MAP DISPLAY DEVICE AND MAP DISPLAY METHOD

• US 20140240348A1
• Filed: 01/12/2012
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Arita, Hidekazu, Shimotani, Mitsuo
• Granted Patent: US 9,672,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• 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: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a map display device and a map display method for displaying a plurality of map drawing pictures so as to improve convenience for a user. The map display device according to the present invention includes an input/display unit that receives input of user operation and displaying a first drawing object related to map information in a first drawing picture and a second drawing object related to map information in a second drawing picture; and a controller for controlling an overlapping state between the first drawing picture and a partial area of the second drawing picture in accordance with input of user operation received by the input/display unit and outputting, to the input/display unit, a picture in which the second drawing object masks the first drawing object in such an overlapped portion.

Claims

1. A map display device that displays a plurality of drawing pictures including a first drawing picture and a second drawing picture in an at least partially overlapping manner,

said first drawing picture displaying at least one first drawing object,

said second drawing picture displaying at least one second drawing object,

at least one of said first and second drawing pictures including a drawing object related to map information, and

said first and second drawing pictures being equal or different in size,

the map display device comprising:

an input unit that receives input of user operation related to display of a drawing picture; and

a controller for controlling an overlapping state between said first drawing picture and a partial area set with a predetermined rule in said second drawing picture in accordance with input of user operation received by said input unit and outputting, to a display unit, a picture in which said second drawing object masks said first drawing object in a portion where said first drawing picture and the partial area in said second drawing picture are overlapped with each other.

2. The map display device according to claim 1, wherein

said controller slides said partial area in said second drawing picture relatively to said first drawing picture so as to successively change the overlapping state between said first drawing picture and said partial area in said second drawing picture.

3. The map display device according to claim 2, wherein said sliding includes

board slide by which said drawing object in said drawing picture is shifted in a slide direction in association with the sliding of said drawing picture, and

curtain slide by which said drawing object displayed at said display unit is not shifted.

4. The map display device according to claim 1, wherein

said input unit and said display unit are integrally formed as a display device provided with a touch panel.

5. The map display device according to claim 2, wherein

said partial area is designated by a user.

6. The map display device according to claim 2, wherein

said second drawing object is related to map information, and

said partial area includes a spot designated by a user, and is sectioned by a road, a course line, a water system, an administrative section line, or a display end.

7. The map display device according to claim 2, wherein

said second drawing object is related to map information, and

said partial area has a center at a feature designated by a user, a predetermined size, and a predetermined shape.

8. The map display device according to claim 2, wherein

said first drawing object is related to a guide route displayed on a planar map,

said second drawing object is related to the guide route displayed on a relief map, and

said partial area includes a feature displayed so as to be overlapped on the guide route.

9. The map display device according to claim 2, wherein

said controller excludes a predetermined feature in said partial area from a target of said overlap control.

10. A map display method of displaying a plurality of drawing pictures including a first drawing picture and a second drawing picture in an at least partially overlapping manner,

said first drawing picture displaying at least one first drawing object,

said second drawing picture displaying at least one second drawing object,

at least one of said first and second drawing pictures including a drawing object related to map information, and

said first and second drawing pictures being equal or different in size,

the map display method including the steps of:

(a) receiving input of user operation related to display of a drawing picture,

(b) displaying said plurality of drawing pictures, and

(c) prior to said step (b), controlling an overlapping state between said first drawing picture and a partial area set with a predetermined rule in said second drawing picture in accordance with input of user operation received in said step (a), and masking said first drawing object with said second drawing object in a portion where said first drawing picture and said partial area in said second drawing picture are overlapped with each other.

11. The map display method according to claim 10, wherein

in said step (c), said partial area in said second drawing picture is slid relatively to said first drawing picture so as to successively change the overlapping state between said first drawing picture and said partial area in said second drawing picture.

12. The map display method according to claim 11, wherein said sliding includes

board slide by which said drawing object in said drawing picture is shifted in a slide direction in association with the sliding of said drawing picture, and

curtain slide by which said displayed drawing object is not shifted.