# US 2018/0321046 A1 · Method and system for creating a digital map

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- Number: US 2018/0321046 A1
- Document ID: US20180321046A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/773,660
- Filed: 2016-11-09
- Published: 2018-11-08
- Earliest claimed: 2015-11-25
- Assignees: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft
- Applicants: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft
- Inventors: Andreas TITZE; Stefan ORTMANN
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180321046A1

## CPC

- G01C 21/3841: {Data obtained from two or more sources, e.g. probe vehicles}
- G01C 21/3819: {Road shape data, e.g. outline of a route}
- G01C 21/3822: {Road feature data, e.g. slope data}
- G01C 21/3837: {Data obtained from a single source}
- G06V 20/58: Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
- G06V 20/588: {Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road}
- G09B 29/003: {Maps}
- G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S)
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G09B: EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS (devices for psychotechnics or for testing reaction times A61B5/16; games, sports, amusements A63; projectors, projector screens G03B)

## Abstract

A method for creating a digital map in at least one mobile device including capturing an image sequence of an environment; detecting and classifying objects in the captured image sequence; determining object positions of the objects relative to the mobile device; establishing a section in the environment wherein the section has a predetermined size and predetermined boundaries; assigning the detected and classified objects to the determined object positions in the established section; determining a traffic lane provided in the section; transmitting object information and the object positions of the detected and classified objects, section information relating to the established section, traffic lane information and time information to the map creation device. In the map creation device, the data is received, compared, and sections are joined and merged to form a digital map. Also disclosed is an associated system.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for creating a digital map, the method comprising, in at least one mobile device:
capturing an image sequence of an environment of the at least one mobile device by at least one camera,
identifying and classifying objects in the captured image sequence by an evaluation unit,
determining object positions of the objects relative to the mobile device by the evaluation unit,
defining a section in the environment, the section having a predetermined size and predetermined boundaries,
assigning the identified and classified objects to the determined object positions in the defined section,
determining a lane present in the section by the evaluation unit,
transmitting object information and the object positions of the identified and classified objects, section information relating to the defined section, lane information and an item of time information to a map creation device by a transmitting device,
repeating the preceding operations to define further sections of the environment; and
in the map creation device:
receiving the object information and the object positions, the section information, the lane information and the time information for each of the sections from the at least one mobile device,
comparing the individual sections with one another based on the object information and object positions, the section information, the lane information and the time information,
joining the sections of the at least one mobile device at their respectively adjacent boundaries, and
merging the joined sections of the at least one mobile device to form a digital map.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the lane determined in a section is described by a corridor comprising a left-hand lane boundary and a right-hand lane boundary, the left-hand lane boundary and the right-hand lane boundary each being described as lane functions.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the lane functions are third degree polynomial functions.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the sections of the at least one mobile device are joined at their respectively adjacent boundaries by a similarity comparison, in which case a predetermined value for a similarity must be exceeded so that sections are identified as adjacent.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the joined sections of the at least one mobile device are merged taking into account a weighting, the weighting being defined by the time information and/or at least one further criterion.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the process of merging the joined sections of the at least one mobile device comprises averaging a plurality of object positions determined for an object.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the process of joining the sections of the at least one mobile device at their respectively adjacent boundaries, at least at these boundaries or in regions around the boundaries, comprises a comparison of the lanes or the lane functions of the sections.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit additionally captures additional information for a section, which additional information is transmitted to the map creation device by the transmitting device, and/or this additional information or further additional information is stored by the map creation device for this section in the digital map.

### Claim 9

A system for creating a digital map, the system comprising:
at least one mobile device having:
at least one camera for capturing an image sequence of an environment of the at least one mobile device,
an evaluation unit, and
a transmitting device for communicating with a map creation device,
wherein the evaluation unit identifies and classifies objects in the captured image sequence, determines object positions of the objects relative to the mobile device, defines a section in the environment, the section having a predetermined size and predetermined boundaries, assigns identified and classified objects to the determined object positions in the defined section, determines a lane of the motorized transportation vehicle present in a section, transmits object information and the object positions of the identified and classified objects, section information relating to the defined section, lane information and an item of time information to the map creation device by the transmitting device, and repeats the preceding operations to define further sections of the environment, and
wherein the map creation device (3) which receives the object information and the object positions, the section information, the lane information and the time information for each of the sections from the at least one mobile device, compares the individual sections with one another based on the object information and object positions, the section information, the lane information and the time information, joins the sections of the at least one mobile device at their respectively adjacent boundaries, and merges the joined sections of the at least one mobile device to form a digital map.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system of claim 9, wherein the evaluation unit describes the lane determined in a section by a corridor comprising a left-hand lane boundary and a right-hand lane boundary, the left-hand lane boundary and the right-hand lane boundary each being described as lane functions.