Abstract: A controller of a navigation terminal (navigation apparatus) is configured to find a plurality of paths from a current position of a vehicle and a destination based on a plurality of different and prioritized path-finding conditions, respectively, and causes a display to show the plurality of paths which includes a navigating path found on the basis of a top-priority path-finding condition and at least one alternative path found on the other path-finding condition(s). In response to detection of deviation of the vehicle, the priority assigned to a path-finding condition based on which a specific alternative path along which the vehicle is running is changed into a top priority, and path-finding operation is performed again for paths from the current position of the vehicle to the destination to show a new navigating path and at least one new alternative path in the display.

Abstract: Disclosed is a arrangements of map information supply device for mobile units.

Abstract: A map display method whereby the contents of a road map displayed can be easily and clearly grasped regardless of the running conditions of a vehicle. In a summarized map displayed on a display screen 10, an area including a vehicle position 11, a destination 13 and a guide route 12 between them is displayed in simplified fashion. At a position far from the destination, as shown in FIG. 2A, a summarized map of a wide area is displayed and objects including a road 14 and a facility 15 are limited to a greater degree. With the approach of the vehicle position 11 to the destination 13, as shown in FIG. 2B, the contraction scale is decreased and a summarized map of a middle area is displayed, while at the same time increasing the objects displayed. With a further approach of the vehicle position 11 to the destination 13, as shown in FIG.

Abstract: In each of the divided regions of the map, a redundancy of the region is estimated from the characteristics quantity such as fractal dimension of line segments of road. Then, regions with the same redundancies are combined to form a larger area so that the map is divided according to the redundancy. The areas thus formed are summarized by the summarization methods conforming to their redundancies and are combined into one map. In the map thus generated, only necessary information can be presented, with redundant information eliminated.

Abstract: In a communication type navigation system that downloads maps, the present invention provides a map data transmission method that can reduce time before guiding is started. A map provision server searches for a traveling route connecting a starting place corresponding to current position information received from an on-vehicle terminal and a destination corresponding to destination information. The server generates guidance information for guiding the vehicle along the searched traveling route and generates a route vicinity map along the traveling route. The server generates traveling route information comprising the searched traveling route and the guidance information, and plural map information blocks into which the route vicinity map containing map information is divided along the traveling route, assigns transmission priority levels to the map information blocks, and transmits the map information blocks according to the transmission priority levels after transmitting the traveling route information.

Abstract: A navigation apparatus includes a route searching unit that searches for a plurality of routes from a departure point to a destination and a map display control unit that displays a map of the plurality of routes searched out by the route searching unit upon a display monitor, and, if any two or more among the plurality of routes overlap upon and pass along a same road, the map display control unit displays the overlapping portions as shifted.

Abstract: This abridged map generating apparatus includes a route searching unit that searches for a plurality of routes from a departure point to a destination which has been set, an abridged map generation unit that generates an abridged map in which road shapes of the routes which are searched out by the route searching unit are simplified, based upon road map data which specifies shapes of roads by shapes of links set for each predetermined road section, and a link compactification unit that compactifies links of the routes based upon relative positional relationships of the routes before the abridged map generation unit generates the abridged map.

Abstract: This abridged map generating apparatus includes an abridged map generation unit that generates an abridged map in which a shape of a road is simplified based upon road map data, wherein the road map data specifies the shapes of the road by shapes of links set for each predetermined road section, and the abridged map generation unit generates the abridged map by simplifying a shapes of a link or link series with fixed positions of both end points of the link or link series made by lining up a plurality of the links.

Abstract: An abridged map generating apparatus includes a polygon shape data extraction unit that extracts from map data polygon shape data specifying the shape of a polygon, a polygon shape simplification unit that simplifies the shape of the polygon based upon the polygon shape data which is extracted by the polygon shape data extraction unit, and a polygon drawing unit that draws upon a map the polygon whose shape has been simplified by the polygon shape simplification unit.

Abstract: The on-vehicle information terminal according to the present invention comprises an abridged road generating device that generates abridged roads by abridging a road map based upon map data, a road decision-making device that makes a decision as to whether or not a road is a special shape road having a predetermined special shape based upon the map data, a substituting device for substitutes a specific road shape pattern stored in memory in advance for a road determined by the road decision-making device to have a special shape and a display control device that displays at the display device an abridged map containing specific road shape patterns used to substitute for special shape roads by the substituting device and the abridged roads generated by the abridged road generating device.

Abstract: A portable terminal with the function of walking navigation. The portable terminal displays information on its narrow screen so as to make it easy for the user (walker) to understand and realize an interface that enables the user to understand inputs of retrieving conditions intuitively, thereby saving the input labor. Assume now that a user (walker) 10 is lost while walking towards a destination 11. In such a case, the present invention enables necessary information to be compressed, for example, so as to display both direction and distance to the destination from a present place with an orientation and a length of an arrow on a small screen and further so as to match the orientation of the arrow with the direction of the destination in the actual space.

Abstract: Disclosed is a arrangements of map information supply device for mobile units.

Abstract: A car navigation system by which a user can easily grasp a drop-in target in the course of a route. In a summary road map displayed in a two- or one-window display representation, contents of a two-dimensional road map is properly selected and simplified, roads are made linear, roads connected to an intersection are made orthogonal so that the user can easily see it, the position of a vehicle is expressed by a mark, and even the running route is expressed with a predetermined color or the like. Accordingly, the system offers the user such a display form as able to easily refer to. When the user specifies a target at which the user wants to drop in, the drop-in target is displayed at a corresponding position on the summary road map in the form of a land mark.

Abstract: A portable terminal with the function of walking navigation. The portable terminal displays information on its narrow screen so as to make it easy for the user (walker) to understand and realize an interface that enables the user to understand inputs of retrieving conditions intuitively, thereby saving the input labor.

Abstract: A portable terminal has a function of walking navigation. The direction of a destination is displayed by an indicating arrow that always points in the direction of the destination. In the navigation processing, the user enters data to select a menu and/or set retrieving conditions on the setup screen. At first, the user gets the location information of the portable terminal, represented by a latitude/longitude or coordinates and an altitude, for example. Then, the user gets the direction information of the portable terminal, which is the direction of the tip of the portable terminal as determined by a compass, a gyro, or a clinometer. The location information and the direction information are set as terminal information for the retrieving conditions. The system controls retrieving of the database and retrieves the information corresponding to the selected menu, such as route guidance.

Abstract: A portable terminal with the function of walking navigation. The portable terminal displays information on its narrow screen so as to make it easy for the user (walker) to understand and realize an interface that enables the user to understand inputs of retrieving conditions intuitively, thereby saving the input labor.

Abstract: A portable terminal with the function of walking navigation. The portable terminal displays information on its narrow screen so as to make it easy for the user (walker) to understand and realize an interface that enables the user to understand inputs of retrieving conditions intuitively, thereby saving the input labor. Assume now that a user (walker) 10 is lost while walking towards a destination 11. In such a case, the present invention enables necessary information to be compressed, for example, so as to display both direction and distance to the destination from a present place with an orientation and a length of an arrow on a small screen and further so as to match the orientation of the arrow with the direction of the destination in the actual space.

Abstract: A portable terminal with the function of walking navigation. The portable terminal displays information on its narrow screen so as to make it easy for the user (walker) to understand and realize an interface that enables the user to understand inputs of retrieving conditions intuitively, thereby saving the input labor.

Abstract: A portable terminal has a function of walking navigation. The direction of the destination is displayed by an indicating arrow that always points in the direction of the destination. In the navigation processing, the user enters data to select a menu and/or set retrieving conditions on the setup screen. At first, the user gets the location information of the portable terminal, represented by a latitude/longitude or coordinates and an altitude, for example. Then, the user gets the direction information of the portable terminal, which is the direction of the tip of the portable terminal as determined by a compass, a gyro, or a clinometer. The location information and the direction information are set as terminal information for the retrieving conditions. The system controls retrieving of the database and retrieves the information corresponding to the selected menu, such as route guidance.

Abstract: A plurality of rough three-dimensional structured data, each expressing a shape of an object in a polygon pillar, are displayed on a display unit; one rough three-dimensional structured data is selected from the plurality of rough three-dimensional structured data displayed on the display unit in accordance with a request given by an input device; a detailed three-dimensional structured data corresponding to the selected rough three-dimensional structured data is retrieved from a set of detailed three-dimensional structured data which are stored in a storage unit and each of which expresses a shape of an object in detail; and the selected rough three-dimensional structured data is replaced by the corresponding detailed three-dimensional structured data.