Electronic device having map display function and program for the same

• US 20050251334A1
• Filed: 04/21/2005
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Mizuno, Tomoaki
• Application Number:
  US11/110,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20050251334A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence

Abstract

A vehicle navigation system 1 includes a control unit that performs control for displaying a map and marks indicating points of interest based on map data and points of interest data read from a map data input unit. The control unit performs control for displaying icons indicating points of interest in three different sizes according to additional information values. The control unit determines the additional information values based on the points of interest data including sizes, the number of years since opening or renovation, evaluations by the third party, and price ratings of the points of interest. Therefore, a user can obtain information on locations of points of interest and additional information from the icons. Namely, the navigation system 1 provides information that is helpful for the user in searching points of interest that the user wants to go.

Claims

1. An electronic device having a map display function comprising:

data storing means that stores map data and points of interest data that is data on points of interest exist in an area of a map; and

display control means that performs control for displaying a map and marks indicating points of interest based on the map data and the points of interest data read from the data storing means, wherein

the points of interest data includes priority information indicating priority levels of points of interest in a kind for display, and

the display control means alters display attributes of the points of interest so that the marks of the points of interest are displayed in a manner that differences in the priority levels are noticeable.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the priority levels are determined based on at least scales of the points of interest.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the priority levels are determined based on at least price rating of the points of interest.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the priority levels are determined based on at least a number of years since opening or renovation of the points of interest.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the priority levels are determined based on at least evaluations of the points of interest by a third party.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the display attributes specify at least sizes of the marks.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the display attributes specify at least colors of the marks.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

the display control means performs control for displaying the map at different scales; and

the display control means performs control for displaying the marks such that a display size of the marks becomes relatively smaller as the scale becomes smaller.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the display control means excludes the marks of the points of interest having lower priority levels when a number of the marks for display at a time is larger than a predetermined reference value.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the display control means determines the priority levels of the points of interest for display according to the scale of the map, and performs control for displaying the marks of the points of interest having the determined priority levels.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, further comprising relational storage means that stores relationships between the priority levels and kinds of the points of interest, wherein the display control means determines the priority levels of the points of interest for display according to the scale of the map based on the relationships stored in the relational storage means.

12. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

display means for displaying a map and marks indicating points of interest exist in an area of the map;

data storing means that stores map data and points of interest data that is data on the points of interest; and

display control means that performs control for displaying the map and the marks based on the map data and the points of interest data read from the data storing means, wherein

the points of interest data includes priority information indicating priority levels of points of interest in a kind for display, and

the display control means alters display attributes of the points of interest so that the marks of the points of interest are displayed in a manner that the priority levels are noticeable.

13. A program for displaying a map and marks indicating points of interest on a display comprising:

reading map data including data on maps and points of interest data including data on the points of interest that exist in areas of the maps from a data storing means;

obtaining priority information indicating priority levels of the points of interest in a kind; and

altering attributes of the points of interest so that the marks are displayed in a manner that the priority levels are noticeable.

14. The program according to claim 13, wherein the priority information indicates the priority levels determined based on at least sizes of the points of interest.

15. The program according to claim 13, wherein the priority information indicates the priority levels determined based on at least price rating of the points of interest.

16. The program according to claim 13, wherein the priority information indicates the priority levels determined based on at least a number of years since opening or renovation of the points of interest.

17. The program according to claim 13, wherein the priority information indicates the priority levels determined based on at least evaluations of the points of interest by a third party.

18. The program according to claim 13, wherein the display attributes specify at least sizes of the marks.

19. The program according to claim 13, wherein the display attributes specify at least colors of the marks.

20. The program according to claim 13, further comprising:

altering a scale of the map; and

displaying the marks such that a display size of the marks becomes relatively smaller as the scale becomes smaller.

21. The program according to claim 13, further comprising:

determining whether a number of the marks for display at a time is larger than a predetermined reference value; and

excluding the marks of the points of interest having lower priority levels when the number is larger than the predetermined reference value.

22. The program according to claim 13, further comprising:

determining the priority levels of the points of interest for display according to the scale of the map; and

displaying the marks of the points of interest having the determined priority levels.

23. The electronic device according to claim 22, further comprising

storing data on relationships between the priority levels and kinds of the points of interest;

and

determining the priority levels of the points of interest for display according to the scale of the map based on the stored data on the relationships