Hybrid Navigation Map Updates Without Full Remapping

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing navigation systems for autonomous vehicles face challenges in efficiently updating navigation maps, requiring complete re-mapping and manual changes, which is labor-intensive and results in coordinate system changes, leading to invalid stored positions and lost edits.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for generating a new hybrid card by expanding or changing a first hybrid card using a second hybrid card, allowing selective updating of information categories such as track, environmental contours, reflector positions, and additional codes, enabling partial map updates without replacing the entire navigation area.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If complete re-mapping is performed to update the navigation map, then the map information is refreshed, but the update process becomes very time-consuming and labor-intensive

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemap information freshnessVSAvoidmap update time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the navigation map into multiple information categories (track information, environmental contour information, reflector position information, additional code information). Instead of re-mapping the entire area, only the specific category that has changed is updated, significantly reducing the time and effort required for map updates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs partial updates by selectively refreshing only the necessary information categories based on what has actually changed in the environment. This avoids the excessive action of complete re-mapping while ensuring that all necessary information is updated.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Reliability

If complete re-mapping is performed to update the navigation map, then the map information is refreshed, but manual changes are lost or have to be redone

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemap information freshnessVSAvoidmanual edits
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting the map into distinct information categories, the system can selectively update only those categories that have changed in the environment. Manual edits to other categories are preserved, preventing loss of useful information while still achieving map updates where needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs a preliminary assessment to determine which information categories have changed before executing the update. This allows manual edits in unchanged categories to be preserved automatically, avoiding the need to redo manual changes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If complete re-mapping is performed to update the navigation map, then the map information is refreshed, but the coordinate system can change, rendering user-saved positions invalid

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemap information freshnessVSAvoidstored positions
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent separates track information (which defines the coordinate system) from other map information. By only updating specific information categories and not necessarily the track information, the coordinate system remains stable, preserving the validity of user-saved positions while still refreshing other map data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Ease of operation

If lane guidance with physical track is used, then path following is simple, but the track is difficult and costly to modify

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepath following simplicityVSAvoidtrack modification
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a virtual copy of the physical track as digital map data. This virtual track can be easily modified by updating the map information without physically altering the floor track, combining the simplicity of physical lane following with the flexibility of digital modification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from physical track parameters to digital map parameters. By storing track information as data that can be selectively updated category by category, the system enables easy modification of navigation paths without the costly and difficult physical track modification required by traditional systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3875909B1Generation of a new hybrid map for navigation
Publication Date: 2022.02.23 SICK AG
  • EP3875909B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3875909B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3875909B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

A method for generating a new hybrid map by extending and/or modifying a first hybrid map with a second hybrid map is described. A hybrid map is used for the navigation of a vehicle (10) in a navigation area and contains several information categories. One information category represents the trajectory of the vehicle (10) defined by a lane (12), and another information category represents the environmental contour (24) of the lane (12). For each information category, a decision is made as to whether information from the first hybrid map and/or the second hybrid map is to be incorporated into the new hybrid map.