Data mining in a digital map database to identify unusually narrow lanes or roads and enabling precautionary actions in a vehicle

• US 9,182,241 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Denaro, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, John Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): NG, MICHAEL L
• Application Number:
  US12/156,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20090299626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,720 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/200, 701207-211, 701/400, 701408-410, 701/430, 701/439, 701/450, 701/461, 701/481, 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/995.12, 340/995.14, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/06 Road conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods

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, an unusually narrow road width or lane width. A database that represents the road network is used to determine locations where an unusually narrow road width or lane width exists along roads. Then, precautionary action data is added to the database to indicate a location at which a precautionary action is to be taken about the location where the unusually narrow road width or lane width exists. 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 location where the unusually narrow road width or lane width exists.

Claims

1. A 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 one in which a road section has an unusually narrow width, the method comprising:

using data contained in a first version of a database comprising data representative of road sections of varying road width within a geographic region to identify, prior to the vehicle system having been provided with the component comprising the augmented version of the database, road sections located throughout the geographic region that have a narrow road width;

for those road sections located throughout the geographic region that have been identified as having a narrow road width, evaluating data indicating the road width to determine whether the narrow road width is less than a threshold;

forming the augmented version of the database by adding precautionary action data to the first version of the database in association with each road section identified as having a narrow road width where the narrow road width is determine to be less than the threshold to indicate locations at which a precautionary action is to be taken by the vehicle system when approaching those locations such that the vehicle system may determine whether or not to take a precautionary action upon approach to a location based solely on whether precautionary action data is associated with the location in the augmented version of the database; and

causing the vehicle system to take a precautionary action when approaching a location associated with precautionary action data in the augmented version of the database.

2. The method of claim 1 further wherein the road segment is determined to have a narrow road width by evaluating data associated with the road segment.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

continuing to select from the first version of the database data records that represent road segments to identify all locations of narrow roads throughout the geographic region.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

continuing to select from the first version of the database data records that represent road segments until all data records that represent road segments have been selected.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

compiling the augmented version of the database into a format suitable for use in a navigation system.

6. A non-transitory computer readable-medium having stored thereon a database and a program wherein the database includes data that represents a road network in a geographic region, wherein the database comprises:

data records that represent road segments of varying width that make up the road network;

data that indicates road width or lane width of the road segments;

data, configured prior to installation of the database in a vehicle system, that indicates precautionary action locations, wherein a precautionary action location is associated with a location at which a narrow road width or lane width is below a threshold and therefore unusually narrow such that the vehicle system may determine whether or not to take a precautionary action upon approach to a location based solely on whether precautionary action data is associated with the location in the database; and

the program causes the vehicle system to take a precautionary action when the vehicle system approaches a location which is identified as a precautionary action location and is associated with the precautionary action data in the database.

7. The database of claim 6 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a location along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken by a vehicle system.

8. The database of claim 6 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a direction along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken.

9. The database of claim 6 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that refers to the actual location along the road of the unusually narrow road width or narrow lane width.

10. The database of claim 6 further comprising data that indicates permitted directions of travel along road segments, speed limits along road segments, classifications of road segments, and locations of road segments.

11. The database of claim 6 further comprising data that identifies speed limits along road segments.

12. A vehicle system comprising:

a database configured prior to installation in the vehicle system to contain data representing a geographic region in which a vehicle is being operated, wherein the data includes data that represents a road network comprising road sections of varying width located in the geographic region and precautionary action data that indicates precautionary action locations associated with locations where a road has an unusually narrow road width or lane width that is less than a threshold;

a positioning system that determines a current location of the vehicle relative to the data representing the road network in the 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 location associated with precautionary action data.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a location along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken by a vehicle system.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a direction along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that refers to the actual location of the unusually narrow road width or lane width.

16. A method for providing precautionary actions in a vehicle having a vehicle system including a processor, the method comprising:

accessing a database by the processor coupled therewith, the database having been configured prior to installation in the vehicle to comprise data that represents a road network comprising road sections of varying width located in the geographic region and precautionary action data that indicates precautionary action locations associated with locations where a road has an unusually narrow road width or lane width that is less than a threshold;

determining, by the processor, a current position of the vehicle relative to the road network represented by the database; and

upon determining, by the processor, that data representations of a part of the road network around the current position of the vehicle includes precautionary action data, taking, by the processor, a precautionary action as the vehicle is approaching a location associated with precautionary action data.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

building an electronic horizon after accessing the database; and

using the electronic horizon to determine whether precautionary action data is included therein.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the precautionary action is provided via a user interface of the vehicle.