Navigation apparatus, server apparatus and method of collecting parking location information

• US 9,418,550 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2014
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Traffic B.V. (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Geelen, Pieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/520,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20150051833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 340/935, 340/426.19, 340/825.49, 340/938, 340/902, 340/908, 340/972, 340990-994, 340/995.1, 340/995.13, 340/995.17, 340/426.22
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/14 indicating individual free spaces in parking areas

Abstract

A navigation apparatus comprises a processing resource operably coupled to a receiver for location-related data and arranged to perform, when in use, location determination. The processing resource supports a parking location determination module the parking location determination module is arranged to determine when the location determined is substantially unchanged and to determine that the location determined constitutes a candidate parking location in response to the location determined remaining substantially unchanged relative to a predetermined period of time.

Claims

1. A server for enriching a database of parking location information, the server comprising:

a memory storage comprising a database comprising one or more known parking locations; and

a processing resource coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

receive log data associated with movement for a plurality of navigation devices, the log data comprising a record of changes of locations of the navigation devices with time;

support a parking location determination module, the parking location determination module being arranged to determine from the log data candidate parking locations where a navigation device was substantially unchanged with respect to time for at least a predetermined period of time;

support a pattern matching engine to determine clusters of candidate parking locations from the log data, a cluster being a collection of candidate parking locations that are within a predetermined distance of each other; and

update the database with the candidate parking locations identified by the pattern matching engine.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the pattern matching engine is operative to identify at least one of a spatial and temporal pattern in the clusters indicative of a collection of parking locations.

3. The server of claim 2, wherein the spatial pattern comprises a row of candidate parking locations indicative of a set of roadside parking spaces.

4. The server of claim 2, wherein the spatial pattern comprises a collection of substantially regularly arranged candidate parking locations indicative of a parking lot.

5. The server of claim 2, wherein the temporal pattern comprises a reoccurrence of a candidate parking location greater than or equal to a predetermined event value.

6. The server of claim 1, wherein the processing resource is operative to determine if any of the candidate parking locations correspond to a known parking location in the database and remove any candidate parking locations determined to be known from further analysis by the pattern matching engine.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the database further comprises one or more locations where parking is illegal, and the parking location determination module is arranged to determine if any of the candidate parking locations correspond to a location in the database where parking is illegal, and to remove any candidate parking locations determined to be illegal from further analysis by the pattern matching engine.

8. A method of collecting parking location information, the method comprising:

analysing, by a processor, location data relating to changes in location of a plurality of navigation apparatus with time;

determining, by a processor, when a location of a navigation apparatus is substantially unchanged with respect to time for at least a predetermined period of time, wherein the determination that the location of the navigation apparatus is substantially unchanged with respect to time for at least a predetermined period of time constitutes a candidate parking location;

identifying, by a processor, instances of candidate parking locations that are within a predetermined distance of each other;

identifying, by a processor, at least one of a spatial and temporal pattern in the identified candidate parking locations indicative of a collection of parking locations; and

inferring, by a processor, that the candidate parking locations identified as being indicative of a collection of parking locations are actual parking locations.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising clustering candidate parking locations from the location data, a cluster being a collection of candidate parking locations that are within a predetermined distance of each other.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the inference of actual parking locations is based on pattern matching analysis.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the spatial pattern comprises a row of candidate parking locations indicative of a set of roadside parking spaces.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the spatial pattern comprises a collection of substantially regularly arranged candidate parking locations indicative of a parking lot.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the temporal pattern comprises a reoccurrence of a candidate parking location greater than or equal to a predetermined event value.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising determining if any of the candidate parking locations correspond to a known parking location and remove any candidate parking locations determined to be known.

15. The method of claim 8 further comprising determining if any of the candidate parking locations correspond to a location where parking is illegal, and to remove any candidate parking locations determined to be illegal.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method of collecting parking location information, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

analysing location data relating to changes in location of a plurality of navigation apparatus with time;

determining when a location of a navigation apparatus is substantially unchanged with respect to time for at least a predetermined period of time, wherein the determination that the location of the navigation apparatus is substantially unchanged with respect to time for at least a predetermined period of time constitutes a candidate parking location;

identifying instances of candidate parking locations that are within a predetermined distance of each other;

identifying at least one of a spatial and temporal pattern in the identified candidate parking locations indicative of a collection of parking locations; and

inferring that the candidate parking locations identified as being indicative of a collection of parking locations are actual parking locations.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 further comprising clustering candidate parking locations from the location data, a cluster being a collection of candidate parking locations that are within a predetermined distance of each other.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the inference of actual parking locations is based on pattern matching analysis.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 further comprising determining if any of the candidate parking locations correspond to a known parking location and remove any candidate parking locations determined to be known.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 further comprising determining if any of the candidate parking locations correspond to a location where parking is illegal, and to remove any candidate parking locations determined to be illegal.