Map indication device and navigation device

• US 5,884,218 A
• Filed: 09/30/1996
• Issued: 03/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nimura, Mitsuhiro, Hayashi, Seiji, Ito, Yasunobu
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US08/724,245
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/213, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

Upon recognizing the shapes of buildings or facilities, the buildings or facilities can be identified and destinations can be designated simply and easily. The display of a house map and a road map is changed over depending upon predetermined conditions. This makes it easy to navigate to the destination. When the destination is shown on the house map, a guide route is identified on a road adjacent to the building at the destination. This makes it easy to see where in the vicinity of the destination the car arrives.

Claims

1. A map indication device for a vehicle, comprising:

data storage storing descriptive data related to buildings and facilities to include shapes and names;

a display to display a map based upon the descriptive data; and

a recognition means for recognizing the shapes of displayed buildings and facilities.

2. The map indication device according to claim 1, further comprising search means for searching for a building or facility corresponding to a point that is input and to identify the building or facility.

3. The map indication device according to claim 1, wherein the descriptive data includes external data of a plurality of buildings and facilities to include plane shapes or solid shapes and further comprises:

means for reading the external data of the buildings and facilities that are stored;

means for converting the external data of the buildings and facilities that are read out into display data, the display displaying a map that presents external data of the buildings and facilities, based upon the converted external data of the buildings and facilities, so that shapes of the buildings and facilities can be recognized on the map that is displayed.

4. The map indication device according to claim 3, wherein the descriptive data further includes internal data including addresses, names and telephone numbers of the buildings and facilities in association with the external data of buildings and facilities on the displayed map that displays the external data of buildings, the map indication device further comprising means for selecting a one of the plurality of buildings and facilities using the map, and means for searching the internal data corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of buildings and facilities and then displays the internal data of the selected one.

5. The map indication device according to claim 1, wherein the data storage stores data for at least one road map formed based upon road data and at least one house map formed based upon data related to the buildings and facilities and the map indication device further comprises means for changing between the at least one map and the at least one house map.

6. The map indication device according to claim 5, wherein the stored road data representing roads is displayed as a road map, the stored external data of buildings and facilities is displayed as a house map, the map indication device further comprising:

means for selecting the road data or the external data of the buildings and facilities;

means for reading either the road data or the external data of the buildings and facilities depending upon the selection; and

means for converting either the road data or the external data of the buildings and facilities for display as a map, then displaying the converted road data or the external data of the buildings and facilities as the map on the display.

7. A navigation device for a vehicle, comprising:

storage means for storing house shape data related to defined integrated units include shape data;

a display to display map data based upon the house shape data;

an input device for inputting a point based on the map data that are displayed;

recognition means for recognizing the shape of an integrated unit based upon the house shape data to identify the integrated unit that corresponds to the point that is input; and

selection means for selecting the integrated unit that corresponds to the point that is input.

8. The navigation device according to claim 7, further comprising:

means for detecting a present position of a car, wherein the house shape data in which the shapes of the integrated units are comprised of sequences of coordinates;

means for comparing coordinates of the point that is input with the shapes of the integrated units comprised of the sequences of coordinates of said house shape data to search for an integrated unit that corresponds to the coordinates of the point that is input;

means for setting an identified integrated unit as a destination;

means for calculating a route from the present position to the destination that is set; and

means for displaying on the display the integrated unit that corresponds to the coordinates of the point that is input and the route that is calculated.

9. The navigation device according to claim 7, wherein the stored house shape data represents shapes of integrated units that are included in a predetermined region and are sectionalized on a plane, locations of the integrated units, and data related to the integrated units, the navigation device further comprising:

means for designating, as a point, the integrated unit that becomes a destination;

means for searching coordinates of the point that is designated;

means for searching house shape data in which the coordinates of the integrated unit that is searched are included in a range of the house shape data;

means for setting the integrated unit represented by identified house shape data as the destination;

means for setting a guide route to the destination that is set; and

means for detecting the present position of a moving vehicle, the display displaying data related to the integrated unit included in the searched house shape data, the guide route that is set, and the detected present position of the moving means.

10. A navigation device, comprising:

data storage for storing road map data formed based upon road data as well as house map data, the house map data including shapes of integrated units;

means for detecting a present position of a vehicle;

means for calculating a route based upon data that are input and the road data that are stored when data necessary for calculating the route to a destination are input;

means for providing guidance along the route based upon the calculated route and the detected present position of the vehicle;

a display for displaying the map data that are read out and the calculated route; and

means for changing the display between the map data formed by reading the road map data and the map data formed by reading the house map data based upon predetermined conditions.

11. The navigation device according to claim 10, further comprising judging means for judging the predetermined conditions, wherein the map to be displayed as changed over to the road map from the house map when it is judged that a speed of the vehicle is higher than a predetermined speed.

12. The navigation device according to claim 10, further comprising manual selection means for manually selecting the map to be displayed, wherein the map data to be displayed are selected manually or automatically, and the map data to be displayed are changed over depending upon the selection of the map data.

13. The navigation device according to claim 10, further comprising means for calculating a distance from the detected present position of the vehicle to the destination that is input and, based upon the distance that is calculated, the map data to be displayed is changed over to the house map from the road map upon a judgment that the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from the destination.

14. A navigation device for a vehicle, comprising:

a storage device storing house shape data that are related to house shapes representing shapes of places that are included in a predetermined region and are sectionalized on a plane, positions of the places, and data related to the places;

a display for displaying a picture;

means for generating house map data to display a house map by using the house shapes of the places that are included in the predetermined region and are sectionalized on the plane, the display displaying the house map as the picture based upon the house map data that are generated;

means for generating road map data to display a road map by using a road network and geographical data included in the predetermined region, the display displaying the road map as the picture based upon the road map data that are generated;

means for designating a point that becomes a destination;

means for searching coordinates of the point that is designated;

means for searching the house shape data in which the coordinates of the identified point are included in a range of the house shape data;

means for generating for display as the picture data related to the place identified as the searched house shape data for the destination, the storage device also storing place data related to places that may be selected as drop-in places;

means for searching from the place data places that correspond to a selected genre and that meet conditions that are input as drop-in places, displaying on the display the house shape of the identified place on the house map in a form distinguishable from house shapes of other places;

means for designating a drop-in place out of recommended drop-in places that are displayed, then displaying the house shape of the designated drop-in place in a form distinguishable from the other recommended drop-in places;

means for searching coordinates of the point designated as the drop-in place;

means for identifying the house shape data in which the coordinates of the point of the designated drop-in place is included in the range of the house shape data for the drop-in place;

means for setting a guide route to the destination and a guide route to the designated drop-in place;

means for detecting a present position of a moving means, the display displaying the guide route together with the detected present position;

means for determining whether the present position is within a predetermined distance from the destination when the guide route is being displayed;

means for determining whether the house map or the road map should be displayed depending upon predetermined conditions, the house map displayed around the destination when the destination is set and the present position of the moving means is determined to be within a predetermined distance of the destination;

means for determining whether a range of the house map for display lies outside a coordinate range of data of the house map that can be displayed;

means for changing over the display of the house map to the road map when the range of the house map for display lies outside the coordinate range of data of the house map that can be displayed;

means for storing in the storage device reduced scale data of the road map when the road map displayed is changed over to the house map;

means for returning the display to the road map again on the reduced scale in effect when a road map display was previously changed over to the house map;

means for determining whether the house map or the road map be displayed depending upon a manual operation by a user;

means for determining whether the vehicle is moving; and

means for inhibiting the display of the house map when it is determined that the vehicle is moving.

15. A navigation device for a vehicle, comprising:

means for calculating a route to a destination that is input;

means for providing guidance to a user according to the calculated route;

a storage device for storing data related to the calculated route, the storage device storing building data for indicating the shapes of integrated units;

means for inputting a point to include the destination or a passing point;

means for searching from the building data an integrated unit corresponding to the point that is input, wherein when the integrated unit is the destination, the means for calculating calculates the route to a point on a road adjacent to the identified integrated unit as an end point of the route.

16. The navigation device according to claim 15, wherein the building data further includes data of a particular point, when the integrated unit is the destination, the route is calculated to the particular point.

17. The navigation device according to claim 16, wherein the data of the particular point are data related to an entrance to a building.

18. The navigation device according to claim 16, wherein the data of the particular point are data related to a parking lot.

19. A navigation device for a vehicle, comprising:

an input device;

calculation means for calculating a route to a destination that is input using the input device; and

means for presenting guidance along the calculated route, the navigation device storing building data indicating the shapes of integrated units and searches, from the building data, integrated units that correspond to a genre of the destination that is input, detects a position designated by the input device, searches for an integrated unit that corresponds to the designated position, and portrays a building corresponding to the genre that is input in a first indication form and portrays a building identified from the building data in a second indication form with the means for presenting.