System and method for updating, enhancing or refining a geographic database using feedback
First Claim
1. A system for providing a geographic database comprising:
- a plurality of sensors, each of said sensors installed in a separate one of a plurality of vehicles each of which is capable of traveling on roads in a geographic region, and each of said sensors being operative to provide outputs indicative of physical features sensed by said sensor in said geographic region as its respective vehicle travels on the roads in the geographic region;
a geographic database including data representing the features in the geographic region, and including data identifying attributes of said physical features;
an updating feedback program comprised ofa first program portion that compares said outputs to said data identifying the physical features and provides results representative of said comparisons;
a second program portion responsive to said results from said first program portion to determine a measure of significance taking into account a number of said outputs; and
a third program portion operative to modify said data identifying the physical feature based upon said measure of significance determined by said second program portion.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for updating, enhancing and/or refining a geographic database. A geographic database includes data representing physical features in the geographic region, and, optionally, attributes of such features. The system includes a plurality of data collecting sensors. Each of the data collecting sensors is installed in a separate one of a plurality of vehicles each of which is capable of traveling on roads in a geographic region. Each of the data collecting sensors provides outputs indicative of one or more features in the geographic region as the vehicle in which it is installed travels on the roads in the geographic region. A computer program executes a feedback process on the geographic database using the outputs of the data collecting sensors. A first part of the feedback program compares the outputs of the data collecting sensors to the data identifying the physical features and provides results representative of the comparisons. A second part of the feedback program is responsive to the results from the first part and determines the significance of the comparisons. A third part of the feedback program modifies the data in the geographic database based upon the significance determined by the second part of the program. The data in the geographic database representing physical features in the geographic region are updated, enhanced, or refined based upon the significance determined by the feedback program. The data which has been updated, enhanced, or refined, is used to provide updated, enhanced, or refined data in end-user vehicles, some of which may include the vehicles in which data collecting sensors have been installed. Sensors in end-users'"'"' vehicles are calibrated to high levels of accuracy using the data which has been updated, enhanced or refined using a feedback process. Further, an out-of-calibration sensor in an end-user'"'"'s vehicle is detected and re-calibrated using the data which has been updated, enhanced or refined using a feedback process. Using a feedback process, levels of confidence are assigned to data in the geographic database representing physical features in the geographic region, thereby enabling the data to be used for purposes requiring high levels of confidence.
430 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A system for providing a geographic database comprising:
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a plurality of sensors, each of said sensors installed in a separate one of a plurality of vehicles each of which is capable of traveling on roads in a geographic region, and each of said sensors being operative to provide outputs indicative of physical features sensed by said sensor in said geographic region as its respective vehicle travels on the roads in the geographic region; a geographic database including data representing the features in the geographic region, and including data identifying attributes of said physical features; an updating feedback program comprised of a first program portion that compares said outputs to said data identifying the physical features and provides results representative of said comparisons; a second program portion responsive to said results from said first program portion to determine a measure of significance taking into account a number of said outputs; and a third program portion operative to modify said data identifying the physical feature based upon said measure of significance determined by said second program portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for providing a geographic database comprising:
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a plurality of position sensors, each of said position sensors installed in a separate one of a plurality of vehicles each of which is capable of traveling on roads in a geographic region, and each of said position sensors is operative to provide outputs indicative of physical positions of said position sensor in said geographic region as its respective vehicle travels on the roads in the geographic region; a geographic database including data representing the roads in the geographic region, and including data identifying physical positions of said roads; an updating feedback program comprised of a first program portion that compares said outputs to said data identifying the physical positions of said roads and provides results representative of said comparisons; a second program portion responsive to said results from said first program portion to determine a measure of significance taking into account a number of said outputs; and a third program portion operative to modify said data identifying the physical locations of said roads based upon said measure of significance determined by said second program portion. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 33, 34)
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21. A method for providing a geographic database comprising:
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sensing a plurality of physical features in a geographic region with a plurality of data collection systems each of which is installed in one of a corresponding plurality of vehicles; comparing data derived from outputs of said plurality of sensors to a geographic database that includes data representing said physical features; ascertaining variances based upon said comparing; refining the geographic database using the variances; and transmitting copies of the geographic database to a plurality of end-users.
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23. A method for providing a geographic database comprising:
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sensing a plurality of physical features in a geographic region with a plurality of data collection systems each of which is installed in one of a corresponding plurality of vehicles; comparing data derived from outputs of said plurality of sensors to a geographic database that includes data representing said physical features; ascertaining variances based upon said comparing; determining a statistical significance of a large number of said variances, prior to the step of refining the geographic database; and refining the geographic database using the variances.
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24. A method for providing a geographic database comprising:
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sensing a plurality of physical features in a geographic region with a plurality of data collection systems each of which is installed in one of a corresponding plurality of vehicles; comparing data derived from outputs of said plurality of sensors to a geographic database that includes data representing said physical features; ascertaining variances based upon said comparing; refining the geographic database using the variances; and calibrating end-users'"'"' sensors using the refined geographic database.
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25. A method for providing a geographic database comprising:
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sensing a plurality of physical features in a geographic region with a plurality of data collection systems each of which is installed in one of a corresponding plurality of vehicles; comparing data derived from outputs of said plurality of sensors to a geographic database that includes data representing said physical features; ascertaining variances based upon said comparing; refining the geographic database using the variances; and re-calibrating an end-users'"'"' variance-reporting sensor using the refined geographic database.
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26. A method of refining a geographic database comprising:
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sensing a plurality of physical features in a geographic region with a plurality of data collection systems, each of which is installed in a respective one of a corresponding plurality of vehicles; comparing data derived from outputs of said plurality of data collection systems to a geographic database that includes data representing said physical features in the geographic region; ascertaining variances based upon said comparing; and after ascertaining, said variances, assigning a level of confidence to data in the geographic database using the ascertained variances. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A guidance system for a vehicle comprising:
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a geographic database including, data representing roadside features, wherein said data representing roadside features includes geographic position information relating to said represented roadside features, said geographic database located in the vehicle; a sensor capable of sensing said roadside features, said sensor located in the vehicle; and a processor coupled to the sensor and the geographic database and that executes a program that determines a vehicle position by matching roadside features being sensed as the vehicle travels to said data representing roadside features in the geographic database.
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Specification