System for communicating traffic data

• US 20050107944A1
• Filed: 08/06/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Behrens, Grit, Hovestadt, Guido, Behrens, Ralph
• Granted Patent: US 7,822,538 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09

Abstract

A system that communicates traffic data to a vehicle is presented. The system generally includes a method that communicates traffic data to an operator of the vehicle. The system provides location data to a computer-based system, and allocates attribute data to a subset of the location data. The allocation may be initiated by the operator. The traffic data is processed by the computer-based system, and/or communicated to the operator. The system may further include a device that provides traffic data to the operator. The traffic data device generally includes a locator for providing location data, an allocator for allocating attribute data to a subset of the location data, a storage medium for storing the generated traffic data, and an output device.

Claims

1. A method for communicating traffic data to an operator of a vehicle, comprising:

providing location data to a computer-based system;

allocating data relating to an attribute to a subset of the location data to generating the traffic data;

storing the traffic data; and

communicating the traffic data, which includes the location data and the allocated data relating to the attribute, to the operator of the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, where the traffic data is further generated by a computer-based system.

3. The method of claim 2, where the traffic data is further generated by the computer-based system using an operator-assigned weighting factor.

4. The method of claim 2, where the traffic data is further generated by the computer-based system based on a position of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 2, where the traffic data is further generated by the computer-based system in response to a destination indicated by the operator.

6. The method of claim 1, where the location data includes map data.

7. The method of claim 1, where the location data includes vehicle position data.

8. The method of claim 1, where the data relating to the attribute is allocated to the subset of the location data automatically after the vehicle has started.

9. The method of claim 1, where the attribute data is allocated by selecting the from a plurality of attributes that are stored in the computer-based system.

10. The method of claim 1, where the traffic data is generated after motion of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, where the traffic data is automatically stored when the vehicle has started.

12. The method of claim 1, where the traffic data is communicated based on data indicating a position of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1, where the traffic data is communicated to a user in response to entering a destination.

14. The method of claim 1, where the traffic data communicated to the operator includes a time period during which the traffic data is valid.

15. The method claim 1, where the data communicated to the operator includes an indication that the data includes user-generated traffic data.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the data relating to the attribute by entering the attribute into the computer-based system.

17. The method of claim 16, where the attribute is entered into the computer-based system automatically when the vehicle has started.

18. The method of claim 16, where the attribute is detected by the operator.

19. The method of claim 16, where the attribute is detected by a sensor in communication with the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19, where the attribute is detected by a sensor continuously.

21. The method of claim 16, where the attribute is detected continuously when the vehicle is in motion.

22. The method of claim 16, where the attribute includes an attribute detected by the operator.

23. The method of claim 16, where the attribute is related to at least one of a location, a street, a route, and an area.

24. The method of claim 16, where the attribute describes an environmental condition of at least one of a location, a street, and an area.

25. The method of claim 16, where the attribute includes at least one of a data type indicating a speed of the vehicle, an acceleration of the vehicle, a speed limit, a building site, a pollen count, an illumination, a smog indication, an environmental condition, a weather condition, and an indication of street crime.

26. The method of claim 16, where the attribute is entered by the operator.

27. The method of claim 16, where the attribute includes driving data relating to the vehicle.

28. The method of claim 27, where the driving data includes data indicating a drive time of the vehicle.

29. The method of claim 27, where the driving data includes data indicating a fuel consumption of the vehicle.

30. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the traffic data to a second operator.

31. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a route based on the traffic data.

32. The method of claim 31, where the route is further determined based on a criterion indicated by the operator.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising routing the operator based on the traffic data.

34. The method of claim 33, where routing the operator is further based on a criterion indicated by the operator.

35. The method of claim 34, where the criterion is based on a pollen count.

36. The method of claim 34, where the criterion is based on a drive time of the vehicle.

37. The method of claim 34, where the criterion is based on a fuel consumption of the vehicle.

38. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating a warning to the operator when a preset condition is met.

39. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving additional traffic data from an external information source, and processing the additional traffic data with the traffic data for communication to the operator.

40. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving additional traffic data from a local storage device, and processing the additional traffic data with the traffic data for communication to the operator.

41. A computer-based system for providing traffic data to a operator of a vehicle comprising:

a provider configured to provide location data relating to a traffic area;

an allocation module configured to allocate attribute data to a subset of the location data for use in generating the traffic data;

a storage medium configured to store attribute and the traffic data; and

an output device configured to communicate the traffic data, which includes the subset of the location data and the allocated attribute data, to the operator.

42. The system of claim 41, further comprising a selector configured to select data relating to the attribute.

43. The system of claim 41, further comprising a data generator configured to generate data relating to the attribute.

44. The system of claim 43, further comprising a sensor configured to detect data relating to the attribute.

45. The system of claims 41, where the detector includes a sensor configured to measure at least one of a time, day time, driving direction, driving velocity, temperature, humidity, intensity of light, fuel consumption, acceleration of the vehicle, vehicle noise, ambient noise, and deceleration of the vehicle.

46. The system of claim 41, where the provider includes a receiver configured to receive position data of the vehicle.

47. The system of claim 41, further comprising a telematic unit configured to receive further data from an external source.

48. The system of claim 47, where the telematic unit is further configured to transmit the traffic data to an external source.

49. A computer-based system for providing traffic data to an operator of a vehicle comprising:

a means for providing location data relating to a traffic area;

an allocating means for allocating data relating to the attribute to data of the location data;

a storage means for storing the traffic data comprising the data of the location data and the allocated data relating to the attribute; and

an output means for communicating the traffic data and/or traffic data determined in dependence of the traffic data to a operator.

50. A navigation system comprising:

a provider configured to provide location data relating to a traffic area;

an allocation module configured to allocate attribute data to a subset of the location data for use in generating the traffic data;

a storage medium configured to store attribute and the traffic data; and

an output device configured to communicate the traffic data, which includes the subset of the location data and the allocated attribute data, to the operator.

51. A navigation system comprising:

a means for providing location data of a traffic area;

an allocating means for allocating data relating to the attribute to data of the location data;

a storage means for storing the traffic data comprising the data of the location data and the allocated data relating to the attribute; and

an output means for communicating the traffic data and/or traffic data determined in dependence of the traffic data to a operator.