Navigation Database Patch Merging for Faster Incremental Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current map update methods, especially for navigation databases in mobile devices, are inefficient due to the need for replacing entire databases, which requires significant bandwidth and time, especially over wireless networks, and become even more cumbersome with increasing database sizes.
Innovation Solution
The method involves dividing navigation files into equally sized data blocks, performing binary difference operations between corresponding blocks, and storing the results in patch files, which are then merged to create a final patch file, reducing the need for extensive data transfer and processing time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire navigation database is replaced during updates, then the database remains current with latest map data, but the update process consumes excessive bandwidth and time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the navigation database into fixed-size data blocks (e.g., 64KB blocks). Instead of replacing the entire database, only the specific blocks that contain changed data are identified and updated. This segmentation allows the system to transfer and process only the necessary portions of the database, reducing update time from hours to minutes while maintaining database currency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the changed data blocks from the new database version and creates patch files containing solely these differences. By taking out only the necessary updates rather than the entire database, the system minimizes data transfer requirements and update processing time while ensuring the database remains current.
2Reliability
If the entire navigation database is replaced during updates, then the database remains current with latest map data, but bandwidth consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The database is divided into fixed-size blocks, allowing the system to identify and transmit only the specific blocks that contain changes. This segmentation reduces bandwidth consumption from transmitting entire databases (gigabytes) to transmitting only changed blocks (kilobytes to small megabytes), while still maintaining database currency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts only the changed data blocks and creates compact patch files containing these differences. By extracting and transmitting only the necessary update portions rather than the complete database, bandwidth usage is reduced by up to 99% while the database remains current.
3Reliability
If navigation databases are updated frequently to maintain currency, then the database remains current, but the large database size makes updates cumbersome and resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the large navigation database into fixed-size blocks (e.g., 64KB). This segmentation allows frequent updates to be performed on individual blocks rather than the entire database, reducing update complexity from managing gigabyte-scale files to managing small, manageable blocks. The system can frequently update specific blocks without the burden of handling the complete large database.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs partial updates by applying only the necessary data blocks to maintain database currency, rather than performing complete database replacements. This partial action approach reduces update complexity and resource requirements while ensuring the database remains current with frequent, manageable updates.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device may identify a plurality of equally sized data blocks of a first navigation file and may identify a plurality of equally sized data blocks of a second navigation file. The computing device may perform binary difference operations between the data blocks of the first navigation file to corresponding data blocks of the second navigation file The result of the binary difference operations is stored in a plurality of navigation patch files. At least two of the plurality of navigation patch files are merged into a merged navigation patch file.