KR101016114B1 - Method and apparatus for providing map information suitable for the purpose - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing map information, and to provide map information including information optimized according to a purpose of using map information.

To this end, the method for providing map information according to the present invention includes: receiving a map information request including information on a request point and usage information; Determining a map information parameter according to the usage information; Generating map information including the request point using the determined map information parameter; And transmitting the generated map information.

Map, Directions, Uses, Means of Transportation

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING MAP INFORMATION SUITABLE FOR THE PURPOSE}

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing map information, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing map information according to usage.

In an information society where the amount of information is enormous, the quality of life is determined by how much valid information is available. Among the various kinds of information, the schematized information is becoming more important in the sense that it is an integrated of information that has many meanings. An example of representative schematic information is a map. Maps can contain comprehensive information such as geography, climate, and population, as well as information on road networks, buildings, and locations.

As wireless communication technology and wireless equipment technology develop, a user may be provided with map information through a wireless communication network. Such map information may be provided to a user through a personal computer (PC), navigation, portable multimedia player (PMP), and personal digital assistant (PDA).

In particular, with the rapid development of electronic engineering, communication engineering, and terminal technology, mobile communication terminals have various functions. Recent mobile communication terminals not only provide voice call services, but also provide various data communication services such as Internet access or content download. Accordingly, a technology for providing map information through a mobile communication terminal has been developed.

On the other hand, such map information is generally provided in the form of an electronic map. Electronic map refers to a representation of digital paper so that a conventional paper map can be used in a computer or the like. Electronic maps have the advantage that they can represent much more information than paper maps. In addition, since a Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, which is a database of various geographic information, is applied to an electronic map, a user can easily search for location information such as latitude, longitude, and address. In addition, as the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology is applied to the electronic map, the user may be provided with the electronic map in which his location is displayed.

However, such map information has a problem in that readability is low from the user's point of view of the map, or the recognition ability of the displayed information is low. That is, it is difficult for the user to obtain the desired information at a glance by viewing the map information.

For example, the electronic map provided through the map service of the portal site includes all the information about the terrain, roads, buildings, etc. so that there is no difference from the actual. In this case, the electronic map is excellent in terms of accuracy, but not in terms of user's convenience of information acquisition. In fact, if a user wants to know a route from a current location to a specific destination through map information, a map showing only a few orthogonal roads and a few land marks around the map may be more helpful than an electronic map as described above. Can be.

Accordingly, there is a need for a technology for providing map information so that a user can easily grasp desired information.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problem, and an object thereof is to enable a user to easily grasp desired information from map information.

Another object of the present invention is to provide map information including information optimized according to the purpose for which the map information is used.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects and advantages of the present invention which are not mentioned above can be understood by the following description, and will be more clearly understood by the embodiments of the present invention. It will also be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing map information, the method comprising: receiving a map information request including information on a request point and usage information; Determining a map information parameter according to the usage information; Generating map information including the request point using the determined map information parameter; And transmitting the generated map information.

In addition, the map information providing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, the receiving unit for receiving a map information request including the information about the request point and the usage purpose information; A parameter determining unit which determines a map information parameter according to the usage information; A map information generator configured to generate map information including the request point by using the determined map information parameter; And a transmitter for transmitting the generated map information.

According to the present invention as described above, the user can easily grasp the desired information from the map information.

In addition, according to the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to provide map information including information optimized according to the use of the map information.

The following merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art, although not explicitly described or illustrated herein, can embody the principles of the present invention and invent various devices that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, all of the conditional terms and embodiments listed herein are, in principle, intended only for the purpose of enabling understanding of the concepts of the present invention, and are not intended to be limiting in any way to the specifically listed embodiments and conditions .

It is also to be understood that the detailed description, as well as the principles, aspects and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific embodiments thereof, are intended to cover structural and functional equivalents thereof. In addition, these equivalents should be understood to include not only equivalents now known, but also equivalents to be developed in the future, that is, all devices invented to perform the same function regardless of structure.

Thus, for example, the block diagrams herein should be understood to represent a conceptual view of example circuitry embodying the principles of the invention. Similarly, all flowcharts, state transitions, pseudocodes, and the like are understood to represent various processes performed by a computer or processor, whether or not the computer or processor is substantially illustrated on a computer readable medium and whether the computer or processor is clearly shown. Should be.

The functionality of the various elements shown in the figures, including functional blocks represented by a processor or similar concept, can be provided by the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functionality may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor or by a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared.

In addition, the explicit use of the terms presented in terms of processor, control, or similar concept should not be interpreted exclusively as a citation of hardware capable of executing software, and without limitation, ROM for storing digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, software. (ROM), RAM, and non-volatile memory are to be understood to implicitly include. Other hardware for the governor may also be included.

In the claims of this specification, components expressed as means for performing the functions described in the detailed description include all types of software including, for example, a combination of circuit elements or firmware / microcode, etc. that perform the functions. It is intended to include all methods of performing a function which are combined with appropriate circuitry for executing the software to perform the function. The invention, as defined by these claims, is equivalent to what is understood from this specification, as any means capable of providing such functionality, as the functionality provided by the various enumerated means are combined, and in any manner required by the claims. It should be understood that.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: There will be. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the present invention, map information is generated differently according to the usage. To this end, map information parameters are determined according to the received usage information, and map information is generated using the determined map information parameters.

Usage information indicates the use of the map information. Usage information may be, for example, information on the purpose of using the map information, such as transportation, tourism, climate, military, marine, mountain, etc., map information such as walking, public transportation, vehicle, etc. It may be information on the means for the user to move. On the other hand, the map information parameters collectively refer to various variables or information necessary to generate the map information. The map information parameters may include, for example, the scale of the map information, the central location of the map information, the information (essential elements) essential to be included in the map information, the inclusion of specific information (traffic information, alleys, points of interest, geographic information, etc.). ), The style of the map information (background, color, design, etc.), the type of map information (electronic map, map, satellite image, etc.), the orientation of the map information (information about which direction the map information is displayed). Can be.

For example, when the usage information is for public transportation, the map information parameter may be determined to set the public transportation information closest to the request point (a specific geographical location representing the destination, the current location, the branch office, etc.) as an essential element. The map information generated using the determined map information parameter allows the user to obtain information on public transportation near the request point.

In this way, by determining the map information parameter according to the usage purpose information, the map information may be generated to include information suitable for the purpose for which the map information is to be used. In addition, the user can easily grasp desired information from the map information.

Hereinafter, the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Map Information Provision Method>

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a method for providing map information according to the present invention will be described.

1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing map information according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the method for providing map information includes receiving a map information request including information on a request point and usage information (102), determining a map information parameter according to the usage information (104); Generating map information including a request point using the determined map information parameter (106) and transmitting the generated map information (108).

Here, the map information parameter may include at least one of the scale of the map information, the center position, the essential elements, the style, the type, the orientation, and whether the specific information is included. According to the present invention, the map information parameter may be variously determined, thereby generating map information most suitable for use. For example, the case where the specific information is included in the map information parameter will be described. Map information may or may not be included depending on the purpose of use. Tourist map information should include information such as tourist attractions and lodging locations, and military map information should include military area information. In addition, the map information for public transportation should include information on the public transport station, the vehicle map information should include information on the vehicle. By setting whether or not to include specific information as the map information parameter, map information including information suitable for the purpose of use can be generated.

The map information request may be requested from a user terminal that receives the generated map information. Therefore, information about the request point and usage information may also be transmitted from the user terminal. Information about the request point and the usage information transmitted by the user terminal may be directly received or may be received through an intermediate server such as a server of a contents provider (CP). Here, the user terminal collectively refers to an electronic device that can be used by a user, and includes a mobile communication terminal. The mobile communication terminal refers to a terminal that can use mobile communication, such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone.

The request point indicates a specific geographic location to be included in the map information. The request point may be a destination, a current location, a specific business point, or the like, depending on the embodiment. Information about the request point includes any form of information that can specify the request point. Examples of the type of information about the requested point include address, business name, phone number, local name, keyword, location information including latitude and longitude, branch number, branch type, etc. of a specific geographical location.

Map information may be generated to indicate the surrounding area including the request point. The generated map information may be transmitted to the user terminal that sent the map information request.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart describing one embodiment of generating 106 the map information shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 4, the generating 106 of the map information includes extracting the digital map information including the request point 402 and generating the map information about the request point by simplifying the extracted digital map information. 404 may include. The map information may be generated in the form of an electronic map, but in this case, the map information is generated in the form of a map. That is, in order to generate the map information in the form of a map, the digital map information including the request point can be extracted and simplified to generate the map information.

Here, the digital map information refers to information displayed on a plane with a promised symbol by reducing the surface of the earth (including roads, intersections, buildings, signs, etc.) at a predetermined scale at a predetermined ratio. Extraction of the digital map information may be performed by searching a digital map of a part including a request point from a database in which the digital map information is stored.

In operation 404, the map information may be simplified to generate the map information. Here, the simplification may include, for example, adjusting the main roads included in the numerical map to be represented orthogonally, or straightening the main roads. The main road may be all roads included in the numerical map or a road including three or more lanes, and may be a highway or a road previously set as a main road.

Simplification may also include compensating for the node's phase according to orthogonalization or straightening of the main road. Nodes can be request points, public transport, intersections, bridges, major road-related facilities, points of interest (POIs), buildings, signs, and so on. When the orthogonalization or straightening of the main road is performed, the position of the node relative to the main road, that is, the phase of the node, may be changed, and the phase is compensated for to correct this. For example, when orthogonalizing road A and road B that intersects at an angle to each other results in a request point located on the left side of road A to the right side of road A, even after orthogonalization, the request point remains on the left side of road A. Compensation for location

Further, the simplification may include extracting the essential elements from the numerical map information. Essential elements are information that must be included in the generated route information, and may be main road information, intersection information, road direction information, major IC (interchange) information, highway entrance information, information set as essential elements in advance, and the like.

As such, the map information may be generated in the form of a map that briefly expresses only the main information. When the map information is generated in the form of a map, it is not possible to hold a lot of information such as an electronic map, it is more necessary to generate the map information so that the information can be easily understood. Therefore, in this case, the effect of providing map information including information optimized according to the usage is more prominent.

For example, when the map information indicating the route to the request point is provided in the form of a map, the map information may be generated differently when the usage is for walking and for a vehicle. In the case of walking, the map information can be generated to use a large scale and represent all the alleys.In the case of a vehicle, the map information uses a relatively small scale, but is set as an essential element that must include information on the road side. Can be. Since the amount of information that can be represented in the map information in the map form is limited, it is important to express only the information suitable for the means of transportation. Therefore, the user is provided with map information in which the route to the request point is displayed appropriately for the means of transportation, and the user can easily find the desired request point.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

5A illustrates an example of map information generated when the usage information is for walking. If the usage information is for walking, the user is expected to use the map information while walking. Therefore, the map information needs to be generated on a large scale so that it can be expressed in detail. For example, if the scale in which the map information can be generated is set to a total of four levels, when the usage information is for walking, the map information may be preset to generate the largest scale among them.

The walking map information illustrated in FIG. 5A is generated at the largest scale that the map information can represent, and even alleys around the request point 510 may be displayed in detail. In addition, the request point 510 is set to be at the center of the map information, so that the user can easily identify the request point. The map information for walking may display information on major points of interest in detail, so that the user may easily find a way. The walking map information may be generated to include geographic information that can be referred to when moving on foot.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart describing one embodiment of the step 104 of determining the map information parameter shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the map information parameter includes a center location of the map information, and the determining of the map information parameter may include inquiring of the nearest public transportation station from the requesting point 202, between the requesting point and the public transportation station. Calculating an intermediate point 204, and determining an intermediate point as a center position of the map information 206. Accordingly, the user may be provided with map information for viewing at a glance the information of the public transportation station closest to the request point. This case will be described with reference to FIG. 5B.

5B shows an example of map information generated when the usage information is for public transportation. If the usage information is for public transportation, the user is expected to use the map information to access the request point via public transport or to search for public transport information close to the request point. Therefore, the map information needs to include the request point and the public transportation station information closest to the request point. Public transport stops may include subway entrances, bus stops, taxi stands, and the like. 5B is map information generated through steps 202-206. As shown in FIG. 5B, the public transportation stop 522 nearest to the request point 520 is included in the map information. The intermediate point between the request point 520 and the public transport stop 522 is determined as the center of the map information.

The map information for public transportation may display a route between the request point 520 and the public transportation station 522. In FIG. 5B, the route is indicated by a dashed line so that the user can easily find the request point 520 or the transit station 522. The location of the request point 520 may also be provided based on the public transportation station 522, and may be configured to be suitable for a user's use.

In addition, the map information for public transportation may include information on the retrieved public transportation station 522. The information on the public transport stop 522 may be, for example, information about a subway exit (businesses near each exit, connected public transport, nearby attractions, etc.), bus line information on the stop, and information on public transportation hours. .

3 is a flow chart describing another embodiment of the step 104 of determining the map information parameter shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 3, the map information parameter includes an essential element of the map information, and the determining of the map information parameter may include inquiring of road information around the request point 302 and mandatory road information. And determining 304 as an element. Accordingly, the user may be provided with map information including necessary information according to the use purpose. This case will be described with reference to FIG. 5C.

5C illustrates an example of map information generated when the usage information is for a vehicle. When the usage information is for a vehicle, the user is expected to use the map information while moving through the vehicle. Therefore, the map information needs to include road information, for example, major intersections, main road direction information, traffic signal information, and geographic information based on traffic sign information. As illustrated in FIG. 5C, information on main roads such as Cheongdam Intersection, Youngdong Bridge, Posco, and Gangnam-gu Office may be determined as an essential element. According to an embodiment, information determined as an essential element may be variously set. Information determined as an essential element is necessarily included when generating map information.

In particular, when the map information is generated in the form of a map as illustrated in FIG. 5C, when a lot of information is included in the map information in a map form, it may be difficult for a user to recognize the information. Therefore, the map information in the form of a map needs to be included in the screened information when there is a lot of information. Since the information determined as essential elements is information to be included, it may be selected and included in the map information.

<Map information provision device>

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an apparatus for providing map information according to the present invention will be described.

6 is a diagram illustrating a connection configuration of the map information providing apparatus 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, the map information providing apparatus 600 is connected to a service provider server 610, and the service provider server 610 is connected to a user terminal 620. According to an embodiment, the service provider server 610 may be omitted, and in this case, the map information providing apparatus 600 is directly connected to the user terminal 620. In addition, according to an embodiment, the service provider server 610 may be replaced with another device or system having a similar role.

The map information providing apparatus 600 receives a map information request transmitted from the user terminal 620 through the service provider server 610. The map information request includes information on the requesting point and usage information. The map information providing apparatus 600 generates map information. The map information providing apparatus 600 transmits the generated map information to the user terminal 620 through the service provider server 610.

7 is a structural diagram of a map information providing apparatus 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, the map information providing apparatus 700 receives a map information request including information on a request point and usage purpose information, and determines a parameter for determining the map information parameter according to the usage purpose information. The unit 720 includes a map information generator 730 for generating map information including a request point using the determined map information parameter, and a transmitter 740 for transmitting the generated map information. Here, the map information parameter may include at least one of the scale of the map information, the center position, the essential elements, the style, the type, the orientation, and whether the specific information is included.

According to an embodiment, the map information generator 730 generates the map information to generate the map information for the request point by simplifying the digital map manager 732 for extracting the digital map information including the request point and the extracted digital map information. It may include a portion 734.

In another embodiment, the map information parameter includes a central location of the map information, and the parameter determiner 720 queries the nearest public transportation stop from the requesting point and calculates an intermediate point between the requesting point and the public transportation stop. It can be determined as the center position of the map information.

In another embodiment, the map information parameter may include an essential element of the map information, and the parameter determiner 720 may query road information around the request point and determine the inquired road information as an essential element of the map information. .

Since other detailed descriptions of the map information providing apparatus are overlapped with the description of the above-described map information providing method, the description thereof will be omitted.

The method of the present invention as described above may be embodied as a program and stored in a computer-readable recording medium (such as a CD-ROM, a RAM, a ROM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magneto-optical disk). Since this process can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art will not be described in more detail.

The present invention described above is capable of various substitutions, modifications, and changes without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention for those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is not limited by the drawings.

1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing map information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a flow chart describing one embodiment of the step 104 of determining the map information parameter shown in FIG.

3 is a flow chart describing another embodiment of the step 104 of determining the map information parameter shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart describing one embodiment of generating 106 the map information shown in FIG. 1.

5A to 5C illustrate map information generated for each usage information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a diagram illustrating a connection configuration of the map information providing apparatus 600 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a structural diagram of a map information providing apparatus 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (12)

Receiving a map information request including information on a request point and usage information; Determining a map information parameter according to the usage information; Generating map information including the request point using the determined map information parameter; And Transmitting the generated map information Including, map information providing method. The method of claim 1, Generating the map information, Extracting numerical map information including the request point; And Simplifying the extracted digital map information to generate a map information for the request point Including, map information providing method. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The map information parameter, And at least one of a scale, a center position, an essential element, a style, a type, an orientation, and whether specific information is included in the map information. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The map information parameter, Map information providing method comprising the information on the route between the request point and a particular point. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The map information parameter includes a center position of the map information, The determining of the map information parameter, Querying the nearest public transport stop from the request point; Calculating a midpoint between the requesting point and the transit station; And Determining the intermediate point as a center position of the map information. Including, map information providing method. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The map information parameter includes an essential element of the map information, The determining of the map information parameter, Querying road information around the request point; And Determining the inquired road information as an essential element of the map information; Including, map information providing method. A receiving unit for receiving a map information request including information on a request point and usage information; A parameter determining unit which determines a map information parameter according to the usage information; A map information generator configured to generate map information including the request point by using the determined map information parameter; And A transmitter for transmitting the generated map information Map information providing device comprising. The method of claim 7, wherein The map information generation unit, A digital map manager for extracting digital map information including the request point; And A map information generator for generating map information on the request point by simplifying the extracted digital map information. Map information providing device comprising. 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, The map information parameter, And at least one of a scale, a center position, an essential element, a style, a type, an orientation, and whether specific information is included in the map information. 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, The map information parameter, Map information providing device comprising information on the route between the request point and a particular point. 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, The map information parameter includes a center position of the map information, The parameter determiner, And querying the nearest public transportation station from the requesting point, calculating an intermediate point between the requesting point and the public transportation station, and determining the center position of the map information. 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, The map information parameter includes an essential element of the map information, The parameter determiner, Inquiry of road information in the vicinity of the request point, the map information providing apparatus for determining the inquired road information as an essential element of the map information.

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