Portable navigation terminal and program

• US 8,103,439 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2005
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Navitime Japan Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Navitime Japan Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Onishi, Keisuke, Kikuchi, Shin
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti, Hussein
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan k
• Application Number:
  US11/579,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20080288166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,463 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/209, 345/619, 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/995.16, 342/357.75
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A portable navigation device where a map being displayed on a display section is fixed by performing map stop operation at a portable navigation terminal where an appropriate map is selected and displayed so as to correspond to the speed of movement. A portable navigation terminal (10) has speed detecting means (104) for detecting the speed of movement of the terminal, a map data request/acquisition section (105) for requesting, according to the movement speed detected by the speed detecting mean, different kinds of map data to an information distributing server and acquiring the map data, and an operation section (16) having a map stop button for stopping, at a desired time point during the movement, change in the kind of map displayed on display means. The portable navigation terminal (10) further has manual scroll means (164), a zoom-in button (162), and a zoom-out button (163) that have the function of the map stop button.

Claims

1. A portable navigation terminal that transmits current position information obtained from a GPS system to an information distribution server, receives map information and route information from the information distribution server, and displays a map and a route on a display section, wherein the portable navigation terminal comprises:

a speed detecting section for detecting the traveling speed thereof;

a map data request/acquisition section for requesting and acquiring different types of map data from the information distribution server depending on the traveling speed detected by the speed detecting section;

an auto-scrolling section for maintaining a current position at the center of a display screen by scrolling the map automatically;

an operation section including a map stopping button for stopping the change being made in the type of map displayed on the display section at an arbitrary point in time during travel and for stopping the switch to a new map data including the current position even if the current position changes, wherein the map stopping button includes a zoom-in button and a zoom-out button; and

a map change prohibition section for inhibiting the process of switching the type of map currently displayed on the display section when the map stopping button is operated;

wherein, if the zoom-in button or the zoom-out button is operated during a valid term of the auto-scroll section, the map change prohibition section inhibits the process of switching the map displayed to a map corresponding to the traveling speed detected by the speed detecting section such that the map currently displayed on the display section continues to be displayed without being substituted by another type of map regardless of the traveling speed of the portable navigation terminal and without switching to the new map data including the current position even if the current position changes, and

wherein, if the zoom-in button or the zoom-out button is operated during the valid term of the auto-scroll section and during the terminal is actually moving, the auto-scrolling section is made inoperative such that the map currently displayed on the display section continues to be displayed without switching to the new map data including the current position even if the current position changes by the terminal'"'"'s actual movement.

2. A computer readable medium having a program recorded thereon for causing a computer comprising a portable navigation terminal as claimed in claim 1 to transmit current position information obtained from a GPS system to an information distribution server, receive map information and route information from the information distribution server, and display a map and a route on a display section and execute processes comprising:

(a) detecting the traveling speed of the portable navigation terminal;

(b) requesting and acquiring different types of map data from the information distribution server depending on the traveling speed detected by the speed detecting process;

(c) maintaining the current position at the center of a display screen by scrolling the map automatically; and

continuing to display the map currently displayed on the display section without substituting the map currently displayed on the display section for another type of map and without switching to a new map data including the current position even if the current position changes, if the zoom-in button or the zoom-out button is activated during a valid term of the step (c), regardless of the traveling speed detected by the speed detecting process, wherein, if the zoom-in button or the zoom-out button is operated during the valid term of the step (c) and during the terminal is actually moving, the step (c) is made inoperative such that the map currently displayed on the display section continues to be displayed without switching to the new map data including the current position even if the current position changes by the terminal'"'"'s actual movement.

3. The portable navigation terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a GPS receiver, wherein the traveling speed is detected based on the average traveling speed of the portable navigation terminal between two points of the GPS system.

4. The portable navigation terminal according to claim 1, and which is further provided with an acceleration sensor, wherein the portable navigation terminal integrates the output of the acceleration sensor and detects the traveling speed of the portable navigation terminal.