Map display apparatus

• US 8,972,183 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yaguchi, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Algahaim, Helal A
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, SHARDUL D
• Application Number:
  US13/949,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20140005927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 701/428, 701/527, 701/400, 701/432, 340/438, 340/995.1
• US Class Current: 701/527
• 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 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map

Abstract

A map display apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus acquires present position information indicating a present position, and determines a route from the present position to a destination. The apparatus displays a map on a display screen based on map information acquired from a storage medium storing the map information, and displays the route in a form of a line on the map while switching a manner of displaying the route between multiple display modes including a first display mode and a second display mode. In the first display mode, the route is displayed to have a first transparency and a first width. In the second display mode, the route is displayed to have a second transparency more transparent than the first transparency and a second width larger than the first width.

Claims

1. A map display apparatus comprising:

a position information acquisition section configured to acquire present position information indicating a present position;

a route determination section configured to determine a route from the present position, which is indicated in the present position information acquired by the position information acquisition section, to a destination designated via an input from an external of the map display apparatus; and

a display section configured to display a map on a display screen based on map information acquired from a storage medium storing the map information, and configured to display the route, which is determined by the route determination section, in a form of a route line on the map,

wherein

the display section is further configured to display the route on the map while switching a manner of displaying the route line on the map in turn between a plurality of display modes including a first display mode and a second display mode, such that;

in the first display mode, the route line is displayed to have a first transparency; and

in the second display mode, the route line is displayed to have a second transparency more transparent than the first transparency, the route line is visible, and the map information displayed underneath the route line is visible.

2. A map display apparatus comprising:

a position information acquisition section configured to acquire present position information indicating a present position;

a route determination section configured to determine a route from the present position, which is indicated in the present position information acquired by the position information acquisition section, to a destination designated via an input from an external of the map display apparatus; and

a display section configured to display a map on a display screen based on map information acquired from a storage medium storing the map information, and configured to display the route, which is determined by the route determination section, in a form of a route line on the map,

wherein

the display section is further configured to display the route on the map in a manner that, while keeping a scale of the map unchanged, changes, in turn a width of the route line on the map.

3. The map display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

while keeping the scale of the map unchanged, the display section switches the manner of displaying the route line on the map in turn between a plurality of display modes including

a first display mode in which the route line on the map is displayed to have a first width and

a second display mode in which the route line on the map is displayed to have a second width larger than the first width.