Method of map scale conversion of features for a display

• US 8,350,873 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2009
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Denso International America Incorporated (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakashita, Naohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery A
• Application Number:
  US12/498,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20110007074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 345/428, 345/660, 345/666, 345/667, 345/672, 345/681, 345/682, 345/684, 701/455, 701/459
• US Class Current: 345/672
• 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: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models

Abstract

A method of controlling a vehicle navigation system may entail inquiring if the navigation system is displaying a road map in a first map scale on a display, inquiring if a scrolling feature was used to pan the road map in the first map scale on the display to a specific scrolled point, concluding that the scrolling feature was used, calculating a detail road display area based on the specific scrolled point of the display; loading detailed road link data in a second map scale from memory of the navigation system, the detailed road link data corresponding in actual geographic area to the detail road display area, converting the detailed road link data from the second map scale to the first map scale to create converted detail road link data, and displaying the converted detail road link data together with the road map in the first map scale.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a navigation system comprising:

inquiring if the navigation system is displaying a road map in a first map scale on a display;

concluding that the navigation system is displaying the road map in the first map scale on the display;

inquiring if a scrolling feature (panning feature) was used prior to concluding that the navigation system is displaying the road map in the first map scale to pan the road map in the first map scale on the display to a specific scrolled point;

concluding that the scrolling feature was used prior to concluding that the navigation system is displaying the road map in the first map scale to pan the road map in the first map scale on the display to a specific scrolled point;

calculating a detail road display area based on the specific scrolled point of the display;

loading detailed road link data in a second map scale greater than the first map scale from memory of the navigation system, the detailed road link data corresponding to the calculated detail road display area;

determining if the detail road link data will fit on the display;

converting the detailed road link data from the second map scale to the first map scale to create converted detail road link data only after determining that the converted detail road link data will fit on the display; and

displaying the converted detail road link data in the first map scale on the display together with the road map in the first map scale when it is determined that the detailed road link data will fit on the display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the detailed road link data is in a second map scale; and

the first map scale is a smaller map scale than the second map scale.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

inquiring if all data in the detail road link data has been loaded into memory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

calculating a detail road display area based on the specific scrolled point of the display further comprises;

calculating a detail road display area that is larger than that displayed in the display in the first map scale; and

converting the detailed road link data from the second map scale to the first map scale to create converted detail road link data further comprises;

converting an area of the detailed road link data from the second map scale that is larger than that displayed in the display in the first map scale.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

calculating a detail road display area based on the specific scrolled point of the display further comprises;

calculating a detail road display area that is equal in real area as that displayed in the display in the first map scale; and

converting the detailed road link data from the second map scale to the first map scale to create converted detail road link data further comprises;

converting an area of the detailed road link data from the second map scale that is equal in real area as that displayed in the display in the first map scale.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the scrolling feature inquiring step is only performed after concluding that the navigation system is displaying the road map in the first map scale.

7. A method of controlling a navigation system comprising:

inquiring if the navigation system is displaying a first road map in a first map scale on a display in a first level of detail;

concluding that the navigation system is displaying the road map in the first map scale on the display;

inquiring whether a second road map in a second map scale greater than the first map scale exists in a memory;

concluding that the second road map in the second map scale exists in the memory;

inquiring if a scrolling feature was used prior to concluding that the navigation system is displaying the road map in the first map scale to pan the road map in the first map scale on the display to a specific scrolled point;

concluding that the scrolling feature was used prior to concluding that the navigation system is displaying the road map in the first map scale to pan the road map in the first map scale on the display to a specific scrolled point;

calculating a detail road display area based on the specific scrolled point of the display;

loading detailed road link data in the second map scale from memory of the navigation system, the detailed road link data corresponding to the calculated detail road display area;

determining if the detail road link data will fit on the display;

converting the detailed road link data from the second map scale to the first map scale to create converted detail road link data only after determining that the converted detail road link data will fit on the display; and

displaying the converted detail road link data in the first map scale on the display together with the road map in the first map scale when it is determined that the detailed road link data will fit on the display.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

inquiring, after scrolling, if three seconds have passed and no navigation system operations have been performed by a human user.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

inquiring if all data of the converted detail road link data in the first map scale on the display, together with the road map in the first map scale, has been loaded into a memory.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein converting the detailed road link data from the second map scale to the first map scale to create converted detail road link data further comprises:

converting an area of the detailed road link data from the second map scale that is larger than that displayed in the display in the first map scale.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein converting the detailed road link data from the second map scale to the first map scale to create converted detail road link data further comprises:

converting an area of the detailed road link data from the second map scale that is equal in size as that displayed in the display in the first map scale.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the scrolling feature inquiring step is only performed after concluding that the navigation system is displaying the road map in the first map scale.

13. A method of controlling a navigation system comprising:

inquiring if the navigation system is displaying a road map in a first map scale on a display;

concluding that the navigation system is displaying the road map in the first map scale on the display;

inquiring if a scrolling feature was used prior to concluding that the navigation system is displaying the road map in the first map scale to pan the road map in the first map scale on the display to a specific scrolled point;

concluding that the scrolling feature was used prior to concluding that the navigation system is displaying the road map in the first map scale to pan the road map in the first map scale on the display to a specific scrolled point;

calculating a detail road display area based on the specific scrolled point of the display;

loading detailed road link data in a second map scale greater than the first map scale from memory of the navigation system, the detailed road link data corresponding to the detail road display area;

determining if the detailed road link data will fit on the display;

converting the detailed road link data from the second map scale to the first map scale to create converted detail road link data only after determining that the detailed road link data will fit on the display;

inquiring, after scrolling, if three seconds have passed and no navigation system operations have been performed; and

displaying the converted detail road link data in the first map scale on the display together with the road map in the first map scale when it is determined that the detailed road link data will fit on the display.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first map scale is a smaller scale than the second map scale.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein converting the detailed road link data from the second map scale to the first map scale to create converted detail road link data further comprises:

converting an area of the detailed road link data from the second map scale that is larger than that displayed in the display in the first map scale.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein converting the detailed road link data from the second map scale to the first map scale to create converted detail road link data further comprises:

converting an area of the detailed road link data from the second map scale that is the same size as that displayed in the display in the first map scale.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the scrolling feature inquiring step is only performed after concluding that the navigation system is displaying the road map in the first map scale.