KR101529398B1 - Digital map device and Method for operating thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a digital map device and a method of operating the same. The digital map device according to the present invention includes a display including a selection area overlapped in a layer form so as to select different resolutions and a display area displaying a map screen having an arbitrary resolution, A resolution display unit for displaying resolution information of a map screen displayed in the display area while being displayed at a predetermined position; and a display unit for displaying a map screen having a resolution supported by the layer, And a control unit for controlling the control unit. Each time the digital map device displays a map screen corresponding to a certain area on the display area, the digital map device may access and provide the map screen for each resolution supported by a plurality of layers provided by the selected area. According to the present invention, there is an advantage in that performance enhancement is provided for a digital map device because a previously-viewed map screen of a specific resolution can be easily checked again and a new interface can always be confirmed so that a clear map screen can be confirmed .

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a digital map device and a method of operating the same,

The present invention relates to a digital map, and more particularly, to a digital map capable of easily displaying a map screen having a predetermined resolution according to a user operation by providing a plurality of map screens in a layer form, And a method of operating the digital map device.

There are two types of maps that display geographic information. One is a paper map printed on paper, and the other is a digital map that runs on various digital devices.

Once a paper map has been printed, it can not be modified and information can only be viewed at a fixed resolution. That is, it is impossible to reduce and enlarge.

Accordingly, in recent years, a digital map providing a lot of advantages over the paper map has attracted attention. Digital map can be updated by reflecting the contents to be changed when the map contents are changed, so that the latest information can be always provided. You can also enter the information you want on the map. For example, you can add photos you take. Such digital maps include those currently being displayed in digital form on display screens of electronic devices such as navigation systems in vehicles, navigation systems, mobile information terminals, mobile phones, tablet computers, notebook computers, and navigation systems including laptop computers. In addition, the digital map includes services for providing map information on each portal site via the Internet, or a search service through a map.

However, even in the case of a digital map providing various functions and the like, there is an inconvenience when it is desired to check a map screen having different resolutions.

As is well known, digital maps served by Google Earth and each portal site can support various resolutions as well as enlarge or reduce a certain area. For example, a screen for displaying a map using Google Earth is shown in FIG. 1, and a bar provided on the right side of the screen is operated to enlarge or reduce the map.

However, it is very difficult to return to a map screen having the resolution of the previous state after enlarging or reducing a certain area by using the digital map. This is because the zooming operation in the digital map uses a bar in the form of a bar for zooming in (+) and zooming in (-).

Although the operation bar is displayed with a scale for displaying the map, accuracy is low and it is not easy for the user to manipulate the scale displayed on the operation bar to quickly display the map screen having the same resolution as previously displayed.

Therefore, the user had to confirm the resolution of the previously displayed map screen through several operations and display it. At this time, the resolution of the map screen displayed through the user operation may not be the previous resolution. That is, if the resolution of the displayed map screen is considered to be somewhat similar to the previous resolution, it is considered that the operation for adjusting the resolution is no longer necessary.

Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2011-0051759 (2011. May 18, 2011, global display device)

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a digital map device and a method of operating the same, which enable a user to easily confirm a map screen providing a predetermined resolution that has been previously displayed.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a digital map device and a method of operating the same, in which a map screen providing various resolutions is arranged in a layer form so that a user can easily select a map screen having a desired resolution.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display device including: a display including a selection area configured in a layer form to select different resolutions and a display area displaying a map screen having an arbitrary resolution; A resolution display unit for displaying resolution information of a map screen displayed at a predetermined position of the display and displayed in the display area; And a controller for controlling the display area to display a map screen having a resolution supported by the layer when any one layer is operated according to a user selection.

Each of the layers provides a minimum and maximum resolution that can be supported when the map screen is displayed in the display area.

The control unit accesses the map screen for each of a plurality of resolutions supported by a plurality of layers provided by the selected area each time a map screen corresponding to a certain area is displayed in the display area.

The controller displays the map screen having a specific resolution on the display area, and enlarges and reduces the map screen when the enlargement and reduction commands are transmitted.

If the map screen is enlarged or reduced, and the resolution is out of a predetermined resolution supported by the map screen, the control unit converts the display screen into a map screen supporting different resolutions and displays the map screen.

The digital map device is provided in a planar shape or a globe shape.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a digital map device including: a first step of displaying a map screen supporting a specific resolution on a display of a digital map device; And a second step of displaying a map screen having a resolution supported by the selected layer on the display when a layer is selected in a state where a plurality of layers are overlapped on a predetermined area of the display, Thereby providing a method of operating the apparatus.

In the first and second steps, if the map screen is enlarged or reduced and the resolution of the currently supported map screen is out of the range, the control unit displays a map screen supporting different resolutions.

According to the digital map device and the method of operating the same of the present invention, map screens having different resolutions are superimposed in a layer form while displaying one map screen, and when another layer is selected, A map screen having a resolution that is supported by the user is displayed. Therefore, you can easily check again the map screen of the specific resolution that you have seen before. That is, the problem of the conventional digital map device which requires several operations when checking the map screen having the previous resolution is solved.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a map display apparatus for displaying a map screen selected by a user while enlarging or reducing a map screen according to a map enlargement / reduction command by a user, Therefore, there is an effect that a clear map screen can be always checked.

As described above, the present invention provides a new user interface to the digital map device, and thus it is possible to more easily utilize the digital map.

Furthermore, since the present invention can be applied not only to a planar digital map but also to a digital map in the form of a globe, improvement in product competitiveness can be expected.

1 is an exemplary diagram for explaining enlargement / reduction of map information in a general portal site
2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a digital map device according to embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a screen in which a map screen is displayed on a display of the digital map device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a screen of a digital map device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Hereinafter, embodiments of a digital map device and an operation method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a digital map device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a screen in which a map screen is displayed on a display of a digital map device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention .

2 and Fig. 3 together. The digital map device 100 includes a bezel 1 that forms an external shape and a skeleton, and a display 110 that is surrounded by the bezel 1 and displays a map screen.

The display 110 provides a structure of a touchable display element. The display 110 is divided into a selection region 112 for selecting a resolution and a display region 114 for displaying a map screen as a selected resolution so that a user can display a desired map screen among various map screens having various resolutions . At this time, it is preferable that the selection region 112 and the display region 114 are not distinguished from each other, and the selection region 112 is included in a part of the display region 114. In the embodiment, an example is shown in which the selection region 112 is formed at the edge of the display region 114.

The selection region 112 is formed in a layer form. Each layer supports different resolutions, and the resolution has a minimum / maximum resolution range that can represent a map screen. So each time you select a layer, a map screen with different resolutions is displayed. On the other hand, the layer is arranged such that a map screen having a lower resolution is selected in a layer closer to the display area 114. Of course, it is also possible to arrange a layer near the display area 114 so that a map screen having a high resolution is selected.

The display area 114 displays a map screen of a constant resolution and performs a touch operation such as zoom-in or zoom-out using a finger, such as a finger zoom When the map is executed, it provides a function of enlarging or reducing the currently displayed map screen. Also, when a specific area of the map screen displayed in the display area 114 is touched, the area is displayed as the center of the map screen. At this time, the map screens of other layers having respective resolutions are also accessed and set correspondingly.

A resolution display unit 116 is formed at a predetermined position of the display 110. The resolution display unit 116 helps the user to easily recognize the resolution of the map screen displayed in the display area 114. [ That is, the resolution display unit 116 is formed in the center of the upper portion of the display 110 as a bar-shaped bar, and allows the user to know the current resolution information by a point indicating the scale. And the higher the height of the point in the bar, the higher the resolution of the map screen. Of course, since the resolution display unit 116 can confirm only the relatively high or low resolution information according to the height of the point in the bar shape, if the user touches the resolution display unit 116, specific resolution information such as' 1024 * 768 The detailed resolution information may be displayed in the display area 114 in a pop-up form.

In addition, the db 120 for storing map information to be displayed in the display area 114 is configured. The map information may also store various information related to the specific place. The DB 120 may also store information input by a user, such as text, picture information, and moving picture information.

A communication terminal 130 for updating the map information is also configured. The communication terminal 130 includes a wired terminal for directly updating using a medium such as a PC and a cable, a wireless terminal for updating via a communication network from a PC or a server, and the like. In addition, the communication terminal 130 is provided with a connection terminal capable of connecting to the Internet, and a terminal supporting various connection environments such as LAN, 3G, and WiFi.

An input menu may be provided in which the user requests a map for a specific area. When an operation such as touching the display area 114 a predetermined number of times is performed by a user although the input menu is not shown, a menu for inputting a place name such as a country or a city is displayed on the display area 114 as pop- As shown in FIG. Of course, the bezel 1 may have an input terminal, and a keyboard, a stylus pen, or the like may be used as an input medium for inputting information to the input terminal, or information may be input in a wireless manner. In addition, a predetermined country or region may be selected and displayed according to a touch operation in a state in which a world map or a specific area is set on the initial screen.

The GPS 132 may also include a configuration for sensing the position of the digital map device 100 and displaying a map corresponding to the current location.

On the other hand, a control unit 140 for controlling the operation of the digital map device 100 is configured. The control unit 140 may be a kind of CPU.

The control unit 140 controls the display unit 114 to display a map screen having a specific resolution in the display area 114 while displaying a map screen having a different resolution when another layer is selected from the layers in the selection area 112. [ That is, the control unit 140 accesses the map screen according to the resolutions provided by the plurality of layers provided in the selection region 112 every time a map screen for a specific region is displayed in the display region 114.

Then, the control unit 140 moves the point position of the resolution display unit 116 while displaying a map screen in the display area 114. It is possible to know the degree of resolution of the currently displayed map screen according to the point movement.

In addition, the controller 140 enlarges or reduces the displayed map screen on the display area 114 according to the user's touch operation.

In addition, the control unit 140 also performs control to display the map screen in a different resolution when the resolution of the current map screen is out of the resolution supported by the map screen.

In addition, when a specific area on the map screen is selected, the controller 140 changes the specific area to be the center of the map screen, and also changes the map screen of the other layer so that the map screen is changed .

In addition, the control unit 140 controls the access operation to the db 120, the information update operation through the communication terminal 130, the input menu display operation, and the map corresponding to the country / region information input in the input menu An operation for displaying the map, a map display of the current position according to the GPS 132, and the like.

Next, an example of using a digital map device 100 to display a map screen having different resolutions will be described.

When the digital map device 100 is powered on, the control unit 140 displays a map screen in the display area 114. [ The map screen displayed at this time may be a predetermined world map, a map screen for the user's country / region, a map screen for a specific area set by the user, or a map screen for the current area detected by the GPS. The resolution of the map screen displayed in the display area 114 is displayed at a middle level of the resolution provided by the digital map device 100 or displayed on a map screen having a specific resolution according to user settings. In addition, when displaying the map screen, the control unit 140 accesses different resolutions to the map screen. For convenience of explanation, a map screen displayed in the display area 114 is divided into A, B and C layers, a world map is displayed in the display area 114 as shown in FIG. 3, It is assumed that a map screen having a resolution is displayed. At this time, the A-layer has a high resolution and the C-layer has a low resolution.

When the user views a map screen having a resolution corresponding to the B-layer, the current map screen is not clear, and a user may desire a more clear map screen. In this case, the user selects a layer near the center of the display, out of the layers of the selection area 112 provided in a layer form. For example, an A-layer. Then, the control unit 140 changes the map screen having the resolution of the A-layer and displays it on the screen in the display area 114.

On the other hand, a map screen having a lower resolution than the B-layer may be desired. At this time, if the C-layer is selected, the controller 140 displays a map screen having the resolution of the selected layer on the display area 114 on the screen.

When the resolution of the map screen displayed on the display area 114 is changed, the control unit 140 moves the point position of the resolution display unit 116 so that the current resolution is high or low.

In a state in which the map screen having the changed resolution is displayed in the display area 114 according to the selection of the layer, the user can enlarge or reduce the specific area using the finger zoom function to check the map.

On the other hand, when the map screen having the resolution of the B-layer is displayed on the display area 114 and the specific area is touched, the controller 140 may change the map screen and display the map screen. For example, when the Korean operator touches the Korean (i.e., the N-point) in FIG. 3, the control unit 140 moves the Republic of Korea to the center of the display area 114 and displays it. Accordingly, the user can make the area he / she wants to see at the center of the display area 114, so that the user can more easily check the area of interest.

At this time, the map screen of the other layers, that is, the A-layer and the C-layer, is also set so that the Republic of Korea is located at the center of the display area 114. Therefore, when the user selects the A-layer or the C-layer in the selection area 112, Korea can directly check the map screen located at the center of the display area 114. [

On the other hand, the user may look back on the map screen of the changed resolution and then go back to the map screen having the previous resolution. In this case, since the previous resolution information is not known in the past, the user has to perform several operations to display the map screen of the previous resolution. Therefore, there is a need for troublesome operation. And, although I displayed the previous resolution through several operations, I did not know whether the resolution was substantially the previously displayed resolution. This is done according to the user's subjective control. That is, if the resolution has a different resolution but a similar resolution to some extent, the same resolution can be mistaken.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a map screen having different resolutions is set as described above. Therefore, it is possible for the user to easily select the previous map screen. That is, when the user views the map screen supporting the resolution of the A-layer or C-layer as described above and selects the B-layer again from the layers of the selection area 112 to view the map screen of the previous resolution, The display unit 140 displays the map screen having the previously viewed resolution on the display area 114. [

If the user selects a layer included in the selection region 112, the control unit 140 displays a map screen supporting different resolutions on the display region 114, so that it is possible to easily identify a screen having various resolutions .

On the other hand, each of the layers has a minimum / maximum resolution. Therefore, any selected layer is displayed only at the resolution. At this time, the map screen is enlarged or reduced according to the finger zoom function of the user while the map screen having a specific resolution is displayed in the display area 114. In this case, when the map screen is out of the current resolution range .

As such, when the map screen is enlarged or reduced, the map screen may not be displayed clearly if the resolution is out of the range. Accordingly, when the displayed map image is out of the resolution supported by the enlargement / reduction, the controller 140 selects a map image that supports different resolutions and controls the displayed map image to be displayed on the display area 114. [ In this case, the control unit 140 allows the user to recognize that the resolution has been changed through the resolution display unit 116.

4 is a diagram illustrating a screen of a digital map device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The digital map device shown in FIG. 4 supports a globe form. 2 is a plan view of a digital map device, and FIG. 4 illustrates a digital map device of a globe shape. That is, there is a difference only in the shape, and the function of displaying the map screen is the same as in Fig.

That is, a digital map device of a globe type is provided with a map screen having various resolutions in a layer form, and when a user selects one of the layers, a map screen supporting the resolution is displayed. In addition, the currently displayed map screen zoom function is provided. When the minimum / maximum resolution that can be supported on the currently displayed map screen is exceeded according to the enlargement / reduction of the map screen, the map screen of the different resolution is displayed.

Since the globally shaped digital map device is the same as the above-described planar digital map device, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. have.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. It will be apparent that modifications, variations and equivalents of other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

100: Digital map device 110: Display
112: selection area 114: display area
116: Resolution display section 120: DB
130: communication terminal 132: GPS
140:

Claims (7)

A display area for displaying a map screen having an arbitrary resolution; a display provided at an edge of the display area and including a selection area configured in a plurality of layers so as to select different resolutions;
A resolution display unit for displaying the resolution information of the map screen displayed on the display area while being displayed at a predetermined position of the display; And
And a control unit for displaying a map screen having a resolution supported by the layer on the display area when one of the layers is operated according to a user selection and moving the point position of the resolution display unit according to the resolution. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein each of the layers provides a minimum and maximum resolution that can be supported when the map screen is displayed in the display area. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
Wherein each time a map screen corresponding to a certain area is displayed in the display area, the map screen is accessed and provided for each of a plurality of resolutions supported by a plurality of layers provided by the selected area. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the control unit converts the display area into a map screen supporting different resolutions and displays the map screen when the map screen is enlarged or reduced and the resolution is out of a predetermined resolution supported by the map screen. 5. The method of claim 4,
The digital map device is provided in a planar shape or in a globe shape. A display area for displaying a map screen having an arbitrary resolution and a selection area provided at an edge of the display area and configured in a plurality of layers so as to select different resolutions, A first step of displaying a map screen supporting the resolution on the display area; And
And a second step of displaying a map screen supporting the resolution supported by the selected layer on the display area when a layer is selected in a state in which a plurality of layers are overlapped on the selected area of the display,
And the control unit moves the point position of the resolution display unit when displaying the map screen in the display area. The method according to claim 6,
If the map screen is enlarged or reduced in the first and second steps and the resolution of the currently supported map screen is out of the range, the control unit displays a map screen supporting different resolutions,
And the control unit displays the corresponding resolution information in a pop-up form in the display area in accordance with the movement of the resolution display unit.

Images