Abridged Map Display for Special Shape Roads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing map display methods, such as linearization or orthogonalization, often render special shape roads more confusing than their original forms, making them difficult to read and understand.
Innovation Solution
An on-vehicle information terminal with an abridged road generating device that simplifies road shapes through streamline processing, a road decision-making device to identify special shape roads, and a substituting device that replaces these roads with predefined patterns like circular, trapezoidal, or single-line patterns, improving map readability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If streamline processing (linearization/orthogonalization) is applied to simplify road shapes, then map readability is improved for general roads, but special shape roads become more confusing and harder to recognize
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different processing methods to different parts of the map data based on their characteristics. General roads undergo streamline processing (linearization/orthogonalization) to simplify shapes and improve readability, while special shape roads (identified by specific link type patterns) are excluded from this processing to preserve their distinctive characteristics. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing each road type to be treated according to its specific needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments road data into two categories: general roads and special shape roads, based on link type analysis. By dividing the road network into these segments and applying different processing rules to each segment, the system maintains readability for common roads while preserving the informational value of special shape roads.
2Productivity
If all road shapes are simplified through linearization and orthogonalization, then processing speed is improved, but the accuracy of representing special shape roads deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies streamline processing selectively based on local road characteristics identified through link type analysis. Special shape roads (such as circular intersections, triangular intersections, and other geometric patterns) are identified and excluded from processing, while all other roads receive streamline processing. This approach maintains high processing speed for the majority of roads while ensuring accuracy for special shape roads.
3Device complexity
If streamline processing is applied to reduce map complexity, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to represent special shape roads accurately is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments road data into general roads and special shape roads using link type information. This segmentation allows the system to maintain simplified representations for common roads (reducing overall map complexity) while preserving accurate representations of special shape roads (maintaining reliability for these specific cases).
Solution Approach 2:
Different processing qualities are applied to different road segments: general roads receive streamline processing to reduce complexity, while special shape roads are preserved in their original form to maintain representation accuracy. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between overall simplicity and local accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
The on-vehicle information terminal according to the present invention comprises an abridged road generating device that generates abridged roads by abridging a road map based upon map data, a road decision-making device that makes a decision as to whether or not a road is a special shape road having a predetermined special shape based upon the map data, a substituting device for substitutes a specific road shape pattern stored in memory in advance for a road determined by the road decision-making device to have a special shape and a display control device that displays at the display device an abridged map containing specific road shape patterns used to substitute for special shape roads by the substituting device and the abridged roads generated by the abridged road generating device.