Map distributing device, map acquiring device, map processing system, map distributing method, map acquiring method, map processing program and recording medium storing the map processing program

• US 20060173613A1
• Filed: 01/17/2006
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Increment P Corporation, Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Increment P Corporation, Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Iwahori, Yasufumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,930,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3859 Differential updating map data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3881 Tile-based structures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3896 Transmission of map data from central databases
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

The map updating system (100) includes a server unit (400) and a terminal unit (300, 300A, 300B). The server unit (400) has an updated contents recognizer that recognizes updated contents of updated map information and generates updated contents information, a user recognizer that recognizes distribution request information and also recognizes user information containing the distribution request information when determining that the updated contents information contains request contents of the distribution request information, and an information transmitter that transmits the updated map information to the terminal unit (300, 300A, 300B) corresponding to the user information such that the map information can partially be rewritten with a part of the updated map information. The terminal unit (300, 300A, 300B) includes a terminal map updating section that acquires the transmitted updated map information and stores the part of the updated map information in a terminal storage section in a rewritable manner.

Claims

1. A map distributing device, comprising:

a map recognizer that recognizes map information and updated map information related to updated contents of the map information;

a map update request acquirer that acquires map update request information for requesting distribution of predetermined updated contents of the map information from a map acquiring device for storing the map information; and

a map distributor that compares the updated map information with the map update request information, and distributes the updated map information corresponding to contents requested in the map update request information to the map acquiring device such that the map information stored in the map acquiring device can be rewritten.

2. The map distributing device according to claim 1, wherein

the updated map information has version information related to a revision state representing the updated contents of the map information, and

the map distributing device includes:

a version information recognizer that recognizes the version information; and

an updated map information recognizer that, when determining that the version information recognized by the version information recognizer is different from previously recognized version information, recognizes the map information corresponding to the recognized version information as the updated map information.

3. The map distributing device according to claim 1, wherein

the map update request information has facility type information related to a type of a predetermined facility of the map information, and

the map distributor distributes the updated map information to the map acquiring device when the updated contents of the updated map information is contents indicating that a facility corresponding to the predetermined facility of the facility type information has been changed.

4. The map distributing device according to claim 1, wherein

the distribution request information has locality information related to a predetermined locality of the map information, and

the map distributor distributes the updated map information to the map acquiring device when the updated contents of the updated map information is contents indicating that a locality corresponding to the predetermined locality of the locality information has been changed.

5. The map distributing device according to claim 1, wherein

the distribution request information has road information related to a predetermined road of the map information, and

the map distributor distributes the updated map information to the map acquiring device when the updated contents of the updated map information is contents indicating that at least one of a road corresponding to the predetermined road of the road information and a vicinity of the road has been changed.

6. The map distributing device according to claim 1, wherein the map distributor distributes notice information related to the updated map information corresponding to the predetermined updated contents requested by the map update request information such that the map acquiring device can notify the notice information.

7. The map distributing device according to claim 1, wherein the map distributor distributes the updated map information to the map acquiring device such that the updated contents of the updated map information can be displayed on a display section of the map acquiring device in an expression different from a not-updated area of the updated map information.

8. The map distributing device according to claim 1, wherein the map distributor distributes the updated map information corresponding to the contents requested by the map update request information such that the updated map information is processed with a predetermined processing restriction in the map acquiring device.

9. The map distributing device according to claim 8, wherein the map distributor distributes the updated map information corresponding to the request of the map update request information, or distributes unlock information to unlock the processing restriction when recognizing purchase information related to purchase of the updated map information.

10. A map acquiring device, comprising:

a storage section that stores map information;

a map update request information generator that generates map update request information for requesting distribution of predetermined updated contents of the map information;

a map acquirer that transmits the map update request information to a map distributing device for distributing updated map information related to updated contents of the map information, and acquires the updated map information having the updated contents corresponding to the contents of the map update request information from the map distributing device; and

a map storing processor that rewrites the map information with the updated map information and stores the updated map information.

11. The map acquiring device according to claim 10, wherein

the map update request information has facility type information related to a type of a predetermined facility, and

the map acquirer acquires the updated map information when the updated contents of the updated map information is contents indicating that a facility corresponding to the predetermined facility of the facility type information has been changed.

12. The map acquiring device according to claim 10, wherein

the map update request information has locality information related to a predetermined locality, and

the map acquirer acquires the updated map information when the updated contents of the updated map information is contents indicating that a locality corresponding to the predetermined locality of the locality information has been changed.

13. The map acquiring device according to claim 10, wherein

the map update request information has road information related to a predetermined road, and

the map acquirer acquires the updated map information when the updated contents of the updated map information is contents indicating that at least one of a road corresponding to the predetermined road of the road information and a vicinity of the road has been changed.

14. The map acquiring device according to claim 10, wherein the map acquiring device includes a display controller that allows a display section to display the updated contents of the updated map information in an expression different from a not-updated area of the updated map information.

15. The map acquiring device according to claim 10, wherein the map acquirer acquires the updated map information corresponding to the contents requested by the map update request information such that the updated map information has been processed with a predetermined processing restriction.

16. A map processing system, comprising:

a map distributing device; and

map acquiring device, wherein

the map distributing device includes;

a map recognizer that recognizes map information and updated map information related to updated contents of the map information;

a map update request acquirer that acquires map update request information for requesting distribution of predetermined updated contents of the map information from a map acquiring device for storing the map information; and

a map distributor that compares the updated map information with the map update request information, and distributes the updated map information corresponding to contents requested in the map update request information to the map acquiring device such that the map information stored in the map acquiring device can be rewritten, and

the map acquiring device includes;

a map acquirer connected to the map distributing device via a network and acquiring the updated map information distributed from the map distributing device; and

a storage section that stores the map information and rewrites the map information with the updated map information distributed from the map distributing device.

17. A map processing system, comprising:

a map acquiring device; and

a map distributing device connected to the map acquiring device via a network and receiving the map update request information from the map acquiring device to distribute the updated map information corresponding to the map update request information, wherein

the map acquiring device includes;

a storage section that stores map information;

a map update request information generator that generates map update request information for requesting distribution of predetermined updated contents of the map information;

a map acquirer that transmits the map update request information to a map distributing device for distributing updated map information related to updated contents of the map information, and acquires the updated map information having the updated contents corresponding to the contents of the map update request information from the map distributing device; and

a map storing processor that rewrites the map information with the updated map information and stores the updated map information.

18. A map processing system, comprising:

a map distributing device; and

a map acquiring device connected to the map distributing device via a network, wherein

the map distributing device includes;

a map recognizer that recognizes map information and updated map information related to updated contents of the map information;

a map update request acquirer that acquires map update request information for requesting distribution of predetermined updated contents of the map information from a map acquiring device for storing the map information; and

a map distributor that compares the updated map information with the map update request information, and distributes the updated map information corresponding to contents requested in the map update request information to the map acquiring device such that the map information stored in the map acquiring device can be rewritten, and

the map acquiring device includes;

a storage section that stores the map information;

a map update request information generator that generates the map update request information for requesting distribution of the predetermined updated contents of the map information;

a map acquirer that transmits the map update request information to the map distributing device for distributing the updated map information related to updated contents of the map information, and acquires the updated map information having the updated contents corresponding to the contents of the map update request information from the map distributing device; and

a map storing processor that rewrites the map information with the updated map information and stores the updated map information.

19. A map distributing method, comprising the steps of:

storing map information;

generating map update request information for requesting distribution of predetermined updated contents of the map information;

transmitting the map update request information to a map distributing device that distributes updated map information related to updated contents of the map information, and acquiring the updated map information having the updated contents corresponding to the contents of the map update request information from the map distributing device; and

rewriting the map information with the updated map information and storing the updated map information.

20. A map acquiring method, comprising the steps of:

a storing map information in a storage section;

recognizing map update request information for requesting distribution of predetermined updated contents of the map information;

acquiring the updated map information having updated contents corresponding to the contents of the map update request information from the map distributing device that distributes the updated map information related to updated contents of the map information; and

rewriting the map information stored in the storage section with the updated map information and storing the updated map information.

21. A map processing program allowing a computing unit to function as a map distributing device, wherein

the map distributing device includes:

a map recognizer that recognizes map information and updated map information related to updated contents of the map information;

a map update request acquirer that acquires map update request information for requesting distribution of predetermined updated contents of the map information from a map acquiring device for storing the map information; and

a map distributor that compares the updated map information with the map update request information, and distributes the updated map information corresponding to contents requested in the map update request information to the map acquiring device such that the map information stored in the map acquiring device can be rewritten.

22. A map processing program allowing a computing unit to function as a map acquiring device, wherein

the map acquiring device includes:

a storage section that stores map information;

a map update request information generator that generates map update request information for requesting distribution of predetermined updated contents of the map information;

a map acquirer that transmits the map update request information to a map distributing device for distributing updated map information related to updated contents of the map information, and acquires the updated map information having the updated contents corresponding to the contents of the map update request information from the map distributing device; and

a map storing processor that rewrites the map information with the updated map information and stores the updated map information.

23. A map processing program allowing a computing unit to perform a map distributing method, wherein

the map distributing method includes the steps of:

storing map information;

generating map update request information for requesting distribution of predetermined updated contents of the map information;

transmitting the map update request information to a map distributing device that distributes updated map information related to updated contents of the map information, and acquiring the updated map information having the updated contents corresponding to the contents of the map update request information from the map distributing device; and

rewriting the map information with the updated map information and storing the updated map information.

24. A map processing program allowing a computing unit to perform a map acquiring method, wherein

the map acquiring method includes the steps of:

storing map information in a storage section;

recognizing map update request information for requesting distribution of predetermined updated contents of the map information;

acquiring the updated map information having updated contents corresponding to the contents of the map update request information from the map distributing device that distributes the updated map information related to updated contents of the map information; and

rewriting the map information stored in the storage section with the updated map information and storing the updated map information.

25. A recording medium readably storing a map processing program, wherein

the map processing program allows a computing unit to function as a map distributing device, and

the map distributing device includes:

a map recognizer that recognizes map information and updated map information related to updated contents of the map information;

a map update request acquirer that acquires map update request information for requesting distribution of predetermined updated contents of the map information from a map acquiring device for storing the map information; and

a map distributor that compares the updated map information with the map update request information, and distributes the updated map information corresponding to contents requested in the map update request information to the map acquiring device such that the map information stored in the map acquiring device can be rewritten.

26. A recording medium readably storing a map processing program, wherein

the map processing program allows a computing unit to function as a map acquiring device, and

the map acquiring device includes:

a storage section that stores map information;

a map update request information generator that generates map update request information for requesting distribution of predetermined updated contents of the map information;

a map acquirer that transmits the map update request information to a map distributing device for distributing updated map information related to updated contents of the map information, and acquires the updated map information having the updated contents corresponding to the contents of the map update request information from the map distributing device; and

a map storing processor that rewrites the map information with the updated map information and stores the updated map information.