COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND MOVABLE TERMINAL

• US 20120084001A1
• Filed: 09/13/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Suzuki, Takamitsu
• Granted Patent: US 8,554,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/430
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3423 Multimodal routing, i.e. combining two or more modes of transportation, where the modes can be any of, e.g. driving, walking, cycling, public transport
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096866 where the complete route is shown to the driver

Abstract

A movable terminal stores previously a travel time schedule in a regular travel state of a public transportation. The movable terminal executes a route retrieval from candidates containing route sections traveled by using the public transportation and route sections traveled by using different transportation (i.e., foot, vehicle) other than the public transportation. As a result of the route retrieval, when it is determined that the route using the public transportation is more suitable, a request for a multi-modal retrieval based on actual present travel state of the public transportation is transmitted to a center. A center route received thereafter from the center is recorded as a guidance route used for executing route guidance.

Claims

1. A communication system including a movable terminal and a center that intercommunicates with the movable terminal,

the movable terminal comprising:

an in-terminal storage device storing an in-terminal map database containing a road configuration and positions of getting-on-off facilities, at which to get on or off a public transportation, and a regular public transportation travel database containing a regular travel schedule in a regular travel state of the public transportation; and

an in-terminal controller,

the center comprising;

an in-center storage device storing an in-center map database containing a road configuration and positions of getting-on-off facilities, at which to get on or off the public transportation, and a present public transportation database containing the regular travel schedule of the public transportation and a present travel change state against the regular travel schedule; and

an in-center controller,

the in-terminal controller comprising;

a local multi-modal route retrieval section to calculate as an optimal route a local route from a present position to a destination from candidates of route sections traveled by the public transportation and route sections traveled by different transportation other than the public transportation with reference to the in-terminal map database and the regular public transportation travel database;

a determination section to determine whether the local route calculated by the local multi-modal route retrieval section uses the public transportation;

a local route record section to record the local route as a guidance route used for executing route guidance when the determination section determines that the local route does not use the public transportation; and

a center multi-modal request section to transmit a multi-modal route retrieval request containing data on the present position and the destination, to the center when the determination section determines that the local route uses the public transportation,

the in-center controller comprising;

a multi-modal route retrieval request reception section to receive the multi-modal route retrieval request transmitted by the center multi-modal request section of the movable terminal;

a center multi-modal route retrieval section to calculate as an optimal route a center route from the present position to the destination indicated in the multi-modal route retrieval request, from candidates of route sections traveled by the public transportation and route sections traveled by different transportation other than the public transportation with reference to the in-center map database and the present public transportation travel database when the multi-modal route retrieval request reception section receives the multi-modal route retrieval request; and

a multi-modal route distribution section to transmit data on the center route calculated by the center multi-modal route retrieval section to the movable terminal,

the in-terminal controller further comprising;

a center route record section to record the center route as a guidance route used for executing route guidance upon receiving the data on the center route transmitted by the multi-modal route distribution section as a response to the multi-modal route retrieval request transmitted by the center multi-modal request section of the movable terminal.

2. The communication system according to claim 1,

the in-terminal controller further comprising:

a re-retrieval point designation section to designate at least one re-retrieval point on the local route or the center route, whichever is used as the guidance route; and

a re-retrieval-point-use center multi-modal request section to determine whether the movable terminal approaches, within a predetermined distance, one of the at least one re-retrieval point on the guidance route during executing the route guidance of the guidance route, and transmit a re-retrieval-point-use multi-modal route retrieval request containing data on a present position and a destination, to the center upon determining that the movable terminal approaches the one of the at least one re-retrieval point,

the multi-modal route retrieval request reception section of the in-center controller further receiving the re-retrieval-point-use multi-modal route retrieval request transmitted by the re-retrieval-point-use center multi-modal request section of the movable terminal,

the center multi-modal route retrieval section further calculating as an optimal route a re-retrieval-point-use center route from the present position to the destination indicated in the re-retrieval-point-use multi-modal route retrieval request, from candidates of route sections traveled by the public transportation and route sections traveled by different transportation other than the public transportation with reference to the in-terminal map database and the present public transportation travel database when the re-retrieval-point-use multi-modal route retrieval request reception section receives the re-retrieval-point-use multi-modal route retrieval request,

the multi-modal route distribution section further transmitting data on the re-retrieval-point-use center route calculated by the center multi-modal route retrieval section to the movable terminal,

the in-terminal controller further comprising;

a center route use section to use the re-retrieval-point-use center route as a guidance route upon receiving the data on the re-retrieval-point-use center route transmitted by the multi-modal route distribution section as a response to the re-retrieval-point-use multi-modal route retrieval request transmitted by the re-retrieval-point-use center multi-modal request section.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein:

the center multi-modal route retrieval section of the center designates at least one re-retrieval point on the calculated center route;

the multi-modal route distribution section of the center transmits data on the at least one re-retrieval point designated by the center multi-modal route retrieval section to the movable terminal; and

the re-retrieval point designation section of the movable terminal designates as a re-retrieval point on the guidance route the at least one re-retrieval point upon receiving the data on the at least one re-retrieval point transmitted by the multi-modal route distribution section of the center.

4. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein:

the center route use section of the movable terminal executes a determination as to whether the re-retrieval-point-use center route is more advantageous than the guidance route based on at least one of (i) a travel time to travel the re-retrieval-point-use center route from the present position to the destination and a travel time to travel the guidance route from the present position to the destination, (ii) a fee to travel the re-retrieval-point-use center route from the present position to the destination and a fee to travel the guidance route from the present position to the destination, and (iii) a user'"'"'s selection manipulation;

the center route use section of the movable terminal uses the re-retrieval-point-use center route as a new guidance route when determining that the re-retrieval-point-use center route is more advantageous than the guidance route; and

the center route use section continues using the guidance route when determining that the re-retrieval-point-use center route is not more advantageous than the guidance route.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein:

the re-retrieval-point-use center multi-modal request section of the movable terminal transmits the re-retrieval-point-use multi-modal route retrieval request containing data on a route of the guidance route;

the multi-modal route distribution section of the center acquires disadvantageous information at least indicating a travel time in a present state of each route section of the route of the guidance route based on (i) the data on the route of the guidance route contained in the re-retrieval-point-use multi-modal route retrieval request and (ii) the present public transportation travel database;

the multi-modal route distribution section of the center transmits the acquired disadvantageous information to the movable terminal along with the data on the re-retrieval-point-use center route; and

the center route use section of the movable terminal re-calculates a travel time to travel each route section of the guidance route using the disadvantageous information transmitted by the multi-modal route distribution section, and determines whether the re-retrieval-point-use center route is more advantageous than the guidance route using the re-calculated travel time.

6. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein:

the guidance route contains a plurality of branching points branching to different routes and a plurality of merging points merging from the different routes; and

the re-retrieval point designation section designates a re-retrieval point that is a first branching point branching from the guidance route to a first different route that merges into the guidance route at a first merging point, the first different route having a cost greater than a cost of the guidance route from the branching point to the merging point by less than a predetermined value.

7. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein

the first different route is enabled to be traveled by the public transportation from the first branching point to the first merging point, the first branching point and the first merging point being getting-on-off facilities where to get on or off the public transportation.

8. A movable terminal intercommunicating with a center,

the center including

an in-center map database containing a road configuration and positions of getting-on-off facilities, at which to get on or off a public transportation, and

a present public transportation travel database containing a regular travel schedule in a regular travel state of the public transportation and a present travel change state against the regular travel schedule,

the movable terminal comprising:

an in-terminal storage device storing an in-terminal map database containing a road configuration and positions of getting-on-off facilities, at which to get on or off the public transportation, and a regular public transportation travel database containing a travel schedule in a regular travel state of the public transportation; and

an in-terminal controller,

the in-terminal controller comprising;

a local multi-modal route retrieval section to calculate as an optimal route a local route from a present position to a destination from candidates of route sections traveled by the public transportation and route sections traveled by different transportation other than the public transportation with reference to the in-terminal map database and the regular public transportation travel database;

a determination section to determine whether the local route calculated by the local multi-modal route retrieval section uses the public transportation;

a local route record section to record the local route as a guidance route used for executing route guidance when the determination section determines that the local route does not use the public transportation;

a center multi-modal request section to transmit a multi-modal route retrieval request containing data on the present position and the destination, to the center when the determination section determines that the local route uses the public transportation; and

a center route record section to record the center route as a guidance route used for executing route guidance upon receiving data on a center route transmitted from the center,

the center route being calculated in the center as an optimal route from the present position to the destination indicated in the multi-modal route retrieval request, from candidates containing route sections traveled by the public transportation and route sections traveled by different transportation other than the public transportation with reference to the in-center map database and the present public transportation travel database.