Map displaying device

• US 7,962,280 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kudoh, Takahiro, Akita, Takashi, Kindo, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US12/065,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20090271105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/209, 701/211, 701/212, 701/206, 701/66, 340/995.14, 340/995.15, 340/995.16, 340/995.17, 340/995.26, 340/995.27
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/00 Maps; Plans; Charts; Diagrams, e.g. route diagram star maps G09B27/04; devices for holding or supporting maps A47B97/02; for computing purposes G06G1/14, G09B1/16; display boards G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

A map displaying device for displaying an accessible range in an arbitrary display form determined in accordance with the scale of a displayed map and/or with the running state of a vehicle is provided. The map displaying device includes: a display unit for displaying map information stored in a map database; a search unit for calculating travel time information regarding a travel time to an arbitrary point accessible from a reference point; and a time information drawing unit for displaying the travel time information in a superimposed manner on the display unit by varying a display form in accordance with the scale of a map and/or with the running state of a user'"'"'s vehicle.

Claims

1. A map displaying device comprising:

a display means for displaying map information stored in a map database;

a search means for calculating a travel time to an arbitrary point accessible from a reference point; and

a time information drawing means for generating travel time information based on the calculated travel time,

wherein the time information drawing means displays, in a superimposed manner on a map displayed on the display means, the travel time information by varying a display form of the travel time information in accordance with a scale of the map and/or with a running state of a user'"'"'s vehicle,

wherein the time information drawing means displays the travel time information for connecting, by one or more lines, points of a same travel time to one another or points of a same travel time period to one another, and

wherein the time information drawing means displays the travel time information by dynamically changing the travel time information such that a number of the one or more lines displayed on the display means is a constant number.

2. The map displaying device according to claim 1, further comprising a search condition determining means for determining a search condition in accordance with the scale of the map, with the running state of the user'"'"'s vehicle, and/or with user information,

wherein the search means calculates, using the search condition determined by the search condition determining means, the travel time to the arbitrary point accessible from the reference point.

3. The map displaying device according to claim 2,

wherein the search condition is a search range, which is a range of points to which travel times are to be calculated, and/or road types to be used for a search.

4. The map displaying device according to claim 1,

wherein the time information drawing means displays the travel time information for indicating, as a zone, a range accessible within a certain travel time or within a certain travel time period.

5. The map displaying device according to claim 4,

wherein the time information drawing means displays, when displaying a plurality of the zones, the plurality of the zones by a gradation.

6. The map displaying device according to claim 1,

wherein the time information drawing means displays the travel time information for drawing a road and/or an intersection in various display forms in accordance with the travel time or a travel time period.

7. The map displaying device according to claim 1,

wherein the time information drawing means displays the travel time information by changing an interval between displayed travel times such that the interval becomes longer as the scale of the map becomes wider.

8. The map displaying device according to claim 1,

wherein the time information drawing means displays the travel time information by changing an interval between displayed travel times or between displayed travel time periods such that the interval becomes longer as the scale of the map becomes wider.

9. The map displaying device according to claim 1,

wherein the time information drawing means displays the travel time information by sequentially drawing, in a radiating manner, travel times or travel time periods in accordance with large/small relationships among the travel times or among the travel time periods, respectively.

10. The map displaying device according to claim 1,

wherein the time information drawing means displays the travel time information by performing drawing effects different between an inside and an outside of a line indicating a predetermined travel time or of a zone indicating a predetermined travel time period.

11. The map displaying device according to claim 1, further comprising an input means for inputting an instruction,

wherein the travel time information specified by the input means is changed to the travel time information regarding a travel time or a travel time period determined in accordance with an instruction, inputted by the input means, to move an arbitrary point.

12. The map displaying device according to claim 11,

wherein the input means is a touch panel such that the time information drawing means displays the travel time information specified by the touch panel, as the travel time information regarding a travel time or a travel time period determined in accordance with a pressed position moving across the touch panel.

13. The map displaying device according to claim 11,

wherein a slider bar capable of changing the displayed travel time information is displayed on the display means, and

wherein the time information drawing means displays the travel time information determined in accordance with a setting, set by the input means, of the slider bar.

14. The map displaying device according to claim 1, further comprising an drawing/updating means for drawing/updating the travel time information drawn by the time information drawing means,

wherein the drawing/updating means performs drawing/updating at a timing at which the position of the user'"'"'s vehicle has passed through a node, at a timing at which a predetermined time has passed, and/or at a timing at which traffic congestion information has been received.

15. The map displaying device according to claim 1, further comprising a display controlling means for controlling an arrow display indicating traffic congestion occurring on a road,

wherein, while the time information drawing means is displaying the travel time information in a superimposed manner, the display controlling means controls the arrow display indicating traffic congestion occurring on a road.

16. The map displaying device according to claim 9, further comprising:

an input means for receiving an input of a POI (point-of-interest) search condition to be used to perform a search for POI;

a recommended POI extracting means for extracting, based on the POI search condition received by the input means, one or more recommended POI in descending order of recommendation level; and

a recommended POI display means for displaying, with the travel time information drawn in a radiating manner by the time information drawing means, the one or more recommended POI in order of being extracted by the recommended POI extracting means.

17. The map displaying device according to claim 16, further comprising route blinking display means for displaying, in a blinking manner, a route to each of the recommended POI extracted by the recommended POI extracting means.

18. The map displaying device according to claim 17,

wherein the recommended POI extracting means extracts one or more recommended POI in order of temporal proximity.

19. The map displaying device according to claim 17,

wherein the recommended POI extracting means extracts one or more recommended POI in ascending order of evaluation value obtained by performing weighted addition on a distance from a current position, a travel time from the current position, and/or a value obtained by quantifying a direction from the current position.

20. The map displaying device according to claim 17, further comprising an access history storage means for storing access history of accessing POI,

wherein the recommended POI extracting means extracts, with reference to the access history stored in the access history storage means, one or more recommended POI in descending order of frequency of access.

21. A map displaying device comprising:

a display means for displaying map information stored in a map database;

a search means for calculating a travel time to an arbitrary point accessible from a reference point; and

a time information drawing means for generating travel time information based on the calculated travel time,

wherein the time information drawing means displays, in a superimposed manner on a map displayed on the display means, the travel time information by varying a display form of the travel time information in accordance with a scale of the map, and

wherein the time information drawing means displays the travel time information by changing an interval between displayed travel times such that the interval becomes longer as the scale of the map becomes wider.

22. A map displaying device comprising:

a display means for displaying map information stored in a map database;

a search means for calculating a travel time to an arbitrary point accessible from a reference point; and

a time information drawing means for generating travel time information based on the calculated travel time,

wherein the time information drawing means displays, in a superimposed manner on a map displayed on the display means, the travel time information by varying a display form of the travel time information in accordance with a running state of a user'"'"'s vehicle,

wherein the time information drawing means displays the travel time information by changing an interval between displayed travel times or between displayed travel time periods such that the interval becomes longer as a traveling speed of the user'"'"'s vehicle becomes slower.