Method for transmitting information on position on digital map and device used for the same

• US 6,931,319 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2001
• Issued: 08/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Adachi, Shinya
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/169,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20030078720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/207, 701/208, 701/212, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/995.11, 340/995.12, 340/995.13, 340/995.14, 340/995.15, 340/995.17, 340/995.22
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

A method of transmitting position information of a digital map capable of transmitting a position on a digital map efficiently and accurately in which a transmitting side transmits position information including coordinate series information for specifying a vector shape on a digital map and a receiving side execute map matching by the coordinate series information to the thereby identify the vector shape on the digital map, the coordinate series information is transmitted by adding azimuth information of a coordinate point included in the information thereto. By transmitting shape data by adding the azimuth information thereto, accuracy of matching can be promoted and necessary time for matching can be shortened.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

adding intercept azimuth information of a coordinate point included in the coordinate series information to the coordinate series information; and

transmitting the coordinate series information.

23. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 1,

wherein the coordinate series information includes absolute coordinates data representing a latitude and a longitude of a coordinate point, or relative coordinates data representing a difference value of the absolute coordinates data for representing the coordinate point.

24. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 23,

wherein at least one coordinate point included in the coordinate series information is displayed as the absolute coordinates data of the latitude and the longitude;

and

wherein other coordinate point included in the coordinate series information is displayed as the relative coordinates data of the latitude and the longitude.

25. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 1,

wherein the coordinate series information includes data of a distance between the coordinate point and a contiguous coordinate point and an argument representing an absolute azimuth of a straight line connecting the coordinate point and the contiguous coordinate point or an azimuth difference of the absolute azimuth as data representing the coordinate point.

26. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 25,

wherein at least one coordinate point included in the coordinate series information is displayed as absolute coordinate data of a latitude and a longitude;

and

wherein other coordinate point included in the coordinate series information is displayed as the distance between the coordinate point and the contiguous coordinate point and the argument of the straight line connecting the coordinate point and the contiguous coordinate point.

27. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 23,

wherein the coordinate points are a node and an interpolation point included in a road section.

28. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 23,

wherein the coordinates are coordinate points resampled at equal intervals in a road section.

36. The method of transmitting position information according to claims 25,

wherein the coordinate points are a node and an interpolation point included in a road section.

37. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 24,

wherein the coordinate points are a node and an interpolation point included in a road section.

38. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 25,

wherein the coordinates are coordinate points resampled at equal intervals in a road section.

39. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 24,

wherein the coordinates are coordinate points resampled at equal intervals in a road section.

40. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 26,

wherein the coordinate points are a node and an interpolation point included in a road section.

41. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 26,

wherein the coordinates are coordinate points resampled at equal intervals in a road section.

2. A method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

adding information of a height of a coordinate point included in the coordinate series information to the coordinate series information; and

transmitting the coordinate series information.

3. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 2, wherein the added information of the height is an altitude data.

4. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 2, wherein the added information of the height is a data of a gradient.

5. A method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting coordinate series information including position information of a coordinate point and;

transmitting information of a function approximating the vector information passing through the coordinate point.

6. A method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting coordinate series information of a reference point or shape and

transmitting information prescribing a distance and a direction of offset with regard to the coordinate series information of the reference.

7. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 6, wherein the coordinate series information of the reference is coordinate series information representing a shape of one road of an up and down way separating road.

8. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 6, wherein the coordinate series information of the reference is coordinate series information representing a shape of a center line of an up an down way separating road.

9. A method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

transiting a coordinate value of a digital map representing the shape in a range by which erroneous matching is not produced; and

including the coordinate value of a digital map representing the shape in the coordinate series information being transmitted.

10. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

setting a magnitude of the transit in accordance with a distance from the coordinate point to a road which is contiguous to the coordinate point; and

setting a direction of the transit randomly.

11. A method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side:

wherein relative distance information from a reference point set at a middle of the shape is included in the position information.

12. A method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side:

wherein the position information further includes event information directly correspondent to a coordinate point of the coordinate series information.

13. A method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a road shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the road shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting position information including a direction identifying flag; and

using the direction identifying flag to indicate a vehicle advancing direction influenced by an event produced a road.

14. A method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a road shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the road shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method including the steps of:

transmitting the coordinate series information including a direction identifying flag; and

using the direction identifying flag to indicate a situation of one way traffic regulation of a road specified by the coordinate series information.

15. A method of transmitting position information for transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a road shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the road shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

setting a plurality of reference points representing the road shape; and

including information of travel time between the reference points as part of the position information being transmitted.

16. A method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the step of:

specifying a shape of other than a road by using the coordinate series information.

17. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 16, further comprising the step of:

specifying a house shape on the digital map by using the coordinate series information.

18. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 16, further comprising the step of:

specifying a water area shape on the digital map by using the coordinate series information.

19. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 16, further comprising the step of:

specifying an administrative boundary shape on the digital map by using the coordinate series information.

20. The method of transmitting position information according to claim 16, further comprising the step of:

specifying a contour line shape on the digital map by using the coordinate series information.

21. A method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

the transmitting side transmitting the position information;

including coordinate series information, reference point relative position information for specifying one or more of reference points, and relative position information of a target position with respect to the reference points thereto as part of the position information being transmitted; and

the receiving side identifying the shape on the digital map by executing the match mapping by using the coordinate series information, specifying position of the reference points in the shape by using the reference point relative position information, and specifying the target position by using the relative position information of the target position with respect to the reference points.

22. A method of transmitting position information for transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the step of:

the receiving side restoring coordinate series information of coordinate points at equal intervals by using the coordinate series information and executing map matching by using the restored coordinate series information.

29. An apparatus for restoring a coordinate series used in a method of transmitting position information for transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a vector shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying he shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side,

wherein the receiving side restores coordinate series information of coordinate points at equal intervals by using the coordinate series information and executes map matching by using the restored coordinate series information of the apparatus for restoring a coordinate series,

wherein coordinate series information of coordinate points at equal intervals is restored from coordinate series information subjected to data compression for specifying the vector shape on the digital map.

30. A transmitting side apparatus including a computer for executing a method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

sampling coordinate data of a node or an interpolation point from data of a road section designated on the digital map;

and calculating intercept azimuth data of the node or the interpolation point the coordinate data of which are sampled.

31. A receiving side apparatus including a computer for executing a method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

sampling a road position proximate to a coordinate point included in the coordinate series information from data of the digital map as a candidate point of map matching;

calculating intercept azimuth data of the candidate point by using the data of the digital map;

calculating a difference between the calculated intercept azimuth data and intercept azimuth data of the coordinate point included in the coordinate series information; and

comparing the calculated difference with a threshold and excluding the candidate point from the candidate point of the map matching when the difference exceeds the threshold.

32. A transmitting side apparatus including a computer for executing a method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

sampling coordinate data of a node or an interpolation point from data of a road section designated on the digital map;

calculating a distance from the node or the interpolation point the coordinate data of which is sampled to a contiguous road; and

determining a transit distance for making a position of the node or the interpolation point transit in accordance with the distance to the contiguous road, making the node or the interpolation point transit by the transit distance in a direction at random and calculates coordinate data of a transit position.

33. A transmitting side apparatus including a computer for executing a method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

sampling coordinate data of a plurality of coordinate points included in the shape designated on the digital map;

and calculating relative position data from a coordinate point designated from the coordinate points as a reference point to a designated target position.

34. A receiving side apparatus including a computer for executing a method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

a procedure of specifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information;

a procedure of specifying a reference point disposed on the shape by using relative position data of the reference point included in the position information; and

a procedure of specifying a target position by using reference position information of the target position included in the position information with the reference point as a reference.

35. A receiving side apparatus including a computer for executing a method of transmitting position information including coordinate series information for specifying a shape on a digital map at a transmitting side and identifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate series information at a receiving side, the method comprising the steps of:

restoring the shape included in the coordinate series information from data approximating the shape by a straight line or a function;

setting coordinate points at equal intervals on the restored shape; and

specifying the shape on the digital map by executing map matching by using the coordinate points.