Patent ID: 7480565

Claim:
A map information processing apparatus comprising: a position detecting means for detecting a position of the map information processing apparatus itself; a map information storage means for storing map information including road information; a map information acquiring means for acquiring the map information from said map information storage means; a new road detecting means for determining whether or not a road corresponding to the position of the map information processing apparatus detected by said position detecting means is a new road which does not exist in the road information included in the map information acquired by said map information acquiring means; a new road information storage means for storing new road information; an intersecting judging means for identifying intersection points where the new road detected by said new road detecting means intersects either roads included in the map information acquired by said map information acquiring means or roads previously detected by said new road detecting means, other than start and end points of the new road; a road update information generating means for generating new road information indicating the new road detected by said new road detecting means, and for generating road update information including information for updating said new road information stored in said new road information storage means and the road information included in the map information stored in said map information storage means; and a road information updating means for updating the road information included in the map information stored in said map information storage means, and road information included in the new road information stored in said new road information storage means based on the road update information generated by said road update information generating means, and for writing the new road information into said new road information storage means.