WO2010057506A1 - Method of forming navigation instructions, navigation system and a digital map database - Google Patents

Method of forming navigation instructions, navigation system and a digital map database Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2010057506A1
WO2010057506A1 PCT/EP2008/009838 EP2008009838W WO2010057506A1 WO 2010057506 A1 WO2010057506 A1 WO 2010057506A1 EP 2008009838 W EP2008009838 W EP 2008009838W WO 2010057506 A1 WO2010057506 A1 WO 2010057506A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
navigation instruction
location
parts
instruction parts
location specific
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EP2008/009838
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Marcin Michal Kmiecik
Original Assignee
Tele Atlas B.V.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Tele Atlas B.V. filed Critical Tele Atlas B.V.
Priority to PCT/EP2008/009838 priority Critical patent/WO2010057506A1/en
Priority to TW097146475A priority patent/TW201020526A/en
Publication of WO2010057506A1 publication Critical patent/WO2010057506A1/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
    • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
    • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
    • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
    • G01C21/36—Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
    • G01C21/3626—Details of the output of route guidance instructions
    • G01C21/3644—Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method of forming navigation instructions, a navigation system, a digital map database, a computer program product and a computer readable medium provided with such a computer program product.
  • navigation systems have determined a current position based on positional readings/estimation measured from positional devices (including dead- reckoning, GPS, compass, Inertial Navigation components etc.). The determined current position is then matched to a digital map database accessible for the navigation system.
  • positional devices including dead- reckoning, GPS, compass, Inertial Navigation components etc.
  • the digital map database has also been used to determine a destination from, say an address, compute a route to get from the current location to the destination and offer guidance in this task in the form of navigation instructions, such as written and verbal directions.
  • navigation instructions such as written and verbal directions.
  • these navigation instructions are not always very easy to interpret and understand for users and it is not always very easy for a user to "translate" the navigation instruction into real life actions.
  • a method of forming navigation instructions comprises: a) providing a route to a destination, b) determining at least one manoeuvre corresponding with a route location along the route, c) selecting navigation instruction parts to form at least one navigation instruction representing the at least one manoeuvre, wherein the at least one navigation instruction is formed by a selection from a plurality of navigation instruction parts, d) forming the navigation instruction from the selected navigation instruction parts, e) outputting the at least one navigation instruction, wherein the plurality of navigation instruction parts comprise location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location and c) comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts for which the associated map location corresponds to the route location of the at least one manoeuvre, if any.
  • a navigation system comprising a processor and memory accessible for the processor, the memory comprising a plurality of navigation instruction parts and a digital map database, the memory comprising a computer program comprising data and instructions arranged to allow said processor to a) provide a route to a destination, b) determine at least one manoeuvre corresponding with a route location along the route, c) select navigation instruction parts to form at least one navigation instruction representing the at least one manoeuvre, wherein the at least one navigation instruction is formed by a selection from a plurality of navigation instruction parts, d) form the navigation instruction from the selected navigation instruction parts, e) output the at least one navigation instruction, wherein the plurality of navigation instruction parts comprise location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location and c) comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts for which the associated map location corresponds to the route location of the at least one manoeuvre, if any.
  • a digital map database comprising geospatial information in the form of geographical objects each associated with a map location and further comprising a set of vectors, representing (parts of) roads, connecting geospatial objects, characterized in that the digital map database comprises location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location.
  • a computer program product comprising data and instructions that can be loaded by a computer arrangement, allowing said computer arrangement to perform a methods according to the above
  • Figure 1 schematically depicts a computer arrangement according to an embodiment
  • FIGS 2a and 2b show flow diagrams according to an embodiment
  • Figures 3a and 3b show examples of an embodiment.
  • the embodiment described below provide a navigation system that is allowed to provide navigation instructions that are tailored to the specific external conditions and are therefore easier to interpret by users.
  • the navigation instruction may directly relate to objects and the like, such as buildings, Points Of Interest (POI), statues etc. that are visible for a user when travelling along a route.
  • POI Points Of Interest
  • the navigation instructions may for instance tell a user to turn left at the hotel Cartazo.
  • the navigation instructions may for instance tell a user to turn left at the hotel Cartazo.
  • the navigation instructions are easier to understand for users and to translate them into real life actions.
  • the navigation instructions may refer to specific features of the object.
  • the navigation instruction may for instance be turn right at the tall building. By including a specific feature of the object to the navigation instruction, in this case tall, the user will have no difficulty locating the object the navigation instruction refers to.
  • the navigation instructions may vary depending on the direction from which the objects are approached. For instance, in case a building is approached from a first direction, the navigation instruction may refer to a low white building, while in case the building is approached from a different second direction, the navigation instruction may refer to a row of trees blocking the view of the low white building.
  • objects may have a different appearance depending on the time of the day, the time of the week or the time of the month. For instance, during day time, a navigation instruction may refer to a white building, while during night time, the navigation instruction may refer to a green building, because the building is lit using green lights.
  • the computer arrangement 10 comprises a processor 11 for carrying out arithmetic operations.
  • the processor 11 may be connected to a plurality of memory components, including a hard disk 12, Read Only Memory (ROM) 13, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) 14, and Random Access Memory (RAM) 15. Not all of these memory types need necessarily be provided. Moreover, these memory components need not be located physically close to the processor 11 but may be located remote from the processor 11.
  • the processor 11 may be connected to means for inputting instructions, data etc. by a user, like a keyboard 16, and a mouse 17. Other input means, such as a touch screen, a track ball and/or a voice converter, known to persons skilled in the art may be provided too.
  • a reading unit 19 connected to the processor 11 is provided. The reading unit 19 is arranged to read data from and possibly write data on a computer readable medium like a floppy disk 20 or a CDROM 21. Other computer readable mediums may be tapes, DVD, CD-R. DVD-R, memory sticks etc. as is known to persons skilled in the art.
  • the processor 11 may be connected to a printer 23 for printing output data on paper, as well as to a display 18, for instance, a monitor or LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen, or any other type of display known to persons skilled in the art.
  • the processor 11 may be connected to a loudspeaker 29.
  • the computer arrangement 10 may further comprise a positioning system PS to determine position information about a current position and the like for use by the processor 11.
  • the positioning system PS may comprise one or more of the following:
  • GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System
  • GPS global positioning system
  • a DMI Distance Measurement Instrument
  • odometer that measures a distance travelled by the car 1 by sensing the number of rotations of one or more of the wheels 2.
  • an IMU Inertial Measurement Unit
  • three gyro units arranged to measure rotational accelerations and three translational accelerators along three orthogonal directions.
  • the processor 11 may be connected to a communication network 27, for instance, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), the Internet etc. by means of I/O means 25.
  • the processor 11 may be arranged to communicate with other communication arrangements through the network 27. These connections may not all be connected in real time as the vehicle collects data while moving down the streets.
  • the computer readable medium 20, 21 may comprise a computer program product in the form of data and instructions arranged to provide the processor with the capacity to perform a method in accordance with the embodiments.
  • computer program product may, alternatively, be downloaded via the telecommunication network
  • the processor 11 may be implemented as stand alone system, or as a plurality of parallel operating processors each arranged to carry out subtasks of a larger computer program, or as one or more main processors with several sub-processors. Parts of the functionality of the invention may even be carried out by remote processors communicating with processor 11 through the network 27.
  • the computer arrangement 10 does not need to have all components shown in Figure 1.
  • the computer arrangement 10 does not need to have a printer.
  • the computer arrangement 10 may at least comprise processor 11, some memory to store a suitable program and some kind of interface to receive instructions and data from an operator and to show output data to the operator.
  • this computer arrangement 10 may be arranged to function as a navigation apparatus.
  • the computer arrangement may comprise a software tool that enables the computer arrangement to perform a navigation function.
  • the computer arrangement or navigation system described above may comprise or have access to a digital map databases DMD.
  • the computer arrangement or navigation system may be arranged to show a current position on a digital map using a display or may be arranged to provide navigation instructions from a start position (for instance the current position) to a destination position, to guide the user to the destination address.
  • a digital map database may be used.
  • digital map database does not necessarily refer to a database structure in the traditional way, i.e. does not imply relational structure between the database entries or a database manager coordinating the database.
  • the digital map database as used here refers to any set of geospatial information, regardless of the exact way the information is structured.
  • geographical object may correspond to a real-life object, such as a tunnel, building, tree, hill etc., but also correspond to a certain position in general.
  • Digital map databases DMD also known as geospatial databases, navigation maps or electronic maps, are known in the prior art.
  • Digital map databases DMD in common usage today may comprise geographical objects (also referred to as geographical points) related to geographic location(s) and possibly incorporate some form of geographically related information, such as points of interest (museum, restaurant), (underground) parkings, tunnels, bridges and the like.
  • points of interest museum, restaurant
  • underground parkings
  • tunnels tunnels
  • bridges and the like.
  • digital map database DMD is used to denote all kinds of electronic and digital maps.
  • Digital map databases DMD may comprise a set of geographical objects and a set of vectors, representing (parts of) roads, connecting geospatial objects.
  • the digital map database DMD may further comprise additional information, for instance relating to the type of road (highway, foot path), maximum allowable speed (50 km/h, 100 km/h), street names, the presences of objects, such as tunnels and underground parkings etc.
  • the digital map database DMD may further also comprise information about type of environment (urban, rural, forest, agriculture) and the like.
  • the digital map database DMD may be used to compute navigation instructions to guide a user to a destination, as mentioned above. Depending on the current position of the user as determined by the positioning device, a part of the digital map database DMD may be displayed on a display.
  • the digital map database may be a 3D digital map databases 3DMD, comprising three dimensional information, for instance about geographical objects such as buildings, trees, rocks, mountains, tunnels, (underground) parkings etc.
  • the 3D digital map database 3DMD may further comprise information about urban canyons and/or city models.
  • Embodiments According to an embodiment there is provided a method of forming navigation instructions, the method comprises: a) providing a route to a destination, b) determining at least one manoeuvre corresponding with a route location along the route, c) selecting navigation instruction parts to form at least one navigation instruction representing the at least one manoeuvre, wherein the at least one navigation instruction is formed by a selection from a plurality of navigation instruction parts, d) forming the navigation instruction from the selected navigation instruction parts, e) outputting the at least one navigation instruction, wherein the plurality of navigation instruction parts comprise location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location and c) comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts for which the associated map location corresponds to the route location of the at least one manoeuvre, if any.
  • a navigation system comprising a processor (11) and memory (ME) accessible for the processor (11), the memory (ME) comprising a plurality of navigation instruction parts and a digital map database (DMD), the memory (ME) comprising a computer program comprising data and instructions arranged to allow said processor (11) to a) provide a route to a destination, b) determine at least one manoeuvre corresponding with a route location along the route, c) select navigation instruction parts to form at least one navigation instruction representing the at least one manoeuvre, wherein the at least one navigation instruction is formed by a selection from a plurality of navigation instruction parts, d) form the navigation instruction from the selected navigation instruction parts, e) output the at least one navigation instruction, wherein the plurality of navigation instruction parts comprise location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location and c) comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts for which the associated map location corresponds to the route location of the at least one manoeuvre, if any.
  • Fig. 2a schematically shows a flow diagram representing the above method.
  • action a) may use information from a database, such as a digital map database DMD.
  • Action e) may use output devices, such as for instance display 18 and/or speaker 29 to output the at least one navigation instruction.
  • route location is used to indicate a location that is along a route and may for instance be a decision point somewhere along the route.
  • Action a) may comprise loading a route from a remote source, such as a remote computer.
  • Action a) may alternatively comprise determining a route using a digital map database.
  • the navigation instruction parts not being location specific navigation instruction parts may be referred to as general navigation instruction parts and may comprise at least one of the following: - turn right, - turn left, - in 50 metres, - in 100 metres, leave the highway.
  • the general navigation instruction parts are navigation instruction parts that may be used in association with a great number of locations within the digital map database, depending on the determined route. So the general navigation instruction parts are not tied to a location.
  • Navigation instruction parts may be used to form navigation instructions.
  • the navigation instruction: Turn left in 50 metres, then second turn to the right, may be composed of the following navigation instruction parts:
  • the general navigation instruction part turn right may be used in most junctions and T-junctions depending on the route to be followed by a user.
  • the location specific navigation instruction parts are associated with a map location and may for instance be stored in the digital map database. These location specific navigation instructions parts are only to be used in the vicinity of the associated map location and are used when a route location corresponds to that particular map location. Further selection criteria may be used as will be explained in more detail below.
  • the map location may be a point of interest, a junction, an exit etc.
  • the location specific navigation instruction part may for instance relate to a certain visual aspect of the map location, for instance relate to the colour or shape of a building or POI etc.
  • the map location may be regarded as visually prominent.
  • the location specific navigation instruction parts may be associated to a specific location having a specific set of location coordinates (e.g. GPS coordinates). Forming navigation instructions by selecting navigation instruction parts can be done in many different ways, as will be understood by a skilled person.
  • Fig. 2b schematically depicts a more detailed embodiment of the flow diagram shown in Fig. 2a, showing action c) in more detail. Actions a) and b) are similar as described above. The determined at least one manoeuvre in action b) is used in action c), now comprising three different sub-actions c-I), C-II) and c-III).
  • a manoeuvre navigation instruction part is selected based on the type of manoeuvre that is to be performed. This may be done by using a manoeuvre type selector.
  • the manoeuvre navigation instruction part may for instance be: turn left, turn right, keep left, keep right, ...
  • a location navigation instruction part is selected. This may be done by using a location part selector.
  • the location navigation instruction part may for instance be: the next crossing, the next round about,...
  • the location navigation instruction part may also be a location specific navigation instruction part, such as at the white building.
  • a spatial relation calculator may be used to select a spatial relation navigation instruction part, which for instance may be before, after. So, action c-I and c-III may be used to select general navigation instruction parts
  • c-II may be used to select location specific navigation instructions parts if available.
  • a syntax compiler may be used to compile or form the navigation instruction from the selected navigation instruction parts selected in actions c-I), c-II) and c-III), for instance resulting in turn left before the white building.
  • the navigation instruction parts may comprise at least one of text files, audio files and image filed.
  • the text files may be used to compose a navigation instruction to be displayed on the display of the navigation system or may be played as audio output using text-to-speech algorithm.
  • the audio files may be used to compose a navigation instruction to be played as audio output.
  • the image files may be displayed on the display of the navigation system and may show a pictogram and/or a text.
  • Action c) may comprise selecting location specific navigation instruction parts for which the associated map location corresponds to the route location of the at least one manoeuvre, if any.
  • An appropriate algorithm may be used to decide if a map location corresponds to a route location.
  • the map and route location may be considered corresponding when a mutual distance between the map and route location is below a predetermined threshold. In case more map locations are nearby, i.e. are below the predetermined threshold, the location specific navigation instruction part with the smallest distance to the route location is selected.
  • the map location of the location specific navigation instruction part does not necessarily coincide with the route location, i.e. does not have to be on the route, but is to be in the vicinity of the route.
  • the mutual distance between the map and route location is to be below a predetermined threshold and above a predetermined second threshold.
  • the first threshold may be smaller than the second threshold.
  • the first threshold may be 5 meters, the second threshold may be 50 metres.
  • the thresholds may be different for different location specific navigation instruction parts, depending on the visibility of the object they refer to.
  • the navigation instruction may be a combination of location specific navigation instruction parts and (general) navigation instruction parts. Of course, the navigation instruction may also only comprise general navigation instruction parts if no location specific navigation instruction parts are available.
  • the method may comprise outputting all the navigation instructions at once, for instance using a computer screen or a printer. The method may also comprise outputting the navigation instructions subsequently, where each navigation instruction is outputted when the associated location along the route is reached or approached.
  • Such a method and navigation system allows a user to navigate more robustly doing faster and better judgment on his/her position. Furthermore, the users can make a faster decision how to continue his/her journey.
  • a method wherein at least one location specific navigation instruction part is associated with a map location, each location specific navigation instruction part having associated selection information, wherein c) further comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts based on the selection information. Based on the selection information it may be decided to use location specific navigation instruction parts or only use general location instruction parts.
  • At least two location specific navigation instruction parts are associated with a map location, each location specific navigation instruction part having associated selection information, wherein c) further comprises selection location specific navigation instruction parts based on the selection information. Based on the selection information it may be decided to use location specific navigation instruction parts or only use general location instruction parts and in case location specific navigation instruction parts are used it can be decided which one of the two or more is to be used.
  • the selection information may be used to select appropriate location specific navigation instruction parts. In case just one location specific navigation instruction part is available, the selection information may be used to determine if the location specific navigation instruction part is to be used. In case more then two location specific instruction parts are available, the selection information may be used to determine which one, if any, of them are to be used.
  • the selection information may for instance relate to a direction of approach, to a light condition or a time (such as a moment in time or a period in time) as will be explained in more detail below.
  • the selection information relates to a direction of approach with respect to the map location, and c) further comprises - determining a direction of approach with respect to the map location,
  • the selection information relating to a direction of approach allows taking into account that an object may have a different appearance when approached from different directions.
  • the selection information relating to a direction of approach may be stored in different ways, i.e. by storing compass directions or by storing relevant angles with respect to a reference direction, such as north.
  • a location i.e. for instance a building
  • the location may look like a green building when approached from a western direction, and may look like a white building when approached from other directions.
  • the location may have a first location specific navigation instruction part green building stored in association with it having as selection information south-west - north-west, and may have a second location specific navigation instruction part white building stored in association with it having as selection information north-west - south-west.
  • the selection information may alternatively be stored as angle indication with respect to a reference direction, in this case north and may thus look like 225° - 315°, respectively 45°-135°.
  • the navigation instruction may be formed without using location specific navigation instruction parts.
  • a direction of approach may also be defined by an indication of a certain street or highway, possibly in combination with a direction, as for instance 42 nd street, northern direction.
  • direction of approach may also refer to a range of directions of approach.
  • the actual direction of approach may be determined by analysing the route computed. Also, when used as a mobile navigation system (also built-in navigation system) the direction of approach may be determined by analyzing information received from a positioning system PS, which may comprise one or more of the following:
  • GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System
  • a map location may have just one location specific navigation instruction part that is only to be used for certain directions of approach. This may be the case when for instance a building only has a distinctive appearance when approached from a certain direction.
  • a map location may have two or more location specific navigation instruction parts that are to be used for different directions of approach. This may be the case when for instance a building has different appearances from different when approached from different directions.
  • the selection information relates to a light condition, and c) further comprises
  • the light condition may be determined by using a light sensor, for instance a light sensor mounted on the computer arrangement or navigation system performing the method.
  • the light condition may also be determined in an indirect way, i.e. by determining the time of the day (e.g. using a clock to distinguish between night, day and twilight), possibly in combination with the time of the year (date/season), possibly in combination with a current position as determined by the positioning system (PS).
  • PS positioning system
  • the light condition may also vary depending on the weather, the light condition may be determined by using input from a weather station.
  • the weather station may for instance be a weather station that is located at a remote location interacting with the computer arrangement or navigation system wirelessly.
  • the weather station may also be built-in (some vehicles use rain detectors to control windscreen wipers).
  • the light condition may comprise at least one of: day, night, dawn, twilight, clouded, fog, season, snow, rain, or a combination thereof.
  • the location specific navigation instruction parts are stored in association with a location in the digital map database (DMD).
  • the location specific navigation instruction parts may also be stored in a separate memory, comprised by the navigation system or at a remote location accessible by the navigation system.
  • the location may of course coincide with an object, such as a POI (Point Of Interest), an exit on a highway, a junction, a building, a statue, a museum, a restaurant, a shop, an exit on the highway etc.
  • the location may also coincide with a visual characteristic, such as an edge of a wood, start of built-up area etc.
  • the location specific navigation instruction parts may comprise information about the appearance of the location, e.g. the appearance of the object coinciding with the map location.
  • Fig.'s 3a and 3b show an example of such an embodiment.
  • Fig. 3a shows a building during daytime having 4 floors. So, the location specific navigation instruction part could be a white four floor building, which could be used to form a navigation instruction like Turn right in front of a white four floor building.
  • Fig. 3b shows the same building during night time, now appearing as a two floor building, which could be better described by a location specific navigation instruction part being red-illuminated two floor building, which could be used to form a navigation instruction like Turn right in front of red-illuminated two floor building.
  • the building in Fig. 3 b is illuminated using red light.
  • the selection information relates to a time condition, and c) further comprises
  • the time may include at least one of the following: a clock indication, a day of the week, a date and year.
  • the time may be used as an indication of the light conditions. Also, time may be used as certain objects have a different appearance during certain times, such as for instance a shop which is open from 7 a.m. till 8 p.m. When open, the shop may be illuminated forming a clear landmark which may be used for navigation purposes. When closed, the shop may not be visible very well and may be unsuited to use for navigation purposes.
  • the location specific navigation instruction parts comprise at least one location specific image associated with the map location.
  • the location specific image may be a picture, a drawing, a pictogram or the like.
  • the image may be shown at full screen for instance with a navigation instruction (arrow, text) displayed on top of it, or may be shown on top of a displayed digital map display in correspondence with the map location of the location image.
  • the image may be part of the output in action e) and may be shown on the display to help the user to navigate. Also, there may be at least one or at least two location images associated with a map location, each location image having associated selection information, wherein c) further comprises selecting a location image based on the selection information.
  • a navigation system may be provided that is arranged to perform one or more of the methods described above.
  • the navigation system may comprise a digital map database as described below, i.e. a digital map database comprises location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location.
  • the navigation system may further comprise a selection information determination unit arranged to determine selection information, such as a current time, a light detector for determining an ambient light level.
  • a digital map database comprising geospatial information in the form of geographical objects each associated with a map location and further comprising a set of vectors, representing (parts of) roads, connecting geospatial objects, characterized in that the digital map database comprises location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location. This allows easy retrieval of the location specific navigation instruction parts.
  • the digital map database comprises one or more location specific navigation instruction parts associated with a similar map location and the one or more location specific navigation instruction parts have associated selection information.
  • the digital map database comprises selection information that relates to at least one of a direction of approach with respect to the map location, a light condition, a time.
  • Such a digital map database can be produced in many ways.
  • such a digital map database may be produced by manually entering the location specific navigation instruction parts, possibly comprising the selection information, to the digital map database.
  • the location specific navigation instruction parts may be entered manually by an operator by analyzing images obtained from the relevant locations. These images may be obtained by cameras on a Mobile Mapping Systems (MMS) that may take the form of a car, provide with one or more cameras and/or range sensor (e.g. laser scanner). However the camera(s) may be carried by any other suitable vehicle like airborne vehicles.
  • MMS Mobile Mapping Systems
  • range sensor e.g. laser scanner
  • the term "camera” is understood here to include any type of image sensor, including for instance a LadybugTM.
  • the images may be stored in association with location and orientation information, which may be obtained by suitable positioning devices, such as:
  • GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System
  • DMI Distance Measurement Instrument
  • IMU Inertial Measurement Unit
  • the images may also be obtained in any other suitable way, such as by obtaining images from street camera's watching traffic, or from images obtained by mobile navigation devices which are uploaded to the operator.
  • Producing such a digital map database may be done using a computer arrangement as described with reference to Fig. 1 or a variation thereof.
  • a computer program product comprising data and instructions that can be loaded by a computer arrangement, allowing said computer arrangement to perform any of the methods according to the above. Further provided is a computer readable medium provided with such a computer program product.

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of forming navigation instructions, the method comprises: a) providing a route to a destination, b) determining at least one manoeuvre corresponding with a route location along the route, c) selecting navigation instruction parts to form at least one navigation instruction representing the at least one manoeuvre, wherein the at least one navigation instruction is formed by a selection from a plurality of navigation instruction parts, d) forming the navigation instruction from the selected navigation instruction parts, e) outputting the at least one navigation instruction. The plurality of navigation instruction parts comprise location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location and c) comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts for which the associated map location corresponds to the route location of the at least one manoeuvre, if any.

Description

Method of forming navigation instructions, navigation system and a digital map database
Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a method of forming navigation instructions, a navigation system, a digital map database, a computer program product and a computer readable medium provided with such a computer program product.
Background of the invention
Over the years navigation systems have determined a current position based on positional readings/estimation measured from positional devices (including dead- reckoning, GPS, compass, Inertial Navigation components etc.). The determined current position is then matched to a digital map database accessible for the navigation system.
The digital map database has also been used to determine a destination from, say an address, compute a route to get from the current location to the destination and offer guidance in this task in the form of navigation instructions, such as written and verbal directions. However, these navigation instructions are not always very easy to interpret and understand for users and it is not always very easy for a user to "translate" the navigation instruction into real life actions.
Summary of the invention
It is an object of the invention to provide a navigation system that generates navigation instructions that are tailored to the specific external conditions and are therefore easier to understand for users.
According to an aspect, there is provided a method of forming navigation instructions, the method comprises: a) providing a route to a destination, b) determining at least one manoeuvre corresponding with a route location along the route, c) selecting navigation instruction parts to form at least one navigation instruction representing the at least one manoeuvre, wherein the at least one navigation instruction is formed by a selection from a plurality of navigation instruction parts, d) forming the navigation instruction from the selected navigation instruction parts, e) outputting the at least one navigation instruction, wherein the plurality of navigation instruction parts comprise location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location and c) comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts for which the associated map location corresponds to the route location of the at least one manoeuvre, if any. According to a further aspect there is provided a navigation system comprising a processor and memory accessible for the processor, the memory comprising a plurality of navigation instruction parts and a digital map database, the memory comprising a computer program comprising data and instructions arranged to allow said processor to a) provide a route to a destination, b) determine at least one manoeuvre corresponding with a route location along the route, c) select navigation instruction parts to form at least one navigation instruction representing the at least one manoeuvre, wherein the at least one navigation instruction is formed by a selection from a plurality of navigation instruction parts, d) form the navigation instruction from the selected navigation instruction parts, e) output the at least one navigation instruction, wherein the plurality of navigation instruction parts comprise location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location and c) comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts for which the associated map location corresponds to the route location of the at least one manoeuvre, if any.
According to an aspect there is provided a digital map database, comprising geospatial information in the form of geographical objects each associated with a map location and further comprising a set of vectors, representing (parts of) roads, connecting geospatial objects, characterized in that the digital map database comprises location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location. According to a further aspect there is provided a computer program product comprising data and instructions that can be loaded by a computer arrangement, allowing said computer arrangement to perform a methods according to the above
According to a further aspect there is provided a computer readable medium provided with such a computer program product.
Brief description of the drawings
The invention will be explained in detail with reference to some drawings that are only intended to show embodiments of the invention but not to limit the scope. The scope of the invention is defined in the annexed claims and by its technical equivalents. The drawings show:
Figure 1 schematically depicts a computer arrangement according to an embodiment,
Figures 2a and 2b show flow diagrams according to an embodiment, Figures 3a and 3b show examples of an embodiment.
Detailed description of embodiments
The embodiment described below provide a navigation system that is allowed to provide navigation instructions that are tailored to the specific external conditions and are therefore easier to interpret by users. The navigation instruction may directly relate to objects and the like, such as buildings, Points Of Interest (POI), statues etc. that are visible for a user when travelling along a route.
The navigation instructions may for instance tell a user to turn left at the hotel Cartazo. By providing navigation instructions that directly relate to distinct objects (such as hotel Cartazo) the navigation instructions are easier to understand for users and to translate them into real life actions.
Furthermore, the navigation instructions may refer to specific features of the object. The navigation instruction may for instance be turn right at the tall building. By including a specific feature of the object to the navigation instruction, in this case tall, the user will have no difficulty locating the object the navigation instruction refers to.
Objects may have a different appearance depending on the direction from which they are approached. Therefore, the navigation instructions may vary depending on the direction from which the objects are approached. For instance, in case a building is approached from a first direction, the navigation instruction may refer to a low white building, while in case the building is approached from a different second direction, the navigation instruction may refer to a row of trees blocking the view of the low white building.
It is a further object to provide a navigation system that functions better with respect to changing conditions, such as changing light conditions. Furthermore, objects may have a different appearance depending on the time of the day, the time of the week or the time of the month. For instance, during day time, a navigation instruction may refer to a white building, while during night time, the navigation instruction may refer to a green building, because the building is lit using green lights.
Computer arrangement
In Figure 1, an overview is given of a possible computer arrangement 10 that is suitable for performing the embodiments. The computer arrangement 10 comprises a processor 11 for carrying out arithmetic operations. The processor 11 may be connected to a plurality of memory components, including a hard disk 12, Read Only Memory (ROM) 13, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) 14, and Random Access Memory (RAM) 15. Not all of these memory types need necessarily be provided. Moreover, these memory components need not be located physically close to the processor 11 but may be located remote from the processor 11.
The processor 11 may be connected to means for inputting instructions, data etc. by a user, like a keyboard 16, and a mouse 17. Other input means, such as a touch screen, a track ball and/or a voice converter, known to persons skilled in the art may be provided too. A reading unit 19 connected to the processor 11 is provided. The reading unit 19 is arranged to read data from and possibly write data on a computer readable medium like a floppy disk 20 or a CDROM 21. Other computer readable mediums may be tapes, DVD, CD-R. DVD-R, memory sticks etc. as is known to persons skilled in the art.
The processor 11 may be connected to a printer 23 for printing output data on paper, as well as to a display 18, for instance, a monitor or LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen, or any other type of display known to persons skilled in the art. The processor 11 may be connected to a loudspeaker 29. The computer arrangement 10 may further comprise a positioning system PS to determine position information about a current position and the like for use by the processor 11. The positioning system PS may comprise one or more of the following:
• a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), such as GPS (global positioning system) unit or the like
• a DMI (Distance Measurement Instrument), such as an odometer that measures a distance travelled by the car 1 by sensing the number of rotations of one or more of the wheels 2.
• an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), such as three gyro units arranged to measure rotational accelerations and three translational accelerators along three orthogonal directions.
The processor 11 may be connected to a communication network 27, for instance, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), the Internet etc. by means of I/O means 25. The processor 11 may be arranged to communicate with other communication arrangements through the network 27. These connections may not all be connected in real time as the vehicle collects data while moving down the streets.
The computer readable medium 20, 21 may comprise a computer program product in the form of data and instructions arranged to provide the processor with the capacity to perform a method in accordance with the embodiments. However, such computer program product may, alternatively, be downloaded via the telecommunication network
27.
The processor 11 may be implemented as stand alone system, or as a plurality of parallel operating processors each arranged to carry out subtasks of a larger computer program, or as one or more main processors with several sub-processors. Parts of the functionality of the invention may even be carried out by remote processors communicating with processor 11 through the network 27.
It is observed that when applied in a car the computer arrangement 10 does not need to have all components shown in Figure 1. For instance, the computer arrangement 10 does not need to have a printer. As for the implementation in the car, the computer arrangement 10 may at least comprise processor 11, some memory to store a suitable program and some kind of interface to receive instructions and data from an operator and to show output data to the operator.
It will be understood that this computer arrangement 10 may be arranged to function as a navigation apparatus. The computer arrangement may comprise a software tool that enables the computer arrangement to perform a navigation function.
Digital map database
The computer arrangement or navigation system described above may comprise or have access to a digital map databases DMD. The computer arrangement or navigation system may be arranged to show a current position on a digital map using a display or may be arranged to provide navigation instructions from a start position (for instance the current position) to a destination position, to guide the user to the destination address. In order to perform such tasks, a digital map database may be used.
It will be understood that the term digital map database as used here does not necessarily refer to a database structure in the traditional way, i.e. does not imply relational structure between the database entries or a database manager coordinating the database. The digital map database as used here refers to any set of geospatial information, regardless of the exact way the information is structured.
The term geographical object as used here may correspond to a real-life object, such as a tunnel, building, tree, hill etc., but also correspond to a certain position in general.
Digital map databases DMD, also known as geospatial databases, navigation maps or electronic maps, are known in the prior art. Digital map databases DMD in common usage today may comprise geographical objects (also referred to as geographical points) related to geographic location(s) and possibly incorporate some form of geographically related information, such as points of interest (museum, restaurant), (underground) parkings, tunnels, bridges and the like. In this application, the term digital map database DMD is used to denote all kinds of electronic and digital maps. Digital map databases DMD may comprise a set of geographical objects and a set of vectors, representing (parts of) roads, connecting geospatial objects. The digital map database DMD may further comprise additional information, for instance relating to the type of road (highway, foot path), maximum allowable speed (50 km/h, 100 km/h), street names, the presences of objects, such as tunnels and underground parkings etc. The digital map database DMD may further also comprise information about type of environment (urban, rural, forest, agriculture) and the like.
The digital map database DMD may be used to compute navigation instructions to guide a user to a destination, as mentioned above. Depending on the current position of the user as determined by the positioning device, a part of the digital map database DMD may be displayed on a display.
The digital map database may be a 3D digital map databases 3DMD, comprising three dimensional information, for instance about geographical objects such as buildings, trees, rocks, mountains, tunnels, (underground) parkings etc. The 3D digital map database 3DMD may further comprise information about urban canyons and/or city models.
Embodiments According to an embodiment there is provided a method of forming navigation instructions, the method comprises: a) providing a route to a destination, b) determining at least one manoeuvre corresponding with a route location along the route, c) selecting navigation instruction parts to form at least one navigation instruction representing the at least one manoeuvre, wherein the at least one navigation instruction is formed by a selection from a plurality of navigation instruction parts, d) forming the navigation instruction from the selected navigation instruction parts, e) outputting the at least one navigation instruction, wherein the plurality of navigation instruction parts comprise location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location and c) comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts for which the associated map location corresponds to the route location of the at least one manoeuvre, if any.
Accordingly, there is provided a navigation system comprising a processor (11) and memory (ME) accessible for the processor (11), the memory (ME) comprising a plurality of navigation instruction parts and a digital map database (DMD), the memory (ME) comprising a computer program comprising data and instructions arranged to allow said processor (11) to a) provide a route to a destination, b) determine at least one manoeuvre corresponding with a route location along the route, c) select navigation instruction parts to form at least one navigation instruction representing the at least one manoeuvre, wherein the at least one navigation instruction is formed by a selection from a plurality of navigation instruction parts, d) form the navigation instruction from the selected navigation instruction parts, e) output the at least one navigation instruction, wherein the plurality of navigation instruction parts comprise location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location and c) comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts for which the associated map location corresponds to the route location of the at least one manoeuvre, if any.
Fig. 2a schematically shows a flow diagram representing the above method. As can be seen, action a) may use information from a database, such as a digital map database DMD. Action e) may use output devices, such as for instance display 18 and/or speaker 29 to output the at least one navigation instruction.
The term route location is used to indicate a location that is along a route and may for instance be a decision point somewhere along the route.
Action a) may comprise loading a route from a remote source, such as a remote computer. Action a) may alternatively comprise determining a route using a digital map database.
The navigation instruction parts not being location specific navigation instruction parts may be referred to as general navigation instruction parts and may comprise at least one of the following: - turn right, - turn left, - in 50 metres, - in 100 metres, leave the highway. Of course, the general navigation instruction parts are navigation instruction parts that may be used in association with a great number of locations within the digital map database, depending on the determined route. So the general navigation instruction parts are not tied to a location.
Navigation instruction parts may be used to form navigation instructions. For instance the navigation instruction: Turn left in 50 metres, then second turn to the right, may be composed of the following navigation instruction parts:
- turn left
- in 50 metres - then
- second turn
- to the right.
For instance, the general navigation instruction part turn right may be used in most junctions and T-junctions depending on the route to be followed by a user. The same applies to general navigation instruction like in 50 metres, which can be used when approaching any kind of decision point along a route.
The location specific navigation instruction parts are associated with a map location and may for instance be stored in the digital map database. These location specific navigation instructions parts are only to be used in the vicinity of the associated map location and are used when a route location corresponds to that particular map location. Further selection criteria may be used as will be explained in more detail below.
The map location may be a point of interest, a junction, an exit etc. The location specific navigation instruction part may for instance relate to a certain visual aspect of the map location, for instance relate to the colour or shape of a building or POI etc. The map location may be regarded as visually prominent.
The location specific navigation instruction parts may be associated to a specific location having a specific set of location coordinates (e.g. GPS coordinates). Forming navigation instructions by selecting navigation instruction parts can be done in many different ways, as will be understood by a skilled person.
For instance, in case a location specific navigation instruction is used, the map location of the location specific navigation instruction with respect to the route location of the manoeuvre is to be taken into account when selecting navigation instruction parts. In case the map location of the location specific navigation instruction is before the route location of the manoeuvre, the navigation instruction part after may be selected {turn right after white building), while in case the map location of the location specific navigation instruction is after the route location of the manoeuvre, the navigation instruction part before may be selected {turn right before white building). Fig. 2b schematically depicts a more detailed embodiment of the flow diagram shown in Fig. 2a, showing action c) in more detail. Actions a) and b) are similar as described above. The determined at least one manoeuvre in action b) is used in action c), now comprising three different sub-actions c-I), C-II) and c-III).
In action c-I) a manoeuvre navigation instruction part is selected based on the type of manoeuvre that is to be performed. This may be done by using a manoeuvre type selector. The manoeuvre navigation instruction part may for instance be: turn left, turn right, keep left, keep right, ...
In action c-II) a location navigation instruction part is selected. This may be done by using a location part selector. The location navigation instruction part may for instance be: the next crossing, the next round about,... The location navigation instruction part may also be a location specific navigation instruction part, such as at the white building.
In action c-III) a spatial relation calculator may be used to select a spatial relation navigation instruction part, which for instance may be before, after. So, action c-I and c-III may be used to select general navigation instruction parts
(i.e. not being location specific), while c-II may be used to select location specific navigation instructions parts if available.
In action d) a syntax compiler may be used to compile or form the navigation instruction from the selected navigation instruction parts selected in actions c-I), c-II) and c-III), for instance resulting in turn left before the white building.
Finally in action e) the navigation instruction may be outputted.
The navigation instruction parts may comprise at least one of text files, audio files and image filed. The text files may be used to compose a navigation instruction to be displayed on the display of the navigation system or may be played as audio output using text-to-speech algorithm. The audio files may be used to compose a navigation instruction to be played as audio output. The image files may be displayed on the display of the navigation system and may show a pictogram and/or a text.
Action c) may comprise selecting location specific navigation instruction parts for which the associated map location corresponds to the route location of the at least one manoeuvre, if any. An appropriate algorithm may be used to decide if a map location corresponds to a route location. The map and route location may be considered corresponding when a mutual distance between the map and route location is below a predetermined threshold. In case more map locations are nearby, i.e. are below the predetermined threshold, the location specific navigation instruction part with the smallest distance to the route location is selected. It is to be noted that the map location of the location specific navigation instruction part does not necessarily coincide with the route location, i.e. does not have to be on the route, but is to be in the vicinity of the route. In fact the mutual distance between the map and route location is to be below a predetermined threshold and above a predetermined second threshold. The first threshold may be smaller than the second threshold. The first threshold may be 5 meters, the second threshold may be 50 metres.
The thresholds may be different for different location specific navigation instruction parts, depending on the visibility of the object they refer to.
The navigation instruction may be a combination of location specific navigation instruction parts and (general) navigation instruction parts. Of course, the navigation instruction may also only comprise general navigation instruction parts if no location specific navigation instruction parts are available. The method may comprise outputting all the navigation instructions at once, for instance using a computer screen or a printer. The method may also comprise outputting the navigation instructions subsequently, where each navigation instruction is outputted when the associated location along the route is reached or approached.
Such a method and navigation system allows a user to navigate more robustly doing faster and better judgment on his/her position. Furthermore, the users can make a faster decision how to continue his/her journey.
According to a further embodiment there is provided a method, wherein at least one location specific navigation instruction part is associated with a map location, each location specific navigation instruction part having associated selection information, wherein c) further comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts based on the selection information. Based on the selection information it may be decided to use location specific navigation instruction parts or only use general location instruction parts.
According to a further embodiment, at least two location specific navigation instruction parts are associated with a map location, each location specific navigation instruction part having associated selection information, wherein c) further comprises selection location specific navigation instruction parts based on the selection information. Based on the selection information it may be decided to use location specific navigation instruction parts or only use general location instruction parts and in case location specific navigation instruction parts are used it can be decided which one of the two or more is to be used.
The selection information may be used to select appropriate location specific navigation instruction parts. In case just one location specific navigation instruction part is available, the selection information may be used to determine if the location specific navigation instruction part is to be used. In case more then two location specific instruction parts are available, the selection information may be used to determine which one, if any, of them are to be used. The selection information may for instance relate to a direction of approach, to a light condition or a time (such as a moment in time or a period in time) as will be explained in more detail below.
According to an embodiment the selection information relates to a direction of approach with respect to the map location, and c) further comprises - determining a direction of approach with respect to the map location,
- selecting location specific navigation instruction parts based on the direction of approach.
The selection information relating to a direction of approach allows taking into account that an object may have a different appearance when approached from different directions.
The selection information relating to a direction of approach may be stored in different ways, i.e. by storing compass directions or by storing relevant angles with respect to a reference direction, such as north. So, according to an example, a location, i.e. for instance a building, may look like a green building when approached from a western direction, and may look like a white building when approached from other directions. In that case, the location may have a first location specific navigation instruction part green building stored in association with it having as selection information south-west - north-west, and may have a second location specific navigation instruction part white building stored in association with it having as selection information north-west - south-west. The selection information may alternatively be stored as angle indication with respect to a reference direction, in this case north and may thus look like 225° - 315°, respectively 45°-135°. In case the direction of approach is not within the indicated ranges, the navigation instruction may be formed without using location specific navigation instruction parts.
A direction of approach may also be defined by an indication of a certain street or highway, possibly in combination with a direction, as for instance 42nd street, northern direction.
Of course other ranges may be used. In fact when an object may have more than two different appearances, more than two location specific navigation instruction parts may be stored, each having selection information relating to a direction of approach.
It is understood that the term direction of approach may also refer to a range of directions of approach.
The actual direction of approach may be determined by analysing the route computed. Also, when used as a mobile navigation system (also built-in navigation system) the direction of approach may be determined by analyzing information received from a positioning system PS, which may comprise one or more of the following:
• a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS),
• a DMI (Distance Measurement Instrument),
• an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit).
A map location may have just one location specific navigation instruction part that is only to be used for certain directions of approach. This may be the case when for instance a building only has a distinctive appearance when approached from a certain direction. A map location may have two or more location specific navigation instruction parts that are to be used for different directions of approach. This may be the case when for instance a building has different appearances from different when approached from different directions.
According to an embodiment there is provided a method wherein the selection information relates to a light condition, and c) further comprises
- determining a light condition,
- selecting location specific navigation instruction parts based on the determined light condition.
The light condition may be determined by using a light sensor, for instance a light sensor mounted on the computer arrangement or navigation system performing the method. The light condition may also be determined in an indirect way, i.e. by determining the time of the day (e.g. using a clock to distinguish between night, day and twilight), possibly in combination with the time of the year (date/season), possibly in combination with a current position as determined by the positioning system (PS).
As the light condition may also vary depending on the weather, the light condition may be determined by using input from a weather station. The weather station may for instance be a weather station that is located at a remote location interacting with the computer arrangement or navigation system wirelessly. The weather station may also be built-in (some vehicles use rain detectors to control windscreen wipers).
In general the light condition may comprise at least one of: day, night, dawn, twilight, clouded, fog, season, snow, rain, or a combination thereof.
According to a further embodiment the location specific navigation instruction parts are stored in association with a location in the digital map database (DMD). The location specific navigation instruction parts may also be stored in a separate memory, comprised by the navigation system or at a remote location accessible by the navigation system.
The location may of course coincide with an object, such as a POI (Point Of Interest), an exit on a highway, a junction, a building, a statue, a museum, a restaurant, a shop, an exit on the highway etc. The location may also coincide with a visual characteristic, such as an edge of a wood, start of built-up area etc. As described above, the location specific navigation instruction parts may comprise information about the appearance of the location, e.g. the appearance of the object coinciding with the map location.
Fig.'s 3a and 3b show an example of such an embodiment. Fig. 3a shows a building during daytime having 4 floors. So, the location specific navigation instruction part could be a white four floor building, which could be used to form a navigation instruction like Turn right in front of a white four floor building.
Fig. 3b shows the same building during night time, now appearing as a two floor building, which could be better described by a location specific navigation instruction part being red-illuminated two floor building, which could be used to form a navigation instruction like Turn right in front of red-illuminated two floor building.
Although not visable due to the black and white printing, the building in Fig. 3 b is illuminated using red light. According to an embodiment there is provided a method wherein the selection information relates to a time condition, and c) further comprises
- determining a time, - selecting location specific navigation instruction parts based on the determined time.
The time may include at least one of the following: a clock indication, a day of the week, a date and year.
The time may be used as an indication of the light conditions. Also, time may be used as certain objects have a different appearance during certain times, such as for instance a shop which is open from 7 a.m. till 8 p.m. When open, the shop may be illuminated forming a clear landmark which may be used for navigation purposes. When closed, the shop may not be visible very well and may be unsuited to use for navigation purposes. According to an embodiment the location specific navigation instruction parts comprise at least one location specific image associated with the map location.
The location specific image may be a picture, a drawing, a pictogram or the like. The image may be shown at full screen for instance with a navigation instruction (arrow, text) displayed on top of it, or may be shown on top of a displayed digital map display in correspondence with the map location of the location image.
The image may be part of the output in action e) and may be shown on the display to help the user to navigate. Also, there may be at least one or at least two location images associated with a map location, each location image having associated selection information, wherein c) further comprises selecting a location image based on the selection information.
Navigation system
As stated above, a navigation system may be provided that is arranged to perform one or more of the methods described above. In order to do this, the navigation system may comprise a digital map database as described below, i.e. a digital map database comprises location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location. The navigation system may further comprise a selection information determination unit arranged to determine selection information, such as a current time, a light detector for determining an ambient light level.
Digital map database
Based on the above it will be understood that the embodiments use location specific navigation instruction parts. An easy way of storing such location specific navigation instruction parts allowing easy retrieval is storing the location specific navigation instruction parts in a digital map database as described above. According to an embodiment there is provided a digital map database comprising geospatial information in the form of geographical objects each associated with a map location and further comprising a set of vectors, representing (parts of) roads, connecting geospatial objects, characterized in that the digital map database comprises location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location. This allows easy retrieval of the location specific navigation instruction parts.
According to a further embodiment, the digital map database comprises one or more location specific navigation instruction parts associated with a similar map location and the one or more location specific navigation instruction parts have associated selection information. According to a further embodiment the digital map database comprises selection information that relates to at least one of a direction of approach with respect to the map location, a light condition, a time.
Such a digital map database can be produced in many ways. For instance, such a digital map database may be produced by manually entering the location specific navigation instruction parts, possibly comprising the selection information, to the digital map database.
The location specific navigation instruction parts may be entered manually by an operator by analyzing images obtained from the relevant locations. These images may be obtained by cameras on a Mobile Mapping Systems (MMS) that may take the form of a car, provide with one or more cameras and/or range sensor (e.g. laser scanner). However the camera(s) may be carried by any other suitable vehicle like airborne vehicles. The term "camera" is understood here to include any type of image sensor, including for instance a Ladybug™. The images may be stored in association with location and orientation information, which may be obtained by suitable positioning devices, such as:
• a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS),
• a DMI (Distance Measurement Instrument), • an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit).
The images may also be obtained in any other suitable way, such as by obtaining images from street camera's watching traffic, or from images obtained by mobile navigation devices which are uploaded to the operator. Producing such a digital map database may be done using a computer arrangement as described with reference to Fig. 1 or a variation thereof.
Computer program product
According to an embodiment there is provided a computer program product comprising data and instructions that can be loaded by a computer arrangement, allowing said computer arrangement to perform any of the methods according to the above. Further provided is a computer readable medium provided with such a computer program product.
Further remarks
The descriptions above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Thus, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the invention as described without departing from the scope of the claims set out below.

Claims

1. Method of forming navigation instructions, the method comprises: a) providing a route to a destination, b) determining at least one manoeuvre corresponding with a route location along the route, c) selecting navigation instruction parts to form at least one navigation instruction representing the at least one manoeuvre, wherein the at least one navigation instruction is formed by a selection from a plurality of navigation instruction parts, d) forming the navigation instruction from the selected navigation instruction parts, e) outputting the at least one navigation instruction, characterized in that the plurality of navigation instruction parts comprise location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location and c) comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts for which the associated map location corresponds to the route location of the at least one manoeuvre, if any.
2. Method according to claim 1, wherein at least one location specific navigation instruction part is associated with a map location, each location specific navigation instruction part having associated selection information, wherein c) further comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts based on the selection information.
3. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least two location specific navigation instruction parts are associated with a map location, each location specific navigation instruction part having associated selection information, wherein c) further comprises selection location specific navigation instruction parts based on the selection information.
4. Method according to any one of the claims 2 -3, wherein the selection information relates to a direction of approach with respect to the map location, and c) further comprises
- determining a direction of approach with respect to the map location, - selecting location specific navigation instruction parts based on the direction of approach.
5. Method according to any one of the claims 2 — 4, wherein the selection information relates to a light condition, and c) further comprises
- determining a light condition,
- selecting location specific navigation instruction parts based on the determined light condition.
6. Method according to any one of the claims 2 — 5, wherein the selection information relates to a time condition and c) further comprises
- determining a time,
- selecting location specific navigation instruction parts based on the determined time.
7. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the location specific navigation instruction parts comprise at least one location specific image associated with the map location.
8. Method according to any one of the claims 1 - 7, wherein the location specific navigation instruction parts are stored in association with map locations in the digital map database (DMD).
9. Navigation system comprising a processor (11) and memory (ME) accessible for the processor (11), the memory (ME) comprising a plurality of navigation instruction parts and a digital map database (DMD), the memory (ME) comprising a computer program comprising data and instructions arranged to allow said processor (11) to a) provide a route to a destination, b) determine at least one manoeuvre corresponding with a route location along the route, c) select navigation instruction parts to form at least one navigation instruction representing the at least one manoeuvre, wherein the at least one navigation instruction is formed by a selection from a plurality of navigation instruction parts, d) form the navigation instruction from the selected navigation instruction parts, e) output the at least one navigation instruction, characterized in that the plurality of navigation instruction parts comprise location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location and c) comprises selecting location specific navigation instruction parts for which the associated map location corresponds to the route location of the at least one maoeuvre, if any.
10. Navigation system according to claim 9, comprising a digital map database according to any one of the claims 11 - 14.
11. Navigation system according to any one of the claims 9 - 10, comprising a light detector.
12. Digital map database, comprising geospatial information in the form of geographical objects each associated with a map location and further comprising a set of vectors, representing (parts of) roads, connecting geospatial objects, characterized in that the digital map database comprises location specific navigation instruction parts being associated with a map location.
13. Digital map database according to claim 12, wherein the digital map database comprises one or more location specific navigation instruction parts associated with a similar map location and the one or more location specific navigation instruction parts have associated selection information.
14. Digital map database according to any one of the claims 12 - 13, wherein the selection information relates to at least one of a direction of approach with respect to the map location, a light condition, a time.
15. Computer program product comprising data and instructions that can be loaded by a computer arrangement, allowing said computer arrangement to perform any of the methods according to claims 1 - 7.
16. Computer readable medium provided with a computer program product according to claim 15.
PCT/EP2008/009838 2008-11-20 2008-11-20 Method of forming navigation instructions, navigation system and a digital map database WO2010057506A1 (en)

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