Navigation device

• US 8,326,524 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2008
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Inventors: Harada, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US12/670,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701/409, 701/415, 701/417, 701/425, 701/FOR.107, 701/FOR.108, 701/FOR.116
• US Class Current: 701/409
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A navigation device that can surely provide information on sightseeing facilities, etc. to a user is provided.

A navigation device 1 for displaying a map screen representing the present position of a mobile on a map on which landmarks 6 are displayed is provided with a sightseeing area data base 31 for storing the position of a prescribed sightseeing area and sightseeing facilities within a prescribed sightseeing area, and a controller 10 for detecting whether a mobile enters the prescribed sightseeing area. Furthermore, the navigation device 1 includes an automatic facility display mode in which when it is detected by the controller 110 that the mobile enters the prescribed sightseeing area, the sightseeing facilities within the prescribed sightseeing areas are read out from the sightseeing area data base 31 and automatically displayed on the map, and also display of the landmarks 6 is reduced from the map.

Claims

1. A navigation device for displaying a map screen on which a mark representing a present position of a mobile object is displayed together with landmarks around the mobile object, the navigation device comprising:

a storage unit configured to store positions of prescribed sightseeing areas and sightseeing facilities within each of the prescribed sightseeing areas;

a detecting unit configured to detect whether the mobile object enters one of the prescribed sightseeing areas; and

a controller with an automatic facility display mode, configured to;

read out information on the sightseeing facilities within one of the prescribed sightseeing areas from the storage unit,

automatically display the read-out information on the sightseeing facilities on a map displayed on the map screen, and

reduce display of the landmarks around the mobile object when the automatic facility display mode is selected and when the detecting unit detects that the mobile object has entered the one of the prescribed sightseeing areas.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein in the automatic facility display mode, the controller is further configured such that when the mobile object exits the one of the prescribed sightseeing areas, the display of the sightseeing facilities within one of the prescribed sightseeing areas is automatically canceled.

3. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit configured to set a sightseeing facility displayed in the automatic facility display mode to a destination or a via place, wherein when the sightseeing facility is set as a destination or via place by the setting unit, display-canceled landmarks are displayed, and route guidance to the sightseeing facility is started.

4. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising a selecting unit configured to select a sightseeing facility displayed in the automatic facility display mode, wherein when the sightseeing facility is selected by the selecting unit, the periphery of the selected sightseeing facility is enlarged to produce an enlarged map, information on the selected sightseeing facility is displayed, and information representing the distance from the selected sightseeing facility to the present position of the mobile object is displayed on the enlarged map.

5. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising a display device configured to display the map screen that can be operated by touch of a user, wherein:

the storage unit stores the positions of the prescribed sightseeing areas and timely information of the sightseeing facilities for a present season or period of time, and

the controller is configured to display an instruction button for instructing to display the timely information of the sightseeing facilities on the map screen when the detecting unit detects that the mobile object has entered the one of the prescribed sightseeing areas.

6. The navigation device according to claim 5, wherein:

the storage unit further stores at least facility information representing the contents of the sightseeing facilities, and

the controller displays the facility information and timely information of the sightseeing facilities so that a touch operation can be performed on a sightseeing facility when the instruction button is touched, sets the touched sightseeing facility as a destination or a via place and starts when some of the sightseeing facilities are touched, and starts rouge guidance to the destination or the via place.

7. The navigation device according to claim 6, wherein:

the storage unit stores information regarding the sightseeing facilities while classifying the sightseeing facilities into plural facility types, and

when the instruction button is touched, the controller displays the timely information and the facility information of the sightseeing facilities belonging to one facility type in a list style, and also displays, for every facility type, a selection button for selecting a facility type to be displayed in the list style so that the number of sightseeing facilities belonging to the facility type can be visually recognized by the selection buttons displayed.

8. The navigation device according to claim 5, wherein:

when the mobile object is located outside of a prescribed sightseeing area, the controller displays facilities existing around the mobile object on the map screen of the display device, and

when the mobile object is located within the prescribed sightseeing area, the controller displays the sightseeing facilities in place of the facilities around the mobile object outside the prescribed sightseeing area on the map screen of the display device.

9. The navigation device according to claim 8, wherein when the mobile object is located within the prescribed sightseeing area, the controller extracts information regarding at least presently available sightseeing facilities from the sightseeing facilities within the prescribed sightseeing area based on the present date and hour, and displays the extracted information regarding at least presently available sightseeing facilities on the map screen.

10. The navigation device according to claim 5, further comprising a communication unit configured to communicate with an external server for accumulating timely information of the sightseeing facilities through a network, wherein when the instruction button is touched, the controller receives from the external server timely information of sightseeing facilities within a sightseeing area in which the mobile object is located, and displays the received timely information from the external server on the display device of the navigation device.