JP2007093260A - Navigation device, update system for map data stored in the navigation device, and update method for map data - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a navigation apparatus which can acquire distributed map data exhaustively and surely in a wide area. <P>SOLUTION: The latest map data is distributed from a map data management center 300 to a vehicle-mounted instrument 100 mounted on a vehicle 10 through a communications satellite 400 to allow map data stored in the vehicle-mounted instrument 100 to be updated. A vehicle-mounted instrument 200 of a vehicle 20 which has failed to receive a satellite signal from the communications satellite 400 because of, for example, parking at an underground parking lot acquires the latest map data from the vehicle-mounted instrument 100 using inter-vehicle communications to allow map data stored in the vehicle-mounted instrument 200 to be updated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for updating map data stored in a navigation device.

A navigation apparatus that acquires map data from a service center using wireless communication capable of bidirectional communication is known as a conventional technique. (Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-075174 A

  In the navigation device described in Patent Literature 1, since wireless communication capable of bidirectional communication is used, map data cannot be acquired where a communication network cannot be used. For this reason, there is a problem that map data cannot be reliably acquired over a wide range without omission.

  The present invention stores map data, receives map data distributed from a communication satellite, and receives map data from another vehicle by inter-vehicle communication when the map data distributed from the communication satellite cannot be received. The stored map data is updated with the map data received by either the distribution from the communication satellite or the inter-vehicle communication.

  According to the present invention, since map data can be acquired by distribution from a communication satellite and vehicle-to-vehicle communication, map data can be acquired with certainty.

  An embodiment of a navigation system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a navigation system according to the present invention. The navigation system 1 includes vehicle-mounted devices 100 and 200 that are navigation devices mounted on the vehicles 10 and 20, and a map data management center 300. Communication from the map data management center 300 to the vehicle-mounted devices 100 and 200 is possible via the communication satellite 400 as will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 100. 101 is a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle, and 102 is a GPS unit that receives a GPS signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) communication satellite and detects the current position of the host vehicle. 103 is a gyro sensor that detects the traveling direction of the host vehicle, 104 is an input switch operated by a user, and 105 is a map data storage unit that stores map data.

  A control unit 106 includes a CPU, a memory, and other peripheral circuits. 107 is a monitor that displays various information such as a road map and a recommended route to the destination. 108 is a guidance voice or the like. It is a speaker that outputs sound. 109 is a communication unit that communicates with the map data management center 300 and on-vehicle devices mounted on other vehicles, 111 is an antenna for receiving satellite signals distributed from the communication satellite 400, and 112 is It is an antenna used for communication with the vehicle-mounted device mounted on another vehicle, that is, for inter-vehicle communication. Various methods can be adopted for inter-vehicle communication, but for example, a method such as wireless LAN, Bluetooth, or DSRC may be adopted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 200 is the same as the configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 100. The vehicle speed sensor 201, the GPS unit 202, the gyro sensor 203, the input switch 204, and the map data storage unit 205 of the on-vehicle device 200 are respectively the vehicle speed sensor 101, the GPS unit 102, the gyro sensor 103, the input switch 104, and the map data of the on-vehicle device 100. This corresponds to the storage unit 105. The control unit 206, the monitor 207, the speaker 208, the communication unit 209, the antenna 211, and the antenna 212 of the in-vehicle device 200 are respectively connected to the control unit 106, the monitor 107, the speaker 108, the communication unit 109, the antenna 111, and the antenna 112 of the on-vehicle device 100. Applicable.

  The map data stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205 is used to guide the host vehicle to the destination according to the recommended route, such as route calculation data used for calculating the recommended route, intersection name, road name, etc. Route guidance data, road data representing road shapes, background data representing map shapes other than roads, such as coastlines, rivers, railways, and buildings, POI (Point Of Interest) data, and the like. The POI data includes data such as names, positions, types, and telephone numbers of various facilities.

  The map data stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205 can be updated with a rectangular area of a predetermined size called a mesh as one unit. That is, the map data stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205 can be partially updated on a mesh basis. As will be described later, the map data can be updated by receiving and acquiring the latest map data distributed from the communication satellite 400, or by acquiring the latest map data stored in the vehicle-mounted device of another vehicle through inter-vehicle communication. .

  The map data storage units 105 and 205 store a satellite distribution schedule 40 shown in FIG. 4 and satellite signal reception area information 50 shown in FIG. The satellite distribution schedule 40 is a schedule in which the communication satellite 400 distributes information, and includes a time 41, a day of the week 42, and its distribution contents 43 when information is distributed from the communication satellite 400. The vehicle-mounted devices 100 and 200 start receiving satellite signals distributed from the communication satellite 400 when the communication satellite 400 reaches a schedule time for distributing information. The satellite signal reception area information 50 is information on an area 51 (hereinafter referred to as a satellite signal reception area) in the road map 52 that is free from obstacles such as tunnels, buildings, and mountains. Based on this information, the vehicles 10 and 20 can move to an area where there are many vehicles that have received the latest map data from the communication satellite 400.

  When the destinations are input by the input switches 104 and 204 and the route search to the destination is instructed, the control units 106 and 206 map the current position of the host vehicle detected by the GPS units 102 and 202 as the starting point. Based on the map data stored in the data storage units 105 and 205, an optimum route to the destination is searched under a search condition set in advance by the user. Then, a time that is expected to arrive at the destination by passing through the route (hereinafter referred to as destination arrival time) is calculated. Further, as will be described later, the control units 106 and 206 receive the latest map data distributed from the communication satellite 400 or communicate the latest map data stored in the vehicle-mounted device mounted on the other vehicle. Each part is controlled so that it is acquired and updated.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the map data management center 300 that distributes the map update data. A data storage unit 301 stores information such as map data to be transmitted to the communication satellite 400. A communication unit 302 transmits information such as map data to the communication satellite 400 together with the transmission date and time, and a control unit 303 controls each unit of the map data management center 300.

  In the navigation system 1 of the present embodiment, the map data of the vehicle-mounted device is updated as follows. In the following description, the vehicle-mounted device 100 is described as acquiring map data distributed from the communication satellite 400 and updating the map data stored in the map data storage unit 105. Moreover, since the vehicle 20 was parked in the underground parking lot, the vehicle-mounted device 200 cannot receive the map data distributed from the communication satellite 400, acquires the map data from the vehicle-mounted device 100, and stores it in the map data storage unit 205. A description will be given assuming that the stored map data is updated.

  When it is time to distribute information from the communication satellite 400 according to the satellite distribution schedule 40 stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205, the vehicle-mounted devices 100 and 200 start receiving map data. The in-vehicle device 100 receives map data distributed from the communication satellite 400 and stores it in the map data storage unit 105. Then, the map data stored in the map data storage unit 105 is updated. At this time, in order to determine whether the updated map data is the latest, the storage unit 105 also stores the transmission date and time when the map data is transmitted from the map management center 300 to the communication satellite 400. Since the in-vehicle device 200 cannot receive the map data during the time zone of the satellite distribution schedule, the map data stored in the storage unit 205 cannot be updated to the latest one. Therefore, the vehicle-mounted device 200 acquires the map data from the vehicle-mounted device 100 and stores the map data stored in the map data storage unit 205 depending on whether or not the satellite signal from the communication satellite 400 can be received during the time period of the satellite distribution schedule. Recognize that data needs to be updated.

  The vehicle-mounted device 200 guides the route of the vehicle 20 to the satellite signal reception area 51 in order to update the map data stored in the map data storage unit 205 to the latest one. The route guidance is performed by displaying a recommended route to the satellite signal reception area 51 on the monitor 207. The reason why the route is guided to the satellite signal reception area 51 is that there is a high possibility that the satellite signal reception area 51 has many vehicles that have received the latest map data distributed from the communication satellite 400. On the contrary, since the area other than the satellite signal reception area 51 cannot stably receive the satellite signal from the communication satellite 400, there are few vehicles that have received the latest map data. The recommended route 71 is calculated using the current location of the vehicle 20 as a departure location and a predetermined location in the satellite signal reception area 51 closest to the current location (for example, the central location of the satellite signal reception area 51) as a destination. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the recommended route 71 is displayed on the monitor 207 together with the road map 70 to guide the route of the vehicle 20.

  The vehicle 20 acquires the latest map data from the vehicle encountered in the satellite signal reception area 51 (here, the vehicle 10) as follows. The vehicle-mounted device 200 transmits a map data request signal when it reaches the satellite signal reception area 51. The vehicle-mounted device 100 that has received the map data request signal through the inter-vehicle communication transmits the latest map data received from the communication satellite 400 to the vehicle 20 together with the transmission date and time. The vehicle-mounted device 200 updates the map data stored in the map data storage unit 205 using the received map data. When the transmission of the map data of the vehicle-mounted device 100 is completed, the inter-vehicle communication between the vehicle-mounted device 100 and the vehicle-mounted device 200 is terminated.

  The map data update process of the vehicle-mounted devices 100 and 200 according to the navigation system 1 in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. The processing of FIGS. 8 and 9 is executed in the control circuit 11 by a program that starts when an ignition switch (not shown) is turned on.

  In step S801, it is determined from the satellite distribution schedule 40 stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205 whether the time of the satellite distribution schedule in which information such as map data is distributed by the communication satellite 400 is reached. If it is time for the satellite distribution schedule, an affirmative determination is made in step S801, and the process proceeds to step S802. If it is not the time for the satellite distribution schedule, step S801 is repeated. In step S <b> 802, satellite signals from the communication satellite 400 are received by the communication units 109 and 209 from the antennas 111 and 211.

  In step S803, it is determined whether a satellite signal has been received. If it can be received, an affirmative determination is made in step S803, and the process proceeds to step S804. If the satellite signal cannot be received, a negative determination is made in step S803, and the process proceeds to step S901 in FIG. In step S804, the map data distributed from the communication satellite 400 and the transmission date and time are stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205. In step S805, the map data stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205 is updated. Then return.

  In step S901 in FIG. 9, the current position of the host vehicle is detected by the GPS units 102 and 202. In step S902, the satellite signal reception area 51 closest to the current location of the vehicle is extracted based on the satellite signal reception area information 50 stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205. In step S903, the recommended route 71 is calculated using the current position as the departure point and the predetermined position in the satellite signal reception area as the destination, and a route search is performed. In step S904, the recommended route 71 is displayed on the monitors 107 and 207. In step S905, the current position of the host vehicle is detected by the GPS units 102 and 202.

  In step S906, it is determined whether the current position of the host vehicle detected by the GPS units 102 and 202 is within the satellite signal reception area. If it is within the satellite signal reception area, an affirmative determination is made in step S906, and the process proceeds to step S907. If it is not within the satellite signal reception area, a negative determination is made in step S906, and the process returns to step S905. In step S907, a map data request signal is transmitted from the communication units 109 and 209 to the other vehicles via the antennas 112 and 212 by inter-vehicle communication. In step S908, it is determined whether the map data and the transmission date / time have been received by the communication units 109 and 209 via the antennas 112 and 212. If received, an affirmative determination is made in step S908 and the process proceeds to step S909. If not received, the process returns to step S907. In step S909, the received map data and transmission date and time are stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205.

  In step S910, the satellite transmission schedule 40 stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205 is referred to, and it is determined whether the received transmission date / time is that of the latest map data. If it is the transmission date and time of the latest map data, an affirmative determination is made in step S910, and the process proceeds to step S911. If it is not the transmission date and time of the latest map data, a negative determination is made in step S910, and the process proceeds to step S912. In step S911, the map data stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205 is updated using the received map data. Then return. In step S912, since the map data received from the other vehicle is not the latest, the map data received from the other vehicle and the transmission date and time are deleted from the map data storage units 105 and 205. Then, the process returns to step S907.

  The map data transmission processing of the vehicle-mounted devices 100 and 200 according to the navigation system 1 in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The process of FIG. 10 is executed in the control circuit 11 by a program that starts when an ignition switch (not shown) is turned on.

  In step S1001, the communication units 109 and 209 determine whether a map data request signal has been received from another vehicle. If it is received, an affirmative determination is made in step S1001 and the process proceeds to step S1002. If not received, step S1001 is repeated. In step S1002, the map data and the transmission date / time from the communication satellite 400 stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205 are transmitted from the communication units 109 and 209 to the other vehicle. Then return.

The navigation system 1 in the embodiment of the present invention according to the above embodiment has the following operational effects.
(1) Map data is distributed from the communication satellite 400, the received map data is received, and the vehicle-mounted device 100 acquires the map data. Furthermore, the vehicle-mounted device 200 that cannot acquire the map data from the communication satellite 400 acquires the map data from the vehicle 10 that acquired the map data by inter-vehicle communication. By the way, since the communication satellite 400 can simultaneously distribute map data over a wide range, the number of vehicles that have acquired the distributed map data is very large. Therefore, by combining the distribution by the communication satellite 400 and the inter-vehicle communication, the vehicle-mounted devices 100 and 200 can reliably acquire the distributed map data over a wide range without omission.

(2) Since the map data is distributed from the communication satellite 400, it takes time to receive like the data communication of the mobile phone, and the communication cost does not increase. Further, since there is no need to go through the Internet unlike a wireless LAN, the vehicle-mounted devices 100 and 200 are not infected with a computer virus. Furthermore, since no relay station is required, the system construction cost is reduced.

(3) The vehicle-mounted device 200 that has not received the latest map data from the communication satellite 400 calculates the recommended route 71 so as to pass through an area (satellite signal reception area 51) where many vehicles that have received satellite signals exist, The vehicle 20 is guided. Therefore, it is possible to encounter another vehicle that has reliably received the satellite signal, and to obtain the latest map data quickly.

(4) Whether or not the map data stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205 is updated to the latest map data depending on whether or not the map data from the communication satellite 400 has been received at the time of the satellite distribution schedule. Can be judged. Accordingly, troublesome processing such as processing for acquiring the latest version information of the map data from the map data management center 300 and comparing the version with the version of the map data stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205 is performed. The map data stored in the map data storage units 105 and 205 can be easily determined to be updated to the latest map data.

(5) Since information such as map data from the communication satellite 400 is distributed at the time of the satellite distribution schedule instead of always distributing information such as map data from the communication satellite 400, the communication satellite usage fee is reduced. Can do.

(6) The vehicle 20 that cannot update the map data transmits a map data request signal, and the vehicle 10 that has received the map data request signal transmits the latest map data. Therefore, vehicles that have been updated to the latest map data or vehicles that have not been updated to the latest map data need to make useless vehicle-to-vehicle communication in which vehicle-to-vehicle communication is performed to check the update status of the map data. Absent.

The navigation apparatus 1 of the above embodiment can be modified as follows.
(1) Although the satellite signal reception area 51 is extracted from the satellite signal reception area information 50 stored in the map data storage unit 205, the satellite signal reception area 51 is extracted from the map data stored in the map data storage unit 205. May be detected. The map data includes information on the height of buildings such as buildings and the altitude of mountains and the like. Further, the direction in which the satellite signal is transmitted from the communication satellite 400 can be calculated from the orbit of the communication satellite 400 or the like. Based on these pieces of information, it is possible to detect a range (satellite signal reception area 51) where the satellite signal is not obstructed by an obstacle such as a tall building or mountain. Further, the direction in which the satellite signal is transmitted may not be calculated, and a range in which there is no obstacle that obstructs the satellite signal such as a high building or a mountain may be detected as the satellite signal reception area 51.

(2) When the ignition switch is turned on, the map data transmission process starts. However, regardless of whether the ignition switch is turned on or off, the map data transmission process is executed even when the engine is stopped. Also good. By doing in this way, the vehicle which has not updated map data can acquire map data also from the vehicle which has stopped, and can acquire the newest map data more reliably.

(3) Although the vehicle-mounted devices 100 and 200 only receive information unilaterally from the map data management center 300 via the communication satellite 400, the navigation system 1A is connected to the mobile phone network as shown in FIG. Two-way communication may be possible between the vehicle-mounted devices 100 and 200 and the map data management center 300 via the 500 and the base station 501. In this case, map data with a large amount of data is distributed from the communication satellite 400, and POI information and traffic information with a small amount of data are transmitted via the mobile phone network 500 and the base station 501. Also in this case, transmission / reception is performed by the communication unit 302 of the map data management center 300.

  The vehicle 10 that has received the map data distributed from the communication satellite 400 sends information such as the fact that the map data has been received, the current position of the vehicle, the destination, and the estimated arrival time to the destination to the map data management center 300. 109, the map data management center 300 receives the information by the communication unit 302, and stores and registers the information in the data storage unit 301. The vehicle 20 that could not receive the map data distributed from the communication satellite 400 has map data such as the position, destination, and destination arrival scheduled time of the vehicle 10 that could receive the map data when acquiring traffic information and POI information. Information registered in the management center 300 is received and acquired by the communication unit 209. When the route guidance is received, a recommended route encountered by the vehicle 10 is searched, for example, via the destination at the destination arrival time of the vehicle 10 that has received the map data. By doing so, the vehicle 20 that has not received the map data can reliably encounter the vehicle 10 that has received the map data, and the map data stored in the map data storage unit 205 is surely updated. Can be updated to the map data. If the vehicle 20 that has not received map data due to route guidance can encounter the vehicle 10 that has received the map data, the vehicle 10 that has received the map data can use only the information on the current position of the vehicle as the map data management center. The information may be transmitted to 300, or only the destination and destination arrival time information may be transmitted.

  The present invention has a configuration for receiving map data distributed from a communication satellite, a configuration for receiving map data by inter-vehicle communication, and a configuration for updating map data stored in a navigation device with the received map data. As long as it has, it is not limited to the embodiment described above.

The correspondence between the elements of the claims and the embodiments will be described.
The map data storage means of the present invention corresponds to the map data storage sections 105 and 205, and the map data receiving means and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication means correspond to the communication sections 109 and 209. The map data update means and the area detection means correspond to the control units 106 and 206 and the map data storage units 105 and 205, and the recommended route calculation means corresponds to the control units 106 and 206. The recommended route display unit corresponds to the control units 106 and 206 and the monitors 107 and 207, and the vehicle information transmission unit and the vehicle information reception unit correspond to the communication units 109 and 209. The distribution center corresponds to the map data management center 300. In addition, the above description is an example to the last, and when interpreting invention, it is not limited to the correspondence of the component of said embodiment and the component of this invention at all.

It is a figure which shows the whole navigation system structure by this invention. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the vehicle-mounted device 100. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the onboard equipment 200. FIG. It is a figure which shows the satellite delivery schedule. It is a figure which shows the satellite signal receiving area 51. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a map data management center 300. FIG. It is a figure which shows the display screen of the monitor 207 which displayed the recommended path | route 71 to the satellite signal reception area 51. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the map data update process in onboard equipment 100,200. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the map data update process in onboard equipment 100,200. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement of the map data transmission process in the onboard equipment 100,200. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the navigation system of other embodiment by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10, 20 Vehicle 100, 200 On-board unit 105, 205 Map data storage unit 106, 206 Control unit 107, 207 Monitor 109, 209 Communication unit 111, 112, 211, 212 Antenna 300 Map data management center 301 Data storage unit 302 Communication unit 303 Control Unit 400 Communication Satellite 500 Cellular Phone Network 501 Base Station

Claims (8)

Map data storage means for storing map data;
Map data receiving means for receiving map data distributed from a communication satellite;
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication means for transmitting and receiving the map data to and from other vehicles by vehicle-to-vehicle communication;
Navigation comprising: map data update means for updating map data stored in the map data storage means with map data received by either the map data receiving means or the vehicle-to-vehicle communication means. apparatus. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein
The navigation apparatus characterized in that the inter-vehicle communication means transmits a map data request signal to another vehicle when map data cannot be received from the communication satellite. The navigation device according to claim 1 or 2,
A region detecting means for detecting a region where there are many other vehicles expected to acquire the latest map data distributed from the communication satellite;
Recommended route calculation means for calculating a recommended route to the area;
A navigation device comprising recommended route display means for displaying a recommended route calculated by the recommended route calculation means. The navigation device according to claim 3,
The navigation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the area detecting means detects an area in which a satellite signal from the communication satellite can be received. The navigation device according to claim 1 or 2,
When the latest map data distributed from the communication satellite is acquired, at least one of the current position of the vehicle, the destination, and the destination arrival time is distributed to a distribution center that distributes the map data via the communication satellite. Vehicle information transmission means for transmitting
Vehicle information receiving means for receiving from the distribution center at least one of the current position of the other vehicle that has acquired the latest map data distributed from the communication satellite and the destination and destination arrival time of the other vehicle. When,
From the information received by the vehicle information receiving means, recommended route calculating means for calculating a recommended route encountered with the other vehicle,
A navigation device comprising recommended route display means for displaying a recommended route calculated by the recommended route calculation means. A plurality of navigation devices according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A map data update system comprising a distribution center for distributing map data via the communication satellite. A plurality of navigation devices according to the fifth aspect;
Map data is distributed via the communication satellite, and at least one of the current position of the vehicle, the destination and the destination arrival time is obtained from the vehicle that has acquired the latest map data distributed from the communication satellite. The current position of the other vehicle that has received the latest map data distributed from the communication satellite, the destination, and the destination arrival time to the vehicle that has received the latest map data distributed from the communication satellite And a distribution center that transmits at least one of the map data update system. Receive map data distributed from communication satellites,
When the map data distributed from the communication satellite cannot be received, the map data is received from another vehicle by inter-vehicle communication,
A map data update method, wherein map data stored is updated with map data received by either one of distribution from a communication satellite and vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

Images