Method for correlating altitude and/or grade information with route points of a digital map

• US 20050251332A1
• Filed: 03/21/2005
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Enderle, Stefan, Entenmann, Volker
• Application Number:
  US11/085,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20050251332A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/12 Relief maps relief models G09B25/06

Abstract

A method for method for correlating altitude and/or grade information with route points of a digital map includes correlating geographic altitude information and/or grade information of a digital geographic map with route points of a digital map. Altitude data of a road is derived from the correlated geographic information. The correlated geographic information is corrected by smoothing the derived altitude data so as to approximate a course of a road to the correlated geographic information. The smoothing is performed as a function of at least one attribute of the road.

Claims

1. A method for correlating altitude and/or grade information with route points of a digital map, the method comprising:

correlating geographic altitude information and/or grade information of a digital geographic map with route points of a digital map;

deriving, from the correlated geographic information, altitude data of a road of the route points; and

correcting the correlated geographic information by smoothing the derived altitude data so as to approximate a course of a road to the correlated geographic information, the smoothing being performed as a function of at least one attribute of the road.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the at least one attribute includes at least one of a road class, a speed limit, an average traffic load, a traffic load at a peak time, a number of lanes in a direction of travel, a completion date and a national territory of the road.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein at least one of the average traffic load and the traffic load at a peak time is a traffic load caused by heavy truck traffic.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising correctively correlating, for a tunnel and/or bridge road type, respective altitude data of the derived altitude data as a function of the correlated geographic information at a start and at an end point of the tunnel and/or bridge.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 further comprising correctively correlating, for a tunnel and/or bridge road type, the respective derived altitude information as a function of the correlated geographic information at a start and at an end point of the tunnel and/or bridge.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the smoothing is performed so as not to exceed at least one defined maximum value of the grade and/or of the change in grade of the road.

7. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the smoothing is performed so as not to exceed at least one defined maximum value of the grade and/or of the change in grade of the road.

8. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein the smoothing is performed so as not to exceed at least one defined maximum value of the grade and/or of the change in grade of the road.

9. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein the smoothing is performed so as not to exceed at least one defined maximum value of the grade and/or of the change in grade of the road.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the smoothing is performed so as not to exceed at least one defined maximum value of the grade and/or of the change in grade of the road, the at least one defined maximum value being a function of the at least one road attribute.

11. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the smoothing is performed so as not to exceed at least one defined maximum value of the grade and/or of the change in grade of the road, the at least one defined maximum value being a function of the at least one road attribute.

12. The method as recited in claim 4 wherein the smoothing is performed so as not to exceed at least one defined maximum value of the grade and/or of the change in grade of the road, the at least one defined maximum value being a function of the at least one road attribute.

13. The method as recited in claim 5 wherein the smoothing is performed so as not to exceed at least one defined maximum value of the grade and/or of the change in grade of the road, the at least one defined maximum value being a function of the at least one road attribute.