Real time high accuracy geospatial database for onboard intelligent vehicle applications

• US 7,072,764 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2002
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: University of Minnesota
• Original Assignee: University of Minnesota
• Inventors: Lim, Heonmin, Alexander, Lee, Donath, Max, Gorjestani, Alec, Newstrom, Bryan, Shankwitz, Craig R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson, Eric M.
• Application Number:
  US10/091,182
• Publication Number:
  US 20020184236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,582 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 701/208, 701/210, 701/211, 340/988, 340/990, 340/993, 340/995.1, 340/995.12, 340/995.14, 340/995.17, 340/995.18, 340/995.19, 340/995.26, 340/995.27
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/207 using multi-purpose displays, e.g. camera image and navigation or video on same display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/30 characterised by the type of image processing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/302 combining image information with GPS information or vehicle data, e.g. vehicle speed, gyro, steering angle data
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/60 characterised by monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior scenes from a transformed perspective
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8046 for replacing a rear-view mirror system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8066 for monitoring rearward traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

A geospatial database management system is mounted on a host vehicle and manages geospatial data relating to a travel path for the host vehicle, the travel path having one or more lanes. A geospatial database stores data elements indicative of objects and a location of the objects in three-dimensional space. The objects have a lane-level resolution and the location is accurate to within an order of one decimeter or better. A database manager component is configured to maintain the data elements in the geospatial database and receive database queries from a driver assist subsystem configured to assist a driver of the host vehicle. A query processor is coupled to the database manager component and to the geospatial database and is configured to receive the database query from the database manager component. The query processor queries the geospatial database and returns query results to the database manager component. This can be done in real time.

Claims

1. A geospatial database management system (GDMS), mounted on a host vehicle, managing geospatial data relating to travel paths having one or more lanes, comprising:

a geospatial database storing data elements indicative of objects and a location of the objects in three dimensional space, the objects having a lane-level resolution and the location having an accuracy of approximately one decimeter or less;

a database manager component configured to maintain the data elements in the geospatial database and receive database queries from a driver assist subsystem configured to assist a driver of the host vehicle based on the data elements stored in the geospatial database; and

a query processor coupled to the database manager component and the geospatial database and configured to receive the database queries from the database manager component, query the geospatial database based on the database queries and return query results to the database manager component.

2. The GDMS of claim 1 wherein the database manager component and the query processor are configured to return the query results in substantially real time.

3. The GDMS of claim 2 wherein the database manager component and the query processor are configured to return the query results within approximately 100 milliseconds (ms) of receiving the database query from the driver assist subsystem.

4. The GDMS of claim 3 wherein the database manager component and the query processor are configured to return the query results within approximately 50 ms of receiving the database query from the driver assist subsystem.

5. The GDMS of claim 3 wherein the database manager component and the query processor are configured to return the query results within approximately 12 ms of receiving the database query from the driver assist subsystem.

6. The GDMS of claim 3 wherein the location of the objects in the geospatial database is accurate to within less than one decimeter.

7. The GDMS of claim 6 wherein the location of the objects in the geospatial database is accurate to within less than approximately +/−

0.1 meters.

8. The GDMS of claim 7 wherein the location of the objects in the geospatial database is accurate to within a range of approximately +/−

2-10 centimeters.

9. The GDMS of claim 1 wherein the database query from the driver assist subsystem includes a query polygon indicative of a geospatial region of interest and wherein the query processor is configured to identify data elements in the geospatial database that have a location that intersects with the query polygon.

10. The GDMS of claim 9 wherein the database manager component maintains the geospatial database according to tiles, each tile corresponding to a predetermined geospatial region, each tile including one or more corresponding data element lists, each data element list listing data elements of a specified element type that intersect with the corresponding tile.

11. The GDMS of claim 10 wherein the query processor is configured to identify data elements in the geospatial database that have a location that intersects with the query polygon by identifying tiles as intersecting tiles if they intersect with the query polygon.

12. The GDMS of claim 11 wherein the database query includes a data element indicator indicating relevant data element types that are relevant to the database query, and wherein the query processor is configured to search the data element lists in the intersecting tiles to identify relevant data element lists that contain data elements having the relevant data element types.

13. The GDMS of claim 12 wherein the query processor is configured to identify data elements in the geospatial database that have a location that intersects with the query polygon by identifying data elements in the relevant data element lists that intersect with the query polygon.

14. The GDMS of claim 1 wherein the database manager component is configured to maintain the data elements in the geospatial database as data objects having an attribute portion and a spatial data portion, the attribute portion including attributes indicative of the data object and the spatial data portion including data indicative of the location of the object in three dimensional space.

15. The GDMS of claim 14 wherein the data objects include a LaneBoundary object representative of a roadway lane boundary.

16. The GDMS of claim 14 wherein the data objects include a RoadShoulder object representative of a roadway shoulder.

17. The GDMS of claim 14 wherein the data objects include a RoadIsland object representative of a roadway island.

18. The GDMS of claim 14 wherein the data objects include a LaneCenter object representative of a roadway lane center.

19. The GDMS of claim 14 wherein the data objects are configured based on requirements of the driver assist subsystem.

20. The GDMS of claim 14 wherein the attributes are indicative of how to draw the data object on a display.

21. The GDMS of claim 14 wherein the data objects include objects representative of structures adjacent to the travel paths.

22. The GDMS of claim 21 wherein the data objects are representative of one or more of mailboxes, jersey barriers, guard rails, bridge abutments, tunnel walls, ground plane and ceiling, curbs, curb cutouts, fire hydrants, light posts, traffic signal posts, sign and sign posts.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver assist subsystem includes a head-up display that generates an image of boundaries of the lanes of the travel paths.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the head-up display is positioned in the host vehicle such that the boundaries of the image substantially overlay actual lane boundaries of the travel paths when viewed by the driver of the host vehicle.

25. The system of claim 24, including a radar subsystem configured to detect objects in a vicinity of the host vehicle and pass a location of the detected objects to the head-up display which modifies the image to include a graphical representation of the detected objects that substantially overlay the detected objects when viewed by the driver of the host vehicle.

26. The system of claim 25, including a radar filtering subsystem that blocks the passage of the location of selected objects, detected by the radar subsystem, to the head-up display.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver assist subsystem generates haptic feedback to the driver of the host vehicle.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the haptic feedback is generated in response to a position of the host vehicle relative to the location of the objects corresponding to the data elements stored in the geospatial database.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the haptic feedback is generated through a steering wheel, a brake pedal, or a seat.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the driver assist subsystem is a virtual rumble strip.

31. The system of claim 27, wherein the haptic feedback includes at least one stimulus applied to the driver of the host vehicle.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the stimulus includes at least one of a vibration, a force, a torque, and a motion.

33. The system of claim 1, wherein the driver assist subsystem generates a warning based on a position of the host vehicle relative to the location of the objects corresponding to the data elements stored in the geospatial database.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the warning is at least one of a visual warning, an audio warning, a tactile warning, and a haptic warning.

35. The system of claim 1, including a radar subsystem configured to detect objects in a vicinity of the host vehicle and pass a location of the detected objects to the driver assist subsystem.

36. A geospatial database management system (GDMS) for use on a host vehicle with a driver assist subsystem, comprising:

a geospatial database storing objects having attributes indicative of items relating to a travel path for the host vehicle and a location of the items in a coordinate system, the objects being stored with lane-level resolution sufficient to distinguish among different lanes in the travel path; and

a database accessing system configured to access the objects in the geospatial database, in response to a query from the driver assist subsystem, in substantially real time.

37. The GDMS of claim 36 wherein the database accessing system is configured to return query results within approximately 100 milliseconds (ms) of receiving the query from the driver assist subsystem.

38. The GDMS of claim 37 wherein the database accessing system is configured to return the query results within approximately 50 ms of receiving the query from the driver assist subsystem.

39. The GDMS of claim 38 wherein the database accessing system is configured to return the query results within approximately 12 ms of receiving the query from the driver assist subsystem.

40. A geospatial database management system (GDMS) for use on a host vehicle with a driver assist subsystem, comprising:

a geospatial database storing objects having attributes indicative of items relating to a travel path for the host vehicle and a location of the items in a coordinate system, the location being accurate to within approximately 1 decimeter; and

a database accessing system configured to access the objects in the geospatial database, in response to a query from the driver assist subsystem, in substantially real time.

41. The GDMS of claim 40 wherein the geospatial database stores the objects with lane-level resolution sufficient to distinguish among different lanes in the travel path.

42. The GDMS of claim 40 wherein the location is accurate to within approximately +/−

0.1 meters.

43. The GDMS of claim 42 wherein the location is accurate to within a range of approximately +/−

2-10 centimeters.

44. A geospatial database management system (GDMS), mounted on a host vehicle, managing geospatial data relating to travel paths having one or more lanes, comprising:

a geospatial database storing data elements indicative of objects and a location of the objects in three dimensional space, the objects having a lane-level resolution and the location having an accuracy of approximately one decimeter or less;

a database manager component configured to maintain the data elements in the geospatial database and receive database queries from a driver assist subsystem configured to assist a driver of the host vehicle based on the data elements stored in the geospatial database;

a query processor coupled to the database manager component and the geospatial database and configured to receive the database queries from the database manager component, query the geospatial database based on the database queries and return query results to the database manager component; and

a radar filtering subsystem that blocks the passage of the location of selected objects, detected by the radar subsystem, to the driver assist subsystem.