Map display system

• US 4,675,676 A
• Filed: 03/08/1984
• Issued: 06/23/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Kenzo, Yamamoto, Masaki, Fujinami, Hiroshi, Takanabe, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Rowland, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent A.
• Application Number:
  US06/587,655
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/995, 340/750, 340/798, 340/990, 364/424, 364/449, 364/521, 364/460, 364/444, 73/178 R, 353/12, 358/103
• US Class Current: 340/995.15
• 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: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A vehicle map display system includes a control unit to manually or automatically display a reduced or enlarged map, from a reduced or enlarged map data storage device in accordance with the separating distance between the present position of a vehicle and a destination, on the whole or part of a display area of a display device which is provided with a sub-display area.

Claims

1. A map display system, comprising:

display means for displaying maps;

designation means for designating a scale of a single map to be displayed;

memory means for storing a set of spot coordinates for every one of a plurality of spots to be used for constituting said single map and predetermined level information, for said spots, indicating a range of map scales which said spots are employed to generate said single map, each said set of spot coordinates indicating a point on a first coordinate system with respect to a predetermined coordinate reference point;

means for defining a region on said first coordinate system;

means for extracting from said memory means said sets of spot coordinates of said spots which have said level information indicating a range of scales encompassing said designated scale;

means for converting each of said spot coordinates extracted by said extracting means into display coordinates with respect to a predetermined point of a second coordinate system of said display means so that said single map of said region defined by said defining means is displayed on said display means; and

map display control means for displaying on said display means said single map of said region on the basis of said display coordinates converted by said coverting means;

wherein each of said spots is assigned a separate said level information in the form of a spot level selected from a plurality of spot levels in accordance with the range of scales over which each of said spots is displayable, whereby said extracting means extracts said sets of spot coordinates for those spots having said spot level coorresponding to said designated scale in accordance with a predetermined relationship between scales and spot levels.

2. A map display system according to claim 1 wherein said designation means for designating the scale is actuated by manual operation.

3. A map display system according to claim 1 wherein said designation means includes:

present position detecting means for detecting the present position of a running vehicle;

destination setting means for setting the destination of the vehicle;

distance calculating means for calculating the distance between said present position and said destination; and

scale designating means responsive to the distance calculated by said distance calculating means for designating the scale of the map to be displayed.

4. A map display system according to claim 3 wherein said present position detecting means includes:

heading detection means for detecting the heading of the travelling vehicle;

distance detection means for detecting the running distance of the vehicle; and

present position calculating means responsive to said detected heading and distance of the vehicle for calculating the present position of the vehicle.

5. A map display system according to claim 1, wherein said defining means defines said region on the basis of said scale designated by said designated means.

6. A map display system according to claim 1, wherein said defining means defines said region with a set of spot coordinates of the center of said region and said scale designated by said designated means.

7. A map display system according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for changing said relationship between scales and spot levels, to increase or decrease the density of features illustrated in the map to be displayed.

8. A map display system, comprising:

display means for displaying maps;

designation means for designating a density of features to be displayed on a single map;

memory means for storing for every one of a plurality of spots to be used for constituting said single map, a separate set of spot coordinates and a separate spot level, each said set of spot coordinates indicating a point on a first coordinate system with respect to a predetermined coordinate reference point, and said spot level being one of a plurality of spot levels assigned in accordance with a desired range of designated feature densities over which said spot is displayable;

means for defining a region on said first coordinate system;

means for extracting from said memory means said sets of spot coordinates of said spots which have said level information indicating a range of feature densities encompassing said designated density;

means for converting each of said spot coordinates extracted by said extracting means into display coordinates with respect to a predetermined point of a second coordinate system of said display means so that said single map of said region defined by said defining means is displayed on said display means; and

map display control means for displaying on said display means said single map of said region on the basis of said display coordinates converted by said converting means.

9. A map display system according to claim 8, wherein said defining means defines said region with a set of spot coordinates of the center of said region and a scale of said region.

10. A map display system, comprising:

display means for displaying maps;

designation means for designating a scale of a single map to be displayed;

memory means for storing route information and a route level for every one of a plurality of routes to be used for constituting said single map, said route level indicating a range of map scales at which said route information is employed to generate said single map and being selected from one of a plurality of route levels in accordance with a desired range of designated scales over which the route is displayable;

means for extracting from said memory means said route information of routes which have said route level indicating a range of scales encompassing said designated scale; and

map display control means for displaying on said display means said single map of a particular region on the basis of said route information extracted by said extracting means;

wherein each of said routes is assigned a separate said route level selected from a plurality of route levels in accordance with the range of scales over which each of said routes is displayable, whereby said extracting means extracts said route information for those routes having said route level corresponding to said designated scale in accordance with a predetermined relationship between scales and route levels.

11. A map display system, comprising:

display means for displaying maps;

designation means for designating a density of features to be displayed on a single map;

memory means for storing route information and a route level for every one of a plurality of routes to be used for constituting said single map, said route level being one of a plurality of route levels assigned in accordance with a desired range of designated feature densities over which the route is displayable;

means for extracting from said memory means said route information of said routes which have said route level indicating a range of feature densities encompassing said designated density; and

map display control means for displaying on said display means said single map of a particular region on the basis of said route information extracted by said extracting means.

12. A map display system, comprising:

display means for displaying maps;

designation means for designating a scale of a single map to be displayed;

memory means for storing, for each of a plurality of spots to be used for constituting said single map, a set of coodinates of every one of said spots and a spot level of every one of said spots, indicating a desired range of designated map scales at which each of said spots is employed to generate said single map;

means, responsive to said memory means and designation means, for extracting from said memory means each said set of coordinates of said spots which have said spot level indicating a range of scales encompassing said designated scale; and

means for creating said single map from said extracted coordinates and displaying said map on said display means;

wherein each of said spots is assigned a separate said spot level selected from a plurality of spot levels in accordance with the range of scales over which each of said spots is displayable, whereby said extracting means extracts said sets of spot coordinates for those spots having said spot level corresponding to said designated scale in accordance with a predetermined relationship between scales and spot levels.

13. A map display system, comprising:

display means for displaying maps;

designation means for designating a density of features to be displayed on a single map;

memory means for storing, for each of a plurality of spots to be used for constituting said single map, a set of coordinates of every one of said spots and a spot level of every one of said spots indicating a desired range of designated feature densities at which every one of spots is employed to generate said single map;

means, responsive to said memory means and designation means, for extracting from said memory means each said set of coordinates of said spots which have said spot level indicating a range of feature densities encompassing said designated density; and

means for creating said single map from said extracted coordinates and displaying said map on said display means.