Map display apparatus for motor vehicle

• US 6,421,604 B1
• Filed: 10/08/1999
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Xanavi Informatics Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Koyanagi, Takuo, Yaita, Koichi, Mori, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Donnelly, Arthur D.
• Application Number:
  US09/414,647
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/200, 701/211, 701/28, 340/995, 340/990, 340/988
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3635 Guidance using 3D or perspective road maps
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/15 Vehicle, aircraft or watercraft design
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A map display control apparatus for a motor vehicle including a road map storage device which stores road map data relating to a road map. A bird'"'"'s-eye view data converting circuit converts the road map data into bird'"'"'s-eye view data so that the road map is displayable on a display device according to a bird'"'"'s-eye view method in which the road map is obliquely looked down from above. A display control circuit controls the display device to display the road map according to the bird'"'"'s-eye view data on the display device, wherein the display control circuit controls the display device to display an image representative of a sky in a part of the display device that is close to an upper side of a display screen of the display device.

Claims

1. A map display control apparatus for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a road map storage device which stores road map data relating to a road map;

a bird'"'"'s-eye view data converting circuit that converts said road map data into bird'"'"'s-eye view data so that the road map is displayable on a display device according to a bird s-eye view method in which the road map is obliquely looked down from above; and

a display control circuit that controls the display device to display the road map according to said bird'"'"'s-eye view data on the display device, wherein

said display control circuit controls the display device to display an image representative of a sky in a part of the display device that is close to an upper side of a display screen of the display device.

2. A map display control apparatus for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a road map storage device which stores road map data relating to a road map;

a bird'"'"'s-eye view data converting circuit that converts said road map data into bird'"'"'s-eye view data so that the road map is displayable on a display device according to a bird'"'"'s-eye view method in which the road map is obliquely looked down from above; and

a display control circuit that controls the display device to display the road map according to said bird'"'"'s-eye view data on the display device, wherein

said display control circuit controls the display device to display an image representative of a sky in a part of the display device that is close to an upper side of a display screen of the display device, a display color of the image representative of the sky varying according to conditions.

3. A map display control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said display color of the image representative of the sky varies according to a time of day.

4. A map display control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said display color is a brighter color by day and a darker color by night.

5. A map display control apparatus for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a road map storage device which stores road map data relating to a road map;

a display control circuit that outputs a signal for displaying the road map on a display device;

a bird'"'"'s-eye view data converting circuit which converts said road map data into bird'"'"'s-eye view data so that a bird'"'"'s-eye view taken by obliquely looking down on the road map from above is displayable on the display device; and

a selecting circuit which selects display data from said road map data in an upper region of a display screen of the display device and selects display data from said road map data in a lower region of the display screen, so that an amount of said display data for said upper region is smaller than an amount of said display data for said lower region per unit map area.

6. A map display control apparatus for a motor vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said display control circuit controls the display device to display an image representative of a sky in a part of the display device that is close to an upper side of a display screen of the display device instead of the road map according to said bird'"'"'s-eye view data.

7. A map display control apparatus control apparatus for a motor vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said display data is road data in said road map data.

8. A map display control apparatus for a motor vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said display data is name data in said road map data.

9. A map display control apparatus for a motor vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said display data is background data in said road map data.

10. A map display control apparatus for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a road map storage device which stores road map data relating to a road map;

a bird'"'"'s-eye view data converting circuit that converts said road map data into bird'"'"'s-eye view data so that the road map is displayable on a display device according to a bird'"'"'s-eye view method in which the road map is obliquely looked down from above; and

a display control circuit that controls the display device to display the road map according to said bird'"'"'s-eye view data on the display device;

wherein

said display control circuit controls the display device to display an image representative of a sky in a part of the display device that is close to an upper side of a display screen of the display device instead of the road map according to said bird'"'"'s-eye view data.

11. A map display control apparatus for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a road map storage device which stores road map data relating to a road map;

a bird'"'"'s-eye view data converting circuit that converts road map data regarding a road map, which has a finite range based upon a distance from a view point in a bird'"'"'s-eye view method, into bird'"'"'s-eye view data so that the road map is displayable on a display device according to the bird'"'"'s-eye view method in which the road map is obliquely looked down from above;

a sky data generation circuit that generates sky data so that an image representative of a sky is displayed in a part of the display device that is close to an upper side of a display screen of the display device; and

a display control circuit that controls the display device based upon said converted bird'"'"'s-eye view data and said sky data so that said road map, which has the finite range, and the image representative of a sky are displayed in contact with each other according to the bird'"'"'s-eye view method.

12. A map display control apparatus for a motor vehicle, comprising:

a road map storage device which stores road map data relating to a road map;

a bird'"'"'s-eye view data converting circuit that converts road map data into bird'"'"'s-eye view data so that the road map is displayable on a display device according to the bird'"'"'s-eye view method in which the road map is obliquely looked down from above;

a sky data generation circuit that generates sky data so that an image representative of a sky is displayed in a part of the display device that is close to an upper side of a display screen of the display device; and

a display control circuit that controls the display device so that the road map according to the bird'"'"'s-eye view method, a horizon, and the image representative of a sky are displayable on the display device based upon said converted bird'"'"'s-eye view data and said sky data, wherein

said horizon is set at a predetermined distance from a view point in the bird'"'"'s-eye view method in said converted bird'"'"'s-eye view data.

13. A map display control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said predetermined distance is less than an available distance within said bird'"'"'s-eye view data.

14. A computer product, comprising:

a computer readable medium having stored thereon a map display control system program having program code segments that;

convert stored road map data into bird'"'"'s-eye view data so that a road map is displayable on a display screen of a display device according to a bird'"'"'s-eye view method in which the road map is obliquely looked down from above; and

control a display device to display an image representative of a sky having a variable sky display color in a part of the display device close to an upper side of the display screen.

15. A computer product according to claim 14, wherein said stored map display control system program further includes a code segment that varies the sky display color based on a time of day.

16. A computer product according to claim 15, wherein said stored map display control system program further includes a code segment that provides a brighter display color by day and a darker display color by night.