Personalized updating of digital navigation maps

• US 9,542,843 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2008
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Sthlin, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): YANG, JAMES J
• Application Number:
  US12/675,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20110102193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,182 Days
• Field of Search: 340/500, 340/531, 340/539.1, 34053911-53913
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

A digital navigation map is updated by floating car data, wherein vehicles transmit their own position to a traffic control center, the traffic control center and/or at least one vehicle identifies a hazard situation, and an update for the digital navigation maps of the vehicles in the surroundings is initiated and performed.

Claims

1. An update device for a vehicle for updating a digital map for a purpose of providing a queue warning, said update device comprising:

a detection unit for ascertaining a position of the vehicle on a roadway;

a communication unit for transmitting the position of the vehicle to other vehicles on the roadway and for receiving respective positions of the other vehicles, the other vehicles including a plurality of vehicles adjacent to the vehicle on the roadway; and

a control unit for;

determining, at any position on the roadway, a queue by comparing the position of the vehicle relative to positions of the plurality of adjacent vehicles on the roadway, by;

setting the vehicle as a first dynamic reference point at a start of the queue in response to the comparison indicating that the vehicle is in front of the plurality of adjacent vehicles,

setting the vehicle as a second dynamic reference point at an end of the queue in response to the comparison indicating that the vehicle is in back of the plurality of adjacent vehicles, and

determining that the vehicle is in the queue in response to the comparison indicating that the vehicle is in between at least two of the plurality of adjacent vehicles,

updating the digital map, including navigation information for the vehicle, to show the position of the vehicle at the end of the queue, and

providing a queue warning to the other vehicles on the roadway identifying the last vehicle in the queue as being the end of the queue.

2. The update device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the communication unit is configured to receive update data from a third vehicle,

wherein the update data are based on an ascertained position for an end of the queue;

and

wherein the digital map is updated on the basis of the update data to show the position of the vehicle at the end of the queue.

3. The update device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein a position of the vehicle at the end of the queue is ascertained on the basis of floating car data.

4. The update device as claimed in claim 1,

wherein a position of the vehicle at the end of the queue is ascertained in real time.

5. An update system for updating a digital map in a vehicle for a purpose of providing a queue warning, said update system comprising:

an update device as claimed in claim 1;

a control center for creating the update data for the digital map on the basis of a transmitted positions of the vehicle and the adjacent vehicles.

6. The update system as claimed in claim 5,

wherein the control center is configured to ascertain a position of an end of the queue.

7. The update system as claimed in claim 5,

wherein the control center is configured to trigger an update for the digital map.

8. The update system as claimed in claim 5,

wherein the control center is configured to transmit the update data to selected ones of the vehicle and the adjacent vehicles.

9. The update system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the update system is configured to predict a queue on the basis of a transmitted position of the vehicle and transmitted positions from other vehicles.

10. The use of an update device as claimed in claim 1 in a vehicle.

13. The update device of claim 1 further comprising an audible output unit controlled by the control unit to emit an audible alarm when the position of the vehicle corresponds to the second dynamic reference point at the end of the queue.

15. The update device of claim 1 wherein the communication unit is configured to encrypt the position of the vehicle prior to transmitting the position to the other vehicles and is configured to decrypt the respective positions received from the other vehicles.

11. A method for updating a digital map for a vehicle for a purpose of providing a queue warning, said method comprising the following steps:

ascertaining a position of the vehicle on a roadway;

transmitting the position of the vehicle to other vehicles on the roadway;

receiving positions of the other vehicles on the roadway including the positions of a plurality of vehicles adjacent to the vehicle;

creating update data for the digital map on the basis of the transmitted position of the vehicle and the received positions of the plurality of adjacent vehicles;

transmitting the update data to another vehicle;

determining, at any position on the roadway, a queue by comparing the position of the vehicle relative to positions of the plurality of adjacent vehicles on the roadway, by;

setting the vehicle as a first dynamic reference point at a start of the queue in response to the comparison indicating that the vehicle is in front of the plurality of adjacent vehicles,

setting the vehicle as a second dynamic reference point at an end of the queue in response to the comparison indicating that the vehicle is in back of the plurality of adjacent vehicles, and

determining that the vehicle is in the queue in response to the comparison indicating that the vehicle is in between at least two of the plurality of adjacent vehicles;

updating the digital map, including navigation information for the vehicle, to show the position of the vehicle at the end of the queue; and

providing a queue warning to the other vehicles on the roadway identifying the last vehicle in the queue as being the end of the queue.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising emitting an audible alarm in the vehicle when the position of the vehicle corresponds to the second dynamic reference point at the end of the queue.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

encrypting the position of the vehicle before transmitting the position of the vehicle to the other vehicles; and

decrypting the positions of the other vehicles after receiving the positions of the other vehicles on the roadway.

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

ascertaining a position for the vehicle on a roadway;

transmitting the position of the vehicle to other vehicles on the roadway;

receiving update data from one of the other vehicles on the roadway, the update data having been created on the basis of the position transmitted by the vehicle and positions transmitted by the other vehicles on the roadway including a plurality of vehicles having positions adjacent to the position of the vehicle;

determining, at any position on the roadway, a queue by comparing the position of the vehicle relative to positions of the plurality of adjacent vehicles on the roadway, by;

setting the vehicle as a first dynamic reference point at a start of the queue in response to the comparison indicating that the vehicle is in front of the plurality of adjacent vehicles,

setting the vehicle as a second dynamic reference point at an end of the queue in response to the comparison indicating that the vehicle is in back of the plurality of adjacent vehicles, and

determining that the vehicle is in the queue in response to the comparison indicating that the vehicle is in between at least two of the plurality of adjacent vehicles;

updating the digital map, including navigation information for the vehicle, to show the position of the vehicle at the end of the queue; and

providing a queue warning to the other vehicles on the roadway identifying the last vehicle in the queue as being the end of the queue.