Technique for determining points of interest

• US 9,341,491 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elektrobit Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Elektrobit Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Mellert, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOUIE, WAE LENNY
• Application Number:
  US13/847,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20130304372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 701/426, 701/438, 701/533, 701/408, 701/409, 701/410, 340/995.24, 340/995.27, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3476 using point of interest [POI] information, e.g. a route passing visible POIs
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a technique for searching points of interest, or POIs, along a calculated route to be travelled. A method implementation thereof comprises the steps of providing an initial search corridor of predetermined size, wherein the corridor is indicative of a geographic area covering at least portions of the route to be travelled, performing a POI search within the provided search corridor, and adjusting the corridor size for a subsequent POI search based on a number of POI hits found during the POI search in the currently provided search corridor.

Claims

1. A method of searching points of interest, or POIs, along a calculated route to be travelled, comprising:

providing an initial search corridor of predetermined size, wherein the search corridor is indicative of a geographic area covering at least a portion of the route to be travelled;

performing a POI search within the provided search corridor; and

adjusting the corridor size for a subsequent POI search based on a number of POI hits found during the POI search in the currently provided search corridor,

wherein the adjusting step and the performing the POI search step are iteratively repeated until the number of POI hits found within the iteratively adjusted corridor size meets an acceptance criterion, and

wherein the adjusting step is stopped as soon as the acceptance criterion is met, whereas the performing the POI search step continues on a basis of the adjusted corridor size while traveling along the route.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising regularly updating the POI search, wherein for each POI update the performing the POI search step is repeated at least once.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the adjusting step is iteratively repeated by performing one adjusting step per POI update event.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising updating a route position, and adjusting the search corridor to the updated route position.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting step comprises iteratively increasing the corridor size when a number of found POI hits falls below a predetermined lower threshold.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting step comprises iteratively decreasing the corridor size when a number of found POI hits exceeds a predetermined upper threshold.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein adjusting the corridor size comprises adjusting at least one of a corridor length and a corridor width.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the corridor size is adjusted in a continuous manner.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the corridor size is adjusted in discrete steps using pre-stored corridor configurations associated with predetermined corridor sizes.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising adjusting a shape of the search corridor for a subsequent POI search.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the POI search within the search corridor is performed in dependence of selected POI parameters.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the search corridor has a shape that substantially follows the route or the route portion to be travelled.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program product having program code for performing the method according to claim 1.

14. A device for searching points of interests, or POIs, along a calculated route to be travelled, comprising:

a determining unit configured to provide a search corridor of predetermined size, wherein the search corridor is indicative of a geographic area covering at least a portion of the route to be travelled;

a searching unit configured to perform a POI search within the provided search corridor; and

an adjusting unit configured to adjust the corridor size for a subsequent POI search based on a number of POI hits found during the POI search in the currently provided search corridor,

wherein the adjusting and the performing the POI search are iteratively repeated until the number of the POI hits found within the iteratively adjusted corridor size meets an acceptance criterion, and

wherein the adjusting is stopped as soon as the acceptance criterion is met, whereas the performing the POI search continues on a basis of the adjusted corridor size while traveling along the route.

15. The device according to claim 14, further comprising:

a position sensor, configured to provide current position data of a user travelling along the route;

a counting unit configured to count a number of found POIs within the corridor and to compare the count number with at least one threshold; and

a database configured to store digital navigation data.

16. A navigation device comprising the device of claim 14.