Vehicle Map Updating by Area-Based Road Change Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional map updating systems face challenges in maintaining accurate map data, particularly in areas with varying traffic conditions, where excessive data communication occurs in high-traffic areas and insufficient data is collected in low-traffic areas, leading to unreliable updates and freshness issues.

Innovation Solution

An information processing apparatus divides the map into areas and determines the need for updates based on changes and vehicle actions, selectively requesting detection data from vehicles capable of accurate detection, such as those with high sensor accuracy and specific running modes, to improve data accuracy and reduce unnecessary communication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If map data is updated using data from all vehicles, then information freshness is improved, but communication load and processing complexity increase excessively in high-traffic areas

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemap data accuracyVSAvoidcommunication load
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The map is divided into multiple areas, and update determination is performed independently for each area based on local vehicle action frequencies and detection data quality, rather than processing all areas uniformly

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different update strategies are applied to different areas: areas with high-quality detection data and significant road shape changes receive updates, while areas with insufficient quality data or minor changes maintain existing map data, avoiding unnecessary communication and processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If detection requests are sent to all vehicles, then data coverage is improved, but unnecessary data communication occurs in areas with sufficient map accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemap data completenessVSAvoidcommunication efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system preliminarily determines whether map updates are necessary by comparing current road shapes with stored map data and evaluating vehicle action frequencies before sending detection requests, avoiding unnecessary communication

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses feedback from vehicle actions and detected road shape changes to dynamically determine update needs, sending detection requests only when actual changes are detected or vehicle behavior indicates potential map inaccuracies

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If update frequency is increased to maintain accuracy, then information freshness is improved, but processing load and communication traffic increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemap data freshnessVSAvoidprocessing efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs periodic update determination at predetermined intervals by comparing current road shapes with stored map data, updating only when actual changes are detected rather than at fixed high frequency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies update processing only to areas where it is actually necessary (where vehicle actions indicate map inaccuracies or where road shape changes are detected), rather than uniformly updating all areas

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3460406B1Information processing apparatus, vehicle, information processing method, running control method, and map updating method
Publication Date: 2024.04.03 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORP OF AMERICA
  • EP3460406B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3460406B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3460406B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

An information processing apparatus is configured to distribute, to a vehicle, a map showing a road shape of a road on which the vehicle runs makes, for each of a plurality of areas and determine whether it is necessary to update the map of that area. The determination is based on at least either an amount of change from the road shape shown by the map to the road shape at a present time in each of the plurality of areas or the number of occurrences of a predetermined action of a vehicle having run through in each of the plurality of areas.