Cross-Border Route Guidance via Segmented Data Exchange

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional route guidance systems cannot provide seamless guidance across country or region borders due to limitations in sharing map data and route search network data, particularly for national security reasons, which restricts the ability to search and guide routes spanning multiple countries or regions.

Innovation Solution

A route guidance system is designed to link country or region-specific map data and route search network data, allowing the exchange of point information and candidate routes between systems, integrating searched routes to determine the optimum route with the shortest cost, and transferring guidance services smoothly across systems.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If route guidance systems share map data and route search network data across countries or regions, then route guidance service continuity is improved, but data security and national security restrictions are violated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveroute guidance service continuityVSAvoiddata security risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the route search process into segments: each country's route search server searches for routes within its own borders, and only route result data (not the underlying map data or network data) is shared across borders. This segmentation allows service continuity while protecting sensitive data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and shares only the necessary route result information (route data, not map data or network data) across country borders. By taking out only what is needed for the function while leaving sensitive data local, the system achieves cross-border guidance without compromising data security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If country or region-specific map data and route search network data are kept separate, then data security is maintained, but seamless route guidance across borders cannot be provided

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata securityVSAvoidroute guidance service continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces route result data as an intermediary between country-specific route search servers. This intermediary carries the essential information needed for cross-border guidance without exposing sensitive map data or network data, enabling service continuity while maintaining data security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of sharing original map data and network data, the system creates and shares copies of route results. These copies contain the necessary guidance information while the original sensitive data remains secure in each country's system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Object-affected harmful factors

If route search is performed using multiple country-specific systems, then data security is preserved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata securityVSAvoidsystem integration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal interface for route result data that can be used across different country-specific systems. This universal data format allows each system to maintain its independence while participating in cross-border route guidance, reducing integration complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2273231B1Route guidance system, route search server, route guidance method, and terminal
Publication Date: 2012.06.20 NAVITIME JAPAN CO LTD
  • EP2273231B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2273231B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2273231B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

First and second route guidance systems provided with country or region-specific map data or route search network data are linked. If the departure place and the destination are in different areas, a first route guidance system (A) extracts a candidate connection which is the border between the different areas to transmit it to a second route guidance system (B). The first and second route guidance systems search the optimum route from the departure place to the candidate connection and the optimum candidate route from the candidate connection to the destination, respectively and provide the required time and link data to their respective route guidance systems. The first or second route guidance system determines a recommended route with the smallest total of the required time out of candidate routes connected at the candidate connection and provides the recommended route data including the link data from the first route guidance system (A) to a terminal (20). The terminal (20) requests route guidance to the first or second route guidance system on the basis of the recommended route data depending on the area in which it is located.