Navigation device

• US 8,924,157 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Sano, Yoko, Sempuku, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US13/984,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20130317745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701425- 6, 701428-432, 701 25- 28, 701/500, 701/533, 340/988, 3409951-99519
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

A navigation device includes a map creation unit, a display unit, and a display controller. The display unit displays, on a map created by the map creation unit, roadside target facility symbols representing facilities as navigation targets that are located along the navigation route, on-map facility symbols representing facilities that differ from the facilities as the navigation targets on the created map, and facility display switching buttons for receiving operation of switching display/non-display of the on-map facility symbols by facility category. The display controller switches the display/non-display of the on-map facility symbols in accordance with the operation received through the facility display button, and, when the received operation indicates the display of the on-map facility symbols, control the display unit to display the on-map facility symbols in a different display mode from a display mode of the roadside target facility symbols.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

a map creation unit configured to create a map to be displayed based on map data containing position information of roads, position information of facilities and categories of the facilities, and based on information on a navigation route to a destination;

a display unit configured to display, on the created map, roadside target facility symbols representing facilities as navigation targets that are located along the navigation route, on-map facility symbols representing facilities that differ from the facilities as the navigation targets on the created map, and facility display switching buttons for receiving operation of switching display/non-display of the on-map facility symbols by facility category; and

a map element display controller configured to switch the display/non-display of the on-map facility symbols in accordance with the operation received through the facility display button, and, when the received operation indicates the display of the on-map facility symbols, control the display unit to display the on-map facility symbols in a different display mode from a display mode of the roadside target facility symbols.

2. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the map element display controller differentiates a display size of the roadside target facility symbols from a display size of the on-map facility symbols.

3. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the map element display controller comprises information on priorities according to the facility categories and, when it is determined that the on-map facility symbols overlap with each other on the map, determines that an on-map facility symbol having a higher priority is displayed preferentially based on the categories of facilities corresponding to the overlapped on-map facility symbols.

4. The navigation device according to claim 3, further comprising:

an operation history storage unit configured to store history information on operations performed by the user; and

a condition updating unit configured to update the priorities based on the history information in the operation history storage unit such that a facility category for which operations are performed more frequently is given a higher priority,

wherein the map element display controller controls the display unit, by using information on the updated priorities, to preferentially display the on-map facility symbol having a higher priority in the on-map facility symbols overlapped with each other.

5. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising a GUI controller configured to count, for each facility category, the on-map facility symbols that are located within a predetermined map range including the navigation route, and arrange the facility display switching buttons in the order of count from a facility category with the highest count.

6. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising a GUI controller comprising information on priorities according to the facility categories, and arranging the facility display switching buttons in the order of priorities from a facility category with the highest priority.

7. The navigation device according to claim 6, further comprising:

an operation history storage unit configured to store history information on operations performed by the user; and

a condition updating unit configured to update the priorities based on the history information in the operation history storage unit such that a facility category for which operations are performed more frequently is given a higher priority,

wherein the GUI controller uses information on the priorities updated by the condition updating unit to determine an arrangement of the facility display switching buttons.

8. The navigation device according to claim 6, wherein the GUI controller determines an arrangement of the facility display switching buttons, based on information on priorities acquired from the outside via communications or on information on priorities set with use of information acquired from the outside via communications.

9. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein when no on-map facility symbols of a facility category corresponding to the operation received through the facility display switching button are located in a predetermined map range including the navigation route, the map element display controller outputs through the display unit a notification indicating that no on-map facility symbols of the facility category concerned are displayed.

10. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein, when the received operation indicates the non-display of the on-map facility symbols, the map element display controller controls the display unit not to display the on-map display facility symbols while displaying the roadside target facility symbols.