Navigation device

• US 6,442,478 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2001
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hamada, Hiroyuki, Sakamoto, Kiyomi, Ueyama, Yoshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/760,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20010008991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/201, 340/990, 340/995, 340/989
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects

Abstract

In order to implement a navigation device in which landmarks are much less monotonous, and the applicability thereof is wider, the navigation device of the present invention operates as follows. A landmark is displayed in either normal display (still) and emphatic display (animated) by referring to landmark information. Specifically, referring to for normal display is shape information and positional information in the landmark information, and for emphatic display, an emphatic display execution file therein is referred to. For emphatic display, a group of instruction described in the emphatic display execution file are interpreted and executed so that the landmark is animated.

Claims

1. A navigation device displaying landmarks together with a guidance route on a map, said device comprising:

a cartographic data storage part for storing cartographic data;

a landmark information storage part for storing landmark information;

an output part for at least outputting, for display, information needed for guidance;

an input part for receiving positional information needed at least for route search;

a route search part for searching for the guidance route on said cartographic data in response to said positional information from said input part;

a display state determination part for determining, as to each of the landmarks on the guidance route found by said route search part, between normal display and emphatic display; and

a display control part for bringing said output part to display the map based on the cartographic data read from said cartographic data storage part, to display said found guidance route on said displayed map, and to appropriately place and display the landmarks on said displayed map, wherein

said display control part determines between normal display and emphatic display for each of the landmarks depending on a determination made by said display state determination part.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein

said landmark information includes display information about the landmarks for emphatic display in the format of an execution file, and

said display control part interprets and executes said execution file to bring said output part to emphatically display the landmarks.

3. The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein, in the execution file included in said landmark information, a group of instructions are described to animate the landmarks.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein

said landmark information includes attribute information which defines the landmarks by attribute, and

said display state determination part comprises:

a real-time information acquisition part for acquiring real-time information as a variable parameter; and

a determination part for determining between normal display and emphatic display based on the real-time information acquired by said real-time information acquisition part and the attribute information stored in said landmark information.

5. The navigation device according to claim 4, wherein

said attribute information includes type information indicating each of the landmarks by type, and

said determination part determines between normal display and emphatic display based on the real-time information acquired by said real-time information acquisition part and the type information in said attribute information.

6. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a landmark information acquisition part for acquiring a latest landmark information coming from outside through communications; and

an update part for bringing said landmark information storage part to store the landmark information provided by said landmark information acquisition part as the latest.

7. A navigation device displaying landmarks together with a guidance route on a map, said device comprising:

a cartographic data storage part for storing cartographic data;

a landmark information storage part for storing landmark information;

an output part for at least outputting, for display, information needed for guidance;

an input part for receiving positional information needed at least for route search;

a route search part for searching for the guidance route on the cartographic data in response to the positional information from said input part;

a display control part for controlling said output part to display the map based on the cartographic data read from the cartographic data storage part, to display the guidance route on the displayed map, and to appropriately place and display the landmarks on the displayed map;

a landmark selection part for selecting, from the landmarks displayed by the landmark information stored in said landmark information storage part, any landmark found on the guidance route,

a landmark information acquisition part for acquiring, from outside through communications, latest landmark information relating to the landmark selected by said landmark selection part; and

an update part for bringing said landmark information storage part to store the landmark information provided by said landmark information acquisition part as latest landmark information.