Electronic device, and method and program for displaying name of search object candidate

• US 9,835,459 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shibata, Tadao
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOWDHURY, RAYEEZ R
• Application Number:
  US13/800,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20140013261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• 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 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

An electronic device including a navigation function, includes a display unit configured to display road map data on a display screen, a scroll unit configured to scroll a road map screen display on the display screen in response to a user input, a determination unit configured to determine if the scrolling has stopped, an identification unit configured to identify, when it is determined that the scrolling has stopped, a search object candidate specified by a position at which the scrolling has stopped, a selection unit configured to select a search object candidate, an acquisition unit configured to acquire name data of the search object candidate, and a synthesis and display unit configured to synthesize and display the name data onto the road map data.

Claims

1. An electronic device including a navigation function, the electronic device comprising:

a display unit configured to display road map data on a display screen;

a scroll unit configured to scroll a road map screen display on the display screen in response to a user input;

a determination unit configured to determine if the scrolling has stopped;

an identification unit configured to identify, when it is determined that the scrolling has stopped, a search object candidate specified by a position at which the scrolling has stopped;

a selection unit configured to select a search object candidate being the same type as that of the search object candidate identified by the identification unit and being included in the road map screen displayed when the scrolling has been stopped;

an acquisition unit configured to acquire name data of the search object candidate selected by the selection unit;

a synthesis and display unit configured to synthesize and display the name data acquired by the acquisition unit onto the road map data, the scrolling of which has stopped; and

a deformed screen creation unit configured to create a deformed screen image on the basis of the road map data displayed when the scrolling has been stopped, wherein to create the deformed screen image, the deformed screen creation unit is configured to modify a thickness of a line representing a road based on a number of lanes that make up the road;

wherein the synthesis and display unit synthesizes and displays the name data in the deformed screen image.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the synthesis and display unit ends synthesizing and displaying of the name data when a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a display mode determination unit configured to determine a display mode between a specified name display mode in which a name of a search object candidate specified by a position at which the scrolling has been stopped, is displayed, and a periphery name display mode in which a name of the search object candidate selected by the selection unit, is displayed.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the display mode determination unit determines the display mode on the basis of a user input.

5. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the display mode determination unit displays, on the road map screen being displayed, a user input button by which a user selects either the specified name display mode or the periphery name display mode.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the display unit displays, on the road map screen displayed when the scrolling has been stopped, an input button by which a user changes a map scale, and

wherein the selection unit selects a search object candidate from the road map screen, the map of which is scaled, when a user has changed the map scale through the input button.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays, on the road map screen displayed when the scrolling has been stopped, an input button by which a user performs display setting, and enables the display of a name of the search object candidate selected by the selection unit, when a user has performed the display setting through the input button.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the synthesis and display unit ends the synthesis and the display of the name data in response to the scrolling.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the selection unit selects a search object candidate, a name of which is not displayed on the road map screen displayed when the scrolling has been stopped.

10. A method for displaying a name of a search object candidate in a map scroll search performed by an electronic device having a navigation function, the method comprising steps of:

scrolling a road map screen when a map scroll search has been activated;

determining whether or not the scrolling has been stopped;

identifying, when it is determined that the scrolling has been stopped, a search object candidate specified by a position at which the scrolling has been stopped;

selecting a search object candidate which is the same type as that of the identified search object candidate and is included in the road map screen displayed, when the scrolling has been stopped;

acquiring name data of the selected search object candidate;

synthesizing and displaying the acquired name data onto road map data, the scrolling of which has been stopped; and

creating a deformed screen image on the basis of the road map data displayed when the scrolling has been stopped, wherein creating the deformed screen image comprises modifying a thickness of a line representing a road based on a number of lanes that make up the road.

11. The method for displaying a name according to claim 10, wherein the step of synthesizing and displaying ends the synthesis and the display of the name data when a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

12. The method for displaying a name according to claim 10, wherein the step of synthesizing and displaying synthesizes and displays the name data on the deformed screen image.

13. The method for displaying a name according to claim 10, further comprising a step of determining a display mode between a specified name display mode in which a name of a search object candidate specified by a position at which the scrolling has been stopped is displayed, and a periphery name display mode in which a name of the search object candidate selected by the selection unit is displayed.

14. The method for displaying a name according to claim 13, wherein the step of determining a display mode determines the display mode on the basis of a user input.

15. The method for displaying a name according to claim 13, wherein the step of determining a display mode displays, on the road map screen being displayed, a user input button by which a user selects either the specified name display mode or the periphery name display mode.

16. A non-transient recording medium in which a program for displaying a name of a search object candidate in a map scroll search performed by an electronic device having a navigation function is recorded, the program comprising steps of:

scrolling a road map screen when a map scroll search has been activated;

determining whether or not the scrolling has been stopped;

identifying, when it is determined that the scrolling has been stopped, a search object candidate specified by a position at which the scrolling has been stopped;

selecting a search object candidate which is the same type as that of the identified search object candidate and is included in the road map screen displayed when the scrolling has been stopped;

acquiring name data of the selected search object candidate;

synthesizing and displaying the acquired name data onto road map data, the scrolling of which has been stopped; and

creating a deformed screen image on the basis of the road map data displayed when the scrolling has been stopped, wherein creating the deformed screen image comprises modifying a thickness of a line representing a road based on a number of lanes that make up the road.

17. The recording medium in which a program for displaying a name is recorded according to claim 16, wherein the step of synthesizing and displaying ends the synthesis and the display of the name data when a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

18. The recording medium in which a program for displaying a name is recorded according to claim 16, wherein the step of synthesizing and displaying synthesizes and displays the name data on the deformed screen image.

19. The recording medium in which a program for displaying a name is recorded according to claim 16, the program for displaying a name further comprising a step of determining a display mode between a specified name display mode in which a name of a search object candidate specified by a position at which the scrolling has been stopped is displayed, and a periphery name display mode in which a name of the search object candidate selected by the selection unit is displayed.

20. The recording medium in which a program for displaying a name is recorded according to claim 16, wherein the step of determining a display mode determines the display mode on the basis of a user input.

21. The recording medium in which a program for displaying a name is recorded according to claim 20, wherein the step of determining a display mode displays, on the road map screen being displayed, a user input button by which a user selects either the specified name display mode or the periphery name display mode.