Method for transmitting location information on a digital map, apparatus for implementing the method, and traffic information provision/reception system

• US 8,838,386 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: T&M Data Update LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Adachi, Shinya, Miyama, Satoko
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US12/649,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20100106410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/409, 701/532, 342/118, 342/458
• US Class Current: 701/532
• 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 identifying a location of a road segment in digital maps, the digital maps including a first digital map and a second digital map, wherein the location of the road segment is identified on the second digital map which is prepared by a different provider from the first digital map or is prepared by a same provider as the first digital map and is in a different scaling from the first digital map, the system comprising:

the transmitting apparatus that has the first digital map and transmits the location information which indicates the road segment on the first digital map to the receiving apparatus;

wherein the location information including;

coordinates information which indicates a list of coordinates of points on the road segment,

distance information including a distance from a start point of the road segment on the first digital map to a location where a traffic event occurred on the road segment on the first digital map,

the receiving apparatus that has the second digital map, the second digital map showing the road segment at a different location from the first digital map,

wherein after the receiving apparatus receives the location information from the transmitting apparatus, the receiving apparatus identifies the different location of the road segment shown on the second digital map by using the coordinates information included in the location information, and identifies the location of the traffic event on the road segment on the second digital map by using the distance from the start point to the location where the traffic event occurred.

2. A transmission apparatus adapted for operating as the transmission apparatus of the system according to claim 1.

3. A receiving apparatus adapted for operating as the receiving apparatus of the system according to claim 1.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the first digital map and the second digital map contains errors inherent in a reduced-scaling of each map and/or depending on a kind of each map.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the distance is a distance from the start point to a location of at least one of a traffic jam and a traffic accident.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the distance is a distance from the start point to a location of a traffic jam or accident.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving apparatus identifies the different location of the road segment shown on the second digital map while keeping a difference in provider or scaling between the first digital map and the second digital map.

8. A method of identifying a location of a road segment in digital maps, the digital maps including a first digital map and a second digital map, wherein the location of the road segment is identified on the second digital map which is prepared by a different provider from the first digital map or is prepared by a same provider as the first digital map and is in a different scaling from the first digital map, the method comprising:

transmitting the location information which indicates the road segment on the first digital map from the transmitting apparatus, the second digital map showing the road segment at a different location from the first digital map;

wherein the location information including;

coordinates information which indicates a list of coordinates of points on the road segment,

distance information including a distance from a start point of the road segment on the first digital map to a location where a traffic event occurred on the road segment on the first digital map;

receiving the location information from the transmitting apparatus at the receiving apparatus;

identifying the different location of the road segment shown on the second digital map by using the coordinates information included in the received location information at the receiving apparatus, and

identifying the location of the traffic event on the road segment on the second digital map by using the distance from the start point to the location where the traffic event occurred.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein each of the first digital map and the second digital map contains errors inherent in a reduced-scaling of each map and/or depending on a kind of each map.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the distance is a distance from the start point to a location of at least one of a traffic jam and a traffic accident.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the distance is a distance from the start point to a location of a traffic jam or accident.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the different location of the road segment shown on the second digital map is identified while keeping a difference in provider or scaling between the first digital map and the second digital map.

13. A system for identifying a location of a road segment in digital maps, each map containing errors inherent in a reduced-scaling of the digital maps and/or depending on the kind of the digital maps, the digital maps including a first digital map and a second digital map, the second digital map showing the road segment at a different location from the first digital map due to the errors, the system comprising:

the transmitting apparatus that has the first digital map and transmits the location information which indicates the road segment on the first digital map to the receiving apparatus;

wherein the location information including;

coordinates information which indicates a list of coordinates of points on the road segment,

distance information including a distance from a start point of the road segment on the first digital map to a location where a traffic event occurred on the road segment on the first digital map,

the receiving apparatus that has the second digital map,

wherein after the receiving apparatus receives the location information from the transmitting apparatus, the receiving apparatus identifies the different location of the road segment shown on the second digital map by using the coordinates information included in the location information, and identifies the location of the traffic event on the road segment on the second digital map by using the distance from the start point to the location where the traffic event occurred.

14. A method for transmitting location information which indicates a road segment on a first digital map from a transmitting apparatus having the first digital map to a receiving apparatus having a second digital map, the receiving apparatus receiving the location information from the transmitting apparatus, identifying a location of the road segment on the second digital map by using coordinates information included in the received location information at the receiving apparatus, and identifying a location of a traffic event on the road segment on the second digital map by using a distance from the start point to the location where the traffic event occurred, the method comprising:

generating the location information which includes the coordinates information which indicates a list of coordinates of points on the road segment on the first digital map and the distance information including a distance from a start point of the road segment on the first digital map to a location where the traffic event occurred on the road segment on the first digital map; and

transmitting the location information to the receiving apparatus,

wherein the first digital map and the second digital map contain respective errors inherent in a reduced-scaling of each digital map, errors depending on the kind of the digital maps, or errors inherent in the reduced-scaling of the digital maps and depending on the kind of the digital maps, the second digital map showing the road segment at a different location from the first digital map due to the errors.

15. A method for identifying a location of a road segment in digital maps, the method comprising:

receiving location information which indicates a road segment on a first digital map from a transmitting apparatus at a receiving apparatus, wherein the location information includes coordinates information which indicates a list of coordinates of points on the road segment and distance information including a distance from a start point of the road segment on the first digital map to a location where a traffic event occurred on the road segment on the first digital map;

identifying a location of the road segment on a second digital map by using the coordinates information included in the received location information at the receiving apparatus; and

identifying a location of the traffic event on the road segment on the second digital map by using the distance from the start point to the location where the traffic event occurred,

wherein the first digital map and the second digital map contain respective errors inherent in a reduced-scaling of the digital maps, errors depending on the kind of the digital maps, or errors inherent in the reduced-scaling of the digital maps and depending on the kind of the digital maps, the second digital map showing the road segment at a different location from the first digital map due to the error.

16. A system for identifying a location of a road segment in digital maps, the digital maps including a first digital map and a second digital map, wherein the location of the road segment is identified on the second digital map which is prepared by a different provider from the first digital map or is prepared by a same provider as the first digital map and is in a different scaling from the first digital map, the system comprising:

the transmitting apparatus that has the first digital map and transmits the location information which indicates the road segment on the first digital map to the receiving apparatus;

wherein the location information including;

coordinates information which indicates a list of coordinates of points on the road segment,

distance information indicating a distance to a location where a traffic event occurred on the road segment on the first digital map,

the receiving apparatus that has the second digital map, the second digital map showing the road segment at a different location from the first digital map,

wherein after the receiving apparatus receives the location information from the transmitting apparatus, the receiving apparatus identifies the different location of the road segment shown on the second digital map by using the coordinates information included in the location information, and identifies the location of the traffic event on the road segment on the second digital map by using the distance information included in the location information.