Traffic situation display device, method and program thereof and recording medium with the program recorded therein

• US 7,683,805 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2005
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Increment P Corporation, Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Increment P Corporation, Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Amano, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl; Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/630,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20070273555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• Field of Search: 340/935, 340988-990, 340/995.1, 340/995.12, 340/995.13, 340/901, 340/995.19, 340/934, 340/991, 340/995.2, 340/994, 340/992, 701/1, 701/117, 701/200, 701207-208, 701/211, 701/118, 701 23- 24
• US Class Current: 340/935
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A processor 180 of a navigation device 100 acquires current position information about a current position of a vehicle. The processor 180 then generates current traffic-jam information about a current traffic-jam condition based on VICS data from a VICS receiver 120 or the like. The processor 180 recognizes a direction indicating a point at which a traffic jam is currently occurring relative to the current position based on current position information and current traffic-jam information. The processor 180 displays the recognized direction with a traffic-jam direction icon on a terminal display section 140.

Claims

1. A traffic-condition display device, comprising:

a current position information acquirer for acquiring current position information about a current position of a mobile body;

a traffic information acquirer for acquiring traffic information about a traffic condition;

a particular-condition-point direction recognizer for recognizing a direction indicating a point in a particular traffic condition relative to the current position; and

a display controller for displaying plural pieces of direction data indicating directions different from one another on a display unit, the display controller displaying one of the plural pieces of direction data corresponding to the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition in a format different from formats of the other pieces of direction data and corresponding to a time and date at which the particular traffic condition arises.

2. The traffic-condition display device according to claim 1, wherein the content of the particular traffic condition is a traffic density.

3. The traffic-condition display device according to claim 1, wherein the format is at least one of brightness, color phase and intensity.

4. The traffic-condition display device according to claim 1, wherein the format is a display size.

5. The traffic-condition display device according to claim 1, wherein the format is at least one of brightness, color phase and intensity.

6. The traffic-condition display device according to claim 1, wherein the format is a display size.

7. The traffic-condition display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a current-position map information acquirer for acquiring current-position map information about an area containing the current position, wherein

the display controller performs control to display the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition relative to the current position and the current-position map information in a display area of the display unit.

8. The traffic-condition display device according to claim 7, wherein the display controller performs control to display the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition relative to the current position at a position corresponding to the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition relative to the current position in the area of the current-position map information.

9. The traffic-condition display device according to claim 8, wherein the display controller performs control to display the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition relative to the current position on a circumference of the display area.

10. The traffic-condition display device according to claim 1, wherein the particular-condition-point direction recognizer recognizes the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition relative to the current position in a predetermined area.

11. The traffic-condition display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a travel direction recognizer for recognizing a travel direction of the mobile body from the current position, wherein

the particular-condition-point direction recognizer recognizes the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition relative to the travel direction from the current position, and the display controller performs control to display the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition relative to the travel direction on the display unit.

12. The traffic-condition display device according to claim 11, further comprising:

a destination information acquirer for acquiring destination information about a position of a destination to which the mobile body travels;

a map information acquirer for acquiring map information; and

a travel route setting section for setting a travel route from the current position to the destination based on the current position information, the destination information and the map information, wherein

the display controller performs control to display the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition relative to the travel direction in the travel route.

13. The traffic-condition display device according to claim 12, wherein

the display controller performs control to display the map information and the travel route on the display unit.

14. The traffic-condition display device according claim 1, further comprising:

an area-specifying signal acquirer for acquiring an area-specifying signal in accordance with input operation for setting a command to recognize the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition relative to the current position in a specified area, and

the particular-condition-point direction recognizer recognizes the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition relative to the current position in the particular area contained in the area-specifying signal.

15. The traffic-condition device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a direction selecting signal acquirer for acquiring a direction selecting signal in accordance with input operation for setting a command to select display of the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition relative to the current position which is displayed on the display unit, wherein

the display controller performs control to display on the display unit the content of the particular traffic condition of the point that is indicated by the direction selected by the direction selecting signal.

16. The traffic-condition device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a direction selecting signal acquirer for acquiring a direction selecting signal in accordance with input operation for setting a command to select display of the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition relative to the current position which is displayed on the display unit; and

a particular-condition-point map information acquirer for acquiring particular-condition-point map information about an area containing the point that is indicated by the direction selected by the direction selecting signal, wherein

the display controller performs control to display the particular-condition-point map information on the display unit.

17. A traffic-condition display method that is performed by a computing unit for displaying a traffic condition on a display unit, the method comprising:

acquiring current position information about a current position of a mobile body;

acquiring traffic information about a traffic condition;

recognizing a direction indicating a point in a particular traffic condition relative to the current position; and

displaying plural pieces of direction data indicating directions different from one another on the display unit, one of the plural pieces of direction data corresponding to the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition being displayed in a format different from formats of the other pieces of direction data and corresponding to a time and date at which the particular traffic condition arises.

18. A traffic-condition display program for operating a computing unit as a traffic-condition display device, the program stored in a recording medium in a manner readable by the computing unit, wherein

the traffic-condition display device includes:

a current position information acquirer for acquiring current position information about a current position of a mobile body;

a traffic information acquirer for acquiring traffic information about a traffic condition;

a particular-condition-point direction recognizer for recognizing a direction indicating a point in a particular traffic condition relative to the current position; and

a display controller for displaying plural pieces of direction data indicating directions different from one another on a display unit, the display controller displaying one of the plural pieces of direction data corresponding to the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition in a format different from formats of the other pieces of direction data and corresponding to a time and date at which the particular traffic condition arises.

19. A traffic-condition display program for operating a computing unit to execute a traffic-condition display method for displaying a traffic condition on a display unit, the program stored in a recording medium in a manner readable by the computing unit, wherein

the traffic-condition display method includes:

acquiring current position information about a current position of a mobile body;

acquiring traffic information about a traffic condition;

recognizing a direction indicating a point in a particular traffic condition relative to the current position; and

displaying plural pieces of direction data indicating directions different from one another on the display unit, one of the plural pieces of direction data corresponding to the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition being displayed in a format different from formats of the other pieces of direction data and corresponding to a time and date at which the particular traffic condition arises.

20. A recording medium that stores a traffic-condition display program for operating a computing unit as a traffic-condition display device in a manner readable by the computing unit, wherein

the traffic-condition display device includes:

a current position information acquirer for acquiring current position information about a current position of a mobile body;

a traffic information acquirer for acquiring traffic information about a traffic condition;

a particular-condition-point direction recognizer for recognizing a direction indicating a point in a particular traffic condition relative to the current position; and

a display controller for displaying plural pieces of direction data indicating directions different from one another on a display unit, the display controller displaying one of the plural pieces of direction data corresponding to the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition in a format different from formats of the other pieces of direction data and corresponding to a time and date at which the particular traffic condition arises.

21. A recording medium that stores a traffic-condition display program for operating a computing unit to execute a traffic-condition display method for displaying a traffic condition on a display unit in a manner readable by the computing unit, wherein

the traffic-condition display method includes:

acquiring current position information about a current position of a mobile body;

acquiring traffic information about a traffic condition;

recognizing a direction indicating a point in a particular traffic condition relative to the current position; and

displaying plural pieces of direction data indicating directions different from one another on the display unit, one of the plural pieces of direction data corresponding to the direction indicating the point in the particular traffic condition being displayed in a format different from formats of the other pieces of direction data and corresponding to a time and date at which the particular traffic condition arises.