Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Traffic analysis or control of surface vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-11
2001-11-06
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Traffic analysis or control of surface vehicle
C701S200000, C340S988000, C340S989000, C340S990000, C340S991000, C340S993000, C340S995190, C340S996000, 36, 36, 36
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314360
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process and an apparatus for transmitting route information and analyzing a traffic network in a vehicular navigation system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The transmission of route information between a vehicle and a traffic center such, for example, as a distance traveled by a vehicle along a route (FCD) from the vehicle to the traffic center or other information which may be associated with a traffic center and related to a determined route (e.g., travel times of vehicles), places a high load on transmission paths because of the high number of vehicles. In particular, the transmission of information generated by many individual vehicles concerning routes travelled and travel times for given routes produces a very large quantity of data to be transmitted, because of the large number of vehicles monitored by the traffic center. Unfortunately, the capacity of the available transmission channels is limited.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to optimize the transmission of route information data between a given vehicle and a traffic center. This object is attained by generating partial routes from a source file which contains digital map information in the form of edges connected by nodes. Each of the partial routes comprises one or more adjoining edges and at least one of the partial routes comprises a plurality of edges. The route data is then generated with designators representing the partial route to which the route data pertains.
The invention optimizes the transmission of route information by reducing redundancy, thereby increasing information density, during transmission. To this end, one or more edges on the digital map of the traffic network in which the vehicles travel are combined to form partial routes. Route information is then transmitted with a designator of the partial route to which the information relates instead of each individual edge of the partial route. Other data, such, for example, as travel times, environmental data, and temperatures are identified by designating the partial route and its location. The exact location to which a particular path related information pertains is designated by the distance from a beginning of a partial route which is a one-dimensional path parameter. The use of a one-dimensional path parameter requires less data transfer than a two-dimensional location specification (geographic longitude and latitude). Moreover, the location designator is relatively short.
Edges on the digital source network map of the traffic network represent segments of streets, roads, road groups on which vehicles are travelling. Edges are connected to other edges by nodes. One, two or more edges can meet at the node of a traffic network. When only one edge is connected at a node, the node represents an end point of the traffic network. When two edges are connected at a node, the node represents the longitudinal division of a street, road, road group into multiple edges, whereby every two edges are connected by a node. When three or more edges meet at a node, the node represents a branching or intersection of streets, roads, road groups. An intersection where more than three edges meet may be replaced by several nodes, each having three edges. Each different direction of travel on a street such as the northbound and the southbound lanes of an interstate highway may be represented by one or more edges. As used herein, route information comprises data that identifies the route travelled by a vehicle so that the edges and/or the partial routes made up of one or more adjoining edges together constitute the travelled route. When the route travelled by a vehicle is found on a digital traffic network map in the traffic center on the basis of transmitted route data, it is then possible to associate other data such as travel times with this route.
The route information may, for example, relate to a route travelled by a vehicle that has a traffic detector, and may be transmitted by the vehicle to the traffic center. Data collected in this fashion at the traffic center may be used, in particular, for travel time statistics and for transmitting recommendations on the choice of routes to other vehicles which follow.
The route information may also comprise, for example, a route recommended by the traffic center to a vehicle and transmitted by the center to that vehicle or multiple vehicles. A vehicle is thus informed of the travel times for one or more possible routes, as determined in a traffic center on the basis of travel time statistics, and advised on the choice of routes.
Advantageously, route information is transmitted to the vehicle by transmitting the designators of the partial routes that make up that route. A route may comprise one or more partial routes. The designators of the partial routes may be stored at the traffic center and in the vehicle in identical or different data bases. The databases associate the partial routes with the edges that make the partial routes. Instead of directly associating edges with partial routes, a set of rules for creating partial routes from edges may be stored at the traffic center and in the vehicle, and used to identify the partial routes of a route to be transmitted. Moreover, several different data bases and/or sets of rules for creating partial routes may be stored in the vehicle and at the traffic center. When data relating to a route are transmitted, the set of rules or data base to which these data relate is then transmitted as well, which increases the universality of the system.
Furthermore, the edges may be combined into partial routes depending on a type of road they represent. For example, partial routes may be composed of edges that represent interstate highway segments, or of edges that represent interstate highway segments and secondary roads.
Advantageously, the expected travel time for a recommended route is transmitted from the traffic center to at least one vehicle, and the actual time needed to travel a given route (or the partial routes thereof) is transmitted from a vehicle to the center. Thus, times for particular routes can be determined directly, going beyond statistics on the levels of traffic on given segments of the road.
Preferably, the time period or timepoint associated with the transmitted route information is transmitted along with the information. Thus, either the exact time or a quantified time period of transmission is transmitted with the route information by a vehicle and stored at the traffic center. In addition, the traffic center, when transmitting route information, may also transmit the time period to which this information refers such, for example, as the time of day, day of the week or day of the year. In this way, precise route recommendations may be sent, for example, in view of traffic congestion that occurs at particular times of the day, days of the week, or times of the year.
A target file is generated by the process for analyzing a traffic network composed of edges and nodes that is suitable for referencing partial routes during the transmission of route data between a traffic center and a vehicle. To generate the target file, various procedures may be used. For example, partial routes can be defined as follows: Starting from a node selected as the starting node of the network, each of the partial routes, which are numbered in ascending order, is defined by turning left as long as possible from one starting node to another. This rule can be very simply implemented.
A process according to the invention can be advantageously implemented in a traffic center or user device in the form of a software program.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the drawing and descriptive matter in which there are il
Cohen & Pontani, Lieberman & Pavane
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Mancho Ronnie
Mannesmann AG
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