METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING LOCATION INFORMATION ON A DIGITAL MAP, APPARATUS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE METHOD AND TRAFFIC INFORMATION PROVISION/RECEPTION SYSTEM

• US 20080201073A1
• Filed: 04/28/2008
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Adachi, Shinya, Miyama, Satoko
• Granted Patent: US 8,219,314 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

Location information transmission apparatus for exchanging information about the on-road location on a digital map, characterized in that apparatus at an information provider comprises a location information converter for converting transmit on-road location information to road shape data including the on-road location consisting of a string of coordinates representing the road shape of a road section having a length that depends on the situation and relative data indicating the on-road location in the road section, and that apparatus at a party receiving the on-road location information comprises a shape matching section for performing shape matching by using the road shape data, identifying the road section on a digital map and identifying the on-road location in the road section by using the relative data. This makes it possible to correctly exchange information about the location on a digital map without defining node numbers or link numbers on a road network.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting location information from a transmitting apparatus to a receiving apparatus, the system comprising:

the transmitting apparatus that has a first digital map and transmits the location information including a list of coordinates of points which indicates a first road segment on the first digital map; and

the receiving apparatus that has a second digital map which contains a different error from the first digital map, receives the location information from said transmitting apparatus and identifies a second road segment on the second digital map which corresponds to the first road segment on the first digital map based on the location information received from said transmitting apparatus.

2. A system for transmitting location information from a transmitting apparatus to a receiving apparatus, the system comprising:

the transmitting apparatus that has a first digital map and transmits the location information including a list of coordinates of points which indicates a first road segment on the first digital map; and

the receiving apparatus that has a second digital map which contains a different error from the first digital map, receives the location information from said transmitting apparatus and identifies a second road segment on the second digital map which corresponds to the first road segment on the first digital map by matching a road shape specified by the received location information with a road shape on the second digital map.

3. A method of transmitting location information from a transmitting apparatus having a first digital map to a receiving apparatus having a second digital map which contains a different error from the first digital map, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the transmitting apparatus, the location information including a list of coordinates of points which indicates a first road segment on the first digital map;

receiving, by the receiving apparatus, the location information from said transmitting apparatus; and

identifying, by the receiving apparatus, a second road segment on the second digital map which corresponds to the first road segment on the first digital map based on the location information received from said transmitting apparatus.

4. A method of transmitting location information from a transmitting apparatus having a first digital map to a receiving apparatus having a second digital map which contains a different error from the first digital map, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the transmitting apparatus, the location information including a list of coordinates of points which indicates a first road segment on the first digital map;

receiving, the receiving apparatus, the location information from said transmitting apparatus; and

identifying a second road segment on the second digital map which corresponds to the first road segment on the first digital map by matching a road shape specified by the received location information with a road shape on the second digital map.

5. A location information providing apparatus for providing location information to a receiving apparatus having a first digital map for identifying a road segment on the first digital map, the location information providing apparatus comprising:

a second digital map which contains a different error from the first digital map; and

a transmitting unit that transmits the location information including a list of coordinates of points which indicates a road segment on the second digital map.

6. A location information providing apparatus for providing location information to a receiving apparatus having a first digital map for identifying a road segment on the first digital map by matching a road shape specified by the location information with a road shape on the first digital map, the location information providing apparatus comprising:

a second digital map which contains a different error from the first digital map; and

a transmitting unit that transmits the location information including a list of coordinates of points which indicates a road segment on the second digital map.

7. A method of providing location information from a location information providing apparatus to a receiving apparatus having a first digital map for identifying a road segment on the first digital map, the location information providing apparatus having a second digital map which contains a different error from the first digital map, the method comprising:

transmitting the location information including a list of coordinates of points which indicates a road segment on the second digital map.

8. A method of providing location information from a location information providing apparatus to a receiving apparatus having a first digital map for identifying a road segment on the first digital map by matching a road shape specified by the location information with a road shape on the first digital map, the location information providing apparatus having a second digital map which contains a different error from the first digital map, the method comprising:

transmitting the location information including a list of coordinates of points which indicates a road segment on the second digital map.

9. A receiving apparatus comprising:

a first digital map;

a receiving unit that receives location information including a list of coordinates of points which indicates a road segment on a second digital map of a transmitting apparatus, the second digital map containing a different error from the first digital map; and

an identifying unit that identifies a road segment on the first digital map based on the received location information.

10. A receiving apparatus comprising:

a first digital map;

a receiving unit that receives location information including a list of coordinates of points which indicates a road segment on a second digital map of a transmitting apparatus, the second digital map containing a different error from the first digital map; and

an identifying unit that identifies a road segment on the first digital map by matching a road shape specified by the received location information with a road shape on the first digital map.

11. A method of receiving location information by a receiving apparatus from a transmitting apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving the location information including a list of coordinates of points which indicates a road segment on a first digital map of the transmitting apparatus; and

identifying a road segment on a second digital map of the receiving apparatus based on the received location information, the second digital map containing a different error from the first digital map.

12. A method of receiving location information by a receiving apparatus from a transmitting apparatus, the method comprising

receiving the location information including a list of coordinates of points which indicates a road segment on a first digital map of the transmitting apparatus;

and

identifying a road segment on a second digital map of the receiving apparatus by matching a road shape specified by the received location information with a road shape on the second digital map, the second digital map containing a different error from the first digital map.