Method and system for providing an electronic horizon in an advanced driver assistance system architecture

• US 6,405,128 B1
• Filed: 12/20/1999
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navigation Technologies Corp. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Schmitt, Matthias, Dunn, Larry, Hecht, Andreas, Feigen, Jerry, Bechtolsheim, Stephan, Roser, Michele
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US09/467,608
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/207, 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 342/357.01, 731/78.R
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635

Abstract

A method and system for use by driver assistance systems installed in a motor vehicle to continuously provide such systems with updated data about paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle as the motor vehicle travels along said roads. The method includes accessing a database that contains data that represents segments of roads and intersections of a road network located in a geographic region in which the motor vehicle is traveling and determining one or more paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle. Each path is extended out to a threshold. Data representing each of the paths is provided in an organized data structure for use by the driver assistance systems.

Claims

1. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold; and

providing data representing the paths;

wherein said first threshold is a function of a distance that the motor vehicle can travel at a current speed of the motor vehicle.

2. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first thresbold; and

providing data representing the paths;

wherein said first threshold is a further of speed limits of the segments of roads around the motor vehicle.

3. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of;

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold; and

providing data representing the paths;

wherein said first threshold is a function of delays associated with traversing intersections between segments of roads.

4. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold; and

providing data representing the paths;

wherein said first threshold is a function of a distance that the motor vehicle can travel within a given amount of time.

5. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold; and

providing data representing the paths;

wherein said first threshold is a function of a distance that the motor vehicle can travel within a given amount of time at a current speed of the motor vehicle.

6. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold; and

providing data representing the paths;

wherein said first threshold includes a minimum distance and an additional distance which is a flimction of one of a vehicle speed, speed limits of the segments of roads around the motor vehicle, delays associated with traversing intersections, and a distance that the motor vehicle can travel within a given amount of time at a current speed of the motor vehicle.

7. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold; and

providing data representing the paths;

wherein said data representing the paths is provided in a data structure and

wherein said data structure is a tree structure.

8. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold; and

providing data representing the paths;

wherein said paths include all paths along which the motor vehicle can travel from said current position while complying with legal restrictions on vehicular travel along road segments that form said paths.

20. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of;

determining a primary path wherein said primary path comprises one of said paths; and

providing data indicating said primary path.

9. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor Vehicle within a firs threshold; and

providing data representing the paths;

wherein said paths include all paths along which the motor vehicle can travel from said current position while complying with legal restrictions on vehicular travel as well as paths along which the motor vehicle can physically travel while not complying with legal restrictions on vehicular travel.

10. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold, wherein each of said paths is comprised of road segments;

providing data representing the paths; and

providing data that represents said road segments that form said paths;

wherein each of said paths is comprised of whole road segments except for a road segment upon which the motor vehicle is currently located.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said data representing the paths is provided in a data structure.

12. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold;

providing data representing the paths; and

providing data that associates road segments onto which the motor vehicle can travel from said current position with said data representing said paths.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said paths are ordered from a first path to a last path.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said paths are ordered according to a turn direction at each intersection between road segments included in each path.

15. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold; and

providing data representing the paths;

wherein data representing road segments that form said paths are contained in a database located on-board the motor vehicle.

16. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold; and

providing data representing the paths,

wherein said step of determining is performed each time a new vehicle position is determined.

17. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold;

providing data representing the paths; and

when providing data representing the paths, also providing data representing the current position of the motor vehicle relative to said paths.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of

after performing the step of providing data representing the paths and data representing the current position of the motor vehicle relative to said paths, determining a new current vehicle position;

determining whether a cost of travel along any of said paths from said new current vehicle position is less than a second threshold; and

if said cost of travel along each of said paths from said new current vehicle position exceeds the second threshold, providing data representing the paths and data representing the new current position of the motor vehicle relative to said paths.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of

after performing the step of providing data representing the paths and data representing the current position of the motor vehicle relative to said paths, receiving a new current vehicle position;

determining whether a cost of travel along any of said paths from said new current vehicle position is less than a second threshold;

if said cost of travel along any of said paths from said new current vehicle position is less than said second threshold, determining new paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from said new current position of the motor vehicle wherein said new paths are within said first threshold; and

providing data representing the new paths and data representing the new current position of the motor vehicle relative to said new paths.

21. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold;

providing data representing the paths;

determining a primary path wherein said primary path comprises one of said paths; and

providing data indicating said primary path;

wherein said primary path corresponds to a previously calculated route.

22. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold;

providing data representing the paths;

determining a primary path wherein said primary path comprises one of said paths; and

providing data indicating said primary path;

wherein said primary path corresponds to a path that said motor vehicle is most likely to follow.

23. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold; and

providing data representing the paths;

wherein said paths include U-turns.

25. A method of providing data about roads around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

accessing data that represent segments of roads of a road network located in a geographic region;

determining paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from a current position of the motor vehicle within a first threshold;

providing data representing the paths; and

providing sensor data along with the data representing the paths.

24. The method of claim 26 wherein said paths include all paths along which the motor vehicle can travel from said current position.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said sensor data are related to the data representing said paths.

27. A software program installed in a motor vehicle that provides data about a road network around the motor vehicle comprising:

a programming routine that accesses data that represent roads located around a current vehicle position;

a programming routine that determines which roads located around the current vehicle position are paths along which the motor vehicle can travel from said current position out to an extent associated with a threshold; and

a programming routine that stores data defining said paths in a temporary data repository from which other applications can obtain said data defining said paths.

57. The program of claim 27 wherein said threshold is a function of a distance that the motor vehicle can travel at a current speed of the motor vehicle.

58. The software program of claim 27 wherein said threshold is a function of speed limits of roads around the motor vehicle.

59. The software program of claim 27 wherein said threshold is a function of delays associated with traversing intersections between segments of roads.

60. The software program of claim 27 wherein said threshold is a function of a distance that the motor vehicle can travel within a given amount of time.

61. The software program of claim 27 wherein said threshold is a function of a distance that the motor vehicle can travel within a given amount of time at a current speed of the motor vehicle.

62. The software program of claim 27 wherein said threshold includes a minimum distance and an additional distance which is a function of one of a vehicle speed, speed limits of roads around the motor vehicle, delays associated with traversing intersections, and a distance that the motor vehicle can travel within a given amount of time at a current speed of the motor vehicle.

63. The software program of claim 27 wherein said data defining the paths is stored in a data structure.

64. The method of claim 63 wherein said data structure is a tree structure.

65. The software program of claim 27 wherein said paths include all paths along which the motor vehicle can travel from said current position.

66. The software program of claim 27 wherein said paths include all paths along which the motor vehicle can travel from said current position while complying with legal restrictions on vehicular travel along road segments that form said paths.

67. The software program of claim 27 wherein said paths include all paths along which the motor vehicle can travel from said current position while complying with legal restrictions on vehicular travel as well as paths along which the motor vehicle can physically travel while not complying with legal restrictions on vehicular travel.

68. The software program of claim 27 wherein each of said paths is comprised of whole road segments except for a road segment upon which the motor vehicle is currently located.

69. The software program of claim 27 wherein said programming routine that stores data defining said paths also stores data that associates road segments onto which the motor vehicle can travel from said current position with said data defining said paths.

70. The software program of claim 27 wherein said paths are ordered in said temporary data repository from a first path to a last path.

71. The software program of claim 27 wherein said paths are ordered in said temporary data repository according to a turn direction at each intersection between road segments included in each path.

72. The software program of claim 27 wherein said data that represent roads are contained in a database located on-board the motor vehicle.

73. The software program of claim 27 wherein said programming routine that determines which roads located around the current vehicle position are paths along which the motor vehicle can travel from said current position out to an extent associated with a threshold determines the roads each time a new vehicle position is determined.

74. The software program of claim 27 wherein said programming routine that stores data defining said paths also stores data representing the current position of the motor vehicle relative to said paths.

75. The software program of claim 27 further comprising:

a programming routine that determines a primary path wherein said primary path comprises one of said plurality of paths; and

a programming routine that stores data indicating said primary path in said temporary data repository.

76. The software program of claim 75 wherein said primary path corresponds to a previously calculated route.

77. The software program of claim 75 wherein said primary path corresponds to a path that said motor vehicle is most likely to follow.

78. The software program of claim 27 wherein said paths include a U-turn.

79. The software program of claim 27 further comprising:

a programming routine that stores sensor data in said temporary data repository.

80. The software program of claim 79 wherein said sensor data are related to the data defining the paths.

28. A method performed by a software program installed in a motor vehicle to provide data about a road network around a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

determining a plurality of paths that the motor vehicle can travel from a current location out to an extent associated with a threshold;

wherein each path is comprised of a different sequence of one or more road segments;

and wherein each sequence begins with the road segment upon which the motor vehicle is located;

and wherein the roads segments in each sequence form a continuous path along which the motor vehicle can travel from the current location out to said extent; and

providing data defining the sequence of road segments in each of said plurality of paths for use by other applications in said motor vehicle.

29. The invention of claim 28 comprising:

providing data indicating the curvature at points along said paths.

30. The invention of claim 28 comprising:

providing data indicating road objects along said paths, wherein said road objects include signs and crosswalks.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein said threshold is a function of a distance that the motor vehicle can travel at a current speed of the motor vehicle.

32. The method of claim 28 wherein said threshold is a function of speed limits of the road segments around the motor vehicle.

33. The method of claim 28 wherein said threshold is a function of delays associated with traversing intersections between road segments.

34. The method of claim 28 wherein said threshold is a function of a distance that the motor vehicle can travel within a given amount of time.

35. The method of claim 28 wherein said threshold is a function of a distance that the motor vehicle can travel within a given amount of time at a current speed of the motor vehicle.

36. The method of claim 28 wherein said threshold includes a minimum distance and an additional distance which is a function of one of a vehicle speed, speed limits of the road segments around the motor vehicle, delays associated with traversing intersections, and a distance that the motor vehicle can travel within a given amount of time at a current speed of the motor vehicle.

37. The method of claim 28 wherein said data defining the sequence of road segments in each of said plurality of paths is provided in a data structure.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein said data structure is a tree structure.

39. The method of claim 28 wherein said paths include all paths along which the motor vehicle can travel from said current location.

40. The method of claim 28 wherein said paths include all paths along which the motor vehicle can travel from said current location while complying with legal restrictions on vehicular travel along road segments that form said paths.

41. The method of claim 28 wherein said paths include all paths along which the motor vehicle can travel from said current location while complying with legal restrictions on vehicular travel as well as paths along which the motor vehicle can physically travel while not complying with legal restrictions on vehicular travel.

42. The method of claim 28 wherein each of said paths is comprised of whole road segments except for a road segment upon which the motor vehicle is currently located.

43. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

providing data that associates road segments onto which the motor vehicle can 3 travel from said current location with said data defining the sequence of road segments in each of said plurality of paths.

44. The method of claim 28 wherein said paths are ordered from a first path to a last path.

45. The method of claim 28 wherein said paths are ordered according to a turn direction at each intersection between road segments included in each path.

46. The method of claim 28 wherein data representing road segments that form said paths are contained from a database located on-board the motor vehicle.

47. The method of claim 28 wherein said step of determining is performed each time a new vehicle location is determined.

48. The method of claim 28 further comprising:

when providing said data defining the sequence of road segments in each of said plurality of paths, also providing data representing the current location of the motor vehicle relative to said paths.

49. The method of claim 48 further comprising the step of:

after performing the step of providing said data defining the sequence of road segments in each of said plurality of paths and said data representing the current position of the motor vehicle relative to said paths, determining a new current vehicle location;

determining whether a cost of travel along any of said paths from said new current vehicle location is less than a second threshold; and

if said cost of travel along each of said paths from said new current vehicle location exceeds the second threshold, providing said data defining the sequence of road segments in each of said plurality of paths and said data representing the new current location of the motor vehicle relative to said paths.

50. The method of claim 48 further comprising the step of:

after performing the step of providing said data defining the sequence of road segments in each of said plurality of paths and said data representing the current location of the motor vehicle relative to said paths, determining a new current vehicle location;

determining whether a cost of travel along any of said paths from said new current vehicle location is less than a second threshold;

if said cost of travel along any of said paths from said new current vehicle location is less than said second threshold, determining new paths along roads onto which the motor vehicle can travel from said new current location of the motor vehicle wherein said new paths are within said threshold; and

providing data defining the sequence of road segments in each of said plurality of new paths and data representing the new current location of the motor vehicle relative to said new paths.

51. The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of:

determining a primary path wherein said primary path comprises one of said plurality of paths; and

providing data indicating said primary path.

52. The method of claim 51 wherein said primary path corresponds to a previously calculated route.

53. The method of claim 51 wherein said primary path corresponds to a path that said motor vehicle is most likely to follow.

54. The method of claim 28 wherein said paths include a U-turn.

55. The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of:

providing sensor data along with the data representing the paths.

56. The method of claim 55 wherein said sensor data are related to the data defining the sequence of road segments in each of said plurality of paths.