Electronic map display system for use on vehicle

• US 4,780,717 A
• Filed: 09/17/1986
• Issued: 10/25/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1983
• 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): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US06/910,296
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/995, 340/996, 340/990, 364/449, 364/424, 364/444, 364/460, 364/521, 73/178 R, 358/103, 353/12
• US Class Current: 340/995.16
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

An electronic map display system for use on a vehicle comprises a display unit for displaying one of a map or a menu of the names of a plurality of particular regions, a map data storage medium for storing map data on the particular regions and name information on the particular regions, a manual controller having a name retrieval key, a setting key, and cursor keys, and an electronic control unit for controlling the display on the display unit in response to instructions from the manual controller. Upon reception of an instruction produced by the name retrieval key of the manual controller, the electronic control unit reads the name information on the particular regions from the map data storage medium, displays the region names as the menu on the display unit, and selects one of the display region names through operation of the cursor keys. When the setting key is depressed, the electronic control unit reads map data related to the region name on the cursor position from the map data storage medium, and displays the map of the selected particular region on the display unit.

Claims

1. An electronic map display system for use on a vehicle, comprising:

(a) display means for electronically displaying maps and a menu used for designating a map to be displayed;

(b) first memory means for storing a set of spot coordinates for each of a plurality of spots to be used for constituting maps of a plurality of particular regions, each set of spot coordinates indicating a point on a first coordinate system with respect to a predetermined first coordinate reference point which is independent of said display means;

(c) second memory means for storing name information corresponding to said particular regions;

(d) menu display control means for reading said name information from said second memory means and for displaying as said menu on said display means a plurality of the names of said particular regions based on said read name information;

(e) means for designating one of said names displayed on said display means;

(f) means for defining a region on said first coordinate system corresponding to the name designated by said designating means;

(g) means for reading from said first memory means sets of spot coordinates for spots including at least the spots of said defined region and for converting each set of the read spot coordinates into display coordinates with respect to a predetermined second coordinate reference point of a second coordinate system of said display means so as to display on said display means a map of said region defined by said defining means; and

(h) map display control means for displaying on said display means said map of said region corresponding to said display coordinates converted by said reading and converting means.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said defining means comprises means for defining coordinates of the center of said region and a scale of said region.

3. A system according to claim 1, further comprising means for generating an instruction for scrolling, and scrolling means for scrolling said names displayed on said display means by said menu display control means on the basis of said name information read from said second memory means in accordance with said scrolling instruction.

4. An electronic map display system for use on a vehicle, comprising:

(a) display means for electronically displaying maps and a menu used for designating a map to be displayed;

(b) first memory means for storing a set of spot coordinates and a spot number for each of a plurality of spots to be used for constituting maps of a plurality of particular regions, each set of spot coordinates indicating a point on a first coordinate system with respect to a predetermined coordinate reference point which is independent of said display means;

(c) second memory means for storing name information corresponding to said particular regions and spot numbers corresponding to respective name information;

(d) third memory means for storing spot numbers of a plurality of spots to be used for constituting each of a plurality of routes in said particular regions;

(e) menu display control means for reading the name information from said second memory means and for displaying as said menu on said display means the names of said particular regions based on said read name information;

(f) means for designating one of said names displayed on said display means;

(g) means for extracting from said second memory means spot numbers corresponding to name information of a particular region designated by said designating means and for extracting sets of spot coordinates corresponding to each of said extracted spot numbers from said first memory means;

(h) means for defining a region on said first coordinate system according to said sets of spot coordinates extracted by said extracting means;

(i) means for reading said spot numbers of said spots for each of said routes from said third memory means and for reading sets of spot coordinates corresponding to each of said read spot numbers from said first memory means;

(j) means for converting said sets of read spot coordinates into display coordinates on a second coordinate system with respect to a predetermined coordinate reference point on said display means so as to display on said display means a map of said region defined by said defining means; and

(k) means for displaying on said display means routes forming said map by connecting spots on each of said routes on the basis of said display coordinates.

5. An electronic map display system for use on a vehicle, comprising:

(a) display means for electronically displaying maps and a menu used for designating a map to be displayed;

(b) memory means for storing a set of spot coordinates for each of a plurality of spots to be used for constituting a map of a region containing a plurality of name designation spots, and for storing name information and a set of spot coordinates for each of said name designation spots, each set of spot coordinates indicating a point on a first coordinate system with respect to a predetermined coordinate reference point which is independent of said display means;

(c) menu display control means for reading said name information from said memory means and for displaying as said menu on said display means a plurality of the names of said name designation spots based on said read name information;

(d) means for designating one of said names displayed on said display means;

(e) means for reading from said memory means a set of spot coordinates of a name designation spot having the name designated by said designating means and a set of spot coordinates for each of said plurality of spots, and for converting said sets of spot coordinates for each of said plurality of spots with respect to said set of spot coordinates of said name designation spot into display coordinates on a second coordinate system with respect to a predetermined coordinate reference point on said display means; and

(f) map display control means for displaying on said display means on the basis of said display coordinates a map of a region containing said name designation spot having said designated name.

6. A system according to claim 5, further comprising means for generating an instruction for scrolling, and scrolling means for scrolling said names displayed on said display means by said menu display control means on the basis of said name information read from said memory means in accordance with said scrolling instruction.

7. An electronic map display system for use on a vehicle, comprising:

(a) display means for electronically displaying maps and a menu used for designating a map to be displayed;

(b) first memory means for storing first name information corresponding to a first group of particular regions and second name information corresponding to a second group of particular regions contained in each of said first group of said particular regions;

(c) second memory means for storing map data corresponding to said particular regions of said first and second groups;

(d) first menu display control means for reading said first name information from said first memory means and for displaying as said menu on said display means the names of said first group based on said read first name information;

(e) instruction means for generating an instruction for selecting one of said displayed names;

(f) second menu display control means, responsive to said instruction, for reading from said first memory means said second name information corresponding to said second group of particular regions contained in a particular region having said selected name and for displaying as said menu on said display means the names of said second group of particular regions;

(g) means for designating one of said names of said first or second group displayed as said menu on said display means; and

(h) map display control means for reading said map data on a particular region having a name designated by said designating means and displaying a map of said particular region on said display means.