JP2003207343A - Map display device usable in on-vehicle as well as portable mode - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make map information readily understandable whether a map displaying device is used as portable one or as on-vehicle one. <P>SOLUTION: When a switching operation to an on-vehicle mode or to a portable mode is performed on an operation part 5, a use mode switching part 7 switches a depiction part 10 to the on-vehicle mode or to the portable mode. Based on a present position detected by a GPS receiving part 2 and modified by a map matching part 8, the depiction part 10 performs depiction. As to the on-vehicle mode, by using data on a small-scale map stored in a map memory part 4, map pictures of a geographically large area including the present position with characters and symbols as map information enlarged are depicted together with a present position mark. As to the portable mode, by using data of a large-scale map, detailed map pictures of a geographically small area including the present position with characters and symbols as map information reduced are depicted together with a present position mark. The map pictures are converted into image signals, outputted to a display part 3, and displayed on a screen. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an on-vehicle / portable map display device, and more particularly to an on-vehicle / portable map display device for displaying a map image including map information of characters and symbols.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An in-vehicle navigation system detects a current position by satellite navigation or self-contained navigation, draws a map image around the current position together with a current position mark using map data for map drawing, and displays it on a liquid crystal display. I am trying to do it. The map data includes general map information such as roads, buildings, parks, rivers, railways, etc., as well as facilities such as parking lots and gas stations. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the road name RD is included in the map image MI around the current position.
Characters such as N, building name BLN, facility name OLN, place name RPN, etc. are displayed, so you can clearly understand the names of roads, buildings, facilities, etc. Also, post office symbol LS, parking lot symbol PS, gas station picture Since the symbol SS or the like is displayed, it is possible to save the trouble of finding a parking lot or a gas station when wanting to park the vehicle or refuel.

[0003]

By the way, if the size of the map information of the characters and symbols (including pictograms; the same applies hereinafter) on the map image is small, the user will not be able to use these characters and symbols when using them onboard. Because the map information becomes difficult to see,
For vehicles, it is desirable to increase the size of the map information of characters and symbols as much as possible. However, when the conventional in-vehicle navigation device is also intended to be used as a portable device, the user often walks on relatively small roads such as municipal roads and private roads, and if the map information of characters and symbols is large, it will be fine. There was a problem that it became difficult to see the road. In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide an in-vehicle / portable map display device in which map information is easy to see regardless of whether it is used in a vehicle or a cell phone.

[0004]

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an on-vehicle / portable combined map display device, a current position detecting means for detecting a current position, and a storage means for storing map data for drawing a map. In-vehicle / portable combination including display means for displaying the map image together with the current position mark and map display control means for drawing the map image including the current position together with the current position mark using the map data and displaying the map image on the display means In the map display device, a use mode switching means for switching the use mode between an in-vehicle mode and a portable mode is provided, and the map display control means, when the use mode is the in-vehicle mode, enlarging characters and symbols in the map information while increasing the map image Is drawn with the current position mark, and in the mobile mode, the map image is displayed with the current position mark while reducing the characters and symbols in the map information. It has to both draw, it is characterized in. In the in-vehicle / portable combined map display device according to claim 4 of the present invention, a current position detection means for detecting the current position, a storage means for storing map data for map drawing,
In-vehicle / portable combination including display means for displaying the map image together with the current position mark and map display control means for drawing the map image including the current position together with the current position mark using the map data and displaying the map image on the display means The map display device is provided with a use mode switching means for switching the use mode between the on-vehicle mode and the portable mode, and the map display control means changes the scale of the map image drawn in the use mode to be the in-vehicle mode and the portable mode to change the in-vehicle mode. In the case of, draw a map image of a large geographical area with the current position mark while enlarging the characters and symbols in the map information, and in the mobile mode, reduce the characters and symbols in the map information while reducing the characters and symbols in a narrow geographical area. The feature is that a detailed map image is drawn together with the current position mark. Claims 2 and 5 are characterized in that the use mode switching means switches the use mode in accordance with a use mode switching operation by the user. In Claims 3 and 6, the use mode switching means detects the attachment / detachment of the device to / from the mount fixed to the vehicle, and is used in the in-vehicle mode when attached to the mount and in the portable mode when detached from the mount. The feature is that the mode is switched.

[0005]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows an in-vehicle system according to the present invention.
It is a block diagram of a navigation device also for portable use. Reference numeral 1 denotes an in-vehicle / portable navigation device as an example of an in-vehicle / portable map display device, which uses satellite navigation from a map memory unit that stores map data for drawing a map at a predetermined scale and road data for map matching. The map data necessary to display the map image around the detected current position is read out, and using the read map data, a map image of a certain range centering on the current position is drawn together with the current position mark and displayed on the screen. At this time, the scale of the map image is changed depending on whether the use mode is the in-vehicle mode or the portable mode, and in the in-vehicle mode, the map image of a wide geographical area is drawn together with the current position mark while enlarging the characters and symbols in the map information. In the portable mode, it is possible to draw and display a detailed map image of a narrow geographical area together with the current position mark while reducing the characters and symbols in the map information.

In the on-vehicle / portable navigation device 1, 2 is a GPS receiver for periodically detecting the current position and current direction by satellite navigation, 3 is a liquid crystal dot matrix type display, 4 is a scale and area. The map memory unit stores map data for map drawing and road data for performing map matching for each area. An operation unit 5 is used to perform an operation of switching the usage mode of the apparatus between an in-vehicle mode and a portable mode. Reference numeral 6 denotes a map display control unit having a microcomputer configuration, of which 7 is a use mode switching unit that performs a process of switching the use mode of each unit according to the use mode switching operation on the operation unit 5, and 8 is detected by the GPS receiving unit 2. A map matching unit that corrects the displayed current position on the road by map matching using the road data stored in the map memory unit 4, and 9 has an image storage area for one screen of the display unit 3 and displays the map image. The image memory unit 10 for storing is a drawing unit, and draws a map image with the north facing upward by one screen centered on the current position in the image memory unit 9 using the map data stored in the map memory unit 4. At the same time, the current position mark is drawn at the center of the drawn map image in the direction corresponding to the current direction. Here, the drawing unit 10 draws a map image of a wide geographical area together with the current position mark while enlarging the characters and symbols in the map information using the map data having a small scale in the in-vehicle mode, and in the mobile mode, A map image of a geographically narrow range is drawn by using the map data having a large scale while reducing the characters and symbols in the map information. An image conversion unit 11 reads out the image stored in the image memory unit 9 and outputs it to the display unit 3 while converting the image into a predetermined image signal to display the map image with the current position mark on the screen.

The in-vehicle / portable navigation device 1 is formed in a rectangular box-like size so that it can be held by one hand.
As shown in FIG. 5, the cradle 21 is fixed to the dashboard 20 at the front of the passenger compartment of the vehicle so that it can be detachably mounted.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a map display control process by the map display control unit 6, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display on the display unit 3. Hereinafter, the embodiment described with reference to these drawings will be described. The operation of the form will be described. It is assumed that the current mode flag F (0; in-vehicle mode, 1; portable mode) stored in a built-in memory (not shown) of the use mode switching unit 7 is 0, which indicates the in-vehicle mode. Further, in the in-vehicle / portable navigation device 1, it is assumed that predetermined DC power is supplied to each unit from a built-in battery unit (not shown).

(1) In-vehicle mode When the user wants to use the in-vehicle / portable navigation device 1 in the in-vehicle mode, as shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle / portable type is mounted on the pedestal 21 fixed to the dashboard 20 inside the vehicle. The navigation device 1 is attached. When the power supply key (not shown) of the on-vehicle / portable navigation device 1 is pressed to turn on the power, the GPS receiver 2 periodically detects and outputs the current position and the current azimuth by satellite navigation.
On the other hand, when the map display control unit 6 is turned on, the use mode switching unit 7 first checks F, and since it is 0 here, the drawing unit 10 is switched to the in-vehicle mode (steps S10 and S11 in FIG. 3). Subsequently, the map display control unit 6 uses the GPS
The current position and the current direction are input from the receiving unit 2, and the map matching unit 8 uses the road data around the current position stored in the map memory unit 4 to map the current position input from the GPS receiving unit 2 on the road. (Steps S12 and S13).

Then, the drawing unit 10 uses the map matching unit 8 to correct the current position data based on the corrected current position data.
The small scale stored in is small and the north centering on the corrected current position is used as the upward direction, using the map data around the current position,
The image memory unit 9 displays a map image of a geographically wide range (for example, about 2 km square) in which characters and symbols in the map information are enlarged.
The GPS receiver 2 is drawn on the center of the map image.
The current position mark for the in-vehicle mode is overlaid and drawn in the direction corresponding to the current direction input from (step S14).
The image drawn in the image memory unit 9 is converted into a predetermined video signal by the video conversion unit 11, output to the display unit 3, and displayed on the screen (step S15).

Here, when used in the vehicle-mounted mode, the vehicle often travels a distance of several kilometers or more, and since the vehicle travels at a high speed, it is easy to grasp where the current position is on the map, In order to make it easy to understand the positional relationship between the desired destination and the current position, it is desirable to display a map image of a geographically wide range on the screen. Further, in the vehicle-mounted mode, since the user views the screen from a position slightly away from the device, it is desirable to display the map information of characters and symbols in a large size. In the case of the vehicle-mounted mode, as shown in FIG. 4A, the current position mark V for the vehicle-mounted mode on the road RDa at the center of the map image MI that covers a geographically wide range is displayed on the screen.
Since M is displayed, you can easily check where your current position is on the map, and you can easily determine the route for traveling to reach the desired place by driving because you can see the map information of a wide range of the surrounding area. . In addition, since the characters such as road name RDN, building name BLN, facility name OLN, place name RPN, etc. on the map image MI are displayed in large size, the names of roads, buildings, facilities, etc. can be easily visually recognized, and the post office symbol LS Since the parking lot symbol PS and the petrol station pictorial symbol SS are also displayed in large size, it is possible to easily visually recognize where the post office, the parking lot, and the petrol station are.

After step S15, the use mode switching unit 7 checks whether or not the use mode switching operation is performed by the operation unit 5 (step S16). Since it is NO here, the map display control unit 6 confirms that F is 0. After that (step S17), the process returns to step S12 and the same processing as described above is repeated. As a result, the current position mark VM relatively moves on the map image MI as the vehicle moves.

(2) Portable mode After that, the user uses the on-vehicle / portable navigation device 1
When the user wants to take the vehicle out of the vehicle and use it in the portable mode, the in-vehicle / portable navigation device 1 is removed from the gantry 21 and the operating unit 5 is used to switch the use mode. Then, the use mode switching unit 7 causes the step S16 to be performed.
Is determined to be YES and F is inverted to 1 (step S
18). Then, the drawing unit 10 is switched to the portable mode (steps S10 and S19 in FIG. 3). Subsequently, the map display control unit 6 inputs the current position and the current azimuth from the GPS receiving unit 2, and the map matching unit 8 receives the GPS by the map matching using the road data around the current position stored in the map memory unit 4. The current position input from the section 2 is corrected on the road (steps S20 and S21).

After that, the drawing unit 10 uses the map data in the map memory unit 4 on the basis of the current position data corrected by the map matching unit 8 to determine the corrected current position using the map data around the current position. With the north, which is the center facing upward, and the characters and symbols in the map information made small, geographically narrow (for example, about 250 m square), a detailed map image is drawn in the image memory unit 9 and the center of the map image is displayed. GPS
The current position mark for the portable mode is overlaid and drawn in the direction corresponding to the current direction input from the receiving unit 2 (step S
22). The image drawn in the image memory unit 9 is converted into a predetermined video signal by the video conversion unit 11, output to the display unit 3, and displayed on the screen (step S15).

When used in the portable mode, the user often travels a distance of several kilometers or less on foot, and also moves at a slow speed, so that the user's current position can be easily grasped on the map and a desired purpose can be obtained. In order to facilitate understanding of the positional relationship between the ground and the current position, it is desirable to display a detailed map image of a geographically narrow range on the screen. Also, in the mobile mode, the user holds the device in his hand and looks at the screen up close, so even if the map information of characters and symbols is small, it can be easily grasped, and in order to make it easier to see the detailed roads, the map information of characters and symbols can be displayed. It is desirable to display it small. In the portable mode, as shown in FIG. 4 (2), the current position for the portable mode riding on the road RDa at the center of the detailed map image MI of the map information such as the road covering a geographically narrow range is displayed on the screen. Since the mark MM is displayed, it is possible to easily confirm on the map where the current position of the pedestrian user is and what is nearby, and the route for walking to reach the desired destination is also easy. I can judge. Since the map information of characters and symbols is displayed small, it is easy to see small roads such as municipal roads and private roads. Further, it can be easily understood that the shape of the current position mark MM is switched to the portable mode.

After step S15, the use mode switching unit 7 checks whether or not the use mode switching operation has been performed by the operation unit 5 (step S16). Since it is NO here, the map display control unit 6 confirms that F is 1. After that (step S17), the process returns to step S12 and the same processing as described above is repeated. As a result, the current position mark MM relatively moves on the map image MI as the user walks. When it is desired to return to the original vehicle-mounted mode, the operation mode switching operation may be performed again on the operation unit 5.

According to this embodiment, when the user switches to the in-vehicle mode, the road name, facility name,
Map information of characters such as place names, parking lots, post offices, gas stations, etc. (including pictograms) is displayed in large size, so you can easily visually recognize road names, facility names, place names, post offices, You can easily see where the parking lot, gas station, etc. are. In addition, a map image that covers a wide geographical area is displayed together with the current position mark, so you can easily check where the current position of the vehicle is on the map, and you can know the map information of the wide area around it. It is also possible to easily determine a route for traveling to reach a desired place by traveling with a vehicle. On the contrary, when the user switches to the portable mode, the map information of characters and symbols (including pictograms) is displayed in a small size, so that it is easy to see small roads such as municipal roads and private roads. In addition, a detailed map image of map information such as roads covering a geographically narrow range is displayed together with the current position mark, so that the current position of the user who is a pedestrian is and what is nearby. The route can be easily checked and the route to reach the desired destination can be easily determined. Further, it is possible to easily understand from the shape of the current position mark whether the current mode is switched to the in-vehicle mode or the portable mode.

In the above-described embodiment, the use mode is switched by the user performing the switching operation on the operation unit 5, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is linked to the attachment / detachment to / from the mount 21. You may make it switch automatically. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a protrusion 23 is provided on the bottom portion 22 of the gantry 21A, and a protrusion is provided on the side of the in-vehicle / portable navigation device 1A when the in-vehicle / portable navigation device 1A is mounted on the pedestal 21A. A switch unit (micro switch or the like) 12 for closing the contact by pushing an actuator (not shown) is provided at 23. The switch section 12 is at L level when the contacts are closed,
A switch signal that becomes H level when opened is output. The usage mode switching unit 7A is shown in FIG.
Instead of checking the value of F in step S10, when the level of the switch signal output from the switch unit 12 is checked and the in-vehicle / portable navigation device 1A is mounted on the pedestal 21A and the switch signal is at the L level Goes to step S11, and conversely, if the in-vehicle / portable navigation device 1A is removed from the pedestal 21A and is at the H level, the process goes to step S19. Similarly, instead of checking the value of F in step S17 of FIG. 3, the level of the switch signal is checked, and if the in-vehicle / portable navigation device 1A is mounted on the pedestal 21A and the switch signal is at the L level, the step is performed. S12
Go to the other side, on the other hand, navigation device 1A for both on-vehicle and mobile
When is removed from the gantry 21A and is at the H level, the process may proceed to step S20. According to the example of FIG. 5, even if the user does not perform the operation mode switching operation, if the in-vehicle / portable navigation device 1A is mounted on the pedestal 21A for use in the vehicle, the mounting is automatically detected. The in-vehicle mode is switched to the in-vehicle mode, and the in-vehicle / portable navigation device 1A is mounted on the pedestal 21.
If it is removed from A, the removal is detected and the portable mode is automatically entered, which saves the trouble.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG.
The bottom 22 of B is provided with male power supply terminals 24 and 25 capable of supplying power from the car battery (+ B) to the outside, and the on-vehicle / portable navigation device 1B is provided with the on-vehicle / portable navigation. Device 1B mount 2
Female power supply terminals 13 and 14 that are detachably fitted to the male power supply terminals 24 and 25, respectively, when mounted on 1B are provided. Furthermore, in addition to the built-in battery unit (secondary battery type) 15 that supplies a predetermined DC voltage + V to each unit, the vehicle-mounted / portable navigation device 1B receives a predetermined DC voltage + V from the external power supply (+ B) from the car battery. An external power supply detection signal that detects the + B power supply to the DC / DC converter unit 16 that is formed and supplies to each unit and the female power supply terminals 13 and 14 and that is L level when power is supplied and H level when not And an external power supply detection unit 17 for outputting Then, the use mode switching unit 7B checks the level of the external power supply detection signal output from the external power supply detection unit 17 instead of checking the value of F in step S10 of FIG. When the external power supply detection signal is attached to the gantry 21B and is at the L level, the process proceeds to step S11. Conversely, when the on-vehicle / portable navigation device 1B is detached from the gantry 21B and is at the H level, the process proceeds to step S19. To do. Similarly, in step S17 of FIG. 3, instead of checking the value of F, the level of the external power supply detection signal is checked, and the in-vehicle / portable navigation device 1B causes the gantry 21 to move.
When the external power source detection signal is attached to B and is at the L level, the process proceeds to step S12, and conversely, the in-vehicle / portable navigation device 1B is detached from the mount 21B and H
When the level is reached, the process may proceed to step S20. Also in the example of FIG. 6, even if the user does not perform the operation mode switching operation, if the vehicle-mounted / portable navigation device 1B is mounted on the frame 21B for use in the vehicle, the mounting is detected and the vehicle-mounted mode is automatically set. Since it is used as a mobile device, it is a navigation device 1B for both in-vehicle and mobile use.
When the device is removed from the pedestal 21B, the removal is detected and the portable mode is automatically set, which saves the trouble.

[0020]

According to the present invention, when the use mode is switched to the in-vehicle mode, the map information of characters and symbols is displayed in large size on the map image, so that the road name, place name, etc. can be easily visually recognized, and the mail You can easily see where the facilities such as stations are. On the other hand, when the mode is switched to the mobile mode, the map information of characters and symbols is displayed in a small size, making it easier to see small roads such as municipal roads and private roads. Further, according to another invention, when the use mode is switched to the in-vehicle mode, a map image covering a geographically wide range is displayed together with the current position mark, so that the current position of the vehicle can be easily displayed on the map. In addition to being able to confirm, the map information of a wide range of the surrounding area can be known, so that a route for traveling by a vehicle to reach a desired place can be easily determined. On the other hand, when switching to the mobile mode, a detailed map image covering a geographically narrow area is displayed together with the current position mark, so that the current position of the user who is a pedestrian is and what is nearby. The route can be easily checked and the route to reach the desired destination can be easily determined.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an in-vehicle / portable navigation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a method of installing the vehicle-mounted / portable navigation device of FIG. 1 in a vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a map display control process by a map display control unit in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen display example on the display unit in FIG.

5 is a configuration diagram showing a modified example of the on-vehicle / portable navigation device of FIG. 1. FIG.

6 is a configuration diagram showing another modification of the on-vehicle / portable navigation device of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen display example in a conventional vehicle-mounted navigation device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 1A, 1B In-vehicle / portable navigation device 2 GPS receiving unit 3 Display unit 4 Map memory unit 5 Operation unit 6 Map display control unit 7, 7A, 7B Usage mode switching unit 8 Map matching unit 9 Image memory unit 10 Drawing unit 11 Video Converter 12 Switch 13, 14 Female Power Supply Terminal 15 Built-in Battery 16 DC / DC
Converter unit 17 External power source detection unit 21, 21A, 2
1B Stand 23 Projection 24, 25 Male type power supply terminal

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) G09B 29/00 G09B 29/00 A 29/10 29/10 A G09G 5/00 530 G09G 5/00 530T 550 550C 5/36 5/36 510B 510 520E 5/377 520M F term (reference) 2C032 HB03 HB22 HC08 HC11 HC24 HC28 HD03 HD30 2F029 AA02 AA07 AB01 AB07 AB12 AC02 AC09 AC16 5B050 BA06 BA07 BA17 BA20 CA12 A02 BA02 FA02 EA12 EA12 EA12 EA12 BA27 BB13 BB15 BB42 BB44 CA32 CA56 CA76 CA81 CB03 CB05 DA22 DA42 DA53 DA89 MM09 MM10 5H180 AA01 AA21 BB13 CC12 FF04 FF05 FF22 FF27 FF33 FF37

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A current position detection means for detecting the current position, a storage means for storing map data for drawing a map, and a display means for displaying a map image together with a current position mark.
An in-vehicle / portable map display device including a map display control unit that draws a map image including the current position using map data together with the current position mark and displays the map on the display unit. The map display control means draws the map image together with the current position mark while enlarging the characters and symbols in the map information when the use mode is the vehicle-mounted mode, and the map display control means when the use mode is the mobile mode. An on-vehicle / portable map display device characterized in that the map image is drawn together with the current position mark while reducing the characters and symbols in the map information. 2. The on-vehicle / portable combined map display device according to claim 1, wherein the use mode switching means is configured to switch the use mode according to a use mode switching operation by a user. 3. The use mode switching means detects the attachment / detachment of the device to / from a pedestal fixed to the vehicle, and sets the use mode to an in-vehicle mode when attached to the pedestal and a portable mode when detached from the pedestal. The in-vehicle / portable combined map display device according to claim 1, wherein the map display device is switched. 4. A current position detecting means for detecting a current position, a storage means for storing map data for drawing a map, and a display means for displaying a map image together with a current position mark.
An in-vehicle / portable map display device including a map display control unit that draws a map image including the current position using map data together with the current position mark and displays the map on the display unit. The map display control means changes the scale of the map image to be drawn depending on whether the use mode is the in-vehicle mode or the portable mode, and the characters and symbols in the map information are enlarged in the in-vehicle mode. While drawing a map image of a wide geographical area with the current position mark, in the mobile mode, draw a detailed map image of a narrow geographical area with the current position mark while reducing the letters and symbols in the map information. The in-vehicle / portable map display device characterized by 5. The on-vehicle / portable map display device according to claim 4, wherein the use mode switching means is configured to switch the use mode according to a use mode switching operation by a user. 6. The use mode switching means detects the attachment / detachment of the device to / from a pedestal fixed to a vehicle, and sets the use mode to an in-vehicle mode when attached to the pedestal and a portable mode when detached from the pedestal. The in-vehicle / portable map display device according to claim 4, wherein the map display device is switched.