JP7828180B2 - Information display device, information display method, program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to technology that can be used in vehicle route guidance.

In vehicle route guidance, technology is known for displaying guidance information related to guidance points, such as intersections, set on the route to the vehicle's destination.

Specifically, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a navigation device displays an enlarged intersection map while changing the scale depending on the size of the intersection to be guided.

Patent No. 3771044

However, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the problem that, for example, when an enlarged intersection map is displayed, it may become difficult for the user to check information displayed on the same screen as the enlarged intersection map.

In other words, with the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, when guidance information related to a guide point set on the route to the vehicle's destination is displayed, it can become difficult to check other information displayed on the same screen as the guidance information, which presents an issue corresponding to the problem described above.

The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main objective is to provide an information display device that makes it easy to check other information displayed on the same screen as guidance information, even when the information is related to a guide point set on the route to the vehicle's destination.

The invention described in the claims is an information display device comprising: a route acquisition unit that acquires a route to a destination of a vehicle; a display control unit that starts displaying a guide map corresponding to a local map of an area surrounding a guide point on the route before the vehicle passes the guide point, and stops displaying the guide map after the vehicle has passed the guide point; and a display switching unit that, when a display switching instruction is given to switch the display size of the guide map, switches the display size of the guide map to one of a first display size and a second display size smaller than the first display size , and maintains the display size of the guide map at the one display size until the display switching instruction is given again. The display switching unit detects that the display switching instruction to switch the display size of the guide map from the first display size to the second display size has been given when a tap operation is performed on a predetermined button included in a first screen on which the guide map of the first display size is displayed, and detects that the display switching instruction to switch the display size of the guide map from the second display size to the first display size has been given when a tap operation is performed on a display area of the guide map on a second screen on which the guide map of the second display size is displayed.

The invention described in the claims is an information display method executed by an information display device , which acquires a route to a destination of a vehicle, starts displaying a guide map corresponding to a local map of an area surrounding a guide point on the route before the vehicle passes the guide point, and stops displaying the guide map after the vehicle passes the guide point, and when a display switch instruction is given to switch the display size of the guide map, switches the display size of the guide map to one of a first display size and a second display size smaller than the first display size, and maintains the display size of the guide map at the one display size until the display switch instruction is given again, detects that the display switch instruction to switch the display size of the guide map from the first display size to the second display size has been given when a tap operation is performed on a predetermined button included in a first screen on which the guide map of the first display size is displayed, and detects that the display switch instruction to switch the display size of the guide map from the second display size to the first display size has been given when a tap operation is performed on a display area of the guide map on a second screen on which the guide map of the second display size is displayed.

The claimed invention is also a program executed by an information display device having a computer, the program including: a route acquisition unit that acquires a route to a destination of a vehicle; a display control unit that starts displaying a guide map corresponding to a local map of an area around a guide point on the route before the vehicle passes the guide point, and stops displaying the guide map after the vehicle has passed the guide point; and a display control unit that, when a display switching instruction is given to switch the display size of the guide map , switches the display size of the guide map to one of a first display size and a second display size smaller than the first display size, and continues displaying the same size until the display switching instruction is given again. The computer is made to function as a display switching unit that maintains the display size of the guide map at the one display size , and the display switching unit detects that the display switching instruction has been given to switch the display size of the guide map from the first display size to the second display size when a tap operation is performed on a predetermined button included in a first screen on which the guide map at the first display size is displayed, and detects that the display switching instruction has been given to switch the display size of the guide map from the second display size to the first display size when a tap operation is performed on a display area of the guide map on a second screen on which the guide map at the second display size is displayed.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a terminal device according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to the embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed in a terminal device according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system according to a first modified example. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a server device in a system according to a first modification. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to Modification 2. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to Modification 2. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to Modification 3. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to Modification 4.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, an information display device includes a route acquisition unit that acquires a route to a vehicle's destination; a display control unit that starts displaying guidance information related to a guidance point on the route before the vehicle passes the guidance point and stops displaying the guidance information after the vehicle passes the guidance point; and a display switching unit that, when a display switching instruction is given to switch the display mode of the guidance information, switches the display mode of the guidance information to at least one of a first display mode and a second display mode, and maintains the display mode of the guidance information in the one display mode until the display switching instruction is given again.

The information display device includes a route acquisition unit, a display control unit, and a display switching unit. The route acquisition unit acquires a route to the vehicle's destination. The display control unit starts displaying guidance information related to a guidance point on the route before the vehicle passes the guidance point, and stops displaying the guidance information after the vehicle passes the guidance point. When a display switching instruction is given to switch the display mode of the guidance information, the display switching unit switches the display mode of the guidance information to at least one of a first display mode and a second display mode, and maintains the display mode of the guidance information in the one display mode until the display switching instruction is given again. This makes it easier to check other information displayed on the same screen as the guidance information, even when guidance information related to a guidance point set on the route to the vehicle's destination is displayed.

In one aspect of the information display device described above, the display control unit stops displaying first guidance information related to a first guidance point on the route, and then starts displaying second guidance information related to a second guidance point that is the next guidance point on the route after the first guidance point, and the display switching unit, when display of the second guidance information starts, sets the display mode of the second guidance information to the same display mode as the display mode corresponding to the last display switching instruction issued during the period from when display of the first guidance information started to when it stopped.

In one aspect of the above information display device, the guidance information is a guide map corresponding to a local map of the area surrounding the guidance point.

In one aspect of the information display device described above, when the display switching instruction is given, the display switching unit switches the display size of the guide map to one of a first display size and a second display size smaller than the first display size, and maintains the display size of the guide map at the first display size until the display switching instruction is given again.

In one aspect of the information display device described above, the display control unit further displays a wide-area map that includes the guidance point and shows an area that is larger than the target area of the guidance map.

In one aspect of the information display device described above, the display control unit displays the wide-area map at a third display size when the guide map is displayed at the first display size, and displays the wide-area map at a fourth display size larger than the third display size when the guide map is displayed at the second display size.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an information display method acquires a route to a destination for a vehicle, starts displaying guidance information related to a guidance point on the route before the vehicle passes the guidance point, and stops displaying the guidance information after the vehicle passes the guidance point. When a display switching instruction is given to switch the display mode of the guidance information, the display mode of the guidance information is switched to at least one of a first display mode and a second display mode, and maintains the display mode of the guidance information in the one display mode until the display switching instruction is given again. This makes it easier to check other information displayed on the same screen as the guidance information, even when guidance information related to a guidance point set on the route to the vehicle's destination is displayed.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a program executed by an information display device equipped with a computer causes the computer to function as a route acquisition unit that acquires a route to a vehicle's destination, a display control unit that starts displaying guidance information related to a guidance point on the route before the vehicle passes the guidance point and stops displaying the guidance information after the vehicle passes the guidance point, and a display switching unit that, when a display switching instruction is given to switch the display mode of the guidance information, switches the display mode of the guidance information to at least one of a first display mode and a second display mode, and maintains the display mode of the guidance information in the one display mode until the display switching instruction is given again. By executing this program on a computer, the above-mentioned information display device can be realized. This program can be stored in a storage medium and used.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[Overall configuration]
1 is a front view of a terminal device according to an embodiment. The terminal device 100 is a portable terminal that can be carried by a user, and has a display 110 on which a touch panel 120 is layered. The terminal device 100 provides route guidance to a specified destination for pedestrians, vehicles, etc.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing the general configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the terminal device 100 includes an output unit 11, an input unit 12, a memory unit 13, a communication unit 14, a GPS receiver 16, and a control unit 17. The elements of the terminal device 100 are interconnected via a bus 10, and are configured to enable the transmission of necessary information between the elements.

The output unit 11 includes a display 110 and a speaker 111 for outputting audio, and outputs information in response to operations by the user of the terminal device 100 under the control of the control unit 17. The input unit 12 includes a touch panel 120 and is an interface that accepts input of necessary commands and information by the terminal user to the terminal device 100, i.e., operations. For example, the input unit 12 accepts input specifying a destination or input specifying route search conditions. In addition to the touch panel 120, the input unit 12 may also have keys, switches, buttons, audio input devices, etc. for inputting various commands and data.

The memory unit 13 stores programs for controlling the operation of the terminal device 100 and holds information necessary for the operation of the terminal device 100. For example, the memory unit 13 stores various data used in navigation processing, such as map data. The map data includes road data represented by links corresponding to roads and nodes corresponding to road junctions (intersections), as well as facility information regarding each facility.

The communication unit 14 transmits and receives data to and from other devices in accordance with a predetermined protocol. For example, under the control of the control unit 17, the communication unit 14 receives screen information to be displayed on the display 110 from a server device via a network such as the Internet. The GPS receiver 16 receives radio waves carrying downlink data including positioning data from multiple GPS satellites, thereby generating information on the current location of the terminal device 100 and transmitting it to the control unit 17.

The control unit 17 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and other components (not shown), and performs various controls over the components within the terminal device 100.

For example, the control unit 17 accepts input specifying a destination via the input unit 12, and sets (obtains) a route to the specified destination (also called a "guidance route"). The control unit 17 also sets one or more guidance points on the guidance route to the destination. Guidance points are set as points on the route to the destination that require guidance. Specifically, guidance points are set at, for example, intersections where the vehicle must turn right or left, near highway entrances, and important passing points for the vehicle to travel along the guidance route. The control unit 17 then provides route guidance based on the guidance route while displaying a map using the current position as the base point.

In addition to the components shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 100 may also include various standalone positioning devices such as an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, and a distance sensor.

[Display-related processing]
Next, a specific example of the process relating to the display will be described. Note that the following description will be given assuming that the user operating the terminal device 100 is a passenger in the vehicle Ve.

When an instruction to start route guidance for the vehicle Ve is input via the input unit 12, the control unit 17 acquires a guide route MR from the current location of the vehicle Ve to the destination based on map data stored in the memory unit 13, and sets one or more guide points AP on the guide route MR.

When the control unit 17 detects that the vehicle Ve has entered a range within a predetermined distance THD from the guidance point AP1, it generates an information display screen JGA as shown in Figure 3 and displays the generated information display screen JGA on the display 110. The guidance point AP1 indicates the nearest guidance point set as the destination of the vehicle Ve traveling along the guidance route MR, out of the guidance points set on the guidance route MR. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to the embodiment.

The information display screen JGA includes guidance information display areas JHA and JHB, a guide map display area APR, and a wide-area map display area MPR.

The guidance information display area JHA is an area for displaying information such as the distance from the current location of the vehicle Ve to the guidance point AP1, and is located at the top of the information display screen JGA.

The guidance information display area JHB is an area for displaying information such as the distance from the current location of the vehicle Ve to the destination, and is located at the bottom of the information display screen JGA.

The guide map display area APR is an area for enlarging and displaying the guide map ANZ1, which corresponds to a local map of the area surrounding the guide point AP1, and is located between the guide information display area JHA and the wide-area map display area MPR. The guide map display area APR is located on the information display screen JGA as an area with approximately the same display size as the wide-area map display area MPR. The guide map display area APR highlights the guide route MR on the guide map ANZ1, and displays a (for example, flag-shaped) mark MKA indicating the position of the guide point AP1 on the guide route MR. The guide map display area APR also has a display switch button DCB for receiving a display switch instruction, which is an instruction to switch the display mode of the guide map ANZ1. The guide map display area APR may be located, for example, as an area superimposed on the wide-area map display area MPR.

The wide-area map display area MPR is an area for displaying the wide-area map KAZ1, which corresponds to a map that includes guide point AP1 and shows an area larger than the target area of the guide map ANZ1, and is provided between the guide map display area APR and the guidance information display area JHB. The wide-area map display area MPR is provided as an area with approximately the same display size as the guide map display area APR. The wide-area map display area MPR also highlights the guide route MR on the wide-area map KAZ1, and displays a mark MKA (e.g., a flag-shaped mark) indicating the position of guide point AP1 on the guide route MR. The wide-area map display area MPR also displays a mark MKV (e.g., an arrowhead-shaped mark) indicating the current location and direction of travel of vehicle Ve.

When the user taps the display switch button DCB while the information display screen JGA is displayed, the control unit 17 detects that a display switch instruction has been made to switch the display mode (display size) of the guide map ANZ1. Then, when the control unit 17 detects that a display switch instruction has been made while the information display screen JGA is displayed, it changes the display mode (display size) of the guide map ANZ1 included in the information display screen JGA, thereby displaying the information display screen JGB as shown in FIG. 4 on the display 110. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to the embodiment.

The information display screen JGB includes guide information display areas JHA and JHB similar to those of the information display screen JGA. The information display screen JGB also includes a guide map display area APS, which has a smaller display size than the guide map display area APR, and a wide-area map display area MPS, which has a larger display size than the wide-area map display area MPR.

The guide map display area APS is an area for displaying the guide map ANZ1 as a thumbnail, and is located, for example, near the guide information display area JHA. The guide map display area APS also highlights the guide route MR on the guide map ANZ1, and displays a mark MKA indicating the position of the guide point AP1 on the guide route MR. The guide map display area APS also has the function of accepting a display switch instruction, which is an instruction to switch the display mode (display size) of the guide map ANZ1. In other words, the guide map display area APS has the same function as the display switch button DCB in the guide map display area APR. The guide map display area APS may be located, for example, as an area superimposed on the wide-area map display area MPS.

The wide-area map display area MPS is an area for displaying the wide-area map KAZ1, and is located between the information display area JHA and the guidance information display area JHB. Furthermore, the wide-area map display area MPS displays the guide route MR highlighted on the wide-area map KAZ1, and also displays a mark MKA indicating the position of guide point AP1 on the guide route MR. Furthermore, the wide-area map display area MPS displays a mark MKV (e.g., an arrowhead-shaped mark) indicating the current location and direction of travel of vehicle Ve.

In other words, the information display screen JGB can display the wide-area map KAZ1 while displaying the guide map ANZ1 as a thumbnail. Therefore, the information display screen JGB allows the user to easily check the information contained in the wide-area map KAZ1 even when the guide map ANZ1 is displayed.

When the user taps on the guide map display area APS while the information display screen JGB is displayed, the control unit 17 detects that a display switch instruction has been issued to switch the display mode (display size) of the guide map ANZ1. Then, when the control unit 17 detects that a display switch instruction has been issued while the information display screen JGB is displayed, it changes the display mode (display size) of the guide map ANZ1 included in the information display screen JGB, thereby displaying the information display screen JGA illustrated in FIG. 3 on the display 110.

On the other hand, when the control unit 17 detects that the vehicle Ve has gone outside the range within the predetermined distance THD from the guidance point AP1, it stores display setting information in the memory unit 13 indicating whether the latest display mode of the guide map ANZ1 switched by the user is an enlarged display or a thumbnail display. According to this embodiment, in the initial state, which corresponds to a state in which the user has not switched the display mode of the guide map ANZ1, it is sufficient that the display setting information indicating that the latest display mode of the guide map ANZ1 is an enlarged display is stored in the memory unit 13. According to this embodiment, the display setting information stored in the memory unit 13 may be rewritten (updated) by the control unit 17 each time the user switches the display mode of the guide map ANZ1.

When the control unit 17 detects that the vehicle Ve has gone outside the range within the predetermined distance THD from the guidance point AP1, it causes the display 110 to display an information display screen JGC (not shown) that corresponds to either the information display screen JGA minus the guide map display area APR (guide map ANZ1), or the information display screen JGB minus the guide map display area APS (guide map ANZ1). According to this embodiment, the control unit 17 may, for example, continue to display the information display screen JGC on the display 110 while the vehicle Ve is located outside the range within the predetermined distance THD from the guidance point on the guidance route MR.

Then, when the control unit 17 detects that the vehicle Ve has entered within a predetermined distance THD from the guidance point AP2 that follows guidance point AP1, it generates an information display screen for displaying a guidance map ANZ2 (not shown), which corresponds to a local map of the area around guidance point AP2, in a display format corresponding to the display setting information stored in the memory unit 12, and displays the generated information display screen on the display 110.

Specifically, based on the display setting information stored in the memory unit 12, if the control unit 17 detects, for example, that the latest display mode of the guide map ANZ1 is an enlarged display, the control unit 17 generates an information display screen including a guide map display area APR for enlarging and displaying the guide map ANZ2, and causes the display 110 to display the generated information display screen. Furthermore, based on the display setting information stored in the memory unit 12, if the control unit 17 detects, for example, that the latest display mode of the guide map ANZ1 is a thumbnail display, the control unit 17 generates an information display screen including a guide map display area APS for displaying the guide map ANZ2 as a thumbnail, and causes the display 110 to display the generated information display screen.

In other words, according to this embodiment, when a tap operation is performed to switch the display mode of the guide map ANZ1 to one of the enlarged display and thumbnail display sizes, the control unit 17 maintains the display size of the guide map ANZ1 at that one display size unless a tap operation is performed again to switch from that one display size to another display size.

According to the processing described above, the control unit 17 functions as a display control unit, starting the display of guidance information (guide map ANZ1) related to guidance point AP1 on the guidance route MR before the vehicle Ve passes that guidance point AP1, and stopping the display of the guidance information after the vehicle Ve passes that guidance point AP1. According to the processing described above, the control unit 17 also functions as a display switching unit, and when a display switching instruction is given to switch the display mode of the guidance information (guide map ANZ1), the control unit 17 switches the display mode of the guidance information to at least one of the first and second display modes, and maintains the display mode of the guidance information in that one display mode until the display switching instruction is given again. According to the processing described above, the control unit 17 stops the display of the first guidance information (guide map ANZ1) related to guidance point AP1 on the guidance route MR, and then starts the display of the second guidance information (guide map ANZ2) related to guidance point AP2 on the guidance route MR. Furthermore, when the display of the second guidance information (guide map ANZ2) begins, the control unit 17 sets the display mode of the second guidance information to the same display mode as the display mode corresponding to the last display switching instruction issued during the period from when the display of the first guidance information (guide map ANZ1) began to when it was stopped.

[Processing flow]
Next, a description will be given of the processing performed in the terminal device 100. This processing is realized by the control unit 17 shown in Fig. 2 executing a program prepared in advance.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed in the terminal device according to the embodiment.

First, when an instruction to start route guidance for the vehicle Ve is input via the input unit 12, the control unit 17 acquires a guidance route MR from the current location of the vehicle Ve to the destination (step S11), and sets one or more guidance points AP on the guidance route MR.

Next, the control unit 17 determines whether the vehicle Ve has entered a range within a predetermined distance THD from a guidance point AP1 on the guidance route MR (step S12).

If the vehicle Ve is not within the predetermined distance THD from the guidance point AP1 (step S12: NO), the control unit 17 performs the process of step S12 again. Furthermore, if the control unit 17 detects that the vehicle Ve has entered the range within the predetermined distance THD from the guidance point AP1 (step S12: YES), it performs a process to display the guidance map ANZ1 on the display 110 in the latest display mode according to the display setting information stored in the memory unit 13 (step S13).

Next, the control unit 17 determines whether the vehicle Ve has left the range within a predetermined distance THD from the guidance point AP1 (step S14).

If the control unit 17 detects that the vehicle Ve has not left the range within the predetermined distance THD from the guidance point AP1 (step S14: NO), it determines whether the user has issued a display switching instruction (step S15).

If the user has not issued a display switching instruction (step S15: NO), the control unit 17 returns to step S14 and performs processing while maintaining the current display mode of the guide map ANZ1.

Furthermore, if the user issues a display switching instruction (step S15: YES), the control unit 17 changes the display mode of the guide map ANZ1 to another display mode different from the current display mode (step S16), and then returns to step S14 to perform processing.

On the other hand, if the control unit 17 detects that the vehicle Ve has left the range within the predetermined distance THD from the guidance point AP1 (step S14: YES), it stores display setting information in the memory unit 13 indicating whether the latest display mode of the guidance map ANZ1 is enlarged or thumbnail display (step S17), stops the display of the guidance map ANZ1 (step S18), and then terminates the series of processes related to the display of the guidance map ANZ1.

According to this embodiment, the control unit 17 has the functions of a route acquisition unit, a display control unit, and a display switching unit.

As described above, according to this embodiment, display setting information indicating whether the latest display mode of the guide map ANZ1 is an enlarged display or a thumbnail display is stored in the memory unit 13, so that the display of the guide map ANZ2 can be started in the same display mode as the latest display mode. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, unless the user issues a display switching instruction, the state in which the guide map ANZ1 is displayed as a thumbnail while the wide-area map KAZ1 is displayed can be maintained. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the guide map ANZ1 is displayed as a thumbnail, it is possible to easily check the information contained in the wide-area map KAZ1. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even when guidance information related to a guidance point set on the route to the vehicle's destination is displayed, it is possible to easily check other information displayed on the same screen as the guidance information.

This embodiment is not limited to being applied to cases where the display mode of a guide map is switched between enlarged display and thumbnail display, but can also be applied to various cases where the guide map is switched between at least two display modes. Specifically, this embodiment can also be applied, for example, to cases where the display size when displaying a guide map as a thumbnail is switched to one of multiple sizes.

[Modification]
Below, we will explain various modifications suitable for the above-mentioned embodiment. These modifications can be applied to the above-mentioned embodiment in any combination. For simplicity, we will omit specific explanations of parts to which the above-mentioned processes can be applied.

(Variation 1)
Instead of the terminal device 100, a server device connected via a network may execute part of the processing of the control unit 17.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing the system configuration for Variation 1. As shown in Figure 6, terminal device 100 is connected to server device 200 via network 150. Terminal device 100 then provides route guidance by receiving information necessary for route guidance from server device 200.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing the general configuration of a server device in a system related to Variation 1. As shown in Figure 7, the server device 200 has a communication unit 202, a memory unit 203, and a control unit 204. The communication unit 202, the memory unit 203, and the control unit 204 are connected to each other via a bus line 201.

The communication unit 202 sends and receives various data via the network 150 under the control of the control unit 204. The storage unit 203 is composed of, for example, an HDD, and stores data necessary for route searches, such as map data. The control unit 204 has memory such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM, and performs overall control of the server device 200 by executing programs stored in the memory.

In this case, when the communication unit 202 receives information indicating route search conditions, including destination information and departure point information such as the current location, from the terminal device 100, the control unit 204 determines a guide route and transmits information about the guide route to the terminal device 100. The control unit 204 also sets one or more guide points on the guide route to the destination. The control unit 17 of the terminal device 100 provides route guidance based on the guide route information received from the server device 200. The control unit 204 also receives information indicating the current location of the vehicle Ve and display switching instructions, etc. from the terminal device 100, generates display screen information necessary for displaying an information display screen including a guide map of a display size corresponding to the display switching instruction, and transmits the generated display screen information from the communication unit 202 to the terminal device 100. In such a case, the control unit 17 displays an information display screen such as that illustrated in FIG. 3 or 4 on the display 110 based on the display screen information received from the server device 200.

In this way, even if the server device 200 executes part of the processing of the control unit 17, the terminal device 100 can perform processing related to switching and maintaining the display mode of the guide map. Note that the processing of the server device 200 may be executed by a server system consisting of multiple server devices. In this modification, the server device 200 is an example of an "information display device" according to the present invention, and the control unit 204 is an example of a "computer" according to the present invention.

(Variation 2)
For example, when at least a part of the guide route MR includes a highway or a toll road, the control unit 17 may cause the display 110 to display an information display screen JGC as shown in Fig. 8 and an information display screen JGD as shown in Fig. 9. Figs. 8 and 9 are diagrams showing examples of information display screens according to the second modification.

When the control unit 17 detects that the vehicle Ve has entered a range within a predetermined distance THD from the guidance point AP3, it generates an information display screen JGC as shown in FIG. 8 and displays the generated information display screen JGC on the display 110. The guidance point AP3 is one of the guidance points set on the guidance route MR that is set on either an expressway or a toll road, and indicates the nearest guidance point that is set as the destination of the vehicle Ve traveling along the guidance route MR. Note that in this modified example, the explanation will be given using the example where the guidance point AP3 is set on an expressway.

The information display screen JGC includes guidance information display areas JHA and JHB, a guide map display area APR, and a wide-area map display area MPR.

The guide map ANZ3 displayed in the guide map display area APR of the information display screen JGC corresponds to a diagram showing information related to the branch road or exit at the guide point AP3 on the expressway. Furthermore, the guide map display area APR of the information display screen JGC displays an enlarged version of the guide map ANZ3. Furthermore, the guide map display area APR of the information display screen JGC has a display switch button DCB for accepting a display switch instruction, which is an instruction to switch the display mode of the guide map ANZ3.

Guide map ANZ3 includes an arrow-shaped lane guide LGD that guides the vehicle Ve along the guide route MR at intersections such as those at guide point AP3 on the expressway. Guide map ANZ3 also includes destination information DYJ, which uses letters and symbols to indicate the destination when following the lane guide LGD, and destination information DNJ, which uses letters and symbols to indicate the destination when not following the lane guide LGD.

The wide-area map KAZ3 displayed in the wide-area map display area MPR of the information display screen JGC corresponds to a map that includes the guide point AP3 and shows an area that is larger than the target area of the guide map ANZ3. Furthermore, according to the wide-area map display area MPR of the information display screen JGC, the guide route MR is highlighted on the wide-area map KAZ3, and a mark MKA (e.g., a flag-shaped mark) indicating the position of the guide point AP3 on the guide route MR is displayed.

When the user taps the display switch button DCB while the information display screen JGC is displayed, the control unit 17 detects that a display switch instruction has been given to switch the display mode of the guide map ANZ3. Then, when the control unit 17 detects that a display switch instruction has been given while the information display screen JGC is displayed, it changes the display mode of the guide map ANZ3 included in the information display screen JGC, thereby displaying the information display screen JGD as shown in FIG. 9 on the display 110.

The information display screen JGD includes guidance information display areas JHA and JHB similar to those on the information display screen JGC. The information display screen JGD also includes a guide map display area APS, which has a smaller display size than the guide map display area APR, and a wide-area map display area MPS, which has a larger display size than the wide-area map display area MPR. The information display screen JGD also includes exit information DTJ related to highway exits when the vehicle Ve is traveling along the guide route MR.

The guide map display area APS of the information display screen JGD is an area for displaying the guide map ANZ3 as a thumbnail, and is located, for example, near the guide information display area JHA. The guide map display area APS of the information display screen JGD also has the function of accepting a display switch instruction, which is an instruction to switch the display mode of the guide map ANZ3.

The wide-area map display area MPS of the information display screen JGD is an area for displaying the wide-area map KAZ3, and is located between the guidance information display area JHA and the guidance information display area JHB. Furthermore, in the wide-area map display area MPS of the information display screen JGD, the guide route MR is highlighted on the wide-area map KAZ3, and a mark MKA indicating the position of the guide point AP3 on the guide route MR is displayed. Furthermore, near the guidance information display area JHA in the wide-area map display area MPS of the information display screen JGD, traveling direction information DSJ indicating the traveling direction according to the destination area information DYJ and DNJ included in the guide map ANZ3 is displayed.

In other words, the information display screen JGD can display the wide-area map KAZ3 while displaying the guide map ANZ3 as a thumbnail. Therefore, the information display screen JGD allows the user to easily check the information contained in the wide-area map KAZ3 even when the guide map ANZ3 is displayed.

When the user taps on the guide map display area APS while the information display screen JGD is displayed, the control unit 17 detects that a display switch instruction has been issued to switch the display mode of the guide map ANZ3. Then, when the control unit 17 detects that a display switch instruction has been issued while the information display screen JGD is displayed, the control unit 17 changes the display mode of the guide map ANZ3 included in the information display screen JGD, thereby displaying the information display screen JGD illustrated in FIG. 8 on the display 110.

On the other hand, when the control unit 17 detects that the vehicle Ve has left the range within the predetermined distance THD from the guidance point AP3, it stores display setting information in the memory unit 13 indicating whether the latest display mode of the guidance map ANZ3 switched by the user is enlarged display or thumbnail display.

In other words, according to the processing of the modified example described above, it is possible to display a guide map showing different information when the vehicle Ve is traveling on a general road included in the guidance route MR and when the vehicle Ve is traveling on a highway or toll road included in the guidance route MR.

(Variation 3)
For example, when the terminal device 100 is set to portrait screen display, the control unit 17 may cause the display 110 to display an information display screen JGA as shown in Fig. 3, and when the terminal device 100 is set to landscape screen display, the control unit 17 may cause the display 110 to display an information display screen JGE as shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to Modification 3.

The information display screen JGE includes a guide map display area APH and a wide-area map display area MPH.

The guide map display area APH is an area for enlarging and displaying the guide map ANZ5, which corresponds to a diagram that shows the roads and other areas around the current location of the vehicle Ve as a three-dimensional guide image. The guide map display area APH is provided on the right side of the information display screen JGE as an area with approximately the same display size as the wide-area map display area MPH. The guide map display area APH also includes a guidance information display area JHC for displaying information approximately the same as that displayed in the guidance information display area JHA. The guidance information display area JHC may be provided, for example, as an area superimposed on the guide map display area APH. The guide map ANZ5 also includes an arrow-shaped lane guide LGE for guiding the vehicle Ve traveling along the guidance route MR to the guidance point AP1.

The wide-area map display area MPH is an area for displaying a wide-area map KAZ5, which corresponds to a map showing an area that includes guide point AP1 and is the same size as the wide-area map display area MPR. The wide-area map display area MPH is provided on the left side of the information display screen JGE as an area with approximately the same display size as the guide map display area APH. The wide-area map display area MPH also displays the same information as the wide-area map display area MPR.

In other words, according to the processing of the modified example described above, when the terminal device 100 is set to landscape screen display, guide map ANZ5 is displayed instead of guide map ANZ1. In other words, according to the processing of the modified example described above, guide maps showing different information can be displayed when the terminal device 100 is set to portrait screen display and when the terminal device 100 is set to landscape screen display.

(Variation 4)
For example, when the terminal device 100 is set to portrait screen display, the control unit 17 may display an information display screen JGD as shown in Fig. 9, and when the terminal device 100 is set to landscape screen display, the control unit 17 may display an information display screen JGF as shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to Modification 4.

On the right side of the information display screen JGF, there are guide information display areas JHA and JHB, a guide map display area APK, and a wide-area map display area MPK.

The guide map display area APK is an area for displaying the guide map ANZ3 as a thumbnail. The guide map display area APK also displays the same information as the guide map display area APS on the information display screen JGD. The guide map display area APK may be provided, for example, as an area superimposed on the wide-area map display area MPK.

The wide-area map display area MPK is an area for displaying the wide-area map KAZ3, and is located between the guidance information display area JHA and the guidance information display area JHB. The wide-area map display area MPK also displays information similar to that displayed in the wide-area map display area MPS of the information display screen JGD.

On the left side of the information display screen JGF, exit information DTJ similar to that on the information display screen JGD is displayed, along with passing point information TYJ relating to one or more guide points that the vehicle Ve is scheduled to pass on the expressway before reaching the exit indicated by the exit information DTJ.

In other words, according to the processing described above, it is possible to display a guide map showing the same information when the terminal device 100 is set to portrait screen display and when the terminal device 100 is set to landscape screen display. Furthermore, according to the processing described above, when the terminal device 100 is set to landscape screen display, it is possible to display information (passing point information TYJ) that was not displayed when the terminal device 100 was set to portrait screen display.

(Variation 5)
The terminal device 100 is not limited to a portable terminal such as a smartphone as shown in Fig. 1 , but may also be a stationary navigation device installed in a vehicle. In this case, the control unit of the navigation device performs display control on the display of the navigation device in the same manner as the control unit 17.

In the above-described embodiments, the program can be stored using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media and supplied to a computer control unit, etc. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic storage media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical storage media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R/Ws, and semiconductor memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (Random Access Memory)).

The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications to the configuration and details of the present invention that are understandable to those skilled in the art can be made within the scope of the present invention. In other words, the present invention naturally includes various modifications and alterations that a person skilled in the art would be able to make in accordance with the entire disclosure, including the claims, and the technical ideas. Furthermore, the disclosures of the above-cited patent documents and other documents are incorporated herein by reference.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 bus 11 output unit 12 input unit 13 storage unit 14 communication unit 16 GPS receiver 17 control unit 100 terminal device 110 display 120 touch panel 150 network 200 server device

Claims (7)

a route acquisition unit that acquires a route to a destination of the vehicle;
a display control unit that starts displaying a guide map corresponding to a local map of an area around a guide point on the route before the vehicle passes the guide point, and stops displaying the guide map after the vehicle passes the guide point;
a display switching unit that, when a display switching instruction is given to switch the display size of the information map, switches the display size of the information map to one of a first display size and a second display size smaller than the first display size, and maintains the display size of the information map at the first display size until the display switching instruction is given again;
and
The display switching unit detects that the display switching instruction has been given to switch the display size of the guide map from the first display size to the second display size when a tap operation is performed on a predetermined button included in a first screen on which the guide map in the first display size is displayed, and detects that the display switching instruction has been given to switch the display size of the guide map from the second display size to the first display size when a tap operation is performed on a display area of the guide map on a second screen on which the guide map in the second display size is displayed. the display control unit stops displaying a first guide map related to a first guide point on the route, and then starts displaying a second guide map related to a second guide point that is a guide point next to the first guide point on the route;
The information display device described in claim 1, wherein when the display of the second guide map is started, the display switching unit sets the display size of the second guide map to the same display size as the display size corresponding to the last display switching instruction made during the period from when the display of the first guide map is started to when it is stopped. An information display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display control unit further displays a wide-area map corresponding to a map showing an area that includes the guidance point and is larger than the target area of the guidance map. The information display device described in claim 3, wherein the display control unit displays the wide-area map on the first screen at a third display size, and displays the wide-area map on the second screen at a fourth display size larger than the third display size. An information display method executed by an information display device,
Obtain a route to the vehicle's destination,
before the vehicle passes a guide point on the route, displaying a guide map corresponding to a local map of an area around the guide point is started, and after the vehicle passes the guide point, displaying the guide map is stopped;
when a display switching instruction is given to switch the display size of the information map, the display size of the information map is switched to one of a first display size and a second display size smaller than the first display size, and the display size of the information map is maintained at the first display size until the display switching instruction is given again;
An information display method that detects, when a tap operation is performed on a predetermined button included in a first screen on which the guide map in the first display size is displayed, that a display switching instruction has been given to switch the display size of the guide map from the first display size to the second display size, and detects, when a tap operation is performed on a display area of the guide map on a second screen on which the guide map in the second display size is displayed, that a display switching instruction has been given to switch the display size of the guide map from the second display size to the first display size. A program executed by an information display device having a computer,
a route acquisition unit that acquires a route to a destination of the vehicle;
a display control unit that starts displaying a guide map corresponding to a local map of an area around a guide point on the route before the vehicle passes the guide point, and stops displaying the guide map after the vehicle passes the guide point; and
causing the computer to function as a display switching unit that, when a display switching instruction is given to switch the display size of the information map, switches the display size of the information map to one of a first display size and a second display size smaller than the first display size, and maintains the display size of the information map at the first display size until the display switching instruction is given again;
The display switching unit is a program that detects that the display switching instruction has been made to switch the display size of the guide map from the first display size to the second display size when a tap operation is performed on a predetermined button included in a first screen on which the guide map in the first display size is displayed, and detects that the display switching instruction has been made to switch the display size of the guide map from the second display size to the first display size when a tap operation is performed on a display area of the guide map on a second screen on which the guide map in the second display size is displayed. A storage medium storing the program described in claim 6.