Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-14
2004-05-18
Louis-Jacques, Jacques H. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S207000, C701S209000, C340S990000, C340S995120, C340S995180, C342S357490
Reexamination Certificate
active
06738710
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation system for carrying out a navigation operation by using map data recorded in a record medium, and more particularly relates to a navigation system having a hard disc for storing the map data.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a navigation system, which has a DVD-ROM (DVD—Read Only Memory) drive or a CD-ROM (Compact Disc—Read Only Memory) drive, reads map data stored in a DVD-ROM or a CD-ROM as a record medium, and carries out a navigation operation. When carrying out the navigation operation, the navigation system detects a self-car position, reads the map data around the car from the record medium, and then displays a map picture generated on the basis of the map data together with a mark indicative of the self-car position on a display screen.
By the way, a record medium such as a DVD-ROM or the like is available in which music data and video data are recorded in a format of DVD-Video or DVD-Audio. Thus, it is desired to perform a reproduction of such a record medium during a car driving operation. However, the above-mentioned navigation system requires that the record medium in which the map data is stored is always inserted in the DVD-ROM drive or the like during the navigation operation. Namely, the DVD-ROM drive or the like is occupied by the record medium for the navigation operation. Hence, it is difficult to use the DVD-ROM drive or the like for another purpose such as a reproduction of the music data or video data.
On the other hand, it may be considered that the navigation system is equipped with, for example, a hard disc, as a non-volatile memory having a large capacity, besides the record medium. If the entire data of the DVD-ROM or the like is perfectly installed in the hard disc, and then the map data is read from the hard disc at a time of the navigation operation, the DVD-ROM or the like can be used for another purpose. Also, since an access speed for the hard disc is very fast, this has a merit from the viewpoint of a fast drawing on a display screen.
However, it takes a considerable time to carry out an installation operation from the record medium, such as the DVD-ROM or the like, to the hard disc. Also, this operation is troublesome for a user. Moreover, the DVD-ROM has a large capacity. For example, it has 4.7 Gigabytes in a case of a one-surface one-layer type, and it has 8.5 Gigabytes in a case of a one-surface two-layer type. Thus, correspondingly to a storage capacity or a memory capacity thereof, it is necessary to reserve a large storage area in the hard disc. Hence, when the hard disc is used for another purpose, this brings about enormous uselessness.
On the other hand, it may be considered that the map data is transferred from the record medium, such as the DVD-ROM or the like, to the hard disc during the navigation operation as the occasion demands, the processing performance of the navigation system is extremely dropped. That is, if a CPU of the navigation system always controls the transferring process, its process load becomes excessive. For example, a trouble is induced in the displaying process at a time of the navigation operation. Moreover, if the transfer is once carried out through a buffer, an inner bus is occupied, so that a trouble is induced even in another data transferring operation. In this way, the process of transferring the map data to the hard disc as mentioned above cannot be freely carried out because of a restriction or limitation on the process in the navigation system, which is a problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is proposed in view of the above mentioned problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a navigation system, which has a hard disc and can automatically transfer map data required for the navigation operation to the hard disc, without applying an excessive load on a CPU and without giving a bad influence on another process.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a first navigation system of the present invention provided with: a present position detecting device for detecting a present position; a first memory device for reading map data from a record medium in which the map data is recorded; a second memory device of non-volatile type, to which the map data can be written and from which the map data can be read; a navigation controlling device for controlling a navigation operation in correspondence with the detected present position by using the map data, and sending a transfer command to transfer the map data from the first memory device to the second memory device at a predetermined timing; and a transfer interface for controlling an operation of reading the map data from the record medium by the first memory device and an operation of transferring the map data to the second memory device, in accordance with the sent transfer command.
According to the first navigation system of the present invention, the navigation system is provided with the first memory device using the DVD-ROM, CD-ROM or the like, and the second memory device such as the hard disc or the like. The navigation controlling device sends the transfer command of the map data to the transfer interface at the predetermined timing while controlling the navigation operation in correspondence with the present position such as a self-car position. The transfer interface controls in accordance with the received transfer command so that the map data is read from the record medium by the first memory device, and is then transferred to the second memory device.
Therefore, in case that the map data is transferred to the second memory device, even if the record medium is not always set in the first memory device, the navigation operation can be continued. Further, since the map data is automatically transferred by the transfer command, and since it is not necessary for the navigation controlling device such as a CPU to intervene in the transferring process itself afterward, it is possible not to increase the processing load on the navigation controlling device and perform the processes necessary for the navigation operation smoothly. Thus, it is possible to efficiently use the map data by performing the transferring process without influencing the process of the navigation system.
In one aspect of the first navigation system of the present invention, the map data read from the record medium by the first memory device is sent through the transfer interface to the second memory.
According to this aspect, upon transferring the map data, the transfer interface obtains the map data read from the first memory device and transfers it as it is to the second memory device. Thus, since the map data is not passed through the internal bus etc., and is transferred by the transfer interface, the input and output of the data through the internal bus etc., required for another process is not interrupted.
In another aspect of the first navigation system of the present invention, the transfer interface comprises: a command converting device for converting a type of the sent transfer command to thereby generate a command, which is identifiable by the first memory device and the second memory device; and a transfer controlling device for controlling the operation of transferring the map data from the first memory device to the second memory device, on the basis of the generated command.
According to this aspect, upon transferring the map data, the transfer interface converts the type or format of the received transfer command and thereby generates the command based on the predetermined interface standard. Then, the transfer interface reads the map data from the fist memory device in accordance with this command, and then transfers and stores it into the second memory device. Thus, since the navigation controlling device does not have to control each of the memory devices individually and since the transfer command is automatically converted into the desired command, the load of the process accompan
Louis-Jacques Jacques H.
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Pioneer Corporation
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