Navigation apparatus

• US 20100191451A1
• Filed: 12/10/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Andoh, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments

Abstract

A navigation program is prepared for a navigation apparatus so as to be used in several different destination regions. When installing a navigation program, which is stored in a portable storage medium, into a memory device of a navigation apparatus, it is determined that a destination region of a navigation program currently recorded in the memory device is different from that of the portable storage medium. In such cases, not only the navigation program but also point registration information and contents data currently recorded in the memory device are erased; the navigation program is acquired from the portable storage medium and recorded in the memory device. Furthermore, user'"'"'s setting information recorded in the memory device is erased while returning setting contents of the various functions to default states.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a recording device configured to record a navigation program and user information on user, the navigation program recorded in the recording device including destination region information on destination region and version information on version;

a reading device configured to read a navigation program stored in a portable storage medium, the navigation program stored in the portable storage medium including destination region information on destination region and version information on version; and

a control circuit configured to execute a navigation function by reading and executing the navigation program recorded in the recording device, and to execute a program recording process and a backing up process, the program recording process and the backing up process being allowed to be performed in parallel,

the program recording process reading the navigation program in the portable storage medium via the reading device and recording the read navigation program in the recording device,

the backing up process backing up the user information recorded in the recording device,

the control circuit further comprising;

a destination region comparison section configured to execute a destination region comparison to compare the destination region of the navigation program stored in the portable storage medium with the destination region of the navigation program recorded in the recording device,

wherein, when the destination region of the navigation program stored in the portable storage medium is different from the destination region of the navigation program recorded in the recording device, the program recording process is executed while executing a user information easing process to erase the user information currently recorded in the recording device without executing the backing up process,

a version comparison section configured to execute a version comparison to compare the version of the navigation program stored in the portable storage medium with the version of the navigation program recorded in the recording device when the destination region of the navigation program stored in the portable storage medium is identical to the destination region of the navigation program recorded in the recording device,

wherein, when the version of the navigation program stored in the portable storage medium is newer than the version of the navigation program recorded in the recording device, the program recording process is executed while the backing up process is executed.

2. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the user information includes point registration information which indicates a spot designated by the user as a departure point or an end point when executing a navigation process,

the control circuit being further configured to execute an erasure to erase the contents data as the point registration information when executing the user information erasing process.

3. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the user information includes user setting information, which indicates setting contents set up by the user against a default state with respect to functions including the navigation function,

the control circuit being further configured to execute an erasure to erase as the user information the recorded setting contents set up by the user while returning the setting information of the functions to the default state, when executing the user information erasing process.

4. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the user information includes contents data registered by the user,

the control circuit being further configured to execute an erasure to erase the contents data as the user information when executing the user information erasing process.

5. The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, being mounted in a vehicle.

6. A method for recording a navigation program assigned with a destination region in a navigation apparatus,

the navigation apparatus including

a recording device configured to record a navigation program and user information on user, the navigation program recorded in the recording device including destination region information on destination region and version information on version;

a reading device configured to read a navigation program stored in a portable storage medium, the navigation program stored in the portable storage medium including destination region information on destination region and version information on version; and

a control circuit configured to execute a navigation function by reading and executing the navigation program recorded in the recording device, and to execute a program recording process and a backing up process, the program recording process and the backing up process being allowed to be performed in parallel,

the program recording process reading the navigation program in the portable storage medium via the reading device and recording the read navigation program in the recording device,

the backing up process to back up the user information recorded in the recording device,

the method comprising;

executing a destination region determination as to whether the destination region of the navigation program stored in the portable storage medium is identical to the destination region of the navigation program recorded in the recording device;

executing a version determination as to whether the version of the navigation program stored in the portable storage medium is newer than the version of the navigation program recorded in the recording device when it is determined that the destination region of the navigation program stored in the portable storage medium is identical to the destination region of the navigation program recorded in the recording device;

executing the program recording process while executing a user information easing process to erase the user information currently recorded in the recording device without executing the backing up process, when it is determined that the destination region of the navigation program stored in the portable storage medium is not identical to the destination region of the navigation program recorded in the recording device; and

executing the program recording process while executing the backing up process, when it is determined that the version of the navigation program stored in the portable storage medium is newer than the version of the navigation program recorded in the recording device.

7. A computer-readable program storage medium comprising instructions for execution by a computer, the instructions including the method according to claim 6 being computer-implemented for the navigation apparatus.