Navigation apparatus, method and program for updating facility information and recording medium storing the program

• US 6,845,319 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2003
• Issued: 01/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Uchida, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US10/419,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20030204308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/207, 701/208, 340/995.1, 340/995.14, 340/995.16, 340/995.18
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3856 Data obtained from user input
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/102 using electrical means

Abstract

Of the pieces of facility information of the map information stored in map information storage section 6, those that need to be altered are stored in editing information storage section 10. Each piece of positional information on a facility in the updating information relating to the facility and specifically describing alterations is linked to a piece of pre-edition information and stored in the editing information storage section 10 as post-edition information to generate a pair of pieces of editing information. As a destination is selected and input at operation section 7, the editing information is retrieved and a piece of pre-edition information or post-edition information containing positional information same as that of the destination is detected. The pre-edition information is replaced by the updating information of the detected post-edition information of the editing information to define the destination and the route of movement. Thus, if the map information is unwritable, alterations to the map information can be made to it by means of editing information so that the user can be provided with appropriate guidance. Thus, the cost of revising the map information can be significantly reduced.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus comprising:

a map information storage section for storing map information including facility information containing positional information on facilities and identifying information for identifying each of the facilities,

an input section for selecting and inputting updating information for updating the facility information in said map information;

an editing information storage section for storing editing information linking said updating information to said facility information in said map information; and

a facility information collating section for performing a control operation of causing said editing information storage section to store said updating information by recognizing said updating information as selected and input by said input section and causing said updating information to be read on the basis of said editing information by recognizing a request for reading the facility information in said map information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the editing information storage section stores editing information as pieces of information, each of which is constituted by a pair of pieces of information including a piece of post-edition information that is updating information and a piece of pre-edition information that is a piece of facility information to which the updating information is linked.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the editing information storage section links a piece of positional information relating to the facility contained in the updating information to the facility information having a same positional information and contained in the map information and stores it as editing information.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the editing information storage section can store a blank data that represents a no data condition indicating that the facility that corresponds either to a piece of facility information in the map information or to a piece of related updating information does not exist any more and the facility information collating section recognizes that a piece of facility information is added or deleted when a blank data is detected.

5. A method for updating the information relating to the facilities described in the map information to be utilized by a navigation apparatus for a moving vehicle, said method comprising:

storing selected and input updating information for updating a piece of facility information including positional information relating to a facility and identifying information for identifying the facility contained in the map information upon recognizing the input of the updating information storing editing information linking said updating information to said piece of facility information, and

acquiring said updating information on the basis of said stored editing information at the time of acquiring the piece of facility information in the map information.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein

said editing information is stored as pieces of information, each of which is constituted by a pair of pieces of information including a piece of post-edition information that is updating information and a piece of pre-edition information that is a piece of facility information to which the updating information is linked.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein

a piece of positional information relating to the facility contained in the updating information is linked to the facility information having a same positional information and contained in the map information and stored as said editing information.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein

a blank data that represents a no data condition indicating that the facility that corresponds either to a piece of facility information in the map information or to a piece of related updating information does not exist any more can be stored and that a piece of facility information is added or deleted is recognized when a blank data is detected.

9. A computer executable program for updating the facility information in said navigation apparatus adapted to cause a computational section to execute said method for updating the facility information in said navigation apparatus according to claim 5.

10. A recording medium storing a computer executable program for updating the facility information in said navigation apparatus according to claim 9 in such away that said computational section can read the program for updating the facility in formation of said navigation apparatus.