Data mining in a digital map database to identify decreasing radius of curvature along roads and enabling precautionary actions in a vehicle
First Claim
1. A method for augmenting a database that represents a road network in a geographic region, the method comprising:
- prior to installation of the database in a vehicle navigation system;
using data contained in the database to identify a plurality of adjacent curved road segments of the road network having a non-constant curvature there between which increases in one direction of travel and, for each identified plurality of adjacent curved road segments, adding precautionary action data to the database associated with the data record representative of at least one of the identified plurality of adjacent curved road segments to indicate the presence of a condition for which a precautionary action is to be taken when a vehicle approaches the associated at least one road segment in the direction of travel in which the curvature increases; and
wherein the vehicle navigation system is configured to indicate that a precautionary action should be taken when the vehicle approaches a road segment represented in the database by a data record associated with precautionary action data.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is a feature for a vehicle that enables taking precautionary actions in response to conditions on the road network around or ahead of the vehicle, in particular, a curved portion of a road where the curvature increases between adjacent curved sections. A database that represents the road network is used to determine locations where curvature between adjacent curved sections increases. Then, precautionary action data is added to the database to indicate a location at which a precautionary action is to be taken about the location where curvature increases. A precautionary action system installed in a vehicle uses this database, or a database derived therefrom, in combination with a positioning system to determine when the vehicle is at a location that corresponds to the location of a precautionary action. When the vehicle is at such a location, a precautionary action is taken by a vehicle system as the vehicle is approaching a location where the curvature increases.
143 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for augmenting a database that represents a road network in a geographic region, the method comprising:
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prior to installation of the database in a vehicle navigation system; using data contained in the database to identify a plurality of adjacent curved road segments of the road network having a non-constant curvature there between which increases in one direction of travel and, for each identified plurality of adjacent curved road segments, adding precautionary action data to the database associated with the data record representative of at least one of the identified plurality of adjacent curved road segments to indicate the presence of a condition for which a precautionary action is to be taken when a vehicle approaches the associated at least one road segment in the direction of travel in which the curvature increases; and wherein the vehicle navigation system is configured to indicate that a precautionary action should be taken when the vehicle approaches a road segment represented in the database by a data record associated with precautionary action data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A database stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the database includes data that represents a road network in a geographic region, wherein the database comprises:
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data records that represent curved road segments that make up the road network; data that indicates curvature of each of the curved road segments; and data that indicates precautionary action locations, wherein a precautionary action location is associated with a location at which the data indicative of the curvature of each of a plurality of adjacent curved road segments further indicates that the curvature increases in one direction of travel thereof, wherein the data that indicates a precautionary action location is operative to cause a vehicle navigation system to indicate that a precautionary action should be taken when the vehicle approaches a location associated therewith in the database in the direction of travel in which curvature increases. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A vehicle system comprising:
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a database stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the database includes data that represents a road network in a geographic region, wherein the database comprises; data records that represent curved road segments that make up the road network; data that indicates curvature of each of the curved road segments; and data that indicates precautionary action locations, wherein a precautionary action location is associated with a location at which the data indicative of the curvature of each of the curved road segments further indicates that the curvature between adjacent curved road segments increases in one direction of travel thereof; a positioning system that determines a current location of the vehicle relative to the data representing a geographic region; and a precautionary action application, responsive to the positioning system and the database, that provides a precautionary action when the positioning system determines that the vehicle is approaching a location associated with data indicative of a precautionary action location in the direction of travel in which the curvature increases. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A method for providing precautionary actions in a vehicle comprising:
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determining a current position of the vehicle; accessing a database that represents a road network to obtain data representations of a part of the road network around the current position of the vehicle, wherein the database is stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the database includes data that represents the road network in a geographic region, wherein the database comprises; data records that represent curved road segments that make up the road network; data that indicates curvature of each of the curved road segments; and data that indicates precautionary action locations, wherein a precautionary action location is associated with a location at which the data indicative of the curvature of each of the curved road segments further indicates that the curvature of adjacent curved road segments increases in one direction of travel thereof; and upon determining that the data representations of the part of the road network around the current position of the vehicle includes precautionary action data indicating that upcoming adjacent curved road segments have curvature there between which increases in the direction of travel, taking a precautionary action as the vehicle is at least approaching the upcoming curved road segment. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification