Navigation device

• US 20070050131A1
• Filed: 01/06/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Masuda, Takahiro
• Application Number:
  US11/326,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050131A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

To provide a technology enabling proper navigation based on positional information of a visitor and a congested state. Readers provided in a plurality of locations within an object area read a piece of identifying information from a tag of a visitor, receive the identifying information from the reading device, an input of a destination of the visitor is received, by referring to a map information storage module stored with map information within the object area including the installing locations of the reading units, a present position of the visitor whose identifying information has been read is acquired, then a congested state is obtained from an information count of the identifying information read by each of the reading units, and a route to the destination from the present position of the visitor is acquired in a way that weights (a value of) the congested state to the map information.

Claims

1. A navigation device comprising:

an identifying information receiving unit receiving a piece of identifying information read from a tag of a visitor by a reading unit provided in each of a plurality of locations within an object area;

a map information storage unit stored with map information within the object area including the installing locations of the reading units;

a destination receiving unit receiving an input of a destination of the visitor; and

a route determining unit obtaining, by referring to the map information, a present position of the visitor whose identifying information has been read, then obtaining a congested state from an information count of the identifying information read by each of the reading units, and acquiring a route to the destination from the present position of the visitor in a way that weights the congested state to the map information.

2. A navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the map information contains information of a plurality of nodes set at predetermined points including the reading unit installing locations within the object area, information of edges each connecting the node to the node and information of a cost taken for traveling along the edge, and the route determining unit determines, based on the map information, a node-to-edge combination exhibiting a minimum cost as an optimal route in the combinations of the nodes from a node corresponding to the present position and a node corresponding to a destination and edges.

3. A navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the route determining unit puts a weight on the traveling time as the cost in accordance with the congested state.

4. A navigation device according to claim 2, further comprising an event information storage module stored with start time of an event in the destination,

wherein the route determining unit determines, based on the traveling time as the cost and on the present time, a route reaching the destination by the start time of the event.

5. A navigation device according to claim 4, further comprising a readout information storage module stored with time when the reading unit reads the identifying information,

wherein the route determining unit obtains a distance between the nodes corresponding to the reading units that have read the identifying information on the basis of the map information, then obtains a traveling speed of the visitor specified by the identifying information from the node-to-node distance and the time when reading the identifying information, and obtains the traveling time from the traveling speed of the visitor and from the node-to-node distance.

6. A navigation device according to claim 1, wherein when the destination receiving unit receives inputs of a plurality of destinations, the route determining unit obtains a route for visiting round all the destinations from the present position.

7. A navigation method by which a computer executes steps of:

receiving a piece of identifying information read from a tag of a visitor by a reading unit provided in each of a plurality of locations within an object area;

receiving an input of a destination of the visitor; and

obtaining, by referring to a map information storage module stored with map information within the object area including the installing locations of the reading units, a present position of the visitor whose identifying information has been read, then obtaining a congested state from an information count of the identifying information read by each of the reading units, and acquiring a route to the destination from the present position of the visitor in a way that weights the congested state to the map information.

8. A navigation method according to claim 7, wherein the map information contains information of a plurality of nodes set at predetermined points including the reading unit installing locations within the object area, information of edges each connecting the node to the node and information of a cost taken for traveling along the edge, and

the route determining step involves determining, based on the map information, a node-to-edge combination exhibiting a minimum cost as an optimal route in the combinations of the nodes from a node corresponding to the present position and a node corresponding to a destination and edges.

9. A navigation method according to claim 8, wherein the route determining step involves putting a weight on the traveling time as the cost in accordance with the congested state.

10. A navigation method according to claim 8, wherein the route determining step involves reading start time from an event information storage module stored with the start time of an event in the destination, and determining, based on the traveling time as the cost and on the present time, a route reaching the destination by the start time of the event.

11. A navigation method according to claim 10, wherein there is executed a step of storing a readout information storage module with time when the reading unit reads the identifying information, and

the route determining step involves obtaining a distance between the nodes corresponding to the reading units that have read the identifying information on the basis of the map information, then obtaining a traveling speed of the visitor specified by the identifying information from the node-to-node distance and the time when reading the identifying information, and obtaining the traveling time from the traveling speed of the visitor and from the node-to-node distance.

12. A navigation method according to claim 7, wherein when the destination receiving step involves receiving inputs of a plurality of destinations, the route determining steps involves obtaining a route for visiting round all the destinations from the present position.

13. A recording medium stored with a navigation program making a computer executes steps of:

receiving a piece of identifying information read from a tag of a visitor by a reading unit provided in each of a plurality of locations within an object area;

receiving an input of a destination of the visitor; and

obtaining, by referring to a map information storage module stored with map information within the object area including the installing locations of the reading units, a present position of the visitor whose identifying information has been read, then obtaining a congested state from an information count of the identifying information read by each of the reading units, and acquiring a route to the destination from the present position of the visitor in a way that weights the congested state to the map information.

14. A recording medium according to claim 13, wherein the map information contains information of a plurality of nodes set at predetermined points including the reading unit installing locations within the object area, information of edges each connecting the node to the node and information of a cost taken for traveling along the edge, and

the route determining step involves determining, based on the map information, a node-to-edge combination exhibiting a minimum cost as an optimal route in the combinations of the nodes from a node corresponding to the present position and a node corresponding to a destination and edges.

15. A recording medium according to claim 14, wherein the route determining step involves putting a weight on the traveling time as the cost in accordance with the congested state.

16. A recording medium according to claim 14, wherein the route determining step involves reading start time from an event information storage module stored with the start time of an event in the destination, and determining, based on the traveling time as the cost and on the present time, a route reaching the destination by the start time of the event.

17. A recording medium according to claim 16, wherein there is executed a step of storing a readout information storage module with time when the reading unit reads the identifying information, and

the route determining step involves obtaining a distance between the nodes corresponding to the reading units that have read the identifying information on the basis of the map information, then obtaining a traveling speed of the visitor specified by the identifying information from the node-to-node distance and the time when reading the identifying information, and obtaining the traveling time from the traveling speed of the visitor and from the node-to-node distance.

18. A recording medium according to claim 13, wherein when the destination receiving step involves receiving inputs of a plurality of destinations, the route determining steps involves obtaining a route for visiting round all the destinations from the present position.