Image display

• US 7,539,572 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2002
• Issued: 05/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohta, Takashi, Takeuchi, Hiroshi, Matsumoto, Yasuo, Kamikawa, Noriyuki, Fujimoto, Shoji, Yamaguchi, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behncke; Christine M
• Application Number:
  US10/272,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20030078724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,412 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/211, 701/212, 701/200, 701/209, 701/207, 340/990, 340/995.11, 340/995.17, 340/995.14, 340/995.1, 340/995.2, 340/995.27, 340/995.24, 345/698, 345/613, 345/640, 345/641, 345/636
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• 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: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence

Abstract

An image display whereby one can extremely easily know the current position of one'"'"'s own vehicle and also grasp the actual situation around the current position of the vehicle, and with which the user gets highly satisfied. The image display includes a display device to display a photo picture on a prescribed reduced scale which is prepared based on photo data on a first scale that is read from a storage device in which photo data of two or more types in different scales to one area is stored, and a display switching device to conduct display switching according to a user'"'"'s command to a photo picture on another reduced scale which is prepared based on photo data in a second scale that is different from the first scale.

Claims

1. An image display comprising:

a display panel configured to substantially simultaneously display a map picture and a photo picture;

a map data storage device to store map data;

a map picture preparing device that reads the map data stored in said map data storage device, and prepares the map picture based on the read map data and a first coefficient of composition, α

;

a map picture display device that displays the map picture prepared by said map picture preparing device on said display panel;

a photo data storage device to store first photo data taken by satellite photography or air photography and showing a limited surface area of the earth;

a photo picture preparing device that reads second photo data regarding a current position of one'"'"'s own based on current position information indicating the current position of the one from said photo data storage device, and prepares a photo picture showing a periphery of the current position of the one based on the second photo data and a second coefficient of composition, β

, such that the photo picture includes second photo data only within the periphery of the current position of the one;

a position judging device that judges whether the one is within the area based on the current position information; and

a photo picture display device that overlays the photo picture on a corresponding area of the map picture for display on said display panel when said position judging device judges that the one is within the area, and displays a current position mark on the displayed photo picture;

wherein when said position judging device judges that the one is within the area, the one is automatically notified of entering into the area by said photo picture display device changing a displayed color of the current position mark on the displayed photo picture as an indicator of being within the area.

2. An image display in accordance with claim 1 wherein the second coefficient of composition β

is one of 1−

α and

1.

3. An image display in accordance with claim 1 wherein the one is able to determine which photo picture to display based on a past driving record of the one.

4. An image display comprising:

a display panel configured to substantially simultaneously display a map picture and a photo picture;

a map data storage device to store map data;

a map picture preparing device that reads the map data stored in said map data storage device, and prepares the map picture based on the read map data and a first coefficient of composition, α

;

a map picture display device that displays the map picture prepared by said map picture preparing device on said display panel;

a photo data storage device to store first photo data taken by satellite photography or air photography and showing a limited surface area of the earth;

a photo picture preparing device that reads second photo data regarding a current position of one'"'"'s own based on current position information indicating the current position of the one from said photo data storage device, and prepares a photo picture showing a periphery of the current position of the one based on the second photo data and a second coefficient of composition, β

, such that the photo picture includes second photo data only within the periphery of the current position of the one;

a position judging device that judges whether the one is within the area based on the current position information;

a notification image generating device that generates a notification image overlaid on the displayed map picture when the position judging device judges that the one is within the area; and

a photo picture display device that overlays the photo picture in a corresponding area of the map picture for display on said display panel in response to a user commanding, by touching the notification image overlaid on the displayed map picture, that the photo picture be displayed in the corresponding area of the map picture instead of the map picture when said position judging device judges that the one is within the area, and displays a current position mark on the displayed photo picture.

5. An image display in accordance with claim 4 wherein the second coefficient of composition β

is one of 1−

α and

1.

6. An image display comprising:

a display panel configured to substantially simultaneously display a map picture and a photo picture;

a map data storage device to store map data;

a map picture preparing device that reads the map data stored in said map data storage device, and prepares the map picture based on the read map data and a first coefficient of composition, α

;

a map picture display device that displays the map picture prepared by said map picture preparing device on said display panel;

a photo data storage device that stores first photo data taken by satellite photography or air photography and showing a limited surface area of the earth;

a photo picture preparing device that reads second photo data regarding a current position of one'"'"'s own based on current position information indicating the current position of the one from said photo data storage device, and prepares a photo picture showing a periphery of the current position of the one based on the second photo data and a second coefficient of composition, β

, such that the photo picture includes second photo data only within the periphery of the current position of the one;

a position judging device that judges whether the one is within the area based on the current position information;

a switch forming device that forms a command switch which a user can turn on to command that the photo picture be displayed when said position judging device judges that the one is within the area; and

a photo picture display device that overlays the photo picture in a corresponding area of the map picture for display on said display panel when the user turns on the command switch and displays a current position mark on the displayed photo picture,

wherein said switch forming device forms the command switch on the displayed map picture only when said position judging device judges that the one is within the area so as to allow the one to command that the photo picture be displayed instead of the map picture.

7. An image display in accordance with claim 6 wherein the second coefficient of composition β

is one of 1−

α and

1.