Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and storage medium

An information processing method comprising:

• acquiring map elements generated in accordance with movement of a movable apparatus;
• acquiring predetermined image information that is able to identify a partial region of a movement route of the movable apparatus during the movement of the movable apparatus;
• recording the predetermined image information in association with the map elements;
• recognizing map elements of which a plurality of pieces of predetermined image information consecutively match each other as a common region that corresponds to a common region of the movement routes by comparing a plurality of pieces of predetermined image information recorded in association with the map elements in a first map elements group at predetermined points in time with a plurality of pieces of the predetermined image information recorded in the recording in association with the map elements in a second map elements group prior to the predetermined points in time;
• and
• stitching the first map elements group with the second map elements group on the basis of the common region recognized in the recognizing,
• wherein the predetermined image information includes at least one of an ID of a predetermined indicator that is installed at a predetermined position and is detected by a sensor mounted on the movable apparatus during the movement, a feature amount of an object installed at a predetermined position acquired by an imaging device mounted on the movable apparatus, history information regarding a movement route of the movable apparatus, and an ID acquired from an external device that has detected passage of the movable apparatus, and
• wherein the common region includes at least one of a region of which IDs match in the plurality of pieces of map elements, a region where a difference in the number of feature amounts is less than a predetermined threshold value, a region where a difference between positions of feature amounts is less than a predetermined threshold value, a region where a difference between movement routes is less than a predetermined threshold value, and a region in which pieces of information regarding change positions of movement routes match.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured to store a computer program comprising instructions for executing following processes:

• acquiring map elements generated in accordance with movement of a movable apparatus;
• acquiring predetermined image information that is able to identify a partial region of a movement route of the movable apparatus during the movement of the movable apparatus;
• recording the predetermined image information in association with the map elements;
• recognizing map elements of which a plurality of pieces of predetermined image information consecutively match each other as a common region that corresponds to a common region of the movement routes by comparing a plurality of pieces of predetermined image information recorded in association with the map elements in a first map elements group at predetermined points in time with a plurality of pieces of the predetermined image information recorded in the recording in association with the map elements in a second map elements group prior to the predetermined points in time;
• and
• stitching the first map elements group with the second map elements group on the basis of the common region recognized in the recognizing,
• wherein the predetermined image information includes at least one of an ID of a predetermined indicator that is installed at a predetermined position and is detected by a sensor mounted on the movable apparatus during the movement, a feature amount of an object installed at a predetermined position acquired by an imaging device mounted on the movable apparatus, history information regarding a movement route of the movable apparatus, and an ID acquired from an external device that has detected passage of the movable apparatus, and
• wherein the common region includes at least one of a region of which IDs match in the plurality of pieces of map elements, a region where a difference in the number of feature amounts is less than a predetermined threshold value, a region where a difference between positions of feature amounts is less than a predetermined threshold value, a region where a difference between movement routes is less than a predetermined threshold value, and a region in which pieces of information regarding change positions of movement routes match.