Traffic infornation retrieval method, traffic information retrieval system, mobile communication device, and network navigation center

• US 20040034464A1
• Filed: 06/27/2003
• Published: 02/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Masaki, Ishikawa, Hiroki, Yoshikawa, Kazutaka, Mutsuga, Katsuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 6,922,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• 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: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

From a mobile communication device (12), road information (RI) about either a preliminarily registered point or an arbitrary point on a route from a present position to a destination is transmitted to and received in a network navigation center (10) via a cellular phone base station (14) and a general telephone network (16). Based on that road information RI, the network navigation center (10) retrieves traffic information (TI) about the registered point or the arbitrary point on the route, and then transmits the retrieved traffic information (TI) to the mobile communication device (12) via the general telephone network (16) and the cellular phone base station (14). The traffic information (TI) is comprised of traffic congestion area data about the registered point or the arbitrary point on the route, which displayed on a display (43) in the mobile communication device (12); whereby the user is informed of future traffic information like traffic congestion.

Claims

1. A method for traffic information retrieval, comprising the steps of:

a predictive traffic information storage step wherein predictive traffic information derived from statistical processing is stored in storage means in relation to at least positional information and date-and-time information;

an input step wherein a registered point is inputted;

a positional information acquisition step wherein the positional information about the registered point is obtained;

a predictive arrival date-and-time information computing step wherein predictive arrival date-and-time information about the registered point is computed;

a predictive traffic information retrieval step wherein the predictive traffic information which related to both the positional information and the predictive arrival date-and-time information about the registered point is retrieved from the storage means; and

an output step wherein the predictive traffic information retrieved in the predictive traffic information retrieval step is outputted.

2. A method for traffic information retrieval, comprising the steps of:

a predictive traffic information storage step wherein predictive traffic information derived from statistical processing is stored in storage means in relation to at least positional information and date-and-time information;

an input step wherein a present position of a mobile communication device and a destination are inputted;

a route search step wherein a route from the present position to the destination is searched;

a positional information acquisition step wherein positional information about at least one point among arbitrary points on the route is obtained;

a predictive arrival date-and-time information computing step wherein predictive arrival date-and-time information about at least the one point on the route is computed;

a predictive traffic information retrieval step wherein the predictive traffic information which related to the positional information and the predictive arrival date-and-time information about at least the one point on the route is retrieved from the storage means; and

an output step wherein the predictive traffic information retrieved in the predictive traffic information retrieval step is outputted.

3. A traffic information retrieval system, comprising:

storage means whereby predictive traffic information derived from statistical processing is stored in relation to at least positional information and date-and-time information;

input means whereby a registered point is inputted;

positional information acquisition means whereby the positional information about the registered point is obtained;

predictive arrival date-and-time information computing means whereby predictive arrival date-and-time information about the registered point is computed;

predictive traffic information retrieval means whereby the predictive traffic information which related to the positional information and the predictive arrival date-and-time information about the registered point is retrieved from the storage means; and

output means whereby the predictive traffic information retrieved by the predictive traffic information retrieval means is outputted.

4. The traffic information retrieval system according to claim 3, wherein the output means outputs a name of the registered point, the predictive arrival date-and-time information, and the predictive traffic information.

5. A traffic information retrieval system, comprising:

storage means whereby predictive traffic information derived from statistical processing is stored in relation to at least positional information and date-and-time information;

present position detection means whereby a present position of a mobile communication device is detected;

input means whereby a destination is inputted;

route search means whereby a route from the present position to the destination is searched;

positional information acquisition means whereby positional information about at least one point among arbitrary points on the route is obtained;

predictive arrival date-and-time information computing means whereby predictive arrival date-and-time information about at least the one point on the route is computed;

predictive traffic information retrieval means whereby the predictive traffic information which related to the positional information and the predictive arrival date-and-time information about at least the one point on the route is retrieved from the storage means; and

output means whereby the predictive traffic information retrieved by the predictive traffic information retrieval means is outputted.

6. The traffic information retrieval system according to claim 5, wherein the output means outputs a name of the arbitrary point on the route, the predictive arrival date-and-time information, and the predictive traffic information.

7. The traffic information retrieval system according to claim 5, wherein in the case of plural arbitrary points, the respective predictive traffic information about the plural arbitrary points are outputted one after another at specified-time intervals by the output means in order of short distance from the present position to the respective arbitrary points.

8. A mobile communication device to transmit/receive various information to/from a network navigation center, comprising:

input means whereby a registered point is inputted;

positional information acquisition means whereby the positional information about the registered point is obtained;

predictive arrival date-and-time information computing means whereby predictive arrival date-and-time information about the registered point is computed;

transmitting means whereby the positional information and the predictive arrival date-and-time information about the registered point are transmitted to the network navigation center;

receiving means whereby predictive traffic information which related to the positional information and the predictive arrival date-and-time information is received from the network navigation center; and

output means whereby the predictive traffic information received by the receiving means is outputted.

9. The mobile communication device according to claim 8, wherein the output means outputs a name of the registered point, the predictive arrival date-and-time information, and the predictive traffic information.

10. A mobile communication device to transmit/receive various information to/from a network navigation center, comprising:

present position detection means whereby a present position of the mobile communication device is detected;

input means whereby a destination is inputted;

route search means whereby a route from the present position to the destination is searched;

positional information acquisition means whereby positional information about at least one point among arbitrary points on the route is obtained;

predictive arrival date-and-time information computing means whereby predictive arrival date-and-time information about at least the one point on the route is computed;

transmitting means whereby the positional information and the predictive arrival date-and-time information about at least the one point on the route are transmitted to the network navigation center;

receiving means whereby predictive traffic information which related to the positional information and the predictive arrival date-and-time information is received from the network navigation center; and

output means whereby the predictive traffic information received by the receiving means is outputted.

11. The mobile communication device according to claim 10, wherein the output means outputs a name of the arbitrary point on the route, the predictive arrival date-and-time information, and the predictive traffic information.

12. The mobile communication device according to claim 10, wherein in the case of plural arbitrary points, the respective predictive traffic information about the plural arbitrary points are outputted one after another at specified-time intervals by the output means in order of short distance from the present position to the respective arbitrary points.

13. A network navigation center, comprising:

storage means whereby predictive traffic information derived from statistical processing is stored in relation to at least positional information and date-and-time information;

receiving means whereby a present position of a mobile communication device and positional information about a registered point are received from the mobile communication device;

predictive arrival date-and-time information computing means whereby predictive arrival date-and-time information that represents the date and time of arrival at the registered point from the present position is computed;

predictive traffic information retrieval means whereby the predictive traffic information which related to the positional information and the predictive arrival date-and-time information about the registered point is retrieved from the storage means; and

transmitting means whereby the predictive traffic information retrieved by the predictive traffic information retrieval means is transmitted to the mobile communication device.

14. A network navigation center, comprising:

storage means whereby predictive traffic information derived from statistical processing is stored in relation to at least positional information and date-and-time information;

receiving means whereby a present position of a mobile communication device and positional information about a destination are received from the mobile communication device;

route search means whereby a route from the present position to the destination is searched;

positional information acquisition means whereby positional information about at least one point among arbitrary points on the route is obtained;

predictive arrival date-and-time information computing means whereby predictive arrival date-and-time information about at least the one point on the route is computed;

predictive traffic information retrieval means whereby the predictive traffic information which related to the positional information and the predictive arrival date-and-time information about at least the one point on the route is retrieved from the storage means; and

transmitting means whereby the predictive traffic information retrieved by the predictive traffic information retrieval means is transmitted to the mobile communication device.