METHOD, NAVIGATION DEVICE, AND SERVER FOR DETERMINING A LOCATION IN A DIGITAL MAP DATABASE

• US 20100106397A1
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: Tomtom Global Content B.V (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Van Essen, Rob
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,185 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention discloses a method for determining a location in a first digital map database based on a query. The method includes receiving a request comprising a query for a first location not included by the first digital map database. Then, the method includes searching for the first location in a second digital map database, and in case the first location is found in the second digital map database, searching for a second location nearby the first location, the second location being included by the first digital map database.

Claims

1. Method for determining a location in a first digital map database based on a query, the method comprising:

receiving a request including a query for a first location;

searching for the first location in the first digital map database based upon the received query;

searching, upon the first location not being found within the first digital map database, for the first location in a second digital map database; and

searching in the second digital map database, upon the first location being found within the second digital map database, for a second location proximate to the first location, the second location being included in the first digital map database; and

providing, upon the second location being found, the second location as a response to the query.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the request is received from a navigation device, and wherein the providing further comprises:

transmitting a reply to the navigation device including the second location, upon the second location being found.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the searching for the second location includes performing a spatial search for the second location proximate to the first location, taking into account a distance between the first and the second location as the crow flies.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the searching for the second location includes performing a topological search for the second location proximate to the first location, taking into account at least one of a travelling distance and a travelling time between the first and the second location.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the request further comprises a first version indicator of a the first digital map database and wherein the first version indicator is used to determine if the second location proximate to the first location is included within the first digital map database.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein, in the second digital map database, a plurality of locations include associated version indicators, indicating in which version of at least one of the first and the second digital map databases such a location was first added to at least one of the first and the second digital map database, and wherein the version indicators of the plurality of locations are used to determine if the second location proximate to the first location is included within the first digital map database.

7. Method according to claim 5, wherein a copy of the first digital map database is used to determine if the second location proximate to the first location is included within the first digital map database.

8. Method according to claim 5, wherein a second version indicator is associated with the second digital map database, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining if the second digital map database is more up-to-date than the first digital map database based on comparing the first and second version indicators, and upon the second digital map database not being more up-to-date than the first digital map database.

10. Method according to claim 1, further comprising:

computing navigation information for navigating from the second location to the first location.

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein the navigation information comprises at least one of a distance as the crow flies, a travelling distance, a travelling time from the first location to the second location, one or more navigation instructions, a pixel image and map data.

13. Method according to claim 1, wherein the query comprises at least one of:

a street, a house number, a POI, and a POI-category.

26. Computer program which, when loaded on a computer arrangement, is arranged to perform the method according to claim 1.

27. Data carrier, comprising the computer program according to claim 26.

28. Method according to claim 1, wherein the request further comprises a first version indicator of the first digital map database.

29. A computer readable medium including program segments for, when executed on a computer device, causing the computer device to implement the method of claim 1.

9. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

14. Server for determining a location in a first digital map database based on a query, the server comprising:

a second digital map database stored in a memory associated with the server;

at least one communication device to communicate with remote devices, wherein the server is arranged to;

receive a request including a query for a first location via the at least one communication device, the first location not being included within the first digital map database,

search for the first location in a second digital map database, the second digital map database being stored in the memory associated with the server, and

search, upon the first location being found in the second digital map database, search for a second location proximate to the first location, the second location being included within the first digital map database.

15-18. -18. (canceled)

19. Navigation device, comprising:

a first digital map database associated with the navigation device;

at least one communication device to communicate with remote devices, wherein the navigation device is arranged to;

receive a query for a first location via at least one input device,

search for the first location in the first digital map database based on the query, and

transmit, upon the first location not being found in the first digital map database, a request including the query to a server having access to a second digital map database via the at least one communication device,

receive a reply via the at least one communication device, and

provide, upon the reply including a second location, the second location as the result for the query via at least one output device.

20. Navigation device according to claim 19, wherein the request further comprises a first version indicator of the first digital map database.

21. Navigation device according to claim 19, wherein, upon the reply being a failure reply, the navigation device is arranged to generate a failure message via at least one output device.

22. Navigation device according to claim 19, wherein the query comprises at least one of:

a street, a house number, a POI, and a POI-category.

23. Navigation device according to claim 19, wherein the at least one input device is one of a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, and a speaker.

24. Navigation device according to claim 19, wherein the at least one output device is one of a display, and a printer.

25. (canceled)