METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSMITTING AND/OR RECEIVING AT LEAST ONE LOCATION REFERENCE, ENHANCED BY AT LEAST ONE FOCUSING FACTOR

• US 20110288762A1
• Filed: 12/30/2008
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tomtom Global Content B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: Tomtom Global Content B.V (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Kuznetsov, Tsia
• Granted Patent: US 9,746,335 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3446 Details of route searching algorithms, e.g. Dijkstra, A*, arc-flags, using precalculated routes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3896 Transmission of map data from central databases

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the method includes at least one of obtaining and receiving information regarding at least one location reference at a server (302) for transmission to at least one remote device; determining at least one path of the at least one location reference corresponding to at least one pair of points within mapping information at the server (302); computing at least one focusing factor at the server (302) based upon encoded information corresponding to the determined at least one path of the at least one location reference, and enhancing the at least one location reference by the computed at least one focusing factor; and transmitting the at least one location reference enhanced by the computed at least one focusing factor from the server (302) to the at least one remote device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at least one of obtaining and receiving information regarding at least one location reference at a server (302) for transmission to at least one remote device;

determining at least one path of the at least one location reference corresponding to at least one pair of points within mapping information at the server (302);

computing at least one focusing factor at the server (302) based upon encoded information corresponding to the determined at least one path of the at least one location reference, and enhancing the at least one location reference by the computed at least one focusing factor; and

transmitting the at least one location reference enhanced by the computed at least one focusing factor from the server (302) to the at least one remote device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one location reference enhanced by the at least one focusing factor is usable by the at least one remote device in reconstructing the at least one path of the at least one location reference.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one location reference enhanced by the at least one focusing factor is useable by the at least one remote device in determining a search area in reconstruction of the at least one path of at least one the location reference.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one location reference enhanced by the at least one focusing factor is useable by the at least one remote device in determining a reduced search area in reconstruction of the at least one path of the at least one location reference.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one location reference enhanced by the at least one focusing factor is useable by the at least one remote device in regulating node filtering in reconstruction of the at least one path of the at least one location reference.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one focusing factor includes at least one heuristic value, computed as a function of path node deviation, based upon the encoded information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein as the path node deviation is relatively increased, the at least one heuristic value is relatively decreased and as the path node deviation is relatively decreased, the at least one heuristic value is relatively increased.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one focusing factor is computed based upon at least one pair of encoded points and a path distance.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitted at least one location reference enhanced by the at least one focusing factor includes at least one pair of points and a path distance.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one remote device is another server.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computed at least one location reference enhanced by at least one focusing factor is useable at the at least one remote device to compute a travel route, derived at least in part by taking into account the at least one path of the at least one location reference.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one location reference enhanced by at least one focusing factor is usable by the at least one remote device in reconstructing the at least one path of the at least one location reference, and wherein a travel route is determinable at the at least one remote device to avoid, to an extent possible consistent with routing criteria, the reconstructed at least one path of the at least one location reference.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one location reference enhanced by at least one focusing factor includes a path distance, the path distance being useable, at the at least one remote device, in regulating node filtering in location reconstruction of the at least one path of the location reference.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein a default focusing factor is set and wherein the at least one location reference is enhanced by at least one focusing factor before transmission, only upon the at least one focusing factor being different from the default focusing factor.

18. A computer readable medium including program segments for, when executed on a processor of the server (302), causing the server (302) to implement the method of claim 1.

10. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

19. A system, comprising:

a receiver (310) to at least one of obtain and receive information regarding at least one location reference at a server (302) for transmission to at least one remote device;

a processor (304) to determine at least one path of the at least one location reference corresponding to at least one pair of points within mapping information at the server (302) and to compute at least one focusing factor at the server (302) based upon encoded information corresponding to the determined at least one path of the at least one location reference; and

a transmitter (308) to transmit the at least one location reference enhanced by the at least one computed focusing factor from the server (302) to the at least one remote device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one location reference enhanced by the at least one focusing factor is usable by the at least one remote device in reconstructing the at least one path of the at least one location reference.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one location reference enhanced by the at least one focusing factor is useable by the at least one remote device in determining a search area in reconstruction of the at least one path of the at least one location reference.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one location reference enhanced by the at least one focusing factor is useable by the at least one remote device in determining a reduced search area in reconstruction of the at least one path of the at least one location reference.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one location reference enhanced by the at least one focusing factor is useable by the at least one remote device in regulating node filtering in reconstruction of the at least one path of the at least one location reference.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one focusing factor includes at least one heuristic value, computed as a function of path node deviation, based upon the encoded information.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein as the path node deviation is relatively increased, the at least one heuristic value is relatively decreased and as the path node deviation is relatively decreased, the at least one heuristic value is relatively increased.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one focusing factor is computed based upon at least one pair of encoded points and a path distance.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the transmitted at least one location reference enhanced by the at least one focusing factor includes at least one pair of points and a path distance.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one remote device is another server.

32. The system of claim 19, wherein the computed at least one location reference enhanced by at least one focusing factor is useable at the at least one remote device to compute a travel route, derived at least in part by taking into account the at least one path of the at least one location reference.

33. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one location reference enhanced by at least one focusing factor is usable by the at least one remote device in reconstructing the at least one path of the at least one location reference, and wherein a travel route is determinable at the at least one remote device to avoid, to an extent possible consistent with routing criteria, the reconstructed at least one path of the at least one location reference.

34. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one location reference enhanced by at least one focusing factor includes a path distance, the path distance being useable, at the at least one remote device, in regulating node filtering in location reconstruction of the at least one path of the location reference.

35. The system of claim 19, wherein a default focusing factor is set and wherein the at least one location reference is enhanced by at least one focusing factor before transmission, only upon the at least one focusing factor being different from the default focusing factor.

28. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

31. (canceled)