Navigation apparatus and method for street search

• US 7,991,543 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2008
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Ishizaki, Takashi, Hayashi, Kengo
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US12/076,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20080243369A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/209, 701/201, 707/4, 707/3, 707/6, 707/101, 707/E17.014, 715/256, 715/255
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233

Abstract

When a character string for a street search is input in a vehicle navigation apparatus, street data are searched, and all streets which include the character string for the street search in the formal street name character string are extracted. The extracted street is displayed, in a list format on a display screen, by using a portion of the formal street name string that is registered as a proper noun part of the formal street name character string. The extracted streets are sorted in the list format so that a street with the proper noun part including the character string for searches comes to the top of listing of the extracted streets, thereby making it easy to find out a desired street in the listing of the extracted streets.

Claims

1. A method for street search by using a street data storage capable of storing, as a street name, a street name string in one of a divisional manner that uses a divider in the street name string to divide the string for storage and a continuous manner that spares use of the divider in the string for storage, wherein the street search takes place when a search string for the street search is provided, the method comprising:

searching the street data storage for the street name that includes the search string for the street search in the street name string; and

displaying, on a display unit, a street search result list of searched streets by using a display string in an order that lists the display string having the search string contained therein on a top side of the street search result list, wherein the display string containing the search string is defined as a string portion in the street name string when the street name string is stored in the divisional manner in the street data storage, and wherein the display string containing the search string is defined as the street name string itself when the street name string is stored in the continuous manner in the street data storage.

2. The method for the street search of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a map data storage capable of storing map data that enables the display unit to display a map;

providing a position data storage capable of storing a position that is represented by a street name and a house number; and

displaying a search position on the map on the display unit after searching the search position based on a selected street and a given house number when the selected street is selected from the street search result list on the display unit and the given house number is provided.

3. A navigation apparatus for use in a vehicle comprising:

a display unit;

a street data storage unit capable of storing street names with name strings in one of a sectioned format that has a division of sections put in the name strings and a sectionless format that has no division of sections put in the name strings;

an input unit capable of inputting searchable strings;

a street search unit capable of searching, for the name strings that include the searchable strings, the name strings stored in the street data storage unit;

a sort unit capable of sorting the name strings in an order that lists on a top side the name strings having searchable strings in display strings that is for use in displaying, wherein the display strings are constituted of one of a predetermined section of the name strings in the sectioned format and an entire string of the name strings in the sectionless format depending on a data format in the street data storage unit; and

a control unit capable of listing, on the display unit, the display strings of the name strings being sorted by the sort unit.

4. The navigation apparatus of claim 3 further comprising:

a map data storage unit capable of storing map data for displaying a map on the display unit;

a position data storage unit capable of storing a position represented by a street name and a street address;

a selection unit capable of selecting a desired street from streets represented by using the display strings on the display unit; and

a position search unit capable of searching a map for a position, upon having an input of the street address through the input unit, based on the desired street selected by the selection unit and the inputted street address, wherein

the control unit displays on the display unit the map by using the map data stored in the map data storage unit, and displays on the map the position that is searched by the position search unit.