Map display system

• US 7,164,988 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2003
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kato, Noriko
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/747,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20040158399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 701207-211, 701200-202, 340988-990, 340/995.1, 340/995.16, 340/995.19, 340/995.21, 340/995.23
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names

Abstract

As the name of a given road is inputted, intersecting roads that share nodes such as an intersecting, merging, or branching point with the given road are designated. From the given road'"'"'s nodes shared by the designated intersecting roads, the nearest node to the present position is displayed along with its peripheral map. A portion of the given road that is far from the present position is thereby prevented from being displayed along with its peripheral map. This can eliminate additional manipulation such as changing a reduction scale of the displayed map or repeatedly scrolling the displayed map till an objective point is being displayed. As a result, operationality can be enhanced in designating a point such as an objective point by using a name of a road.

Claims

1. A map display system comprising:

a map data storing unit for storing map data used to draw a map and intersection data, wherein the intersection data includes names of roads and data of nodes of the respective roads, wherein each of the nodes includes at least one of an intersecting point, a branching point, and a merging point, wherein a name of a given road and data of nodes of the given road are mutually correlated;

a road name input unit for inputting only a name of a road so as to prevent limitation of the road;

a point designating unit for designating nodes, in ascending order of distances between the respective designated nodes and a given point, with reference to intersection data corresponding to the inputted name of the road; and

a display control unit for displaying on a screen one of the nodes designated by the point designating unit and a peripheral map corresponding to the one of the designated nodes.

2. The map display system of claim 1,

wherein the point designating unit designates the nodes, in the ascending order of the distances from the respective designated nodes to the given point that is one of a present position, an objective point, and a pass point within a route from the present position to the objective point.

3. The map display system of claim 1,

wherein the display control unit displays the one of the nodes designated by the point designating unit and the peripheral map corresponding to the one of the designated points by switching the designated nodes and the peripheral maps corresponding to the respective designated nodes in the ascending order of the distances between the respective designated nodes and the given point.

4. The map display system of claim 1, further comprising:

a route computing unit for computing a route from a starting point to an objective point,

wherein the route computing unit sets one of the nodes designated by the point designating unit as one of a starting point, an objective point, and a pass point within the route from the starting position to the objective point.

5. The map display system of claim 4,

wherein, when the route computing unit computes the route from the starting point to the objective point, the point designating unit designates the nodes that are located within a limited region including a line connecting between the starting point and the objective point.

6. A map display system comprising:

a map data storing unit for storing map data used to draw a map and intersection data, wherein the intersection data includes names of roads, data of nodes of the respective roads, and names of intersecting roads, wherein each of the nodes includes at least one of an intersecting point, a branching point, and a merging point, wherein a given road shares nodes of the given road with given intersecting roads with which the given road intersects, wherein a name of the given road, data of the nodes of the given road, and names of the given intersecting roads are mutually correlated;

a road name input unit for inputting only a name of a road so as to prevent limitation of the road;

a road designating unit for designating, with reference to intersection data corresponding to intersecting roads with which the road of the inputted name intersects, the intersecting roads in ascending order of distances between a given point and the respective nodes shared by the intersecting roads;

a list displaying control unit for displaying a list of the intersecting roads in the ascending order;

a selecting unit for selecting a certain road from the list; and

a display control unit for displaying on a screen a certain node that the selected certain road shares with the road of the inputted name and a peripheral map corresponding to the certain node.

7. The map display system of claim 6,

wherein the road designating unit designates the intersecting roads, in the ascending order of the distances between the given point and the respective nodes shared by the intersecting roads, wherein the given point is one of a present position, an objective point, and a pass point within a route from the present position to the objective point.

8. The map display system of claim 6, further comprising:

a route computing unit for computing a route from a starting point to an objective point,

wherein the route computing unit sets one of the nodes shared by the intersecting roads designated by the road designating unit as one of a starting point, an objective point, and a pass point within the route from the starting position to the objective point.

9. The map display system of claim 8,

wherein, when the route computing unit computes the route from the starting point to the objective point, the road designating unit designates the intersecting roads sharing the nodes that are located within a limited region including a line connecting between the starting point and the objective point.

10. A map display system comprising:

a map data storing unit for storing map data used to draw a map, and data of names and positions of roads that are displayed on the map;

a road name input unit for inputting only a name of a road and for not inputting additional information so as to prevent further limiting the road;

a position detector for detecting a present position;

a point designating unit for designating, of the road having the inputted name, a closest point that has a shortest distance from the detected present position; and

a display control unit for displaying on a screen the designated closest point by the point designating unit and a peripheral map corresponding to the designated closest point.

11. The map display system of claim 10,

wherein the additional information further limiting the road includes at least one of a block number, a house number, and an address number.

12. The map display system of claim 10,

wherein the display control unit displays on the screen the designated closest point and the peripheral map, with the designated closet point approximately centered in the screen.

13. The map display system of claim 10,

wherein the point designating unit selectively designates, of the road having the inputted name, only the closest point that has the shortest distance from the detected present position, and

the display control unit displays on the screen the designated closest point and the peripheral map while explicitly displaying only the designated closest point among other points of the road having the inputted name.

14. The map display system of claim 10, wherein the closest point is included in nodes that are included in the road having the inputted name.

15. The map display system of claim 14, wherein

the closest point included in the nodes is represented by an intersecting road, with which the road having the inputted name intersects at the closest node, and

the designated closest point is shown on the screen by using a name of the intersecting road.

16. The map display system of claim 10, further comprising:

a route computing unit for computing a route from a starting point to an objective point,

wherein the route computing unit sets the closest point designated by the point designating unit as one of a starting point, an objective point, and a pass point within the route from the starting position to the objective point.

17. A method for displaying a map including a road in a map display system in a vehicle, the map displayed based on map data along with data of names and positions of roads, the method comprising:

detecting a present position of the vehicle;

inputting only a name of a certain road, the input of only the name of the certain road accompanied by no additional information further limiting the certain road;

designating a closest point associated with the certain road, the closest point designated based on being closest to the detected present position; and

displaying the designated closest point and its corresponding peripheral map, on a screen in the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17,

wherein the additional information further limiting the road includes at least one of a block number, a house number, and an address number.

19. The method of claim 17,

wherein the designated closest point is included in nodes that are associated with the certain road and the data of names and positions of roads.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the designated closest point included in the nodes is represented by an intersecting road with which the certain road intersects, and

the displaying includes showing the designated closest point on the screen by using a name of the intersecting road.