Map information generating systems, methods, and programs

• US 8,073,617 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Norihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US12/003,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701207-213, 340988-992, 3409951-99516
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3841 Data obtained from two or more sources, e.g. probe vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3859 Differential updating map data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

Systems, methods, and programs store map information including a road network. The systems, methods, and programs gather traveling information including a plurality of loci, each locus representing a vehicle traveling along a road that is not included in the stored road network. The systems, methods, and programs separate the loci within the gathered traveling information into groups, each group related to a same road and generate new road information relating to a single new road for each group of loci.

Claims

1. A map information generating system, comprising:

a memory that stores map information including a road network; and

a controller that;

gathers traveling information including a plurality of loci, each locus representing a vehicle traveling along a road that is not included in the stored road network;

separates the loci within the gathered traveling information into groups, each group related to a same road, the loci being separated into the groups by the controller;

determining positional coordinates at predetermined distance intervals along each locus within the gathered traveling information;

calculating an average separation distance between respective positional coordinates as a separation distance between each locus in the gathered traveling information; and

grouping together the loci in the gathered traveling information in which the calculated separation distance is within a predetermined distance; and

generates new road information relating to a single new road for each group of loci.

2. The map information generating system according to claim 1, wherein, for each locus within the gathered traveling information, the controller:

specifies a starting road link included in the stored road network at which the vehicle starts to travel along the road not included in the stored road network;

specifies an ending road link included in the stored road network at which the vehicle returns from the road that is not included in the stored road network; and

groups together the loci within the gathered traveling information in which the starting road links are identical and the ending road links are identical.

3. The map information generating system according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

excludes loci assumed to have been obtained when the vehicle was not traveling along a new road from the groups of loci.

4. The map information generating system according to claim 3, wherein the controller:

specifies a starting road link included in the stored road network at which the vehicle starts to travel along the road not included in the stored road network;

specifies an ending road link included in the stored road network at which the vehicle returns from the road that is not included in the stored road network; and

excludes each locus in which the starting road link and the ending road link are identical from the groups of loci.

5. The map information generating system according to claim 3, wherein the controller:

determines, for each locus, whether an engine of the vehicle was switched OFF while traveling along the locus; and

excludes each locus in which the engine was switched OFF during travel along the locus from the groups of loci.

6. The map information generating system according to claim 3, wherein the controller:

determines, for each locus, whether the vehicle reversed while traveling along the locus; and

excludes each locus in which the vehicle reversed during travel from the groups of loci.

7. The map information generating system according to claim 3, wherein the controller:

specifies a starting point included in the stored map information at which the vehicle starts to travel along the road not included in the road network;

specifies an ending point included in the stored map information at which the vehicle returns from the road that is not included in the road network of the map information; and

excludes each locus in which the starting point and the ending point are within a predetermined distance of each other.

8. A map information generating method, comprising:

storing map information including a road network;

gathering traveling information including a plurality of loci, each locus representing a vehicle traveling along a road that is not included in the stored road network;

separating the loci within the gathered traveling information into groups, each group related to a same road, the loci being separated into the groups by;

determining positional coordinates at predetermined distance intervals along each locus within the gathered traveling information;

calculating an average separation distance between respective positional coordinates as a separation distance between each locus in the gathered traveling information; and

grouping together the loci in the gathered traveling information in which the calculated separation distance is within a predetermined distance; and

generating new road information relating to a single new road for each group of loci.

9. The map information generating method according to claim 8, further comprising, for each locus within the gathered traveling information:

specifying a starting road link included in the stored road network at which the vehicle starts to travel along the road not included in the stored road network;

specifying an ending road link included in the stored road network at which the vehicle returns from the road that is not included in the stored road network; and

grouping together the loci within the gathered traveling information in which the starting road links are identical and the ending road links are identical.

10. The map information generating method according to claim 8, further comprising:

excluding loci assumed to have been obtained when the vehicle was not traveling along a new road from the groups of loci.

11. The map information generating method according to claim 10, further comprising:

specifying a starting road link included in the stored road network at which the vehicle starts to travel along the road not included in the stored road network;

specifying an ending road link included in the stored road network at which the vehicle returns from the road that is not included in the stored road network of the map information; and

excluding each locus in which the starting road link and the ending road link are identical from the groups of loci.

12. The map information generating method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining, for each locus, whether an engine of the vehicle was switched OFF while traveling along the locus; and

excluding each locus in which the engine was switched OFF during travel along the locus from the groups of loci.

13. The map information generating method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining, for each locus, whether the vehicle reversed while traveling along the locus; and

excluding each locus in which the vehicle reversed during travel from the groups of loci.

14. The map information generating method according to claim 10, further comprising:

specifying a starting point included in the stored road network at which the vehicle starts to travel along the road not included in the stored road network;

specifying an ending point included in the stored road network at which the vehicle returns from the road that is not included in the stored road network of the map information; and

excluding each locus in which the starting point and the ending point are within a predetermined distance of each other.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program usable to generate map information, the computer program comprising:

instructions for gathering traveling information including a plurality of loci, each locus representing a vehicle traveling along a road that is not included in a stored road network;

instructions for separating the loci within the gathered traveling information into groups, each group related to a same road, the loci being separated into the groups by;

instructions for determining positional coordinates at predetermined distance intervals along each locus within the gathered traveling information;

instructions for calculating an average separation distance between respective positional coordinates as a separation distance between each locus in the gathered traveling information; and

instructions for grouping together the loci in the gathered traveling information in which the calculated separation distance is within a predetermined distance; and

instructions for generating new road information relating to a single new road for each group of loci.