Navigation device, map displaying method and image display device

• US 20030069689A1
• Filed: 08/28/2002
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Tatsuya, Watanabe, Yoshinori, Ihara, Koji, Sahara, Hitomi, Kuribayashi, Atsushi, Tsukada, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,954,696 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

There is provided a navigation device for simultaneously displaying two screens of maps on a common display unit, the device comprising a map data storage unit for storing map data, and a resolution conversion unit for converting the resolution of the map data acquired from the map data storage unit, wherein the display unit has a predetermined display area for displaying a map based on the map data with its resolution converted. A map displaying method and an image display device are also provided.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

a map data storage unit for storing map data;

a resolution conversion unit for converting the resolution of the map data acquired from the map data storage unit; and

a display unit having a predetermined display area for displaying a map based on the map data with its resolution converted.

2. The navigation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display unit simultaneously displays a first map based on the map data with its resolution converted and a second map based on another map data acquired from the map data storage unit.

3. The navigation device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the display unit displays the second map to fill the predetermined display area and displays the first map over a part of the second map.

4. The navigation device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the display unit displays the first map at a position which is on the second map and does not interfere with a traveling route of a vehicle carrying the navigation device as a navigation object.

5. The navigation device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the display unit displays the second map including an area coincident with the first map and having a different scale.

6. A map displaying method in a map display device having a predetermined display area, the method comprising:

a step of displaying a second map with predetermined resolution; and

a step of displaying a first map with lower resolution than the predetermined resolution on the second map.

7. The map displaying method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first map is displayed at a part on the second map, with substantially the same aspect ratio as the predetermined display area.

8. The map displaying method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a step of switching the resolution of the first map and the second map and displaying the second map on the first map.

9. An image display device comprising:

display means for displaying an image; and

display control means for causing the display means to display a first image and a second image which include correlated information and have different resolution in such a manner that the second image is displayed in a predetermined area on the first image.

10. The image display device as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one of the first image and the second image presents a map.