Map display apparatus

• US 6,756,919 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2003
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Xanavi Informatics Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Xanavi Informatics Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Aikawa, Tetsumori, Shojima, Hiroshi, Fujiwara, Toshio, Harada, Kaoru, Endo, Yoshinori, Hirano, Motoki
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/440,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20030197626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 407 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/990, 340/991, 340/995.1, 340/996, 340/995.12, 340/995.13, 340/995.15, 340/995.17, 340/995.24, 340/995.25, 340/995.27, 340/995.28, 701/201, 701/202, 701/209, 701/211, 701/212, 701/28, 345/118, 345/119, 345/139
• US Class Current: 340/995.14
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3635 Guidance using 3D or perspective road maps
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/005 Map projections or methods associated specifically therewith
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

A map display apparatus includes a map data memory which stores map data necessary for plotting a map of a predetermined region; a map display which reads map data out of the map data memory and plots a bird'"'"'s-eye view display by projecting the map data read out from the map data memory onto a projection plane which makes a projection angle with a plane of the map data read out from the map data memory, the projection angle being greater than 0° and less than 90°, the bird'"'"'s-eye view display including identifying marks which identify items in the bird'"'"'s-eye view display; and an identifying mark overlap preventer which prevents identifying marks from overlapping one another in the bird'"'"'s-eye view display.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a road map data reader for obtaining road map data;

an angle setter for setting a look down angle so as to generate a bird'"'"'s-eye view map looking down obliquely from above;

a bird'"'"'s-eye view map generator for generating a bird'"'"'s-eye view map in accordance with road map data obtained from said road map data reader and said look down angle set by said angle setter;

a car position detector having at least one of Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, car speed sensor for detecting speed of the car and a direction sensor for detecting moving direction of the car, to detect present position of the car; and

a display controller for displaying a present position mark on a display apparatus in accordance with the set look down angle on a position of the bird'"'"'s-eye view map corresponding to car position detected by the car position detector, together with bird'"'"'s-eye view map generated by the bird'"'"'s-eye view map generator.

2. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a map generator for generating a plan view map in accordance with road map data obtained by said road map data reader,

wherein said display control apparatus coincides the shape of the present position mark to be displayed with the bird'"'"'s-eye view map with the shape of the present position mark displayed on the plane view map in accordance with the position of the car in displaying the plan view map, as the looking down angle approaches to 90 degrees in displaying the bird'"'"'s-eye view map.

3. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a road map data reader for obtaining road map data;

a bird'"'"'s-eye view map generator for generating a bird'"'"'s-eye view map looking down obliquely from above, in accordance with the road map data obtained by the road map data reader;

a car position detector having at least one of Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, car speed sensor for detecting moving direction of the car, to detect position of the car moving on a road;

a display controller for displaying a mark of shape on a display apparatus in accordance with a set look down angle on a position of the bird'"'"'s-eye view map corresponding to car position detected by the car position detector, together with bird'"'"'s-eye view map generated by the bird'"'"'s-eye view map generator; and

a look down angle change detector for detecting change of look down angle of the bird'"'"'s-eye view map,

wherein said bird'"'"'s-eye view map generating means generates the bird'"'"'s-eye view map in accordance with the look down angle after the look down angle has changed, when a change of the look down angle is detected by the look down angle change detector, and

wherein said display controller displays a car mark on a shape of the display apparatus in accordance with the look down angle after the look down angle has changed at the corresponding position of the car in accordance with the look down angle after the look down angle has changed on the bird'"'"'s-eye view map together with the bird'"'"'s-eye view map in accordance with the look down angle after the look down angle has changed, when a change of the look down angle is detected by the look down angle change detector.

4. A navigation apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a map generator for generating a plan view map in accordance with road map data obtained by said road map data reader,

wherein said display control apparatus coincides the shape of the present position mark to be displayed with the bird'"'"'s-eye view map with the shape of the present position mark displayed on the plane view map in accordance with the position of the car in displaying the plan view map, as the looking down angle approaches to 90 degrees in displaying the bird'"'"'s-eye view map.

5. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing map data for making a map of a predetermined region;

an angle setter for setting a look down angle so as to generate a bird'"'"'s-eye view map looking down obliquely from above;

a bird'"'"'s-eye view map generator for generating a bird'"'"'s-eye view map in accordance with the map data obtained from said memory and the look down angle set by the angle setter;

a car position detector having at least one of Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, car speed sensor for detecting speed of the car and a direction sensor for detecting moving direction of the car, to detect present position of the car; and

a display controller for displaying a present position mark on a display apparatus in accordance with the set look down angle on a position of the bird'"'"'s-eye view map corresponding to the car position detected by the car position detector, together with the bird'"'"'s-eye view map generated by the bird'"'"'s-eye view map generator.

6. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a memory for storing map data for making a map of a predetermined region;

a bird'"'"'s-eye view map generator for generating a bird'"'"'s-eye view map looking down obliquely from above, in accordance with the map data obtained by the memory;

a car position detector having at least one of Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, car speed sensor for detecting speed of the car and a direction sensor for detecting moving direction of the car, to detect position of the car moving on a road;

a display controller for displaying a mark of a shape on a display apparatus in accordance with the set look down angle on a position of the bird'"'"'s-eye view map corresponding to the car position detected by the car position detector, together with the bird'"'"'s-eye view map generated by the bird'"'"'s-eye view map generator; and

a look down angle change detector for detecting a change of look down angle of the bird'"'"'s-eye view map,

wherein said bird'"'"'s-eye view map generating means generates the bird'"'"'s-eye view map in accordance with the look down angle after the look down angle has changed, when a change of the look down angle is detected by the look down angle change detector, and

wherein said display controller displays a car mark on a shape of the display apparatus in accordance with the look down angle after the look down angle has changed at the corresponding position of the car in accordance with the look down angle after the look down angle has changed on the bird'"'"'s-eye view map, together with bird'"'"'s-eye view map in accordance with the look down angle after the look down angle has changed, when a change of the look down angle is detected by the look down angle change detector.

7. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a road map data reader for obtaining road map data;

an angle setter for setting a look down angle so as to generate a bird'"'"'s-eye view map looking down obliquely from above;

a perspective view map generator for generating a perspective view map by carrying out perspective transformation at an angle looking down obliquely from above, in accordance with the road map data obtained by the road map data reader;

a car position detector having at least one of Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, car speed sensor for detecting speed of the car and a direction sensor for detecting moving direction of the car, to detect a present position of the car; and

a display controller for displaying a present position mark on a display apparatus in accordance with the set look down angle on a position of the bird'"'"'s-eye view map corresponding to the car position detected by the car position detector, together with bird'"'"'s-eye view map generated by the bird'"'"'s-eye view map generator.

8. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a road map data reader for obtaining road map data;

a perspective view map generator for generating a perspective view map by carrying out perspective transformation at an angle looking down obliquely from above, in accordance with the road map data obtained by the road map data reader;

a car position detector having at least one of Global Positioning System (GPS) sensor, car speed sensor for detecting moving direction of the car, to detect position of the car moving on a road;

a display controller for displaying a mark of a shape on a display apparatus in accordance with the set look down angle on a position of the perspective view map corresponding to car position detected by the car position detector, together with the perspective view map generator; and

a look down angle change detector for detecting a change of a look down angle of the perspective view map,

wherein said perspective view map generating means generates the perspective view map in accordance with the look down angle after the look down angle has changed, when a change of the look down angle is detected by the look down angle change detector, and

wherein said display controller displays a car mark on a shape of the display apparatus in accordance with the look down angle after the look down angle has changed at the corresponding position of the car in accordance with the look down angle after the look down angle has changed on the bird'"'"'s-eye view map, together with perspective view map in accordance with the look down angle after the look down angle has changed, when a change of the look down angle is detected by the look down angle change detector.