# US 10,311,736 B2 · Road shape information generator, road shape information distribution system and road shape information generation program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,311,736 B2 - Document ID: US10311736B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/538,969 - Filed: 2016-01-07 - Published: 2017-12-07 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2015-01-15 - Assignees: Denso Corporation - Applicants: Denso Corporation - Inventors: Masayoshi Kayano - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10311736B2 ## CPC - G08G 1/167: {Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection} - G01C 21/3819: {Road shape data, e.g. outline of a route} - G01C 21/3837: {Data obtained from a single source} - G06T 1/0007: {Image acquisition} - G08G 1/0112: {from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]} - G08G 1/0129: {for creating historical data or processing based on historical data} - G08G 1/0141: {for traffic information dissemination} - G08G 1/096716: {where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control} - G08G 1/096758: {where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information} - G08G 1/096775: {where the origin of the information is a central station} - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A road shape information generator is provided. The road shape information generator includes a sensor value obtainer that obtains a sensor value acting, when a vehicle travels, on the vehicle, a road shape information generator that generates information about a road shape as road shape information based on the sensor value obtained by the sensor value obtainer, and a storage controller that stores, in a road shape information storage, the road shape information generated by the road shape information generator. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A road shape information generator, comprising: a road shape information storage; and a controller configured to: obtain a sensor value acting, when a vehicle travels on a road section, on the vehicle; generate information about a road shape of the road section as current road shape information based on the obtained sensor value; determine whether the road shape information storage already contains previous road shape information for the road section; and in response determining that the road shape information storage already contains the previous road shape information for the road section, (i) generate average road shape information by averaging the current road shape information with the previous road shape information, (ii) store the average road shape information in the road shape information storage, (iii) determine current coordinates representing a current location of the vehicle when the current road shape information is generated, (iv) determine a difference between the current coordinates representing the current location of the vehicle and previous coordinates representing a previous location of the vehicle when the previous road shape information was generated, (v) compare the difference with a predetermined value, (vi) in response to the difference being greater than the predetermined value, store the current coordinates as latest coordinates associated with the average road shape information in the road shape information storage. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The road shape information generator according to claim 1, wherein: the obtained sensor value represents an acceleration acting in a perpendicular direction from the vehicle to a road surface; and the controller is further configured to generate information about a road inclination angle in a vehicle travel direction as the road shape information based on the obtained sensor value representing the acceleration. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The road shape information generator according to claim 1, wherein: the sensor value represents an angular speed acting in a vehicle travel direction and vehicle speed; and the controller is further configured to obtain information about a radius of a road curve in the vehicle travel direction as the road shape information based on the obtained sensor value representing the angular speed and the vehicle speed. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The road shape information generator according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain a current vehicle location, and generate the road shape information based on the obtained current vehicle location. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The road shape information generator according to claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to generate information about a road width as the road shape information. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The road shape information generator according to claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to correct, based on the obtained current vehicle location, the road shape information generated based on the obtained sensor value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The road shape information generator according to claim 1, further comprising a communication controller that causes the road shape information stored in the road shape information storage to be transmitted from a first communicator to a server. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The road shape information generator according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to generate assistance information by processing the road shape information stored in the road shape information storage, and store, in an assistance information storage, the generate assistance information. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The road shape information generator according to claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to generate as the assistance information at least either driving operation assistance information to assist driving operation of a driver or travel control assistance information to assist vehicle travel control. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The road shape information generator according to claim 8, further comprising a communication controller that causes the assistance information stored in the assistance information storage to be transmitted from a second communicator to a server. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) A road shape information distribution system, comprising the road shape information generator according to claim 7 and the server. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The road shape information distribution system according to claim 11, wherein the server stores the road shape information received from the road shape information generator, generates assistance information by processing the received road shape information and stores the generated assistance information. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The road shape information distribution system according to claim 12, wherein the server generates as the assistance information at least either driving operation assistance information to assist driving operation of a driver or travel control assistance information to assist vehicle travel control. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The road shape information distribution system according to claim 12, wherein the server distributes the generated assistance information to a vehicle device. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory storage medium storing a road shape information generation program that causes a controller of a road shape information generator to: obtain a sensor value acting on a vehicle when the vehicle travels on a road section; generate information about a road shape of the road section as current road shape information based on the obtained sensor value; determine whether the road shape information storage already contains previous road shape information for the road section; in response determining that the road shape information storage already contains the previous road shape information for the road section, (i) generate average road shape information by averaging the current road shape information with the previous road shape information, (ii) store the average road shape information in the road shape information storage, (iii) determine current coordinates representing a current location of the vehicle when the current road shape information is generated, (iv) determine a difference between the current coordinates representing the current location of the vehicle and previous coordinates representing a previous location of the vehicle when the previous road shape information was generated, (v) compare the difference with a predetermined value, (vi) in response to the difference being greater than the predetermined value, store the current coordinates as latest coordinates associated with the average road shape information in the road shape information storage.