Road information updating system and navigation apparatus

A road information update system comprising:

• a navigation apparatus that includes:
• a storage device that stores a first road map data;
• a travel trace detection device that detects a travel trace of a movable body;
• and
• a navigation-side communication device that transmits information to an outside of the navigation apparatus;
• and
• an information center that stores a second road map data and includes
• a center-side communication device that communicates with the navigation apparatus,
• wherein:
• the information center also has the first road map and is configured to:
• receive information on a departure point and a destination point of the movable body from the navigation apparatus;
• perform, by using the first road map data, a process of calculating a first route from the departure point to the destination point and a process of calculating guidance information of the calculated first route;
• perform, by using the second road map data, a process of calculating a second route from the departure point to the destination point and a process of calculating guidance information of the calculated second route;
• compare the guidance information of the first route with the guidance information of the second route;
• and
• send guidance information cancellation information and guidance information addition information to the navigation apparatus, wherein the guidance information cancellation information is provided for cancellation of the guidance information that is present in the first route but is not present in the second route, wherein the guidance information addition information is provided for addition of the guidance information that is not present in the first route but is present in the second route;
• and
• the navigation apparatus is configured to
• receive the guidance information cancellation information and the guidance information addition information from the information center, and
• incorporate the cancellation of the guidance information and the addition of the guidance information into the guidance information of the first route based on the received guidance information cancellation information and the received guidance information addition information.

A navigation apparatus mountable to a movable body for traveling on a road, comprising:

• a travel trace detection device that detects a travel trace of the movable body;
• a storage device that stores a first road map data;
• and
• a communication device that transmits information to an outside of the navigation apparatus,
• wherein the navigation apparatus is configured to:
• send information on a departure point and a destination point of the movable body to an information center;
• perform, by using the first road map data, a process of calculating a first route from the departure point to the destination point of the movable body and a process of calculating guidance information of the first route;
• and
• upon receipt of guidance information cancellation information and guidance information addition information from the information center, incorporate cancellation of the guidance information and addition of the guidance information into the guidance information of the first route based on the received guidance information cancellation information and the received guidance information addition information.

A navigation apparatus comprising:

• a travel trace detection device that detects a travel trace of a movable body;
• a storage device that stores a first road map data;
• a communication device that transmits information to an outside of the navigation apparatus;
• and
• an estimation device that estimates a new road and an abandoned road based on
• (i) the travel trace detected by the travel trace detection device when the movable body travels on the new road detected and
• (ii) a road change model of the new road and the abandoned road, the road change model being provided in the navigation apparatus,
• wherein the navigation apparatus incorporates the new road and the abandoned road estimated by the estimation device into the first road map data.

A model generation device comprising:

• a difference group generation portion that generates a difference group by grouping, as the difference group, a map difference data corresponding to a road change based on road update information or road map data;
• a difference group storage portion that stores the generated difference group;
• a model storage portion that stores a plurality of road change models;
• and
• a model extraction portion that
• checks the difference group against the road change models in the model storage portion, and
• generates a new road change model based on the difference group in response to a mismatch between the difference group and the road change models.

A road information update system comprising:

• a navigation apparatus that includes
• a storage device that stores a first road map data,
• a travel trace detection device that detects a travel trace of a movable body, and
• a navigation-side communication device that transmits information to an outside of the navigation apparatus;
• and
• an information center that stores a second road map data and includes
• a center-side communication device that communicates with the navigation apparatus, and
• a model generation device that
• compares a plurality of road map data to extract a road change part where an abandoned road and a new road, which is a newly-constructed road, are present, and
• generates a plurality of road change models based on the abandoned road, roads before and after the abandoned road, the new road, and roads before and after the new roads,
• wherein:
• the navigation apparatus further includes
• a travel trace information collection device that, at least when the movable body travels on the new road not present in the first road map data, collects information on the travel trace in the new road, wherein the travel trace is detected by the travel trace detection device, wherein the navigation-side communication device sends the collected information on the travel trace in the new road to the information center;
• the information center further includes
• an estimation device that, upon receipt of the information on the travel trace in the new road and the roads before and after the new roads from the navigation apparatus, estimates the new road and the abandoned road based on (i) the received information on the travel trace in the new road and the roads before and after the new road and (ii) the road change models generated by the model generation device;
• and
• the information center incorporates the new road and the abandoned road estimated by the estimation device into the second road map data.

A road information update system comprising:

• a navigation apparatus that includes
• a storage device that stores a first road map data,
• a travel trace detection device that detects a travel trace of a movable body, and
• a navigation-side communication device that transmits information to an outside of the navigation apparatus;
• and
• an information center that stores a second road map data and includes
• a center-side communication device that communicates with the navigation apparatus;
• and
• a model generation device that
• compares a plurality of road map data to extract a road change part where an abandoned road and a new road, which is a newly-constructed road, are present, and
• generates a plurality of road change models based on the abandoned road and the new road,
• wherein:
• the navigation apparatus further includes:
• a first travel trace information collection device that, at least when the movable body travels on the new road not present in the first road map data, collects information on the travel trace in the new road, wherein the travel trace is detected by the travel trace detection device;
• and
• a second travel trace information collection device that collects information on the travel trace in the abandoned road, which was detected in past in the first road map data by the travel trace detection device before the movable body travels on the new road;
• the navigation-side communication device sends the collected information on the travel trace in the new road and the collected information on the travel trace in the abandoned road to the information center;
• the information center further includes
• an estimation device that, upon receipt of the information on the travel trace in the new road and the information on the travel trace in the abandoned road from the navigation apparatus, estimates the new road and the abandoned road based on (i) the received information on the travel trace in the new road, (ii) the received information on the travel trace in the abandoned road and (iii) the road change models generated by the model generation device;
• and
• the information center incorporates the new road and the abandoned road estimated by the estimation device into the second road map data.