KR100574652B1 - Map search service provision method and system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and a system for providing a map search service. More particularly, the present invention provides a map search service for providing map search results associated with a route to the mobile communication terminal by searching map data in an area associated with a user's movement route. It relates to a method and a system.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing a map search service, the method comprising: maintaining map data in a predetermined map database (the map data includes period data including period position data associated with a period and a period identifier corresponding to the period position data) Receiving location data associated with a location on a route from the mobile communication terminal, setting an area range including a predetermined section on the route using the map data and the location data, the region from the map database; Retrieving periodic position data included in a range, and transmitting periodic data including the retrieved periodic position data to the mobile communication terminal.

Map search, cycle data, map data, mobile communication terminal.

Description

Method and system for providing map search service {Method and System for Providing Map Data Search Service}

1 is a view for explaining a method for providing a map search service according to the prior art.

2 is a diagram illustrating a network connection of a map search service providing system capable of performing a method for providing a map search service according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing a map search service according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of periodic data held in a map database in the first embodiment of the present invention.

5 to 7 are diagrams for explaining each method of setting an area range including a predetermined section on a path in the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a map image displayed on the display device of the mobile communication terminal in the first embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing a map search service according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a block diagram showing a system for providing a map search service according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

1000: Map Search Service Provision System

1001: map database 1002: receiver

1003: region determination unit 1004: search unit

1005: transmission unit

1010: mobile communication terminal 1020: communication network

The present invention relates to a method and a system for providing a map search service. More particularly, the present invention provides a map search service for providing map search results associated with a route to the mobile communication terminal by searching map data in an area associated with a user's movement route. It relates to a method and a system.

Recently, due to the provision of services using a communication network, information search opportunities have increased in wireless communication environments such as portable computers and mobile phones. Therefore, the user can request a search for necessary information from a predetermined server without being limited by space, and receive the search result.

As a type of information retrieval service in such a wireless communication environment, a navigation system is used. By using the navigation system, the user can search the map and receive a route while driving. The navigation system is a system that provides information for driving a vehicle such as a vehicle by using a satellite and is also called an automatic navigation system. Such a navigation system uses a GPS receiver to receive certain data from a global positioning system (GPS) satellite floating on the earth and calculate its location based on the received data. The navigation system provides a variety of information to the user, such as current location information of the transportation device, route information from the current location of the transportation device to a destination of the transportation device, map information related to the location information and the route information, and traffic condition information. Providing.

In such a navigation device, when a map is used to convey information such as a current location or a path of a transportation device to a user, the map information is provided because the user can more easily recognize the information such as the current location or a path. desirable.

1 is a view for explaining a method for providing a map search service according to the prior art.

In the conventional method of providing a map search service, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a location within a predetermined radius distance from a location of a mobile communication terminal is searched. That is, by connecting coordinates of a predetermined distance from the designated center position 111, an area within a circle such as 112 is set.

If the location of the gas station that the user wants to find while driving is at 113, the location of the gas station is included in the area 112 in the circle, the gas station 113 may be displayed in the area 112 in the set circle. Can be.

However, the user moves to the lower left side along the path and the current position of the mobile communication terminal is indicated by the reference numeral 121, and the search is performed using the current position as the center position 121 to search the gas stations 123 and 124. If is found, the user has a hassle to go back to the road that came to go to the gas station 123, or to go to the gas station 124 away from the path. In order to find a gas station that is easy for the user to stop by, a new central location must be selected and a search request must be made to the map search service providing system. Upon receiving the request, the map search service providing system further receives the center location information and searches for an area within a predetermined distance. As a result of the search, an area within a predetermined radius is searched based on the moved center position, and the above-described process needs to be repeatedly performed until a gas station of a desired position is searched. As described above, according to the related art in which a search is performed by setting a predetermined area based on the center position, a gas station that is present in the area, such as the gas station 124 but is far from the path that the user is in progress, is searched or is already on the path. When the gas station 123 near the excessive route is searched, there is an unreasonable point that the search result is inconvenient for the user because the user has to visit the gas station 124 and then come back on the route again or again.

As described with reference to FIG. 1, since the conventional method is to search period (main article) information within a predetermined radius from the current location, there is a problem that a user needs to request a search several times until a desired search result is obtained.

In the above-described prior art, an area having a predetermined radius distance from the location of the mobile communication terminal has been described as an example, but the same applies to a case where a predetermined polygon area, for example, a rectangular area is set with the location as a center point.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for providing a map search service which can search for facilities existing in the vicinity of a moving path of a user.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for providing a map search service for searching for a specific facility desired by a user in an area around a moving route.

In order to achieve the above object and solve the problems of the prior art, the method of providing a map search service according to the present invention comprises the steps of maintaining the map data in a predetermined map database (the map data is a cycle position data associated with a cycle and the cycle position Including period data including a period identifier corresponding to the data), receiving location data associated with a location on a route from the mobile communication terminal, and using the map data and the location data, a predetermined section on the route. Setting a range of a region, retrieving period location data included in the area range from the map database, and transmitting period data including the retrieved period location data to the mobile communication terminal. .

The present invention also provides a method of maintaining map data in a predetermined storage device, receiving a map search request from a user, determining a predetermined location on the route as a reference location, and a reference associated with the map data and the reference location. Setting an area range including a predetermined section on the route using location data, retrieving period location data included in the area range from the map data, and period data including the retrieved period location data; It provides a map search service providing method comprising the step of displaying on the display device of the mobile communication terminal.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described an embodiment of the present invention;

[First Embodiment]

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a network connection of a map search service providing system capable of performing the method for providing a map search service according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The map search service providing system 230 provides a map search service to a mobile communication terminal 210 such as a mobile phone, a PCS, a smart phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA) connected through the communication network 220.

The user sends a selection of origin and destination to the map search service providing system 230 and requests a route search. The map search service providing system 230 includes a map database (not shown) that holds map data, and generates route data associated with a route from the origin to the destination based on the map data.

The map search service providing system 230 transmits the route data and map data associated with the route data to the mobile communication terminal 230, and the mobile communication terminal 230 generates a map image from the route data and the map data. To provide the user visually. In this case, the current location of the mobile communication terminal 210 obtained from the GPS receiver is displayed on the map image.

Through this process, the user can be provided with a map image showing the route and the current location, and the mobile communication terminal 210 does not need to store a large amount of map data such as map data of the whole country. By using a mobile communication terminal having a limited storage space such as PCS and the like, a route guide for providing the map image to a user can be provided.

The present invention further provides a search service for searching for a period in a region around a route in addition to the map image, and a method of providing a search service will be described in detail below.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing a map search service according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In operation 310, the map search service providing system 240 receives location information about a predetermined location from the mobile communication terminal 210. The predetermined location is a location on the route, which may be a current location of the mobile communication terminal or a location selected by the user.

The predetermined application program of the mobile communication terminal 210 determines the current location of the mobile communication terminal 210 when the user selects the current location and makes a search request or when the user makes a search request without selecting the location. It transmits to the map search service providing system 230. The current position of the mobile communication terminal 210 can be known from the information received from the GPS satellite by the Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, when the user selects a predetermined location and performs a search command, the application program transmits the selected location to the map search service providing system 230 to request a search. For example, after about 30 minutes, a user who stops at a gas station wants to refuel and requests a search by selecting a location on a route to be passed afterwards instead of a current location.

In operation 320, the map search service providing system 230 maintains map data in a map database. The map data includes period data including period position data associated with a period and a period identifier corresponding to the period position data. For example, periodic data as shown in FIG. 4 is maintained in the map database. The cycle means major items and includes places of interest to most users such as gas stations, banks, parks, etc. The cycle may be stored for each user, including the cycle selected by each user. For example, the user may set his or her home, company, school, etc. in a cycle related to the user, and the map search service providing system 230 stores the cycle information set by the user in association with the user, thereby storing the periodic search service for each user. May be provided.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example of periodic data used to provide a search service to users in general. FIG. 4B illustrates an example of periodic data used in a search service provided for each user. For example, when a search service is provided to a user 'wisjjang', the search is performed using the periodic data shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B.

In operation 330, the map search service providing system 230 determines an area range including a predetermined section on a route based on the received location information. Since the area range is determined to include the route, the user may be provided with a search result associated with the route, thereby making it easier to visit the searched position while driving.

Hereinafter, the process of determining the region range in step 330 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7.

5 is a diagram for describing a method of setting the area range. The map search service providing system 230 sets a predetermined section based on the route data transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 210 and the location information received from the user. The section is a section between the points 510 and 520 spaced apart from the first distance d1 and the second distance d2 from the location 530 associated with the received location information on the path, respectively. The first distance d1 refers to a distance from the position 530 toward the opposite direction of the user's travel direction, and the second distance d2 refers to a distance toward the user's travel direction.

The map search service providing system 230 may receive the location information 530 and the first and second distances d1 and d2 from the user to determine the section. In addition, the map search service providing system 230 may receive only the location information 530 from the user and determine the section using the set first and second distances. In this case, since it is convenient for the user to receive periodic information close to the path in the travel direction, it is preferable to set the second distance d2 larger than the first distance d1 in consideration of the travel direction of the user. Would be preferred. This is because when the position of the searched period is in the backward direction, it may be cumbersome since the user needs to turn back again.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the map search service providing system 230 determines an area within a predetermined distance from the section as an area range including the section.

In addition, another example of setting the region range will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The map search service providing system 230 determines a section in the manner described with reference to FIG. 5, and among the nodes or interpolation points constituting the section, the highest point 611, the lowest point 612, and the leftmost point. 613 and the rightmost point 614 may be searched and the rectangular area range 610 as shown in FIG. 6 may be set using the searched points. The area range 610 is a rectangular area including all of the points 611, 612, 613, and 614. The rectangular area thus set includes the section.

Another example of setting the region range will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the entire map data may be divided into a plurality of regions (cells) having a constant size, and each cell is referred to as a map leaf. The map search service providing system 230 may include a section including the location information of the mobile communication terminal 210 on the route (a section between the point 710 and the point 720) in the same manner as described with reference to FIG. 5. ). As illustrated in FIG. 7, the map search service providing system 230 sets the map leaf (the maps indicated by the hatched leaf including the leaf 701) included in the section to the area range.

In the case of determining the region range as described in connection with FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, the amount of calculation that the map search service providing system 230 needs to determine to determine the region is reduced, but the region is described below. Since the periodic data is searched within, the consistency of the search results with the path is inevitably reduced. Thus, as far as the computing power of the system of the map search service providing system 230 permits, it is desirable to determine the area in the manner described in connection with FIG. 5.

As such, it is preferable to determine an area within a certain distance from the area as an area range including the area, but a person skilled in the art will be able to set an area range associated with a path in a variety of ways not described herein. Setting an area range associated with a route in a manner not described in the above also belongs to the scope of the present invention.

In operation 340, the map search service providing system 230 searches for periodic position data included in the area range in the map database, and transmits periodic data including the searched periodic position data in step 350. Transmit to 210.

The period data includes a period identifier and period position data specifying the period as shown in FIG.

When the map search service providing system 240 receives only the location information in step 310, the map search service providing system 240 transmits all the periodic data searched within the area range to the mobile communication terminal 210. That is, the user is provided with all the cycle data set in the cycle such as bank, gas station, hospital, convenience store.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, in step 310, the map search service providing system 240 further receives not only the location information but also information on the type of period selected by the user from the mobile communication terminal 210. do. If the user selects only a 'gas station' as the type of period, the map search service providing system 240 searches only the period data corresponding to the gas station within the area range and searches the search result for the mobile communication terminal 210. To send). That is, the map search service providing system 240 searches only periods within the area range using period location data in the map database, and searches only period data corresponding to a gas station using period identifiers among the periods within the area range. .

The mobile communication terminal 210 generates a map image including a period based on the period data transmitted from the map search service providing system 240 in step 360. Based on the period position data among the period data, it is determined where the period should be displayed in the map image, and how to display the period using the period identifier is determined. In operation 370, the generated map image is displayed on the display device of the mobile communication terminal 210, and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the map image displayed on the display device. Reference numeral 801 denotes a searched period, and a user may obtain a search result associated with a route and a current location, and thus, the user may easily search for a desired place such as a gas station and visit the place easily according to the search result, as compared with the related art. Will be. That is, the user can easily visit the desired place with little deviation from the route.

8, reference numeral 802 denotes a route, and reference numeral 803 denotes a boundary of an area range associated with the route. In some embodiments, whether the area range is displayed on the map image may vary.

Second Embodiment

Hereinafter, a method of providing a map search service according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment described above in that it is performed by a map search service providing system installed on the mobile communication terminal side. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing a map search service according to the present embodiment.

When the mobile communication terminal used in the present embodiment has more storage space than a mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone such as a PDA or a smart phone, the map data is stored in the storage of the mobile communication terminal (step 910). The map data includes period data including period position data associated with a period and a period identifier corresponding to the period position data. When a route search request is input from a user, the route providing system installed on the mobile communication terminal generates route data for the route from the map data, and generates a map image from the route data and map data associated with the route data. Display on the display device of the mobile communication terminal. In this case, the map image is a map image including an indication of the route.

When a map search request is input from a user, the map search service providing system determines a predetermined position on the route as a reference position (steps 920 and 930). The predetermined location is a location selected from the user or the current location of the user. The current position is a value obtained based on information input from a GPS receiver connected to a mobile communication terminal.

In operation 940, the map search service providing system sets an area range including a predetermined section on the route using the reference location data associated with the reference location and the map data. Preferably, the area range is set to include the reference position. Since specific and various ways of determining the region range have been described in the above-described first embodiment, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In operation 950, the map search service providing system searches for periodic position data included in an area range among the map data, and further searches for periodic data including the searched periodic position data in step 960.

A map image is generated based on the period data and displayed on the display device (steps 970 and 980). The provided map image is as shown in FIG. 8.

That is, it is determined whether the map data of the mobile communication terminal is stored in the mobile communication terminal according to the storage capacity of the mobile communication terminal. The first embodiment provides a map search service when the map data is stored in a separate server. The second embodiment describes a method for providing a map search service when map data is stored on the mobile communication terminal side.

The present invention also includes a computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method for providing a map search service according to each of the above-described embodiments. The computer readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The program instructions on the media may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts.

Third Embodiment

Hereinafter, a map search service providing system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The map search service providing system according to the present embodiment corresponds to a case in which map data is stored in a separate server side rather than the mobile communication terminal side. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a map search service providing system 1000 according to an exemplary embodiment. The map search service providing system 1000 is connected to the mobile communication terminal 1010 through a communication network 1020, and includes a map database 1001, a receiver 1002, an area determiner 1003, a search unit 1004, and a transmission. A portion 1005 is included.

The map database 1001 maintains map data including period position data associated with a period and period data including a period identifier corresponding to the period position data. Generally, the map data is numerical data and is composed of nodes, interpolation points, and links for displaying periods, roads, water systems, and the like.

The map providing service system 1000 generates route data corresponding to the source information and the destination information received from the mobile communication terminal 1010 based on the map data, and maps the generated route data and map data associated with the route data. Transmit to mobile communication terminal 1010. Accordingly, the user of the mobile communication terminal 1010 may be provided with a surrounding map with a route from a departure point to a destination.

When the user wants to receive cycle information associated with a route, the user inputs a map search request to the mobile communication terminal 1010, and the receiving unit 1002 receives the map search request from the mobile communication terminal 1010 through a communication network 1020. Receive predetermined position data.

The location data is data associated with a predetermined location, for performing a map search associated with a predetermined location on the route, for example, the predetermined location is a current location of the mobile communication terminal 1010 or a location selected by the user. It is a predetermined position.

The area determiner 1003 determines an area range including a predetermined section on the route using the map data and the location data, and a detailed and detailed method of determining the area range is described in the above-described first embodiment. In this embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

When the region range associated with the route is determined, the search unit 1004 searches the periodic position data included in the region range in the map database 1001, and further searches the periodic data including the found periodic position data.

The transmitter 1005 transmits the retrieved period data to the mobile communication terminal 1010.

In the mobile communication terminal 1010, a map image indicating the period is generated using map data received in association with the period data and the route data, and the map image is displayed on the display device of the mobile communication terminal 1010. Is displayed.

Therefore, the user can be provided with a map search result associated with the route, so that the user can visit a desired place such as a gas station, a bank, etc. without returning to the route or deviating far from the route.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the present invention, if the user wants only a map search for a specific period, for example, a gas station, and not a whole cycle around a route, the user requests not only the map search request from the mobile terminal 1010 but also the type of the period. Further input, information about the type of the period is transmitted to the map search service providing system 1000.

The search unit 1004 searches only a period corresponding to the type of the period among the periods within the area range, and the transmission unit 1005 transmits the search result to the mobile communication terminal 1010, thereby searching for a specific period. It becomes possible.

[Example 4]

On the other hand, according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the map search service providing system is installed on the mobile communication terminal to perform map search. According to the present embodiment, the map search service providing system includes a storage unit, a user input unit, an area determination unit, a search unit, and a display control unit.

The storage unit maintains map data including period position data associated with the period and period data including a period identifier corresponding to the period position data, and the user input unit receives a map search request from a user.

In response to the map search request, the area determiner determines a predetermined position on the route as a reference position, and determines an area range including a predetermined section on the route using the map data and reference position data associated with the reference position. . The area range may be determined in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above, and the area range associated with the path may be determined in such a manner.

The predetermined position is a current position of the mobile communication terminal or a position selected from the user.

The search unit searches for periodic position data included in the area range among the map data, and further searches for periodic data including the searched periodic position data.

The display controller controls the periodic data to be displayed on the display device of the mobile communication terminal, wherein the periodic data is included in the map image generated using the map data and displayed. The map image also includes the route.

According to this embodiment, since the map data is maintained on the mobile communication terminal side, the map search associated with the route can be performed on the mobile communication terminal side without performing data communication with a separate server.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method and system for providing a map search service which can search for facilities existing around a user's moving path.

In addition, according to the present invention, a method and system for providing a map search service for searching for a specific facility desired by a user in an area around a moving route is provided.

As described above, the present invention has been described by way of limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, which can be variously modified and modified by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Modifications are possible. Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention should be understood only by the claims set forth below, and all equivalent or equivalent modifications thereof will belong to the scope of the present invention.

Claims (11)

In the map search service providing method using a mobile communication terminal, Maintaining map data in the predetermined map database, the period data including period location data associated with the period and period data including a period identifier corresponding to the period location data; Receiving a target period identifier for identifying a predetermined period from the mobile communication terminal; Receiving location data associated with a location on a path from the mobile communication terminal; Setting an area range including a predetermined section on the route using the map data and the location data; Retrieving periodic position data included in the area range from the map database; And Transmitting periodic data including the retrieved periodic position data to the mobile communication terminal; Including, The step of retrieving the periodic position data, Retrieving period location data corresponding to the target period identifier among period location data included in the area range of the map database. Map search service providing method comprising a. delete delete delete delete The method of claim 1, The area range is a map search service providing method, characterized in that the area within a predetermined distance from the section. The method of claim 1, The area range is, Searching for the highest point, lowest point, leftmost point, and rightmost point in the map data corresponding to the section; And Generating a rectangular area including the section using the found points Method of providing a map search service, characterized in that to set by performing. delete A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1, 6, and 7 in a computer. delete delete

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