Patent ID: 6937936
Filing Date: 2005-08-30
Classification: G01C,G09B

Abstract:
1. A method of operating a navigation system comprising: determining a present position of a vehicle; selecting an actual destination; determining the location of the destination within stored map data; determining, based an the stored map data, a route beginning at the present position and ending at the determined location of the destination; communicating the route to a user of the navigation system, wherein the stored map data may be updated at the user's request in portions smaller than the whole of the stored map data, the stored map data has a layered structure in which the map data in a lowest-layer represents the smallest and most detailed portions while the map data in a higher-layer represents a less detailed, wider portion(s) that include(s) a smaller area represented by a lower-layer map data portion, and the map data may be periodically undated by a data center; updating the stored map data for at least one data portion within at least one layer by receiving new data from the data center; and connecting the updated at least one data portion within the at least one layer to the adjacent map data of that at least one layer that is of the same version, wherein the connected data may still be reconnected to another adjacent area.