LOCATION-BASED SERVICES

• US 20110153267A1
• Filed: 08/21/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Titan Intelligence Technology Limited
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Froidcoeur, Tim, Peeters, Michael, Debast, Claude
• Granted Patent: US 9,534,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/06 Arrangements for road pricing or congestion charging of vehicles or vehicle users, e.g. automatic toll systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1458 Denial of Service

Abstract

A location tracking unit for use with a location based service system is presented. The location tracking unit comprises: a navigation receiver adapted to implement a location tracking function; data processing means adapted to determine an occupied location according to a first location matching process, the first location matching process using navigation data from the navigation receiver and a first set of geographic data; and data processing means adapted to verify the integrity of the first location matching process based on a second location matching process using navigation data and a second set of geographic data.

Claims

1. A location tracking unit for use with a location based service system comprising:

a navigation receiver adapted to implement a location tracking function;

data processing means adapted to determine an occupied location according to a first location matching process, the first location matching process using navigation data from the navigation receiver and a first set of geographic data; and

data processing means adapted to verify the integrity of the first location matching process based on a second location matching process using navigation data and a second set of geographic data.

2. A unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data processing means is further adapted to verify the integrity of the first location matching process based on at least one of:

navigation data reliability information;

historical information relating to the rate of successful integrity verification; and

information relating to the interruption of data from the navigation received.

3. A unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the remote device is a vehicle mounted unit and further comprises communication means adapted to communicate with a server remotely located form the location tracking unit.

4. A unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising secure data storage means adapted to store the second set of geographic data according to an encryption algorithm.

5. A unit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the geographic data comprises information relating to the location of road sections.

6. A unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein a road section is represented as at least one of:

straight line joining two distinct locations;

a plurality of splines;

a polygon;

a series of overlapping circles; and

a series of overlapping polygons.

7. A unit a claimed in claim 1, wherein the data processing means are further adapted to implement at least one counter-fraud process of:

monitoring the regularity of the navigation data; and

verifying that a determined occupied location is associated with the geographic data.

8. A system for implementing a location based service comprising a location tracking unit as claimed in claim 1.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the system is a road tolling system.

10. A method of implementing a location tracking function in a location tracking unit, the method comprising:

determining an occupied location according to a first location matching process, the first location matching process using navigation data from a navigation receiver and a first set of geographic data;

verifying the integrity of the first location matching process based on a second location matching using navigation data and a second set of geographic data.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein step of verifying is further based on at least one of:

navigation data reliability information;

historical information relating to the rate of successful integrity verification; and

information relating to the interruption of data from the navigation received.

12. A method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the step of;

implementing at least one counter-fraud process of;

monitoring the regularity of the navigation data; and

verifying that a determined occupied location is associated with the geographic data.

13. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein step of verifying comprises:

determining whether or not the determined occupied location is consistent with the navigation data and the second set of geographic data.

14. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the step of determining an occupied location comprises the steps of:

deriving location information from the navigation data;

determining a distance from a location based on the location information and the first set of geographic data;

determining that the location is the occupied location if the distance is less than a threshold value.

15. A computer program comprising computer program code means adapted to perform all of the steps of claim 10 when said program is run on a computer.