NAVIGATION DEVICE

• US 20100223003A1
• Filed: 07/18/2008
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Harada, Tomohiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,326,524 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A navigation device that can surely provide information on sightseeing facilities, etc. to a user is provided.

A navigation device 1 for displaying a map screen representing the present position of a mobile on a map on which landmarks 6 are displayed is provided with a sightseeing area data base 31 for storing the position of a prescribed sightseeing area and sightseeing facilities within a prescribed sightseeing area, and a controller 10 for detecting whether a mobile enters the prescribed sightseeing area. Furthermore, the navigation device 1 includes an automatic facility display mode in which when it is detected by the controller 110 that the mobile enters the prescribed sightseeing area, the sightseeing facilities within the prescribed sightseeing areas are read out from the sightseeing area data base 31 and automatically displayed on the map, and also display of the landmarks 6 is reduced from the map.

Claims

1. A navigation device for displaying a map screen on which a present position of a mobile object is represented on a map having landmarks displayed thereon, characterized by comprising:

a storage unit for storing the position of a prescribed sightseeing area and sightseeing facilities within the prescribed sightseeing area; and

a detecting unit for detecting whether the mobile object enters the prescribed sightseeing area, wherein the navigation device is equipped with an automatic facility display mode for reading out the sightseeing facilities within the prescribed sightseeing area from the storage unit and automatically displaying the sightseeing facilities on the map, and reducing display of the landmarks when it is detected by the detecting unit that the mobile objects enters the prescribed sightseeing area.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein in the automatic facility display mode, when the mobile object exits the sightseeing area, the display of the sightseeing facilities within the prescribed sightseeing area is automatically canceled.

3. The navigation device according to claim 1 further comprising a setting unit for setting a sightseeing facility displayed in the automatic facility display mode to a destination or a via place, wherein when the sightseeing facility is set as the destination or the via place by the setting unit, the display-canceled landmarks are displayed, and route guidance to the sightseeing facility is started.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising a selecting unit for selecting a sightseeing facility displayed in the automatic facility display mode, wherein when the sightseeing facility is selected by the selecting unit, the periphery of the selected sightseeing facility is enlarged to obtain an enlarged map, information of the selected sightseeing facility is displayed, and information representing the distance from the selected sightseeing facility to the present position of the mobile object is displayed on the enlarged map.

5. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising a display device for displaying the map screen that is configured so that the map screen displayed on the display device can be operated by touch, wherein the storage unit stores the position of the prescribed sightseeing area and timely information of the facilities which are matched with a present season or period, and also the navigation device is provided a controller for displaying an instruction button for instructing display of the timely information of the sightseeing facilities on the map screen of the display device when it is detected by the detecting unit that the mobile object enters the prescribed sightseeing area.

6. The navigation device according to claim 5, wherein the storage unit further stores at least facility information representing the contents of the sightseeing facilities every sightseeing facility, and the controller displays the facility information and the timely information so that a touch operation can be executed every sightseeing facility when the instruction button is touched, sets a touched sightseeing facility as a destination or a via place and start when some of the sightseeing facilities is touched, and starts rouge guidance to the destination or the via place.

7. The navigation device according to claim 6, wherein the storage unit stores the sightseeing facilities while classifying the sightseeing facilities into plural facility types, and when the instruction button is touched, the controller displays the timely information and the facility information of the sightseeing facilities belonging to one facility type in a list style every sightseeing facility, and also displays, every facility type, a selection button for selecting a facility type to be displayed in the list style, whereby the selection buttons are displayed so that the number of sightseeing facilities belonging to the facility type can be visually recognized.

8. The navigation device according to claim 5, wherein when the mobile object is located out of the prescribed sightseeing area, the controller displays facilities existing around the mobile object on the map screen of the display device, and when the mobile object is located within the prescribed sightseeing area, the controller displays the sightseeing facilities in place of the facilities on the map screen of the display device.

9. The navigation device according to claim 8, wherein when the mobile object is located with the prescribed sightseeing area, the controller extracts at least presently available sightseeing facilities from the sightseeing facilities within the sightseeing area on the basis of the present date and hour, and displays the extracted sightseeing facilities on the map screen.

10. The navigation device according to claim 5, further comprising a communication unit that communicates with an external server for accumulating timely information of the sightseeing facilities through a network, wherein when the instruction button is touched, the controller requests to the external server the timely information of sightseeing facilities within a sightseeing area in which the mobile object is located, and displays the timely information obtained from the external server on the display device.