Map-updating-data creating method, and map updating method and apparatus

• US 8,478,522 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2008
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.), Mobilemedia Brain Association,Inc.
• Inventors: Ohira, Masaaki, Sekine, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US12/124,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20090037490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,868 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/206, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/300, 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 701/410, 701/420, 701/421, 701/430, 701/450, 701/451, 701/452, 701/461, 701/462, 701/468, 701/484, 701/486, 701/522, 701/532, 340/988, 340/995.1, 340/995.11, 340/995.12, 340/995.14, 340/995.15, 340/995.18, 707/2, 707/8, 707/100, 707/102, 707/634, 707/694, 707/695, 707/918, 707/999.002, 707/999.008, 707/999.2, 707/999.203
• US Class Current: 701/450
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3859 Differential updating map data

Abstract

A map-updating-data creating apparatus performs, for each old map file, creating a map-updating file for rewriting the map file to a new map file, determining the serial number of each of the updated map files, creating a serial number management file in which marks are respectively written at positions corresponding to the serial numbers, and generating, as map-updating data, the map-updating file and the serial number management file. A navigation apparatus performs map-updating processing and determines, by referring to the serial number management file, whether a map file has already been updated. The navigation apparatus uses the map-updating file to execute navigation control if the map file has already been updated, and updates the map file and subsequently executes the navigation control if the map file has not been updated.

Claims

1. A map-updating-data creating method for updating old map data to new map data in a navigation system configured to provide navigation guidance to a user, the old map data including a plurality of old map files, the map-updating-data creating method comprising:

for each old map file to be updated, creating a temporary map-updating file to be used for overwriting or rewriting the old map file to a new map file;

determining new serial numbers of updated map files in such a manner that previously assigned old serial numbers of non-updated map files are not changed and the new serial numbers sequentially follow the old serial numbers;

creating a serial number management file in which marks are respectively written at positions corresponding to the new and old serial numbers of all the map files, wherein a mark is written at a serial number position in the serial number management file after map file updating and an indication is issued that file updating has been performed, and wherein no mark is written at the serial number position before map file updating and an indication is issued that file updating has not been performed;

generating, by a map updating data processor, map-updating data while the navigation system simultaneously provides navigation guidance to the user, the map-dating data including the map-updating file and the serial number management file, wherein the new serial number is added to the map-updating file and an old map file is updated with the new serial number to a new map file; and

overwriting the old map file to the new map file based on the map-updating file and the serial number management file to provide an updated region of the map;

wherein said overwriting is performed in an entire updating mode by overwriting the old map file to the new map file in a sequential manner when navigation control is not performed based on a location corresponding to the old map file;

wherein the entire updating mode is interrupted and the overwriting is performed in an on-demand mode when navigation control is requested to perform guidance based on a location corresponding to the old map file; and

wherein the entire updating mode resumes when navigation control is no longer performed based on the location corresponding to the old map file, and navigation control is performed for the user based on the new map file.

2. The map updating method according to claim 1, wherein upon finishing creating a map-updating file for a predetermined map file:

creating the serial number management file including the steps of

deleting within the serial number management file, a first mark at a position corresponding to an old serial number of the predetermined map file; and

writing a second mark at a position corresponding to a new serial number of the predetermined map file.

3. The map updating method according to claim 2, wherein:

the serial number management file includes N bytes, and bit positions of bytes from a first byte to an N-th byte correspond to serial numbers; and

the second mark is written by writing a logical one at each bit position, and the first mark is deleted by writing a logical zero at the bit position.

4. A navigation apparatus for updating an old map file stored in a storage unit to a new map file by using map-updating data and provide navigation guidance to a user, the navigation apparatus comprising:

a storage unit operable to store old map data;

a reading/writing control unit operable to control reading of the old map data from the storage unit and writing new map data into the storage unit; and

a control unit operable configured to provide navigation guidance to the user and to simultaneously perform sequential map-data processing associated with updating a plurality of map files using map-updating data and configured to determine if a necessary map file required for navigation control contains up-to-date map data;

a serial number management file in which marks are respectively written at positions corresponding to new and old serial numbers of all the map files, wherein a mark is written at a serial number position in the serial number management file after map file updating and an indication is issued that file updating has been performed, and wherein no mark is written at the serial number position before map file updating and an indication is issued that file updating has not been performed;

wherein the new serial number is added to the map-updating file and an old map file is updated with the new serial number to a new map file;

wherein if the necessary map file contains up-to-date map data, then the necessary map file is used to execute navigation control;

wherein said rewriting or overwriting is performed in an entire updating mode by rewriting or overwriting the old map file to the new map file in a sequential manner when navigation control is not performed based on a location corresponding to the old map file;

wherein the entire updating mode is interrupted and the rewriting or overwriting is performed in an on-demand mode when navigation control is requested to perform guidance based on a location corresponding to the old map file; and

wherein the entire updating mode resumes when navigation control is no longer performed based on the location corresponding to the old map file, and navigation control is performed for the user based on the new map file.

5. The navigation apparatus according to claim 4, comprising:

a map-updating-data generating unit operable to generate the map-updating data;

the control unit is operable to create a new map file using the map-updating data if the necessary map file does not contain up-to-date map data; and

a navigation control unit operable to perform navigation control using the new map file.

6. The navigation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit is operable to perform the sequential map-updating processing while not performing processing associated with navigation control.

7. The navigation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, if the necessary map file does not contain up-to-date map data, the control unit updates the necessary map file using the map-updating data, and subsequently restarts the sequential map-updating processing in order.

8. The navigation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the control unit includes a file storage unit which acquires and stores the map-updating data, the map-updating data including a serial number management file in which marks are respectively written at positions corresponding to the serial numbers of all map files obtained after the sequential map-updating processing finishes; and

the control unit is operable to assign a new serial number to an updated map file without changing a previously assigned serial number of a non-updated map file, and by checking if a mark is written at a position in the serial number management file which corresponds to the serial number of the necessary map file, determines if the necessary map file contains up-to-date map data.

9. The navigation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the serial number management file includes N bytes, and the bit positions of bytes from a first byte to an N-th byte correspond to the serial numbers.

10. The navigation apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a data unit operable to specify one of a plurality of geographical region and a predetermined location, and configured to prioritize updating a map file relating to one of the geographical region and a region within a predetermined range from the predetermined location.

11. A map-updating-data creating apparatus for creating map-updating data and provide navigation guidance to a user, the map-updating data being used to update old map data to new map data, the old map data including a plurality of old map files, the map-updating-data creating apparatus comprising:

a map file unit operable to transfer map files;

a processing unit operable to create, for each old map file to be updated, a map-updating file for rewriting or overwriting the old map file to a new map file, and to determine serial numbers of updated map files such that previously assigned old serial numbers of map files not being updated are not changed, and new serial numbers following the old serial numbers are assigned in ascending order to map files being updated, and to create a serial number management file, wherein a mark is written at a serial number position in the serial number management file after map file updating and an indication is issued that file updating has been performed, and wherein no mark is written at the serial number position before map file updating and an indication is issued that file updating has not been performed, and wherein the new serial number is added to the map-updating file and an old map file is updated with the new serial number to a new map file;

a map-updating-data unit operable to generate map-updating data to provide an updated region of the map,

wherein said rewriting or overwriting is performed in an entire updating mode by rewriting or overwriting the old map file to the new map file in a sequential manner when navigation control is not performed based on a location corresponding to the old map file;

wherein the entire updating mode is interrupted and the rewriting or overwriting is performed in an on-demand mode when navigation control is requested to perform guidance based on a location corresponding to the old map file; and

wherein the entire updating mode resumes when navigation control is no longer performed based on the location corresponding to the old map file, and navigation control is performed for the user based on the new map file.

12. The map-updating-data creating apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a storage unit operable to store the serial number management file.

13. The map-updating-data creating apparatus according to claim 11, wherein when creating the serial number management file, the processing unit deletes a first mark in the serial number management file at one position corresponding to an old serial number of a map file being updated, and writes a second mark in the serial number management file at another position corresponding to a new serial number of the map file being updated.

14. The map-updating-data creating apparatus according to claim 13, wherein:

the serial number management file includes N bytes, and bit positions of bytes from a first byte to an N-th byte correspond to the serial numbers; and

the second mark is written by writing a logical one at a bit position and the first mark is deleted by writing a logical zero at the bit position.

15. A map-data updating method for updating old map data to new map data and provide navigation guidance to a user, the old map data including a plurality of old map files, the map-data updating method comprising:

for each old map file to be updated, creating a temporary map-updating file to be used for rewriting or overwriting the old map file to a new map file;

determining serial numbers of updated map files such that previously assigned old serial numbers of map files which are not updated are not changed, and new serial numbers which follow the previously assigned serial numbers are assigned in ascending order to map files which are updated;

creating a serial number management file in which marks are respectively written at positions corresponding to the serial numbers of map files received, wherein a mark is written at a serial number position in the serial number management file after map file updating and an indication is issued that file updating has been performed, and wherein no mark is written at the serial number position before map file updating and an indication is issued that file updating has not been performed;

generating map-updating data, by a map updating data processor, the map-updating data including the map-updating file and the serial number management file, wherein the new serial number is added to the map-updating file and an old map file is updated with the new serial number to a new map file;

using the map-updating data to perform sequential map-updating processing and simultaneously provide navigation guidance to the user; and

determining if a necessary map file required for navigation control contains up-to-date map data by referring to the serial number management file;

wherein if the necessary map file contains up-to-date map data then the necessary map file is used to execute the navigation control, and alternatively, if the necessary map file does not contain up-to-date map data, then the necessary map file is updated or overwritten using the map-updating data to provide an updated region of the map;

wherein said rewriting or overwriting is performed in an entire updating mode by rewriting or overwriting the old map file to the new map file in a sequential manner when navigation control is not performed based on a location corresponding to the old map file;

wherein the entire updating mode is interrupted and the rewriting or overwriting is performed in an on-demand mode when navigation control is requested to perform guidance based on a location corresponding to the old map file; and

wherein the entire updating mode resumes when navigation control is no longer performed based on the location corresponding to the old map file, and navigation control is performed for the user based on the new map file.

16. A map-data updating system for updating old map data to new map data and providing navigation guidance to a user, comprising;

a map-updating-data creating apparatus operable to create map-updating data for updating or overwriting old map data to new map data, the old map data including a plurality of old map files; and

a navigation apparatus operable to perform map updating using the map-updating data and simultaneously providing navigation guidance to the user,

wherein the map-updating-data creating apparatus comprises;

a map file unit operable to transfer old map files and new map files;

a processing unit operable to create, for each old map file to be updated, a map-updating file for rewriting or overwriting the old map file to a new map file, and to determine serial numbers of updated map files such that a previously assigned old serial numbers of map files not being updated are not changed, and new serial numbers sequentially following the old serial numbers are assigned to map files being updated, and to create a serial number management file in which marks are respectively written at positions corresponding to all the serial numbers; and

a map-updating-data unit operable to generate map-updating data, the map-updating data including the map-updating file and the serial number management file, wherein a mark is written at a serial number position in the serial number management file after map file updating and an indication is issued that file updating has been performed, and wherein no mark is written at the serial number position before map file updating and an indication is issued that file updating has not been performed, and wherein the new serial number is added to the map-updating file and an old map file is updated with the new serial number to a new map file; and

the navigation apparatus comprises;

a storage unit operable to store the old map data;

a reading/writing control unit operable to control reading of the old map data from the storage unit and writing of the new map data into the storage unit;

a map-updating-data input unit operable to transfer the map-updating data; and

a control unit operable to perform map-updating processing by using the map-updating data, and to determine if a necessary map file required for navigation control contains up-to-date map data,

wherein if the necessary map file contains up-to-date map data then the necessary map file is used to execute the navigation control, and if the necessary map file does not contain up-to-date map data then the map-updating data is used to update or overwrite the necessary map file to provide an updated region of the map;

wherein said rewriting or overwriting is performed in an entire updating mode by rewriting or overwriting the old map file to the new map file in a sequential manner when navigation control is not performed based on a location corresponding to the old map file;

wherein the entire updating mode is interrupted and the rewriting or overwriting is performed in an on-demand mode when navigation control is requested to perform guidance based on a location corresponding to the old map file; and

wherein the entire updating mode resumes when the navigation guidance no longer provide guidance based on the location corresponding to the old map file, and navigation control is performed for the user based on the new map file.