JPS6239799B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention displays a map recorded in advance on a tape on a cathode ray tube, for example, on a car, and superimposes on the display a separately designated planned route and the current position of the car on the planned route. The present invention relates to a traffic display device that is capable of displaying traffic information.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For objects such as ships and aircraft that operate over wide areas, there is a strong demand for devices that have the ability to constantly confirm their current positions during operation, and various types of devices have been put into practical use. However, all of the above-mentioned devices have complicated structures and are expensive, making it difficult to use them as they are in automobiles, and there has been little need for such devices in the past for automobiles. However, in recent years, with the increasing complexity of roads and the spread of expressways, there has been an increasing demand for devices that can confirm the current location of ordinary automobiles while they are driving. The device has also been announced. However, these conventional devices, for example, obtain the traveling direction using a compass, add the distance obtained by integrating the vehicle speed, and display the current position on the xy coordinates. The system was complicated and expensive, and its accuracy was not necessarily sufficient for ground operation, so it could not meet general requirements as a practical product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle operation display device that is simple in structure, inexpensive, and has sufficient precision for practical use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the operation display device (hereinafter referred to as the present device) according to the present invention will be described in detail below, mainly using block diagrams. FIG. 1 shows a method for recording a map of a required area. First, a map 10 is read by an optical reader 11, converted into a digital signal, and monitored by a monitor 12, while being recorded on a tape recorder 1.
In addition to step 3, digital recording is performed on a commercially available cassette tape 14. The contents recorded on the cassette tape include, in addition to the signal of the map itself, a call number for each map for selecting a map of a desired area and a scale signal of the map. FIG. 2 shows each unit installed in the automobile and its functions. Reference numeral 20 is a tape player which plays back the cassette tape 14 on which the map is recorded and sends the map information to the next microcomputer 30 through the changeover switch 21. However, except for the addition of a switch 21, this tape player can be of the same level as a commercially available so-called car stereo, so when this device is not in use, the built-in amplifier 22, speaker 23, etc. can be operated by switching the switch 21. You can play and listen to ordinary recorded music tapes. The microcomputer 30 includes a storage section 31, which stores map information sent from the tape player 20, as well as mileage data and planned route data, which will be described later. The display device 40 is a commercially available in-vehicle television receiver with a changeover switch 41 added, and displays a map of a desired area on a cathode ray tube 42 based on map information sent from the memory circuit 31 of the microcomputer 30. By switching 41, it is also possible to receive normal television broadcasts and display the images on the cathode ray tube 42. The light pen 50 is used to designate a route by moving it along the road on which the user plans to travel on the map displayed on the cathode ray tube 42, and the route is stored in the storage section 31 of the microcomputer 30. Next, the mileage signal generator 6
0 is a device that sends a signal corresponding to the distance traveled from the starting point of the automobile to the microcomputer 30, and includes a tipper disk 61, a light emitting element 62, and a light receiving element that are interlocked with an odometer 70 that is an accessory of the automobile. 63 combinations to generate pulses, and a pulse counter 64 counts the number of pulses.
Time signals, speed signals, various alarm signals, etc. obtained from other devices installed in the automobile are also added to the microcomputer 30 via the data interface circuit 80 as necessary.

The overall operation of this device is as follows. A cassette tape 14 on which a desired map has been digitally recorded by each of the devices shown in FIG.
When the operating area covers a plurality of maps, the routes are stored in the storage unit 31 in the order of the operating routes. Next, the changeover switch 41 of the display device 40 is switched, and the map information stored in the storage circuit 31 is sequentially displayed as an image on the cathode ray tube 42. Then, when the operator uses the light pen 50 to specify a planned route on the map display on the cathode ray tube 42, the output of the light pen 50 is sent to the microcomputer 30, and the microcomputer 30 stores the specified route in the storage section 31. At the same time, the planned route is simultaneously displayed as, for example, a continuous bright spot 44 on a map display 43 on a cathode ray tube 42, as shown in FIG. When you start the car, the odometer shows
70 starts operating and generates pulses proportional to its rotational speed, that is, the distance traveled.The pulse counter 64 counts the number of pulses and sends it to the microcomputer 30 as a distance traveled signal. Microcomputer 3
0 calculates the movement dimension on the displayed map using the above-mentioned mileage signal and the map scale signal sent at the same time as the map signal from the cassette tape 14, and similarly displays it on the cathode ray tube 42; The distance is displayed as a bright spot 45 that moves along the pre-specified planned route, for example, while blinking, so the position of the bright spot 45 is the current position of the vehicle. Furthermore, as described above, signals such as time, speed, and other alarms can be applied to the microcomputer 30 through the data interface circuit 80, and can be displayed on a portion of the cathode ray tube 42 at the same time as the above-mentioned map and current position are displayed. be. In addition, since maps can be recorded on cassette tapes, not only can maps from frequently used areas be prepared in advance, but if this device becomes widespread in the future, cassette tapes containing various maps can be used commercially. It may also be possible to commercialize the product.

As described above, the operation display device according to the present invention stores a map recorded in advance on a cassette tape in a microcomputer and displays it as an image on a display device, and also displays an arbitrarily specified scheduled route at the same time as a continuous bright spot, etc. At the same time, the current location of a vehicle equipped with this device is simultaneously displayed on the above-mentioned planned route using a flashing bright dot, etc., so the driver can always keep track of his or her location even on unfamiliar and complicated roads or long distance roads. The driver can drive without hesitation while checking the information, and since the time, speed, and various warnings can be displayed along with the above displays on the same cathode ray tube, the driver only needs to pay attention to the main cathode ray tube while driving. This is suitable from a safety standpoint as it allows you to concentrate on driving.Moreover, the tape player and display device are commercially available products, so when the device is not in use, it can be used to play recorded tapes or receive television broadcasts. It has many advantages such as being extremely economical because it can be used for ordinary purposes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a block diagram of the equipment that records the map, Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the relationship between the various equipment installed in the car, and Figure 3 shows the map on the cathode ray tube, the planned route, and the car. This is an example of displaying the current position, etc. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10...Map, 11...Optical reader, 13...Tape recorder, 14...Cassette tape, 20...Tape player, 30...Microcomputer, 31...
Storage unit, 40...Display device, 42...Cathode ray tube, 44...Bright spot indicating planned route, 45...Blinking bright spot indicating current position, 50...Light pen, 60
...mileage signal generator.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Cassette tape 1 with digitally recorded map
4, tape player 20, and microcomputer 3
0, a display device 40, a light pen 50, and an odometer signal generator 60 connected to an odometer.
The output of the cassette tape 14 played back by the tape player 20 is inputted to the microcomputer 30 and output to the display device 4.
A map is displayed on the screen of 0, the light pen 50 is moved along the route that is planned to be traveled on the map screen, and the obtained output signal is input to the microcomputer 30 to display the map on the display device 40. The planned travel route is displayed on the screen, and an output signal proportional to the travel distance from the travel distance signal generator 60 is inputted to the microcomputer to display the current route according to the travel distance on the display device 40. A traffic display device that displays location.