Track information generating device, track information generating method, and computer-readable storage medium

• US 8,793,090 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2011
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Oohashi, Yusuke, Sakaki, Daisuke, Ando, Yohei
• Primary Examiner(s): SUGLO, JANET L
• Application Number:
  US13/098,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 702/94, 702/95, 702/150, 701/23, 701/26, 701/411, 701/468, 701/469
• US Class Current: 702/95
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching

Abstract

Track information generating devices, methods, and programs acquire a self-contained navigation track of a vehicle indicated by time-series pieces of self-contained navigation information, acquire a matching track of the vehicle indicated by time-series pieces of information determined through a map matching process is determined as a road the vehicle is traveling, and acquire a degree of reliability of the matching track. The devices, methods, and programs acquire a GPS track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by time-series pieces of GPS information, acquire a degree of reliability of the GPS track, and set the one of the GPS track and the matching track having a higher degree of reliability as a correction target track to correct the self-contained navigation information so as to reduce a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the correction target track.

Claims

1. A track information generating device comprising:

a self-contained navigation track acquisition unit that acquires a self-contained navigation track that is a track of a vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of self-contained navigation information obtained from a speed sensor and a direction sensor on the vehicle;

a matching track acquisition unit that acquires a matching track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of information determined through a map matching process in which a road, of which a shape indicated by map information most coincides with the self-contained navigation track, is determined as a road on which the vehicle is traveling, and that acquires a degree of reliability of the matching track;

a GPS track acquisition unit that acquires a GPS track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of GPS information obtained from a GPS sensor on the vehicle; and

a self-contained navigation information correcting unit that;

compares the self-contained navigation track with the GPS track to determine a degree of reliability of the GPS track by increasing the degree of reliability of the GPS track as a degree of coincidence between a shape of the self-contained navigation track and a shape of the GPS track increases; and

sets one of the GPS track and the matching track, having a higher degree of reliability, as a correction target track to correct the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the correction target track.

2. The track information generating device according to claim 1, wherein

the tracks of the vehicle, respectively indicated by the self-contained navigation track, the matching track and the GPS track, each include a direction and position of the vehicle,

the self-contained navigation information correcting unit determines the correction target track for each of the direction and position of the vehicle,

the self-contained navigation information correcting unit corrects the direction of the vehicle, indicated by the self-contained navigation information, by reducing a difference between the direction of the vehicle, indicated by the self-contained navigation track, and the direction of the vehicle, indicated by the correction target track determined for the direction of the vehicle,

the self-contained navigation information correcting unit corrects the position of the vehicle, indicated by the self-contained navigation information, by reducing a difference between the position of the vehicle, indicated by the self-contained navigation track, and the position of the vehicle, indicated by the correction target track determined for the position of the vehicle.

3. The track information generating device according to claim 2, wherein

the self-contained navigation information correcting unit increases a degree of reliability of the direction of the vehicle, indicated by the GPS track, as a total frequency of a frequency distribution of direction differences between directions of the vehicle, indicated by pieces of the self-contained navigation information at multiple time points, and directions of the vehicle, indicated by pieces of the GPS information at multiple time points, increases, a frequency of a mode of the frequency distribution increases and a variance of the mode of the frequency distribution reduces, and

the self-contained navigation information correcting unit increases a degree of reliability of the position of the vehicle, indicated by the GPS track, as a total frequency of a frequency distribution of position differences between positions of the vehicle, indicated by pieces of the self-contained navigation information at multiple time points, and positions of the vehicle, indicated by pieces of the GPS information at multiple time points, increases, a frequency of a mode of the frequency distribution increases and a variance of the mode of the frequency distribution reduces.

4. The track information generating device according to claim 1, wherein

the matching track acquisition unit increases a degree of reliability of a position indicated by the matching track as the width of the road that is determined as the road on which the vehicle is traveling reduces.

5. The track information generating device according to claim 1, wherein

the matching track acquisition unit increases a degree of reliability of a direction indicated by the matching track as a variation in the direction of the vehicle in process of executing the map matching process reduces.

6. The track information generating device according to claim 1, wherein

the self-contained navigation information correcting unit rotates and translates the self-contained navigation track by obtaining the highest degree of coincidence between the self-contained navigation track and the GPS track.

7. A track information generating device comprising:

a self-contained navigation track acquisition unit that acquires a self-contained navigation track that is a track of a vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of self-contained navigation information obtained from a speed sensor and a direction sensor on the vehicle;

a matching track acquisition unit that acquires a matching track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of information determined through a map matching process in which a road, of which a shape indicated by map information most coincides with the self-contained navigation track, is determined as a road on which the vehicle is traveling;

a GPS track acquisition unit that acquires a GPS track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of GPS information obtained from a GPS sensor on the vehicle; and

a self-contained navigation information correcting unit that;

compares the self-contained navigation track with the GPS track to determine a degree of reliability of the GPS track by increasing the degree of reliability of the GPS track as a degree of coincidence between a shape of the self-contained navigation track and a shape of the GPS track increases; and

sets the GPS track as a correction target track when the degree of reliability of the GPS track exceeds a predetermined reference to correct the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the correction target track, and that sets the matching track as a correction target track when the degree of reliability of the GPS track is lower than the predetermined reference to correct the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the correction target track.

8. The track information generating device according to claim 7, wherein

the tracks of the vehicle, respectively indicated by the self-contained navigation track, the matching track and the GPS track, each include a direction and position of the vehicle,

the self-contained navigation information correcting unit determines the correction target track for each of the direction and position of the vehicle,

the self-contained navigation information correcting unit corrects the direction of the vehicle, indicated by the self-contained navigation information, by reducing a difference between the direction of the vehicle, indicated by the self-contained navigation track, and the direction of the vehicle, indicated by the correction target track determined for the direction of the vehicle,

the self-contained navigation information correcting unit corrects the position of the vehicle, indicated by the self-contained navigation information, by reducing a difference between the position of the vehicle, indicated by the self-contained navigation track, and the position of the vehicle, indicated by the correction target track determined for the position of the vehicle.

9. The track information generating device according to claim 8, wherein

the self-contained navigation information correcting unit increases a degree of reliability of the direction of the vehicle, indicated by the GPS track, as a total frequency of a frequency distribution of direction differences between directions of the vehicle, indicated by pieces of the self-contained navigation information at multiple time points, and directions of the vehicle, indicated by pieces of the GPS information at multiple time points, increases, a frequency of a mode of the frequency distribution increases and a variance of the mode of the frequency distribution reduces, and

the self-contained navigation information correcting unit increases a degree of reliability of the position of the vehicle, indicated by the GPS track, as a total frequency of a frequency distribution of position differences between positions of the vehicle, indicated by pieces of the self-contained navigation information at multiple time points, and positions of the vehicle, indicated by pieces of the GPS information at multiple time points, increases, a frequency of a mode of the frequency distribution increases and a variance of the mode of the frequency distribution reduces.

10. The track information generating device according to claim 7, wherein

the matching track acquisition unit increases a degree of reliability of a position indicated by the matching track as the width of the road that is determined as the road on which the vehicle is traveling reduces.

11. The track information generating device according to claim 7, wherein

the matching track acquisition unit increases a degree of reliability of a direction indicated by the matching track as a variation in the direction of the vehicle in process of executing the map matching process reduces.

12. The track information generating device according to claim 7, wherein

the self-contained navigation information correcting unit rotates and translates the self-contained navigation track by obtaining the highest degree of coincidence between the self-contained navigation track and the GPS track.

13. A track information generating method comprising:

acquiring, with a processor, a self-contained navigation track that is a track of a vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of self-contained navigation information obtained from a speed sensor and a direction sensor on the vehicle;

acquiring, with the processor, a matching track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of information determined through a map matching process in which a road, of which a shape indicated by map information most coincides with the self-contained navigation track, is determined as a road on which the vehicle is traveling;

acquiring, with the processor, a degree of reliability of the matching track;

acquiring, with the processor, a GPS track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of GPS information obtained from a GPS sensor on the vehicle;

comparing, with the processor, the self-contained navigation track with the GPS track to determine a degree of reliability of the GPS track by increasing the degree of reliability of the GPS track as a degree of coincidence between a shape of the self-contained navigation track and a shape of the GPS track increases; and

setting, with the processor, one of the GPS track and the matching track, having a higher degree of reliability, as a correction target track to correct the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the correction target track.

14. The track information generating method according to claim 13, further comprising rotating and translating the self-contained navigation track by obtaining the highest degree of coincidence between the self-contained navigation track and the GPS track.

15. A track information generating method comprising:

acquiring, with a processor, a self-contained navigation track that is a track of a vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of self-contained navigation information obtained from a speed sensor and a direction sensor on the vehicle;

acquiring, with the processor, a matching track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of information determined through a map matching process in which a road, of which a shape indicated by map information most coincides with the self-contained navigation track, is determined as a road on which the vehicle is traveling;

acquiring, with the processor, a GPS track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of GPS information obtained from a GPS sensor on the vehicle;

comparing, with the processor, the self-contained navigation track with the GPS track to determine a degree of reliability of the GPS track by increasing the degree of reliability of the GPS track as a degree of coincidence between a shape of the self-contained navigation track and a shape of the GPS track increases;

setting, with the processor, the GPS track as a correction target track when the degree of reliability of the GPS track exceeds a predetermined reference to correct the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the correction target track; and

setting, with the processor, the matching track as a correction target track when the degree of reliability of the GPS track is lower than the predetermined reference to correct the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the correction target track.

16. The track information generating method according to claim 15, further comprising rotating and translating the self-contained navigation track by obtaining the highest degree of coincidence between the self-contained navigation track and the GPS track.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores computer-executable instructions for performing a track information generating method comprising:

acquiring, with a processor, a self-contained navigation track that is a track of a vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of self-contained navigation information obtained from a speed sensor and a direction sensor on the vehicle;

acquiring, with the processor, a matching track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of information determined through a map matching process in which a road, of which a shape indicated by map information most coincides with the self-contained navigation track, is determined as a road on which the vehicle is traveling;

acquiring a degree of reliability of the matching track;

acquiring, with the processor, a GPS track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of GPS information obtained from a GPS sensor on the vehicle;

comparing the self-contained navigation track with the GPS track to determine a degree of reliability of the GPS track by increasing the degree of reliability of the GPS track as a degree of coincidence between a shape of the self-contained navigation track and a shape of the GPS track increases; and

setting one of the GPS track and the matching track, having a higher degree of reliability, as a correction target track to correct the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the correction target track.

18. The storage medium according to claim 17, the instructions further comprising instructions for rotating and translating the self-contained navigation track by obtaining the highest degree of coincidence between the self-contained navigation track and the GPS track.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores computer-executable instructions for performing a track information generating method comprising:

acquiring, with a processor, a self-contained navigation track that is a track of a vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of self-contained navigation information obtained from a speed sensor and a direction sensor on the vehicle;

acquiring, with the processor, a matching track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by plurality of time-series pieces of information determined through a map matching process in which a road, of which a shape indicated by map information most coincides with the self-contained navigation track, is determined as a road on which the vehicle is traveling;

acquiring, with the processor, a GPS track that is a track of the vehicle indicated by a plurality of time-series pieces of GPS information obtained from a GPS sensor on the vehicle;

comparing the self-contained navigation track with the GPS track to determine a degree of reliability of the GPS track by increasing the degree of reliability of the GPS track as a degree of coincidence between a shape of the self-contained navigation track and a shape of the GPS track increases;

setting the GPS track as a correction target track when the degree of reliability of the GPS track exceeds a predetermined reference to correct the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the correction target track; and

setting the matching track as a correction target track when the degree of reliability of the GPS track is lower than the predetermined reference to correct the self-contained navigation information by reducing a difference between the self-contained navigation track and the correction target track.

20. The storage medium according to claim 19, the instructions further comprising instructions for rotating and translating the self-contained navigation track by obtaining the highest degree of coincidence between the self-contained navigation track and the GPS track.