JP3360403B2 - Route guidance device for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle route guidance apparatus for calculating a recommended route from a departure point of a vehicle to a destination and guiding the vehicle to the destination according to the recommended route.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is known a vehicle route guidance apparatus for performing a route search from a departure point of a vehicle to a destination to obtain a recommended route, and displaying the recommended route and the current location of the vehicle on a display to perform route guidance. I have. As a conventional device of this type, for example, a vehicle route guidance device that performs a so-called superimposed display that simultaneously displays road maps of different scales on a display is known. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the intersection situation around the current location is enlarged and displayed in the upper right corner of the display. According to this device, the driver can check a map in a wide range centering on the current position and also know the road conditions around the current position in detail. However, this device
To enlarge the road map in the upper right corner of the display,
The road map that should be displayed in that portion cannot be displayed. Therefore, for example, when the driver makes a right turn, there is a problem that the road condition at the right turn destination cannot be confirmed.

In order to solve such a problem, for example, a road map may be displayed in a bird's eye view. This display is for displaying a road map on a display as if viewed obliquely from above, and is widely used in, for example, a flight simulator. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the bird's-eye view display. FIG. 9 shows an example in which the road map is an XY plane, and the viewpoint E is placed on the Z axis orthogonal to the XY plane. The illustrated rectangle abcd indicates the display range of the display, and the road map range that can be seen from the illustrated viewpoint E through the rectangle abcd is indicated by a trapezoid ABCD.
As shown in the figure, from the viewpoint position, it is possible to see road map data in a much wider range than the range of the rectangle abcd.

[0004] A display method for displaying an image as if looking at the illustrated trapezoidal area ABCD on the display from the illustrated viewpoint position is generally called a bird's-eye view display method. The bird's-eye view display method has a feature that the side closer to the viewpoint is displayed in a larger scale. For example, a position on the trapezoid ABCD corresponding to the center position f of the rectangle abcd indicating the display display range is indicated by F,
This point F is located closer to the side AB than the side CD. That is, the area from side AB to point F is displayed in the lower half of the display. Also, the side AB is shorter than the side CD,
The side AB is enlarged and displayed accordingly.

FIG. 10A shows an example in which a road map around a recommended route from a current position of a vehicle to a destination is displayed on a display using a bird's eye view display method. In this figure, a viewpoint is set in the sky in the direction opposite to the destination based on the current position, and the direction of the destination is viewed from there. When the viewpoint is placed at such a position, as shown in the figure, an image in which the scale of the map continuously increases as approaching the current location from the destination is displayed. In other words, the area around the current location is enlarged and displayed, and the recommended route is displayed near the destination. FIG. 10B is an example of a conventional display screen when a vehicle mark is displayed at substantially the same position as in FIG. 10A. In FIG. 10A, the vicinity of the current position is displayed in an enlarged manner as compared with FIG. 10B, and the recommended route indicated by a thick line is displayed longer than in FIG. 10B.

[0006]

However, when a road map is displayed by the bird's eye view display method, the map range displayed on the display changes depending on where the viewpoint is set, and the recommended route depends on the setting position of the viewpoint. There is a possibility that some of them will not be displayed. For example, when the recommended route from the current position of the vehicle to the destination makes a large U-turn in the middle, a part of the recommended route indicated by a thick line is not displayed on the display as shown in FIG. Also, as shown in FIG. 12, when the recommended route is largely winding, part of the recommended route is not displayed. In such a case, it is desirable that a portion not displayed on the display can be displayed by a scroll operation of the operator.

Further, in the bird's eye view display method, since the display is reduced in size toward the destination, the road map in the direction of the destination cannot be accurately grasped. However, if the operator desires, it is desirable to set a viewpoint near the destination so that the direction of the destination can be enlarged and displayed. In addition, while the vehicle is stopped, it is desirable to display a road map of an arbitrary area stored in a map storage memory such as a CD-ROM so that scrolling can be freely performed.

As a method of performing such scrolling,
It is conceivable to provide a switch to scroll the road map on the display up, down, left and right,
Since the road map can be scrolled only in a fixed direction, the operability is not good. In the bird's-eye view display method, the road map displayed on the display can be arbitrarily enlarged or reduced by changing the height of the viewpoint, but a switch for instructing a change in the height of the viewpoint is required separately.
The operation of the switch is also troublesome.

An object of the present invention is to enable a viewpoint position or a line of sight direction when a road map is displayed in a bird's eye view to be arbitrarily changed by an operation member operable in a plurality of directions, and to display a road map in an arbitrary range on a display. It is an object of the present invention to provide a route guidance device for a vehicle.

[0010]

The present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 showing an embodiment. The present invention comprises a road map storage means 3 for storing road map data relating to a road map, and a current position on the road map. A bird's-eye view creating means 4 for creating a bird's-eye view looking down at a predetermined direction of a road map from this viewpoint, and a display control means 4 for displaying the created bird's-eye view on a display 8 based on the viewpoint.
A vehicle route guidance device comprising: an operation member 10 operable in a plurality of directions including two axes orthogonal to each other; and operation detection means 4 for detecting an operation direction and an operation amount of the operation member 10. The bird's-eye view creating means 4 is configured to change the position of the viewpoint according to the detected operation direction and operation amount, and to move the direction of looking down from the viewpoint in parallel to create a bird's-eye view of a different range on the road map. Thereby, the above object is achieved. The invention according to claim 2 is
A road map storage means for storing road map data relating to the road map, and a bird's eye view which looks down at a predetermined direction of the road map from this viewpoint with a viewpoint placed above the direction opposite to the destination based on the current position on the road map. And a display control unit 4 for displaying the created bird's-eye view on the display 8, comprising an operation member 10 operable in a plurality of directions including two axes orthogonal to each other. An operation detecting means 4 for detecting the operation direction and the operation amount of the operation member 10, and changing the direction of looking down from the viewpoint without changing the position of the viewpoint according to the detected operation direction and operation amount; The above object is achieved by configuring the bird's-eye view creating means 4 to create a bird's-eye view in a different range above. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a road map storage means for storing road map data relating to a road map, and a viewpoint placed in the sky in a direction opposite to a destination on the basis of a current position on the road map. A route guidance device for a vehicle, comprising: a bird's-eye view creating means 4 for creating a bird's-eye view looking down at a predetermined direction; and a display control means 4 for displaying the created bird's-eye view on a display 8, the direction including two axes orthogonal to each other. And an operation member 10 operable in a direction of an axis orthogonal to these two axes, and operation detection means 4 for detecting the operation direction and the operation amount of the operation member 10, and the detected operation directions and the operation amounts of the two axes. Bird's-eye views of different areas on the road map according to
The above object is achieved by configuring the bird's-eye view creating means 4 to perform enlargement / reduction on the bird's-eye view according to the operation direction and the operation amount of the axis orthogonal to the axis. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a road map storage means for storing road map data relating to a road map, a view point placed in the sky in a direction opposite to a destination on the basis of a current position on the road map, and a road map stored from this viewpoint. A bird's-eye view creating means 4 for creating a bird's-eye view looking down at a predetermined direction, and a display 8 for displaying the created bird's-eye view.
A navigation device for a vehicle, comprising: a display control means 4 for displaying an operation member 10 which can be operated in a plurality of directions including two axes orthogonal to each other, and an operation direction and an operation amount of the operation member 10 are detected. An operation detecting means 4 for rotating a viewpoint around a current position according to an operation amount in a predetermined direction among a plurality of directions operated by the operation member 10,
The above object is achieved by configuring the bird's-eye view creating means 4 to create bird's-eye views in different ranges on the road map. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle route guidance device according to the fourth aspect, before the operation member 10 is operated in the predetermined direction, it is determined whether or not the operation member 10 has been operated in a direction different from the predetermined direction. Further comprising a mode switching determining means 4;
Based on the determination result of the mode switching determination unit 4, the bird's-eye view creating unit 4 rotates the viewpoint around the current position according to the operation amount in the predetermined direction, or the position of the viewpoint without changing the direction of looking down the road map. Is changed or switched. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a road map storage means for storing road map data relating to a road map, and a viewpoint placed in the sky in a direction opposite to a destination on the basis of a current position on the road map. Bird's-eye view creating means 4 for creating a bird's-eye view looking down at a predetermined direction
And a display control means 4 for displaying the created bird's-eye view on the display 8.
An operation member 10 that can be operated in a plurality of directions including two axes orthogonal to each other, an operation detection unit 4 that detects an operation direction and an operation amount of the operation member 10, and a predetermined direction among a plurality of directions operated by the operation member 10. Operation amount determination means 4 for determining whether or not the operation amount has exceeded a predetermined amount. (1) When the operation amount determination means 4 does not determine that the operation amount has exceeded the predetermined amount, the operation direction Depending on the operation amount of
Move the position of the viewpoint without changing the direction of looking down the road map. (2) When it is determined by the operation amount determination means 4 that the predetermined amount has been exceeded, according to the operation amount in the predetermined direction among the plurality of directions, The above object is achieved by configuring the bird's eye view creating means 4 so as to create a bird's eye view of a different range on the road map by moving the viewpoint in a predetermined direction.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a road map storage means for storing road map data relating to a road map, a view point placed in the sky in a direction opposite to the destination based on the current position on the road map, And a display control unit 4 for displaying the bird's-eye view created on the display 8. The plurality of routes include two axes orthogonal to each other. Operating member 10 operable in a direction and rotatable about a predetermined direction as a central axis among a plurality of directions, operation detecting means for detecting the operating direction and amount of operation of the operating member 10, and the rotating direction and amount of rotating operation And turning the viewpoint around the current position in accordance with the detected rotation operation direction and rotation operation amount, and on the road in accordance with the detected operation direction and operation amount. By configuring the bird's-eye view forming means 4 to create a bird's-eye view of the different ranges of drawing, to achieve the above object. The invention according to claim 8 is a road map storage means 3 for storing road map data relating to a road map.
A bird's-eye view creating means 4 for creating a bird's-eye view looking down at a predetermined direction of the road map from this viewpoint with a viewpoint placed in the sky in the direction opposite to the destination based on the current position on the road map; And a display control means 4 for displaying on the vehicle, the operation member 1 being operable in a plurality of directions including two axes orthogonal to each other and rotatable about a predetermined direction as a central axis among the plurality of directions.
0, operation direction and operation amount of the operation member 10, and operation detection means 4 for detecting the rotation operation direction and the rotation operation amount, and the position of the viewpoint according to the detected rotation operation direction and the rotation operation amount The above object is achieved by changing the direction of looking down from the viewpoint without changing the direction, and configuring the bird's-eye view creating means 4 to create a bird's-eye view of a different range on the road map according to the detected operation direction and operation amount. I do.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a road map storage means for storing road map data relating to a road map, a view point placed in the sky in a direction opposite to a destination based on a current position on the road map, A route guidance device for a vehicle, comprising: a bird's-eye view creating means 4 for creating a bird's-eye view looking down at a predetermined direction; and a display control means 4 for displaying the created bird's-eye view on a display 8. Operation member 10 operable in the direction, and operation detection means 4 for detecting the operation direction and operation amount of this operation member 10
And a travel start determining means 4 for determining whether or not the vehicle has started traveling. A bird's-eye view is created so as to create a bird's-eye view of a different range on a road map according to the detected operation direction and operation amount. When the travel start determining means 4 determines that the vehicle has started traveling, the display control means 4 displays the bird's-eye view displayed immediately before the operation member 10 is operated on the display 8. The above object is achieved by configuring the above.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a bird's-eye view of a road map is displayed on the display 8, the operation direction and the operation amount of the operation member 10 that can be operated in a plurality of directions are detected by the operation detection means 4. The bird's-eye view creating means 4 changes the position of the viewpoint of the bird's-eye view according to the detected operation direction and operation amount, and moves the direction of looking down from the viewpoint in parallel to create a bird's-eye view of a different range on the road map. According to the second aspect of the present invention, when a bird's-eye view of a road map is displayed on the display 8, the operation direction and the operation amount of the operation member 10 that can be operated in a plurality of directions are detected by the operation detection means 4. The bird's eye view creating means 4 changes the direction of looking down from the viewpoint without changing the position of the viewpoint of the bird's eye view according to the detected operation direction and operation amount, and creates a bird's eye view of a different range on the road map. According to the third aspect of the present invention, when a bird's-eye view of a road map is displayed on the display 8, the operation direction and the operation amount of the operation member 10 that can be operated in directions including two axes and directions orthogonal to these two axes are controlled. Detecting means 4
To detect. The bird's eye view creating means 4 detects the detected 2
A bird's-eye view of a different range on the road map is created according to the operation direction and operation amount of the axis, and the bird's-eye view is enlarged / reduced according to the operation direction and operation amount of the axis orthogonal to the two detected axes. In the invention according to claim 4, when displaying a bird's-eye view of a road map on the display 8, the operation direction and the operation amount of the operation member 10 that can be operated in a plurality of directions are detected by the operation detection means 4.
To detect. The bird's-eye view creating means 4 creates a bird's-eye view of a different range on the road map by rotating the viewpoint of the bird's-eye view around the current position according to the operation amount in a predetermined direction among the plurality of operated directions. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is determined by the mode switching determining means 4 whether the operating member 10 has been operated in a direction different from the predetermined direction, and based on the determination result, the operating member 10 is operated in the predetermined direction. Change the scrolling method when it is done. According to the invention described in claim 6, when displaying a bird's-eye view of the road map on the display 8, the operation direction and the operation amount of the operation member 10 that can be operated in a plurality of directions are detected by the operation detection means 4. The bird's-eye view creating means 4 moves the viewpoint without changing the direction of looking down on the bird's-eye view according to the operation amount in a predetermined direction among the plurality of operated directions. When the operation amount determination means 4 determines that the operation amount in the predetermined direction exceeds the predetermined amount, the viewpoint is moved in the predetermined direction according to the operation amount. In the invention according to claim 7, when displaying a bird's-eye view of the road map on the display 8, the operation direction and operation of the operation member 10 that can be operated in a plurality of directions and can be rotated around a predetermined direction as a central axis among the plurality of directions. The amount, the rotational operation direction and the rotational operation amount are detected by the operation detecting means 4. Bird's eye view creating means 4
Creates a bird's-eye view in a different range on the road map according to the detected operation direction and operation amount, and rotates the bird's-eye view viewpoint around the current position according to the detected rotation operation direction and rotation operation amount. In the invention according to claim 8, when displaying a bird's-eye view of a road map on the display 8, the operation direction and operation of the operation member 10 that can be operated in a plurality of directions and can be rotated around a predetermined direction as a central axis among the plurality of directions. The amount, the rotational operation direction and the rotational operation amount are detected by the operation detecting means 4. The bird's-eye view creating means 4 creates a bird's-eye view of a different range on the road map according to the detected operation direction and operation amount, and changes the viewpoint without changing the position of the viewpoint according to the detected rotation operation direction and rotation operation amount. Change the direction of looking down from. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, when displaying the bird's-eye view of the road map on the display 8, when the traveling start determining unit 4 determines that the vehicle has started traveling, the display control unit 4 operates the operating member 10. The bird's-eye view that was displayed immediately before the display is displayed on the display 8.

In the means and means for solving the above problems which explain the constitution of the present invention, the drawings of the embodiments are used for easy understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0013]

【Example】

-First Embodiment- FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle route guidance apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a direction sensor for detecting the direction of travel of a vehicle. Reference numeral 2 denotes a vehicle speed sensor which is attached to, for example, a transmission of the vehicle and outputs a predetermined number of pulse signals according to the vehicle speed. Reference numeral 3 denotes a map storage memory that stores road map data including intersection network data, and stores position information of nodes indicating intersections and curve points, character information such as a path length of a road (link) connecting the nodes and a place name, and the like. Remember. Reference numeral 4 denotes a CPU that performs the processing of FIG. 4 described later, 5 denotes a ROM that stores a control program and the like executed by the CPU 4, and 6 denotes a RAM that stores a calculation result by the CPU 4. Reference numeral 7 denotes a V-RAM for storing bird's-eye view display data created by the CPU 4, and pictographic information is displayed on the display 8 in accordance with the contents stored in the V-RAM 7.

As shown in FIG. 2, an operation board 9 for inputting a destination and the like is provided beside the display 8 and a display 8.
A joystick 10 for scrolling the upper road map data is provided. The lower end of the joystick 10 is connected to the upper surface of the display panel 12 via an elastic member 11 such as a rubber or a spring.
On the other hand, a handle 13 having a spherical shape is provided at the tip of the joystick 10. This joystick 10
Can be rotated in a hemispherical shape around the lower end, and the amount of rotation indicates the operation amount in each of the illustrated X-axis direction and Y-axis direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the joystick 10 is rotated by θ degrees and the X axis by φ degrees, the operation amount ΔX in the X axis direction and the operation amount ΔY in the Y axis direction of the joystick 10 are: These are represented by equations (1) and (2), respectively. Note that L is the stick length of the joystick 10.

ΔX = L · sin θ · cos φ (1) ΔY = L · sin θ · sin φ (2)

When the joystick 10 is operated in the Z-axis direction, the telescopic member 1 at the lower end of the joystick 10 is moved.
1 expands and contracts, and the amount of expansion and contraction indicates the operation amount in the Z-axis direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the joystick 10 is pushed in the negative direction in the Z-axis direction, that is, by Z1 toward the display panel 12, the operation amount ΔZ of the joystick 10 is expressed by equation (3).

## EQU2 ## ΔZ = Z1 (3)

Returning to FIG. 1, reference numeral 14 denotes an interface circuit, which includes an azimuth sensor 1, a vehicle speed sensor 2, a map storage memory 3, a CPU 4, a ROM 5, a RAM 6, a V-RAM 7, a display 8, an operation board 9, and a joystick 1.
The signal is exchanged between 0.

In the vehicle route guidance device configured as shown in FIG. 1, an ignition key (not shown) is operated by ACC, IG
When one of N and START is operated, the CPU 4 starts the processing of the flowchart in FIG. Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.
In step S1 of FIG. 4, the destination input by the operation board 9 is read. In step S2, a recommended route is calculated by performing a route search from the departure point to the destination using a known Dijkstra method (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-86499) or the like. The departure place is the operation board 9 as in step S1.
Or GPS (Global Positio
ning System) signal to identify the departure point.

In step S3, the number of pulses or pulse period per unit time output from the vehicle speed sensor 2 is measured to detect the traveling speed of the vehicle, and the number of pulses is measured to detect the traveling distance of the vehicle. Next, a traveling locus of the vehicle is calculated based on the detected traveling distance of the vehicle and the traveling direction of the vehicle detected by the direction sensor 1, and the map matching is performed with the road map data stored in the map storage memory 3. Identify the current location of the vehicle. Instead of using the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 2 to specify the current position as described above, the current position may be specified by receiving a GPS signal.

In step S4, a viewpoint E and a line-of-sight direction EF for displaying a bird's-eye view are determined. Before the joystick 10 is operated, the current position on the road map is set as the tip F in the line of sight, and the position where the recommended route can be viewed the longest when the direction of the current position is looked down from the sky in the direction opposite to the destination based on the current position. Is the viewpoint E. In the present specification, a vector indicating the line-of-sight direction EF is referred to as a line-of-sight direction vector.

In step S5, a map range to be displayed on the display 8 is calculated. That is, the trapezoid ABC of FIG.
It calculates where D corresponds on the road map. In step S6, the road map data within the range calculated in step S5 is read from the map storage memory 3. Step S7
Then, the road map data read in step S6 is converted into bird's-eye view display data. That is, the trapezoid ABC of FIG.
The road map data within the range D is converted into image data for reduced display in the rectangle abcd in FIG. 9 showing the display display area. At this time, the recommended route obtained in step S2 is converted into image data of a different color so as to be distinguishable from normal road map data.
The vehicle mark data is synthesized at the position corresponding to the current position of the vehicle obtained in step 3.

In step S8, the image data created in step S7 is transferred to the V-RAM 7. This allows
The road map data in the trapezoid ABCD is converted to bird's-eye view display data and displayed on the display 8. Step S9
Then, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has moved a predetermined distance. As described above, this determination is made based on the output of the vehicle speed sensor 2 or by receiving a GPS signal. If the determination is affirmative, the process returns to step S4, where the same viewpoint E and line of sight as the bird's-eye view displayed immediately before the vehicle stops are selected.
If the determination in step S9 is negative, the process proceeds to step S10, where it is determined whether the joystick 10 has been operated. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step S9, and if the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step S11.

In step S11, the above-described (1) to (1)
Based on the equation (3), the operation amount (Δ
After calculating (X, ΔY, ΔZ), the scroll amount (Sx, Sy, Sz) is calculated based on the equations (4) to (6).
The coefficient k1 in the equations (4) to (6) is a positive constant value.

Sx = k1 · ΔX (4) Sy = k1 · ΔY (5) Sz = k1 · ΔZ (6) In the above equations (4) to (6), ΔX, Although ΔY and ΔZ are multiplied by a common coefficient k1, as shown in equations (7) to (9),
A different coefficient may be multiplied for each direction.

Sx = kx · ΔX (7) Sy = ky · ΔY (8) Sz = kz · ΔZ (9)

In step S12, the viewpoint E is shifted by the scroll amount obtained in step S11. For example, when the joystick 10 is operated by ΔX in the X-axis direction, FIG.
Point E obtained by moving the viewpoint E by Sx in the X-axis direction as shown in FIG.
Let x be the viewpoint position. In this case, the line-of-sight direction is a vector ExFx parallel to the line-of-sight vector EF . Similarly, when the joystick 10 is operated by ΔY and ΔZ in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction, the viewpoint E is changed to Ey,
Move Ez. When the process in step S12 is completed, the process returns to step S5 to rewrite the bird's-eye view display.

As described above, in the first embodiment, since the position of the viewpoint E is shifted according to the operation of the joystick 10, the viewpoint E can be arbitrarily changed, and a road map in an arbitrary range is displayed on the display 8. Can be displayed. In addition, since the line of sight is moved in parallel in response to the operation of the joystick 10, the map area displayed on the display 8 can be made common regardless of where the viewpoint E is set, and the distance relationship can be easily grasped. Further, since the viewpoint E is moved in the direction in which the joystick 10 is operated, it is easy to match the intuition of the operator, and the display can be performed according to the intention of the operator.

Second Embodiment In a second embodiment described below, the position of the line-of-sight vector tip F of the line-of-sight vector EF is changed according to the movement of the joystick 10. This second embodiment is:
Since it has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and the processing of the CPU 4 is common except for step S12 of FIG. 4, only the processing of step S12 will be described below with reference to FIG. When the scroll amount Sx in the X-axis direction is instructed by the joystick 10, the point Fx obtained by moving the tip point F by Sx in the X-axis direction as shown in FIG. Similarly, when the joystick 10 is moved by .DELTA.Y and .DELTA.Z in the Y direction and the Z direction, the visual line vector tip F is moved to Fy and Fz, respectively.

As described above, the second embodiment changes the line-of-sight direction in accordance with the operation of the joystick 10 while keeping the viewpoint point common, which is convenient when, for example, it is desired to check a road map around the current location of the vehicle. Good. Further, since the operation direction of the joystick 10 and the movement direction of the line-of-sight vector tip are matched, the display can match the intuition of the operator and can be displayed according to the intention of the operator.

Third Embodiment A joystick 10 according to a third embodiment described below is described below.
The viewpoint E is rotated according to the operation, and a mode switching means is provided. When the mode is switched, the line-of-sight vector tip F is moved or rotated according to the operation of the joystick 10. Since the third embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment, and the processing of the CPU 4 is common except for step S12 in FIG. 3, only the processing in step S12 will be described below with reference to FIG. I do. In FIG. 6, for simplification, the X-axis direction component of the line-of-sight vector EF is zero, and the Y-axis direction component of the line-of-sight vector EF is R.
And In the third embodiment, in response to the operation of the joystick 10, as shown in FIG.
The viewpoint E is rotated along the outer periphery (dotted line portion in the drawing) of a circle C having a radius R parallel to Y. Specifically, when the joystick 10 is operated by ΔX in the positive direction of the X axis, the viewpoint E is changed to a circle C.
Along the negative direction of the X-axis, k2 · ΔX (k2> 0)
Just rotate. Then, a line segment connecting the rotated viewpoint E ′ and the point F is set as a new line-of-sight vector E′Y .

As described above, in the third embodiment, since the viewpoint E is rotated in the direction opposite to the direction in which the joystick 10 is operated, the line of sight always coincides with the direction in which the joystick 10 is operated.

On the other hand, when the joystick 10 is operated in the Z-axis direction, the viewpoint E is moved on an extension of the line-of-sight vector EF . For example, when the joystick 10 is operated in the negative direction of the Z axis, that is, when the joystick 10 is pushed in the direction of the display panel 12, the viewpoint E is moved to a position close to the point F, for example, as shown in FIG.
Move to point A in (b). Therefore, the stronger the joystick 10 is pressed, the larger the road map is displayed. Conversely, when the joystick 10 is pulled in the positive direction of the Z axis,
The viewpoint E is moved to a position far from the point F. Therefore,
The harder the joystick 10 is pulled, the smaller the road map is displayed.

When the joystick 10 is pulled in the positive direction of the Z axis to a certain extent or more, the viewpoint E is changed to the positive direction of the Z axis.
For example, it is moved to a point B in FIG. As a result, a display as if looking down on the road map from a direction almost directly above, that is, a display close to a normal road map is performed.

FIG. 6C is a diagram showing how the range of the road map displayed on the display 8 is changed by operating the joystick 10 in the Z-axis direction.
When placed on A, E, and B in (b), the respective map ranges become A1, E1, and B1 shown in FIG. 6C.

As described above, in the third embodiment, the scale of the bird's-eye view is arbitrarily changed by operating the joystick 10 in the Z-axis direction. From the road map.

On the other hand, when the joystick 10 is operated in the -Y direction or the + Y direction and then operated in the X direction, the visual line tip F is moved according to the operation amount instead of moving the viewpoint E. That is, mode switching is instructed by operating the joystick 10 in the Y-axis direction, and the scrolling method when the joystick 10 is operated in the X-axis direction changes. For example, when the joystick 10 is operated by .DELTA.X in the X-axis direction, as shown in FIG. 6D, the line-of-sight vector tip F is moved by k3.DELTA.X in parallel with the X-axis. Thereby, it is possible to change only the position of the line-of-sight vector tip F while sharing the position of the viewpoint E. In addition, instead of moving the position of the line-of-sight vector tip F,
As shown in FIG. 6E, the line-of-sight vector tip F may be rotated according to the operation of the joystick 10.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the rotation of the viewpoint E, the movement of the viewpoint E on the line-of-sight vector, and the movement of the line-of-sight vector tip F can be performed by operating the joystick 10. In comparison with the second embodiment and the second embodiment, more flexible scrolling can be performed. Further, since the viewpoint E can be rotated only by operating the joystick 10 in the X-axis direction, for example, X
Even if an inexpensive joystick that can be operated only in the axial direction can be used, the viewpoint E can be rotated, and the cost can be reduced. Further, since the mode can be switched by a specific operation of the joystick 10, for example, an operation in the Y-axis direction, a switch for mode switching is not required, and the cost can be reduced.

Fourth Embodiment In a fourth embodiment, the joystick is scrolled according to the twisted size (hereinafter referred to as the amount of twist). Joystick 10A of the fourth embodiment
Has the same shape as the joystick 10 of the first to third embodiments, but can be twisted around the Z-axis of the joystick 10A as shown in FIG. By twisting the joystick 10A like this,
The amount of twist is detected by the CPU 4. The amount of torsion is detected by, for example, providing a pulse generating member for generating a pulse every time a fixed amount of twist is provided at the lower end of the joystick 10A, and measuring the number of pulses. Since the fourth embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment, and the processing of the CPU 4 is common except for step S12 in FIG. 4, only the processing of step S12 will be described below. In the fourth embodiment, when the joystick 10A is operated in a predetermined direction, the position of the viewpoint E is moved according to the operation amount, as in the first embodiment. Meanwhile, joystick 1
If 0A is twisted, and the amount of twist is Δθ,
The eye vector F is rotated by k4 · Δθ (rad).

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, when a normal operation other than twisting the joystick 10A is performed, the position of the viewpoint E is moved, and when the joystick 10A is twisted, the line-of-sight vector tip F is rotated. As a result, both the viewpoint E and the line-of-sight vector tip F can be moved, and flexible scrolling becomes possible.

In the fourth embodiment, an example has been described in which the line-of-sight vector tip F is rotated according to the amount of twist of the joystick 10A. However, the viewpoint E may be rotated according to the amount of twist. Further, when an operation other than twisting the joystick 10A is performed, the same scroll as in the second embodiment or the third embodiment may be performed. In each of the above embodiments, an example is described in which the joystick 10A that can be operated at an arbitrary angle is used, but a joystick that can be operated only in a fixed direction, for example, eight directions may be used. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the scroll direction may be instructed by combining a plurality of switch groups 15 for instructing the scroll direction and a switch 16 for instructing the change of the map scale. In each of the above embodiments, not only the operation direction of the joystick 10 but also the operation amount is detected to determine the scroll amount. However, the joystick 10 does not detect the operation amount but indicates only the operation direction, and the scroll amount is determined. May always be constant. Further, the scrolling of the first to fourth embodiments may be selectively performed by a specific operation of the mode switch or the joystick.

In the embodiment constructed as above, the map storage memory 3 is displayed on the road map storage means, the processing of steps S4 to S7 in FIG. 4 is displayed on the bird's-eye view creating means, and the processing of step S8 in FIG. The joystick 10 corresponds to the operation member, the processing in step S11 in FIG. 4 corresponds to the operation detection unit, and the CPU 4 corresponds to the mode switching determination unit, the operation amount determination unit, and the traveling start determination unit.

[0039]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the position of the bird's-eye view point is changed according to the operation direction and the operation amount of the operation member operable in a plurality of directions, and the direction of looking down from the viewpoint is changed. By moving in parallel to create bird's-eye views of different ranges on the road map, an arbitrary range of the road map can be displayed on the display. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the direction of looking down from the viewpoint is changed without changing the position of the viewpoint in the bird's-eye view according to the operation direction and the operation amount of the operation member that can be operated in a plurality of directions. Since a bird's eye view of the range is created, a road map of an arbitrary range can be displayed on the display. According to the invention described in claim 3, different ranges on the road map according to the operation directions and the operation amounts of the two axes of the operation member operable in the direction including the two axes and the direction of the axis orthogonal to the two axes. Of the bird's-eye view according to the operation direction and the operation amount of the axis orthogonal to the two axes, a road map in an arbitrary range can be displayed on the display in an arbitrary size. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the viewpoint of the bird's-eye view is rotated about the current position in accordance with the amount of operation of the operation member operable in a plurality of directions in the predetermined direction. Can be displayed at the same scale. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the scroll (change of the display range) method when the operation member is operated in the predetermined direction is changed by operating the operation member in a direction different from the predetermined direction. The scroll method can be changed without providing a changeover switch or the like. Claim 6
According to the invention described in (1), since the position of the viewpoint is changed without changing the direction of looking down on the road map by operating the operation member in the predetermined direction, the scale of the road map on the display can be arbitrarily changed. . Further, when the operation member is operated in the predetermined direction by a predetermined amount or more, the viewpoint is moved in the same direction as the operation direction of the operation member, so that scroll display matching the intuition of the operator is possible. According to the invention described in claim 7, the position of the viewpoint in the bird's-eye view is rotated about the current position by rotating the operation member about the predetermined direction as the central axis. The road map can be displayed at the same scale. According to the invention as set forth in claim 8, the direction of looking down from the viewpoint is changed without changing the position of the viewpoint in the bird's-eye view by rotating the operation member about the predetermined direction as the central axis. A road map in any direction can be displayed. According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle starts running, the bird's-eye view before operating the operation member is displayed on the display, so that the burden on the operator is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a vehicle route guidance device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a display panel.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating operation of a joystick.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a CPU.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing movement of a viewpoint according to the first embodiment;
(B) is a diagram showing the movement of the line-of-sight vector tip of the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing movement of a viewpoint and a line of sight in a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a display panel without a joystick.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display screen of a conventional vehicle route guidance device.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a bird's-eye view display method.

FIG. 10A is a diagram in which a road map is displayed as a bird's-eye view,
(B) is a diagram showing a conventional road map display.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example in which a U-turn route is part of a recommended route.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a part of a recommended route is not displayed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 direction sensor 2 vehicle speed sensor 3 map storage memory 4 CPU 5 ROM 6 RAM 7 V-RAM 8 display 9 operation board 10 joystick 14 I / F circuit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yoshitsugu Yagi 2 Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., 2 Takaracho, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture (56) References JP-A-2-244188 (JP, A) JP-A-Hei 5-241502 (JP, A) JP-A-61-62177 (JP, A) JP-A-3-74778 (JP, A) JP-A-62-37357 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl ^7, DB name) G01C 21/00 -. 21/36 G08G 1/0969 G09B 29/00 - 29/10 G06T 1/00

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. Road map storage means for storing road map data relating to a road map; and a viewpoint placed in a sky above a direction opposite to a destination on the basis of a current position on the road map; And a display control means for displaying the created bird's-eye view on a display, wherein the route guidance apparatus is operable in a plurality of directions including two axes orthogonal to each other. An operation member, and operation detection means for detecting an operation direction and an operation amount of the operation member, wherein the bird's-eye view creating means changes the position of the viewpoint according to the detected operation direction and operation amount, and A route guidance device for a vehicle, wherein a bird's-eye view of a different range on the road map is created by moving a direction looking down from a viewpoint in parallel. 2. Road map storage means for storing road map data relating to a road map; and a viewpoint placed in the sky in a direction opposite to a destination on the basis of a current position on the road map; And a display control means for displaying the created bird's-eye view on a display, wherein the route guidance apparatus is operable in a plurality of directions including two axes orthogonal to each other. An operation member, and operation detection means for detecting an operation direction and an operation amount of the operation member, wherein the bird's-eye view creating means does not change the position of the viewpoint according to the detected operation direction and operation amount. A route guidance device for a vehicle, wherein a direction of looking down from a viewpoint is changed to create the bird's-eye view in a different range on the road map. 3. A road map storage means for storing road map data relating to a road map; and a viewpoint placed in a sky above a direction opposite to a destination based on a current position on the road map, and a predetermined direction of the road map from the viewpoint. A bird's-eye view creating means for creating a bird's-eye view looking down on the vehicle, and a display control means for displaying the created bird's-eye view on a display, comprising: a direction including two axes orthogonal to each other; An operation member operable in a direction of an orthogonal axis; and operation detection means for detecting an operation direction and an operation amount of the operation member, wherein the bird's-eye view creating means includes the detected operation direction and operation of the two axes. The bird's-eye view of a different range on the road map is created according to the amount, and the enlargement with respect to the bird's-eye view is performed according to the operation direction and the operation amount of the axis orthogonal to the two axes. / Vehicle route guidance device characterized by performing the reduction. 4. A road map storage means for storing road map data relating to a road map; and a viewpoint placed in the sky in a direction opposite to a destination based on a current position on the road map, and a predetermined direction of the road map is determined from this viewpoint. And a display control means for displaying the created bird's-eye view on a display, wherein the route guidance apparatus is operable in a plurality of directions including two axes orthogonal to each other. An operation member, and operation detection means for detecting an operation direction and an operation amount of the operation member, wherein the bird's-eye view creating means is configured to perform the operation according to an operation amount in a predetermined direction among a plurality of directions operated by the operation member. A route guidance device for a vehicle, wherein the viewpoint is rotated around a current position to create the bird's-eye views in different ranges on the road map. 5. The mode switching device according to claim 4, wherein before the operation member is operated in the predetermined direction, it is determined whether or not the operation member has been operated in a direction different from the predetermined direction. The bird's-eye view creating means may further comprise a determining means, based on a determination result of the mode switching determining means, rotating the viewpoint around the current position according to an operation amount in the predetermined direction, or the road map. A route guidance device for a vehicle, which switches whether to change the position of the viewpoint without changing the direction in which the vehicle looks down. 6. A road map storage means for storing road map data relating to a road map, a viewpoint placed in a direction opposite to a destination on the basis of a current position on the road map, and a predetermined direction of the road map from the viewpoint. And a display control means for displaying the created bird's-eye view on a display, wherein the route guidance apparatus is operable in a plurality of directions including two axes orthogonal to each other. An operation member; an operation detection unit configured to detect an operation direction and an operation amount of the operation member; and an operation of determining whether an operation amount in a predetermined direction among a plurality of directions operated by the operation member exceeds a predetermined amount. The bird's-eye view creating means includes: (1) when the operation amount determining means does not determine that the predetermined amount has been exceeded, the bird's-eye view creating means includes: In accordance with the operation amount to the constant direction and moves the position of the viewpoint without changing the direction overlooking the road map,
(2) when the operation amount determination means determines that the predetermined amount has been exceeded, the viewpoint is moved in the predetermined direction according to the operation amount in a predetermined direction among the plurality of directions, whereby the road A route guidance device for a vehicle, wherein the bird's-eye views of different ranges on a map are created. 7. A road map storage means for storing road map data related to a road map, a viewpoint is set in a sky above a direction opposite to a destination based on a current position on the road map, and a predetermined direction of the road map is determined from the viewpoint. A bird's-eye view creating means for creating a bird's-eye view looking down on the vehicle, and a display control means for displaying the created bird's-eye view on a display, which is operable in a plurality of directions including two axes orthogonal to each other; An operation member rotatable about a predetermined direction as a central axis among the plurality of directions; and an operation detecting means for detecting an operation direction and an operation amount of the operation member, and the rotation operation direction and the rotation operation amount, The bird's-eye view creating means rotates the viewpoint around the current position according to the detected rotation operation direction and rotation operation amount, and Work direction and operation amount vehicular navigation system, characterized in that to create the bird's-eye view of different ranges on the said road map in accordance with the. 8. A road map storage means for storing road map data relating to a road map, a viewpoint is set in a sky above a direction opposite to a destination based on a current position on the road map, and a predetermined direction of the road map is determined from the viewpoint. A bird's-eye view creating means for creating a bird's-eye view looking down on the vehicle, and a display control means for displaying the created bird's-eye view on a display, which is operable in a plurality of directions including two axes orthogonal to each other; An operation member rotatable about a predetermined direction as a central axis among the plurality of directions; and an operation detecting means for detecting an operation direction and an operation amount of the operation member, and the rotation operation direction and the rotation operation amount, The bird's-eye view creating means changes the direction of looking down from the viewpoint without changing the position of the viewpoint according to the detected rotation operation direction and rotation operation amount. The detected operation direction and the operation amount vehicular navigation system, characterized in that to create the bird's-eye view of different ranges on the said road map in accordance with the. 9. A road map storage means for storing road map data relating to a road map, a viewpoint is set in a sky above a direction opposite to a destination based on a current position on the road map, and a predetermined direction of the road map is determined from the viewpoint. And a display control means for displaying the created bird's-eye view on a display, wherein the route guidance apparatus is operable in a plurality of directions including two axes orthogonal to each other. An operation member, an operation detection unit that detects an operation direction and an operation amount of the operation member, and a travel start determination unit that determines whether the vehicle has started traveling. The bird's-eye view of the different range on the road map is created according to the operation direction and the operation amount, and the display control unit controls the vehicle by the travel start determination unit. When it is determined that the vehicle has started traveling, a bird's-eye view displayed immediately before the operation member is operated is displayed on the display.