Navigation apparatus, image display method, and program for the image display method

• US 7,706,972 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2006
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Xanavi Informatics Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Matsuo, Shigeru, Miyazawa, Hirohisa
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US11/443,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/207, 359/462, 348/148, 340/435, 340/988, 345/581, 345/688, 345/162, 345/531, 345/214, 345/33, 382/178
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3635 Guidance using 3D or perspective road maps
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3688 Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/27 involving lenticular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/30 involving parallax barriers

Abstract

A navigation apparatus which includes a front image display displaying an image of a front side and a back image display displaying an image of a back side, the each image being one of images stereoscopically overlapped along the line of sight; a front image signal; a measuring unit for measuring a current position of own vehicle; a map storage unit; a controller for controlling each unit, wherein the controller reads map data of a predetermined area and determines if an elevated road exists in the area, wherein when the elevated road exists, the controller checks whether or not the current position of the own vehicle is on the elevated road, and wherein when the current position is not on the elevated road, the front image display draws the image of the elevated road so that an image drawn on the back image display can be visually percepted.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus, comprising:

a front side image display unit for displaying an image of a front side and a back side image display unit for displaying an image of a back side, each image being one of images which stereoscopically overlap along a line of sight;

a measuring unit for measuring a current position of an own vehicle;

a map storage unit for storing map data which includes information indicating whether or not a feature is an elevated road and data of an image of a road; and

a control unit for controlling an image of a map around a position of the own vehicle to be displayed on the front side image display unit and back side image display unit, by acquiring the map data of a predetermined area, where the current position of the own vehicle is included, from the map storage unit, based on the current position of the own vehicle measured by the measuring unit,

wherein the control unit transmits the data of an image of a road of the acquired map data to the back side image display unit and determines whether or not the elevated road exists in the predetermined area, based on the information indicating whether or not the feature, which is registered as the map data, is the elevated road,

wherein when the control unit determines that the elevated road exists in the predetermined area, the control unit determines whether or not the current position of the own vehicle is on the elevated road, based on the current position of the own vehicle measured by the measuring unit,

wherein when the current position of the own vehicle is not on the elevated road, the control unit transmits data of an image of the elevated road included in the map data to the front side image display unit,

wherein the front side image display unit draws the image of the elevated road so that an image drawn on the back side image display unit can be visually percepted.

2. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein to draw the image of the elevated road so that an image drawn on the back side image display unit can be visually percepted is to draw the image of the elevated road semi-transmissively.

3. The navigation apparatus according to claims 1,

wherein the front side image display unit and the back side image display unit are display panels which are disposed with a predetermined distance at a front side and back side overlapping along the line of sight.

4. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein in response to a determination that the current position of the own vehicle is in a predetermined position, the control unit transmits a front side image signal that includes information of a leading guide map to the front side image display unit to display

the leading guide map on the front side image display unit.

5. The navigation apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the leading guide map is a quarter guide map or an enlarged intersection map.

6. An image display method for a navigation apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a front side image display unit for displaying an image of a front side and a back side image display unit for displaying an image of a back side, each image being one of images which stereoscopically overlap along the line of sight;

a measuring unit for measuring a current position of an own vehicle; and

a map storage unit for storing map data which includes information indicating whether or not a feature is an elevated road and data of an image of a road, the image display method comprising;

reading the map data of a predetermined area where the current position of the own vehicle is included from the map storage unit, based on the current position of the own vehicle measured by the measuring unit;

transmitting the data of an image of a road of the acquired map data to the back side image display unit;

determining whether or not an elevated road exists in the predetermined area, based on information indicating whether or not the feature, which is registered as the map data, is the elevated road, and

upon determining that that an elevated road exists in the predetermined area

determining whether or not the current position of the own vehicle is on the elevated road, and upon determining that the current position of the own vehicle is not on the elevated road transmitting data of an image of the elevated road included in the map data provided to the front side image display unit, and

wherein the front side image display unit draws

the image of the elevated road so that an image drawn on the back side image display unit can be visually percepted.

7. The image display method for a navigation apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein to draw the image of the elevated road so that an image drawn on the back side image display unit can be visually percepted is to draw the image of the elevated road semi-transmissively.

8. The image display method for a navigation apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the front side image display unit and the back side image display unit are display panels which are disposed with a predetermined distance at a front side and back side overlapping along the line of sight.

9. The image display method for a navigation apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein upon determining that the current position of the own vehicle is in a predetermined position

transmitting a front side image signal that includes information for a leading guide map to the front side image display unit;

and

displaying, using the front side image display unit, the leading guide map on the front side image display unit.

10. The image display method for a navigation apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the leading guide map is a quarter guide map or an enlarged intersection map.

11. An image display program product comprising a program, readable by a computer, that causes the computer to execute the image display method according to claim 10, comprising:

a first sub-module program for functioning the front side image display unit for displaying the image of the front side and back side image display unit for displaying the image of the back side, each image being one of images which stereoscopically overlap along the line of sight;

a second sub-module program for generating the front side image signal for displaying the image of the front side;

a third sub-module program for functioning the measuring unit for measuring the current position of the own vehicle;

a fourth sub-module program for functioning the map storage unit for storing the map data which includes the information indicating whether or not the feature is the elevated road and data of the image of the road; and

a fifth sub-module program for functioning a control unit for controlling the front side image display unit, the back side image display unit, the measuring unit, and the map storage unit,

wherein the control unit

acquires the map data of the predetermined area where the current position of the own vehicle is included from the map storage unit, based on the current position of the own vehicle measured by the measuring unit;

determines whether or not the elevated road exists in the predetermined area, based on information indicating whether or not the feature, which is registered as the map data, is the elevated road, and

wherein when the control unit determines that the elevated road exists in the predetermined area, the control unit determines whether or not the current position of the own vehicle is on the elevated road, based on the current position of the own vehicle measured by the measuring unit, and

wherein when the current position of the own vehicle is not on the elevated road, the control unit

inserts the image of the elevated road included in the map data in the front side image signal; and

transmits the front side image signal to the front side image display unit; and

wherein the front side image display unit draws the image of the elevated road so that the image drawn on the back side image display unit can be visually percepted.