System

• US 20030216859A1
• Filed: 05/06/2002
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Route Guidance Systems LLC (Equitable IP Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Trafficmaster Limited (Vontier Corp.)
• Inventors: Solomon, Jeffrey, Martell, David Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 6,917,876 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice

Abstract

A route guidance system for vehicles comprises central computing apparatus (6), transmitting apparatus (1) by way of which the central computing apparatus (6) is informed of the positions of respective vehicles on a road network and by way of which the vehicles are supplied with route guidance data calculated by the central computing apparatus as to the best routes for the respective vehicles to take to respective desired destinations, the transmitting apparatus (1) including transmitting devices (4) for carrying by the respective vehicles and by way of which the central computing apparatus (6) is informed as to the desired destinations, computing apparatus (8) serving to inform the central computing apparatus (6) as to traffic congestion on the network, and speech synthesisers (4) for carrying by the respective vehicles and arranged to speak instructions to the drivers of respective vehicles as to the routes to be taken to their respective desired destinations.

Claims

1. A route guidance system for vehicles, comprising central computing apparatus, transmitting apparatus by way of which the central computing apparatus is informed of the positions of respective vehicles on a road network and by way of which the vehicles are supplied with route guidance data calculated by the central computing apparatus as to the best routes for the respective vehicles to take to respective desired destinations, said transmitting apparatus including transmitting devices for carrying by the respective vehicles and by way of which the central computing apparatus is informed as to their respective desired destinations, informing apparatus serving to inform the central computing apparatus as to traffic congestion on said network, and presenting devices for carrying by the respective vehicles and arranged to present respective instructions to the drivers of respective vehicles as to the routes to be taken to their respective desired destinations.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein, in respect of each vehicle, said transmitting apparatus serves to transmit route guidance data for the entire best route to the vehicle in a short burst and then ceases transmitting any route guidance data to that vehicle, unless and until a need for further transmission arises.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein, in respect of each vehicle, said transmitting apparatus not only serves to transmit said route guidance data in said short burst but also then ceases transmitting to the vehicle any data whatsoever, unless and until said need arises.

4. A system according to any preceding claim, and further comprising storing apparatus for storing historical traffic information, and a map database in which representative data representing expected speeds of traffic along respective links of the road network are stored and form the basis for calculation by the central computing apparatus of said best routes unless said central computing apparatus overrides said representative data with historical traffic information from said storing apparatus or with real time traffic information from said informing apparatus.

5. A system according to claim 4, wherein said map database stores said representative data in the form of default road link impedances, and said central computing apparatus overrides said representative data by changing said impedances and then calculates new best routes for the vehicles taking into account the changed impedances.

6. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein said informing apparatus serves to inform the central computing apparatus of changes in traffic congestion on said network and said central computing apparatus serves, by way of said transmitting apparatus, to alert the drivers to traffic congestion changes relative to existing best routes for the respective vehicles.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein, for each vehicle, said transmitting apparatus is usable by the alerted driver to cause the central computing apparatus to be requested to supply to the vehicle, by way of said transmitting apparatus, route guidance data for a new best route taking into account the traffic congestion changes.

8. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said informing apparatus serves to inform the central computing apparatus of changes in traffic congestion on said network and said central computing apparatus serves, for each vehicle, automatically to supply to the vehicle, by way of said transmitting apparatus, a new best route taking into account the traffic congestion changes.

9. A system according to any preceding claim, wherein, for each vehicle, said central computing apparatus serves to supply said route guidance data in the form of a compressed data message comprised of a stream of route points along the best route.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein said presenting devices comprise respective speech synthesisers and, for each vehicle, the message includes, for some of the route points, respective strings of tokens representing words or phrases of respective spoken instructions to the driver.

11. A system according to claim 9 or 10, and further comprising, for carrying by the respective vehicles, microprocessors and GPS receivers connected to the respective microprocessors, each microprocessor serving to compare a reference distance in the form of the distance between first and second adjacent route points as supplied by said central computing apparatus with the actual distance travelled by its vehicle as supplied by its GPS receiver in order to indicate any significant diversion from the existing best route.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein, for each vehicle, its microprocessor serves to cause the driver to be warned in the event that said actual distance significantly exceeds said reference distance and said transmitting apparatus is usable by the warned driver to cause the central computing apparatus to be requested to supply to the vehicle, by way of said transmitting apparatus, route guidance data for a new best route taking into account the diversion from the existing best route.

13. A system according to claim 11, wherein, for each vehicle, in the event that said actual distance significantly exceeds said reference distance, its microprocessor serves, by way of said transmitting apparatus, to cause the central computing apparatus automatically to supply to the vehicle, by way of said transmitting apparatus, a new best route taking into account the diversion from the existing best route.

14. A system according to any preceding claim, and further comprising a call centre for manning by human operators and arranged to be interposed between the drivers and the central computing apparatus for relaying to the central computing apparatus information given orally by the drivers as to their respective desired destinations.

15. A route guidance method for vehicles, comprising informing central computing apparatus of the positions of respective vehicles on a road network, informing said central computing apparatus as to traffic congestion on said network, informing said central computing apparatus as to the respective desired destinations of vehicles, supplying to the vehicles route guidance data calculated by the central computing apparatus as to the best routes for the respective vehicles to take to their respective desired destinations, and presenting respective instructions to the drivers of respective vehicles as to the routes to be taken to their respective desired destinations.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein said supplying of said route guidance data to the vehicles comprises, for each vehicle, transmitting route guidance data for the entire best route to the vehicle in a short burst and then ceasing to transmit any route guidance data to that vehicle, unless and until a need for further transmission arises.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein, in respect of each vehicle, following said supplying of said route guidance data to the vehicle, ceasing transmitting to the vehicle any data whatsoever, unless and until said need arises.

18. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, and further comprising storing historical traffic information, storing representative data representing expected speeds of traffic along respective links of the road network, and using said representative data for calculation of said best routes in said central computing apparatus unless said central computing apparatus overrides said representative data with said historical traffic information or with real time traffic information as to said traffic congestion.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein said storing of said representative data is in the form of default road link impedances and said representative data is overridden by changing said impedances.

20. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein said informing of said central computing apparatus as to traffic congestion on said network includes informing said central computing apparatus of changes in traffic congestion on said network, said method further comprising alerting the drivers to traffic congestion changes relative to existing best routes for their respective vehicles.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein one of the alerted drivers causes the central computing apparatus to supply to his vehicle route guidance data for a new best route taking into account the traffic congestion changes.

22. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein said informing of said central computing apparatus as to traffic congestion on said network includes informing said central computing apparatus of changes in traffic congestion on said network, said method further comprising automatically supplying to said vehicles new best routes taking into account the traffic congestion changes.

23. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 22, wherein, for each vehicle, said route guidance data is supplied in the form of a compressed data message comprised of a stream of route points along the best route.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein, for each vehicle, said message includes, for some of said route points, respective strings of tokens representing words or phrases of respective spoken instructions to the driver.

25. A method according to claim 23 or 24, and further comprising, for each vehicle, comparing a reference distance in the form of the distance between first and second adjacent ones of said route points with the actual distance travelled by the vehicle, to indicate any significant diversion from the existing best route.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein, for each vehicle, the driver is warned in the event that said actual distance significantly exceeds said reference distance and the warned driver causes the central computing apparatus to supply to his vehicle route guidance data for a new best route taking into account the diversion from the existing best route.

27. A method according to claim 25, wherein, for each vehicle, in the event that said actual distance significantly exceeds said reference distance, said central computing apparatus is caused automatically to supply to the vehicle a new best route taking into account the diversion from the existing best route.

28. A method according to any one of claims 15 to 27, wherein information given orally to human operators by the drivers as to their respective desired destinations is relayed by the human operators to the central computing apparatus.

29. A route guidance system for vehicles, comprising central computing apparatus, transmitting apparatus by way of which the central computing apparatus is informed of the positions of respective vehicles on a road network and by way of which the vehicles are supplied with route guidance data calculated by the central computing apparatus as to the best routes for the respective vehicles to take to respective desired destinations, said transmitting apparatus including transmitting devices for carrying by the respective vehicles and by way of which the central computing apparatus is informed as to their respective desired destinations, and presenting devices for carrying by the respective vehicles and arranged to present respective instructions to the drivers of respective vehicles as to the routes to be taken to their respective desired destinations, and wherein, in respect of each vehicle, said transmitting apparatus provides a channel of communication which is opened to transmit said route guidance data to the vehicle in a short burst and is then closed, so that transmission to the vehicle via said channel ceases, unless and until a need for further transmission via said channel to said vehicle arises.

30. A route guidance method for vehicles, comprising informing central computing apparatus of the positions of respective vehicles on a road network, informing said central computing apparatus as to the respective desired destinations of vehicles, supplying to the vehicles route guidance data calculated by the central computing apparatus as to the best routes for the respective vehicles to take to their respective desired destinations, and presenting respective instructions to the drivers of respective vehicles as to the routes to be taken to their respective desired destinations, said supplying of said route guidance data to the vehicles comprising, for each vehicle, opening a channel of communication to transmit the route guidance data to the vehicle in a short burst and then closing said channel of communication so that transmission to that vehicle via said channel ceases, unless and until a need for further transmission via said channel to said vehicle arises.