Vehicle Navigation Map Database Express Lane Attributes

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing vehicle navigation devices face challenges in efficiently incorporating express lanes into route search and route guidance, as they often require detailed information about road networks, leading to increased storage space requirements and inefficient data retrieval.

Innovation Solution

A vehicle navigation device with a map database that uses separate attributes to indicate the presence and type of express lanes, allowing for efficient storage and retrieval of data, enabling route search and guidance functions to account for express lanes by separating data into routing and guidance layers, and utilizing a tiling system for local updates.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If detailed information on fine scale structure of road network is stored for all locations, then route search accuracy is improved, but storage space requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveroute search accuracyVSAvoidstorage space requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating data detail levels based on location characteristics. Express lanes are identified and marked with specific attributes (first attribute for presence, second attribute for lane identification) only where relevant, rather than uniformly across all road networks. This allows route search to access detailed express lane information when needed while avoiding storage of unnecessary fine-scale details for ordinary roads, thus resolving the contradiction between route search accuracy and storage space requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Productivity

If separate attributes are stored for express lane presence and lane identification, then data retrieval efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata retrieval efficiencyVSAvoiddata structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments express lane information into two distinct attributes: a first attribute indicating the presence of express lanes on road segments, and a second attribute identifying which specific lanes are express lanes. This segmentation allows the route search function to efficiently query for express lane presence without necessarily retrieving detailed lane identification data, improving data retrieval efficiency. The structured separation also facilitates modular processing in the navigation device, where different components can access only the attributes relevant to their function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If comprehensive map data is used for both route search and route guidance, then functional completeness is improved, but storage overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefunctional completenessVSAvoidstorage overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a unified map data base structure that serves multiple functions through the first and second attributes. The same attributed map data is used by both the route search unit (which may use the first attribute to identify express lane road segments) and the route guidance unit (which may use the second attribute to identify specific express lanes for guidance information). This multi-functional use of the same data structure eliminates the need for separate data copies for different functions, reducing storage overhead while maintaining functional completeness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2487461B1Vehicle navigation device and method
Publication Date: 2015.10.07 HARMAN BECKER AUTOMOTIVE SYST GMBH
  • EP2487461B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2487461B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2487461B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

A vehicle navigation device (1) comprises a map data base (3) storing map data and a processing unit (2). The map data base (3) includes first attributes indicative of the presence of express lanes and second attributes assigned to lanes to indicate which lanes of a road segment are express lanes. The processing unit (2) is coupled to the map data base (3) and is configured to perform a route search based at least on the first attribute and to control outputting of route guidance information via a user interface (4) based at least on the second attribute.