Map Updating Systems, Methods, and Programs

• US 20090150457A1
• Filed: 06/07/2007
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Norihiro, Sugimoto, Hironobu, Kodan, Tomoki, Sawai, Kimiyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,055,621 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3859 Differential updating map data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3878 Hierarchical structures, e.g. layering
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3896 Transmission of map data from central databases
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/92 Navigation

Abstract

When the navigation apparatus 5 performs a difference update on navigation map data 39 based on difference update data 17 distributed from a map distribution center 2, the difference update data 17 used in the difference update is stored into a navigation HDD 32, when the navigation apparatus 5 performs a total update on the navigation map data 39 thereafter, the navigation apparatus 5 performs a difference update again (S17) by using any piece of the difference update data stored in the navigation HDD 32 of which the version is newer than that of total update data. After performing the update, the navigation apparatus 5 deletes the pieces of difference update data 17 from the navigation HDD 32 that have been stored up to that point in time (S18).

Claims

1-4. -4. (canceled)

5. A map updating system comprising:

a memory that stores map information, including one or more pieces of difference update information;

a controller configured to;

obtain the one or more pieces of difference update information used for updating a part of the map information stored in the memory to a new piece of map information;

update the map information based on the one or more pieces of difference update information;

obtain total update information used for updating an entirety of the map information stored in the memory to a new piece of map information;

perform a total update on the map information based on the total update information;

compare, after the total update, a version of the total update information used in the total update with each of versions of the one or more pieces of difference update information stored in the memory;

extract, from the memory, any of the one or more pieces of difference update information of which the version is judged to be newer;

update the map information on which the total update has been performed based on said any of the difference update information; and

delete the one or more pieces of difference update information including said any of the difference update information from the memory after the map information is updated.

6. The map updating system according to claim 5, wherein the memory stores a time of creation at which each of the one or more pieces of difference update information was created or a time of obtainment at which each of the one or more pieces of difference update information was obtained;

the controller being further configured to;

judge whether or not a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the time of creation or the time of obtainment; and

delete, from the memory, any of the one or more pieces of difference update information for which the predetermined period of time has elapsed.

7. The map updating system of claim 5, wherein the memory is at least one of a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a memory card, a magnetic tape, a magnetic drum, an optical disk, an MO, an IC card.

8. The map updating system of claim 6, wherein the predetermined period of time is based according to a schedule of creation of the total update information.

9. The map updating system of claim 6, wherein the predetermined period of time is one year.

10. A map updating method comprising:

obtaining one or more pieces of difference update information used for updating a part of map information stored in a memory to a new piece of map information;

updating the map information based on the one or more pieces of difference update information;

obtaining total update information used for updating an entirety of the map information stored in the memory to a new piece of map information; and

performing a total update on the map information based on the total update information;

storing the one or more pieces of difference update information in the memory;

comparing, after the total update, a version of the total update information used in the total update with each of versions of the one or more pieces of difference update information stored in the memory;

extracting any of the one or more pieces of difference update information of which the version is judged to be newer;

updating the map information on which the total update has been performed based on said any of the difference update information; and

deleting the one or more pieces of difference update information including said any of the difference update information extracted by the information extracting step from the memory after the map information is updated.

11. The map updating method according to claim 10, wherein the memory stores a time of creation at which each of the one or more pieces of difference update information was created or a time of obtainment at which each of the one or more pieces of difference update information was obtained.

12. The map updating method according to claim 11, further comprising:

judging whether or not a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the time of creation or the time of obtainment; and

delete, from the memory, any of the one or more pieces of difference update information for which the predetermined period of time has elapsed.

13. The map updating method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined period of time is based according to a schedule of creation of the total update information.

14. The map updating method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined period of time is one year.

15. An computer-executable program embodied on a computer-readable medium executable by a computer to perform a map updating process, the computer-executable program comprising:

instructions for obtaining one or more pieces of difference update information used for updating a part of map information stored in a memory to a new piece of map information;

instructions for updating the map information based on the one or more pieces of difference update information;

instructions for obtaining total update information used for updating an entirety of the map information stored in the memory to a new piece of map information; and

instructions for performing a total update on the map information based on the total update information;

instructions for storing the one or more pieces of difference update information in the memory;

instructions for comparing, after the total update, a version of the total update information used in the total update with each of versions of the one or more pieces of difference update information stored in the memory;

instructions for extracting any of the one or more pieces of difference update information of which the version is judged to be newer;

instructions for updating the map information on which the total update has been performed based on said any of the difference update information; and

instructions for deleting the one or more pieces of difference update information including said any of the difference update information extracted by the information extracting step from the memory after the map information is updated.

16. The computer-executable program embodied on a computer-readable medium executable by a computer to perform a map updating process of claim 15, wherein the memory stores a time of creation at which each of the one or more pieces of difference update information was created or a time of obtainment at which each of the one or more pieces of difference update information was obtained.

17. The computer-executable program embodied on a computer-readable medium executable by a computer to perform a map updating process of claim 16, the computer-executable program further comprising:

instructions for judging whether or not a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the time of creation or the time of obtainment; and

instructions for deleting, from the memory, any of the one or more pieces of difference update information for which the predetermined period of time has elapsed.

18. The computer-executable program embodied on a computer-readable medium executable by a computer to perform a map updating process of claim 17, wherein the predetermined period of time is based according to a schedule of creation of the total update information.

19. The computer-executable program embodied on a computer-readable medium executable by a computer to perform a map updating process of claim 17, wherein the predetermined period of time is one year.