Patent ID: 8386172

Claim:
An in-vehicle terminal apparatus mounted on a subject vehicle comprising: a map data memory for storing a map data, which is defined in each area; a center communication element for obtaining a latest map data from a center having the latest map data via a communication network and for updating the map data stored in the map data memory; an inter-vehicle communication element for transmitting data to and receiving data from another vehicle via inter-vehicle communication; an input reception element for receiving an input signal from an user, the input signal specifying a specific area; and an area setting element for setting the specific area corresponding to the input signal received by the input reception element as an main area, wherein the inter-vehicle communication element receives another map data corresponding to another main area set in another area setting element of another in-vehicle terminal apparatus in the another vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication when the inter-vehicle communication element can communicate with the another vehicle other than a subject vehicle via the inter-vehicle communication, wherein the area setting element compares the map data corresponding to the main area set in the area setting element of the in-vehicle terminal apparatus in the subject vehicle with the another map data corresponding to the another main area set in the another area setting element of the another in-vehicle terminal apparatus in the another vehicle, wherein, when the area setting element determines that the another main area set in the another area setting element in the another vehicle includes an area, which is not included in the main area set in the area setting element in the subject vehicle, the area setting element adds the area of the another main area set in the another area setting element in the another vehicle as a new main area into the main area of the area setting element in the subject vehicle, and the center communication element updates the map data corresponding to the area in the map data stored in the map data memory with using the another map data of the another main area obtained from the another vehicle, and wherein the center communication element updates the map data stored in the map data memory with respect to the specific area set as the main area by the area setting element according to the input signal received by the input reception element.