Method and apparatus for displaying a map

• US 7,239,964 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2004
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takizawa, Akihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/943,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20050090977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/208, 701209-210, 701/211, 701/212, 731/78.R, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995.15, 340/995.17, 340/995.23
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A navigation apparatus and method of displaying a map are provided for scrolling and displaying the map covering the vicinity of a present position such that a relationship with the present position can be constantly recognized.

When a request for a surrounding scroll starting operation is accepted from a user, a display range is moved upward until the present position is located in the center of a lower hem of the display range of the map, that is, until an upper half of a present position mark is positioned in the center of a bottom of the display range. Then, the display range is moved in stages, i.e. in such a manner that the present position is moved to a lower left edge thereof, to an upper left edge thereof, to an upper right edge thereof, and to a lower right edge thereof, in this order. Thereafter, the display range is gradually moved rightward until the present position is located in the center of the lower hem of the display range. Finally, the display range is gradually moved downward until the present position returns to the original position located before starting the first surrounding scroll process.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus to be mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

a map image displaying section operable to display a partial map that is within a display range set on a map; and

a scrolling section operable to move the display range on the map such that a predetermined position on the map is moved from one end to the other of said display range in at least one of a longitudinal and a lateral direction without departing from the display range;

wherein the partial map provides a guidance map image.

2. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the map image displaying section is operable to display the partial map as the guidance map image and a position mark representing the predetermined position on the partial map when the predetermined position is included within the display range;

and

wherein the scrolling section is operable to move the display range on the map in the at least one of longitudinal and lateral directions by a maximum amount in which the position mark is displayed in its entirety within the display range.

3. The navigation apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a present position calculator operable to calculate a present position;

wherein the predetermined position is the present position calculated by the present position calculator and the position mark is a mark representing the present position.

4. The navigation apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a present position calculator operable to calculate a present position and a guidance route search section operable to search for a route from the present position calculated by the present position calculator to a destination designated by the user;

wherein the predetermined position is the destination, and the position mark is a mark representing the destination.

5. The navigation apparatus of claim 2, wherein the predetermined position is a facility position designated by a user and the position mark is a mark representing the facility designated by the user.

6. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said scrolling section is operable to move the display range on the map so that the predetermined position is located proximate to an edge of the display range of the map.

7. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said scrolling section is operable to set a display scale of the partial map serving as the guidance image to a predetermined scale.

8. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a present position calculator operable to calculating the present position;

wherein the predetermined position is the present position calculated by the present position calculator.

9. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a present position calculator operable to calculate the present position and a guidance route search section operable to searching for a route from the present position calculated by the present position calculator to a destination designated by a user;

wherein said predetermined position is said destination.

10. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined position is a facility position designated by the user.

11. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a position designation accepting section operable to display a cursor on the guidance map image and accept designation of a position given by the cursor on the partial map;

wherein the predetermined position is a position accepted by the position designation accepting section.

12. The navigation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a guidance route search section operable to search for a guidance route from the present position calculated by the present position calculator to a destination designated by a user;

wherein said predetermined position is an existing interchange on the guidance route.

13. A navigation apparatus mounted on a vehicle, comprising:

a present position calculator operable to calculate a present position;

a map image displaying section operable to display a partial map that is within a display range set on a map and a present position mark representing the present position on the partial map when the calculated present position is included within the display range; and

a scrolling section operable to set a first display range with the present position located on an end of the display range and set the (n+1)th display range in sequence by rotating the nth display range by a predetermined angle on the map with the present position set as a center of rotation;

wherein the partial map provides a guidance map image and n represents a positive integer.

14. A method of displaying a map in a navigation apparatus to be mounted on a vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

displaying a partial map within a display range set on a map; and

scrolling the display range on the map such that a predetermined position on the map is moved from a first end to a second end of the display range in at least one of a longitudinal and a lateral direction without departing from the display range;

wherein the the partial map moved within the display range provides a guidance map image.

15. The method of displaying a map of claim 14, wherein the predetermined position is located within the display range together with a position mark representing the predetermined position on the partial map;

and

wherein the display range is scrolled on the map in said at least one of a longitudinal and a lateral direction of the map by a maximum amount that allows the position mark to be displayed in its entirety within the display range.

16. The method of displaying a map according to claim 14, further comprising the act of calculating a present position wherein the predetermined position is the present position calculated.

17. A method of displaying a map in a navigation apparatus to be mounted on a vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

calculating a present position;

displaying a partial map within a display range set on a map and a present position mark representing the present position on the partial map when the calculated present position is included within said display range; and

performing a scroll operation, the scroll operation comprising setting a first display range with the present position located on an end of the range, setting the (n+1)th display range in sequence by rotating the nth display range by a predetermined angle on the map with the present position set as a center of rotation, and displaying the partial map that is within the rotated display range and the present position mark on said partial map;

wherein the partial map provides a guidance map image and n represents a positive integer.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the acts of positioning the present position mark in the center of a bottom of the display range, moving the display range such that the present position mark is proximate to the lower left edge of the display range of the map, moving the display range such that the present position mark is proximate to the upper left edge of the display range of the map, moving the display range such that the present position mark is proximate to the upper right edge of the display range of the map, moving the display range such that the present position mark is proximate to the lower right edge of the display range of the map.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the only a portion of the present position mark is visible when placed proximate to an edge of the display range of the map.