Data mining in a digital map database to identify blind intersections along roads and enabling precautionary actions in a vehicle
First Claim
1. A computer implemented method for making an augmented version of a database that can be used as a component in a vehicle system that provides a precautionary action in a vehicle when the vehicle approaches a potentially hazardous location, wherein the potentially hazardous location is a blind intersection, the method comprising:
- using, by a computer processor, data contained in a first version of a database to identify intersections of roads and geographic features in a vicinity of each of said intersections of roads;
determining, by the computer processor, from the data contained in the first version of the database relative positions of the intersections, roads leading to the intersections and the geographic features in the vicinity of said intersections;
identifying, by the computer processor, locations along said roads leading to the intersections where any of said geographic features in the vicinity of an intersection obstructs a view of the intersection; and
forming, by the computer processor, the augmented version of the database by adding precautionary action data to the first version of the database to indicate a blind intersection condition in which a view of an intersection from a location along a road leading thereto is obstructed by a geographic feature to enable a precautionary action to be taken by a vehicle system.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is a feature for a vehicle that enables taking precautionary actions in response to conditions on the road network around or ahead of the vehicle, in particular, a blind intersection along a section of road. A database that represents the road network is used to determine locations where a blind intersection is located along a section of road. Then, precautionary action data is added to the database to indicate a location at which a precautionary action is to be taken about the blind intersection located along the section of road. A precautionary action system installed in a vehicle uses this database, or a database derived therefrom, in combination with a positioning system to determine when the vehicle is at a location that corresponds to the location of a precautionary action. When the vehicle is at such a location, a precautionary action is taken by a vehicle system as the vehicle is approaching a blind intersection.
110 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer implemented method for making an augmented version of a database that can be used as a component in a vehicle system that provides a precautionary action in a vehicle when the vehicle approaches a potentially hazardous location, wherein the potentially hazardous location is a blind intersection, the method comprising:
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using, by a computer processor, data contained in a first version of a database to identify intersections of roads and geographic features in a vicinity of each of said intersections of roads; determining, by the computer processor, from the data contained in the first version of the database relative positions of the intersections, roads leading to the intersections and the geographic features in the vicinity of said intersections; identifying, by the computer processor, locations along said roads leading to the intersections where any of said geographic features in the vicinity of an intersection obstructs a view of the intersection; and forming, by the computer processor, the augmented version of the database by adding precautionary action data to the first version of the database to indicate a blind intersection condition in which a view of an intersection from a location along a road leading thereto is obstructed by a geographic feature to enable a precautionary action to be taken by a vehicle system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A database stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the database includes data that represents a road network in a geographic region, wherein the database comprises:
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data records that represent road segments that make up the road network; data records that represent intersections of roads in the road network;
data that represent geographic features along the roads leading to the intersections, wherein at least some of the geographic features along the roads leading to the intersections obstruct a driver'"'"'s view of the intersections; anddata that indicates precautionary action locations, wherein a precautionary action location is associated with a location where a blind intersection is located along the road network wherein the blind intersection comprises an intersection a driver'"'"'s view of which from a position along a road is obstructed by a geographic feature. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A vehicle system comprising:
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a database that contains data representing a geographic region in which a vehicle is being operated, wherein the data includes data that represents a road network located in the geographic region and precautionary action data that indicates precautionary action locations associated with locations where blind intersections are located along sections of roads wherein a blind intersection comprises an intersection a driver'"'"'s view of which from a position along a road is obstructed by a geographic feature; a positioning system that determines a current location of the vehicle relative to the data representing a geographic region; and a precautionary action application responsive to the positioning system and the database that provides a precautionary action when the positioning system determines that the current location of the vehicle is approaching a blind intersection located along a road. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A computer implemented method for providing precautionary actions in a vehicle comprising:
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determining by a computer processor, a current position of the vehicle; accessing by the computer processor, a database that represents a road network to obtain data representations of a part of the road network around of the current position of the vehicle; and upon determining by the computer processor, that the data representations of the part of the road network around the current position of the vehicle include precautionary action data, taking a precautionary action as the vehicle is approaching a blind intersection located along a section of road wherein a blind intersection comprises an intersection a driver'"'"'s view of which from a position along a road is obstructed by a geographic feature. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification