MAP INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20100057352A1
• Filed: 06/27/2007
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Shimotani, Mitsuo, Umezu, Masaharu, Mikuriya, Makoto, Kohno, Atsushi, Satou, Fumitaka, Ikeuchi, Tomoya, Kawana, Yuta, Nakae, Tomohiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,380,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/32 Structuring or formatting of map data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation

Abstract

A map information processing apparatus includes a road matching means (143) for comparing road data with current position data to carry out map matching, an input unit (130) for inputting both a specified detection start point and a specified detection end point, an unregistered road detection means (144) to which both the specified detection start point and the specified detection end point are inputted, for detecting, as an unregistered road, a section between a detection start point and a detection end point of the unregistered road which are acquired on the basis of either the map matching carried out by the road matching means or the result of comparison between running track data and the road data, and a road data generating means (145) for generating road data corresponding to the detected unregistered road and storing the road data in a map data storage means.

Claims

1. A map information processing apparatus comprising:

a positioning means for measuring a current position;

a memory for storing, as running track data, the current position which is acquired in turn through the measurement done by said positioning means;

a map data storage means for storing map data including road data about registered roads;

a road matching means for comparing a registered road shown by road data read from said map data storage means with the current position measured by said positioning means to carry out map matching;

an input unit for inputting both a specified detection start point which is a point at which detection of an unregistered road is to be started, and a specified detection end point which is a point at which the detection is to be ended;

an unregistered road detection means to which both the specified detection start point and the specified detection end point of an unregistered road are inputted from said input unit, for detecting, as the unregistered road, a section between a detection start point and a detection end point of the unregistered road which are acquired on a basis of either the map matching carried out by said road matching means or a result of comparison between the running track data read from said memory and road data read from said map data storage means; and

a road data generating means for generating road data corresponding to the unregistered road detected by said unregistered road detection means, and then storing the road data in said map data storage means.

2. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the specified detection start point inputted from the input unit is a point before arriving at the detection start point of the unregistered road, the unregistered road detection means defines a point departing from a registered road which has been judged not to have any map matching by the road matching means as the detection start point.

3. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the specified detection start point inputted from the input unit is a point behind arriving at the detection start point of the unregistered road, the unregistered road detection means defines a point departing from a registered road for which no matching between the running track data read from the memory and the road data read from the map data storage means is established as the detection start point.

4. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the specified detection end point inputted from the input unit is a point before arriving at the detection end point of the unregistered road, the unregistered road detection means defines a point returning to a registered road which has been judged to have map matching by the road matching means as the detection end point.

5. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the specified detection end point inputted from the input unit is a point behind arriving at the detection end point of the unregistered road, the unregistered road detection means defines a point returning to a registered road for which matching between the running track data read from the memory and the road data read from the map data storage means is established as the detection end point.

6. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the specified detection start point is inputted from the input unit, if map matching is achieved by the road matching means and a state in which no departure from any registered road is found has continued during running over a predetermined distance or more or during a predetermined time period or more, the unregistered road detection means ends the detection of the unregistered road.

7. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the specified detection end point is not inputted from the input unit and map matching has been achieved continuously by the road matching means during running over a predetermined distance or more or during a predetermined time period or more, the unregistered road detection means defines a point returning to a registered road which has been judged to have map matching by said road matching means as the detection end point.

8. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said map information processing apparatus includes a vehicle state acquiring unit for acquiring a vehicle state showing whether a vehicle is running, at a stop, or being parked, and, when the specified detection end point is inputted from the input unit and the vehicle state acquired by said vehicle state acquiring unit shows that the vehicle is being parked, defines the current position measured by the positioning means as the detection end point.

9. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when detecting a point departing from a registered road and a point returning to a registered road, the road matching means reduces a degree of correction for judging whether the map matching ends in success or failure, and then carries out the map matching.

10. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said map information processing apparatus includes a display means for displaying the current position, and the road matching means carries out general map matching in which the degree of correction is not reduced, in parallel with the map matching in which the degree of correction is reduced, and said display means displays the Current position according to a result of the general map matching carried out by said road matching means.

11. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when a registered road exists between the detection start point and the detection end point of the unregistered road, according to an instruction inputted from the input unit, the unregistered road detection means detects, as unregistered roads, a section from the detection start point to a start point of said registered road, and a section from an end point of said registered road to the detection end point, or detects, as an unregistered road, a section from the detection start point to the detection end point including said registered road.

12. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the specified detection start point is inputted from the input unit, the unregistered road detection means cancels the detection of the unregistered road according to a cancellation instruction inputted from said input unit.

13. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein before running, at least one of a registered road connected to the detection start point of the unregistered road and a registered road connected to the detection end point of the unregistered road is inputted from the input unit.

14. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the specified detection start point is forcedly specified from the input unit, the unregistered road detection means defines the current position measured by the positioning means as the detection start point.

15. The map information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the specified detection end point is forcedly specified from the input unit, the unregistered road detection means defines the current position measured by the positioning means as the detection end point.