Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-05
2001-08-28
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C340S995190
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282493
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a navigation device mounted in a vehicle. More particularly it relates to a navigation device mounted in a vehicle which displays information relating to various kinds of facilities existing in the proximity of an arbitrary geographical point on a road in a schematic road map.
BACKGROUND ART
In conventional vehicle mounted navigation devices, there is a display. For example, information relating to facilities on expressways, such as service areas (SA) and parking areas (PA), as well as a deformation map of the national highway can be displayed on a crystal display in an integrated format.
FIG. 52
shows an example of a display on a crystal display (display unit) according to the present invention. In the figure,
52
is a crystal display showing a road map or a schematic road map of roads. The vehicle's present position and a deformation map of the expressway comprising designated geographical points on the expressway are displayed on the crystal display. These designated geographical points are various kinds of schematic map information relating to the expressway such as interchange designations (IC), service area designations (SA) and parking area designations (PA). The example of the crystal display
52
of a conventional vehicle mounted navigation device shown in
FIG. 52
is disclosed for example in JP-A-7-168996.
FIG. 53
shows facility information displayed on a crystal display
52
in the conventional vehicle mounted navigation device shown in FIG.
52
.
An operator such as a driver selects a display such as service area (SA) or parking area (PA) displayed on the crystal display
52
shown in
FIG. 52
from the touch panel. When they touch the screen, facility information relating to the selected service area (SA) or parking area (PA) is displayed on the crystal display
52
.
Since the conventional vehicle mounted navigation device is constructed as discussed above, roads are displayed in an schematic map form, that is to say, only facilities on the expressway are displayed. In order for various types of facilities located in areas off the road, which in this case is an expressway, or information of use to the operator, such as a driver, to be displayed, it is necessary to return to the map display shown in
FIG. 52
another time. Furthermore even after returning to that display, it is necessary to go through the complicated operations of searching for the target facility on the map, selecting it and touching the screen. Thus it has entailed the problem that the operation is tedious for the operator.
Furthermore when a normal non-schematic map is displayed on a crystal display and various kinds of facilities are displayed on the map, as all kinds of facilities are displayed across the entire map displayed on the crystal display, the problem has arisen that it is troublesome and complicated for the operator to recognize the target facility.
The present invention is proposed to solve the above problems. It is the purpose of the present invention to provided a vehicle mounted navigation device having the function of displaying, on an schematic map, various kinds of facility information other than that located on the automobile road being the object of the schematic map. This information can be obtained when the vehicle is using automobile roads such as expressways and tollways or general roads such as national, prefectural or municipal roads.
Furthermore the present invention has the purpose of providing a vehicle mounted navigation device which performs road map simplification process and which displays facilities near to an arbitrary geographical point in combination with the schematic map even when the vehicle is located on or is currently moving in an area other than an automobile-only road.
The present invention has the purpose of providing a vehicle mounted navigation device which is capable of easily providing the operator with detailed information regarding facilities displayed on the schematic map. Such information relating to facilities on a schematic map displayed on a crystal display which comprises a display unit is displayed in a composite form showing the distance, bearing and the like from an arbitrary geographical point.
Furthermore the present invention has the purpose of providing a vehicle mounted navigation device in which the category of facility can be selected on the schematic map displayed on the crystal display and in which the operation can easily, quickly and accurately understand the target facility.
Furthermore the present invention has the purpose of providing a vehicle mounted navigation device which displays facilities on a schematic map displayed on a crystal display and in which the route from an arbitrary geographical point to the target facility selected by the operator, such as a driver, is provided to that operator.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The vehicle mounted navigation device of the present invention as defined by claim
1
comprises a map information storage section which stores various information relating to maps, a schematic map calculation section which reduces roads to plan form based on data stored in said map information storage section and which generates a schematic map, a distance calculation section which calculates the distance from an arbitrary geographical point to a target facility, a display selection section which selects a facility which is displayed on said schematic map based on a distance supplied by said distance calculation section, a display section which performs the display of said map or said schematic map and a display control section which displays said facility on said schematic map displayed on said display section. In this way, the operator can easily understand facility information in the vicinity of an arbitrary geographical point.
The vehicle mounted navigation device of the present invention as defined by claim
2
is characterized in that said display selection section selects an object within a distance from an arbitrary geographical point to a facility within a fixed distance as obtained by the distance calculation section and said display control section displays said selected facility selected by said display selection section on a schematic map displayed on said display section. In such a way, the operator can easily understand information relating to various facilities located in a fixed distance in the vicinity of an arbitrary geographical point.
The vehicle mounted navigation device of the present invention as defined by claim
3
is characterized in that said display control section displays a distance obtained from said distance calculation section at a position adjacent to said facility on the schematic map as facility information displayed on the display section. In such a way, the operator can easily understand information relating to the distance from an arbitrary geographical point to a facility.
The vehicle mounted navigation device of the present invention as defined by claim
4
further comprises a bearing calculation section which calculates a bearing from an arbitrary geographical point to a facility based on data stored in said map information storage section and said display control section displays a bearing from an arbitrary geographical point to a facility on a schematic map as information relating to said facility displayed on the display section based on the calculation result obtained from said bearing calculation section. In this way, the operator can easily understand information relating to a bearing from an arbitrary geographical point to a facility.
The vehicle mounted navigation device of the present invention as defined by claim
5
further comprises a trip calculation section which calculates the running distance that must be traveled on an actual road map from an arbitrary geographical point to a facility based on data stored in said map information storage section and which sets the running distance from said arbitrary geographical point to said facility on said map as a trip distance from sai
Kitagawa Takakiyo
Ohki Hidehiko
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Pipala Edward
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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