Systems for informing users about waiting times for buses at sto

Details Systems for informing users about waiting times for buses at sto Systems for informing users about waiting times for buses at sto

1994-05-18

1995-10-24

Swarthout, Brent

Communications: electrical

Vehicle position indication

At remote location

364436, G08G 1123

Patent

active

054613744

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to systems for informing users at stops in bus networks about waiting times for buses.
2. The Prior Art
More particularly, of such systems, the invention relates to those comprising: representative of the distance between each bus travelling along a line of the network and the "next" stop served by said bus, and for transmitting said signals in particular over an electromagnetic path; and to receive said signals, to select from said signals those that concern said stop directly or otherwise, to generate data relating to the waiting time for each "approaching" bus on the basis of the signals selected in this way, and to display said data.
In known systems of that kind, proposals have already been made for the data as displayed to be in the form specifically of the waiting times for the buses approaching the stops in question.
Each waiting time is deduced from the detected distance between a bus and the stop, and by making use of the average speed of a bus on its line.
This "average speed" parameter is generally in the form of fixed data that is recorded permanently in the corresponding calculation devices.
The use of such a constant value parameter can give satisfaction, particularly when buses are progressing normally along the line that includes the stop concerned by the display, i.e. when traffic conditions on the line are average, with account being taken of the time required for stops at traffic lights, of traffic density at the instant under consideration, . . .
However, the above-defined average speed can take values that are very different.
Of the factors which can change that parameter, a distinction should be drawn between those that are predictable and those that are not.
Predictable factors include the time of day at which the display is taking place: it is well known that urban traffic density varies considerably with time of day, with a bus being able to travel without impediment when traffic density is low, e.g. late in the evening, and on the contrary with great difficulty during the "rush" hours.
Other predictable factors that may be mentioned include the next: "topography" covers, for example, the presence of traffic lights (and possibly even the times of day they are switched on), the widths of the streets taken, etc.; or day of the week), etc.
Corrections can therefore be included systematically to correct the average speed included in the receiver members of the information system in order to take account of the said predictable factors.
However, it is not possible in that way to take account of unpredictable factors for example such as a traffic jam building up due to a collision between two vehicles, a parked vehicle blocking a bus lane, and the like.
To remedy that drawback, proposals have already been proposed whereby the "average speed" factor used for each of the waited-for buses is a variable, which variable is based at least in part on the real past average speed of said bus as previously measured and recorded, which speed relates to a predetermined length of the route of said bus, as defined by two fixed beacons (document GB-A-2 178 210).
The above formula gives results that are closer to reality than those obtained when using a constant for the average speed of each bus.
However it suffers from the next drawbacks: speed is relatively short, then the result of the measurement is highly sensitive to fortuitous real circumstances that may have an abnormal effect locally on traffic (roadworks, unexpected behavior of a vehicle, and the like); speed is, on the contrary, relatively long, then the measurement will give a result in which the real traffic conditions that obtain on the downstream portion of said length are swamped, at least in part, which downstream conditions are naturally of relatively greater importance in estimating the "average speed" factor exactly.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A particular aim of the invention is to remedy the above drawbacks.
To this end, according to the invention, infor

REFERENCES:
patent: 3886515 (1975-05-01), Cottin et al.
patent: 4713661 (1987-12-01), Boone et al.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 14, No. 581 (p-1147) 26 Dec. 1990, & JP-A-22 50 199 (Omron Tateisi Electron Co.) 5 Oct. 1990.

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