JP2004257902A - On-vehicle navigation device, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-vehicle navigation device, a method, and a program, for effectively reducing useless communications and costs therefor by cyclically and collectively downloading and holding updated information on map data with respect to off-board navigation. <P>SOLUTION: From a server 15, a periodic fetching part 101 fetches update information showing whether updating is performed or not at the server 15 in each unit of map data in a prescribed cycle such as one month and stores the information in a prescribed update information storage area. A determination update part 102, when it is going to display downloaded map data, determines whether updating has been performed or not based on the stored update information, and newly downloads map data determined to have been updated from the server 15 to fetch the map data in a map storage area. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an in-vehicle navigation device, a method and a program for effectively reducing unnecessary communication and its cost by periodically downloading and holding update information of map data in off-board navigation. Things.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, navigation technologies have rapidly become widespread along with automobiles and digital technologies. For navigation, an in-vehicle device that uses map data sequentially detects the position of the vehicle using GPS or the like and displays it on a surrounding map, and displays the direction of travel along an optimal guidance route to a specified destination. Guidance is provided by display or voice synthesis.
[0003]
Such navigation can be broadly classified into on-board and off-board.On-board is a mode in which the maintenance of map data and route search are completed by the in-vehicle device, and the off-board provides necessary map data and route search results. This is a mode in which the data is downloaded from an external server or the like to a memory of the in-vehicle device via communication means such as a mobile phone and used. In off-boarding, there is a proposal to use updated map data due to, for example, new road construction or road closure due to construction (see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
Here, a processing procedure in the case of off-board is illustrated in a flowchart of FIG. That is, when a map is displayed, if the map data to be used for display is not in the memory in the vehicle-mounted device (step 41), the map is connected to the server by a communication means using TCP / IP, a mobile phone line, or the like, and Map data is downloaded from a database or the like and used for display (step 45). On the other hand, if there is map data in the memory (step 41), it is confirmed whether or not the data has been updated by connecting to the server by a communication means such as a mobile phone line (step 42). In step 43, the map data is displayed using the map data in the memory (step 44). If updated, the map data is downloaded from the server and displayed (step 45).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-95488
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the prior art as described above, even if there is map data in the memory, each time it is used, it is connected to the server to check for updates. However, map data is not updated so frequently. Even if the user confirms the update every time is displayed, the communication cost is often in vain, and it is not efficient. In particular, if update confirmation processing is performed every time display is performed, display processing will be slowed down and usability will decrease. In addition, depending on the mobile phone company (carrier) and fee structure, packet communication that should be suitable for intermittent communication Even when used, packet charges proportional to the amount of communication may be unexpectedly high, increasing the burden.
[0007]
The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the related art, and its purpose is to periodically download and hold update information of map data collectively in off-board navigation. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an in-vehicle navigation device, a method, and a program for effectively reducing useless communication and its cost.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is an in-vehicle navigation device for displaying a map on a display device using map data downloaded from an external server by communication means, wherein the downloaded map data is stored. Map information storage means, update information storage means for fetching update information indicating whether or not update has been performed by the server for each unit of the map data from the server in a predetermined cycle, and storing the update information, A determination unit for determining whether or not the data has been updated based on the stored update information when the display is to be performed; and the map data determined to have been updated by the determination unit by the server. And a map data updating means which is newly downloaded from the computer and loaded into the map storage means. Characterized in that it.
[0009]
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a navigation method for displaying a map on a display device using map data downloaded from an external server by communication means. The computer of the navigation device stores the downloaded map data in a predetermined map storage area, and transmits update information indicating whether or not there is an update in the server for each unit of the map data from the server in a predetermined cycle. Captured and stored in a predetermined update information storage area, for the downloaded map data, when attempting to display, determine whether or not there has been an update based on the stored update information, The map data determined to have been updated is newly downloaded from the server and stored in the map storage area. And wherein the Komu Ri.
[0010]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the in-vehicle navigation method according to the second aspect, the map data includes mesh data for each mesh obtained by dividing the map into a plurality of blocks, and the header of the mesh data includes update date data. In the update information, the numbers of the respective meshes and the update date data of the respective meshes are paired. On the side of the on-vehicle navigation device, the mesh data to be used for display is in the map storage area. If the date of the update date data corresponding to the mesh number in the update information is newer than the download date, it is determined that an update has occurred.
[0011]
The invention of claim 4 captures the invention of claims 1 and 2 from the viewpoint of a computer program. By controlling the computer, the invention is applied to a display device using map data downloaded from an external server by communication means. In the in-vehicle navigation program for displaying a map, the program stores the downloaded map data in a predetermined map storage area in the computer, and determines whether or not there is an update in the server for each unit of the map data. Update information to be displayed is taken from the server in a predetermined cycle and stored in a predetermined update information storage area, and when the display of the downloaded map data is to be performed, the map information is stored on the basis of the stored update information. To determine whether there was an update, and it was determined that there was an update The Figure is newly downloaded from the server, characterized in that incorporated into map storage area.
[0012]
In these embodiments, instead of accessing the server every time the map data is used, the latest update information is periodically downloaded and held on the vehicle side instead of confirming whether or not the map data has been updated. deep. When the map data is used, the update information is updated by referring to the update information on the vehicle side and communicating with the server only when the update has been performed, so that unnecessary update confirmation is reduced and the communication cost is reduced.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as “embodiments”) will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present embodiment can be realized by controlling a computer with a program. However, in this case, the way of realizing the hardware and the program can be variously changed, and therefore, in the following description, each of the present invention and the present embodiment will be described. A virtual circuit block that realizes a function is used.
[0014]
[1. Constitution〕
The present embodiment shows a navigation device (hereinafter referred to as “this device”) of the present invention, and can be grasped as a method, a program, and a recording medium on which such a program is recorded. It is also an aspect of the present invention to download and execute the program on the navigation device of each vehicle via a communication network such as a telephone network. Note that the reference numerals in the accompanying drawings have no relation to an essential or desirable processing order.
[0015]
First, the present apparatus is an in-vehicle navigation apparatus that displays a map on a display using map data downloaded from an external server by communication means, and the configuration is shown in a functional block diagram of FIG.
[0016]
That is, the in-vehicle navigation device 1 includes a position detection unit 2 that calculates the current position of the vehicle, an azimuth detection unit 3 that determines the current azimuth of the vehicle, and a road entrance and a road such as an expressway or a toll road. A vehicle is provided on a special road (a predetermined road having no intersection, hereinafter referred to as a predetermined road) which has an exit and does not directly intersect another road at an intersection or the like from a road entrance to a road exit. The vehicle includes a traveling path detection unit 4 that determines whether or not the vehicle is located, and a vehicle speed detection unit 5 that detects the vehicle speed of the traveling vehicle.
[0017]
The in-vehicle navigation device 1 includes a communication control unit 6 for transmitting and receiving information (data) to and from a road information server 15 (FIG. 2) described later, and a display unit 7 for displaying map information and the like among the received road information. (Corresponding to the display), a voice output unit 8 for generating voice data based on the received road information, an operation unit 9 for the driver to input various settings of the on-vehicle navigation device, and a processing unit. And a memory 11 for storing necessary information. These are a GPS antenna 12, a vehicle speed sensor 13, and a wireless communication device (for example, a mobile phone, PHS, wireless LAN, etc.) 14 and the like.
[0018]
Then, for example, a GPS antenna 12 is connected to the position detection unit 2, and the position detection unit 2 receives the GPS signal emitted by the artificial satellite by the GPS antenna 12, and obtains the position information of the vehicle.
[0019]
The azimuth detecting unit 3 detects the running azimuth of the vehicle by detecting a change in the running position of the vehicle detected by the position detecting unit 2 and an azimuth change in the running state obtained by using a gyro. The vehicle speed detection unit 5 obtains a vehicle speed pulse from the vehicle speed sensor 13 of the vehicle body and obtains a running speed of the vehicle.
[0020]
The traveling path detector 4 determines whether the vehicle is traveling on a predetermined road. For example, it is determined whether the vehicle is traveling on a highway or whether it is traveling on a general road such as a national road or a prefectural road. Various methods and techniques are known as specific determination methods, and the present invention is not limited to a specific method or technique.
[0021]
For example, today, with the spread of VICS (road traffic information communication system), a large number of antennas for transmitting VICS traffic information are installed in urban areas and major arterial roads. As a VICS antenna, a radio beacon is used on an ordinary road and an optical beacon is used on an expressway. Therefore, whether traffic information received by a vehicle is traffic information emitted from the optical beacon or whether a radio beacon is used. By determining whether or not the traffic information is issued, it is possible to determine whether the vehicle is traveling on a predetermined road or a general road (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H8-189956). Gazette).
[0022]
In addition, many ETCs (automatic toll collection systems) have been introduced on toll roads today, and when a vehicle enters a toll road, a signal received from a roadside machine at the ETC gate is used to determine whether to enter or leave the toll road. However, it is possible to determine whether the vehicle is traveling on a predetermined road or a general road (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-202009).
[0023]
Further, when the predetermined road is an elevated road and the traveling position of the vehicle is higher than a general road, the height of the vehicle position detected by the position detection unit 2 is determined to obtain the predetermined road. It can be determined whether the vehicle is traveling on a road or a general road.
[0024]
The operation unit 9 is an operation device including a controller, a touch panel, and the like, and is used when a driver or the like performs various settings on the in-vehicle navigation device (for example, various settings for providing destination information and route guidance (no sound output). , Setting without monitor display, etc.), the setting is input by operating the operation unit 9.
[0025]
The audio output unit 8 is a speaker that outputs audio data in response to a command from the control unit 10 described below, and the display unit 7 displays information visually represented as road information, such as map information. Monitor. The communication control unit 6 is connected to the wireless communication device 14, and connects the communication line to the bribe information server 15 (FIG. 2) using the wireless communication device 14, so that the on-vehicle navigation device 1 and the road information server 15 are connected. Transmission and reception of information with the Although the wireless communication device 14 is shown separately from the in-vehicle navigation device 1 in FIG. 1, the wireless communication device 14 may be installed so as to be integrated in the in-vehicle navigation device 1. The memory 11 temporarily stores road information and the like received from the road information server 15 via the communication control unit 6.
[0026]
The control unit 10 includes a CPU and peripheral circuits (RAM, ROM, and the like) necessary for control processing by the CPU, and detects the position of the vehicle detected by the position detection unit 2 and the position of the vehicle detected by the direction detection unit 3. Based on the traveling azimuth, the traveling speed of the vehicle detected by the vehicle speed detection unit 5, the traveling route information of the vehicle detected by the traveling route detection unit 4, and the setting information input from the operation unit 9, the travel route guidance is required. The road information is determined, and a road information request command is transmitted to the road information server via the communication control unit 6 to request necessary road information.
[0027]
Further, the control unit 10 outputs the road information acquired via the communication control unit 6 to the display unit 7 and outputs audio information from the audio output unit 8 as necessary. Detailed control processing by the control unit 10 will be described later using a flowchart.
[0028]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a connection relationship between the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 and the road information server 15. The road information server 15 includes a router 16, an input / output control unit 17, and a road information database 18, and can transmit and receive information to and from the vehicle-mounted navigation device 1 via a network and a base station 19. Has become.
[0029]
The road information database 18 records nationwide road information such as nationwide map information, address information, store information, expressway service area names, parking area names, interchange names, and respective distance information for each scale. It is updated to the latest information at regular intervals (for example, one month). The road information database 18 further records weather information, temperature information, accident information, road regulation information, and the like for each area, and these information are spaced more closely than the map information and the like (for example, every 30 minutes). Is updated.
[0030]
The router 16 checks the data contents transmitted to the road information server 15 via the network, and determines whether to permit input / output of data to / from the road information server 15.
[0031]
The input / output control unit 17 analyzes the content of the transmitted data, determines bribe information requested by the on-vehicle navigation device 1, extracts necessary data from the road information database 18, and requests the data via the router 16. The road information is transmitted to the in-vehicle navigation device 1 having the problem.
[0032]
In FIG. 2, the road information server 15 is configured to transmit and receive information to and from the on-vehicle navigation device 1 via a network. The network may be a network in which devices are connected one-to-one by peer-to-peer connection, or a LAN type network in which network connection is permitted only within a certain range (only a specific in-vehicle navigation device), and furthermore, such as the Internet. A wide open network may be used.
[0033]
In addition, the control unit 10 plays a role as each unit that functions as the following unit by the operation of the program as described above. Here, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the present embodiment.
[0034]
[2. Action)
That is, also in the present embodiment, the point that the downloaded map data is stored in a predetermined map storage area in the memory is common to the related art. On the other hand, as a unique feature different from the conventional one, the periodic acquisition unit 101 (FIG. 1) updates the update information indicating whether or not the update has been performed by the server 15 for each map data unit in a predetermined cycle of, for example, one month ( Step 21) Retrieve from the server 15 and store it in a predetermined update information storage area (Step 22). As a specific example, when a periodic update information check is received from the in-vehicle navigation device, that is, the in-vehicle side, update information as to which data is being updated in the map data currently held in the memory is sent from the server. Sent to the vehicle side.
[0035]
Then, when the determination update unit 102 attempts to display the downloaded map data (step 31), it determines whether or not there has been an update based on the stored update information (step 32). Is newly downloaded from the server 15 and taken into the map storage area (step 34).
[0036]
Here, the unit of the map data for managing the update is free, but as an example, the map data in the server is made up of mesh data (also referred to as a cluster) obtained by dividing the map into a plurality of blocks, and is included in the header of the mesh data. Is assumed to have update date data. It is assumed that the update information of the server stores each mesh number and the update date data of each mesh in pairs.
[0037]
That is, when displaying the map, the vehicle-mounted side checks whether or not there is map data in the memory, and if not, downloads it from the map server and displays it. If there is map data in the memory, check the update information held in the memory to see if the data has been updated, extract the mesh number of the map block required for display, and periodically update it in advance Based on the update information, the already downloaded date data of the corresponding mesh is compared with the date information of the corresponding mesh of the update information. If the date of the update information is new, it is determined that there is an update, and the map data corresponding to the mesh is downloaded from the server to the memory by communication. If it has not been updated, it is displayed using the map data in the memory.
[0038]
[3. effect〕
As described above, in the present embodiment, it is not necessary to check whether the map data has been updated by accessing the server every time the map data is used. Hold on the side. When the map data is used, the update information is updated by referring to the update information on the vehicle side and communicating with the server only when the update has been performed, so that unnecessary update confirmation is reduced and the communication cost is reduced.
[0039]
[4. Other embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but includes other embodiments as exemplified below. For example, the details of the map data unit and the transmission form of the update information, for example, whether it is a positive push type from the server side or a form in response to a request from the vehicle side, are not limited to the above and are freely limited. Changes can be made.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in off-board navigation, by updating and downloading map data update information periodically and in a holding manner, it is possible to effectively reduce unnecessary communication and its cost. A navigation device, a method, and a program can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a connection relationship between a vehicle-mounted navigation device and a road information server according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a processing procedure in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a conventional technique.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... In-vehicle navigation apparatus 2 ... Position detection part 3 ... Direction detection part 4 ... Traveling path detection part 5 ... Vehicle speed detection part 6 ... Communication control part 7 ... Display part 8 ... Voice output part 9 ... Operation part 10 ... Control part 101 ... Regular acquisition unit 102... Judgment update unit 11... Memory 12... GPS antenna 13.

Claims (4)

An in-vehicle navigation device that displays a map on a display device using map data downloaded from an external server by communication means,
Map storage means for storing downloaded map data;
Update information storage means for fetching and storing update information indicating whether or not there is an update in the server for each unit of the map data from the server in a predetermined cycle,
Determining means for determining whether or not the downloaded map data has been updated based on the stored update information when attempting to display the map data;
Map data updating means for newly downloading map data determined to have been updated by the determination means from the server and loading the map data into the map storage means;
A vehicle-mounted navigation device characterized in that a computer realizes the following. An in-vehicle navigation method for displaying a map on a display device using map data downloaded from an external server by communication means,
The computer of the car navigation system is
Store the downloaded map data in a predetermined map storage area,
Update information indicating whether or not there is an update in the server for each unit of the map data is fetched from the server in a predetermined cycle and stored in a predetermined update information storage area,
For the downloaded map data, when attempting to display, determine whether or not there has been an update based on the stored update information,
An in-vehicle navigation method characterized by newly downloading map data determined to have been updated from the server and taking it into a map storage area. The map data includes mesh data for each mesh obtained by dividing the map into a plurality of blocks, and a header of the mesh data includes update date data.
In the update information, the number of each mesh and the update date data of each mesh are paired,
On the in-vehicle navigation device side, the mesh data to be used for display is in the map storage area, and the date of the update date data corresponding to the mesh number in the update information is newer than the download date. 3. The in-vehicle navigation method according to claim 2, wherein it is determined that an update has occurred in the case. By controlling the computer, in a vehicle-mounted navigation program that displays a map on a display device using map data downloaded by communication means from an external server,
The program is stored on the computer
The downloaded map data is stored in a predetermined map storage area,
Update information indicating whether there is an update in the server for each unit of the map data is fetched from the server in a predetermined cycle and stored in a predetermined update information storage area,
Regarding the downloaded map data, when the display is to be performed, it is determined whether or not there is an update based on the stored update information,
An on-vehicle navigation program, wherein map data determined to have been updated is newly downloaded from the server and loaded into a map storage area.

Images