Patent ID: 7800626

Claim:
A mapping device for generating a relationship between a mapping image and a base image as a mapping condition in order to map the mapping image onto the base image, and mapping the mapping image onto a mapping area of the base image by means of mapping means in accordance with the generated mapping condition, the mapping device comprising: means for storing a centerline of the mapping area of the base image; means for receiving and then storing at least one input of a nearest point that appears on the nearest side in the mapping area when viewed from a user of the mapping device; means for obtaining positions of both ends of the mapping area; and mapping condition generating means for generating the mapping condition for mapping the mapping image onto the mapping area so that a pixel density of the mapping image becomes the lowest in the vicinity of the nearest point, that a centerline of the mapping image is mapped onto the vicinity of the centerline of the mapping area, and that the pixel density of the mapping image becomes the highest at the both ends, wherein the mapping condition generating means generates an elliptic arc such that the elliptic arc protrudes most toward the user's perspective in the vicinity of the nearest point, that the both ends of the mapping area are located on the farthest sides when viewed from the user side, and wherein the mapping condition generating means maps a point in the vicinity of the centerline of the mapping area onto the vicinity of the center of the elliptic arc, and generates a plurality of points for dividing the section between the mapped point in the vicinity of the centerline of the mapping area and each of both ends of the elliptic arc into a plurality of subsections so that perimeters of said plurality of subsections along the surface of the elliptic arc become constant.