Vehicle Lane Localization for Digital Road Map Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for identifying and mapping traffic lanes are complex, require high precision, and involve costly hardware, making them inefficient and costly for updating digital road maps.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where vehicles transmit observation data, including lane information, to an external server unit using existing sensors and communication technologies, allowing for automatic updating of digital road maps with minimal technical complexity, utilizing camera-based systems and neural networks for error tolerance and efficient data analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional methods are used to identify and map traffic lanes with high precision, then lane-accurate digital road maps can be created, but the system complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables vehicles to automatically perform lane localization and generate observation data using their existing host lane localization capabilities. Each vehicle serves itself by utilizing its own sensors and processing units to contribute data to the collective digital road map, eliminating the need for dedicated specialized hardware or manual mapping operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention repurposes existing vehicle sensors and host lane localization systems originally designed for driver assistance to also serve the function of creating and updating digital road maps. The same cameras, GPS receivers, and processors used for lane-keeping assistance are now also used to generate observation data for map creation, making the system universally applicable across all equipped vehicles without additional specialized hardware.
2Loss of information
If conventional methods analyze entire surroundings of a vehicle to ascertain all lanes, then complete road map data can be obtained, but data volumes and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential observation data needed for digital road map creation from the vehicle's sensor data. Instead of processing and transmitting all surrounding environment data, only the specific lane information, position data, and road segment identifiers relevant to map creation are extracted and transmitted to the server, significantly reducing data volume while maintaining information completeness.
3Measurement precision
If special cost-intensive hardware is used for recording surroundings in conventional vehicles, then accurate lane data can be captured, but system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Vehicles use their existing host lane localization hardware and sensors to capture lane data, eliminating the need for special cost-intensive recording hardware. The system leverages the vehicle's own capabilities to serve the dual purpose of driver assistance and map creation, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining data accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention makes existing vehicle sensors and processing units perform multiple functions - both driver assistance (lane-keeping) and digital road map creation. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated specialized hardware, reducing system cost while maintaining the accuracy needed for lane identification through the reuse of proven sensor systems.
4Manufacturing precision
If manual methods are used to generate lane-accurate road maps, then map accuracy can be ensured, but manual complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic generation of digital road maps by having vehicles autonomously perform lane localization, generate observation data, and transmit it to servers for processing. This eliminates manual map creation operations entirely, allowing the system to self-generate and self-update road maps automatically while maintaining accuracy through the use of precise vehicle-based localization data.
Solution Approach 2:
Vehicles perform lane localization and data collection during their normal operation before the data is processed and integrated into the digital road map. This preliminary action by the vehicles during their regular use prepares the data in advance, enabling automatic map generation and updates without requiring manual intervention at the time of map creation.
5Measurement precision
If high precision localization mechanisms are used to ascertain lanes, then lane identification accuracy improves, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention reuses the vehicle's existing host lane localization mechanisms originally designed for driver assistance to also provide accurate localization data for digital road map creation. This eliminates the need for separate high-precision localization hardware, as the same sensors and processing units serve both driver safety and map creation functions with equal accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle uses its own host lane localization capabilities to accurately determine its position and lane information, eliminating the need for external or additional high-precision localization systems. The vehicle localizes itself using its existing sensors and algorithms, providing accurate data for map creation without requiring complex additional localization infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is described for creating observation data, in particular by at least one vehicle, traveled road segments being ascertained by the vehicle, lanes of the road segments traveled by the vehicle being ascertained by the vehicle, and the ascertained road segments together with the ascertained traveled lanes being transmitted as observation data from the vehicle to an external server unit. A method for ascertaining a number of traffic lanes, to a system, to an external server unit, and to a control unit are also described.