Method, apparatus, device, storage medium and program product for map processing

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a map processing method, device, equipment, computer readable medium and program product. According to the embodiments described herein, a user only needs to initially establish a cross-map correspondence between two pairs of road segments, and a machine can find two roads on different precision maps respectively and automatically establish the association relationship of the two roads. Due to the significant reduction of human intervention, the accuracy and efficiency of the road association process between different precision maps are improved, and the user is easy to use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to the field of digital maps, and more specifically, to methods, apparatus, devices, computer-readable storage media, and computer program products for road matching between maps of different precision. Background Technology

[0002] Digital maps (hereinafter referred to as "maps") are the foundation of functions such as navigation and autonomous driving. Maps of different resolutions can be used for different functions and purposes. For example, standard precision (SD) maps can be used for basic navigation, while high precision (HD) maps can be used for more advanced functions such as autonomous driving. In many scenarios, it is necessary to correlate roads on maps of different resolutions to allow maps of different resolutions to be used together in service provision. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a method for map processing is provided. The method includes: receiving input specifying a first road segment and a second road segment on a first map, and specifying a third road segment and a fourth road segment on a second map, wherein the third road segment is designated to correspond to the first road segment, and the fourth road segment is designated to correspond to the second road segment, wherein the first map and the second map have different levels of precision; determining a first road on the first map that starts from the first road segment and ends at the second road segment, based at least on the road topology connectivity of the first map; determining a second road on the second map that starts from the third road segment and ends at the fourth road segment, based at least on the road topology connectivity of the second map; and associating the first road on the first map with the second road on the second map.

[0004] In a second aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus for map processing is provided. The apparatus includes: a road segment selection module configured to receive input specifying a first road segment and a second road segment on a first map, and specifying a third road segment and a fourth road segment on a second map, wherein the third road segment is specified to correspond to the first road segment, and the fourth road segment is specified to correspond to the second road segment, wherein the first map and the second map have different accuracies; a road search module configured to: determine a first road on the first map that starts from the first road segment and ends at the second road segment, based at least on the road topology connectivity of the first map; and determine a second road on the second map that starts from the third road segment and ends at the fourth road segment, based at least on the road topology connectivity of the second map; and a road association module configured to associate the first road on the first map with the second road on the second map.

[0005] In a third aspect of this disclosure, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes at least one processing unit; and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processing unit and storing instructions for execution by the at least one processing unit. When executed by the at least one processing unit, the instructions cause the electronic device to perform a method according to a first aspect of this disclosure.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that can be executed by a processor to perform the method according to a first aspect of this disclosure.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a computer program is provided. The computer program includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method according to a first aspect of this disclosure.

[0008] It should be understood that the content described in this summary section is not intended to limit the key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to restrict the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0009] The above and other features, advantages, and aspects of various implementations of this disclosure will become more apparent in the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements, wherein:

[0010] Figure 1 A flowchart of a method for map processing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0011] Figure 2 A flowchart of a method for determining road segments on a map according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0012] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C Schematic diagrams of user interfaces for map processing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown respectively;

[0013] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating a process for determining a road from a given road segment by endpoint search according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the establishment of segment-level associations between roads through topological projection according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of cross-map road matching according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 7 A block diagram of an apparatus for map processing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0017] Figure 8 A block diagram of a computing device in which one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While some embodiments of this disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of this disclosure. It should be understood that the accompanying drawings and embodiments of this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0019] In the description of embodiments of this disclosure, the term "comprising" and similar terms should be understood as open-ended inclusion, i.e., "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on". The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "some embodiments" should be understood as "at least some embodiments". Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.

[0020] The embodiments of this disclosure may involve user data, data acquisition, and / or use. All of these aspects comply with applicable laws, regulations, and relevant provisions. In the embodiments of this disclosure, all data collection, acquisition, processing, manipulation, forwarding, and use are conducted with the user's knowledge and confirmation. Accordingly, in implementing the embodiments of this disclosure, the type, scope of use, and usage scenarios of any data or information that may be involved should be communicated to the user and their authorization obtained in accordance with relevant laws and regulations through appropriate means. The specific methods of notification and / or authorization may vary depending on the actual situation and application scenario, and the scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0021] The term "in response to" as used herein refers to a state in which a corresponding event occurs or a condition is satisfied. It will be understood that the timing of subsequent actions performed in response to such event or condition is not necessarily strongly correlated with the time when the event occurs or the condition is met. For example, in some cases, subsequent actions may be performed immediately upon the occurrence of the event or the fulfillment of the condition; while in others, they may be performed some time after the occurrence of the event or the fulfillment of the condition.

[0022] As mentioned above, maps of different resolutions have different functions and uses. Consider HD and SD maps as examples. Traditional vehicle-mounted maps... Figure 1 Generally, maps are SD maps, which typically contain only road-level information and a limited amount of auxiliary information. HD maps, on the other hand, can be accurate down to the lane level, thus meeting the needs of higher levels of autonomous driving.

[0023] In practice, it is often necessary to link roads from maps of different resolutions. For example, SD maps can be presented to users at the front end of the vehicle's infotainment system to reduce device load, while HD maps can be used at the back end to support functions such as autonomous driving. Moreover, roads in HD maps can reuse the topological and basic attribute information of roads in SD maps.

[0024] Because maps of different resolutions have different data representations, it is currently impossible for machines to automatically complete road associations across maps. Taking HD and SD maps as examples, although machines can automatically associate some roads, in practice, a considerable proportion of roads (e.g., around 30%) still require manual identification and establishment of relationships between roads.

[0025] In manual operations, workers use auxiliary association tools to select HD map roads and SD map road segments that need to be associated, and then instruct the establishment of the association between the two. Understandably, because each pair of roads on different maps needs to be manually identified and associated, the work efficiency is very low. Moreover, this operation relies on human subjective judgment, and the accuracy of the association cannot always be guaranteed.

[0026] According to the disclosed embodiments, a method for associating roads in maps of different resolutions is provided. In the example of HD and SD maps, the user first selects or confirms two road segments (referred to as "HD road segments") on the HD map. These two HD road segments are the start and end segments of a road in the HD map, and this road has not yet been associated with any road on the SD map. The operator can then select the road segments (referred to as "SD road segments") on the SD map that correspond to these two HD road segments respectively. That is, the initial correspondence between HD road segments and SD road segments is determined manually.

[0027] Then, in a largely fully automatic manner (with manual intervention only in a few cases), an HD road can be selected on the HD map based on the two identified HD road segments, and an SD road can be selected on the SD map based on the two identified SD road segments. The association between these two roads is then automatically established.

[0028] As will be more clearly understood from the following description, according to embodiments of this disclosure, users only need to provide a small amount of input at the outset to determine the correspondence between two pairs of road segments on different maps. Due to the small amount of input and simple interaction, the accuracy of this correspondence is highly guaranteed. All subsequent processes are handled and completed automatically by the machine, unless the user is asked to provide simple confirmation in case of uncertainty. Thus, the association process, which previously relied entirely on subjective judgment and involved a large amount of manual operation, is replaced by a semi-automated process requiring only simple, minimal manual operation. This significantly improves both the efficiency and accuracy of cross-map road association.

[0029] Several examples of this disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For ease of description only, HD maps and SD maps will be used as examples of maps of different resolutions; and, in some embodiments, the HD map will be referred to as the "first map" and the SD map as the "second map." However, it should be understood that these are merely for descriptive and illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure in any way. The principles and concepts described herein are applicable to any other maps of different resolutions, and the positions of the HD map and SD map in operation are interchangeable, as will be detailed below.

[0030] Figure 1 A flowchart is shown of a method 100 for map processing, and more specifically, for road association across maps of different precisions, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] In box 110, input is received specifying a first road segment and a second road segment on a first map, and specifying a third road segment and a fourth road segment on a second map.

[0032] For the sake of description, it is assumed that the first map is an HD map and the second map is an SD map. It will be understood that this is merely for illustrative purposes and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. In other embodiments, the first map may be an SD map, and the second map may be an HD map. In still other embodiments, one or both of the first and second maps may be maps conforming to other accuracy standards besides HD and SD maps.

[0033] In this context, roads on the map are composed of one or more road segments, each defined by a start endpoint and an end endpoint. The road segment information that makes up a road is built into the map and can be generated, retrieved, and stored in various ways, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0034] In some embodiments, at box 110, the first and second road segments on the first map can be determined by user confirmation; while the third and fourth road segments on the subsequent second map are actively selected by the user. Figure 2A flowchart of an example method 200 of this embodiment is shown. It will be understood that method 200 is an exemplary embodiment of block 110.

[0035] In box 210, refer to Figure 3A The device's user interface can present information about multiple road segments 310-1, 310-2, 310-3, ..., 310-N (where N is a natural number) in the first map 301 as candidate road segments to the user. In the example shown, the candidate road segments are prominently displayed on the first map 301, for example, through various appropriate methods such as different line thicknesses, patterns, colors, and shadows.

[0036] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the condition for presenting candidate road segments to users is that the road in the first map where it is located has not yet been associated with any road segment on the second map. In other words, each candidate road segment is a road segment to be associated.

[0037] In some embodiments, alternatively, additional filtering criteria for candidate road segments can be added. For example, in some embodiments, the candidate paths presented to the user can be the starting or ending road segments between intersections. To aid user understanding, in some embodiments, the corresponding intersection locations can be prominently marked. For example, in... Figure 3A In the example, the intersection location 315-1 associated with candidate road segment 310-1 and the intersection location 315-2 associated with road segment 310-2 are presented to the user in a visual manner.

[0038] By selecting road segments between intersections as candidate segments, it's possible to first link these roads across maps of different resolutions. This facilitates more efficient linking of other roads between maps. This is because roads between intersections are often crucial in the road topology, forming what might be considered the "main arteries." Prioritizing the establishment of such road links also helps in establishing links for other auxiliary roads. Furthermore, in real-world applications, roads between intersections are often fundamental and essential for applications such as autonomous driving and navigation.

[0039] Additional or alternative selection criteria for candidate road segments are also possible. For example, in some embodiments, unlinked road segments in key areas of the map can be prioritized. In other embodiments, map areas can be selected where a majority of roads (e.g., exceeding a predetermined proportion or number) have already been linked. Then, the starting and ending road segments of roads not yet linked are selected from such areas as candidate road segments. This helps to facilitate the early linking of all roads in the area, making the entire area's map usable for applications such as autonomous driving. Alternatively, in some embodiments, areas where a majority of roads are not yet linked can also be prioritized, depending on the specific application scenario and requirements.

[0040] In some embodiments, various relevant information about candidate road segments can be presented for user reference. For example, in some embodiments, such as Figure 3B As shown, if a user selects or hovers over candidate road segment 310-1 using a pointing device such as a mouse, information about road segment 310-1 can be displayed through a pop-up window 320 or other appropriate interactive methods. The displayed information includes, for example, the road segment's coordinates, identification information, start and end point information, etc.

[0041] Return Figure 2 Based on the presented information, in box 220, the user can determine the first road segment and the second road segment from the candidate road segments. For example, the user can make a selection by double-clicking. Assuming the user double-clicks candidate road segment 310-1 using a pointing device, that road segment is selected as the first road segment. In some embodiments, the user can be prompted that candidate road segment 310-1 has been selected.

[0042] Next, the device can prompt the user to select another candidate road segment as the second road segment through various means such as text, graphics, animation, sound, and touch. In this article, we assume that the user then selects road segment 310-2.

[0043] Note that it is not necessary to select the first and second road segments from three or more candidate road segments. Alternatively, in some embodiments, only two candidate road segments may be presented to the user, such as the starting and ending road segments between two intersections as described above. In this case, at box 220, the user only needs to simply confirm that these two road segments are selected as the first and second road segments, respectively. This further simplifies the user operation. That is, the action "confirm" at box 220 can be a "select" action or a simple "confirm" operation.

[0044] In box 230, user input is received specifying a third and fourth road segment on the second map. The user input will specify that the third road segment corresponds to the first road segment and the fourth road segment corresponds to the second road segment. Thus, the device can determine and record that the third road segment corresponds to the first road segment on the first map, and the fourth road segment corresponds to the second road segment on the first map.

[0045] For example, in some embodiments, such as Figure 3C As shown, when the user selects the first road segment 310-1 in the first map, the second map 302 can be presented to the user, and the user can be prompted to select the road segment corresponding to the first road segment 310-1 in the second map 302 through a pop-up window 340 (this is just an example, other interaction methods are also possible).

[0046] In some embodiments, the second map 302 can be dynamically displayed in response to user actions, replacing the display of the first map 301, and disappear, fade out, or be placed at the bottom layer after the action is completed. That is, the screen can switch between displaying the first map 301 and the second map 302 as the user operates. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the first map 301 and the second map 302 can always be displayed simultaneously. For example, they can be displayed in different locations and / or with different states, transparency, and other parameters. Figure 3C In the example shown, two maps, 301 and 302, with different resolutions, are displayed side by side.

[0047] As prompted, the user can select the third road segment on the second map that corresponds to the first road segment on the first map. Similarly, they can select the fourth road segment on the second map that corresponds to the second road segment 310-2 on the first map. This completes the establishment of the correspondence between the two pairs of road segments across the first and second maps.

[0048] Note that in this implementation, users can first select the first and second road segments on the first map, and then select the corresponding third and fourth road segments on the second map. This avoids frequent switching between maps. Alternatively, users can select the first road segment on the first map, then select the corresponding third road segment on the second map; then return to the first map to select the second road segment, and then select the corresponding fourth road segment from the second map. The scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0049] It should be understood that Figure 2 The method 200 shown is merely one feasible implementation of box 110. As mentioned above, in the reference... Figure 2In this described embodiment, automatically filtered candidate road segments are presented to the user, who then selects or confirms a first and a second road segment from these candidates; the corresponding third and fourth road segments on the second map are specified by the user (with prompting). However, this approach is not mandatory. For example, in some alternative embodiments, all these road segments can be system-recommended, or they can be manually selected by the user based on their own judgment with the aid of auxiliary information. The scope of this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0050] return Figure 1 In box 120, based at least on the road topology connectivity of the first map, a road on the first map that starts from the first road segment and ends at the second road segment is determined, referred to as the "first road". In box 130, based at least on the road topology connectivity of the second map, a second road on the second map that starts from the third route and ends at the fourth road segment is determined.

[0051] Note that the execution order of the actions in boxes 120 and 130 is not limited to the order shown in the diagram. They can be executed in reverse order or concurrently.

[0052] The basic principles followed in determining the first path and the second path are similar. The following will use the first path as an example to describe several feasible implementations.

[0053] In some embodiments, the determination of the first / second road can be achieved through an iterative search on a segment endpoint basis. For the first road, the search begins at its starting segment, i.e., the first segment. More specifically, as... Figure 4 As shown, the first road segment 310-1 has a traffic direction 410, which can be obtained, for example, from the first map. Along the traffic direction 410, the first road segment has a starting point 315-1 and an ending point 430. The determination or search process of the first road begins from the ending point 430 of the first road segment 310-1 (which is assumed to be the starting point of the first road).

[0054] Based on the road topology connectivity of the first map, the subsequent road segment 440 adjacent to the first road segment 310-1 along the travel direction 410 can be found. The starting point of road segment 440 is the ending point 430 of the first road segment 310-1, and the ending point of road segment 440 is the endpoint 450. Next, a similar connectivity-based search continues from the endpoint 450. This connectivity-based and road segment endpoint-based search is performed once or multiple times until the second road segment 310-2 is reached, more specifically, the starting point 470 of the second road segment 310-2 in the travel direction is reached. At this point, a first road 401 is found, starting with the first road segment 310-1 and ending with the second road segment 310-2. More specifically, the first road 401 consists of a sequence of continuous road segments formed by these endpoints found in the search, and the first road segment 310-1 and the second road segment 310-2 at both ends.

[0055] Understandably, a road may have forks. Accordingly, during the search process, starting from one endpoint, there may be two or more possible subsequent endpoints along the direction of travel. Embodiments of this disclosure allow for various strategies to address this situation.

[0056] For example, in some embodiments, if at least two candidate endpoints are found in the connectivity search, at least one other map information besides road topology connectivity can be used to try to select the most appropriate one from these endpoints.

[0057] Various other map information is available. For example, in some embodiments, the direction of travel can be considered. Figure 4 As shown, there are multiple potential subsequent endpoints connecting to endpoint 450 along the traffic direction 410; in this example, there are three: endpoints 460-1, 460-2, and 460-3. The traffic conditions of the road segments connecting to these endpoints can then be checked individually. For example, in... Figure 4 In the example shown, the travel direction 412 of road segment 462, which connects to endpoint 460-1, conflicts with the travel direction 410 from the first road segment 310-1. That is, assuming endpoint 460-1 is chosen as the subsequent endpoint of endpoint 450, it is impossible to construct a practically passable road connecting the first road segment 310-1 and the second road segment 310-2 with the same travel direction. Therefore, endpoint 460-1 is excluded.

[0058] Note that in the embodiment described above, the travel direction 410 of the first road segment 310-1 is used as the criterion for filtering candidate subsequent endpoints found during the search process. It will be understood that candidate endpoints can also be filtered based on the travel direction of the second road segment 310-2, which is related to the travel direction 410.

[0059] Alternative or additional locations, in the case of multiple candidate endpoints, may also be considered, including the map area 405 defined by the first road segment 310-1 and the second road segment 310-2. For ease of description, area 405 is referred to as the "reference map area" 405. The shape, size, and other parameters of the reference map area 405 can be preset or input by the user. In such an example, the search can be limited to this area.

[0060] exist Figure 4 In the example, for endpoint 460-2, it is assumed that the travel direction of its connected road segment 464 meets the requirements, but this endpoint is outside the range of area 405. Therefore, in some embodiments, endpoint 460-2 is also excluded. Assuming that endpoint 460-3 meets the conditions in all aspects, it is selected as the successor endpoint of endpoint 450 for further searching. By utilizing the area range, roads that deviate too far from the "centerline" defined by the first road segment 310-1 and the second road segment 310-2 can be avoided (the tolerable degree of deviation is determined by the range of area 405), because selecting such a deviated road may go against the user's original intention.

[0061] Please note that, in addition to or as an alternative to the map factors described above, other map factors may also be considered in determining search endpoints. For example, in some embodiments, road class may be taken into account. If the road segment associated with a candidate endpoint is of a low road class (e.g., a side road, a single-lane route, or a route for non-motorized vehicles only), such an endpoint may be excluded.

[0062] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, a direction angle may also be considered to prevent excessively large (e.g., exceeding a threshold) turns or bends between adjacent road segments. This ensures that the resulting first road extends substantially along a primary direction.

[0063] In some cases, even after applying one or more of the map information mentioned above, it may still be impossible to uniquely identify a candidate endpoint from multiple candidate endpoints. That is, there exist at least two candidate endpoints whose map information is comparable. Here, "comparable" means substantially identical, that is, their differences are small enough (e.g., less than a predetermined threshold).

[0064] In some embodiments, the information about these two endpoints can be presented to the user through a user interface. For example, these candidate endpoints can be prominently displayed on a map, accompanied by various related map information. The user can specify one of these candidate endpoints to continue the search. That is, in this case, manual intervention by the user will be triggered. In other embodiments, the road segments connected to these candidate endpoints can be presented to the user, who can then specify one of these road segments.

[0065] However, manual intervention is not always necessary. For example, in some embodiments, one endpoint can be selected randomly. In some embodiments, multiple candidate endpoints can even be selected simultaneously. Accordingly, multiple first paths may ultimately be obtained. How to handle the case of multiple first paths will be detailed below.

[0066] Furthermore, please note that in the embodiments described above, map factors other than connectivity have been taken into account in the selection of endpoints. This is also optional, not mandatory. For example, in some embodiments, when an endpoint cannot be uniquely selected by connectivity, user intervention can be requested directly, or multiple endpoints can be selected simultaneously to proceed with subsequent searches (resulting in multiple first paths, which will be detailed later).

[0067] Already referenced Figure 4 Several possible embodiments for generating a first road on a first map based on a first road segment and a second road segment are described. Similarly, a second road can be generated on a second map based on a third road segment and a fourth road segment, and will not be described again.

[0068] return Figure 1 In box 140, a first road on the first map is associated with a second road on the second map. For example, the association between these two roads can be created and saved at any suitable location and / or by any suitable means. In this way, road associations across maps of different precision can be completed with a very high degree of automation.

[0069] In some embodiments, in block 140, not only coarse-grained road-level associations can be established, but also finer-grained segment-level associations can be established. Specifically, in some cases, the number of segments contained in the first road differs from the number of segments contained in the second road. Therefore, a one-to-one association cannot be established between segments. For this reason, in some embodiments, a topological projection method can be used to establish segment-level associations.

[0070] For example, such as Figure 5As shown, one of the first road and the second road can be projected onto the other, for example, through a vertical projection. Note that the projection referred to here means projecting the endpoints of each segment of one of the first road and the second road onto the other of the first road and the second road.

[0071] Therefore, in Figure 5 In the described example, segment 510-1 in the first road can be associated with segment 520-1 in the second road and the first part S1 of segment 520-2; segment 510-2 in the first road can be associated with the second part S2 of segment 520-2 in the second road and segment 520-3.

[0072] By projecting the first and second roads in both directions, it is possible to establish segment-level relationships among all road segments on these two roads. It will be understood that this segment-level relationship actually preserves the length ratio information between the various road segments of the first and second roads.

[0073] Specifically, as described above, in some embodiments, multiple first roads and multiple second roads may be obtained. For example, in some embodiments, when multiple potential candidate endpoints exist, multiple endpoints can be selected in the search. For example, without using one or more map information to filter endpoints, the search may ultimately yield multiple roads. Consider a specific example, if we do not consider... Figure 4 Within the reference map area 405, multiple first roads can be obtained, including roads that may be far off-center. Similarly, multiple second roads can also be obtained.

[0074] In this case, the above reference can be used. Figure 4 The map information described, besides topological connectivity, is used for road matching at box 140. For an arbitrary area, refer to... Figure 6 Suppose we obtain two first roads 610-1 and 610-2, and two second roads 620-1 and 620-2.

[0075] During matching, it can be determined that the degree to which the first road 610-1 deviates from its reference map area 615 is comparable to the degree to which the second road 620-1 deviates from its reference map area 625 (the difference is within the tolerance range). However, the degree to which the first road 610-1 deviates from its reference map area 615 is significantly different from the degree to which the second road 620-2 deviates from its reference map area 625 (the difference exceeds the tolerance range).

[0076] Therefore, at box 140, the first road 610-1 and the second road 620-1 are considered a match, thus establishing an association between them. However, the first road 610-1 and the second road 620-2 are considered a mismatch, and therefore no association is established between them. Similarly, at box 140, an association will be established between the first road 610-2 and the second road 620-2.

[0077] Similarly, other alternative or additional map information can be considered, such as, but not limited to, road class, turning angle, and direction of travel as described above. For example, only roads with the same or similar road class are considered matched and associated. Also, only roads with the same or similar degree of curvature or deviation are considered matched and associated.

[0078] In such an embodiment, the map expansion association of multiple roads can be completed at once, thereby further improving operational efficiency.

[0079] Figure 7 A block diagram of an apparatus 700 for map processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0080] As shown in the figure, the device 700 includes a road segment selection module 710, which is configured to receive input of a first road segment and a second road segment on a specified first map, and a third road segment and a fourth road segment on a specified second map. The third road segment is designated to correspond to the first road segment, and the fourth road segment is designated to correspond to the second road segment. The first map and the second map have different levels of precision.

[0081] The device 700 also includes a road determination module 720, configured to: determine a first road on the first map that starts from a first road segment and ends at a second road segment, based at least on the road topology connectivity of the first map; and determine a second road on the second map that starts from a third road segment and ends at a fourth road segment, based at least on the road topology connectivity of the second map.

[0082] The device 700 also includes a road association module 730, configured to associate a first road on a first map with a second road on a second map.

[0083] In some embodiments, the road segment selection module 710 is configured to present information on a plurality of candidate road segments on a first map, the plurality of candidate road segments not yet associated with road segments on a second map; and to receive input to determine a first road segment and / or a second road segment from the plurality of candidate road segments.

[0084] In some embodiments, at least some of the candidate road segments are the starting or ending road segments of the road between intersections in the first map.

[0085] In some embodiments, the road determination module 720 is configured to: start from a first road segment, iteratively search the endpoints of adjacent road segments according to the road topology connectivity of a first map until a second road segment is reached; and determine a first road based on the road segments composed of the searched endpoints.

[0086] In some embodiments, the road determination module 720 is configured to search for endpoints of adjacent road segments by: in response to discovering at least two candidate endpoints based on road topology connectivity in the search, selecting one endpoint from the at least two candidate endpoints using at least one other map information besides road topology connectivity.

[0087] In some embodiments, the road determination module 720 is further configured to search for endpoints of adjacent road segments by: presenting information on at least two candidate endpoints to a user in response to determining that at least one other map information of at least two candidate endpoints is equivalent; receiving input specifying an endpoint from the at least two candidate endpoints; and continuing the search using the specified endpoint.

[0088] In some embodiments, the road association module 730 is configured to: match at least one piece of map information other than road topological connectivity for the first road and the second road; and establish an association between the first road and the second road in response to the matching of at least one other piece of map information for the first road and the second road.

[0089] In some embodiments, the road association module 730 is configured to: establish a segment-level association between the first road and the second road by topological projection between the first road and the second road, wherein the segment-level association records the length ratio between the segments of the first road and the segments of the second road.

[0090] In some embodiments, at least one other map information described in the preceding paragraphs includes at least one of the following: the extent of the map area defined by the first road segment and the second road segment, the direction of travel of the first road segment or the second road segment, the road class, and the direction angle.

[0091] The units included in device 700 can be implemented in various ways, including software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, one or more units can be implemented using software and / or firmware, such as machine-executable instructions stored on a storage medium. In addition to or as an alternative to machine-executable instructions, some or all of the units in device 700 can be implemented at least partially by one or more hardware logic components. By way of example and not limitation, exemplary types of hardware logic components that can be used include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), systems-on-a-chip (SoCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and so on.

[0092] Figure 8 A block diagram of an electronic device / server 800 in which one or more embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. It should be understood that... Figure 8 The electronic device / server 800 shown is merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the functionality and scope of the embodiments described herein.

[0093] The electronic device / server 800 is in the form of a general-purpose electronic device. Components of the electronic device / server 800 may include, but are not limited to, one or more processors or processing units 810, memory 820, storage devices 830, one or more communication units 840, one or more input devices 850, and one or more output devices 860. The processing unit 810 may be a physical or virtual processor and is capable of performing various processes according to programs stored in memory 820. In a multiprocessor system, multiple processing units execute computer-executable instructions in parallel to improve the parallel processing capability of the electronic device / server 800.

[0094] Electronic device / server 800 typically includes multiple computer storage media. Such media can be any available media accessible to electronic device / server 800, including but not limited to volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. Memory 820 can be volatile memory (e.g., registers, cache, random access memory (RAM)), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory), or some combination thereof. Storage device 830 can be removable or non-removable media and can include machine-readable media, such as flash drives, disks, or any other media that can be used to store information and / or data (e.g., training data for training) and can be accessed within electronic device / server 800.

[0095] The electronic device / server 800 may further include additional removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile storage media. Although not explicitly stated... Figure 8 As shown, disk drives for reading from or writing to removable, non-volatile disks (e.g., "floppy disks") and optical disk drives for reading from or writing to removable, non-volatile optical disks can be provided. In these cases, each drive can be connected to a bus (not shown) via one or more data media interfaces. Memory 820 may include computer program product 825 having one or more program modules configured to perform various methods or actions of various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0096] The communication unit 840 enables communication with other electronic devices via a communication medium. Additionally, the functionality of the components of the electronic device / server 800 can be implemented as a single computing cluster or multiple computing machines capable of communicating via communication connections. Therefore, the electronic device / server 800 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more other servers, network personal computers (PCs), or another network node.

[0097] Input device 850 can be one or more input devices, such as a mouse, keyboard, trackball, etc. Output device 860 can be one or more output devices, such as a monitor, speaker, printer, etc. Electronic device / server 800 can also communicate with one or more external devices (not shown) via communication unit 840 as needed. These external devices include storage devices, display devices, etc., and can communicate with one or more devices that enable user interaction with electronic device / server 800, or with any device that enables electronic device / server 800 to communicate with one or more other electronic devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.). Such communication can be performed via input / output (I / O) interfaces (not shown).

[0098] According to an exemplary implementation of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores one or more computer instructions, wherein one or more computer instructions are executed by a processor to implement the methods described above.

[0099] Various aspects of this disclosure are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products implemented according to this disclosure. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0100] These computer-readable program instructions can be provided to a processing unit of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine such that, when executed by the processing unit of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, they create means for implementing the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram. These computer-readable program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that causes a computer, programmable data processing apparatus, and / or other device to operate in a particular manner. Thus, the computer-readable medium storing the instructions comprises an article of manufacture that includes instructions for implementing aspects of the functions / actions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0101] Computer-readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby causing the instructions that execute on the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to perform the functions / actions specified in one or more boxes of a flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0102] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of this disclosure. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of an instruction, which contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. In some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may occur in a different order than those indicated in the drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, may be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or action, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0103] Various implementations of this disclosure have been described above. The foregoing description is exemplary and not exhaustive, nor is it limited to the disclosed implementations. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described implementations. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical applications, or improvements to technology in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the implementations disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A map processing method, comprising: The system receives inputs of a first road segment and a second road segment on a specified first map, and a third road segment and a fourth road segment on a specified second map, wherein the third road segment is designated to correspond to the first road segment, and the fourth road segment is designated to correspond to the second road segment, wherein the first map and the second map have different levels of precision. Based at least on the road topology connectivity of the first map, a first road on the first map that starts from the first road segment and ends at the second road segment is determined; Based at least on the road topology connectivity of the second map, a second road on the second map that starts from the third road segment and ends at the fourth road segment is determined; as well as Associate the first road on the first map with the second road on the second map.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the input comprises: Information on multiple candidate road segments on the first map is presented, and these multiple candidate road segments have not yet been associated with the second map; as well as Receive input that determines the first road segment and / or the second road segment from the plurality of candidate road segments.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein at least some of the candidate road segments are the starting or ending road segments of the road between intersections in the first map.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first road comprises: Starting from the first road segment, based on the road topology connectivity of the first map, the endpoints of adjacent road segments are iteratively searched until the second road segment is reached; as well as The first road is determined based on the endpoints identified in the search.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein searching for endpoints of adjacent road segments comprises: In response to finding at least two candidate endpoints based on the road topology connectivity during the search, an endpoint is automatically selected from the at least two candidate endpoints using at least one other map information besides the road topology connectivity.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein searching for endpoints of adjacent road segments further comprises: In response to determining that the at least two candidate endpoints are substantially the same as the at least one other map information, information about the at least two candidate endpoints is presented to the user; Receive input specifying one endpoint from the at least two candidate endpoints; as well as Continue the search using the specified endpoint.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the first road on the first map with the second road on the second map comprises: For the first road and the second road, at least one piece of map information other than the road topological connectivity is matched; as well as In response to the matching of at least one other map information of the first road and the second road, an association relationship is established between the first road and the second road.

8. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the at least one additional map information comprises at least one of the following: The map area defined by the first road segment and the second road segment. The direction of traffic on the first or second road segment Road grade, Direction angle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the first road on the first map with the second road on the second map comprises: By topologically projecting between the first road and the second road, a segment-level association between the first road and the second road is established. The segment-level association records the length ratio between the segments of the first road and the segments of the second road.

10. An apparatus for map processing, comprising: The road segment selection module is configured to receive input of a first road segment and a second road segment on a specified first map, and a third road segment and a fourth road segment on a specified second map, wherein the third road segment is specified to correspond to the first road segment, and the fourth road segment is specified to correspond to the second road segment, wherein the first map and the second map have different precision. The road search module is configured as follows: Based at least on the road topology connectivity of the first map, a first road on the first map that starts from the first road segment and ends at the second road segment is determined; as well as Based at least on the road topology connectivity of the second map, a second road on the second map that starts from the third road segment and ends at the fourth road segment is determined; as well as The road association module is configured to associate a first road on the first map with a second road on the second map.

11. An electronic device, comprising: At least one processing unit; as well as At least one memory, coupled to the at least one processing unit and storing instructions for execution by the at least one processing unit, which, when executed by the at least one processing unit, cause the electronic device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being executable by a processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

13. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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