Map display controller and map display control program

• US 20070106464A1
• Filed: 11/07/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yamada, Takushi
• Granted Patent: US 8,300,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

A balloon icon, which indicates information of a facility, is attached to a facility icon indicating a position of the facility via a rope icon connecting the facility icon with the balloon icon. A vehicle navigation system accepts a scroll instruction through an operation unit. Based on the instruction, the vehicle navigation system slants the balloon icon toward a scroll target center determined based on the scroll instruction. The vehicle navigation system then scrolls a map.

Claims

1. A map display controller comprising:

display control means for controlling an image display apparatus to display part of a map on a display screen of the image display apparatus and to display a moving image in the display screen in visual association with a certain position on the map; and

movement control means for moving the moving image in the display screen relatively to the map.

2. The map display controller of claim 1,

wherein the movement control means moves the moving image in such a direction as to make easy entry into the display screen.

3. The map display controller of claim 1,

wherein the movement control means provides movement control for moving, of the map, a display part, which is to be displayed in the display screen, along one direction on the map and moves the moving image in such a direction as to make easy entry into the display screen.

4. The map display controller of claim 3,

wherein the movement control means provides the movement control and, as a result of the movement control, moves the moving image so as to approach a point in the map at a center of the display screen.

5. The map display controller of claim 3,

wherein the movement control means provides the movement control and moves the moving image in the one direction relatively to the map.

6. The map display controller of claim 3,

wherein, when the movement control terminates and a base time elapses, the movement control means returns the moving image to a position on the map before initiation of the movement control.

7. The map display controller of claim 3,

wherein the movement control means determines a distance for moving the moving image along with the movement control based on a speed of moving the display part of the map under the movement control.

8. The map display controller of claim 1,

wherein the movement control means determines a distance for moving the moving image based on a scale of the map displayed by the display control means.

9. The map display controller of claim 1,

wherein, when a user specifies the moving image displayed in the display screen, the movement control means accordingly varies part of the map to be displayed in the display screen so that the display screen displays the certain position associated with the moving image on the map.

10. The map display controller of claim 1,

wherein the display control means uses a connection image for connecting the certain position with the moving image on the map so as to visually associate the certain position with the moving image.

11. The map display controller of claim 1,

wherein the moving image indicates information about a facility that is located at the certain position, which the moving image is visually associated with, on the map.

12. The map display controller of claim 1,

wherein the moving image indicates information about a facility that is located at the certain position on the map, and

wherein, when the certain position is not included in a part of the map displayed in the display screen, the moving image is displayed to indicate a direction to the certain position on the map.

13. A method for displaying a map in a display screen of an image display apparatus, the method comprising:

displaying a part of the map in the display screen;

displaying a moving image in the display screen in visual association with a certain position on the map; and

moving the moving image in the display screen relatively to the map.

14. A computer program product in a computer readable medium in use for displaying a map in a display screen of an image display apparatus, the computer program product comprising:

instructions for displaying a part of the map in the display screen;

instructions for displaying a moving image in the display screen in visual association with a certain position on the map; and

instructions for moving the moving image in the display screen relatively to the map.