Location information exchange apparatus and location information exchange method

• US 7,822,542 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Mitsugi, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US11/992,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20090157306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/300, 340/988, 340/990, 340/993, 340/995.17, 340/995.23, 342/357.1
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching

Abstract

A location information exchange apparatus includes an information acquisition unit 4 for acquiring point information indicating an exchange point whose location is to be exchanged from a map database 6 according to an instruction from outside the apparatus; an information conversion unit 3 for converting this point information into location information comprised of specific point information 3 indicating a specific point which exists in common among map databases and related information 9 indicating a relative location with respect to this specific point; and a communications unit 2 for transmitting point exchange information 29 including the location information to outside the apparatus. The communications unit further receives point exchange information from outside the apparatus, and the information conversion unit converts location information included in the received point exchange information into point information, and determines an exchange point on the map database on the basis of the point information.

Claims

1. A location information exchange apparatus comprising:

a map database for storing map information;

an information acquisition unit for acquiring point information indicating an exchange point whose location is to be exchanged from said map database according to an instruction from outside the location information exchange apparatus;

an information conversion unit for converting the point information acquired by said information acquisition unit into location information which is comprised of specific point information indicating a specific point which exists in common among a plurality of map databases and related information indicating a relative location with respect to this specific point; and

a communications unit for transmitting point exchange information including the location information acquired through the conversion by said information conversion unit to outside the location information exchange apparatus.

2. The location information exchange apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communications unit receives point exchange information from outside the location information exchange apparatus, and the information conversion unit converts location information included in the point exchange information received by said communications unit into point information, and determines an exchange point on the map database on a basis of the point information which is acquired through said conversion.

3. The location information exchange apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the specific point is at least one of a reference point in a map section, an intersection which serves as a start point of a pass road or a sidewalk, an entrance in a building, a landmark meaning a specific place in a real world, a famous point, such as a place of natural beauty or historic interest, and a reference point determined by a public institution.

4. The location information exchange apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the specific point information includes information indicating at least one of a name, an ID, and coordinates.

5. The location information exchange apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the related information is comprised of either relative vector information about a relative vector starting from the specific point or relative route information about a relative route starting from the specific point, said relative vector information includes at least one of information indicating a two-dimensional direction and a two-dimensional distance from the specific point, and information indicating a three-dimensional direction and a three-dimensional distance from the specific point, and said relative route information includes at least one of:

information indicating information about roads on a route, and a direction and a total distance on the route from the specific point,

information indicating a connected side with respect to an end point on the route, and

information indicating path information in a building on the route, and the direction and the total distance on the route.

6. The location information exchange apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the point exchange information includes map database information indicating a map database which is used when the information acquisition unit acquires the point information.

7. The location information exchange apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the map database information is comprised of information about a map database and information about the map database used for acquiring the exchange point, and the information about the map database includes at least one of a maker of the map database and a date and time of creation of the map database and the information on the map database used for acquiring the exchange point includes at least one of a scale of the map database and a section of the map database.

8. A location information exchange apparatus comprising:

a map database for storing map information;

a communications unit for receiving point exchange information including location information which is comprised of specific point information indicating a specific point which exists in common among a plurality of map databases and related information indicating a relative location with respect to this specific point from outside the location information exchange apparatus; and

an information conversion unit for converting the location information included in the point exchange information received by said communications unit into point information indicating a point whose location is to be exchanged so as to determine an exchange point whose location on said map database is to be exchanged on a basis of the point information which is acquired through said conversion.

9. A location information exchange method comprising:

acquiring point information indicating an exchange point whose location is to be exchanged from a map database according to an instruction from outside;

converting this acquired point information into location information which is comprised of specific point information indicating a specific point which exists in common among a plurality of map databases and related information indicating a relative location with respect to this specific point; and

transmitting point exchange information including the location information acquired through said conversion to outside.

10. The location information exchange method according to claim 9, wherein in the step of transmitting the point exchange information to outside, point exchange information is received from the outside, and, in the step of converting into point exchange information, location information included in said received point exchange information is converted into point information and an exchange point on the map database is determined on a basis of point information which is acquired through said conversion.

11. A location information exchange method comprising:

receiving point exchange information including location information which is comprised of specific point information indicating a specific point which exists in common among a plurality of map databases and related information indicating a relative location with respect to this specific point from outside; and

converting the location information included in the point exchange information received into point information indicating a point whose location is to be exchanged so as to determine an exchange point whose location on a map database is to be exchanged on a basis of the point information which is acquired through said conversion.