Traffic information transmitting apparatus, transmitting method, and transmitting program

• US 20050240340A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Hiroki, Yoshikawa, Kazutaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,660,663 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

A traffic information transmitting apparatus, method, and program store accumulated traffic information including past traffic information and estimate traffic information at a time when a vehicle passes through a predetermined link based on the accumulated traffic information. The apparatus, method, and program determine whether the estimated traffic information is substantially different from traffic information stored in the vehicle. The apparatus, method, and program transmit, when the estimated traffic information and the traffic information stored in the vehicle are substantially different, the substantially different estimated traffic information to the vehicle.

Claims

1. A traffic information transmitting apparatus, comprising:

a memory that stores accumulated traffic information including past traffic information; and

a controller that;

estimates traffic information at a time when a vehicle passes through a predetermined link based on the accumulated traffic information;

determines whether the estimated traffic information is substantially different from traffic information stored in the vehicle; and

transmits, when the estimated traffic information and the traffic information stored in the vehicle are substantially different, the estimated traffic information to the vehicle as peculiar information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether the estimated traffic information is substantially different from traffic information stored in the vehicle based on traffic information stored in the vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether the estimated traffic information is substantially different from traffic information stored in the vehicle based on traffic information stored in the memory.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller:

receives current traffic information; and

estimates the traffic information at the time when the vehicle passes through the predetermined link based on the current traffic information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a memory, wherein the controller:

stores map data in the memory;

defines a plurality of areas within the map data as target areas;

determines whether the estimated traffic information is substantially different from traffic information stored in the vehicle for equal to or greater than a predetermined percentage of the target areas;

detects, if the estimated traffic information is substantially different from traffic information stored in the vehicle for equal to or greater than a predetermined percentage of the target areas, the target area as a peculiar area; and

transmits, if a peculiar area is detected, the estimated traffic information within the peculiar area to the vehicle.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller:

receives a current position and a destination of the vehicle;

searches for a tentative route from the current position to the destination on the predetermined road; and

defines the target areas as including the tentative route.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller:

calculates passing times on the tentative route based upon the current traffic information and the accumulated traffic information; and

sets the passing times on the tentative route as passing times on the predetermined road.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein passing times on each link within the target area among the predetermined links are specified by entering times to a part of the tentative route within the target area.

9. An information server, comprising the apparatus of claim 1.

10. A traffic information transmitting method, comprising:

storing accumulated traffic information including past traffic information;

estimating traffic information at a time when a vehicle passes through a predetermined link based on the accumulated traffic information;

determining whether the estimated traffic information is substantially different from traffic information stored in the vehicle; and

transmitting, when the estimated traffic information and the traffic information stored in the vehicle are substantially different, the estimated traffic information to the vehicle as peculiar information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether the estimated traffic information is substantially different from the traffic information stored in the vehicle comprises:

determining whether the estimated traffic information is substantially different from the traffic information stored in the vehicle based on traffic the information stored in the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether the estimated traffic information is substantially different from the traffic information stored in the vehicle comprises:

determining whether the estimated traffic information is substantially different from the traffic information stored in the vehicle based on traffic information stored in the memory.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving current traffic information; and

estimating the traffic information at the time when the vehicle passes through the predetermined link based on the current traffic information.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing map data;

defining a plurality of areas within the map data as target areas;

determining whether the estimated traffic information is substantially different from traffic information stored in the vehicle for equal to or greater than a predetermined percentage of the target areas;

detecting, if the estimated traffic information is substantially different from traffic information stored in the vehicle for equal to or greater than a predetermined percentage of the target areas, the target area as a peculiar area; and

transmitting, if a peculiar area is detected, the estimated traffic information within the peculiar area to the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a current position and a destination of the vehicle; and

searching for a tentative route from the current position to the destination on the predetermined road;

wherein defining the plurality of areas within the map data as the target areas comprises defining the target areas as including the tentative route.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

calculating passing times on the tentative route based upon the current traffic information and the accumulated traffic information; and

setting the passing times on the tentative route as passing times on the predetermined road.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein passing times on each link within the target area among the predetermined links are specified by entering times to a part of the tentative route within the target area.

18. A storage medium sorting a set of program instructions executable on a data processing device and usable to transmit traffic information, the instructions comprising:

instructions for storing accumulated traffic information including past traffic information; and

instructions for estimating traffic information at a time when a vehicle passes through a predetermined link based on the accumulated traffic information;

instructions for determining whether the estimated traffic information is substantially different from traffic information stored in the vehicle; and

instructions for transmitting, when the estimated traffic information and the traffic information stored in the vehicle are substantially different, the estimated traffic information to the vehicle as peculiar information.

19. The storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions for storing map data;

instructions for defining a plurality of areas within the map data as target areas;

instructions for determining whether the estimated traffic information is substantially different from traffic information stored in the vehicle for equal to or greater than a predetermined percentage of the target areas;

instructions for detecting, if the estimated traffic information is substantially different from traffic information stored in the vehicle for equal to or greater than a predetermined percentage of the target areas, the target area as a peculiar area; and

instructions for transmitting, if a peculiar area is detected, the estimated traffic information within the peculiar area to the vehicle.