Navigation terminal device and navigation method

• US 8,131,457 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2007
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PIP Holdings Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Increment P Corporation, Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Kumada, Satoshi, Shirahama, Toshie
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US11/957,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20080109155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,541 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 345/661, 345/684, 345/157, 345/123
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3614 through interaction with a road map, e.g. selecting a POI icon on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names

Abstract

A navigation terminal device includes a map information display unit 771, a destination display unit 773, a route line drawing unit 774 for holding retrieved location information or destination information or both of them and drawing a route from a reference point based on the retrieved information or destination information to the destination or the retrieved location information so as to be superimposed on the screen with the map information displayed thereon, and route searching unit 775 for exchanging the display between the reference point and the destination if the reference point disappears from the screen when the destination is displayed, thereby permitting to follow the route from the displayed reference point to the destination or from the destination to the reference point. In this configuration, the operability of a terminal device having a small capacity of screen can be improved and the burden for the user can be relaxed.

Claims

1. A navigating apparatus, comprising:

a map information displaying unit setting a reference point, searched in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation, which reference point is displayed as a mark for the reference point, map information displaying unit acquiring map information of a peripheral area containing the reference point, and displaying the acquired map information on a screen;

a screen scroll controlling unit scrolling the map information displayed on the screen in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation to search for a destination;

a destination setting unit setting a prescribed point, on a screen, indicated by the scrolled map information, as the destination set by the user; and

a drawing unit drawing a straight line connecting the reference point to the prescribed point on the screen during the time of the user scrolling the map information from the reference point to the destination so that the straight line is superimposed on the screen on which the map information is displayed during the time from displaying of the map information of the peripheral area containing the reference point to time of the user setting of the destination.

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

a display changing unit, when the prescribed point is set as a destination by the destination setting unit, and in the case where the reference point disappears from the screen during the scrolling, changes a display of the scrolled map information in which the reference point disappears, to a display of map information containing i) the prescribed point indicating the destination, ii) the peripheral area containing the prescribed point, and iii) a portion of the straight line leading back towards the reference point.

3. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference point is displayed in a center position of the screen during the scrolling, and the prescribed point is displayed at the center position on the screen when the reference point disappears from the screen.

4. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the map information displaying unit, in the case where the destination is not in the obtained map information, during the scrolling obtains further map information of a further peripheral area in a direction of the scrolling, and displays the obtained further map information on the screen, with the straight line leading back towards the reference point.

5. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the map information displaying unit is a unit obtaining map information containing the reference point from a web server through an internet.

6. A navigating method, comprising the steps of:

setting a point, searched in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation, which point is a mark of a reference point, acquiring map information of a peripheral area containing the reference point, and displaying the acquired map information on a screen;

scrolling the map information displayed on the screen in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation and, during said scrolling, displaying a straight line from the reference point in the direction of the scrolling;

setting a prescribed point, on a screen, indicated by the scrolled map information, as a destination;

drawing a straight line connecting the reference point to the prescribed point on the screen so as to be superimposed on the screen on which the map information is displayed, the straight line being superimposed on the screen during the time from i) the displaying of the map information of the peripheral area containing the reference point, ii) the scrolling, to iii) the setting of the destination.

7. A non-transitory recording medium which is readable by a computer and stores a navigating program for a navigation apparatus, the navigating program causing the computer to execute the steps of:

setting a point, searched in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation, which point is a mark of a reference point, acquiring map information of a peripheral area containing the reference point, and displaying the acquired map information on a screen;

scrolling the map information displayed on the screen in accordance with a user'"'"'s operation and, during said scrolling, displaying a straight line from the reference point in the direction of the scrolling;

setting a prescribed point, on a screen, indicated by the scrolled map information, as a destination; and

drawing a straight line connecting the reference point to the prescribed point on the screen so as to be superimposed on the screen on which the map information is displayed, the straight line being superimposed on the screen during i) the time from the displaying of the map information of the peripheral area containing the reference point, ii) the scrolling, to iii) the setting of the destination.