In-vehicle navigation apparatus

• US 6,567,744 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2001
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Morita, Hiroyuki, Katayama, Mutsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GIBSON, ERIC M
• Application Number:
  US09/808,182
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/208, 701/207, 701/210, 701/211, 701/212, 340/990, 340/995, 342/357.13
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

A size of an area extending along a planned route is changed in accordance with a detected vehicle'"'"'s speed. Map information corresponding to the extending area is extracted from the map information stored in map information storage means. The extracted map information is displayed, along with vehicle'"'"'s current location, on display means.

Claims

1. An in-vehicle navigation apparatus, comprising:

current positional information generating means for detecting a current location of a vehicle and generating current positional information;

map information storage means for storing map information including road information;

display map information generating means for reading a predetermined area of map information from said map information storage means on the basis of said current positional information and generating display map information from the map information thus read;

display means for displaying said display map information and said current positional information;

travel route planning means for planning a travel route of said vehicle on the basis of said road information; and

vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a speed at which said vehicle travels,

wherein said display map information generating means changes a size of an extending area which extends along said travel route in accordance with said vehicle speed and extracts map information corresponding to said extending area from said map information read from said map information storage means, thereby providing said display map information;

wherein said extending area is a rectangular area extending along said travel route and said display map information generating means changes an area width of said rectangular area in accordance with said vehicle speed and extracts map information on said rectangular area from said map information read from said map information storage means, thereby providing said display map information.

2. The in-vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display map information generating means has vehicle speed determination means for determining if said vehicle speed is higher than a predetermined speed.

3. The in-vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, if said vehicle speed determination means determines that said vehicle speed is less than said predetermined speed, said display map information generating means uses said map information read from said map information storage means as said display map information, and said display means displays said display map information, said current positional information, and said travel route.

4. The in-vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, if said vehicle speed determination means determines that said vehicle speed is higher than said predetermined speed, said display map information generating means sets the size of said extending area to zero and said display means displays said current positional information and said travel route.

5. The in-vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, if said vehicle speed determination means determines that said vehicle speed is higher than said predetermined speed, said display map information generating means uses, as said display map information, rectangular area map information extracted with a predetermined width as said area width.

6. The in-vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an area covered by said map information stored in said map information storage means is an area extending along said travel route and presenting a generally rectangular shape having a width greater than or equal to said area width.

7. A vehicle navigation apparatus, comprising

a navigation module having therein desired starting and destination points, said navigation module being capable of detecting and comparing vehicle speed with at least one predetermined reference speed;

an output device operatively interfaced with said navigation module, said output device displaying the desired starting and destination points and a calculated navigable route representation therebetween,

wherein said output device displays limited map detail with respect to the calculated navigable route representation when a vehicle speed exceeds said at least one predetermined reference speed, said limited map detail consists of road representations extending a predetermined distance from sides of the calculated navigable route representation along an entire length thereof.

8. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 7, wherein said limited map detail is determined based upon specific area surrounding an entire length of the calculated navigable route representation.

9. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 7, wherein said predetermined distance is represented in one of kilometers and miles.

10. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 7, wherein said limited map detail consists of road representations and landmark data extending a predetermined distance from sides of the calculated navigable route representation along an entire length thereof.

11. The vehicle navigation device according to claim 10, wherein said predetermined distance is represented in one of kilometers and miles.

12. A method for displaying navigation information, comprising the steps of:

determining a starting point and a destination point;

calculating a navigable route between the starting point and the destination point;

displaying the starting point, destination point and the navigable route; and

limiting map data displayed along sides of the navigable route to only road representations when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of limiting does not allow any map data displayed when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of limiting limits the map data displayed along the sides of the navigable route to only road representations and landmark information when the vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined value.

15. An in-vehicle navigation method, comprising:

detecting a current location of a vehicle;

obtaining a desired destination point for the vehicle;

generating current positional information to include the current location of the vehicle and the desired destination point;

reading an area of map information from a map information storage device on the basis the current positional information;

generating display map information from the map information thus read;

displaying the display map information and the current positional information;

planning a travel route of the vehicle on the basis of the current positional information;

detecting a speed at which the vehicle is traveling; and

changing a size of an extending area of the display map information of said displaying, which extends along the travel route, in accordance with a speed of the vehicle;

wherein said extending area is a rectangular area extending along said travel route and said display map information generating means changes an area width of said rectangular area in accordance with said vehicle speed and extracts map information on said rectangular area from said map information read from said map information storage means, thereby providing said display map information.