Traffic information generating apparatus and traffic information generating method

• US 20080082251A1
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Nagase, Kenji, Ishikawa, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 8,209,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/118
• 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: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

A CPU specifies factors related to the month, the day of the week, and a time period including the current point in time, based on time data obtained by a timer. The CPU also specifies factors that are related to a grid ID and a road category of a given link, based on map display data, link data, and the like stored in an update map information database. The CPU then reads a sample collection number indicating the number of samples of probe information required to generate traffic information for that link and in sequence for other links. When a center traffic information DB contains stored therein, samples of probe information equal to or greater than the sample collection number for a link, the CPU generates the traffic information for that link and stores the generated traffic information as current traffic information.

Claims

1. A traffic information generating apparatus comprising:

a probe information collecting unit that collects probe information from at least one navigation apparatus;

a sample number database that contains stored therein, in correlation with each of plural road categories, a sample collection number indicating the number of samples of the probe information required to generate traffic information for a link in a travel route;

a sample number judging unit that judges whether or not the required number of samples of probe information has been collected, based on the sample collection number; and

a control unit that, responsive to a judgment that the required number of samples of probe information has been collected, controls generation of the traffic information for the link.

2. The traffic information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sample number database contains, stored therein, a sample collection number for each of different plural areas, and

the sample number judging unit judges whether or not the required number of samples of probe information has been collected, based on a sample collection number for one of the plural areas.

3. The traffic information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in accordance with at least one of month, day of a week, and time period within a day.

4. The traffic information generating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in accordance with at least one of month, day of week, and a time period within a day.

5. The traffic information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in correspondence with whether or not the link has a traffic light.

6. The traffic information generating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in correspondence with whether or not the link has a traffic light.

7. The traffic information generating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in correspondence with whether or not the link has a traffic light.

8. The traffic information generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in correspondence with the number of lanes in the link.

9. The traffic information generating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in correspondence with the number of lanes in the link.

10. The traffic information generating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in correspondence with the number of lanes in the link.

11. A traffic information generating method comprising:

collecting probe information from a navigation apparatus;

judging whether or not a required number of samples of the probe information has been collected, based on one of sample collection numbers that is stored in correspondence with each of different road categories, the one sample collection number indicating a number of samples of the probe information required to generate traffic information for a link; and

responsive to a judgment that the required number of samples of the probe information has been collected, generating the traffic information for the link.

12. The traffic information generating method according to claim 11 wherein

the sample number database contains, stored therein, a sample collection number for each of different plural areas, and

the sample number judging unit judges whether or not the required number of samples of probe information has been collected, based on a sample collection number for one of the plural areas.

13. The traffic information generating method according to claim 11 wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in accordance with at least one of month, day of week, and time period within a day.

14. The traffic information generating method according to claim 12 wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in accordance with at least one of month, day of week, and time period within a day.

15. The traffic information generating method according to claim 11 wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in correspondence with whether or not the link has a traffic light.

16. The traffic information generating method according to claim 12 wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in correspondence with whether or not the link has a traffic light.

17. The traffic information generating method according to claim 13 wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in correspondence with whether or not the link has a traffic light.

18. The traffic information generating method according to claim 14 wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in correspondence with whether or not the link has a traffic light.

19. The traffic information generating method according to claim 11 wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in correspondence with the number of lanes in the link.

20. The traffic information generating method according to claim 12 wherein

the sample collection numbers, as stored in the sample number database, are further categorized in correspondence with the number of lanes in the link.