SYNTHETIC DATA COLLECTION FOR VEHICLE CONTROLLER

• US 20170082446A1
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clever Devices, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Clever Devices, Ltd.
• Inventors: Long, Cody
• Granted Patent: US 10,386,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

A method for providing waypoint data to a vehicle controller. This method may include obtaining a plurality of coordinate locations describing a vehicle route, performing a computation of the vehicle route using said coordinates, obtaining route data describing the route, transforming the route data into coordinate data comprising a plurality of data points expressed in longitude and latitude form, converting the coordinate data into properly-spaced waypoint data, storing the waypoint data in a form accessible to a vehicle controller, and accessing the waypoint data via a vehicle controller. According to an exemplary embodiment, the properly-spaced waypoint data may be created from improperly-spaced data via interpolation. The vehicle controller may control other devices associated with a vehicle, such as an automated voice announcement system or an external display.

Claims

1. A method for providing waypoint data to a vehicle controller, this method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of coordinate locations describing a vehicle route,

performing a computation of the vehicle route using said coordinates;

obtaining route data describing the route;

transforming, with a processor, the route data into coordinate data, the coordinate data further comprising a plurality of data points expressed in longitude and latitude form;

converting this coordinate data into properly-spaced waypoint data;

storing, in a memory module, the waypoint data in a form accessible to a vehicle controller; and

accessing the waypoint data via a vehicle controller, the vehicle controller further comprising a processor and a memory and controlling the operation of at least one component of a vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the coordinate data is converted into properly-spaced waypoint data by linear interpolation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the coordinate data is converted into properly-spaced waypoint data by nonlinear interpolation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the coordinate data describing the route is polyline-encoded vector data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one component of a vehicle controlled by a vehicle controller includes an automated voice announcement system.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising using the automated voice announcement system to play an announcement to passengers of the vehicle when a selected waypoint has been reached.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising making a stop announcement as the vehicle approaches a stop.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one component of a vehicle controlled by a vehicle controller includes an external display.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising using the external display to display the next planned stop of the vehicle when a selected waypoint has been reached.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the waypoint data further comprises distance measurements.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the waypoint data further comprises instructions for the at least one component of a vehicle controlled by a system controller.

12. A method for providing waypoint data to a vehicle controller, this method comprising:

accessing an external mapping API;

selecting a plurality of locations describing a vehicle route;

obtaining a plurality of coordinates corresponding to the plurality of locations;

instructing the external mapping API to perform a computation of the vehicle route using said coordinates;

obtaining polyline-encoded vector data describing the vehicle route;

transforming, with a processor, the polyline-encoded vector data into coordinate data, this coordinate data further comprising a plurality of data points expressed in longitude and latitude form;

determining whether any of the distances between pairs of consecutive coordinate data points exceed a maximum allowable distance for waypoints that is permitted by a vehicle controller;

adding, via interpolation, additional waypoints between pairs of consecutive coordinate data points where distances between pairs of consecutive data points exceed the maximum allowable distance for waypoints that is permitted by the vehicle controller, and continuing to add additional waypoints until no distances between pairs of consecutive data points exceed the maximum allowable distance;

storing, in a memory module, the waypoint data in a form accessible to a vehicle controller; and

accessing the waypoint data via a vehicle controller, the vehicle controller further comprising a processor and a memory and controlling the operation of at least one component of a vehicle.

13. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising code executable by a computer arranged to communicate with at least one vehicle controller, to cause the computer to carry out the following steps:

obtaining a plurality of coordinate locations describing a vehicle route,

performing a computation of the vehicle route using said coordinates;

obtaining route data describing the route;

transforming the route data into coordinate data, the coordinate data further comprising a plurality of data points expressed in longitude and latitude form;

converting the coordinate data into properly-spaced waypoint data;

storing the waypoint data in a memory in a form accessible to a vehicle controller; and

transmitting the waypoint data to a vehicle controller.

14. A computer-implemented method for generating waypoint data, comprising the steps of:

receiving route data and storing the route data in a first memory location;

generating, with a processor, coordinate data from the route data, and storing the coordinate data in a second memory location;

comparing, with a processor on a pair-by-pair basis, the distances between pairs of consecutive coordinate data points and the maximum allowable distance for waypoints that is permitted by the vehicle controller;

identifying those pairs of consecutive waypoints having a distance between them that is greater than the maximum allowable distance for waypoints that is permitted by the vehicle controller; and

converting the coordinate data into properly-spaced waypoint data by adding interpolated waypoints between those pairs of consecutive waypoints having a distance between them that is greater than the maximum allowable distance for waypoints that is permitted by the vehicle controller until no such pairs of consecutive waypoints exist.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein route data is provided in the form of a polyline.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the processor generates coordinate data from route data using a polyline decoding algorithm.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the additional step of storing the waypoint data in a memory.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the additional step of accessing the waypoint data with a vehicle controller, the vehicle controller comprising a processor and a memory and further being configured to control the operation of at least one component of a vehicle.

19. A system for generating waypoint data, comprising:

a first memory location configured to receive and store route data;

a second memory location configured to receive and store waypoint data;

a processor configured to generate coordinate data from route data, and configured to generate waypoint data from coordinate data;

wherein the processor generates waypoint data from coordinate data by comparing, on a pair-by-pair basis, the distances between pairs of consecutive coordinate data points and the maximum allowable distance for waypoints that is permitted by the vehicle controller, identifying those pairs of consecutive waypoints having a distance between them that is greater than the maximum allowable distance for waypoints that is permitted by the vehicle controller, and converting the coordinate data into properly-spaced waypoint data by adding interpolated waypoints between those pairs of consecutive waypoints having a distance between them that is greater than the maximum allowable distance for waypoints that is permitted by the vehicle controller until no such pairs of consecutive waypoints exist.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor generates coordinate data from route data using a polyline decoding algorithm.

21. A system for generating waypoint data, comprising:

a first memory location configured to receive and store route data;

a second memory location configured to receive and store waypoint data;

a means of generating coordinate data from route data; and

a means of generating waypoint data from coordinate data.