Road estimation device and method for estimating road

• US 8,761,455 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2011
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Satoh, Taichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Koziol, Stephen R
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAINI, AMANDEEP SINGH
• Application Number:
  US13/301,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20120128213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/113
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/55 for traffic information

Abstract

A road estimation device receives data including a core point assigned along a road and assigned with an attribute for identifying the road. An input unit inputs map data including links each having an attribute corresponding to the attribute of the core point. A search region set unit sets a search region by using the core point as a reference point. An extraction unit extracts a link included in the search region from the links of the inputted map data. An estimation unit estimates the road represented by the core point according to an attribute of the extracted link and the attribute of the core point on a map.

Claims

1. A road estimation device configured to receive data including a core point from an external object, the core point being assigned along a road and being assigned with an attribute for identifying the road, the road estimation device further configured to extract a link pertinent to the road represented by the core point for estimating the road on a map, the road estimation device comprising:

a map data input device configured to input map data including links each having an attribute corresponding to the attribute of the core point; and

a processor cooperatively operable with the map data input device, and configured to

in a search region set unit, set a search region by using the core point as a reference point;

in a link extraction unit, extract a link included in the search region from the links of the map data which the map data input device inputs; and

in a road estimation unit, estimate the road represented by the core point according to an attribute of the link extracted by the link extraction unit and the attribute of the core point, wherein

the core point is transmitted with traffic information including traffic congestion information.

2. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the link extraction unit is further configured to extract a link, which is at least partially included in the search region, from the links of the map data.

3. The road estimation device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a link array selection unit configured to select a link array according to the search region, the link array being an array of links of the map data which the map data input device inputs, wherein

the link extraction unit is further configured to extract the link included in the search region from the links of the link array selected by the link array selection unit.

4. The road estimation device according to claim 3, wherein

the map data input device is further configured to input the map data in a unit of a divided region, the divided region being one of a plurality of areas formed by dividing the map data,

the road estimation device further comprising:

a divided region identification unit configured to identify a search-object divided region, the search-object divided region being the divided region at least partially included in the search region, wherein

the link array selection unit is further configured to select a link array, which is at least partially included in the search-object divided region identified by the divided region identification unit.

5. The road estimation device according to claim 4, wherein the link array selection unit is further configured to narrow down link arrays, which are partially included in the search-object divided region, into a link array, which has an attribute being coinciding with at least one of non-shape-relevant attributes of the core point, the non-shape-relevant attributes including:

an attribute FC being a road classification representing a class of the road;

an attribute FW being a physical road type representing a kind of the road; and

an attribute RD being road-unique information representing a route number or a road name.

6. The road estimation device according to claim 5, wherein the link array selection unit is further configured to, in advance of determination whether the link arrays are included in the search-object divided region, narrow down link arrays according to at least one of the non-shape-relevant attributes of the core point.

7. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the search region set unit is further configured to set a polygon as the search region, the polygon being defined by a boundary being a vertical line segment or a horizontal line segment.

8. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the link extraction unit is further configured to, when the core point represents an intersection of a road, extract a link having a termination point, which is an intersection and is included in the search region.

9. The road estimation device according to claim 8, wherein the link extraction unit is further configured to extract a link when the core point does not represent an intersection of a road and when the link is partially included in the search region, even in a case where a termination point of the link is not included in the search region.

10. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein

the map data input device is further configured to input the map data in a unit of a divided region, the divided region being one of a plurality of areas formed by dividing the map data, the map data including links each having a termination point in a boundary of the divided region,

the road estimation device further comprising:

a virtual core point generation unit configured to, when core points received from the external object exist beyond a boundary of the divided region, generate a virtual core point being a new core point on the boundary of the divided region in the map data, which the map data input device inputs, wherein

the link extraction unit is further configured to, when the core point is the virtual core point, extract a link having a termination point, which is located in the boundary of the divided region and is included in the search region.

11. The road estimation device according to claim 10, wherein the link extraction unit is further configured to extract a link when the core point is not the virtual core point and when the link is partially included in the search region, even in a case where a termination point of the link is not included in the search region.

12. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the link extraction unit is further configured to narrow down links, which are extracted according to the search region, according to an attribute RD being road-unique information representing a route number or a road name being a non-shape-relevant attribute of the core point.

13. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the link extraction unit is further configured to narrow down links, which are extracted according to the search region, according to a distance to the core point.

14. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein

the attribute of the core point includes at least a shape-relevant attribute, which is related to a road shape, and a non-shape-relevant attribute, which is not related to the road shape, and

based on the attribute of the core point, the road represented by the core point is estimated.

15. A method for estimating a road, the method comprising:

receiving data including a core point from an external object, the core point being assigned along a road and being assigned with an attribute for identifying the road;

inputting map data including links each having an attribute corresponding to the attribute of the core point;

setting a search region by using the core point as a reference point;

extracting a link included in the search region from the links of the inputted map data; and

estimating the road represented by the core point according to an attribute of the extracted link and the attribute of the core point, wherein

the core point is transmitted with traffic information including traffic congestion information.

16. The road estimation device according to claim 15, wherein

the attribute of the core point includes at least a shape-relevant attribute, which is related to a road shape, and a non-shape-relevant attribute, which is not related to the road shape, and

based on the attribute of the core point, the road represented by the core point is estimated.