Map image display device

• US 7,088,266 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2003
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Masaki, Nakayama, Okihiko, Seto, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANG, SON M
• Application Number:
  US10/648,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20040080434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,077 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/995.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A map image display device is configured and arranged to improve operability by enabling a map image of a location distant from a currently displayed map image to be appropriately displayed with a simple operation. The map image display device displays names that are subject to a user'"'"'s input command superimposed on a map image, and, if one of the displayed names is specified, switches the map image to be displayed to a map image in the vicinity of the specified name. At this time, the map image display device selects as the name to be superimposed on the map image at least one distant map name that is not included in the map image to be displayed, and displays that selected distant map name superimposed in the map image peripheral part corresponding to the bearing from the center of the map image to be displayed.

Claims

1. A map image display device comprising:

an input unit configured to input user commands;

a display unit configured to display map images; and

a control unit operatively coupled to the display unit to display on the display unit a current displayed map image with at least one user selectable distant map name corresponding to a distant location that is not located in the current displayed map image,

said control unit being configured to switch from the current displayed map image to a new displayed map image in response to a user input command such that the new displayed map image represents an area including the distant location corresponding to the distant map name selected by the user input command, the control unit being further configured to display the distant map name on the display unit in a peripheral part of the display unit that corresponds to a relative direction of the distant location relative to a center point of the current displayed map image.

2. The map image display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to display on the display unit at least one intra-map name corresponding to a displayed location that is located in the current displayed map image.

3. A map image display device comprising:

an input unit configured to input user commands;

a display unit configured to display map images; and

a control unit operatively coupled to the display unit to display on the display unit a current displayed map image with at least one user selectable distant map name corresponding to a distant location that is not located in the current displayed map image,

said control unit being configured to switch from the current displayed map image to a new displayed map image in response to a user input command such that the new displayed map image represents an area including the distant location corresponding to the distant map name selected by the user input command,

the control unit being further configured to include

a map image setting section configured to determine the current displayed map image to be displayed;

a telephoto distance setting section configured to set a telephoto distance to a prescribed distance that extends from a center point of the current displayed map image determined to be displayed by the map image setting section to a position not included in the current displayed map image to be displayed;

a display name selecting section configured to select at least one intra-map name to be displayed corresponding to a location that is located in the current displayed map image, and to select the distant map name as a telephoto name to be displayed and that is included in a telephoto region that is not included in the current displayed map image, the telephoto region being based on a position distant from the center of the current displayed map image to be displayed by at least the telephoto distance that is set by the telephoto distance setting section; and

a display image creating section configured to create a display image including the current displayed map image with the intra-map name and the distant map name that were selected by the display name selecting section such that the intra-map name is to be displayed at a location superimposed on the current displayed map image that corresponds to the intra-map name and the distant map name is to be superimposed at a position on the current displayed map image that corresponds to a relative direction of the distant location relative to the center point of the current displayed map image;

the control unit being further configured to display the distant map name on the display unit in a peripheral part of the display unit.

4. The map image display device as recited in claim 3, wherein

said telephoto distance setting section is further configured to set the telephoto distance in accordance with a scale of the current displayed map image to be displayed determined by the map image setting section.

5. The map image display device as recited in claim 3, wherein

the map image display device is configured to be installed in a mobile body;

and

the telephoto distance setting section is further configured to vary the telephoto distance according to a moving speed of the mobile body.

6. The map image display device as recited in claim 3, wherein

the map image display device is configured to be installed in a mobile body and further comprises

a history information storing section configured to store a movement history of the mobile body;

and

said telephoto distance setting being further configured to calculate a telephoto distance setting value based on the movement history stored in the history information storing section, and to set the telephoto distance in accordance with the telephoto distance setting value calculated.

7. The map image display device as recited in claim 6, wherein

said telephoto distance setting is further configured to calculate the telephoto distance setting value based on at least one of an average movement distance of the mobile body per day and an average maximum movement range of the mobile body stored in the history information storing section as the movement history, and to set the telephoto distance in accordance with the telephoto distance setting value calculated.

8. The map image display device as recited in claim 7, wherein

said telephoto distance setting section is further configured to calculate the telephoto distance setting value on a daily basis for each day of a week and to set the telephoto distance in accordance with the telephoto distance setting value calculated that corresponds to a current day of the week in which the map image display device is used.

9. The map image display device as recited in claim 7, wherein

said telephoto distance setting section is further configured to calculate the telephoto distance setting value on a seasonal basis for each season of a year and to set the telephoto distance in accordance with the telephoto distance setting value calculated that corresponds to a current season of the year in which the map image display device is used.

10. The map image display device as recited in claim 7, wherein

said telephoto distance setting section is further configured to reduce the telephoto distance as a movement distance of the mobile body from a movement start position increases.

11. The map image display device as recited in claim 3, wherein

the map image display device is configured to be installed in a mobile body;

and

the display name selecting section is further configured to select a distant map location as the distant map name to be displayed that is included in the telephoto region position in a direction of movement of the mobile body.

12. The map image display device as recited in claim 3, wherein

the display name selecting section is further configured to select as the distant map name to be displayed that is type of location specified by a user'"'"'s input command.

13. A map image display device comprising:

an input unit configured to input user commands;

a display unit configured to display map images; and

a control unit operatively coupled to the display unit to display on the display unit a current displayed map image with at least one user selectable distant map name corresponding to a distant location that is not located in the current displayed map image,

said control unit being configured to switch from the current displayed map image to a new displayed map image in response to a user input command such that the new displayed map image represents an area including the distant location corresponding to the distant map name selected by the user input command,

the control unit being further configured to include

a map image setting section configured to determine the current displayed map image to be displayed;

a destination setting section configured to set at least one of an en route location and a destination;

a display name selecting section configured to select at least one intra-map name to be displayed corresponding to a location that is located in the current displayed map image, and to select the distant map name as the at least one of the en route location and the destination to be displayed and that is located at a point that is not included in the current displayed map image; and

a display image creating section configured to create a display image including the current displayed map image with the intra-map name and the at least one of the en route location and the destination that were selected by the display name selecting section such that the intra-map name is to be displayed at a location superimposed on the current displayed map image that corresponds to the intra-map name and the at least one of the en route location and the destination is to be superimposed at a position on the current displayed map image that corresponds to a relative direction of the distant location relative to the center point of the current displayed map image;

the control unit being further configured to display the distant map name on the display unit in a peripheral part of the display unit.

14. The map image display device as recited in claim 13, wherein

said telephoto distance setting section is further configured to set the telephoto distance in accordance with a scale of the current displayed map image to be displayed determined by the map image setting section.

15. The map image display device as recited in claim 13, wherein

the map image display device is configured to be installed in a mobile body;

and

the telephoto distance setting section is further configured to vary the telephoto distance according to a moving speed of the mobile body.

16. A map image display device comprising:

input means for inputting user commands;

display means for displaying map images; and

control means for controlling the display means to display a current displayed map image with at least one user selectable distant map name corresponding to a distant location that is not located in the current displayed map image, and for switch from the current displayed map image to a new displayed map image in response to a user input command such that the new displayed map image represents an area including the distant location corresponding to the distant map name selected by the user input command, the control means further including a function for controlling the display means to display the distant map name on the display means in a peripheral part of the display means that corresponds to a relative direction of the distant location relative to a center point of the current displayed map image.

17. A map image display program embodied on a computer-readable medium having computer-executable components comprising:

a displaying program with instructions for displaying on a display unit a current displayed map image with at least one user selectable distant map name corresponding to a distant location that is not located in the current displayed map image, the displaying program further including instructions for displaying the distant map name on the display unit in a peripheral part of the display unit that corresponds to a relative direction of the distant location relative to a center point of the current displayed map image, and

a switching program with instructions for switching from the current displayed map image to a new displayed map image in response to an input command such that the new displayed map image represents an area including the distant location corresponding to the distant map name selected by the input command.

18. A method for displaying map images comprising:

displaying on a display unit a current displayed map image with at least one user selectable distant map name corresponding to a distant location that is not located in the current displayed map image,

displaying the distant map name on the display unit in a peripheral part of the display unit that corresponds to a relative direction of the distant location relative to a center point of the current displayed map image, and

switching from the current displayed map image to a new displayed map image in response to an input command such that the new displayed map image represents an area including the distant location corresponding to the distant map name selected by the input command.