# US 2019/0168778 A1 · Data Mining in a Digital Map Database to Identify Insufficient Merge Lanes Along Roads and Enabling Precautionary Actions in a Vehicle > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0168778 A1 - Document ID: US20190168778A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/266,488 - Filed: 2019-02-04 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2008-05-30 - Assignees: HERE Global B.V. - Applicants: HERE Global B.V. - Inventors: Robert Denaro - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190168778A1 ## CPC - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - G01C 21/26: specially adapted for navigation in a road network - G01C 21/36: Input/output arrangements for on-board computers - G01C 21/3658: {Lane guidance} - G08G 1/167: {Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection} - G09B 29/007: {using computer methods} - B60T 2201/022: Collision avoidance systems - B60W 2050/143: {Alarm means} - B60W 2050/146: {Display means} - B60W 2556/50: of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - 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) - 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}) - G09B: EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS (devices for psychotechnics or for testing reaction times A61B5/16; games, sports, amusements A63; projectors, projector screens G03B) - B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES ## 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 intersection without traffic signals and without a sufficient merge lane. A database that represents the road network is used to determine locations where roads meet without a traffic signal and without a sufficient merge lane. 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 of the insufficient merge lane. 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 of an insufficient merge lane. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle comprising: one or more vehicle systems; a positioning system that determines a current location of the vehicle along a road of a road network of a geographic region; a database that contains data representing the geographic region, wherein the data includes precautionary action data associated with a plurality of locations along roads of the road network where a hazardous condition, which may impair control of the vehicle, exists comprising a location along a road of the road network at which it has been determined, prior to approach of the location by the vehicle, based on the data in the database, that a combination of first and second conditions are satisfied together at that location along the road based on features at or around the location; a precautionary action application, responsive to the positioning system and the database, that determines whether, based on the current location of the vehicle, the vehicle is approaching a location associated with precautionary action data, the precautionary action application being further operative to factor in dynamic information when determining whether the vehicle is approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data; and a vehicle control system coupled with the one or more vehicle systems and responsive to the precautionary action application to maneuver the vehicle at a location when the precautionary action application determines that the vehicle is approaching a location associated with precautionary action data, the precautionary action application being further operative to alter the location at which maneuvering occurs, with respect to the location associated with the precautionary action data, based on the dynamic information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the one or more vehicle systems comprise brakes, engine, seatbelts, airbags, or stability control. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the positioning system is further operative determine a direction of travel of the vehicle and wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a direction along the road at which a precautionary action is to be taken, wherein the precautionary action application is further operative to determine whether the vehicle is approaching the location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data in the direction along the road at which the precautionary action is to be taken, the vehicle control system being further responsive thereto. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates the location along a road at which the precautionary action is to be taken by the vehicle preceding the location along the road of the road network associated with the precautionary action data, wherein the precautionary action application is further operative to determine whether the vehicle is at the location at which the precautionary action is to be taken, the vehicle control system being further responsive thereto. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that refers to the location of the actual hazardous condition. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the hazardous condition is selected from a group comprising: a turn with a decreasing radius of curvature, a turn where the superelevation (bank angle) is insufficient or in the wrong direction, a downhill segment that has an intersection at the bottom of the hill, a downhill segment that has a stop sign or stoplight at the bottom of the hill, a sharp curve on a downhill slope, a curve that has a stop sign or stoplight somewhere along the curve, a blind intersection either because it is in a turn or over a hill, an unusually narrow lane or road, a lane merge, a road entrance with no stop sign or stoplight that has no merge lane, and a curve with a lower speed recommendation than the preceding straight segment speed limit. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the first feature comprises an intersection of roads and the second feature comprises one of the intersecting roads merging into another of the intersecting roads over a distance, the first condition comprising existence the intersection of roads without traffic signals thereat and the second condition comprises the merging distance being insufficient. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising one or more sensors operative to sense conditions ahead of the vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vehicle of claim 8 wherein the one or more sensors comprise camera or radar. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The vehicle of claim 8 wherein the hazardous condition comprises conditions not capable of being sensed by the sensors. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The vehicle of claim 8 wherein the precautionary action application determines whether the vehicle is approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data before any of the one or more sensors can sense the hazardous condition indicated thereby. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the precautionary action application determines whether the vehicle is approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data when the vehicle is operating in inclement weather. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle control system is operative to maneuver the vehicle via actuation of at least a subset of the one or more vehicle systems. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of locations where the hazardous condition exists further comprises a location subsequently validated by a human as being associated with a location which is actually hazardous. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the dynamic information includes current traffic conditions, current weather conditions, current ambient light conditions, current road conditions, or combinations thereof. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the database further includes precautionary action data in association with one or more locations defined as hazardous based on sufficient comments occurring about the particular location received via community input from citizens or organizations. ### Claim 17 A method of operating a vehicle, the method comprising: determining, using a positioning system, a current location of the vehicle along a road of a road network of a geographic region; accessing a database that contains data representing the geographic region, wherein the data includes precautionary action data associated with a plurality of locations along the roads of the road network where a hazardous condition which may impair control of the vehicle exists comprising a location along a road of the road network at which it has been determined, prior to approach of the location by the vehicle, based on the data in the database, that a combination of first and second conditions are satisfied together at that location along the road based on features at or around the location; determining, by a precautionary action application, responsive to the determination of the current position of the vehicle and the access to the database, whether, based on the current location of the vehicle, the vehicle is approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data, the determining further comprising factoring in dynamic information when determining whether the vehicle is approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data; and maneuvering, by a vehicle control system coupled with one or more vehicle systems and responsive to the precautionary action application, the vehicle at a location when the precautionary action application determines that the vehicle is approaching a location associated with precautionary action data, the location at which the maneuvering occurs with respect to the location associated with the precautionary action data being determined by the precautionary action application based on the dynamic information. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the one or more vehicle systems comprise brakes, engine, seatbelts, airbags, or stability control. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the determining of the current location further comprises determining a direction of travel of the vehicle and wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a direction along a road at which a precautionary action is to be taken, wherein the determining of whether the vehicle is approaching the location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data further comprises determining whether the vehicle is approaching in the direction along the road at which the precautionary action is to be taken, the actuating being further responsive thereto. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates the location along a road at which the precautionary action is to be taken by the vehicle preceding the location along the road of the road network associated with the precautionary action data, wherein the determining whether the vehicle is approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data further comprises determining whether the vehicle is at the location at which the precautionary action is to be taken, the actuating being further responsive thereto. ### Claim 21 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that refers to the location of the actual hazardous condition. ### Claim 22 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the hazardous condition is selected from a group comprising: a turn with a decreasing radius of curvature, a turn where the superelevation (bank angle) is insufficient or in the wrong direction, a downhill segment that has an intersection at the bottom of the hill, a downhill segment that has a stop sign or stoplight at the bottom of the hill, a sharp curve on a downhill slope, a curve that has a stop sign or stoplight somewhere along the curve, a blind intersection either because it is in a turn or over a hill, an unusually narrow lane or road, a lane merge, a road entrance with no stop sign or stoplight that has no merge lane, and a curve with a lower speed recommendation than the preceding straight segment speed limit. ### Claim 23 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the first feature comprises an intersection of roads and the second feature comprises one of the intersecting roads merging into another of the intersecting roads over a distance, the first condition comprising existence the intersection of roads without traffic signals thereat and the second condition comprises the merging distance being insufficient. ### Claim 24 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 further comprising one or more sensors operative to sense conditions ahead of the vehicle. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24 wherein the one or more sensors comprise camera or radar. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24 wherein the hazardous condition comprises conditions not capable of being sensed by the sensors. ### Claim 27 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24 wherein the determining whether the vehicle is approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data further comprises determining whether the vehicle is approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data before any of the one or more sensors can sense the hazardous condition indicated thereby. ### Claim 28 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the determining whether the vehicle is approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data further comprises determining whether the vehicle is approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data when the vehicle is operating in inclement weather. ### Claim 29 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the maneuvering comprises actuating at least a subset of the one or more vehicle systems. ### Claim 30 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the each of the plurality of locations where the hazardous condition exists further comprises a location subsequently validated by a human as being associated with a location which is actually hazardous. ### Claim 31 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the dynamic information includes current traffic conditions, current weather conditions, current ambient light conditions, current road conditions, or combinations thereof. ### Claim 32 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 wherein the database further includes precautionary action data in association with one or more locations defined as hazardous based on sufficient comments occurring about the particular location received via community input from citizens or organizations. ### Claim 33 A method of operating a vehicle, the method comprising: determining, using a positioning system, a current location of the vehicle along a road of a road network of a geographic region; accessing a database that contains data representing the geographic region, wherein the data includes data that represents precautionary action data associated with a plurality of locations along the roads of the road network where a hazardous condition exists which may impair control of the vehicle comprising a location along a road of the road network at which it has been determined, prior to approach of the location by the vehicle, based on the data in the database, that a combination of first and second conditions are satisfied together at that same location along the road based on geographic features at or around the location; determining, by a precautionary action application before an operator or sensors of the vehicle can sense the hazardous condition, responsive to the determination of the current position of the vehicle and the access to the database, whether, based on the current location of the vehicle, the vehicle is approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data, the determining further comprising factoring in dynamic information when determining whether the vehicle is approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data; and maneuvering, by a vehicle control system coupled with one or more vehicle systems and responsive to the precautionary action application, the vehicle at a location to take a precautionary action when the precautionary action application determines that the vehicle is approaching a location associated with precautionary action data, the location at which the maneuvering occurs with respect to the location associated with the precautionary action data being determined by the precautionary action application based on the dynamic information.