Vehicle navigation system and method of generating updated map data for vehicle navigation system

• US 20060293845A1
• Filed: 05/17/2006
• Published: 12/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apline Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Apline Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Watanabe, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 7,769,541 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3859 Differential updating map data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3889 Transmission of selected map data, e.g. depending on route

Abstract

There is provided a vehicle navigation system for searching predetermined information after map data is updated and navigating a user more effectively even when the user only knows information before the update. The vehicle navigation system includes a control section; a map data read section for reading first map data from a map database; a map data acquisition section for acquiring second map data for update; a map data update section for generating updated map data by using the first map data and the second map data; and a history information management section for managing a search result, a travel route or the like, which the user obtained by specifying search conditions, as history information, wherein the map data update section generates the updated map data so as to associate the first map data, which is associated with the history information, together with the second map data.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

a map data read section for reading first map data from a map database;

a map data acquisition section for acquiring second map data for update;

a map data update section for generating updated map data by using said first map data and said second map data; and

a history information management section for managing as history information a search result, a travel route or the like, which the user obtained by specifying search conditions, wherein said map data update section generates said updated map data so as to associate said first map data, which is associated with said history information, together with the second map data.

2. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1, wherein

said map data update section determines whether or not said first map data and said corresponding second map data are identical or are different, and the map data update section generates said updated map data by updating said first map data, which is not associated with said history information, into said corresponding second map data.

3. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1, wherein

said map database comprises a storage device storing said first map data, and

said map data update section stores said updated map data as new first map data into said storage device instead of said first map data.

4. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 3, wherein

when the data capacity of said storage device reaches a predetermined capacity, said map data update section updates said first map data into said corresponding second map data.

5. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1, wherein

for search conditions specified by the user, a control section searches map data having data contents that fall within said search conditions by referring to said first map data and said second map data.

6. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a first updated information generation section that generates updated information for displaying display information based on said first map data together with display information based on said corresponding second map data.

7. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 6, wherein

said display information is an icon indicating a facility, and

said first updated information generation section, when the positional information of a facility based on said first map data and the positional information of the facility based on said second map data are different, generates display information notifying that the position is where said facility existed before instead of an icon based on said first map data, as updated information.

8. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 7, wherein

said first updated information generation section generates display information for asking the user if the position of the facility based on said second map data should be displayed as updated information.

9. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a second updated information generation section that generates updated information for alternately displaying display information based on said first map data with display information based on said corresponding second map data.

10. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 9, wherein

said display information is a facility name.

11. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 5, further comprising:

a third updated information generation section for generating updated information to produce voice guidance based on said first map data together with voice guidance based on said corresponding second map data.

12. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 11, wherein

in the case where map data having data contents, which fall within search conditions specified by the user, is said first map data, said control section executes a command for providing said updated information in notifying the user of a search result.

13. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 5, wherein

when the user is in the process of executing route guidance to a specified destination, said control section executes a command for providing said updated information at a predetermined timing.

14. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 5, wherein

when a road map is being displayed, said control section executes a command for providing said updated information at a predetermined timing.

15. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 5, wherein

said map data update section updates said first map data into said corresponding second map data when the user performs a predetermined operation.

16. A method of generating updated map data in a vehicle navigation system, comprising:

reading out first map data;

reading out second map data for update use, which corresponds to said first map data;

determining whether or not said first map data is associated with history information such as a search result or a travel route, which the user obtained by specifying search conditions; and

in the case where said first map data is associated with history information, generating said updated map data so as to associate the first map data and the corresponding second map data with each other.

17. The method of generating updated map data in a vehicle navigation system according to claim 16, said method further comprising:

determining whether or not said first map data and said corresponding second map data are identical;

in the case where said first map data and said corresponding second map data are different, generating said updated map data so as to associate said first map data, which is associated with said history information, together with the second map data, and for said first map data that is not associated with said history information, generating said updated map data by updating said first map data into said corresponding second map data.

18. The method of generating updated map data in a vehicle navigation system according to claim 17, said method further comprising:

for search conditions specified by the user, searching map data having data contents that fall within said search conditions by referring to said first map data and said second map data.

19. The method of generating updated map data in a vehicle navigation system according to claim 18, said method further comprising:

displaying display information based on said first map data together with display information based on said corresponding second map data.

20. The method of generating updated map data in a vehicle navigation system according to claim 16, said method further comprising:

executing a command for providing said updated information at a predetermined timing when the user is in the process of executing route guidance to a specified destination.