Lane-based road transport information generation

• US 8,612,138 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Versitech Limited (Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)
• Original Assignee: University of Hong Kong (Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)
• Inventors: Yeh, Anthony Garon, Yue, Yang
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOTT, ADAM R
• Application Number:
  US13/233,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20120065878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701/409, 701/450, 701/461, 701/489, 701/512
• US Class Current: 701/409
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3867 Geometry of map features, e.g. shape points, polygons or for simplified maps
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods

Abstract

Example methods, apparatuses, or articles of manufacture are disclosed that may be implemented using one or more computing devices to facilitate or otherwise support one or more processes or operations associated with lane-based road transport information generation, such as for use in or with, for example, vehicle navigation management systems.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

electronically generating lane-based road network transport information, said generating comprising;

extracting one or more digital signals and information representative of one or more lane polygons from one or more lane boundary markings associated with a road marking database;

wherein said road marking database comprises, at least in part, one or more digital signals and information representative of road marking transport information stored in a vector format for graphical representation;

electronically generating one or more lane centerlines from at least one of said one or more lane polygons;

electronically generating road navigation transport information for said lane centerlines from road traffic markings of said road marking database; and

electronically combining said lane centerlines and said road navigation transport information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said road traffic markings comprise digital signals and information to graphically represent at least one of the following:

a solid lane boundary;

a dashed lane boundary;

a turn arrow, a through arrow;

a speed limit;

lane information;

or any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more lane polygons are extracted in connection with an application of a lane polygon extraction-type approach.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more lane boundary markings are represented via one or more polyline segments stored as digital information in said road marking database.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said one or more polyline segments comprise one or more arrays of one or more nodes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said one or more nodes comprises at least one of the following:

an end-node of lane boundary;

an end-node of a road;

a non-end or intermediate node;

a non-end-node of a road;

or any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more lane polygons are extracted in connection with electronically locating one or more seed nodes.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more lane polygons comprises at least one of the following:

a quadrangular lane polygon;

a triangular lane polygon;

or any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more lane polygons are extracted in connection with performing a closed polygonal sequence-type technique.

10. An article comprising:

a storage medium having non-transitory instructions stored thereon executable by a special purpose computing platform to;

electronically generate lane-based road network transport information, said instructions to said generate further comprise instructions to;

extract digital information representative of one or more lane polygons from one or more lane boundary markings associated with a road marking database;

wherein said road marking database comprises, at least in part, digital information representative of road marking transport information stored in a vector format for graphical representation;

electronically generate one or more lane centerlines from at least one of said one or more lane polygons;

electronically generate road navigation transport information for said lane centerlines from road traffic markings of said road marking database; and

electronically combine said lane centerlines and said road navigation transport information.

11. The article of claim 10, wherein said road traffic markings comprise digital information to graphically represent at least one of the following:

a solid lane boundary;

a dashed lane boundary;

a turn arrow, a through arrow;

a speed limit;

lane information;

or any combination thereof.

12. The article of claim 10, wherein said non-transitory instruction to extract said one or more lane polygons further comprises instructions to extract said polygons in connection with an application of a lane polygon extraction-type approach.

13. The article of claim 10, wherein said one or more lane polygons comprises at least one of the following:

a quadrangular lane polygon;

a triangular lane polygon;

or any combination thereof.

14. The article of claim 10, wherein said non-transitory instruction to extract said one or more lane polygons further comprises instructions to extract said polygons in connection with performing a closed polygonal sequence-type technique.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a special purpose computing platform comprising at least one processor coupled to a memory to;

electronically generate lane-based road network transport information, in which said computing platform is to;

extract digital information representative of one or more lane polygons from one or more lane boundary markings associated with a road marking database;

wherein said road marking database comprises, at least in part, digital information representative of road marking transport information stored in a vector format for graphical representation;

electronically generate one or more lane centerlines from at least one of said one or more lane polygons;

electronically generate road navigation transport information for said lane centerlines from road traffic markings of said road marking database; and

electronically combine said lane centerlines and said road navigation transport information.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said one or more lane boundary markings are represented via one or more polyline segments stored as digital information in said road marking database.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said one or more polyline segments comprise one or more arrays of at least one of the following:

an end-node of lane boundary;

an end-node of a road;

a non-end or intermediate node;

a non-end-node of a road;

or any combination thereof.