Safety-critical updating of maps via a data channel of a satellite navigation system

• US 9,091,554 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Neumann, Karl-Thomas, Menzel, Marc, Sthlin, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US12/677,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20100217523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,511 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation

Abstract

A device, system and method for an update system for updating a digital map for a vehicle. The update data is sent from a control center via a satellite navigation system to the individual receivers. The update data is received by the receivers in parallel with the position data from the satellites. For this purpose, a subchannel is provided. This allows large portions of the worldwide population to be supplied with the update data.

Claims

1. A control center update system for use with a satellite positioning system (SPS) including an SPS satellite transmitting SPS positioning data that includes navigation signals, the update system for updating a digital map used by a vehicle, said control center comprising:

a transmitter for transmitting update data to the SPS satellite in a single channel,

wherein a receiver of the vehicle simultaneously receives

     1) the update data from the SPS satellite via an SPS satellite transmission sub-channel, and

     2) the SPS positioning data that includes the navigation signals from the SPS satellite via an SPS satellite transmission main channel, the positioning data being generated by the SPS satellite, and

wherein a processor of the vehicle updates the digital map on the basis of the received update data.

2. The control center as claimed in claim 1,

wherein a data channel used for transmitting the update data is a subchannel of a main data channel in a satellite navigation system.

3. The control center as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the satellite is in a Galileo satellite navigation system.

4. The control center as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the update data are safety-critical data.

5. The control center as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the update data are dynamic data.

6. The control center as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the control center is configured to transmit the update data for one or more selected cells.

7. The control center as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the control center is configured to transmit update data for a particular local area using an addressing function.

8. The control center as claimed in claim 7,

wherein the addressing function is based on an NMEA string.

9. The control center as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the control center is configured to regionally transmit the update data via a selected satellite.

10. The control center as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the control center is configured to compress the update data prior to the transmission.

11. The control center as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the control center is configured to persistently transmit the update data.

12. The control center as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the update data are selected from a group comprising:

safety-critical information, longer-term known changes in road course and/or road properties.

13. The control center as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the receiver is configured to constantly receive the update data even in the standby mode.

14. A method for use with a satellite positioning system (SPS) including an SPS satellite transmitting SPS positioning data that includes navigation signals, the method for updating a digital map for a vehicle, said method comprising the following steps:

transmitting, from a transmitter of a control center to the SPS satellite, update data via a single SPS satellite data channel in a SPS satellite navigation system;

simultaneously receiving, by a receiver in the vehicle,

     1) the update data from the SPS satellite via an SPS satellite transmission sub-channel, and

     2) the SPS positioning data that includes the navigation signals from the SPS satellite via an SPS satellite transmission main channel, the SPS positioning data being generated by the SPS satellite; and

updating, by a processor in the vehicle, the digital map on the basis of the received update data.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores a computer program product which, when executed on a processor, instructs the processor to perform the following steps:

transmit, from a transmitter of a control center to a SPS satellite, update data via a single SPS satellite data channel in a SPS satellite navigation system;

simultaneously receive, by a receiver in the vehicle,

     1) the update data from the SPS satellite via an SPS satellite transmission sub-channel, and

     2) SPS positioning data that includes navigation signals from the SPS satellite via an SPS satellite transmission main channel, the SPS positioning data being generated by the SPS satellite; and

update, by a processor in the vehicle, a digital map on the basis of the received update data.