Navigation apparatus

• US 6,360,168 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2000
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shimabara, Daisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US09/657,713
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 340/990, 340/995, 345/427, 345/852
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3638 including 3D objects and buildings three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects G06T17/00; geographic models G06T17/05

Abstract

A car navigation apparatus includes a map-image creating device for creating a map image observed ahead, in the traveling direction, of a vehicle from a predetermined position of a viewpoint, a guiding-image creating device for creating a guiding image including information on a predetermined intersection included in the map image, an auxiliary-image creating device for creating an auxiliary image showing which intersection included in the map image relates to the guiding image, and an image display device for synthesizing the guiding image created by the guiding-image creating device and the auxiliary image created by the auxiliary-image creating device on the map image created by the map image creating device and for displaying the synthesized image.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation apparatus comprising:

map-image creating means for creating a map image observed ahead, in the traveling direction, of a vehicle from a predetermined viewpoint;

guiding-image creating means for creating a guiding image including information on a predetermined intersection included in said map image;

auxiliary-image creating means for creating an auxiliary image showing which intersection included in said map image relates to said guiding image; and

image display means for synthesizing said guiding image created by said guiding-image creating means and said auxiliary image created by said auxiliary-image creating means on said map image created by said map image creating means and for displaying the synthesized image.

2. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said guiding image shows information on an intersection within a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle.

3. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said auxiliary image includes a leader line extending from said intersection to said guiding image.

4. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said guiding image includes one of a route number, lane information, and an intersection name.

5. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said guiding-image creating means sets the display area of said guiding image in a variable manner in accordance with the distance between a corresponding intersection and the position of the vehicle.

6. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said guiding-image creating means sets the display color of said guiding image in a variable manner in accordance with the distance between a corresponding intersection and the position of the vehicle.

7. A navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said map image created by said map-image creating means includes a region corresponding to the sky; and

said image display means displays guiding images superimposed one after another in said region corresponding to the sky included in said map image.

8. A navigation apparatus comprising:

map-image creating means for creating map image data in which a building is displayed in a three-dimensional manner so as to look like that which a user observes ahead, in the traveling direction, of a vehicle from a predetermined viewpoint;

guiding-image creating means for creating a guiding image including information on a predetermined intersection included in said map image;

auxiliary-image creating means for creating an auxiliary image showing which intersection included in said map image relates to said guiding image; and

image display means for synthesizing said guiding image created by said guiding-image creating means and said auxiliary image created by said auxiliary-image creating means on said map image created by said map image creating means and for displaying the synthesized image.

9. A navigation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a building within a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle shows map image data representing only the bottom face thereof.

10. A navigation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, when a building image is located in such a position as to block said guiding image, said guiding-image creating means creates map image data in which transparent processing is applied to said building image.

11. A navigation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said guiding image includes one of a one-way traffic sign and a no-entry sign.

12. A navigation apparatus comprising:

map-image creating means for creating a map image observed ahead, in the traveling direction, of a vehicle from a predetermined viewpoint;

guiding-image creating means for, when a guiding route is set, creating a guiding image including information on intersections along said guiding route;

auxiliary-image creating means for creating an auxiliary image showing which intersection included in said map image relates to said guiding image; and

image display means for synthesizing said guiding image created by said guiding-image creating means and said auxiliary image created by said auxiliary-image creating means on said map image created by said map image creating means and for displaying the synthesized image.

13. A navigation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein, for intersections not expected to be passed, said guiding-image creating means does not display the guiding images of said intersections.

14. A navigation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said auxiliary image includes a leader line extending from a predetermined position in said intersection to said guiding image.

15. A navigation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said guiding image includes one of a route number, lane information, and an intersection name.

16. A navigation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said guiding-image creating means sets the display area of said guiding image in a variable manner in accordance with the distance between a corresponding intersection and the position of the vehicle.

17. A navigation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said guiding-image creating means sets the display color of said guiding image in a variable manner in accordance with the distance between a corresponding intersection and the position of the vehicle.

18. A navigation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

said map image created by said map-image creating means includes a region corresponding to the sky; and

said image-display means displays guiding images superimposed one after another in said region corresponding to the sky included in said map image.

19. A navigation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein, when said guiding image is displayed, said guiding image creating means causes said guiding image to be displayed so that said guiding image gradually floats from a road in the vicinity of the intersection corresponding to said guiding image.

20. A navigation apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said guiding image includes a one-way traffic sign.

21. A method of operating a vehicle navigation apparatus comprising:

creating a map image observed in the traveling direction of a vehicle from a predetermined viewpoint;

creating at least one guiding image including guiding information about an intersection included in said map image;

creating an auxiliary image showing which intersection included in said map image relates to said guiding image; and

synthesizing said map image, said guiding image, and said auxiliary image and displaying the synthesized image.

22. A method of operating a vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said auxiliary image includes a leader line extending from said guiding image to its corresponding intersection.

23. A method of operating a vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 21, wherein a guiding image is created and displayed for intersections within a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle.

24. A method of operating a vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 21, wherein a guiding image is created and displayed for intersections only along a guiding route for the vehicle.

25. A method of operating a vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said guiding image includes at least one of a route number, lane information, and an intersection name.

26. A method of operating a vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 21, wherein at least one of the display area and the display color of a guide image is set in a variable manner in accordance with the distance between the corresponding intersection and the position of the vehicle.

27. A method of operating a vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said map image includes a region corresponding to the sky, and at least some of the guiding images are displayed in said sky region.

28. A method of operating a vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said map image includes at least one building displayed in a three-dimensional manner.

29. A method of operating a vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 28, wherein buildings within a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle are not shown in a three-dimensional manner.

30. A method of operating a vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 29, wherein only the bottom outline of a building within a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle is displayed.

31. A method of operating a vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 28, wherein when a building image is located in such a position as to block a guiding image, at least a portion of the building is rendered non-solid so that the guiding image can be seen.

32. A method of operating a vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 21, wherein when a guiding image is displayed, the guiding image gradually floats from a road in the vicinity of the intersection corresponding to the guiding image.