Bowing coefficient representation of curvature of geographic features
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of representing how much a road curves comprising:
- selecting two points along the road; and
comparing an approximation of a distance along the road between the two points to a straight-line distance between the two points;
whereby a result of said comparing is an indication of how much the road curves between the two points.
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Abstract
The degree to which a linearly extending feature, such as a road, curves is indicated using a bowing coefficient. The bowing coefficient at a given location along a linearly extending feature is determined by comparing the distance along the feature between two points on either side of the given location (or an approximation of the distance) to a straight-line distance between these same two points. Bowing coefficient data can be used by various vehicle systems that require information about the curvature of linearly extending features, such as roads upon which the vehicle is traveling.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A method of representing how much a road curves comprising:
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selecting two points along the road; and
comparing an approximation of a distance along the road between the two points to a straight-line distance between the two points;
whereby a result of said comparing is an indication of how much the road curves between the two points. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of representing road geometry comprising:
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at selected locations along a road, determining a bowing coefficient, wherein the bowing coefficient at each of said selected locations corresponds to a comparison between an approximation of a distance along the road between two points on the road on either side of the selected location and a straight-line distance between the two points; and
using the bowing coefficient as an indication of curvature of said road between said two points. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. A method of operating a vehicle along roads comprising:
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with a software application in said vehicle, accessing a database containing data that represent said roads;
determining a location of said vehicle with respect to the roads as represented by said database; and
using data that indicate a bowing coefficient at each of a plurality of locations along said roads to adjust operation of said vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. A method of forming a geographic database comprising:
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comparing an approximation of a distance along a road segment between two points to a straight-line distance between said two points; and
storing in said geographic database a result of said comparing as an indication of curvature of said road segment between said two points. - View Dependent Claims (12, 15)
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13. A method of operating a vehicle along roads comprising:
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relating a position of said vehicle on a road to a data representation of the road contained in a geographic database, wherein the data representation of the road includes an indication of curvature at locations along the road, and wherein the indication of curvature includes a comparison between an arc length between points along the road and a chord length between the points; and
adjusting operation of the vehicle based on the indication of curvature corresponding to said position of said vehicle.
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14. A method of operating a vehicle along roads comprising:
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with a software application in said vehicle, computing a relationship between a distance between two points along a road and a straight-line distance between said two points;
determining a location of said vehicle with respect to said road; and
adjusting operation of said vehicle using said computed relationship.
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16. A method of operation for an application in a vehicle comprising:
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accessing a geographic database that contains data that represent roads upon which the vehicle is traveling;
determining a position of said vehicle with respect to said data that represent roads upon which the vehicle is traveling; and
using data that represent bowing coefficients at locations along said road to adjust operation of said vehicle.
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Specification