COST BASED OPEN AREA MAPS

• US 20100023251A1
• Filed: 07/25/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Inventors: Mays, Joseph F., GALE, WILLIAM N., Seegers, Peter A., Stroila, Matei N.
• Application Number:
  US12/179,668
• Publication Number:
  US 20100023251A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• 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: G01C 21/383 Indoor data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3878 Hierarchical structures, e.g. layering
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3881 Tile-based structures
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

Open area maps as well as related systems and methods are disclosed. For example, an open area map includes an image of a layout corresponding to a real-world area in which pedestrians walk about. An array is associated with the image. The array includes a plurality of spaced objects. A cost value is designated to each of the spaced objects. The open area map is configured for point-to-point routing based, in part, on the designation of the cost values.

Claims

1. An open area map comprising:

an image of a layout corresponding to a real-world area in which pedestrians walk about; and

an array associated with the image, the array including a plurality of spaced objects,

wherein a cost value is designated to each of the spaced objects, and wherein the open area map is configured for point-to-point routing based, in part, on the designation of the cost values.

2. The open area map of claim 1, wherein the image of the layout comprises an image of a building floor plan.

3. The open area map of claim 1, wherein a low cost value is designated to the objects substantially adjacent to borders in the image and higher cost values are designated to the objects that are farther away from the borders.

4. The open area map of claim 3, wherein the cost values are inverted after the designation.

5. The open area map of claim 1, wherein a maximum value designated to an object between at least two borders in the image depends on the number of objects between the at least two borders.

6. The open area map of claim 1, wherein the array and the respective cost values correspond to separate spatial layers that are compiled to form the open area map.

7. The open area map of claim 1, wherein the plurality of spaced objects comprise tiles.

8. The open area map of claim 7, wherein the point-to-point routing comprises generating a path via adjacent tiles.

9. A method of generating an open area map, the method comprising:

obtaining an image of a floor plan;

using the image to form a grid of contiguous tiles, wherein the grid has a shape that corresponds to a pedestrian-accessible sub-area within the floor plan, and wherein the shape has a boundary that corresponds to borders in the floor plan;

assigning a value to each of the contiguous tiles; and

generating a routable floor plan as a function of the grid and the assigned values.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein assigning the values comprises assigning the values in an increasing order while moving farther away from a border.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein assigning the values comprises matching values of tiles within a corridor to values of tiles within a respectively broader area of the floor plan.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the routable floor plan comprises:

inverting the assigned values based on a maximum assigned value.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the routable floor plan comprises:

generating a plurality of reference regions; and

compiling the plurality of reference regions and the assigned values with the grid.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein generating the plurality of reference regions comprises:

identifying a plurality of reference image objects in the image; and

generating the plurality of reference regions by forming boundaries corresponding to the respective reference image objects.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the boundaries are associated with non-navigable tiles.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-navigable tiles are originally assigned a value of zero.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the boundaries comprises vectorizing a portion of a binarized image.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the assigned values and the grid are in separate spatial layers prior to compilation.

19. A method of routing in an open area map, the method comprising:

identifying an origin and a destination in the open area map, the open area map including an image of a layout representing a real-world area in which a person moves about;

determining a route from the origin to the destination based, in part, on cost assigned to tiles of a corresponding mesh; and

generating a path from the origin to the destination based on adjacent tiles associated with the determined route.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining the route comprises calculating a route based on attraction or detraction to or from areas in the layout as a function of different values associated with the assigned cost.