KR100779127B1 - Car navigation apparatus and control method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a vehicle navigation apparatus which can be easily separated from a vehicle and can obtain guide information without difficulty in portable use. In the controller, the determination unit 41 determines whether the destination has arrived. If it is determined that the destination has been reached, the download unit 44 downloads the map of the destination from the map information providing unit 19 of the main apparatus to the memory unit of the controller. If it is determined that the main device and the controller are separated, the mode switch section 42 switches from the vehicle navigation mode to the portable mode. The display controller 43 displays the current location on the downloaded map.

Vehicle Navigation System, GPS, Detachable Controller

Description

Car navigation system and control method thereof {CAR NAVIGATION APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR}

1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle navigation apparatus according to embodiments 1, 2 and 3 of the present invention.

2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a central processing unit of the controller of the vehicular navigation device of FIG.

3 is a flow chart illustrating the basic operating process of the controller.

4 is a flowchart showing the portable mode conversion process 1 of the controller.

5 is a flowchart showing the portable mode conversion process 2 of the controller.

6 is a flowchart showing the portable mode conversion process 3 of the controller.

7 is a flowchart showing the portable mode conversion process 4 of the controller.

8 is a block diagram showing a conventional vehicle navigation apparatus.

The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation apparatus including a main apparatus including a map information providing unit, a controller including a central processing unit, a control unit and a display unit, and displaying a destination and a current location on a display unit, and a method of controlling the same.

In general, a vehicle navigation device is mounted on a vehicle and indicates a destination (to go to) and the current location of the vehicle.

8 is a block diagram of a conventional vehicle navigation apparatus.

In FIG. 8, the vehicle navigation apparatus includes a controller 150, a main apparatus 140, and a broadcast receiver 160.

In the controller 150, the control input unit 101 includes keys for instructing various operations. The display unit 102 displays image data processed by the central processing unit (CPU) 104. The CPU 104 controls the operation of the entire vehicle navigation apparatus. The GPS unit 105 of the controller 150 receives geographic information indicating the current position from the antenna. The ROM 106 stores data, a program, a setting value, a screen display character, and the like of a menu screen indicating an operation command of communication. The RAM 107 stores a list of telephone numbers of the communication counterpart or the like input from the control input unit 101, various user setting values, input information from an Internet site, and other data. The stored data is erased when necessary. The auxiliary battery unit 108 includes a battery and a charger. The portable telephone 109 is such as a personal handheld system (PHS) telephone, digital portable telephone, or the like. The communication interface (I / F) 110 serves as a connection interface to the portable telephone 109.

The broadcast receiver 160 includes a television tuner (TV section 112) and an FM receiver (FM section 113). The FM unit 113 has a function as a receiver of an FM multiplexer broadcast or an FM radio broadcast.                         

The main device 140 is configured as follows.

The voice output unit 116 amplifies the received voice signal and transmits it to the speaker 116a. The GPS unit 117 of the main device 140 sometimes receives geographic information indicating the current location from the antenna. The power supply unit 118 supplies power to the main device 140, the controller 150, and the broadcast receiver 160. The map information providing unit 119 includes a DVD or a CD-ROM and stores nationwide geographic information and driving information. Gyro 120 functions as an acceleration sensor. The emergency brake sensor 125 detects an emergency brake signal 125a from the vehicle. The portable telephone 109 connects to the communication connection destination stored in the RAM 107 according to the instruction of the CPU 104, and transmits and receives geographic information, text information, video and audio by data communication. The communication I / F 110 detects the presence / absence of the connection of the portable telephone 109 or the type of the connected portable telephone 109. The communication I / F 110 monitors the communication result of the transmitted and received data and informs the CPU 104 of the communication result. The emergency brake signal 125a is "L" in the locked state and "H" in the released state.

When using the above-described vehicle navigation apparatus while walking down the vehicle, the user carries both the controller 150, the main apparatus 140, and the broadcast receiver 160. At this time, while the user is walking, the vehicle navigation apparatus continuously displays the map of the current location and the designated area, and can be used as guide information while walking.

However, in the conventional vehicular autonomous navigation device, the user must walk with the main device 140 and the broadcast receiver 160. In particular, the main device 140 is heavy because it includes a power supply 118 and a gyro 120. Therefore, long distances are difficult to carry. In addition, the main device 140 must be separated from the vehicle, which is complex.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle navigation apparatus and a method of controlling the same, which can be easily separated from a vehicle and can obtain guide information without any difficulty in carrying and walking.

The vehicle navigation apparatus of the present invention includes a main apparatus including a map information providing unit, and a controller that can be separated from the main apparatus.

The controller includes a memory unit, a determination unit determining the state of the control unit, and a download unit. The download unit downloads the map information from one of the map information provider, or ii) the map information provider on the communication network, to the memory unit based on the judgment by the determination unit.

The control method of the vehicle navigation apparatus of the present invention includes the following steps.

Iii) determining whether the vehicle equipped with the vehicle navigation apparatus has reached its destination, ii) whether the vehicle is parked, or iii) what input there is in the control unit; And

Based on this determination, i) downloading the map information from the map information provider or ii) the map information provider on the communication network to the memory unit.

1 to 7, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

(Example 1)                     

1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle navigation apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the control input unit 1, the display unit 2, the central processing unit (CPU) 4, the GPS unit 5, the ROM 6, the RAM 7, the auxiliary battery 8, the portable telephone ( 9) communication interface (I / F) 10, TV unit 12, FM unit 13, audio output unit 16, speaker 16a, GPS unit 17, power supply unit 18, The map information providing unit 19, the gyro 20 and the emergency brake sensor 25 operate as follows.

The vehicle navigation apparatus includes a controller 50, a main apparatus 40, and a broadcast receiver 60.

In the controller 50, the control input unit 1 includes a key for instructing operation. The display unit 2 displays image data processed by the CPU 4. The CPU 4 controls the operation of the entire vehicle navigation apparatus.

The GPS unit 5 of the controller 50 receives geographic information indicating the current position from the antenna 26.

The ROM 6 stores menu screen compilation operation commands such as communication, programs, setting values, screen display characters, and the like.

The RAM 7 stores a list of telephone numbers of communication counterparts and the like input from the control input unit 1, various user setting values, input information from an Internet site, and other data. The stored data is erased when necessary.

The auxiliary battery unit 8 includes a battery and a charger.

The portable telephone 9 is a PHS telephone, a digital portable telephone, or the like. The communication interface (I / F) 10 functions as a connection interface to the portable telephone 9.

The broadcast receiver 60 includes a television tuner (TV section 12) and an FM receiver (FM section 13). The FM unit 13 has a function as a receiver of an FM multiplexer broadcast or an FM radio broadcast.

The main device 40 is configured as follows.

The voice output unit 16 amplifies the received voice signal and transmits it to the speaker 16a. The GPS unit 17 of the main device 40 sometimes receives geographic information indicating the current position from the antenna.

The power supply unit 18 supplies power to the main device 40, the controller 50, and the broadcast receiver 60. The map information providing unit 19 includes a DVD or a CD-ROM and stores nationwide geographic information and driving information.

The gyro 20 functions as an acceleration sensor.

The emergency brake sensor 25 detects an emergency brake signal 25a from the vehicle and detects that the vehicle is parked.

The on-display control section 3 is mounted on the screen surface of the display section 2 and functions as an input device when a designated position on the displayed screen is touched.

The memory unit 11 stores data, reads data, and exchanges data with other parts.

The voice output unit 14 amplifies the received voice signal and transmits it to the speaker 15a and the handset 15b.                     

The connectors 21 and 22 connect the controller 50 and the main device 40.

When the user uses the navigation device while walking, the GPS unit 5 supplies the geographical information indicating the current position to the CPU 4.

The CPU 4 compares the supplied geographic information with the map information of the memory unit 11 and instructs the display unit 2 to display the current position by an icon or the like on a map screen of the corresponding latitude and longitude.

The two modes of operation of the vehicle navigation apparatus are hereinafter referred to as i) vehicle navigation mode and ii) mobile mode.

In the vehicle navigation mode, the vehicle navigation device provides general vehicle navigation operations, such as destination indications and the current location of the vehicle, to assist the user in driving the vehicle.

In the portable mode, the control unit is a mode for displaying information which is used by the user while walking away from the main device, for example, helping the user while walking.

Between these two modes of operation, the menu screen, the function to be used and the screen display are switched.

The GPS unit 17 inputs geographic information indicating the current position to the CPU 4 in the vehicle navigation mode. At this time, in the same way as the GPS unit 5 inputs the information, the CPU 4 compares the input geographic information with the map information of the map information providing unit 19 and maps the latitude and longitude. The current position is indicated by an icon or the like on the screen.

The map information provider 19 stores nationwide map information and driving information.                     

Before the controller 50 is separated, the arrival of the destination is recognized, and the user designates the region so that the current position and the surrounding position information are received in the RAM 7 or the memory portion 11. At this time, for example, the map information or the designated place of the destination is automatically or manually accommodated in the RAM 7 or the memory unit 11.

In FIG. 1, the broadcast receiver 60 and the controller 50 are electrically connected through the connectors 23 and 24. In addition, the CCD camera may be connected to the controller 50 to receive the image.

Moreover, the GPS antenna is connected to the controller 50 and the main device 40.

The GPS antenna of the main device 40 is connected to be separated from the main device 40 by using a connector. The antenna of the controller 50 is fixed to the controller 50.

2 is a functional block diagram showing the CPU 4 of the controller 50.

In FIG. 2, the determination unit 41 makes various judgments. The mode switch section 42 switches between the vehicle navigation mode and the portable mode. The display control unit 43 controls the display of the display unit 2. The download section 44 downloads the map information from the map information provider 19 or map information from a server on a communication network such as a designated site on the Internet via the communication interface 10 to the memory section 11.

The parking determination unit 45 determines whether the vehicle is parked by, for example, the following method.

Ⅰ) Determine whether emergency brake for parking is locked or released.

Ii) Determine whether the gear shifting device is in the parking position.                     

Iii) The user inputs the parking status signal to the controller using, for example, the control unit 1 or the on-display control unit 3.

In the vehicle navigation apparatus having the above configuration, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

3 is a flowchart showing a basic operation process in the CPU 4.

4 is a flowchart showing the portable mode conversion process 1 in the CPU 4.

The configuration of the vehicular navigation apparatus of FIG. 1 is commonly applied to each embodiment.

The basic operational process of FIG. 3 applies in common to the following embodiments.

In FIG. 3, the determination unit 41 determines whether the controller 50 is separated from the main device 40 (S1).

If it is determined that it is not separated, the LCD backlight of the display unit 2 is set to the standard brightness (S2), the GPS unit 17 is activated (S3), and the operation is automatically switched to the vehicle navigation mode (S4). ).

In step S1, when it is determined that the controller is separated from the main device, the LCD backlight of the display unit 2 is set to a dark brightness (S5), the GPS unit 5 is operated (S6) and the operation is performed. The mode is automatically switched to the portable mode (S7).

Therefore, the determination unit 41 determines whether the map information of the destination or the current location is downloaded (S8), and when downloaded, the display control unit 43 displays the destination or the current location on the downloaded map (S9), If not downloaded, a message prompting to download the map information is displayed and the display disappears after a predetermined time (S10).                     

In Fig. 4, first, a destination of a vehicle is input and a route is automatically set (S 11).

Route guide is made to drive according to the set route (S12).

The determination unit 41 measures the current position by the GPS unit 17 and determines whether the vehicle has reached the destination (S13).

Upon arrival at the destination, the download section 44 stores the map information provider 19 or distance map information of the designated surrounding area of the destination from a map information provider on the communication network, for example, a designated site on the Internet. Downloading starts at 11 (S14).

The determination unit 41 determines whether the download is finished (S15), and when the download is completed, the display control unit 43 displays a download completion message on the display unit 2 (S16). If the controller 50 is disconnected from the main device 40 before the download is finished (S17), the process proceeds to step S5 of FIG.

In the state where the controller 50 is separated, it is not important whether the broadcast receiver 60 is connected or disconnected from the controller 50.

Thus, the embodiment has the following features.

The main device 40 and the controller 50 can be easily electrically / mechanically separated by the connectors 21 and 22.

Therefore, this navigation apparatus can be easily separated from a vehicle such as a vehicle equipped with the controller 50.

Prior to separation of the main unit 40 and the controller 50 after arriving at the destination, the CPU 4 downloads the map information stored in the main unit 40 to the memory unit 11 and switches the operation mode to the portable mode. do. Therefore, when walking, the user carries only the light controller 50 and can see the display of the destination and the current location.

On the other hand, if there is no map information providing unit 19, the map information can be downloaded from the server of the map information provider on the communication network through the communication interface (10).

During use in the portable mode, the GPS antenna is fixed and connected to the controller 50. Therefore, the controller can receive only the GPS signal.

In addition, since the GPS antenna is detachably connected to the main device 40, the antenna can be installed in the roof of the vehicle or in another place outside the vehicle. Thus, high sensitivity reception is realized in the vehicle navigation mode.

Only the controller can display the current location on the map. Therefore, the controller can be easily detached from the vehicle and carried while walking, and the necessary guide information is obtained.

When the main apparatus and the controller are connected, a wide range of map information of the map information providing unit 19 can be used. Therefore, a wide range of maps is displayed while mounted on the car during long distance driving.

When the main apparatus and the controller are not connected, the map information from the memory section 11 is used. Therefore, only the controller is easily carried while walking, and guide information is obtained.

The main device and the controller may be optically connected without contacting, i.e., without using wires or the like. Even in this case, the controller can be easily separated.                     

(Example 2)

The configuration of the vehicular navigation device in Embodiment 2 of the present invention is the same as that shown in FIG. The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is merely the operation of the CPU 4.

The operation of the vehicle navigation apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

5 is a flowchart showing the portable mode conversion process 2 in the CPU 4.

In FIG. 5, first, a destination of a vehicle is input and a route is automatically set (S 21), and a route guide is made to drive according to the set route (S22).

The determination unit 41 measures the current position by the GPS unit 17 and determines whether the destination has arrived (S23).

Upon arrival at the destination, the download unit 44 starts downloading the map information providing unit 19 or distance map information of the designated surrounding area of the destination from the designated site on the Internet to the memory unit 11 (S24). .

Here, the designated range is set to, for example, 2 km around the destination.

The determination unit 41 determines whether the download is finished (S25). After the download is finished, the display controller 43 displays a download completion message on the display unit 2 (S26).

If the controller 50 is disconnected from the main device 40 before the download is finished (S27), the display control unit 43 displays a message prompting the download to the display unit 2, and the process is shown in step S5 of FIG. Proceed to

The mode switch unit 42 automatically switches the operation mode from the vehicle navigation mode to the portable mode (S28), and the determination unit 41 determines whether the controller 50 is separated from the main device 40 (S29). .

If it is determined that the controller 50 is separated from the main device 40, the process proceeds to step S5 of FIG.

If it is determined that it is not separated, the determination unit 41 determines whether the elapsed time after switching to the portable mode of step S28 exceeds a predetermined time, for example, 3 minutes (S30).

When the predetermined time elapses, the mode switch section 42 switches the operation mode from the portable mode to the vehicle navigation mode (S31), and the process returns to step S21.

At this time, the menu, available functions, and screen display contents are set to those of the vehicle navigation mode.

Thus, according to the embodiment, the main device 40 and the controller 50 can be easily electrically / mechanically separated by the connectors 21 and 22. Therefore, the controller 50 can be easily separated from the vehicle.

If the controller 50 is not disconnected from the main device 40 after switching to the portable mode and this state continues for a predetermined time, the CPU 4 switches the operation mode from the portable mode to the vehicle navigation mode. Therefore, even when arriving at the destination and once switching to the portable mode prior to separation of the main apparatus 40 and the controller 50, the operation mode returns to the vehicle navigation mode after a predetermined time. Therefore, the vehicle navigation apparatus is set to a mode that matches the actual state used.

In addition, if the map information stored in the main device 40 or the map information from the Internet is not completely downloaded to the memory unit 11 before the main device 40 and the controller 50 are separated after arriving at the destination, the CPU (4) displays to prompt the download of the map information. Therefore, the user recognizes that the download is incomplete and can download it completely by connecting the main device 40 and the controller 50.

(Example 3)

The configuration of the vehicular navigation device in Embodiment 3 of the present invention is the same as that shown in FIG. The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is merely the operation of the CPU 4.

The operation of the vehicle navigation apparatus having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

6 is a flowchart showing the portable mode conversion process 3 in the CPU 4.

In FIG. 6, the parking determination unit 45 determines whether the emergency brake is locked or released (S41).

The parking determination unit 45 determines that the emergency brake is locked when the emergency brake signal 25a is "L", and determines that the emergency brake is released when the emergency brake signal 25a is "L".

If it is determined that the locked state, the mode switch unit 42 automatically switches the operation mode from the vehicle navigation mode to the portable mode (S42).

At this time, the operation menu contents, the available functions, and the screen display contents are set to those of the portable mode.

The determination unit 41 determines whether the current position is recognized or measured (S43).

If not recognized, it means that the map information has not been downloaded. At this time, an error message is displayed. The error message indicates that the download of the map information is incomplete. This display disappears after a specified time (S44).

The process then returns to step S43.

If judged to be recognized, the download section 44 starts to download the distance map information of the designated surrounding area of the destination to the memory section 11 from the map information provider 19 or a designated site on the Internet (S45). ).

Here, the designated range is set to, for example, 2 km around the destination.

The determination unit 41 determines whether the download is finished (S46). After the download is finished, the display control unit 43 displays a download completion message on the display unit 2 (S47).

If the controller 50 is disconnected from the main device 40 before the download is finished (S48), the process proceeds to step S5 of FIG.

The determination unit 41 determines whether the emergency brake is released (S49).

If it is determined in the locked state in step S49, the determination unit 41 determines whether the controller 50 is separated (S50).

If it is determined that the controller 50 has been separated, the process proceeds to step S5 of FIG. 3.

If it is determined not to be separated, the determination unit 41 determines whether the elapsed time after the determination of step S49 exceeds a predetermined time (S51).

This specified time is set to 3 minutes, for example.

If the specified time is exceeded, the mode switch unit 42 switches from the portable mode to the vehicle navigation mode (S52).                     

The process then returns to step S49.

If it is determined in step S49 that the emergency brake is released, the mode switch unit 4 2 automatically switches the operation mode from the portable mode to the vehicle navigation mode (S53).

The process then returns to step S41.

Thus, according to the embodiment, for example, when the vehicle is parked at the current position when the emergency brake is locked, the CPU 4 may map the current position from the map information providing unit 19 or a designated site on the Internet. Information can be downloaded to the memory unit 11. Therefore, when the vehicle is in the parking state, the guide information can be obtained while walking based on the map information of the current position displayed on the separated controller 50.

If the controller 50 is not disconnected from the main device 40 after switching to the portable mode and this state continues for a specified time, the CPU 4 switches the operation mode from the portable mode to the vehicle navigation mode. Therefore, even after reaching the destination and prior to the separation of the main device 40 and the controller 50, even once the mobile mode is switched, the operation mode returns to the vehicle navigation mode after a designated time. Therefore, the vehicle navigation apparatus is set to a mode that matches the actual state used.

(Example 4)

The configuration of the vehicular navigation device in Embodiment 4 of the present invention is the same as that shown in Figs. The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is merely the operation of the CPU 4.

The operation of the vehicle navigation apparatus having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

7 is a flowchart showing the portable mode conversion process in the CPU 4.                     

In FIG. 7, when the determination unit 41 determines that the map download is selected in the menu (S61), the download unit 44 operates as follows.

If it is determined that the current position is recognized, the distance map of the designated range of the current position is downloaded to the RAM 7. This map is downloaded from the designated site on the Internet via the map information providing unit 19 or the communication interface 10 (S62).

Here, the specified range is set to, for example, about 2 km around the current position.

Then, it is determined whether or not the download is completed (S63).

When the download is complete, a download complete message is displayed (S64).

If it is determined that the controller 50 is separated before the download is completed (S65), an error message indicating that the map information download has failed is displayed, and the process proceeds to step S5 of FIG.

If the download completes normally and the controller is disconnected, the current location is displayed on the downloaded map.

Therefore, according to the embodiment, the map of the current position and the designated range therein is displayed even while walking, and the displayed one can be used as the guide information even while walking.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other changes may be made in form and detail of the above-described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. .

 Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a vehicle navigation apparatus which can be easily separated from the vehicle and can obtain guide information without difficulty in portable use.

Claims (20)

A main device including a map information provider, and A controller detachable from the main device, The controller is: (a) a memory section, (b) a determination unit for determining a state of the controller; (c) a download unit for downloading the map information from one of the map information provider and ii) a map information provider on a communication network to the memory unit, based on the judgment by the determination unit; (d) a mode switch section, and (e) a display unit, If the determination unit determines that the vehicle is parked, the mode switch unit switches the operation mode from the vehicle navigation mode to the portable mode, and the determination unit further determines whether the current position can be recognized, and the current position can be recognized. If it is determined that the determination unit can determine that the download unit downloads the map information of the current location to the memory unit, in the portable mode, the determination unit determines whether the map of the current location is downloaded, And if it is determined that the map has been downloaded, the display unit displays the current location on the downloaded map. delete The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is: (f) further comprising a communication interface, And the download unit downloads the map information from a map information provider on the communication network to the memory unit via the communication interface. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is: (f) a GPS navigation unit, and and (g) a GPS antenna fixed to said controller and connected to said controller. The vehicle navigation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the main apparatus includes a GPS antenna detachably connected to the main apparatus. A main device including a map information provider, and A controller detachable from the main device, The controller is: (a) a memory section, (b) a determination unit for determining a state of the controller; (c) a download unit for downloading the map information from one of the map information provider and ii) a map information provider on a communication network to the memory unit, based on the judgment by the determination unit; (d) a mode switch unit, When the determination unit determines that the destination has been reached, the download unit downloads the map information to the memory unit, the mode switch unit switches the operation mode from the vehicle navigation mode to the portable mode, and in the portable mode, the determination unit The controller determines whether the controller is coupled to the main device, and if the determining unit determines that the controller is coupled to the main device for a predetermined time or more after the operation mode is switched to the portable mode, the mode switch unit And the operation mode is switched from the portable mode to the vehicle navigation mode. A main device including a map information provider, and A controller detachable from the main device, The controller is: (a) a memory section, (b) a determination unit for determining a state of the controller; (c) a download unit for downloading the map information from one of the map information provider and ii) a map information provider on a communication network to the memory unit, based on the judgment by the determination unit; (d) a display unit, If the determining unit determines that the destination has been reached, the map of the destination is downloaded to the memory unit, and during the downloading, the determining unit determines whether the controller is separated from the main device, and the controller is separated from the main device. And if determined by the determination unit, the display unit displays a message prompting the user to download the map information of the destination. delete A main device including a map information provider, and A controller detachable from the main device, The controller is: (a) a memory section, (b) a determination unit for determining a state of the controller; (c) a download unit for downloading the map information from one of the map information provider and ii) a map information provider on a communication network to the memory unit, based on the judgment by the determination unit; (d) a mode switch section, and (e) includes a downloadable section, If the determination unit determines that the vehicle is parked, the mode switch unit switches the operation mode from the vehicle navigation mode to the portable mode, and the determination unit further determines whether the current position can be recognized, and the current position is recognized. If it is determined that the determination unit may be, the download unit downloads the map information of the current location to the memory unit, and if it is determined that the vehicle is parked after switching to the portable mode, the determination unit is the controller. Further determines whether the controller is disconnected from the main device, and after switching to the portable mode, determines whether the controller is not disconnected from the main device for more than a predetermined time, and the determination unit determines that If the mode switch unit, the vehicle navigation in the portable mode Draw vehicle navigation system, characterized in that switching the mode of operation. delete delete delete delete A control method of a vehicle navigation apparatus comprising a main apparatus including a map information providing unit and a controller detachable from the main apparatus and including a memory unit, the control method comprising: (a) determining whether one of the vehicles equipped with the vehicle navigation apparatus has reached its destination, ii) whether the vehicle is parked, and iii) whether there is an input to the controller, (b) based on the determination in step (a), i) downloading map information from one of the map information provider and ii) a map information provider on a communication network to the memory unit, (c) switching the operation mode from the vehicle navigation mode to the portable mode when it is determined in step (a) that the vehicle is parked; (d) determining whether the current location can be recognized, (e) if it is determined in step (d) that the current location is recognized, downloading map information of the current location to the memory unit; (f) determining whether the map of the current location has been downloaded in the portable mode, and (g) if it is determined in step (f) that the map of the current location has been downloaded, displaying the current location on the downloaded map. delete A control method of a vehicle navigation apparatus comprising a main apparatus including a map information providing unit and a controller detachable from the main apparatus and including a memory unit, the control method comprising: (a) determining whether one of the vehicles equipped with the vehicle navigation apparatus has reached its destination, ii) whether the vehicle is parked, and iii) whether there is an input to the controller, (b) based on the determination in step (a), i) downloading map information from one of the map information provider and ii) a map information provider on a communication network to the memory unit, (c) downloading the map information to the memory unit when it is determined in step (a) that the vehicle has arrived at the destination; (d) subsequent to step (c) switching the operation mode from the vehicle navigation mode to the portable mode, (e) determining whether the controller is connected with the main device in a portable mode, and and (f) switching the operation mode from the portable mode to the vehicle navigation mode when it is determined that the controller is connected to the main apparatus for a predetermined time after the switching to the portable mode. Control method of the device. A control method of a vehicle navigation apparatus comprising a main apparatus including a map information providing unit and a controller detachable from the main apparatus and including a memory unit, the control method comprising: (a) determining whether one of the vehicles equipped with the vehicle navigation apparatus has reached its destination, ii) whether the vehicle is parked, and iii) whether there is an input to the controller, (b) based on the determination in step (a), i) downloading map information from one of the map information provider and ii) a map information provider on a communication network to the memory unit, (c) downloading the map information to the memory unit if it is determined in step (a) that the vehicle has arrived at the destination; (d) determining whether the controller is disconnected from the main device during the download, and and (e) displaying a message for prompting to download the map information of the destination when it is determined in step (d) that the controller is detached from the main device. delete A control method of a vehicle navigation apparatus comprising a main apparatus including a map information providing unit and a controller detachable from the main apparatus and including a memory unit, the control method comprising: (a) determining whether one of the vehicles equipped with the vehicle navigation apparatus has reached its destination, ii) whether the vehicle is parked, and iii) whether there is an input to the controller, (b) based on the determination in step (a), i) downloading map information from one of the map information provider and ii) a map information provider on a communication network to the memory unit, (c) switching the operation mode from the vehicle navigation mode to the portable mode when it is determined in step (a) that the vehicle is parked; (d) determining whether the current location can be recognized, (e) if it is determined in step (d) that the current location is recognized, downloading map information of the current location to the memory unit; (f) determining whether the vehicle is parked in the portable mode; (g) if it is determined in step (f) that the vehicle is parked, determining whether the controller is disconnected from the main device, (h) if it is determined in step (g) that the controller is not disconnected from the main device, determining whether the duration of the controller not disconnected from the main device after switching to the portable mode is longer than a predetermined time; , And and (i) switching the operation mode from the portable mode to the vehicle navigation mode when it is determined in step (h) that the time has elapsed for the predetermined time or more. delete

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