Weather information display device

• US 7,859,429 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2008
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Satoh, Taichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland; Donnie L
• Application Number:
  US12/230,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20090079587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/95.27, 340/539.289, 702/3
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology

Abstract

A weather information display device displays on its display device a section, for which weather information is acquired, in a display mode corresponding to the weather information. An icon indicating the weather information is displayed on the section of the weather information. When a relatively wide area map is displayed, a plurality of icons for a plurality of sections may have to be displayed in overlapped manner. If the icons indicate the same weather information, only one icon is displayed as a representative of the same icons. If the icons indicate the different weather information, an icon having higher display priority is displayed as being overlapped over icons of lower display priority. If one of the different overlapped icons is touched, only the touched icon and the corresponding weather information are displayed.

Claims

1. A weather information display device comprising:

a map information acquiring unit for acquiring map information;

a weather information acquiring unit for acquiring weather information which is set in connection with a predetermined unit of section on a map;

a display unit for displaying various information for a user; and

a display control unit for displaying a map on the display unit on the basis of the map information acquired by the map information acquiring unit, and controlling a display mode of sections displayed on the map so that a section corresponding to the weather information acquired by the weather information acquiring unit on the displayed map is distinguishable from other sections,

wherein the display control unit is configured to perform icon display control processing, which includes causing the display unit to display icons indicating weather information on corresponding sections on the map, checking whether the icons displayed on the map overlap, causing the display unit to display only one icon by combining overlapping icons if the overlapping icons are of a same type, and causing the display unit to display the overlapping icons so that an icon of weather information of higher display priority is laid over an icon of weather information of lower display priority if the overlapping icons are of different types, the weather information being assigned with different display priorities.

2. The weather information display device according to claim 1, wherein:

the display control unit is configured to perform the icon display control processing in response to a change of scale size of the map displayed on the display unit.

3. The weather information display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an instruction receiving unit for receiving instructions from a user,

wherein the display control unit causes the display unit to display a section and an icon of weather information which has highest display priority among overlapping sections and icons displayed on the display unit, each time the instruction receiving unit receives a predetermined instruction.

4. The weather information display device according to claim 3, wherein:

the instruction receiving unit includes a detection unit provided on a display screen of the display unit to detect a touch of the user on the display screen; and

the detection unit receives the predetermined instruction by detecting the touch of the user on a part of the display screen where the overlapping icons are displayed.

5. The weather information display device according to claim 3, wherein:

the display control unit is configured to change display of the weather information and icons on the display unit from original display in response to the predetermined instruction received by the instruction receiving unit, and return the display of the weather information and icons on the display unit to the original display when no further predetermined instruction is received after a change of display made in response to the predetermined instruction.

6. A machine readable program unit for making a computer function as the display control unit in the weather information display device according to claim 1.