METHOD OF CREATING MAP DATA

• US 20120158286A1
• Filed: 02/15/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tomtom Belgium NV (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: Tomtom Belgium NV (TomTom NV), Tomtom Polska Sp zoo (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Nowak, Wojciech Tomasz, Coppens, Sven
• Granted Patent: US 10,030,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/410
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A computerised method of creating map data from a plurality of trips where each trip comprises position data derived from the positions of at least one navigation device over a period of time, the method comprising using a processing circuitry to perform the following steps: i. processing the position data; ii. calculating, from the processing of the position data, trip terminal positions at which the navigation device started to generate positions and/or stopped generating positions and which provide an end point of a trip; iii. performing statistical analysis on the terminal positions in order to determine origin locations at which trips commonly terminate and/or originate; iv. generating further map data, which comprises the origin locations.

Claims

1. A computerised method of creating map data from a plurality of trips where each trip comprises position data derived from the positions of at least one navigation device over a period of time, the method comprising using a processing circuitry to perform the following steps:

i. processing the position data;

ii. calculating, from the processing of the position data, trip terminal positions at which the navigation device started to generate positions and/or stopped generating positions and which provide an end point of a trip;

iii. performing statistical analysis on the terminal positions in order to determine origin locations at which trips commonly terminate and/or originate;

iv. generating further map data, which comprises the origin locations.

2. A method according to claim 1 which generates a coordinate for each origin position.

3. A method according to claim 1 in which the statistical analysis comprises performing clustering on the terminal positions in order to generate one or more cluster to obtain the origin locations.

4. A method according to claim 3 which comprises determining a coordinate associated with each cluster, which may be a centre region of a cluster.

5. A method according to claim 1 in which, the origin locations correspond to at least one of entrance and exits of a structure, conveniently, the method comprises marking within the map data the positions of structures that contain the origin locations and may further comprise marking the origin locations in association with the structures.

6. A method according to claim 1 which fuses position data from more than one data source to generate at least one of the terminal positions and the origin locations which may be from the group comprising:

GPS data;

INS (Inertial Navigation System) Data;

image processing.

7. A method according to claim 1 in which origin locations generated by the method are subsequently merged with data from other sources, which may include data from the group comprising:

GPS data;

INS (Inertial Navigation System) Data;

image processing and conveniently, the subsequently merged data provides a path within a structure, such as a building.

8. A method according to claim 1 which performs image processing on an image and determines potential positions for at least one of exits and entrances within that image and subsequently assigns an origin location to the location of the so determined exit and/or entrance.

15. A machine readable medium containing instructions which when read by a machine cause that machine to perform the method of claim 1.

9. A machine arranged to create map data, wherein the machine is arranged to receive and process position data from at least one source, the position data comprises the positions of at least one navigation device over a period of time, the machine being arranged to:

i. process the position data;

ii. calculate trip terminal positions at which the navigation device generating that trip started to generate and/or stopped generating positions;

iii. perform statistical processing on the terminal positions between the trips in order to determine origin positions at which a plurality of trips terminate and/or originate; and

iv. generate map data comprising the origin positions.

16. A machine readable medium containing instructions which when read by a machine cause that machine to function as the machine of claim 9.

10. Map data comprising data on the positions of structures wherein associated with those structures is the location of at least one of exits and entrances thereto.

11. A navigation device which is programmed with map data according to claim 10.

12. A device according to claim 11 which is arranged to provide navigation instructions based upon the map data and is further arranged to provide navigation instructions to at least one of the exits and entrances contained within the map data.

17. A machine readable medium containing instructions which when read by a machine cause that machine to function as the device of claim 11.

18. A machine readable medium containing instructions which when read by a machine cause that machine to function as the device of claim 12.

13. A method of providing directions to a user of a navigation device, the method comprising:

i. allowing a user to input his/her desired destination;

ii. determining an origin location associated with that desired destination; and

iii. providing directions to the user as to how to reach that origin location.

14. A method according to claim 13 which allows a user to select to which origin location he/she wishes to be directed should there be more than one origin location associated with his/her selected destination

19. A machine readable medium containing instructions which when read by a machine cause that machine to perform the method claim 13.