Traffic information collecting system for navigation device

• US 8,019,535 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Clarion Co., Ltd. (Faurecia SA)
• Original Assignee: Xanavi Informatics Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Amaya, Shinichi, Endo, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US10/593,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,370 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/200, 701/209, 701/214, 701/202, 701/201, 701/117, 340/991, 340/995.1, 340/995.13, 340/995.12, 709/219, 709/216, 348/211.3, 455/422.1, 455/414.3, 707/751, 707/758, 707/781, 369/47.1
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/102 using electrical means

Abstract

An information center (5000) for collecting traffic information stores in its memory device the latest map data. Then, it is determined through a terminal device (5030) whether or not history information has been recorded in a data recording medium (800) mounted in a navigation device (1000), and when it is determined that the history information has been recorded, the map data in the data recording medium are updated to the latest map data. The data recording medium (800) is removable from the navigation device (1000). Statistical traffic information may be updated along with the updating of the map data. Further, when history information is directly uploaded to the information center, an identifier is attached to the uploaded information.

Claims

1. A system comprising an information center device, a terminal machine connected to said information center device, and a navigation device which is mountable on a moving object, wherein,

said navigation device comprises,

a recording medium being rewritable on which map data is recordable, and

a drive information collecting unit adapted to collect drive information of said moving object,

a sorting unit adapted to sort whether or not the information having been collected by said drive information collecting unit is authorized to be recorded in said recording medium,

a history information recording unit adapted to record the drive information having been sorted to be recorded by said sorting unit as drive history information in said recording medium,

a recording ratio calculating unit adapted to calculate a recording ratio based on the drive information having been collected by said drive information collecting unit and the drive information having been recorded by said history information recording unit, and

a recording ratio recording unit adapted to record said recording ratio into said recording medium, and

said terminal machine comprises,

a unit adapted to read out said drive history information and said recording ratio from said recording medium, and to send said drive history information and said recording ratio to said information center, and display an update charge of said map data received from said information center device, and

map updating unit adapted to record the map data received from said information center device, in a recording medium prepared for said navigation device, and

said information center device comprises,

a storage unit which stores map data,

a sending unit adapted to send said map data to said terminal machine,

a receiving unit adapted to receive said drive history information and said recording ratio from said terminal machine, and

a unit adapted to calculate an update charge of said map data according to said recording ration, and to send the update charge of map data to said terminal machine.

2. A system comprising an information center device, a terminal machine connected to said information center device, and a navigation device which is mountable on a moving object, wherein,

said navigation device comprises,

a recording medium being rewritable on which map data is recordable,

a history information recording unit adapted to record drive history information of said moving object in said recording medium, and

a recording ratio recording unit adapted to calculate a recording ratio of said drive history information at least by using the number of all information items as predetermined recording target and the number of information items excluding the information items which are not subject to recording according to user'"'"'s directive, and record the recording ratio in said recording medium, and

said terminal machine comprises,

an unit adapted to read out said drive history information and said recording ratio from said recording medium and to send said drive history information and said recording ratio to said information center, and display an update charge of the map data received from said information center device, and

a map updating unit adapted to record the map data received from said information center device, in a recording medium prepared for said navigation device, and

said information center device comprises,

a storage unit which stores map data,

a sending unit adapted to send said map data to said terminal machine,

a receiving unit adapted to receive said drive history information from said terminal machine, and

an unit adapted to calculate an update charge of said map data according to said recording ratio and to send the update charge of map data to said terminal machine.

3. A navigation device which is mountable on a moving object and used in a system which includes navigation device having a recording medium which stores map data, an information center device which records map data, and a terminal machine which receives said map data by connecting to said information center device and updates the map data of the recording medium of said navigation device by using received map data, the navigation device comprising;

a drive information collecting unit collecting drive information for a plurality of historical drive events of said moving object, where plural predetermined types of data are collected for each event of the plurality of historical drive events,

a sorting unit for sorting which of the plural predetermined types of data of the information having been collected by said drive information collecting unit is authorized by a user of the navigation device, to be recorded in said recording medium,

a history information recording unit recording the drive information having been sorted to be recorded by said sorting unit as drive history information in said recording medium,

a recording ratio calculating unit mathematically using both the drive information having been collected by said drive information collecting unit and the drive information having been recorded by said history information recording unit, to calculate a recording ratio, and

a recording ratio recording unit recording said recording ratio in said recording medium.

4. A navigation device which is mountable on a moving object and used in a system which includes a navigation device having a recording medium which stores map data, an information center device which records map data, and a terminal machine which receives said map data by connecting to said information center device and updates the map data of the recording medium of said navigation device by using received map data, the navigation device comprising;

a history information recording unit recording, in said recording medium, only pre-selected types of plural predetermined types of drive history information for a plurality of historical drive events of said moving objects, where the plural predetermined types of drive history information are collected for each event of the plurality of historical drive events, and where the pre-selected types which are recorded are selected by a user'"'"'s directive,

a recording ratio calculating unit mathematically using both;

a number of all the plural predetermined types of the drive history information collected as a predetermined recording target; and

a number of non-pre-selected types of the drive history information which are excluded as not subject to recording according to user'"'"'s directive, to calculate a recording ratio useable for discounting a charge imposed on a user, and

a recording ratio recording unit adapted to record said recording ratio in said recording medium.

5. A system comprising a navigation device having a recording medium which stores map data, an information center device which records map data, and a terminal machine which receives said map data by connecting to said information center device and updates the map data of the recording medium of said navigation device by using received map data, wherein,

said navigation device comprises,

a history information recording unit adapted to record drive history information of said moving object in said recording medium,

a sending unit adapted to connect to said information center device and to send said drive history information to the information center device, and

a recording unit adapted to record in said recording medium, sending identification information which distinguishes between the drive history information having already been sent to said information center device and the drive history information having not been sent thereto yet, and

said terminal machine comprises,

an unit adapted to read out said drive history information from said recording medium and to send said drive history information to said information center, and

a map updating unit adapted to record the map data received from said information center device, in a recording medium prepared for said navigation device, and

said information center device comprises,

a sending unit adapted to send said map data to said terminal machine,

a receiving unit adapted to receive said drive history information, when connected to said terminal machine, from the terminal machine, and

an information selecting unit in which, when said information center device receives from said terminal machine, the drive history information with identification information being attached indicating that the information has already been sent, the information center device erases any one of such drive history information as being overlapping drive history information.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein,

said information selecting unit is adapted to erase drive history information sent by the sending unit of said navigation device among said overlapping drive history information.