Moving history conversion apparatus and moving history conversion method

• US 20060276962A1
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Jun, Yoshioka, Mototaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,672,777 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods

Abstract

To provide a moving history conversion apparatus which makes moving history accumulated in an apparatus to be available in other different-type apparatuses. The moving history conversion apparatus includes: the first map information accumulation unit which accumulates first map information which represents a map using a series of first-type IDs for identifying geographical positions; a first moving history accumulation unit which accumulates moving history represented as the series of first-type IDs accumulated in the first map information accumulation unit; the first moving history conversion unit which converts, into latitude and longitude information, the series of IDs included in the moving history accumulated in the first moving history accumulation unit; the second map information accumulation unit which accumulates the second map information which represents a map using the second-type IDs for identifying geographical positions; the second moving history conversion unit which converts latitude and longitude information into the series of IDs included in the second map information accumulated in the second map information accumulation unit.

Claims

1. A moving history conversion apparatus which converts a representation format of moving history of a mobile object, said apparatus comprising:

a first map information accumulation unit operable to accumulate first map information which represents a map using a series of first-type IDs for identifying geographical positions;

a first moving history accumulation unit operable to accumulate first moving history represented as the series of first-type IDs included in the first map information accumulated in said first map information accumulation unit;

a second map information accumulation unit operable to accumulate second map information which represents a map using a series of second-type IDs for identifying geographical positions;

a second moving history accumulation unit operable to accumulate second moving history represented as the series of second-type IDs included in the second map information accumulated in said second map information accumulation unit; and

a conversion unit operable to convert the series of first-type IDs included in the first moving history accumulated in said first moving history accumulation unit into the series of second-type IDs included in the second map information accumulated in said second map information accumulation unit, and to accumulate the series of second-type IDs obtained through the conversion into said second moving history accumulation unit as the second moving history.

2. The moving history conversion apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein each first-type ID is for identifying a point in the first map information,

the first map information includes a plurality of latitude and longitude information records indicating the latitude and longitude of the points of the respective first-type IDs,

each second-type ID is for identifying a point in the second map information,

the second map information includes a plurality of latitude and longitude information records indicating the latitude and longitude of the points of the respective second-type IDs, and

said conversion unit is operable to perform the conversion by replacing the first-type ID with the second-type ID which identifies a point same or close in latitude and longitude to a point identified by the first-type ID, with reference to the latitude and longitude information included in the first and second map information.

3. The moving history conversion apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein each first-type ID is for identifying a point in the first map information,

the first map information includes latitude and longitude information indicating a latitude and longitude of the point of the first-type ID,

each second-type ID is for identifying a link which is information for connecting the points in the second map information,

the second map information includes latitude and longitude information indicating a latitude and longitude of the point of the second-type ID, and,

said conversion unit is operable to perform the conversion by replacing the series of first-type IDs with the series of second-type IDs which identify the points same or close in latitude and longitude to the points identified by the series of first-type IDs, with reference to the latitude and longitude information included in the first and second map information.

4. The moving history conversion apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein each first-type ID is for identifying a link which is information for connecting the points in the first map information,

the first map information includes the latitude and longitude information indicating the point of each first-type ID,

each second-type ID is for identifying a link which is information for connecting the points in the second map information,

the second map information includes the latitude and longitude information indicating the point of each second-type ID, and, and

said conversion unit is operable to perform the conversion by replacing the first-type IDs with the second-type IDs which identify the points same or close in latitude and longitude to the points identified by the first-type IDs, with reference to the latitude and longitude information included in the first and second map information.

5. The moving history conversion apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein each first-type ID is for identifying a link which is information for connecting the points in the first map information,

the first map information includes the latitude and longitude information indicating the point of each first-type ID,

each second-type ID is for identifying the point in the second map information,

the second map information includes the latitude and longitude information indicating the point of each second-type ID, and, and

said conversion unit is operable to perform the conversion by replacing the first-type IDs with the second-type IDs which identify the points same or close in latitude and longitude to the points identified by the second-type IDs, with reference to the latitude and longitude information included in the first and second map information.

6. The moving conversion apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said conversion unit is operable to convert the series of first-type IDs included in the first map history into the series of latitude and longitude information records, with reference to the latitude and longitude information included in the first map information, and replace the series of the latitude and longitude information obtained through the conversion with the series of second-type series IDs, based on the second-type IDs included in the second map information and the latitude and longitude information associated with the first-type IDs.

7. The moving history conversion apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the first moving history further includes time information indicating the time when the mobile object passed through the point which is associated with the first-type ID, and

said conversion unit is operable to interpolate the time information records by estimating the passage time at a latitude and longitude different from the latitude and longitude indicated by the series of latitude and longitude information records, based on the series of latitude and longitude information records converted from the series of first-type IDs and the time information which are included in the first moving history, and replace the series of latitude and longitude information records with the series of second-type IDs, based on the interpolated time information.

8. The moving history conversion apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

an unconverted history accumulation unit operable to accumulate the series of latitude and longitude information records as unconverted history in the case where the series of second-type IDs are present and are to be a candidate which is replaced with the series of latitude and longitude information records; and

a reconversion unit operable to determine one of the series of second type IDs, with reference to the second moving history or the second map information, and replace the series of latitude and longitude information records accumulated in said unconverted history accumulation unit with the determined series of IDs.

9. The moving history conversion apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising

a moving history obtainment unit operable to obtain the moving history of the mobile object and accumulate the obtained moving history into said second moving history accumulation unit as the second moving history,

wherein said reconversion unit is operable to determine, as a series of second-type IDs, moving history which is close to the second moving history from among the series of second-type IDs, the second moving history being accumulated into said second moving history accumulation unit by said moving history obtainment unit.

10. The moving history conversion apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the first moving history further includes traffic information obtainment point information identifying a traffic information obtainment point,

said conversion unit is operable to accumulate the traffic information obtainment point information into said unconverted history accumulation unit together with the series of latitude and longitude information records,

the second map information further includes traffic information obtainment point information identifying a traffic information obtainment point, and

said reconversion unit is operable to judge the sameness between traffic information obtainment point information accumulated in said unconverted history accumulation unit and traffic information obtainment point information included in the second map information, and determine, as the series of second-type IDs, traffic information obtainment point information with a high degree of sameness from among the series of second-type IDs.

11. The moving history conversion apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the first moving history further includes passage information indicating, on a first-type ID basis, whether or not the mobile object passed the series of IDs on a preset route,

said conversion unit is operable to accumulate the passage information into the unconverted history accumulation unit along with the series of latitude and longitude information records, and

said reconversion unit is operable to determine the series of second-type IDs from among the series of second-type IDs to be recommended when a destination is set, in the case where the passage information accumulated in said unconverted history accumulation unit indicates that the mobile object passed.

12. The moving history conversion apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the link includes shape points identifying the a shape of the link,

the first map information further includes the latitude and longitude information indicating the latitude and longitude of each shape point, and

said conversion unit is operable to convert the series of first-type IDs and the shape points included in the first moving history, with reference to the latitude and longitude information of the IDs and the shape points which are included in the first map information, and replace the obtained series of latitude and longitude information records with the series of second-type IDs, based on the second-type IDs and the latitude and longitude information of the second-type IDs which are associated with each other and included in the second map information.

13. The moving history conversion apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said conversion unit includes a table in which respective first-type IDs and second-type IDs having the same or close corresponding geographical positions are placed in association with each other, and is operable to perform the conversion with reference to the table.

14. The moving history conversion apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the first map information represents communication base station area information identifying a position of a communication base station as a first-type ID, the communication base station being operated by a first communication service company,

the second map information represents communication base station area information identifying the position of a communication base station as a second-type ID, the communication base station being operated by a second communication service company, and

the first moving history is represented as the series of IDs included in the first map information associated with the series of communication area through which the mobile object passed.

17. The moving conversion apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein said conversion unit is operable to convert the series of first-type IDs included in the first map history into the series of latitude and longitude information records, with reference to the latitude and longitude information included in the first map information, and replace the series of the latitude and longitude information obtained through the conversion with the series of second-type series IDs, based on the second-type IDs included in the second map information and the latitude and longitude information associated with the first-type IDs.

18. The moving conversion apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein said conversion unit is operable to convert the series of first-type IDs included in the first map history into the series of latitude and longitude information records, with reference to the latitude and longitude information included in the first map information, and replace the series of the latitude and longitude information obtained through the conversion with the series of second-type series IDs, based on the second-type IDs included in the second map information and the latitude and longitude information associated with the first-type IDs.

19. The moving conversion apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein said conversion unit is operable to convert the series of first-type IDs included in the first map history into the series of latitude and longitude information records, with reference to the latitude and longitude information included in the first map information, and replace the series of the latitude and longitude information obtained through the conversion with the series of second-type series IDs, based on the second-type IDs included in the second map information and the latitude and longitude information associated with the first-type IDs.

20. The moving history conversion apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the link includes shape points identifying the a shape of the link,

the first map information further includes the latitude and longitude information indicating the latitude and longitude of each shape point, and

said conversion unit is operable to convert the series of first-type IDs and the shape points included in the first moving history, with reference to the latitude and longitude information of the IDs and the shape points which are included in the first map information, and replace the obtained series of latitude and longitude information records with the series of second-type IDs, based on the second-type IDs and the latitude and longitude information of the second-type IDs which are associated with each other and included in the second map information.

15. A moving history conversion method for converting a representation format of moving history of a mobile object, said method comprising

converting the moving history represented as a series of first-type IDs included in first map information into a series of second-type IDs included in second map information, based on a latitude and longitude associated with each first-type ID, the moving history representing a map using first-type IDs each identifying a geographical position and the series of second-type IDs representing a map using second-type IDs each identifying a geographical position.

16. A program for a moving history conversion apparatus which converts a representation format of moving history of a mobile object, said program causing a computer to execute the moving history conversion method according to claim 15.