Method and system for representing restricted driving maneuvers

• US 6,324,470 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2000
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navigation Technologies Corp. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: White, Kerry
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arthur, Gertrude
• Application Number:
  US09/519,946
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/23, 701/25, 701/26, 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 701/208, 701/209, 701/100, 701/102, 701/104.1, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method that facilitates complying with traffic restrictions that involve three or more connected road segments when using a navigation system to determine a route. The method includes forming multiple instances of data representing each intermediate road segment between an entrance segment and an exit segment and storing data defining restrictions that apply to only two connected road segments, such that a valid driving paths exists between the entrance segment and the intermediate segment and between the intermediate segment and the exit segment, but that no valid driving paths exist between the entrance segment and the exit segment.

Claims

1. A method of representing restricted driving maneuvers that involve several connected road segments for a geographic database, wherein the several connected segments include at least three connected road segments, and wherein said several connected road segments include an entrance road segment, an exit road segment and at least one intermediate road segment, and wherein continuous travel from the entrance road segment onto the exit road segment via the intermediate road segment is prohibited, the method comprising:

forming an instance of data representing the entrance road segment;

forming an instance of data representing the exit road segment; and

forming multiple instances of data representing the intermediate road segment,

wherein a first of said multiple instances of data representing the intermediate road segment can be used to determine a valid driving path from the entrance road segment to the intermediate road segment but cannot be used to determine a valid driving path from the intermediate road segment onto the exit road segment, and

wherein a second of said multiple instances of data representing the intermediate road segment can be used to determine a valid driving path from the intermediate road segment to the exit road segment but cannot be used to determine a valid driving path from the entrance road segment onto the intermediate road segment.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

using a two-ended route searching algorithm with said geographic database.

3. The method claim 1 further comprising:

using a one-ended route searching algorithm with said geographic database.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

using an A* route searching routine with said geographic database.

5. A database product that represents restricted driving maneuvers that involve several connected road segments, wherein the several connected segments include at least three connected road segments, and wherein said several connected road segments include an entrance road segment, an exit road segment and at least one intermediate road segment, and wherein continuous travel from the entrance road segment onto the exit road segment via the intermediate road segment is prohibited, wherein the database product comprises:

an instance of data representing the entrance road segment;

an instance of data representing the exit road segment; and

multiple instances of data representing the intermediate road segment,

wherein a first of said multiple instances of data representing the intermediate road segment can be used to determine a valid driving path from the entrance road segment to the intermediate road segment but cannot be used to determine a valid driving path from the intermediate road segment onto the exit road segment, and

wherein a second of said multiple instances of data representing the intermediate road segment can be used to determine a valid driving path from the intermediate road segment to the exit road segment but cannot be used to determine a valid driving path from the entrance road segment onto the intermediate road segment.

6. In a geographic database, a method of representing restricted driving maneuvers that involve three or more connected road segments, the method comprising:

forming multiple instances of data representing each intermediate road segment between an entrance road segment and an exit road segment; and

storing data defining restrictions that apply to only two connected road segments, such that valid driving paths exist between the entrance road segment and the intermediate road segment and between the intermediate road segment and the exit road segment, but no valid driving path exists between the entrance road segment and the exit road segment.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

using a two-ended route searching algorithm with said geographic database.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

using an A* route search routine with said geographic database.

9. A database product that represents restricted driving maneuvers that involve three or more connected road segments, wherein said database product is stored on a computer readable medium, wherein said database product comprises:

multiple instances of data representing each intermediate road segment between an entrance road segment and an exit road segment; and

data defining restrictions that apply to only two connected road segments, such that valid driving paths exist between the entrance road segment and the intermediate road segment and between the intermediate road segment and the exit road segment, but no valid driving path exists between the entrance road segment and the exit road segment.

10. In a geographic database, a method of representing restricted driving maneuvers that involve three or more connected road segments, the method comprising:

forming multiple instances of data representing each intermediate road segment between an entrance road segment and an exit road segment;

storing data defining restrictions that apply to only two connected road segments,

wherein said data defining restrictions indicates that a valid driving path exists from the entrance road segment to the intermediate road segment as represented by a first of said multiple instances of data and that a valid driving path exists to the exit road segment from the intermediate road segment as represented by a second of said multiple instances of data, but that a valid driving path does not exist from the entrance road segment to the intermediate road segment as represented by the second of said multiple instances of data and that a valid driving path does not exist to the exit road segment from the intermediate road segment as represented by the first of said multiple instances of data.

11. A database product that represents restricted driving maneuvers that involve three or more connected road segments, wherein the database product comprises:

multiple instances of data representing each intermediate road segment between an entrance road segment and an exit road segment;

data defining restrictions that apply to only two connected road segments,

wherein said data defining restrictions indicates that a valid driving path exists from the entrance road segment to the intermediate road segment as represented by a first of said multiple instances of data and that a valid driving path exists to the exit road segment from the intermediate road segment as represented by a second of said multiple instances of data, but that a valid driving path does not exist from the entrance road segment to the intermediate road segment as represented by the second of said multiple instances of data and that a valid driving path does not exist to the exit road segment from the intermediate road segment as represented by the first of said multiple instances of data.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

using a two-ended route searching algorithm with said geographic database.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

using an A* route searching algorithm with said geographic database.

14. In a geographic database, a method of representing a restricted driving maneuver that involves at least three connected road segments,

wherein the at least three connected road segments include an entrance road segment, an exit road segment, and one or more intermediate road segments, and

wherein continuous travel onto the exit road segment from the entrance road segment via the one or more intermediate road segments is prohibited;

wherein the method comprises;

for each one of the one or more intermediate road segments, representing said intermediate road segment with plural data records, wherein a first of said plural data records contains data indicating travel onto the intermediate road segment represented by said data record from the entrance road segment is permitted, but that travel onto the exit road segment from the intermediate road segment represented by said data record is prohibited, and wherein a second of said plural data records contains data indicating travel onto the intermediate road segment represented by said data record from the entrance road segment is prohibited, but that travel onto the exit road segment from the intermediate road segment represented by said data record is permitted.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the entrance road segment and the exit road segment are major streets and the one or more intermediate road segments are minor streets that form an illegal shortcut from the entrance road segment and the exit road segment.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the one or more intermediate road segments form an illegal bypass of an intersection of the entrance road segment and the exit road segment.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the entrance road segment is an entrance ramp leading onto one of the one or more intermediate road segments and the exit road segment is an exit ramp from the one or more intermediate road segments and wherein the exit ramp is located on an opposite side of the one or more intermediate road segments from the entrance ramp.

18. A geographic database formed to represent restricted driving maneuvers that involve at least three connected road segments wherein the at least three connected road segments include an entrance road segment, an exit road segment, and one or more intermediate road segments, and wherein continuous travel onto the exit road segment from the entrance road segment via the one or more intermediate road segments is prohibited, wherein the geographic database product comprises:

for each one of the one or more intermediate road segments, plural data records representing said intermediate road segment,

wherein a first of said plural data records contains data indicating travel onto the intermediate road segment represented by said data record from the entrance road segment is permitted, but that travel onto the exit road segment from the intermediate road segment represented by said data record is prohibited,

and wherein a second of said plural data records contains data indicating travel onto the intermediate road segment represented by said data record from the entrance road segment is prohibited, but that travel onto the exit road segment from the intermediate road segment represented by said data record is permitted.

19. A method of forming a navigable database comprising:

identifying locations at which travel onto a third road segment from a first road segment via a second road segment is physically possible but legally prohibited;

representing the first road segment with a first data record;

representing the third road segment with a second data record;

representing the second road segment with a third data record and a fourth data record, and

wherein said database contains data indicating that travel onto the road segment represented by the third data record from the road segment represented by the first data record is permitted, but that travel onto the road segment represented by the second data record from the road segment represented by the third data record is prohibited,

wherein said database contains data indicating that travel onto the road segment represented by the fourth data record from the road segment represented by the first data record is prohibited, but that travel onto the road segment represented by the second data record from the road segment represented by the fourth data record is permitted.

20. A database product that represents locations at which travel onto a third road segment from a first road segment via a second road segment is physically possible but legally prohibited, the database product comprising:

a first data record that represents the first road segment;

a second data record that represents the third road segment;

a third data record and a fourth data record that represent the second road segment, and

data indicating that travel onto the road segment represented by the third data record from the road segment represented by the first data record is permitted, but that travel onto the road segment represented by the second data record from the road segment represented by the third data record is prohibited,

data indicating that travel onto the road segment represented by the fourth data record from the road segment represented by the first data record is prohibited, but that travel onto the road segment represented by the second data record from the road segment represented by the fourth data record is permitted.