MAP DISPLAY DEVICE AND MAP DISPLAY METHOD

• US 20110093195A1
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sato, Yukio, Chiba, Kazuomi
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names

Abstract

A map display device that displays a map image around a vehicle position includes a display unit; a first storage unit storing map data including road data of a road and road-related information related to the road; a second storage unit storing adjustment data based on a relationship between display positions of the road data and the road-related information; and a map display control unit for calculating the display position of the road-related information based on the adjustment data for the individual road, and displaying the road-related information on a screen of the display unit. A road width to be displayed o the screen may be determined in accordance with the number of lanes and a road type. The adjustment data may be a distance between the display positions of the road and the road-related information, and may be determined in accordance with the road type and the road width.

Claims

1. A map display device that displays a map image around a vehicle position, the display device comprising:

a display unit;

a first storage unit storing map data including road data of at least one road and road information that is related to the road;

a second storage unit storing adjustment data based on a relationship between a display position of the road data and a display position of the road-related information; and

a map display control unit for calculating the display position of the road-related information related to the road on the basis of the adjustment data for the individual road, and displaying the road-related information on a screen of the display unit.

2. The map display device according to claim 1, wherein a road width when the road is displayed on the screen of the display unit is determined based on the number of lanes and a road type of the road.

3. The map display device according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment data is a distance between the display position of the road and the display position of the road-related information, is the adjustment data being determined based on the road type and the road width of the road.

4. The map display device according to claim 3, wherein the map display control unit extracts a distance between a reference line for displaying the road-related information based on the road type and the road width of the road and a reference line of the road from the adjustment data stored in the second storage unit, and calculates the display position of the road-related information based on the distance.

5. The map display device according to claim 4, wherein the reference line for displaying the road-related information is a center line of a display frame for a region in which the road-related information is displayed, the center line being substantially parallel to the road that corresponds to the display frame.

6. The map display device according to claim 5, wherein the reference line of the road is a center line of the road.

7. The map display device according to claim 5, wherein the reference line of the road is a side of the road, the side being substantially parallel to the display frame and being near the display frame.

8. The map display device according to claim 4, wherein the reference line for displaying the road-related information is a side of a display frame for a region in which the road-related information is displayed, the side being substantially parallel to the road that corresponds to the display frame and being near the road.

9. The map display device according to claim 1, wherein the road-related information is one a group consisting of a street name, an intersection name, and a road sign.

10. A map display method that generates a map image by using map data including map character data having a street name, and adjustment data based on a relationship between a display position of a street name and a display position of a road, the method comprising:

detecting a current vehicle position;

extracting map data for an area around the current vehicle position;

acquiring adjustment data that is based on a relationship between a display position of road data for a road and a display position of road-related information for the road, the road related information for the road being included in the map data;

calculating the display position of the road-related information for the road based on the adjustment data and a road width of the road; and

generating a map image, including the road-related information, based on the calculated position, and

displaying the map image on a screen of a display unit.

11. The map display method according to claim 10, wherein the road width of the road when the road is displayed on the screen of the display unit is determined based on the number of lanes and a road type of the road.

12. The map display method according to claim 11, wherein the adjustment data is a distance between the display position of the road and the display position of the road-related information, the adjustment data being determined in accordance with the road type and the road width of the road.

13. The map display method according to claim 12,

wherein the calculation of the display position of the road-related information comprises:

extracting a distance between a reference line for displaying the road-related information in accordance with the road type and the road width of the road and a reference line of the road from the adjustment data stored in a storage unit, and

calculating the display position of the road-related information based on the distance.

14. The map display method according to claim 13, wherein the reference line for displaying the road-related information is a center line of a display frame for a region in which the road-related information is displayed, the center line being substantially parallel to the road that corresponds to the display frame.

15. The map display method according to claim 14, wherein the reference line of the road is a center line of the road.

16. The map display method according to claim 14, wherein the reference line of the road is a side of the road, the side being substantially parallel to the display frame and being near the display frame.

17. The map display method according to claim 13, wherein the reference line for displaying the road-related information is a side of a display frame for a region in which the road-related information is displayed, the side being substantially parallel to the road that corresponds to the display frame and being near the road.

18. The map display method according to claim 10, wherein the road-related information is one of a group consisting of a street name, an intersection name, and a road sign.