Communications: electrical – External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm – Highway information
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-16
2001-08-28
Hofsass, Jeffery (Department: 2736)
Communications: electrical
External condition vehicle-mounted indicator or alarm
Highway information
C340S995190, C340S988000, C340S990000, C701S208000, C701S209000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06281807
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for selecting digital traffic messages.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A road-traffic broadcasting receiver which is able to selectively reproduce traffic messages is described in German Patent Application No. 42 08 277. To do this, a route from a start point to a destination point is first defined in the road-traffic receiver and the traffic messages corresponding to locations along the calculated route selected. The vehicle driver is usually interested only in those traffic messages corresponding to events along his route. In some situations, however, this is insufficient if the driver would like to make a detour or take an alternative route, for example, when he encounters a large traffic jam. With a conventional road-traffic broadcasting receiver, it is not possible to also select those traffic messages which correspond to detours or to the immediate surroundings of the original route. In addition, the use of the conventional road-traffic broadcasting receiver requires that the exact route is defined and the start and destination points are known.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The method according to the present invention is advantageous in that the details of the route do not have to be known in order to select relevant traffic messages. Plane elements in which the traffic messages are selected are determined along the calculated route. This makes it possible to simplify the organization of the database used for the route finder.
Another embodiment of the method according to the present invention provides that corridors can be approximated by overlaying geometric planes, for example rectangular plane elements, thereby reducing computing power requirements and saving storage space.
Rectangular, in particular square, plane elements which, when combined, form corridors are used to advantage.
Plane elements which surround a location on the route lying outside the previously imposed plane element are combined in order to further optimize the computing power requirements for determining the corridors. This avoids over-defining the corridor, thereby saving time and computing power.
Several corridors of alternative routes are advantageously combined to form a common corridor and the traffic message in this corridor is analyzed.
In order to obtain information about traffic obstacles also in the vicinity of the start and destination points, a separate plane element is placed around the start and destination points, thereby making it possible to monitor the immediate surroundings. The plane element around the start point can be enlarged as a function of time in order to bridge the time needed to calculate the corridors.
To further minimize the computing power requirements, plane elements are combined, with the offset between adjacent elements being used as a criterion for combining the elements. This produces larger common plane elements which require less storage space and memory for further processing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5173691 (1992-12-01), Sumner
patent: 5717389 (1998-02-01), Mertens et al.
patent: 5724644 (1998-03-01), Wassink et al.
patent: 5818356 (1998-10-01), Schuessler
patent: 5864305 (1999-01-01), Rosenquist
patent: 5906654 (1999-05-01), Sato
patent: 5948040 (1999-09-01), DeLorme et al.
patent: 42 08 277 (1993-09-01), None
patent: 196 06 010 (1997-08-01), None
Kersken Ulrich
Kynast Andreas
Hofsass Jeffery
Kenyon & Kenyon
Pham Toan
Robert & Bosch GmbH
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