Road Map Data Structure Link ID Assignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing road map data structure complicates the process of updating data, particularly when adding links that intersect with other roads, as it requires reassigning link IDs while maintaining consecutiveness, leading to increased computational load and complexity.

Innovation Solution

Assigning permanent IDs to links without corresponding higher-level links and consecutive serial IDs to links with corresponding higher-level links, allowing for simplified ID management during updates without affecting the connection order, thus reducing computational load and maintaining process speed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If consecutive link ID numbers are assigned to maintain connection order, then the correspondence between higher and lower levels can be easily comprehended and process speed is increased, but the computing process for setting link IDs during data updates becomes complicated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocess speedVSAvoidcomputational complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments link IDs into two distinct types: permanent IDs for stability and serial IDs for hierarchical correspondence. This segmentation allows different parts of the system to use different ID assignment strategies, resolving the contradiction between maintaining process speed through consecutive numbering and reducing update complexity by eliminating the need to reassign IDs during updates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different quality requirements are applied to different link types: links with corresponding higher-level links use serial IDs for fast processing, while links without higher-level correspondences use permanent IDs for update stability. This local differentiation allows each link type to optimize for its specific requirements without compromising the other.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Stability of the object's composition

If link IDs are reassigned to maintain consecutiveness during updates, then the connection order is preserved, but the updating process becomes more complex and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection orderVSAvoidease of updating
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary assignment of permanent IDs to links that will not have higher-level correspondences, establishing a stable baseline before any updates occur. This preliminary action ensures that future updates to these links do not require reassignment, simplifying the updating process while maintaining connection order through the immutable permanent ID system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If permanent IDs are assigned to links without higher-level correspondences, then the computational load during updates is reduced, but the hierarchical correspondence structure is affected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecomputational loadVSAvoidhierarchical correspondence
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the link population into two groups based on their hierarchical relationship status. Links with higher-level correspondences use serial IDs to maintain hierarchical structure, while links without such correspondences use permanent IDs to reduce computational load. This segmentation ensures that the hierarchical correspondence structure is preserved for relevant links while achieving computational efficiency overall.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2095075B1Road map data structure5 road map data storage medium5 navigation device5 and method of generating road map data
Publication Date: 2019.09.25 AISIN AW CO LTD
  • EP2095075B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2095075B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2095075B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A road map data structure includes road network data Rn, representing roads by a connection relation of a plurality of links L, in a hierarchical structure of a plurality of levels, in which, as a link ID for each link L at a lowest level, consecutive serial IDs, according to a connection order of the links within a link line ML formed of a plurality of the consecutive links having a common attribute, are assigned to first links Ll which have a corresponding link existing at a higher level, and a permanent ID, irrelevant with the connection order of the links, is assigned to a second link L2 which does not have a corresponding link existing at a higher level.