JP2007298301A - Map display device - Google Patents

Abstract

A map display device that can flexibly respond to a user's request and can display a map area desired by the user with high visibility.
A map display device according to the present invention is a map display device for displaying a map, and for each point included in a predetermined area on the map, from the base point to the various points A cost calculation unit for calculating costs up to a point, a predetermined area, a target area including a point where the cost value is within the predetermined range, and another area including a point where the cost value is outside the predetermined range; A map deforming unit that deforms the map in the predetermined region so that the target region is relatively large or small relative to other regions, and a display unit that displays the map deformed in the map deforming unit With.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a map display device, and more particularly to a map display device that is applied to a navigation device or the like mounted on a moving body such as a vehicle and displays a map.

  In recent years, navigation devices that can display a map based on map information stored in an HDD or DVD on a display together with the vehicle position and vehicle surrounding information have become widespread. The map displayed on the navigation device is generally displayed at a scale such as 1/10000. Usually this scale is uniform across the screen. That is, the vicinity of the vehicle position, the vicinity of the set route, or a traffic jam location are all displayed at the same scale, that is, the same detail, regardless of the degree of interest of the user who uses the navigation device.

For such a navigation device, a technique for changing the detail (scale) of the map display using a point set as the vehicle position or the destination as a base point is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1). . According to this technology, when a point on the map that the user wants to browse in detail is set as a base point, the vicinity of the base point is displayed at a large scale, and the scale is gradually reduced as the distance from the base point increases (the scale is monotonously decreased). )indicate. That is, the map is displayed like a picture taken with a fisheye lens as a whole. As a result, the user can view a detailed map with respect to an area around the base point designated by the user.
JP-A-8-328467

  Here, simply displaying the map near the base point in detail does not necessarily satisfy the user's request. For example, the user wants to know what landmarks exist at a point 5 km away from the current vehicle position as a base point or a point that has traveled for about 10 minutes from the base point. You may want to browse a detailed map for points related to cost. For example, the user may not want to view a detailed map at a point where there is no landmark at a predetermined cost away from a base point designated by the user. Note that the point related to the cost from the base point is usually present in an annular region centered on the base point.

  On the other hand, in the above-described conventional technique, the scale is monotonously reduced with respect to the base point designated by the user. Therefore, in the conventional technology described above, a detailed map can be displayed only near the base point. That is, for example, when it is desired to see detailed maps for all points 5 km away from the base point, the user needs to set each point as a base point, and cannot simultaneously browse a detailed map near each point. . As described above, in the conventional technology described above, it is difficult to flexibly respond to the user's request and display the map area desired by the user with high visibility.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a map display device that can flexibly respond to a user's request and can display a map region desired by the user with high visibility.

  1st invention is a map display apparatus which displays a map, Comprising: About each point contained in the predetermined area | region on a map, the cost from the said base point to each said point is set from the predetermined point on the said map, respectively. The cost calculation unit to calculate and the predetermined area are divided into a target area including a point where the cost value is within the predetermined range and another area including a point where the cost value is outside the predetermined range, and the target A map deformation unit that deforms a map in a predetermined region and a display unit that displays the map deformed in the map deformation unit so that the region is relatively large or small relative to other regions.

  In a second aspect based on the first aspect, when the target region includes a base point therein, the map deformation unit moves a map in the predetermined region so as to move the outer periphery of the target region in a direction away from the base point. When the target area has an annular shape surrounding the base point, the map in the predetermined area is deformed so that the inner periphery of the target area is moved in the direction approaching the base point and the outer periphery is moved away from the base point. It is characterized by that.

  In a third aspect based on the first aspect, the map deforming unit determines the position of each point after deformation based on the cost calculated for each point, and moves each point to the determined position. By deforming, the map in the predetermined area is deformed.

  In a fourth aspect based on the first aspect, the map deforming unit uses the cost of any point in the target area as a reference cost, and the distance from the base point is small for a point having a cost lower than the reference cost. For points where the cost is higher than the reference cost, the distance from the base point is increased.

  In a fifth aspect based on the first aspect, a region dividing unit that divides the target region into a plurality of regions by a plurality of straight lines passing through the base point, and a degree of density of the points in the region divided by the region dividing unit. A density calculation unit that calculates the density to be shown for each region, and a base point position change unit that changes the position of the base point based on the density, and the map deformation unit has the base point position changed by the base point position change unit. The modified map is transformed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the information processing apparatus further includes a density calculation unit that calculates a degree of density indicating a degree of density of the points in the target area, and the map deformation unit determines the position of each point after the deformation. The cost is determined based on the cost and the density calculated for each point.

  In a sixth aspect based on the sixth aspect, each point represents a landmark on the map, and the density calculation unit calculates the density only for a point indicating a landmark belonging to a predetermined type. Features.

  In an eighth aspect based on the first aspect, the cost of any point in the target area is set as a reference cost, and a point having a cost lower than the reference cost is moved so that the distance from the base point is increased, The point where the cost is higher than the reference cost is moved so that the distance from the base point becomes smaller.

  A ninth invention further includes an area dividing unit that divides a predetermined area into a plurality of areas by a plurality of straight lines passing through the base point in the first invention, and the map deformation unit is arranged in the area divided by the area dividing unit. The map in the predetermined area is deformed for each area so that the position of the point where the cost is maximum does not change.

  A tenth invention further includes an input unit for receiving an input for designating a position on the slider bar displayed on the display unit in the first invention, and a cost value is associated with each position on the slider bar. The map deformation unit determines the predetermined range based on the cost value corresponding to the position specified by the input received by the input unit.

  In an eleventh aspect based on the first aspect, the display unit displays a line indicating a boundary between two adjacent target areas.

  In a twelfth aspect based on the eleventh aspect, the display section displays the map in a different color for each target area.

  In a thirteenth aspect based on the first aspect, the point indicates a node and / or landmark on the map.

  The fourteenth invention is a map display method for displaying a map, and for each point included in a predetermined area on the map, the cost from the base point to the point is determined from the predetermined point on the map. The cost calculation step to be calculated and the predetermined area are divided into a target area including a point where the cost value is within the predetermined range and another area including a point where the cost value is outside the predetermined range. A map deformation step for deforming the map in the predetermined area so that the area is relatively larger or smaller than the other areas, and a display step for displaying the map deformed in the map deformation step are included.

  According to the first aspect, since the target area is displayed so as to be relatively large or small with respect to the other areas, the user has responded to his / her request not only in the vicinity of the base point but also in the target area. You can browse the map in detail. In addition, since the target area includes points where the cost value falls within the predetermined range, the user can simultaneously view the points related to the cost from the base point with the details corresponding to his / her request. Become. As described above, according to the first invention, it is possible to provide a map display device that can flexibly respond to a user's request and can display a map region desired by the user with high visibility.

  According to the second and third aspects of the invention, the target area can be displayed so as to be relatively large or small relative to other areas.

  According to the fourth aspect, the target area can be displayed so as to be relatively larger than the other areas.

  According to the fifth aspect, since the position of the base point is changed based on the density, and the deformation is performed on the changed position of the base point, the map can be deformed in accordance with the density, which is useful for the user. A map display with better visibility can be provided.

  According to the sixth aspect, the map can be deformed according to the degree of congestion, and a map display with better visibility for the user can be provided.

  According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to provide a map display that more flexibly meets the user's request.

  According to the eighth aspect, the target area can be displayed so as to be relatively smaller than the other areas.

  According to the ninth aspect, the map is deformed so that the position of the point where the cost is maximum does not change for each region. In addition, the position of the point where the cost is maximum may be different for each region. Therefore, according to the ninth invention, even if the position of the point where the cost is maximum differs for each region, the map is deformed so that the position of the point where the cost is maximum does not change. Variations in the display range before and after the deformation process can be suppressed. As a result, the processing burden on the apparatus can be reduced.

  According to the tenth to twelfth aspects, a more intuitive input can be provided to the user.

  Hereinafter, a map display device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, an example in which the map display device according to the present invention is applied to a navigation device mounted on a moving body such as a vehicle will be described.

(First embodiment)
A navigation apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the navigation device according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device includes an input unit 101, a position detection unit 102, a map information storage unit 103, a display unit 105, and a control unit 104. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in detail.

  The input unit 101 is a means for a user to input an instruction to the navigation device. The input unit 101 is a device that receives a remote control signal, a device that receives sound, or a touch panel integrated with the display unit 105. The user uses the input unit 101 to input information related to a position (base point) serving as a center for changing the scale and deforming the map, and information related to a region where a detailed map is desired to be browsed. Note that the information regarding the base point does not necessarily require input from the user, and when there is no input, the vehicle position detected by the position detection unit 102 described later may be used as the base point. In addition, as information related to the area, information indicating a scale (cost) from the base point such as information related to the required distance (for example, “5 km”) and information related to the required time (for example, “15 minutes”) can be considered. Each of these pieces of information represents “a region away from the base point by a required distance of about 5 km” and “a region that can be reached from the base point in about 15 minutes”. And each area | region becomes a cyclic | annular area | region centering on a base point normally. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a case where information related to the required time is input from the user will be described as an example.

  The position detection unit 102 is a means for measuring the current position, speed, and direction of the vehicle. The position detection unit 102 is, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, a vehicle speed sensor, or a gyro sensor. The GNSS receiver is, for example, a GPS receiver, and calculates the position of the receiver by receiving radio waves from a satellite and demodulating it.

  The map information storage unit 103 is composed of, for example, an HDD or a DVD. The map information storage unit 103 stores map information such as road, intersection, and landmark data. Note that the navigation device according to the present embodiment does not necessarily include the map information storage unit 103, and may be configured to appropriately download the map information from the center facility by a communication unit (not shown) (for example, a mobile phone). . 2 to 4 show data extracted from information related to the present embodiment, among the map information stored in the map information storage unit 103. The map information storage unit 103 includes node data shown in FIG. 2, link data shown in FIG. 3, landmark data shown in FIG. The node data shown in FIG. 2 is data indicating points where roads branch in several directions, such as intersections and junctions. Specifically, position information such as latitude and longitude, the number of connection links connected to the node, and the ID of the connection link are stored for each node (for example, Node 1). The link data shown in FIG. 3 is data representing a road connecting the nodes. Specifically, for each link (for example, L1), the start node and end node that are the end points of the link, the link length (units are meters, kilometers, etc.), the link width (units are meters, etc.), and general roads and highways A road type such as a road is stored. The landmark data shown in FIG. 4 is data composed of the genre to which the landmark belongs, the facility name, the adjacent node ID, and the landmark position information.

  The display unit 105 is a display that displays a map based on the map information stored in the map information storage unit 103. As described above, when the input unit 101 is a touch panel, the input unit 101 and the display unit 105 may constitute a touch panel display.

  The control unit 104 is a CPU that performs processing for displaying a map on the display unit 105 with reference to the input unit 101, the position detection unit 102, and the map information storage unit 103. The control unit 104 includes a cost calculation unit 106, an area division unit 107, a correspondence relationship determination unit 108, a display correction unit 109, and a drawing unit 110 as functional components.

  The cost calculation unit 106 uses the map information stored in the map information storage unit 103 to calculate the cost from the set base point to each point on the map displayed on the display unit 105. Here, each point on the map indicates, for example, a node and / or a landmark on the map. As described above, in this embodiment, since it is assumed that information related to the required time is input from the user, the cost calculation unit 106 calculates the required time from the base point to each point on the map. In addition, when the information regarding required distance is input from a user, the required distance to a base point and each point is calculated. In addition, when there is no input for designating the base point from the user in the input unit 101, the vehicle position detected by the position detection unit 102 is set as the base point. In addition, when there is an input for designating a base point from the user in the input unit 101, the point designated by the user is set as the base point. The cost calculation unit 106 may calculate the cost not only for the map area displayed on the display unit 105 but also for a predetermined area larger than the area.

  Here, a method for calculating the required time will be described. With reference to the node data and link data shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when a search is performed with a search method such as the Dijkstra method around the base point, the total link length to reach each node is calculated. The required time is calculated by dividing the total link length by vehicle speed information set to a predetermined value such as 30 km / hour. In addition, when the navigation apparatus can receive VICS information, or when past statistical traffic jam information for each link is stored in the map information storage unit 103, by referring to the information, It is possible to calculate the required time with high accuracy.

  The required time calculated by the cost calculation unit 106 is displayed together with the map on the display unit 105 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, required time information (10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes) in which points where the required time from the base point (black triangle in FIG. 5) is the same time is connected by a closed curve is displayed. Displaying the required time information as shown in FIG. 5 makes it possible to intuitively browse the required time to each point or the difference in required time between points. Here, on the display unit 105, a slider bar 105a is displayed together with the map information. Each required time is associated with each position on the slider bar 105a. The user can specify the required time by specifying the position on the slider bar 105a using the input unit 101. The slider bar 105a displays the required time range from the base point to the maximum required time described later in a slider bar shape. By displaying the required time information and the slider bar 105a on the display unit 105 in this way, the user can input information related to the required time more intuitively to the navigation device.

  In FIG. 5, the required time information is displayed in a unit of time (10 minutes) with good separation. As a result, the display is easier to see than displaying the required time information at all points. The required time information is displayed in a closed curve as shown in FIG. 5, and the color is changed according to the area between adjacent closed curves, such as less than 10 minutes, 10 minutes or more, less than 20 minutes, 20 minutes or more, and less than 30 minutes. You may change and display. Further, the closed curve of the required time information may be a broken line instead of a curve. The drawing unit 110 draws the closed curve and the slider bar 105a and colors the region between the closed curves.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the area dividing unit 107 divides the map area displayed on the display unit 105 around the base point into a plurality of areas. That is, the area dividing unit 107 divides the map area into a plurality of areas by a plurality of straight lines passing through the base point. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of division by the area dividing unit 107. In FIG. 6, the map area is divided into eight according to the direction from the base point. That is, the map area is divided into eight areas (area 1 to area 8). After dividing the map area, the area dividing unit 107 stores nodes, links, and landmarks in the map information storage unit 103 separately for each area. If there are nodes, landmarks, etc. on the boundary between areas, the nodes, landmarks, etc. are stored so as to belong to any of the adjacent areas. Further, the number of areas to be divided is not limited to eight, and a predetermined number can be selected.

  Based on the required time at each point calculated by the cost calculating unit 106, the correspondence determining unit 108 makes the scale of the region corresponding to the point that is the required time input by the user relative to the scales of other regions. The correspondence between the required time at each point and the display distance is determined so as to be larger. That is, by determining the correspondence between the required time at each point and the display distance, the scale of the region corresponding to the point that is the required time input by the user can be changed with respect to other regions. This correspondence indicates the correspondence between the required time calculated for each point and the position after the movement of the point. Hereinafter, this correspondence determination process will be described in detail.

  First, the correspondence determining unit 108 refers to the required time to each point calculated by the cost calculating unit 106, and sets the required time to the point that takes the most time for each divided area as the maximum required time. Set as. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the maximum required time set for each area. The maximum required time shown in FIG. 7 is different for each area. Here, as for the display part 105 of a navigation apparatus, the thing from which the length of length and width differs as shown in FIG. 6 is common. The maximum required time for each area shown in FIG. 6 is the required time to the point if there are points at the four corners of the screen in each area. Therefore, in the case of FIG. 6, the maximum required time for each area is substantially the same time regardless of the difference between the vertical and horizontal lengths of the display unit 105. On the other hand, when the map area is divided as shown in FIG. 8 in the area dividing unit 107, there are no cases where points are present at the four corners of the screen in each area. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of division in a direction different from the division method illustrated in FIG. Therefore, in the case of FIG. 8, the maximum required time for each area is easily caused by a difference in the vertical and horizontal lengths of the display unit 105 and is greatly different. The difference in the maximum required time is the same for the maximum required distance set when the required distance from the base point is targeted.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 9, a process in which the correspondence relationship determination unit 108 determines the correspondence relationship using the maximum required time will be described. The correspondence relationship determination unit 108 determines the function shown in FIG. 9 as the correspondence relationship between the required time at each point and the display distance for each area. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a function indicating the correspondence between the display distance and the required time. The function shown in FIG. 9 is expressed in a two-dimensional coordinate system having a required time and a display distance as axes. FIG. 9 shows a case where the user inputs an area corresponding to a point 15 minutes from the vehicle position as an area where a detailed map is to be browsed.

  First, determination of the function in area 1 will be described. From FIG. 7, the maximum required time for area 1 is 30 minutes. Therefore, the correspondence determining unit 108 sets the required time range to 30 minutes and sets the display distance from the base point at the point where the required time is 30 minutes to 1.0. That is, in the area 1, the correspondence relationship determination unit 108 sets the display distance from the base point to a point on the closed curve where the required time shown in FIG. 5 is 30 minutes, as 1.0. Here, the display distance is a distance on the screen display and indicates a display distance between the base point and another point.

  When determining the function, the correspondence determining unit 108 receives the required time input by the user from the input unit 101. The correspondence determining unit 108 determines the first reference required time and the second reference required time for determining the function based on the received required time. The first reference required time is obtained by subtracting a predetermined time from the accepted required time. The second reference required time is obtained by adding a predetermined time to the accepted required time. For example, when the required required time is “15 minutes” and the predetermined time is “3 minutes”, the first reference required time is “12 minutes” and the second reference required time is “18 minutes”. Become. Next, the correspondence relationship determination unit 108 determines a display distance (first reference distance) corresponding to the first reference required time and a display distance (second reference distance) corresponding to the second reference required time. The first reference distance is determined to be shorter than the length from the point corresponding to the first reference required time to the base point in the current map (before enlargement). The second reference distance is determined to be longer than the length from the point corresponding to the second reference required time to the base point on the current map (before enlargement). For example, when the first reference required time is “12 minutes”, the length from the point corresponding to the first reference required time to the base point in the current map is set to “0.4”. When the second reference required time is “18 minutes”, the length from the point corresponding to the second reference required time to the base point in the current map is “0.6”. At this time, the first reference distance is determined to be a value smaller than “0.4”, for example, “0.25”, and the second reference distance is larger than “0.6”, for example, “0.75”. To be determined. Note that the point that has the maximum required time does not move because the display distance is 1.0.

  When the first and second reference required times and the first and second reference distances are determined, the correspondence determining unit 108 determines the correspondence between the first reference required time and the first reference distance, and the second The function is determined based on the correspondence between the reference required time and the second reference distance. As shown in FIG. 9, the function includes an origin in a two-dimensional coordinate system having a required time and a display distance as axes, a coordinate point of (first reference required time, first reference distance) in the coordinate system, (first (2 reference required time, second reference distance) coordinate points and (maximum required time, 1) coordinate points. In the example of FIG. 9, the function is an interpolation curve connecting these four points. By calculating this interpolation curve, the correspondence between the required time and the display distance of all the points existing between the base point and the point having the maximum required time is determined. It is conceivable to use a spline curve as the interpolation curve, but this is not a limitation.

  Similar to area 1, area 2 has a maximum required time of 40 minutes, so that the function of an interpolation curve as shown in FIG. . Similarly, each function is determined for each area.

  The display correction unit 109 performs processing for correcting the display position of each point (node, landmark, etc.) for each area based on the function determined for each area by the correspondence determination unit 108. That is, the display correction unit 109 moves each point to a position corresponding to the function determined by the correspondence determination unit 108. For example, a point where the required time is “a” moves on a straight line connecting the point before movement and the base point. Here, the distance from the base point to the point after movement is a display distance corresponding to “a” in the above function. Since the function is determined for each area, if the function is different for each area, the position after the movement is different for each area even at a point where the required time is the same. At this time, the required time information described above is obtained by connecting points where the required time from the base point is the same time with a closed curve.

  The drawing unit 110 deforms and draws the map based on the display position of each point corrected by the display correction unit 109 and outputs the map to the display unit 105. As shown in FIG. 10, the display unit 105 displays a map that has been scaled and deformed so that the area near the required time input by the user is enlarged. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the map after the scale change displayed on the display unit 105. As shown in FIG. 10, in the map after the scale change, the area around the required time of 15 minutes is enlarged and displayed so that it can be confirmed in detail. As a result, the landmark icons that were densely arranged in the region of the required time of 15 minutes in FIG. 5 before the scale change are displayed in FIG. 10 so that the location thereof can be clearly seen.

  In addition, the display distance of the required time slot | zone from 12 to 18 minutes is displayed as shown in FIG. 11 with the function determined in the corresponding relationship determination part 108. FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating how the display distance in the required time period from 12 to 18 minutes is expanded by the processing of the correspondence determining unit 108. As shown in FIG. 11, the display position at the point where the required time is “18 minutes” moves from the position before the scale change to the position where the display distance is “0.75”. That is, the display position of the point where the required time is “18 minutes” moves in a direction away from the base point. Further, the display position of the point where the required time is “12 minutes” moves from the position before the scale change to the position where the display distance is “0.25”. The display position of the point where the required time is “12 minutes” moves in a direction approaching the base point. Thus, it can be seen that the display distance in the required time zone from 12 to 18 minutes is enlarged.

  In the above, the function shown in FIG. 9 is based on a certain value included in the required time zone from the first reference required time to the second reference required time, and the distance from the base point for a point where the required time is shorter than the reference. Is moved so that the distance from the base point is increased at a point where the required time is longer than the reference. Therefore, the display distance in the required time zone from the first reference required time to the second reference required time is larger than in the other required time zones. That is, the area (target area) on the map corresponding to the required time zone from the first reference required time to the second reference required time is displayed enlarged. The target area is an area configured by points where the required time value is in the range from the first reference required time to the second reference required time. That is, a point where the required time value falls within the range is included in the target area, and a point where the required time value falls outside the range is located outside the target area. The range is determined by the required time input by the user, and the target area is determined corresponding to the range, so that the user can specify the target area by inputting the required time. As described above, according to the present embodiment, the map can be deformed and displayed so that the area (target area) on the map designated by the user is larger than other areas. That is, according to the present embodiment, the scale of each region can be changed so that the scale of the target region specified by the user is larger than that of other regions.

  The reason why the above function is determined for each area will be described below. As an example, consider a case where the maximum required time for area N is 30 minutes and the maximum required time for area M is 60 minutes. If the maximum required time used for determining the function is uniformly 60 minutes, the display distance of the 60-minute point is 1.0, and the point within the 60-minute range moves by the above-described processing. At this time, for example, in the area N, it is assumed that the area where the required time is 30 minutes or more and less than 60 minutes is not displayed on the display unit 105 when traveling in the area N direction. In this case, if the maximum required time used for determining the function is uniformly 60 minutes, it may be necessary to display an area that is not originally displayed in the area N (an area where the required time is 30 minutes or more and less than 60 minutes). And extra processing load is applied, and the display range is not consistent with the user. In order to avoid such a phenomenon and prevent the display range itself from changing much before and after the scale change, the maximum required time for each area is used.

  Note that determining a different function for each area requires a processing load as compared to a case where it is determined uniformly. For this reason, when there is a concern about the processing load, the average required time of each area may be averaged, and the average time may be set as the maximum required time common to all areas. As a result, it is possible to change the scale while reducing inconsistency and reducing the processing load. If the display range mismatch is not taken into consideration, the function may be determined from the average of the maximum required time of the display range without providing the area dividing unit 107.

  Next, the flow of processing of the navigation device according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a process flow of the navigation device according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 12, it is determined whether or not a processing command for changing the scale is input from the user using the information related to the required time in the input unit 101 (step S <b> 101). When the processing command for changing the scale is input (Yes in step S101), the cost calculation unit 106 uses the map information stored in the map information storage unit 103 to determine the vehicle position or the position specified by the user. The required time from the base point to each point on the map displayed on the display unit 105 is calculated as the base point. When a processing command for changing the scale using information related to the required distance is input from the user in step S101, the required distance from the base point to each point on the map displayed on the display unit 105 in step S102. Is calculated.

  Following step S102, the display unit 105 displays the required time information (closed curve) related to the required time calculated by the cost calculating unit 106 together with the map information (step S103). Thereafter, the area dividing unit 107 divides the map area displayed on the display unit 105 around the base point into a plurality of areas (step S104). Note that the process of step S104 may be performed before the processes of steps S102 and S103, or may be performed in parallel with the processes of steps S102 and S103.

  Next to step S104, it is determined whether or not the required time has been input from the user in the input unit 101 (step S105). When the user inputs a required time to change the scale while referring to the required time information displayed on the display unit 105 (Yes in step S105), the correspondence determining unit 108 determines, for each area, based on the input required time. A function indicating the correspondence between the required time at each point and the display distance is determined (step S106).

  After step S106, the display correction unit 109 performs a process of correcting the display position of each point for each area based on the function determined by the correspondence determination unit 108, and the drawing unit 110 is processed by the display correction unit 109. The map is deformed and drawn based on the corrected display position of each point, and is output to the display unit 105 (step S107). Through the above steps S105 to S107, the predetermined area designated by the user includes the target area including the point where the value of the required time is within the predetermined range and the other point including the point where the value of the required time is outside the predetermined range. The map in the predetermined area is deformed so that the target area is relatively large or small relative to other areas. The correspondence determining unit 108, the display correcting unit 109, and the drawing unit 110 that perform the processes in steps S105 to S107 described above correspond to the map deforming unit in the present invention.

  Thereafter, when the scale change process is not terminated (No in step S108), the process returns to step S105. When the scale change process is to be ended (Yes in step S108), the process proceeds to step S109, and the process of the navigation device is ended (Yes in step S109).

  In the above description, the example in which the area designated by the user is enlarged has been described. However, the designated area may be reduced. In this case, in the function shown in FIG. 9, the slope (differential value) in the required time zone designated by the user may be set so as to be smaller than the slopes of other required time zones. Thereby, the area near the specified required time is reduced and displayed.

  As described above, according to the navigation device of the present embodiment, in the map displayed on the screen, an arbitrary area where the user wants to browse a detailed map is enlarged, and an unnecessary area is reduced. The map can be transformed to display. That is, the scale near the point related to the cost from the base point can be adaptively changed. This makes it possible to provide information to the user more effectively within a limited screen area.

  In addition, according to the navigation device of the present embodiment, the displayed area can be divided into areas and the map scale can be changed for each area. Even information relating to costs that may have greatly different maximum values can be appropriately displayed without loss of information.

  In the above description, the method in which the user designates the area to be scaled by the required time has been described. However, the point displayed on the map may be directly designated by a remote control or a touch panel. At this time, if the cost calculation unit 106 calculates the required time from the base point to the specified point and sets this value as the required time specified by the user, the display can be displayed with the scale changed by the same process as described above. It is.

  In the above description, the processing of the cost calculation unit 106 and the area division unit 107 is performed before the user specifies the required time. However, the process may be performed after the user specifies the required time.

  In the above description, the required time information based on the required time calculated by the cost calculation unit 106 is displayed before the user inputs information related to the required time (step S103 in FIG. 12), but is not limited thereto. . The required time information may be displayed together with the deformed map after the scale change.

(Second Embodiment)
With reference to FIG. 13, the navigation apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment in this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the navigation device according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the navigation device according to the present embodiment is different from the navigation device according to the first embodiment described above in that a congestion degree calculation unit 201 and a base position change unit 202 are newly provided. The other components are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and are given the same reference numerals and will not be described in detail. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in detail. In the present embodiment as well, as in the first embodiment, it is assumed that the user inputs information related to the required time that the user wants to browse in detail the area near the required time of 15 minutes.

  The density calculation unit 201 calculates a density indicating the degree of density of points in the target area. Presented information to be presented to the user is displayed at the point. As the presentation information, for example, there are various icons such as landmarks, detailed facility / commercial information related to them, and traffic information such as traffic jams and regulations. Among these, in this embodiment, an example of calculating the density of landmark icons will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an area where the density of landmarks is high. First, the density calculation unit 201 extracts one area (for example, area 1) from the areas divided by the area dividing unit 107. Then, the number of landmarks existing in the target area (for example, the area where the required time is 12 to 18 minutes) including the required time (15 minutes) designated by the user for area 1 is calculated by the cost calculation unit 106. Calculate using. When the number exceeds a predetermined threshold (for example, four), the density calculation unit 201 determines that the area 1 is an area with a high density. When the same calculation process is performed for all areas, it is determined that the area 2 is also highly dense, and the other areas (area 3 to area 8) are determined to be low.

  Note that the landmarks for which the density is calculated need not be all that exist in the area. For example, in a situation where a user searches for a specific genre (for example, “convenience store”, etc.) by executing a function such as a general facility search in the navigation device, the landmark to be calculated is set to a specific genre. It is also possible to calculate by focusing on and determine the level of congestion. Further, the degree of congestion may be determined not only by the number of landmarks, but also by the degree of overlapping of the icons displayed when the map is displayed (the degree of overlap). If the overlapping degree is large, it is determined that the congestion degree is high. In this embodiment, the map is divided into each area, and the density is calculated based on the landmarks for each area. However, if the map is not divided into each area, the requirement specified by the omnidirectional user from the base point The density may be calculated in consideration of landmarks existing in the target area including time, and the level of the density may be determined.

  The correspondence determination unit 108 receives the determination result of the density calculation unit 201 and determines a function corresponding to the density of the divided areas. A specific example of the function determined by the correspondence determining unit 108 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a function determined based on the calculation result of the density calculation unit 201. For areas determined to be highly dense (areas with high density) such as area 1 and area 2, the slope (differential value) of the display distance around the required time of 15 minutes is the same as in the first embodiment. The value is larger than other required time zones. However, for areas determined to be low in density such as area 3 to area 8 (low density areas), the display distance slope is about 15 minutes and the other required time zones. Reduce the difference. Specifically, in a low density area, the display distance at the point of 12 minutes required time is “0.3”, and the display distance at the point of 18 minutes required time is “0.7”, whereas the display distance is high. In the congestion area, different values are set such that the display distance at the point of the required time 12 minutes is “0.25”, and the display distance at the point of the required time 18 minutes is “0.75”. Thereby, even if it is the same required time slot | zone (12-18 minutes), a function can be determined so that the magnitude | size of the display area in the display part 105 may differ. By determining the function in this way, it is possible to change the scale to a region that needs to be enlarged from the viewpoint of the amount of information to be presented. Note that the correspondence determination unit 108 may determine the function according to the density value instead of the determination result (binary value) of the density calculation unit 201.

  Based on the density calculated by the density calculation unit 201, the base point position changing unit 202 changes the position of the base point so that the base point moves in the direction of the area where the density is low. As a specific processing example, first, a vector starting from the base point is determined according to the density value calculated by the density calculation unit 201. For example, in the case of area 1, the direction of the vector is the direction from the base point toward area 1. For example, in the case of area 1, the size of the vector is a size corresponding to the density of area 1. In this way, a vector starting from the base point is determined for each area. Then, the base point position changing unit 202 changes the base point position to the position indicated by the vector sum of each vector.

  In the example of FIG. 14, it is determined that the density is high with respect to area 1 and area 2. That is, a region having a high density value is concentrated on the upper right side of the display unit 105 with respect to the base point. In other words, an area with a low density value is concentrated in the lower left, and there is little information to be presented to the user in this area. At this time, the vector sum is a vector directed to the lower left. Therefore, for example, when the vicinity of the center of the display unit 105 is set as the initial position value of the base point, the base point position moves from the vicinity of the center to the lower left as shown in FIG. FIG. 16 shows a display example after changing the scale when the base point position moves to the lower left. Note that the base point position changing unit 202 may obtain the vector sum using a vector according to the determination result (binary value) of the density calculation unit 201 instead of obtaining the vector sum according to the numerical value of the density. . When the base point position is changed in the base point position changing unit 202, the area dividing unit 107 divides the map area displayed on the display unit 105 around the changed base point into a plurality of areas. The correspondence determination unit 108 receives the determination result of the density calculation unit 201 and determines a function for each divided area. By changing the base point position in this manner, as shown in FIG. 16, the display area with a small amount of information on the lower left side of the display unit 105 is small and the display area on the upper right side is large, so that more information can be sent Can be presented.

  The display correction unit 109 performs the same correction process as in the first embodiment based on the function determined by the correspondence determination unit 108. The map information corrected by the display correction unit 109 is drawn by the drawing unit 110 and displayed on the display unit 105.

  Next, the flow of processing of the navigation device according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the navigation device according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 12, it is determined whether or not a processing command for changing the scale has been input from the user using the information related to the required time in the input unit 101 (step S201). When the processing instruction for changing the scale is input (Yes in step S201), the cost calculation unit 106 uses the map information stored in the map information storage unit 103 to determine the vehicle position or the position specified by the user. The required time from the base point to each point on the map displayed on the display unit 105 is calculated as the base point. When a processing command for changing the scale using information related to the required distance is input from the user in step S201, the required distance from the base point to each point on the map displayed on the display unit 105 in step S202. Is calculated.

  After step S202, the display unit 105 displays the required time information (closed curve) related to the required time calculated by the cost calculation unit 106 together with the map information (step S203). Thereafter, the area dividing unit 107 divides the map area displayed on the display unit 105 around the base point into a plurality of areas (step S204).

  Following step S204, it is determined whether or not the required time has been input from the user in the input unit 101 (step S205). When the user inputs the time required to change the scale while referring to the time required information displayed on the display unit 105 (Yes in step S205), the congestion degree calculation unit 201 sets the time required by the user for each area. Alternatively, the density of landmarks of a specified genre is calculated (step S206). Here, it is determined whether or not the process for changing the base point position is to be performed, and when the base point position is not changed (No in step S207), the correspondence determination unit 108 determines for each area based on the calculation result of the density. A function is determined (step S208). When the process for changing the base point position is performed (Yes in Step S207), the base point position changing unit 202 calculates a vector sum based on the density calculated in Step S206 (Step S209). Then, the base point position changing unit 202 changes the base point position to the position indicated by the vector sum (step S210). After step S210, the area dividing unit 107 divides the map area displayed on the display unit 105 into a plurality of areas with the changed base point as the center (step S211). The correspondence relationship determination unit 108 determines a function for each area divided in step S211 based on the density calculated in step S206 (step S212).

  Based on the function determined in step S208 or S212 and the base point position, the display correction unit 109 corrects the display position of each point such as a node or a landmark, and the drawing unit 110 corrects each location corrected by the display correction unit 109. A map is drawn based on the display position of the points, and is output to the display unit 105 (step S213). Thereafter, when the scale change process is not terminated (No in step S214), the process returns to step S205. When the scale change process is to be ended (Yes in step S214), the process proceeds to step S215, and the process of the navigation device is ended (Yes in step S215).

  As described above, according to the navigation device of the present embodiment, the density of the information to be displayed (landmark icon in the present embodiment) is calculated by the processing of the density calculation unit 201. For this reason, the correspondence determination unit 108 can determine the correspondence between each appropriate point and the display distance according to the density. As a result, a detailed map is displayed focusing on areas with high congestion, so the display interval of the required time information displayed as a closed curve also becomes an interval according to the congestion, and browsing to the area to be noted is possible. It becomes easy.

  Further, according to the navigation device of the present embodiment, the base point position is changed to the position moved in the direction of the area with low density by the processing of the base point position changing unit 202, so that the area with high density is displayed. A large area can be secured. As a result, it becomes easier to browse high-density areas.

  A map display device according to the present invention can flexibly respond to a user's request and can display a map region desired by the user with high visibility. A navigation device such as a car navigation system and a mobile phone carried by the user. It is useful as a mobile terminal such as the above, or a map display application that operates on a personal computer.

The block diagram which shows the function structural example of the navigation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the node data memorize | stored in the map information storage part 103 The figure which shows an example of the link data memorize | stored in the map information storage part 103 The figure which shows an example of the landmark data memorize | stored in the map information storage part 103 Figure showing a display example of required time information The figure which shows the example of a division by the area division part 107 Figure showing an example of the maximum required time set for each area The figure which shows the example divided | segmented in the direction different from the division | segmentation method shown in FIG. Diagram showing the function that shows the correspondence between display distance and required time The figure which shows an example of the map after the scale change displayed on the display part 105 The figure which shows typically a mode that the display distance of the required time slot | zone to 12-18 minutes is expanded by the process of the correspondence determination part 108. FIG. The flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the navigation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the example of a function structure of the navigation apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. Diagram showing areas with high density of landmarks The figure which shows the function determined based on the calculation result of the congestion degree calculation part 201 The figure which shows a mode that the display position of the base point moved to the lower left The flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the navigation apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Input part 102 Position detection part 103 Map information memory | storage part 104 Control part 105 Display part 106 Cost calculation part 107 Area division part 108 Correspondence relationship determination part 109 Display correction part 110 Drawing part 201 Concentration degree calculation part 202 Base point position change part

Claims (14)

A map display device for displaying a map,
For each point included in the predetermined region on the map, a cost calculation unit that calculates a cost from the base point to the point with the predetermined point on the map as a base point,
The predetermined area is divided into a target area including a point where the cost value falls within the predetermined range and another area including a point where the cost value falls outside the predetermined range, and the target area becomes another area. A map deformation unit that deforms a map in the predetermined area so as to be relatively large or small with respect to the map;
A map display device comprising: a display unit that displays a map deformed by the map deformation unit.   When the target region includes the base point therein, the map deformation unit deforms the map in the predetermined region to move the outer periphery of the target region in a direction away from the base point, and the target region is In the case of an annular shape surrounding the base point, the map in the predetermined region is deformed so that the inner periphery of the target region is moved in a direction approaching the base point and the outer periphery is moved in a direction away from the base point. The map display device according to claim 1.   The map deformation unit determines the position of each point after the deformation based on the cost calculated for each point, and deforms the map in the predetermined area by moving each point to the determined position. The map display device according to claim 1, wherein:   The map deforming unit moves a point having a cost smaller than the reference cost so that the distance from the base point is smaller than the reference cost, using the cost of any point in the target area as a reference cost. The map display device according to claim 1, wherein the map is moved so that a distance from the base point is increased for a point having a large. A region dividing unit that divides the target region into a plurality of regions by a plurality of straight lines passing through the base point;
A density calculation unit that calculates a density for each area indicating a degree of density of points in the area divided by the area dividing unit;
A base point position changing unit that changes the position of the base point based on the density,
The map display device according to claim 1, wherein the map deformation unit performs deformation on the map whose base point position has been changed by the base point position changing unit. A density calculation unit for calculating a density indicating a degree of density of points in the target area;
The map display device according to claim 3, wherein the map deformation unit determines the position of each point after the deformation based on the cost calculated for each point and the density. Each point indicates a landmark on the map,
The map display device according to claim 6, wherein the density calculation unit calculates the density only for a point indicating a landmark belonging to a predetermined type.   The map deforming unit uses the cost of any point in the target area as a reference cost, and moves a point having a cost smaller than the reference cost so that the distance from the base point becomes larger, and the cost is lower than the reference cost. The map display device according to claim 1, wherein the map display device is moved so that a distance from the base point becomes small for a point having a large. An area dividing unit that divides the predetermined area into a plurality of areas by a plurality of straight lines passing through the base point;
The said map deformation | transformation part deform | transforms the map in the said predetermined area for every said area | region so that the position of the point where the said cost becomes the maximum may not change in the area | region divided | segmented in the said area | region division part. Map display device. An input unit for receiving an input for designating a position on a slider bar displayed on the display unit;
Each position on the slider bar is associated with a cost value,
The map display device according to claim 1, wherein the map deformation unit determines the predetermined range based on a cost value corresponding to a position specified by an input received by the input unit.   The map display device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays a line indicating a boundary between two adjacent target regions.   The map display device according to claim 11, wherein the display unit displays a map in a different color for each target area.   The map display device according to claim 1, wherein the point indicates a node and / or a landmark on the map. A map display method for displaying a map,
For each point included in the predetermined region on the map, a cost calculating step for calculating a cost from the base point to the point with respect to the predetermined point on the map,
The predetermined area is divided into a target area including a point where the cost value falls within the predetermined range and another area including a point where the cost value falls outside the predetermined range, and the target area becomes another area. A map deformation step for deforming a map in the predetermined area so as to be relatively large or small with respect to the map;
A map display method including a display step of displaying the map deformed in the map deformation step.

Images