Data structure of route guidance database

• US 8,600,654 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Geo Technical Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Geo Technical Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kishikawa, Kiyonari, Tou, Kouhei, Irie, Toru, Teshima, Eiji, Aramaki, Masatoshi, Shimozuru, Hideyuki, Ada, Masaya, Kimura, Tatsuji, Baba, Satomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US12/677,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20110054783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images

Abstract

A route guidance device is provided with a two-dimensional road network for a route search, a three-dimensional road network for a route guidance, and guiding line shape data. The guiding line shape data is three-dimensional guidance display data for guiding an operator to go straight through, or to make a right turn, left turn, etc. at intersections in accordance with a passage mode, or to switch lanes before entering an intersection. A link node of the two-dimensional road network is associated with the guiding line shape data through the three-dimensional road network. The route search uses the two-dimensional road network, and the route guidance uses the guiding line shape data associated with the link node acquired by the route search. The present invention can realize an instinctively understandable route guidance that follows a passage mode without increasing a load of a route search.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a route guidance database used to display a guiding line for guiding a moving body on a route as an object of route guidance, the route guidance database having a data structure configured to be referred to by a route guidance device to provide a guidance display for guiding a passage of the moving body on the route, wherein the route guidance device is configured to display a route for the moving body to take, by reading a route search result, detecting position coordinates of a current location of the moving body, and referring to the route search result based on the detected position coordinates, the route search result specifying a route to be guided with a combination of nodes and links representing a road and including position coordinates, the nodes and the links being contained in a route search database,

the data structure comprising:

guiding line shape data representing each guiding line along which the moving body on the route is guided; and

relation information associated with the guiding line shape data, the relation information associating the guiding line shape data with the nodes and the links in the route search database,

wherein the relation information includes;

an intermediate network including intermediate nodes and intermediate links provided separately from the guiding line shape data, and structured as simplified representation of the guiding line shape data;

first relation data structured to show a correspondence between the nodes and the links in the route search database, and the intermediate nodes and the intermediate links in the intermediate network; and

second relation data structured to show a correspondence between the guiding line shape data, and the intermediate nodes and the intermediate links in the intermediate network.

2. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of the intermediate nodes is allowed to relate to multiple nodes in the route search database, and

each of the intermediate links includes specific information indicating an available moving direction of the moving body.

3. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 1, the data structure further including combination data,

wherein the combination data defines the guiding line from an entrance link to an exit link using a combination of multiple pieces of the guiding line shape data so as to pass through a plurality of intersections, wherein the entrance link is specified in the route search result as a route for entering an intersection, and the exit link is specified in the route search result as a route for exiting from the intersection.

4. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 1, wherein the guiding line shape data is provided with region information assigned thereto, the region information classifying regions based on a positional relation of the guiding line to an intersection, the classified regions including:

an intersection region representing an inner area of the intersection;

a connection region representing a specific area approaching the intersection; and

a route region representing another area.

5. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 1, wherein the guiding line shape data is provided for a plurality of possible guiding lines from an entrance link to an exit link passing through an intersection, the entrance link and the exit link being specified, in the route search result, as a route for entering the intersection and as a route for exiting from the intersection, respectively.

6. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 5, wherein the guiding line shape data defines the guiding line to enter the intersection from a different entrance point depending on an angle between the entrance link and the exit link of the intersection.

7. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 6, wherein the guiding line shape data classifies passing directions through the intersection into three groups including straight, right turn, and left turn based on the angle, and assigns a specific entrance point to each of the three groups.

8. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 6, wherein the guiding line shape data includes data representing a connection trajectory connecting a moving trajectory of the moving body on a road to the entrance point in an area on the road approaching the intersection, and

wherein the relation information associated with the guiding line shape data representing the connection trajectory includes data for specifying the entrance point.

9. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 5, wherein, for at least one intersection, the guiding line shape data provided for the plurality of possible guiding lines from the entrance link to the exit link through the intersection is provided for each of the guiding lines toward a different exit point depending on a respective route after exiting from the traffic intersection, and

wherein the relation information for the at least one traffic intersection is structured to associate the guiding line shape data including data specifying the respective route after exiting from the traffic intersection with the nodes and the links in the route search database.

10. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 1, wherein the guiding line shape data is provided as a three-dimensional sequence of points including position information and height information.

11. The computer-readable storage medium in accordance with claim 1, wherein a yaw angle, which is calculated from the guiding line shape data as a change in a moving direction at each point along the guiding line, is not greater than an upper limit value determined according to a deflection ability of the moving body at an expected speed thereof when the moving body is being guided on the route.

12. An apparatus for supporting generation of a route guidance database, the route guidance database being used to display a guiding line for guiding a moving body on a route as an object of route guidance,

the route guidance database being configured to be referred to by a route guidance device to provide a guidance display for guiding a passage of the moving body on the route, wherein the route guidance device is configured to display a route for the moving body to take, by reading a route search result, detecting position coordinates of a current location of the moving body, and referring to the route search result based on the detected position coordinates, the route search result specifying a route to be guided with a combination of nodes and links representing a road and including position coordinates, the nodes and the links being contained in a route search database and representing,

the route guidance database including:

guiding line shape data representing each guiding line along which the moving body on the route is guided; and

relation information associated with the guiding line shape data, the relation information associating the guiding line shape data with the nodes and the links in the route search database,

wherein the relation information includes;

an intermediate network including intermediate nodes and intermediate links provided separately from the guiding line shape data, and structured as simplified representation of the guiding line shape data;

first relation data structured to show a correspondence between the nodes and the links in the route search database, and the intermediate nodes and the intermediate links in the intermediate network; and

second relation data structured to show a correspondence between the guiding line shape data and the intermediate nodes and the intermediate links in the intermediate network,

the apparatus comprising;

a map data reference section configured to refer to three-dimensional map data for displaying a three-dimensional map including features expressed in a three-dimensional representation;

a route guidance data reference section configured to refer to the route guidance database being generated;

a display controller configured to display the three-dimensional map viewed from the moving body based on the three-dimensional map data, and to display the guiding line based on the route guidance database;

a command input section configured to receive an operator'"'"'s command as to whether correction of the route guidance database is necessary with respect to the displayed three-dimensional map and the displayed guiding line; and

a correction controller configured to, if a correction command is received, switch to a correction window for correcting the route guidance database, or output information for specifying a portion corresponding to the correction command from among the route guidance database.

13. The apparatus in accordance with claim 12, the generation support system further including:

a yaw angle detection section configured to determine whether a yaw angle, which is calculated from the guiding line shape data as a change in a moving direction at each point along the guiding line, is not greater than an upper limit value determined according to a deflection ability of the moving body at an expected speed thereof when the moving body is being guided on the route.

14. A route guidance device for displaying a guiding line for guiding a moving body on a route as an object of route guidance, the route guidance device comprising:

a map data reference section configured to refer to three-dimensional map data for displaying a three-dimensional map including features expressed in a three-dimensional representation;

a route search result storage section that stores a route search result, the route search result specifying a route to be guided with a combination of nodes and links representing a road and including position coordinates, the nodes and the links being contained in a route search database;

a route guidance database storage section that stores a route guidance database for the route guidance, the route guidance database including;

guiding line shape data representing each guiding line along which the moving body on the route is guided; and

relation information associated with the guiding line shape data, the relation information associating the guiding line shape data with the nodes and the links in the route search database, wherein the relation information includes;

an intermediate network including intermediate nodes and intermediate links provided separately from the guiding line shape data, and structured as simplified representation of the guiding line shape data;

first relation data structured to show a correspondence between the nodes and the links in the route search database, and the intermediate nodes and the intermediate links in the intermediate network; and

second relation data structured to show a correspondence between the guiding line shape data, and the intermediate nodes and the intermediate links in the intermediate network;

a current location detection section configured to detect position coordinates of a current location of the moving body; and

a display controller configured to determine a route to be taken by the moving body by referring to the route search result based on the detected position coordinates of the current location of the moving body, to specify the guiding line shape data corresponding to the determined route by referring to the relation information, and to provide a guidance display in a three-dimensional representation for guiding the moving body on the route, based on the three-dimensional map data and the specified guiding line shape data.

15. The route guidance device in accordance with claim 14, wherein the guiding line shape data is provided with region information assigned thereto, the region information classifying regions based on a positional relation of the guiding line to an intersection, the classified regions including:

an intersection region representing an inner area of the intersection;

a connection region representing a specific area approaching the intersection; and

a route region representing another area.