Method and device for updating map data using a motor vehicle and motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for updating map data using a motor vehicle (11), comprising detecting an object in the vicinity of the motor vehicle (11), storing object information in a temporary local submap (401), comparing the temporary local submap (401) with a local submap (302) and providing the object information to a regional computing facility (211) depending on the comparison.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and a device for updating map data using a motor vehicle and to a motor vehicle having such a device.

[0002] Today's map data, especially three-dimensional maps, require a lot of storage space and must be continuously updated, especially when used for autonomous driving.

[0003] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and an improved device for updating map data using a motor vehicle.

[0004] This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous further developments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0005] According to a first aspect, a method for updating map data using a motor vehicle is provided.

[0006] The method according to the invention comprises the steps of detecting an object in the surroundings of the motor vehicle, storing object information in a temporary local partial map, comparing the temporary local partial map with a local partial map and providing the object information to a regional computing device which comprises a regional partial map, depending on the comparison.

[0007] The method according to the invention is used in particular to create or maintain three-dimensional map data for the first time.

[0008] In a first step, at least one object in the vicinity of the vehicle is detected.

[0009] The detection of one or more objects can be carried out, for example, with the aid of one or more image capture devices, in particular one or more camera devices designed to capture three-dimensional image information and / or depth information, lidar devices and / or radar devices.

[0010] In this case, a part of the exterior of the motor vehicle is captured in one or more images, in particular regularly, continuously and / or periodically.

[0011] At least one object is then detected in the image. This can be done using suitable image capture algorithms that evaluate the image or the image information contained therein. In addition, an object can be detected because a user of the motor vehicle has pointed it out, for example, through a user input.

[0012] The object may be an object, in particular a three-dimensional one, and / or a living being in the vicinity of the motor vehicle, in particular on or near the road on which the motor vehicle is located.

[0013] For example, the object is a building, a road boundary such as a curb, a guardrail and / or a bump, a temporary or permanent facility such as a construction site, an obstacle and / or a roadblock on or in the road and / or one or more living beings on or in the road, in particular an animal such as one or more cows, sheep and / or dogs.

[0014] In this process, certain information, particularly three-dimensional information, relating to the object is recorded and evaluated.

[0015] In particular, an object is defined by edges and corners that describe or characterize the object in space, especially three-dimensionally. In addition, the object's position can also be recorded.

[0016] In a further step, this information relating to the object is stored in a temporary local submap.

[0017] In particular, the object information is stored or noted at the position of the object in the temporary local sub-map.

[0018] The temporary local partial map is, in particular, a temporary copy of a local partial map that can also be stored in the motor vehicle. Alternatively or additionally, the temporary local partial map is created from scratch using the method according to the invention. For example, the temporary local partial map involves the recording of several, in particular all, objects in the vicinity of the motor vehicle that are recorded by the one or more image capture devices.

[0019] The temporary local partial map is designed in particular as a circle and / or ellipse around the motor vehicle, whereby the radius, diameter and / or size can change depending on the speed of the motor vehicle.

[0020] In a further step, the temporary local submap is compared with a local submap.

[0021] The extent of the temporary local partial map is less than or equal to, in particular exactly equal to, the extent of the local partial map. The local partial map is a partial map that has been previously downloaded from a regional computing facility, which will be described later. The local partial map can include information about objects, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional.

[0022] According to the invention, it is compared in particular whether the object that was stored in the temporary local sub-map exists in this form or at all in the local sub-map.

[0023] For example, the object didn't exist in the local submap. For example, the object did exist in the local submap, but in a different shape and / or dimension.

[0024] This means that a change to an existing object is recorded and / or a new object is recorded.

[0025] In a further step, the object information is provided to a regional computing facility depending on the comparison.

[0026] The regional computing device is separate from the motor vehicle and located at a distance from it. In particular, the regional computing device is a server or a data center to which object information from several, in particular many, motor vehicles and / or vehicles is transmitted.

[0027] In particular, the regional computing facility is a cloud service, in particular a so-called edge cloud, i.e. decentralized data processing at the edge of a network.

[0028] The regional computing facility can be located in or on a radio mast, such as a base station.

[0029] The regional computing device and the motor vehicle can communicate with each other wirelessly, for example via known mobile communications technologies such as 3G, 4G, 5G, Bluetooth, WiFi and / or Car2X, in particular Car2Infrastructure.

[0030] Alternatively or additionally, the regional computing device can be a mobile regional computing device, which is arranged in particular in a vehicle or motor vehicle and / or is implemented thereby. For this purpose, Car2Car technology can also be used, in particular, to provide the object information determined by the motor vehicle or any changes thereto to the mobile regional computing device. In particular, wireless communication technologies based on C-V2X, such as LTE-V2X and / or 5G-V2X, 802.11p, or mesh network technologies can be used.

[0031] This provides the regional computing facility with information about whether a new object has been detected or whether a known object has changed. This information can then be processed at the regional computing facility, as will be described later.

[0032] The method according to the invention makes it possible to detect objects in the vicinity of the motor vehicle and provide them to a regional data center, allowing a regional, particularly three-dimensional, map to be created or maintained for the first time. Thus, a mapping method is provided that can support or improve known methods, such as a SLAM method (simultaneous localization and mapping), i.e., simultaneous positioning and mapping.

[0033] According to a further development, the detection of an object in the environment of the motor vehicle takes place in an autonomous driving mode of the motor vehicle.

[0034] An autonomous driving mode is an operating mode of the motor vehicle that is at least partially carried out by a driving computer that takes over functions or controls of the motor vehicle, such as steering functions, braking functions and / or acceleration functions.

[0035] In particular, autonomous driving mode is an operating mode that is carried out without a driver or passenger.

[0036] For example, the autonomous driving mode is a parking function mode, which can also be referred to as valet mode, in which the motor vehicle enters and / or leaves a parking space alone, without passengers, for example in an underground or multi-story garage.

[0037] This advanced technology makes it possible to capture map data automatically. In particular, it makes it possible to capture the interiors of underground or multi-story garages, which other vehicles cannot or are not allowed to enter for mapping purposes. This enables a particularly accurate map.

[0038] According to a further development, the method further comprises the step of updating a regional partial map based on the object information.

[0039] A regional submap is a submap that has an extent that is greater than or equal to, in particular greater than, or further in particular an integer multiple greater than, the temporary local submap and / or the local submap. In particular, the regional submap encompasses a region, while the temporary local submap and / or the local submap encompass a sub-area of ​​the region. In particular, several different local submaps and / or temporary local submaps form a regional submap.

[0040] Updating involves adding the object information that was recorded in the temporary local partial map and that was not present or not present in this form in the local partial map.

[0041] The regional sub-map is managed or stored in the regional computing facility and is updated there using the object information to generate an updated regional map.

[0042] This training makes it possible to keep regional sub-maps up to date.

[0043] According to a further development, the regional partial map is updated based on at least two provision of object information.

[0044] Thus, object information is provided to the regional computing device at least twice before the regional partial map is updated. In particular, object information is provided to the regional computing device at least by two different vehicles and / or at two different times before the regional partial map is supplemented with the object information.

[0045] This refinement makes it possible to eliminate false detections that are perceived as new objects due to sensor errors, thus enabling a particularly precise process.

[0046] According to a further development, the method further comprises the steps of providing the updated regional partial map to a global computing device, and updating a global map based on the updated regional partial map.

[0047] A global map is a map with an extent that is greater than or equal to, in particular greater than, further than, or in particular by an integer multiple, of the regional submap. In particular, the global map encompasses a country, while the regional submap encompasses a region of that country. In particular, several different regional submaps form the global submap.

[0048] The global computing device is separate from and at a distance from the motor vehicle and the regional computing device. In particular, the global computing device is also a server or data center to which object information is transmitted from multiple regional computing devices.

[0049] The regional computing device and the global computing device can communicate with each other wirelessly or wired, for example via known mobile communications technologies such as 3G, 4G, 5G, Bluetooth and / or WiFi and / or via LAN or Ethernet, whereby the regional computing device provides the updated partial map or the object information that led to the update of the partial map to the global computing device.

[0050] In particular, several regional computing facilities provide object information or updated regional submaps to the global computing facility.

[0051] This training makes it possible to update a global map with particular precision.

[0052] According to a further development, the provision of the object information to a regional computing device is carried out via a vehicle different from the motor vehicle

[0053] The captured object information is thus first provided by the motor vehicle to the vehicle other than the motor vehicle, and then from the vehicle to the regional computing device. It is understood that the object information can also be provided to the regional computing device via multiple vehicles other than the motor vehicle.

[0054] In particular, this advanced feature involves indirect communication via another vehicle. This can occur particularly if the vehicle that recorded the object information cannot establish a direct connection with the regional computing facility, for example, because mobile communication is not possible.

[0055] The object information can be provided to the other vehicle, in particular wirelessly, for example via Wi-Fi, mesh networks, Bluetooth, and / or Car2Car, such as LTE-V2X, 5G-V2X, or 802.11 p. The other vehicle may or may not be a vehicle that is also configured to carry out embodiments of the described method for updating map data using a motor vehicle.

[0056] This advanced feature makes it possible to provide updated object information to a regional computing facility even without a wireless network. This method is particularly fail-safe.

[0057] According to a further development, the method further comprises the steps of forming an updated local partial map based on the updated regional partial map, providing the updated local partial map to a vehicle other than the motor vehicle, and navigating the vehicle based on the updated local partial map

[0058] Thus, an updated local submap is created from the updated regional submap, which includes the updated object information. This updated local submap is then provided to a vehicle via a wireless communication channel, as described above, and used there for navigation.

[0059] The updated local partial map can, of course, alternatively or additionally be provided to the vehicle itself, which has recorded the changed object information, and used there for navigation.

[0060] In addition to or as an alternative to navigation, the updated local partial map can also be used to perform a vehicle function, in particular an autonomous vehicle function, as described above. A vehicle function can also include switching a specific drive on or off, lowering or raising the vehicle, and / or switching all-wheel drive on or off.

[0061] This advanced training makes it possible to keep the vehicle's navigation and operation particularly up-to-date. In particular, it allows drivers to react appropriately to new obstacles, such as construction sites, bumps, or objects on the road.

[0062] According to a further development, the method further comprises the step of triggering an emergency function based on the updated local partial map on the vehicle.

[0063] An emergency function is a function that detects an emergency, such as an impending collision and / or accident, and takes appropriate action to prevent or mitigate it.

[0064] For example, an emergency braking and / or evasive maneuver can be performed based on the updated local partial map.

[0065] The emergency function can be triggered alternatively or in addition to the navigation step described above.

[0066] This advanced training makes it possible to respond appropriately to new objects that pose a safety risk to the vehicle, enabling a particularly safe procedure.

[0067] For use cases or application situations that may arise during the method and which are not explicitly described here, it may be provided that, in accordance with the method, an error message and / or a request to enter user feedback is issued and / or a default setting and / or a predetermined initial state is set.

[0068] According to a further aspect, a device is provided. The device may comprise a data processing device or a processor device configured to carry out an embodiment of the method according to the invention.

[0069] In particular, the device is designed to carry out the steps relating to the motor vehicle and / or carried out on the motor vehicle.

[0070] For this purpose, the processor device can have at least one microprocessor and / or at least one microcontroller and / or at least one FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and / or at least one DSP (Digital Signal Processor). In particular, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit) or an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) can be used as the microprocessor. Furthermore, the processor device can have program code which, when executed by the processor device, is configured to carry out the embodiment of the method according to the invention. The program code can be stored in a data memory of the processor device. The processor device can, for example, be based on at least one circuit board and / or on at least one SoC (System on Chip).

[0071] According to a further aspect, a motor vehicle is provided which comprises such a device.

[0072] The motor vehicle according to the invention is preferably designed as a motor vehicle, in particular as a passenger car or truck, or as a passenger bus or motorcycle.

[0073] As a further solution, the invention also encompasses a computer-readable storage medium comprising program code which, when executed by a computer or computer network, causes the computer to carry out an embodiment of the method according to the invention. The storage medium can be provided at least partially as a non-volatile data memory (e.g. as a flash memory and / or as an SSD - solid state drive) and / or at least partially as a volatile data memory (e.g. as a RAM - random access memory). The storage medium can be arranged in the computer or computer network. However, the storage medium can also be operated on the Internet, for example, as a so-called app store server and / or cloud server. The computer or computer network can provide a processor circuit with, for example, at least one microprocessor.The program code may be provided as binary code and / or as assembly code and / or as source code of a programming language (e.g. C) and / or as a program script (e.g. Python).

[0074] The invention also encompasses combinations of the features of the described embodiments. The invention therefore also encompasses implementations that each comprise a combination of the features of several of the described embodiments, unless the embodiments are described as mutually exclusive.

[0075] According to a further aspect, a system comprising at least one previously described device and / or a previously described motor vehicle and at least one regional computing device is specified. Additionally, the system may also comprise a further regional computing device and / or a global computing device. Likewise, the system may additionally comprise further vehicles, previously described devices, and / or previously described motor vehicles.

[0076] With regard to the embodiments of the device, the motor vehicle, the storage medium and the system as well as the associated advantages, reference is made to the previously described embodiments of the method and the associated advantages.

[0077] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below. Shown are: Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a method and apparatus for updating map data using a motor vehicle, as well as a system.

[0078] The exemplary embodiments explained below are preferred embodiments of the invention. In the exemplary embodiments, the described components of the embodiments each represent individual features of the invention that can be considered independently of one another, each of which also develops the invention independently of one another. Therefore, the disclosure is intended to encompass combinations of the features of the embodiments other than those shown. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by further features of the invention already described.

[0079] In the figures, the same reference symbols designate elements with the same function.

[0080] Fig.1 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a method and apparatus for updating map data using a motor vehicle 11 and a system 1000.

[0081] The system essentially consists of three hierarchy levels: a global level of 100, a regional level of 200, and a local level of 300.

[0082] In the global level 100, a global computing device 111 is provided, which maintains and manages a global map 101.

[0083] In the regional level 200, several regional computing facilities 211, 212, 213 are provided, each of which maintains and manages a regional sub-map 201, 202, 203.

[0084] In the local stage, several motor vehicles 11, 12, 13, 14 15 are provided, each of which holds and manages a local partial card 301, 302, 303, 304, 305 and a temporary local partial card 401, 402, 403, 404, 405.

[0085] Each motor vehicle 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 comprises a device which is not shown for reasons of clarity and which is designed to carry out the steps described below, if necessary in cooperation with the regional computing devices 211, 212, 213 and the global computing device 111.

[0086] First, an object in the surroundings of the motor vehicle 11 is detected and object information is stored in a temporary local partial map 401.

[0087] The temporary local partial map 401 is then compared with a local partial map 302 and, depending on the comparison, this object information is provided to a regional computing device 211.

[0088] The detection of an object in the environment of the motor vehicle 11 takes place in an autonomous driving mode of the motor vehicle.

[0089] A regional sub-map 201 is then updated at the regional computing device 211 based on the object information if at least two different vehicles have provided the object information.

[0090] Then, the updated regional sub-map 201 is provided to a global computing device 111, where a global map 101 is updated based on the updated regional sub-map 201.

[0091] The provision of the object information to a regional computing device 211 can be carried out via a vehicle 12 different from the motor vehicle 11.

[0092] An updated local submap 302 based on the updated regional submap 201 is then generated at the regional computing device and provided to a vehicle 12 different from the motor vehicle 11.

[0093] There, the updated regional submap 302 is used for navigation, for performing a vehicle function and for performing an emergency function.

[0094] Overall, the examples demonstrate how a system and method for dynamic synchronization of maps in a resilient hierarchical system with map change detection can be provided.

Claims

[1] A method for updating map data using a motor vehicle (11), comprising: - detecting an object in the vicinity of the motor vehicle (11); - storing object information in a temporary local submap (401); - comparing the temporary local sub-map (401) with a local sub-map (302); and - Providing the object information to a regional computing device (211) depending on the comparison. [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the detection of an object in the surroundings of the motor vehicle (11) takes place in an autonomous driving mode of the motor vehicle (11). [3] Method according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising: - Updating a regional submap (201) based on the object information. [4] Method according to claim 3, wherein the updating of the regional partial map (201) is based on at least two provision of the object information. [5] Method according to one of the preceding claims, - providing the updated regional sub-map (201) to a global computing device (111); and - Updating a global map (101) based on the updated regional submap (201). [6] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the provision of the object information to a regional computing device (211) takes place via a vehicle (12) different from the motor vehicle (11). [7] Method according to one of claims 3 to 6, further comprising: - forming an updated local sub-map (302) based on the updated regional sub-map (201); - providing the updated local partial map (302) to a vehicle (12) different from the motor vehicle (11); and - Navigating the vehicle (12) based on the updated local partial map (302). [8] Method according to claim 7, - Triggering an emergency function based on the updated local partial map on the vehicle (12). [9] Device for updating map data using a motor vehicle (11), which is designed to carry out a method according to claim 1 or 2. [10] Motor vehicle (11) comprising a device according to claim 9.

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