Data Mining in a Digital Map Database to Identify Insufficient Superelevation Along Roads and Enabling Precautionary Actions in a Vehicle

• US 20160018227A1
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Denaro, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,909,881 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18009 related to particular drive situations
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

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, a curved portion of a road with insufficient superelevation. A database that represents the road network is used to determine locations where curved sections of roads have insufficient superelevation (banking), i.e., where the superelevation is below a threshold. 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 insufficient superelevation. 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 insufficient superelevation.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for making an augmented version of a database in advance of approach by a vehicle to a location that can be used as a component in a vehicle system of the vehicle that causes the vehicle system to provide a precautionary action in the vehicle when the vehicle approaches a potentially hazardous location, wherein the potentially hazardous location is one in which two conditions are present at a same location along a road network in a geographic region, wherein one of the two conditions comprises a curved section of road, and another of the two conditions comprises superelevation insufficient for operation of a vehicle at a given speed, the method comprising:

identifying, by a computer, curved road sections located throughout the geographic region that have insufficient superelevation based on first data contained in a first version of a database indicative of road section curvature and second data contained in the first version of the database indicative of superelevation;

forming, by the computer, the augmented version of the database by adding precautionary action data to the first version of the database in association with locations of curved road sections having insufficient superelevation at which a precautionary action is to be taken by the vehicle system; and

storing, by the computer, the augmented version of the database on a non-transitory computer readable medium for use by the vehicle system wherein the vehicle system is operative, during approach of the vehicle to a location, to provide a precautionary action when the vehicle system determines that the location being approached is associated with precautionary action data in the augmented version of the database.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting, by the computer, from the first version of the database a data record that represents a road segment;

upon determining that the road segment is curved, obtaining, by the computer, data that represent superelevation of the road where the road is curved; and

upon determining that the road segment is curved and that the superelevation where the road is curved is below a threshold, adding the precautionary action data to the first version of the database to indicate the presence of a condition for which a precautionary action is to be taken.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 further wherein the road segment is determined to be curved by evaluating shape point data associated with the road segment.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2 further comprising:

continuing, by the computer, to select from the first version of the database data records that represent road segments to identify all locations of curved roads throughout the geographic region where the superelevation is below a threshold.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 2 further comprising:

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

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

compiling, by the computer, the augmented version of the database into a format suitable for use in a navigation system.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the identifying comprises evaluating at least two items of data contained in the first version of the database to determine whether a curved road has insufficient superelevation.

8. A database stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and operable as a component in a vehicle system to cause the vehicle system to provide a precautionary action in a vehicle when the vehicle approaches a potentially hazardous location, 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, determined in advance of vehicle operation as a function of data that indicates curvature of the road segments and data that indicates superelevation of the road segments, that indicates precautionary action locations, wherein a precautionary action location is associated with a location where two conditions are present at a same location, wherein one of the two conditions comprises a curved section of road and another of the two conditions comprises superelevation of the curved section of road which is insufficient for operation of a vehicle at a given speed, the data indicative of a precautionary action location being operative to cause the vehicle system to provide a precautionary action when the vehicle system determines that the vehicle is approaching a location associated with precautionary action data in the database.

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 insufficient superelevation along the road.

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 speed limits road segments.

14. A vehicle system comprising:

a database stored on a computer-readable medium 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 generated in advance of vehicle approach to a location that is associated with precautionary action locations, wherein precautionary action locations are locations where a combination of conditions exist, wherein the combination of conditions comprises a curved section of road having superelevation that is insufficient for vehicle operation at a given speed;

a positioning system operative to determine 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 associated in the database with precautionary action data.

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 actual location of insufficient superelevation along a curved section of a road.

18. A computer implemented method for providing precautionary actions in a vehicle, the method comprising:

accessing, by a vehicle system, a database that represents a road network, wherein the database contains precautionary action data associated, in advance of vehicle approach, with locations at which a combination of conditions exist that when located together may be potentially hazardous to vehicle operation, wherein the conditions comprise a curved section of road and insufficient superelevation along the curved section of road that may be hazardous to vehicle operation at a given speed;

determining, by a positioning system of the vehicle system, a current position of the vehicle relative to the road network represented by the database; and

upon determining that data representations of a part of the road network around the current position of the vehicle is associated with precautionary action data, taking, by a precautionary action application of the vehicle system, a precautionary action as the vehicle is approaching the part of the road network.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 18 further comprising:

building, by the vehicle system, an electronic horizon after accessing the database based on at least a portion of the road network represented therein at the current position of the vehicle; and

using, by the vehicle system, the electronic horizon to determine whether precautionary action data is included therein.

20. The computer implemented method of claim 18 wherein the precautionary action is provided via a user interface of the vehicle coupled with the vehicle system.