Map update data supply device and map update data supply program

1. A map update data supply device that supplies data for updating a map database to a navigation device that has the map database, with the map database including at least road network information and divided into a plurality of sections, the map update data supply device comprising:

an update map database that manages per section versions of an update data file of the map database, and stores per section an overwrite update data file that is an update data file for overwrite updating to a latest version, has the same format as the map database has, and includes all data constituting a map within a section as the map database includes, and a difference update data file that is an update data file for difference updating to a particular version;

a request update data extraction unit that, based on an update request from the navigation device, extracts a request update section that includes at least one of the sections of the road network data subjected to an overwrite update, and extracts for each section of the road network data in the request update section the overwrite update data file as a first supply data file that is a data file to be supplied to the navigation device;

a safeguard update data extraction unit that extracts a safeguard update section that includes sections of the road network data adjacent to the request update section and which require a difference update to safeguard road network connections between the request update section and the sections of the road network included in the safeguard update section, and extracts for each section of the road network data in the safeguard update section the difference update data file up to an update safeguard version, which is a version requiring a difference update to safeguard the road network connection, as a second supply data file that is a data file to be supplied to the navigation device, wherein, for each particular difference update data file of all of the difference update files for a particular section of the road network data in the safeguard update section that are between a version of the overwrite update data file and a current version of the safeguard update section:

when the particular difference update data file is a version in which a road that spans between the request update section and the safeguard update section is newly added, the particular difference update data file is supplied as part of the second supply data file; and

when the particular difference update data file is a version in which a road does not span between the request update section and the safeguard update section, the particular difference update data file is not supplied as part of the second supply data file; and

a data supply unit that supplies to the navigation device the first supply data file for each section of the road network data in the request update section extracted by the request update data extraction unit, and the second supply data file for each safeguard update section extracted by the safeguard update data extraction unit.

2. The map update data supply device according to claim 1 , wherein

the request update data extraction unit extracts up to the latest version of the difference update data file for each section of the road network data in the request update section,

an update time determination unit is further provided that compares the overwrite update data file and up to the latest version of the difference update data file for each section of the road network data in the request update section to determine which carries a shorter update time, and the request update data extraction unit, if the update time determination unit determines that the update time carried by up to the latest version of the difference update data file for a particular section of the road network data in the request update section is shorter than the update time carried by the overwrite update data file, extracts for the particular section of the road network data in the request update section up to the latest version of the difference update data file in place of the overwrite update data file as the first supply data file.

3. The map update data supply device according to claim 1 , wherein

the data supply unit comprises at least two selectable data supply methods whose communication costs differ depending on a volume of data, and

the request update data extraction unit, if the data supply method with the higher communication cost is selected, extracts up to the latest version of the difference update data file in place of the overwrite update data file as the first supply data file.

4. The map update data supply device according to claim 2 , further comprising:

an integrated data generation unit that integrates per request update section up to the latest version of all the difference update data files for each section of the road network data in the request update section extracted by the request update data extraction unit, and generates a request update integrated data file that serves as a data file for one difference update, wherein

the update time determination unit performs processing such that an update time carried by the request update integrated data file is used for comparison in place of up to the latest version of the difference update data file, and

the request update data extraction unit performs processing such that the request update integrated data file is extracted in place of up to the latest version of the difference update data file as the first supply data file.

5. The map update data supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an integrated data generation unit that integrates up to the update safeguard version of all the difference update data files for each section of the road network data in the safeguard update section extracted by the safeguard update data extraction unit, and generates a safeguard update integrated data file that serves as a data file for one difference update, wherein

the safeguard update data extraction unit extracts the safeguard update integrated data file in place of up to the update safeguard version of all the difference update data files as the second supply data file.

6. The map update data supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a version table that stores, as a safeguard version and associated with a section group that is a combination of a section and a section adjacent thereto in the update map database, a version of the difference update data file for a section when safeguarding of a road network connection between the sections that constitute the section group is required, wherein

the safeguard update data extraction unit extracts the safeguard update section based on the version table, the request update section and the latest version of each section of the road network data in the request update section, and acquires information on the update safeguard version for each section of the road network data in the safeguard update section to extract up to the update safeguard version of the difference update data file.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable map update data supply program that supplies data for updating a map database to a navigation device that has the map database, with the map database including at least road network information and divided into a plurality of sections, the map update data supply program comprising:

instructions for using an update map database that manages per section versions of an update data file of the map database, and stores per section an overwrite update data file that is an update data file for overwrite updating to a latest version, has the same format as the map database has, and includes all data constituting a map within a section as the map database includes, and a difference update data file that is an update data file for difference updating to a particular version;

instructions for extracting, based on an update request from the navigation device, extracts a request update section that includes at least one of the sections of the road network data subjected to an overwrite update, and extracts for each section of the road network data in the request update section the overwrite update data file as a first supply data file that is a data file to be supplied to the navigation device;

instructions for extracting extracts a safeguard update section that includes sections of the road network data adjacent to the request update section and which require a difference update to safeguard road network connections between the request update section and the sections of the road network included in the safeguard update section, and extracts for each section of the road network data in the safeguard update section the difference update data file up to an update safeguard version, which is a version requiring a difference update to safeguard the road network connection, as a second supply data file that is a data file to be supplied to the navigation device, wherein, for each particular difference update data file of all of the difference update files for a particular section of the road network data in the safeguard update section that are between a version of the overwrite update data file and a current version of the safeguard update section:

when the particular difference update data file is a version in which a road that spans between the request update section and the safeguard update section is newly added, the particular difference update data file is supplied as part of the second supply data file; and

when the particular difference update data file is a version in which a road does not span between the request update section and the safeguard update section, the particular difference update data file is not supplied as part of the second supply data file; and

instructions for supplying to the navigation device the first supply data file for each section of the road network data in the request update section, and the second supply data file for each safeguard update section.