MAP INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20110313661A1
• Filed: 08/30/2011
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Makoto Mikuriya, Masaharu Umezu, Mitsuo Shimotani, Tomoya Ikeuchi
• Original Assignee: Makoto Mikuriya, Masaharu Umezu, Mitsuo Shimotani, Tomoya Ikeuchi
• Inventors: IKEUCHI, Tomoya, UMEZU, Masaharu, MIKURIYA, Makoto, SHIMOTANI, Mitsuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,983,769 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3837 Data obtained from a single source
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation

Abstract

An apparatus includes a map information storage section (16) for storing map information on an area by area basis formed in meshes; a positioning section (15) for measuring its own present location; a new road detecting section (19) for deciding that a new road is detected when the present location measured by the positioning section is on a road not included in the map information stored in the map information storage section; a new road registration decision section (20) for deciding that the new road is additionally registrable to the map information stored in the map information storage section when the road density in the area including the new road detected by the new road detecting section is equal to or less than a predetermined value; and a new road registration section (21) for making additional registration of the new road, as to which the new road registration decision section makes an additionally registrable decision, to the map information stored in the map information storage section.

Claims

1. A map information processing apparatus comprising:

a map information storage section for storing map information on an area by area basis formed in meshes;

a positioning section for measuring its own present location;

a new road detecting section for deciding that a new road is detected when the present location measured by said positioning section is on a road not included in the map information stored in said map information storage section;

a new road registration section for making additional registration of the new road detected by said new road detecting section to the map information stored in said map information storage section;

a route calculating section for calculating a recommended route from a predetermined search start position to a predetermined search end position by using the map information including the new road additionally registered to said map information storage section by said new road registration section;

a new road registration decision section for deciding that the new road is additionally registrable to the map information stored in said map information storage section when the recommended route calculated by said route calculating section includes the new road detected by said new road detecting section; and

a new road deleting section for deleting the new road that is additionally registered to said map information storage section by said new road registration section, when said new road registration decision section makes an addition unregistrable decision.

2. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the predetermined search start position and the predetermined search end position is selected from a group consisting of:

a position at which a user'"'"'s house is present;

the starting point of the new road detected by said new road detecting section;

a position short of the starting point of the new road detected by said new road detecting section by a predetermined distance;

a starting point or ending point of a road before said new road detecting section detects the new road;

a starting point of a route calculated by said route calculating section before said new road detecting section detects the new road;

a position at which said map information processing apparatus is started; and

a position from which traveling is started on that day, and wherein the other of the predetermined search start position and the predetermined search end position is selected from a group consisting of;

a present location measured by said positioning section;

an ending point of the new road detected by said new road detecting section;

a position ahead of the ending point the new road detected by said new road detecting section by a predetermined distance;

the starting point or ending point of the road before said new road detecting section detects the new road;

a position ahead of the present location by a predetermined distance; and

an ending point of the route calculated by said route calculating section before said new road detecting section detects the new road.

3. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a registration decision result presentation section for making a presentation of a decision result and decision reason made by said new road registration decision section.

4. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

an input receiving section for receiving an input from an input unit; and

a registration decision result confirmation section for confirming the decision result and decision reason presented by said registration decision result presentation section according to a content received by said input receiving section,

wherein said new road registration section decides that the new road is additionally registrable to the map information stored in said map information storage section when said registration decision result confirmation section confirms that the new road should be registered.