WO2012007312A2

WO2012007312A2 - Method for updating data stored in a mobile navigation device, and navigation device

Info

Publication number: WO2012007312A2
Application number: PCT/EP2011/061269
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bernd Becker
Original assignee: Continental Automotive Gmbh
Priority date: 2010-07-12
Filing date: 2011-07-05
Publication date: 2012-01-19
Also published as: WO2012007312A3; DE102010026840A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for updating data stored in a mobile navigation device, and to a navigation device for reducing the required storage space. Data of a digital card to be updated and updating data are divided into low memory-intensive basic objects and memory-intensive additional objects, the basic objects being required for the navigation and the additional objects being used for improved orientation. In the event of an updating procedure, the basic objects are updated in the entire card area, the additional objects, however, being updated only in a section of the card, that is determined manually and/or using a recorded log. Additional objects that are not in the defined section are deleted.

Description

description

Method for updating data and navigation device stored in a mobile navigation device

The present invention relates to a method for updating data of a digital map stored in a mobile navigation device by means of update data and a navigation device.

Navigation systems for motor vehicles have long been known. They allow a user to choose a start and a destination and, by means of information stored in a digital map, calculate a route connecting both places. A display in the form of a current area map and / or an acoustic guidance system serve for orientation at any time and guide the user along the previously calculated route.

Increasingly, memory-intensive features and functionalities are finding their way into digital maps of modern navigation systems. These include, in particular, satellite imagery, three-dimensional (3D) representations of buildings and characteristic landmarks or even 3D depictions of entire streets and cities. They should provide a true to life picture of the environment and thus ensure optimal orientation.

As long as 3D data capture is still unavailable and much of the data is unavailable, it is difficult to predict how much memory is needed to deploy it. So far, the problem is solved by maintaining a corresponding amount of non-volatile memory for a specific area (eg North America, Europe). As a security in the case of excessively low estimated additional data volumes, additional memories are offered as data buffers. In any case, extensive data memories are necessary (eg with a storage capacity of a few hundred GB). However, this is both cost and space intensive. In addition, in later updates of such digital cards, large amounts of data must be transmitted, resulting in long update times. In order to minimize the time for updating the software or the database, ever faster network connections and more powerful processors are used. With the foregoing prior art in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of providing a digital map for a mobile navigation system and corresponding navigation device that allows the digital map to display a steadily growing amount of memory-intensive features and functionality, providing optimal guidance over a period of several years, but at the same time limiting and minimizing the size and cost of the memory required, as well as limiting and optimizing update times required for later updates to the ever-expanding digital map.

This object is achieved according to the teaching of the present invention by a method having the features mentioned in claim 1 and by a navigation device with the features mentioned in claim 9. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention can be found in the subclaims.

According to the invention, a method for updating data stored in a mobile navigation device of a digital map by means of update data is proposed, wherein the data of the digital map are stored in the form of objects and associated coordinate data and the objects are subdivided into basic objects and additional objects whose memory requirements are different in each case and the additional terms projects require more memory than the basic objects, and at least one sub-area is selected for the updating of the data from the area covered by the digital map, and the update data for updating the data of the digital map contains the update data for the entire object Area of the digital map and the updating data relating to the additional objects are selected with greater memory requirements for the sub-area and the update is carried out, the sub-area is determined manually and / or using a recorded trip history.

The core of the present invention is therefore to subdivide the data stored in the digital map and the update data into two classes, namely, basic objects and additional objects, the basic objects comprising such data as are required for route calculation and requiring little memory space. and wherein the additional data includes such data, which are dispensable for the route calculation, but useful for a better orientation. Updating the digital map updates the low-memory-intensive primitives across the entire area covered by the digital map. In contrast, the memory-intensive additional data is updated only in a selected sub-area and z. Outside the selected sub-area. The selection of the sub-area via input means and / or is made entirely or partially automatically, using a previously recorded by the navigation device driving history is used.

The fact that the second, memory-intensive class of data according to the invention at a given time is stored only for a subarea of the digital map, the amount of non-volatile memory required for this purpose is considerably lessened. Likewise, the additional data buffer that is tried in known systems in the event of an unexpectedly large increase in the amount of data can also be reduced Take into account. Because with the total amount of data, the absolute size of the data volume of such unexpected fluctuations decreases. The production costs attributable to the storage are considerably reduced in this way.

A further advantage of the invention is that the updating times, which are always incurred when updated map material is available and the digital map is updated, are markedly shortened, since in each case only a part of all newly provided data, in particular only a part of the particularly memory-intensive data is transmitted. Unnecessary waiting times are thus prevented.

Furthermore, it should be emphasized that the inventive significant reduction of the memory requirement compared to known systems does not result in any disadvantages and / or restrictions with regard to the quality of the information available at a given time. By selecting the sub-area of the most memory-intensive data stored only those that are actually accessed. Unnecessary data will not be saved.

The basic objects include in particular zero-dimensional objects, such as specially highlighted locations of conspicuous and / or widely visible landmarks, such. As towers, monuments, buildings or landscape formations. It also includes one-dimensional objects such as lines. Unless they are represented as one-dimensional objects, these include, finally, two-dimensional objects, such. Roads, highways, pedestrian paths, bike lanes, railway tracks, bridges, intersections, tunnels, underpasses, pedestrian zones, water areas, rivers, canals, green areas, parks, fields, forests,

Parking lots, open spaces, residential areas, commercial areas, airports, railway stations etc. In particular, the basic objects include also relationships between roads, such as those used to calculate a travel path from a starting point to an end point, such. B. turn-off and stop bans, directions in one-way streets, etc. Conveniently, basic objects are realized as vector graphics.

In contrast, the additional objects include those objects that are dispensable for the calculation of a travel path from a starting point to an end point, but by their representation in a display device allow a realistic picture of the environment and facilitate the orientation considerably. In the great majority of cases, the additional objects are objects that require significantly more storage space than the basic objects due to a much wider set of information provided. In individual cases, however, this may not be true, so that a single, especially memory-intensive basic object certainly requires more space than a single, especially low memory-intensive additional object. The additional objects include, for example, sections of satellite imagery and photographs, and in particular three-dimensional representations of buildings, streets, landscape formations or individual landmarks. Additional objects are also preferably realized as vector graphics.

The subarea may be in the form of at least one route and / or at least one subzone. A route is given, for example, by entering a start point and a destination point and by means of a shortest travel path calculated by means of the navigation device, which connects these two points. Preferably, the sub-area thus selected also includes an environment of the route. In this case, it is also conceivable to extend the subarea to individual particularly prominent and / or widely visible additional objects, which are viewed from the route, although they are located, for B. located at some distance. This is For example, a tall tower or a characteristic rock formation.

For the selection of the sub-area in the form of at least one sub-zone, the area of the digital map is subdivided into a number of sub-zones, of which at least one is selected as sub-area. Preferably, the subdivision, such. As a subdivision into countries, states, regions, cantons, provinces, counties, counties, districts or neighborhoods specified. Also subdivisions according to landscape names, such. B. Holstein Switzerland, Allgäu or Münsterland, or subdivisions in grid squares are conceivable. In another form of the invention, the subdivision into subzones is freely definable by z. B. coordinates are entered, which characterize the boundaries of the sub-zones. Likewise, at least one partial zone can be specified via a touch screen. An example is the input of coordinate points that connect to a polygon, thus enclosing an area that forms a subzone.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the selection of the at least one sub-area is based on a recorded trip history, in which data is stored via routes along which the navigation device has traveled before a given time. At least the data characterizing such a route comprises a starting point, a destination point and the travel path chosen between the starting point and the destination point. Preferably, they also include a start time and a destination time, and most preferably times and coordinates of points that have passed along the travel path, such that a route is divided into a number of sub-routes. With the help of this data, it is determined with which frequency of use or with which relative use or relative frequency of stay a route or partial route stored in the journey history was traveled. Depending on these frequencies of use, the routes and / or sub-routes stored in the journey history select those as sub-areas that have been used very frequently. The selection is made manually with a specification of options depending on the frequency of use or it is made automatically. In a modified embodiment, frequencies of use or relative frequencies of use for a number of partial zones into which the area of the digital map is divided in the aforementioned sense are determined on the basis of the stored travel history. Depending on these frequencies of use, at least one of the number of partial zones is selected as the partial area in which the navigation device has been particularly frequent. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is possible to carry out the calculation of the frequency of use for a certain period, such. For example, for a previous year. The selection of routes / sub-zones based on the calculated frequency of use is done manually or automatically, for example by entering or specifying minimum values for the relative frequency of use of routes / sub-zones selected as a sub-area. Alternatively, for example, from all the routes / sub-zones used, a certain percentage of most-used routes / sub-zones are selected as the sub-area.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the aforementioned frequency of use or relative frequency of use is determined by means of a statistical method. For example, the frequency of use for a given sub-route / sub-zone is calculated from the number of kilometers traveled on that sub-route or sub-zone relative to the total number of kilometers traveled on routes stored in the journey history. Likewise, it is conceivable to associate a partial route with a statistical weight, for. Depending on the speed with which it was traveled or depending on whether other routes were traveled in their environment. For the efficient use of memory space, in particular also for longer runtimes of the navigation device, in an advantageous embodiment of the invention, after the selection of the subarea, all additional objects that are still stored and are located outside the selected subarea are deleted. This is the case if a different sub-area was selected in an earlier update process.

Memory requirements for the memory-intensive ones selected by selecting a subarea for updating

To further reduce additional objects, the additional objects in a further advantageous embodiment of the invention have additional attributes, based on which only a part of the additional objects in the sub-area is selected after selection of the sub-area, with only the additional attributes selected in the sub-area for the Updating are selected and not selected additional objects in the sub-area are not selected for updating and / or deleted. For example, a part of the additional objects in the selected sub-area receives an additional attribute "particularly significant" if these additional objects are particularly conspicuous and / or widely visible due to their height, size, color, shape and / or exposed position Mono-tonal architecture, for example, does not help orientation in the storage and graphical representation of photographs of all facades along a route selected as a sub-area, but it can be useful, for example, to store and display a red house front in the middle of a group of gray house fronts. If only those additional objects with the attribute "particularly significant" are selected for the update in the selected subarea, the memory requirement is considerably reduced without damaging the quality of the data in its function as a guide. Finally, according to the present invention, a navigation device is proposed with means for detecting the current position of the navigation device, means for recording a journey history, means for storing data of a digital map, the data of the digital map being stored in the form of objects and associated coordinate data, and the objects are subdivided into basic objects and additional objects whose memory requirements are different in each case and the additional objects require more memory than the basic objects, with input means for inputting data and with means for updating the data of the digital map using update data, wherein the means for Updating selection means comprise and are adapted to select at least a sub-area for updating the data from the area covered by the digital map and from the update data for updating the data of the digital K arte to select the updating data relating to the basic objects for the entire area of the digital map and the actuator data relating to the additional objects with greater memory requirements for the subarea and to carry out the updating, wherein the subarea can be determined by means of the input means and / or using a recorded trip history.

Embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing and will be explained in more detail in the following description. Show it:

1 shows an embodiment of the navigation device according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 a map detail with basic objects, additional objects and a stored travel history, FIG.

3 possibilities of selecting the subarea,

4 shows schematically an updating process for Zu

set objects. In Fig. 1, an embodiment of the navigation device according to the present invention is shown schematically. The navigation device 1 has a processing unit 2, means 3 for detecting the position of the navigation device, which are usually designed as a GPS transmitter-receiver arrangement, storage means 4, which may comprise a plurality of non-volatile, possibly also non-volatile storage units, input means 5, the buttons, switches and / or a touch screen can be, a display unit 6 and updating and selection means 7, the latter can be part of the processing unit 2. Furthermore, the navigation device 1 has a data source 8 for providing update data, with which the data stored in the storage means 4 data of a digital map can be updated. Alternatively or additionally to the data source 8, there is a transceiver unit 9, via which update data can be supplied directly on request from a central office and / or from an Internet portal. The data stored in the storage means 4 define the streets, intersections, cartographic representations of buildings, forests, rivers, lakes and the like present in a digital map, whereby a user can select suitable routes from the processing unit 2 via an input of desired destinations , z. As a microprocessor, can be selected from the stored data and displayed on the display unit 6.

The stored data are those related to zero, one, two and three dimensional objects and therefore each have different sized memory requirements. Therefore, the data is divided into data defining basic objects and data defining additional objects. FIG. 2 shows a section 10 of a digital map whose data are stored in the memory 4. The data of the digital map are in the form of little memory intensive basic projects, such as streets 11, and in the form of memory-intensive additional objects, such as 3D representations of buildings 12. In addition, routes are shown, which consist, inter alia, of start and destination points 13 and travel routes 14, the travel routes 14 connecting the start and destination points 13 in each case.

So that the navigation device 1 is always up to date, updates are offered whose update data has an increasing memory requirement. Therefore, not all possible update data are used in an update, but only those which are essential for navigation and which relate to less memory-intensive primitives, such as roads 11 and their two-dimensional, easily represented environment, and of the memory-intensive add-on objects and functionalities only those concern a sub-area of interest to the user of the navigation device. These additional objects include z. B. three-dimensional building 12, a three-dimensional environment, photographic images or satellite images. The sub-areas of interest are typically areas in which the user or navigation device 1 typically moves or those that are selected by the user, such as for a vacation or business trip, where navigation with data that is graphical enable sophisticated presentation is desirable. In order to provide a high-quality result for the user with as high a probability as possible and to waste as little memory as possible, all available additional data such as satellite images, 3D landmarks and 3D city models including textures are made available along the way to the destination. For a good quality at the destination z. B. additional data added within a selectable radius of action to the destination.

In order to determine the sub-area or sub-areas in which or in which the navigation device 1 is typically moves, the processing unit 2 records a trip history of the navigation device 1. With the help of this trip history calculate the update and selection means 7 by means of statistical methods z. B. Frequency of residence or use, on the basis of which a particularly often used sub-area or particularly frequently used sub-areas is selected or selected. This selection can then be carried out automatically by the updating and selection means 7 in accordance with specifications used in the statistical methods, or the updating and updating

Selection means 7 offer the user a plurality of subdomains determined according to different statistical specifications, which can be selected manually. In Fig. 3 ways of selecting the sub-area are shown.

In FIG. 3 a), a starting point 15 and a destination point 16 are entered via the input means 5, on the basis of which the processing unit 2 calculates a shortest travel path 17 which connects the starting point 15 and the destination point 16 and thus a route 15, 16 17 specifies. By an environment 18 of the route 15, 16, 17, the sub-area 18 is determined and selected. The environment 18 includes the route 15, 16, 17 and has z. B. a predetermined width.

In Fig. 3b), a predetermined subdivision of the digital map 19 is shown in plan squares, are given by which sub-zones 20. By means of the input means 5, a part of the sub-zones 20 is manually selected as sub-area 21.

In Fig. 3c), the digital map 22 as in Fig. 3b) is divided by predetermined grid squares in sub-zones 23. In addition, a trip history 24, consisting of a number of routes, is stored, which is stored in the memory 4.

By means of a statistical method, a number of subzones are used as the subarea 25 on the basis of the journey history 24 selected. In this case, the statistical method of the sub-zones 23 selects those as the sub-area 25, for which a relative frequency of use calculated on the basis of the travel history 24 is greater than a default.

After the sub-area has been selected, an update is performed by the update and selection means 7 using the update data. In this case, the data source 8 for providing update data is embodied as a USB mass storage device which is connected to the navigation device via an interface (not shown). The update data includes both the low-memory-intensive basic objects and the memory-intensive additional objects. With respect to the basic objects, the update is performed using the update data for the entire area of the digital map by deleting and / or replacing old primitive objects and / or adding new primitives. Fig. 4 shows schematically the updating with respect to the additional objects.

FIG. 4 a) shows the digital map 26 to be updated stored in the storage means 4. In this digital map 26 to be updated memory-intensive additional objects 27 are stored, which are located within an old sub-area 28 selected during an earlier updating process. FIG. 4 b) additionally shows a sub-region 29 that has been newly selected in the current update process, that partially overlaps the old sub-region 28, so that a part 27 a of the additional objects 27 also lies in the newly selected sub-region 29. A part 27b of the additional objects 27 that does not lie in the newly selected sub-area 29 is deleted and a corresponding storage space in the storage means 4 is released. 4c) shows an updated digital map 30 resulting from updating additional objects 31 located in the newly selected subarea 29 using the update data by deleting and / or replacing old ancillary objects and / or adding new ancillary objects.

FIG. 4d) shows an extended embodiment of the invention compared to the example shown in FIG. 4c). Here, the updating of the additional objects 31 located in the newly selected subarea 29 is not completed. On the basis of an additional attribute "particularly significant", only a part 31a of the memory-intensive additional objects 31 having this additional attribute is selected for the updating, whereas a part 31b of the memory-intensive additional objects 31 is not selected for the updating of an earlier update process was still stored in the storage means 4, it is deleted.

Claims

Method for updating data of a digital map stored in a mobile navigation device (1) by means of update data, wherein the data of the digital map are stored in the form of objects and associated coordinate data and the objects are divided into basic objects (11) and additional objects (12, 27, 31 ), whose storage requirements are different in each case and the additional objects (12, 27, 31) have a greater memory requirement than the basic objects (11), and where at least one subarea (18 , 21, 25, 29) and from the updating data for updating the data of the digital map, the updating data relating to the basic area (11) for the entire area of the digital map and the updating data concerning the additional objects (12, 27, 31) Memory requirements for the sub-area (18, 21, 25, 29) are selected and the update the sub-area (18, 21, 25, 29) is determined manually and / or using a recorded trip history (24).

Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the basic objects (11) comprise zero-, one- and two-dimensional objects and the additional objects (12, 27, 31) three-dimensional objects, satellite images and photographic images.

Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one route is selected as the sub-area (18), the at least one route comprising at least one starting point (15), a destination point (16) and a travel route (17), the start and finish point connects. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the area

(19) the digital map into a number of subzones

(20), wherein at least one sub-zone is selected as the sub-region (21).

Method according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the at least one sub-area (25) is determined by data in the travel history (24) of routes (24) and sub-zones (23) in which the navigation device (1) moves has recorded, and that at least one of the routes and / or sub-zones (23) of the digital map stored in the travel history (24) is selected manually or automatically taking into account a calculated frequency of residence.

Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the frequency of residence is determined by means of a statistical method.

Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, after the at least one subarea (29) has been selected, additional objects (27b) which lie outside the at least one subarea (29) are deleted.

Method according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the additional objects (31) additional attributes are assigned and that, after the at least one sub-area (29) has been selected, depending on the additional attributes of the additional objects (31) has a part (31a ) of the additional objects (31) in the at least one sub-area (29) is selected, wherein only the selected additional objects (31a) in the at least one sub-area (29) are selected for the update and the not Additional items (31b) in the at least one sub-area (29) were not selected for updating and / or deleted.

Navigation device (1) with means (3) for detecting the current position of the navigation device, means (2) for recording a journey history, means (4) for storing data of a digital map, wherein the data of the digital map in the form of objects and associated Coordinate data are stored and the objects in basic objects (11) and additional objects (12, 27, 31) are divided, their memory requirements are different and the additional objects (12, 27, 31) have a larger memory requirement than the basic objects (11), with Input means (5) for inputting data and means (7) for updating the data of the digital card using update data, wherein the means (7) for updating comprise selection means and are adapted for updating the data from that of the digital Map selected area at least a sub-area and from the update data for updating the data of the digital map di to select updating data concerning the whole area of the digital map relating to the basic objects (11) and the updating data relating to the additional objects (12, 27, 31) with a greater memory requirement for the subarea and to carry out the updating, the area being divided by the input means (5) and / or determinable using a recorded trip history.

Navigation device (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that the updating means (7) are designed and arranged with the selection means to select the sub-area using the recorded driving tenhistorie.