Information display device, information display method, program, and storage medium

Abstract

The present invention provides an information display device that can display information related to multiple routes for guiding a vehicle to its destination in a highly visible display format. [Solution] The information display device comprises a route acquisition unit and a display control unit. The route acquisition unit acquires a first route and a second route. The display control unit displays the first route, first simplified information associated with the first route, the second route, and second simplified information associated with the second route in a first area, and displays first detailed information containing more detailed information than the first simplified information, and second detailed information containing more detailed information than the second simplified information in a second area. The display control unit also sets the display mode of the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and sets the display mode of the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology that can be used in vehicle route guidance.

Background Art

[0002] In vehicle route guidance, as information for guiding the vehicle to a destination, there is a conventionally known technology for displaying information related to the current route on which the vehicle is traveling and information related to a new route different from the current route.

[0003] Specifically, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in a navigation device that displays a map including a set route to a destination and an alternative route, which is another route for reaching the destination, and superimposes an attention display including the difference in the required time when traveling the set route from the current location of the vehicle to the destination and the required time when traveling the alternative route from the current location of the vehicle to the destination on the map.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, according to the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, there is a problem that a situation may occur in which it becomes difficult for the user to confirm information other than the attention information included in the map when the attention display is superimposed on the map.

[0006] <000​​

[0007] The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main objective is to provide an information display device that can display information related to multiple routes for guiding a vehicle to its destination in a highly visible display manner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The invention described in the claims is an information display device comprising: a route acquisition unit that acquires a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination and a second route different from the first route, including a route that branches off from the first route midway; and a display control unit that displays the first route, a first simplified information displayed in association with the first route, the second route, and a second simplified information displayed in association with the second route in a first area of ​​a display screen, and displays a first detailed information relating to the first route, which includes more detailed information than the first simplified information, and a second detailed information relating to the second route, which includes more detailed information than the second simplified information, in a second area different from the first area of ​​the display screen, wherein the display control unit sets the display mode of the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and sets the display mode of the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode.

[0009] Furthermore, the invention described in the claims is an information display method that acquires a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination and a second route different from the first route, including a route that branches off from the first route midway; displays the first route, a first simplified information displayed in association with the first route, the second route, and a second simplified information displayed in association with the second route in a first area of ​​the display screen; displays a first detailed information relating to the first route, which includes more detailed information than the first simplified information, and a second detailed information relating to the second route, which includes more detailed information than the second simplified information; sets the display mode of the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and sets the display mode of the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode.

[0010] Furthermore, the invention described in the claims is a program executed by an information display device equipped with a computer, wherein the computer functions as a display control unit that displays the first route, a first simplified information displayed in association with the first route, a second route different from the first route including a route that branches off from the first route, and a first simplified information displayed in association with the second route in a first area of ​​the display screen, and displays the first detailed information, which includes more detailed information than the first simplified information as information relating to the first route, and a second detailed information, which includes more detailed information than the second simplified information as information relating to the second route, in a second area different from the first area of ​​the display screen, and the display control unit sets the display mode of the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and sets the display mode of the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] Front view of the terminal device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram showing the schematic configuration of the terminal device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of an information display screen related to the embodiment. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of an information display screen related to the embodiment. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating the processes performed in the terminal device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] A diagram showing the system configuration related to a modified example. [Figure 7] A diagram showing the schematic configuration of the server device in the modified system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the information display device includes a route acquisition unit that acquires a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination and a second route different from the first route, including a route that branches off from the first route midway; and a display control unit that displays the first route, first simplified information displayed in association with the first route, the second route, and second simplified information displayed in association with the second route in a first area of ​​the display screen, and displays first detailed information related to the first route, which includes more detailed information than the first simplified information, and second detailed information related to the second route, which includes more detailed information than the second simplified information, in a second area different from the first area of ​​the display screen, wherein the display control unit sets the display mode of the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and sets the display mode of the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode.

[0013] The above-described information display device includes a route acquisition unit and a display control unit. The route acquisition unit acquires a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination and a second route different from the first route, including a route that branches off from the first route. The display control unit displays the first route, first simplified information displayed in association with the first route, the second route, and second simplified information displayed in association with the second route in a first area of ​​the display screen, and displays first detailed information related to the first route, which includes more detailed information than the first simplified information, and second detailed information related to the second route, which includes more detailed information than the second simplified information, in a second area of ​​the display screen different from the first area. The display control unit also sets the display mode of the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and sets the display mode of the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode. This allows information related to multiple routes for guiding a vehicle to its destination to be displayed in a highly visible format.

[0014] In one embodiment of the above-described information display device, the display control unit displays the first route, a first callout containing the first simplified information, a second route, and a second callout containing the second simplified information in the first area, and displays the first panel containing the first detailed information and accepting an operation for selecting the first route, and the second panel containing the second detailed information and accepting an operation for selecting the second route, in the second area.

[0015] In one embodiment of the information display device described above, the second detailed information displayed on the second panel includes information indicating the difference when the vehicle's travel route is changed from the first route to the second route.

[0016] In one aspect of the above information display device, when the vehicle travel distance after the timing when the display on the display screen is started by the display control unit reaches a predetermined distance in a state where one of the first path and the second path is selected, it further includes a path determination unit that determines the one path as the path to the destination.

[0017] In one aspect of the above information display device, the display control unit further causes an indicator indicating the correspondence between the predetermined distance and the vehicle travel distance after the timing to be displayed in the second area.

[0018] In one aspect of the above information display device, the display control unit further displays a first button that accepts an operation for determining the first path as the path to the destination and a second button that accepts an operation for determining the second path as the path to the destination in the second area, and when an operation on one of the first button and the second button is performed, it further includes a path determination unit that determines the path corresponding to the one button as the path to the destination.

[0019] In another embodiment of the present invention, the information display method acquires a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination and a second route different from the first route, including a route that branches off from the first route midway. In a first area of ​​the display screen, the first route, a first simplified information displayed in association with the first route, the second route, and a second simplified information displayed in association with the second route are displayed. In a second area of ​​the display screen different from the first area, a first detailed information relating to the first route, which includes more detailed information than the first simplified information, and a second detailed information relating to the second route, which includes more detailed information than the second simplified information, are displayed. The display mode for the first simplified information and the first detailed information is set to a first display mode, and the display mode for the second simplified information and the second detailed information is set to a second display mode different from the first display mode. This makes it possible to display information relating to multiple routes for guiding a vehicle to a destination in a display mode with high visibility.

[0020] In still other embodiments of the present invention, a program executed by an information display device including a computer acquires a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination and a second route different from the first route including a route branching from the middle of the first route, and in a first area of a display screen, displays the first route, first simple information associated with the first route, the second route, and second simple information associated with the second route, and in a second area different from the first area of the display screen, displays first detailed information including information more detailed than the first simple information as information related to the first route and second detailed information including information more detailed than the second simple information as information related to the second route. The computer functions as a display control unit that sets a display mode in the first simple information and the first detailed information to a first display mode and sets a display mode in the second simple information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode. By executing this program on a computer, the above information display device can be realized. This program can be stored in a storage medium and used.

Example

[0021] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] [Overall Configuration] FIG. 1 is a front view of a terminal device according to an embodiment. The terminal device 100 is a portable terminal that can be carried by a user and has a display 110 on which a touch panel 120 is laminated. The terminal device 100 provides route guidance to a specified destination for pedestrians, vehicles, etc.

[0023] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the terminal device 100 comprises an output unit 11, an input unit 12, a storage unit 13, a communication unit 14, a GPS receiver 16, and a control unit 17. Each element of the terminal device 100 is interconnected via a bus 10, and is configured to enable the transmission of necessary information between each element.

[0024] The output unit 11 includes a display 110 and a speaker 111 that outputs sound, and outputs information to respond to user operations on the terminal device 100 based on the control of the control unit 17. The input unit 12 includes a touch panel 120 and is an interface that accepts the input of necessary commands and information, i.e., operations, performed by the terminal user on the terminal device 100. For example, the input unit 12 accepts input to specify a destination or input to specify conditions for route searching. In addition to the touch panel 120, the input unit 12 may also have keys, switches, buttons, voice input devices, etc., for inputting various commands and data.

[0025] The storage unit 13 stores programs for controlling the operation of the terminal device 100 and holds information necessary for the operation of the terminal device 100. For example, the storage unit 13 stores various data used for navigation processing, such as map data. The map data includes road data represented by links corresponding to roads and nodes corresponding to road connections (intersections), as well as facility information about each facility.

[0026] The communication unit 14 transmits and receives data with other devices according to a predetermined protocol. For example, based on the control of the control unit 17, the communication unit 14 receives screen information to be displayed on the display 110 from a server device via a network such as the Internet. The GPS receiver 16 receives radio waves carrying downlink data including positioning data from multiple GPS satellites, generates information on the current location of the terminal device 100, and transmits it to the control unit 17.

[0027] The control unit 17 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. (not shown), and performs various controls on each component within the terminal device 100.

[0028] For example, the control unit 17 receives input from the input unit 12 specifying a destination and sets a route to the specified destination (also called the "guided route"). The control unit 17 also sets one or more guidance points along the route to the destination. Guidance points are set as points along the route to the destination where guidance is necessary. Specifically, guidance points are set, for example, at intersections where the vehicle turns right or left, and at important passing points for the vehicle to travel along the guided route. The control unit 17 then displays a map based on the current location and provides route guidance based on the guided route.

[0029] In addition to the components shown in Figure 2, the terminal device 100 may also be equipped with various autonomous positioning devices such as an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, and a distance sensor.

[0030] [Processing related to display] Next, we will explain a specific example of the display process. In the following explanation, we will assume that the user operating the terminal device 100 is a passenger in vehicle Ve.

[0031] When an instruction to start route guidance for vehicle Ve is input to the input unit 12, the control unit 17 acquires the guidance route MR from the current location of vehicle Ve to the destination DTP based on the map data etc. stored in the storage unit 13.

[0032] The control unit 17 determines whether it is possible to guide the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP via a route that branches off from the guidance route MR during the period when the vehicle Ve is traveling along the guidance route MR.

[0033] If the control unit 17 determines that it is not possible to guide the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP via a route branching off from the guidance route MR, it continues to provide route guidance along the guidance route MR. When route guidance is provided along the guidance route MR, for example, a display screen that does not include the guidance route MRN, callouts KJG and KJN, detailed information display panels PRG and PRN, and mark MKB will be displayed on the display 110. Furthermore, if the control unit 17 determines that it is possible to guide the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP via a route branching off from the guidance route MR, it generates an information display screen JGA as shown in Figure 3 and displays the generated information display screen JGA on the display 110. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to an embodiment.

[0034] The information display screen JGA includes the information display areas JDA and JDB.

[0035] The information display area JDA is provided as an area for displaying guidance routes MRG and MRN on the map, which can guide the vehicle Ve from its current location to the destination DTP, as well as callouts KJG and KJN indicating the guidance route MRG and MRN, respectively. The information display area JDA also displays the guidance route MR and a mark MKB indicating the branching point BKT where the guidance route MR branches into guidance routes MRG and MRN. The information display area JDA also displays a mark MKA (e.g., flag-shaped) indicating the location of the vehicle Ve's destination DTP. The information display area JDA also displays a mark MKV (e.g., arrowhead-shaped) indicating the vehicle Ve's current location and direction of travel.

[0036] The guidance route MRG is the route used to guide vehicle Ve to destination DTP along the guidance route MR, and corresponds to the current route acquired before the guidance route MRN is obtained. In other words, the guidance route MRG overlaps with the route from the branching point BKT onwards in the guidance route MR. In addition, the callout KJG displays simple information to inform the passengers of vehicle Ve that the guidance route MRG is the current route, such as the phrase "Current Route".

[0037] The guidance route MRN is the route used to guide vehicle Ve to destination DTP along a branch off from the guidance route MR, and corresponds to a new route acquired just before the information display screen JGA is displayed. In addition, the speech bubble KJN displays simple information to inform the passengers of vehicle Ve that the guidance route MRN is a new route, such as the phrase "New Route".

[0038] According to the processing described above, the control unit 17 displays the following in the information display area JDA: the guidance route MRG, a callout KJG containing simplified information to be displayed in association with the guidance route MRG, the guidance route MRN, and a callout KJN containing simplified information to be displayed in association with the guidance route MRN.

[0039] The information display area JDB displays a detailed information display panel PRG containing detailed information related to the guidance route MRG, and a detailed information display panel PRN containing detailed information related to the guidance route MRN. In other words, the detailed information display panel PRG contains more detailed information related to the guidance route MRG than the simplified information contained in the callout KJG. Similarly, the detailed information display panel PRN contains more detailed information related to the guidance route MRN than the simplified information contained in the callout KJN. Note that the information display area JDB can be provided, for example, as an area superimposed on the information display area JDA.

[0040] The detailed information display panel PRG shows, for example, the estimated time and distance from the vehicle Ve's current location to the destination DTP when the guided route MRG is selected. The detailed information display panel PRG also shows, for example, the fees payable as tolls, etc., when the guided route MRG is selected. The detailed information display panel PRG also displays information to inform the vehicle Ve's passengers that the guided route MRG is the current route, such as the same wording as the callout KJG, which says "Current Route". The detailed information display panel PRG also has a route confirmation button BRG that accepts tap operations to confirm the guided route MRG as the route to the destination DTP. In addition, the detailed information display panel PRG accepts tap operations to select the guided route MRG in areas other than the route confirmation button BRG. Inside the route confirmation button BRG, an indicator IGT is displayed that shows the correspondence between a predetermined distance THD and the vehicle Ve's mileage VMD since the information display screen JHA started displaying.

[0041] The predetermined distance THD is set, for example, as the distance from a predetermined point before the branching point BKT in the guidance route MR. Therefore, when the vehicle Ve's travel distance VMD reaches the predetermined distance THD, the guidance route from branching point BKT onward is determined to be the currently selected guidance route.

[0042] The detailed information display panel PRN shows, for example, the estimated time and distance from the vehicle Ve's current location to the destination DTP when the guidance route MRN is selected. The detailed information display panel PRN also shows, for example, the fees payable as tolls, etc., when the guidance route MRN is selected. Furthermore, the detailed information display panel PRN shows the difference in estimated time, distance, and fees when the vehicle Ve's guidance route is changed from guidance route MRG to guidance route MRN. In other words, the detailed information related to the guidance route MRN displayed on the detailed information display panel PRN includes information showing the difference when the vehicle Ve's driving route is changed from guidance route MRG to the guidance route MRN. In addition, the detailed information display panel PRN displays information to inform the vehicle Ve's passengers that the guidance route MRN is a new route, for example, similar to the speech bubble KJN that says "New Route". The detailed information display panel PRN also has a route confirmation button BRN that accepts tap operations to confirm the guidance route MRN as the route to the destination DTP. Furthermore, the detailed information display panel PRN has a function that accepts tap operations for selecting the guidance route MRN in areas other than the route confirmation button BRN.

[0043] In the information display screen JGA shown in Figure 3, the guidance route MRG is selected, for example, when a passenger in vehicle Ve taps the detailed information display panel PRG, or when the initial setting for route guidance stored in the memory unit 13 is read.

[0044] When the guidance route MRG is selected, the control unit 17 sets the display mode of the callout KJG and the detailed information display panel PRG to display mode HTB, and the display mode of the callout KJN and the detailed information display panel PRN to display mode HTW. Display mode HTB is a display mode for visualizing that one of the guidance routes MRG and MRN has been selected, and is set, for example, as a combination of a black background and white text. Display mode HTW is a display mode for visualizing that the other guidance route among MRG and MRN has not been selected, and is set, for example, as a combination of a white background and black text.

[0045] The control unit 17 detects the vehicle Ve's mileage VMD after the start of displaying the information display screen JHA, and performs processing to display the detected mileage VMD on the indicator IGT. The control unit 17 also determines whether the vehicle Ve's mileage VMD after the start of displaying the information display screen JHA has reached a predetermined distance THD.

[0046] When the control unit 17 detects that the vehicle Ve's mileage VMD has reached a predetermined distance THD while the guidance route MRG is selected, it confirms the guidance route from the branching point BKT to the destination DTP as the guidance route MRG. Furthermore, when the control unit 17 detects, for example, that a tap operation has been performed on the route confirmation button BRG, it confirms the guidance route from the branching point BKT to the destination DTP as the guidance route MRG, even if the vehicle Ve's mileage VMD has not reached the predetermined distance THD. In this embodiment, a tap operation on the route confirmation button BRG can be performed even when the guidance route MRG is not selected.

[0047] On the other hand, when the vehicle Ve's mileage VMD has not reached a predetermined distance THD and the guidance route MRN is selected, the control unit 17 sets the display mode of the spurt KJG and the detailed information display panel PRG to display mode HTW, and sets the display mode of the spurt KJN and the detailed information display panel PRN to display mode HTB. Following this processing by the control unit 17, the information display screen JGB shown in Figure 4 is displayed on the display 110. Note that in the information display screen JGB, the indicator IGT is displayed inside the route confirmation button BRN. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to an embodiment.

[0048] When the control unit 17 detects that the vehicle Ve's mileage VMD has reached a predetermined distance THD while the guidance route MRN is selected, it confirms the guidance route from the branching point BKT to the destination DTP as the guidance route MRN. Furthermore, when the control unit 17 detects, for example, that a tap operation has been performed on the route confirmation button BRN, it confirms the guidance route from the branching point BKT to the destination DTP as the guidance route MRN, even if the vehicle Ve's mileage VMD has not reached the predetermined distance THD. In this embodiment, a tap operation on the route confirmation button BRN can be performed even when the guidance route MRN is not selected.

[0049] When the control unit 17 determines that there is one guidance route from the branching point BKT to the destination DTP, it clears the information display area JDB and displays an information display screen on the display 110 showing that guidance route on a map.

[0050] According to the process described above, the control unit 17 can generate a display screen that, when there are two guidance routes for guiding the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP, displays an overview of the two guidance routes in the information display area JDA, while displaying the details of the two guidance routes in the information display area JDB.

[0051] Furthermore, the processing described above is not limited to cases where the guidance route MR is the (initial) route set at the start of route guidance, but is also applied in substantially the same manner, for example, when the guidance route MR is the (established) route after the branching point BKT.

[0052] [Processing flow] Next, the processing performed in the terminal device 100 will be described. This processing is achieved by the control unit 17 shown in Figure 2 executing a pre-prepared program. Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the processing performed in the terminal device according to the embodiment.

[0053] First, when the control unit 17 receives an instruction to start route guidance for the vehicle Ve from the input unit 12, it obtains the guidance route MR from the current location of the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP (step S11).

[0054] Next, the control unit 17 determines whether it is possible to guide the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP via a route that branches off from the guide route MR during the period when the vehicle Ve is traveling along the guide route MR (step S12).

[0055] If the control unit 17 determines that it is not possible to guide the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP by a route branching off from the guidance route MR (step S12: NO), it terminates the series of processes shown in Figure 5 without performing the processes from step S13 onwards, and then continues to provide route guidance according to the guidance route MR.

[0056] If the control unit 17 determines that the vehicle Ve can be guided to the destination DTP by a route branching off from the guidance route MR (step S12: YES), it displays an information display screen on the display 110 that includes information relating to the guidance route MRG corresponding to the current route and information relating to the guidance route MRN corresponding to the new route (step S13). In step S13, it is sufficient for either the aforementioned information display screen JGA or JGB to be displayed. For example, if the information display screen JGA is displayed as a result of the processing in step S13, the callout KJG and detailed information display panel PRG are displayed in display mode HTB, and the callout KJN and detailed information display panel PRN are displayed in display mode HTW. Also, for example, if the information display screen JGB is displayed as a result of the processing in step S13, the callout KJG and detailed information display panel PRG are displayed in display mode HTW, and the callout KJN and detailed information display panel PRN are displayed in display mode HTB.

[0057] Subsequently, the control unit 17 determines whether the guidance route after the branching point BKT has been determined to be one of the current route and the new route (step S14). Specifically, in step S14, for example, the control unit 17 determines whether a tap operation has been performed on either the route confirmation button BRG or BRN. Also, in step S14, for example, the control unit 17 determines whether the vehicle Ve's travel distance VMD has reached a predetermined distance THD.

[0058] If the control unit 17 determines that the guidance route after the branching point BKT has not been determined to be one of the current route and the new route (step S14: NO), it returns to step S13 and continues to display the information screen. Specifically, the control unit 17 determines that the guidance route after the branching point BKT has not been determined to be one of the guidance routes if neither the route confirmation button BRG or BRN has been tapped, and the vehicle Ve's mileage VMD has not reached a predetermined distance THD.

[0059] If the control unit 17 determines that the guidance route after the branching point BKT has been determined to be one of the current route and a new route (step S14: YES), it completes the series of processes shown in Figure 5 and then provides route guidance according to that chosen guidance route. Specifically, the control unit 17 determines that the guidance route after the branching point BKT has been determined to be one of the guidance routes corresponding to the chosen route confirmation button when a tap operation is performed on one of the route confirmation buttons BRG and BRN. Alternatively, the control unit 17 determines that the guidance route after the branching point BKT has been determined to be one of the guidance routes when a guidance route has been selected at the time the vehicle's travel distance VMD reaches a predetermined distance THD.

[0060] According to this embodiment, the control unit 17 has the functions of a route acquisition unit, a display control unit, and a route determination unit.

[0061] As described above, according to this embodiment, when there are two guidance routes for guiding vehicle Ve to destination DTP, an overview of the two guidance routes can be displayed in the information display area JDA, while the details of the two guidance routes can be displayed in the information display area JDB. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when there is a current route and a new route for guiding vehicle Ve to destination DTP, the display modes of the callout KJG and detailed information display panel PRG for displaying information related to the current route can be set to the same display mode, while the display modes of the callout KJN and detailed information display panel PRN for displaying information related to the new route can also be set to the same display mode. Therefore, according to this embodiment, information related to multiple routes for guiding a vehicle to its destination can be displayed in a highly visible display mode.

[0062] [Differentiation] The following describes various modifications suitable for the above-described embodiments. These modifications can be arbitrarily combined and applied to the above-described embodiments.

[0063] (Variation 1) Instead of the terminal device 100, a server device connected via the network may perform part of the processing of the control unit 17.

[0064] Figure 6 shows the configuration of a modified system. As shown in Figure 6, the terminal device 100 is connected to the server device 200 via the network 150. The terminal device 100 then provides route guidance by receiving the necessary information for route guidance from the server device 200.

[0065] Figure 7 shows a schematic configuration of a server device in a modified system. As shown in Figure 7, the server device 200 includes a communication unit 202, a storage unit 203, and a control unit 204. The communication unit 202, the storage unit 203, and the control unit 204 are interconnected via a bus line 201.

[0066] The communication unit 202 transmits and receives various types of data via the network 150 based on the control of the control unit 204. The storage unit 203 is composed of, for example, an HDD and stores data necessary for route searching, such as map data. The control unit 204 has a CPU and memory such as ROM and RAM, and performs overall control of the server device 200 by executing programs stored in memory.

[0067] In this case, when the communication unit 202 receives information indicating route search conditions, including destination information and departure location information such as the current location, the control unit 204 determines a guided route and transmits the information of the guided route to the terminal device 100. The control unit 17 of the terminal device 100 provides route guidance based on the guided route information received from the server device 200. The control unit 204 also receives information indicating the current location of the vehicle Ve from the terminal device 100, obtains two guided routes to guide the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP, generates display screen information necessary for displaying an information display screen including simplified and detailed information related to the two guided routes, and has the communication unit 202 transmit the generated display screen information to the terminal device 100. In this case, the control unit 17 displays an information display screen on the display 110 as illustrated in Figure 3 or Figure 4, based on the display screen information received from the server device 200.

[0068] Thus, even if the server device 200 executes part of the processing of the control unit 17, the terminal device 100 can perform processing related to displaying an information display screen that includes simplified information and detailed information related to the two guidance routes. Note that the processing of the server device 200 may be performed by a server system consisting of multiple server devices. In this modified example, the server device 200 is an example of an "information display device" in the present invention, and the control unit 204 is an example of a "computer" in the present invention.

[0069] (Modification 2) The terminal device 100 is not limited to a portable terminal such as a smartphone as shown in Figure 1, but may also be a stationary navigation device installed in a vehicle. In this case, the control unit of the navigation device performs the same display control on the navigation device's display as the control unit 17.

[0070] In the embodiments described above, the program can be stored using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media and supplied to a control unit, which is a computer. Non-transitory computer-readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic storage media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical storage media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / Ws, and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, RAMs (Random Access Memory)).

[0071] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications to the structure and details of the present invention can be made that are understandable to those skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention. That is, the present invention naturally includes the full disclosure, including the claims, and various modifications and alterations that those skilled in the art could make in accordance with the technical idea. Furthermore, each disclosure of the above-mentioned patent documents and other references is incorporated herein by reference. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0072] 10 buses 11 Output section 12 Input section 13 Storage section 14 Communications Department 16 GPS receivers 17 Control Unit 100 terminal devices 110 displays 120 Touch Panel 150 Networks 200 Server Devices

Claims

[Claim 1] A route acquisition unit that acquires a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination, and a second route different from the first route, including a route that branches off from the first route midway; The display control unit has a first area of ​​the display screen which displays the first route, first simplified information displayed in association with the first route, the second route, and second simplified information displayed in association with the second route, and a second area of ​​the display screen which is different from the first area which displays first detailed information relating to the first route which includes more detailed information than the first simplified information, and second detailed information relating to the second route which includes more detailed information than the second simplified information, The display control unit sets the display mode of the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and sets the display mode of the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode.

Images