JP2000121371A - In-vehicle navigation device, vehicle map data providing system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To efficiently update map data for navigation using communication. SOLUTION: The map data in a storage device 20 is updated using updated map data obtained from outside the vehicle using a transmission / reception unit 24. At this time, a target area is set based on history information relating to past map use. By setting an area frequently used by the user as a target area, efficient data updating can be performed. The history information is, for example, information on a past vehicle position, a past point registration, a past guidance route, or a past screen display designated point.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technique for partially updating map data of an in-vehicle navigation device through communication between a vehicle and an external device, and more particularly to a technique for automatically determining map data to be updated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art On-vehicle navigation devices have been widely used as devices having convenient functions such as displaying a map of a current location or another area, and guiding a driver along a route to a destination. As is well known, a navigation device performs various processes using digital map data in order to perform its function. Conventionally, generally, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM in which map data is written is prepared.
The navigation device reads map data from the recording medium.

[0003]

Conventionally, in order to use the latest map data, a cumbersome operation such as periodically replacing a map recording medium was required. Therefore, in order to facilitate the use of the latest map, it has been studied to provide the latest map data to a vehicle from outside through communication with the development of the vehicle information communication system.

[0004] However, it is difficult and inefficient to transmit an extremely large amount of map data by communication in terms of communication capability. Therefore, it is considered preferable to perform the partial update, that is, to appropriately limit the target area for obtaining the latest map.

[0005] When partial updating is performed, it is necessary to inform an external map providing center (for example, an information center) which range of the map should be updated. At this time, the user may set the update desired area by himself, but such input operation is very troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to automatically select which area of map data is to be updated so that efficient map data can be easily updated. Is to do.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a communication device for externally acquiring updated map data for partially updating map data, and a map for storing the acquired updated map data. In a vehicle-mounted navigation device having a storage device, updated map data of a target area (region) automatically selected based on history information related to past map use is obtained by communication and stored in the map storage device. It is characterized by the following.

According to the present invention, an area frequently used by a user, that is, an area having a high use frequency can be selected by referring to history information. Therefore, it is possible to obtain updated map data of an area where the need for the latest information is high. Even if the user does not perform an input operation to specify a map update area, updated map data of an appropriate area can be obtained. Then, the map data can be updated efficiently by appropriately limiting the update target area.

The above-mentioned history information includes, for example, (i) information on a position where a vehicle has existed in the past, (ii) registered point information unique to a user registered in the past, and (iii) guidance used in a past navigation process. One or more of route information and (iv) map information specified by the user on the screen in the past.

[0010] Further, the determination of the map update target area may be performed on the vehicle side or on the map providing center outside the vehicle. In the latter case, it is considered preferable to transmit necessary history information from the vehicle to the outside.

Further, the present invention can take a vehicle map providing system, a vehicle map providing method, or other modes in addition to the above-described on-vehicle navigation device.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as embodiments) will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle-mounted navigation device (vehicle-mounted device). Overall control unit 1
0 controls the entire apparatus and performs various processes related to navigation. The display / operation unit 12 is an input / output device,
It has a display and a group of switches arranged around the display. Further, a touch switch may be provided on the display. The display shows a map and other operation screens.

The display map creating section 14 creates a map for display from the map data, and the created map is displayed on a display. Further, the route search unit 16 searches and sets a route from the departure place of the vehicle traveling to the destination. The route search is performed by a known method such as the Dijkstra method using map data. Route guidance that guides the vehicle to the destination using the set route is performed. Further, the vehicle position detector 18 detects the current position of the vehicle. The vehicle position detecting unit 18 calculates the position of the own vehicle using a received radio wave from a GPS artificial satellite, for example, based on the principle of satellite navigation. It is also preferable to use autonomous navigation using a gyro sensor or the like together with satellite navigation.
Further, any other current position detecting means can be applied.

The storage device 20 is a device for storing programs and data necessary for navigation processing. The map data is also stored in the storage device 20. Storage device 2
0 is a writable device, in this embodiment a hard disk device. Any other writable storage device may be provided. Further, a part of the storage device 20 may be configured by a read-only device (CD-ROM or the like), and the remaining portion may be configured by a readable / writable device.

The map update processing section 22 performs various processes for updating map data stored in the storage device 20 to the latest data. The map update processing unit 22 includes the transmission / reception unit 2
4 to obtain updated map data from an external map providing center by communication. The use range storage processing unit 26 stores history information used for the map update process in the storage device 20 and performs a process for preparing it in advance.

Next, FIG. 2 shows a configuration of a map providing center for providing updated map data to a vehicle. The overall control unit 30 controls the entire center, and communicates individually with a large number of vehicles using the transmission / reception unit 32. Center side storage device 3
4 stores the latest map data. That is, in addition to conventional information on roads and facilities, roads newly created by construction, roads with changed shapes, and other latest information (such as the latest facility guidance information) are stored.

The map update data editing section 36 stores the storage device 3
4 to edit the data to be actually sent to the vehicle using the latest map data stored in the vehicle. By this processing, a transmission file is created. The route search unit 38 receives the instruction from the overall control unit 30 and performs a route search calculation in the same manner as the vehicle side. The route search result is used to determine a target area for updating the map for the target vehicle.

Here, the updated map data sent from the map providing center to the vehicle may be the latest map data itself, or may be data in another form. For example, difference data between the latest map and the old map may be used. That is, when some data in a certain area is changed, only the data in that part may be provided to the vehicle.

Further, the map data is a set of several data, as is well known, and includes map data for display, map data for route calculation, and map matching data, and further includes other types of data as necessary. . In this embodiment,
All of these types of data may be updated, or any part thereof may be updated. Link data is representative of the route calculation map data.

"Map Update Process" Next, a map update process characteristic of the present embodiment will be described. According to the present embodiment, the map update target area is determined based on history information related to past map usage. At this time, an area that is considered to have a high map usage (the number of times or the frequency of use of the map) is automatically selected. Then, the updated map data of the target area is obtained by communication. The history information uses one or more of the following four types.

"History information (1): Position history information (running history information)" The position where the vehicle existed in the past is stored in advance as history information. For example, the vehicle position is stored each time the vehicle travels for a predetermined distance or for a predetermined time. The vehicle position is detected by the vehicle position detector 18. Then, the vehicle position is written in the storage device 20 according to an instruction from the use range storage processing unit 26.

At the time of updating the map, an area including the past vehicle position is selected. Then, the updated map data of the selected target area is transmitted from the map providing center to the vehicle. In the vehicle, the map data in the storage device 20 is updated using the received information.

As shown in FIG. 3, one example of the process of determining the update target area uses a two-dimensional mesh of a map. As is well known, the entire map is partitioned into a number of two-dimensional meshes. A two-dimensional mesh to which a past vehicle position belongs is selected. Then, the selected mesh is set as a target area.

Here, preferably, a two-dimensional mesh including a certain number or more of vehicle positions (plot points) is selected (a mesh surrounded by a thick line in FIG. 3). Alternatively, a mesh whose number of plot points in the mesh is up to a predetermined order is selected. This makes it possible to exclude areas with relatively low usage frequency, select areas with high usage frequency, and suppress the amount of communication data to an appropriate range.

FIG. 4 shows a second process for determining a target area. In this processing, a circle having a constant radius centered on the past vehicle position is drawn (a figure other than a circle may be used).
Then, an area included in the circle is selected as an update target area.

FIG. 5 shows a third process of determining a target area. In this process, a line segment connecting the past vehicle positions is drawn. Then, a polygon of a maximum area surrounded by all the line segments is obtained. This polygon area is selected as an update target area. More preferably, a region obtained by expanding the polygon region outward by a predetermined distance is set as a final target region (dotted line).

The determination of the update target area may be performed on the vehicle side or on the map providing center side. In the former case, the target area information is sent from the vehicle to the center. In the latter case, the history information is sent from the vehicle to the center. The center determines a target area from the history information. Part of the processing may be performed by the vehicle, and the remaining processing may be performed by the center. These points are the same in the processing using the following other history information.

In any case, finally, at the center, the updated map data of the target area is read from the center side storage device 34. Then, necessary editing processing is performed by the map update data editing unit 36, and the updated map data is transmitted to the transmission / reception unit 32.
From the vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an outline of the updating process using the above-mentioned traveling history information. In this example,
The determination of the update target area is performed on the vehicle side using the two-dimensional mesh. When the user operates the display / operation unit 12 and selects "update of map data" (S1), the user's travel history is checked, and an area where the vehicle has traveled a certain number of times or more is determined (S2). The onboard unit notifies the map providing center of the update area (S3), and the map providing center transmits the latest map data of the updated area to the onboard unit (S4). Then, the in-vehicle device updates the map data in the storage device 20 using the received data (S5).

[History Information (2): Registered Location Information (Registration History)] In this process, registered location information unique to the user is used as history information. In the present embodiment, the registered point information is a user's home and a memory point. The navigation device has a function of registering a home and a desired memory point. These pieces of information are read from the storage device 20 and used.

At the time of updating the map, an area including past registered points (points registered so far) is selected, and updated map data of the selected target area is transmitted from the map providing center to the vehicle. In the area selection, the same processing as in the case of using the position history information is performed.

That is, in one method, a two-dimensional mesh including registration points (home and memory points) is selected as an update target area. In another method, a circular area centered on the registration point is determined. In another method, a polygonal area surrounded by a line connecting the registration points is obtained, and an area obtained by expanding the polygonal area by a certain distance outward is obtained.

In another preferred determination process, as shown in FIG. 7, a route connecting the home and the memory point is searched (the route calculation is performed on the map providing center using the latest map data, for example). Then, an area including the calculated route is selected as the update target area. As shown in FIG. 7, an area having a fixed distance width including the set route may be obtained. Further, a two-dimensional mesh that passes through the set route may be obtained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, in addition to the path connecting the home and the memory point, a path connecting the memory points may be searched. The area including the route between the memory points is also selected as the update target.

Preferably, the weight of the house is increased more than other memory points. In the example of FIG. 9, when obtaining a circular area centered on the registration point, the radius of the circle at home is made larger than the radius of the circle at the memory point. In the example of FIG. 8, the width of the belt-like region along the route connecting the home and the memory point is increased. In other processes, the area around the house is set large.

Actually, it is considered that the user's use of the map is limited at the memory point, and it is only necessary to know local information. However, maps around the home are used for various purposes, and maps of a certain wide range are frequently used by users. Therefore, by expanding the area to be updated around the home, the latest map having high necessity can be appropriately obtained. Since a large area is set only in important places, an increase in the entire communication data amount can be avoided, which is also preferable.

Further, when determining the update target area, it is also preferable to use the frequency of the vehicle position, similarly to the processing using the position history. With reference to the position history information, a frequency (the number of vehicle positions) at which the user exists around each memory point is obtained. Memory points with low frequency are ignored, and memory points with high frequency are selected. For example, a memory point having a frequency equal to or higher than a predetermined value is selected, or a memory point having a frequency up to a predetermined higher rank is selected. Then, an area including the selected memory point is obtained.

In addition, in the above processing, the registered point information is the home and the memory point. In addition, the registration point information may be a registration destination. The function of registering a frequently used destination is well known to navigation devices, and the destination registered using this function is used for the above processing.

"History information (3): Guide route history information" In this process, the route used in the past route guidance is stored. As described above, in the vehicle, the route search unit 16 performs a route search. The calculated route used for guidance is written into the storage device 20 by the use range storage processing unit 26.

At the time of updating the map, an area including the past guidance route is selected. Then, the updated map data of the selected target area is transmitted from the map providing center to the vehicle. In the vehicle, the map data is updated using the received information.

For example, a two-dimensional mesh through which a past guide route passes is selected, and the selected mesh is used as a target area.

In another example, the update target area (band shape) is obtained by giving a predetermined appropriate width to both sides of the past guide route. Preferably, the width of the area is made variable according to the frequency of use of the road. That is, a wide area is determined for a road that has been frequently selected as a guide route in the past. Alternatively, a wide area may be set for a road on which the vehicle has actually passed many times in the past. The region width is changed continuously or stepwise according to the frequency.

On a frequently used road, vehicles frequently travel on the road. Therefore, for use in various applications,
It is highly likely that a certain range of surrounding maps will be required. According to the present embodiment, by making the area width variable according to the use frequency, it is possible to appropriately obtain the latest map that is highly necessary. Since a wide area is set only in important places, it is possible to avoid an increase in the total amount of communication data, which is also preferable.

"History information (4): Screen display designation history" In this processing, a map area (such as a two-dimensional mesh) displayed on the screen by the user operating the display / operation unit 12 in the past.
Is stored. When updating the map, the stored area is read out and specified as an update target area.

Preferably, the update target area is limited to a map area that has been displayed at a certain scale or more and a certain scale or more. As a result, a frequently used area can be selected. Even when a small-scale map (for example, a nationwide map) is displayed, it is possible to avoid specifying such a range as an update target.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the amount of communication data from unnecessarily increasing.

"Flow of Update Process" Hereinafter, some examples of the above update process will be described with reference to flowcharts.

(1-1) History Information (1) (Position History) This is a process using a mesh including a vehicle position. Referring to FIG. 10, in the vehicle-mounted device, the use range storage processing unit 26 performs a process for recording a position history. Each time the vehicle travels a certain distance (for example, 1 km) (S10
0), the vehicle position is stored in the storage device 20 (S10).
1). Time may be used instead of distance, and the vehicle position may be stored every time the vehicle travels for a fixed time (for example, 5 minutes). The vehicle position is detected by the vehicle position detector 18.

Next, the updating process will be described with reference to FIGS. Under the control of the overall control unit 10, display /
The function menu of the navigation device is displayed on the operation unit 12 (S110). When the user selects “map update” from the menu (S111), the following processing is performed by the map update processing unit 22.

First, a map update menu is displayed on the display / operation unit 12 (S112). When the user manually specifies the map update area, the latest map of the specified area is obtained from the map providing center by communication (not shown). When the user selects the item "frequently used places" from the map update menu (S113), the navigation device automatically updates the map.

The map update processing unit 22 reads the vehicle position stored in the storage device 20 by the use range storage processing unit 26.
A map mesh number including the read vehicle position is obtained. The obtained mesh number is transmitted to the map providing center using the transmission / reception unit 24 (S114).

Referring to FIG. 12, the map providing center waits for reception of mesh number data from the vehicle-mounted device (S).
120). When reception occurs, the map update data editing unit 36 performs a process of adding the updated map data in the transmitted map mesh number to the transmission file.
As described above, the update map data may be a map of the entire target area, a partial map, or a difference between new and old data. The updated map data is read from the center-side storage device 34 and added to the transmission file (S121).

When the map of the target area has not been updated, no updated map data is added. For this determination, preferably, information such as the version of the map owned by the vehicle and the update date is sent from the vehicle to the map providing center.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, it is determined whether or not the next mesh exists, that is, whether or not all the updated map data of the plurality of meshes has been added to the transmission file (S122). If no, the transmission file is transmitted to the vehicle using the transmission / reception unit 32 (S
123).

Returning to FIG. 11, the vehicle waits for the reception of updated map data (S115). When the reception occurs, the received updated map data is added to the map data in the storage device 20 of the vehicle-mounted device (S116). At this time, the updated map data may be stored in a different area from the existing map data. It is also preferable to create one newest map by combining update map data with existing map data, re-editing, and the like.

(1-2) History Information (1) (Position History) In this process, a circular area centered on the vehicle position is set as an update target instead of the mesh number. Further, the vehicle position is sent to the center as it is, and processing is mainly performed on the center side. Regarding this processing, the description of the same parts as the above processing will be omitted as appropriate.

In order to obtain history information, the vehicle-mounted device uses (1-
As in 1), the vehicle position saving process shown in FIG. 10 is performed. The update process will be described with reference to FIGS.

Steps S130 to S133 in FIG. 13 are the same as steps S110 to S113 in FIG. 11, respectively. Then, when the user selects “frequently used place” (automatic update) in S133, the past vehicle position is read from the storage device 20. All the read vehicle positions are transmitted to the map providing center using the transmission / reception unit 24 (S13).
4).

Referring to FIG. 14, the map providing center waits for reception of vehicle position data from the vehicle-mounted device (S14).
0). When the reception occurs, the updated map data within a circular range of a predetermined radius (for example, 5 km) centering on the transmitted vehicle position is added to the transmission file (S14).
1).

It is determined whether the next vehicle position, that is, the vehicle position included in the position history is still present (S14).
2). If there is an unprocessed vehicle position, the process returns to S141. However, duplicate addition of updated map data to the transmission file is prohibited. When the updated map data of the circular areas at all vehicle positions are added to the transmission file, the transmission file is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device (S143).

Returning to FIG. 13, the vehicle waits for the reception of updated map data (S135). When reception occurs, the received updated map data is added to the existing map data (S136). The processing here is performed in S115 and S115 in FIG.
Same as 116.

(1-3) History Information (1) (Position History) In this processing, a polygon containing the vehicle position is used.
A description of a portion that is the same as the above process will be omitted as appropriate. In order to obtain history information, the in-vehicle device needs to be configured as shown in FIG.
Is stored in the vehicle. The update process will be described with reference to FIGS.

Steps S150 to S153 in FIG. 15 are the same as steps S110 to S113 in FIG. Then, when the user selects “frequently used place” (automatic update) in S153, the past vehicle positions stored in the storage device 20 are read, and all vehicle positions are connected by line segments (S154). A polygon corresponding to the maximum area surrounded by the line segment is obtained, and the shape information of the polygon is transmitted to the map providing center (S155).

Referring to FIG. 16, the map providing center waits for reception of polygon data from the vehicle-mounted device (S16).
0). When reception occurs, the transmitted polygon is enlarged outward by a predetermined distance (for example, 10 km) (S161).
This enlarged area is the update target area. Then, the updated map data in the enlarged area is written in the transmission file (S162), and the transmission file is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device (S162).
163).

Returning to FIG. 15, the vehicle waits for the reception of the updated map data (S156). When reception occurs, the received updated map data is added to the existing map data (S157). The processing here is performed in S115 and S115 in FIG.
Same as 116.

(2-1) History Information (2) (Registration Point Information) Next, a process of using registered point information unique to a user as history information will be described. The registration points are, for example, a home and a memory point as described above. In this processing, the registration point is sent to the center as it is, and the center performs main processing. Regarding this processing, the description of the same part as the above processing will be omitted as appropriate.

Referring to FIG. 17, S170 to S173
Are processes equivalent to S110 to S113 in FIG. 11, respectively. If the user selects “frequently used place” (automatic update) in S173, the map update processing unit 22
Stores all registered homes and memory locations in storage device 2
It is read from 0 and sent to the map providing center (S174).

In FIG. 18, on the map providing center side,
Wait for the reception of the registration point data from the vehicle-mounted device (S18)
0). When the reception occurs, the updated map data within a circular range of a predetermined radius (for example, 5 km) centering on the transmitted registration position is added to the transmission file (S18).
1). Preferably, as described above, the radius of the circle around the house is increased to increase the weight of the house (for example, 10 k
m).

It is determined whether there is a next registration point (S182). If there are still unprocessed registration points,
The updated map data of the circle area at the next point is obtained. If there is no next registration point, the transmission file is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device (S183).

Returning to FIG. 17, the vehicle waits for the reception of updated map data (S175). When reception occurs, the received updated map data is added to the existing map data (S176). The processing here is performed in S115 and S115 in FIG.
Same as 116.

(2-2) History Information (2) (Registration Point Information) In this processing, a polygon including the registration point (home, memory point) is used. A description of a portion that is the same as the above process will be omitted as appropriate.

Referring to FIG. 19, S190 to S193
Are processes equivalent to S110 to S113 in FIG. 11, respectively. If the user selects “frequently used place” (automatic update) in S193, the map update processing unit 22
Stores all registered homes and memory locations in storage device 2
Read from 0. Then, the read home and all the memory points are connected by a line segment (S194). A polygon corresponding to the maximum area surrounded by the above line segments is obtained. Then, the obtained polygon is transmitted to the map providing center (S
195).

The subsequent processing is the same as in the above (1-3), and a detailed description will be omitted. In FIG. 20, when the map providing center receives the polygon data from the vehicle-mounted device (S200), it expands the polygon to a predetermined distance (for example, 10 km) outside (S201), and the updated map data in the enlarged area is included in the transmission file. The file is written (S202), and the transmission file is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device (S203). When the on-vehicle device receives the updated map data (S196), the received data is added to the existing map data (S197).

(2-3) History Information (2) (Registration Point Information) In this processing, a route connecting registration points (home and memory points) is used. A description of a portion that is the same as the above process will be appropriately omitted.

Referring to FIG. 21, S210 to S213
Are processes equivalent to S110 to S113 in FIG. 11, respectively. If the user selects “frequently used place” (automatic update) in S213, the map update processing unit 22
Stores all registered homes and memory locations in storage device 2
Read from 0. Then, the read home and all the memory points are transmitted to the map providing center (S21).
4).

Referring to FIG. 22, the map providing center waits for reception of the registered point data from the vehicle-mounted device (S22).
0). Then, when reception occurs, a route connecting between the transmitted points is searched by the center-side route search unit 38 (S221). Here, the route of the combination of the home and each memory point is obtained, and further, the route of all the combinations of the memory points is obtained. A map mesh including these routes is obtained, and the updated map data in the mesh is written to a transmission file (S222). The transmission file is sent to the vehicle using the transmission / reception unit 32 (S223).

Returning to FIG. 21, the vehicle waits for the reception of updated map data (S215). When reception occurs, the received updated map data is added to the existing map data (S216). The processing here is performed in S115 and S115 in FIG.
Same as 116.

(3-1) History Information (3) (Guidance Route History) Next, a process of using a route used in past route guidance will be described. Here, a mesh including a link constituting a route searched in the past by the user is used. A description of a portion that is the same as the above process will be appropriately omitted.

Referring to FIG. 23, in the vehicle-mounted device, the use range storage processing unit 26 performs a process for recording a route history. Each time the user causes the navigation device to perform a route search (S230), the link constituting the route is stored in the storage device 20 (S231). As is well known, road data is composed of a number of links, and the numbers of the links and the like are stored. The route is searched for by the route search unit 16.

Next, the updating process will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25. S240 to S243 in FIG.
This processing is equivalent to S110 to S113 of No. 1. Then, in S243, “frequently used place” (automatic update)
Is selected by the user, the map update processing unit 22 reads the link stored in the storage device 20 by the use range storage processing unit 26. Then, the number of the map mesh including the read link is obtained. All corresponding mesh numbers are transmitted to the map providing center (S244).

The subsequent processing is the same as the above (1-1), and a detailed description is omitted. In FIG. 25, when receiving the mesh number data from the vehicle-mounted device (S250), the map providing center adds the updated map data in each mesh number to the transmission file (S251), and determines whether or not the next mesh exists. (S252). If there is no next mesh, the transmission file is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device (S25).
3). When the on-vehicle device receives the updated map data (S2
45), The received data is added to the existing map data (S246).

(3-2) History Information (3) (Guidance Route History) This processing uses both end points of the link forming the route searched by the user. A description of a portion that is the same as the above process will be omitted as appropriate. In order to obtain history information, the in-vehicle device uses (3-1)
23, the link saving processing shown in FIG. 23 is performed.

Referring to FIG. 26, S260 to S263
Are processes equivalent to S110 to S113 in FIG. 11, respectively. Then, when the user selects “frequently used place” (automatic update) in S263, the link (number) stored in the storage device 20 is read. All the read links are transmitted to the map providing center (S264).

In FIG. 27, on the map providing center side,
It waits for reception of link data from the on-vehicle device (S270).
Then, when reception occurs, a circular area having a predetermined radius (for example, 5 km) centered on both ends of the transmitted link is obtained. The updated map data within this circular range is added to the transmission file (S271).

Then, it is determined whether there is a next link (S272). When the processing for all the links is completed, the transmission file is transmitted to the vehicle (S27).
3). Returning to FIG. 26, the vehicle waits for the update map data to be received (S265), and the received update map data is added to the existing map data (S266).

(4-1) History Information (4) (Screen Display Designation History) Next, a process of using a map area displayed by the user in the past will be described. Here, the map in the mesh including the previously displayed map area is automatically updated. A description of a portion that is the same as the above process will be appropriately omitted.

Referring to FIG. 28, in the vehicle-mounted device, the use range storage processing unit 26 performs a process for recording a display history. When the user specifies a point and displays the map at a certain scale or more (S280), the numbers of the map meshes constituting the displayed map are stored in the storage device 20 (S280).
281).

Next, the updating process will be described with reference to FIGS. 29 and 30. S290 to S293 in FIG.
This processing is equivalent to S110 to S113 of No. 1. Then, in S293, “frequently used place” (automatic update)
Is selected by the user, the map update processing unit 22 reads the map mesh number stored in the storage device 20 by the use range storage processing unit 26. The read mesh number is transmitted to the map providing center (S294).

The subsequent processing is the same as the above (1-1), and a detailed description is omitted. In FIG. 30, when receiving the mesh number data from the vehicle-mounted device (S300), the map providing center adds the updated map data in the mesh number to the transmission file (S301) and determines whether or not the next mesh exists. (S302). If there is no next mesh, the transmission file is transmitted to the vehicle-mounted device (S303).
When the on-vehicle device receives the updated map data (S29)
5) The received data is added to the existing map data (S
296).

(4-2) History Information (4) (Screen Display Designation History) This process also uses the map area displayed by the user in the past. However, unlike (4-1), the center point of the map area displayed in the past is used. A description of a portion that is the same as the above process will be omitted as appropriate.

Referring to FIG. 31, in the vehicle-mounted device, the use range storage processing unit 26 records a display history. When the user displays the map at a certain scale or more (S310), the center position of the displayed map is stored in the storage device 20 (S31).
1).

In FIG. 32, S320 to S323 are
This processing is equivalent to S110 to S113 in FIG. Then, when the user selects “frequently used place” (automatic update) in S323, the map update processing unit 22
The display center position stored in the storage device 20 by the use range storage processing unit 26 is read. Then, all the read display center positions are transmitted to the map providing center (S264).

In FIG. 33, on the map providing center side,
Wait for reception of the center position data from the on-vehicle device (S33)
0). Then, when reception occurs, a circular range having a predetermined radius (for example, 5 km) around the transmission point is obtained. The updated map data within this circular range is added to the transmission file (S331). It is determined whether there is an unprocessed next point (S332). When the processing for all points is completed, the transmission file is transmitted to the vehicle (S333). Returning to FIG. 32, the vehicle waits for the update map data to be received (S325), and the received update map data is added to the existing map data (S326).

[Advantages of Each Embodiment] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the target area of the map update can be automatically determined by referring to the use history information of the navigation device. At this time, the target area is limited around the area that the user usually uses. Therefore, an area that needs to be updated can be included in the update target, the amount of communication data can be suppressed to an appropriate range, and efficient map data update can be performed. The user does not need to perform the troublesome work of specifying the update target area by himself.

The history information includes (1) location history, (2) registered point history, (3) guidance route history, and (4) screen display designation history. Further, a plurality of types of processing can be considered corresponding to each information. One type of update process may be performed by one device. Also, a plurality of types of update processing may be performed by one device. It is considered that a more suitable update process can be performed by combining different processes using different history information, and such a device is also included in the scope of the present invention.

Here, (1) In the process using the position history, an actual past position is used. It is considered that the map information of the past location is surely used. Therefore, by using the position history, the map used in the past can be surely updated. In particular, by using abundantly obtained position information, a frequently used area can be accurately obtained. For example, as described above, it is preferable to select an area in which the position has been saved a predetermined number of times or more, to select an area with a high frequency order, or to perform other appropriate statistical processing.

In the process (2) using the registered point history, the home registration function, the memory point registration function, or the destination registration function of the in-vehicle navigation device is used. Then, the map of the area including the registered points is updated using these functions. Specially storing past history information in the storage device 20
And a storage area for that purpose need not be set in the storage device 20. Therefore, there is an advantage that the map area usually used by the user can be easily determined using the existing function.

In the process (3) using the guide route history, the map of the road used for the route guidance is updated instead of simply updating the map of the road on which the vehicle has traveled in the past. Such a map is likely to be repeatedly used by the user. Therefore, there is an advantage that a map having a high need can be updated.

In the process (4) using the screen display designation history, the map area designated and displayed by the user is to be updated. For example, it is assumed that there is a map that the user has not traveled so far or the number of times of travel has been small, but the user occasionally displays. There is a strong need for up-to-date information on such maps. By referring to the display designation history, such a map, that is, a map that is not covered by the other processes but is frequently used is also updated.

[0100]

As described above, according to the present invention, by referring to the history information, the update processing can be performed only in the area that the user frequently uses, and the efficiency can be improved. Good map data can be updated. It is not necessary for the user to manually set a specific update target area manually.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an in-vehicle device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a map providing center according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a process of setting a target area for map update using a mesh based on a position history.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a process of setting a map update target region using a circular region based on a position history.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a process of setting a map update target region using an inclusion polygon based on a position history.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of the process of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a process of setting a map update target area using a route based on registered point information.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an application example of the processing of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a process of setting a map update target area using a circular area based on registration point information.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a process for storing a position history in the vehicle-mounted device.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a vehicle-side process of updating a map using a mesh based on a position history.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a center-side process of updating a map using a mesh based on a position history.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a vehicle-side process of updating a map using a circular area based on a position history.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a center-side process of updating a map using a circular area based on a position history.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a vehicle-side process of updating a map using an inclusion polygon based on a position history.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a center-side process of updating a map using an inclusion polygon based on a position history.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a vehicle-side process of updating a map using a circular area based on a point registration history.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a center-side process of updating a map using a circular area based on a point registration history.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a vehicle-side process of updating a map using an inclusion polygon based on a point registration history.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a center-side process of updating a map using an inclusion polygon based on a point registration history.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of a vehicle-side process of updating a map using a route based on a point registration history.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a center-side process of updating a map using a route based on a point registration history.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart of a process of storing a guide route history in the vehicle-mounted device.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart of a vehicle-side process of updating a map using a mesh based on a guide route history.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart of a center-side process of updating a map using a mesh based on a guide route history.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart of a vehicle-side process of updating a map using a circular area based on a guide route history.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart of a center-side process of updating a map using a circular area based on a guide route history.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart of a process of storing a map display history in the vehicle-mounted device.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart of a vehicle-side process of updating a map using a mesh based on a map display history.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart of a center-side process of updating a map using a mesh based on a map display history.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart of a process of storing a map display history in the vehicle-mounted device.

FIG. 32 is a flowchart of a vehicle-side process of updating a map using a circular area based on a map display history.

FIG. 33 is a flowchart of a center-side process of updating a map using a circular area based on a map display history.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 30 overall control unit, 12 display / operation unit, 14
Display map creation unit, 16, 38 Route search unit, 18 Vehicle position detection unit, 20, 34 Storage device, 22 Map update processing unit, 24, 32 transmission / reception unit, 26 Usage range storage processing unit, 36 Map update data editing unit.

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An on-vehicle navigation device having a communication device for externally acquiring updated map data for partially updating map data, and a map storage device for storing the acquired updated map data, comprising: An in-vehicle navigation device characterized in that updated map data of a target area automatically selected based on related history information is obtained by communication and stored in the map storage device. 2. The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the history information includes information on a position where the vehicle has existed in the past. 3. The on-vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the history information includes user-registered location information registered in the past. 4. The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the history information includes information on a guide route used in past navigation processing. 5. The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the history information includes information of a map designated by a user on a screen in the past. 6. The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein a target area for which a map is to be updated is selected based on the history information, transmitted to the outside, and updated map data of the target area is transmitted. An in-vehicle navigation device characterized by receiving from outside. 7. The in-vehicle navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the history information is transmitted to the outside, and the updated map data selected externally based on the history information and transmitted to the vehicle is transmitted. An in-vehicle navigation device for receiving. 8. A vehicle map data providing system in which a map providing center and a vehicle are communicably connected and an updated map data for partially updating the map data of the vehicle is transmitted from the map providing center to the vehicle. A vehicle map data providing system for transmitting, to a vehicle, updated map data of a target region automatically selected based on history information relating to past map use in the vehicle. 9. The on-vehicle navigation device according to claim 8, wherein a target area to be updated on the map is selected on the vehicle side based on the history information. 10. The vehicle map data providing system according to claim 8, wherein the history information is transmitted from the vehicle to a map providing center, and the map providing center provides the updated map data to be provided to the vehicle based on the history information. An in-vehicle navigation device characterized by determining: 11. A vehicle map data providing method for providing updated map data for partially updating map data held by a vehicle from a map providing center to the vehicle by communication, the history relating to past use of the map by the vehicle. A method for providing map data for a vehicle, comprising transmitting updated map data of a target area automatically selected based on information to a vehicle.