{
  "patent_number": "US 20180239359",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Self-Driving Cars Use Danger Maps to Drive Safer",
  "original_title": "System and method for determining navigational hazards",
  "summary": "This patent describes how vehicles can use a 'danger map' of known hazardous locations to plan safer routes and automatically adjust their driving behavior, like speed or following distance, when approaching risky areas.",
  "what_it_does": "This system helps a vehicle drive more safely by first receiving a 'danger map' (Claim 1). This map shows different locations, each with a 'danger value' based on past events like accidents or near misses collected by other vehicles (Claim 1, 6). The vehicle then uses this map to determine a route from its starting point to its destination, choosing paths with lower danger values (Claim 1). While driving, if the vehicle approaches a location whose danger value exceeds a set limit, it automatically modifies its operation (Claim 2). This modification can include reducing its top speed, increasing its following distance from other cars, or even changing its lane-changing rules (Claim 4, 5). For example, if the danger map indicates a specific highway exit has a high danger value due to frequent emergency braking, a self-driving car might automatically slow down and increase its following distance as it approaches that exit.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover systems that only detect real-time hazards using on-board sensors without relying on a pre-received, location-specific 'danger map' (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover systems that only warn a human driver about hazards without automatically modifying the vehicle's driving behavior (Claim 2).",
    "Does not cover systems where the vehicle's operation is modified based on current traffic conditions alone, rather than a pre-determined danger value associated with a specific location (Claim 1).",
    "Does not cover systems that only suggest an alternative route to a human driver, without the vehicle itself determining and potentially adjusting its own route based on danger values (Claim 1, 9).",
    "Does not cover systems where the 'danger map' is exclusively built by the vehicle's own sensors without receiving data from other sources or vehicles (Claim 1, 6)."
  ],
  "filed": "2017-08-16",
  "granted": null,
  "expires": "2037-08-16",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Faraday and Future",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/faraday-and-future",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Yong-Dian Jian",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/yong-dian-jian"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 38,
  "tags": [
    "automotive",
    "software",
    "ai_ml",
    "telecommunications"
  ],
  "abstract": "A system and method for identifying navigational hazards is disclosed. In some examples, the system can be included in, or the method can be performed by, a vehicle. One or more sensors included in the vehicle can gather perception data related to potentially dangerous driving conditions, such as blind corners, reckless drivers, accidents, and other hazards. The data can be associated with the location at which it was collected to predict future hazardous conditions at the same location. In some examples, a navigational system can use the data to determine the relative safety of one or more routes for driving to a destination. In some examples, a fully or partially autonomous vehicle can modify its driving behavior based on the relative safety of its location. Modifying driving behavior can include, for example, changing a top speed, a following distance, and conditions for changing lanes. In some examples, data from a plurality of vehicles can be uploaded to a remote server configured to model location-based danger. The model can be downloaded by one or more vehicles.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20180239359/system-and-method-for-determining-navigational-hazards",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20180239359/system-and-method-for-determining-navigational-hazards/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US20180239359",
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}