Navigation apparatus

• US 8,095,308 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2008
• Issued: 01/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Tsuji, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Sereboff, Neal
• Application Number:
  US12/230,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-212
• US Class Current: 701/212
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching

Abstract

In a navigation apparatus, a control device superimposes, on a displayed map in a display device, a plurality of marks for indicating a guidance route around a guidance point. The control device fixes a real distance of an interval between the marks without depending on the change in the scales of the map.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus for a vehicle, the navigation apparatus comprising:

a position detection device that detects a present position of the vehicle;

means for inputting map data;

means for designating a departure point and a destination point of the vehicle;

means for retrieving a route that is along a travel direction of the vehicle from the departure point to the destination point using the map data;

a means for making a determination for delivery to a display device, the determination being to display a plurality of marks in a mark display range on a road in the retrieved route on a map generated based on the map data, the plurality of marks not being displayed outside the mark display range on the road in the retrieved route,

the plurality of marks being arranged at intervals on the road in the retrieved route,

the mark display range ranging from a reference guidance point at least one of in a forward direction and in a backward direction along the retrieved route,

the reference guidance point being an intersection at which a right or left turn is needed for the vehicle in the retrieved route; and

means for switching a scale ratio of the map by scaling a real distance to a visible displayed distance in the display device based on the scale ratio,

wherein;

the means for determining determines to not display the plurality of marks in the display device, when a real distance between the present position of the vehicle detected by the position detection device and the reference guidance point is greater than a predetermined mark display execution distance; and

the means for determining determines to display the plurality of marks in the mark display range on the road in the retrieved route in the display device such that a visible displayed distance of an interval between the plurality of marks is changed in the display device depending on changing of the scale ratio while a real distance corresponding to the visible displayed distance of the interval between the plurality of marks is unchanged without depending on the changing of the scale ratio, when the real distance between the present position of the vehicle and the reference guidance point is equal to or less than the predetermined mark display execution distance.

2. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the means for determining is configured to determine to display the plurality of marks in the mark display range on the map, the mark display range ranging from the reference guidance point both in the forward direction and in the backward direction along the retrieved route.

3. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when an overlapping portion is included in the mark display range along the retrieved route, the means for determining is configured to determine to display, in the overlapping portion, only marks further backward in the mark display range along the retrieved route.

4. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when an intersecting portion is included in the mark display range along the retrieved route, the means for determining is configured to determine to display, in the intersecting portion, a mark further backward and a mark further forward in the mark display range along the retrieved route, in a merged display manner.

5. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

(i) the means for determining determines to display the plurality of marks when the real distance between the present position of the vehicle and the reference guidance point is equal to or less than the predetermined mark display execution distance, in cases that a scale ratio of the map is greater than a map scale ratio of a predetermined mark display boundary scale;

and

(ii) the means for determining determines to not display the plurality of marks regardless of the real distance between the present position of the vehicle and the reference guidance point, in cases that the scale ratio of the map is not greater than the map scale ratio of the predetermined mark display boundary scale.

6. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each interval between consecutive marks of the plurality of marks is selected to be a predetermined substantially same real distance.

7. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for making the determination

determines whether the vehicle is out of the mark display range,

determines a new mark display range to a next reference guidance point along the retrieved route and determines to erase the plurality of marks which are out of the new mark display range, when the vehicle is out of the mark display range, and

continues to determine display the plurality of marks, when the vehicle is not out of the mark display range.

8. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a size of each of the marks is unchanged when the scale ratio is changed.

9. A method for displaying a map in a display device of a navigation apparatus storing map data in a storage media and retrieving a route to a destination, the method being executed by a computer in the navigation apparatus, the method comprising:

detecting a present position of the vehicle using a position detection device;

designating a departure point and a destination point of the vehicle using a designation device;

retrieving a route that is along a travel direction of the vehicle from the departure point to the destination point using the map data;

displaying in the display device a plurality of marks within a mark display range on a road in the retrieved route on a map generated based on the map data, the plurality of marks not being displayed outside the mark display range on the road in the retrieved route,

the plurality of marks being arranged at intervals on the road in the retrieved route,

the mark display range ranging from a reference guidance point at least one of in a forward direction and in a backward direction along the retrieved route,

the reference guidance point being an intersection at which a right or left turn is needed for the vehicle in the retrieved route; and

changing a scale ratio of the map by scaling a real distance to a visible displayed distance in the display device based on the scale ratio,

wherein;

the plurality of marks are not displayed in the display device, when a real distance between the present position of the vehicle and the reference guidance point is greater than a predetermined mark display execution distance; and

the plurality of marks are displayed in the mark display range on the road in the retrieved route in the display device such that a visible displayed distance of an interval between the plurality of marks is changed in the display device depending on changing of the scale ratio while a real distance corresponding to the visible displayed distance of the interval between the plurality of marks is unchanged without depending on the changing of the scale ratio, when the real distance between the present position of the vehicle and the reference guidance point is equal to or less than the predetermined mark display execution distance.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein each interval between consecutive marks of the plurality of marks is selected to be a predetermined substantially same real distance.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising

determining whether the vehicle is out of the mark display range,

determining a new mark display range to a next reference guidance point along the retrieved route and determining to erase the plurality of marks which are out of the new mark display range, when the vehicle is out of the mark display range, and

continuing to determine display the plurality of marks, when the vehicle is not out of the mark display range.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein a size of each of the marks is unchanged when the scale ratio is changed.

13. A navigation apparatus for a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a position detection device that detects a present position of the vehicle;

a map data input device that inputs map data;

a designation device that designates a departure point and a destination point of the vehicle; and

a control device, the control device being configured to;

retrieve a route that is along a travel direction of the vehicle from the departure point designated by the designation device to the destination point designated by the designation device, using the map data from the map data input device;

make a determination for delivery to a display device, the determination being to display a plurality of marks in a mark display range on a road in the retrieved route on a map generated based on the map data from the map data input device, the plurality of marks not being displayed outside the mark display range on the road in the retrieved route,

the plurality of marks being arranged at intervals on the road in the retrieved route,

the mark display range ranging from a reference guidance point at least one of in a forward direction and in a backward direction along the retrieved route,

the reference guidance point being an intersection at which a right or left turn is needed for the vehicle in the retrieved route; and

change a scale ratio of the map by scaling a real distance to a visible displayed distance in the display device based on the scale ratio,

wherein;

the control device is configured to determine to not display the plurality of marks in the display device, when a real distance between the present position of the vehicle as detected by the position detection device and the reference guidance point is greater than a predetermined mark display execution distance; and

the control device is configured to determine to display the plurality of marks in the mark display range on the road in the retrieved route in the display device such that a visible displayed distance of an interval between the plurality of marks is changed in the display device depending on changing of the scale ratio while a real distance corresponding to the visible displayed distance of the interval between the plurality of marks is unchanged without depending on the changing of the scale ratio, when the real distance between the present position of the vehicle and the reference guidance point is equal to or less than the predetermined mark display execution distance.

14. The navigation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the control device is configured to determine to display the plurality of marks in the mark display range on the map, the mark display range ranging from the reference guidance point both in the forward direction and in the backward direction along the retrieved route.

15. The navigation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the control device is configured to determine to display, in the overlapping portion, only marks further backward in the mark display range along the retrieved route, when an overlapping portion is included in the mark display range along the retrieved route.

16. The navigation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

the control device is configured to determine to display, in the intersecting portion, a mark further backward and a mark further forward in the mark display range along the retrieved route, in a merged display manner, when an intersecting portion is included in the mark display range along the retrieved route.

17. The navigation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

(i) the control device determines to display the plurality of marks when the real distance between the present position of the vehicle and the reference guidance point is equal to or less than the predetermined mark display execution distance, in cases that a scale ratio of the map is greater than a map scale ratio of a predetermined mark display boundary scale;

and

(ii) the control device determines to not display the plurality of marks regardless of the real distance between the present position of the vehicle and the reference guidance point, in cases that the scale ratio of the map is not greater than the map scale ratio of the predetermined mark display boundary scale.

18. The navigation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein each interval between consecutive marks of the plurality of marks is selected to be a predetermined substantially same real distance.

19. The navigation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the control device

determines whether the vehicle is out of the mark display range,

determines a new mark display range to a next reference guidance point along the retrieved route and determines to erase the plurality of marks which are out of the new mark display range, when the vehicle is out of the mark display range, and

continues to determine display the plurality of marks, when the vehicle is not out of the mark display range.

20. The navigation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein a size of each of the marks is unchanged when the scale ratio is changed.