Method of building and using local map of vehicle drive path

• US 8,972,103 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Elwart, Shane S., Pilutti, Thomas Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paige, Tyler D.
• Application Number:
  US13/846,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20140288765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 701/32.4, 701/1
• US Class Current: 701/32.4
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3837 Data obtained from a single source
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation

Abstract

An automotive vehicle mapping system is disclosed. The mapping system includes an on-vehicle electronic storage device, a GPS receiver, and an electronic controller. The electronic controller is configured to receive GPS data from the GPS receiver indicative of a current location of the vehicle. The electronic controller is also configured to store the GPS data on the electronic storage device if the location of the vehicle is outside of a location envelope.

Claims

1. An automotive vehicle mapping system, comprising:

an on-vehicle electronic storage device;

a GPS receiver; and

an electronic controller, communicatively coupled to the electronic storage device and the GPS receiver, said controller configured to;

periodically sample GPS data from said GPS receiver indicative of a current location of the vehicle;

determine, from the sampled GPS data, whether the vehicle is within a location envelope; and

store the sampled GPS data on the electronic storage device if the location of the vehicle is outside the location envelope and discard the sampled GPS data if the vehicle is within the location envelope.

2. The automotive vehicle mapping system of claim 1, wherein said location envelope comprises:

a parallel threshold, which is a value that defines a distance between two imaginary parallel lines centered around opposite sides of the vehicle and aligned with the heading of the vehicle; and

a perpendicular threshold, which is a value that defines a distance along the heading of the vehicle.

3. The automotive vehicle mapping system of claim 1, wherein said parallel threshold and said perpendicular threshold are pre-determined.

4. The automotive vehicle mapping system of claim 1, wherein said parallel threshold and said perpendicular threshold are variable.

5. The automotive vehicle mapping system of claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured to generate a route map of a previously-traveled route by linking previously-stored GPS data associated with the previously-traveled route.

6. The automotive vehicle mapping system of claim 5, wherein said controller is further configured to match a currently-traveled route of the vehicle to a previously-traveled route of the vehicle.

7. The automotive vehicle mapping system of claim 6, wherein said controller is configured to match a currently-traveled route of the vehicle to a previously-traveled route of the vehicle by:

(i) receiving GPS location data indicative of a current location of the vehicle; and

(ii) determining if the current location of the vehicle is within a location matching envelope relative to previously-stored GPS location data.

8. The automotive vehicle mapping system of claim 7, wherein said location matching envelope comprises a longitude threshold and a latitude threshold.

9. The automotive vehicle mapping system of claim 8, wherein said controller is further configured to display previously-stored route data if said currently-traveled route is matched to a previously-traveled route.

10. The automotive vehicle mapping system of claim 1, wherein said controller is further configured to:

receive GPS data from said GPS receiver indicative of an altitude associated with a current location of the vehicle; and

store the GPS altitude data on the electronic storage device if the altitude of the vehicle is outside of an altitude envelope.

11. The automotive vehicle mapping system of claim 10, wherein said controller is further configured to:

receive performance data associated with a performance variable of the vehicle; and

associate the performance data with stored GPS location data corresponding to a point along a previously-traveled route and store said performance data if said performance data is outside of a performance data envelope.

12. The automotive vehicle mapping system of claim 10, wherein said altitude envelope comprises:

a parallel threshold, which is a value that defines a distance between two imaginary parallel lines that center the vehicle from above and below and that are aligned with the heading of the vehicle; and

a perpendicular threshold, which is a value that defines a distance along the heading of the vehicle.

13. The automotive vehicle mapping system of claim 11, wherein said vehicle is configured to adjust the performance of a vehicle system based upon previously-stored performance data associated with a previously-stored route that matches the currently-traveled route of the vehicle.

14. A method of generating an on-vehicle map of a previously-traveled route, the method comprising:

sampling GPS data from a GPS satellite indicative of a current location of the vehicle;

determining, from the sampled GPS data, whether the vehicle is within a location envelope; and

storing said sampled GPS data on an on-vehicle electronic storage device if the location of the vehicle is outside of a location envelope and discarding the sampled GPS data if the vehicle is within the location envelope.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said location envelope comprises:

a parallel threshold, which is a value that defines a distance between two imaginary parallel lines centered around opposite sides of the vehicle and aligned with the heading of the vehicle; and

a perpendicular threshold, which is a value that defines a distance along the heading of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of generating a route map of a previously-traveled route by linking previously-stored GPS data associated with the previously-traveled route.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of matching a currently-traveled route of the vehicle to a previously-traveled route of the vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the matching step comprises the steps:

receiving GPS location data indicative of a current location of the vehicle; and

determining if the current location of the vehicle is within a location matching envelope relative to previously-stored GPS location data.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said location matching envelope comprises a longitude threshold and a latitude threshold.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of displaying previously-stored route data if said currently-traveled route is matched to a previously-traveled route.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps:

receiving GPS data from said GPS receiver indicative of an altitude associated with a current location of the vehicle; and

storing the GPS altitude data on the electronic storage device if the altitude of the vehicle is outside of an altitude envelope.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the steps:

receiving performance data associated with a performance variable of the vehicle; and

associating the performance data with stored GPS location data corresponding to a point along a previously-traveled route and store said performance data if said performance data is outside of a performance data envelope.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said altitude envelope comprises:

a parallel threshold, which is a value that defines a distance between two imaginary parallel lines that center the vehicle from above and below and that are aligned with the heading of the vehicle; and

a perpendicular threshold, which is a value that defines a distance along the heading of the vehicle.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of adjusting the performance of a vehicle system based upon previously-stored performance data associated with a previously-stored route that matches the currently-traveled route of the vehicle.