초록 ▼

Method for creating and managing a digital map for use by vehicles and including information relating to travel lanes on which the vehicles travel includes illuminating the environment outside of and around the vehicle with infrared illumination in an eye-safe part of the infrared spectrum as the ve

Method for creating and managing a digital map for use by vehicles and including information relating to travel lanes on which the vehicles travel includes illuminating the environment outside of and around the vehicle with infrared illumination in an eye-safe part of the infrared spectrum as the vehicle is traveling on a travel lane to be mapped, forming, on the vehicle, at least one image from reflections from any objects in the path of the infrared illumination (such as by means of an image sensor), analyzing each image to obtain information about the object from which the infrared illumination has been reflected, and incorporating the information into the map if not already present therein. A driver of the vehicle may be alerted if the information obtained about an object in the environment outside of and around the vehicle indicates that a collision with the object is about to occur.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for creating and managing a digital map embodied in a map database for use by vehicles and including information relating to a travel lane on which the vehicles can travel or are traveling, comprising:illuminating the environment outside of and around the vehicl

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for creating and managing a digital map embodied in a map database for use by vehicles and including information relating to a travel lane on which the vehicles can travel or are traveling, comprising:illuminating the environment outside of and around the vehicle with infrared illumination in an eye-safe part of the infrared spectrum using an infrared illumination device as the vehicle is traveling on a travel lane to be mapped;forming, on the vehicle, at least one image from reflections from any objects in the path of the infrared illumination;analyzing, using a processor, the at least one image formed from the received reflections to obtain information about the object from which the infrared illumination has been reflected; andincorporating the obtained information into the map in the database if not already present therein.