Segment aggregation in a geographic database and methods for use thereof in a navigation application
First Claim
1. A geographic database stored adapted for use with a navigation application program run in a navigation system comprising:
- data entities that represent segments of roads in a geographic region and data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads; and
wherein each of the data entities that represent segments of roads that represents a segment of a road that together with at least one other segment of a road forms part of an aggregation which is represented by one of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads includes a reference thereto.
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Abstract
A geographic database for use with a navigation application program that provides navigation features to an end-user. The geographic database includes data entities that represent segments of roads and additionally includes data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads. The data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads are used during a route calculation by the navigation application to suppress evaluation of roads of lesser functional rank thereby enhancing performance of the navigation system. According to one aspect, each of the data entities that represent segments of roads that represents a segment of a road that together with at least one other segment of a road forms part of an aggregation which is represented by one of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads includes a reference thereto. According to another aspect, each of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads refers to data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads included in the represented aggregation. Each of the data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads refers to a corresponding one of the data entities that represent segments of roads that represents the same respective segment of road. According to this aspect, at least some of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads are stored separately from the data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads included in the represented aggregation. According to a further aspect, the navigation application program uses the references between the data entities that represent segments of roads, the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads, and the data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads included in the represented aggregation to provide navigation features, including evaluating which data entities to use for route calculation and ascertaining whether a solution route has been found.
240 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A geographic database stored adapted for use with a navigation application program run in a navigation system comprising:
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data entities that represent segments of roads in a geographic region and data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads; and wherein each of the data entities that represent segments of roads that represents a segment of a road that together with at least one other segment of a road forms part of an aggregation which is represented by one of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads includes a reference thereto. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. In a navigation system that includes a navigation application program, a geographic database stored on a computer-readable medium comprising:
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data entities that represent segments of roads in a geographic region and data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads; and wherein each of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads refers to data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads included in the represented aggregation, wherein each of the data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads includes a reference to a corresponding one of the data entities that represent segments of roads that represents the same respective segment of road. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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9. A geographic database for use in a navigation system that includes a navigation application program that uses said geographic database, wherein the geographic database includes:
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data entities that represent segments of roads; and data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads; and wherein the geographic database includes a plurality of separate layers that include separate collections of the data entities based upon functional ranks of the represented segments of roads; and further within each layer the geographic database is spatially parcelized into a plurality of parcels each of which includes a separate grouping of a plurality of said data entities based upon a proximity of the represented segments of roads; and wherein each of the data entities that represent an aggregation of segments of roads refers to data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads included in the represented aggregation and wherein the data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads included in the represented aggregation are located in the same layer of the geographic database as the data entities that represent an aggregation of segments of roads thereas; and wherein each of the data entities that are abbreviated representations of the segments of roads includes a reference to a corresponding one of the data entities that represent segments of roads and which is located in a different layer relative thereto. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11)
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12. A method of using a geographic database that includes data entities that represent road segments and data entities that represent aggregations of road segments, wherein each of the data entities that represent road segments that represents a road segment that together with at least one other road segment forms part of an aggregation which is represented by one of the data entities that represent aggregations of road segments includes a reference thereto, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
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evaluating a plurality of possible routes from an intersection along a potential solution route by comparing successor road segments of a road segment that leads to the intersection; with respect to the successor road segments which are represented by data entities that include a reference to a data entity that represents an aggregation of road segments, obtaining data associated with the referenced data entity that represents an aggregation of road segments; and using the obtained data associated with the referenced data entity that represents the aggregation of road segments when comparing successor road segments from the intersection to ascertain whether a route incorporating road segments that form part of the aggregation represented by the data entity that represents the aggregation of road segments meets an applicable criterion to be included as part of the potential solution route. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of using a two ended search routine search with a geographic database that includes data entities that represent segments of roads and data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads, wherein each of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads is associated with a reference by which the data entities that represent segments of roads that represent the same respective segments of roads that are represented in aggregation by the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads can be identified, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
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building a potential solution route leading from an origin; building a potential solution route leading to a destination; using the reference associated with a data entity that represents an aggregation of segments of roads included in either of the potential solution routes to identify the data entities that represent segments of roads that represent the same respective segments of roads that are represented in aggregation by the data entity that represents aggregations of segments of roads; and comparing the data entities that represent segments of roads in the potential solution route leading from the origin with the data entities that represent segments of roads in the potential solution route leading to the destination to determine whether the two potential solution routes meet. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A method of using a navigation system with real time traffic updates, wherein the navigation system uses a geographic database that includes data entities that represent segments of roads and data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads, wherein each of the data entities that represent segments of roads that represents a segment of a road that together with at least one other segment of a road forms part of an aggregation which is represented by one of the data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads includes a reference thereto, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
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obtaining the real-time traffic update data via a wireless communication; associating the real-time traffic update data with said data entities that represent segments of roads; and with respect to each of said data entities that represent segments of roads to which said real-time traffic update data is associated, using said reference to associate said real-time traffic update data with data entities that represent aggregations of segments of roads referenced thereby.
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Specification