Navigation information distribution systems, methods, and programs

• US 20070229309A1
• Filed: 03/26/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagase, Kenji, Tomita, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,925,425 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/992
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

Navigation information distribution systems, methods, and programs transfer a piece of vehicle position information to an information distribution center every predetermined time period, the piece of vehicle information including a vehicle position and a time when the vehicle passes through the vehicle position. The systems, methods, and programs receive pieces of vehicle position information and traffic information including congestion information, store the received pieces of vehicle position information in order of arrival, and specify a congested road section on the basis of congestion information. The systems, methods, and programs assign a weight of a first travel distance within the congested road section, the weight of the first travel distance calculated on the basis of two of the received pieces of vehicle position information received from the navigation apparatus and congestion information about the congested section. The systems, methods, and programs calculate a first travel time corresponding to the first travel distance, calculate the congested section travel time necessary for passing through the congested section based on the calculated first travel time, and distribute the calculated congested section travel time to a navigation apparatus.

Claims

1. An information distribution center for use with a navigation apparatus, the navigation apparatus including a communication device that transfers a piece of vehicle position information to the information distribution center every predetermined time period, the piece of vehicle information including a vehicle position and a time when the vehicle passes through the vehicle position, the information distribution center comprising:

a communication device that receives pieces of vehicle position information and traffic information including congestion information and distributes a calculated congested section travel time;

a memory that stores the received pieces of vehicle position information in order of arrival; and

a controller that;

specifies a congested road section based on the congestion information;

assigns a weight of a first travel distance within the congested road section, the weight of the first travel distance calculated based on two of the received pieces of vehicle position information received from the navigation apparatus and the congestion information about the congested section;

calculates a first travel time corresponding to the first travel distance; and

calculates the congested section travel time necessary for passing through the congested section based on the calculated first travel time.

2. The information distribution center of claim 1, wherein:

one of the two pieces of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section; and

the other of the two pieces of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus when the navigation apparatus is located within the congested section.

3. The information distribution center of claim 2, wherein:

when an additional piece of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus that is within the congested section, the controller calculates a second travel time by adding the predetermined time period to the first travel time; and

the controller calculates the congested section travel time based on the second travel time.

4. The information distribution center of claim 3, wherein:

the controller calculates a second travel distance based on;

a piece of vehicle position information that is the last piece of vehicle position information to be received from the navigation apparatus within the congested section;

a piece of vehicle position information that is received from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus has passed through the congested section; and

the congestion information about the congested section;

the controller calculates a third travel time corresponding to the second travel distance; and

the controller calculates the congested section travel time by adding the third travel time to the second travel time.

5. The information distribution center of claim 1, wherein:

one of the two pieces of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section; and

the other of the two pieces of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus passes through the congested section.

6. The information distribution center of claim 1, wherein:

when the information distribution center receives a request to distribute the congested section travel time from the navigation apparatus, the controller causes the communication device to distribute the congested section travel time to the navigation apparatus.

7. The information distribution center of claim 1, wherein:

the communication device distributes the congested section travel time to the navigation apparatus at a predetermined interval different from the predetermined time period.

8. The information distribution center of claim 1, wherein:

the communication device distributes the congested section travel time to the navigation apparatus every time the congested section travel time is calculated.

9. A navigation system, comprising:

the information distribution center of claim 1; and

the navigation apparatus.

10. An information distribution method, comprising:

transferring a piece of vehicle position information to an information distribution center every predetermined time period, the piece of vehicle information including a vehicle position and a time when the vehicle passes through the vehicle position;

receiving pieces of vehicle position information and traffic information including congestion information;

storing the received pieces of vehicle position information in order of arrival;

specifying a congested road section based on the congestion information;

assigning a weight of a first travel distance within the congested road section, the weight of the first travel distance calculated based on two of the received pieces of vehicle position information received from the navigation apparatus and the congestion information about the congested section;

calculating a first travel time corresponding to the first travel distance;

calculating the congested section travel time necessary for passing through the congested section based on the calculated first travel time; and

distributing the calculated congested section travel time to a navigation apparatus.

11. The information distribution method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving one of the two pieces of vehicle position information from the navigation apparatus before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section; and

receiving the other of the two pieces of vehicle position information from the navigation apparatus when the navigation apparatus is located within the congested section.

12. The information distribution method of claim 11, further comprising:

calculating, when an additional piece of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus that is within the congested section, a second travel time by adding the predetermined time period to the first travel time; and

calculating the congested section travel time based on the second travel time.

13. The information distribution method of claim 12, further comprising:

calculating a second travel distance based on;

a piece of vehicle position information that is the last piece of vehicle position information to be received from the navigation apparatus within the congested section;

a piece of vehicle position information that is received from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus has passed through the congested section; and

the congestion information about the congested section;

calculating a third travel time corresponding to the second travel distance; and

calculating the congested section travel time by adding the third travel time to the second travel time.

14. The information distribution method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving one of the two pieces of vehicle position information from the navigation apparatus before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section; and

receiving the other of the two pieces of vehicle position information from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus passes through the congested section.

15. The information distribution method of claim 10, further comprising:

causing the communication device to distribute the congested section travel time to the navigation apparatus when the information distribution center receives a request to distribute the congested section travel time from the navigation apparatus.

16. The information distribution method of claim 10, further comprising:

distributing the congested section travel time to the navigation apparatus at a predetermined interval different from the predetermined time period.

17. The information distribution method of claim 10, further comprising:

distributing the congested section travel time to the navigation apparatus every time the congested section travel time is calculated.

18. A storage medium storing a set of program instructions executable by a data processing device, the instructions usable to implement the method of claim 10.