VEHICLE NAVIGATION SYSTEM

• US 20120066232A1
• Filed: 09/08/2011
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kluge, Sebastian, Engelhardt, Hans-Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,239,243 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/001 with electric, electro-mechanic or electronic means G01F9/008 and G01F9/02 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/023 with electric, electro-mechanic or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

A vehicle navigation system having a database configured to store map data. The database includes links corresponding to road segments and attributes associated with the links. The map data includes at least some links associated with a curvature attribute. A mean absolute curvature ( κ) is stored for the curvature attribute for corresponding links. The mean absolute curvature ( κ) may be determined from a normalized sum or integral of absolute curvature values along the road segment corresponding to the link. The system includes a processing unit configured to estimate an energy consumption of the vehicle for a link using the curvature attribute retrieved from the database for the link.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation system, comprising:

a database configured to store map data having links corresponding to road segments and attributes associated with the links, the map data having at least some links associated with a curvature attribute and a mean absolute curvature () stored for the curvature attribute for corresponding links, the mean absolute curvature () being determined from a normalized sum or integral of absolute curvature values along the road segment corresponding to the link;

a processing unit configured to estimate an energy consumption of the vehicle for a link using the curvature attribute retrieved from the database for the link.

2. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1, where the sum or the integral are a weighted sum or a weighted integral in which the curvature values are weighted by a weighting factor.

3. The vehicle navigation system of claim 2 where the weighting factor depends on the respective curvature value.

4. The vehicle navigation system of claim 2, where the weighting factor is configured to consider the influence of the curvature on energy consumption.

5. The vehicle navigation system of claim 1, where the processing unit is configured to use a model which determines an additional energy consumption (Δ

B) for the link caused by the curvatures along the corresponding road segment from the absolute mean curvature attribute associated with the link.

6. A vehicle navigation system, comprising:

a database configured to store map data having links corresponding to road segments and attributes associated with the links, the map data having at least some links associated with a rolling resistance attribute and a grade resistance attribute, the rolling resistance attribute for a link having a rolling resistance attribute value (g_cos) proportional to a sum or an integral over the cosine of the angles of elevation (δ

) along the road segment, the grade resistance attribute for a link having a grade resistance attribute value (g_sin) proportional to a sum or an integral over the sine of the angles of elevation (δ

) along the road segment;

a processing unit configured to estimate an energy consumption of the vehicle for a link using at least one of the rolling resistance attribute and the grade resistance attribute retrieved from the database for the link.

7. The vehicle navigation system of claim 6, where the sum or integral are a weighted sum or a weighted integral, respectively, in which the cosine or sine are weighted with a weighting factor depending on the angle of elevation (δ

).

8. The vehicle navigation system of claim 7, where the weighting factor for at least the grade resistance attribute is such that the sine is weighted with a positive value if the angle of elevation is positive and with a negative value if the angle of elevation is negative.

9. The vehicle navigation system of claim 7, where the weighting factor for at least the grade resistance attribute is determined by a triangular function depending on the angle of elevation (δ

).

10. The vehicle navigation system of claim 6, where the weighting factor for at least the grade resistance attribute is a vehicle specific weighting factor depending on the properties of the vehicle and the angle of elevation (δ

).

11. The vehicle navigation system of claim 6, where the grade resistance attribute includes a first value (g sin+) proportional to a sum or an integral over the sine of the positive angles of elevation along the road segment and a second value (g sin−

) proportional to a sum or an integral over the sine of the negative angles of elevation along the road segment.

12. The vehicle navigation system of claim 6, where the attribute is stored in a route building block of the database.

13. A method of estimating an energy consumption of a vehicle for a link of a route, the method comprising:

retrieving at least one link corresponding to a road segment from a database of map data;

retrieving a curvature attribute associated with the retrieved link from the database, the curvature attribute for the link storing a mean absolute curvature () determined from a normalized sum or integral of absolute curvature values along the road segment corresponding to the link; and

estimating an energy consumption of the vehicle for the link using the retrieved curvature attribute.

14. A method of estimating an energy consumption of a vehicle for a link of a route, the method comprising:

retrieving at least one link corresponding to a road segment from a database of map data;

retrieving at least one of a rolling resistance attribute and a grade resistance attribute associated with the retrieved link from the database, the rolling resistance attribute for a link storing a value (g_cos) proportional to a sum or an integral over the cosine of the angles of elevation along the road segment, the grade resistance attribute for a link storing a value (g_sin) proportional to a sum or an integral over the sine of the angles of elevation along the road segment; and

estimating an energy consumption of the vehicle for the link using the retrieved rolling resistance attribute or grade resistance attribute.

15. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

a processing unit;

a database of map data having links corresponding to road segments and attributes associated with the links, the map data having at least some links associated with a curvature attribute; and

a memory for storing software components configured to perform, when executed by the processor, the following;

retrieving at least one link corresponding to a road segment from the database of map data;

retrieving a curvature attribute associated with the retrieved link from the database, the curvature attribute for the link storing a mean absolute curvature () determined from a normalized sum or integral of absolute curvature values along the road segment corresponding to the link; and

estimating an energy consumption of the vehicle for the link using the retrieved curvature attribute.

16. A vehicle navigation system comprising:

a processing unit;

a database of map data having links corresponding to road segments and attributes associated with the links, the map data having at least some links associated with a rolling resistance attribute and a grade resistance attribute; and

a memory for storing software components configured to perform, when executed by the processor, the following;

retrieving at least one link corresponding to a road segment from the database of map data;

retrieving at least one of a rolling resistance attribute and a grade resistance attribute associated with the retrieved link from the database, the rolling resistance attribute for a link storing a value (g_cos) proportional to a sum or an integral over the cosine of the angles of elevation along the road segment, the grade resistance attribute for a link storing a value (g_sin) proportional to a sum or an integral over the sine of the angles of elevation along the road segment; and

estimating an energy consumption of the vehicle for the link using the retrieved rolling resistance attribute or grade resistance attribute.

17. A computer-readable storage medium having computer programs configured to perform, when executed by a processor, the following:

retrieving at least one link corresponding to a road segment from the database of map data having links corresponding to road segments and attributes associated with the links, the map data having at least some links associated with a curvature attribute;

retrieving a curvature attribute associated with the retrieved link from the database, the curvature attribute for the link storing a mean absolute curvature () determined from a normalized sum or integral of absolute curvature values along the road segment corresponding to the link; and

estimating an energy consumption of the vehicle for the link using the retrieved curvature attribute.

18. A computer-readable storage medium having computer programs configured to perform, when executed by a processor, the following:

retrieving at least one link corresponding to a road segment from a database of map data having links corresponding to road segments and attributes associated with the links, the map data having at least some links associated with a rolling resistance attribute and a grade resistance attribute;

retrieving at least one of a rolling resistance attribute and a grade resistance attribute associated with the retrieved link from the database, the rolling resistance attribute for a link storing a value (g_cos) proportional to a sum or an integral over the cosine of the angles of elevation along the road segment, the grade resistance attribute for a link storing a value (g_sin) proportional to a sum or an integral over the sine of the angles of elevation along the road segment; and

estimating an energy consumption of the vehicle for the link using the retrieved rolling resistance attribute or grade resistance attribute.

19. A method of generating a database comprising map data for a navigation system, the method comprising:

for a link of the map data, retrieving curvature values giving information on the curvature along a road segment corresponding to the link;

determining a mean absolute curvature for the link by determining a normalized sum or integral of the absolute curvature values along the road segment corresponding to the link; and

storing the mean absolute curvature as a curvature attribute in association with the link in the database.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

splitting the link into link segments;

determining for each of the link segments the curvature, rolling resistance and/or drag resistance attribute; and

storing the link segments in the database in association with the attribute determined for the respective link segment.

21. A method of generating a database comprising map data for a navigation system, the method comprising:

for a link of the map data, retrieving angles of elevation giving information on the incline along a road segment corresponding to the link;

determining a first value proportional to a sum or an integral over the cosine of the angles of elevation along the road segment and a second value proportional to a sum or an integral over the sine of the angles of elevation along the road segment; and

storing the first value as a rolling resistance attribute and the second value as a grade resistance attribute in association with the link.

22. The method of any of claim 21, further comprising:

splitting the link into link segments;

determining for each of the link segments the curvature, rolling resistance and/or drag resistance attribute; and

storing the link segments in the database in association with the attribute determined for the respective link segment.