IP Library Granted Patent US 10,907,975
Granted Patent B2
US 10,907,975 · App. 15/938,717 · Granted Feb 2, 2021

Apparatus for producing a digital topographical position map in a vehicle

Inventor: Ulrich Stählin (Oakland Township, MI)
Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
G01C21/32G01S19/42G06F16/29G09B29/106H04W4/023G06F17/18
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,907,975
App. No.
15/938,717
Granted
Feb 2, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus for producing a digital topographical position map in a vehicle comprises a receiver for receiving sensor data that specify different topographical positions of the vehicle, a processor that is designed to take the different topographical positions of the vehicle as a basis for sensing an average topographical position of the vehicle and at least one further topographical position of the vehicle, which differs from the average topographical position, wherein the processor is designed to produce the digital topographical position map on the basis of the average topographical position, and to store the at least one further topographical position in the digital topographical position map.

Claims (28)

1. An apparatus for producing a digital topographical position map in a vehicle comprising:

a GNSS sensor designed to sense sensor data, wherein the sensor data comprise GNSS position data;

a further sensor designed to sense further sensor data, wherein the further sensor data includes at least speed data of the vehicle;

a receiver for receiving the sensor data and the further sensor data, wherein the sensor data specify different topographical positions of the vehicle;

a processor that to take the different topographical positions of the vehicle as a basis for sensing an average topographical position of the vehicle and at least one further topographical position of the vehicle, which differs from the average topographical position; and

wherein the processor is designed to produce the digital topographical position map on the basis of the average topographical position, to store the at least one further topographical position in the digital topographical position map, and to supplement the digital topographical position map with the further sensor data.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is designed to sense a distribution of the different topographical positions of the vehicle, and to take the distribution as a basis for sensing the average topographical position as an average of the distribution and the at least one further topographical position as a limit of the distribution.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is designed to sense the limit at a fixed distance from the average.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one further topographical position comprises a first limit and a second limit, wherein the processor is designed to sense the first limit and the second limit as a standard deviation or as a multiple of the standard deviation of the average of the distribution.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one further topographical position comprises a first limit and a second limit, wherein the processor is designed to sense the first limit and the second limit at such a distance from the average that the first limit delimits a first percentile and the second limit delimits a second percentile of the distribution.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is designed not to store the at least one further topographical position in the digital topographical position map, if the distance between the at least one further topographical position and the average topographical position falls below a threshold value.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is designed to store a sensing time of the at least one further topographical position in the digital topographical position map.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is designed to sense the average topographical position and the at least one further topographical position on the basis of the received sensor data and the topographical positions already stored in the digital topographical position map.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor data comprise position coordinates of the vehicle in a plane and position coordinates of the vehicle vertical to the plane.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is designed to take the further sensor data as a basis for sensing an average sensor value and at least one further sensor value, which differs from the average sensor value, and to store the average sensor value and the at least one further sensor value in the digital topographical position map at the appropriate topographical position.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a memory, and wherein the processor is designed to store the digital topographical position map in the memory.

12. A method for producing a digital topographical position map in a vehicle, comprising:

sensing sensor data, wherein the sensor data comprise GNSS position data;

sensing further sensor data, wherein the further sensor data comprise speed data of the vehicle;

receiving the sensor data and the further sensor data, wherein the sensor data specify different topographical positions of the vehicle;

sensing an average topographical position of the vehicle and at least one further topographical position of the vehicle, which differs from the average topographical position, on the basis of the sensor data;

producing the digital topographical position map on the basis of the average topographical position;

storing the further topographical position in the digital topographical position map; and

supplementing the digital topographical position map with the further sensor data.

13. A method for storing further sensor data in a digital topographical position map in a vehicle comprising:

receiving the further sensor data, wherein the further sensor data comprise at atleast one of driving data, speed data of the vehicle, surroundings data, or an inclination of the roadway, at a topographical position of the vehicle;

sensing an average sensor value and at least one further sensor value, which differs from the average sensor value, on the basis of the further sensor data; and

storing the average sensor value and the at least one further sensor value in the digital topographical position map at the appropriate topographical position.

Assignments (2)
MERGER AND CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Aug 27, 2024
From: CONTINENTAL TEVES AG & CO. OHG; CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
To: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
Reel/Frame 068794/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 28, 2018
From: STÄHLIN, ULRICH, DR
To: CONTINENTAL TEVES AG & CO. OHG
Reel/Frame 045377/0299 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2015 218 811 · Sep 29, 2015 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTEP2016072314 · Sep 6, 2016
Related Publication 20180216945A1 · Aug 2, 2018