TRAFFIC INFORMATION CREATING DEVICE, TRAFFIC INFORMATION CREATING METHOD AND PROGRAM

• US 20130253811A1
• Filed: 03/07/2013
• Published: 09/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: MIYAJIMA, Takayuki, HIRANO, Satoshi, OKADA, Kiyokazu
• Granted Patent: US 8,914,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/118
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation

Abstract

Devices, methods, and programs access map information including link information related to links that constitute a road, acquire a current location of a vehicle at unit time intervals, and acquire traffic information, which includes a distributed traffic congestion level of each link at predetermined time intervals. Each time the vehicle exits a link, the devices, methods, and programs sequentially store the exited link in an exited link train based on the map information. If the traffic information has been received, the devices, methods, and program store the distributed traffic congestion level included in the received traffic information as a traffic congestion level in association with a portion of the exited link train within a range from the current location at a received time point when the traffic information has been received to a location that is a predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point.

Claims

1. A traffic information creating device comprising:

a memory that stores map information including link information related to links that constitute a road; and

a controller that;

acquires a current location of a vehicle at unit time intervals;

acquires traffic information, which includes a distributed traffic congestion level of each link and which is distributed from a device outside the vehicle at predetermined time intervals;

each time the vehicle exits a link, sequentially stores the exited link in an exited link train on the basis of the map information;

determines whether the traffic information has been received; and

when it is determined that the traffic information has been received, stores the distributed traffic congestion level included in the received traffic information as a traffic congestion level in association with a portion of the exited link train within a range from the current location at a received time point at which the traffic information has been received to a location that is a predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point in a travel direction among the exited link train.

2. The traffic information creating device according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

determines the predetermined distance on the basis of a vehicle speed corresponding to the distributed traffic congestion level of a link in which the current location is present at the received time point and substantially half of each of the predetermined time intervals.

3. The traffic information creating device according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

determines whether there is a branch point at which a route has been changed among end points of links of the exited link train within the range from the current location at the received time point to the location that is the predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point in the travel direction; and

when there is a branch point at which a route has been changed among the end points of the links of the exited link train within the range from the current location at the received time point to the location that is the predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point in the travel direction, stores the distributed traffic congestion level included in the received traffic information as a traffic congestion level in association with the exited link train from the current location at the received time point to the branch point.

4. The traffic information creating device according to claim 1, wherein the controller:

calculates a fuel consumption for the exited link; and

when it is determined that the traffic information has been received, stores the calculated fuel consumption as a consumption energy in association with a portion of the exited link train within a range from the current location at a received time point at which the traffic information has been received to a location that is a predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point in a travel direction among the exited link train.

5. A traffic information creating method comprising:

accessing stored map information including link information related to links that constitute a road;

acquiring a current location of a vehicle at unit time intervals;

acquiring traffic information, which includes a distributed traffic congestion level of each link and which is distributed from a device outside the vehicle at predetermined time intervals;

each time the vehicle exits a link, sequentially storing the exited link in an exited link train on the basis of the map information;

determining whether the traffic information has been received; and

when it is determined that the traffic information has been received, storing the distributed traffic congestion level included in the received traffic information as a traffic congestion level in association with a portion of the exited link train within a range from the current location at a received time point at which the traffic information has been received to a location that is a predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point in a travel direction among the exited link train.

6. The traffic information creating method according to claim 5, further comprising:

determining the predetermined distance on the basis of a vehicle speed corresponding to the distributed traffic congestion level of a link in which the current location is present at the received time point and substantially half of each of the predetermined time intervals.

7. The traffic information creating method according to claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether there is a branch point at which a route has been changed among end points of links of the exited link train within the range from the current location at the received time point to the location that is the predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point in the travel direction; and

when there is a branch point at which a route has been changed among the end points of the links of the exited link train within the range from the current location at the received time point to the location that is the predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point in the travel direction, storing the distributed traffic congestion level included in the received traffic information as a traffic congestion level in association with the exited link train from the current location at the received time point to the branch point.

8. The traffic information creating method according to claim 5, further comprising:

calculating a fuel consumption for the exited link; and

when it is determined that the traffic information has been received, storing the calculated fuel consumption as a consumption energy in association with a portion of the exited link train within a range from the current location at a received time point at which the traffic information has been received to a location that is a predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point in a travel direction among the exited link train.

9. A computer-readable storage device storing a computer-executable program usable to create traffic information, the program comprising:

instructions for accessing stored map information including link information related to links that constitute a road;

instructions for acquiring a current location of a vehicle at unit time intervals;

instructions for acquiring traffic information, which includes a distributed traffic congestion level of each link and which is distributed from a device outside the vehicle at predetermined time intervals;

instructions for, each time the vehicle exits a link, sequentially storing the exited link in an exited link train on the basis of the map information;

instructions for determining whether the traffic information has been received; and

instructions for, when it is determined that the traffic information has been received, storing the distributed traffic congestion level included in the received traffic information as a traffic congestion level in association with a portion of the exited link train within a range from the current location at a received time point at which the traffic information has been received to a location that is a predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point in a travel direction among the exited link train.

10. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 9, the program further comprising:

instructions for determining the predetermined distance on the basis of a vehicle speed corresponding to the distributed traffic congestion level of a link in which the current location is present at the received time point and substantially half of each of the predetermined time intervals.

11. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 9, the program further comprising:

instructions for determining whether there is a branch point at which a route has been changed among end points of links of the exited link train within the range from the current location at the received time point to the location that is the predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point in the travel direction; and

instructions for, when there is a branch point at which a route has been changed among the end points of the links of the exited link train within the range from the current location at the received time point to the location that is the predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point in the travel direction, storing the distributed traffic congestion level included in the received traffic information as a traffic congestion level in association with the exited link train from the current location at the received time point to the branch point.

12. The computer-readable storage device according to claim 9, the program further comprising:

instructions for calculating a fuel consumption for the exited link; and

instructions for, when it is determined that the traffic information has been received, storing the calculated fuel consumption as a consumption energy in association with a portion of the exited link train within a range from the current location at a received time point at which the traffic information has been received to a location that is a predetermined distance behind the current location at the received time point in a travel direction among the exited link train.