Data mining in a digital map database to identify insufficient merge lanes along roads and enabling precautionary actions in a vehicle
First Claim
1. A method for making a database that represents a road network in a geographic region, the method comprising:
- using data contained in the database to identify intersections located throughout the geographic region where roads meet without a traffic signal and without a sufficient merge lane; and
adding precautionary action data to the database to indicate a condition for which a precautionary action is to be taken by a vehicle system.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
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, an intersection without traffic signals and without a sufficient merge lane. A database that represents the road network is used to determine locations where roads meet without a traffic signal and without a sufficient merge lane. 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 of the insufficient merge lane. 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 of an insufficient merge lane.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for making a database that represents a road network in a geographic region, the method comprising:
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using data contained in the database to identify intersections located throughout the geographic region where roads meet without a traffic signal and without a sufficient merge lane; and adding precautionary action data to the database to indicate a condition for which a precautionary action is to be taken by a vehicle system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A database stored on a 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 road segments that make up the road network; data that indicates merge lanes along the road segments; and data that indicates precautionary action locations, wherein a precautionary action location is associated with a location at which no merge lane or an insufficient merge lane is located along an intersection of roads without a traffic signal. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A vehicle system comprising:
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a database that contains data representing a geographic region in which a vehicle is being operated, wherein the data includes data that represents a road network located in the geographic region and precautionary action data that indicates precautionary action locations associated with locations where insufficient merge lanes exist at intersections of roads without traffic signals; 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 current location of the vehicle is approaching an intersection without a traffic signal and with an insufficient merge lane. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. 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 of the current position of the vehicle; upon determining that the data representations of the part of the road network around the current position of the vehicle includes precautionary action data, taking a precautionary action as the vehicle is approaching an intersection without traffic signals and without a sufficient merge lane. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification