Map display apparatus

• US 8,214,138 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Tsuchikawa, Kazutomo, Ishizaki, Takashi, Katoh, Noriko
• Primary Examiner(s): POND, ROBERT M
• Application Number:
  US12/379,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20090228197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,222 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/200
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

Destination information, which includes as a retrieval condition an address of a destination spot, is received externally. Under the received retrieval condition of the address, a spot retrieval is performed with reference to own map data to thereby acquire a specified spot and second coordinates data indicating the specified spot. When the received destination information includes first coordinates data indicating the destination spot, it is determined whether a direct distance between a first spot indicated by the first coordinates data and a second spot indicated by the second coordinates data is equal to or less than a threshold value. When the direct distance is equal or less than the threshold value, the second spot is displayed as a destination on a map. When the direct distance is greater than the threshold value, the first spot is displayed as a destination on a map.

Claims

1. A map display apparatus comprising:

a processor device; and

a display device controlled by the processor device,

wherein the processor device is configured to

externally acquire destination information including, with respect to a destination spot, (i) a first coordinates data and (ii) any one of a name, an address, and a telephone number, and

perform a spot retrieval using the externally acquired any one of the name, the address, and the telephone number as a retrieval condition to acquire a specified spot;

refer to own map data to thereby acquire a second coordinates data for indicating the specified spot, which is acquired externally;

determine whether a distance between a first spot indicated by the first coordinates data and a second spot indicated by the second coordinates data is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value;

display on the display device the second spot instead of the first spot as a destination, when it is determined that the distance is not greater than the threshold value; and

display on the display device the first spot indicated by the first coordinates data instead of the second spot, as a destination, on a map, when it is determined that the distance is greater than the threshold value.

2. The map display apparatus according to claim 1 wherein

the destination information, which is externally acquired, does not necessarily include the first coordinates data of the destination spot,

the apparatus further being configured to:

determine whether the first coordinates data is included in the destination information,

when it is determined that the destination information includes the first coordinates data, determine whether the distance between the first spot indicated by the first coordinates data and the second spot indicated by the second coordinates data is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value.

3. The map display apparatus according to claim 2 wherein

when it is determined that the destination information does not include the first coordinates data,

the processor causes the second spot indicated by the second coordinates data to be displayed as the destination on the map.

4. The map display apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to

determine whether a manual selection, in which a user selects either the first spot or the second spot as the destination, is designated,

when it is determined that the manual selection is designated, mark, on the map, either the first spot or the second spot selected by the user as the destination while displaying the first spot and the second spot on the map.

5. The map display apparatus according to claim 1 wherein

when it is determined that the distance between the first spot indicated by the first coordinates data and the second spot indicated by the second coordinates data is not equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value, it is judged that the second spot indicated by the second coordinates data acquired by the coordinates data acquisition portion is different from the first spot indicated by the first coordinates data.

6. The map display apparatus according to claim 1 wherein

the predetermined threshold value used when determining whether the distance between the first spot indicated by the first coordinates data and the second spot indicated by the second coordinates data is not equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value is one kilometer.

7. The map display apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the processor device

calculates the distance as a direct distance in a straight line between the first spot and the second spot, and then provides the distance to determine whether the distance is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value.

8. A map display apparatus comprising:

a processor device; and

a display device controlled by the processor device,

wherein the processor device is configured to

externally acquire destination information including, with respect to a destination spot, (i) a first coordinates data and (ii) any one of a name, an address, and a telephone number, and

perform a spot retrieval using the acquired any one of the name, the address, and the telephone number as a retrieval condition to acquire a specified spot;

refer to own map data to thereby acquire a second coordinates data for indicating the specified spot, which is acquired;

determine whether a distance between a first spot indicated by the first coordinates data and a second spot indicated by the second coordinates data is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value; and

display

(i) the second spot indicated by the second coordinates data instead of the first spot as a destination on a map when it is determined that the distance is equal to or less than the threshold value, and

(ii) the first spot indicated by the first coordinates data instead of the second spot as the destination on the map when it is determined that the distance is greater than the threshold value.

9. The map display apparatus according to claim 8

wherein the destination information, which is externally acquired, does not necessarily include the first coordinates data of the destination spot,

the apparatus further being configured to:

determine whether the first coordinates data is included in the destination information,

when it is determined that the destination information includes the first coordinates data, determine whether the distance between the first spot indicated by the first coordinates data and the second spot indicated by the second coordinates data is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value.

10. The map display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to

display the second spot indicated by the second coordinates data as the destination on the map, when it is determined that the destination information does not include the first coordinates data.

11. The map display apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the processor is further configured to

determine whether a manual selection, in which a user selects either the first spot or the second spot as the destination, is designated,

mark, on the map, either the first spot or the second spot selected by the user as the destination while displaying the first spot and the second spot on the map, when it is determined that the manual selection is designated.

12. The map display apparatus according to claim 8 wherein

when it is determined that the distance between the first spot indicated by the first coordinates data and the second spot indicated by the second coordinates data is not equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value, it is judged that the second spot indicated by the second coordinates data acquired by the coordinates data acquisition portion is different from the first spot indicated by the first coordinates data.

13. The map display apparatus according to claim 8 wherein

the predetermined threshold value used when determining whether the distance between the first spot indicated by the first coordinates data and the second spot indicated by the second coordinates data is not equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value is one kilometer.

14. The map display apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the processor device calculates the distance as a direct distance in a straight line between the first spot and the second spot, and then provides the distance to determine whether the distance is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold value.