Map display device, map display method and program

Abstract

To provide a map display device, a map display method and a program with which it is possible to draw a map even before a download of map data is completed.SOLUTION: Provided is a map display device comprising: an acceptance unit for accepting the designation of a first area for displaying a map; a first acquisition unit for acquiring, from the map server, data for outline display that corresponds to a smaller contraction scale than the contraction scale of the first area; a second acquisition unit for acquiring, from the map server, data for first display that corresponds to the contraction scale and range of the first area; and a display control unit for drawing a map on the basis of the data for outline display having been acquired by the first acquisition unit for a while before the data for first display can be acquired by the second acquisition unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a map display device, a map display method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In map display devices such as personal computers, smartphones, and navigation systems, a method is used in which map data is stored on the server side and map data required for map drawing is downloaded from the server to the map display device in order to achieve the objectives of reducing the load on the terminal and making the latest map data available. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a map distribution system that can efficiently distribute not only map images but also road data that can be used by in-vehicle navigation devices, etc., in a map distribution service that distributes map data via a communication line. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-201351 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, map data for a range corresponding to user operations is obtained from a server, so the map cannot be drawn on the screen until the map data download is complete. If the map cannot be drawn, the screen is displayed blank, and the user is forced to wait until the map is drawn, which may cause stress.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a map display device, a map display method, and a program that are capable of drawing a map even before the download of map data is completed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A map display device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a reception unit that receives a designation of a first area in which to display a map, a first acquisition unit that acquires overview display data corresponding to a scale smaller than that of the first area from a map server, a second acquisition unit that acquires first display data corresponding to the scale and range of the first area from the map server, and a display control unit that draws a map based on the overview display data acquired by the first acquisition unit until the first display data can be acquired by the second acquisition unit. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a map display device, a map display method, and a program that are capable of drawing a map even before the download of map data is completed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a map display system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a structure of map data stored in a map data server. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a map data server and a terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of a map data server. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of a terminal. [Figure 6] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure performed by a terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same or similar configurations.

[0010] <System configuration> 1 is a diagram showing an example of a map display system 1 according to this embodiment. The map display system 1 includes a map data server 10 and a terminal 20. The map data server 10 and the terminal 20 are connected via a wireless or wired communication network N and can communicate with each other.

[0011] The map data server 10 (map server) stores map data, and transmits the map data to the terminal 20 in response to a request from the terminal 20. The map data server 10 may be configured from one or more physical servers, or may be configured using a virtual server that operates on a hypervisor, or may be configured using a cloud server.

[0012] The terminal 20 (information processing device) is a terminal operated by a user, and has a function of displaying a map of an area specified by a user operation on the screen. The terminal 20 can be any information processing device, such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer (PC), a car navigation device, or a home game device, as long as it is a terminal equipped with a screen.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of map data stored in the map data server 10. The map data is divided into a plurality of levels according to the scale. The map data levels are level 1, with data having the smallest scale (i.e., data with the coarsest granularity, such as the whole of Japan), and the levels increase as the scale increases. The map data shown in FIG. 2 is divided into 20 levels, from level 1 data having a scale of 1:5 million to level 20 data having a scale of 1:250. Hereinafter, data of each level in the map data will be referred to as "data of each level", "level 1 data", "level 2 data", etc. Note that FIG. 2 is merely an example, and the present embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0014] Each level of data is further composed of multiple layers. Administrative boundary data is data for drawing administrative boundary lines on a map. Railway data is data for drawing railroad tracks on a map. Road data is data for drawing roads on a map. Building data is data for drawing buildings on a map. Character data is data for drawing text characters (e.g. prefecture names, railroad track names, road names, building names, etc.) on a map. Hereinafter, the data of each layer will be referred to as "layer data."

[0015] The types of layer data constituting each level of data may differ for each level. For example, traffic sign data and traffic light position data may not be included in data at a smaller scale level, but may be included in data at a larger scale level. This is because, when displaying a small-scale map (such as a map of the whole of Japan), it is not necessary to display the positions of traffic signs and traffic lights, but when displaying a large-scale map (such as the area around the current location), it is necessary to display traffic signs on the roads (such as speed limit and one-way signs).

[0016] Each layer data may be stored in association with a unit (hereinafter referred to as a "mesh") obtained by dividing the map into a predetermined unit. When requesting map data from the map data server 10, the terminal 20 can download only the layer data required for drawing the map by specifying the layer data and mesh to be downloaded. Note that if no mesh is specified by the terminal 20, the map data server 10 may transmit layer data for all meshes to the terminal 20.

[0017] The higher the level, the more detailed the map will be. Therefore, the higher the level, the larger the data size of the map data. In the example of Figure 2, the data size of level 1 data is the smallest, and the data size of level 20 data is the largest.

[0018] When displaying a map, the terminal 20 according to this embodiment downloads layer data of a level corresponding to the scale and range of the area to be displayed on the screen from the map data server 10 and draws it on the screen. At this time, the terminal 20 downloads at least layer data of the smallest scale level (level 1 data in the example of FIG. 2) from the map data server 10 in addition to layer data of a level corresponding to the scale of the map area to be displayed. Next, when the user moves the area in which the map is to be displayed by, for example, swiping the map screen, the terminal 20 downloads data of a level corresponding to the scale and range of the area after the movement from the map data server 10 and draws it on the screen. At this time, until the data can be downloaded from the map data server 10, the map is drawn using data of the smallest scale level for blank parts of the map screen (i.e., an outline of the map is displayed).

[0019] <Hardware configuration> 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the map data server 10 and the terminal 20. The map data server 10 and the terminal 20 each have a processor 11 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphical processing unit), a storage device 12 such as a memory, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and / or an SSD (Solid State Drive), a communication IF (Interface) 13 for wired or wireless communication, an input device 14 for accepting input operations, and an output device 15 for outputting information. The input device 14 is, for example, a keyboard, a touch panel, a mouse, and / or a microphone. The output device 15 is, for example, a display, a touch panel, and / or a speaker.

[0020] <Function block configuration> (Map data server) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of the map data server 10. The map data server 10 includes a storage unit 100, a receiving unit 101, a map data extracting unit 102, and a transmitting unit 103. The storage unit 100 can be realized by using a storage device 12 included in the map data server 10. The receiving unit 101, the map data extracting unit 102, and the transmitting unit 103 can be realized by the processor 11 of the map data server 10 executing a program stored in the storage device 12. The program can be stored in a storage medium. The storage medium storing the program may be a non-transitory computer readable medium. The non-transitory storage medium is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a storage medium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM.

[0021] The storage unit 100 stores a map data DB 100a. The map data DB 100a includes, for example, a plurality of layer data for each level, as shown in FIG.

[0022] The receiving unit 101 receives a map data acquisition request from the terminal 20. The acquisition request may include data specifying the level, layer, and range (for example, one or more meshes) of the map data desired by the terminal 20.

[0023] The map data extraction unit 102 extracts, from the map data DB 100a, map data of the level, layer, and range specified in the acquisition request received from the terminal 20. Hereinafter, the map data extracted in response to the request from the terminal 20 will be referred to as "display data" to distinguish it from the map data stored in the map data DB 100a.

[0024] The transmitting unit 103 transmits the display data extracted by the map data extracting unit 102 to the terminal 20.

[0025] (Terminal) FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a functional block configuration of the terminal 20. The terminal 20 includes a storage unit 200, a reception unit 201, an acquisition unit 202, and a display control unit 203. The storage unit 200 can be realized by using the storage unit 12 included in the terminal 20. The reception unit 201, the acquisition unit 202, and the display control unit 203 can be realized by the processor 11 of the terminal 20 executing a program stored in the storage unit 12. The program can be stored in a storage medium. The storage medium storing the program may be a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium. The non-transitory storage medium is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a storage medium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM. The program may be an application for displaying a map (hereinafter, referred to as a "map display application") that can be installed in the terminal 20.

[0026] The storage unit 200 stores the display map data acquired from the map data server 10 in a cache DB 200a for storing the display map data.

[0027] The receiving unit 201 receives, from a user, a designation of an area (first area) for displaying a map.

[0028] The acquisition unit 202 acquires map data (hereinafter referred to as "outline display data") corresponding to a scale smaller than the scale of an area (first area) for displaying a map specified by the user, from the map data server 10. The acquisition unit 202 also stores the acquired outline display data in the cache DB 200a. The acquisition unit 202 that acquires the outline display data from the map data server 10 may be referred to as the "first acquisition unit." The outline display data may be map data with the smallest scale. That is, the acquisition unit 202 may acquire the outline display data with the smallest scale as the outline display data.

[0029] The summary display data may include a plurality of layer data. Furthermore, when acquiring the summary display data, the acquiring unit 202 (first acquiring unit) may not acquire a portion of the plurality of layer data. For example, when acquiring the summary display data, the acquiring unit 202 (first acquiring unit) may not acquire layer data of a character layer for displaying characters.

[0030] The acquisition unit 202 (first acquisition unit) may acquire, as the overview display data, overview display data corresponding to the entire area that can be accepted by the acceptance unit 201 (for example, data of all meshes).

[0031] The acquisition unit 202 also acquires display data (first display data) corresponding to the scale and range of the area (first area) in which the map is to be displayed, which is specified by the reception unit 201, from the map data server 10. The acquisition unit 202 also stores the acquired display data in the cache DB 200a. The acquisition unit 202 that acquires the display data from the map data server 10 may be referred to as a "second acquisition unit."

[0032] In addition, when the area specified by the reception unit 201 is changed from a first area to a second area, the acquisition unit 202 (second acquisition unit) acquires display data (second display data) corresponding to the scale and range of the second area from the map data server 10.

[0033] The display control unit 203 draws a map based on the outline display data acquired by the acquisition unit 202 (first acquisition unit) until the acquisition unit 202 (second acquisition unit) can acquire display data.

[0034] In addition, when there is a third area in the second area that cannot be drawn because display data (second display data) has not been acquired, the display control unit 203 may be configured to draw a map of the third area using overview display data until acquisition of the display data (second display data) is completed.

[0035] <Processing Procedure> FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure performed by the terminal 20.

[0036] In step S10, the reception unit 201 receives from the user an instruction to activate (start execution of) a function for displaying a map screen. The processing procedure of step S10 may be, for example, a process of receiving execution of a map display application.

[0037] In step S11, the acquisition unit 202 downloads overview display data from the map data server 10. When the download is completed, the acquisition unit 202 stores the downloaded overview display data in the cache DB 200a. Here, the overview display data acquired by the acquisition unit 202 may be data of all meshes included in the map data DB 100a of the map data server 10.

[0038] The acquiring unit 202 may also not download (acquire) some of the layer data among the plurality of layer data included in the map data DB 100a of the map data server 10 as overview display data. The layer data to be downloaded as overview display data and the layer data not to be acquired may be determined based on a priority determined for each of the plurality of layer data. For example, the acquiring unit 202 may download a predetermined number of layer data in descending order of priority, and may not download layer data other than the predetermined number. The priority may be determined in any way, but for example, the priority of layers expressed by lines, such as a railroad layer, a river layer, and a road layer, may be set high, and the priority of layers expressed by text or polygons, such as a character layer or a building layer, may be set low.

[0039] Furthermore, when acquiring the overview display data, the acquiring unit 202 may download the layer data related to the character data, but may download the other layer data. Furthermore, when acquiring the overview display data, the acquiring unit 202 may not download the character data and / or the building data. This can reduce the amount of overview display data downloaded from the map data server 10.

[0040] In step S12, the reception unit 201 receives an instruction from the user regarding the scale and range of the area to display the map. For example, the reception unit 201 receives an instruction from the user to display a map of an area including a 200-meter radius around Tokyo Station. Note that the reception from the user may be performed by detecting, for example, a touch operation (enlargement, reduction, movement, etc.) performed by the user on a touch panel.

[0041] In step S13, the acquisition unit 202 downloads display data corresponding to the scale and range of the area specified by the reception unit 201 from the map data server 10. Specifically, the acquisition unit 202 downloads each layer data associated with a mesh including the range specified by the reception unit 201 for each layer data at a level corresponding to the scale of the area specified by the reception unit 201. When the download is completed, the acquisition unit 202 stores the downloaded display data in the cache DB 200a. Note that in this embodiment, it is assumed that the overview display data downloaded in step S11 has a smaller data size than the display data downloaded in step S13 or step S16 described later, and can be downloaded in a shorter time than the display data.

[0042] In step S14, the display control unit 112 uses the summary display data downloaded in the processing procedure of step S11 to draw a map of the area specified by the reception unit 201 on the screen of the terminal 20. At this time, since the summary display data is large-scale data with low accuracy, a low-accuracy map is drawn on the screen of the terminal 20. For example, when expressing a 10 km long railroad, the summary display data expresses it with a sequence of 10 dots, but the level 20 display data expresses it with a sequence of 10,000 dots, so that the accuracy of the data differs even for the same distance.

[0043] In step S15, when the download of the display data is completed, the display control unit 112 uses the display data to draw a map of the area specified by the reception unit 201 on the screen of the terminal 20. Since the display data is more detailed than the overview display data, a detailed map is drawn on the screen of the terminal 20.

[0044] In step S16, the reception unit 201 receives a change to the area in which the map is displayed from the user. For example, the reception unit 201 may receive a change to the area in which the map is displayed by receiving an operation of the user swiping (moving the map horizontally) on the map screen, pinching in (enlarging the map), or pinching out (reducing the map).

[0045] In step S17, the acquisition unit 202 downloads display data corresponding to the scale and range of the changed area specified by the reception unit 201 from the map data server 10. When the download is complete, the acquisition unit 202 stores the downloaded display data in the cache DB 200a. Note that, if the changed area includes an area for which display data already exists in the cache DB 200a, the acquisition unit 202 may download display data only for those areas for which no display data exists among the changed areas.

[0046] In step S18, the display control unit 112 draws a map using the display data for areas that can be drawn using the display data present in the cache DB 200a among the areas after the change specified by the reception unit 201. On the other hand, for areas specified by the reception unit 201 for which no display data exists in the cache DB 200a (for example, for areas for which the download of display data has not yet arrived in time), the display control unit 112 draws a map using summary display data. Thereafter, it is assumed that the display data is downloaded from the map data server 10 by the acquisition unit 202 for areas for which no display data exists in the cache DB 200a. In this case, the display control unit 112 redraws a map using the downloaded display data for the areas for which the map was drawn using the summary display data.

[0047] In step S19, the reception unit 201 proceeds to the processing procedure of step S16 until an instruction to end the map display is received from the user. That is, the terminal 20 repeats the processing procedure of steps S16 to S19. When an instruction to end the map display is received from the user, the processing ends.

[0048] In the above-described processing procedures, the order of the steps can be changed or the steps can be executed in parallel as long as no contradiction occurs. For example, the processing procedure of step S11 can be executed in parallel with the processing procedure of step S12. In other words, the download of the overview display data can be executed in the background while the designation of the area for displaying the map is being accepted.

[0049] In the process procedure described above, the acquisition unit 202 (first acquisition unit) may acquire a predetermined number of overview display data in the order of increasing scale as the overview display data. The predetermined number of overview display data may include at least overview display data of the smallest scale. For example, when the predetermined number is set to three, the acquisition unit 202 may download level 1 data from the map data server 10 and store it in the cache DB 200a, download level 2 data after the download of the level 1 data is completed and store it in the cache DB 200a, and download level 3 data after the download of the level 2 data is completed and store it in the cache DB 200a.

[0050] Furthermore, when the display control unit 112 acquires overview display data with a smaller scale than the scale of the overview display data already acquired, the display control unit 112 may use the overview display data with the smaller scale to display the map instead of the overview display data already acquired. For example, when only the level 1 data has been downloaded, the display control unit 112 may draw a map using the level 1 data as overview display data, and when the download of the level 2 data is completed thereafter, the display control unit 112 may draw a map using the level 2 data as overview display data, and when the download of the level 3 data is completed thereafter, the display control unit 112 may draw a map using the level 3 data as overview display data. This makes it possible to realize a more accurate overview display when displaying an overview on a map screen.

[0051] Furthermore, when the area that can be displayed on the terminal 20 is limited in advance, for example, when the area that can be displayed on the screen of the terminal 20 is limited to some prefectures, the acquisition unit 202 may acquire only overview display data corresponding to the limited area from the map data server 10. More specifically, the acquisition unit 202 may acquire only overview display data of a mesh corresponding to the limited area from the map data server 10. Since overview display data is not downloaded for areas that cannot be displayed, it is possible to reduce the amount of overview display data.

[0052] Furthermore, the acquiring unit 202 may omit the processing procedure of step S11 if the summary display data is already stored in the cache DB 200a (for example, if the summary display data acquired when the map screen was last activated is cached in the cache DB 200a). Even if the summary display data is already stored in the cache DB 200a, the acquiring unit 202 may download the summary display data from the map data server 10 (i.e., update the summary display data to the latest summary display data) if the timestamp indicating when the summary display data was last downloaded is earlier than a predetermined period.

[0053] Furthermore, when updating the overview display data, the acquisition unit 202 may select layer data to be updated based on the update definition information. The update definition information may define information indicating the period at which each layer data should be updated. Furthermore, a timestamp indicating the time when the overview display data was last downloaded may be recorded for each layer data. For example, the acquisition unit 202 may compare the update definition information with the timestamp for each layer data of the overview display data stored in the cache DB 200a, and download the layer data from the map data server 10 only when there is layer data to be updated. For example, it is assumed that administrative boundary data and railroad data are updated less frequently than building data. Therefore, the update definition information may set the update frequency of administrative boundary data and railroad data to be longer than the update frequency of building data.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display. Screen M10 shows an example of a case where a map is displayed using display data. In addition, in screen M10, railroad tracks are drawn from the lower left to the upper right. Here, it is assumed that the user swipes the screen M10 to the upper right. As shown in screen M11, the display control unit 112 moves the map to the upper right direction, and draws the map using outline display data that has been downloaded in advance and stored in the cache DB 200a for areas where the download of display data from the map data server 10 has not been completed. In the example of screen M11, railroad tracks R11 are drawn in the white parts (areas where the download of display data has not yet been completed).

[0055] <Summary> According to the embodiment described above, when a map is drawn, the overview display data is acquired, and the map is displayed using the overview display data until the download of the display data is completed. This makes it possible to draw the map even before the download of the map data is completed.

[0056] The above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The flow charts, sequences, elements included in the embodiments, and their arrangements, materials, conditions, shapes, sizes, etc. are not limited to those illustrated, and can be changed as appropriate. In addition, configurations shown in different embodiments can be partially replaced or combined with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1...map display system, 10...map data server, 11...processor, 12...storage device, 13...communication IF, 14...input device, 15...output device, 20...terminal, 100...storage unit, 100a...map data DB, 101...receiving unit, 102...map data extraction unit, 103...transmitting unit, 112...display control unit, 200...storage unit, 200a...cache DB, 201...receiving unit, 202...acquisition unit, 203...display control unit

Claims

1. a reception unit that receives a designation of a first area for displaying a map; a first acquisition unit that acquires overview display data corresponding to a scale smaller than that of the first area from a map server; a second acquisition unit that acquires first display data corresponding to a scale and a range of the first area from the map server; a display control unit that draws a map based on the outline display data acquired by the first acquisition unit until the first display data can be acquired by the second acquisition unit; having the overview display data includes a plurality of layer data; When acquiring the overview display data, the first acquisition unit does not acquire a part of the layer data among the plurality of layer data. Map display device.

2. the second acquisition unit, when the area specified by the reception unit is changed from the first area to a second area, acquires from the map server second display map data corresponding to a scale and range of the second area; when a third area exists in the second area and the third area cannot be drawn because the second display map data has not been acquired, the display control unit draws a map of the third area using the outline display data until acquisition of the second display map data is completed. The map display device according to claim 1 .

3. The first acquisition unit acquires overview display data having a smallest scale as the overview display data.

3. A map display device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the first acquisition unit acquires a predetermined number of pieces of overview display data in order of increasing scale as the overview display data; The map display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. the first acquisition unit acquires, as the overview display data, overview display data corresponding to an entire area that can be accepted by the acceptance unit; The map display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A map display method performed by a map display device, comprising: accepting a designation of a first area for displaying a map; a first acquisition step of acquiring, from a map server, overview display data corresponding to a scale smaller than that of the first area; a second acquisition step of acquiring first display data corresponding to a scale and a range of the first area from the map server; a step of drawing a map based on the outline display data acquired in the first acquisition step until the first display data can be acquired in the second acquisition step; Including, the overview display data includes a plurality of layer data; In the first acquisition step, when acquiring the overview display data, some layer data among the plurality of layer data are not acquired. Map display method.

7. accepting a designation of a first area for displaying a map; a first acquisition step of acquiring, from a map server, overview display data corresponding to a scale smaller than that of the first area; a second acquisition step of acquiring first display data corresponding to a scale and a range of the first area from the map server; a step of drawing a map based on the outline display data acquired in the first acquisition step until the first display data can be acquired in the second acquisition step; Run the following on your computer: the overview display data includes a plurality of layer data; In the first acquisition step, when acquiring the overview display data, some layer data among the plurality of layer data are not acquired. program.

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