the area code stored here is “00” (S31: “00”). ”), Since it is indicated that the cursor is placed in the“ 00 ”area in order to stop the scrolling execution, the scrolling flag 13g is turned off (S32), and the scrolling execution process is ended. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8D, the scrolling of the map image is stopped, and the map image is displayed in a stationary state.

  If the area code stored in the area code memory 13e is “01” to “08” as a result of checking in the process of S31, the cursor is placed in the scroll area and stored in the area code memory 13e. When the area code to be set is “01” (S31: “01”), the coordinates (x, y) of the reference point A are set to (x-a, ya) (S33). As a result, the coordinates of the reference point A previously stored in the point coordinate memory 13d are updated, and then the map image data in the first display range corresponding to the coordinates of the reference point A stored in the point coordinate memory 13d is displayed. Extracted from the image memory 13a and output to the LCD 17 (S41). The coordinates of the reference point A are moved in the upper left direction (upper left direction in the data structure of the map image data in the display image data memory 13a shown in FIG. 2) by the process of S33. As a result, the first display range W1 of the map image data extracted from the display image memory 13a is in the upper left direction than the previously extracted map image data, and the scroll of the map image in the upper left direction is realized. Is done.

  Similarly, when the area code stored in the area code memory 13e is “02” (S31: “02”), the coordinate (x, y) of the reference point A is set to (x, ya) (S34). ) After updating the coordinates of the reference point A previously stored in the point coordinate memory 13d, the process proceeds to S41. As a result, the coordinates of the reference point A move upward, and as a result, the first display range W1 of the map image data extracted from the display image memory 13a is higher than the previously extracted map image data. Thus, scrolling of the map image in the upward direction is realized.

  If the area code stored in the area code memory 13e is “03” (S31: “03”), the coordinates (x, y) of the reference point A are set to (x + a, ya) (S35), After updating the coordinates of the reference point A previously stored in the coordinate memory 13d, the process proceeds to S41. As a result, the coordinates of the reference point A move in the upper right direction. As a result, the first display range W1 of the map image data extracted from the display image memory 13a is in the upper right direction with respect to the previously extracted map image data, and scrolling of the map image in the upper right direction is realized. Is done.

  When the area code stored in the area code memory 13e is “04” (S31: “04”), the coordinate (x, y) of the reference point A is set to (x + a, y) (S36), and the point coordinate memory After updating the coordinates of the reference point A previously stored in 13d, the process proceeds to S41. As a result, the coordinates of the reference point A move in the right direction. As a result, the first display range W1 of the map image data extracted from the display image memory 13a is in the right direction with respect to the previously extracted map image data, and the map image is scrolled in the upper right direction. The

  When the area code stored in the area code memory 13e is “05” (S31: “05”), the coordinates (x, y) of the reference point A are set to (x + a, y + a) (S37), and the point coordinate memory After updating the coordinates of the reference point A previously stored in 13d, the process proceeds to S41. As a result, the coordinates of the reference point A move in the lower right direction. As a result, the first display range W1 of the map image data extracted from the display image memory 13a is in the lower right direction with respect to the previously extracted map image data, and the map image is scrolled in the lower right direction. Realized. In FIG. 8C, since the cursor is placed in the “05” area, scrolling in the lower right direction is executed in accordance with the processing of S37.

  When the area code stored in the area code memory 13e is “06” (S31: “06”), the coordinates (x, y) of the reference point A are set to (x, y + a) (S38), and the point coordinate memory After updating the coordinates of the reference point A previously stored in 13d, the process proceeds to S41. As a result, the coordinates of the reference point A move downward. As a result, the first display range W1 of the map image data extracted from the display image memory 13a is lower than the previously extracted map image data, and the map image is scrolled downward. The

  When the area code stored in the area code memory 13e is “07” (S31: “07”), the coordinates (x, y) of the reference point A are set to (x−a, y + a) (S39), After updating the coordinates of the reference point A previously stored in the coordinate memory 13d, the process proceeds to S41. As a result, the coordinates of the reference point A move in the lower left direction. As a result, the first display range W1 of the map image data extracted from the display image memory 13a is lower left than the previously extracted map image data, and the scroll of the map image in the lower left direction is realized. The

  When the area code stored in the area code memory 13e is “08” (S31: “08”), the coordinates (x, y) of the reference point A are set to (x−a, y) (S40), After updating the coordinates of the reference point A previously stored in the coordinate memory 13d, the process proceeds to S41. As a result, the coordinates of the reference point A move leftward. As a result, the first display range W1 of the map image data extracted from the display image memory 13a is leftward from the previously extracted map image data, and scrolling of the map image to the left is realized. The

  After the process of S41, the scroll execution process is terminated. Thus, scrolling in eight directions can be executed in accordance with each area (“01” area to “08” area) of the scroll area where the cursor is arranged.

  Note that the value of a is k until a certain time has elapsed after the scroll execution process is started, and the value of a is 2k when the certain time has elapsed, so the feed amount in the processing of S33 to S40 a is doubled after a lapse of a certain time, and the scroll speed is increased as compared to immediately after the start. Further, the map image data output from the display image memory 13a to the LCD 17 by the processing of S41 is temporarily stored in an image buffer (not shown) provided in the RAM 13, and then output to the LCD 17. Until new map image data is stored in the image buffer (except for a period during which the map image data is output from the save memory 13c to the LCD 17), the map image of the map image data stored in the image buffer is continued in the LCD 17. Is displayed.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of a map image display screen when a specific input signal is input by operating the mouse 19 in a state where the scroll switching flag 13f is on. If the left click of the mouse 19 is performed on the still map image when the scroll switching flag 13f is on, the input of the point of the cursor position to be displayed (pointing) in the mouse response process shown in FIG. And a mark is displayed at that point. In FIG. 9A, two points P1 and P2 are input, and marks are displayed at the respective points P1 and P2.

  Also, even if the cursor is placed in the scroll area, scrolling is not executed until a predetermined waiting time elapses from the placement, and during this period, as shown in FIG. In the same manner as the “00” area, the input operation can be executed, and the third point P3 corresponding to the left click operation is input in the scroll area below the P1 and P2 (“06” area). Yes.

  Thereafter, when the cursor stays in the “06” area, as shown in FIG. 9C, scrolling downward is started based on the processing of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. Then, when the operator moves the cursor to the “00” area, the scrolling is stopped, and a new point can be input. In FIG. 9D, the fourth point P4 corresponding to the new left click of the mouse 19 is input. The input points P1 to P4 are connected by a straight line, and the area of the range surrounded by the points P1 to P4 is displayed. In addition, in response to pressing (right-click) of the right button of the mouse 19, cancellation of the designated previous point (last point) is executed.

  In FIG. 9 as well, the “01” area to “08” area, which are each area of the scroll area, are displayed separated by solid lines. However, in the actual display screen, such solid lines are not displayed. Only the map image is displayed on the screen.

  As described above, according to the map image display program of the present embodiment, the map image can be scrolled only by placing the cursor in the scroll area without depending on the left click of the mouse 19 that is a pointing device. For this reason, a process other than the scroll process can be executed by left-clicking the mouse 19, and a process other than the scroll process that can be executed by the click operation of the mouse 19 can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to effectively use the buttons with a small number of mice 19.

  Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, when the cursor is moved between the scroll areas during the scrolling, the scroll direction is switched and the scrolling is continued. Instead, in the second embodiment, when the cursor is moved between the scroll areas during the scrolling, the scrolling is temporarily stopped for a predetermined time, and then the direction according to the destination area. And is configured to resume scrolling. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same part as above-mentioned 1st Embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating scroll processing according to the second embodiment. In the scroll process according to the second embodiment, similarly to the scroll process according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5, if the scroll switching flag 13f is on (S10: Yes), it corresponds to the position coordinate where the cursor is arranged. The area code is written to the area code memory 13e (S11 to S14). Here, if the written area code is the area codes “01” to “08” corresponding to the scroll area and is different from the area code previously stored in the area code memory 13e, the in-scroll flag 13g Is turned off (S51), a predetermined time (for example, 200 counts) is set in the timer 11a (S16), and the scroll process is terminated. For this reason, when the cursor is moved between the scroll areas, a predetermined time is set in the timer 11a even if the scroll is in an execution state. In the timer management process, the set value of the timer 11a ( The scroll execution process (S26) is avoided until t) reaches 100 (until the predetermined waiting time (second waiting time) elapses). If the value (t) of the timer 11a is less than 100 by subtraction, the scroll flag 13g is turned on and the scroll execution process (S26) is executed, so that the cursor is moved between the scroll areas. The scrolling once stopped is resumed.

  In the second embodiment, the time set in the timer 11a when the cursor is moved is set to the same predetermined time regardless of whether the scroll is in the execution state or not. Without scrolling and without complicating the algorithm to set different times, it is possible to temporarily stop scrolling.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, when scrolling is in an execution state, a predetermined time elapses after the scrolling of the map image is temporarily stopped when the cursor is moved between the scroll areas. Thus, since scrolling in the direction corresponding to the destination area is started, it is possible for the operator to clearly recognize the change in the scroll direction. Further, it is possible to allow the operator to respond to changes in the scrolling direction with a margin. As a result, when scrolling is started in the changed traveling direction, it is possible to reduce the operator's oversight of the timing, and even if the scrolling direction is changed, the scrolling can be sufficiently performed without confusing the operator Can be followed. Therefore, even if the scrolling direction is changed, the operator can accurately grasp the current display range of the displayed map image.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various improvements and modifications can be easily made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Can be inferred.

  For example, in each of the above embodiments, the scroll speed is changed by changing the coordinate feed amount a after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of scrolling. However, the number of times the scroll speed is changed is limited to one. The speed may be changed twice or more. Further, the speed after the change is not limited to the double speed (the coordinate feed amount a is set to the double amount), but can be any speed exceeding 1 time.

  Further, the process of S22 of the timer management process is configured to determine whether or not the value (t) of the timer 11a is less than 100, and when the process branches to No in the process of S22, the timer management process is terminated. The processing of S27 and S28 may be deleted, and the scroll speed may be fixed regardless of the elapsed time from the start of scrolling.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the cursor movement key of the keyboard 18 and the mouse 19 are used as the pointing device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a general-purpose pointing device can be used as appropriate. Examples of the general-purpose pointing device include a joystick, a touch pad, and a control ball.

  In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the map image is displayed on the LCD 17 on the full screen. Instead, the map image is displayed on a predetermined display area smaller than the full screen set on the LCD 17. It is also good. According to this, since a map image can be displayed in an arbitrary area in an arbitrary size, a space for displaying a command button can be secured, and a multi-window function can be applied. Can be improved. In such a case, map image data is extracted from the display image memory 13a within the first display range W1 defined by the size of the predetermined display area. When a map image is displayed in a predetermined display area, the area other than the scroll area exists not only in the “00” area inside the scroll area but also outside the scroll area. Even when the cursor is placed in the area, the scroll processing may be configured such that the scroll stop operation is performed by determining that the cursor is placed in the “00” area.

  Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the map image display program is configured to start scrolling when the cursor is placed in the scroll area and stop scrolling when the cursor is placed outside the scroll area. Alternatively, the scrolling may be stopped by a signal input from the mouse 19 (for example, a signal input by double clicking).

  In each of the above embodiments, on the plane of the map image, areas corresponding to the eight directions of upper, upper right, right, lower right, lower, lower left, left, upper left are provided, and the scrolling direction is set to eight directions. However, the scroll direction is not limited to eight directions. For example, an area corresponding to 16 directions may be set as the scroll area so that the scroll proceeds further in the middle of the directions. Alternatively, an area corresponding to the four directions of up, down, left and right may be set as the scroll area.

It is the block diagram which showed the electric constitution of PC in which the map image display program of one Embodiment of this invention is mounted. It is the figure which showed typically the memory operation | movement when scroll of a map image was performed by the map image display program. It is the figure which showed the relationship between each area set with respect to the map image displayed on LCD, and the area code provided to the area. It is the flowchart which showed the mouse | mouth response process performed with PC. It is the flowchart which showed the scroll process performed with PC. It is the flowchart which showed the timer management process performed with PC. It is the flowchart which showed the scroll execution process performed in the timer management process of FIG. It is the figure which showed the example of a display screen of a map image. It is the figure which showed the example of a display screen of the map image when a specific input signal is input by mouse operation. It is the flowchart which showed the scroll process of 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

13a Display image memory (map image data storage means)
14c Map information memory (map image data storage means)
17 LCD (display means)
19 Mouse, pointing device (pointing means)
S3 cursor display step S3 cursor movement step S10 designation step S10: Yes, S10: No permission step S26 scroll execution processing (scroll step)
S16, S20, S21, S22 Timing Steps S11-S15, S22: Yes, S23 Cursor Placement Scroll Execution Step S41 Display Step

Claims (8)

A display step for displaying a map image on the display means based on the map image data stored in the map image data storage means, and a display in the direction of travel designated for the map image displayed on the display means by the display step When scrolling for sequentially moving the range is requested, the display range of the map image displayed in the display step is changed in accordance with the designated traveling direction, and the map image displayed on the display unit is changed. In a map image display program comprising a scroll step for scrolling,
The predetermined area on the display screen of the display means is set as a scroll area for instructing execution of scrolling,
A cursor display step for displaying a cursor which is a mark indicating a position on the display screen of the display means;
A cursor that moves the cursor displayed in the cursor display step according to the input movement signal when the movement signal is input from a pointing means that generates a movement signal that moves the cursor according to the operation of the operator. A moving step;
The cursor movement step includes a cursor arrangement scroll execution step for causing the scroll step to perform scrolling when the cursor is arranged in the scroll area in accordance with a movement signal from the pointing means. Map image display program. In the cursor placement scroll execution step, when the cursor is placed in the scroll area outside the scroll area according to the movement signal from the pointing means during the execution of the scroll, The map image display program according to claim 1, wherein scrolling by the scroll step is stopped, and the scroll step is caused to execute scrolling during a period in which the cursor is in the scroll area. A time measuring step of measuring a predetermined first waiting time when the cursor is arranged in the scroll area by the cursor moving step;
3. The map according to claim 1, wherein the cursor placement scroll execution step causes the scroll step to execute scrolling when the time measurement step measures the first waiting time or more. 4. Image display program. The scroll area includes a plurality of areas arranged in a peripheral portion of a map image displayed on the display means,
In each of the areas, the scrolling direction is set according to the position on the map image where the area is arranged,
2. The cursor placement scroll execution step is characterized in that the scroll step is caused to execute scrolling by setting a traveling direction set in an area in which the cursor is placed by the cursor movement step as a designated direction. To 5. The map image display program according to any one of 3 to 4. The scroll area includes areas corresponding to at least eight directions on the plane of the map image, upper, upper right, right, lower right, lower, lower left, left, upper left,
2. The cursor placement scroll execution step is a step for causing the scroll step to perform scrolling with a direction corresponding to an area in which the cursor is placed by the cursor movement step as a designated traveling direction. To 4. The map image display program according to any one of 4 to 4. In the cursor placement scroll execution step, during the execution of scrolling, the cursor movement step moves the cursor already positioned in one area of the scroll area according to a movement signal from the pointing means. 6. When moving to another area, the scroll progress direction is changed to a direction corresponding to the destination area, and scrolling is continued in the scroll step. The map image display program described in 1. In the time counting step, during the execution of scrolling, the cursor moving step moves the cursor already positioned in one area of the scroll area to another area in the scroll area in accordance with a movement signal from the pointing means. When moving to a predetermined second waiting time,
The cursor placement scroll execution step temporarily stops scrolling by the scroll step when the cursor is moved to another area in the scroll area during the execution of scrolling, and counts a second waiting time or more by the timing step. 6. The map image display program according to claim 3, wherein when the operation is performed, the scroll step is caused to execute scrolling in a direction according to a destination area. A designation step for designating whether or not to execute scrolling when a cursor is placed in the scroll area, according to the operation of the operator;
When it is specified that the scrolling is executed by the cursor placement in the scroll area in the designation step, the operation of the cursor placement scroll execution step is permitted, while the cursor is moved to the scroll area by the designation step. 8. A permission step for prohibiting the operation of the cursor placement scroll execution step when scrolling is designated not to be executed even if the cursor is placed. 8. The map image display program described.

Images