U.S. patent application number 17/133204 was filed with the patent office on 2021-06-24 for systems and methods for loading and tracking maps on a vehicle.
The applicant listed for this patent is Beijing Voyager Technology Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Tingbo Hou, Guomin Xiang.
Application Number | 20210190514 17/133204 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005432918 |
Filed Date | 2021-06-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210190514 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hou; Tingbo ; et
al. |
June 24, 2021 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LOADING AND TRACKING MAPS ON A VEHICLE
Abstract
A method and systems for loading and tracking maps on a moving
vehicle. One method includes obtaining a geographic location of a
system on a vehicle, obtaining a boundary corresponding to a
contiguous geographical boundary area around the geographic
location of the system, loading map data comprising a plurality of
map data tiles each including a portion of the geographical
boundary area, the plurality of map data tiles including a center
tile having a point corresponding to the system location and
surrounding map data tiles. The method further includes obtaining
an updated system location, and if the updated geographic location
is outside of the boundary area, obtaining an updated boundary
centered on the updated geographic location and loading map data
based on the updated boundary such that the resulting loaded map
data includes a center tile and map data tiles surrounding the
center tile that intersect the geographical boundary area.
Inventors: |
Hou; Tingbo; (Santa Clara,
CA) ; Xiang; Guomin; (San Jose, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Beijing Voyager Technology Co., Ltd. |
Beijing |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005432918 |
Appl. No.: |
17/133204 |
Filed: |
December 23, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
16232693 |
Dec 26, 2018 |
10876844 |
|
|
17133204 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01C 21/32 20130101;
G06T 1/60 20130101; G01S 19/43 20130101; G01C 21/34 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G01C 21/32 20060101
G01C021/32; G01S 19/43 20060101 G01S019/43; G01C 21/34 20060101
G01C021/34 |
Claims
1. A method implemented on a device on a vehicle, the device having
at least one processor and a storage component coupled to the
processor, the method comprising: obtaining, by the at least one
processor, a geographic location of the device; obtaining a
boundary corresponding to a contiguous geographical boundary area
around the geographic location of the device; loading map data
comprising a plurality of map data tiles from the storage component
to a memory of the device, each of the plurality of map data tiles
including a portion of the geographical boundary area, the
geographical boundary area corresponding to a portion of the loaded
map data, wherein the plurality of map data tiles includes a center
tile having a point corresponding to the geographic location of the
device and surrounding map data tiles, and wherein the boundary is
centered on the center tile and dimensioned such that the
geographical boundary area intersects the surrounding map data
tiles; and while the vehicle is in motion: obtaining, by the at
least one processor, an updated geographic location of the device,
determining the position of the updated geographic location
relative to the boundary area, and in response to determining the
updated geographic location is outside of the boundary area,
obtaining an updated boundary corresponding to an updated
geographic area centered on the updated geographic location and
loading map data from the storage component to the memory of the
device such that the resulting loaded map data includes: a center
tile having a point corresponding to the updated geographic
location of the device, and map data tiles surrounding the center
tile that intersect the geographical boundary area.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 16/232,693, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR
LOADING AND TRACKING MAPS ON A VEHICLE" and filed on Dec. 26, 2018,
which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Any and all applications, if any, for which a foreign or domestic
priority claim is identified in the Application Data Sheet of the
present application are hereby incorporated by reference in their
entireties under 37 CFR 1.57.
BACKGROUND
Field
[0002] This disclosure generally relates to handling map data in
vehicles, and, in particular, to dynamically loading map data into
memory of a computer system on a vehicle for controlling the
vehicle.
Background
[0003] Current solutions for autonomous driving, providing
driver-assist features, and/or ride-sharing services heavily rely
on data rich maps, which may be referred to as high definition (HD)
maps. These HD maps may have extremely high precision and include
geographic and object data at the centimeter-size level to provide
a vehicle and/or driver information that can be used to (along with
real-time sensor data) generate precise control instructions on how
to maneuver around the real-world space. The size of an HD map can
be extremely large due to its high resolution and detailed
information. Continuously loading numerous HD maps for use by a
vehicle may occur when driving over a distance where many HD maps
are needed to accurately provide map information over a route. Due
to the concerns of bandwidth and security with continuously
transmitting large amounts of data over current wireless networks
(e.g., 4G networks) to a moving system, it would be advantageous to
have a secure system that can provide large HD maps without relying
on transmission capabilities of wireless networks to receive the HD
maps at the time they are immediately needed by the vehicle.
SUMMARY
[0004] The systems, methods, and devices of the invention each have
several aspects (features), no single aspect of which is solely
responsible for its desirable attributes. Without limiting the
scope of this invention as expressed by the claims which follow,
some of the aspects are described below.
[0005] One innovation includes a method of loading information
(e.g., HD map data) for a vehicle which may be implemented on a
device of a moving vehicle, the device having at least one
processor and a storage component coupled to the processor. In one
example, the method includes obtaining, by the at least one
processor, a geographic location of the device, obtaining a
boundary corresponding to a contiguous geographical boundary area
around the geographic location of the device, loading map data
comprising a plurality of map data tiles from the storage component
to a memory of the device, each of the plurality of map data tiles
including a portion of the geographical boundary area, the
geographical boundary area corresponding to a portion of the loaded
map data, wherein the plurality of map data tiles includes a center
tile having a point corresponding to the geographic location of the
device and surrounding map data tiles, and wherein the boundary is
centered on the center tile and dimensioned such that the
geographical boundary area intersects the surrounding map data
tiles. The method may further includes, while the vehicle is in
motion, obtaining, by the at least one processor, an updated
geographic location of the device, determining the position of the
updated geographic location relative to the boundary area, and in
response to determining the updated geographic location is outside
of the boundary area, obtaining an updated boundary corresponding
to an updated geographic area centered on the updated geographic
location and loading map data from the storage component to the
memory of the device, such that the resulting loaded map data
includes a center tile having a point corresponding to the updated
geographic location of the device, and map data tiles surrounding
the center tile that intersect the geographical boundary area.
[0006] The methods described herein may have one or more other
aspects (features) in various embodiments of the method, a number
of these aspects being noted here. However, various embodiments of
such methods may have additional aspects or fewer aspects, and the
aspects disclosed herein can be used together in an number of
embodiments even if specifically not illustrated or described as
being in a certain embodiment, as one of ordinary skill in the art
will appreciate. For example, in one aspect the surrounding map
data tiles are adjacent to the center tile. In another aspect the
map data tiles comprise elevation information. In another aspect
the map data tiles comprise intensity information. In another
aspect the geographical boundary area corresponds to an area that
includes the center tile and at least a portion of the map data
tiles adjacent to the center tile. In another aspect the boundary
is rectangular-shaped. In another aspect, each map data tile
comprises a width dimension and a length dimension, and the
boundary comprises a width dimension and a length dimension, the
boundary width dimension is between one and three times the width
dimension of each map data tile, and the boundary length dimension
is between one and three times the length dimension of each map
data tile.
[0007] In another aspect of a method, the loaded map data includes
nine map data tiles. In another aspect, each of the nine map data
tiles has equal dimensions. In another aspect, the nine map data
tiles include a center map data tile and eight surrounding map data
tiles. In another aspect, the map data tiles include a center map
data tile and more than eight surrounding map data tiles. In
another aspect, the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle. In another
aspect, the boundary may be non-rectangular. For example, the
boundary may be more expansive (i.e., encompassing more area) in an
area that represents the direction the vehicle is moving in, will
be moving in next, or is expected to move in. In another aspect,
the size of the boundary and the updated boundary are
pre-determined. In another aspect, obtaining the updated boundary
comprises dynamically determining the updated boundary. In another
aspect, dynamically determining the updated boundary comprises
obtaining a velocity of the moving vehicle and determining a
dimension of the boundary based on the velocity. In another aspect,
dynamically determining the updated boundary comprises obtaining a
velocity of the moving vehicle and determining a shape of the
boundary based on the velocity. Some of the methods may further
include determining a motion direction representing the direction
the vehicle is moving, wherein the boundary extends farther from
the updated geographical location of the device in the direction of
the motion direction than the boundary extends in other directions.
Various storage devices suitable for storing and transferring large
HD maps may be used, and in some embodiments the storage device may
include an optical drive or a magnetic hard drive. Other types of
hard drives may also be used. In some embodiments, the storage
device may include non-moving storage devices (e.g., RAM or
DRAM).
[0008] In another aspect of a method each map data tile is
representative of an area that has a width dimension of less than
1000 meters and/or a length dimension of less than 1000 meters. In
another aspect, each map data tile is representative of an area
that has a width dimension of less than 500 meters and/or a length
dimension of less than 500 meters. Other dimensions for the map
data tiles are also contemplated, including that each map data tile
is representative of an area that has a width dimension of less
than 250 meters and/or a length dimension of less than 250 meters,
each map data tile is representative of an area that has a width
dimension of about 200 meters and/or a length dimension of about
200 meters, or each map data tile is representative of an area that
has a width dimension of less than 100 meters and a length
dimension of less than 100 meters.
[0009] In another aspect, the boundary is dimensioned such that in
response to determining the updated geographic location is outside
of the boundary area, loading map data based on the updated
geographic location comprises loading three map data tiles. In
another aspect, the boundary is dimensioned such that in response
to determining the updated geographic location is outside of the
boundary area, loading map data based on the updated geographic
location comprises loading five map data tiles. In another aspect,
obtaining a geographic location of the device comprises receiving,
by the at least one processor, information from a global
positioning system (GPS). In another aspect, obtaining a geographic
location of the device comprises receiving geographic location
information from at least one transmitter at a fixed location. In
another aspect, obtaining a geographical location of the device
comprises sensing at least one fixed location indicator using a
sensing system on the vehicle, and determining a geographical
location based on the sensed at least one fixed location
indicator.
[0010] Another innovation includes a system, comprising a storage
system configured to store map data comprising a plurality of map
data tiles, at least one processor coupled to a memory component
including a set of instructions and coupled to the storage system,
when executing the set of instructions, the at least one processor
is configured to cause the system to obtain a location of the
device, obtain a boundary corresponding to a contiguous
geographical boundary area around the geographic location of the
device, load map data from the storage component to the memory of
the device, the map data comprising a plurality of map data tiles,
each of the plurality of map data tiles including a portion of the
geographical boundary area and the geographical boundary area
corresponding to a portion of the loaded map data, where the
plurality of map data tiles includes a center tile having a point
corresponding to the geographic location of the device and
surrounding map data tiles, and where the boundary is centered on
the center tile and dimensioned such that the geographical boundary
area intersects the surrounding map data tiles. The system is
further configured to obtain an updated geographic location of the
device (e.g., when the device is in motion on a vehicle), determine
the position of the updated geographic location relative to the
boundary area, and in response to determining the updated
geographic location is outside of the boundary area, obtain an
updated boundary centered on the updated geographic location and
load map data from the storage component to the memory of the
device based on the updated boundary. The system can further
include the vehicle.
[0011] Aspects disclosed above relating to the method can also be
implemented on the system. For example, the memory component can
include instructions to configure the at least one processor
perform the actions related to loading map data described above for
the method.
[0012] Another innovation includes a non-transitory computer
readable medium storing instructions, the instructions, when
executed by a computing device, causing the computing device to
obtain a geographic location of the device, obtain a boundary
corresponding to a contiguous geographical boundary area around the
geographic location of the device, load map data from the storage
component to the memory of the device, the map data comprising a
plurality of map data tiles, each of the plurality of map data
tiles including a portion of the geographical boundary area and the
geographical boundary area corresponding to a portion of the loaded
map data, wherein the plurality of map data tiles includes a center
tile having a point corresponding to the geographic location of the
device and surrounding map data tiles, and wherein the boundary is
centered on the center tile and dimensioned such that the
geographical boundary area intersects the surrounding map data
tiles, and while the vehicle is in motion: obtain an updated
geographic location of the device, determine the position of the
updated geographic location relative to the boundary area, and in
response to determining the updated geographic location is outside
of the boundary area, obtain an updated boundary centered on the
updated geographic location and load map data from the storage
component to the memory of the device based on the updated
boundary.
[0013] Another innovation includes a method that may be implemented
on a device (or system) on a vehicle, the method for loading data
from a storage system capable of storing a large amount of data to
a memory component (e.g., working memory or other quickly
accessible memory) in communication with at least one processor.
The device includes the at least one processor, the memory
component and a data storage component coupled to the processor. In
one embodiment, the method includes obtaining, by the at least one
processor, a location of the vehicle, determining, by the at least
one processor, data retrieval information based on the vehicle
location, the data retrieval information identifying a proximal
portion of stored object geometry data that is within a certain
distance of the vehicle, retrieving, by the at least one processor,
the proximal portion of the object geometry data from the data
storage component, and storing, by the at least one processor, the
proximal portion of the object geometry data in the memory
component.
[0014] Embodiments of systems described herein may have one or more
other aspects (features) in various embodiments of the system, a
number of these aspects being noted here. However, various
embodiments of such systems may have additional aspects or fewer
aspects, and the aspects disclosed herein can be used together in
an number of embodiments even if specifically not illustrated or
described as being in a certain embodiment, as one of ordinary
skill in the art will appreciate. In one aspect, the data storage
component is configured to store the object geometry data in a data
structure such that a portion of the stored object geometry data
representing an area around the vehicle may be retrieved. In
another aspect, the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle. In another
aspect, the proximal portion of the object geometry data at least
partially surrounds the vehicle. In another aspect the method
further comprises obtaining, by the at least one processor, the
speed and direction of the vehicle, and wherein determining the
data retrieval information comprises determining the based at least
in part on the speed and direction of the vehicle. In another
aspect, the method further comprises determining a route of one or
more roads for the vehicle to travel along from a location of the
vehicle to a destination, obtaining road identification information
indicative of a road the vehicle is on while the vehicle is
traveling along the route, and determining the data retrieval
information based on the vehicle location and the road
identification information. In another aspect, the road
identification information includes information on one or more
roads that are along the route and that the vehicle is
approaching.
[0015] In another aspect of the method, the method further
comprises determining the distance the vehicle has traveled along
the route, and wherein determining data retrieval information is
based in part on the distance the vehicle has traveled along the
route.
[0016] Another innovation includes a system implemented on a
vehicle, for example in an autonomous vehicle. In an embodiment,
the system includes a data storage component configured to store
object geometry data in a data structure such that a portion of the
stored object geometry data may be retrieved. The data storage
component may be, for example, a magnetic or optical hard drive, or
may include a one or more chips, that can store large amounts of
data (e.g., gigabytes, terabytes, petabytes, or exabytes, or more)
and allow retrieval of the stored information. The system also
includes at least one processor having a memory component, wherein
the at least one processor is configured to obtain a location of
the vehicle, determine data retrieval information based on the
vehicle location, the data retrieval information identifying a
proximal portion of the object geometry data that is within a
certain distance of the vehicle, and retrieve the proximal portion
of the object geometry data from the data storage component and
store it in the memory component.
[0017] Embodiments of systems described herein may have one or more
other aspects (features) in various embodiments of the system, a
number of these aspects being noted here. However, various
embodiments of such systems may have additional aspects or fewer
aspects, and the aspects disclosed herein can be used together in
an number of embodiments even if specifically not illustrated or
described as being in a certain embodiment, as one of ordinary
skill in the art will appreciate. For example, in one aspect the
proximal portion of the object geometry data at least partially
surrounds the vehicle location. In another aspect, the proximal
portion of the object geometry data is centered on the vehicle
location. In another aspect, the proximal portion of the object
geometry data extends farther in distance from the front of the
vehicle at the vehicle location than from the back of the vehicle.
In another aspect, the proximal portion of the object geometry data
surrounds the vehicle location.
[0018] In various embodiments, a system may also include a global
positioning system (GPS), and wherein the at least one processor is
further configured to obtain the location of the vehicle from the
GPS. In one aspect, the at least one processor is further
configured to obtain the speed and direction of the vehicle, and
determine the data retrieval information based at least in part on
the speed and direction of the vehicle. In another aspect, the at
least one processor is further configured to obtain road
identification information indicative of a road the vehicle is on,
and determine data retrieval information based on the vehicle
location and the road identification information. In another
aspect, the system further may include a navigation system
configured to receive an input identifying a destination, determine
a route of one or more roads for the vehicle to travel along from a
location of the vehicle to the destination, determine the road
identification information while the vehicle is traveling along the
route, and communicate the road identification information to the
at least one processor. In another aspect, the at least one
processor is further configured to obtain a speed of the vehicle,
and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to
determine the data retrieval information based in part on the speed
of the vehicle. In another aspect, the system further includes an
odometer device configured to determine the distance the vehicle
has traveled along the route, wherein the data retrieval
information is based in part on the distance the vehicle has
traveled along the route. In another aspect, the road
identification information includes information on roads that are
along the route that the vehicle is approaching.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The features and advantages of the devices described herein
will become more fully apparent from the following description and
appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings. These drawings depict only several embodiments in
accordance with the disclosure and are not to be considered
limiting of its scope. In the drawings, similar reference numbers
or symbols typically identify similar components, unless context
dictates otherwise. In some instances, the drawings may not be
drawn to scale.
[0020] FIG. 1A illustrates a block diagram of a networked vehicle
environment in which one or more vehicles and/or one or more user
devices interact with a server via a network, according to one
embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 1B illustrates a block diagram showing the vehicle of
FIG. 1A in communication with one or more other vehicles and/or the
server of FIG. 1A, according to one embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrating a vehicle moving along a
road and examples of components that the vehicle may use to
determine its geographical location information.
[0023] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrating an example of map data
that may be represented by a plurality of map data tile.
[0024] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustrating an example of map data
that may be loaded into memory based on a vehicle initial (or
first) geographic location, the map data including a plurality of
map data tiles where at least a portion of each of the plurality of
map data tiles fall within a boundary defining a contiguous
boundary area around the geographic location of the vehicle.
[0025] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating an example of map data
that may be loaded into memory based on a vehicle updated (or
second) geographic location, the map data including a plurality of
map data tiles where at least a portion of each of the plurality of
map data tiles fall within a boundary defining a contiguous
boundary area around the updated geographic location of the
vehicle.
[0026] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustrating another example of map
data that may be loaded into memory based on a vehicle initial (or
first) geographic location, the map data including a plurality of
map data tiles where at least a portion of each of the plurality of
map data tiles fall within a boundary defining a contiguous
boundary area around the geographic location of the vehicle.
[0027] FIG. 7 is a schematic illustrating an example of map data
that may be loaded into memory based on a vehicle updated (or
second) geographic location, the map data including a plurality of
map data tiles where at least a portion of each of the plurality of
map data tiles fall within a boundary defining a contiguous
boundary area around the updated geographic location of the
vehicle.
[0028] FIG. 8 is a schematic of an example of a computer system
that can be on a vehicle and that can be used to perform the map
data loading described herein.
[0029] FIG. 9 is a schematic illustrating another example of map
data that may be loaded into memory based on a vehicle's geographic
location, the map data including a plurality of map data tiles
where at least a portion of each of the plurality of map data tiles
fall within a boundary defining a contiguous boundary area around
the geographic location of the vehicle, and where a motion vector
(e.g., a velocity vector indicating the speed and direction of the
vehicle) has been obtained (e.g., determined by the system based on
subsequent determination of the vehicle geographic location).
[0030] FIG. 10 is a schematic illustrating another example of map
data that may be loaded into memory based on a vehicle's geographic
location and the motion vector that determines a size or shape
characteristic (e.g., a dimension) of a boundary that is used to
determine which map data tiles to load into memory.
[0031] FIG. 11 is flow chart of a method of loading map data.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN INVENTIVE ASPECTS
[0032] The following detailed description is directed to certain
aspects and examples of the invention. However, the invention can
be embodied in a multitude of different ways. It should be apparent
that the aspects herein may be embodied in a wide variety of forms
and that any specific structure, function, or both being disclosed
herein is merely representative of one or more embodiments of the
invention. An aspect disclosed herein may be implemented
independently of any other aspects and that two or more of these
aspects may be combined in various ways. For example, different
embodiments of methods of loading map data from a map data storage
system configured to store large quantities of data (e.g.,
terabytes or more) into a "working" memory of a computer system on
a vehicle as it is moving along a route may be implemented using a
number of the aspects/features disclosed herein. In addition, such
a method may be implemented or such a system may be practiced using
other processes, steps, structure, functionality, or structure in
addition to, or other than one or more of the aspects set forth
herein.
[0033] Map data used by a vehicle (e.g., an autonomous vehicle, a
vehicle that provider driver-assist features, a vehicle used for
location-based services, etc.) may be referred to as an HD maps may
contain many type of information, ranging from raw data (e.g.,
images captured at a certain location and at a certain orientation
with respect the location) to representations of features or
objects (e.g., information representing roads, signs, man-made
objects near a road, natural objects near a road, etc.). Such data
and features may represent information that was previously
collected by another vehicle traveling along a road, or determined
to be near a road (e.g., elevation data). Generally, as used
herein, "near a road" or "proximal to a road" or "proximal portion"
or the like refers to information that may be sensed by one or more
sensors of a sensor system disposed on a vehicle, or information
that a vehicle may use for positioning the vehicle or controlling
the vehicle.
[0034] Various embodiments of HD maps may include different
information, that may be provided by various data information
systems on one or more storage components. For example, information
in an HD map, or a portion of an HD map (e.g., a map data tile),
may include information that represents one or more of elevation,
intensity, natural features (geographic features), roads, signs,
buildings houses, walkways, landscape, and other man-made objects
or objects placed in a location by man. In some embodiments, HD
maps include elevation information intensity information. In some
embodiments, information representing objects, for example man-made
objects, are stored in a separate data storage arrangement from
elevation and/or intensity information. For example, in a database
which can be queried as needed for the objects around a vehicle as
a vehicle moves along a route. Such queries may be based on a
predetermined distance around a vehicle, that is, such that all the
objects within a certain distance are returned based on such the
query. In another example, such queries may be based on a distance
around the vehicle that changes based on one or more factors, for
example, the vehicle's speed, location (e.g., city or country
road), or direction of travel.
[0035] To be effective for use by a vehicle, HD maps may include
information at a centimeter-scale resolution. In an illustrative
embodiment, in example of raw data structured on a 10 cm.times.10
cm grid, the resolution may be determined by the upper bound of
errors a vehicle can tolerate. For each cell on the grid, three
bytes may be used: one for intensity information, and two bytes for
elevation information. Therefore, for one square meter, 300 bytes
in memory (10*10*3) are used. For an area of 10 km by 10 km,
storage of the data may require 30 GB of memory (e.g., 10 k*10
k*300). If the stored data is compressed, less memory may be
required. However, any decompression of data is being retrieved
from a data storage component requires at least some additional
overhead associated with the decompression processes, and thus may
increase overhead for retrieving the data. Storage of the HD map
data is one issue. Communicating the HD map data from a storage
location to the vehicle is another issue. Such communication must
be reliable, efficient, and secure to ensure the required HD map
data is available when needed.
[0036] As a vehicle moves from point a first point to a second
point, a navigation system may provide the route the vehicle should
use, for example, indicating the particular highways and streets
for the vehicle to use. For second-to-second control of the
vehicle, only the data around the vehicle may need to be loaded.
When the vehicle is moving, we can load new data into memory, and
remove old data from it. In one embodiment to implement a method of
loading new HD maps into memory and removing old HD maps from
memory, a grid of information that the vehicle is moving through
can be portrayed as tiles of information. For example, each tile
may have a data resolution of 2000 by 2000, which corresponds to
200 m by 200 m in real world.
[0037] One example of choosing the dimensions for map data tiles
may be based on tile loading frequency and tile size. We don't want
to load tiles too frequently. The I/O for reading files from disk
is expensive. This indicates that tiles cannot be too small. In
urban areas, a vehicle may move with speed from 10 m/s to 20 m/s.
Therefore, it takes 10 to 20 seconds for a vehicle to pass through
one tile. This results in a frequency of 0.05 to 0.1 Hz, which is
affordable. The size of the tile should not be too large because
that will take more memory. Although computers on a vehicle may be
usually very powerful, the computing resources may actually be very
limited because of all the computing needs that take place on the
vehicle. In an example where the memory consumption of HD maps is
desired to be about 100 MB or less, a tile takes 2 k*2 k*3B=12 MB
memory. So nine tiles will take 108 MB memory. We want the full
tile loading to be finished in 100 ms, faster if possible. Tile
dimensions should be compatible with loading time at different
scenarios. Larger tile size results in longer loading time, which
can result in a tile not being available before it is needed to be
accessed. On the contrary, smaller tile size results in higher
loading frequency, where a similar availability issue may happen as
the vehicle quickly moves across one tile of information and needs
the next tiles. Tiles may be compressed files. For a tile size of
2000 by 2000, it takes about 10 ms to fully load a tile, including
reading and decompressing. So, loading a full nine-tile pack may
takes less 100 ms, which can be done by one thread before the
vehicle goes to unloaded area. To account for the above-described
issues, in one embodiment, 2000 by 2000 is a tile size that
satisfies resource constrictions and optimizes loading
frequency.
[0038] Certain embodiments described herein include using HD map
data that is configured in arrangement of tiles. As needed, one or
more tiles a loaded from a storage component into the memory of a
device controlling the time is vehicle. For example, at any time,
there are nine tiles loaded in memory representing a certain
bounded area around the vehicle. To seamlessly serve the HD map
data, tiles that the vehicle may goes to may be pre-loaded in a
background thread. The tile loading is completely hidden for
clients. For example, a boundary defining an area (or region) with
a size of 4000 by 4000 may be placed around a center tile. When the
vehicle moves within the bounded area, there is no change to tile
loading. When the vehicle moves out of the bounded area, new tiles
will be loaded to make a new nine-tile arrangement around the
center tile.
[0039] A method for loading map data may be implemented on a
computing device of a vehicle. The method can include for example
obtaining the geographic position of the vehicle, using for example
GPS, and inertia navigation system, position indicators fixed along
a road that are sensed by one or more sensors of the vehicle,
and/or receiving transmissions (e.g., radio or optical) from
transmitters positioned in locations with the vehicles can receive
their signals. A boundary corresponding to a geographical boundary
area around the position of the vehicle may be obtained (e.g.,
calculated). Then, the method may load map data that includes a
plurality of map data tiles from a storage component to a memory of
the device. Each of the plurality of map data tiles include a
portion of the due geographical boundary area around the vehicle,
the geographical boundary area corresponding to a portion of the
loaded map data. That is, the total loaded map data covers the
geographical boundary area and extends beyond the geographical
boundary area, based on the tile size. The plurality of map data
tiles may include a center tile having a point corresponding to the
geographic location of the device. The plurality of map tiles may
also include surrounding mandated tiles that are arranged around
the center tile (and around the location of the vehicle). The
boundary is centered on the center tile and dimension such the
geographical boundary area intersects the surrounding map data
tiles. For example, the loaded map data may include nine tiles
arranged in a rectangle, the vehicle's location corresponding to a
point in the center tile.
[0040] While the vehicle is in motion an updated geographic
location of the device is obtained (e.g., using GPS, roadside
location indicia, an inertia location system, etc.) and the systems
determines the position of the vehicle at the updated geographical
location relative to the boundary area. In response to determining
the updated location of the vehicle is outside of the boundary
area, an updated boundary is determined. The updated boundary
corresponds to an updated area centered on the updated location of
the vehicle. Map data in the form of map data tiles may be loaded
from the storage component to the memory of the device such that
the resulting loaded map data includes a center tile having a point
corresponding to the updated location of device (vehicle), and map
data tiles surrounding the center tile that intersect the boundary
area. In other words, when the vehicle's location is determined to
have exceeded the boundary area as defined by the most recent
determined boundary, additional map data tiles are loaded.
Illustrative Embodiment
[0041] Embodiments of system and methods for loading map data are
described below in reference to the figures. It will be appreciated
by those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications
and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the
described technology. Such modifications and changes are intended
to fall within the scope of the embodiments. It will also be
appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that parts
included in one embodiment are interchangeable with other
embodiments--one or more parts from a depicted embodiment can be
included with other depicted embodiments in any combination. For
example, any of the various components described herein and/or
depicted in the figures may be combined, interchanged or excluded
from other embodiments.
[0042] FIG. 1A illustrates a block diagram of a networked vehicle
environment 100 in which one or more vehicles 120 and/or one or
more user devices 102 interact with a server 130 via a network 110,
according to one embodiment. For example, the vehicles 120 may be
equipped to provide ride-sharing and/or other location-based
services, to assist drivers in controlling vehicle operation (e.g.,
via various driver-assist features, such as adaptive and/or regular
cruise control, adaptive headlight control, anti-lock braking,
automatic parking, night vision, blind spot monitor, collision
avoidance, crosswind stabilization, driver drowsiness detection,
driver monitoring system, emergency driver assistant, intersection
assistant, hill descent control, intelligent speed adaptation, lane
centering, lane departure warning, forward, rear, and/or side
parking sensors, pedestrian detection, rain sensor, surround view
system, tire pressure monitor, traffic sign recognition, turning
assistant, wrong-way driving warning, traffic condition alerts,
etc.), and/or to fully control vehicle operation. Thus, the
vehicles 120 can be regular gasoline, natural gas, biofuel,
electric, hydrogen, etc. vehicles configured to offer ride-sharing
and/or other location-based services, vehicles that provide
driver-assist functionality (e.g., one or more of the driver-assist
features described herein), and/or automated or autonomous vehicles
(AVs). The vehicles 120 can be automobiles, trucks, vans, buses,
motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, and/or any other motorized
vehicle.
[0043] The server 130 can communicate with the vehicles 120 to
obtain vehicle data, such as route data, sensor data, perception
data, vehicle 120 control data, vehicle 120 component fault and/or
failure data, etc. The server 130 can process and store the vehicle
data for use in other operations performed by the server 130 and/or
another computing system (not shown). Such operations can include
running diagnostic models to identify vehicle 120 operational
issues (e.g., the cause of vehicle 120 navigational errors, unusual
sensor readings, an object not being identified, vehicle 120
component failure, etc.); running models to simulate vehicle 120
performance given a set of variables; identifying objects that
cannot be identified by a vehicle 120, generating control
instructions that, when executed by a vehicle 120, cause the
vehicle 120 to drive and/or maneuver in a certain manner along a
specified path; and/or the like.
[0044] The server 130 can also transmit data to the vehicles 120.
For example, the server 130 can transmit map data, firmware and/or
software updates, vehicle 120 control instructions, an
identification of an object that could not otherwise be identified
by a vehicle 120, passenger pickup information, traffic data,
and/or the like.
[0045] In addition to communicating with one or more vehicles 120,
the server 130 can communicate with one or more user devices 102.
In particular, the server 130 can provide a network service to
enable a user to request, via an application running on a user
device 102, location-based services (e.g., transportation services,
such as ride-sharing services). For example, the user devices 102
can correspond to a computing device, such as a smart phone,
tablet, laptop, smart watch, or any other device that can
communicate over the network 110 with the server 130. In the
embodiment, a user device 102 executes an application, such as a
mobile application, that the user operating the user device 102 can
use to interact with the server 130. For example, the user device
102 can communicate with the server 130 to provide location data
and/or queries to the server 130, to receive map-related data
and/or directions from the server 130, and/or the like.
[0046] The server 130 can process requests and/or other data
received from user devices 102 to identify service providers (e.g.,
vehicle 120 drivers) to provide the requested services for the
users. In addition, the server 130 can receive data--such as user
trip pickup or destination data, user location query data,
etc.--based on which the server 130 identifies a region, an
address, and/or other location associated with the various users.
The server 130 can then use the identified location to provide
services providers and/or users with directions to a determined
pickup location.
[0047] The application running on the user device 102 may be
created and/or made available by the same entity responsible for
the server 130. Alternatively, the application running on the user
device 102 can be a third-party application that includes features
(e.g., an application programming interface or software development
kit) that enables communications with the server 130.
[0048] A single server 130 is illustrated in FIG. 1A for simplicity
and ease of explanation. It is appreciated, however, that the
server 130 may be a single computing device, or may include
multiple distinct computing devices logically or physically grouped
together to collectively operate as a server system. The components
of the server 130 can be implemented in application-specific
hardware (e.g., a server computing device with one or more ASICs)
such that no software is necessary, or as a combination of hardware
and software. In addition, the modules and components of the server
130 can be combined on one server computing device or separated
individually or into groups on several server computing devices. In
some embodiments, the server 130 may include additional or fewer
components than illustrated in FIG. 1A.
[0049] The network 110 includes any wired network, wireless
network, or combination thereof. For example, the network 110 may
be a personal area network, local area network, wide area network,
over-the-air broadcast network (e.g., for radio or television),
cable network, satellite network, cellular telephone network, or
combination thereof. As a further example, the network 110 may be a
publicly accessible network of linked networks, possibly operated
by various distinct parties, such as the Internet. In some
embodiments, the network 110 may be a private or semi-private
network, such as a corporate or university intranet. The network
110 may include one or more wireless networks, such as a Global
System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, a Code Division
Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Long Term Evolution (LTE)
network, or any other type of wireless network. The network 110 can
use protocols and components for communicating via the Internet or
any of the other aforementioned types of networks. For example, the
protocols used by the network 110 may include Hypertext Transfer
Protocol (HTTP), HTTP Secure (HTTPS), Message Queue Telemetry
Transport (MQTT), Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP), and the
like. Protocols and components for communicating via the Internet
or any of the other aforementioned types of communication networks
are well known to those skilled in the art and, thus, are not
described in more detail herein.
[0050] The server 130 can include a navigation unit 140, a vehicle
data processing unit 145, and a data store 150. The navigation unit
140 can assist with location-based services. For example, the
navigation unit 140 can facilitate the transportation of a user
(also referred to herein as a "rider") and/or an object (e.g.,
food, packages, etc.) by another user (also referred to herein as a
"driver") from a first location (also referred to herein as a
"pickup location") to a second location (also referred to herein as
a "destination location"). The navigation unit 140 may facilitate
user and/or object transportation by providing map and/or
navigation instructions to an application running on a user device
102 of a rider, to an application running on a user device 102 of a
driver, and/or to a navigational system running on a vehicle
120.
[0051] As an example, the navigation unit 140 can include a
matching service (not shown) that pairs a rider requesting a trip
from a pickup location to a destination location with a driver that
can complete the trip. The matching service may interact with an
application running on the user device 102 of the rider and/or an
application running on the user device 102 of the driver to
establish the trip for the rider and/or to process payment from the
rider to the driver.
[0052] The navigation unit 140 can also communicate with the
application running on the user device 102 of the driver during the
trip to obtain trip location information from the user device 102
(e.g., via a global position system (GPS) component coupled to
and/or embedded within the user device 102) and provide navigation
directions to the application that aid the driver in traveling from
the current location of the driver to the destination location. The
navigation unit 140 can also direct the driver to various
geographic locations or points of interest, regardless of whether
the driver is carrying a rider.
[0053] The vehicle data processing unit 145 can be configured to
support vehicle 120 driver-assist features and/or to support
autonomous driving. For example, the vehicle data processing unit
145 can generate and/or transmit to a vehicle 120 map data, run
diagnostic models to identify vehicle 120 operational issues, run
models to simulate vehicle 120 performance given a set of
variables, use vehicle data provided by a vehicle 120 to identify
an object and transmit an identification of the object to the
vehicle 120, generate and/or transmit to a vehicle 120 vehicle 120
control instructions, and/or the like.
[0054] The data store 150 can store various types of data used by
the navigation unit 140, the vehicle data processing unit 145, the
user devices 102, and/or the vehicles 120. For example, the data
store 150 can store user data 152, map data 154, search data 156,
and log data 158.
[0055] The user data 152 may include information on some or all of
the users registered with a location-based service, such as drivers
and riders. The information may include, for example, usernames,
passwords, names, addresses, billing information, data associated
with prior trips taken or serviced by a user, user rating
information, user loyalty program information, and/or the like.
[0056] The map data 154 may include high definition (HD) maps
generated from sensors (e.g., light detection and ranging (LiDAR)
sensors, radio detection and ranging (RADAR) sensors, infrared
cameras, visible light cameras, stereo cameras, an inertial
measurement unit (IMU), etc.), satellite imagery, optical character
recognition (OCR) performed on captured street images (e.g., to
identify names of streets, to identify street sign text, to
identify names of points of interest, etc.), etc.; information used
to calculate routes; information used to render 2D and/or 3D
graphical maps; and/or the like. For example, the map data 154 can
include elements like the layout of streets and intersections,
bridges (e.g., including information on the height and/or width of
bridges over streets), off-ramps, buildings, parking structure
entrances and exits (e.g., including information on the height
and/or width of the vehicle entrances and/or exits), the placement
of street signs and stop lights, emergency turnoffs, points of
interest (e.g., parks, restaurants, fuel stations, attractions,
landmarks, etc., and associated names), road markings (e.g.,
centerline markings dividing lanes of opposing traffic, lane
markings, stop lines, left turn guide lines, right turn guide
lines, crosswalks, bus lane markings, bike lane markings, island
marking, pavement text, highway exist and entrance markings, etc.),
curbs, rail lines, waterways, turning radiuses and/or angles of
left and right turns, the distance and dimensions of road features,
the placement of barriers between two-way traffic, and/or the like,
along with the elements' associated geographical locations (e.g.,
geographical coordinates). The map data 154 can also include
reference data, such as real-time and/or historical traffic
information, current and/or predicted weather conditions, road work
information, information regarding laws and regulations (e.g.,
speed limits, whether right turns on red lights are permitted or
prohibited, whether U-turns are permitted or prohibited, permitted
direction of travel, and/or the like), news events, and/or the
like.
[0057] While the map data 154 is illustrated as being stored in the
data store 150 of the server 130, this is not meant to be limiting.
For example, the server 130 can transmit the map data 154 to a
vehicle 120 for storage therein (e.g., in the data store 129,
described below).
[0058] The search data 156 can include searches entered by various
users in the past. For example, the search data 156 can include
textual searches for pickup and/or destination locations. The
searches can be for specific addresses, geographical locations,
names associated with a geographical location (e.g., name of a
park, restaurant, fuel station, attraction, landmark, etc.),
etc.
[0059] The log data 158 can include vehicle data provided by one or
more vehicles 120. For example, the vehicle data can include route
data, sensor data, perception data, vehicle 120 control data,
vehicle 120 component fault and/or failure data, etc.
[0060] FIG. 1B illustrates a block diagram showing the vehicle 120
of FIG. 1A in communication with one or more other vehicles 170A-N
and/or the server 130 of FIG. 1A, according to one embodiment. As
illustrated in FIG. 1B, the vehicle 120 can include various
components and/or data stores. For example, the vehicle 120 can
include a sensor array 121, a communications array 122, a data
processing system 123, a communication system 124, an interior
interface system 125, a vehicle control system 126, operative
systems 127, a mapping engine 128, and/or a data store 129.
[0061] Communications 180 may be transmitted and/or received
between the vehicle 120, one or more vehicles 170A-N, and/or the
server 130. The server 130 can transmit and/or receive data from
the vehicle 120 as described above with respect to FIG. 1A. For
example, the server 130 can transmit vehicle control instructions
or commands (e.g., as communications 180) to the vehicle 120. The
vehicle control instructions can be received by the communications
array 122 (e.g., an array of one or more antennas configured to
transmit and/or receive wireless signals), which is operated by the
communication system 124 (e.g., a transceiver). The communication
system 124 can transmit the vehicle control instructions to the
vehicle control system 126, which can operate the acceleration,
steering, braking, lights, signals, and other operative systems 127
of the vehicle 120 in order to drive and/or maneuver the vehicle
120 and/or assist a driver in driving and/or maneuvering the
vehicle 120 through road traffic to destination locations specified
by the vehicle control instructions.
[0062] As an example, the vehicle control instructions can include
route data 163, which can be processed by the vehicle control
system 126 to maneuver the vehicle 120 and/or assist a driver in
maneuvering the vehicle 120 along a given route (e.g., an optimized
route calculated by the server 130 and/or the mapping engine 128)
to the specified destination location. In processing the route data
163, the vehicle control system 126 can generate control commands
164 for execution by the operative systems 127 (e.g., acceleration,
steering, braking, maneuvering, reversing, etc.) to cause the
vehicle 120 to travel along the route to the destination location
and/or to assist a driver in maneuvering the vehicle 120 along the
route to the destination location.
[0063] A destination location 166 may be specified by the server
130 based on user requests (e.g., pickup requests, delivery
requests, etc.) transmitted from applications running on user
devices 102. Alternatively or in addition, a passenger and/or
driver of the vehicle 120 can provide user input(s) 169 through an
interior interface system 125 (e.g., a vehicle navigation system)
to provide a destination location 166. In some embodiments, the
vehicle control system 126 can transmit the inputted destination
location 166 and/or a current location of the vehicle 120 (e.g., as
a GPS data packet) as a communication 180 to the server 130 via the
communication system 124 and the communications array 122. The
server 130 (e.g., the navigation unit 140) can use the current
location of the vehicle 120 and/or the inputted destination
location 166 to perform an optimization operation to determine an
optimal route for the vehicle 120 to travel to the destination
location 166. Route data 163 that includes the optimal route can be
transmitted from the server 130 to the vehicle control system 126
via the communications array 122 and the communication system 124.
As a result of receiving the route data 163, the vehicle control
system 126 can cause the operative systems 127 to maneuver the
vehicle 120 through traffic to the destination location 166 along
the optimal route, assist a driver in maneuvering the vehicle 120
through traffic to the destination location 166 along the optimal
route, and/or cause the interior interface system 125 to display
and/or present instructions for maneuvering the vehicle 120 through
traffic to the destination location 166 along the optimal
route.
[0064] Alternatively or in addition, the route data 163 includes
the optimal route and the vehicle control system 126 automatically
inputs the route data 163 into the mapping engine 128. The mapping
engine 128 can generate map data 165 using the optimal route (e.g.,
generate a map showing the optimal route and/or instructions for
taking the optimal route) and provide the map data 165 to the
interior interface system 125 (e.g., via the vehicle control system
126) for display. The map data 165 may include information derived
from the map data 154 stored in the data store 150 on the server
130. The displayed map data 165 can indicate an estimated time of
arrival and/or show the progress of the vehicle 120 along the
optimal route. The displayed map data 165 can also include
indicators, such as reroute commands, emergency notifications, road
work information, real-time traffic data, current weather
conditions, information regarding laws and regulations (e.g., speed
limits, whether right turns on red lights are permitted or
prohibited, where U-turns are permitted or prohibited, permitted
direction of travel, etc.), news events, and/or the like.
[0065] The user input 169 can also be a request to access a network
(e.g., the network 110). In response to such a request, the
interior interface system 125 can generate an access request 168,
which can be processed by the communication system 124 to configure
the communications array 122 to transmit and/or receive data
corresponding to a user's interaction with the interior interface
system 125 and/or with a user device 102 in communication with the
interior interface system 125 (e.g., a user device 102 connected to
the interior interface system 125 via a wireless connection). For
example, the vehicle 120 can include on-board Wi-Fi, which the
passenger(s) and/or driver can access to send and/or receive emails
and/or text messages, stream audio and/or video content, browse
content pages (e.g., network pages, web pages, etc.), and/or access
applications that use network access. Based on user interactions,
the interior interface system 125 can receive content 167 via the
network 110, the communications array 122, and/or the communication
system 124. The communication system 124 can dynamically manage
network access to avoid or minimize disruption of the transmission
of the content 167.
[0066] The sensor array 121 can include any number of one or more
types of sensors, such as a satellite-radio navigation system
(e.g., GPS), a LiDAR sensor, a landscape sensor (e.g., a radar
sensor), an IMU, a camera (e.g., an infrared camera, a visible
light camera, stereo cameras, etc.), a Wi-Fi detection system, a
cellular communication system, an inter-vehicle communication
system, a road sensor communication system, feature sensors,
proximity sensors (e.g., infrared, electromagnetic, photoelectric,
etc.), distance sensors, depth sensors, and/or the like. The
satellite-radio navigation system may compute the current position
(e.g., within a range of 1-10 meters) of the vehicle 120 based on
an analysis of signals received from a constellation of
satellites.
[0067] The LiDAR sensor, the radar sensor, and/or any other similar
types of sensors can be used to detect the vehicle 120 surroundings
while the vehicle 120 is in motion or about to begin motion. For
example, the LiDAR sensor may be used to bounce multiple laser
beams off approaching objects to assess their distance and to
provide accurate 3D information on the surrounding environment. The
data obtained from the LiDAR sensor may be used in performing
object identification, motion vector determination, collision
prediction, and/or in implementing accident avoidance processes.
Optionally, the LiDAR sensor may provide a 360.degree. view using a
rotating, scanning mirror assembly. The LiDAR sensor may optionally
be mounted on a roof of the vehicle 120.
[0068] The IMU may include X, Y, Z oriented gyroscopes and/or
accelerometers. The IMU provides data on the rotational and linear
motion of the vehicle 120, which may be used to calculate the
motion and position of the vehicle 120.
[0069] Cameras may be used to capture visual images of the
environment surrounding the vehicle 120. Depending on the
configuration and number of cameras, the cameras may provide a
360.degree. view around the vehicle 120. The images from the
cameras may be used to read road markings (e.g., lane markings),
read street signs, detect objects, and/or the like.
[0070] The Wi-Fi detection system and/or the cellular communication
system may be used to perform triangulation with respect to Wi-Fi
hot spots or cell towers respectively, to determine the position of
the vehicle 120 (optionally in conjunction with then
satellite-radio navigation system).
[0071] The inter-vehicle communication system (which may include
the Wi-Fi detection system, the cellular communication system,
and/or the communications array 122) may be used to receive and/or
transmit data to the other vehicles 170A-N, such as current speed
and/or location coordinates of the vehicle 120, time and/or
location coordinates corresponding to when deceleration is planned
and the planned rate of deceleration, time and/or location
coordinates when a stop operation is planned, time and/or location
coordinates when a lane change is planned and direction of lane
change, time and/or location coordinates when a turn operation is
planned, time and/or location coordinates when a parking operation
is planned, and/or the like.
[0072] The road sensor communication system (which may include the
Wi-Fi detection system and/or the cellular communication system)
may be used to read information from road sensors (e.g., indicating
the traffic speed and/or traffic congestion) and/or traffic control
devices (e.g., traffic signals).
[0073] When a user requests transportation (e.g., via the
application running on the user device 102), the user may specify a
specific destination location. The origination location may be the
current location of the vehicle 120, which may be determined using
the satellite-radio navigation system installed in the vehicle
(e.g., GPS, Galileo, BeiDou/COMPASS, DORIS, GLONASS, and/or other
satellite-radio navigation system), a Wi-Fi positioning System,
cell tower triangulation, and/or the like. Optionally, the
origination location may be specified by the user via a user
interface provided by the vehicle 120 (e.g., the interior interface
system 125) or via the user device 102 running the application.
Optionally, the origination location may be automatically
determined from location information obtained from the user device
102. In addition to the origination location and destination
location, one or more waypoints may be specified, enabling multiple
destination locations.
[0074] Raw sensor data 161 from the sensor array 121 can be
processed by the on-board data processing system 123. The processed
data 162 can then be sent by the data processing system 123 to the
vehicle control system 126, and optionally sent to the server 130
via the communication system 124 and the communications array
122.
[0075] The data store 129 can store map data (e.g., the map data
154) and/or a subset of the map data 154 (e.g., a portion of the
map data 154 corresponding to a general region in which the vehicle
120 is currently located). In some embodiments, the vehicle 120 can
use the sensor array 121 to record updated map data along traveled
routes, and transmit the updated map data to the server 130 via the
communication system 124 and the communications array 122. The
server 130 can then transmit the updated map data to one or more of
the vehicles 170A-N and/or further process the updated map
data.
[0076] The data processing system 123 can provide continuous or
near continuous processed data 162 to the vehicle control system
126 to respond to point-to-point activity in the surroundings of
the vehicle 120. The processed data 162 can comprise comparisons
between the raw sensor data 161--which represents an operational
environment of the vehicle 120, and which is continuously collected
by the sensor array 121--and the map data stored in the data store
129. In an example, the data processing system 123 is programmed
with machine learning or other artificial intelligence capabilities
to enable the vehicle 120 to identify and respond to conditions,
events, and/or potential hazards. In variations, the data
processing system 123 can continuously or nearly continuously
compare raw sensor data 161 to stored map data in order to perform
a localization to continuously or nearly continuously determine a
location and/or orientation of the vehicle 120. Localization of the
vehicle 120 may allow the vehicle 120 to become aware of an instant
location and/or orientation of the vehicle 120 in comparison to the
stored map data in order to maneuver the vehicle 120 on surface
streets through traffic and/or assist a driver in maneuvering the
vehicle 120 on surface streets through traffic and identify and
respond to potential hazards (e.g., pedestrians) or local
conditions, such as weather or traffic conditions.
[0077] Furthermore, localization can enable the vehicle 120 to tune
or beam steer the communications array 122 to maximize a
communication link quality and/or to minimize interference with
other communications from other vehicles 170A-N. For example, the
communication system 124 can beam steer a radiation patterns of the
communications array 122 in response to network configuration
commands received from the server 130. The data store 129 may store
current network resource map data that identifies network base
stations and/or other network sources that provide network
connectivity. The network resource map data may indicate locations
of base stations and/or available network types (e.g., 3G, 4G, LTE,
Wi-Fi, etc.) within a region in which the vehicle 120 is
located.
[0078] While FIG. 1B describes certain operations as being
performed by the vehicle 120 or the server 130, this is not meant
to be limiting. The operations performed by the vehicle 120 and the
server 130 as described herein can be performed by either entity.
For example, certain operations normally performed by the server
130 (e.g., transmitting updating map data to the vehicles 170A-N)
may be performed by the vehicle 120 for load balancing purposes
(e.g., to reduce the processing load of the server 130, to take
advantage of spare processing capacity on the vehicle 120,
etc.).
[0079] Furthermore, any of the vehicles 170A-N may include some or
all of the components of the vehicle 120 described herein. For
example, a vehicle 170A-N can include a communications array 122 to
communicate with the vehicle 120 and/or the server 130.
[0080] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrating an example a vehicle 120
moving along a road 241. The road 241 may be part of the route from
the first point to a second point that the vehicle 120 is
controlled to manually, semi-autonomously (e.g., by assisting a
driver), and/or autonomously traverse. In FIG. 2, vehicle 120 is
moving along the road 241 at a speed and in a direction indicated
by motion vector 230. FIG. 2 also illustrates examples of
positioning components that provide to the vehicle 120, either
passively or actively, geographical location information that the
vehicle 120 may use to determine a location (e.g., a geographic
location) of the vehicle 120.
[0081] As the vehicle 120 moves along the road 241, positioning
components that are along the road 241 or in communication with
sensors on the vehicle 120 may be used to help control the vehicle
120. FIG. 2 illustrates a few examples of such positioning
components. Proximal positioning components 250A, 250B may run
along the road 241. In various embodiments, such components may be
contiguous or closely arranged, and may either be passive (sensed
by a sensor on the vehicle 120, e.g., be reflective of a
transmitting sensor on the vehicle 120, or be sensed by an IR or
optical sensor), or active (e.g., transmit radiation sensed by the
vehicle 120). One or more distal positioning components 225 may be
arranged beside the road or off the road as certain distance. The
distal positioning components 225 may also be active or passive,
and various embodiments. In some embodiments, a GPS transmitter 215
may provide GPS signals that are received by the vehicle 120. In
some embodiments, one or more fixed transmitters 220 may be
disposed along the road 241, and provide the vehicle 120 with
transmissions or communications that help the vehicle determine its
location.
[0082] In various embodiments, the vehicle 120 may include a sensor
system as part of a computer system 105, or may include a sensor
system on the vehicle that interfaces with the computer system 105.
The computer system 105 may include any of the components of the
vehicle 120 described above with respect to FIG. 1B. In various
embodiments, the sensor system may include one or more sensors
configured to sense information about an environment in which the
vehicle 120 is located. In various embodiments, the one or more
sensors may include, one or more of a Global Positioning System
(GPS) module, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a radio detection
and ranging (RADAR) unit, a laser rangefinder and/or light
detection and ranging (LIDAR) unit, an infrared (IR) camera, and/or
an optical camera. The GPS module may be any sensor configured to
estimate a geographic location of the vehicle 120. To this end, the
GPS module may include a transceiver configured to estimate a
position of the automobile 100 with respect to the Earth, based on
satellite-based positioning data. In an example, the computer
system 105 may be configured to use the GPS module in combination
with the map data to estimate a location of a lane boundary on road
on which the vehicle 120 may be travelling on.
[0083] The IMU may be any combination of sensors configured to
sense position and orientation changes of the vehicle 120 based on
inertial acceleration. In some examples, the combination of sensors
may include, for example, accelerometers and gyroscopes. Other
combinations of sensors are possible as well.
[0084] The RADAR unit may be considered as an object detection
system that may be configured to use radio waves to determine
characteristics of the object such as range, altitude, direction,
or speed of the object. The RADAR unit may be configured to
transmit pulses of radio waves or microwaves that may bounce off
any object in a path of the waves. The object may return a part of
energy of the waves to a receiver (e.g., dish or antenna), which
may be part of the RADAR unit as well. The RADAR unit also may be
configured to perform digital signal processing of received signals
(bouncing off the object) and may be configured to identify the
object.
[0085] Other systems similar to RADAR have been used in other parts
of the electromagnetic spectrum. One example is LIDAR (light
detection and ranging), which may be configured to use visible
light from lasers rather than radio waves.
[0086] The LIDAR unit may include a sensor configured to sense or
detect objects in an environment in which the vehicle 120 is
located using light. Generally, LIDAR is an optical remote sensing
technology that can measure distance to, or other properties of, a
target by illuminating the target with light. As an example, the
LIDAR unit may include a laser source and/or laser scanner
configured to emit laser pulses and a detector configured to
receive reflections of the laser pulses. For example, the LIDAR
unit may include a laser range finder reflected by a rotating
mirror, and the laser is scanned around a scene being digitized, in
one or two dimensions, gathering distance measurements at specified
angle intervals. In examples, the LIDAR unit may include components
such as light (e.g., laser) source, scanner and optics,
photo-detector and receiver electronics, and position and
navigation system.
[0087] In an example, The LIDAR unit may be configured to use
ultraviolet (UV), visible, or infrared light to image objects and
can be used with a wide range of targets, including non-metallic
objects. In one example, a narrow laser beam can be used to map
physical features of an object with high resolution.
[0088] In examples, wavelengths in a range from about 10
micrometers (infrared) to about 250 nm (UV) could be used.
Typically light is reflected via backscattering. Different types of
scattering are used for different LIDAR applications, such as
Rayleigh scattering, Mie scattering and Raman scattering, as well
as fluorescence. Based on different kinds of backscattering, LIDAR
can be accordingly called Rayleigh LIDAR, Mie LIDAR, Raman LIDAR
and Na/Fe/K Fluorescence LIDAR, as examples. Suitable combinations
of wavelengths can allow for remote mapping of objects by looking
for wavelength-dependent changes in intensity of reflected signals,
for example.
[0089] Three-dimensional (3D) imaging can be achieved using both
scanning and non-scanning LIDAR systems. "3D gated viewing laser
radar" is an example of a non-scanning laser ranging system that
applies a pulsed laser and a fast gated camera. Imaging LIDAR can
also be performed using an array of high speed detectors and a
modulation sensitive detectors array typically built on single
chips using CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) and
hybrid CMOS/CCD (charge-coupled device) fabrication techniques. In
these devices, each pixel may be processed locally by demodulation
or gating at high speed such that the array can be processed to
represent an image from a camera. Using this technique, many
thousands of pixels may be acquired simultaneously to create a 3D
point cloud representing an object or scene being detected by the
LIDAR unit.
[0090] A point cloud may include a set of vertices in a 3D
coordinate system. These vertices may be defined by X, Y, and Z
coordinates, for example, and may represent an external surface of
an object. The LIDAR unit may be configured to create the point
cloud by measuring a large number of points on the surface of the
object, and may output the point cloud as a data file. As the
result of a 3D scanning process of the object by the LIDAR unit,
the point cloud can be used to identify and visualize the object.
In one example, the point cloud can be directly rendered to
visualize the object. In another example, the point cloud may be
converted to polygon or triangle mesh models through a process that
may be referred to as surface reconstruction. Example techniques
for converting a point cloud to a 3D surface may include Delaunay
triangulation, alpha shapes, and ball pivoting. These techniques
include building a network of triangles over existing vertices of
the point cloud. Other example techniques may include converting
the point cloud into a volumetric distance field and reconstructing
an implicit surface so defined through a marching cubes
algorithm.
[0091] The camera may be any camera (e.g., a still camera, a video
camera, etc.) configured to capture images of the environment in
which the vehicle 120 is located. To this end, the camera may be
configured to detect visible light, or may be configured to detect
light from other portions of the spectrum, such as infrared or
ultraviolet light. Other types of cameras are possible as well. The
camera may be a two-dimensional detector, or may have a
three-dimensional spatial range. In some examples, the camera may
be, for example, a range detector configured to generate a
two-dimensional image indicating a distance from the camera to a
number of points in the environment. To this end, the camera may
use one or more range detecting techniques. For example, the camera
may be configured to use a structured light technique in which the
vehicle 120 illuminates an object in the environment with a
predetermined light pattern, such as a grid or checkerboard pattern
and uses the camera to detect a reflection of the predetermined
light pattern off the object. Based on distortions in the reflected
light pattern, the vehicle 120 may be configured to determine the
distance to the points on the object. The predetermined light
pattern may comprise infrared light, or light of another
wavelength. The sensor system may additionally or alternatively
include components other than those described here.
[0092] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrating an example of map data
that may be represented by a plurality of map data tiles 310. Map
data may be represented in a number of ways. As illustrated in FIG.
3, locations on the earth 305 may be referenced by lines of
latitude and lines of longitude. For a particular location on earth
of a vehicle 120, the latitude and longitude information may be
represented by a plurality of map data tiles 310 arranged in a grid
around the vehicle 120. Due to the latitude/longitude reference
system and the shape of the earth, geographic distances between
incremental lines of latitudes are consistent. However, geographic
distances between incremental lines of longitude depend on the
location on the earth, being closer together at the poles.
Accordingly, grid patterns of map data representing a portion of
earth that are designated in reference to longitudes and latitudes
(as many typically are) may not be exactly rectangular, and they
will be less rectangular closer to the poles. For the purpose of
this disclosure, map data tiles 310 that depict map data
representing a portion of the earth will be assumed to be
rectangular, or substantially rectangular, due in part to the
relatively small size of the map data tiles 310. The map data
referred to herein does not necessarily need to be referenced in
terms of longitude and latitude. Instead, other coordinate
reference systems may be used.
[0093] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustrating an example of map data
that may be loaded into memory based on a vehicle initial (or
first) geographic location, the map data including a plurality of
map data tiles where at least a portion of each of the plurality of
map data tiles fall within a boundary defining a contiguous
boundary area around the geographic location of the vehicle.
Vehicle 120 is shown as being located in a certain location 430 for
which there is corresponding available map data information
surrounding the vehicle 120 on all sides, as depicted by the
plurality of map data tiles 310. In the reference to the location
of the vehicle 120 at location 430, the computer system 105 or a
device that includes a computer system 105 is understood to be at
the same location 430 of the vehicle 120, and thus terms may have
the same connotation and be used interchangeably, unless the
context indicates otherwise.
[0094] At any one time, although the plurality of map data tiles
310 may be available to be provided by a storage component, only
certain map data tiles are loaded into the memory of the vehicle,
illustrated in FIG. 4 as map data tiles 401-409. As used herein,
the "memory of the vehicle" refers to a memory location where a
processor can retrieve the stored information, for example, a
chip-based memory (e.g., RAM, DRAM, cache memory on the processor,
etc.) and not a disc-based memory/storage location.
[0095] A determined boundary 420 is established around the initial
location of the vehicle 430. The boundary 420 is a representation
of a certain distance and shape around the vehicle 430, and
encloses a geographical boundary area 425 around the vehicle 430.
In the illustrated embodiment, the boundary 420 is a square
centered on the initial location of the vehicle 430. In this
embodiment, at least these nine map data tiles 401-409 are loaded
into the memory of the vehicle 120. In other embodiments, the
boundary 420 may have other shapes and extend outward from the
vehicle 120 to different distance. For example, the boundary 420
may be in the shape of a rectangular, a circle, or be a
non-symmetric shape. For example, the boundary 420 may extend away
from the vehicle 120 in the direction the vehicle 120 is moving,
then it extends to the side and/or the back of the vehicle 120.
[0096] In this embodiment, the boundary 420 either intersects or
surrounds the nine map data tiles 401-409. In other embodiments,
the boundary 420 may intersect or surround a larger or smaller
number of map data tiles, depending on the size of the map data
tiles in the size and the shape of the boundary 420.
[0097] FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating an example of map data
that may be loaded into memory based on an updated (or second)
geographic location of the vehicle 120, the map data including a
plurality of map data tiles 402, 403, 405, 406, 410, 411, 412, 413,
414, where at least a portion of each of the plurality of map data
tiles 402, 403, 405, 406, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414 fall within an
updated boundary 422 defining a boundary area around the updated
geographic location 435 of the vehicle 120. FIG. 5 illustrates the
initial boundary 420 that intersects or surrounds map data tiles
401-409 that are centered on the initial geographic location 430 of
the vehicle, and the updated boundary 422 that intersects or
surrounds map data tiles 402, 403, 405, 406, 410, 411, 412, 413,
414 that are centered on the updated geographical location 435 of
the vehicle 120. The updated boundary 422 surrounds and defines an
updated geographic boundary area 440 around the vehicle 120 at the
updated geographical location 435.
[0098] In operation, as the vehicle moves along a route, the system
105 determines an updated geographic position, for example, using
one or more of the components described in reference to FIGS. 1B
and/or 2. The system 105 determines whether the updated geographic
position of the vehicle 120 corresponds to a location that is
outside of the boundary area defined by the initial boundary 420
(outside of the initial boundary 420). If so, the system 105 loads
additional map data tiles into memory and determines an updated
boundary 422 which defines updated geographic boundary area 440. In
this example, the system 105 loads map data tiles as needed such
that map data tiles 402, 403, 405, 406, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414 are
loaded into memory and can be used to control the vehicle 120. In
this example, map data tiles 402, 403, 405, and 406 were already in
memory based on the initial geographic location 430. Accordingly,
the system 105 loads map data tiles 410, 411, 412, 413, and 414
into memory, retaining map data tiles 402, 403, 405, and 406 in
memory. In some embodiments, the map data tiles that are loaded
into memory and do not intersect or are surrounded by the updated
boundary 422 are removed from memory (e.g., the memory space
allocated for map data tiles 404, 407, 408, and 409 is marked as
memory space that may be rewritten. This methodology may continue
for subsequent updated geographical locations of the device along
its entire route, each time loading additional map tile data as the
vehicle location is determined to be outside of the updated
geographic boundary area (e.g., indicating that the vehicle 120 is
in an area corresponding to a location that is outside of the
updated boundary 422).
[0099] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustrating another example of map
data that may be loaded into memory based on a vehicle initial (or
first) geographic location, the map data including a plurality of
map data tiles where at least a portion of each of the plurality of
map data tiles fall within a boundary defining a contiguous
boundary area around the geographic location of the vehicle. In the
example illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the vehicle 120 crossed
the boundary 420 at a map data tile 403 that was in a corner of the
nine map data tiles 401-409. Thus, as a result of the updated
boundary 422 being established, five map data tiles 410, 411, 412,
413, 414 needed to be uploaded into memory such that, after the map
data tiles were uploaded, an arrangement of nine map data tiles
surrounded the updated geographic location 435.
[0100] FIG. 6 illustrates a similar initial starting position of
the vehicle 120 and configuration of map data tiles as illustrated
in FIG. 4 except that the direction of the vehicle 120 is towards
map data tile 406 such that when the location of the vehicle 120
passes the boundary 420 the vehicle will be in a location that
corresponds to map data tile 406, which is illustrated in FIG. 7.
In FIG. 7 is a schematic illustrating an example of map data that
may be loaded into memory based on a vehicle 120 updated (or
second) geographic location. As the geographic location of the
vehicle 120 passes the updated boundary 422 at a location that
corresponds to a map data tile on the side of the arrangement of
nine map data tiles, only three new map data tiles 413, 414, 415
need to be loaded into memory. In other words, because the updated
boundary 422 is displaced laterally from the initial boundary 420,
the updated boundary 422 only intersects map data tiles 413, 414,
415 that are not already in memory, so only these three map data
tiles 413, 414, 415 are then loaded into memory.
[0101] The techniques described herein may be implemented by one or
more special-purpose computing devices. The special-purpose
computing devices may be hard-wired to perform the techniques, or
may include circuitry or digital electronic devices such as one or
more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or field
programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) that are persistently programmed
to perform the techniques, or may include one or more hardware
processors programmed to perform the techniques pursuant to program
instructions in firmware, memory, other storage, or a combination.
Such special-purpose computing devices may also combine custom
hard-wired logic, ASICs, or FPGAs with custom programming to
accomplish the techniques. The special-purpose computing devices
may be desktop computer systems, server computer systems, portable
computer systems, handheld devices, networking devices or any other
device or combination of devices that incorporate hard-wired and/or
program logic to implement the techniques. Computing device(s) are
generally controlled and coordinated by operating system software.
Conventional operating systems control and schedule computer
processes for execution, perform memory management, provide file
system, networking, I/O services, and provide a user interface
functionality, such as a graphical user interface ("GUI"), among
other things.
[0102] FIG. 8 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system
800 upon which any of the embodiments described herein may be
implemented, for example, computer system 105 illustrated in FIG.
1. The system 800 may correspond identically to the system 105
described above, or have one or more different components. The
computer system 800 includes a bus 802 or other communication
mechanism for communicating information, and one or more hardware
processors 804 coupled to the bus 802 for processing information.
Hardware processor(s) 804 may be, for example, one or more general
purpose microprocessors. The processor(s) 804 may correspond to a
processor described above in reference to computer system 105.
[0103] The computer system 800 also includes a main memory 806,
such as a random access memory (RAM), cache and/or other dynamic
storage devices, coupled to bus 802 for storing information and
instructions to be executed by processor 804. Main memory 806 also
may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate
information during execution of instructions to be executed by
processor 804. Such instructions, when stored in storage media
accessible to processor 804, render computer system 800 into a
special-purpose machine that is customized to perform the
operations specified in the instructions. In some embodiments, the
instructions may cause the computer system 800 to obtain a
geographic location of the device, obtain a boundary corresponding
to a contiguous geographical boundary area around the geographic
location of the device, load map data from the storage device 810
to the memory 806 of the device, the map data including a plurality
of map data tiles, each of the plurality of map data tiles
including a portion of the geographical boundary area in the
geographical boundary area correspond to a portion of the loaded
map data. The plurality of map data tiles loaded to the memory 806
includes a center tile having a point corresponding to geographic
location of the device and map data tiles surrounding the center
tile. The boundary is centered on the center tile and dimensions
such that the geographical boundary area intersects the surrounding
map data tiles. When the vehicle is in motion, the instructions may
further cause the computer system 802 obtain an updated geographic
location of the device, determine the position of the updated
geographic location relative to the boundary area, and in response
to determining the updated geographic location is outside of the
boundary area obtain an updated boundary centered on the updated
geographic location and load map data from the storage device 810
to the memory 806 based on the updated boundary such that the
resulting loaded map data includes a center tile having a point
corresponding to the updated geographic location of the device, and
map data tiles surrounding the center tile that intersect the
geographical boundary area.
[0104] The computer system 800 further includes a read only memory
(ROM) 808 or other static storage device coupled to bus 802 for
storing static information and instructions for processor 804. A
storage device 810, such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or USB
thumb drive (Flash drive), etc., is provided and coupled to bus 802
for storing information and instructions. The main memory 806, the
ROM 808, and/or the storage 810 may correspond to the memory 106
described above for storing map data. In some embodiments, the main
memory 806 is the memory used to store the map data tiles when they
are being used to control the vehicle 120. For example, one or more
map data tiles may be initially stored on the storage device 810
and then, as needed based on the methods and systems described
herein, the one or more map data tiles may be loaded into memory
806 and used to control the vehicle 120.
[0105] The computer system 800 may implement the techniques
described herein using customized hard-wired logic, one or more
ASICs or FPGAs, firmware and/or program logic which in combination
with the computer system causes or programs computer system 800 to
be a special-purpose machine. According to one embodiment, the
techniques herein are performed by computer system 800 in response
to processor(s) 804 executing one or more sequences of one or more
instructions contained in main memory 806. Such instructions may be
read into main memory 806 from another storage medium, such as
storage device 810. Execution of the sequences of instructions
contained in main memory 806 causes processor(s) 804 to perform the
process steps described herein. In alternative embodiments,
hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with
software instructions.
[0106] The main memory 806, the ROM 808, and/or the storage 810 may
include non-transitory storage media. The term "non-transitory
media," and similar terms, as used herein refers to a media that
store data and/or instructions that cause a machine to operate in a
specific fashion, where the media excludes transitory signals. Such
non-transitory media may comprise non-volatile media and/or
volatile media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical
or magnetic disks, such as storage device 810. Volatile media
includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 806. Common forms of
non-transitory media include, for example, a floppy disk, a
flexible disk, hard disk, solid state drive, magnetic tape, or any
other magnetic data storage medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical
data storage medium, any physical medium with patterns of holes, a
RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, NVRAM, any other memory chip
or cartridge, and networked versions of the same.
[0107] The computer system 800 also includes a communication
interface 818 coupled to bus 802. Communication interface 818
provides a two-way data communication coupling to one or more
network links that are connected to one or more local networks. For
example, communication interface 818 may be an integrated services
digital network (ISDN) card, cable modem, satellite modem, or a
modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding
type of telephone line. As another example, communication interface
818 may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data
communication connection to a compatible LAN (or WAN component to
communicated with a WAN). Wireless links may also be implemented.
In any such implementation, communication interface 818 sends and
receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry
digital data streams representing various types of information.
[0108] The computer system 800 can send messages and receive data,
including program code, through the network(s) 825, network link
819 and communication interface 818. The networks(s) 825 maybe
connected to one or more servers 830. In the Internet example, a
server might transmit a requested code for an application program
through the Internet, the ISP, the local network and the
communication interface 818. The received code may be executed by
processor 804 as it is received, and/or stored in storage device
810, or other non-volatile storage for later execution.
[0109] FIG. 9 is a schematic illustrating another example of map
data that may be loaded into memory based on a vehicle's geographic
location. In FIG. 9, the map data includes a plurality of map data
tiles 901-909, where at least a portion of each of the plurality of
map data tiles 901-909 fall within an initial boundary 923 defining
a boundary area 925 around the vehicle 120. In FIG. 9, a motion
vector 930 that indicates the speed and direction of the vehicle
has been obtained (e.g., determined by the system based on
subsequent determination of the vehicle geographic location). The
example illustrated in FIG. 9 is similar to the example illustrated
in FIG. 4, except that information relating to the speed and
direction the vehicle has been obtained and therefore can be used
to determine an updated boundary 922 (FIG. 10).
[0110] FIG. 10 is a schematic illustrating another example of map
data that may be loaded into memory based on a vehicle's geographic
location and the motion vector that determines a size or shape
characteristic (e.g., a dimension) of a boundary that is used to
determine which map data tiles to load into memory. In this
embodiment, the speed of the vehicle 120 has been determined. Based
on the speed of the vehicle, the system 105 may determine that a
larger boundary 922 is necessary to ensure that the map data tile
loaded in memory covers the area that the vehicle 120 will be
moving through in the immediate future. In this case, due to the
higher rate of speed as indicated by the motion vector 920, the
larger boundary 922 is determined to extend a greater distance in
the direction the vehicle is moving relative to the direction
behind the vehicle or to the sides of the vehicle. In this
embodiment, instead of loading nine map data tiles based on the
updated boundary 922, twenty map data tiles 901-920 are loaded into
memory. The boundary 922 defines a boundary area 940 that is larger
than the boundary area 425 illustrated in FIG. 4. The map data
tiles 901-920 each cover a portion of the boundary area 940, the
map data tiles being either surrounded by or intersected by the
boundary 922.
[0111] FIG. 11 is flow chart 1100 of a method of loading map data.
The method may be implemented on a device of a movable vehicle, the
device having at least one processor and a storage component
coupled to the processor. At block 1105, the method includes
obtaining, by the at least one processor, a geographic location of
the device/vehicle. In various embodiments, the geographic location
of the device can be obtained using one or more of the sensors
described in reference to FIG. 2, or another suitable component. At
block 1110, the method obtains a boundary corresponding to a
geographical boundary area around the geographic location of the
device. The geographical boundary area may be contiguous. In
various embodiments, boundary may be of predetermined size and
shape, or it may be determined dynamically, for example, based on
the direction and speed of the vehicle 120.
[0112] At block 1115, the method loads map data comprising a
plurality of map data tiles from a storage component to a memory of
the device. For example, storage device 810 may store hundreds or
thousands of map data tiles. When needed, a plurality of the stored
map data tiles may be loaded into memory 806, the map data tiles
loaded being based on the boundary and being based on which map
data tiles are already in memory 806. The resulting plurality of
map data tiles in memory includes a center tile having a point
corresponding to the geographic location of the device and
surrounding map data tiles, and wherein the boundary is centered on
the center tile and dimensioned such that the geographical boundary
area intersects the surrounding map data tiles.
[0113] At block 1120 of the method, while the vehicle is in motion,
the at least one processor obtains an updated geographic location
of the vehicle. Similar to block 1110, the updated geographic
location of the vehicle may be obtained using one or more of the
sensors described in reference to FIG. 2. At block 1125, the at
least one processor may determine the position of the updated
geographic location relative to the boundary (or the geographic
boundary area). At block 1130, in response to determining the
updated geographic location of the vehicle is outside of the
boundary area, the method obtains an updated boundary centered on
the updated geographic location and loads map data from the storage
component to the memory of the device based on the updated
boundary. The updated boundary corresponds to an updated geographic
area centered on the updated geographic location. The map data is
loaded from the storage component to the memory of the device such
that the resulting loaded map data includes a center tile having a
point corresponding to the updated geographic location of the
device, and map data tiles surrounding the center tile that
intersect the geographical boundary area. As the vehicle continues
to move, blocks 1120, 1125 and 1130 may be repeated to provide map
data in a geographic area surrounding the moving vehicle.
[0114] The foregoing description details certain embodiments of the
systems, devices, and methods disclosed herein. It will be
appreciated, however, that no matter how detailed the foregoing
appears in text, the systems, devices, and methods can be practiced
in many ways. As is also stated above, it should be noted that the
use of particular terminology when describing certain features or
aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the
terminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to
including any specific characteristics of the features or aspects
of the technology with which that terminology is associated.
[0115] Each of the processes, methods, and algorithms described in
the preceding sections may be embodied in, and fully or partially
automated by, code modules executed by one or more computer systems
or computer processors comprising computer hardware. The processes
and algorithms may be implemented partially or wholly in
application-specific circuitry.
[0116] The various features and processes described above may be
used independently of one another, or may be combined in various
ways. All possible combinations and sub-combinations are intended
to fall within the scope of this disclosure. In addition, certain
method or process blocks may be omitted in some implementations.
The methods and processes described herein are also not limited to
any particular sequence, and the blocks or states relating thereto
can be performed in other sequences that are appropriate. For
example, described blocks or states may be performed in an order
other than that specifically disclosed, or multiple blocks or
states may be combined in a single block or state. The example
blocks or states may be performed in serial, in parallel, or in
some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to or removed from
the disclosed example embodiments. The example systems and
components described herein may be configured differently than
described. For example, elements may be added to, removed from, or
rearranged compared to the disclosed example embodiments.
[0117] The various operations of example methods described herein
may be performed, at least partially, by an algorithm. The
algorithm may be comprised in program codes or instructions stored
in a memory (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage
medium described above). Such algorithm may comprise a machine
learning algorithm or model. In some embodiments, a machine
learning algorithm or model may not explicitly program computers to
perform a function, but can learn from training data to make a
predictions model (a trained machine learning model) that performs
the function.
[0118] The various operations of example methods described herein
may be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors
that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently
configured to perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily
or permanently configured, such processors may constitute
processor-implemented engines that operate to perform one or more
operations or functions described herein.
[0119] Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least
partially processor-implemented, with a particular processor or
processors being an example of hardware. For example, at least some
of the operations of a method may be performed by one or more
processors or processor-implemented engines. Moreover, the one or
more processors may also operate to support performance of the
relevant operations in a "cloud computing" environment or as a
"software as a service" (SaaS). For example, at least some of the
operations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples of
machines including processors), with these operations being
accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more
appropriate interfaces (e.g., an Application Program Interface
(API)).
[0120] The performance of certain of the operations may be
distributed among the processors, not only residing within a single
machine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some example
embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented engines may be
located in a single geographic location (e.g., within a home
environment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other
example embodiments, the processors or processor-implemented
engines may be distributed across a number of geographic
locations.
[0121] Throughout this specification, plural instances may
implement components, operations, or structures described as a
single instance. Although individual operations of one or more
methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one
or more of the individual operations may be performed concurrently,
and nothing requires that the operations be performed in the order
illustrated. Structures and functionality presented as separate
components in example configurations may be implemented as a
combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and
functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as
separate components. These and other variations, modifications,
additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject
matter herein.
[0122] Although an overview of the subject matter has been
described with reference to specific example embodiments, various
modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without
departing from the broader scope of embodiments of the present
disclosure. Such embodiments of the subject matter may be referred
to herein, individually or collectively, by the term "invention"
merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit
the scope of this application to any single disclosure or concept
if more than one is, in fact, disclosed.
[0123] The embodiments illustrated herein are described in
sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice
the teachings disclosed. Other embodiments may be used and derived
therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and
changes may be made without departing from the scope of this
disclosure. The Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be taken
in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is
defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of
equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
[0124] Any process descriptions, elements, or blocks in the flow
diagrams described herein and/or depicted in the attached figures
should be understood as potentially representing modules, segments,
or portions of code which include one or more executable
instructions for implementing specific logical functions or steps
in the process. Alternate implementations are included within the
scope of the embodiments described herein in which elements or
functions may be deleted, executed out of order from that shown or
discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse
order, depending on the functionality involved, as would be
understood by those skilled in the art.
[0125] As used herein, the term "or" may be construed in either an
inclusive or exclusive sense. Moreover, plural instances may be
provided for resources, operations, or structures described herein
as a single instance. Additionally, boundaries between various
resources, operations, engines, and data stores are somewhat
arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in a context
of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of
functionality are envisioned and may fall within a scope of various
embodiments of the present disclosure. In general, structures and
functionality presented as separate resources in the example
configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or
resource. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a
single resource may be implemented as separate resources. These and
other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall
within a scope of embodiments of the present disclosure as
represented by the appended claims. The specification and drawings
are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a
restrictive sense.
[0126] Conditional language, such as, among others, "can," "could,"
"might," or "may," unless specifically stated otherwise, or
otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally
intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other
embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or
steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to
imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required
for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments
necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input
or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are
included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.
[0127] Moreover, certain terminology has been used to describe
embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the terms "one
embodiment," "an embodiment," and "some embodiments" mean that a
particular feature, structure or characteristic described in
connection with the embodiment is included in at least one
embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is emphasized
and should be appreciated that two or more references to "an
embodiment" or "one embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" in
various portions of this specification are not necessarily all
referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular
features, structures or characteristics may be combined as suitable
in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Similarly, it
should be appreciated that in the foregoing description of
embodiments of the present disclosure, various features are
sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or
description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure
aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various
embodiments. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be
interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed subject
matter requires more features than are expressly recited in each
claim. Rather, claim subject matter lie in less than all features
of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment.
[0128] Further, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art,
aspects of the present disclosure may be illustrated and described
herein in any of a number of patentable classes or context
including any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or
composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof.
Accordingly, aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented
entirely hardware, entirely software (including firmware, resident
software, micro-code, etc.) or combining software and hardware
implementation that may all generally be referred to herein as a
"module," "unit," "component," "device," or "system." Furthermore,
aspects of the present disclosure may take the form of a computer
program product embodied in one or more computer readable media
having computer readable program code embodied thereon.
[0129] Computer program code for carrying out operations for
aspects of the present disclosure may be written in any combination
of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented
programming language such as Java, Scala, Smalltalk, Eiffel, JADE,
Emerald, C++, C #, VB. NET, Python or the like, conventional
procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming
language, Visual Basic, Fortran 2003, Perl, COBOL 2002, PHP, ABAP,
dynamic programming languages such as Python, Ruby and Groovy, or
other programming languages. The program code may execute entirely
on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a
stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and
partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or
server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be
connected to the user's computer through any type of network,
including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN),
or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example,
through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider) or in a
cloud computing environment or offered as a service such as a
Software as a Service (SaaS).
[0130] Headings are included herein for reference and to aid in
locating various sections. These headings are not intended to limit
the scope of the concepts described with respect thereto. Such
concepts may have applicability throughout the entire
specification.
[0131] Disjunctive language such as the phrase "at least one of X,
Y, or Z," unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise
understood with the context as used in general to present that an
item, term, etc., may be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination
thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is
not generally intended to, and should not, imply that certain
embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at
least one of Z to each be present. It will be appreciated by those
skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be
made without departing from the scope of the described technology.
Such modifications and changes are intended to fall within the
scope of the embodiments. It will also be appreciated by those of
skill in the art that parts included in one embodiment are
interchangeable with other embodiments; one or more parts from a
depicted embodiment can be included with other depicted embodiments
in any combination. For example, any of the various components
described herein and/or depicted in the figures may be combined,
interchanged or excluded from other embodiments.
[0132] The phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless
expressly specified otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based
on" describes both "based only on" and "based at least on." Unless
otherwise explicitly stated, articles such as "a" or "an" should
generally be interpreted to include one or more described items.
Accordingly, phrases such as "a device configured to" are intended
to include one or more recited devices.
[0133] The above description discloses several methods and
materials of the present invention. This invention is susceptible
to modifications in the methods and materials, as well as
alterations in the fabrication methods and equipment. Such
modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art from
a consideration of this disclosure or practice of the invention
disclosed herein. Consequently, it is not intended that this
invention be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein,
but that it cover all modifications and alternatives coming within
the true scope and spirit of the invention as embodied in the
attached claims. Applicant reserves the right to submit claims
directed to combinations and sub-combinations of the disclosed
inventions that are believed to be novel and non-obvious.
Inventions embodied in other combinations and sub-combinations of
features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed
through amendment of those claims or presentation of new claims in
the present application or in a related application. Such amended
or new claims, whether they are directed to the same invention or a
different invention and whether they are different, broader,
narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are to be
considered within the subject matter of the inventions described
herein.
* * * * *