NAVIGATION DEVICE & METHOD

• US 20130211705A1
• Filed: 06/17/2010
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Geelen, Pieter, Eisenberg, Jacob
• Granted Patent: US 9,429,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/410
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3874 Structures specially adapted for data searching and retrieval

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a route-planning device (200;302) comprising a storage section (230;308) storing map information, the map information including information identifying a plurality of potential positions, each potential position corresponding to a position at which a location of a predetermined type might potentially be found; and a search route module (490) arranged to determine a search route visiting at least one of the potential positions, the determination of the search route using a predetermined efficiency measure based on likelihood of finding a location of the predetermined type.

Claims

1. A route-planning device comprising:

a storage section storing map information, the map information including information identifying a plurality of potential positions, each potential position corresponding to a position at which a location of a predetermined type might potentially be found;

a search route module arranged to determine one or more search routes, each search route visiting at least one of the potential positions, the determination of each search route using a predetermined efficiency measure based on likelihood of finding a location of the predetermined type and design a search route from the one or more determined search routes to a destination, wherein the designed search route is a route having a highest probability of potential positions of the predetermined type of the one or more determined search routes and provide the designed search route to a user.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the map information includes probability information for each potential position, the probability information corresponding to the likelihood of finding a location of the predetermined type at the respective potential position.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the probability information includes a temporal component indicative of temporal variations in the likelihood of finding a location of the predetermined type at the respective potential position.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the potential positions correspond to parking spaces, the locations of a predetermined type correspond to vacant parking spaces.

6. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an input section for receiving commands from the user, wherein:

when the user indicates, via the input section, that a search route for a location of a predetermined type should be determined, the search route module is arranged to set a current position of the device to be a start position, and

the search route module is arranged to determine and design the search route to start from the start position.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined efficiency measure is based, at least in part, on a predetermined metric relating the start position and the potential positions.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the search route module includes a goal identification section for identifying a goal position, and the predetermined efficiency measure is based on a predetermined metric relating the goal position and the potential positions.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the search route module further comprises a result determining module arranged to determine whether or not a location of the predetermined type was found at a visited potential position.

10. The device according to claim 9, further comprising a positioning information determination section for determining current positioning information including at least a current position of the device, wherein the result determining module is arranged to:

determine, based on the positioning information, whether a potential position has been reached,

determine whether a vehicle in which the device is provided has parked,

indicate that a location of the predetermined type was found at the potential position if it is determined that the potential position has been reached and it is determined that the vehicle has parked, and

indicate that a location of the predetermined type was not found if it is determined that the potential position has been reached and it is determined that the vehicle has not parked.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the device is arranged to determine, after indicating that a location of the predetermined type was found at a particular potential position, whether or not the vehicle has left the particular potential position, and when it is determined that the vehicle has left the particular potential position perform at least one of:

communicate to a server that the particular potential position has been left, communicate to another route-planning device that the particular potential position has been left, and

set or update temporary probability information, to be used temporarily in place of the probability information.

12. The device according to claim 11, further comprising an updating section, wherein the updating section is arranged to perform at least one of:

communicate the determination of the result determining module to a server,

communicate the determination of the result determining module to another route-planning device,

update the probability information based on the determination of the result determining module, and

set or update temporary probability information, wherein the temporary probability information is used temporarily in place of the probability information, based on the determination of the result determining module.

16. The device according to claim 2 further comprising generating a cost function value based on the probability information associated with each search route.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the designed route is based on the cost function associate with each search route.

18. The device according to claim 17, where in the cost function is scaled based on user preferred parameters.

19. The device according to claim 2, wherein the probability information is time dependent.

5. (canceled)

13. A server comprising:

one or more processors;

a storage section storing map information, the map information including information identifying a plurality of potential positions, each potential position corresponding to a position at which a location of a predetermined type might potentially be found;

a search route module arranged to determine one or more search routes, each search route visiting at least one of the potential positions, the determination of each search route using a predetermined efficiency measure based on likelihood of finding a location of the predetermined type and design a search route from the one or more determined search routes to a destination, wherein the designed search route is a route having a highest probability of potential positions of the predetermined type of the one or more determined search routes and provide the designed search route to a user;

a receiving section for receiving, over a network, a request for a search route from a remote device; and

a sending section for sending, over the network, the search route determined by the search route module.

14. The server of claim 13, further comprising:

an updating section, wherein

the updating section is arranged to adjust the map information based on the result information.

15. A computer-implemented method of providing a search route comprising:

receiving a request to provide a search route for a location of a predetermined type;

identifying, from map information, a plurality of potential positions, each potential position corresponding to a position at which a location of the predetermined type might potentially be found;

determining one or more routes visiting at least one of the potential positions, the determination of the one or more routes using a predetermined efficiency measure based on likelihood of finding a location of the predetermined type;

designing a route from the one or more determined routes to a destination, wherein the designed route is a route having a highest probability of potential positions of the predetermined type of the one or more determined routes; and

outputting the designed route as the search route.