Map data product, map data processing program product, map data processing method, and map data processing device

• US 8,051,051 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2003
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Xanavi Informatics Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nomura, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang; Son T
• Application Number:
  US10/514,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20050203937A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,091 Days
• Field of Search: 707/620, 707/694, 707/802
• US Class Current: 707/694
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/00 Maps; Plans; Charts; Diagrams, e.g. route diagram star maps G09B27/04; devices for holding or supporting maps A47B97/02; for computing purposes G06G1/14, G09B1/16; display boards G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A first data product that can be read into a computer or a map data processing apparatus, contains therein map data having map-related information of a map. The map data includes: a structure having the map-related information divided into units of a plurality of divisions into which the map is divided; and a structure having management information for the map-related information divided into units of the divisions, and: the map-related information obtained by the computer or the map data processing apparatus can be updated in units of the individual divisions by using the management information.

Claims

1. A map data processing apparatus, comprising:

a recording medium drive unit that receives a recording medium in which are recorded map data including a structure having map-related information, and a structure having management information for the map-related information;

an update data acquisition unit that obtains update data for the map-related information; and

a computer processor that updates the map-related information recorded in the recording medium by using the update data obtained by the update data acquisition unit and the management information, and executes processing of the map data based upon the map-related information recorded in the recording medium, the update data obtained by the update data acquisition unit and the management information, wherein;

a plurality of levels are defined, each in correspondence to one of a plurality of different scaling factors at which a map is rendered;

a plurality of sets of the map-related information are provided in correspondence to the plurality of levels;

the map is divided into a plurality of divisions at each level, and each of the plurality of sets of map-related information, corresponding to a given level, is divided into units corresponding to the plurality of divisions into which the map is divided;

the divided map-related information corresponding to each of the units at all levels comprises basic data;

the divided map-related information corresponding to each of the units at one or more specific levels but not all levels comprises extension data;

the basic data and the extension data are provided separately from each other in case that both the basic data and the extension data are provided in the divided map-relate d information corresponding to each of the units;

the basic data is used to display the map at a display device;

the extension data contains information used in route search; and

the computer processor executes processing of the map data by using the divided map-related information comprising the basic data and the extension data;

wherein the divided map-related information corresponding to each of the units further comprises information that indicates whether the extension data is present or absent.

2. The map data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the map is divided into a plurality of first divisions, the first divisions are each divided into a plurality of second divisions, a number of the second divisions is equal among the individual first divisions, and the divisions into which the map is divided each corresponding to one of the second divisions; and

the management information contains a set of management information related to the plurality of second divisions, provided in correspondence to each of the first divisions.

3. The map data processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the management information further contains management information related to the plurality of first divisions.

4. The map data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the map is divided into a plurality of first divisions at each level, the first divisions are each divided into a plurality of second divisions, the number of second divisions is equal among the individual first divisions, and the divisions into which the map is divided each corresponding to one of the second divisions; and

the management information contains a set of management information related to the plurality of first divisions provided in correspondence to each of the levels, and also contains a set of management information related to the plurality of second divisions provided in correspondence to each of the first divisions.

5. The map data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the basic data is prepared in order not to exceed a predetermined upper data size limit; and

the computer processor executes processing of the map data by using the divided map-related information where the basic data is prepared in order not to exceed the predetermined upper data size limit.

6. The map data processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the basic data includes at least information used to display the map at the display device.

7. The map data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the map data are map display data; and

the computer processor displays the map at the display device by connecting the map data recorded in the recording medium with the update data obtained by the update data acquisition unit.

8. The map data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the map data are route search data; and

the computer processor executes route search processing by connecting the map data recorded in the recording medium with the update data obtained by the update data acquisition unit.

9. A map data processing apparatus, comprising:

a recording medium drive unit that receives a recording medium in which are recorded map data including a structure having map-related information, and a structure having management information for the map-related information, the map-related information comprising data used in route search;

an update data acquisition unit that obtains update data for the map-related information; and

a computer processor that updates the map-related information recorded in the recording medium by using the update data obtained by the update data acquisition unit and the management information, and executes processing of the map data based upon the map-related information recorded in the recording medium, the update data obtained by the update data acquisition unit and the management information, wherein;

a plurality of levels are defined, each in correspondence to one of a plurality of different scaling factors at which a map is rendered;

a plurality of sets of the map-related information are provided in correspondence to the plurality of levels;

the map is divided into a plurality of divisions at each level, and

each of the plurality of sets of map-related information, corresponding to a given level, is divided into units corresponding to the plurality of divisions into which the map is divided;

a connecting point, at which the map-related information corresponding to one of two divisions is correlated to the map-related information corresponding to the other division, is present at a geographically matching position within the two divisions, the two divisions respectively belonging to levels different from each other; and

sets of information related to the connecting point contain common two-dimensional coordinate values indicating the position of the connecting point within the map in the map-related information corresponding to the two divisions;

two-dimensional coordinate values of the connecting point at a given level further contain two-dimensional coordinate values of the connecting point at a level at which the map is rendered in greater detail than a given level; and

the computer processor executes processing of the map data by using the two-dimensional coordinate values of the connecting point at the given level to which the two-dimensional coordinate values of the connecting point at the level at which the map is rendered in greater detail are attached;

wherein the two-dimensional coordinate values are values corresponding to latitudinal and longitudinal values.

10. The map data processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the information related to the connecting point contains a parameter other than the two-dimensional coordinate values of the connecting point in addition to the two-dimensional coordinate values.

11. The map data processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the parameter contains height information indicating a height of the connecting point.

12. The map data processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the parameter contains time information related to generation and update of divided map-related information corresponding to one of the units.

13. The map data processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the divided map-related information corresponding to each of the units comprises basic data available at all levels and extension data available at one or more specific levels but not all levels, the basic data and the extension data are provided separately from each other;

the basic data is used to display the map at a display device; and

the extension data contains information used in route search.

14. A map data processing apparatus, comprising:

a recording medium drive unit that receives a recording medium in which are recorded map data including a structure having map-related information, and a structure having management information for the map-related information;

an update data acquisition unit that obtains update data for the map-related information; and

a computer processor that updates the map-related information recorded in the recording medium by using the update data obtained by the update data acquisition unit and the management information, and executes processing of the map data based upon the map-related information recorded in the recording medium, the update data obtained by the update data acquisition unit and the management information, wherein;

the map-related information is divided into units corresponding to a plurality of divisions into which a map is divided;

the divided map-related information corresponding to each of the units is separated into basic data and extension data to be individually managed, the basic data having higher priority than the extension data;

the basic data is prepared in order not to exceed a predetermined upper data size limit;

the computer processor executes processing of the map data by using the divided map-related information where the basic data is prepared in order not to exceed the predetermined upper data size limit; and

when a data size of the basic data exceeds the predetermined upper data size limit after an update, at least map-related information corresponding to an excess beyond the predetermined upper data size limit, which results from the update, is prepared as the extension data.

15. The map data processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

the basic data includes at least information used to display the map at a display device; and

the extension data includes information that enables display of a more detailed map at the display device, compared to the map displayed by using the basic data.