Method and apparatus for finding a location in a digital map

• US 6,847,886 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2002
• Issued: 01/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mind Fusion, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Daimler Chrysler Company LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Hoffmann, Ralf, Knapp, Reiner, Demir, Cesim, Hoyland, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US10/209,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20030083811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/208, 701/209, 701/201, 701/207, 701/213, 340/995.23, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995.24
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3874 Structures specially adapted for data searching and retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

A method for finding a desired location in a digital map whose locations are indicated with reference to a first coordinate system, includes the steps of determining a second coordinate system which is indicated with reference to the first coordinate system; determining coordinate data of the desired location with reference to the second coordinate system; finding the second coordinate system in the digital map; and finding the desired location in the first digital map by entering the coordinate data of the desired location in the second coordinate system.

Claims

1. A method for finding a desired location in a first digital map in which locations are indicated with reference to a first coordinate system, said method comprising:

defining a second coordinate system by reference to a reference map element comprising location information and additional attribute information characterizing said reference map element;

determining coordinate data of the desired location with reference to the second coordinate system;

defining a search area in said first digital map based on said location information of said reference map element;

searching for said reference map element within said search area by comparing said additional attribute information of said reference map element with attribute information for map elements within said search area;

determining a location of said reference map element in said first digital map based on a result of said search; and

finding the desired location in the first digital map based on the coordinate data of the desired location with reference to the second coordinate system, and the location of the reference map element in the digital map.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

a reference point of the second coordinate system is defined to be the location of the reference map element.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein respective desired locations are stored in one of a table and a second digital map.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein in said searching step, it is determined whether the reference map element is present in the first digital map and, if not, the reference map element is transmitted to the first digital map, and is stored there.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein if it is determined that the reference map element to is not present in the digital map, the reference map element is transmitted from the table or from the second digital map to the first digital map, and is stored there.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a reference map element can also be found by:

checking whether map elements are situated at or near a location of the reference map element;

comparing selected additional attribute information of the reference map element with attribute information of map elements which are situated in the digital map at or near the location of the map element.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the desired location or reference map element is used as one of a final destination and an intermediate destination for a route computation.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second coordinate system is one-dimensional.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the reference map element is an edge.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the edge is situated on a computed route for a vehicle.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the desired location or reference map element can be reached via the edge.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

map elements are indicated as objects.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein attributes of objects are used to determine a desired object to be found among objects of the same class in the search area.

14. A system comprising:

a first memory for storing a first digital map;

a second memory for storing an additional digital map or a table;

at least one processor; and

a user interface wherein;

at least one of the first memory, the at least one processor and the user interface are arranged in a vehicle; and

the at least one processor is programmed to find a desired location in the first digital map, in which locations are indicated with reference to a first coordinate system, by

defining a second coordinate system by reference to a reference map element comprising location information and additional attribute information characterizing said reference map element;

determining coordinate data of the desired location with reference to the second coordinate system;

defining a search area in said first digital map based on said location information of said reference map element;

searching said reference map element within said search area by comparing said additional attribute information of said reference map element with attribute information for map elements within said search area;

determining a location of said reference map element in said first digital map based on a result of said search; and

finding the desired location in the first digital map based on the coordinate data of the desired location with reference to the second coordinate system, and the location of the reference map element in the first digital map.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the vehicle also includes communication devices.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the second memory is arranged in one of the vehicle and a control center.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein:

a route computation takes place in one of the vehicle and the control center; and

maneuvering information is conveyed via the user interface.

18. A method for finding a desired location in a digital map, comprising:

selecting a reference map element in proximity to said desired location;

defining a first object comprising location information and first additional attribute information characterizing said reference map element;

defining a second object comprising transformed position information of said desired location relative to said reference map element and second additional attribute information characterizing said desired location, including an object class;

defining a transformed object comprising the first and second objects;

identifying a search area in said digital map as a function of position information included in said transformed object;

searching for said transformed object in said digital map by comparing said first and second additional attribute information with attribute information for objects within the search area; and

determining a location of said transformed object in said digital map based on a result of said searching step.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said searching step is limited to consideration of objects of the same class specified in said second object.