METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CORRECTING CURRENT POSITION IN NAVIGATION SYSTEM VIA HUMAN-MACHINE INTERFACE

• US 20180172468A1
• Filed: 12/19/2016
• Published: 06/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sagall, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 10,641,612 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3811 Point data, e.g. Point of Interest [POI]
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for correcting position error in a navigation system by utilizing user input received via a human-machine interface, where the user input indicates the location of a user as perceived by the user. The navigation system includes a positioning module, navigation sensors, a map database and a human-machine interface that are employed to calculate and display the current position to the user. The method and apparatus are advantageously used in situations with intermittent or unavailable GPS signal, cumulative navigational sensor errors, and cases where map database information is incorrect. The positioning module receives and processes user input from the human-machine interface and analyzes the user input against the result of a map-matching algorithm to correct positioning errors.

Claims

1. A method for correcting a calculated user position in a navigation system, comprising:

performing an integrity check, wherein a candidate position specified by a user indicating a location of the user as perceived by the user and correlating to the user'"'"'s position on a digitized map of the navigation system is validated by determining whether a probability of the candidate position as calculated by a map-matching algorithm satisfies at least one of an absolute probability threshold and a probability range with a highest probable position as calculated by the map-matching algorithm; and

updating the calculated user position in the navigation system to the candidate position upon determining that the candidate position is validated by the integrity check.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of selecting the candidate position by the map-matching algorithm, wherein the candidate position is proximate to at least one of a recent trajectory of the user based on data from one or more navigation sensors, and a calculated route.

3. A method for correcting a calculated user position in a navigation system, comprising:

recording sensor data detected by one or more navigation sensors;

receiving, via a human-machine interface, an indication from a user that the calculated user position is incorrect;

examining by a first map-matching algorithm a map database and the sensor data to find at least one candidate position;

presenting to the user, via the human-machine interface, the at least one candidate position;

receiving from the user, via the human-machine interface, a selection of one of the at least one candidate position;

calculating by the first map-matching algorithm a probability of the selection;

performing an integrity check on the selection, wherein the selection is validated by determining whether the probability satisfies at least one of an absolute probability threshold, and a probability range with a highest probable candidate position as calculated by a second map-matching algorithm;

updating the calculated user position in the navigation system based on the integrity check; and

presenting the calculated user position on a digital map image of the human-machine interface.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising a step of selecting the candidate position by the map-matching algorithm, where the candidate position is proximate to at least one of a recent trajectory of the user based on data from one or more navigation sensors, and a calculated route.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising a step of calculating a route between a start point and a destination specified by the user based on digital map data retrieved from the map database, and performing a route guidance operation to guide the user to the destination through the calculated route by presenting upcoming maneuvers via the human-machine interface of the navigation system.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one candidate position corresponds to a road link.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one candidate position corresponds to a maneuver of the calculated route.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one candidate position corresponds to a point-of-interest retrieved from the map database.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein, when presenting the at least one candidate position to the user, the human-machine interface displays the at least one candidate position in a candidate list, and the at least one candidate position is identified in the candidate list by at least one of a road name, a directional identifier, and a point-of-interest name, corresponding to the candidate position.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein, when presenting the at least one candidate position to the user, the human-machine interface displays the at least one candidate position on the digital map image, and the at least one candidate position is identified on the digital map image by at least one of a road name, a directional identifier, a point-of-interest name and a point-of-interest icon, corresponding to the candidate position.

11. An apparatus for correcting a user position in a navigation system, comprising:

one or more processors for controlling overall operations of the navigation system;

a human-machine interface for interaction between the navigation system and a user, the interface further comprising at least a display;

one or more navigation sensors configured to detect sensor data proximate to the user position;

one or more positioning receivers of the navigation system which receives and analyzes positioning signals to estimate the user position;

a map database which stores digital map data of road networks including at least coordinate positions and attributes of road segments and road nodes, and

a positioning module configured to;

receive an indication from the user that the user position is incorrect;

examine by a map-matching algorithm a map database and the sensor data to find at least one candidate position;

present, via the human-machine interface, the at least one candidate position to the user;

receive from the user a selection from the at least one candidate, the selection indicating a location of the user as perceived by the user,

perform an integrity check on the selection, wherein the selection is validated by determining whether the probability satisfies at least one of an absolute probability threshold, and a probability range with a highest probable candidate position as calculated by a second map-matching algorithm; and

update the user position on a digital map image displayed on the human-machine interface in accordance with the integrity check.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the positioning module is further configured to select the candidate position by the first map-matching algorithm, where the candidate position is proximate to at least one of a recent trajectory of the user based on data from one or more navigation sensors, and a calculated route.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor further conducts an operation of calculating a route between a start point and a destination specified by the user based on digital map data retrieved from the map database, and performing a route guidance operation to guide the user to the destination through the calculated route by showing upcoming maneuvers on the human-machine interface of the navigation system.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one candidate position corresponds to a road link.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one candidate position corresponds to a maneuver of the calculated route.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one candidate position corresponds to a point-of-interest retrieved from the map database.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the positioning module is further configured to present the at least one candidate position to the user via the human-machine interface in a candidate list, and the at least one candidate position is identified in the candidate list by at least one of a road name, a directional identifier, and a point-of-interest name, corresponding to the candidate position.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the positioning module is further configured to present the at least one candidate position to the user via the human-machine interface on the digital map image, and the at least one candidate position is identified on the digital map image by at least one of a road name, a directional identifier, a point-of-interest name and a point-of-interest icon, corresponding to the candidate position.