Vehicle navigation apparatus

• US 20090228207A1
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Sasano, Takanori
• Granted Patent: US 8,200,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map

Abstract

The navigation apparatus has a display unit ready to accept a user operation that moves a reference point of a navigation route already being defined on a map by the apparatus. The move of the reference point of the navigation route according to the user operation, together with map information, defines a new navigation route that incorporates route amendments. The navigation apparatus thus allows the user to easily and responsively modify an already-defined navigation route in a novel manner, which enables a rubber-banding of the already-defined navigation route.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation apparatus capable of having a storage unit for storing map information, and capable of displaying a travel route from a current position to a destination based on the map information, the apparatus comprising:

a display unit for displaying a map and the travel route based on the map information;

a set unit for setting an edit start point and an edit end point respectively to one of edit points on the travel route according to a user operation;

a move unit for moving, according to the user operation, a reference point selectively set to one of the edit points on the travel route being displayed on the display unit, on the map being displayed on the display unit; and

a revision unit for revising the travel route that is defined by the edit start point and the edit end point, based on each of (a) a position of the reference point having been moved by the move unit on the map, (b) the edit start point and the edit end point respectively set by the set unit, (c) a move direction of the movement of the reference point, and (d) the map information.

2. The vehicle navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

when an after-revision travel route is found by the revision unit, the after-revision travel route is displayed on the display unit, and

the after-revision travel route is put in a non-display condition before the after-revision travel route is found.

3. The vehicle navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the reference point is always displayed while the revision unit is in operation.

4. The vehicle navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the storage unit stores information having various scales as the map information, and

the revision unit revises the travel route based on the map information that has the same scale as the map that is being displayed on the display unit at a time when the move unit has become operable.

5. The vehicle navigation apparatus of claim 4, wherein

the revision unit revises the travel route based on the map information that has a different scale from a currently used scale when a user instruction is provided.

6. The vehicle navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the revision unit is capable of re-revising the travel route that is in an already-revised condition, based on the map information and the edit points on the travel route already having been revised by the revision unit in the first revision.