APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING TRAFFIC INFORMATION FOR EACH LANE AND USING THE INFORMATION

• US 20080033632A1
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: LEE, Sun
• Granted Patent: US 7,930,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/092 Coding or decoding of the information

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides traffic information (e.g., congestion & travel-time information road obstruction information, etc.) for each lane. A method for encoding traffic information according to an embodiment of the present invention creates status information including traffic information on each individual lane belonging to a road link, creates location information about the road link, and creates a traffic information message including the status information and location information. This message can be wirelessly transmitted from a server to a terminal.

Claims

1. A method for encoding traffic information, comprising:

creating status information including traffic information on each of lanes belonging to a road link;

creating location information about the road link; and

creating a traffic information message including the status information and the location information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information includes an identifier for identifying the road link.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the location information further includes information about the number of the lanes belonging to the road link, and a driving direction of each of the lanes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the created status information includes a component carrying an identifying number for each of the lanes, and an average speed or travel time on each of the lanes.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating event information including information on an obstruction occurred on the road link and information on a lane which the obstruction influences, and incorporating the created event information into the traffic information message.

6. A method for decoding traffic information, comprising:

extracting a traffic information message from a received signal; and

extracting, from the extracted traffic information message, status information including traffic information on each of lanes belonging to a road link and location information about the road link.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

outputting traffic information on each of the lanes after decoding the status information and the location information.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the extracted location information includes an identifier for identifying the road link.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein tie extracted location information further includes information about the number of the lanes belonging to the road link, and a driving direction of each of the lanes.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the extracted status information includes a component carrying an identifying number for each of the lanes, and an average speed or travel time on each of die lanes.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

extracting, from the extracted traffic information message, event information including information on an obstruction occurred on the road link and information on a lane winch the obstruction influences.

12. An apparatus for decoding traffic information, comprising:

a decoder to extract, from a received traffic information messages, status information including traffic information on each of lanes belonging to a road link and location information on the road link, and to decode the extracted status information and the location information; and

a controller to output traffic information on each of die lanes based on the information decoded by the decoder.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the extracted location information includes an identifier for identifying the road link.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the extracted location information further includes information about the number of the lanes belonging to the toad link, and a driving direction of each of the lanes.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the extracted status information includes a component carrying an identifying number for each of the lanes, and an average speed or travel time on each of the lanes.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller displays on a screen a predicted arrival time to a specified desolation for each of the lanes.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the predicted arrival time is calculated based on a sum of received traffic information of road links belonging to a path leading to the specified destination.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller displays traffic information on a present road link or a next road link lying in a path direction on a screen separately for each of lanes.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller further displays on a screen a driving direction of each of lanes belonging to the present road link.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the driving direction of each of the lanes belonging to the road link is obtained from information decoded by the decoder or from road information pre-stored in a storage unit.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the controller, as to a lane leading to a specified destination, displays a driving direction of that lane distinctively from those of other lanes.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the controller, as to a lane not leading to a specified destination, displays a driving direction of that lane distinctively from those of other lanes.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein if the number of lanes reduces on a path leading to a specified destination or on a next road link in straight direction) the controller displays a driving direction of a lane disappearing due to the reduction in the number of lanes distinctively from those of other lanes.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein if an obstruction problem exists in a path leading to a specified destination, the controller displays a driving direction of a lane having the obstruction problem distinctively from those of other lanes.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein in case that a predicted arrival time through a particular lane differs from those through other lanes by more than a threshold, the controller determines that the obstruction problem includes at least one of an accident happening and an on-going roadwork on the particular lane.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein information oil the accident happening and/or the on-going roadwork on the particular lane is obtained from event information decoded by the decoder from the received traffic information messages.

27. An apparatus for providing a user with traffic information, comprising:

a decoder to extract, from a received signal, status information including driving direction and/or traffic information on each of lanes belonging to a road link and location information on the road link;

a controller to output the extracted information through an output unit according to a request of a user; and

an interface unit comprising a requesting unit whose function is to request driving direction and/or traffic information on each of lanes belonging to a road link.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein when the requesting unit is chosen, the controller outputs driving direction and/or transit information on each of lanes belonging to a road link through the output unit.

29. An apparatus for providing a user with traffic information, comprising:

a decoder to extract, from a received signal, status information including driving direction and/or traffic information on each of lanes belonging to a toad link and location information on the road link; and

a controller to output the extracted information through an output unit according to a request of a user,

wherein in a condition that the driving direction and/or traffic information on each of lanes belonging to the road link is not displayed on the output unit, the controller provides an interface unit with a requesting unit having a function of requesting driving direction and/or traffic information on each of lanes belonging to a road link.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the requesting unit comprises a physically fixed key and a text string indicating the function of the key.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the requesting unit comprises a touch area on the output unit and a text string indicating the function to be carried out when the touch area is touched, the text string being displayed on the touch area.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the controller provides the interface unit with the requesting unit if display of driving direction and/or traffic information oil each of lanes belonging to a road link is set to inactive in an environment configuration of the apparatus.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the controller, along with providing the requesting unit for the interface unit, changes a mode displaying of driving direction and/or traffic information on each of lanes belonging to a road link to active in an environment configuration of the apparatus.