Road link string conversion method, road information providing device and road information providing system

• US 8,682,578 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2011
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Okude, Mariko, Komine, Hirofumi, Suzuki, Kenji, Hiruta, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US13/033,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20120143886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 701/451, 701/409, 701/533, 707/756
• US Class Current: 701/451
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data

Abstract

A road link string conversion method for converting first road link string data included in first map data into second road link string data included in second map data: deciding whether or not first coordinates-of-position strings corresponding to the first road link string data correspond to the second road link string data; constructing a second coordinates-of-position string by combining together the first coordinates-of-position strings decided as not corresponding to the second road link string data; establishing correspondence between the second coordinates-of-position string and the second road link string data; and converting the first road link string data including the first coordinates-of-position strings decided as not corresponding to the second road link string data, to the second road link string data to which the second coordinates-of-position string corresponds.

Claims

1. A road link string conversion method executed by a computer, in which a road link string conversion process converts a first road link string included in first map data stored by a storage device, into a second road link string included in second map data, different from the first map data, stored by the storage device, comprising:

deciding whether or not first coordinates-of-position strings of the first road link string correspond to second coordinates-of-position of the second map data by comparing first coordinates-of-position of the first coordinates-of-position strings to the second coordinates-of-position of the second map data;

constructing a second coordinates-of-position string by combining together a part of the first coordinates-of-position strings, representing a plurality of road links, decided as not corresponding to the second coordinates-of-position of the second map data;

obtaining the second road link string by searching a route from a start node to an end node of the plurality of road links, corresponding to the second coordinates-of-position string, in the second map data; and

converting the first road link string, including the plurality of road links, into the second road link string.

2. A road link string conversion method according to claim 1, wherein:

the part of the first coordinates-of-position strings decided as not corresponding to the second coordinates-of-position include coordinates of position not corresponding to nodes of the second road link string, or coordinates of position for which, although corresponding to nodes of the second road link string, a failure has occurred in route searching between the nodes; and

the second coordinates-of-position string includes coordinates of position that correspond to nodes corresponding to the second road link string, for which route searching between the nodes has been successful.

3. A road link string conversion method according to claim 1, wherein:

the second coordinates-of-position string includes a coordinates-of-position string to which a plurality of coordinates-of-position strings, corresponding to the part of the first coordinates-of-position strings decided as not corresponding to the second coordinates-of-position, are combined using identical coordinates of position among the plurality of coordinates-of-position strings.

4. A road information providing device, comprising:

a storage unit that stores first map data and second map data that is different from the first map data;

a road link string data conversion unit that decides whether or not first coordinates-of-position strings of first road link string included in the first map data correspond to second coordinates-of-position of the second map data by comparing first coordinates-of-position of the first coordinates-of-position strings to the second coordinates-of-position of the second map data, and, by constructing a second coordinates-of-position string, in which a part of the first coordinates-of-position strings, representing a plurality of road links, decided as not corresponding to the second coordinates-of-position of the second map data are combined together, obtains a second road link string by searching a route from a start node to an end node of the plurality of road links, corresponding to the second coordinates-of-position string, in the second map data, and converts the first road link string, including the plurality of road links, into the second road link string;

a road information editing unit that edits second road information corresponding to the second road link string by first road information corresponding to the first road link string being converted by the road link string data conversion unit; and

a road information distribution unit that distributes the second road information.

5. A road information providing device according to claim 4, wherein:

the road information editing unit calculates a traveling time or an average speed for each second road link corresponding to the second road link string by converting a traveling time or an average speed, obtained based upon the first road information, of each first road link included in the first road link string, with the road link string data conversion unit, and includes the traveling time or the average speed for each second road link that has been calculated in the second road information.

6. A road information providing device according to claim 4, wherein:

if at least one first road link included in the first road link string corresponds to a congested section obtained based upon the first road information, the road information editing unit includes congested section information corresponding to the at least one first road link and corresponding to at least one second road link included in the second road link string by converting the first road information with the road link string data conversion unit, in the second road information.

7. A road information providing system, comprising:

a server device and

a terminal device, wherein;

the server device comprises;

a first storage unit that stores first map data and second map data that is different from the first map data;

an identification information generation unit that decides whether or not first coordinates-of-position strings of a first road link string included in the first map data correspond to second coordinates-of-position of the second map data by comparing first coordinates-of-position of the first coordinates-of-position strings to the second coordinates-of-position of the second map data, and, by constructing a second coordinates-of-position string, in which a part of the first coordinates-of-position strings, representing a plurality of road links, decided as not corresponding to the second coordinates-of-position of the second map data are combined together, generates identification information specifying a correspondence relationship between the first coordinates-of-position strings decided as not corresponding to the second coordinates-of-position and a second road link string obtained by searching a route from a start node to an end node of the plurality of road links, corresponding to the second coordinates-of-position string, in the second map data;

a first road information editing unit that edits second road information by converting first road information corresponding with the first road link string, including the plurality of road links to the identification information based upon the correspondence relationship; and

a road information distribution unit that distributes the identification information and the second road information; and

the terminal device comprises;

a reception unit that receives the identification information and the second road information distributed from the server device;

a second storage unit that stores the second map data; and

a second road information editing unit that edits third road information by putting the second road information in correspondence with the second road link string data based upon the identification information.

8. A road information providing system according to claim 7, wherein:

the server device further comprises;

a counting unit that, when the identification information generation unit has not been able to specify the correspondence relationship, counts a number of second coordinates-of-position strings corresponding to the first road link string; and

a notification unit that, if the number of second coordinates-of-position strings counted by the counting unit exceeds a predetermined number, issues a notification to the terminal device inviting the terminal device to update the second map data.