Device and method for associating new data with a digital map

• US 9,541,408 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2010
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Sthlin, Ulrich, Grotendorst, Thomas, Keil, Anselm
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Dhairya A
• Application Number:
  US13/321,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20120131084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,429 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3841 Data obtained from two or more sources, e.g. probe vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3859 Differential updating map data
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3893 Transmission of map data from distributed sources, e.g. from roadside stations
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/004 Map manufacture or repair; Tear or ink or water resistant maps; Long-life maps printing processes for maps B41M3/02; by permanently attaching map sections to sheets B42B7/00

Abstract

The present invention describes a method for associating new data with a digital map which is available, preferably locally, in a vehicle, having the following steps: at least one new data value is received from a transmitter which is an element of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication and/or a vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, the new data value is compared with the existing data values from the digital map, and the new data value is added to the digital map or the existing data values are updated with the new data value, in each case on the basis of the result of the comparison. The specified method is used for improving the digital map material. The invention also describes a device for associating new data with a reception device and with a computation device.

Claims

1. A method for associating new data with a digital map which is available in a vehicle, comprising:

receiving, by a vehicle-to-vehicle communication and/or a vehicle-to-infrastructure communication (C2X) receiver of a vehicle device, at least one new data value corresponding to a position of a vehicle, from a C2X transmitter of another vehicle or of an infrastructure device;

comparing, by a computation device of the vehicle device, the position of the vehicle with existing data values corresponding to a position profile of an existing roadway of a digital map stored in a memory device of the vehicle device;

adding, by the computation device, a new roadway to the digital map when the position of the vehicle does not correspond to the position profile of the existing roadway of the digital map stored in the memory device;

updating, by the computation device, the position profile of the existing roadway of the digital map stored in the memory device with new data values indicating a new position profile of the existing roadway of the digital map stored in the memory device and updating a timestamp of the new data values, in response to the computation device determining, based on the position of the vehicle traveling on the existing roadway, that the position profile of the existing roadway of the digital map stored in the memory device has changed;

maintaining, by the computation device, the position profile of the existing roadway of the digital map stored in the memory device and updating a timestamp of the existing data values in response to the computation device determining, based on the position of the vehicle traveling on the existing roadway, that the position profile of the existing roadway of the digital map stored in the memory device has not changed;

transmitting, by the computation device, at least one of the new roadway, the updated position profile of the existing roadway and the timestamp to at least one of a driver assistance system of the vehicle and a driver safety system of the vehicle; and

using, by the computation device, a result of the comparison as a basis for an assessment of the existing data values from the digital map and/or the new data value,

wherein the assessment of one or more data values from a portion of the digital map includes a reliability estimation for the data values which is stored for the respective data value or the respective portion of the digital map.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the digital map which is available locally.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitters are integrated in traffic guidance devices.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the traffic guidance devices are selected from the group consisting of traffic lights, road signs and display panels.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data values include the positions of the elements of the vehicle-to-infrastructure communication or of other vehicles, including at least one of previous positions, the type of the vehicles or of the elements of the vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, friction values for the road surface or for the subsurface, the speed of the vehicles or further properties of the vehicles or of the elements of the vehicle-to-infrastructure communication.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the data values are based on information from a road sign.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the comparison of the new data value with the existing data values from the digital map includes a check being performed to determine whether existing data values corresponding to the new data value are already contained in the digital map, and then, if corresponding existing data values are contained in the digital map, the new data value is compared with one or more of the values from the corresponding existing data.

8. A device for associating new data with a digital map which is available in a vehicle, comprising:

a reception device including a vehicle-to-vehicle communication and/or a vehicle-to-infrastructure communication (C2X) receiver of a vehicle device for receiving at least one new data value corresponding to a position of a vehicle, from a C2X transmitter of another vehicle or of an infrastructure device; and

a computation device including a processor which;

compares the position of the vehicle with existing data values corresponding to a position profile of an existing roadway of a digital map stored in a memory device of the vehicle device,

adds a new roadway to the digital map when the position of the vehicle does not correspond to the position profile of the existing roadway of the digital map stored in the memory device,

updates the position profile of the existing roadway of the digital map stored in the memory device with new data values indicating a new position profile of the existing roadway of the digital map stored in the memory device and updates a timestamp of the new data values, in response to the computation device determining, based on the position of the vehicle traveling on the existing roadway, that the position profile of the existing roadway of the digital map stored in the memory device has changed,

maintains the position profile of the existing roadway of the digital map stored in the memory device and updating a timestamp of the existing data values in response to the position of the computation device determining, based on the position of the vehicle traveling on the existing roadway, that the position profile of the existing roadway of the digital map stored in the memory device has not changed;

transmitting, by the computation device, at least one of the new roadway, the updated position profile of the existing roadway and the timestamp to at least one of a driver assistance system of the vehicle and a driver safety system of the vehicle; and

using, by the computation device, a result of the comparison as a basis for an assessment of the existing data values from the digital map and/or the new data value,

wherein the assessment of one or more data values from a portion of the digital map includes a reliability estimation for the data values which is stored for the respective data value or the respective portion of the digital map.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the digital map which is available locally.

10. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transmitters are integrated in traffic guidance devices.

11. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the traffic guidance devices are selected from the group consisting of traffic lights, road signs and display panels.

12. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the data values include the positions of the elements of the vehicle-to-infrastructure communication or of other vehicles, including at least one of previous positions, the type of the vehicles or of the elements of the vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, friction values for the road surface or for the subsurface, the speed of the vehicles or further properties of the vehicles or of the elements of the vehicle-to-infrastructure communication.

13. The device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the data values are based on information from a road sign.

14. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the computation device, when comparing the new data value with the existing data values from the digital map,

checks whether existing data values corresponding to the new data value are already contained in the digital map,

and then, if corresponding existing data values are contained in the digital map, compares the new data value with one or more of the values from the corresponding existing data.