Portable or vehicular navigating apparatus and method capable of displaying bird's eye view

• US 6,011,494 A
• Filed: 06/09/1998
• Issued: 01/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yatsugi, Yoshitaka, Yamada, Kiyomichi, Watanabe, Masaki, Kishi, Norimasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US09/092,641
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 340/995, 340/990, 340/974, 340/988, 701/200, 701/201, 701/212, 701/211, 701/208, 701/202, 73/178 R, 33/356, 342/457, 345/437, 345/113, 345/133, 345/426, 345/435, 345/502, 345/508, 345/516
• US Class Current: 340/995.14
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3635 Guidance using 3D or perspective road maps
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

In an apparatus and method for navigating a mobile body such as a vehicle or user, an accurate and easily grasping road map graphic data in a bird'"'"'s eye display mode are achieved with a running route on which the mobile body has traveled maintained and having a continuity to the past running information and operability of the navigating apparatus is improved. In the navigating apparatus and method, the present position information and display parameter information are previously set, a line of sight is determined on the basis of the forwarding direction information, a view point position is determined on the basis of the forwarding direction is determined. A road map data expressed with a two-dimensional X-Y plane as a reference is stored. The road map data stored receive their coordinate transformations on the basis of the determined view point position and direction of line of sight to generate the bird'"'"'s eye view. Such generated bird'"'"'s eye view image data are output to a display unit so that the bird'"'"'s eye view can be viewed from a display image screen. Furthermore, character data such as names of places are selectively superimposed on respective minor regions of the image screen without superimpositions on other character data belonging to adjacent minor regions.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus comprising:

position detecting means for detecting a present position of a mobile body and a forwarding direction toward which the mobile body moves at the present position thereof;

initial display parameter value setting means for previously setting the detected present position and display parameters thereinto as initial values;

direction of line of sight determining means for determining a direction of line of sight for a perspectively projected image on the basis of at least the detected forwarding direction;

view point position determining means for determining a position of a view point on which the direction of line of sight is based on the basis of at least the information of the forwarding direction detected by the present position detecting means;

road map data storing means for storing at least a road map data expressed with a two-dimensional X-Y plane as a reference;

coordinate transforming means for executing a coordinate transformation of the road map data stored in said road map data storing means on the basis of at least the determined direction of line of sight and the determined view point position into a bird'"'"'s eye view which is the perspectively projected image of the read road map data so as to generate the bird'"'"'s eye view; and

display means for receiving the display data of the bird'"'"'s eye view and for displaying the bird'"'"'s eye view on its image screen, wherein said road map data stored in said road map data storing means includes traffic intersection data and route road point data, which further comprises predictive route road point calculating means for calculating a route of road point present in the forwarding direction of the mobile body from another route point which corresponds to the present position of the mobile body as a predicted route point to which the mobile body moves on the basis of the present position detected by said present position detecting means and forwarding direction at the present position detected by said present position detecting means and on the basis of the road map data stored in said road map data storing means, wherein said direction of line of sight determining means determines the direction of line of sight and determines a reference point of the perspectively projected view on the basis of the present position of the mobile body detected by said present position detecting means, the forwarding direction at the detected present position, and the predicted route road point, and said coordinate transforming means executes the coordinate transformation of the road map data on the basis of the determined information from the direction of line of sight determining means, which further comprises turn signal detecting means for detecting an information on a turn signal of the mobile body, and wherein said predictive route road point calculating means calculates the predicted route road point on the basis of the present position detected by said present position detecting means, the forwarding direction at the present position detected by said present position detecting means, the road map data stored in said road map data storing means, and the information on the turn signal of the mobile body detected by said turn signal detecting means.

2. A navigating apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mobile body is an automotive vehicle having a combination lamp to indicate right and left turns and no turn when no combination lamp is turned on.