JP4390795B2 - Navigation system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation system that performs navigation using map data recorded on a recording medium, and particularly relates to the technical field of a navigation system including a hard disk that stores map data.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, navigation systems that are equipped with a DVD-ROM drive or a CD-ROM drive and read out map data recorded on a DVD-ROM or CD-ROM as a recording medium and perform a navigation operation have been widely used. On the other hand, for example, a hard disk may be installed in the navigation system as a large-capacity nonvolatile storage means apart from such a recording medium. Since a hard disk has a higher access speed than a DVD-ROM or the like, it has a great advantage in that a display screen based on map data can be drawn at a high speed. Further, if map data is transferred from a DVD-ROM drive to a hard disk and used for navigation, it is useful in that the DVD-ROM drive or the like can be used for music reproduction or image reproduction even during navigation.

  In general, in a file system of a hard disk, when writing a file corresponding to data to be stored, a continuous free area is originally allocated and written. However, when a large number of files are written on the hard disk and the free space is reduced, the file is written in a state of being divided into discontinuous data fragments instead of continuous regions. Then, when reading a file that is divided into discontinuous data fragments in this way, the access speed to the file must be reduced.

  On the other hand, as a technique for preventing such a decrease in access speed, a defragment process for a hard disk has been generally known. In this defragmentation process, a plurality of data fragments for each stored file are moved to a continuous area, and a discontinuous division state is resolved. Then, when the user activates the software for defragment processing as necessary, the defragment processing is started, and a decrease in the access speed of the hard disk can be effectively prevented.

  However, when trying to implement hard disk defragmentation in the navigation system, there are various situations, such as when the engine stops in the middle of defragmentation, or when navigation is activated and it is necessary to read the hard disk map data. May occur, which may hinder the execution of the defragmentation process. It is cumbersome and burdensome for the user to determine such a situation before the start of defragmentation processing or during execution. For this reason, effective defragmentation processing cannot be performed on the hard disk, and it takes time to read out the file corresponding to the map data, making it difficult to execute quick navigation that takes advantage of the hard disk that originally has a high access speed. Is a problem.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such problems, and a hard disk is mounted on the navigation system, and defragment processing is performed on the hard disk as necessary, so that a comfortable navigation can be realized while maintaining a high access time. Is to provide a simple navigation system.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 is a navigation system that detects a current position and performs navigation based on map data, and is a nonvolatile system capable of writing and reading a file corresponding to the map data. Storage means, navigation control means for controlling navigation operation using map data, defragment processing means for performing defragment processing on the storage means at a predetermined timing, and engine sensor for detecting the engine operating state of the vehicle The defragmenting means monitors the output of the engine sensor during execution of the defragmentation process, and interrupts the defragmentation process when the engine is stopped.

  According to the present invention, the navigation system includes storage means such as a hard disk and can read and write map data. The navigation control means performs a navigation operation using the map data, and the defragment processing means executes the defragment processing on the storage means. Therefore, even when the map data is frequently read and written with navigation, the data arrangement in the storage means is properly maintained by the defragmentation process, and the decrease in the access speed is effectively prevented.

Further, when the defragmenting process is started, the output of the engine sensor is monitored, and when it is determined from the sensor output that the engine has stopped, the ongoing defragmenting process is interrupted. Therefore, excessive battery consumption due to defragmentation processing when the engine is stopped can be prevented.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the navigation system according to the first aspect, the defragment processing means arranges and arranges a plurality of divided data fragments belonging to the same file.

  According to the present invention, since the defragment processing for the storage means arranges a plurality of divided data fragments belonging to the same file in an aligned manner, the arrangement of data is organized when writing to the storage means is repeated. Thus, a decrease in the access speed of the storage means is effectively prevented.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the navigation system according to the first aspect, the storage means is a hard disk provided in a hard disk device.

  According to the present invention, since the hard disk is used as the storage means, it has a large capacity, is highly versatile, has a high access speed, and performs an effective defragmentation process when repeatedly reading / writing map data, thereby providing access. It becomes possible to always keep the speed high.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation system according to the third aspect, the hard disk device includes a head for writing and reading information on the hard disk, and a retreat position for retracting the head from the hard disk. The defragment processing means arranges specific data in the vicinity of the retracted position when performing defragmentation.

  According to the present invention, in the hard disk device, when defragmenting, specific data is arranged and arranged in the vicinity of the head retracting position, and therefore, defragmentation processing considering the access performance of the hard disk can be performed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation system according to the first aspect, the navigation system further includes an operation unit capable of instructing the storage unit to execute a defragment process, and the defragment process unit is executed by the operation unit. The defragmentation process is executed according to the instruction.

  According to this invention, when execution of the defragment processing is instructed by the operation means, the defragment processing for the storage means is started, so that the storage means can be organized reflecting the user's intention, and access to map data, etc. Comfortable navigation can be performed while maintaining high speed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation system according to the first aspect, the defragmentation processing means is a defragmentation progress data indicating a progress of the defragmentation process when the ongoing defragmentation process is interrupted. It is characterized by preserve | saving.

  According to the present invention, when the defragmentation process is interrupted halfway as described above, the defragmentation progress data is once saved, so that the progress of the interrupted defragmentation process can be grasped later. For example, it is possible to improve convenience such as resuming the defragmentation process freely.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the navigation system according to the sixth aspect, when the defragmenting processing unit interrupts the defragmenting process and then starts the stopped engine, the defragmenting processing means Based on this, the defragmentation process is restarted.

  According to the present invention, when the engine is started again after the defragmentation process is interrupted when the engine is stopped, the defragmentation process is resumed based on the defragmenting progress data stored as described above. Therefore, even when the engine is stopped in the middle of the defragmentation process, the defragmentation process can be continuously executed without performing unnecessary processes.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the navigation system according to the seventh aspect, prior to restarting the interrupted defragmentation process, whether to restart or cancel the defragmentation process is selectively input. It further comprises a selection input means.

  According to the present invention, when the defragmentation process interrupted in the middle can be resumed, the selection input means displays, for example, on the selection screen, and selects whether to resume or cancel the defragmentation process to the user I tried to make it. Therefore, it is possible to determine whether or not to continue the defragmentation process according to the circumstances of the user in consideration of the necessity of continuing the defragmentation process and the balance with other processes.

  The invention described in claim 9 is the navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the defragment processing means interrupts the defragment process when navigation is activated during the execution of the defragment process. .

  According to the present invention, when the navigation is started after the defragment process is started, the defragment process being executed is interrupted. Therefore, even when the storage means is accessed to acquire map data, problems such as data destruction can be prevented.

The invention according to claim 10, in the navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the defragment processing means, defragment process when the vehicle is you are operating the engine of the vehicle Oh A suspended It is characterized by doing.

According to the present invention, since the above-described defragmentation process is automatically executed based on the running state of the vehicle while the vehicle is not running but stopped (the engine is operating) , new map data is acquired at the time of navigation activation. The defragmentation process can be performed at a timing when the storage means is not accessed.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the navigation system according to this embodiment. The navigation system shown in FIG. 1 includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a DVD-ROM drive 14, a hard disk 15, a sensor unit 16, a GPS receiving unit 17, an interface 18, an operation unit 19, and a display 20. A display control unit 21, a buffer memory 22, an audio processing circuit 23, and a speaker 24.

  In FIG. 1, the CPU 11 controls the operation of the entire navigation system. The CPU 11 is connected to each component of the navigation system, reads and executes a control program stored in the ROM 12, and temporarily holds data being processed in the RAM 13. The CPU 11 functions as navigation control means and defragment processing means of the present invention.

  The DVD-ROM drive 14 functions as a reading means of the present invention, and is loaded with a DVD-ROM 1 for storing map data, and performs a map data reading operation. The DVD-ROM 1 is a recording medium having a large storage capacity of 4.7 GB on one side and 8.5 GB on two sides, and a pit corresponding to the recording data is formed on the disc. The recorded data is read using the pickup of the drive 14.

  The DVD-ROM 1 stores map data including road shape data necessary for the navigation operation, and further stores various related data such as related facility data and name data in association with the road shape data. For example, the entire map is divided into blocks as mesh unit areas, a map file is assigned to each block, and the entire map data including a large number of map files is recorded on the DVD-ROM 1.

  The hard disk 15 is a non-volatile storage device that reads and writes various data such as map data, and functions as a storage unit of the present invention. The hard disk 15 can be used for many purposes, and can store various data such as music data, video data, and application programs as files, and can read and write these files.

  A basic structure of the hard disk 15 is shown in FIG. Here, there is shown a ramp loading type hard disk 15 that mechanically floats a floating head slider disposed at the tip of the actuator from the surface of the magnetic disk.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the head 151 attached to the actuator 154 is attached so as to be movable in the radial direction (arrow) of the magnetic disk 153, and this head 151 is attached to the surface of the magnetic disk 153 by the elastic force of the suspension 157. The magnetic disk 153 is controlled so that the distance from the surface of the magnetic disk 153 disk becomes several tens of millimeters by the aerodynamic levitation force acting on the head 151 by the rotation of the magnetic disk 153. When not in operation, the head 151 is in a retracted position in a state where the head 151 rides on a tapered portion 156 of a ramp 155 formed at one end of the housing frame 150.

  FIG. 3 shows the positional relationship between the head 151 and the lamp 155 as a cross-sectional view. As shown in FIG. 3, the ramp 155 located in the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the magnetic disk 153 disk has a tapered portion in which a taper is formed in a direction away from the surface of the magnetic disk 153 disk gradually from the outer peripheral portion to the outer peripheral portion. 156. When operating (loading), the taper 153 disk is present at an appropriate interval (position a), and when not operating (unloading), the taper portion is shown by an arrow in the figure. Get over 156 and ride up to the evacuation position (position b).

  The hard disk 15 is provided with a file management area 15a which is an area in which file management information for managing stored files is written in an updatable manner. This file management information includes information such as the file name and recording position stored in the hard disk 15.

  The hard disk 15 is an area for storing various data files such as map files. Since the entire storage capacity of the hard disk 15 is constant, the capacity of all writable files is limited. The hard disk 15 includes an area where files are actually stored and an empty area other than that.

  In this embodiment, when a new file is written to the hard disk 15, it is written in an empty area in principle. Here, when a large number of free areas are divided and arranged on the hard disk 15 and the capacity of each free area is smaller than the file capacity to be written, a new file cannot be written to the continuous area of the hard disk 15. Therefore, in such a case, the data in the file is divided into a plurality of data fragments and written into the hard disk 15 in a discontinuous arrangement.

  However, when the data in the file is divided into discontinuous data fragments on the hard disk 15, the seek time increases when accessing the file, and the access speed decreases. Therefore, in this embodiment, the access speed is prevented from being lowered by performing defragmentation processing on the hard disk 15 in a state where the data in the file is divided and arranged. That is, the arrangement status of the data in the file is checked at a predetermined timing, and if it is divided and arranged, a plurality of data fragments constituting the file are moved to a predetermined area and changed to a continuous arrangement. Details of the defragmentation process in this embodiment will be described later.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the sensor unit 16 includes various sensors necessary for detecting the current position. Specifically, it includes a vehicle speed sensor, a travel distance sensor, a direction sensor, and the like for detecting the travel state of the vehicle. The sensor unit 16 includes an engine sensor 16a that detects whether the engine of the vehicle is activated or stopped.

  The GPS receiver 17 receives radio waves from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite and outputs positioning data. The sensor unit 16 and the GPS receiving unit 17 function as a means for detecting the current position of the vehicle in combination with the CPU 11.

  The interface 18 performs an interface operation between the sensor unit 16 and the GPS receiving unit 17 and the CPU 11. Based on the sensor output from the sensor unit 16 and the positioning data from the GPS receiving unit 17, the current position data is obtained by the CPU 11. Desired. The current position data is collated with the above-described map data by the CPU 11 and corrected using a map matching process or the like.

  The operation unit 19 as an operation means is configured by arranging various keys and various buttons for performing a desired operation in the navigation operation, and is provided in the navigation system main unit or an external remote controller. When these various keys and buttons are pressed, corresponding detection signals are sent to the CPU 11. The operation unit 19 includes a defrag button 19a that is pressed when the hard disk 15 is instructed to execute the defragment process. Note that the defrag button 19a may be displayed on the display 20 as a part of the display menu and selected by an external remote controller or a touch panel.

  The display 20 is a display means used for navigation operation, and is composed of, for example, a CRT, a liquid crystal display element, or the like. On the display 20, map data is displayed in various modes according to the control of the display control unit 21, and the current position is displayed as a car mark superimposed on the map data. The display 20 also displays a selection menu for selecting execution of the defragmenting process and the like for the hard disk 15.

  The display control unit 21 generates display data to be displayed on the display 20, temporarily stores it in the buffer memory 22, reads the display data from the buffer memory 22 at an appropriate timing, and outputs the display data to the display 20.

  The audio processing circuit 23 generates a predetermined audio signal under the control of the CPU 11. The audio signal amplified to an appropriate level in the audio processing circuit 23 is output from the speaker 24 to the outside. As such an audio signal, for example, there is a guidance voice for guiding the route of the vehicle.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that map data necessary for the navigation operation is recorded on both the DVD-ROM 1 and the hard disk 15 or only on the hard disk 15. The map data of the hard disk 15 may be stored in advance, or the map data may be read from the DVD-ROM 1 and transferred to the hard disk 15 and stored as necessary. In the navigation operation, either the map data of the DVD-ROM 1 or the hard disk 15 may be used, but using the map data of the hard disk 15 having a high access speed has an advantage in terms of speeding up the processing.

  Next, defragmentation processing for the hard disk 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, two cases are assumed: a case where the defragmentation process is executed based on a user operation and a case where the defragmentation process is automatically executed under a predetermined condition. Two cases are assumed, in which the map data is recorded on both the DVD-ROM 1 and the hard disk 15 and the map data is recorded only on the hard disk 15.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart when map data is recorded on both the DVD-ROM 1 and the hard disk 15 in the defragment processing based on the user operation in the present embodiment. When the processing in FIG. 4 is started, in step S11, a detection signal from the operation unit 19 is monitored to determine whether or not the defrag button 19a has been pressed. As a result of the determination, if the defrag button 19a is not pressed (step S11; NO), the monitoring is continued, and if the defrag button 19a is pressed (step S11; YES), the process proceeds to step S12.

  Next, in step S12, based on the sensor output from the engine sensor 16a of the sensor unit 16, it is determined whether or not the engine is stopped. That is, it is a determination for avoiding execution of the defragmentation process with battery consumption when the engine is stopped. Note that the engine stop may be determined based on whether or not the ACC is in the ON position. If the engine is stopped as a result of the determination in step S12 (step S12; YES), the process proceeds to step S13, and a message notifying the user that the engine is stopped is displayed on the display screen of the display 20. The process of 4 is finished.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S12 is that the engine is operating (step S12; NO), the process proceeds to step S14, where it is determined whether or not a navigation operation is being performed. Since the map data cannot be read from the hard disk 15 during the defragmentation process, the navigation operation is previously determined to be performed using the map data of the DVD-ROM 1. If the result of determination in step S12 is that navigation operation is not in progress (step S14; NO), defragmentation processing may be started immediately, and processing proceeds to step S22.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S14 is that navigation is in progress (step S14; YES), it is determined in step S15 whether or not any disc is loaded in the DVD-ROM drive 14. If the result of determination in step S15 is that no disc is loaded in the DVD-ROM drive 14 (step S15; NO), the process proceeds to step S16. If a disc is loaded (step S15; YES), step S18 is performed. Proceed to

  In step S <b> 16, a message for prompting the user to wear the DVD-ROM 1 on which the map data is recorded is output as a display sound of the display 20 and a guidance voice from the speaker 24. For example, a message such as “Please insert a map disc into the disc player to continue navigation” may be output.

  Subsequently, in step S17, it is determined whether or not a disc is loaded in the DVD-ROM drive 14 within a predetermined time. As a result of the determination in step S17, if a disc is loaded in the DVD-ROM drive 14 (step S17; YES), the process proceeds to step S18. If a disc is not loaded (step S17; NO), step S20 is performed. Proceed to In step S20, it is confirmed whether or not the defragment process is to be performed. If so (step S20; YES), the process proceeds to step S22. If not (step S20; NO), the process of FIG. Step S17 is a process for confirming whether or not to perform the defragmentation process even when the navigation is stopped again when the user does not mount the disk when the defragmentation process is executed.

  On the other hand, in step S18, it is determined whether or not the disc loaded in step S15 or step S17 is the map data DVD-ROM1. As a result, if it is not the DVD-ROM 1 for map data (step S18; NO), the process proceeds to step S19, and a message for prompting the user to mount the correct disk is displayed on the display 20 as in step S16. Output as guidance voice from the screen and speaker 24.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S18 that the loaded disc is the DVD-ROM 1 for map data (step S18; YES), the process proceeds to step S21, where the map data is read from the disc and navigation is continued. Subsequently, in step S22, a defragment process for the hard disk 15 is executed, and the process of FIG.

  Next, FIG. 5 is a flowchart in the case where the map data is recorded only on the hard disk 15 in the defragment processing based on the user operation in the present embodiment. When the processing in FIG. 5 is started, the same processing as in steps S11 to S14 in FIG. 3 described above is performed until reaching steps S31 to S34.

  In a succeeding step S35, it is determined whether or not the DVD-ROM drive 14 is attached. That is, the flowchart of FIG. 5 shows processing when the DVD-ROM drive 14 can be attached. If the result of determination in step S35 is that the DVD-ROM drive 14 is attached (step S35; YES), the process proceeds to step S36, and if the DVD-ROM drive 14 is not attached (step S35; NO), step S37. Proceed to

  In step S36, it is determined whether or not any disc is loaded in the DVD-ROM drive 14. As a result of the determination in step S36, if no disc is loaded in the DVD-ROM drive 14 (step S36; NO), the process proceeds to step S40. If a disc is loaded (step S36; YES), step S38 is performed. Proceed to

  In step S40, the same message as in step S16 described above is output as a guidance voice from the display screen of display 20 and speaker 24. In the following step S41, it is determined whether or not a disk is loaded in the DVD-ROM drive 14 within a predetermined time. If a disk is loaded (step S41; YES), the process proceeds to step S38, and the disk is not loaded. In the case (step S41; NO), the process proceeds to step S37.

  On the other hand, when the process proceeds from step S35 to step S37, it is confirmed whether or not the defragmentation process, which is the same confirmation process as step S20 described above, is performed. If so (step S37; YES), the process proceeds to step S43 and performed. If there is not (step S37; NO), the processing of FIG.

  Next, in step S38, it is determined whether or not the disc loaded in step S36 or step S41 is the DVD-ROM 1 for map data. As a result, if it is not the map data DVD-ROM 1 (step S38; NO), the process proceeds to step S39, and the same message output as in step S19 is performed. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S38 that the loaded disc is the DVD-ROM 1 for map data (step S38; YES), the process proceeds to step S42, where the map data is read from the disc and navigation is continued. Succeedingly, in a step S43, the defragment process for the hard disk 15 similar to the above-described step S22 is executed, and the process of FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the defragment processing in step S22 or step S43 described above. When the process of FIG. 6 is started, in step S51, the hard disk 15 is accessed and the file management information in the file management area 15a is acquired. Thereby, the storage status of each file on the hard disk 15 can be confirmed.

  Subsequently, in step S52, the data arrangement status of the target file in the hard disk 15 is checked based on the file management information acquired in step S51 for a predetermined one of the files already stored in the hard disk 15. Thereby, it is possible to determine the recording position of each of a plurality of divided data fragments belonging to one target file.

  In step S53, it is determined based on the determination result in step S52 whether each data in the target file is continuously arranged on the hard disk 15. As a result, when each data in the target file is continuously arranged without being divided into data fragments (step S53; YES), defragmentation for this file is unnecessary, and the process proceeds to step S59. On the other hand, when each data in the target file is divided into a plurality of data fragments and arranged discontinuously (step S53; NO), the process proceeds to step S54.

  Steps S54 and S55 correspond to a monitoring process assuming a situation where the defragmentation process is interrupted in the middle. In step S54, the stop of the engine is monitored, and in step S55, the start of navigation is monitored. Hereinafter, these processes will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart specifically showing the engine stop monitoring process in step S54 of FIG. In FIG. 7, in step S <b> 61, it is determined whether the engine is stopped based on the sensor output from the engine sensor 16 a of the sensor unit 16. As a result, when the engine is operating (step S61; NO), there is no problem even if the defragmentation process is continued, and the process returns to FIG.

  On the other hand, if the engine is stopped as a result of the determination in step S61 (step S61; YES), the defragmentation process is temporarily interrupted in step S62 in order to avoid battery consumption. At this time, in step S63, defragmentation progress data indicating the progress of the defragmentation process is stored in a predetermined area of the hard disk 15. As will be described later, when the interrupted defragmentation process is resumed, the processed target file, the moved data fragment, and the like can be specified by the defragmentation progress data.

  Next, in step S64, it is determined in the same manner as in step S61 whether or not the engine has been started again within a predetermined time. As a result, when the engine remains stopped (step S64; NO), the process proceeds to step S65, and when the engine is activated (step S64; YES), the process proceeds to step S68.

  In step S65, based on the sensor output from the engine sensor 16a, it is continuously monitored whether or not the engine is started (step S65; NO). If the engine is started (step S65; YES), the process proceeds to step S66.

  In step S66, the display 20 displays a selection menu for allowing the user to select whether to restart or cancel the defragmentation process. That is, it is possible to determine whether or not to resume the canceled defragmentation process according to the circumstances of the user. For example, a message such as “Defragmentation is interrupted in the middle. Do you want to resume defragmentation?” And a selection button for execution / non-execution may be displayed.

  Next, in step S67, it is determined whether or not to resume the defragmentation process is selected based on the selection result of the user with respect to the selection menu displayed in step S66. As a result, when the cancellation of the defragment process is selected (step S67; NO), the process of FIG. On the other hand, if resuming of the defragment process is selected (step S67; YES), the process proceeds to step S68.

  In step S68, it is determined whether or not the hard disk 15 is accessed after the defragmentation process is interrupted in step S62 and new data is written. That is, when new data is written to the hard disk 15, it is necessary to avoid restarting the defragmentation process. For example, if a predetermined flag indicating writing to the hard disk 15 is added to the above-described defragmentation progress data, the determination in step S68 can be made.

  If it is determined in step S68 that data has been written to the hard disk 15 (step S68; YES), the defragmentation process is restarted from the beginning in step S69. Therefore, the process after step S51 of FIG. 6 is performed again.

  On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S68 is that data writing to the hard disk 15 has not occurred (step S68; NO), defragmentation progress data is read in step S70. Thereafter, the process returns to step S55 in FIG. 6 to resume the defragment processing.

  Next, FIG. 8 is a flowchart specifically showing the navigation activation monitoring process in step S55 of FIG. In FIG. 8, in step S71, it is determined whether navigation is activated. For example, the navigation is started when the user operates the operation unit 19 to instruct the start of the navigation. If navigation is not activated as a result of the determination in step S71 (step S71; NO), there is no problem even if the defragmentation process is continued, and the flow returns to FIG. 6 and proceeds to step S56.

  On the other hand, if navigation is activated as a result of the determination in step S71 (step S71; YES), steps S72 to S81 are executed as processing that considers access to the hard disk 15. First, in step S72, it is determined whether or not the DVD-ROM 1 for map data is loaded in the DVD-ROM drive 14. As a result, when the map data DVD-ROM drive 14 is mounted (step S72; YES), the process proceeds to step S73, and when the map data DVD-ROM 1 is not mounted (step S72; NO). ), And proceeds to step S74.

  In step S73, navigation using the map data of the DVD-ROM 1 attached to the DVD-ROM drive 14 is executed. Thereby, navigation can be executed while avoiding access to the hard disk 15 during the defragmentation process. Thereafter, returning to FIG. 6, the process proceeds to step S56.

  On the other hand, in step S74, the defragmentation process is temporarily interrupted to avoid access to the hard disk 15 during the defragmentation process. At this time, in step S75, the above-described defragmentation progress data is stored in a predetermined area of the hard disk 15.

  Subsequently, in step S76, a selection menu for causing the user to select whether to continue or cancel the defragmentation process is displayed on the display 20. For example, a message such as “You need a navigation disk to continue defragmentation. Do you want to continue with defragmentation by inserting a disk?” And a selection button for execution or not may be displayed.

  In step S77, it is determined whether or not to continue the defragmentation process is selected based on the selection result of the user with respect to the selection menu displayed in step S76. As a result, when the cancellation of the defragment process is selected (step S77; NO), the process of FIG. On the other hand, when the continuation of the defragment process is selected (step S77; YES), the process proceeds to step S78.

  In step S78, it is determined whether a disc necessary for navigation is loaded in the DVD-ROM drive 14 within a predetermined time according to the instruction of the selection menu in step S76. As a result of the determination, if the corresponding disk is loaded in the DVD-ROM drive 14 (step S78; YES), the process proceeds to step S79. If the corresponding disk is not loaded (step S78; NO), FIG. The process of 8 is finished.

  In step S79, it is determined whether the hard disk 15 is accessed after the defragmentation process is interrupted in step S74 and new data is written. This process may be performed in the same manner as step S68 in FIG.

  If it is determined in step S79 that data has been written to the hard disk 15 (step S79; YES), the process proceeds to step S80. If data has not been written to the hard disk 15 (step S79; NO), Proceed to step S81. The processes in step S80 and step S81 may be performed in the same manner as in step S69 and step S70 described above.

  Next, returning to FIG. 6, in step S <b> 56, the data fragment of the data in the target file is moved to a predetermined area of the hard disk 15. Here, the predetermined area to which the data in the target file should be moved needs to be a continuous free area that is at least larger than the file size of the target file.

  In step S57, it is determined whether data fragments of data in the target file are continuously arranged in a predetermined area of the hard disk 15. That is, when step S56 is executed by the number of data fragments of the data in the target file, the entire target file is moved to a predetermined area and continuously arranged. As a result of the determination in step S57, when each data in the target file is still divided into data fragments (step S57; NO), the process returns to step S54 and the same processing is repeated.

  On the other hand, when all data fragments of the target file have been moved and the data in the target file is continuously arranged in a predetermined area of the hard disk 15 (step S57; YES), file management in the file management area 15a is performed in step S58. Update information. That is, the file management information is corrected based on the new arrangement of the target file and written to the file management area 15a.

  Subsequent to step S53 or step S58, in step S59, it is determined whether or not the processing in steps S52 to S58 has been performed on all files already stored in the hard disk 15. As a result, when an unprocessed file remains (step S59; NO), the process returns to step S52, and when the processing is completed for all the files, the defragmentation process of FIG.

  4 to 8 described above, the defragmentation process for the hard disk 15 is executed based on the user's operation. Therefore, the hard disk 15 can be arranged according to the user's needs to maintain a high access speed. it can. During the defragmentation process, the user can make complicated judgments because the defragmentation process is interrupted and resumed while judging various conditions such as navigation status, vehicle running state, and access to the hard disk 15. Therefore, it is possible to perform defragmentation processing that is highly reliable and efficient.

  Next, defragmentation processing that is automatically executed under a predetermined condition will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When the process in FIG. 9 is started, it is determined in step S91 whether or not a predetermined condition for executing the defragment process is satisfied. For example, in step S91, a condition may be set when a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous execution of the defragmentation process.

  As a result of the determination in step S91, when the execution condition for the defragmentation process is not satisfied (step S91; NO), the process of FIG. 9 is finished and when the execution condition for the defragmentation process is satisfied (step S91; YES) ), And proceeds to step S92.

  In step S92, it is determined whether or not the engine is stopped. This determination may be performed in the same manner as in step S12 described above. If the engine is stopped as a result of the determination in step S92 (step S92; YES), the process waits until the engine is operating. If the engine is operating (step S92; NO), the process proceeds to step S93.

  In step S93, it is determined whether a navigation operation is being performed. That is, the possibility of accessing the hard disk 15 to read out the map data is taken into consideration during navigation. If the result of determination in step S93 is that the navigation operation is in progress (step S93; YES), the process returns to step S92 and the same processing is repeated. If the navigation operation is not in progress (step S93; NO), the process proceeds to step S94.

  In step S94, it is determined whether the hard disk 15 is being accessed. That is, even when the navigation operation is not performed, the defragmentation process is not started under the situation where various data is read from and written to the hard disk 15. If the result of determination in step S94 is that the hard disk 15 is being accessed (step S94; YES), the process returns to step S92 and the same processing is repeated. On the other hand, if the hard disk 15 is not being accessed (step S94; NO), the defragment process shown in FIG. 6 is executed in step S95, and the process of FIG.

  Note that the defragmentation process described in FIG. 9 may be executed in consideration of the traveling state of the vehicle. Specifically, the defragment process may not be performed when the vehicle is running, and may be performed when the vehicle is stopped (the engine is operating). As a result, the defragmentation process can be performed at a timing when it is not necessary to newly read map data from the hard disk 15.

  Also, the defragmentation process corresponding to pressing of the defragmentation button 19a shown in FIGS. 4 to 8 and the automatically executed defragmentation process shown in FIG. 9 may be switchable by a user operation. .

  In the defragmentation process described above, the arrangement method on the hard disk 15 may be changed according to the type of the target file. That is, at the time of the defragmentation process, the file types such as the map data file, the sound data file, and the point data file can be separately arranged on the hard disk 15 again. For example, map data that is frequently accessed may be arranged on the outer circumference of the disk having a high access speed, while point data that is not accessed so frequently may be arranged on the inner circumference of the disk having a relatively low access speed. This is because, in FIG. 2, the retracted position of the head 151 of the hard disk 15 is arranged on the outer circumference side of the disk, so that the head 151 can immediately write and read information on the outer circumference side of the disk. When the retracted position of the head 151 of the hard disk 15 is on the inner circumference side of the disk, the above relationship is reversed.

  In order to make it possible to determine the type of the target file, a unique file extension may be given to the type. For example, an extension map for a map data file, an extension snd for a sound data file, an extension loc for a point data file, and the like can be given. Alternatively, the access frequency may be counted for each type of the target file described above, the frequency may be referred to during the defragmentation process, and the defragmentation process may be performed after weighting according to the frequency.

  As described above, changing the data array in the hard disk 15 according to the type of the target file and the access frequency is also effective when performing a retract operation of the hard disk 15 according to the type of the target file and the access frequency. . That is, the hard disk 15 has a function called so-called emergency unload. The emergency unload function is to force the head 151 to the retracted position in order to prevent the magnetic disk 153 from being damaged by the head 151 when both power sources of the spindle 152 (FIG. 2) and the motor for driving the head are down. This is a function for returning. A power source is required to perform this emergency unloading, but the operation can be performed using a counter electromotive force generated by inertial rotation of the spindle motor when the power is shut off.

  When the above-described hard disk 15 is applied to a vehicle as in the present embodiment, there is a possibility that a momentary interruption may occur at the time of engine start or the like. . In emergency unloading, the head 151 is forcibly moved using the back electromotive force of the spindle motor as described above. Therefore, the speed control of the head 151 is not effective, and the head 151 is moved to the ramp 155 until reaching the standby position. The chance of colliding with the taper portion 156 increases. The impact level of this collision increases as the head 151 moves away from the standby position.

  Therefore, if data that is frequently accessed during the above-described defragmentation process is arranged on the outer periphery of the hard disk 15, the impact is reduced when a retraction operation occurs. It is desirable to use such characteristics when performing the defragmentation processing according to the present embodiment.

  According to the process of FIG. 9 described above, the defragment process is automatically executed without the user operating the operation unit 19, so that it is not complicated for the user and it is not necessary to be aware of the defragment process. Become. In addition, since the defragmentation process is performed while judging various conditions such as the navigation status, the vehicle running state, and the access to the hard disk 15, it is possible to realize a highly reliable and efficient defragmentation process.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the DVD-ROM 1 is used as the recording medium on which the map data is recorded has been described. However, the recording format to the recording medium is not limited to the DVD format. Further, the recording medium is not limited to an optical disc or the like, and the present invention can be applied even when map data is downloaded via a network, for example. Further, the present invention can be applied even when only the hard disk 15 is provided and no reading means such as the DVD-ROM drive 14 is provided.

  In addition, the navigation system according to the above embodiment is not limited to being realized as an individual navigation device, and can be realized in combination with, for example, a personal computer having a hard disk. In this case, the function of the above-described embodiment can be realized by operating software that executes the transfer processing of the present invention in a personal computer.

It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the navigation system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the basic structure of a hard disk. It is sectional drawing which shows the positional relationship of the head of a hard disk, and a lamp | ramp. In this embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the 1st defragmentation process based on user operation. In this embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the 2nd defragment process based on user operation. It is a flowchart explaining the detail of the defragment process which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the monitoring process of an engine stop in the defragment process which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the monitoring process of starting of navigation in the defragment process which concerns on this embodiment. In this embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the defragmentation process performed automatically under predetermined conditions.

Explanation of symbols

1 ... DVD-ROM
11 ... CPU
12 ... ROM
13 ... RAM
14 ... DVD-ROM drive 15 ... hard disk 150 ... casing frame 151 ... head 153 ... magnetic disk 154 ... actuator 155 ... ramp 156 ... taper 157 ... suspension 16 ... sensor part 17 ... GPS receiver 18 ... interface 19 ... operation part 19a ... Defrag button 20 ... Display 21 ... Display control unit 22 ... Buffer memory 23 ... Audio processing circuit 24 ... Speaker

Claims (10)

A navigation system that detects a current position and performs navigation based on map data,
A non-volatile storage means capable of writing and reading a file corresponding to map data;
Navigation control means for controlling navigation operation using map data;
Defragment processing means for performing defragment processing on the storage means at a predetermined timing;
An engine sensor for detecting an engine operating state of the vehicle,
The navigation system characterized in that the defragmenting means monitors the output of the engine sensor during execution of the defragmentation process, and interrupts the defragmentation process when the engine is stopped.   The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the defragment processing means arranges and arranges a plurality of divided data fragments belonging to the same file.   The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the storage means is a hard disk provided in a hard disk device. The hard disk device comprises a head for writing and reading information on the hard disk, and a retract position for retracting the head from the hard disk,
The navigation system according to claim 3, wherein the defragment processing means arranges specific data in the vicinity of the retracted position when performing defragmentation. An operation unit capable of instructing execution of defragment processing for the storage unit;
The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the defragmenting unit executes a defragmenting process in accordance with an execution instruction from the operation unit.   The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the defragment processing unit stores defragment progress data indicating a progress of the defragment process when the defragment process being executed is interrupted.   The defragmenting means restarts the defragmenting process based on the defragmenting progress data when the stopped engine is started after the defragmenting process is interrupted. Navigation system.   8. The navigation system according to claim 7, further comprising selection input means for selectively inputting whether to resume or cancel the defragmentation process before resuming the interrupted defragmentation process. .   2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the defragment processing unit interrupts the defragment process when navigation is activated during the execution of the defragment process. The defragment processing means, the navigation system of claim 1 where the vehicle is the engine of the vehicle I Oh A suspended and executes the defragment processing when you are working.

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