Bandwidth and memory conserving methods for a vehicle navigation system

• US 20050222761A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ohki, Eric Shigeru, Tamura, Kazuya, Uyeki, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,222,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• 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 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

The present invention is directed specifically to methods for reducing the bandwidth requirements for broadcasting traffic information to a vehicle navigation system. The traffic information broadcast to the system using the bandwidth conserving methods of the present invention generally includes traffic flow information and traffic incident information. In one embodiment, the vehicle navigation system filters traffic information to a certain range to expedite traffic calculation, to save on processing hardware, and to reduce bandwidth needs. Alternately, bandwidth conservation may be achieved by providing weight factors and threshold prioritizing when a broadcast limit is close to being reached or exceeded. In another embodiment, bandwidth reduction is achieved by not broadcasting free-flow traffic information and/or displaying only traffic information that indicates a traffic problem. Another method of the present invention to reduce bandwidth needs is directed to reducing broadcast of static traffic information.

Claims

1. In a vehicle navigation system having a visual display screen, a method for filtering traffic information received from a remote location, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a current location of the vehicle navigation system;

(b) receiving traffic information from the remote location;

(c) determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) relates to traffic conditions located within a predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system;

(d) discarding traffic information that is determined in said step (c) to relate to traffic conditions located farther than the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system;

(e) calculating a travel route, based at least in part on the traffic information received in said step (b) that relates to traffic conditions located within the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system; and

(f) displaying the travel route calculated in said step (e) on the visual display screen.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the predetermined distance comprises approximately fifteen miles.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the predetermined distance comprises a range between five and fifteen miles.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining the current location of the vehicle navigation system in said step (a) comprises receiving positioning information from a satellite navigation system.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the positioning information from the satellite navigation system is received at the start-up of the vehicle navigation system.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining the current location of the vehicle navigation system in said step (a) comprises obtaining positioning information from a memory device of the vehicle navigation system.

7. In a vehicle navigation system having a visual display screen, a method for filtering traffic information received from a remote location, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a current location of the vehicle navigation system;

(b) receiving traffic information from the remote location for a specific geographic region;

(c) determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) exceeds a predetermined level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system;

(d) filtering the traffic information received in said step (b), if it is determined in said step (c) that the traffic information exceeds the predetermined level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system;

(e) calculating a travel route between a first location and a second location, based at least in part on either the traffic information received in said step (b) if it is determined in said step (c) that the traffic information does not exceed the predetermined level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system or on the traffic information remaining after the traffic information is filtered in said step (d);

(f) displaying the travel route calculated in said step (e) on the visual display screen.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein filtering the traffic information in said step (d) continues until the traffic information does not exceed the predetermined level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the predetermined level of memory capacity comprises approximately ninety percent.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein filtering the traffic information in said step (d) comprises:

(i) separating the traffic information received in said step (b) into traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located within a predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system and traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located farther than a predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system;

(ii) discarding the traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located farther than a predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system;

(iii) determining whether the traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located within a predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system exceeds the predetermined level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system; and

(iv) repeating said steps (i), (ii) and (iii) until it is determined in said step (iii) that the traffic information does not exceed the predetermined level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system, wherein every time said step (i) is repeated the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system is reduced.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system comprises approximately fifteen miles when the traffic information is separated in said step (i) a first time.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system comprises approximately ten miles when the traffic information is separated in said step (i) a second time.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system comprises approximately seven and one-half miles when the traffic information is separated in said step (i) a third time.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system comprises approximately five miles when the traffic information is separated in said step (i) a fourth time.

15. In a vehicle navigation system having a visual display screen, a method for maximizing the amount of traffic information received from a remote location, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a current location of the vehicle navigation system;

(b) receiving traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located within a first predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system from the remote location;

(c) determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) exceeds a predetermined level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system;

(d) acquiring additional traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located within a second predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system from the remote location, if it is determined in said step (c) that the traffic information does not exceed the predetermined level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system;

(e) calculating a travel route, based at least in part upon the traffic information received in said step (b) and any additional traffic information acquired in said step (d);

(f) displaying the travel route calculated in said step (e) on the visual display screen.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the second predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system is greater than the first predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein determining the location of the vehicle navigation system in said step (a) comprises receiving positioning information from a satellite navigation system.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the predetermined level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system comprises approximately ninety percent.

19. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the first predetermined distance comprises approximately fifteen miles.

20. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the second predetermined distance comprises approximately twenty-five miles.

21. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein acquiring additional traffic information in said step (d) comprises:

(i) assigning a distance value to comprise the second predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system, wherein the distance value is greater than the first predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system;

(ii) acquiring traffic information from the remote location that relates to traffic conditions located within the distance value assigned in said step (i);

(iii) determining whether the traffic information acquired in said step (ii) combined with the traffic information acquired in said step (b) exceeds the predetermined level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system; and

(iv) repeating said steps (i), (ii) and (iii) until it is determined in said step (iii) that the memory occupied by the traffic information acquired in said step (ii) and the traffic information acquired in said step (b) is approaching the predetermined level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system, wherein the distance value assigned in said step (i) increases every time said step (i) is repeated.

22. A method for maintaining maximum bandwidth availability for traffic information broadcasts including at least one traffic incident to a vehicle navigation system, comprising the steps of:

(a) setting a predetermined broadcast threshold value;

(b) determining if the traffic information being broadcast to the vehicle navigation system exceeds the predetermined broadcast threshold value set in said step (a);

(c) prioritizing each traffic incident being broadcast to the vehicle navigation system, if it is determined in said step (b) that the traffic information being broadcast exceeds the predetermined broadcast threshold value set in said step (a); and

(d) broadcasting the traffic information to, the vehicle navigation system based on the prioritizing in said step (c), wherein the traffic information is broadcast to the vehicle navigation system in the order prioritized in said step (c) until the traffic information approaches the predetermined broadcast threshold value set in said step (a).

23. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein each traffic incident includes at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of (i) the type of traffic incident, (ii) the location of the traffic incident, (iii) the date of the traffic incident, (iv) the time of the traffic incident and (v) the severity of the traffic incident.

24. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the type of traffic incident comprises at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of (i) an accident, (ii) an incident, (iii) construction, and (iv) weather.

25. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein prioritizing each traffic incident in said step (c) comprises:

(i) assigning a weight factor to each characteristic of a traffic incident being broadcast to the vehicle navigation system;

(ii) calculating a priority value for each traffic incident, based on the weight factors assigned to each characteristic of the traffic incident in said step (i); and

(iii) arranging the traffic incidents in order of the priority values calculated in said step (ii).

26. A method for minimizing the broadcasting of redundant traffic information from a remote location to a vehicle navigation system having a visual display screen, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a current location of the vehicle navigation system;

(b) displaying a map of a specific geographic region on the visual display screen, wherein the specific geographic region includes the location determined in said step (a);

(c) receiving traffic information from the remote location;

(d) filtering the traffic information received in said step (c) into traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located within a predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system and traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located farther than the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system; and

(e) displaying the traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located within the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system on the visual display screen.

27. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein determining the current location of the vehicle navigation system in said step (a) comprises receiving positioning information from a satellite navigation system.

28. The method as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

(f) displaying a portion of the traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located farther than the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system on the visual display screen.

29. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein displaying the traffic conditions located within a predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system in said step (e) comprises displaying traffic icons on the visual display screen at a representative location of each traffic condition.