Method and system for route calculation that avoids railroad crossings

• US 20040243305A1
• Filed: 06/14/2004
• Published: 12/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Frank J. Kozak
• Inventors: Kozak, Frank J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,400,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 29/246 Signals or brake- or lighting devices mounted on the road vehicle and controlled from the vehicle or train
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries

Abstract

A navigation system provides information about railroad crossing locations. A geographic database used by the navigation system includes data that indicate whether an at-grade railroad crossing is located along a road segment. Using this information, a route calculation function in the navigation system calculates a route to a destination that avoids road segments that have at-grade railroad crossings. In this way, the delays associated with waiting for a train to cross a road are avoided.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A geographic database that represents road segments, the geographic database comprising:

data entities that represent road segments;

wherein each data entity that represents a road segment that has an at-grade railroad crossing located thereon includes data indicating the at-grade railroad crossing and the location thereof along the road segment.

16. The geographic database of claim 15 wherein each data entity that represents a road segment that has an at-grade railroad crossing located thereon is associated with data that indicates a relative amount of train traffic activity at the at-grade railroad crossing on the represented road segment.

17. The geographic database of claim 15 wherein each data entity that represents a road segment that has an at-grade railroad crossing located thereon is associated with data that indicates times of day associated with levels of train traffic.

18. The geographic database of claim 15 wherein each data entity that represents a road segment that has an at-grade railroad crossing located thereon is associated with data that indicates days of week associated with levels of train traffic.

19. The geographic database of claim 15 further comprising:

train schedule information, wherein each data entity that represents a road segment that has an at-grade railroad crossing located thereon refers to the train schedule information for an indication of train traffic at the at-grade railroad crossing on the represented road segment.

20. The geographic database of claim 15 further comprising:

a table of train traffic activity combinations, wherein each data entity that represents a road segment that has an at-grade railroad crossing located thereon refers to the table of train traffic activity combinations for an indication of train traffic at the at-grade railroad crossing on the represented road segment.