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Arrangement and method for mapping a road during travel of a vehicle having two data acquisition modules arranged on sides of the vehicle, each including a GPS receiver and antenna for enabling the vehicle's position to be determined and a linear camera which provides one-dimensional images of an ar

Arrangement and method for mapping a road during travel of a vehicle having two data acquisition modules arranged on sides of the vehicle, each including a GPS receiver and antenna for enabling the vehicle's position to be determined and a linear camera which provides one-dimensional images of an area on the respective side in a vertical plane perpendicular to the road such that information about the road is obtained from a view in a direction perpendicular to the road. A processor unit forms a map database of the road by correlating the vehicle's position and the information about the road. Instead of or in addition to the linear cameras, scanning laser radars are provided and transmit waves downward in a plane perpendicular to the road and receive reflected waves to provide information about distance between the laser radars and the ground for use in forming the database.

대표청구항 ▼

Arrangement and method for mapping a road during travel of a vehicle having two data acquisition modules arranged on sides of the vehicle, each including a GPS receiver and antenna for enabling the vehicle's position to be determined and a linear camera which provides one-dimensional images of an ar

Arrangement and method for mapping a road during travel of a vehicle having two data acquisition modules arranged on sides of the vehicle, each including a GPS receiver and antenna for enabling the vehicle's position to be determined and a linear camera which provides one-dimensional images of an area on the respective side in a vertical plane perpendicular to the road such that information about the road is obtained from a view in a direction perpendicular to the road. A processor unit forms a map database of the road by correlating the vehicle's position and the information about the road. Instead of or in addition to the linear cameras, scanning laser radars are provided and transmit waves downward in a plane perpendicular to the road and receive reflected waves to provide information about distance between the laser radars and the ground for use in forming the database. performed in a vehicle. 14. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of representing further comprises: identifying an exit path at each intersection at which the route deviates from a nominal path through said intersection. 15. A navigation system comprising: a first navigation application that forms a representation of a route by identifying each location at which the route deviates from nominal paths defined through intersections of roads located in a geographic region, wherein a nominal path defines, for each road segment by which an intersection can be entered, one and only one road segment from which the intersection is exited; and a second navigation application that uses the representation of the route formed by the first navigation application to provide a navigation-related function to a user of the navigation system. 16. The invention of claim 15 wherein the first navigation application calculates the route to a destination. 17. The invention of claim 15 wherein the navigation-related function comprises route guidance. 18. The invention of claim 15 wherein the navigation-related function comprises map display. 19. The invention of claim 15 wherein the navigation-related function is a map display with the route highlighted thereon. 20. The invention of claim 15 wherein said first navigation application and said second navigation application are both located in a vehicle. 21. The invention of claim 15 wherein said first navigation application is located on a remotely located server and said second navigation application is located in a vehicle. 22. The invention of claim 15 further comprising a wireless communications system by which said representation of the route is transmitted from said first navigation application to said second navigation application. 23. The invention of claim 15 wherein the first navigation application also identifies a new path at each an intersection at which the route deviates from the nominal path therethrough. 24. A method of forming a geographic database comprising: storing data representations of intersections of roads located in a geographic region; and for each data representation of an intersection, associating therewith data that indicate nominal paths through the intersection, wherein a nominal path defines, for each road segment by which an intersection can be entered, one and only one road segment from which the intersection is exited. 25. The method of claim 24 wherein the road segment from which the intersection can be exited on a nominal path is that road segment onto which a motorist is most likely to travel from the associated road segment via which the intersection can be entered. 26. The method of claim 24 further comprising: for each data representation of an intersection, associating therewith data that indicates the geographic coordinates of the intersection. which is running ahead of the vehicle at a target inter-vehicle distance, a response characteristic of an inter-vehicle related feedback control system is determined in accordance with a relative velocity of the vehicle to the preceding vehicle is corrected in accordance with the inter-vehicle distance, is corrected in accordance with a modification of a set inter-vehicle time duration by a vehicular occupant, and in accordance with an external disturbance value correspond to a road surface gradient of a slope during a vehicular run on the slope, in order to improve the response characteristic for the vehicular occupant not to give an un-match feeling to a driving sense. /008; US-5655148, 19970800, Richman et al., 710/008; US-5659682, 19970800, Devarakonda et al., 714/047; US-5664119, 19970900, Jeffries et al., 395/383; US-5666538, 19970900, DeNicola, 713/320; US-5671371, 19970900, Kondo et al., 395/306; US-5675723, 19971000, Ekrot et al., 714/004; US-5680288, 19971000, Carey et al., 361/118; US-5684671, 19971100, Hobbs et al., 361/683; US-5687079, 19971100, Bauer et al., 700/070; US-5689637, 19971100, Johnson et al., 714/046; US-5696899, 19971200, Kalwitz, 709/228; US-5696970, 19971200, Sandage et al., 395/681; US-5724529, 19980300, Smith et al., 710/129; US-5726506, 19980300, Wood, 307/147; US-5737708, 19980400, Grob et al., 455/557; US-5740378, 19980400, Rehl et al., 395/283; US-5742833, 19980400,