ADVANCED MAP INFORMATION DELIVERY, PROCESSING AND UPDATING

• US 20120078493A1
• Filed: 09/29/2010
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Schunder, Mark, DiMeo, David M., Scalf, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,849,552 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

An illustrative method of data gathering includes determining that a vehicle traveling characteristic has changed beyond an expected parameter. The method further includes recording the GPS coordinates of the vehicle and ceasing recording the GPS coordinates of the vehicle when the vehicle traveling characteristic resumes the expected parameter. Finally, the method includes determining and storing a traffic control feature associated with at least one set of the GPS coordinates, if the recorded GPS coordinates of the vehicle correspond to previously recorded GPS coordinates.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining that a vehicle traveling characteristic has passed an expected parameter;

recording vehicle GPS coordinates;

ceasing recording the vehicle GPS coordinates when the vehicle traveling characteristic passes a cessation tolerance; and

determining and storing a traffic control feature associated with at least one set of the GPS coordinates conditional on a predetermined number of recorded vehicle GPS coordinates corresponding to the at least one set of GPS coordinates.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle traveling characteristic is a vehicle speed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the expected parameter is an expected speed limit or range.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, if the vehicle speed is reduced to 0 mph, the point where the vehicle speed is reduced to 0 mph is recorded.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, if a plurality of points where the vehicle speed is reduced to 0 mph are recorded, the storing of the traffic control feature is associated with the point most proximate to a point where the vehicle resumes the expected parameter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one set of the GPS coordinates is the set of GPS coordinates most proximate to coordinates marking a cross-road, prior to crossing the cross-road in a direction of vehicle travel.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the cessation tolerance is the expected parameter.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a vehicle has passed a GPS coordinate point having a stop sign associated therewith out slowing below a predetermined threshold;

recording an instance of the vehicle passing the GPS coordinate having a stop sign associated therewith out slowing below the predetermined threshold;

determining that a number of instances of one or more vehicles passing the GPS coordinate having a stop sign associated therewith exceeds a predetermined number; and

changing the traffic feature associated with the GPS coordinate point from a stop sign to a street light.

9. A method of data gathering comprising:

determining that a vehicle is located in an off-road location;

recording vehicle GPS coordinates;

continuing to record the GPS coordinates of the vehicle at predetermined intervals until the vehicle is located in an on-road location;

storing, at least until the vehicle is located in the on-road location, all GPS coordinates recorded by the recording to create a new road.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the new road is provided to a route calculation process usable to determine a route.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the storing persists at least until a memory in which the storing occurs is full beyond a predetermined threshold.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining that one or more GPS coordinates of the new road correspond to GPS coordinates of a previously stored new road, wherein if the correspondence is determined to have occurred more than a predetermined number of times, the new road is stored as a permanent road.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the storing is done in a memory housed within the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the storing is done in a memory in a server provided to a remote network and capable of communication with a vehicle computing system through the remote network.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the storing is done in a memory in a server provided to a remote network and capable of communication with a vehicle computing system through the remote network and wherein the permanent road is provided for use by routing routines determining routes for vehicles which have never previously traveled on the permanent road.

16. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at one or more servers, GPS coordinates from a plurality of vehicles for which a traveling characteristic has changed beyond an expected threshold;

comparing received GPS coordinates;

based at least in part on a correlation between a predetermined number of received GPS coordinates, registering a traffic control feature;

associating the traffic control feature with GPS coordinates; and

storing the traffic control feature.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving parameters associated with the vehicle traveling characteristic that changed beyond the expected threshold;

comparing received parameters;

and wherein the registering the traffic control feature is further based at least in part on the comparison between received parameters.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the parameters are vehicle speed parameters and the received parameters correspond to a vehicle speed of 0.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the traffic control feature is a stop sign.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing the stored traffic control feature to routing routines for use in route determination.