PROVIDING TRAFFIC INFORMATION INCLUDING COMPOSITE LINKS

• US 20060274666A1
• Filed: 05/30/2006
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Young In, JUNG, Mun Ho
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09 Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/55 for traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/53 of destinations

Abstract

A method for processing traffic information includes receiving traffic information including a composite identifier enabling a determination of whether the received traffic information includes composite link information, a composite traffic status indicator revealing traffic status information corresponding to a composite link that includes at least first and second links, and at least first and second link identifiers respectively corresponding to the first and second links that are included within the composite link. The method also includes determining, based on the composite identifier, whether the received traffic information includes composite link information. The method further includes dependent upon whether the composite identifier enables a determination that the received traffic information includes composite link information, identifying the composite link among the received traffic data based on at least the first and second link identifiers, identifying the received composite traffic status indicator as composite traffic status information for the composite link, and enabling perception of an association between the received traffic status information and the composite link.

Claims

1. A method for processing traffic information including composite links, the method comprising:

receiving traffic information including a composite identifier enabling a determination of whether the received traffic information includes composite link information, a composite traffic status indicator revealing traffic status information corresponding to a composite link that includes at least first and second links, and at least first and second link identifiers respectively corresponding to the first and second links that are included within the composite link;

determining, based on the composite identifier, whether the received traffic information includes composite link information; and

dependent upon whether the composite identifier enables a determination that the received traffic information includes composite link information;

identifying the composite link among the received traffic data based on at least the first and second link identifiers,

identifying the received composite traffic status indicator as composite traffic status information for the composite link, and

enabling perception of an association between the received traffic status information and the composite link.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indicator of a number of links included in the composite link, wherein the number of links included in the composite link corresponds to a number of link identifiers indicated by the received traffic information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, when the indicator of the number of links included in the composite link is three, the received traffic information correspondingly includes a third link identifier in addition to the first and second link identifiers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a composite traffic status indicator includes receiving at least one of a predicted or current traffic tendency on the composite link, a predicted or current amount of traffic on the composite link, a predicted or current speed on the composite link, and a predicted or current time to traverse the composite link.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving information corresponding to a message management structure including information corresponding to a generation time of the composite link information included in the message management structure.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the generation time included within the received message management structure relates to the composite traffic status indicator corresponding to at least one of a predicted or current traffic tendency on the composite link, a predicted or current amount of traffic on the composite link, a predicted or current speed on the composite link, and a predicted or current time to traverse the composite link.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the composite link component is associated with the received composite traffic status indicator, wherein the composite traffic status indicator corresponds to the status of the composite link or links included within the composite link.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving composite link information includes receiving vertex, coordinate, or longitude and latitude information that corresponds with a location associated with the composite link or links included within the composite link.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving composite link information includes receiving location information corresponding to each of the first and second link identifiers.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving composite link information includes receiving a text descriptor associated with the composite link.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, after the traffic information has been received and processed to determine that the composite traffic status information is associated with at least the first and second links within the composite link, the method further comprises:

receiving supplemental traffic information that includes a supplemental composite link information identifier that enables determination that the supplemental traffic information includes supplemental composite link information, information identifying the composite link as the link to which the supplemental composite link information relates, and an identifier of at least one additional link to be included in the composite link and associated with traffic status information received for the composite link;

determining, based on the supplemental composite link identifier, whether the received supplemental traffic information includes supplemental composite link information; and

dependent upon whether the supplemental composite link identifier enables a determination that the received supplemental traffic information includes supplemental composite link information;

identifying the composite link based on the supplemental traffic data,

identifying the additional link based on the received additional link identifier, and

redefining the composite link as including the additional link.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein redefining the composite link includes redefining the composite link as including the additional link, the method further comprising applying traffic status information received for the composite link to the portion of the composite link corresponding to the additional link.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein redefining the composite link includes redefining the composite link as excluding a link corresponding to the additional link, the method further comprising applying traffic status information received for the composite link to only the portion of the composite link that does not include the additional link.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the supplemental traffic information is received without an indication of the first and second link identifiers.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the received composite traffic status indicator enables determination of traffic status information for only a single direction of travel along the composite link.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the received composite traffic status indicator enables determination of traffic status information for both directions of travel along the composite link, the method further comprising:

receiving supplemental traffic information that includes a supplemental composite link information identifier that enables determination that the supplemental traffic information includes supplemental composite link information, information identifying the composite link as the link to which the supplemental composite link information relates, and a composite travel direction indication that enables a determination of whether to enable or disable access to traffic status information for a direction of travel along the composite link;

determining, based on the supplemental composite link identifier, whether the received supplemental traffic information includes supplemental composite link information; and

dependent upon whether the supplemental composite link identifier enables a determination that the received supplemental traffic information includes supplemental composite link information;

identifying the composite link based on the supplemental traffic data, and

identifying, based on the composite travel indication, whether to enable or disable access to traffic status information for a direction of travel along the composite link.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling perception of an association between the received traffic status information and the composite link includes enabling perception along a single link of traffic status information for the single link in addition to traffic status information for composite links within which the single link is included.

18. A traffic information communication device configured to process traffic information including composite links, comprising:

a data receiving interface configured to receive composite link information, the information including;

a composite identifier enabling a determination of whether the received traffic information includes composite link information,

a composite traffic status indicator revealing traffic status information corresponding to a composite link that includes at least first and second links, and

at least first and second link identifiers respectively corresponding to the first and second links that are included within the composite link; and

a processing device configured to process information received from the data receiving interface and to determine composite link characteristic information based at least in part on the composite link information received.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the processing device is also configured to:

determine, based on the composite identifier, whether the received traffic information includes composite link information; and

dependent upon whether the composite identifier enables a determination that the received traffic information includes composite link information;

identify the composite link among the received traffic data based on at least the first and second link identifiers,

identify the received composite traffic status indicator as composite traffic status information for the composite link, and

enable perception of an association between the received traffic status information and the composite link.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the data receiving interface receives a data length, and wherein the processing device uses the data length to determine an amount of the received data to attribute to the composite link information.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein the processing device is configured receive a version number corresponding to information within the received composite link information, wherein the version number is associated with a specific syntax of the data where any one of multiple syntaxes may be used.

22. The device of claim 18, wherein the data receiving interface receives an indicator of a number of links included in the composite link, wherein the processing device is configured to determine a number of links included in the composite link based on the received indicator of the number of links.

23. The device of claim 18, wherein the data receiving interface receives and the processing device processes at least one of a predicted or current traffic tendency on the composite link, a predicted or current amount of traffic on the composite link, a predicted or current speed on the composite link, and a predicted or current time to traverse the composite link.

24. The device of claim 18, wherein:

the data receiving interface receives, after the traffic information has been received and processed to determine that the composite traffic status information is associated with at least the first and second links within the composite link, supplemental traffic information that includes;

a supplemental composite link information identifier that enables determination that the supplemental traffic information includes supplemental composite link information,

information identifying the composite link as the link to which the supplemental composite link information relates, and

an identifier of at least one additional link to be included in the composite link and associated with traffic status information received for the composite link; and

the processing device is configured to perform, upon receipt of the supplemental traffic information, the steps of;

determining, based on the supplemental composite link identifier, whether the received supplemental traffic information includes supplemental composite link information, and

dependent upon whether the supplemental composite link identifier enables a determination that the received supplemental traffic information includes supplemental composite link information;

identifying the composite link based on the supplemental traffic data,

identifying the additional link based on the received additional link identifier, and

redefining the composite link based on as including the additional link.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the processing device is configured to redefine the composite link as including the additional link, and to apply traffic status information received for the composite link to the portion of the composite link corresponding to the additional link.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the processing device is configured to redefine the composite link as excluding a link corresponding to the additional link, and to apply traffic status information received for the composite link to only the portion of the composite link that does not include the additional link.

27. The device of claim 24, wherein the data receiving interface receives the supplemental traffic information without receiving therewith an indication of the first and second link identifiers.

28. An apparatus for processing traffic information including composite links, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving traffic information including a composite identifier enabling a determination of whether the received traffic information includes composite link information, a composite traffic status indicator revealing traffic status information corresponding to a composite link that includes at least first and second links, and at least first and second link identifiers respectively corresponding to the first and second links that are included within the composite link;

means for determining, based on the composite identifier, whether the received traffic information includes composite link information; and

means for, dependent upon whether the composite identifier enables a determination that the received traffic information includes composite link information, performing the steps of;

identifying the composite link among the received traffic data based on at least the first and second link identifiers,

identifying the received composite traffic status indicator as composite traffic status information for the composite link, and

enabling perception of an association between the received traffic status information and the composite link.