Tiling System for Digital Elevation Model Storage Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing navigation systems face challenges in efficiently storing and managing digital elevation model (DEM) data for three-dimensional terrain representation, leading to significant storage space requirements due to the need for seamless coverage without holes or gaps, especially when using tiling for performance enhancement.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced that generates a database using a tiling system where each tile is compared to pre-defined tile patterns, allowing for the storage of a pointer to the pattern instead of full vertex coordinates when matches are found, reducing storage space by using identifiers for frequently occurring tile patterns and selectively storing height coordinates based on terrain variations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If DEM data are stored for every tile to ensure seamless coverage, then the reliability of terrain representation is improved, but the storage space requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a representative tile pattern that captures the essential terrain characteristics and stores it once in the database. Multiple tiles that match this pattern reference the same stored pattern rather than storing duplicate data, thereby reducing storage space while maintaining seamless terrain coverage through pattern repetition and transformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The stored tile pattern serves multiple functions: it represents the terrain structure for matching tiles, provides a template for generating similar tiles through transformation operations, and enables efficient storage by being referenced repeatedly across multiple tile locations in the terrain data set.
2Manufacturing precision
If full vertex coordinate data are stored for each tile, then the manufacturing precision of terrain data is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates terrain data into two components: a representative tile pattern that defines the terrain structure and transformation operations that define the specific tile characteristics. This segmentation allows the system to store only essential pattern information while deriving specific tile data through transformations, reducing overall data complexity while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses transformation operations that modify parameters such as position, rotation, and scaling of the representative tile pattern to generate specific tile instances. By storing transformation parameters rather than complete vertex coordinates for each tile, the system maintains manufacturing precision while reducing data structure complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle navigation system has a processing device. The processing device receives entries in a first data structure that are generated and are respectively associated with one tile of a tiling. The processing device may compare a three-dimensional terrain on the respective tile with at least one pre-defined tile pattern. Either an identifier for a pre-defined tile pattern or data describing the terrain on the respective tile may be stored by the processing device in the entry.