Map information providing apparatus and method

• US 20020169548A1
• Filed: 03/05/2002
• Published: 11/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kuroda, Koichi, Ishiwaka, Takuo
• Granted Patent: US 6,567,746 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/212
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker

Abstract

A map information providing apparatus includes a detecting unit 13 and a searching part 21. In operation, the part 21 searches a target object in accordance with a position of a user'"'"'s vehicle detected by the detecting unit 13. A positional relationship analyzing part 22 analyzes a positional relationship between the target object and the user'"'"'s vehicle. A reduced scale calculating part 23 calculates a reduced scale of the map information on the basis of the positional relationship analyzed by the part 22 and a display format of an onboard monitor 3. Further, the apparatus picks up the map information with the calculated reduced scale allowing the vehicle and the target object to be displayed on the monitor 3 simultaneously.

Claims

1. A map information providing apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect a position of a user'"'"'s vehicle;

a memory unit configured to store information including a map information therein;

a control unit connected to the detecting unit and communicated with the memory unit thereby to select the map information in the circumferences of the position of the user'"'"'s vehicle detected by the detecting unit; and

an onboard display unit connected to the control unit and configured to display the map information selected by the control unit;

wherein

the map information includes information about target objects forming landmarks on a route for a user'"'"'s destination; and

the control unit comprises;

a searching part configured to search a target object for the moment with reference to the information stored in the memory unit, on the basis of the position of the user'"'"'s vehicle and information about the user'"'"'s destination inputted by a user;

a positional relationship analyzing part connected to the searching part and configured to analyze a positional relationship between the target object searched by the searching part and the user'"'"'s vehicle;

a reduced scale calculating part connected to the positional relationship analyzing part and configured to calculate a reduced scale of the map information to be displayed on the onboard display unit, on the basis of the positional relationship analyzed by the positional relationship analyzing part and a display format of the onboard display unit; and

a map information acquiring part connected with both of the reduced scale calculating part and the onboard display unit and configured to acquire the map information with the reduced scale calculated by the reduced scale calculating part, from the memory unit and further transmit the map information to the onboard display unit.

2. The map information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the reduced scale calculating part is provided with a layout edit function which edits a layout of the map information to be displayed on the onboard display unit.

3. The map information providing apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the layout edit function of the reduced scale calculating part is to edit the layout of the map information so as to allow the target object and the position of the user'"'"'s vehicle to be displayed on the onboard display unit simultaneously.

4. The map information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the memory unit is arranged in a server that the control unit is capable of access through an internet system.

5. The map information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the map information stored in the memory unit contains a regional property information designating a regional property as to which of urban part and rural part an objective area to be searched does belong to;

and

the searching part selects the target object for the moment corresponding to the regional property of a region where the user'"'"'s vehicle is present.

6. The map information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the map information stored in the memory unit contains a road property information such as a freeway, main road and narrow street with respect to an objective route to be searched;

and

the searching part selects the target object for the moment corresponding to a road property of a load where the user'"'"'s vehicle travels.

7. The map information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the map information stored in the memory unit contains a traffic congestion information designating a congestion situation of an objective route to be searched;

and

the searching part selects the target object corresponding to the congestion situation of a route where the user'"'"'s vehicle travels.

8. The map information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the detecting unit has a function to detect a traveling direction of the user'"'"'s vehicle;

and

the searching part has a function to specify a direction of a searching area for searching the map information in accordance with the traveling direction of the user'"'"'s vehicle.

9. The map information providing apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the positional relationship analyzing part has a function to calculate respective route distances between the position of the user'"'"'s vehicle and the target objects and further compare the calculated route distances with each other.

10. A map information providing apparatus comprising:

detecting means for detecting a position of a user'"'"'s vehicle;

memorizing means for storing information including a map information therein;

control means for selecting the map information in the circumferences of the position of the user'"'"'s vehicle detected by the detecting means; and

onboard display means for displaying the map information selected by the control means;

wherein

the map information includes information about target objects forming landmarks on a route for a user'"'"'s destination; and

the control means comprises;

a searching part configured to search a target object for the moment with reference to the information stored in the memorizing means, on the basis of the position of the user'"'"'s vehicle and information about the user'"'"'s destination inputted by a user;

a positional relationship analyzing part connected to the searching part and configured to analyze a positional relationship between the target object searched by the searching part and the user'"'"'s vehicle;

a reduced scale calculating part connected to the positional relationship analyzing part and configured to calculate a reduced scale of the map information to be displayed on the onboard display means, on the basis of the positional relationship analyzed by the positional relationship analyzing part and a display format of the onboard display means; and

a map information acquiring part connected with both of the reduced scale calculating part and the onboard display means and configured to acquire the map information with the reduced scale calculated by the reduced scale calculating part, from the memorizing means and further transmit the map information to the onboard display means.

11. A map information providing method for selecting a map information on the circumstances of a position of a user'"'"'s vehicle in response to a map information demanding order received from a terminal on the user'"'"'s vehicle, thereby to display the selected map information on an onboard display unit, the method comprising:

storing a map information including target objects forming landmarks on a route for a destination in advance;

searching a target object for the moment out of the target objects with reference to the map information on the basis of the position of the user'"'"'s vehicle and information about the destination inputted by a user;

analyzing a positional relationship between the searched target object and the user'"'"'s vehicle;

calculating a reduced scale of the map information to be displayed on the onboard display unit, on the basis of the analyzed positional relationship and a display format of the onboard display unit; and

selecting the map information in accordance with the calculated reduced scale and further transmitting the readout map information to the user'"'"'s vehicle.

12. The map information providing method of claim 11, further comprising:

editing a layout of the map information to be displayed on the onboard display unit in advance of calculating the reduced scale.

13. The map information providing method of claim 12, wherein

the edited map information has a layout allowing a position of the target object and the present position of the user'"'"'s vehicle to be displayed on the onboard display unit simultaneously.