Advanced Map Information Delivery, Processing and Updating

• US 20140025289A1
• Filed: 09/27/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• 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, Scalf, Mark, DiMeo, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,568,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/430
• 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 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.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the new road is provided to a route calculation process usable to determine a route.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing persists at least until a memory in which the storing occurs is full beyond a predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, 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.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing is done in a memory housed within the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, 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.

7. The method of claim 4, 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.