Apparatus, method and computer program for spatially representing a digital map section

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9500496-B2
Application number	US-201314439902-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2013
Priority date	Oct 30, 2012
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

A navigation apparatus for spatially representing a digital map section around a geographical position on the earth's surface on the basis of digital geodata, wherein the digital geodata have height information, having a first input interface for the digital geodata; a second input interface for coordinates of the geographical position; a third input interface for a perspective stipulation variable corresponding to a desired viewing direction of the position; a processor module which is coupled to the first, second and third input interfaces; and an output interface coupled to the processor module and intended to output output data corresponding to the projection of the geodata which can be visually perceived in different ways and corresponds to the height information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A navigation apparatus for the spatial representation of a digital map detail around a geographical position on the earth's surface on the basis of digital geodata, wherein the digital geodata have height information, having the following features:
a first input interface for the digital geodata;
a second input interface for coordinates of the geographical position;
a third input interface for a perspective stipulation variable that corresponds to a height above the earth's surface that can be used to set a viewing angle between a desired viewing direction and the earth's surface;
a processor module coupled to the first, second and third input interfaces and customized, on the basis of the perspective stipulation variable and the geographical position, to ascertain a coordinate transformation for the geodata that corresponds to the desired viewing angle and, to associate different visual perception values for the geodata for different topological height values, to obtain a visually differently perceptible projection for the geodata that corresponds to the height information; and
an output interface, coupled with the processor module, for outputting output data that correspond to the visually differently perceptible projection of the geodata that corresponds to the height information.

2. The navigation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the digital geodata have two-dimensional geodata plus associated height values, and wherein the processor module is customized, on the basis of the perspective stipulation variable and the geographical position, to ascertain a two-dimensional coordinate transformation for the two-dimensional geodata that corresponds to the desired viewing angle and to associate different visual perception values with the two-dimensional geodata for different topographical height values.

3. The navigation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the digital geodata are three-dimensional, wherein the navigation apparatus additionally has a fourth input interface for a light source stipulation variable that corresponds to a desired virtual light source, and wherein the processor module is customized, on the basis of the perspective stipulation variable and the geographical position, to ascertain a three-dimensional coordinate transformation for the geodata that corresponds to the desired viewing angle and to associate different visual perception values with the three-dimensional geodata for different topographical height values and to associate different light and shade regions with the three-dimensional projection of the geodata on the basis of the light source stipulation variable.

4. The navigation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor module provides, in the case of a viewing angle that corresponds to an observation point behind and above the geographical position, a horizon region in a region of the digital map detail that becomes free as a result of the coordinate transformation of the original geodata.

5. The navigation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor module is customized to associate a first digital color code with the digital geodata for a first height value and to associate a second digital color code with the digital geodata for a second height value.

6. The navigation apparatus of claim 5 , wherein discrete height values that are adjacent in terms of height differ by up to 1000 units of height, and wherein checksums for the color codes associated with the adjacent height values differ from one another by less than 30% to obtain a fluent color characteristic between adjacent height values.

7. The navigation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the navigation apparatus has an electronic memory area with a lookup table stored therein that stores digital visual perception values that correspond to different height values.

8. The navigation apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the lookup table stores color codes that correspond to different height values, for a day representation of the digital map detail using two-dimensional geodata according to

Height
R
G
B

 50 ± 50
187 ± 10% 
206 ± 10%
176 ± 10% 

100 ± 50
173 ± 10% 
188 ± 10%
165 ± 10% 

 200 ± 100
143 ± 10% 
166 ± 10%
139 ± 10% 

 500 ± 200
97 ± 10%
124 ± 10%
100 ± 10% 

1000 ± 500
77 ± 10%
 95 ± 10%
80 ± 10%

1500 ± 500
62 ± 10%
 75 ± 10%
70 ± 10%

2000 ± 500
54 ± 10%
 58 ± 10%
58 ± 10%

3000 ± 500
88 ± 10%
 87 ± 10%
69 ± 10%

4000 ± 500
127 ± 10% 
126 ± 10%
99 ± 10%

and/or for a night representation of the digital map detail using two-dimensional geodata according to

Height
R
G
B

 50 ± 50
26 ± 10%
31 ± 10%
24 ± 10%

100 ± 50
38 ± 10%
47 ± 10%
36 ± 10%

 200 ± 100
57 ± 10%
67 ± 10%
56 ± 10%

 500 ± 200
64 ± 10%
79 ± 10%
65 ± 10%

1000 ± 500
72 ± 10%
89 ± 10%
75 ± 10%

1500 ± 500
84 ± 10%
104 ± 10% 
83 ± 10%

2000 ± 500
95 ± 10%
119 ± 10% 
94 ± 10%

Assignees

• Volkswagen Ag
• Volkswagen Ag

Inventors

• Kögler Indra-Lena
• Gross Benjamin
• Hübner Markus

Classifications

• G01C21/3635

  Guidance using 3D or perspective road maps · CPC title

• G09B29/106

  using electronic means · CPC title

• G01C21/367 Primary

  Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker · CPC title