Information updating device, its method, its program and storing medium storing the program

• US 20060284738A1
• Filed: 05/22/2006
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Increment P Corporation, Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Increment P Corporation, Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Mori, Kouji
• Granted Patent: US 7,554,462 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/995.140
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages

Abstract

A processor (150) of a map information generating device (100) acquires annotation data for displaying a location adjusting annotation about, for instance, a feature that is newly built and set a locatable position of a location-adjusting-annotation character string of the location adjusting annotation at a position substantially corresponding to a position where the feature of the location-adjusting-annotation character string exists but not overlapping with an existing annotation. Then, the processor (150) updates the annotation data based on the location state of the location-adjusting-annotation character string and stores it in the storage section (130). When determining that that all annotations cannot be located so as not to overlap with each other only by adjusting the locatable position of the location-adjusting-annotation character string, the processor (150) sets the location-adjusting-annotation character string at a predetermined position, while performing location adjusting processing of an overlapped-existing-annotation character string that overlaps with the location-adjusting-annotation character string to be located at the predetermined position.

Claims

1. An information updating device for updating target object map information for displaying detail information about details of a plurality of target objects located in a predetermined position such that the detail information corresponds to a positional relationship of the plurality of the target objects, the device comprising:

a new detail information acquirer for acquiring the detail information about the new target object;

a new target object position recognizer for recognizing a position where the new target object exists;

a target object map information acquirer for acquiring the target object map information;

an existing detail position recognizer for recognizing, based on the target object map information acquired by the target object map information acquirer, a display position for detail information of an existing target object that is different from the new target object, the detail information of the existing target object possibly visually interfering with the detail information of the new target object;

a detail position setting section for setting a display position for the detail information of the new target object at a position corresponding to the position of the new target object but not overlapping with the detail information of the existing target object; and

an update processor for updating the target object map information such that the detail information of the new target object is displayed at the display position that is set by the detail position setting section.

2. The information updating device according to claim 1, wherein

the target object map information has target object association information in which target object existing position information about a position where a target object exists, the detail information and detail position information about a display position for the detail information are mutually associated,

the information updating device further includes a detail position information generator for generating the detail position information about the display position for the detail information of the new target object, the display position set by the detail position setting section,

the new target object position recognizer acquires the target object existing position information about the new target object and recognizes the position where the new target object exists based on the target object existing position information, and

the updating processor adds the target object association information having the target object existing position information of the new target object, the detail information and the detail position information to the target object map information as updating processing of the target object map information.

3. The information updating device according to claim 1, wherein

when determining that the display position for the detail information of the new target object cannot be set at the position corresponding to the position of the new target object but not overlapping with the detail information of the existing target object, the detail position setting section sets the display position for the detail information of the new target objects at a predetermined position corresponding to the position of the new target object and overlapping with the detail information of the existing target object, the detail position setting section further setting the display position for the detail information of the existing target object that overlaps with the detail information of the new target object at a position corresponding to the position of the existing target object, but not overlapping with the detail information of other target objects than the existing target object, and

an update processor updates the target object map information so that the detail information of the new target object and the detail information of the existing target object are displayed at the display positions set by the detail position setting section.

4. The information updating device according to claim 3, wherein

the target object map information has target object association information in which target object existing position information about a position where a target object exists, the detail information and detail position information about a display position for the detail information are mutually associated,

the information updating device further includes a detail position information generator for generating the detail position information about the display positions for the detail information of the new target object and the detail information of the existing target object, the display positions set by the detail position setting section,

the new target object position recognizer acquires the target object existing position information about the new target object and recognizes the position where the new target object exists based on the target object existing position information, and

the updating processor adds the target object association information having the target object existing position information of the new target object, the detail information and the detail position information to the target object map information as updating processing of the target object map information, while updating the detail position information of the existing target object contained in the target object map information to the detail position information generated by the detail position information generator.

5. The information updating device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a region setting section for setting a predetermined region at a position corresponding to the position of the new target object, wherein

the detail information setting section sets the display position for the detail information of the new target object at a predetermined position in the predetermined region corresponding to the new target object.

6. The information updating device according to claim 5, wherein

the region setting section divides the predetermined region into a plurality of cells, and

the detail position setting section recognizes, when setting cells corresponding to the display position for the detail information of the new target object in the plurality of cells, a cell that overlaps with the detail information of other target objects than the new target object, the detail position setting section setting a position corresponding to the cells other than the recognized overlapping cell as the display position for the detail position of the new target object.

7. The information updating device according to claim 6, wherein

the region setting section sets priorities of the plurality of cells, the cells with the priorities corresponding to the display position for the detail information of the new target object, and

the detail information setting section sets, based on the priorities, a position corresponding to a predetermined cell as the display position for the detail information of the new target object.

8. The information updating device according to claim 1, wherein the detail position setting section determines, when setting the display position for the detail information of the new target object at a specific position corresponding to the position of the new target object, whether or not the display position overlaps with the detail information of other target objects than the new target object, the detail position setting section setting the display position for the detail information of the new target object at the specific position when determining that the display position does not overlap, while setting the display position for the detail information of the new target object at another position different from the specific position when determining that the display position overlaps.

9. The information updating device according to claim 8, wherein the detail information setting section recognizes, when determining that the display position overlaps, an overlapping state and sets the display position for the detail information of the new target object based on the recognized overlapping state.

10. The information updating device according to claim 9, wherein the detail information setting section recognizes an overlapping amount of the detail information of the new target object and the detail information of other target objects than the new target object, the overlapping amount being recognized as the overlapping state.

11. The information updating device according to claim 9, wherein the detail information setting section recognizes a positional relationship of the detail information of the new target object and the detail information of other target objects than this new target object, the positional relationship being recognized as the overlapping state.

12. The information updating device according to claim 1, wherein the detail information includes:

symbol information for expressing by a symbol a detail of a target object at a position corresponding to the position of the target object; and

character information for expressing by a character the detail of the target object at a position corresponding to the position of the target object, and

the detail information setting section sets a display position for the character information of the new target object at a position corresponding to the position of the new target object but not overlapping with the symbol information of the new target object.

13. The information updating device according to claim 1, wherein the detail information includes:

symbol information for expressing by a symbol a detail of a target object at a position corresponding to the position of the target object;

character information for expressing by a character the detail of the target object at a position corresponding to the position of the target object; and

graphic information for expressing by a graphic an association of the symbol and the character at a position between the symbol and the character, and

the detail information setting section sets the display position for the character information of the new target object at a position corresponding to the position of the new target object and remote from the symbol information of the new target object by a predetermined distance, while setting a display position for the graphic information at a position between the symbol information and the character information.

14. The information updating device according to claim 1, wherein the target object map information is information for displaying the detail information in a manner corresponding to the positional relationship of the plurality of the target objects in a plurality of scales different from each other.

15. The information updating device according to claim 1, wherein

the target object is a feature,

the information updating device includes a road information acquirer for acquiring road information for displaying a road,

when superimposing the detail information on the road information in such a manner that the display position for the detail information corresponds to positions where the feature and the road exist, the detail position setting section sets the display position for the detail information at a position not overlapping with the road information.

16. The information updating device according to claim 15, wherein the target object map information is information for displaying the detail information on a display unit installed in a mobile body such that the detail information superimposes on the road information.

17. An information updating method for updating target object map information for displaying detail information about details of a plurality of target objects located in a predetermined position such that the detail information corresponds to a positional relationship of the plurality of the target objects, the method being performed by a computing unit and comprising:

acquiring the detail information about the new target object;

recognizing a position where the new target object exists;

acquiring the target object map information;

recognizing a display position for detail information of a target object that is different from the new target object based on the acquired target object map information;

setting a display position for the detail information of the new target object at a position corresponding to the position of the new target object but not overlapping with the detail information of the existing target object; and

updating the target object map information for displaying the detail information of the new target object at the set display position.

18. An information updating program for operating a computing unit as an information updating device for updating target object map information for displaying detail information about details of a plurality of target objects located in a predetermined position such that the detail information corresponds to a positional relationship of the plurality of the target objects, the program recorded in a storing medium in a manner readable by the computing unit, wherein

the information updating device includes:

a new detail information acquirer for acquiring the detail information about the new target object;

a new target object position recognizer for recognizing a position where the new target object exists;

a target object map information acquirer for acquiring the target object map information;

an existing detail position recognizer for recognizing a display position detail information of a target object that is different from the new target object based on the target object map information acquired by the target object map information acquirer;

a detail position setting section for setting a display position for the detail information of the new target object at a position corresponding to the position of the new target object but not overlapping with the detail information of the existing target object; and

an update processor for updating the target object map information for displaying the detail information of the new target object at the display position that is set by the detail position setting section.

19. An information updating program for operating a computing unit to perform an information updating method for updating target object map information for displaying detail information about details of a plurality of target objects located in a predetermined position such that the detail information corresponds to a positional relationship of the plurality of the target objects, the program recorded in a storing medium in a manner readable by the computing unit, wherein

the information updating method includes:

acquiring the detail information about the new target object;

recognizing a position where the new target object exists;

acquiring the target object map information;

recognizing a display position for detail information of a target object that is different from the new target object based on the acquired target object map information;

setting a display position for the detail information of the new target object at a position corresponding to the position of the new target object but not overlapping with the detail information of the existing target object; and

updating the target object map information for displaying the detail information of the new target object at the set display position.

20. A storing medium that records an information updating program in a manner readable by a computing unit, the program operating a computing unit as an information updating device for updating target object map information for displaying detail information about details of a plurality of target objects located in a predetermined position such that the detail information corresponds to a positional relationship of the plurality of the target objects, the program recorded in a storing medium in a manner readable by the computing unit, wherein

the information updating device includes:

a new detail information acquirer for acquiring the detail information about the new target object;

a new target object position recognizer for recognizing a position where the new target object exists;

a target object map information acquirer for acquiring the target object map information;

an existing detail position recognizer for recognizing a display position detail information of a target object that is different from the new target object based on the target object map information acquired by the target object map information acquirer;

a detail position setting section for setting a display position for the detail information of the new target object at a position corresponding to the position of the new target object but not overlapping with the detail information of the existing target object; and

an update processor for updating the target object map information for displaying the detail information of the new target object at the display position that is set by the detail position setting section.

21. A storing medium that records an information updating program in a manner readable by a computing unit, the program operating a computing unit to perform an information updating method for updating target object map information for displaying detail information about details of a plurality of target objects located in a predetermined position such that the detail information corresponds to a positional relationship of the plurality of the target objects, the program recorded in a storing medium in a manner readable by the computing unit, wherein

the information updating method includes:

acquiring the detail information about the new target object;

recognizing a position where the new target object exists;

acquiring the target object map information;

recognizing a display position for detail information of a target object that is different from the new target object based on the acquired target object map information;

setting a display position for the detail information of the new target object at a position corresponding to the position of the new target object but not overlapping with the detail information of the existing target object; and

updating the target object map information for displaying the detail information of the new target object at the set display position.