NAVIGATION SYSTEM AND DISPLAY METHOD OF ROAD NETWORK ON THE SAME SYSTEM

• US 20100082233A1
• Filed: 12/26/2007
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MEL NavIP LLC (Ni, Wang & Massand, PLLC)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Arita, Hidekazu
• Granted Patent: US 8,244,465 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• 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

A control section 1, according to a map scale designated by a user via an input section 2, draws on its internal drawing memory, roads including its own-vehicle position obtained by a position information acquiring section 4 and display elements including city centers (display elements representing a city and indicating the representative position of the city each) or facilities. If the own-vehicle position and the display elements including the city centers or facilities are displayed in isolation on the display section 7, the control section calculates the route from the own-vehicle position to the display elements under the condition recommended by the navigation or under the condition the user designates, and draws the route produced as a result of the route calculation on the drawing memory.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a map data storage section for storing map data together with attributes and classes of the map data, the map data being composed of roads necessary for a route search and display elements including city centers and facilities, and the city centers being a display element each representing a city and indicating a representative position of the city;

a display section for displaying the map data;

an input section for inputting an instruction from a user; and

a control section for carrying out, in accordance with a map scale instructed via the input section, map display on the display section by selecting the roads based on the attributes and by selecting the display elements based on ranks, and for displaying on the display section a road without an attribute that will allow display on the map scale if the display elements or own-vehicle position is isolated, or a road is displayed with a break.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein

the control section displays the road without the attribute that will allow display on the map scale on the display section in a fashion different from other roads which are selected based on the attributes and displayed.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein

if the own-vehicle position and the display elements including the city centers or facilities are displayed in isolation as a result of carrying out the map display according to the map scale, the control section displays a road produced as a result of route calculation between the own-vehicle position and the display elements, the route calculation being performed under a condition recommended by navigation or under a condition which is designated by the user and is input from the input section.

4. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein

if a road connecting between the own-vehicle position and the city centers or facilities is displayed with a break as a result of carrying out the map display according to the map scale, the control section displays a road produced as a result of route calculation between an endpoint of the road with the break and the own-vehicle position, the route calculation being performed under a condition recommended by navigation or under a condition which is designated by the user and is input from the input section.

5. A display method of a road network in a navigation system having a map data storage section for storing map data, which is composed of roads necessary for a route search and display elements including city centers and facilities, together with attributes and classes of the map data, a position information acquiring section for obtaining position information on a vehicle, a control section including a drawing memory, an input section for inputting an instruction from a user, and a display section for displaying the map data, the display method of the road network in the navigation system comprising:

a first step of drawing, according to a map scale designated by the user via the input section, roads including an own-vehicle position obtained by the position information acquiring section and the display elements including the city centers or facilities on the drawing memory;

a second step of displaying the roads and the display elements drawn on the drawing memory on the display section;

a third step of calculating, if the own-vehicle position and the display elements including the city centers or facilities are displayed in isolation on the display section, routes from the own-vehicle position to the display elements under a condition recommended by navigation or under a condition which is designated by the user and is acquired via the input section;

a fourth step of drawing the routes produced as a result of the route calculation on the drawing memory; and

a fifth step of displaying the road network drawn on the drawing memory on the display section.

6. The display method of the road network in the navigation system according to claim 5, wherein the fourth step comprises:

a sub-step of calculating, when a road connecting between the own-vehicle position and the display elements including the city centers or facilities is displayed with a break on the display section, an endpoint of the road with the break; and

a sub-step of calculating, between the endpoint of the road with the break and the own-vehicle position, a route under a condition recommended by navigation or a condition which is designated by the user and is acquired via the input section.