Driving simulation apparatus capable of arbitrarily setting start position and method thereof

• US 6,038,507 A
• Filed: 07/25/1996
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyano, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US08/684,903
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/202, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/212, 73/178 R, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/202
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

In a driving simulation apparatus for retrieving a map on the basis of digital map data obtained by digitizing a road network, displaying the route so retrieved on a display unit and executing simulation driving while tracing the route displayed on the display unit, a portion for calculating the position closest to the position of a scroll cursor and a portion for setting the position on the route obtained as a result of this calculation to the start position of driving simulation are provided. When simulation is started, the cursor is moved to a position near a desired start position on the route. When the operation is thereafter started, simulation is started from the desired start point.

Claims

1. A driving simulation apparatus, comprising:

means for retrieving a route on a map, on the basis of digital map data representing the map and obtained by digitizing a road network, by inputting a starting point and a destination point of the route relative to the map;

means for displaying the retrieved route relative to the map on a display unit;

means for calculating a position on the route which is at a shortest distance from an arbitrary position of a scroll cursor on the display unit;

means for setting the calculated position on the route as a start position of a driving simulation; and

means for executing said driving simulation by tracing the displayed route and scrolling the map.

2. A driving simulation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for setting the speed of said scroll cursor in accordance with a reduced scale on a display map.

3. A driving simulation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for stopping the scroll of said map halfway in the driving simulation in accordance with an input signal.

4. A driving simulation apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for calculating outputs a calculated shortest distance value, the driving simulation apparatus further comprising:

means for setting an interruption position of a previous simulation to the start position of the current driving simulation when the calculated shortest distance value exceeds a predetermined value.

5. A driving simulation apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for calculating outputs a calculated shortest distance value, the driving simulation apparatus further comprising:

means for setting the starting point for the route to the start position of the driving simulation when the calculated shortest distance value exceeds a predetermined value.

6. A driving simulation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said map having a hierarchical structure includes different reduced scales.

7. A driving simulation method, comprising the steps of:

retrieving a route on a map, on the basis of digital data representing the map and obtained by digitizing a road network by inputting a starting point and a destination point of the route relative to the map;

displaying the retrieved route relative to the map on a display unit;

moving a scroll cursor to an arbitrary position on the display unit while displaying the retrieved route thereon;

calculating a position on said route which is at a shortest distance from the arbitrary position of said scroll cursor on said display unit;

setting the calculated position on said route as a start position of a driving simulation; and

thereafter, executing simulation driving by tracing said displayed route from the start position and scrolling said map.

8. A driving simulation apparatus for retrieving a route and displaying the route relative to a map on a display, comprising:

a first unit executing simulated driving by tracing the displayed route while scrolling the map;

a second unit calculating a position on said route which is at a shortest distance from an arbitrary position of a scroll cursor on the display, to which arbitrary position the scroll cursor is moved after an interruption of the tracing of the displayed route; and

a third unit setting the calculated position on the route as a start position of an interrupted driving simulation.

9. A driving simulation method for retrieving a route and displaying the route relative to a map on a display, comprising:

executing simulated driving by tracing the displayed route while scrolling the map;

calculating a position on said route which is at a shortest distance from an arbitrary position of a scroll cursor on the display, to which arbitrary position the scroll cursor is moved after an interruption of the tracing of the displayed route; and

setting the calculated position on the route as a start position of an interrupted driving simulation.