Data mining to identify locations of potentially hazardous conditions for vehicle operation and use thereof

• US 20090299622A1
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navteq North America LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Denaro, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,134,133 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces

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. A database that represents the road network is used to determine locations where a potentially hazardous condition exists. Then, precautionary action data is added to the database to indicate a location at which a precautionary action is to be taken relating to the hazardous condition. 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 the location where the potentially hazardous condition exists.

Claims

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 locations where a hazardous condition might exist; and

adding precautionary action data to the database to indicate the hazardous condition for which a precautionary action is to be taken by a vehicle system.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

prior to the step of adding precautionary data, verifying that the hazardous conditions exist at the identified locations.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of verifying is performed by direct observation of the locations by a human.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of verifying is performed by evaluating video acquired while driving.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of using data further comprises:

selecting from the database a data record that represents a road segment;

evaluating the data record to determine whether conditions that define a hazardous condition are met; and

continuing to select from the database data records that represent road segments until all data records that represent road segments have been selected.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of evaluating further comprises:

also evaluating data records that represent geographic features located around the road segment to determine whether the conditions that define the hazardous condition are met.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of using data contained in the database comprises evaluating at least two items of data contained in the database to determine whether the hazardous condition exists at the identified location.

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:

data records that represent road segments that make up the road network; and

data that indicates precautionary action locations, wherein a precautionary action location is associated with a location determined by evaluating other data in the database to determine that a hazardous condition exists.

9. The database of claim 8 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a location along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken by a vehicle system.

10. The database of claim 8 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a direction along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken.

11. The database of claim 8 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that refers to the location of the actual hazardous condition.

12. The database of claim 8 further comprising data that indicates permitted directions of travel along road segments, speed limits along road segments, classifications of road segments, and locations of road segments.

13. The database of claim 8 further comprising data that identifies successor road segments of each road segment, wherein successor road segments are those road segments that connect to a road segment at each end thereof.

14. A vehicle system comprising:

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 hazardous conditions exist;

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 a location of a hazardous condition.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a location along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken by a vehicle system.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a direction along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that refers to the location of the hazardous condition.

18. A method for providing precautionary actions in a vehicle comprising:

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 include precautionary action data, taking a precautionary action as the vehicle is approaching a location of a hazardous condition.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

building an electronic horizon after accessing the database; and

using the electronic horizon to determine whether precautionary action data is included therein.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the precautionary action is provided via a user interface of the vehicle.