Road estimation device and method for estimating road

• US 8,675,924 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2011
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Satoh, Taichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Goradia, Shefali
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAINI, AMANDEEP SINGH
• Application Number:
  US13/301,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20120128216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/113
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/55 for traffic information

Abstract

A road estimation device receives data including a core point being assigned along a road and assigned with attributes for identifying the road. An input unit inputs map data including links having attributes corresponding to the attributes of the core point. An extraction unit first narrows down links into candidate links each having an attribute corresponding to a non-shape-relevant attribute of the core point. The extraction unit subsequently narrows down the candidate links into a candidate link having an attribute corresponding to a shape-relevant attribute of the core point, thereby to extract the candidate link pertinent to the road represented by the core point from the map data for estimating the road on a map.

Claims

1. A road estimation device configured to receive data including a core point from an external object, the core point being assigned along a road and being assigned with attributes for identifying the road, the road estimation device further configured to extract a link pertinent to the road represented by the core point for estimating the road on a map, the road estimation device comprising:

a map data input unit configured to input map data including links having attributes corresponding to the attributes of the core point;

a link extraction unit configured to extract a candidate link being candidate of the road represented by the core point from the map data according to the attribute of the link and the attributes of the core point, wherein

the link extraction unit is further configured to;

first implement a non-shape-relevant narrowing-down processing to narrow down links into candidate links, each of which has an attribute corresponding to a non-shape-relevant attribute of the attributes of the core point, according to the non-shape-relevant attribute being irrelevant to a road shape; and

subsequently implement a shape-relevant narrowing-down processing to narrow down the candidate links into a candidate link, which has an attribute corresponding to a shape-relevant attribute of the attributes of the core point, according to the shape-relevant attribute being relevant to the road shape.

2. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the link extraction unit is further configured to implement a non-shape-relevant coincidence determination processing to implement coincidence determination about the non-shape-relevant attribute according to an attribute of a link being a determination object, thereby to implement the non-shape-relevant narrowing-down processing according to a result of the non-shape-relevant coincidence determination processing.

3. The road estimation device according to claim 2, wherein

the coincidence determination in the non-shape-relevant coincidence determination processing is implemented about at least one of:

an attribute FC being road classification information representing a class of a road;

an attribute FW being physical road type information representing a classification of a road;

an attribute IT being intersection classification information representing a classification of an intersection;

an attribute RDI being intersection name information representing a name of an intersection; and

an attribute DD and an attribute AFR being driving direction information representing a legally-permitted driving direction and representing whether the legally-permitted driving direction is available.

4. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the link extraction unit is further configured to implement a shape-relevant coincidence determination processing to implement coincidence determination about the shape-relevant attribute to an attribute of a link being a determination object, thereby to implement the shape-relevant narrowing-down processing according to a result of the shape-relevant coincidence determination processing.

5. The road estimation device according to claim 4, wherein the link extraction unit is further configured to implement the shape-relevant coincidence determination processing only to the candidate links into which links are narrowed down in the non-shape-relevant narrowing-down processing.

6. The road estimation device according to claim 4, wherein

the coincidence determination in the shape-relevant coincidence determination processing is implemented about at least one of:

an attribute BR being core point angle information representing a geographical angle to a subsequent core point;

an attribute PCI being parallel driveway information representing a driveway in a plurality of driveways in a same direction; and

an attribute CA and an attribute DCA being side road information representing an angle to a side road and a connection distance to the side road.

7. The road estimation device according to claim 6, wherein coincidence determination is made in the coincidence determination about the core point angle information, when an angle, which is between a direction toward a subsequent core point determined based on the core point angle information and a traveling direction of a link being a determination object, is smaller than a predetermined angle.

8. The road estimation device according to claim 6, wherein

determination is implemented, in the coincidence determination about the side road information, whether a side road is located on a right side or on a left side relative to a direction toward a subsequent core point determined based on the core point angle information, and

coincidence determination is made when the side road is located on a same side as the link being the determination object.

9. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the link extraction unit is further configured to:

determine coincidence between the non-shape-relevant attribute of the core point and an attribute of a link being a determination object; and

implement the non-shape-relevant narrowing-down processing according to a determination result of the coincidence of the non-shape-relevant attribute.

10. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein

the link extraction unit is further configured to:

determine coincidence between the shape-relevant attribute of the core point and an attribute of a link being a determination object; and

implement the shape-relevant narrowing-down processing according to a determination result of the coincidence of the shape-relevant attribute.

11. A method for estimating a road, the method comprising:

receiving data including a core point from an external object, the core point being assigned along a road and being assigned with attributes for identifying the road, the attributes of the core point including a non-shape-relevant attribute and a shape-relevant attribute, the non-shape-relevant attribute being irrelevant to a road shape, and the shape-relevant attribute being relevant to the road shape;

inputting map data including links each having an attribute;

first narrowing down links into candidate links each having an attribute corresponding to the non-shape-relevant attribute of the core point; and

second narrowing down the candidate links into a candidate link having an attribute corresponding to the shape-relevant attribute of the core point thereby to extract the candidate link being candidate of the road represented by the core point from the map data.