Road estimation device and method for estimating road

• US 8,768,011 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2011
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• 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:
  US13/301,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20120128215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• US Class Current: 382/113
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• 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: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

A road estimation device receives data including core points assigned along a road and assigned with attributes for identifying the road. An input unit inputs map data including links in a unit of a divided region. Each link has a termination point in a boundary of the divided region. The links have attributes corresponding to attributes of the core points. When the core points exist beyond a boundary of the divided region, a generation unit generates a virtual core point on the boundary in the inputted map data and assigns an attribute to the virtual core point based on the attributes of the core points. An extraction unit extracts a candidate link being candidate of the road from the map data according to the attributes of the links, the core points, and the virtual core point.

Claims

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

a non-transitory storage medium configured to input map data including links in a unit of a divided region being one of a plurality of divided areas, each of the links having a termination point in a boundary of the divided region, the links respectively having attributes corresponding to attributes of the core points; and

a central processing unit (CPU) configured to;

when the core points 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 storage medium inputs, and assign an attribute to the virtual core point based on the attributes of the core points; and

extract a candidate link being candidate of the road represented by the core points from the map data according to the attributes of the links, the attributes of the core points, and the attribute of the virtual core point, wherein

the plurality of core points is received with traffic information including traffic congestion information.

2. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to:

generate the virtual core point according to a value of an attribute being spaced distance information, the spaced distance information representing a spaced distance of a road from a straight line connecting attention core points, the attention core points existing beyond the boundary of the divided region.

3. The road estimation device according to claim 2, wherein the CPU is further configured to:

calculate two line segments connected with a peak of a road shape being obtained according to a value of the attribute being the spaced distance information, one of the two line segments connecting the peak of the road shape with one of the attention core points, and another of the two line segments connecting the peak of the road shape with another of the attention core points; and

generate the virtual core point on an intersection between one of the line segments and the boundary of the divided region.

4. The road estimation device according to claim 2, wherein the CPU is further configured to:

assign or re-assign at least one of the attributes of the attention core points and the attribute of the virtual core point according to the attributes of the attention core points.

5. The road estimation device according to claim 2, wherein the CPU is further configured to:

re-assign the attributes of the attention core points by using a position of the virtual core point generated in the generation of the virtual core point thereby to assign the attribute of the virtual core point.

6. The road estimation device according to claim 2, wherein the CPU is further configured to:

assign or re-assign at least one of;

an attribute CA and an attribute DCA being side road information representing an angle to a side road and a connection distance to the side road;

an attribute BR and an attribute DMB being angle and distance information representing a geographical angle and a connection distance to a subsequent core point;

an attribute PD being travel distance information representing a travel distance between core points;

an attribute PDM being spaced distance information representing a spaced distance of the road from a straight line, which connects with a subsequent core point; and

an attribute PCI being parallel traveling traffic information representing roads extending in parallel.

7. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the CPU is further configured to:

exclude the core point, which is not included in the divided region being a processing object, from the processing object.

8. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium is a hard disk.

9. The road estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium is a DVD drive.

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

receiving data including a plurality of core points from an external object, the core points being assigned along a road and assigned respectively with attributes for identifying the road;

inputting map data including links in a unit of a divided region being one of a plurality of divided areas, each of the links having a termination point in a boundary of the divided region, the links respectively having attributes corresponding to attributes of the core points;

generating, when the core points exist beyond a boundary of the divided region, a virtual core point being a new core point on the boundary of the divided region in the inputted map data;

assigning an attribute to the virtual core point based on the attributes of the core points; and

extracting a candidate link being candidate of the road represented by the core points from the map data according to the attributes of the links, the attributes of the core points, and the attribute of the virtual core point, wherein

the plurality of core points is received with traffic information including traffic congestion information.