Route generation system, route generation method, and program

• US 8,880,345 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kujirai, Toshihiro, Watanabe, Takashi, Kazama, Yoriko
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERNS, MICHAEL ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US13/539,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 701/533
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries

Abstract

Provided is a route generation device capable of generating an appropriate route. A route generation system of one embodiment of the present invention includes: analysis sections that analyze aerial image data to identify the land state of an area included in an aerial image; a storage section that stores traffic cost information associating a traffic-cost coefficient indicating traffic difficulty with the land state; a route searching section that calculates traffic costs of a plurality of routes from a start point to an end point by referring to the analysis results of the analysis sections and the traffic cost information and that determines a route candidate to be used from the start point to the end point based on the calculation results.

Claims

1. A route generation system that generates a route between a start point and an end point, comprising:

an analysis section that analyzes aerial image data of a land planform to identify land states of every pixels or segment areas composing an objective area included in the aerial image data, and that zones the objective area into a plurality of zones, each of which falls into one of predetermined number of land state types;

a storage section that stores traffic cost information that indicates each traffic-cost coefficient representing degree of traffic difficulty in each of said predetermined plural number of land state types; and

a route search section that calculates for each of a plurality of routes from the start point to the end point, traffic costs of a plurality of route segments which are serial segments of the corresponding route each being segmented by border of zones, by multiplying length of each of route segments by a corresponding traffic-cost coefficient, and that sums the traffic costs of the plurality of route segments to derive a total traffic cost of each of the plurality of routes, and that determines a route candidate to be used from the start point to the end point based on the calculation results.

2. The route generation system according to claim 1,

wherein the storage section stores map data of the objective area included in the aerial image data,

wherein the analysis section uses location information of a road included in the map data to identify the road on the aerial image data, and

wherein the route search section calculates a total traffic cost of a route that includes the identified road by referring to the traffic cost information.

3. The route generation system according to claim 2,

wherein the analysis section identifies terrain states and land cover states of every pixels or areas when zoning the land planform, and

wherein the route search section calculates the total traffic cost from the identified terrain state and land cover state, by referring to the traffic cost information.

4. The route generation system according to claim 2, further comprising:

an obstacle extracting section that extracts an obstacle area from the analysis result of the aerial image data and that gives severed-road information to the map data, from a road location obtained from the map data and the location of the extracted obstacle area.

5. The route generation system according to claim 1,

wherein the storage section stores a route search condition for specifying an area to be excluded from a route search range, and

wherein the route search section searches for the route candidate to be used, in an area where the area specified by the route search condition is excluded.

6. The route generation system according to claim 1,

wherein the storage section further stores target area information that indicates a feature of a target area serving as a destination candidate, and

wherein the route generation system further comprises:

a target area extracting section that extracts, as a target area, an area showing the feature of the target area from the aerial image data by referring to the target area information; and

an end-point setting section that sets the target area extracted by the target area extracting section, as the end point.

7. The route generation system according to claim 6,

wherein the storage section further stores priority information that associates priority used to set, as the end point, the target area extracted by the target area extracting section with a land state of the target area, and

wherein the route generation system further comprises a priority determining section that determines priorities for a plurality of target areas extracted by the target area extracting section from land states of the plurality of target areas, by referring to the priority information.

8. The route generation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an output section,

wherein the route search section searches for routes to a plurality of work areas where work is performed,

wherein, when a second work area exists in a first route from the start point to a first work area, and passability/impassability of the second work area is changed due to work in the second work area, the route search section calculates a traffic cost of a second route that detours the second work area and a work cost that includes a traffic cost of a round trip between the start point and the second work area for the work in the second work area, and

wherein the output section outputs the first route, the work cost, the second route, and the traffic cost of the second route.

9. The route generation system according to claim 1,

wherein the analysis section more particularly zones the objective area into at least three zones, each of which falls into a mutually-differing one of the predetermined number of land state types.

10. A route generation method of generating a route between a start point and an end point, comprising:

analyzing, with a calculation section, aerial image data of a land planform to identify land states of every pixel or segment area composing an objective area included in the aerial image data, and zoning the objective area into a plurality of zones, each of which falls into one of a predetermined number of land state types;

storing, with a storage section, traffic cost information that indicates each traffic-cost coefficient representing degree of traffic difficulty in each of the predetermined plural number of land state types;

calculating, with the calculation section, for each of a plurality of routes from the start point to the end point, traffic costs of a plurality of route segments which are serial segments of the corresponding route each being segmented by border of zones, by multiplying length of each of route segments by a corresponding traffic-cost coefficient;

summing the traffic costs of the plurality of route segments to derive a total traffic cost of each of the plurality of routes,

determining a route candidate to be used from the start point to the end point based on the calculation results; and

displaying, with a display section, the route candidate to be used.

11. The route generation method according to claim 10,

wherein the storage section stores map data of the objective area included in the aerial image data,

wherein the calculation section identifies a road on the aerial image data from location information of the road included in the map data, and

wherein the calculation section calculates a traffic cost of a route that includes the identified road by referring to the traffic cost information.

12. The route generation method according to claim 10,

wherein the analyzing more particularly zones the objective area into at least three zones, each of which falls into a mutually-differing one of the predetermined number of land state types.

13. A non-transitory program product for causing a computer system that includes a processor and a storage unit to execute processing of generating a route between a start point and an end point, the program product causing the processor to execute operations of:

analyzing aerial image data of a land planform to identify land states of every pixel or segment area composing an objective area included in the aerial image data and zoning the objective area into a plurality of zones, each of which falls into one of a predetermined number of land state types;

referring to traffic cost information that is stored in the storage unit and that indicates each traffic-cost coefficient representing degree of traffic difficulty in each of the predetermined plural number of zone-types;

calculating, for each of a plurality of routes from the start point to the end point, traffic costs of a plurality of route segments which are serial segments of the corresponding route each being segmented by border of zones, by multiplying length of each of route segments by a corresponding traffic-cost coefficient;

summing the traffic costs of the plurality of route segments to derive a total traffic cost of each of the plurality of routes, border of zones; and

determining a route candidate to be used from the start point to the end point based on the calculation results of the traffic costs.

14. The non-transitory program product according to claim 13, further causing the processor to execute operations of:

referring to map data of the area included in the aerial image data, the map data being stored in the storage unit;

identifying a road on the aerial image data from location information of the road included in the map data; and

calculating a traffic cost of a route that includes the identified road by referring to the traffic cost information.

15. The non-transitory program product according to claim 13,

wherein the analyzing more particularly zones the objective area into at least three zones, each of which falls into a mutually-differing one of the predetermined number of land state types.