Method, data format, encoding device, decoding device and system

• US 20020183923A1
• Filed: 06/14/2002
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Hessing, Bernd, Hessling, Matthias, Brandes, Henry, Hahlweg, Cornelius, Pfeiffer, Heinz Werner
• Granted Patent: US 7,925,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

Proposed is a method, a data format, an encoding device, a decoding device and a system for encoding, for decoding and/or for transmitting location information, the location information including both locating information (450) and description information (470), a data packet (400) separately containing locating information (450) and description information (470); and the data packet (400) containing assignment information (460) for assigning at least a part of the locating information (450) to at least a part of the description information (470).

Claims

1. A method for encoding, for decoding and/or for transmitting location information, the location information being encoded, decoded and/or transmitted in a data packet (400), and the location information including both locating information (450) and description information, wherein the data packet (400) separately contains locating information (450) and description information (470);

and

the data packet (400) includes assignment information (460) for assigning at least a part of the locating information (450) to at least a part of the description information (470).

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the locating information (450) includes at least one first coordinate chain (451), the first coordinate chain (451) including at least one first, especially geographical point (454).

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the first coordinate chain (451) contains a second point (455), the first point (454) of the first coordinate chain (451) being specified in absolute coordinates and the second point (455) of the first coordinate chain (451) being specified in relative coordinates, in particular with respect to a centroid coordinate or with respect to the first point (454) of the first coordinate chain (451).

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the first point (454) of the first coordinate chain (451) is interpreted in a defined direction via the second point (455) of the first coordinate chain (451).

5. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein the description information (470) includes at least one first attribute field (471).

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the first attribute field (471) includes a type specification (474) and a description data (475), the description data (475) being determined by the type specification (474), in particular with respect to the name, to the accuracy, to the direction, to the time, to a POI (point of interest) and/or to the physical link.

7. The method as recited in one of the claims 2 through 6, wherein the assignment information (460) includes at least one first assignment entry (461), the first attribute field (471) and the first point (454) of the first coordinate chain (450) being assigned to each other via the first assignment entry (461).

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the first assignment entry (461) includes both a reference to the first attribute field (471) and a reference to the first point (454) of the first coordinate chain (451).

9. The method as recited in claim 7 or 8, wherein the first assignment entry (461) includes either both a reference to the first attribute field (471) and a reference to a plurality of points (454 to 459) of coordinate chains (451, 452) of the locating information (450), or both a reference to a plurality of attribute fields (471, 472) and a reference to the first point (454) of the first coordinate chain (451).

10. The method as recited in one of the preceding claims, wherein the data packet (400) includes a header part (420) of the location information and a data part (440) of the location information.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the header part (420) includes structure information (422) and interpreting instructions (424), the structure information (422) specifying the data structure of the location information, and the interpreting instructions (424) specifying the purpose of the location information.

12. A data format for encoding, for decoding and for transmitting location information according to one of the claims 1 through 11.

13. An encoding device (20) for encoding location information, wherein a method according to one of the claims 1 through 11 is usable for encoding the location information.

14. The encoding device (20) as recited in claim 13, wherein the definition of at least the first point (454) of the first coordinate chain (451) is definable as a function of a location information query (200).

15. A decoding device (60) for decoding location information, wherein a method according to one of the claims 1 through 11 is usable for decoding the location information.

16. The decoding device (60) as recited in claim 15, wherein the location information is at least partially correlatable with data of a first data base (62) associated with the decoding device (60).

17. The decoding device (60) as recited in claim 16, wherein location information which is not contained in the first data base (62) and/or for which no correlation with data of the first data base (62) is possible is stored in a second data base (64) associated with the decoding device (60).

18. A system (1) for encoding, for decoding and for transmitting location information, wherein the system features an encoding device (20) according to one of the claims 13 through 15 and a decoding device (60) according to one of the claims 16 through 18.