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

Abstract

To provide an information display device, etc., which allow for displaying information on multiple routes for guiding a vehicle to a destination in a highly visible manner.SOLUTION: An information display device provided herein comprises a route acquisition unit and a display control unit. The acquisition unit acquires a first route and a second route. The display control unit displays the first route with first simple information displayed in association with the first route, and the second route with second simple information displayed in association with the second route in a first area, and displays first detailed information containing more detailed information than the first simple information and second detailed information containing more detailed information than the second simple information in a second areas. The display control unit sets the display mode for the first simple information and the first detailed information to a first display mode and sets the display mode for the second simple information and the second detailed information to a second display mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique that can be used in route guidance for vehicles. [Background technology]

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

[0003] Specifically, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a navigation device displays a map including a set route to a destination and an alternative route that is another route to reach the destination, and superimposes a warning display on the map that includes the difference between the time required to follow the set route from the current location of the vehicle to the destination and the time required to follow the alternative route from the current location of the vehicle to the destination. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-3097 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the problem that, for example, when a warning display is superimposed on a map, a situation may arise in which it becomes difficult for the user to check information other than the warning information contained in the map.

[0006] In other words, the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 presents a problem corresponding to the aforementioned issue, in that information relating to multiple routes for guiding a vehicle to a destination may be displayed in a manner that makes it difficult to see.

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

[0008] The invention described in the claims is an information display device having a route acquisition unit that acquires a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination and a second route that is different from the first route and includes a route branching off midway from the first route; and a display control unit that displays, in a first area of ​​a display screen, 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 also displays, in a second area of ​​the display screen that is different from the first area, first detailed information that includes more detailed information than the first simplified information as information related to the first route, and second detailed information that includes more detailed information than the second simplified information as information related to the second route, wherein the display control unit sets a display mode for the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and sets a display mode for the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode that is different from the first display mode. The display control unit displays, in the first area, the first route and a first speech bubble containing the first simplified information, the second route and a second speech bubble containing the second simplified information, and displays, in the second area, a first panel containing the first detailed information and accepting an operation to select the first route, and a second panel containing the second detailed information and accepting an operation to select the second route.

[0009] The claimed invention also includes: Executed by the information display deviceAn information display method includes acquiring a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination and a second route different from the first route, including a route branching off from the first route, and displaying, in a first area of ​​a display screen, the first route, first simplified information associated with the first route, the second route, and second simplified information associated with the second route, and displaying, in a second area different from the first area of ​​the display screen, first detailed information including more detailed information than the first simplified information as information related to the first route, and second detailed information including more detailed information than the second simplified information as information related to the second route. 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, and in the first area, the first route, a first speech bubble containing the first simplified information, the second route, and a second speech bubble containing the second simplified information are displayed, and in the second area, a first panel containing the first detailed information and accepting an operation to select the first route, and a second panel containing the second detailed information and accepting an operation to select the second route are displayed.

[0010] The claimed invention is also a program executed by an information display device having a computer, the program causing the computer to function as a route acquisition unit that acquires a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination and a second route that is different from the first route and includes a route branching off midway from the first route, and a display control unit that displays, in a first area of ​​a display screen, 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 also displays, in a second area of ​​the display screen different from the first area, first detailed information that includes more detailed information than the first simplified information as information relating to the first route, and second detailed information that includes more detailed information than the second simplified information as information relating to the second route, and the display control unit sets the display modes of the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and sets the display modes of the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode. The display control unit displays, in the first area, the first route and a first speech bubble containing the first simplified information, the second route and a second speech bubble containing the second simplified information, and displays, in the second area, a first panel containing the first detailed information and accepting an operation to select the first route, and a second panel containing the second detailed information and accepting an operation to select the second route. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of a terminal device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an information display screen according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed in a terminal device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system according to a modified example. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a server device in a system according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0013] The 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, the second route including a route branching off from the first route. The display control unit displays the first route, first simplified information associated with the first route, and the second route, second simplified information associated with the second route in a first area of ​​a display screen, and also displays first detailed information relating to the first route that includes more detailed information than the first simplified information and second detailed information relating to the second route that includes more detailed information than the second simplified information in a second area of ​​the display screen. The display control unit sets the display modes of the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and sets the display modes of the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode. This allows information relating to a plurality of routes for guiding the vehicle to the destination to be displayed in a highly visible manner.

[0014] In one aspect of the above-mentioned information display device, the display control unit displays, in the first area, the first route and a first speech bubble containing the first simplified information, the second route and a second speech bubble containing the second simplified information, and in the second area, displays a first panel containing the first detailed information and accepting an operation to select the first route, and a second panel containing the second detailed information and accepting an operation to select the second route.

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

[0016] In one aspect of the above information display device, when one of the first route and the second route is selected, the device further has a route determination unit that determines the one route as the route to the destination when the vehicle's travel distance after the display control unit starts displaying the display screen reaches a predetermined distance.

[0017] In one aspect of the above information display device, the display control unit further displays, in the second area, an indicator showing the correspondence between the specified distance and the distance traveled by the vehicle since the timing.

[0018] In one aspect of the above-mentioned information display device, the display control unit further displays in the second area a first button that accepts an operation to confirm the first route as the route to the destination, and a second button that accepts an operation to confirm the second route as the route to the destination, and further has a route confirmation unit that, when an operation is performed on one of the first button and the second button, confirms the route corresponding to the one button as the route to the destination.

[0019] In another embodiment of the present invention, an information display method includes acquiring a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination and a second route different from the first route, the second route including a route branching off from the first route, displaying the first route, first simplified information associated with the first route, and the second route, and second simplified information associated with the second route in a first area of ​​a display screen, and displaying first detailed information relating to the first route, the first detailed information including more detailed information than the first simplified information, and second detailed information relating to the second route, the second detailed information including more detailed information than the second simplified information, in a second area of ​​the display screen different from the first area, setting display modes for the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and setting display modes for the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode. This makes it possible to display information relating to a plurality of routes for guiding a vehicle to a destination in a highly visible display mode.

[0020] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a program executed by an information display device including a computer causes the computer to function as 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, the second route including a route branching off from the first route, and a display control unit that displays, in a first area of ​​a display screen, the first route, first simplified information associated with the first route, the second route, and second simplified information associated with the second route, and displays, in a second area different from the first area of ​​the display screen, 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, and the display control unit sets the display modes of the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and sets the display modes of the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode. Executing this program on a computer can realize the information display device described above. This program can be stored in a storage medium and used. [Example]

[0021] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0022] [Overall configuration] 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] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the terminal device 100 includes 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. The elements of the terminal device 100 are connected to each other via a bus 10, and are configured to enable transmission of necessary information between the elements.

[0024] The output unit 11 includes a display 110, a speaker 111 for outputting audio, and the like, and outputs information in response to operations by the user of the terminal device 100 under the control of the control unit 17. The input unit 12 includes a touch panel 120, and is an interface that accepts input of necessary commands and information by the terminal user to the terminal device 100, i.e., operations. For example, the input unit 12 accepts input specifying a destination, input specifying conditions for route search, and the like. Note that the input unit 12 may have, in addition to the touch panel 120, keys, switches, buttons, audio input devices, and the like 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 in navigation processing, such as map data. The map data includes road data represented by links corresponding to roads and nodes corresponding to road junctions (intersections), facility information on each facility, and the like.

[0026] The communication unit 14 transmits and receives data to and from other devices in accordance with a predetermined protocol. For example, 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 under the control of the control unit 17. The GPS receiver 16 receives radio waves carrying downlink data including positioning data from multiple GPS satellites, thereby generating information on the current location of the terminal device 100 and transmitting the information to the control unit 17.

[0027] The control unit 17 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and the like (not shown), and performs various controls on the components within the terminal device 100.

[0028] For example, the control unit 17 receives an input specifying a destination via the input unit 12, and sets a route to the specified destination (also referred to as a "guidance route"). The control unit 17 also sets one or more guidance points on the route to the destination. The guidance points are set as points on the route to the destination where guidance is required. Specifically, guidance points are set at, for example, intersections where the vehicle must turn right or left, and important passing points for the vehicle to travel along the guidance route. The control unit 17 then provides route guidance based on the guidance route while displaying a map using the current position as a base point.

[0029] In addition to the components shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 100 may include various stand-alone positioning devices such as an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, and a distance sensor.

[0030] [Processing related to display] Next, a specific example of the process relating to the display will be described. Note that the following description will be given assuming that the user operating the terminal device 100 is a passenger in the vehicle Ve.

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

[0032] The control unit 17 determines whether or not it is possible to guide the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP via a route branching off from the guidance route MR while the vehicle Ve is traveling along the guidance route MR.

[0033] When the control unit 17 determines that the vehicle Ve cannot be guided to the destination DTP via a route branching off from the guidance route MR, the control unit 17 continues route guidance for the guidance route MR. When route guidance for the guidance route MR is performed, for example, a display screen that does not include the guidance route MRN, speech bubbles KJG and KJN, detailed information display panels PRG and PRN, and mark MKB (described later) is displayed on the display 110. When the control unit 17 determines that the vehicle Ve can be guided to the destination DTP via a route branching off from the guidance route MR, the control unit 17 generates an information display screen JGA as shown in Fig. 3 and displays the generated information display screen JGA on the display 110. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an information display screen according to the embodiment.

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

[0035] The information display area JDA is provided as an area for displaying on a map the guide route MRG and the guide route MRN that can guide the vehicle Ve from its current location to the destination DTP, a balloon KJG indicating the guide route MRG, and a balloon KJN indicating the guide route MRN. The information display area JDA also displays the guide route MR and a mark MKB indicating the branch point BKT where the guide route MR branches into the guide route MRG and the guide route MRN. The information display area JDA also displays a (for example, flag-shaped) mark MKA indicating the location of the destination DTP of the vehicle Ve. The information display area JDA also displays a (for example, arrowhead-shaped) mark MKV indicating the current location and traveling direction of the vehicle Ve.

[0036] The guide route MRG is a route when guiding the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP along the guide route MR, and corresponds to the current route acquired before the guide route MRN is acquired. In other words, the guide route MRG overlaps with the route after the branch point BKT on the guide route MR. In addition, inside the balloon KJG, for example, the words "current route" are displayed as simple information to inform the passengers of the vehicle Ve that the guide route MRG is the current route.

[0037] The guide route MRN is a route when guiding the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP along a route branching off from the guide route MR, and corresponds to a new route acquired just before the information display screen JGA is displayed. In addition, inside the balloon KJN, for example, the words "new route" are displayed as simple information to inform the passengers of the vehicle Ve that the guide route MRN is a new route.

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

[0039] The information display area JDB displays a detailed information display panel PRG containing detailed information related to the guide route MRG and a detailed information display panel PRN containing detailed information related to the guide route MRN. In other words, the detailed information display panel PRG contains, as information related to the guide route MRG, more detailed information than the simple information contained in the speech bubble KJG. Furthermore, the detailed information display panel PRN contains, as information related to the guide route MRN, more detailed information than the simple information contained in the speech bubble KJN. The information display area JDB may be provided, for example, as an area superimposed on the information display area JDA.

[0040] The detailed information display panel PRG displays, for example, the time and distance required to travel from the current location of the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP when the guide route MRG is selected. The detailed information display panel PRG also displays, for example, the amount of tolls and other fees to be paid when the guide route MRG is selected. The detailed information display panel PRG also displays, for example, a message similar to the "Current Route" message in the speech bubble KJG to inform the passengers of the vehicle Ve that the guide route MRG is the current route. The detailed information display panel PRG also includes a route confirmation button BRG that accepts a tap operation to confirm the guide route MRG as the route to the destination DTP. The detailed information display panel PRG also has a function to accept a tap operation to select the guide route MRG in a portion other than the route confirmation button BRG. An indicator IGT is displayed inside the route confirmation button BRG, indicating the correspondence between a predetermined distance THD and the mileage VMD of the vehicle Ve since the display of the information display screen JHA began.

[0041] The predetermined distance THD is set, for example, as the distance from a predetermined point on the guide route MR before the junction BKT. Therefore, when the travel distance VMD of the vehicle Ve reaches the predetermined distance THD, the guide route after the junction BKT is determined to be the currently selected one guide route.

[0042] The detailed information display panel PRN displays, for example, the required time and distance from the current location of the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP when the guide route MRN is selected. The detailed information display panel PRN also displays, for example, the toll or other fee to be paid when the guide route MRN is selected. The detailed information display panel PRN also displays the difference in the required time, distance, and fee when the guide route of the vehicle Ve is changed from the guide route MRG to the guide route MRN. That is, the detailed information related to the guide route MRN displayed on the detailed information display panel PRN includes information indicating the difference when the travel route of the vehicle Ve is changed from the guide route MRG to the guide route MRN. The detailed information display panel PRN also displays, for example, a message similar to the "New Route" speech bubble KJN to inform the passengers of the vehicle Ve that the guide route MRN is a new route. The detailed information display panel PRN also has a route confirmation button BRN that accepts a tap operation to confirm the guide route MRN as the route to the destination DTP. The detailed information display panel PRN also has a function of accepting a tap operation for selecting a guide route MRN in a portion other than the route confirmation button BRN.

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

[0044] When the guide route MRG is selected, the control unit 17 sets the display mode of the speech bubble KJG and the detailed information display panel PRG to the display mode HTB, and sets the display mode of the speech bubble KJN and the detailed information display panel PRN to the display mode HTW. The display mode HTB is a display mode for visually confirming that one of the guide routes MRG and MRN has been selected, and is set, for example, as a combination of a black background and white characters. The display mode HTW is a display mode for visually confirming that the other of the guide routes MRG and MRN has not been selected, and is set, for example, as a combination of a white background and black characters.

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

[0046] When the control unit 17 detects that the mileage VMD of the vehicle Ve has reached a predetermined distance THD while the guide route MRG is selected, the control unit 17 confirms the guide route to the destination DTP after the junction BKT as the guide route MRG. Furthermore, when the control unit 17 detects that a tap operation has been performed on the route confirmation button BRG, the control unit 17 confirms the guide route to the destination DTP after the junction BKT as the guide route MRG even when the mileage VMD of the vehicle Ve has not reached the predetermined distance THD. Note that, according to this embodiment, the route confirmation button BRG can be tapped even when the guide route MRG is not selected.

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

[0048] When the control unit 17 detects that the mileage VMD of the vehicle Ve has reached a predetermined distance THD while the guide route MRN is selected, the control unit 17 confirms the guide route to the destination DTP after the junction BKT as the guide route MRN. Furthermore, when the control unit 17 detects that a tap operation has been performed on the route confirmation button BRN, the control unit 17 confirms the guide route to the destination DTP after the junction BKT as the guide route MRN even when the mileage VMD of the vehicle Ve has not reached the predetermined distance THD. Note that, according to this embodiment, the route confirmation button BRN can be tapped even when the guide route MRN is not selected.

[0049] When the guide route from the branch point BKT to the destination DTP is confirmed as one guide route, the control unit 17 erases the information display area JDB and causes the display 110 to display an information display screen showing the one guide route on a map.

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

[0051] The above-described processing is not limited to being applied when the guide route MR is the (initial) route set at the start of route guidance, but is also applied in a substantially similar manner when, for example, the guide route MR is the (confirmed) route after the branch point BKT.

[0052] [Processing flow] Next, a description will be given of a process performed in the terminal device 100. This process is realized by the control unit 17 shown in Fig. 2 executing a program prepared in advance. Fig. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a process performed in the terminal device according to the embodiment.

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

[0054] Next, the control unit 17 determines whether or not the vehicle Ve can be guided to the destination DTP via a route branching off from the guidance route MR while the vehicle Ve is traveling along the guidance route MR (step S12).

[0055] If the control unit 17 determines that the vehicle Ve cannot be guided to the destination DTP via a route that branches off from the guidance route MR (step S12: NO), it ends the series of processes in Figure 5 without performing the processes from step S13 onwards, and then continues route guidance according to the guidance route MR.

[0056] When the control unit 17 determines that the vehicle Ve can be guided to the destination DTP via a route branching off from the guide route MR (step S12: YES), it causes the display 110 to display an information display screen including information related to the guide route MRG corresponding to the current route and information related to the guide route MRN corresponding to the new route (step S13). Note that in step S13, it is sufficient if either of the above-mentioned information display screens JGA and JGB is displayed. Therefore, for example, when the information display screen JGA is displayed by the processing of step S13, the speech bubble KJG and the detailed information display panel PRG are displayed in the display mode HTB, and the speech bubble KJN and the detailed information display panel PRN are displayed in the display mode HTW. Also, for example, when the information display screen JGB is displayed by the processing of step S13, the speech bubble KJG and the detailed information display panel PRG are displayed in the display mode HTW, and the speech bubble KJN and the detailed information display panel PRN are displayed in the display mode HTB.

[0057] Thereafter, the control unit 17 determines whether the guidance route after the branch point BKT has been confirmed as one of the current route and the new route (step S14). Specifically, the control unit 17 determines, for example, in step S14, whether a tap operation has been performed on either the route confirmation button BRG or BRN. Also, the control unit 17 determines, for example, in step S14, whether the mileage VMD of the vehicle Ve has reached a predetermined distance THD.

[0058] When the control unit 17 determines that the guide route after the junction BKT has not been confirmed as one of the current route and the new route (step S14: NO), the process returns to step S13 and the information display screen continues to be displayed. Specifically, when a tap operation has not been performed on either the route confirmation button BRG or BRN and the travel distance VMD of the vehicle Ve has not reached the predetermined distance THD, the control unit 17 determines that the guide route after the junction BKT has not been confirmed as one of the guide routes.

[0059] When the control unit 17 determines that the guidance route after the junction point BKT has been confirmed as one of the guidance routes of the current route and the new route (step S14: YES), it performs route guidance according to the one guidance route after completing the series of processes in Fig. 5. Specifically, when a tap operation is performed on one of the route confirmation buttons BRG and BRN, the control unit 17 determines that the guidance route after the junction point BKT has been confirmed as one guidance route corresponding to the one route confirmation button. Alternatively, when one guidance route was selected at the time when the traveling distance VMD of the vehicle Ve reached a predetermined distance THD, the control unit 17 determines that the guidance route after the junction point BKT has been confirmed as the one guidance route.

[0060] According to this embodiment, the control unit 17 has functions as 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 guide routes for guiding the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP, outlines of the two guide routes can be displayed in the information display area JDA, while details of the two guide routes can be displayed in the information display area JDB. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when there are a current route and a new route for guiding the vehicle Ve to the destination DTP, the display modes of the balloon KJG and the 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 balloon KJN and the detailed information display panel PRN for displaying information related to the new route can be set to the same display mode. Therefore, according to this embodiment, information related to multiple routes for guiding the vehicle to the destination can be displayed in a highly visible display mode.

[0062] [Variations] The following describes various modifications suitable for the above-described embodiment. These modifications can be applied to the above-described embodiment in any combination.

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

[0064] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system according to a modified example. As shown in Fig. 6, a terminal device 100 is connected to a server device 200 via a network 150. The terminal device 100 receives information necessary for route guidance from the server device 200 to provide route guidance.

[0065] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a server device in a system according to a modified example. As shown in Fig. 7, server device 200 has a communication unit 202, a storage unit 203, and a control unit 204. Communication unit 202, storage unit 203, and control unit 204 are connected to each other via bus line 201.

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

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

[0068] In this way, even when 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 including simplified information and detailed information related to two guide routes. Note that the processing of the server device 200 may be executed by a server system consisting of multiple server devices. In this modification, the server device 200 is an example of the "information display device" of the present invention, and the control unit 204 is an example of the "computer" of the present invention.

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

[0070] In the above-described embodiments, the program can be stored using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media and supplied to a control unit, such as a computer. The non-transitory computer-readable media includes 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 memories (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (Random Access Memory)).

[0071] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications within the scope of the present invention that would be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention. In other words, the present invention naturally includes various modifications and alterations that would be possible for those skilled in the art based on the entire disclosure, including the claims, and the technical ideas. Furthermore, the disclosures of the above-cited patent documents and other documents are incorporated herein by reference. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 10 Bus 11 Output section 12 Input section 13 Storage section 14 Communications Department 16 GPS receivers 17 Control Unit 100 Terminal Device 110 Display 120 Touch Panel 150 Network 200 Server device

Claims

1. a route acquisition unit that acquires a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination and a second route that is different from the first route and includes a route that branches off from the first route; a display control unit that displays, in a first area of ​​a display screen, the first route, first simplified information displayed in association with the first route, and the second route, second simplified information displayed in association with the second route, and that displays, in a second area different from the first area of ​​the display screen, first detailed information including more detailed information than the first simplified information as information related to the first route, and second detailed information including more detailed information than the second simplified information as information related to the second route, the display control unit sets a display mode of the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and sets a display mode of the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode; The display control unit is an information display device that displays, in the first area, the first route, a first speech bubble containing the first simplified information, the second route, and a second speech bubble containing the second simplified information, and in the second area, displays a first panel containing the first detailed information and accepting an operation to select the first route, and a second panel containing the second detailed information and accepting an operation to select the second route.

2. 2. The information display device according to claim 1, wherein the second detailed information displayed on the second panel includes information indicating a difference when the vehicle's driving route is changed from the first route to the second route.

3. 2. The information display device according to claim 1, further comprising a route determination unit that, when one of the first route and the second route is selected, determines the one route as the route to the destination when the vehicle's travel distance after the display control unit starts displaying the display screen reaches a predetermined distance.

4. The information display device according to claim 3 , wherein the display control unit further displays, in the second area, an indicator that indicates a correspondence between the predetermined distance and a distance traveled by the vehicle after the timing.

5. the display control unit further displays, in the second area, a first button that accepts an operation to confirm the first route as a route to the destination, and a second button that accepts an operation to confirm the second route as a route to the destination; 2. The information display device according to claim 1, further comprising a route determination unit that, when an operation is performed on one of the first button and the second button, determines a route corresponding to the one button as a route to the destination.

6. An information display method executed by an information display device, comprising: acquiring a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination and a second route different from the first route, the second route including a route branching off from the first route; In a first area of ​​a display screen, the first route, first simplified information displayed in association with the first route, and the second route, second simplified information displayed in association with the second route are displayed, and in a second area different from the first area of ​​the display screen, first detailed information including more detailed information than the first simplified information as information related to the first route, and second detailed information including more detailed information than the second simplified information as information related to the second route, are displayed; setting a display mode for the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and setting a display mode for the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode; An information display method that displays, in the first area, the first route, a first speech bubble containing the first simplified information, the second route, and a second speech bubble containing the second simplified information, and displays, in the second area, a first panel containing the first detailed information and accepting an operation to select the first route, and a second panel containing the second detailed information and accepting an operation to select the second route.

7. A program executed by an information display device having a computer, a route acquisition unit that acquires a first route for guiding a vehicle to a destination and a second route that is different from the first route and includes a route that branches off from the first route; and causing the computer to function as a display control unit that displays, in a first area of ​​a display screen, the first route, first simplified information displayed in association with the first route, and the second route, second simplified information displayed in association with the second route, and also displays, in a second area different from the first area of ​​the display screen, first detailed information that includes more detailed information than the first simplified information as information related to the first route, and second detailed information that includes more detailed information than the second simplified information as information related to the second route; the display control unit sets a display mode of the first simplified information and the first detailed information to a first display mode, and sets a display mode of the second simplified information and the second detailed information to a second display mode different from the first display mode; The display control unit is a program that displays, in the first area, the first route, a first speech bubble containing the first simplified information, the second route, and a second speech bubble containing the second simplified information, and also displays, in the second area, a first panel containing the first detailed information and accepting an operation to select the first route, and a second panel containing the second detailed information and accepting an operation to select the second route.

8. A storage medium storing the program according to claim 7.

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