Patent ID: 7502685

Claim:
A vehicle navigation apparatus comprising: a display device; a vehicle position detector; a map-data storage section configured for storing therein map data; and a controller configured for searching for a guidance route from a starting point to a destination based on the map data read from the map-data storage section, and for displaying on the display device a mark indicative of a traveling direction to be taken at a next intersection on the guidance route where the vehicle is to make a turn such that the vehicle is directed along the guidance route, wherein, when the vehicle reaches a predetermined distance from the intersection at which the vehicle is to make the turn, said controller determines whether or not a non-guidance intersection exists on the guidance route between the vehicle position and said intersection, and if said non-guidance intersection exists, the controller displays said mark in a first display form, whereas if said non-guidance intersection does not exist on the guidance route between the vehicle position and the intersection at which the vehicle is to make the turn, the controller displays the same mark in a second display form different than the first display form; and wherein if said non-guidance intersection exists on the guidance route between the vehicle position and said intersection when the vehicle reaches the predetermined distance from said intersection, so that the controller displays said mark in the first display form, when the vehicle passes said non-guidance intersection on the guidance route the controller changes the display of said mark from the first display form to the second display form.