Navigation apparatus and computer program

• US 8,090,528 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Chiba, Wataru
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lang, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US12/292,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20090171570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/209
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence

Abstract

When a map image in the periphery of a vehicle position is displayed on a liquid crystal display in 3D, POIs existing in a first searching region within a first searching distance from a current position of the vehicle are searched in an area in the vicinity of the vehicle position by setting all types of points as search targets, POIs existing in a second searching region within a second searching distance from a second searching point are searched in an area distant from the vehicle position by setting only specific types of points as search targets, and icon symbols indicating types and positions of the points are displayed on the map image while being overlapped therewith based on the searched POIs.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus, comprising:

a current position obtaining unit that obtains a current position of a vehicle;

a searching region setting unit that sets, based on the current position of the vehicle obtained by the current position obtaining unit, a plurality of searching regions to search for facilities in a display target area of a display

a facility information obtaining unit that obtains information regarding facilities located in the plurality of searching regions set by the searching region setting unit; and

a guidance unit that provides guidance regarding the information related to the facilities obtained by the facility information obtaining unit, wherein

the display target area includes a vicinity area in which the current position of the vehicle is located and a distant area that is distant from the current position of the vehicle compared to the vicinity area, and

the searching region setting unit sets a first searching region centered on the current position of the vehicle included in the vicinity area as a searching region to search for facilities located in the vicinity area, and sets a second searching region centered on a searching point specified in the distant area as a searching region to search for facilities located in the distant area.

2. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a traveling direction detecting unit that detects a current traveling direction of the vehicle, wherein

the searching region setting unit sets searching distances of the first searching region and the second searching region, respectively, based on a full length of the display target along the current traveling direction of the vehicle.

3. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vicinity area and the distant area are contiguous.

4. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the searching region setting unit sets a plurality of second searching regions and sets a searching order for the plural second regions.

5. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the facility information obtaining unit searches the first and second searching regions separately and in sequence, beginning with the first searching region.

6. The navigation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the facility information obtaining unit searches for fewer types of facilities in the distant area than in the vicinity area.

7. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the facility information obtaining unit searches for fewer types of facilities in the distant area than in the vicinity area.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable program installed in a computer, the computer program causing the computer to execute the functions of:

obtaining a current position of a vehicle;

setting a plurality of searching regions based on the obtained current position to search for facilities in a display target area of a display, wherein the display target area includes a vicinity area in which the obtained current position is located and a distant area that is distant from the current position of the vehicle compared to the vicinity area, and wherein the set searching regions include a first searching region centered on the current position of the vehicle included in the vicinity area as a searching region to search for facilities located in the vicinity area, and a second searching region centered on a searching point specified in the distant area as a searching region to search for facilities located in the distant area;

obtaining information regarding facilities located in the plurality of set searching regions; and

providing, as guidance, the obtained information related to the facilities.