GEOGRAPHIC SPACE MANAGEMENT

• US 20160370190A1
• Filed: 07/16/2015
• Published: 12/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Workday Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gotoh, Yasuhisa, Miyahira, Tomohiro, Sasaki, Taku, Tanibayashi, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 9,875,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3881 Tile-based structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

At least one subsystem among the plurality of subsystems includes a managing section operable to manage individual route information for routes in a management target region of the at least one subsystem among the plurality of regions and adjacent route information for routes positioned in a partial range from a boundary of the management target region among routes in an adjacent region that is adjacent to the management target region, and an identifying section operable to identify the route on which the moving object is positioned based on the observation position, by using the individual route information and the adjacent route information managed by the at least one subsystem. Also provided is a method and computer program product.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

respectively managing, with a plurality of subsystems, maps of a plurality of regions obtained by dividing a geographic space including a route on which a moving object moves; and

receiving an observation position of the moving object, wherein

the respectively managing with the plurality of subsystems includes;

managing individual route information for routes in a management target region of the at least one subsystem among the plurality of regions and adjacent route information for routes positioned in a partial range from a boundary of the management target region among routes in an adjacent region that is adjacent to the management target region; and

identifying a route on which the moving object is positioned based on the observation position, by using the individual route information and the adjacent route information managed by the at least one subsystem.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identifying the route includes:

identifying a first route candidate for the route on which the moving object is positioned within the management target region, by using the individual route information,

identifying a second route candidate for the route on which the moving object is positioned within the adjacent region, by using the adjacent route information, on a condition that the observation position is closer to the boundary of the management target region than the route of the first route candidate, and

identifying the route on which the moving object is positioned while prioritizing the route of the second route candidate over the route of the first route candidate, in response to the observation position being closer to the route of the second route candidate than the route of the first route candidate.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the managing includes managing, as the adjacent route information, information concerning a portion of routes selected as routes whose distance to a geographic point on the boundary of the management target region is shorter, from among a plurality of routes positioned within the partial range in the adjacent region.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the identifying the route includes identifying a plurality of candidates for routes on which the moving object is positioned based on the observation position, by using the individual route information and the adjacent route information managed by the at least one subsystem.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the respectively managing with the plurality of subsystems further includes:

dividing each of the plurality of regions into block units and performing management in block units, and

managing the adjacent route information for routes within each block included in the partial range.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the managing includes excluding, from the adjacent route information, any route from among the plurality of routes positioned in the partial range in the adjacent region having a distance to a geographic point on the boundary of the management target region greater than any route positioned within the management target region.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the managing includes selecting routes while prioritizing routes having a distance to a geographic point on the boundary of the management target region that is not greater than the distance to a geographic point on the boundary of the management target region of any route within the management target region, from among the plurality of routes positioned within the partial range in the adjacent region, and manage the selected routes as the adjacent route information.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the identifying the route includes identifying, as the plurality of candidates for routes on which the moving object is positioned, routes within a threshold error range from the observation position, by using the individual route information and the adjacent route information managed by the at least one subsystem.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the identifying the route includes selecting candidates from among the plurality of candidates for the route on which the moving object is positioned while prioritizing routes on which the moving object has been positioned in the past.