Method and apparatus for displaying house number and building footprint in arrival screen for navigation system

• US 20080243374A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hatazawa, Mari
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names

Abstract

A method for displaying an arrival screen for a navigation system includes the steps of receiving a house number of a destination specified by a user, retrieving map data indicating a road segment which includes the specified house number thereon, estimating positions of the destination based on the house number of the destination and position data of the road segment, and displaying a destination arrival screen when the user comes within a predetermined distance range from the destination. The destination arrival screen displays a street number over a building footprint where the user is passing by, a position of the destination, a current position of the user, and a road on which the user is moving.

Claims

1. A method for displaying an arrival screen for a navigation system, comprising the following steps of:

receiving a street address number of a destination specified by a user;

retrieving map data indicating a road segment which includes the specified street address number thereon from a map information storage;

estimating positions of the destination based on street numbers of the destination and position data of the road segment;

detecting whether the user comes within a predetermined distance range from the destination; and

displaying a destination arrival screen when the user comes within the predetermined distance range from the destination where the destination arrival screen includes a destination indicator which shows a location of the destination and a current position indicator which shows a current location of the user; and

displaying a house number indicator which indicates a house number at a location corresponding to the current location of the user where the house number indicator is displayed over a building footprint when the building footprint is available;

wherein the house number indicator changes its location and a house number in response to changes of the current position of the user.

2. A method for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 1, wherein the destination arrival screen includes a location data box in which a street address number in a text form changes in response to the change of the current position of the user.

3. A method for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 1, wherein the destination arrival screen further includes a count down number for counting a number of buildings located between the current position of the user and the position of the destination.

4. A method for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

checking whether any footprint data exist in the map data adjacent to the road segment which includes the specified street address of the destination; and

estimating positions of the destination address by incorporating position information included in the footprint data;

wherein the footprint data of a building includes the position information which is expressed by latitude and longitude data indicating a shape, size and location of the building.

5. A method for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 4, wherein the step of estimating the positions by incorporating the position information included in the footprint data of the building includes a step of interpolating between a street address number on the road segment and a selected point on the road segment corresponding to the latitude and longitude data of the building.

6. A method for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 1, wherein the building footprint is a two-dimensional image showing a topological shape of the building derived from the map data.

7. A method for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 3, wherein the street address number is provided on one side of the road on which the user is moving where the destination is located on the one side.

8. A method for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 3, wherein the street address number is provided on both sides of the road on which the user is moving without regard to which side of the road the destination is located.

9. A method for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of switching between a screen, which does not include the street address and the destination arrival screen at any desired time by operating a switch-over key.

10. A method for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 3, wherein the destination arrival screen further includes an image of an intersection when the intersection is located close to the destination.

11. An apparatus for displaying an arrival screen for a navigation system, comprising:

means for receiving a street address number of a destination specified by a user;

means for retrieving map data indicating a road segment which includes the specified street address number thereon from a map information storage;

means for estimating positions of the destination based on street numbers of the destination and position data of the road segment;

means for detecting whether the user comes within a predetermined distance range from the destination; and

means for displaying a destination arrival screen when the user comes within the predetermined distance range from the destination where the destination arrival screen includes a destination indicator which shows a location of the destination and a current position indicator which shows a current location of the user; and

means for displaying a house number indicator which indicates a house number at a location corresponding to the current location of the user where the house number indicator is displayed over a building footprint when the building footprint is available;

wherein the house number indicator changes its location and a house number in response to changes of the current position of the user.

12. An apparatus for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 11, wherein the destination arrival screen includes a location data box in which a street address number in a text form changes in response to the change of the current position of the user.

13. An apparatus for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 11, wherein the destination arrival screen further includes a count down number for counting a number of buildings located between the current position of the user and the position of the destination.

14. An apparatus for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 11, further comprising:

means for checking whether any footprint data exist in the map data adjacent to the road segment which includes the specified street address of the destination; and

means for estimating positions of the destination address by incorporating position information included in the footprint data;

wherein the footprint data of a building includes the position information which is expressed by latitude and longitude data indicating a shape, size and location of the building.

15. An apparatus for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 14, wherein the means for estimating the positions by incorporating the position information included in the footprint data of the building includes means for interpolating between a street address number on the road segment and a selected point on the road segment corresponding to the latitude and longitude data of the building.

16. An apparatus for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 11, wherein the building footprint is a two-dimensional image showing a topological shape of the building derived from the map data.

17. An apparatus for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 13, wherein the street address number is provided on one side of the road on which the user is moving where the destination is located on the one side.

18. An apparatus for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 13, wherein the street address number is provided on both sides of the road on which the user is moving without regard to which side of the road the destination is located.

19. An apparatus for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 11, further comprising means for switching between a screen, which does not include the street address and the destination arrival screen at any desired time by operating a switch-over key.

20. An apparatus for displaying an arrival screen as defined in claim 13, wherein the destination arrival screen further includes an image of an intersection when the intersection is located close to the destination.