Abridged map generating apparatus, on-vehicle information terminal, abridged map distribution system and abridged map generating method

• US 7,477,269 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2005
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Xanavi Informatics Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sumizawa, Akio, Morita, Manabu, Asahara, Akinori, Maruyama, Kishiko, Hiroike, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Xiao M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoang; Phi
• Application Number:
  US11/250,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20060085126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 345/441, 345/601
• US Class Current: 345/680
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map

Abstract

An abridged map generating apparatus includes a polygon shape data extraction unit that extracts from map data polygon shape data specifying the shape of a polygon, a polygon shape simplification unit that simplifies the shape of the polygon based upon the polygon shape data which is extracted by the polygon shape data extraction unit, and a polygon drawing unit that draws upon a map the polygon whose shape has been simplified by the polygon shape simplification unit.

Claims

1. An abridged map generating apparatus, comprising:

a polygon shape data extraction unit that extracts from map data polygon shape data specifying shapes of polygons corresponding to a shoreline, pond, lake or river;

an integration unit that integrates a part of a polygon and a part of a road which are mutually adjacent and creates an integrated link for indicating the both parts of the polygon and the road by common data;

a polygon shape simplification unit that simplifies shapes of the polygons based upon the polygon shape data which is extracted by the polygon shape data extraction unit;

an integrated link shape simplification unit that simplifies a shape of the integrated link created by the integration unit;

a separation unit that separates the integrated link whose shape is simplified by the integrated link shape simplification unit into a polygon separation link and a road separation link; and

a drawing unit that draws upon a map the polygons whose shapes have been simplified by the polygon shape simplification unit, and that draws upon the map the polygon separation link and the road separation link which are separated by the separation unit.

2. An abridged map generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the integrated link shape simplification unit simplifies the shape of the integrated link with fixed positions of both end points of the integrated link.

3. An abridged map generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

an abridged map which is generated by simplifying a road shape based upon the map data is displayed as the map.

4. An abridged map generating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

an abridged map which is generated by simplifying a road shape based upon the map data is displayed as the map.

5. An on-vehicle information terminal, comprising:

an abridged map generating apparatus according to claim 1; and

a display control unit that causes an abridged map generated by the abridged map generating apparatus to be displayed upon a display monitor.

6. An abridged map distribution system, comprising:

an abridged map generating apparatus according to claim 1;

a distribution apparatus that distributes an abridged map generated by the abridged map generating apparatus; and

a navigation apparatus that receives the abridged map distributed by the distribution apparatus.

7. An abridged map generating method, comprising:

extracting polygon shape data specifying shapes of polygons corresponding to a shoreline, pond, lake or river from map data;

integrating a part of a polygon and a part of a road which are mutually adjacent;

creating an integrated link for indicating the both parts of the polygon and the road by common data;

simplifying shapes of the polygons and a shape of the integrated link which has been created based upon the polygon shape data which has been extracted;

separating the integrated link whose shape has been simplified into a polygon separation link and a road separation link;

drawing the polygons whose shapes have been simplified upon a map; and

drawing the polygon separation link and the road separation link which have been separated upon the map.