Map Updates from a Connected Vehicle Fleet

• US 20170277716A1
• Filed: 03/23/2016
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Giurgiu, Gavril, Stenneth, Leon
• Granted Patent: US 10,223,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A road furniture item or another type of road object is detected by at least one sensor. An associated geographic position associated with the road furniture item or road object is determined. After a predetermined time is reached, the geographic position is compared to a local database. A remote database is updated after the predetermined time is reached and according to the comparison with the local database. In some examples, the data indicative of the road furniture item or the road object is deleted based on a confidence level in the local database.

Claims

1. A method for updating a remote geographic database at specified times, the method comprising:

receiving sensor data indicative of a road furniture item;

determining a geographic position associated with the road furniture item;

delaying based on a first comparison of a current time to a predetermined time;

performing a second comparison of the geographic position and the data indicative of the road furniture item to a local database; and

sending an update to the remote geographic database in response to the first comparison and the second comparison.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the update is sent to the remote geographic database in response to the road furniture item being absent from the local database.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the update is sent to the remote geographic database in response reaching the predetermined time, wherein the predetermined time is based on an update schedule between the remote geographic database and the local database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the road furniture includes a road sign or a traffic light.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

discarding the sensor data indicative of the road furniture item in response to the first comparison and the second comparison.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor data indicative of the road furniture item is discarded when the second comparison indicates the local database already includes the road furniture item.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a confidence value in the local database; and

comparing the confidence value to a confidence threshold.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the update is sent to the remote geographic database in response to confidence value being less than the confidence threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

discarding the sensor data indicative of the road furniture item in response to confidence value being greater than the confidence threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor data indicates an absence of a road furniture item listed in the local database.

11. An apparatus for sending updates to a remote database at predetermined times, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to receive sensor data indicative of a road object;

a position detector configured to determine a geographic position associated with the road object; and

a controller configured to determine when a predetermined time has elapsed since the sensor data was received, compare the geographic position of the road object to a local database, and generate an update message for the remote database in response to the predetermined time elapsing.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a communication interface configured to send the update message to a map server.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the update message is generated is response to the road object being absent from the local database.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the update message is generated is response to a confidence value in the local database for the road object.

15. A method for geographic database updates, the method comprising:

receiving sensor data indicative of a road furniture item;

determining a geographic position associated with the road furniture item;

identifying a confidence value in a local database;

comparing the confidence value to a confidence threshold; and

discarding the sensor data indicative of the road furniture item in response to the confidence value exceeding the confidence threshold.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

performing a comparison of the geographic position and the data indicative of the road furniture item to the local database; and

sending an update message to a remote database in response to the confidence value being less than the confidence threshold.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

starting a timer for the local database; and

performing the comparison of the confidence value and the confidence threshold in response to the timer reaching a predetermined time.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a scheduled update after the sensor data indicative of the road furniture item is received, wherein the scheduled update includes the confidence level.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the confidence threshold is based on data collected by a fleet of vehicles.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a sensor configured to receive sensor data indicative of a road object;

a position detector configured to determine a geographic position associated with the road object;

a vehicle database including a confidence level associated with the road object; and

a controller configured to compare the geographic position of the road object to the vehicle database and discard the data inactive of the road object in response to the confidence level.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

a timer configured to determine when a predetermined time has elapsed since the sensor data was received,

wherein the controller is configured to generate an update message for a remote database in response to the predetermined time elapsing.