JP4957662B2 - Navigation device, intersection guide method thereof, and intersection guide program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus having a route guidance function for guiding a moving body to a destination, an intersection guidance method thereof, and an intersection guidance program. More specifically, at the time of route guidance, a guidance display at an intersection is displayed in advance. The present invention relates to a display technology for guiding arrows. In the present specification, the intersection includes a branch point.

  Conventionally, a navigation apparatus having a route guidance function for guiding a moving body to a destination is known, and is used, for example, in an automobile. In such a navigation device, when a user (driver) designates a destination, a guidance route that is a route to the destination is determined. The guidance route is displayed in a different color, for example, so that it can be distinguished from other roads on a map displayed on a display screen provided in the navigation device.

  Further, the navigation device is provided with means for detecting the current position of a car or the like (for example, GPS (Global Positioning System)), and the current position is shown on the map displayed on the display screen so that the current position can be seen. Information about the position is shown. Therefore, the driver can arrive at the destination by moving along the guidance route while viewing the display screen of the navigation device.

  In such a navigation device, conventionally, during the route guidance, an intersection other than the map showing the guidance route can be determined quickly (safely) in which direction to proceed at the next passing intersection. Some guidance arrows for notifying the direction of guidance are displayed in large size. This guide arrow will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows an example of a display screen in a state where route guidance is performed in a conventional navigation device.

  In the display screen of FIG. 6, the vehicle is traveling on the road 101. In addition, the guidance route 110 is shown as being distinguished from other roads by being a thick line. Further, the current position of the vehicle is indicated by a current position mark 111 in which a substantially triangular figure is surrounded by a broken-line circle.

  When the vehicle arrives within a predetermined distance from the intersection P during route guidance in the navigation device, a guidance arrow indicating the guidance direction is displayed on the upper left of the display screen, for example. In FIG. 6, among the four roads 102, 103, 104, and 105 that can proceed from the intersection P, the guide route is the road 104 that is diagonally forward right, so the diagonally forward right as shown in FIG. A guide arrow 106 is displayed.

  However, as shown in FIG. 6, in the case of a configuration in which only a guide arrow indicating the direction of travel is displayed, if the shape of the intersection is complicated (for example, the road 105 is inclined as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 6). ), The driver may be confused about the direction of travel even if he sees the guidance arrow. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 7, it has been conventionally performed to display a guide arrow 107 indicating other roads on an arrow indicating a traveling direction.

  Conventionally, a plurality of guide arrows are prepared in accordance with the shape of the intersection, and there is a problem that the amount of data stored in the navigation device increases. In particular, when the guide arrow 107 as shown in FIG. 7 is to be displayed, there is a problem that the amount of data becomes very large.

  In this regard, as shown in Patent Document 1, when the crossing road and the rotation guide arrow generated on the crossing road are displayed at the same time, the number of guide arrows prepared in advance is reduced, and the data amount of the arrow is reduced. However, in the case of this configuration, a process of rotating the guide arrow in accordance with the intersection is required, and the process performed in the navigation device becomes complicated.

In addition, as shown in Patent Document 1, when a crossing road is faithfully reproduced and a guide arrow is shown thereon, if the intersection is complicated, it takes a long time to check which direction to proceed. Become. For this reason, the time when it cannot concentrate on driving | operating becomes long and the risk of causing an accident increases. That is, there is anxiety in terms of safety.
JP 2004-138616 A

  In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide a navigation device that displays a guide arrow that can be easily understood by a user while suppressing an increase in the amount of data. Another object of the present invention is to provide an intersection guide method and an intersection guide program for a navigation apparatus that displays a guide arrow that can be easily understood by a user and performs intersection guidance.

  In order to achieve the above object, a navigation device of the present invention is a navigation device that displays a guidance direction at an intersection with a guidance arrow during route guidance for guiding a mobile body to a destination, and presents the current state of the mobile body. Current position acquisition means for acquiring a position; display means for displaying the guidance arrow; storage means for storing a plurality of preset orientations as basic orientations and storing data relating to the arrows indicating the basic orientations; and the current location acquisition An intersection shape grasping means for grasping an intersection shape based on current position information acquired by the means, and an arrow necessary for reproducing a shape close to the intersection shape grasped by the intersection shape grasping means The arrow selecting means for selecting from the arrows indicating the direction and the guide arrow are combined with the arrow selected by the arrow selecting means. To appear together, is characterized by and a display unit control means for controlling said display means.

  In the navigation device of this configuration, only the data related to the arrow indicating the basic direction is prepared, so that a guide arrow for notifying the guidance direction at the intersection can be displayed. Therefore, the amount of data stored in advance in the navigation device can be reduced. In addition, since the guide arrow is formed by combining only the basic directions, the driver can quickly identify (understand) the guidance direction even if the intersection shape is complicated.

  In the navigation device having the above-described configuration, the guide arrow displayed by the display unit may be displayed such that the arrow indicating the guidance direction has a different color from the arrow in the other direction. As a result, the driver can easily identify the guidance direction.

  In the navigation device configured as described above, the basic orientation may be eight orientations.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an intersection guidance method for a navigation apparatus, the step of determining whether or not the current position of a mobile body is within a predetermined distance from an intersection that is scheduled to pass next. And, when the current position is within the predetermined distance, a step of grasping the shape of the intersection, and an arrow necessary for reproducing a shape close to the grasped shape of the intersection as a basic direction A step of selecting from among arrows indicating each of a plurality of preset orientations, and a step of combining the selected arrows and displaying the guidance direction at the intersection as a guide arrow for displaying a warning. Yes.

  In the intersection guidance method of the navigation device of this configuration, a guide arrow is formed by combining only basic directions. For this reason, even when the shape of the intersection is complicated, it is possible to guide the intersection by showing a guide arrow that makes it easy for the driver to identify (understand) the guidance direction. Therefore, according to the intersection guide method of this configuration, it is advantageous in terms of safety.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an intersection guidance program executed in a navigation device including a computer, wherein the current position of the mobile object is within a predetermined distance from the next scheduled intersection. Means for determining whether the current position is within the predetermined distance, means for recognizing the shape of the intersection, and necessary to reproduce a shape close to the shape of the grasped intersection Function as means for selecting from among the arrows pointing to each of a plurality of orientations set in advance as basic directions, and means for displaying the guidance direction at the intersection in advance by combining the selected arrows. It is characterized by letting.

  The present invention is also characterized in that the recording medium stores an intersection guide program executed in the navigation device having the above-described configuration.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the navigation apparatus which displays the guidance arrow which a user can understand easily can be provided, suppressing the increase in data amount. In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an intersection guide method and an intersection guide program of a navigation apparatus that displays a guide arrow that can be easily understood by a user and performs intersection guidance.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a navigation device, an intersection guide method of the navigation device, and an intersection guide program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Navigation device)
First, the configuration of the navigation device of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the navigation device of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment includes a GPS receiver 11, a self-supporting positioning device 12, a system controller 13, a data storage unit 14, an input device 15, a display unit 16, and a voice. An output unit 17 and a bus line 18 are provided.

  The bus line 18 is provided to connect the system controller 13, the data storage unit 14, the input device 15, the display unit 16, and the audio output unit 17 that constitute the navigation device 1.

  The GPS receiver 11 receives radio waves transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites. By calculating the radio wave received by the GPS receiver 11, the position (longitude, latitude) of the reception point can be obtained, and the absolute position of the vehicle (moving body) can be detected. The GPS receiver 11 functions as a current position acquisition unit that acquires the current position of the moving object.

  The autonomous positioning device 12 includes, for example, an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, a distance sensor, and the like. The acceleration sensor is made of, for example, a piezoelectric element, detects the acceleration of the vehicle, and outputs acceleration data. The angular velocity sensor is composed of, for example, a vibrating gyroscope, detects an angular velocity at the time of changing the direction of the vehicle, and outputs angular velocity data and relative azimuth data. The distance sensor measures a vehicle speed pulse composed of a pulse signal generated with the rotation of the vehicle wheel. Based on the information output from each sensor, a vehicle position and a vehicle direction are calculated. The autonomous positioning device 12 has a function as current position acquisition means for acquiring the current position of the moving body.

  The system controller 13 controls the navigation device 1 as a whole. The system controller 13 of this embodiment includes an interface 131, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 132, a ROM (Read On Memory) 133, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 134.

  The interface 131 is provided to mediate exchange of information between the GPS receiver 11 and the autonomous positioning device 12 and the system controller 13. As a result, information related to the current position of the vehicle is input to the system controller 13.

  The CPU 132 controls the entire system controller 13. In the present embodiment, the CPU 132 includes an intersection shape grasping unit 132a, an arrow selection unit 132b, and a display unit control unit 132c. That is, the CPU 132 functions as an intersection shape grasping means, an arrow selection means, and a display means control means. Note that details of the intersection shape grasping unit 132a, the arrow selection unit 132b, and the display unit control unit 132c will be described later.

  The ROM 133 is composed of, for example, a non-volatile memory, and stores a control program for controlling the system controller 13, data necessary for executing the control program, and the like. The programs and data stored in the ROM 133 include a program for executing the intersection guidance method of the present invention, data necessary for forming a guidance arrow to be displayed in advance during intersection guidance, and the like. Details of these will be described later. The ROM 133 functions as a storage unit that stores data (details will be described later) regarding an arrow indicating the basic direction.

  The RAM 134 is used as a work area for the CPU 132. Further, it is used as a storage area for various data. Specifically, for example, data such as preset guide route information is readable and stored.

  The data storage unit 14 is constituted by an HDD (Hard Disc Drive) or the like, for example. The data storage unit 14 stores various data used for navigation processing such as map data and facility data.

  The input device 15 includes keys, switches, buttons, a remote controller, a voice input device, and the like for inputting various commands and data. When the display 164 constituting the display unit 16 is a touch panel system, the touch panel provided on the display screen of the display 164 also functions as the input device 15.

  The display unit 16 includes a graphic controller 161, a buffer memory 162, a display control unit 163, and a display 164, and displays various display data on the display 164 under the control of the system controller 13. The graphic controller 161 controls the entire display unit 16 based on control data sent from the CPU 132 via the bus line 18. The buffer memory 162 includes a memory such as a VRAM (Video RAM), and temporarily stores image information that can be displayed immediately. The display control unit 163 performs display control of the display 164 based on the image data output from the graphic controller 161. The display 164 is made of, for example, a liquid crystal or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube).

  The data displayed on the display 164 of the display unit 16 includes, for example, a map read from the data storage unit 14, a distance to the destination, a guidance arrow for notifying the guidance direction of the intersection at the time of route guidance, and the like. The display unit 16 functions as a display means for displaying a guide arrow for notifying the guidance direction at the intersection.

  The audio output unit 17 performs digital / analog conversion (D / A conversion) of audio digital data sent from the system controller 13 or the like via the bus line 18 under the control of the system controller 13, for example. In addition, an audio analog signal obtained by D / A conversion is amplified and output to the vehicle as audio by a speaker. Examples of the voice output from the voice output unit 17 include a voice for performing route guidance.

(Intersection guide)
Next, intersection guidance in the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment will be described in detail. The navigation device 1 is configured such that when passing through an intersection during route guidance to a destination, the guidance direction at the intersection is displayed in advance by a guidance arrow before the intersection. This guide arrow is displayed largely on the display screen of the display 164 separately from the map displaying the guidance route. By performing the intersection guidance in this way, the driver can easily grasp the course at the intersection. And in the navigation apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the display of the guidance arrow is devised so that the driver can more easily understand the course at the intersection.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing arrows indicating each of a plurality of azimuths set in advance as basic azimuths in the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, in the navigation device 1, the basic orientation is 8 orientations. The ROM 133 stores data relating to the eight azimuth arrows. Here, examples of the data relating to the arrow include image data for displaying the arrow itself, coordinate data indicating which coordinate on the display screen of the display 164 should be displayed, and the like.

  Note that the eight orientations preset as basic orientations are, in detail, upward, downward, leftward, rightward, diagonally upward left, diagonally downward left, diagonally upward right, and diagonally downward right. There are 8 directions. In the present embodiment, the four arrows pointing in the oblique direction are oriented at an angle of 45 ° relative to the left-right direction.

  In the navigation apparatus 1 of this embodiment, it is the structure which forms a guide arrow using the arrow which points out these eight basic directions. 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the guide arrows formed in the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of the shape of an intersection, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the guide arrow formed based on the shape of the intersection shown to.

  Hereinafter, how the guide arrows are formed in the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment will be described by taking as an example the case where the road shape is the shape of FIG. 3A, it is assumed that the road 51 is an approach road, the roads 52, 53, 54, and 55 can be advanced, and the road 54 is a road that is guided by route guidance. To do.

  In the formation of the guide arrows in the navigation device 1, the intersection shape grasping unit 132a, the arrow selection unit 132b, and the display unit control unit 132c (all shown in FIG. 1) are involved.

  The intersection shape grasping unit 132a has a function of grasping an intersection shape based on current position information (information indicating where the current position is) acquired by the GPS receiver 11 and the self-supporting positioning device 12. Specifically, the intersection shape grasping unit 132a detects, from the map data, the next intersection that passes next from the current position information of the vehicle, and the approach road 51 of the intersection that passes based on the map data, and the roads 52 to 52 that can advance. 55.

  The arrow selection unit 132b has a shape close to the intersection shape grasped by the intersection shape grasping unit 132a from the arrows indicating the basic direction described above (what kind of arrow is stored in the ROM 133). It has a function of selecting an arrow necessary for reproduction. Specifically, first, based on the shape grasped by the intersection shape grasping unit 132a, the gradient angle between the approach road 51 and each of the roads 52 to 55 that can advance is calculated. As shown by the arrows in FIG. 3, the gradient angle is determined by the number of times the roads 52 to 55 that can be advanced with respect to the approach road 51 are rotated, for example, counterclockwise. For this reason, the gradient angle is an angle of 0 ° to 360 °. When the gradient angle is calculated, an arrow necessary for reproducing a shape close to the grasped intersection shape is selected from the arrows indicating the basic azimuth arrows based on the result.

  This arrow selection will be described in detail. In the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment, the guide arrow is configured to be displayed in a head-up display so that the driver can instantaneously determine the direction of guidance at the intersection. The head-up display is a display format in which the traveling direction is displayed directly above the display screen of the display 164. For this reason, as an arrow corresponding to the approach road 51, an arrow pointing upward is always selected from among arrows indicating the basic direction.

  On the other hand, since the roads that can be advanced vary depending on the intersection, it is necessary to determine which arrow should be selected from the arrows indicating the basic direction for each intersection. As described above, the approach direction is constant in creating the guide arrow. Considering this point, a gradient angle with respect to the approach direction is assigned in advance to the arrows indicating the eight directions predetermined as the basic directions. The gradient angle is stored in the ROM 133 as one of the data of arrows indicating the basic direction.

  Specifically, for example, an arrow pointing downwards has a gradient angle of 0 °, an arrow pointing diagonally downward to the right has a gradient angle of 45 °, an arrow pointing rightward has a gradient angle of 90 °, and an arrow pointing diagonally upward to the right The gradient angle is 135 °, the arrow pointing upward is the gradient angle 180 °, the arrow pointing diagonally to the left is the gradient angle 225 °, the arrow pointing left is the gradient angle 270 °, and the arrow pointing diagonally upward is the gradient angle 315 ° is assigned and stored in the ROM 133.

  If it does in this way, the arrow data for reproducing road 52-55 which can advance can be selected using the gradient angle data of each road computed based on the intersection shape. That is, if an arrow having a gradient angle closest to the gradient angle of each road calculated based on the intersection shape is sequentially selected, an arrow necessary for reproducing a shape close to the grasped intersection shape can be selected. .

  The case of FIG. 3A will be described. An arrow pointing leftward for the road 52, an arrow pointing upward for the road 53, an arrow pointing diagonally right upward for the road 54, and a right direction for the road 55 The arrows pointing to are respectively selected by the arrow selector 132b.

  In addition, when selecting the arrow data of the direction which can advance as mentioned above, the same arrow may be selected with respect to a different road of the roads which can advance. For this reason, when the same arrow is selected for different roads, the arrow may be given to the road having the closest gradient angle, and the next closest arrow may be given otherwise. However, if there are too few basic directions set in this way, the same arrow may have to be selected for different roads. In this case, it is necessary to increase the number of basic orientations set in advance.

  The display unit control unit 132c has a function of controlling the display unit 16 so that a guide arrow for displaying the guidance direction at the intersection in advance is displayed in combination with the arrow selected by the arrow selection unit 132b. Specifically, first, data related to the selected arrow is read, and this data is transmitted to the display unit 16 via the bus line 18. The data relating to the transmitted arrow includes image data of the selected arrow and data (coordinate data) indicating at which coordinate each arrow is displayed. In addition, the display unit control unit 132c transmits to the display unit 16 information (guide direction arrow information) indicating which arrow corresponds to the guide direction among the selected arrows.

  Here, the above-described coordinate data will be further described. Of the arrows indicating the basic azimuth, the position (coordinates) on the display screen of the display 164 where the selected arrow is displayed is determined in advance for each arrow. Therefore, the coordinates may be stored in association with each arrow. For this reason, in the navigation apparatus 1 of this embodiment, coordinate data is included in the data of the arrow indicating the basic direction. However, for the arrow pointing up, the displayed position differs depending on whether it is used to indicate an approaching road or when it is used to indicate an advancing road. It is necessary to store two types of coordinate data.

  Of the arrows pointing in the basic direction, it is conceivable that the arrow pointing downward is selected, for example, when it is necessary to make a U-turn. When a downward arrow is displayed, it is difficult to identify it if it is overlapped with the approach road. For this reason, when selecting a downward arrow, it is preferable to set the coordinates so as to be displayed at a slightly shifted position (for example, slightly shifted to the right) so as not to overlap with the approach road.

  The display unit 16 to which information (including control data) is transmitted by the display unit control unit 132c displays a guide arrow on the display 164 under the control of the graphic controller 161 based on the transmitted information. Specifically, the selected arrows are displayed on the display screen according to the transmitted image data and coordinate data. Further, according to the guide direction arrow information, an arrow indicating the guide direction is displayed on the display screen so as to be distinguishable from other arrows. As a result, a guide arrow 31 as shown in FIG. 3B is displayed on the display 164.

  In FIG. 3B, as a method for identifying an arrow indicating the guide direction from another arrow, the guide direction is indicated by a broken line and the other is indicated by a solid line. However, the method for distinguishing the arrow indicating the guide direction from the other arrows is not limited to this, and various changes can be made. For example, identification may be performed using a method such as another color, reverse display, or blinking. A different color is preferable because the driver can easily identify the display and data processing is easy.

  FIG. 4 shows a screen example of the display 164 in the state where the intersection guidance is performed in the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment. In the screen example of FIG. 4, the vehicle is traveling on the road 51. The guidance route 60 to the destination is indicated by a bold line. Further, the current position of the vehicle is indicated by a current position mark 61 in which a substantially triangular figure is surrounded by a broken-line circle.

  The guide arrow 31 is shown largely at the upper left of the screen, separately from the map showing the guide route 60. Of course, the display position of the guide arrow 31 can be changed as appropriate. The guide arrow 31 is a configuration showing the approach road 51 and the roads 52 to 55 that can be advanced, and the guidance direction is shown in an identifiable state. For this reason, the driver can easily determine the guidance direction by looking at the guide arrows. And the guide arrow 31 is shown only by the arrow which shows the azimuth | direction set as a basic azimuth | direction. For this reason, even when the shape of the intersection is complicated, a guide arrow having a shape that is easy to determine is displayed, and the driver can determine the guide direction by simply looking at the guide arrow 31 for a short time. In addition, the amount of data for displaying the guide arrow is small.

  Next, an intersection guidance method by the navigation device 1 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of intersection guidance processing in the navigation device 1 of the present embodiment. The intersection guidance process is realized by the system controller 13 of the navigation device 1, particularly the CPU 132, executing a program prepared in advance. This process is repeatedly executed in a state where a guide route to the destination has already been set and the vehicle is traveling along the guide route.

  First, the CPU 132 determines whether or not the current position of the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from the next intersection scheduled to pass (step S1). The CPU 132 acquires the current position based on information obtained from the GPS receiver 11 and the autonomous positioning device 12. And based on the map data memorize | stored in the data storage unit 14, the distance to the intersection which will be passed next is calculated, and it is judged whether the present position is within a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is a distance set so that the guide arrow 31 can be prepared up to a point (a certain point before the intersection) where the guide arrow 31 is displayed on the display 164.

  The determination in step S1 is performed until the current position of the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from the next scheduled intersection. Then, when the current position of the vehicle is within a predetermined distance, the CPU 132 grasps the shape of the intersection scheduled to pass (step S2). The details of this process are performed by the intersection shape grasping unit 132a described above, and the approach road and the road that can be advanced at the intersection are grasped based on the map data.

  When the shape of the intersection scheduled to pass is grasped, the CPU 132 selects an arrow necessary for reproducing a shape close to the intersection shape from the arrows indicating the basic direction (step S3). The details of this process are performed by the arrow selector 132b described above. In this embodiment, the gradient angle of each road that can be advanced is calculated based on the approach road, and based on this, it is determined which arrow should be selected from the arrows indicating the basic direction. The

  When an arrow necessary for reproducing a shape close to the intersection shape is selected from the arrows indicating the basic direction, the CPU 132 displays the guide arrow 31 on the display unit 16 by combining the selected arrows. Thus, a command is issued to the display unit 16 (step S4). The details of this process are performed by the display unit control unit 132c described above. The display unit control unit 132c transmits information regarding the selected arrow and information indicating which arrow corresponds to the guidance direction to the display unit 16, and controls the display unit 16.

  The display unit 16 that has received the data related to the guide arrow 31 performs various processes under the control of the graphic controller 161 and displays the guide arrow 31 (step S5). The displayed guide arrow 31 indicates all approach roads and roads that can be advanced, and the guidance direction can be identified. And it is the structure which forms a guide arrow combining only a basic azimuth | direction. For this reason, it is easier to identify the guide direction instantaneously than a guide arrow formed by faithfully reproducing the intersection shape (for example, a guide arrow as in Patent Document 1). This effect is significant at complex intersections.

  In the present embodiment, for example, the guide arrow 31 is set to be displayed when a point of 300 meters (this distance can be changed as appropriate) is reached before an intersection scheduled to pass.

  The embodiment described above is an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the object of the present invention.

  For example, in this embodiment, the basic direction is set to 8 directions. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the method of setting the basic orientation may be changed as appropriate. However, if the number is too large, the amount of data related to the arrow increases. In addition, when a guide arrow is formed with a combination of basic directions, it is difficult to instantly identify the guidance direction. For this reason, it is preferable to determine the basic orientation so that accurate guidance can be performed with as few orientations as possible.

  In the present embodiment, the current position information is acquired using the GPS receiver 11 and the self-supporting positioning device 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the current position information may be acquired using only a GPS receiver.

  In addition, the configuration of the navigation device of the present embodiment is merely an example. For this reason, the components may be increased or decreased as appropriate without departing from the object of the present invention. For example, the navigation apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment may be provided with a disk drive so that an optical disk such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or a CD (Compact Disc) can be read. Further, a communication device may be provided so that road traffic information such as traffic congestion and traffic information can be received by communication.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a guide arrow that allows the driver to easily identify the guide direction. In addition, the amount of data required in advance to display the guidance arrow can be reduced. For this reason, this invention can be used conveniently with respect to a navigation apparatus.

These are block diagrams which show the structure of the navigation apparatus of this embodiment. These are the figures which showed the arrow which points to each of several azimuth | direction set beforehand as a basic azimuth | direction in the navigation apparatus of this embodiment. These are the figures for demonstrating the guidance arrow formed in the navigation apparatus of this embodiment. These show the example of the screen of the display in the state in which the intersection guidance is implemented in the navigation apparatus of this embodiment. These are the flowcharts which show the procedure of the intersection guidance process in the navigation apparatus of this embodiment. These show the example of a display screen in the state in which route guidance is carried out in the conventional navigation device. These are the figures which showed the form different from the case of FIG. 6 about the conventional guidance arrow.

Explanation of symbols

1 Navigation device 11 GPS receiver (current position acquisition means)
12 Independent positioning device (current position acquisition means)
13 System controller 16 Display unit (display means)
132 CPU (intersection shape acquisition means, arrow selection means, display means control means)
132a Intersection shape grasping part 132b Arrow selection part 132c Display unit control part 133 ROM (storage means)

Claims (6)

A navigation device for displaying a guidance direction at an intersection with a guidance arrow during route guidance for guiding a moving body to a destination,
Current position acquisition means for acquiring a current position of the moving body;
Display means for displaying the guide arrow;
A storage means for storing a plurality of preset orientations as basic orientations and storing data relating to arrows pointing to the basic orientations;
An intersection shape grasping means for grasping an intersection shape based on the current position information acquired by the current position acquisition means;
An arrow selecting means for selecting an arrow necessary for reproducing a shape close to the intersection shape grasped by the intersection shape grasping means from arrows indicating the basic direction;
Display means control means for controlling the display means so that the guide arrow is displayed in combination with the arrow selected by the arrow selection means;
A navigation device comprising:   The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide arrow displayed by the display means is displayed such that an arrow indicating the guidance direction has a different color from an arrow in another direction.   The navigation apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the basic azimuth is eight azimuths. An intersection guidance method for a navigation device,
Determining whether the current position of the mobile body is within a predetermined distance from the next intersection to be passed;
Grasping the shape of the intersection when the current position is within the predetermined distance;
Selecting an arrow necessary to reproduce a shape close to the shape of the grasped intersection from among arrows indicating a plurality of orientations set in advance as basic orientations;
Combining the selected arrows and displaying the guidance direction at the intersection as a guidance arrow for displaying a warning;
An intersection guidance method comprising: An intersection guidance program executed in a navigation device including a computer, wherein the computer determines whether the current position of a moving object is within a predetermined distance from an intersection scheduled to pass next,
Means for grasping the shape of the intersection when the current position is within the predetermined distance;
Means for selecting an arrow necessary to reproduce a shape close to the shape of the grasped intersection from among arrows indicating a plurality of orientations set in advance as basic orientations;
An intersection guidance program which functions as a means for displaying the guidance direction at the intersection as a guide arrow for displaying a warning by combining the selected arrows.   6. A recording medium on which the intersection guide program according to claim 5 is recorded.

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