Data Mining to Identify Locations of Potentially Hazardous Conditions for Vehicle Operation and Use Thereof

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. A database that represents the road network is used to determine locations where a potentially hazardous condition exists. Then, precautionary action data is added to the database to indicate a location at which a precautionary action is to be taken relating to the hazardous condition. 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 the location where the potentially hazardous condition exists.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A vehicle comprising:
 one or more vehicle systems operative to control the vehicle;   a positioning system that determines a current or future location of the vehicle along a road of a road network;   a database that contains data representing a geographic region in which the vehicle is being operated as well as data indicative of one or more locations, from which it has been derived, prior to approach of the location by the vehicle, that a combination of multiple conditions are all satisfied at that location based on one or more geographic features located at or around the location;   a precautionary action application, responsive to the positioning system and the database, that determines whether, based on the current or future location of the vehicle, the vehicle is or will be approaching a location 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 actuate at least a subset of the one or more vehicle systems to cause the vehicle to take a precautionary action when the precautionary action application determines that the vehicle is or will be approaching a location associated with precautionary action data.   
     
     
         2 . The vehicle of  claim 1  wherein one of the multiple conditions comprises a first feature existing at the location or an attribute thereof exceeding a threshold and another of the multiple conditions comprises a second feature existing at the location or an attribute thereof exceeding a threshold. 
     
     
         3 . The vehicle of  claim 2  wherein each of the one or more locations is one where a hazardous condition exists which may impair operation of the vehicle, the hazardous condition being characterized by the multiple conditions. 
     
     
         4 . The vehicle of  claim 1  wherein the one or more vehicle systems comprise brakes, engine, seatbelts, airbags, or stability control. 
     
     
         5 . 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 a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken, wherein the precautionary action application is further operative to determine whether the vehicle is or will be approaching the location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data in the direction along the road segment at which the precautionary action is to be taken, the vehicle control system being further responsive thereto. 
     
     
         6 . The vehicle of  claim 1  wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a location along a road segment 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. 
     
     
         7 . The vehicle of  claim 1  wherein the combination of the multiple conditions comprise one of a: a turn with a decreasing radius of curvature, a turn where superelevation (bank angle) is insufficient or in a wrong direction, a downhill segment that has an intersection at a bottom of a 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 a preceding straight segment speed limit. 
     
     
         8 . The vehicle of  claim 1  further comprising one or more sensors operative to sense conditions ahead of the vehicle, wherein the combination of the satisfaction of the multiple conditions is not capable of being sensed by the sensors. 
     
     
         9 . The vehicle of  claim 8  wherein the one or more sensors comprise camera or radar. 
     
     
         10 . The vehicle of  claim 9  wherein the precautionary action application determines whether the vehicle is or will be approaching a location associated with precautionary action data before any of the one or more sensors can sense the combination of the satisfaction of the multiple conditions. 
     
     
         11 . The vehicle of  claim 1  wherein the precautionary action application determines whether the vehicle is or will be approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data when the vehicle is operating in inclement weather. 
     
     
         12 . The vehicle of  claim 1  wherein the precautionary action includes maneuvering the vehicle, tightening seatbelts, pre-loading or engaging brakes, tightening sensitivities of lane departure warning systems or stability control systems, or readying the brakes, engine or transmission for quick deceleration or stop. 
     
     
         13 . The vehicle of  claim 1  wherein the precautionary action application is 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 alter a location at which a precautionary action is to be taken based on the dynamic information. 
     
     
         14 . The vehicle of  claim 13  wherein the dynamic information includes current traffic conditions, current weather conditions, current ambient light conditions, current road conditions, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         15 . A method comprising:
 determining, using a positioning system, a current or future location of a vehicle along a road of a road network;   accessing a database that contains data representing a geographic region in which the vehicle is being operated, wherein the data includes precautionary action data associated with a plurality of locations along a road network where it has been determined, prior to approach of the location by the vehicle, that a combination of multiple conditions are all satisfied at that location based on one or more geographic features located 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 or will be approaching a location associated with precautionary action data; and   actuating, by a vehicle control system responsive to the precautionary action application, at least a subset of one or more vehicle systems, operative to control the vehicle, to take a precautionary action when the precautionary action application determines that the vehicle is or will be approaching a location associated with precautionary action data.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the one of the multiple conditions comprises a first feature existing at the location or an attribute thereof exceeding a threshold and another of the multiple conditions comprises a second feature existing at the location or an attribute thereof exceeding a threshold. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  wherein each of the plurality of locations is one where a hazardous condition exists which may impair operation of the vehicle, the hazardous condition being characterized by the multiple conditions. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the one or more vehicle systems comprise brakes, engine, seatbelts, airbags, or stability control. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the determining of the current or future 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 segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken, wherein the determining of whether the vehicle is or will be approaching the location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data further comprises determining whether the vehicle is or will be approaching in the direction along the road segment at which the precautionary action is to be taken, the actuating being further responsive thereto. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a location along a road segment 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 or will be approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data further comprises determining whether the vehicle is or will be at the location at which the precautionary action is to be taken, the actuating being further responsive thereto. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the combination of the multiple conditions comprise one of a: a turn with a decreasing radius of curvature, a turn where superelevation (bank angle) is insufficient or in a wrong direction, a downhill segment that has an intersection at a bottom of a 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 a preceding straight segment speed limit. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 15  further comprising one or more sensors operative to sense conditions ahead of the vehicle, wherein the combination of the satisfaction of the multiple conditions is not capable of being sensed by the sensors. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the one or more sensors comprise camera or radar. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the determining whether the vehicle is approaching a location 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 combination of the satisfaction of the multiple conditions. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the determining whether the vehicle is or will be approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data further comprises determining whether the vehicle is or will be approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data when the vehicle is operating in inclement weather. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the actuating includes maneuvering the vehicle, tightening seatbelts, pre-loading or engaging brakes, tightening sensitivities of lane departure warning systems or stability control systems, or readying the brakes, engine or transmission for quick deceleration or stop. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the determining whether the vehicle is or will be approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data further comprises determining further comprises factoring in dynamic information when determining whether the vehicle is or will be approaching a location along a road of the road network associated with precautionary action data, the method further comprising further comprising altering a location at which a precautionary action is to be taken based on the dynamic information. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the dynamic information includes current traffic conditions, current weather conditions, current ambient light conditions, current road conditions, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         29 . A method comprising:
 determining, using a positioning system, a current or future location of a vehicle along a road;   accessing a database that contains data representing a geographic region in which the vehicle is being operated, wherein the data includes precautionary action data associated with a plurality of locations along roads in the geographic region, wherein each of the plurality of locations comprises a location at which it has been determined, prior to approach of the location by the vehicle, that a combination of multiple conditions are all satisfied at that same location based one or more geographic features at or around the location;   determining, by a precautionary action application before an operator or sensors of the vehicle can sense the combined satisfaction of the multiple conditions, responsive to the determination of the current or future position of the vehicle and the access to the database, whether, based on the current or future location of the vehicle, the vehicle is or will be approaching a location associated with precautionary action data; and   actuating, by a vehicle control system responsive to the precautionary action application, at least a subset of one or more vehicle systems operative to control the vehicle to take a precautionary action when the precautionary action application determines that the vehicle is or will be approaching a location associated with precautionary action data.