Vehicle position information displaying apparatus and method

• US 6,289,278 B1
• Filed: 02/26/1999
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takenaga, Hiroshi, Endo, Yoshinori, Nakamura, Kozo, Minowa, Toshimichi, Nakamura, Mitsuru, Yoshikawa, Tokuji, Morizane, Hiroto
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/258,153
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/208, 701/211, 701/212, 701/214, 701/216, 701/96, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 342/357.01, 342/357.02, 342/357.13
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/179 Distances to obstacles or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/22 Display screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/28 characterised by the type of the output information, e.g. video entertainment or vehicle dynamics information; characterised by the purpose of the output information, e.g. for attracting the attention of the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• 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

Abstract

A vehicle position information displaying apparatus and method are disclosed in which position information of a preceding vehicle is displayed in a manner superimposed on the form of a road under running of a user'"'"'s vehicle generated from map information. The apparatus includes a present position detecting unit for detecting the present position of the user'"'"'s vehicle, a running road selecting unit for selecting a road under running of the user'"'"'s vehicle from the present position of the user'"'"'s vehicle, an other vehicle detecting unit for detecting a distance to another vehicle and the azimuth of the other vehicle, an other vehicle position determining unit for determining the position of the other vehicle, and an other vehicle position displaying unit for developing the running road to a plane view or birds-eye view and displaying position information of the user'"'"'s vehicle and the other vehicle in a manner superimposed on the developed running road.

Claims

1. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus comprising:

map storing means for outputting map information of a predetermined area stored therein;

means for detecting a present position of a user'"'"'s vehicle;

another vehicle detecting means for detecting a position of the another vehicle around a present position of a user'"'"'s vehicle detected by said user'"'"'s vehicle present position detecting means; and

displaying means for displaying the map information outputted from said map storing means, information of the detected present position of said user'"'"'s vehicle, and information of the detected position of the another vehicle in a superimposed manner on a display screen.

2. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising running road selecting means for selecting road information of a running road of the user'"'"'s vehicle from said map information on the basis of the present position of the user'"'"'s vehicle so that the selected road information is outputted.

3. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising speed detecting means for detecting the running speed of the user'"'"'s vehicle, and map information deletion stopping means for stopping the operation of at least one of said running road selecting means, said non-running road deleting means, said character/symbol information deleting means and said background information deleting means when the detected running speed of the user'"'"'s vehicle is lower than a predetermined speed.

4. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising virtual road generating means for outputting information of a virtual straight road having a predetermined road width when it is determined that the present position of the user'"'"'s vehicle is not detected.

5. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising route determining means for determining a route to a destination, route inducing means for presenting the route to the destination to a user by virtue of at least one of voice and display, and route induction information selecting means for selecting information concerning said route from said map information so that the selected information is outputted.

6. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising non-running road deleting means for deleting information of roads other than a running road of the user'"'"'s vehicle from said map information on the basis of the present position of the user'"'"'s vehicle so that the map information subjected to deletion is outputted.

7. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising character/symbol information deleting means for deleting name information inclusive of place names and symbol information from said map information so that the map information subjected to deletion is outputted.

8. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising background information deleting means for deleting background information inclusive of water systems and green zones other than roads from said map information so that the map information subjected to deletion is outputted.

9. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said displaying means includes means for judging whether or not the information concerning the other vehicle should be displayed, the judgement being made on the basis of a map scale of the inputted map information.

10. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising driving mechanism control means for controlling a driving mechanism of the user'"'"'s vehicle so that the user'"'"'s vehicle runs in a state in which an inter-vehicle distance between the user'"'"'s vehicle and a target vehicle for follow-up is maintained at a set value, and activating means for activating said displaying means when said driving mechanism control means starts its operation.

11. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising running condition dependent attribute selecting means for selecting information of a predetermined attribute from said map information in accordance with the running condition of the user'"'"'s vehicle so that the selected attribute information is outputted.

12. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising highway running judging means for judging whether or not the user'"'"'s vehicle is running on a highway or an access road to the highway, said running condition dependent attribute selecting means selecting the highway or the access road to the highway when said highway running judging means determines that the user'"'"'s vehicle is running on the highway.

13. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said running condition dependent attribute selecting means selects the attribute in accordance with the detected speed of the user'"'"'s vehicle.

14. A vehicle position information displaying method comprising the steps of:

detecting a present position of a user'"'"'s vehicle

outputting map information of a predetermined area stored including the detected present position;

detecting the position of another vehicle around the detected present position of the user'"'"'s vehicle; and

displaying the outputted map information, the detected present position of the user'"'"'s vehicle and the detected position of the another vehicle in a superimposed manner on a display screen.

15. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus comprising:

map memory configured to output map information of a predetermined area stored therein;

a first detector apparatus configured to detect a user vehicle'"'"'s present position;

a second detector apparatus configured to detect a position of another vehicle around the detected present position of the user'"'"'s vehicle and to output information of the another vehicle'"'"'s detected position; and

a display configured to superimpose the map information, and information related to the user'"'"'s vehicle present position and of the another vehicle'"'"'s detected position on a display device.

16. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a selector configured to select road information of a running road of the user'"'"'s vehicle from said map information on the basis of the user'"'"'s vehicle present position and to output the selected road information.

17. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus o according to claim 16, further comprising a detector configured to detect a running speed of the user'"'"'s vehicle, and a deletion stopper configured to stop operation of at least one of said running road selector, said non-running road deleter, said character/symbol information deleter and said background information deleter at a point where detected running speed of the user'"'"'s vehicle is below a predetermined speed.

18. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a generator configured to output information of a virtual straight road having a predetermined road width upon a determination that the present position of the user'"'"'s vehicle is not detected.

19. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a determinator device configured to determine a route to a destination, an inducer device configured to present the route to the destination to a user by at least one of voice and visual display, and a route induction information selector configured to select information concerning said route from said map information and to output the selected information.

20. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a deleter configured to delete information of roads other than a running road of the user'"'"'s vehicle from said map information on the basis of the user'"'"'s vehicle present position and to delete the map information subjected to deletion.

21. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a deleter configured to delete name information inclusive of place names and symbol information from said map information and to output the map information subjected to deletion.

22. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a deleter configured to delete background information inclusive of water systems and green zones other than roads from said map information and to output the map information subjected to deletion.

23. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said display is configured to judge whether or not the information concerning the another vehicle should be displayed on the basis of a map scale of the map information.

24. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a controller configured to control a driving mechanism of the user'"'"'s vehicle so that the user'"'"'s vehicle runs in a state in which an inter-vehicle distance between the user'"'"'s vehicle and a target vehicle for follow-up is maintained at a set value, and the display being configeed to be activated at start of operation of said controller.

25. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a running condition dependent attribute selector configured to select information of a predetermined attribute from said map information in accordance with the running condition of the user'"'"'s vehicle and to output the selected attribute information.

26. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said running condition dependent attribute selector is configured to select the attribute in accordance with a detected speed of the user'"'"'s vehicle.

27. A vehicle position information displaying apparatus according to claim 25, further comprising a highway running judgment mechanism configured to judge if the user'"'"'s vehicle is running on a highway or an access road to the highway, and said running condition dependent attribute selector being configured to select the highway or the access road to the highway when said highway running judgment mechanism determines that the user'"'"'s vehicle is running on the highway.