Navigation apparatus

• US 7,006,916 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2003
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawasaki, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson, Eric M.
• Application Number:
  US10/441,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20030220736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 701/206, 701/207, 701/208, 701/211, 340/995.1, 340/995.14, 340/995.15, 340/995.19, 340/995.24
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence

Abstract

The navigation apparatus includes a unit for displaying a real image on a display screen on the basis of real image data, and a unit for displaying additional information such as a primary place name or a primary building name in a position where the additional information should be displayed on the real image, on the basis of additional information data corresponding to the additional information and position data showing the position where the additional information should be displayed. Further, the navigation apparatus has a function of limiting the display area of the additional information so as to prevent the additional information from being displayed in an area having a relatively high level of importance. Thus, the real image is prevented from being difficult to see in the area having a high level of importance.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus, comprising:

a display screen;

a first display control unit which makes the display screen display a real image, based on real image data formed to be able to associate with positional coordinates and which determines a limited display area including a current position of the navigational apparatus that is less than the real image based on the current position of the navigation apparatus; and

a second display control unit which displays additional information over the real image displayed on the display screen, based on additional information data corresponding to character information and position data indicating a position where the additional information should be displayed,

wherein the second display control unit displays the additional information within an area on the real image displayed on the display screen other than the limited display area.

2. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the first display control unit displays the real image showing a periphery of a current position of the navigation apparatus on the display screen based on position information indicating the current position of the navigation apparatus, the limited display area does not include a neighborhood of the current position of the navigation apparatus.

3. A navigation apparatus, comprising:

a display screen;

a first display control unit which makes the display screen display a real image, based on real image data formed to be able to associate with positional coordinates; and

a second display control unit which displays additional information on the real image display on the display screen, based on character information data corresponding to additional information and position data indicating a position where the additional information is to be displayed,

wherein the second display unit, based on a category specified by a user and contained in the additional information and category data associated with the additional information, differentiates and displays only the specified category of the additional information from that of the other categories of the additional information.

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

a control unit that allows the user to specify the at least one category of the additional information from among the plural categories of the additional information.

5. A navigation apparatus, comprising:

a display screen;

a first display control unit which makes the display screen display a real image, based on real image data formed to be able to associate with positional coordinates; and

a second display control unit which displays additional information on the real image display on the display screen, based on additional information data corresponding to character information and position data indicating a position where the additional information is to be displayed,

wherein the second display control unit selects a display form of the additional information based on a condition that the real image is displayed at or near the position where the additional information should be displayed, and displaying the additional information on the real image in the selected display form.

6. The navigation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the condition that the real image is displayed is a color tone of the real image and the additional information is displayed in a color tone different from the color tone of the real image to be made conspicuous.

7. A navigation apparatus, comprising:

a display screen;

a first display control unit which makes the display screen display a real image, based on real image data formed to be able to associate with positional coordinates; and

a second display control unit which displays additional information on the real image display on the display screen, based on character information data corresponding to the additional information and position data indicating a position where the additional information is to be displayed,

wherein the second display control unit selects a display form of the additional information based on category data associated with the additional information, and displays the additional information on the real image in the selected display form.

8. A navigation apparatus, comprising:

a display screen;

a first display control unit which makes the display screen display a real image, based on real image data formed to be able to associate with positional coordinates;

a second display control unit which displays additional information including character information on the real image display on the display screen, based on additional information data corresponding to additional information and position data indicating a position where the additional information is to be displayed;

a change specifying unit which allows a user to specify a change of a display form of the additional information to be displayed on the real image;

a change content storing unit which stores a content of the change of the display form; and

a storage control unit which makes the change content storing unit store the content of the change of the display form specified by the change specifying unit;

wherein the second display control unit selects the display form of the additional information based on the content stored in the change content storing unit, and displays the additional information on the real image in the selected display form.

9. The navigation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the change specifying unit allows the user to specify at least one of the position where the additional information should be displayed, a condition that the real image is displayed in or near the position where the additional information should be displayed, and a category associated with the additional information, as the change of the display form of the additional information.

10. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a display screen;

a first display control unit which makes the display screen display a real image, based on real image data formed to be able to associate with positional coordinates; and

a second display control unit which displays additional information on the real image display on the display screen, based on additional information data corresponding to additional information and position data indicating a position where the additional information is to be displayed,

wherein when the second display control unit determines that an instruction to display the additional information has been given by a user, the second display control unit displays the additional information on the real image for a predetermined period.

11. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a display screen;

a first display control unit which makes the display screen display a real image, based on real image data formed to be able to associate with positional coordinates; and

a second display control unit which displays additional information on the real image display on the display screen, based on additional information data corresponding to additional information and position data indicating a position where the additional information is to be displayed,

wherein when the additional information is displayed on the real image and the second display control unit determines that an instruction to erase the additional information has been given by a user, the second display control unit erases the additional information from the real image for a predetermined period.

12. A navigation apparatus, comprising:

a display screen which displays information required for reaching a destination to guide the navigation apparatus to the destination; and

a display control unit which displays on the display screen real images showing peripheries of points on a guide route subsequently at predetermined time intervals, from a second point to a first point along the guide route on the basis of route information and real image data, wherein;

the route information relates to the guide route for the navigation apparatus to reach a first point;

the real image data is formed to associate with positional coordinates; and

the navigation apparatus will pass through the second point before reaching the first point.