JP3099734B2 - Multi-path providing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a multiple route providing device capable of displaying a plurality of recommended routes acquired from, for example, an in-vehicle navigation device or a road beacon device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In-vehicle navigation devices generally include:
In addition to the basic function of displaying the current position of the vehicle together with the surrounding road map, a route providing function that automatically calculates the recommended route between two points on the road and displays the recommended route on the display screen Have. In the route providing function, usually, only a single route is calculated and displayed on the display screen. Therefore, there is no room for the user to select a route, and the user interface cannot be said to be sufficient.

[0003] Therefore, a technique has been implemented in which a plurality of routes including an optimal route and a detour route can be shown to a user, and a vehicle can be guided along a route selected from the routes (Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.). Refer to the catalog of "Cruise Mate SNV-5000" manufactured by Co., Ltd.). More specifically, according to this conventional technique, when the optimum route is calculated and displayed, in response to the key operation, the vehicle travels from the position of the key operated vehicle to the destination. The detour route is calculated separately from the optimal route, and the detour route is displayed on the display screen. That is, when the user wants to travel on a route other than the optimal route, this can be realized by performing key operations.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, as a method of providing a plurality of route information including a detour route to a user, a route is displayed along a road on a road map, It just displays the schematic diagram of the intersection and the remaining mileage. Therefore, the information that can be obtained by the user from this providing method is only information such as the shape of the entire route, the name of the intersection to be passed, the traveling direction, and the remaining traveling distance. Therefore, it is difficult to grasp what features each route has among the plurality of routes, and it cannot be said that the information is sufficient for the route selection.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, to select any one of a plurality of routes, and to provide information required by a user for the selection. It is to provide a providing device.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a link constituting a plurality of acquired recommended routes is shared by a predetermined road attribute for each recommended route. By joining things together,
A section route creating unit for creating a section route corresponding to each road attribute, and a section route created by the section route creating unit are connected in an order according to the traveling order of the vehicle, and one section corresponding to the recommended route is created. A line creation unit for creating a display line, and a display control unit for displaying each display line created by the line creation unit on a display screen in a form in which road attributes can be recognized. Is a multi-path providing device.

In the present invention, links having common road attributes are connected to create a section route corresponding to the road attribute, and the section routes are connected in accordance with the order of vehicle travel to create a display line. You. The display line is displayed on the display screen in a form in which road attributes can be recognized. Specifically, the display is performed by color-coding for each road attribute or changing the width of the display line for each road attribute.

As described above, when the user selects a recommended route, information on the road attribute of the recommended route is also provided to the user at the same time. In other words, it provides an overview of the recommended route. Therefore, information necessary for selecting a recommended route can be provided to the user. The road attributes include a road type, a landscape around the road, the number of lanes, whether or not the road is a toll road, a signal density, and the like.

[0012] The invention according to claim 2 is the ratio of the distance of the section route created by the section route creation means to the distance of the entire recommended route, or the section to the time required to drive the entire recommended route by a vehicle. The vehicle further includes a ratio calculating unit for calculating a ratio of time required for the vehicle to travel on the section route created by the route creating unit, wherein the line creating unit is configured to calculate a ratio of the length of the section route to the total length of the display line. 2. A display line is created by connecting section routes so that the ratio is substantially the same as the distance or time ratio obtained by the ratio calculation means for the section route. It is a multiple path | route provision apparatus of description.

According to the present invention, the ratio of each section route to the display line corresponds to the ratio of the actual recommended route to the distance or time. Therefore, the user can determine which section is how long. Therefore, an outline of the recommended route can be provided in more detail. The invention according to claim 3, wherein the ratio of the distance of the section route created by the section route creation means to the distance of the entire recommended route, or the section route creation means with respect to the time required to drive the entire recommended route by a vehicle. Ratio calculating means for calculating the ratio of time necessary for the vehicle to travel on the section route created in step 2, and whether the ratio of the distance or time calculated by the ratio calculating means is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value Determining means for determining whether or not the distance or time is equal to or greater than the threshold based on a result of the determination by the determining means. 2. The multiple route providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus provides a display line.

In the present invention, a section route in which the ratio of the distance or time to the entire recommended route is less than the threshold is excluded from the display line. Therefore, the amount of information to be displayed can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to make the screen easy for the user to see. It should be noted that the excluded section route corresponds to a route of a small distance which is considered unnecessary for providing a route outline, and therefore, it is considered that there is no particular problem even if it is excluded.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the ratio of the distance of the section route created by the section route creation means to the distance of the entire recommended route, or the section of time required to drive the entire recommended route by a vehicle. The vehicle further includes a ratio calculation unit for calculating a ratio of time necessary for the vehicle to travel on the section route created by the route creation unit, and the line creation unit includes a distance or a time calculated by the ratio calculation unit. 2. The multiple route providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a section route that is higher than or equal to n (n is a natural number) in the ratio is extracted and a display line is created using only the section route. .

According to the present invention, a line is composed of only the section routes in which the ratio of the distance or time to the entire recommended route is n or more. In other words, the section routes that are less than the top n places are excluded from the line. Therefore, the amount of information to be displayed can be reduced, as in the second aspect of the present invention. The invention according to claim 5, further comprising a scroll unit capable of scrolling a display screen when a line for display that cannot be completely displayed on one screen is created by the line creating unit. The multi-path providing apparatus according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, or claim 4.

In the present invention, when a display line that cannot be displayed on one screen is created, the display screen can be scrolled. Therefore, even if the display lines are not forced to fit in one screen, all of the display lines can be shown to the user in an easily viewable size. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, when the display control means creates a display line that cannot be displayed on one screen when represented by a straight line by the line creation means, the display control means sets the display line to a plurality of stages and sets the display line to one line. 4. The multi-path providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is provided to be displayed on a screen.

According to the present invention, when a display line that cannot be displayed on one screen when represented by a straight line is created, the display line is displayed in a plurality of stages in one screen.
Therefore, the user can visually recognize the outline of one recommended route at a glance without scrolling the display screen. The display control means may display the display line created by the line creation means.
3. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying a character or a symbol in a form corresponding to the road attribute of the recommended route corresponding to the display line in association with the display line. , Claim 3, Claim 4,
A multi-path providing apparatus according to claim 5 or 6.

In the present invention, a character or a symbol in a form corresponding to the road attribute of the recommended route corresponding to the display line is displayed in association with the display line. Therefore, it is possible to recognize at a glance the road attribute of the recommended route.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, a link constituting a plurality of acquired recommended routes is connected to each of the recommended routes by means of common road attributes having predetermined road attributes, so that a section route corresponding to each road attribute is connected. And the ratio of the distance of the section route created by the section route creation means to the distance of the entire recommended route, or the section to the time required to drive the entire recommended route by a vehicle. According to the ratio calculating means for calculating the ratio of the time required for the vehicle to travel on the section route created by the route creating means, and according to the distance or time ratio of each section route determined by the ratio calculating means. Including graph creating means for creating a graph in which each road attribute is classified, and display control means for displaying each graph created by the graph creating means on a display screen Preparative a plurality route providing apparatus according to claim.

In the present invention, a graph of the distance or time ratio of each section route in the entire recommended route is displayed. Therefore, the user can visually recognize the ratio of the road attribute of the recommended route at a glance. This graph includes, for example, the above-described claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, or claim 7.
It is possible to apply the described invention. That is, the ratio of each section route in the graph may correspond to the ratio with respect to the actual recommended route as in the configuration according to claim 2, and the distance or the distance occupying the entire recommended route as in the configuration according to claim 3 A section route whose time ratio is less than the threshold value may be excluded from the graph. In addition, as in the configuration according to the fourth aspect, a section route in which the ratio of the distance or the time to the entire recommended route is less than the n-th highest rank may be excluded from the graph. A character or a symbol in a form corresponding to the road attribute of the recommended route corresponding to the display line may be displayed in association with the display line.

[0018] Also in these constructions, the above-mentioned claim 2,
The same operation as the invention according to claim 3, 4, or 7 is achieved.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle-mounted navigation device to which the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. This in-vehicle navigation device is for assisting the running of the vehicle,
A wheel speed sensor 1 and a gyro 2 are provided. The wheel speed sensor 1 is for detecting the traveling distance of the vehicle,
For example, it can be replaced with a vehicle speed sensor. Gyro 2
For detecting the traveling direction of the vehicle, various types such as a vibration gyro, a gas rate gyro, and an optical fiber gyro can be applied. Each output of the wheel speed sensor 1 and the gyro 2 is given to the navigation device body 3.

The navigation device body 3 includes a CPU 4,
A RAM 5 and a VRAM 6 are provided. CPU4
It is responsible for the control center of the on-vehicle navigation device, and executes a multiple route selection process described later. RAM
Reference numeral 5 is used as a work area. VR
AM6 is for creating display data.

When each output is given from the wheel speed sensor 1 and the gyro 2, the navigation device main body 3
Under the control of U4, the current position of the vehicle is detected based on each output. Further, the navigation device body 3 uses the detected current position as a GPS (Global Positioning System).
stem) Correction is performed based on the current position of the vehicle detected by the receiver 8.

That is, the current position of the vehicle detected based on the outputs of the wheel speed sensor 1 and the gyro 2 includes:
Usually, an error is included. On the other hand, the GPS receiver 8 detects the current position of the vehicle based on the propagation delay time of the radio wave transmitted from the GPS satellite traveling in the orbit of the earth. That is, the GPS receiver 8 detects the current position of the vehicle as an absolute position. Therefore, the above-described correction is performed.

When the current position of the vehicle is detected, the navigation device body 3 reads out the display road map data around the current position of the vehicle from the dedicated map disk 9 and stores the display road map data and the current position data in the VRAM 6.
Give to. Then, the VRAM 6 creates display map data in which the car mark is associated with the current position of the vehicle, and provides the display map data to the screen display device 10.

The screen display device 10 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, or a CRT. The screen display device 10 receives the display map data created from the display road map data and the current position data, and based on the display map data, displays a road map on which a car mark indicating the current position of the vehicle is superimposed. Is displayed.

The map dedicated disk 9 stores display road map data as described above. The road map data for display is created from a 1/2500 map database, and includes map data for specifying roads, place names, famous facilities, railways, rivers, and the like. The map dedicated disk 9 also stores route map data. The route map data is obtained by dividing a road map (including expressway national roads, motorways, general national roads, major local roads, general prefectural roads, general city roads of designated cities, and other living roads) into a mesh shape. A route composed of a combination of a node and a link at each mesh terminal is stored separately for an entire map and a detailed map. The whole map mainly includes only highways (including highway expressways, motorways, general national roads, and major local roads), while detailed maps include highways along with general prefectural roads, general city roads in designated cities, and other lifestyles. It also includes roads and other non-trunk roads. Due to the capacity of the map-dedicated disk 9, it is not possible to prepare a detailed map covering only the whole country, so only a map corresponding to the main part of the city is prepared. In the following specification,
Expressway national roads and motorways are called "expressways".

Here, a node is generally a coordinate position for specifying a branch point or a bending point of a road. Among them, a node representing a branch point may be referred to as a branch node, and a node representing a bending point (excluding a branch point) of a road may be referred to as an interpolation point node. The node data includes a node number, an address of a node of an adjacent mesh corresponding to the node, and an address of a link connected to the node.

A link connecting the branch nodes is a link. The link data includes the link number, the address of the start node and the end node of the link, the distance of the link, the direction of passing through the link, the link cost in that direction, the road type, the road width, one-way and right-turn prohibition, left-turn prohibition, and toll road. And other traffic regulation data. The map dedicated disk 9 stores a route link information table. The route link information table is, for example, as shown in FIG.

The route link information table will be specifically described with reference to FIG. The route link information table is
For each link, the route link number, the length of the link (distance), the time required to drive the link by vehicle (link cost), the road type of the link, the road name of the link, the link The surrounding route features are associated with each other. Among them, the road type and the route feature are road attributes of each link. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, various types are included in the road type, the road name, and the route feature.

Further, the map dedicated disk 9 stores a line drawing information table. The line drawing information table is used when displaying the outline of the recommended route on the screen display device 10 as described later. In the line drawing information table, as shown in FIG. 4, for each road type, a line color and a line width, which are colors and widths for displaying display lines corresponding to the road type, are associated.

Returning to FIG. 1, the on-vehicle navigation device further includes a remote controller (remote controller) 1
1 is provided. The remote controller 11 is connected to the navigation device main body 3 and is permanently installed, for example, near the driver's seat so that the driver can easily operate the vehicle while driving. Remote control 11
Is the menu key 1 if there is a configuration related to the present invention.
2. A joystick / set key 14 is provided.
The menu key 12 is used to display a menu screen on the screen display device 10.
This is for operating when displaying on the screen. The joystick / set key 14 is used when scrolling a road map and when selecting one of a plurality of recommended routes displayed.

More specifically, when the normal navigation screen is displayed, the road map can be scrolled up, down, left, and right by tilting the joystick / set key 14 up, down, left, and right. When a plurality of recommended routes, which will be described later, are displayed, the cursor can be moved between the recommended routes by tilting the joystick / set key 14 up, down, left and right, and by pressing the joystick / set key 14. A recommended route associated with the cursor can be selected.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the overall flow of the multiple path selection process. The multiple route selection process is a process of displaying an outline of a plurality of recommended routes on the screen display device 10 and selecting one of them. To execute the multiple route selection process, the user first operates the menu key 12 to display a menu screen on the screen display device 10. On the menu screen,
A mode list containing the "root" mode is displayed. The user tilts the joystick / set key 14 to move the cursor to the “root” mode, and presses the joystick / set key 14 to “root”.
The mode can be specified.

When the "route" mode is designated, the screen display device 10 displays a screen for prompting the user to set a destination.
The user sets the destination in accordance with this. When the setting of the destination is confirmed, the navigation device body 3
The route map data is read out from the map dedicated memory 9, and RA
M5. In addition, a route calculation condition setting screen is displayed on the screen display device 10. The user sets a route calculation condition on this route calculation condition setting screen (step A1). Specifically, the route calculation conditions include whether to give priority to a toll road, whether to give priority to a ferry, whether to use a waypoint, and whether the departure point is a toll road or a general road. It is. The user sets each of these route calculation conditions as necessary.

After determining that the route calculation condition has been set, the navigation device body 3 determines whether or not the joystick / set key 14 has been pressed. As a result, when it is determined that the joystick / set key 14 has been pressed, a multiple route calculation process is executed based on the route map data held in the RAM 5 (step A2).

The multiple route calculation process is performed, for example, as follows. A route providing area is set, and any link in the route providing area is set as a calculation start link, and a recommended route tree from the route starting link to all other links in the same area is acquired. Next, one of a plurality of links branching from the intersection closest to the calculation start link is specified from the recommended route tree, and the traffic is regulated. Then, a quasi-recommended route from the calculation start link to each link existing in the restricted area where the recommended route tree connected from the restricted link is obtained. The contents are described in detail in JP-A-7-244798.

Next, the navigation apparatus main body 3 executes a feature section table list creating process to create a list of feature section tables mainly used when displaying route features which are part of the outline of the recommended route. (Step A
3). The feature classification table processes an arbitrary recommended route among the recommended routes obtained by the above-described multiple route calculation process, and uses the same road type, route feature, or road for all links constituting the recommended route that has been processed. This is a collection of links having consecutive names, and the distance between the links.

Thereafter, a route segment table list creating process is executed to create a route segment table used mainly for displaying display lines and road names which are part of the outline of the recommended route (step A4). . The route division table is a collection of feature division tables in which the same road type and road name are consecutive. That is, it can be said that the route division table is obtained by filtering the characteristic division table by the road type and the road name.

Further, the navigation device body 3 executes a route running ratio calculation process to calculate the ratio of the distance of the same route feature to the continuous length of the recommended route to the total length of the recommended route, and the calculation of the recommended route of the same road type and the continuous distance of the road name. The ratio to the total length is calculated (step A5). This allows
The necessary information gathering to display the outline of the recommended route is achieved.

Next, the navigation device main body 3 executes the feature classification table obtained in steps A3 to A5,
A route outline list display preparation process for displaying an outline of a recommended route is executed based on the route division table and the route travel ratio (step A6). In the first embodiment, it is assumed that when the recommended route is represented by a straight line, the entire recommended route can be included in one screen. In addition, when the outline of the recommended route is displayed on the screen display device 10, the outline of the two recommended routes is displayed on the upper half and the lower half of the display screen, respectively. Therefore, in the route outline list display preparation processing, the outline of the recommended route to be displayed is drawn so as to fit within the drawing area of the VRAM 6 corresponding to the upper half or lower half area of the display screen of the screen display device 10.

Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the processes of steps A3 to A6 have been executed for all the recommended routes obtained in step A2 (step A7), and it is determined that the recommended routes not to be processed remain. If it is determined, the processes of steps A3 to A6 are executed for the recommended route. Next, the navigation device body 3
A route selection process is executed (step A8), and an outline of two recommended routes is extracted from the outlines of the recommended routes drawn in the VRAM 6, and the outlines of the respective recommended routes are respectively displayed in an upper half and a lower half of the display screen. Display and confirm the recommended route selected by the user.

When it is determined that the recommended route has been selected by the user, the navigation device body 3 registers the link data of the link constituting the selected recommended route in the RAM 5 as route guidance data (step A9).
Thereafter, based on the route guidance data registered in the RAM 5, the navigation device body 3 performs vehicle guidance processing by displaying a route, displaying a schematic diagram of an enlarged intersection, displaying the remaining mileage, and voice guidance. Execute.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining the feature section table list creation processing. Prior to the execution of this processing, the navigation device main body 3 reads the route link information table from the map dedicated disk 9 and stores the route link information table in the RAM 5. The navigation apparatus main body 3 sets any one of the recommended routes determined in the multiple route calculation processing in step A2 as a processing target, and further specifies any one of the links constituting the recommended route. At this time, the link closest to the departure place is specified in principle. Then, the path link number of the specified link is obtained from the link data (step B1). Further, referring to the route link information table, a road type, a route feature, and a link distance corresponding to the route link number are obtained, and
A pointer for specifying an area in which the road name corresponding to the route link number is stored is obtained (step B2).

Thereafter, the navigation device body 3 determines whether or not the link is the link closest to the departure place (step B3). As a result, when it is determined that the link is the link closest to the departure place, a blank feature classification table (see FIG. 7) is newly created in the RAM 5 (step B4). Then, in order to represent the running order of the vehicle, a serial number is written in the feature classification number column of the created feature classification table, and the road type, the route characteristic,
Write a pointer to the road name in each field (step B
5, B6). Further, the link distance of the link is written in the section traveling distance column (step B7). Information is written into the section distance ratio field and the corresponding route section number field among the fields of the feature section table by the processing described later.

Thereafter, the navigation device body 3 determines whether or not the above processing has been executed for all the links constituting the recommended route (step B10). As a result, when it is determined that there is a link that is not to be processed, the process proceeds to step B1, and the smallest route link number among the remaining links is acquired. Further, the process proceeds to step B2, and the road type and the like corresponding to the route link number are acquired.

In the second and subsequent processes, the above-described step B3
Is "No". The determination in step B3 is "N
In the case of "o", the navigation device body 3 determines that the road type, the route feature, and the road name of the link to be processed are all the road type, the route feature, and the route characteristic of the link that was processed in the immediately preceding process. And it is further determined whether or not it is the same as the road name (step B8).

As a result, if it is determined that the road type, the route feature, and the road name are all the same, a new feature section table is not created, and the feature section table used in the previous process is not created. And adds the link distance of the link to be processed to the distance already written in the section mileage column (step B9). On the other hand, when it is determined that at least one of the road type, the route feature, and the road name is different, the blank feature classification table is stored in the RA.
M5 is newly created, and the processing of steps B5 to B7 is executed again for the link to be processed.

The above processing is executed for all links constituting the recommended route to be processed. This allows
The recommended route is classified by road type,
The route feature and the road name are divided for each section.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the route division table list creation processing. Navigation device body 3
Specifies one of the feature section table lists created in the feature section table list creation process, and sets the feature section table as a processing target (step C).
1). At first, the feature section table corresponding to the smallest serial number among the serial numbers written in the feature section number column is to be processed. Then, a pointer to the road type, route feature, section mileage, and road name written in the obtained feature classification table is obtained (step C2).

Thereafter, the navigation device body 3 determines whether or not the feature classification table corresponds to the smallest serial number (step C3). As a result, when it is determined that the feature section table corresponds to the link closest to the departure place, a blank path section table (see FIG. 9) is newly created in the RAM 5 (step C4).

Then, in order to represent the traveling order of the vehicles, a serial number is written in the route section number column of the created route section table, and the road type, the route feature, the section mileage, the road name acquired from the feature section table. Is written in each column (steps C5 and C6). Further, in order to specify the corresponding feature section table, the serial number of the feature section table to be processed is written in the corresponding feature section number column (step C7). Information is written in the section distance ratio field, the drawing line start point field, and the drawing line end point field among the respective fields of the route division table by the processing described later.

Further, in order to specify the corresponding path section table for the feature section table, the corresponding path section number column (see FIG. 7) of the feature section table to be processed is written in step C5. The obtained serial number is written (step C8). Thereafter, the navigation device body 3 determines whether or not all the feature classification tables included in the feature classification table list have been processed (step C9). As a result, if it is determined that a feature classification table that is not to be processed remains,
The process proceeds to step C1 to acquire a feature segment table with the smallest serial number from the remaining feature segment tables, and further proceeds to step C2 to acquire a road type and the like from the feature segment table.

In the second and subsequent processes, the above-described step C3
Is "No". The determination in step C3 is "N
In the case of "o", the navigation device body 3 determines that the road type and the road name acquired from the feature classification table to be processed are the roads acquired from the feature classification table to be processed in the immediately preceding process. It is further determined whether the type and the road name are the same (step C1).
0).

As a result, if it is determined that both the road type and the road name are the same, a new route division table is not created, and the route division table used in the previous process is used. Then, the section traveling distance acquired from the processing target table is added to the distance already written in the section traveling distance column (step C11). Further, the serial number written in step C5 is written in the corresponding path section start number field of the feature section table to be processed (step C12).

On the other hand, if it is determined that either the road type or the road name is different, the process proceeds to step C4, where a new route division table is created, and the processes of steps C5 to U8 are repeatedly executed. The above processing is executed for all the feature classification tables included in the feature classification table list. As a result, the recommended route to be processed is divided into sections (hereinafter, referred to as “section routes”) having the same road type and road name along the traveling order of the vehicles.

As described above, the route segmentation table is obtained by filtering the feature segmentation table by the road type and the road name. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the route running ratio calculation processing. The navigation device body 3 acquires the link distances of all the links constituting the recommended route to be processed from the route link information table, and obtains the total length of the recommended route (step D).
1). After that, a feature section table corresponding to the smallest serial number is acquired from the feature section table list, and further, the section mileage written in the feature section table is acquired (steps D2 and D3). Then, a ratio v of the section travel distance to the total length of the recommended route is obtained, and the obtained section travel ratio v is written in the section distance ratio column of the feature classification table (step D).
4).

The feature classification table also uses the route feature as one of the classification criteria. Therefore, by referring to the route feature column and the section distance ratio column of the feature classification table, it is possible to acquire the ratio v of the distance of the section where the same route feature continues to the entire recommended route. The navigation device body 3 determines whether or not a feature classification table that is not a processing target remains in the feature classification table list (step D5). If it is determined that the feature classification table remains, the processing in steps D2 to D4 is performed. Execute repeatedly. On the other hand, when it is determined that the above-described processing has been performed on all the characteristic division tables, the navigation apparatus body 3 next executes the same processing as that of the characteristic division table on the route division table.

That is, the navigation device body 3
A route segment table corresponding to the smallest serial number is acquired from the route segment table list (step D6), and further, the section mileage written in the route segment table is acquired (step D7). Then, the ratio of the section travel distance to the total length of the recommended route obtained in step D1 (hereinafter, referred to as “section distance ratio”) w.
And writes the obtained section distance ratio w in the section distance ratio column of the route segmentation table (step D).
8). As a result, by referring to the section distance ratio column of the route division table, it is possible to acquire the ratio of the distance of the section route having the same road type and road name to the entire recommended route.

Thereafter, the navigation device body 3 determines whether or not a route division table not to be processed remains in the route division table list (step D).
9) The above-described processing of steps D6 to D8 is executed for all the route division tables. Note that the distance ratio v,
Instead of w, the ratio of the time required to travel the section according to the feature classification table and the time required to travel the section route to the time required to travel the entire recommended route is calculated. You may. In this case, it is necessary to store the time required to travel through the section according to the feature classification table and the time required to travel through the section route in the feature partition table and the route partition table.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the route outline list display preparation processing. The navigation device body 3 first executes a line drawing process with reference to the route division table (step E1), and draws a display line representing a road in the VRAM 6. Next, a road name drawing process is executed with reference to the route division table (step E2), and a road name is drawn near the drawn display line. Finally, a feature drawing process is executed with reference to the feature classification table (step E3), and an icon corresponding to the route feature is drawn near the drawn display line.

In the following, the drawn display lines, road names, and icons will be collectively referred to as "recommended route outline data". Recommended route summary data
The image is drawn so as to fit within the drawing area corresponding to the upper half or lower half of the display screen of the screen display device 10.
In the first embodiment, as described above, it is assumed that the entire recommended route can be accommodated on one screen, and that the outlines of the two recommended routes are displayed in the upper half and the lower half of the display screen, respectively. Because it is. Further, a unique selected route number is assigned to each recommended route summary data to distinguish it from other recommended route summary data. This allows
Preparation for displaying the outline of the recommended route is completed.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing recommended route outline data drawn in the VRAM 6. Each recommended route outline data includes a display line 80. At the left and right ends of the display line 80, a departure point mark 81 and a destination mark 82 representing a departure point and a destination, respectively, are included. Below the display line 80, road names 83 such as "R23" and "Pearl Road" are drawn. Further, an icon 84 corresponding to the route feature is drawn above the display line 80.

FIG. 13 is a flow chart for explaining the line drawing process. Navigation device body 3
Reads the line drawing information table from the dedicated map disk 9 and stores the line drawing information table in the RAM 5 prior to this processing. Navigation device body 3
Acquires one of the route division table lists (step F1). At first, the route division table corresponding to the smallest serial number is obtained. Then, the section distance ratio w is acquired from the section distance ratio column of the route segmentation table, and the length (corresponding to the acquired section distance ratio w of the entire length of the display line corresponding to the entire recommended route on the VRAM 6) ( Hereinafter, this is referred to as “line drawing length”.) R1 is obtained (steps F2 and F3). The total length of the display line on the VRAM 6 is set in advance from the width of the drawing area.

The navigation device body 3 acquires the road type of the section route from the road type column of the route classification table, refers to the line drawing information table held in the RAM 5, and responds to the road type. The obtained line color and line width are obtained (step F4). afterwards,
The navigation device body 3 determines whether or not the route division table acquired in step F1 is a route division table corresponding to the smallest serial number (step F5). As a result, if it is determined that the path division table corresponds to the smallest serial number, a start point at which the rendering of the display line should be started is obtained (step F7). Further, a point that is rightward from the start point by the line drawing length R1 obtained in step F3 is set as an end point at which drawing of the display line should be ended (step F8). Then, a display line connecting the start point and the end point is drawn in the VRAM 6 (step F9). At this time, drawing is performed using the line color and line width acquired in step F4. Thereafter, the start point and the end point obtained in steps F6 and F7 are written in the drawing start point column and the drawing end point column of the path segmentation table (step F10). Thereby, line drawing corresponding to one section route is achieved.

After that, the navigation device body 3 determines whether or not there is a route division table that is not to be processed (step F11). As a result, when it is determined that there is any remaining, the process proceeds to step F1, and the same process as the above-described process is repeatedly executed. The difference from the first processing is that, in order to connect the display line corresponding to the section path to be processed to the display line drawn in the VRAM 6 in the previous processing, the point to be the starting point is set in the previous processing target. Only the drawing end point written in the existing path division table is set (step F6).

The above process is executed for all the route division tables included in the route division table list. As a result, a display line expressing the entire recommended route to be processed so that the road type and the road name can be distinguished is drawn in the VRAM 6. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the road name drawing process. In this process, the navigation device main body 3 acquires one of the route division table lists (step G1). At first, the route division table corresponding to the smallest serial number is obtained. Then, a pointer to the road name in the route division table is obtained, and the route link information table is accessed based on the obtained pointer (steps G2 and G3).

As a result of accessing the route link information table, if the road name is not written (NO in step G3), it is not necessary to draw the road name. The process of step G8 for determining whether or not the process is performed is executed, and the process directly proceeds to the next process. Specifically, if it is determined that there are remaining,
The process proceeds to step G1, where a route segment table corresponding to the smallest serial number among the remaining route segment tables is acquired, a pointer to the road name is acquired, and the route link information table is accessed (steps G2 and G3). If not, the process ends.

On the other hand, if the road name has been written (YES in step G3), the length on the VRAM 6 necessary for drawing the road name is determined in consideration of the size of characters on the display screen of the screen display device 10. (Hereinafter, referred to as “name drawing length”) R2 is obtained (step G4). Further, a line drawing length R1 of the section path is obtained based on the drawing start point and the drawing end point written in the path division table (step G5). Then, it is determined whether or not the line drawing length R1 is equal to or longer than the name drawing length R2 in order to determine whether or not the road name can be stored in the corresponding section route (step G6).

As a result of this determination, if it is determined that the line drawing length R1 is shorter than the name drawing length R2, it is determined that the road name cannot be drawn in association with only the section route, and the process directly proceeds to the next processing. . On the other hand, if it is determined that the line drawing length R1 is equal to or longer than the name drawing length R2, the road name can be drawn in association with the section route, so that the road is located immediately below the center position of the display line corresponding to the section route. The name is drawn (step G7).

The above processing is executed for all the route division tables included in the route division table list. As a result, the road name is added to the display line drawn in the VRAM 6. FIG. 15 is a flowchart for explaining the feature drawing process. In this process,
The navigation device main body 3 acquires one of the feature classification table lists (step H1). First, a feature classification table corresponding to the smallest serial number is obtained. Next, the route feature and the section distance ratio v are acquired from the acquired feature classification table (step H2). Further, a length corresponding to the acquired section distance ratio v is obtained from the total length of the display lines drawn in the VRAM 6 (step H3). Thus, the length of the path feature to be drawn (hereinafter referred to as “feature drawing length”)
Obtain R3.

Thereafter, the navigation device body 3 determines whether or not the feature classification table to be processed corresponds to the smallest serial number (step H4). As a result, when it is determined that the feature classification table corresponds to the smallest serial number, the left end of the display line drawn in the VRAM 6 is acquired as a start point in order to associate the path feature with the display line (step H6). ), And the feature drawing length R3 obtained in step H3 from this starting point.
Is obtained as the end point only to the right (step H
7).

Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the route feature is written by referring to the route feature column of the feature classification table to be processed (step H8). As a result, if any route feature is written, a bitmap icon corresponding to the type of the route feature is acquired from the RAM 5 (step H9), and this bitmap icon is displayed on the display line drawn in the VRAM6. The image is repeatedly drawn on the upper side over the feature drawing length R3 (step H10).

On the other hand, as a result of step H8, if nothing is written in the route feature column, it is determined that the drawing of the route feature is unnecessary, and the feature category table not yet processed is added to the feature category table list. It is determined whether or not it is included (step H9). As a result, if it is determined that there is no remaining, this processing ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is any remaining, the process proceeds to step H1, and the same processing as the above-described processing is repeatedly executed. The difference from the first processing is that the point to be set as the start point is the point set as the end point in the previous processing (step H6).

The above processing is executed for all the feature classification tables included in the feature classification table list. As a result, a path feature is added to the line corresponding to the processing target path drawn in the VRAM 6. The processing in FIGS. 6 to 15 described above is executed with all recommended routes acquired in the multiple route calculation process as processing targets, as shown in FIG. As a result, the recommended route outline data corresponding to each recommended route is drawn in the VRAM 6 as shown in FIG. Thus, preparation for displaying the outline of the recommended route is achieved.

FIG. 16 is a flow chart for explaining the route selection processing. In this process, the navigation device body 3 sets a selected route number for determining recommended route outline data to be transferred to the screen display device 10 to an initial value (step I1). In this embodiment, it is assumed that two selection path numbers are set, but the number can be set arbitrarily. Then, the recommended route outline data corresponding to the selected route number is transferred to the screen display device 10 (step I2). As a result, an outline of the recommended route is displayed on the screen display device 10 in two upper and lower stages (step I3).

Thereafter, the navigation device body 3 waits for a key input by the user (step I4). On the other hand, the user can move the cursor by tilting the joystick / set key 14 up or down, and can specify the recommended route where the cursor is located by pressing the joystick / set key 14. .

The navigation apparatus body 3 determines whether or not the joystick / set key 14 has been pressed (step I5). As a result, if it is determined that the joystick has not been pressed, the user may specify another recommended route, so it is determined whether the joystick / set key 14 has been tilted up or down (step I).
6). As a result, when it is determined that the route is tilted in one of the up and down directions, the recommended route outline data corresponding to the selected route number other than the currently set selected route number is referenced by referring to the drawing contents of the VRAM 6. It is determined whether or not it exists in the direction (step I7).

As a result, when it is determined that the recommended route summary data exists, the selected route number is reset to the selected route number including the existing recommended route summary data (step I8). As a result, the recommended route outline data corresponding to the reset selected route number is transferred to the screen display device 10. As a result, an outline of the recommended route that is not currently displayed is displayed on the screen display device 10.

If it is determined in step I5 that the joystick / set key 14 has been pressed, the navigation device body 3 determines that the outline of the recommended route where the cursor is located at that time has been specified. Then, the selected route number corresponding to the outline of the recommended route is set as a recommended route to be guided. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an outline of a recommended route. In FIG. 17, it is assumed that the places of departure and destination are in Matsuzaka city and Shima town in Mie prefecture, respectively.

Departure point marks 20 and 21 corresponding to departure points
, Display lines 22 and 23 corresponding to the recommended route are connected, and the destination mark 2 corresponding to the destination is directed to the right.
It has grown to 4,25. The display lines 22 and 23 are
Section routes 26, 27, 28 and section routes 29, 30,
Each 31 has a different thickness. Specifically, section routes 27 and 29 corresponding to expressways such as the Ise Expressway and Pearl Road are the thickest, followed by section routes 26 and 2 corresponding to general national roads such as National Route 23 and National Route 260.
The section routes 30 corresponding to prefectural roads such as the Ise road are further thickened. The display lines 22, 23 are color-coded for each of the section routes 26, 27, 28 and the section routes 29, 30, 31. Thereby, it is possible to recognize the outline of the road type at a glance.

Below the display lines 22 and 23, the names of the roads included in the recommended route are displayed. Specifically, “R23” and “Pearl Road” are displayed on the display line 22 in order from the departure point mark 20. Further, on the display line 23, "Ise Expressway" and "Ise Road" are displayed in order from the departure point mark 21. The section routes 28 and 31 with nothing displayed below correspond to “National Route 260”, which is not displayed because the route link information table does not include the road name. .

Further, icons corresponding to the route features are displayed above the display lines 21 and 22. Specifically, the icon 32 displayed above the section routes 26, 28, and 31 means "coast", and the section route 2
The icon 33 displayed above 7, 29 and 30 means "mountain". These icons 32 and 33 are
In order to further emphasize the path features, they are colored in a color corresponding to each path feature. Specifically, the icon 32 that means “coast” is colored blue, and the icon 33 that means “mountain” is colored “green”. This allows the user to recognize the outline of the route feature at a glance.

Note that characters describing the route features corresponding to the icons 32 and 33 may be displayed together with the icons 32 and 33. For example, "shore" is "coast", "building" is "building"
And so on. As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a plurality of recommended routes are displayed on the screen in a list and can be selected by the user, an outline of each recommended route can be provided to the user. Therefore, the user can sufficiently obtain information on which recommended route should be selected. Therefore, it is possible to easily select a recommended route according to a preference. Therefore, the user interface can be significantly improved.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart for explaining a filtering process executed in the navigation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment, all the route segment tables created by the route segment table creating process of FIG. 7 are included in the route segment table list, and all the section routes represented by each route segment table are set as a part of the recommended route. I have. On the other hand, when a section route having a very short distance is included in the section route, the displayed contents are complicated and may deviate from the purpose of displaying the outline. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the section route having such a very short distance is removed, and the outline of the recommended route is displayed in a simple form.

Next, a filtering process according to the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In this process, the navigation device body 3 acquires one of the route segment tables created in the route segment table creating process of FIG. 8, and acquires the section distance ratio w from the route segment table (step J1). At first, the route division table corresponding to the smallest serial number is obtained. Then, it is determined whether or not the obtained section distance ratio w is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value w _TH (for example, w _TH = 5 (%)) (step J2).

As a result, the section distance ratio w becomes equal to the threshold value w _TH
If it is determined that this is the case, it is determined that the section route corresponding to this route segment table is relatively long, and the route segment table to be processed is held in the route segment table list. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not there is a route division table that is not set as a processing target (step J5).
As a result, when it is determined that there is a remaining number, the processing of steps J1 and J2 is repeatedly executed for the path division table corresponding to the next smaller serial number.

On the other hand, as a result of the judgment at the step J2,
When it is determined that the section distance ratio w is less than the threshold value w _TH , the section route is determined to be a very short distance, and the route section table and the feature section table corresponding to the route section table are determined. Delete from each list (steps J3, J4). Whether or not the table is a feature section table corresponding to the path section table can be confirmed by referring to the corresponding path section number column of the feature section table.

The above processing is executed for all the route division tables included in the route division table list. This makes it possible to obtain a simple form of the path division table list and the characteristic classification table list in which the path division table and the characteristic division table corresponding to the section path having a very short distance are deleted. By the way, the route division table corresponding to the section route having a very short distance is deleted from the route segment table list, so that the ratio w of the distance of each section route to the total length of the recommended route is obtained.
Also change. Therefore, after performing the above-described processing for all the route division tables (YES in step J5),
In order to recalculate the section distance ratio w, a filtering route traveling ratio calculation process is executed (step J6).

FIG. 19 is a flowchart for explaining the filtering route running ratio calculation processing. In this process, the navigation device main body 3 acquires the section mileage of all the feature section tables included in the feature section table list after the filtering processing, and cumulatively adds the section mileage, and sums the section mileage of the feature section table. T is obtained (step K1). Next, one of the feature section tables is acquired from the feature section table list, and the section mileage is acquired from the feature section table (steps K2 and K3). Thereafter, a ratio v of the section traveling distance of the feature classification table to the total T of the section traveling distances acquired in step K1 is obtained (step K4).

Thereafter, it is determined whether or not there remains a feature classification table that is not to be processed (step K).
5) If remaining, the processes of steps K1 to K3 are executed as processing targets in order from the feature classification table with the smallest serial number. As a result, the section distance ratio v written in the feature classification table can be obtained according to the filtered feature classification table list.

The navigation device body 3 further executes the same processing for the route division table. In other words, the route segment tables included in the filtered route segment table list are sequentially acquired in ascending order of serial number, and the section travel distance of the route segment table is calculated with respect to the sum T of the segment travel distances obtained in step K1. (Steps K6, K7, K)
8, K9). Thus, the section distance ratio w written in the route division table can be obtained according to the route division table list after filtering.

After that, when the route outline list display preparation process and the route selection process are executed using the feature segment table and the route segment table, the outline of the recommended route from which the section route having a very short distance has been deleted is displayed on the screen display device 10. Can be displayed. As a result, the outline of the recommended route can be displayed in a more easily viewable form, so that the user can more easily grasp the outline of the recommended route.

Further, since the amount of information to be displayed is reduced, it is possible to contribute to speeding up the processing. FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a filtering process performed in the navigation device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, whether or not each section distance ratio w of the feature section table and the path section table is equal to or larger than a threshold value w _TH is used as a filtering criterion. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, as a filtering criterion, whether or not each of the section distance ratios w of the feature section table and the path section table is higher than or equal to the upper n (for example, n = 5) is employed. .

Next, the filtering processing according to the third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In this process, the navigation device body 3 acquires the section distance ratio w from all the route division tables included in the route division table list (step L1). Then, among the acquired section distance ratios, a path division table corresponding to the section distance ratio of the top n or more is acquired (step L2), and a new path division table list is created from only the acquired path division tables. (Step H
3). This makes it possible to configure a recommended route including only a section route having a relatively long section traveling distance.

Further, the navigation phase device main body 3 acquires a feature section table corresponding to the route section table acquired in step L2 based on the serial number written in the corresponding feature section number column of the route section table ( Step L4), a new feature section table list is created only from the obtained feature section table (step L5).

Thereafter, the navigation device main body 3 executes the above-described filtering route traveling ratio calculation processing to obtain the section distance ratio w again (step L).
6). It goes without saying that this configuration also has the same effect as the second embodiment. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a recommended route displayed on the screen display device 10 in the navigation device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 21, it is assumed that Otsu city in Shiga prefecture and Tsuruga city in Fukui prefecture are departure and destination, respectively.

The route selection processing in the navigation apparatus according to the first to third embodiments assumes that when the recommended route is represented by a straight line, the entire recommended route can be displayed on one screen. On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, it is assumed that when the recommended route is represented by a straight line, it is preferable that the entire recommended route is not forcibly contained in one screen. For example, a case where the total length of the recommended route is very long.

If it is preferable not to force the entire recommended route into one screen, the display line 4 extending from the departure point marks 40 and 41 as shown in FIG.
Continuation marks 44 and 45 are displayed at the right ends of the lines 2 and 43. The continuation marks 44 and 45 are displayed on the display lines 42 and 43.
Is to be continued. Each of the display lines 42 and 43 has a road name such as “R161” or “Meishin Expressway” and icons 48 corresponding to the route characteristics.
50 are associated with each other.

When the joystick / set key 14 is tilted rightward from the state shown in FIG. 21 (a), the screen scrolls, and finally, the destination mark 46 as shown in FIG. 21 (b). , 47 appear at the right end of the screen and stop. At this time, a road name such as “R8” or “Hokuriku Expressway” and an icon 49 are also displayed. In this way, the entire recommended route can be visually recognized by scrolling, so that the entire recommended route does not have to be forcibly contained on one screen. Therefore, the display screen can be simplified. As a result, the user can easily view the screen.

Next, the processing of the navigation device body 3 for realizing such functions will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In this process, the navigation device body 3
Sets the selected route number associated with the recommended route outline data to the initial value, and transfers the selected route number to the screen display device 10 among the recommended route outline data corresponding to the selected route number set to the initial value. The range is initialized (step M1). Specifically, a range corresponding to the length corresponding to the width of the drawing area from the departure point is initially set as the transfer range. Next, the recommended route outline data of the initially set transfer range is transferred to the screen display device 10 (step M2). As a result, an outline of the recommended route is displayed on the screen display device 10 in a form as shown in FIG. 21A (step M3).

When the outline of the recommended route is displayed, the navigation device body 3 determines whether or not the joystick / set key 14 has been pressed (steps M4 and M5). As a result, when it is determined that the joystick / set key 14 has been pressed, it is determined that the recommended route where the cursor is located has been designated, and the designated recommended route is set as a recommended route to be guided (step M12).

On the other hand, the joystick / set key 14
If it is determined that has not been pressed yet, it is determined whether the joystick / set key 14 has been tilted to one of the left and right directions to determine whether scrolling has been designated (step M6). As a result, when it is determined that the joystick / set key 14 has been tilted to one of the left and right directions, it is further determined whether or not there is a continuation of the outline of the recommended route in the tilted direction (step M7).

As a result, when it is determined that there is a continuation of the outline of the recommended route in the inclined direction, the transfer range of the recommended route outline data drawn in the VRAM 6 is moved in the inclined direction, and the movement is performed. The recommended route outline data of the subsequent transfer range is transferred to the screen display device 10 (step M8). As a result, on the screen display device 10, the outline of the recommended route is scrolled. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no continuation of the outline of the recommended route in the inclined direction, scrolling is not executed because scrolling the outline of the recommended route is meaningless.

For example, when the joystick / set key 14 is tilted rightward in the case shown in FIG. 21 (a), or when the joystick / set key 14 is tilted leftward in the case shown in FIG. 21 (b). When the vehicle is tilted, the outline of the recommended route is scrolled, and in the opposite case, the scroll is not performed. The navigation device body 3 determines whether or not the joystick / set key 14 has been tilted in any of the up and down directions (step M9), thereby obtaining an outline of the recommended route other than the outline of the currently displayed recommended route. It is determined whether or not the display is desired.
As a result, if the display of the outline of another recommended route is desired and the recommended route outline data exists in the inclined direction (YES in step M10), the selected route number is set to the existing recommended route. The selected route number including the summary data is reset (step M11). as a result,
The recommended route summary data corresponding to the reset selected route number is transferred to the screen display device 10. As a result, an outline of the recommended route that is not currently displayed is displayed on the screen display device 10.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an outline of a recommended route displayed on the screen display device 10 in the navigation device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the fourth embodiment, the display screen is divided into an upper half and a lower half.
In a case where an overview of one recommended route is displayed, and it is preferable that the entire recommended route is not forcibly contained on one screen, a configuration in which a user can view the entire recommended route by scrolling the display screen will be described. ing.

On the other hand, in the fifth embodiment, when it is preferable not to force the entire recommended route into one screen, the user can visually recognize the entire recommended route by adopting another configuration. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 23, the outline of one recommended route is displayed, and the display line 70 corresponding to the recommended route is bent into a plurality of stages (two stages in the figure), so that the recommended route is displayed. Fit the entire route on one screen. According to this configuration, since the user does not need to scroll the display screen to view the outline of one recommended route,
The user's trouble can be saved.

Next, the processing executed in the navigation device body 3 to realize this function will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating a line drawing process according to the fifth embodiment. In this process, the navigation device main body 3 obtains the line drawing length R1 (step N1, step N1), similarly to the process of steps F1 to F7 described with reference to FIG.
N2), a line color and a line width corresponding to the road type are obtained (step N3), and a drawing start point and a drawing end point where the display line is to be drawn are obtained (steps N4, N5, N).
6, N7).

Thereafter, the navigation device body 3 determines whether or not the drawing end point obtained in step N7 is outside the drawing area (step N8). As a result, if it is determined that the drawing end point is not outside the drawing area, the processing shown in FIG.
Similarly to the processing of steps F8 to F10 described in the above, the display line connecting the drawing start point and the drawing end point with the line color and the line width acquired in step N3 is set in the VRAM6.
(Step N9), and writes the drawing start point and drawing end point in the drawing start point column and drawing end point column of the path segmentation table (step N10).

If the recommended route as a whole fits on one screen, all the results in step N8 for the route division table that can be processed are "No". Therefore, in this case, only the processing of steps N9 and N10 is executed, and this processing ends. On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step N8, if it is determined that the drawing end point determined in step K7 is outside the drawing area, it is determined that it is preferable not to force the entire recommended route into one screen. The section route is divided into two (step N11). More specifically, in the first section in which the right edge of the drawing area located to the right of the drawing start point is the temporary drawing end point, and in the next predetermined stage, the right edge of the drawing area is temporarily drawn. The starting point is divided into a second section in which the drawing end point is a point located leftward from the temporary drawing start point by a remaining length excluding the first section from the section path.

Then, display lines representing the first section and the second section are drawn with the line color and the line width obtained in step N3 (step N12), and the display line representing the second section drawn in the next stage is drawn. The end point of the line is set as the drawing end point (step N13). Further, the drawing start point and the drawing end point are respectively written in the drawing start point column and the drawing end point column of the path segmentation table (step N9).

Thereafter, when drawing a display line corresponding to the section route, the drawing end point set in step N13 is used as a drawing start point, and a point located leftward by a line drawing length R1 from this drawing start point is set as a drawing end point. And FIG.
13 is a flowchart for explaining a road name drawing process according to the fifth embodiment. In this process, the navigation device body 3 acquires the route segmentation table as in the processes of steps G1 to G3 described with reference to FIG. 14, and sets the pointer to the road name written in the acquired route segmentation table. To access the route link information table (step P1) and determine whether or not the route name exists (step P2).

If the result of determination in step P2 is that there is no road name, the above processing is executed for the next route division table. On the other hand, when it is determined that the road name exists, the name drawing length R2 required for drawing the road name is obtained in consideration of the size of the character (step P3). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the section route is divided into the first section and the second section by referring to the drawing start point field and the drawing end point field of the path division table (step P4).

As a result, if it is determined that the line is not divided into the first section and the second section, the line drawing length R1 is obtained as usual (step P5), and the line drawing length R1 is determined. Only when the length is longer than the name drawing length R2 (YES in step P7), the road name is drawn just below the center position of the display line corresponding to the section route (step P8).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the road is divided into the first section and the second section, the length of each of the first section and the second section is displayed in order to collectively display one road name. Is obtained from the drawing start point and the drawing end point, and the obtained lengths are compared to obtain the length R1 'of the longer section (step P6). Then, the obtained length R1 '
Determines whether the length is equal to or longer than the name drawing length R2 (step P7). Only when the length R1 'is equal to or longer than the name drawing length R2, is the position immediately below the center position of the display line corresponding to the section concerned. The road name is drawn (step P8).

FIG. 26 is a flow chart for explaining a feature drawing process according to the fifth embodiment. In this process, the navigation device main body 3 obtains the characteristic drawing length R3 (steps Q1 and Q2) in the same manner as the processing of steps H1 to H7 described with reference to FIG. 15, and based on the obtained characteristic drawing length R3. Then, the drawing start point and the drawing end point at both ends of the area for displaying the icon corresponding to the path feature are obtained (steps Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6).

Thereafter, the navigation device body 3 determines whether or not the drawing end point obtained in step Q6 is outside the drawing area (step Q7). As a result, if it is determined that the drawing end point is not outside the drawing area,
Similarly to the processing in steps H8 to H10 described in step 5, only when a route feature exists (YES in step Q8), a bitmap icon corresponding to the type of the route feature is acquired (step Q9). The map icon is repeatedly drawn over the display line over the feature drawing length R3 (step Q10).

If the entire recommended route fits on one screen, all the results in step Q7 for the route segmentation table that can be processed become "No". Therefore, in this case, only the processing of steps Q8 to Q10 is executed, and this processing ends. On the other hand, if it is determined in step Q7 that the drawing end point determined in step Q6 is outside the drawing area, the icons corresponding to the route features need not be displayed collectively, unlike the road names. Therefore, the section route is divided into the first section and the second section.
The end point of the second section is set as the drawing end point (steps Q11 and Q12). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the route feature exists (step Q13). If it is determined that the route feature exists, a bitmap icon corresponding to the type of the route feature is obtained (step Q1).
4), the bitmap icon is displayed in the first section and the second section.
Draw repeatedly over the length of the first section and the second section above the section (steps Q15 and Q1).
6).

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an outline of a recommended route displayed on the screen display device 10 in the navigation device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the first to fifth embodiments, display lines are displayed in a line color and a line width divided for each road type and road name in an order corresponding to the traveling order of the vehicle, and the display lines are displayed on the lower side and the lower side of the display line. The outline of the recommended route is displayed by displaying icons corresponding to the road name and the route feature on the lower side, respectively.

On the other hand, in the sixth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 27, the outline of the recommended route is displayed by simply displaying the ratio of the section route to the entire recommended route in a pie chart. . More specifically, each pie chart 9
0, 91 are the top n places (in this sixth embodiment, n =
Road types up to 4) and others are classified according to the section distance ratio w. On the right side of each of the pie charts 90 and 91, content descriptions 92 and 93 indicating which part of the pie chart corresponds to what kind of road are displayed.

According to this configuration, the user can grasp the ratio occupied by the section routes at a glance without knowing the order of the vehicles. Therefore, the user
A desired recommended route can be easily selected according to each section route constituting the recommended route. In addition to the pie chart,
It goes without saying that the ratio of the section route to the entire recommended route may be summarized in a bar graph or other various types of graphs.

Next, the processing executed by the navigation device body 3 for realizing such a function will be described with reference to FIG.
8 and FIG. 29 will be described in detail.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of the multiple path selection process according to the sixth embodiment. In this process, the navigation device body 3 sets the route calculation condition by the user in the same manner as the processes of steps A1 and A2 described in FIG.
1) Based on the route calculation conditions and the route map data, a multiple route calculation process is executed (step R2), and a plurality of recommended routes are calculated.

Next, the navigation device body 3 executes a road type ratio table creation process (step R).
3) A road type ratio table is created which summarizes the ratio of the section route constituting one of the calculated recommended routes to the entire recommended route. More specifically,
A road type ratio table is created in which the section distance ratio w is divided into the section route up to the top n and the others. Further, the navigation device body 3 draws a pie chart in the VRAM 6 based on the created road type ratio table into the road types up to the n-th place and the others (step R4). Further, the words "type name" and "others" of the road types up to the n-th place are drawn on the right side of the pie graph as the content description (step R5). The pie chart and its description are collectively referred to as “pie chart data”, and each pie chart data is assigned a unique selection path number.

The navigation apparatus body 3 executes the processing of steps R3, R4, and R5 for all the calculated recommended routes (step R6). Thereafter, the navigation device main body 3 executes the route selection processing as described in FIG. 5 (step R7), and initializes the initialized 2
The pie chart data corresponding to the two selected path numbers is transferred to the screen display device 10. As a result, on the screen display device 10, as shown in FIG. 27, pie charts corresponding to the two recommended routes are displayed in the upper half and the lower half of the display screen, respectively, and the content is displayed on the right side of each pie chart. The explanation is also displayed.

The subsequent selection by the user is the same as described with reference to FIG. 16, and a description thereof will not be repeated. FIG. 29 is a flowchart for explaining the road type ratio table creation processing. In this process, the navigation device body 3 acquires the minimum route link number among the links constituting the recommended route to be processed (step S1), and determines the road type and link distance corresponding to the acquired route link number. It is obtained from the route link information table (step S2). Then, the obtained link distance is recorded in the road type ratio table in association with the road type (step S3).

Next, it is determined whether or not all the links of the recommended route to be processed have been set as the processing target (step S4). As a result, when it is determined that there is a link that has not been processed yet, the process proceeds to step S1, and the above-described process is executed again. Here, in step S3, if the acquired road type is the same as any one of the road types in the processing up to the previous one, the acquired link distance is cumulatively added to the distance corresponding to the road type. Is done. On the other hand, if the acquired road type is not the same as any of the road types in the processing up to one time before, the correspondence between the new road type and the distance is added to the road type ratio table.

Thereafter, the processing of steps S1 to S3 is repeatedly executed. As a result, the links of the recommended route to be processed are grouped together with the distance for each road type. As a result of the determination in step S4, when it is determined that all the links of the recommended route to be processed are to be processed, in order to remove a route of a road type having a very short distance, refer to FIG. The same processing as the filtering processing described above is performed.

That is, the distances written in the road type ratio table are cumulatively added to determine the total length of the recommended route (step S5). Next, a section distance ratio w, which is a ratio of the distance of each road type to the total length of the recommended route, is obtained, and the obtained section distance ratio w is recorded in the road type ratio table in association with each road type (step S
6). Thereafter, among the section distance ratios w of the recorded road types, the road type corresponding to the traveling distance ratio up to the n-th place is obtained (step S7), and the road types other than the obtained road type are collectively regarded as others. And the section distance ratio w is collectively recorded in the road type ratio table (step S8). As a result, the road type ratio table stores the section distance ratio w as shown in FIG.
Are divided into n road types up to the n-th place and others, and the distance and the section distance ratio w of each road type are created in association with each other.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above-described embodiment, road attributes such as a road type and a route feature corresponding to the route link number are stored in the route link information table, and display lines and icons are displayed on the screen in such a form that the road attributes can be recognized. The case where an outline of the recommended route is provided by being displayed is described. However, in order to know the outline of the recommended route, not only the road type and the route characteristic but also other important road attributes may be available. These road attributes are stored in the route link information table, and It is more preferable to display each road attribute on the screen.

For example, the number of lanes, whether or not the vehicle is a toll road, the signal density, and the like can be important road attributes for understanding the outline of the recommended route. Therefore, the number of these lanes,
Road attributes related to signal density or whether toll roads may be stored in the route link information table for each route link number, and each road attribute may be displayed on the route overview screen. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG.
Display the number of lanes in "(1)", "(2)", etc.
"(Yes)" is displayed in association with the toll road type,
For example, the signal density is indicated by “”, “”, etc.

According to this configuration, the information necessary for selecting the recommended route can be provided to the user in a more fulfilling form. Therefore, the user can more easily select a recommended route according to his / her preference. In the above embodiment, only the departure place and the destination are displayed as the point information. However, as shown in FIG. 32, for example, in addition to the departure point marks 60 and 61 and the destination marks 62 and 63, the waypoint marks 64 and 65 corresponding to the main waypoints on the recommended route are displayed on the display line 66. , 67 may be displayed in the middle. Further, a place name corresponding to a transit point may be displayed in association with the display lines 66 and 67.
According to this configuration, it is possible to grasp at a glance what kind of transit point the recommended route passes. Therefore, information necessary for selecting a recommended route can be provided to the user in a more fulfilling form.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a section route is created by grouping links constituting a recommended route by a road type and a road name, and the color of a display line and the like is distinguished by using the section route as one unit. I have to. However, for example, a link that constitutes a recommended route based on the route characteristics, the number of lanes, whether the road is a toll road, or a signal density is combined to create a section route, and the color of the display line is discriminated using the section route as one unit. You may do so. With this configuration, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a plurality of recommended routes are calculated in the on-vehicle navigation device, and an outline thereof is displayed. However, for example, a plurality of recommended routes are calculated and acquired on the road beacon device side or the base station side, and the results of the plurality of route calculations are transmitted to the vehicle via a road beacon line or a communication line (car telephone line). The navigation device may receive and display the multi-path calculation result. According to this configuration, a plurality of recommended route information calculated based on the latest information can be displayed on the vehicle side, so that route information suitable for an actual traffic condition can be provided. Therefore, more useful information for the user can be obtained.

In addition, various design changes can be made within the scope of the present invention.

[0133]

As described above, according to the present invention, a summary of a plurality of recommended routes can be displayed on a display screen.
Information necessary for selecting a recommended route can be provided to the user. Therefore, the user can easily select a recommended route according to his / her preference. Therefore, the user interface can be improved.

In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the ratio of each section route in the display line corresponds to the ratio of the actual recommended route to the distance or time, the outline of the recommended route is further detailed. Can be provided. Therefore, information necessary for selecting a recommended route can be provided to the user in a more fulfilling form. Therefore, the user can more easily select a recommended route according to his / her preference.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the section route having a ratio of less than the threshold to the entire recommended route is excluded from the display line, the amount of information to be displayed can be reduced. . Therefore, memory can be saved. Further, the display screen can be made simple and easy to see. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention,
Since the section route link in which the ratio of the distance or the time to the entire recommended route is less than the n-th highest rank is excluded from the display line, it is possible to reduce the amount of information to be displayed in the same manner as in the second aspect of the present invention. it can. Therefore, the memory can be saved, and the display screen can be made simple and easy to see.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when a display line that cannot be displayed in a straight line on one screen is created, the display screen can be scrolled.
Even if the display lines are not forced to fit in one screen, all of the display lines can be shown to the user in an easily viewable size. According to the invention described in claim 6, when a display line that cannot be displayed on one screen when represented by a straight line is created, the display line is folded and overlapped and displayed on one screen. Is done. Therefore,
Even without scrolling, it can be visually recognized at a glance at one display line. Therefore, the user's trouble can be saved.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a character or a symbol in a form corresponding to the road attribute of the recommended route corresponding to the display line is displayed in association with the display line. At a glance, the road attributes of the route can be recognized. Therefore, information necessary for selecting a recommended route can be provided to the user in an even more fulfilling form. According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, a graph of the distance or time ratio of each section route to the entire recommended route is displayed. Therefore, the user can visually recognize the ratio of the road attribute included in the recommended route at a glance.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle-mounted navigation device to which a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a route link information table.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing road types, route characteristics, and types of road names;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a line drawing information table.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a multiple path selection process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a feature classification table list creation process.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a feature classification table.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a route division table list creation process.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a route division table.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a route running ratio calculation process.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a route outline list display preparation process.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing recommended route outline data drawn in a VRAM.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a line drawing process.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a road name drawing process.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a feature drawing process.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a route selection process.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an outline of a recommended route.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a filtering process performed in the vehicle-mounted navigation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a filtering route traveling ratio calculation process.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a filtering process performed in the vehicle-mounted navigation device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an outline of a recommended route displayed on a screen display device in an in-vehicle navigation device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a path selection process according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an outline of a recommended route displayed on a screen display device in a vehicle-mounted navigation device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating a line drawing process according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart illustrating a road name drawing process according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating a feature drawing process according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a recommended route displayed on a screen display device in a vehicle-mounted navigation device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a multiple-path providing process according to the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart illustrating a road type ratio table creation process.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a road type ratio table.

FIG. 31 is a diagram for explaining a display example when the display of the outline of the recommended route is further enhanced.

FIG. 32 is a diagram for explaining a display example when a stopover is displayed in a display line.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 Navigation device body 4 CPU 5 RAM 6 VRAM 10 Screen display device 22, 23, 42, 43, 66, 67, 70 Display line 26 to 31 Section route 32, 33, 48, 49, 50 Icon 64, 65 Intermediate location Mark 90,91 pie chart

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01C 21/00 G08G 1/0969 G09B 29/10

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A section route corresponding to each road attribute is created by linking links constituting a plurality of acquired recommended routes with common road attributes having predetermined road attributes for each recommended route. Route creating means for connecting the section routes created by the section route creating means in an order according to the traveling order of the vehicles, and creating one display line corresponding to the recommended route And a display control means for displaying each display line created by the line creation means on a display screen in a form in which road attributes can be recognized. 2. The ratio of the distance of the section route created by the section route creating means to the distance of the entire recommended route, or the ratio of the time required for the entire recommended route to travel by the vehicle is created by the section route creating means. And a ratio calculating unit for calculating a ratio of time required for the vehicle to travel on the section route, wherein the line creation unit determines that a ratio of the length of the section route to the total length of the display line is 2. The multiple path providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the section paths are connected to create a display line so as to be substantially equal to the ratio of the distance or the time obtained by the ratio calculating means. . 3. The ratio of the distance of the section route created by the section route creation means to the distance of the entire recommended route, or the ratio of the time required for the entire recommended route to travel by the vehicle created by the section route creation means. Ratio calculating means for calculating a ratio of time necessary for the vehicle to travel on the section route that has been set, and determining whether or not the distance or the time ratio obtained by the ratio calculating device is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. Determining means for determining, based on a result of the determination by the determining means, a line for display using only a section route whose distance or time ratio is equal to or greater than the threshold value. 2. The multi-path providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multi-path providing apparatus generates 4. The ratio of the distance of the section route created by the section route creating means to the distance of the entire recommended route, or the ratio of the distance required by the vehicle to travel on the entire recommended route by the section route creating means. And a ratio calculating unit for calculating a ratio of time necessary for the vehicle to travel on the section route that has been set, wherein the line creating unit is configured to calculate the ratio of the distance or time calculated by the ratio calculating unit to a higher n (n 2. The multi-path providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a section path having a natural number or higher is extracted, and a display line is created using only the section path. 5. A straight line represented by said line creating means is 1
5. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising scroll means for scrolling the display screen when a display line that cannot be displayed on the screen is created. Multi-path providing device. 6. When a display line that cannot be displayed on one screen when represented by a straight line is created by the line creating means, the display control means sets the display line to a plurality of levels and displays the display line in one screen. 5. The multi-path providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is stored and displayed. 7. The display control means, when displaying a display line created by the line creating means, displays a character or a symbol in a form corresponding to a road attribute of a recommended route corresponding to the display line. 7. The multi-path providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit for displaying in association with the display line. . 8. A section route corresponding to each road attribute is created by connecting the links constituting the plurality of acquired recommended routes to those having a predetermined road attribute for each recommended route. And a ratio of the distance of the section route created by the section route creation means to the distance of the entire recommended route, or the section route creation means to the time required to drive the entire recommended route by a vehicle. Ratio calculating means for calculating a ratio of time necessary for the vehicle to travel on the section route created in the above, and each road attribute according to the distance or time ratio of each section route obtained by the ratio calculating means. And a display control means for displaying each graph created by the graph creation means on a display screen. Multiple paths providing apparatus for a.