Procedure for determining the probability of finding a parking place
A procedure for determining the probability of finding a parking place within a certain period of time on a pre-set stretch of road of an area with a multiplicity of stretches of road. With this procedure, motion profiles are detected and statistically evaluated of users of radiolocation-aided, especially satellite-aided, navigation aids in the area. For each user a “parking place found” event is determined; the stretch of road in which the “parking place found” event occurred is detected; and the travel time is detected which the user expended in each of the stretches of the road until the “parking place found” event occurred. From the data thus acquired for a multiplicity of users, a probability is determined of finding a parking place within the set time span on the stretch of the road.
1. A procedure for guiding a user of a navigation device that is radiolocation-aided, especially satellite-aided, along a route displayed on the navigation device for seeking parking places on a road in the vicinity of a destination, wherein, in the navigation device, a continuous-loop route is computed along a route plan about the destination by sequentially adding an additional stretch of the route to a previous stretch of the route; and the user is guided along this continuous-loop route in the navigation device until the user has found a parking place on the road, wherein the continuous-loop route and compilation of the same as stretches of the route are calculated using the criteria:
i) a distance of a particular section of the road from the destination; and
ii) a probability of finding the parking place on the particular section of the road within a certain time span; and wherein, in calculating the continuous-loop route in the navigation device, the stretches of the route that are set next to each other are weighted using the relevance of the criteria i) and ii).
2. The procedure according to claim 1 , wherein in calculating the stretches of the route for the continuous-loop route in the navigation device, initially stretches of route are fitted in that lie in the vicinity of the destination, then more distant stretches of route with a high probability of finding the parking place therein within the pre-set time span are fitted.
3. The procedure according to claim 1 , further including detecting and statistically evaluating a motion profile of a multiplicity of users of navigation devices along roads in the vicinity of the destination; wherein the motion profile of any user is only evaluated if that user is recognized as being in search of a parking place because that user is in motion in an area for longer than a preset minimum time and at a speed that is less than a minimum speed, and/or if that user passes by any section of the road at least a second time.