Abstract:
An exemplary method for planning a route in an electronic map uses a control computer. A first updated electronic map is produced. The first updated electronic map records a number of moving objects actually at each of locations represented on the electronic map, and a current position of a user of a handheld device. The moving objects are those detected by image capturing devices actually at the physical locations that are represented on the electronic map. Then a start position and an end position input on the first updated electronic map are received from the handheld device, and an optimized route from the start position to the end position is determined. Then a second updated electronic map is produced by recording the optimized route on the first updated electronic map, and the second updated electronic map is sent to the handheld device.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to navigation technology, and particularly to a control computer and a method for planning a route on an electronic map. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    In overland navigation, the shortest route between a selected start position and a selected end position can be determined on an electronic map such as an electronic road map. However, if the shortest route includes a lots of vehicles or pedestrians, more travelling time may be expended than if other routes which include fewer vehicles or pedestrians are used. Therefore, an efficient method for planning a route on an electronic map is desired. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a handheld device communicatively connected with a control computer, and showing an associated application environment that includes a plurality of image capturing devices. 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the handheld device of  FIG. 1 , the handheld device including a route planning client system. 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the control computer of  FIG. 1 , the control computer including a route planning service system. 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of function modules of the route planning client system of the handheld device of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of function modules of the route planning service system of the control computer of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart of a first embodiment and a second embodiment of a method for planning a route in an electronic map using the handheld device and the control computer of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart of a third embodiment of a method for planning a route in an electronic map using the handheld device and the control computer of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram of an example of an electronic map produced according to the method of  FIG. 6 , the electronic map including locations of the image capturing devices of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 9  is a schematic diagram of two example displays of a user interface of the route planning client system of the handheld device of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 10  is a schematic diagram of an example of a first updated electronic map produced according to the method of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 11  is a schematic diagram of an example of a second updated electronic map produced according to the method of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 12  is a schematic diagram of an example of setting a start position and an end position on the first updated electronic map of  FIG. 10 , according to the method of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 13  is a schematic diagram of an example of a third updated electronic map produced according to the method of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 14  is a schematic diagram of an example of a fourth updated electronic map produced according to the method of  FIG. 7 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    All of the processes described below may be embodied in, and fully automated via, functional code modules executed by one or more general purpose electronic devices or processors. The code modules may be stored in any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or other storage device. Some or all of the methods may alternatively be embodied in specialized hardware. Depending on the embodiment, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may be a hard disk drive, a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a tape drive or another suitable storage medium. 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a handheld device  12  communicatively connected with a control computer  16  through a network  14 . The control computer  16  is further connected with a plurality of image capturing devices  22  through the network  14 . For example, the network  14  may be the Internet, an intranet, or any other suitable network, and the image capturing devices  22  may be speed dome cameras or pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras. 
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the handheld device  12 . The handheld device  12  includes a route planning client system  35 , which is for sending a route planning request to the control computer  16 , and for receiving an optimized route determined (calculated) by the control computer  16 . The handheld device  12  further includes a first display device  30 , a first input device  31 , a global positioning system (GPS) receiver  32 , a wireless network communication module (hereinafter referred to as “network module”)  33 , a memory (e.g., a first storage device  34 ), and at least one processor (e.g., a first processor  36 ). The handheld device  12  may be a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or any other suitable communication device.  FIG. 2  illustrates only one example of the handheld device  12 . In other embodiments, the handheld device  12  may include more or fewer components than illustrated; or a different configuration of the various components may exist in other embodiments. 
         [0022]    The first display device  30  may be a touch sensitive screen (e.g., a capacitive touch sensitive screen), and the first input device  31  may be a stylus used for input. 
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the control computer  16 . The control computer  16  includes a route planning service system  44 , which is for receiving a route planning request from the handheld device  12 , for determining an optimized route according to a selected start position and a selected end position on an electronic map, and for sending the optimized route to the handheld device  12 . Typically, the electronic map is an electronic road map. The control computer  16  further includes a second display device  40 , a second input device  42 , a memory (e.g., a second storage device  43 ), and at least one processor (e.g., a second processor  45 ). The control computer  16  may be a personal computer, a server, or any other suitable computing device.  FIG. 3  illustrates only one example of the control computer  16 . In other embodiments, the control computer  16  may include more or fewer components than illustrated; or a different configuration of the various components may exist in other embodiments. 
         [0024]    The second display device  40  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, and the second input device  42  may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, and/or a touchpad used for input. 
         [0025]    In one embodiment, the route planning client system  35  may include computerized instructions in the form of one or more programs that are executed by the first processor  36  and stored in the first storage device  34 . Further, the route planning service system  44  may include computerized instructions in the form of one or more programs that are executed by the second processor  45  and stored in the second storage device  43 . A detailed description of the route planning client system  35  and the route planning service system  44  is given below. 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of function modules of the route planning client system  35  included in the handheld device  12 . In one embodiment, the route planning client system  35  may include one or more function modules, for example, a selection module  301 , a first setting module  302 , a position detection module  303 , a first sending module  304 , and a first receiving module  305 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of function modules of the route planning service system  44  included in the control computer  16 . In one embodiment, the route planning service system  44  may include one or more function modules, for example, a second setting module  401 , a moving object detection module  402 , a second receiving module  403 , a second sending module  404 , and a route planning module  405 . 
         [0028]    In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, written in a programming language, such as, Java, C, or assembly. One or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware, such as in an erasable-programmable read-only memory (EPROM). The modules described herein may be implemented as either software and/or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or other storage device. Some non-limiting examples of non-transitory computer-readable mediums include CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, Flash memory, and hard disk drives. 
         [0029]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart of a first embodiment and a second embodiment of a method for planning a route on an electronic map using the handheld device  12  and the control computer  16 . Depending on the embodiment, additional steps may be added, others removed, and the ordering of the steps may be changed. 
         [0030]    In step S 10 , the second setting module  401  records positions of the image capturing devices  22  in a plurality of monitored areas of an electronic map  18 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , the electronic map  18  includes the image capturing devices “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, “E”, “F”, “G”, “H”, “I”, “J”, and “K”. 
         [0031]    In step S 11 , the moving object detection module  402  obtains an image of the monitored area captured by each image capturing device  22  periodically (e.g., every 5 minutes), detects a number of moving objects in each obtained image, and produces a first updated electronic map  19  by recording the number of moving objects at each monitored area. For example, referring to  FIG. 10 , the number of moving objects in the monitored area of image capturing device “A” is 7, and the number of moving objects in the monitored area of image capturing device “G” is 1. In one embodiment, the moving objects include, but are not limited to, vehicles or persons, which are detected using a vehicle license plate recognition method or a pedestrian detection method. For example, the pedestrian detection method may be an adaptive boosting (aka AdaBoost) algorithm or a template matching method. 
         [0032]    In step S 12 , the selection module  301  receives a function type instruction selected by a user of the handheld device  1 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 9 , the selectable function types include a query function and a route planning function. If the query function is selected, steps S 13 -S 15  (i.e., the first embodiment) are executed. If the route planning function is selected, steps S 16 -S 18  (i.e., the second embodiment) are executed.  FIG. 9  shows the query function being selected, as an example. 
         [0033]    If the query function in step S 12  is selected, then in step S 13 , the position detection module  303  obtains coordinates of a current position of the user using the GPS receiver  32  of the handheld device  12 . 
         [0034]    In step S 14 , the first sending module  304  sends the coordinates of the current position of the user to the control computer  16  through the network module (e.g., a WiFi module)  33  of the handheld device  12 . The second receiving module  403  receives the coordinates of the current position of the user from the handheld device  12 , produces a second updated electronic map  20  by recording the coordinates of the current position of the user on the first updated electronic map  19 , and sends the second updated electronic map  20  to the handheld device  12 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 11 , “A 1 ” represents the current position of the user. 
         [0035]    In step S 15 , the first receiving module  305  receives the second updated electronic map  20  from the control computer  16  through the network module  33 , and displays the second updated electronic map  20  on the first display device  30  of the handheld device  12 . As described above, the second updated electronic map  20  records the number of moving objects at each monitored area and also indicates the current position of the user. 
         [0036]    If the route planning function in step S 12  is selected, then in step S 16 , the first setting module  302  obtains the first updated electronic map  19  from the control computer  16  through the network module  33 , and receives a start position and an end position input on the first updated electronic map  19  by the user. As shown in  FIG. 12 , “A 0 ” represents the start position selected by the user, and “A 2 ” represents the end position selected by the user. In another example, the start position selected by the user may be the same as the current position “A 1 ” of the user (which is seen in  FIG. 11 ). 
         [0037]    In step S 17 , the first sending module  304  sends the start position and the end position to the control computer  16  through the network  14 . 
         [0038]    In step S 18 , the second receiving module  403  receives the start position and the end position from the handheld device  12 . The route planning module  405  determines an optimized route from the start position to the end position, and produces a third updated electronic map  21  by recording the start position, the end position and the optimized route on the first updated electronic map  19 . Then, the second sending module  404  sends the third updated electronic map  21  to the handheld device  12  through the network  14 . In some embodiments, the route planning module  405  may highlight the optimized route on the third updated electronic map  21 . 
         [0039]    The first receiving module  305  receives the third updated electronic map  21  from the control computer  16 , and displays the third updated electronic map  21  on the first display device  30 . As described above, the third updated electronic map  21  records the optimized route from the start position to the end position. In one embodiment, the optimized route is a planned route which includes the lowest number of moving objects from the start position to the end position. For example, as shown in  FIG. 13 , the broken line from the start position “A 0 ” to the end position “A 2 ” represents the optimized route. 
         [0040]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart of a third embodiment of a method for planning a route on an electronic map using the handheld device  12  and the control computer  16 . Depending on the embodiment, additional steps may be added, others removed, and the ordering of the steps may be changed. 
         [0041]    In step S 30 , the second setting module  401  records positions of the image capturing devices  22  in a plurality of monitored areas of an electronic map  18 . 
         [0042]    In step S 31 , the moving object detection module  402  obtains an image of the monitored area captured by each image capturing device  22  periodically (e.g., every 5 minutes), detects a number of moving objects in each obtained image, and produces a first updated electronic map  19  by recording the number of moving objects at each monitored area. 
         [0043]    In step S 32 , the selection module  301  receives a query function instruction selected by the user of the handheld device  1 . 
         [0044]    In step S 33 , the position detection module  303  obtains coordinates of a current position of the user using the GPS receiver  32  of the handheld device  12 . 
         [0045]    In step S 34 , the first sending module  304  sends the coordinates of the current position of the user to the control computer  16  through the network module (e.g., a WiFi module)  33  of the handheld device  12 . The second receiving module  403  receives the coordinates of the current position of the user from the handheld device  12 , produces a second updated electronic map  20  by recording the coordinates of the current position of the user on the first updated electronic map  19 , and sends the second updated electronic map  20  to the handheld device  12 . 
         [0046]    In step S 35 , the first receiving module  305  receives the second updated electronic map  20  from the control computer  16  through the network module  33 , and displays the second updated electronic map  20  on the first display device  30  of the handheld device  12 . The second updated electronic map  20  records the number of moving objects at each monitored area and also indicates the current position of the user. 
         [0047]    In step S 36 , the selection module  301  determines if the user manually selects a route on the second updated electronic map  20 . If the user manually selects a route on the second updated electronic map  20 , the procedure ends. If the user does not manually select a route on the second updated electronic map  20 , the procedure goes to step S 37 . 
         [0048]    In step S 37 , the selection module  301  receives a planning function instruction selected by the user of the handheld device  1 . 
         [0049]    In step S 38 , the first setting module  302  receives an end position input on the second updated electronic map  20  by the user. 
         [0050]    In step S 39 , the first sending module  304  sends the end position to the control computer  16  through the network  14 . 
         [0051]    In step S 40 , the second receiving module  403  receives the end position from the handheld device  12 . The route planning module  405  determines an optimized route from the current position of the user to the end position, and produces a fourth updated electronic map  22  by recording the optimized route on the second updated electronic map  20 . Then, the second sending module  404  sends the fourth updated electronic map  22  to the handheld device  12  through the network  14 . In some embodiments, the route planning module  405  may highlight the optimized route on the fourth updated electronic map  22 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 14 , the broken line from the current position “A 1 ” of the user to the end position “A 2 ” represents the optimized route. 
         [0052]    The first receiving module  305  receives the fourth updated electronic map  22  from the control computer  16 , and displays the fourth updated electronic map  22  on the first display device  30 . As described above, the fourth updated electronic map  22  records the optimized route from the current position of the user to the end position. In one embodiment, the optimized route is a planned route which includes the lowest number of moving objects from the current position of the user to the end position. 
         [0053]    It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of implementations, and are set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.