TRAVEL HISTORY EDITING DEVICE

• US 20090312946A1
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kudoh, Takahiro, Ozawa, Jun, Yoshioka, Mototaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,781,728 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: G08G 1/096877 where the input to the navigation device is provided by a suitable I/O arrangement details of I/O arrangements for onboard navigation computers G01C21/36; I/O arrangements for general purpose computers G06F3/00

Abstract

A travel history editing device in the present invention includes: a position information detecting unit (101) detecting position information regarding the vehicle; a map information accumulation unit (104) which accumulates pre-registered position information and name information regarding the position information; an arrival point name providing unit (115), assuming an engine shut-down position of the vehicle to be detected by the position information detecting unit (101) as an arrival point, reading out a name of the facility from the map information accumulation unit (104), and providing the name of the facility for the arrival point in the case where the arrival point corresponds to the position of the facility, and reading out the other kind of name information from the map information accumulation unit (104), and providing the other kind of name information for the arrival point in the case where the arrival point does not correspond to the position of the facility; an arrival point history accumulation unit (116) which accumulates an arrival point corresponding to the facility and the name of the facility; a name editing unit (117) editing the name of the arrival point for which the other kind of name is provided as the name of the facility accumulated in the arrival point history accumulation unit (116).

Claims

1. A travel history editing device editing name information of position information to be accumulated as a history regarding a travel route of a vehicle, said travel history editing device comprising:

a position detecting unit configured to detect position information regarding the vehicle;

a map information accumulation unit which accumulates pre-registered position information and name information regarding the position information;

an arrival point name providing unit configured to read out name information regarding an arrival point of the vehicle from said map information accumulation unit, using the position information, of the vehicle, detected by said position detecting unit, and to provide the name information for the arrival point;

an arrival point history accumulation unit which accumulates the position information and the name information regarding the arrival point; and

a name editing unit configured to edit the name information provided by said arrival point name providing unit by rewriting the name information as different name information accumulated in said arrival point history accumulation unit in accordance with a pre-detected rule.

2. The travel history editing device according to claim 1,

wherein said map information accumulation unit accumulates pre-registered first position information, first kind name information indicating the first position information, second position information which does not correspond to the first position information, and second kind name information indicating the second position information, the second kind name information being different from the first kind name information,

said arrival point name providing unit, assuming a stopping place information regarding the vehicle to be detected by said position detecting unit as an arrival point, is configured to:

read out the first kind name information from said map information accumulation unit, and to provide the first kind name information for the arrival point in the case where the arrival point corresponds to the first position information; and

read out the second kind name information from said map information accumulation unit, and to provide the second name information for the arrival point in the case where the arrival point corresponds to the second position information,

said arrival point history accumulation unit accumulates at least position information regarding the arrival point corresponding to the first position information, and the first kind name information indicating the position information regarding the arrival point, and

said name editing unit is configured to edit name information, of the arrival point, for which the second kind name information is provided as the first kind name information by rewriting as the first kind name information accumulated in said arrival point history accumulation unit in accordance with a pre-detected rule.

3. The travel history editing device according to claim 2,

wherein the first position information is information regarding one of a plurality of facilities, registered in a map, located within a range of a pre-detected first distance, and the first kind name information is name information regarding the one of the facilities.

4. The travel history editing device according to claim 3,

wherein said map information accumulation unit accumulates position information regarding the plurality of the facilities and name information regarding each of the facilities,

said arrival point history accumulation unit accumulates the position information and the name information regarding each of the facilities as the position information regarding the arrival point and the name information provided for the arrival point, respectively, and

said name editing unit is configured to search the facilities, of which position information exists within a range of a second distance, out of the facilities accumulated in said arrival point history accumulation unit, and to edit the name information regarding the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided, using name information regarding the facilities, obtained as a result of the search, and the second distance being greater than the first distance from the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided.

5. The travel history editing device according to claim 4, further comprising

an editing rule accumulation unit which accumulates an editing rule defining with the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided that the second kind name information is to be edited as the name information regarding the facilities, using name information regarding a facility satisfying a certain condition out of the facilities obtained as the result of the search, and

said name editing unit is configured to edit the name information regarding the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided, in accordance with the editing rule.

6. The travel history editing device according to claim 5,

wherein said arrival point history accumulation unit further accumulates an arrival date at the arrival point, as well as the position information regarding the arrival point, and the name information provided for the arrival point by said arrival point name providing unit, and

said name editing unit is further configured to edit the second kind name information as the name information regarding the facilities, using name information regarding the facilities satisfying both of a first condition and a second condition, the first condition indicating that an arrival date at each of the facilities and an arrival date at the facility for which the second kind name information is provided are different, and the second condition indicating that the arrival date at the facility and the arrival date, at the arrival point, for which the second kind name information is provided are classified as a same group.

7. The travel history editing device according to claim 6,

wherein the group includes a first group classified into a weekday and a weekend, and a second group classified into morning, afternoon, and night, and

the second condition classifies the arrival date at the facility and the arrival date, at the arrival point, for which the second kind name information is provided as a same group with regard to both of the first group and the second group.

8. The travel history editing device according to claim 6,

wherein, in the case where there are a plurality of facilities satisfying the first and the second conditions, said name editing unit is further configured to edit the second kind name information as the name information regarding the facility out of the plurality of the facilities, the second kind name information being edited by using name information regarding the facility, the facility being one of the plurality of the facilities, and the arrival point being the second kind information to be provided for.

9. The travel history editing device according to claim 2,

wherein said name editing unit is configured to edit the name information regarding the arrival point only in the case where the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided is a parking lot.

10. The travel history editing device according to claim 4,

wherein said name editing unit is further configured to detect whether or not a parking lot of the facility is full, the facility existing within the range of the second distance from the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided, and to edit the name information regarding the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided only in the case where the parking lot of the facility is full.

11. The travel history editing device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a parking lot information accumulation unit which obtains and accumulates full-vacant information indicating whether a parking lot of a facility nearby an arrival point is full or vacant through communication; and

a change of arrival point intention estimating unit configured to examine the accumulated full-vacant information in the parking lot of the facility nearby the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided, and to estimate that the vehicle is parked at a current arrival point since the parking lot is unavailable in the case where the parking lot of the facility is full,

wherein said name editing unit is configured to edit the name information regarding the arrival point as the name information regarding the facility in the case where said change of arrival point intention estimating unit estimates that the parking lot is unavailable, and thus the vehicle is parked at the current arrival point.

12. The travel history editing device according to claim 6,

wherein said name editing unit is configured to avoid using the name information regarding the facility for editing the name information regarding the arrival point in the case where the date of arrival at the facility and the date of arrival at the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided are of a same day.

13. The travel history editing device according to claim 6,

wherein, in the case where there are a plurality of the facilities satisfying both of the first and the second conditions, said name editing unit is further configured to weigh each of the plurality of the facilities depending on a distance between each of the plurality of the facilities and the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided, and to accumulate each of the plurality of the facilities as a candidate to edit the second kind name information.

14. The travel history editing device according to claim 6,

wherein said name editing unit accumulates name information regarding a facility existing within the second distance range from the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided and satisfying both of the first and the second conditions as name information of a neighboring facility in the case where the position information and the name information regarding the facility, existing within the second distance range from the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided, is not accumulated.

15. The travel history editing device according to claim 6,

wherein said arrival point history accumulation unit further accumulates a starting date from the arrival point, and

said name editing unit is configured to calculate the second distance range depending on a time for which the vehicle stays at the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided, regarding a time from the arrival date at the arrival point to the starting date as a sojourn time.

16. The travel history editing device according to claim 15,

wherein said name editing unit is configured to calculate the second distance range from the arrival point to the facility, regarding the time for which the vehicle stays at the arrival point for which the second kind name information is provided as a time to be required for making a round trip on foot to the facility.

17. The travel history editing device according to claim 2,

wherein said map information accumulation unit further accumulates route information indicating a range of a route,

said travel history editing device further includes

a deviation point detecting unit configured to detect a point at which position information of the vehicle detected by said position detecting unit, either deviates from a range of a route indicated in the route information, or returns to the route from out of the route, and

said arrival point history accumulation unit accumulates a deviation point or a returning point, along with the position information and the name information regarding the arrival point, detected by said deviation point detecting unit, and said name editing unit is configured to edit the name information regarding the arrival point of the vehicle, using name information, of an arrival point, added to the deviation point in said arrival point history accumulation unit in the case where the deviation point or the returning point detected by the said deviation point detecting unit is within an pre-detected range from a deviation point or a returning point accumulated in said arrival point history accumulation unit.

18. The travel history editing device according to claim 17,

wherein the route information accumulated in said map information accumulation unit includes route width information indicating a width of a route, and

said deviation point detecting unit regards position information out of the route width as the deviation point in the case where the position information regarding the vehicle detected by said position detecting unit is detected as position information out of the route width.

19. The travel history editing device according to claim 18,

wherein said deviation point detecting unit regards position information out of the route width as the deviation point in the case where the position information regarding the vehicle detected by the position information detecting unit is detected a plurality of consecutive times as position information out of the route width.

20. A history editing method for a device editing name information of position information accumulated as a history in a travel route of a vehicle,

wherein the device includes

a map information accumulation unit which accumulates pre-registered first position information, first kind name information indicating the first position information, second position information which does not correspond to the first position information, and second kind name information indicating the second position information, the second kind name information being different from the first kind name information, and

said history editing method includes:

detecting position information regarding the vehicle by a position detecting unit;

providing by an arrival point name providing unit, regarding a stopping place information regarding the vehicle detected in said detecting position information, the first kind name information for the arrival point by reading out from the map information accumulation unit in the case where the arrival point corresponds to the first position information, and the second kind name information for the arrival point by reading out from the map information accumulation unit in the case where the arrival point corresponds to the second position information;

accumulating by an arrival point history accumulation unit at least position information regarding the arrival point corresponding to the first position information, and the first kind name information indicating the position information regarding the arrival point; and

editing by a name editing unit name information, regarding the arrival point, for which the second kind name information is provided as the first kind name information by rewriting as the first kind name information accumulated in said arrival point history accumulation unit in accordance with a pre-detected rule.

21. A computer program for a travel history editing device including a map information accumulation unit, and editing name information of position information accumulated as a history in a travel route of a vehicle, the map information accumulation unit accumulating pre-registered first position information, the first kind name information indicating the first position information, second position information which does not correspond to the first position information, and second kind name information indicating the second position information, the second kind name information being different from the first kind name information, said computer program causing a computer to execute:

detecting position information regarding a vehicle by a position detecting unit, providing a name for an arrival point by an arrival point name providing unit, regarding a stopping place information regarding the vehicle detected in the detecting position information, by;

reading out first kind name information from the map information accumulation unit, and providing the first kind name information for the arrival point in the case where the arrival point corresponds to the first position information; and

reading out the second kind name information from said map information accumulation unit, and providing the second name information for the arrival point in the case where the arrival point corresponds to the second position information, accumulating at least position information regarding the arrival point corresponding to the first position information, and the first kind name information indicating the position information regarding the arrival point, and editing name information, regarding the arrival point, for which the second kind name information is provided as the first kind name information by rewriting as the first kind name information accumulated in the arrival point history accumulation unit in accordance with a pre-detected rule.

22. A car navigation device, comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) detecting position information regarding a vehicle;

a first storing unit which accumulates pre-registered first position information, first kind name information indicating the first position information, second position information which does not correspond to the first position information, and second kind name information indicating the second position information, the second kind name information being different from the first kind name information, and

a second storing unit operable to store a program including providing a name for an arrival point by an arrival point name providing unit, regarding a stopping place information regarding the vehicle detected in the detecting position information, by;

reading out first kind name information from the map information accumulation unit, and providing the first kind name information for the arrival point in the case where the arrival point corresponds to the first position information; and

reading out the second kind name information from said map information accumulation unit, and providing the second name information for the arrival point in the case where the arrival point corresponds to the second position information, accumulating at least position information regarding the arrival point corresponding to the first position information, and the first kind name information indicating the position information regarding the arrival point, and editing name information, regarding the arrival point, for which the second kind name information is provided as the first kind name information by rewriting as the first kind name information; and

a processor executing the program stored in said second storing unit.