Method of representing road lanes

Abstract

A method is disclosed for representing road lanes as data in a database that can be used by a system in a vehicle to provide a safety-related function. Each data representation of a physical road lane includes data indicating start and end points of the represented lane and other data attributes pertaining to the represented lane, including data indicating what physical features are adjacent to the represented lane on right and left sides thereof and data indicating a geometry of the represented lane. Further, at least some of the data representations of lanes are associated with data representations of sublanes. Each data representation of a sublane includes data indicating start and end points thereof, defined relative to the lane of which the sublane is a part. A data representation of a sublane includes at least one data attribute associated therewith that pertains to the represented sublane and that is different than the same attribute of the lane of which the sublane is a part. The database is compatible with navigation-related applications that use a different data model to provide navigation-related functions.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This present application is a continuation-in-part of the copending patent application Ser. No. 10 / 465,890, entitled “METHOD OF REPRESENTING ROAD INTERSECTIONS,” filed Jun. 19, 2003, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to methods for representing roads as data in a database and more particularly, the present invention relates to methods for representing road lanes in a database used for vehicle driver assistance systems. [0003] Vehicle driver assistance systems, such as systems for obstacle warning and avoidance, lane departure warning, collision warning and avoidance, adaptive cruise control, adaptive transmission operation, automatic headlight aiming, and so on, have been developed to improve the safety and convenience of vehicle operation. These systems include technologies that augment a driver's ability to operate a vehicle safely and efficien...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] To address these and other objectives, the present invention includes a method and system representing road lanes as data in a database that can be used by a system in a vehicle to provide a safety-related function. Each data representation of a physical road lane includes data indicating start and end points of the represented lane and other data attributes pertaining to the represented lane, including data indicating what physical features are adjacent to the represented lane on right and left sides thereof and data indicating a geometry of the represented lane. Further, at least some of

Problems solved by technology

However, the ways that roads are represented in databases used for navigat

Images