METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE LENGTH OF THE ROUTE TRAVELLED BY A VEHICLE

• US 20120072108A1
• Filed: 09/08/2011
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Original Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Inventors: Tijink, Jasja, Nagy, Oliver, Kaes, Katharina
• Granted Patent: US 8,972,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/416
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/00 Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

A method for determining the length of the route travelled by a vehicle using a position measuring device that records positions of the vehicle and a digital road map, which is composed of road segments of known segment lengths. The method including recording positions of the vehicle on the route by means of the position measuring device, matching the recorded vehicle positions to a sequence of road segments, and determining the route length from the segment lengths of these road segments, wherein from the angle between at least two consecutive road segments and an assumed road width of the two road segments, a turn-off route of the vehicle from the one road segment into the other road segment is calculated. The calculated turn-off route is taken into consideration in the determination of the route length.

Claims

1. A method for determining a length of a route travelled by a vehicle using a position measuring device that records positions of the vehicle, and a digital road map including road segments of known segment lengths, the method comprising:

recording positions of the vehicle on the route by the position measuring device;

matching the recorded vehicle positions to a sequence of road segments;

calculating, from an angle between at least two consecutive road segments and an assumed road width of the two road segments, a turn-off route of the vehicle from said one road segment into said other road segment; and

determining the route length from segment lengths of the sequence of road segments and the calculated turn-off route of the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one road segment of the digital road map represents a road with at least two lanes assigned to opposing travel directions, and wherein calculating a turn-off route comprises calculating a turn-off route to/from a lane assigned to the direction of travel of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one road segment of the digital road map represents a road with at least two lanes, of which at least one lane is assigned to a specific turn-off direction, wherein calculating a turn-off route comprises calculating a turn-off route to/from a lane assigned to the turn-off direction of the vehicle is calculated.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the turn-off route is calculated as a polygonal line.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the turn-off route is calculated as an arc of a curve.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the assumed road width is taken from the digital road map.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined value is assumed as the road width.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein possible turn-off routes between road segments of the digital road map are pre-calculated and stored in a table, from which the respective turn-off route to be taken into consideration between the two road segments is then taken.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein a turn-off route between two road segments is calculated and taken into consideration in determining the route length, when the angle between the two road segments exceeds a predetermined value.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein turn-off routes over the course of the travelled route are calculated and taken into consideration in determining the route length, when a number of the turn-off routes exceeds a predetermined number, or when a sum of the turn-offs exceeds a predetermined value.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein no turn-off routes are calculated and taken into consideration in determining the route length between more than two consecutive road segments with approximately equal angles alternating in respective turn-off direction.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the turn-off routes are only calculated and taken into consideration in determining the route length, for road segments in specific areas of the digital road map in urban areas.