Rail Vehicle Digital Map Creation Using Onboard SLAM
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for creating digital maps for rail vehicles are inefficient and require external landmarks or surveying equipment, leading to unnecessary external measurements and data complexity, especially in the rail sector where environments are less complex than road networks.
Innovation Solution
A method and device using a rail vehicle equipped with a surroundings detection device and a processor that employs SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) techniques to create a digital map incrementally while traveling, allowing for efficient detection and integration of environments without external landmarks, and includes cleaning of interfering objects and three-dimensional environment detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If external landmarks or surveying equipment are used to create digital maps, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rail vehicle uses its own surroundings detection device to detect and map its environment autonomously without requiring external landmarks or surveying equipment. The vehicle serves itself by performing simultaneous localization and mapping using only onboard sensors, eliminating the need for external measurement infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical surveying equipment and external measurement systems with sensor-based detection systems. Instead of using physical landmarks and surveying instruments, the system uses optical and electronic sensors to detect the environment and create digital maps, substituting mechanical measurement methods with electronic sensing and computational processing.
2Productivity
If SLAM methods are used in complex environments like road networks, then large amounts of data are generated, but in rail environments data complexity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adapting the SLAM method to the specific characteristics of rail environments. Instead of using generic SLAM approaches designed for complex road networks, the system tailors the mapping approach to the structured and less complex rail environment, reducing unnecessary data generation while maintaining mapping effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters of the SLAM method to suit rail environments. By adjusting the complexity and detail level of environmental modeling based on the inherent structure of rail corridors, the system reduces data volume while maintaining sufficient accuracy for localization purposes.
3Productivity
If digital maps are created incrementally while the rail vehicle is moving, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously detecting and storing environmental features as the vehicle moves. Rather than waiting to create the map after the journey, the system builds the digital map incrementally during traversal, preparing localization data in advance for future position determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The incremental mapping process incorporates feedback mechanisms where the system continuously compares detected features with the developing digital map, adjusting and refining the map as new data becomes available. This feedback loop maintains precision while enabling continuous map creation during vehicle movement.
Data Source
Figure 1~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for creating a digital map using a rail vehicle which has an environment detection device, wherein an environment of the rail vehicle is detected by means of the environment detection device while the rail vehicle drives along a track, wherein a digital map of the environment is created on the basis of the detected environment. The invention also relates to a device for creating a digital map, a method for locating a rail vehicle, a device for locating a rail vehicle, a rail vehicle and a computer program.