Data structure of map data, map data storage medium, map data updating method and map data processing apparatus

• US 7,526,492 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2004
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohki, Hidehiko, Shimotani, Mitsuo, Umezu, Masaharu, Mikuriya, Makoto, Ikeuchi, Tomoya
• Primary Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US10/925,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20050058155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,707 Days
• Field of Search: 707/100, 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/203, 701200-210, 701/213, 701/55, 340/995.1, 340/995.12, 340/995.19, 715/818
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/387 Organisation of map data, e.g. version management or database structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0062 Provisions for network management

Abstract

For map data, a road system is represented by using node data, which is information concerning nodes representing points along a road, and link data, which is information concerning a link representing a road between the points. A link row is a series of links representing a series of roads in a road system, and as link row data, link data for the links that constitute the link row are arranged in the order in which the links are connected. The node data for the individual nodes of the road system are provided separately from the link row data, and to identify nodes, node identifiers are provided for the nodes of the road system. The link data includes information indicating a node identifier for a node that is located at one link end defined in the direction of the link row.

Claims

1. A method of displaying map data of a road system on a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining node data which indicates information concerning nodes that represent points along a road;

obtaining link data which indicates information that identifies a link that represents a road between the points;

forming a link row which represents a series of roads as a series of links in the road system;

forming link row data in which the link data for links constituting the link row are arranged in the order that the links are connected;

assigning node identifiers which identify the nodes;

expressing the road system by using the nodes and the links; and

displaying the road system on the display device,

wherein, the node data for each of the nodes of the road system are provided separately from the link row data;

wherein, the node identifiers are provided for each of the nodes of the road system; and

wherein, the link data includes information that indicates the node identifier for only one node located at one link end that is defined in accordance with the direction of the link row.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein node numbers representing an arrangement of the node data are employed as the node identifiers.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein

connected link information representing links connected to a node are provided in response to each of the node, and includes connected link designation information in response to a link row that the links belong to;

and

the connected link designation information depicts a link that is selected from a corresponding link row in accordance with a direction of the link row.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein

connected link information representing links connected to a node are provided in response to each of the node, and includes connected link designation information in response to a link row that the links belong to;

and

the connected link designation information depicts a link that is selected from a corresponding link row in accordance wit a direction of the link row.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the connected link designation information depicts a link by using a link row identifier, which is provided for a link row to identify the link row, and an intra-link-row link identifier, which is provided for a link, in accordance with the direction of the link row, to identify a link in the link row.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein

for each of the link row, one link is selected from links connected to a node in accordance with the direction of a link row;

and

a node-base link identifier is provided to the link to identify the selected link.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein

in a case where a link is divided, link row data are provided for a link row segment consisting of a link row composed of link segments obtained by dividing the link;

and

link data for the link segments include information concerning the link row segment.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein node associated information is provided for a node and includes a node identifier for an associated node.

9. A map data processing apparatus comprising:

a map data acquisition unit for obtaining map data according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 8;

a map update data acquisition unit for obtaining map update data used to update the map data;

a map data updating unit for employing the map update data obtained by the map update data acquisition unit to update the map data obtained by the map data acquisition unit; and

an output device for displaying the map update data.

10. A method of updating map data of a road system for display of the road system on a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining node data which indicates information concerning nodes that represents points along a road;

obtaining link data which indicates information concerning a link that represents a road between the points;

forming a link row which provides a series of roads as a series of links in the road system;

forming link row data in which the link data for links constituting the link row are arranged in the order that the links are connected; and

assigning node identifiers which identify the nodes;

updating the map data of the road system while node identifiers for conventional existing nodes are not changed, in a case where a node is discontinued or established;

expressing the road system by using the nodes and the links; and

displaying the road system on the display device,

wherein, the node data for each of the nodes of the road system are provided separately from the link row data;

wherein, the node identifiers are provided for each of the nodes of the road system;

wherein, node numbers representing an arrangement of the node data are employed as the node identifiers; and

wherein, link data include information that indicates the node identifier for a node located at one link end that is defined in accordance with the direction of the link row.

11. A method of updating map data of a road system for display of the road system on a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining node data which indicates information concerning nodes that represents points along a road;

obtaining link data which indicates information concerning a link that represents a road between the points;

forming a link row which provides a series of roads as a series of links in the road system;

forming link row data in which the link data for links constituting the link row are arranged in the order that the links are connected;

assigning node identifiers which identify the nodes;

updating the map data of the road system while, at least, either link row identifiers for conventional existing link rows or intra-link-row link identifiers for conventional existing links are not changed, in a case where a link is discontinued or established;

expressing the road system by using the nodes and the links; and

displaying the road system on the display device,

wherein, the node data for each of the nodes of the road system are provided separately from the link row data;

wherein, the node identifiers are provided for each of the nodes of the road system;

wherein, the link data include information that indicates the node identifier for a node located at one link end that is defined in accordance with the direction of the link row;

wherein, connected link information representing links connected to a node are provided in response to each of the node, and includes connected link designation information in response to a link row that the links belong to;

wherein, the connected link designation information depicts a link that is selected from a corresponding link row in accordance with a direction of the link row; and

wherein, the connected link designation information depicts a link by using a link row identifier, which is provided for a link row to identify the link row, and an intra-link-row link identifier, which is provided for a link, in accordance with the direction of the link row, to identify a link in the link row.

12. A method of updating map data of a road system for display of the road system on a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining node data which indicates information concerning nodes that represents points along a road;

obtaining link data which indicates information that identifies a link that represents a road between the points;

forming a link row which provides a series of roads as a series of links in the road system;

forming link row data in which the link data for links constituting the link row are arranged in the order that the links are connected;

assigning node identifiers which identify the nodes;

employing link row data obtained by updating the map data of the road system to update the connected link information, in a case where a link is discontinued or established;

expressing the road system by using the nodes and the links; and

displaying the road system on the display device,

wherein, the node data for each of the nodes of the road system are provided separately from the link row data;

wherein, the node identifiers are provided for each of the nodes of the road system;

wherein, the link data includes information that indicates the node identifier for only one node located at one link end that is defined in accordance with the direction of the link row;

wherein, connected link information representing links connected to a node are provided in response to each of the node, and includes connected link designation information in response to a link row that the links belong to;

wherein, the connected link designation information depicts a link that is selected from a corresponding link row in accordance with a direction of the link row; and

wherein, the connected link designation information depicts a link by using a link row identifier, which is provided for a link row to identify the link row, and an intra-link-row link identifier, which is provided for a link, in accordance with the direction of the link row, to identify a link in the link row.

13. A method of updating map data of a road system for display of the road system on a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining nodes representing points along a road;

obtaining links representing the road between the points; and

providing link numbers, within a specific range, for the links in the road system respectively;

distributing the link numbers within the specific range provided for a before-division link to link segments obtained by division;

determining the range for link numbers for the link segments obtained by the distribution in accordance with a range obtained by equally dividing the specific range for the link numbers of the before-division link;

expressing the road system by using the nodes and the links; and

displaying the road system on the display device.

14. A method of updating map data of a road system for display of the road system on a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining nodes representing points along a road;

obtaining links representing the road between the points; and

providing link numbers, within a specific range, for the links in the road system respectively;

distributing the link numbers within the specific range provided for a before-division link to link segments obtained by division;

determining the range for link numbers for the link segments obtained by the distribution in accordance wit a ratio of link lengths of the link segments to a link length of the before-division link;

expressing the road system by using the nodes and the links; and

displaying the road system on the display device.

15. A computer-readable medium storing a program to have a computer carry out a method of displaying map data of a road system on a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining node data which indicates information concerning nodes that represents points along a road;

obtaining link data which indicates information that identifies a link that represents a road between the points;

forming a link row which provides a series of roads as a series of links in the road system;

forming link row data in which the link data for links constituting the link row are arranged in the order that the links are connected;

assigning node identifiers which identify the nodes;

expressing the road system by using the nodes and the links; and

displaying the road system on the display device,

wherein, the node data for each of the nodes of the road system are provided separately from the link row data;

wherein, the node identifiers are provided for each of the nodes of the road system;

wherein, node numbers representing an arrangement of the node data are employed as the node identifiers; and

wherein, the link data includes information that indicates the nude identifier for a one node located at one link end that is defined in accordance with the direction of the link row.

19. A map data processing apparatus comprising:

a map data reading unit for reading map data stored in computer-readable medium according to any one of claims 15 to 18;

a map update data acquisition unit for obtaining map update data used to update the map data stored in the map data storage medium;

a map data updating unit for employing the map update data obtained by the map update data acquisition unit to update the map data read by the map data reading unit; and

an output device for displaying the map update data.

16. A computer-readable medium storing a program to have a computer carry out a method of displaying map data of a road system on a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining node data which indicates information concerning nodes that represents points along a road;

obtaining link data which indicates information that identifies a link that represents a road between the points;

forming link row which provides a series of roads as a series of links in the road system;

forming link row data in which the link data for links constituting the link row are arranged in the order that the links are connected;

assigning node identifiers which identify the nodes;

expressing the road system by using the nodes and the links; and

displaying the road system on the display device,

wherein, the node data for each of the nodes of the road system are provided separately from the link row data;

wherein, the node identifiers are provided for each of the nodes of the road system;

wherein, node numbers representing an arrangement of the node data are employed as the node identifiers;

wherein, the link data includes information that indicates the node identifier for only one node located at one link end that is defined in accordance with the direction of the link row;

wherein, connected link information representing links connected to a node are provided in response to each of the node, and includes connected link designation information in response to a link row that the links belong to; and

wherein, the connected link designation information depicts a link that is selected from a corresponding link row in accordance with a direction of the link row.

17. A computer-readable medium storing a program to have a computer carry out a method of displaying map data of a road system on a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining nodes representing points along a road;

obtaining links representing the road between the points;

providing link numbers, within a specific range, for the links in the road system respectively;

expressing the road system by using the nodes and the links; and

displaying the road system on the display device,

wherein, the link numbers within the specific range provided for a before-division link are distributed to link segments obtained by division; and

wherein, the range for link numbers for the link segments obtained by the distribution is determined in accordance with a range obtained by equally dividing the specific range for the link numbers of the before-division link.

18. A computer-readable medium storing a program to have a computer carry out a method of displaying map data of a road system on a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining nodes representing points along a road;

obtaining links representing the road between the points;

providing link numbers, within a specific range, for the links in the road system respectively;

expressing the road system by using the nodes and the links; and

displaying the road system on the display device,

wherein, the link numbers within the specific range provided for a before-division link are distributed to link segments obtained by division; and

wherein, the range for link numbers for the link segments obtained by the distribution is determined in accordance with a ratio of link lengths of the link segments to a link length of the before-division link.