Route comparison device, route comparison method, and program

• US 9,476,722 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mutoh, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Badii, Behrang
• Assistant Examiner(s): GREENE, DANIEL LAWSON
• Application Number:
  US14/334,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20140330509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 701/446, 701/410
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3446 Details of route searching algorithms, e.g. Dijkstra, A*, arc-flags, using precalculated routes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

Provided is a route comparison device including a point information acquisition unit for acquiring location information of a starting point and a goal point, a reference route acquisition unit for acquiring shape data of a reference route between the starting point and the goal point, a route search unit for searching for a route between the starting point and the goal point, and a degree-of-matching calculation unit for calculating, by comparing shape data of a found route which has been found by the route search unit and the shape data of the reference route, a degree of matching indicating a degree of correspondence between the routes.

Claims

1. A route comparison device comprising:

circuitry configured to;

acquire location information of a starting point and a goal point;

search for a route between the starting point and the goal point; and

compare shape data of a found route obtained by the search and shape data of a reference route, wherein the reference route is a most searched route among routes searched by a plurality of route search devices.

2. The route comparison device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to search for a plurality of routes between the starting point and the goal point, and calculate a degree of matching to the reference route for a plurality of the found routes.

3. The route comparison device according to claim 1, wherein the reference route is a route generated based on routes that a plurality of users have actually travelled.

4. The route comparison device according to claim 1, wherein the reference route is a route which is determined based on pieces of shape data of a plurality of routes to have been adopted most often.

5. The route comparison device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to calculate a degree of matching based on a ratio of overlapping portion of the shape data of the found route and the shape data of the reference route to entire area of the shape data of the found route.

6. The route comparison device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to calculate a degree of matching based on an area of a portion where the shape data of the reference route and the shape data of the found route overlap.

7. The route comparison device according to claim 6, wherein the circuitry is configured to calculate the degree of matching by using the shape data of the found route whose shape has been obscured.

8. The route comparison device according to claim 7, wherein the circuitry is configured to obtain the area by using the shape data in which the shape has been obscured by broadening a line width of the found route to be same as a line width of the shape data of the reference route.

9. The route comparison device according to claim 7, wherein the circuitry is configured to obtain the area by using the shape data in which the shape has been obscured by performing a rounding process on a joint between links of the found route.

10. The route comparison device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to display a display screen where a degree of matching between the reference route and the found route is superimposed on a map together with the found route.

11. The route comparison device according to claim 10, wherein the circuitry is further configured to display the display screen where the reference route is further superimposed on the map.

12. A route comparison device comprising:

circuitry configured to;

acquire location information of a starting point and a goal point;

acquire shape data of two routes between the starting point and the goal point; and

calculate, by comparing the shape data of the two acquired routes, a degree of matching indicating a degree of correspondence between the two routes, wherein the degree of matching is a ratio of an area of a portion where the shape data of the two acquired routes overlap and entire area of one of the two acquired routes.

13. The route comparison device according to claim 12,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to repeatedly select two routes from shape data of a plurality of routes, and acquire shape data of the two routes, and

wherein the circuitry is further configured to determine, based on the degree of matching, whether the two routes for which the degree of matching has been calculated are a same route or not, and sort the plurality of routes.

14. The route comparison device according to claim 13,

wherein the circuitry is further configured to select a reference route based on a sorting result.

15. A route comparison method comprising:

acquiring location information of a starting point and a goal point;

acquiring shape data of a reference route between the starting point and the goal point;

searching for a route between the starting point and the goal point; and

calculating via a processor, by comparing shape data of a found route which has been found by the searching and the shape data of the reference route, a degree of matching indicating a degree of correspondence between the routes, wherein the reference route is a most searched route among routes searched by a plurality of route search devices.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer readable instructions thereon that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

acquiring location information of a starting point and a goal point;

acquiring shape data of a reference route between the starting point and the goal point;

searching for a route between the starting point and the goal point; and

calculating, by comparing shape data of a found route which has been found by the searching and the shape data of the reference route, a degree of matching indicating a degree of correspondence between the routes, wherein the reference route is a most searched route among routes searched by a plurality of route search devices.