Position recognition device and position recognition method, and accounting processor and accounting processing method

• US 7,778,941 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2001
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Aoki, Yasuyuki, Kakihara, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): BORISSOV, IGOR N
• Application Number:
  US10/363,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20030158799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,294 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-217, 340/990, 340/990.25, 340/99.255, 705/417, 705/418, 705/30, 705/29, 705/7, 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/417
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/47 the supplementary measurement being an inertial measurement, e.g. tightly coupled inertial
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

A position recognition device for deciding a zone where a moving object takes a position. The device comprises: a travel distance decider for deciding whether or not the moving object has traveled a predetermined distance corresponding to the detection error of the position of the moving object; and a zone decider for deciding the zone where the moving object takes a position, if the travel distance decider decides that the moving object has traveled the predetermined distance.

According to the invention, therefore, “the decision of the zone where the moving object exists” is not made, in case the position of the moving object cannot be precisely detected. Therefore, the precision in the decision of the zone where the moving object exists is improved, and it is unnecessary to set a buffer zone that “the decision of the zone where the moving object exists is not made if the moving object takes a position in the neighborhood” as the reference for deciding the existing zone of the moving object. Without the necessity for setting the buffer zone, therefore, it is possible to reduce the quantities of data and operations and to suppress the rise in the cost for manufacturing the position recognition device. Within the travel distance for a possible error in the detection of the position of the moving object, moreover, it is unnecessary to detect the position of the moving object. Therefore, it is sufficient to acquire discrete pieces of positional information so as to be the position recognition device. It is, therefore, possible to promote the reduction in the size of the position recognition device and to suppress the rise in the cost for manufacturing the position recognition device.

Claims

1. An accounting system configured to decide a zone where a moving object takes a position, thereby to generate accounting information on the basis of the decision result, the accounting system comprising:

a controller configured for;

determining a travel distance of the moving object between a first point and a second point on a travel route of the moving object;

comparing the determined travel distance to a predetermined distance; and

determining whether a travel distance of the moving object exceeds the predetermined distance, wherein;

when the travel distance of the moving object is determined to have exceeded the predetermined distance, the controller is configured to determine an existence of a zone borderline between different accounting zones in the travel route of the moving object;

when it is determined that the zone borderline exists in the travel route of the moving object, the controller is configured to determine a first distance from the first point to the zone borderline and a second distance from the zone borderline to the second point;

when the determined first distance exceeds the predetermined distance, the controller is configured to execute an accounting process to generate the accounting information based on the determined first distance;

when the determined second distance exceeds the predetermined distance, the controller is configured to execute an accounting process to generate the accounting information based on the determined second distance; and

the controller is configured not to perform the accounting resulting from the movement of the moving object, when the controller decides that the travel distance of the moving object is no more than the predetermined distance; and

a communication unit configured to send the accounting information to an accounting station.

2. An accounting system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to decide the predetermined distance in terms of a rectilinear distance.

3. An accounting system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to compare a travel locus, which is detected by a time the moving object has traveled the predetermined distance, and choices of the travel routes existing in map information providing a reference for deciding the position of the moving object, thereby to decide that the moving object has traveled such one of a choice of travel routes existing in the map information as to minimize the travel distance of the moving object.

4. An accounting system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to compare a travel locus, which is detected by a time the moving object has traveled the predetermined distance, and a configurations of choices of travel routes existing in map information providing a reference for deciding the position of the moving object, thereby to decide what choices existing in the map information the moving object has traveled, on the basis of the comparison result.

5. An accounting system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to decide that the moving object has traveled the travel route which minimizes the accounting resulting from the movement of the moving object.

6. An accounting system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the controller is mounted on the moving object.

7. An accounting processing method for deciding a zone where a moving object takes a position, thereby to generate accounting information on the basis of the decision result, a controller performing the accounting processing method comprising the steps of:

a.) determining a travel distance of the moving object between a first point and a second point on a travel route of the moving object by a controller;

b.) comparing the determined travel distance to a predetermined distance by the controller;

c.) determining whether a travel distance of the moving object exceeds the predetermined distance by the controller;

d.) when the travel distance of the moving object is determined to have exceeded the predetermined distance in step (c), the controller is configured to determine an existence of a zone borderline between different accounting zones in the travel route of the moving object by the controller;

e.) when it is determined that the zone borderline exists in the travel route of the moving object in step (d), the controller is configured to determine a first distance from the first point to the zone borderline and a second distance from the zone borderline to the second point by the controller;

f.) when the determined first distance exceeds the predetermined distance, the controller is configured to execute an accounting process to generate accounting information based on the determined first distance in step (e) by the controller;

g.) when the determined second distance exceeds the predetermined distance, the controller is configured to execute the accounting process to generate accounting information based on the determined second distance in step (e) by the controller; and

h.) sending the accounting information to an accounting station by a communication unit,

wherein the controller in steps (f) and (g) is configured not to perform the accounting resulting from the movement of the moving object, when step (c) decides that the travel distance of the moving object is no more than the predetermined distance.

8. An accounting processing method as set forth in claim 7, wherein step (b) is configured to decide the predetermined distance in terms of a rectilinear distance.

9. An accounting processing method as set forth in claim 7, wherein steps (f) and (g) are configured to compare a travel locus, which is detected by the time the moving object has traveled the predetermined distance, and choices of travel routes existing in map information providing a reference for deciding the position of the moving object, thereby to decide that the moving object has traveled such one of a choice of travel routes existing in the map information as to minimize the travel distance of the moving object.

10. An accounting processing method as set forth in claim 7, wherein steps (f) and (g) are configured to compare a travel locus, which is detected by a time the moving object has traveled the predetermined distance, and configurations of choices of travel routes existing in a map information providing a reference for deciding the position of the moving object, thereby to decide what choices existing in the map information the moving object has traveled, on the basis of the comparison result.

11. An accounting processing method as set forth in claim 7, wherein steps (f) and (g) are configured to decide that the moving object has traveled the travel route which minimizes the accounting resulting from the movement of the moving object.