Digital Transportation Network Creation from Probe Traces

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional methods for creating digital transportation networks from uncoordinated probe traces are limited, requiring manual seeding and lacking automation for junctions, with insufficient accuracy for applications like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) due to positional inaccuracies from conventional Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs).

Innovation Solution

The use of statistical analysis techniques and clustering methods to automatically distinguish road intersections, determine connected road segments, and create a contiguous transportation network from probe traces collected by navigation devices, eliminating the need for manual intervention and improving accuracy by refining and processing probe data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If conventional PND location measurements are used to generate digital transportation networks, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates (positional accuracy of +/- 10 to 15 meters is insufficient for ADAS applications requiring less than 5 meters)

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositional accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines location measurements from multiple PNDs into aggregated probe traces, merging individual low-precision measurements into a collective high-precision dataset that accurately represents transportation network geometry

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a digital copy (representation) of the transportation network from probe traces, generating a simplified geometric model that captures essential network features while filtering out measurement noise and inconsistencies

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Extent of automation

If manual seeding is used to initialize digital transportation network creation, then manufacturing precision is improved (accurate initial geometry), but ease of manufacture deteriorates (requires manual intervention)

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomation levelVSAvoidnetwork accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service by automatically extracting transportation network geometry from probe traces without requiring manual seeding, using statistical methods to identify roads, intersections, and network topology autonomously

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary clustering and statistical analysis on probe traces to pre-process the data into meaningful geometric patterns before network extraction, enabling automated accurate network creation without manual initialization

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If uncoordinated probe traces are used directly for network creation, then ease of operation is improved (simple data collection), but measurement precision deteriorates (insufficient accuracy for junction identification)

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvejunction identification accuracyVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the transportation network into distinct elements (roads, intersections, junctions) by clustering probe traces and identifying geometric patterns, breaking down the complex uncoordinated data into structured network components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms probe trace data by changing parameters such as clustering thresholds, statistical metrics, and geometric tolerances to convert raw uncoordinated measurements into precise network geometry suitable for ADAS applications

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2427726B1Methods and systems for creating digital transportation networks
Publication Date: 2019.01.16 TOMTOM GLOBAL CONTENT
  • EP2427726B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2427726B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2427726B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In a method for creating a digital representation of a transportation network, acquired probe traces are refined based on characteristics of the transportation network. Geographic objects associated with the transportation network are identified based on the refined probe traces. A digital geographic network is built based on the refined probe traces and identified geographic objects, and the digital representation of the transportation network is created by linking the identified geographic objects in the digital geographic network.