METHOD OF MANAGING MAP INFORMATION, NAVIGATION SYSTEM, INFORMATION TERMINAL, AND NAVIGATION DEVICE

• US 20140090087A1
• Filed: 02/27/2013
• Published: 03/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuzaki, Natsume, Futa, Yuichi, Unagami, Yuji, Ichijo, Ayaka
• Granted Patent: US 9,542,572 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3682 output of POI information on a road map G01C21/3614, G01C21/3685 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0057 for the hiring or rent of vehicles, e.g. cars, bicycles or wheelchairs car rental G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method of managing map information including: attaching a retrieval identifier, according to input information, to map information which is obtained by retrieval based on the input information, the retrieval identifier indicating whether the map information is personal data or public data; storing the map information as the personal data into a storage device, the map information being indicated to be the personal data by the retrieval identifier attached in the attaching, and storing the map information as the public data into the storage device, the map information being indicated to be the public data by the retrieval identifier; and executing a navigation process using at least one of the personal data and the public data which are stored in the storage device.

Claims

1. A method of managing map information by a navigation system including an information terminal, a storage device, and a navigation device which executes a navigation process using a result of route retrieval, the method comprising:

attaching a retrieval identifier, according to input information, to the map information which is obtained by retrieval based on the input information to make the route retrieval, the retrieval identifier indicating whether the map information is personal data or public data;

(i) storing the map information with the attached retrieval identifier as the personal data into the storage device when the retrieval identifier attached in the attaching indicates the personal data, and (ii) storing the map information with the attached retrieval identifier as the public data into the storage device when the retrieval identifier attached in the attaching indicates the public data; and

executing the navigation process by the navigation device using at least one of the personal data and the public data which is stored in the storage device,

wherein in the attaching,

when the input information is a marker on a map or an address, the retrieval identifier indicating the personal data is attached to the map information which is obtained by the retrieval based on the input information.

2. The method of managing map information according to claim 1,

wherein in the attaching,

when the input information is a marker on a map or an address, the retrieval identifier indicating the personal data is attached to the map information which is obtained by the retrieval based on the input information, and

when the input information is neither a marker on a map nor an address, the retrieval identifier indicating the public data is attached to the map information which is obtained by the retrieval based on the input information.

3. The method of managing map information according to claim 1,

wherein in the executing, the at least one of the personal data and the public data stored in the storage device is acquired, the acquired personal data is displayed on a display unit of the navigation device in a first mode, and the acquired public data is displayed on the display unit in a second mode different from the first mode, thereby executing the navigation process.

4. The method of managing map information according to claim 1, further comprising

assigning the map information, which is indicated to be the personal data by the retrieval identifier, to a personal data storage unit which is accessible only from a specific user in the storage device, and assigning the map information, which is indicated to be the public data by the retrieval identifier, to a public data storage unit which is accessible from unspecified number of users in the storage device, according to the retrieval identifier.

5. The method of managing map information according to claim 4, further comprising:

receiving user identification information which allows identification of a user, and a read request for the personal data and the public data which are stored in the storage device; and

permitting the public data stored in the public data storage unit to be read according to the read request for the public data received in the receiving, and only when the personal data storage unit is present which corresponds to the user identification information received in the receiving, permitting the personal data stored in the personal data storage unit to be read according to the read request for the personal data.

6. The method of managing map information according to claim 5, further comprising

extracting recommended information by making a comparison of the personal data between a plurality of the personal data storage units, and only when common map information is present as a result of the comparison, copying the common map information from the personal data storage units to the public data storage unit, the personal data being stored in the personal data storage units corresponding to plural pieces of the user identification information in the storage device, the common map information being stored commonly in at least a predetermined threshold number of the personal data storage units.

7. The method of managing map information according to claim 6, further comprising:

acquiring position information of the navigation device; and

determining whether or not a place indicated by the map information with the retrieval identifier attached in the attaching has been actually visited, using the position information acquired in the acquiring position information, and attaching a visit history identifier to the map information according to a result of the determination, the visit history identifier indicating whether or not the place has been actually visited,

wherein in the extracting of recommended information, only when common map information is present as a result of the comparison, the common map information is copied from the personal data storage units to the public data storage unit, the common map information having the attached visit history identifier indicating an actual visit and being stored commonly in at least a predetermined threshold number of the personal data storage units.

8. The method of managing map information according to claim 1,

wherein the storage device is a server which is connected to the information terminal and the navigation device by a network.

9. The method of managing map information according to claim 1,

wherein the navigation device has the storage device.

10. A navigation system comprising an information terminal, a storage device, and a navigation device which executes a navigation process using a result of route retrieval,

wherein the information terminal includes

an attaching unit configured to attach a retrieval identifier, according to input information, to map information which is obtained by retrieval based on the input information to make the route retrieval, the retrieval identifier indicating whether the map information is personal data or public data,

(i) the map information with the attached retrieval identifier is stored as the personal data into the storage device when the retrieval identifier attached by the attaching unit indicates the personal data, and (ii) the map information with the attached retrieval identifier is stored as the public data into the storage device when the retrieval identifier attached by the attaching unit indicates the public data,

the navigation device acquires at least one of the personal data and the public data which are stored in the storage device, and executes the navigation process using the at least one of the personal data and the public data acquired from the storage device, and

when the input information is a marker on a map or an address, the attaching unit attaches the retrieval identifier indicating the personal data to the map information which is obtained by the retrieval based on the input information.

11. An information terminal included in a navigation system according to claim 10, the information terminal comprising:

an attaching unit configured to attach a retrieval identifier, according to input information, to map information which is obtained by retrieval based on the input information to make the route retrieval, the retrieval identifier indicating whether the map information is personal data or public data; and

a communication unit configured to transmit the map information to the navigation device, the map information having the retrieval identifier attached by the attaching unit.

12. A navigation device included in a navigation system according to claim 10, the navigation device comprising:

a display unit;

a first acquisition unit configured to acquire user identification information which allows identification of a user, and map information;

a second acquisition unit configured to acquire personal data from a personal data storage unit, which corresponds to the user identification information, in the storage device, and to acquire public data from a public data storage unit in the storage device, by transmitting to the storage device the user identification information, the map information acquired by the first acquisition unit, and a read request for personal data and public data; and

an execution unit configured to execute the navigation process using at least one of the personal data and the public data which have been acquired by the second acquisition unit.