Lane-Accurate Navigation Routing for Automated Driving

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing navigation systems for automated driving lack the ability to determine navigation routes with lane-level accuracy, leading to potential disruptions and unsafe situations when automated driving is not feasible.

Innovation Solution

A method that combines a digital attribute-based road map with a digital sensor-based road map to identify lane-specific route segments, allowing for lane-level navigation route determination by eliminating irrelevant segments and selecting optimal lanes using cost functions or machine learning, ensuring seamless automated driving.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If standard navigation systems determine routes without lane-level accuracy, then the routing process is simple and fast, but the automated driving operation is disrupted and unsafe situations occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafe automated driving operationVSAvoidnavigation route determination complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the route determination process into distinct phases: determining a preliminary route using attribute-based map data, then refining it to lane-level accuracy using sensor-based map data. This segmentation allows the system to maintain both simplicity in the initial routing and precision in the final lane-level navigation, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary route determination using simpler attribute-based map data before refining the route with detailed sensor-based map data. This preliminary action establishes a baseline route that can be quickly computed, and subsequent refinement adds lane-level accuracy only where needed, balancing speed and precision while managing system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If lane-level accuracy is implemented in navigation routes, then automated driving safety is improved, but the computational complexity and processing time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomated driving safetyVSAvoidroute determination time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the route determination into two sequential stages: first determining a preliminary route with basic navigation data, then refining it to lane-level accuracy. This segmentation ensures that time-consuming detailed processing is performed only on the already-established route path, minimizing overall processing time while achieving the required safety level.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary route calculation using efficient attribute-based map matching before applying detailed sensor-based lane-level refinement. This preliminary action reduces the computational burden of the refinement stage by limiting it to a predefined route corridor, thereby reducing total determination time while maintaining safety.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If irrelevant route segment candidates are not eliminated, then the processing is faster, but the navigation accuracy and automated driving reliability decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenavigation route accuracyVSAvoidroute determination efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and eliminates irrelevant route segment candidates from the set of all possible segments by comparing sensor-based map data with the preliminary route. This extraction process removes only the unnecessary candidates that would compromise accuracy, while maintaining efficiency by not processing all possible segments in detail.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary filtering of route segment candidates based on the preliminary route before conducting detailed lane-level matching. This preliminary action reduces the number of candidates requiring detailed processing, thereby maintaining both accuracy and efficiency in the final route determination.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4496983B1Method for determining a navigation route for an automated driving operation of a vehicle
Publication Date: 2026.03.25 MERCEDES BENZ GROUP AG
  • EP4496983B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4496983B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4496983B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for determining a navigation route (NR) for an automated driving operation of a vehicle. According to the invention, the navigation route (NR) for the automated, in particular highly automated or autonomous, driving operation is determined with lane accuracy by: - a node list being created on the basis of a digital, attribute-based road map (AK), which node list represents geographic coordinate points (KP1 to KP7) of a route (R) determined by a navigation system; - the node list being transferred to a digital, sensor-based road map (SK) which contains a description of the surroundings detected by sensors; - lane-accurate driving portion candidates in the digital, sensor-based road map (SK) being determined on the basis of the node list; - driving portion candidates which are not relevant being identified and deleted; - the route (R) being segmented into partial graphs (T1) having only one possible lane and partial graphs (T2) having a plurality of possible lanes; - optimal lanes (oF) being identified; and - the optimal lanes (oF) being combined to form the sought lane-accurate navigation route (NR).