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

A map-updating-data creating method for updating old map data to new map data, the old map data including a plurality of old map files, the map-updating-data creating method comprising:

• for each old map file to be updated, creating a map-updating file for rewriting the old map file to a new map file;
• determining new serial numbers of updated map files in such a manner that previously assigned old serial numbers of non-updated map files are not changed and the new serial numbers sequentially follow the old serial numbers;
• creating a serial number management file in which marks are respectively written at positions corresponding to the new and old serial numbers of all the map files;
• and
• generating map-updating data, the map-dating data including the map-updating file and the serial number management file.

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

• a storage unit operable to store old map data;
• a reading/writing control unit operable to control reading of the old map data from the storage unit and writing of new map data into the storage unit;
• and
• a control unit operable to perform sequential map-data processing associated with updating a plurality of map files using map-updating data and to determine whether or not a necessary map file required for navigation control contains up-to-date map data,
• wherein if the necessary map file contains up-to-date map data then the necessary map file is used to execute navigation control, and, if the necessary map file does not contain up-to-date map data then the map-updating data is used to update the necessary map file and subsequently the updated necessary map file is used to execute navigation control.

A map-updating-data creating apparatus for creating map-updating data, the map-updating data being used to update old map data to new map data, the old map data including a plurality of old map files, the map-updating-data creating apparatus comprising:

• a map file unit operable to transfer map files;
• a processing unit operable to create, for each old map file to be updated, a map-updating file for rewriting the old map file to a new map file, and to determine the serial numbers of updated map files in such a manner that previously assigned old serial numbers of map files not being updated are not changed and new serial numbers following the old serial numbers are assigned in ascending order to map files being updated, and to create a serial number management file in which marks are respectively written at positions corresponding to the serial numbers;
• and
• a map-updating-data unit operable to generate map-updating data, the map-updating data including the map-updating file and the serial number management file.

A map-data updating method for updating old map data to new map data, the old map data including a plurality of old map files, the map-data updating method comprising:

• for each old map file to be updated, creating a map-updating file for rewriting the old map file to a new map file;
• determining serial numbers of updated map files in such a manner that previously assigned old serial numbers of map files which are not updated are not changed and new serial numbers which follow the previously assigned serial numbers are assigned in ascending order to map files which are updated;
• creating a serial number management file in which marks are respectively written at positions corresponding to the serial numbers of map files received;
• generating map-updating data, the map-updating data including the map-updating file and the serial number management file;
• using the map-updating data to perform sequential map-updating processing;
• and
• determining whether or not a necessary map file required for navigation control contains up-to-date map data by referring to the serial number management file, wherein if the necessary map file contains up-to-date map data then the necessary map file is used to execute the navigation control, and alternatively, if the necessary map file does not contain up-to-date map data then the necessary map file is updated using the map-updating data and subsequently the updated necessary map file is used to execute the navigation control.

A map-data updating system for updating old map data to new map data, comprising;

• a map-updating-data creating apparatus operable to create map-updating data for updating old map data to new map data, the old map data including a plurality of old map files;
• and
• a navigation apparatus operable to perform map updating using the map-updating data,
• wherein:
• the map-updating-data creating apparatus comprises:
• a map file unit operable to transfer old map files and new map files;
• a processing unit operable to create, for each old map file to be updated, a map-updating file for rewriting the old map file to a new map file, and to determine the serial numbers of updated map files in such a manner that the previously assigned old serial numbers of map files not being updated are not changed and new serial numbers sequentially following the old serial numbers are assigned to map files being updated, and to create a serial number management file in which marks are respectively written at positions corresponding to all the serial numbers;
• and
• a map-updating-data unit operable to generate map-updating data, the map-updating data including the map-updating file and the serial number management file;
• and
• the navigation apparatus comprises:
• a storage unit operable to store the old map data;
• a reading/writing control unit operable to control reading of the old map data from the storage unit and writing of the new map data into the storage unit;
• a map-updating-data input unit operable to transfer the map-updating data;
• and
• a control unit operable to perform map-updating processing by using the map-updating data, and to determine whether or not a necessary map file required for navigation control contains up-to-date map data,
• wherein if the necessary map file contains up-to-date map data then the necessary map file is used to execute the navigation control, and, if the necessary map file does not contain up-to-date map data then the map-updating data is used to update the necessary map file and subsequently the updated necessary map file is used to execute the navigation control.