JP2014178767A - Map display system, map display method, and map display program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique allowing map information whereby a position of a received designated location can be easily grasped to be displayed in a display region regardless of the position of the designated location.SOLUTION: A map display system includes: a marker point retrieval part for retrieving points included within a retrieval range based on a designated point P1 as a marker point P3 from among predetermined marker candidate points P2; a map range determination part for determining a map range capable of simultaneously displaying both of at least one of the marker points P3 retrieved by the marker point retrieval part and the designated point P1 in a display region 22; and a display control part for allowing map information on the map range determined by the map range determination part to be displayed in the display region 22.

Description

  The present invention relates to a map display system, a map display method, and a map display program for accepting designation of a spot and displaying map information of a map range including the accepted designated spot in a display area of a display device.

  In relation to the map display system as described above, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-168635 (Patent Document 1) describes the current position of a vehicle and the traffic jam when information on the traffic jam point is acquired from the received road traffic information. A technique is described in which a scale is set so as to include both a point and a map information is displayed in a display area. Patent Document 1 describes that this technique makes it easy to grasp the position of a congestion point on the map without scrolling the map. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-235341 (Patent Document 2) also describes a similar technique.

  However, in the configurations of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, if the distance between the current position and the designated point (the traffic congestion point in the examples of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2) is short, the position of the designated point is determined based on the current position. Although it becomes easier to grasp, the scale of the map displayed in the display area becomes smaller as the distance between the current position and the designated point becomes longer. For this reason, when the current position and the designated point are relatively far apart, the map information displayed in the display area is simplified so that only major roads are displayed. It may be difficult to grasp.

JP 2002-168635 A JP 2001-235341 A

  Therefore, it is required to realize a technique capable of displaying map information that can easily grasp the position of the received designated point in the display area regardless of the position of the designated point.

  According to the present invention, a feature configuration of a map display system that accepts designation of a spot and displays map information of a map range including the accepted designated spot in a display area of a display device is a predetermined landmark candidate spot. A landmark location search unit that searches for a location included in a search range based on the designated location as a landmark location, at least one of the landmark locations searched by the landmark location search unit, and the designated location A map range determination unit that determines a map range that can be displayed in the display area at the same time, and a display control unit that displays map information of the map range determined by the map range determination unit in the display area. It is in.

  According to the above characteristic configuration, the map information displayed in the display area is map information in a map range that includes both at least one of the mark points and the specified point at the same time. Based on this, the position of the designated point can be grasped relatively easily. At this time, since the mark point is a point included in the search range based on the designated point, the distance between the designated point and the mark point can be suppressed to a certain length or less. As a result, the map information displayed in the display area is kept relatively large regardless of the position of the designated point, and detailed map information is provided to the user so that the position of the designated point can be easily grasped. Can be presented.

  Here, the map range determination unit can simultaneously display both the mark point closest to the specified point among the mark points searched by the mark point search unit and the specified point in the display area. It is preferable to adopt a configuration that determines a map range of a maximum scale.

  According to this configuration, it becomes easy to present the user with detailed map information to such an extent that the position of the designated point can be easily grasped.

  Further, when the designated point is a point associated with a road, the landmark point search unit increases the search range as the road size increases according to the size of the road associated with the designated point. A configuration to be set is preferable.

  According to this configuration, when the designated point is a point associated with a large road such as an expressway, for example, the shape of the road extending over a relatively wide range even when the scale is not so large. In consideration of the fact that it is possible to grasp the positional relationship between different points on the map based on the above, the search range can be set wide to increase the rate at which the landmark points are searched.

  In addition, the landmark location search unit searches the landmark location database with reference to a landmark candidate location database storing information on the landmark candidate location, or stores a location database storing information on a plurality of locations having different scales. With reference to this, it is preferable that the mark point is searched for using a point having a scale larger than a predetermined reference as the mark candidate point.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to search for an appropriate mark point from the viewpoint of ease of grasping the position of the designated point. That is, when the mark point search unit searches for a mark point with reference to the mark candidate point database, points other than the mark candidate point are not searched as mark points. Therefore, by appropriately setting the mark candidate points in advance, it is possible to search for an appropriate mark point from the viewpoint of ease of grasping the position of the designated point. In addition, when the landmark point search unit searches for a landmark location using a location larger than a predetermined standard by referring to the location database as a landmark candidate location, the above criteria are appropriately set in advance. From the viewpoint of easy grasping of the position of the designated point, it is possible to search for an appropriate landmark point.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the map range determination unit determines the map range so that the designated point is arranged at the center of the display area.

  According to this configuration, since map information around the designated point is displayed, the position of the designated point can be easily grasped.

  In addition, it is preferable to further include a receiving unit that receives distribution data from the information distribution center and a reception unit that receives a point included in the distribution data received by the receiving unit as the designated point.

  According to this configuration, the information included in the distribution data received from the information distribution center can be displayed on the display area in the form of map information in which the position of the spot related to the information can be easily grasped. Can improve convenience.

  Further, it is preferable that the display control unit is configured to display a distance between the designated point and the landmark point included in the map range determined by the map range determination unit in the display area.

  According to this configuration, it becomes easier to grasp the position of the designated point.

  The technical features of the map display system according to the present invention having the above-described configurations can be applied to a map display method and a map display program. Therefore, the present invention includes such a method and program, A storage medium (for example, an optical disc, a flash memory, etc.) in which such a program is stored can also be a target of rights.

  In this case, the feature configuration of the map display method that accepts designation of a point and displays the map information of the map range including the accepted designated point on the display area of the display device is the following. Among candidate points, a mark point search step for searching a point included in a search range based on the designated point as a mark point, at least one of the mark points searched in the mark point search step, and A map range determining step for determining a map range in which both of the designated points can be simultaneously displayed in the display region, and a display control step for displaying map information of the map range determined in the map range determining step in the display region And is to execute.

  The feature configuration of the map display program that accepts designation of a spot and displays map information of a map range including the accepted designated spot on the display area of the display device is the above-described feature configuration of the mark candidate spots. At the same time, at least one of the mark points searched by the mark point search function and the specified point are searched at the same time by searching for a point included in the search range based on the specified point. A map range determination function for determining a map range that can be displayed in the display area, and a display control function for displaying map information of the map range determined by the map range determination function in the display area. It is in.

  Of course, these map display methods and map display programs can also obtain the effects of the above-described map display system, and can incorporate some additional techniques mentioned as examples of suitable configurations. It is.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a map display system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display image displayed on the display area which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display image displayed on the display area which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the landmark search process and map range determination process which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the landmark search process and map range determination process which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of the map display process which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, the case where the map display system 2 according to the present invention is applied to the navigation system 1 will be described as an example. The navigation system 1 is a system that provides guidance information regarding points and routes to a user. In the present embodiment, the navigation system 1 is a vehicle navigation system that provides guidance information to a vehicle occupant (especially a driver) as a user, and at least a display input of each component of the navigation system 1. The apparatus 20 (refer FIG. 1, FIG. 2) is mounted in a vehicle (not shown). Components other than the display input device 20 are provided in a device used in the vehicle, or provided in an external device (such as a server) that can communicate with a device in the vehicle via a communication network (such as the Internet). It is done. Here, the devices used in the vehicle include not only devices that are fixedly mounted on the vehicle but also devices that are brought into the vehicle only during use (for example, portable navigation devices and portable terminals). Thus, each component which comprises the navigation system 1 may be provided in common hardware, or may be provided in another hardware.

1. Overall Configuration of Navigation System As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation system 1 includes a map display system 2 and executes various navigation programs including a map display program executed by the map display system 2. Although not shown, the navigation system 1 includes an arithmetic processing device such as one or a plurality of CPUs as a core member, and also includes a storage device that can be referred to by the arithmetic processing device. The navigation system 1 stores in the storage device. Execute the specified program. The storage device is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The navigation system 1 includes a storage device (for example, a hard disk or a flash memory) that configures a map database 24 to be described later, and even if a part of a program executed by the navigation system 1 is stored in the storage device. good.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation system 1 includes a plurality of functional units including a receiving unit 10, a receiving unit 11, a landmark point searching unit 12, a map range determining unit 13, a display control unit 14, and a navigation calculation unit 15. I have. Each of these functional units is configured by software (program) stored in the storage device of the navigation system 1, hardware such as a separately provided arithmetic circuit, or both. That is, a program for causing the arithmetic processing unit (computer) to realize the function of each functional unit is stored in a storage device that can be referred to by the arithmetic processing unit. Each functional unit of the navigation system 1 is configured to be able to exchange information with each other via a communication network, and is configured to be able to extract data from the map database 24.

  The navigation computing unit 15 performs location processing for specifying the user's estimated current position C (see FIG. 2), map information (for example, map information around the estimated current position C) and road in the display area 21 of the display input device 20. Various navigation processes such as a display process for displaying traffic information, a point search process for searching for a point on the map (for example, a destination), and a route guidance process for performing route guidance to the destination are executed. The display input device 20 is a device in which the display device and the input device are integrated. For example, the display input device 20 is a device in which a liquid crystal display and a touch panel are integrated. In the present embodiment, the display input device 20 corresponds to the “display device” in the present invention. A display device independent of the input device can also be used as the “display device” in the present invention. In addition, as the “display device” in the present invention, for example, a display device that projects a display image on a windshield of a vehicle can be used, and a display device that includes a plurality of display regions 21 can also be used. is there.

  In the present embodiment, the navigation system 1 is a vehicle navigation system, and the navigation calculation unit 15 performs a process of specifying an estimated current position C (estimated vehicle position) of the host vehicle as the location process. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the navigation system 1 performs a calculation for specifying the estimated current position C based on the information acquired from the position information detection device 23. At this time, the navigation calculation unit 15 performs correction (map matching process) for matching the estimated current position C on the road based on the road information stored in the map database 24 as necessary. The position information detection device 23 includes various devices for detecting position information, such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a distance sensor, and an orientation sensor.

  The navigation calculation unit 15 refers to the map information stored in the map database 24 and executes map information display processing. At this time, the display image of the display area 21 is controlled by the navigation calculation unit 15 via the display control unit 14. In the example shown in FIG. 2, an image in which a mark indicating the estimated current position C is superimposed on the map information including the road R around the estimated current position C is displayed in the display area 21.

  The scale of the map information displayed in the display area 21 is changed by a user operation or is changed by the control of the navigation calculation unit 15. In this specification, the size of the scale is changed according to the magnitude (A / B) of the distance A on the display area 21 between the two points divided by the distance B on the actual ground surface between the two points. Is defined. That is, if the size of the display area 21 is constant, the map is reduced as the scale is reduced, and the map information of a wider map range is displayed in the display area 21, and the map is enlarged and displayed as the scale is increased. In the area 21, map information of a narrower map range is displayed. The content of the map information displayed on the display area 21 by the display control unit 14 varies depending on the display scale of the map. For example, if the map display scale is small, information on large roads (for example, expressways) and information on borders of administrative divisions are mainly shown, and the scale of the map display increases as the map display scale increases. Information on smaller roads and information on features and facilities provided on or around the roads are displayed.

  The map database 24 is a database that stores (that is, stores) map information that is referred to when the navigation calculation unit 15 executes various processes. The map database 24 stores road information, feature information, point information, and the like as map information. The road information is road network information and includes information on nodes corresponding to intersections, information on links corresponding to roads connecting the nodes, and the like. The link information is, for example, information such as link start point and end point positions (coordinates), link length, number of lanes, road width, road type, and the like. The road type is, for example, a classification such as an expressway, a toll road, a national road, and a prefectural road. The feature information is information on various features (for example, a road marking such as a sign indicating a stop line, a traffic light, etc.) provided on or around the road. The feature information includes feature position information and attribute information.

  The point information is information that is referred to when the navigation calculation unit 15 performs a point search process. The point information includes position information and attribute information of each point on the map. Here, the position information is information on the position (coordinates) of the representative point of each point. The attribute information is information representing the attribute of each point, and includes, for example, information such as a facility name, an address, a telephone number, and a genre to which the facility belongs at the point. The point information is maintained centering on a point that is easily set as a destination or a point that becomes a landmark in route guidance to the destination. That is, the point information is prepared for points where there are public facilities, entertainment facilities, restaurants, stores, monuments, and the like.

  In the point information stored in the map database 24, information (marker candidate point data 25) of a mark candidate point P2 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) described later is also stored. In the present embodiment, the point information of the landmark candidate point P2 is stored in the map database 24 in a form that can be distinguished from the point information of points other than the landmark candidate point P2 (non-candidate points). The mark candidate point database is configured as described above.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the map database 24 is a set of a plurality of databases including the landmark candidate point database. Specifically, in addition to the landmark candidate point database, the road database storing road information, the feature database storing feature information, both the point information of the landmark candidate point P2 and the point information of the non-candidate points are stored. The point database constitutes the map database 24. Each of these databases constituting the map database 24 may be provided in independent hardware, or may be provided in common hardware. Further, since the mark candidate point data 25 constituting the mark candidate point database is also included in the point database, these databases can be integrated. Alternatively, the point database does not include the mark candidate point data 25, and when performing the point search processing for both the mark candidate point P2 and the non-candidate points, the reference is made to both the point database and the mark candidate point database. It can also be set as the structure to do.

2. Configuration of Map Display System Next, the configuration of the map display system 2 that is a main part of the present invention will be described. The map display system 2 accepts designation of a point and displays map information of a map range including the accepted designated point P1 (see FIG. 3) on the display area 21 of the display device (in this example, the display input device 20). System. In order to realize such a function, the map display system 2 includes a reception unit 11, a landmark point search unit 12, a map range determination unit 13, and a display control unit 14, as shown in FIG. In the embodiment, a receiving unit 10 is further provided.

2-1. Configuration of Reception Unit The reception unit 11 is a functional unit that receives designation of a point from the outside of the map display system 2. In the present embodiment, the map display system 2 includes a receiving unit 10 that receives distribution data 4 from the information distribution center 3, and the receiving unit 11 selects a point included in the distribution data 4 received by the receiving unit 10 as a designated point. It is configured to accept as P1. The information distribution center 3 is provided outside the navigation system 1. Although not shown, the navigation system 1 includes a communication device that receives distribution data 4 from the information distribution center 3 by wireless communication. This wireless communication is, for example, a mobile phone network, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), VICS (registered trademark; Vehicle Information and Communication System), road-to-vehicle communication (installed on the vehicle and road side) It is possible to use various wireless communication facilities such as communication with a communication device. And the receiving part 10 is comprised so that the delivery data 4 which this communication apparatus received can be acquired.

  When the information included in the distribution data 4 is information related to one point on the map, the receiving unit 11 receives the point as the designated point P1. In this case, “one point” includes a case where a plurality of points can be regarded as the same point from the viewpoint of providing map information to the user. For example, when the distribution data 4 is traffic accident data including information on an accident occurrence point where a traffic accident has occurred, or traffic regulation data including information on a traffic regulation point where traffic regulation is performed, the reception unit 11 Accepts the accident occurrence point or the traffic restriction point as the designated point P1. Further, for example, when the distribution data 4 is information update data for updating feature information or point information stored in the map database 24 (for example, difference update data for updating information differentially). The reception unit 11 receives the update target point as the designated point P1. Although details are omitted, the navigation calculation unit 15 executes an update process of the map database 24 based on the information update data.

  When the information included in the distribution data 4 is related information across a plurality of points on the map (that is, when the distribution data 4 includes a plurality of points), the receiving unit 11 receives the plurality of points. One point is selected on the basis of and the point is accepted as the designated point P1. For example, when the distribution data 4 is road traffic congestion data including information on the traffic congestion area Ra (see FIG. 3) of the road R, the reception unit 11 designates any one point in the traffic congestion area Ra as a designated point. Accept as P1. For example, the reception unit 11 sets a point at the end of the traffic jam section Ra (starting point or tail point) or a middle point of the traffic jam section Ra (for example, a central point along the road extending direction) as the designated point P1. Accept. In the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the traffic jam section Ra is a traffic jam section in the direction toward the upper side in the figure, and the head point of the traffic jam section Ra is set as the designated point P1. Note that the road traffic jam information is, for example, information indicating the traffic jam section Ra based on the information on the head point of the traffic jam and the traffic jam length. The information on the head point of the traffic jam is represented by, for example, information on the link corresponding to the road on which the traffic jam occurs and information on the distance from the start point of the link to the head point of the traffic jam.

  For example, when the distribution data 4 is information update data (for example, difference update data) for updating road information stored in the map database 24, the reception unit 11 updates the information. Any one point on the road (link) is accepted as the designated point P1. For example, the reception unit 11 receives a point at the end of the road (link) or an intermediate point as the designated point P1.

  Here, traffic accident data, traffic regulation data, road traffic congestion data, and information update data are given as examples of the distribution data 4. However, the distribution data 4 is not limited to these, for example, information on the occurrence point of a natural disaster. Natural disaster data including the above may be distributed as distribution data 4 from the information distribution center 3. In the present embodiment, when the distribution data 4 received by the reception unit 10 is the distribution data 4 to be displayed on the display area 21, the reception unit 11 selects a point included in the distribution data 4 as the designated point P1. Accept as. In the present embodiment, at least road congestion data is set as the distribution data 4 to be displayed.

  On the other hand, when the distribution data 4 received by the receiving unit 10 is not the distribution data 4 to be displayed on the display area 21, the reception unit 11 does not execute the reception process for the designated point P1. In this case, based on the contents of the distribution data 4, the navigation calculation unit 15 performs necessary processing. That is, in the present embodiment, the reception process of the designated point P1 by the reception unit 11, the subsequent mark point search unit 12, the map, triggered by the reception of the distribution data 4 to be displayed from the information distribution center 3 (trigger) Each process by the range determination part 13 and the display control part 14 is performed.

  In the present embodiment, the receiving unit 11 is further configured to receive a designation of a point from the navigation calculation unit 15. Specifically, when the navigation calculation unit 15 executes the point search process due to the user's operation, the receiving unit 11 receives the searched point (for example, the destination) as the designated point P1. It is configured. As described above, in the present embodiment, the reception of the designated point P1 can be executed basically regardless of the user's operation, such as the reception of the distribution data 4 from the information distribution center 3, and the point search can be performed. As described above, it can be executed due to a user operation.

2-2. Configuration of Marking Point Search Unit The mark point searching unit 12 is a functional unit that searches a predetermined point candidate point P2 for a point included in the search range S based on the designated point P1 as the mark point P3. is there. As described above, in the present embodiment, the map database 24 includes the mark candidate point database that stores the information of the mark candidate point P2, and the mark point searching unit 12 refers to the mark candidate point database. The landmark point P3 is searched.

  Here, the mark candidate point P2 is set to a point that serves as a mark for the user to grasp the position of the designated point P1. That is, for example, a physical scale or a large scale of publicity such as an administrative organization (for example, a city hall or a prefectural office), an interchange (IC), a junction (JCT), a huge building (for example, a high-rise building), or a famous building A point where the perceptual object is present is set as a landmark candidate point P2. In the present embodiment, a point known by the user, such as a point registered by the user (for example, a home or work place) or a destination set in the past, is also set as the landmark candidate point P2.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the landmark point search unit 12 sets a circular area having the specified point P <b> 1 as the center and the radius matching the set distance L as the search range S. That is, in the present embodiment, a landmark candidate point P2 whose linear distance to the designated point P1 is equal to or less than the set distance L regardless of the direction from the designated point P1 is searched as the landmark point P3. In the example shown in FIG. 4, since the search range S includes two landmark candidate points P2, as a result of the search by the landmark point search unit 12, the two landmark candidate points P2 are searched or extracted as the landmark point P3. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the landmark range P <b> 3 is not extracted as a result of the search by the landmark spot search unit 12 because the candidate mark spot P <b> 2 is not included in the search range S.

  In the present embodiment, when the designated point P1 is a point associated with the road, the landmark point searching unit 12 searches the range of the road as the road size increases according to the size of the road associated with the designated point P1. S is configured to be set widely. In the present embodiment, the designated point P1 is basically set to a point associated with the road. When the designated point P1 is a point on the road, the designated point P1 is a point associated with the road. Further, when the designated point P1 is not a point on the road, the designated point P1 is assumed to be a point associated with the last road that passes through to reach the designated point P1.

  In the present embodiment, the value of the set distance L that defines the size of the search range S is increased as the scale of the road (hereinafter referred to as “related road”) associated with the designated point P1 increases. For example, if the road is divided into two based on the size of the road, and the related road is classified into the smaller one, the set distance is set to 10 [km], and the larger one is classified into the larger one. When the related road is classified, the set distance can be set to 30 [km]. It is possible to set the number of sections based on the road scale to 3 or more. Further, the road scale can be determined based on the road type. For example, it can be set as the structure which determines that a highway is larger than other roads based on whether a road is a highway. In this case, the search range S set when the related road is an expressway is set wider than the search range S set when the related road is a road other than the expressway. In addition, it can also be set as the structure which determines the magnitude | size of a road based on the number of lanes, road width, the presence or absence of a median strip, the presence or absence of a center line, etc. instead of a road classification.

2-3. Configuration of Map Range Determining Unit The map range determining unit 13 simultaneously displays at least one of the mark points P3 searched by the mark point searching unit 12 and the designated point P1 of the display device (in this example, the display input device 20). It is a functional unit that determines a map range M that can be displayed in the target display area 22. Here, the target display area 22 is an area for displaying the map information of the map range M determined by the map range determination unit 13, and is set in the display area 21. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the target display area 22 is set to an area smaller than the display area 21 (the maximum display area of the display device). The target display area 22 can be set to an area having the same size as the display area 21.

  In the present embodiment, the map range determination unit 13 simultaneously displays both the mark point P3 closest to the designated point P1 and the designated point P1 among the mark points P3 searched by the mark point search unit 12 as the target display area 22. The maximum scale map range M that can be displayed is determined. In the present embodiment, the map range determining unit 13 is configured to determine the map range M so that the designated point P1 is arranged at the center of the target display area 22. Further, in the present embodiment, the map range M is determined so that a predetermined direction (north in this example) is arranged above the target display area 22 when viewed from the user.

  Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 shows the first map range M1, the second map range M2, and the third map range M3 in order from the smaller display scale when displayed in the target display area 22. The three map ranges M are shown. In the present embodiment, the scale of the map information displayed in the target display area 22 is selected from a plurality of discrete scales set in advance, and the first map range M1, the second map range M2, and the third map range. Each size of M3 is determined according to the corresponding scale. The shapes of these three map ranges M are similar to the shape of the target display area 22. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the maximum scale map range M that can display both the mark point P3 closest to the designated point P1 and the designated point P1 in the display area 21 is the second map range M2. Therefore, in this case, the map range determination unit 13 determines the map range M to be displayed in the target display area 22 as the second map range M2.

  In this embodiment, when there is no landmark point P3 searched by the landmark point search unit 12, the map range determination unit 13 designates the designated point P1 and the city representative point that is the representative point of the administrative division where the designated point P1 exists. The maximum scale map range M that can display both of P4 and the target display area 22 at the same time is determined. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the map range M to be displayed in the target display area 22 is determined as the first map range M1. Here, the city representative point P4 is a representative point set for each administrative division (for example, for each city), for example, a point where an administrative organization is located, a point with the highest population density, or the administrative division. It is set to the center point or the center of gravity determined from the contour on the map.

2-4. Configuration of Display Control Unit The display control unit 14 is a functional unit that displays the map information of the map range M determined by the map range determination unit 13 in the target display area 22 of the display device (display input device 20 in this example). When the display control unit 14 displays the map information of the map range M determined by the map range determination unit 13 in the target display area 22, the position related to the position of the mark point P3, the position of the specified point P1, and the information related to the specified point P1 So that the user can understand the marks and characters representing these positions and information on the map image. For example, when the distribution data 4 from the information distribution center 3 is road traffic jam information, the traffic jam section Ra is highlighted as shown in FIG. This highlighting can be performed by, for example, displaying an arrow along the traffic jam section Ra, increasing the line width of the traffic jam section Ra, changing the color of the traffic jam section Ra, or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the display control unit 14 is configured to cause the display area 21 to display the distance between the designated point P1 and the landmark point P3 included in the map range M determined by the map range determination unit 13. . In the example shown in FIG. 3, in addition to the distance between the designated point P1 and the landmark point P3, the direction of the designated point P1 with the landmark point P3 as a reference is also displayed in the display area 21. In the example shown in FIG. 3, information on these distances and directions is displayed in the target display area 22, but it is also possible to display these information in areas other than the target display area 22 in the display area 21. is there. Moreover, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which at least one of these distances and directions is not displayed in the display area 21 or a configuration in which the user is notified by voice.

3. Procedure of Operation Processing With reference to FIG. 6, a procedure of map display processing executed in the map display system according to this embodiment, that is, a map display method will be described. Here, a case where the size of the search range S is changed depending on whether or not the designated point P1 is a point on the expressway will be described as an example.

  When the receiving unit 10 receives the distribution data 4 to be displayed (step # 01: Yes), the receiving unit 11 receives a point included in the distribution data 4 as the designated point P1 (step # 02). Next, the landmark search unit 12 sets the search range S based on whether or not the designated point P1 is a point on the expressway, and searches for the landmark P3 within the search range S (step #). 03- # 06). Specifically, when the designated point P1 is not a point on the highway (step # 03: No), the search range S is set to the first range (step # 04), and the designated point P1 is on the highway. If it is a point (step # 03: Yes), the search range S is set to a second range wider than the first range (step # 05).

  When there is a mark point P3 in the search range S (step # 06: Yes), the map range determination unit 13 determines a map range M including both the designated point P1 and the nearest mark point P3, If there is no landmark point P3 in the search range S (step # 06: No), the map range M including both the designated point P1 and the city representative point P4 is determined (step # 08). And the display control part 14 displays the map information of the map range M which the map range determination part 13 determined on the display area 21 (step # 09).

  Here, triggered by the fact that the distribution data 4 to be displayed has been received from the information distribution center 3, the reception process of the designated point P1 by the reception unit 11, the subsequent landmark point search unit 12, the map range determination unit 13, In addition, the case where each process by the display control unit 14 is executed has been described. However, when each process is executed when the designation of the point is received from the navigation calculation unit 15, the determination of step # 01 is performed. Since it is the same except that it is replaced with the determination of whether or not the designation of the point is accepted from the navigation calculation unit 15, the description is omitted.

4). Other Embodiments Finally, other embodiments according to the present invention will be described. Note that the configurations disclosed in the following embodiments can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in other embodiments as long as no contradiction arises.

(1) In the above embodiment, the map range determination unit 13 simultaneously selects both the mark point P3 closest to the specified point P1 among the mark points P3 searched by the mark point search unit 12 and the specified point P1. The configuration for determining the maximum scale map range M that can be displayed in the display area 21 has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the map range determination unit 13 determines a map range M having a scale smaller than the maximum scale at which both the landmark point P3 closest to the designated point P1 and the designated point P1 can be simultaneously displayed in the display area 21. You can also In addition, when a plurality of landmark points P3 are retrieved by the landmark point search unit 12, the map range determination unit 13 determines that the two or more of the landmark points P3 searched by the landmark point search unit 12 and the designated point P1. It can also be set as the structure which determines the map range M which can display both on the display area 21 simultaneously.

  Furthermore, when a plurality of landmark points P3 are retrieved by the landmark location searching unit 12, the map range determining unit 13 is the landmark closest to the designated point P1 among the landmark points P3 retrieved by the landmark location searching unit 12. Not only the point P3 but also the mark point P3 selected in consideration of the position of the designated point P1 among the mark points P3 searched by the mark point searching unit 12 and the designated point P1 can be displayed on the display area 21 at the same time. It can also be set as the structure which determines the simple map range M. FIG. In this case, a mark, a character, or the like indicating the position of the mark point P3 other than the selected mark point P3 included in the map range M may be configured to be displayed in the display area 21 or not displayed. For example, based on whether or not the position of the designated point P1 is on an expressway and whether or not the position of the designated point P1 is a position on the route when performing route guidance, a plurality of landmark points One landmark point P3 can be selected from P3. For example, when the position of the designated point P1 is on an expressway, a landmark point P3 such as an interchange (IC), a service area (SA), or a parking area (PA) on the same expressway is preferentially selected. It can be configured. Moreover, when the position of the designated point P1 is a position on the guide route, the mark point P3 on the guide route can be preferentially selected.

(2) In the above embodiment, when the map range determination unit 13 does not have the landmark point P3 searched by the landmark point search unit 12, both the designated point P1 and the city representative point P4 are simultaneously displayed in the target display area 22. The configuration for determining the maximum scale map range M that can be displayed has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when there is no landmark point P3 searched by the landmark point search unit 12, the map range determination unit 13 determines a map range M of a predetermined scale (for example, the maximum scale) including the designated point P1. You can also

(3) In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the map range determination unit 13 determines the map range M so that a predetermined direction is arranged above the target display region 22 when viewed from the user is taken as an example. explained. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the direction arranged on the upper side of the target display area 22 as viewed from the user may be changed depending on the content of information displayed in the target display area 22. Further, for example, the map range M may be determined such that the landmark point P3 is arranged below the designated point P1 when viewed from the user. Alternatively, the map range M may be determined such that the traveling direction of the user or vehicle is arranged on the upper side of the target display area 22 when viewed from the user.

(4) In the above embodiment, when the designated point P1 is a point associated with the road, the landmark point search unit 12 increases the size of the road according to the size of the road associated with the designated point P1. The configuration in which the search range S is set wider as an example has been described. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the landmark point search unit 12 may set the search range S having the same size regardless of the scale of the road associated with the designated point P1.

(5) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the map range determination unit 13 determines the map range M so that the designated point P1 is arranged at the center of the target display region 22 has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the map range determination unit 13 may determine the map range M so that the designated point P1 is arranged above or below the center of the target display area 22 when viewed from the user. Alternatively, the map range determination unit 13 determines the map range M so that both the designated point P1 and the landmark point P3 are arranged near the edge of the target display area 22 (edges opposite to each other). It can also be.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the scale of the map information displayed in the target display area 22 is selected from a plurality of scales set discretely in advance has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the scale of the map information displayed in the target display area 22 can be changed continuously.

(7) In the above-described embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the landmark point search unit 12 sets, as the search range S, a circular area whose center is the designated point P1 and whose radius matches the set distance L. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the landmark point search unit 12 may set a rectangular area or an elliptical area centered on the designated point P1 as the search range S. Alternatively, the landmark point search unit 12 may set an area that is equal to or less than a set distance along the road extending direction from the designated point P1 as the search range S.

(8) In the above-described embodiment, the landmark point search unit 12 has been described with reference to the landmark candidate point database included in the map database 24 as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as a configuration in which the landmark candidate location database is not provided, the landmark location search unit 12 may search for the landmark location P3 with reference to the location database included in the map database 24. Specifically, the point information constituting the point database includes information on the size of the facility at the point (including both the physical size and the name scale), and the landmark point searching unit 12 With reference to a point database storing a plurality of different pieces of point information, it is possible to search for the mark point P3 using a point having a scale larger than a predetermined reference as the mark candidate point P2.

(9) In the above embodiment, the navigation system 1 includes the functional units of the receiving unit 10, the receiving unit 11, the landmark point searching unit 12, the map range determining unit 13, the display control unit 14, and the navigation calculating unit 15. The configuration provided is described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the assignment of the function units described in the above embodiment is merely an example, and a plurality of function units can be combined or one function unit can be further divided.

(10) In the above embodiment, the case where the navigation system 1 is a vehicle navigation system that provides guidance information to a vehicle occupant has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a display device constituting the navigation system (display input device 20 in the above embodiment) is provided in a portable information terminal device or a multi-function mobile phone carried by the user. The present invention can also be applied to a navigation system that provides route guidance to the ground. Even in this case, as described above, the components of the system other than the display device can be configured to be provided in an external device capable of communicating with the device having the display device via a communication network.

(11) In the above embodiment, the case where the map display system according to the present invention is applied to a navigation system has been described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the map display system according to the present invention can also be applied to a system that does not have a function of navigation to a destination (navigation function).

(12) Regarding other configurations as well, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. In other words, configurations that are not described in the claims of the present application can be modified as appropriate without departing from the object of the present invention.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a map display system, a map display method, and a map display program that accept a designation of a spot and display map information of a map range including the accepted designated spot on a display area of a display device. .

2: Map display system 3: Information distribution center 4: Distribution data 10: Reception unit 11: Reception unit 12: Marking point search unit 13: Map range determination unit 14: Display control unit 20: Display input device (display device)
21: Display area 24: Map database (marker candidate point database)
M: Map range P1: Designated point P2: Marking point candidate point P3: Marking point R: Road S: Search range

Claims (9)

A map display system that accepts designation of a point and displays map information of a map range including the accepted designated point in a display area of a display device,
A landmark location search unit that searches a location included in a search range based on the designated location as a landmark location, from among candidate landmark locations determined in advance,
A map range determination unit that determines a map range in which at least one of the mark points searched by the mark point search unit and the designated point can be displayed in the display area at the same time;
A display control unit that displays map information of the map range determined by the map range determination unit in the display area;
A map display system comprising:   The map range determination unit is a maximum scale capable of simultaneously displaying both the mark point closest to the designated point among the mark points searched by the mark point search unit and the designated point in the display area. The map display system according to claim 1, wherein the map range is determined.   When the designated point is a point associated with a road, the landmark point searching unit sets the search range wider as the road size increases according to the size of the road associated with the designated point. The map display system according to claim 1 or 2.   The landmark location search unit searches for the landmark location by referring to a landmark candidate location database that stores information on the landmark candidate location, or refers to a location database that stores information on a plurality of locations of different scales. The map display system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mark point is searched using a point having a scale larger than a predetermined reference as the mark candidate point.   The map display system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the map range determination unit determines the map range so that the designated point is arranged at a center of the display area. A receiving unit for receiving distribution data from the information distribution center;
An accepting unit that accepts a point included in the distribution data received by the receiving unit as the designated point;
The map display system according to claim 1, further comprising:   The display control unit causes the display area to display a distance between the designated point and the landmark point included in the map range determined by the map range determination unit. The map display system described. A map display method of accepting designation of a point and displaying map information of a map range including the accepted designated point on a display area of a display device,
Arithmetic processing unit
A landmark location search step for retrieving a location included in a search range based on the designated location as a landmark location from predetermined landmark candidate locations;
A map range determining step for determining a map range in which at least one of the mark points searched in the mark point searching step and the designated point can be displayed in the display area at the same time;
A display control step of displaying map information of the map range determined in the map range determination step in the display area;
Map display method to execute. A map display program that accepts designation of a point and displays map information of a map range including the accepted designated point on a display area of a display device,
A landmark location search function for retrieving a location included in a search range based on the designated location as a landmark location from predetermined landmark candidate locations;
A map range determination function for determining a map range in which at least one of the mark points searched by the mark point search function and both of the designated points can be simultaneously displayed in the display area;
A display control function for displaying map information of the map range determined by the map range determination function in the display area;
Map display program that realizes the computer.

Images