Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Automatic route guidance vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-07
2003-06-10
Nguyen, Thu (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Automatic route guidance vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
active
06577933
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
This invention is directed to a method of establishing and utilizing a computer-tracked road-map system for aiding the driving of a ground vehicle. In other words, invisible tracks are set up for roads and stored in computer memories or disks so that the consequent driving of a ground vehicle can be assisted and even automated by computers.
2. Description of Prior Art
Driving a ground vehicle (a passenger car, a bus, or a truck) can be painful and dangerous, especially when driving over long distance with heavy traffic. Although a collision avoidance radar can help detecting the protrusion of an unexpected object (a pedestrian, an interrupting vehicle, or a falling rock on the road) driving a ground vehicle always requires full attention of the driver. Although a global positioning system (GPS) antenna can locate the receiver position with an accuracy of ~100 m, the spatial resolution is not sufficient for guiding a ground vehicle sailing on the road, even not to mention the possibility that GPS signals are apt to be blocked by mountains and buildings, especially when passing through a tunnel. During your way home from work, or vise versa, even if you have driven the same road one hundred times, you still have to pay equal attention for your 101
st
drive. At present, unmanned vehicle on the road is almost impossible. Thousands of truck drivers are employed delivering cargos routinely and repetitively from one port to another. Car accidence occurs everyday and every moment. The way of driving a ground vehicle is essentially the same as it was 50 years ago, even if we have entered the computer age with versatile communication skills. Safe, reliable, and efficient driving systems are in big demand by our society.
Accordingly, it is an objection of the invention to address one or more of the foregoing disadvantages or drawbacks of the prior art, and to provide such an improved method to obtain computer-aided driving systems for ground vehicles for assistance in road riding. By combining the other existing tools in navigation, for example, anti-collision radars, remote cameras, light detectors, and GPS antennas, this invention makes it possible for automated driving, at least partially, in addition to other advantages in route finding, position reporting, risk analyzing and alerting, etc.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5155683 (1992-10-01), Rahim
patent: 5923270 (1999-07-01), Sampo et al.
patent: 6032084 (2000-02-01), Anderson et al.
patent: 6092010 (2000-07-01), Alofs et al.
patent: 6128574 (2000-10-01), Diekhans
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