ROUTE INFORMATION GENERATION DEVICE AND ROUTE INFORMATION GENERATION METHOD

• US 20120010811A1
• Filed: 12/27/2010
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hamada, Asako
• Application Number:
  US13/256,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20120010811A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/468
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

Provided is a moving path information generating apparatus that acquires the position necessary for generating moving path information at low power consumption. The moving path information generating apparatus includes an azimuth information acquisition section (11) that acquires azimuth information, an azimuth information change detection section (12) that detects a change in the azimuth information acquired by the azimuth information acquisition section, an azimuth information change information recording section (13) that records azimuth information change information including the azimuth information acquired by the azimuth information acquisition section when the azimuth information change detection section has detected the azimuth information change, position acquisition determination section (14) that commands position acquisition when the azimuth information change detection section detects azimuth information change and position acquisition has not been commanded at the time of a previous azimuth information change, position acquisition section (15) that receives a position acquisition command from the position acquisition determination section and performs position acquisition, position information recording section (16) that records position information including a position acquired by the position acquisition section, and moving path information generating section (17) that calculates a position that has not been acquired by the position acquisition section at the time of azimuth information change using the azimuth information change information and the position information and generates moving path information.

Claims

1. A moving path information generating apparatus, comprising:

an azimuth information acquisition section that acquires azimuth information by an azimuth information sensor;

an azimuth information change detection section that detects a change in the azimuth information acquired by the azimuth information acquisition section;

an azimuth information change information recording section that records azimuth information change information including the azimuth information acquired by the azimuth information acquisition section when the azimuth information change detection section has detected the azimuth information change;

a position acquisition determination section that commands position acquisition when the azimuth information change detection section detects the azimuth information change and position acquisition has not been commanded at the time of a previous azimuth information change;

a position acquisition section that receives a position acquisition command from the position acquisition determination section and performs position acquisition;

a position information recording section that records position information including a position acquired by the position acquisition section; and

a moving path information generating section that calculates a position that has not been acquired by the position acquisition section at the time of azimuth information change using the azimuth information change information and the position information, and generates moving path information.

2. The moving path information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving path information generating section calculates the position that has not been acquired by the position acquisition section at the time of the azimuth information change using a position in which there has been an azimuth information change directly before the position that has not been acquired and a position in which there has been an azimuth information change directly after the position that has not been acquired among the azimuth information change information and the position information.

3. The moving path information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position acquisition determination section has a position acquisition flag representing whether position acquisition has been commanded when there has been a previous azimuth information change.

4. The moving path information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position acquisition determination section commands position acquisition at the time of a U turn even when position acquisition has been commanded when there has been a previous azimuth information change.

5. The moving path information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the azimuth information acquisition section receives an azimuth information acquisition cycle information from the outside and acquires azimuth information with the period of the azimuth information acquisition cycle.

6. The moving path information generating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a switching section that stops azimuth information acquisition by the azimuth information acquisition section and switches to a mode in which the position acquisition section periodically performs position acquisition, at a recording frequency of position information recorded by the position information recording section.

11. The moving path information generating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a walking information acquisition section that acquires movement information of a person necessary for determining whether the person is walking; and

a walking detection section that determines a walking state based on the walking information and commands azimuth information acquisition when walking is being performed, wherein the azimuth information acquisition section performs azimuth information acquisition in response to an azimuth information acquisition command received from the walking detection section.

12. The moving path information generating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a walking information acquisition section that acquires movement information of a person necessary for determining whether the person is walking;

a walking information recording section that records the walking information; and

a position correction section that performs position correction using the walking information when a difference between an azimuth information change time of the azimuth information change information and a position acquisition time of the position information is equal to or more than a predetermined value.

7. A method of generating moving path information, comprising:

an azimuth information acquisition step of acquiring an azimuth;

an azimuth information change detection step of detecting a change in the azimuth information acquired in the azimuth information acquisition step;

an azimuth information change information recording step of recording azimuth information change information including the azimuth information acquired in the azimuth information acquisition section when the azimuth information change is detected in the azimuth information change detection step;

a position acquisition determination step of commanding position acquisition when the azimuth information change has been detected in the azimuth information change detection step and position acquisition has not been commanded at the time of a previous azimuth information change;

a position acquisition step of receiving position acquisition when a position acquisition command is output in the position acquisition determination step;

a position information recording step of recording position information including a position acquired in the position acquisition step; and

a moving path information generation step of calculating a position that has not been acquired in the position acquisition step at the time of azimuth information change using the azimuth information change information and the position information, and generating moving path information.

8. A moving path information generating system, comprising a position acquisition control terminal and a moving path information generating apparatus, wherein:

the position acquisition control terminal comprises;

an azimuth information acquisition section that acquires azimuth information;

an azimuth information change detection section that detects a change in the azimuth information acquired by the azimuth information acquisition section;

an azimuth information change information recording section that records azimuth information change information from the azimuth information change detection section when the azimuth information change detection section has detected the azimuth information change,

a position acquisition determination section that commands position acquisition when the azimuth information change detection section detects the azimuth information change and position acquisition has not been commanded at the time of a previous azimuth information change,

a position acquisition section that receives a position acquisition command from the position acquisition determination section and performs position acquisition,

a position information recording section that records position information including a position acquired by the position acquisition section, and

a transmission section that transmits the azimuth information change information and the position information, and

the moving path information generating apparatus comprises;

a reception section that receives the azimuth information change information and the position information; and

a moving path information generating section that calculates a position that has not been acquired at the time of azimuth information change using the azimuth information change information and the position information and generates moving path information.

13. The moving path information generating system according to claim 8, wherein:

the position acquisition control terminal comprises;

a walking information acquisition section that acquires movement information of a person necessary for determining whether the person is walking; and

a walking detection section that determines a walking state based on the walking information and commands azimuth information acquisition when walking is being performed, and a walking information recording section that records the walking information;

the transmission section of the position acquisition control terminal transmits the walking information in addition to the position information and the azimuth information change information;

the reception section of the moving path information generating apparatus receives the walking information in addition to the position information and the azimuth information change information; and

the moving path information generating apparatus further comprises a position correction section that performs position correction using the walking information when a difference between an azimuth information change time of the azimuth information change information and a position acquisition time of the position information is equal to or more than a predetermined value.

9. A position acquisition control terminal, comprising:

an azimuth information acquisition section that acquires azimuth information;

an azimuth information change detection section that detects a change in the azimuth information acquired by the azimuth information acquisition section;

an azimuth information change information recording section that records azimuth information change information from the azimuth information change detection section when the azimuth information change detection section has detected the azimuth information change;

a position acquisition determination section that commands position acquisition when the azimuth information change detection section detects the azimuth information change and position acquisition has not been commanded at the time of a previous azimuth information change;

a position acquisition section that receives a position acquisition command from the position acquisition determination section and performs position acquisition;

a position information recording section that records position information including a position acquired by the position acquisition section; and

a transmission section that transmits the azimuth information change information and the position information.

10. A moving path information generating apparatus, comprising:

a reception section that receives the azimuth information change information and the position information from the position acquisition control terminal according to claim 9; and

a moving path information generating section that calculates a position that has not been acquired at the time of azimuth information change using the azimuth information change information and the position information and generates moving path information.