Map display apparatus

• US 4,737,927 A
• Filed: 04/29/1986
• Issued: 04/12/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd. (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Takagi, Tetsuo, Akita, Yutaka, Ito, Kenzo, Hanabusa, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US06/857,173
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 364/443, 364/444, 364/449, 364/518, 364/521, 364/424, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 73/178 R
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A map display apparatus displays a road map of a desired display district in accordance with stored map data. The apparatus includes a map data storing medium storing, in correspondence to a plurality of basic sections forming the whole area of the road map, a plurality of map information representing the road configurations in the basic sections and a plurality of name information representing the names of various parts in the basic sections, a display selecting device for selecting the desired display district from the whole area of the road map, a display control unit for generating a display signal in accordance with the map information group and the name information group of the basic sections contained in the selected display district, and a display responsive to the display signal to display the selected display district. Thus, when displaying the map of the selected district, it is only necessary to read and display the map information and name information of the basic sections belonging to the district.

Claims

1. A map display apparatus for displaying a desired display area of a road map which is divided into a plurality of basic sections, said apparatus comprising:

a map data storing means for successively storing, for each of said plurality of basic sections, map information representing a road configuration in said basic section and name information representing names of at least one of a road and a place in said basic section;

display area selecting means for selecting said desired display area from the whole area of said road map;

display name selecting means for selecting for displaying desired names in said display area;

display control means for generating display signals representing a desired map in accordance with the map information and the name information of the basic sections contained in said display area selected by said display selecting means and said display name selecting means;

said display control means including;

map display control means for reading the map information of the basic sections belonging to said display area selected by said display selecting means to generate the display signal, and

name display control means for searching the name information of the basic sections belonging to said display area and extracting the name information corresponding to said desired names slected by said display name selecting means to generate the display signal; and

display means responsive to said display signals from said display control means to display said selected display area.