METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR OBTAINING A MULTI-MODAL ROUTE

• US 20160202079A1
• Filed: 08/11/2014
• Published: 07/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom Development Germany GmbH (TomTom NV), TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Schickinger, Dr. Thomas Gerhard Helmut, van Helvoort, Leon, Schilling, Heiko, Knig, Felix Godafoss
• Granted Patent: US 10,295,353 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/096833 where different aspects are considered when computing the route

Abstract

A method of performing routing in relation to a multi-modal transportation network involves representing a multi-modal transportation network using a plurality of segments, each being indicative of a navigable segment of the network, and each segment having data representative of a traversal time for the segment associated therewith. The plurality of segments of the multi-modal transportation network includes a first subset of segments indicative of a public transport network, and a second subset of segments indicative of a road network which may be joined, left and travelled through by a user substantially freely at any time. The traversal time data associated with origin segments of the public transport network associated with interchange points with the road network is based on a transit time indicative of a time taken to both train and road networks travel along the segment, and an additional waiting time. A route search is performed between an origin and a destination within the multi-modal transportation network using the traversal time data associated with the segments of the network in order to obtain one or more multi-modal route through the transportation network.

Claims

1. A method of performing routing in a multi-modal transportation network represented using a plurality of segments, each being indicative of a navigable segment of the network, and each segment having data indicative of a traversal time for the segment associated therewith, wherein the plurality of segments representative of the multi-modal transportation network includes:

a first subset of segments indicative of a first transportation sub-network of the multi-modal transportation network, the first transportation sub-network being a network which may be joined, left and travelled through by a user only at specific times; and

a second subset of segments indicative of a second transportation sub-network of the multimodal transportation network, the second transportation sub-network being a network which may be joined, left and travelled through by a user substantially at any time, the traversal time data associated with at least some of the first subset of the plurality of segments indicative of navigable segments of the first transportation sub-network of the multi-modal transportation network being based on a transit time indicative of a time taken to travel along the segment, and an additional time based on a frequency at which travel along the segment occurs, the method comprising;

performing a route search between an origin and a destination within the multi-modal transportation network using the traversal time data associated with the segments of the network in order to obtain one or more possible multi-modal route from the origin to the destination through the transportation network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transportation sub-network is a public transportation network and the second transportation sub-network is a private transportation network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the segments indicative of the first transportation sub-network are associated with a point of interchange with the second transportation subnetwork, the traversal time data associated with these segments including an additional time based on a frequency at which travel along the segment occurs.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the additional time based upon frequency is inversely proportional to the frequency at which travel may occur along the segment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of performing a route search between an origin and a destination within the multi-modal transportation network using the traversal time data associated with the segments of the network in order to obtain one or more possible multi-modal route from the origin to the destination through the transportation network comprises determining a fastest route, and optionally one or more next fastest routes through the multi-modal network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of performing a route search takes into account one or more interchange point user preferences.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more preferences include a preference in relation to at least one of:

the location of the interchange point and a property of the interchange point.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising obtaining, for the or each possible multi-modal route, data indicative of an interchange point along the route at which there is a change between the first and second transportation sub-networks.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising obtaining more accurate traversal time data for at least the portion of the or each possible multi-modal route which extends through the first transportation sub-network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the more accurate traversal time data is obtained using data indicative of a schedule for the first transportation sub-network.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of possible routes are obtained, the method further comprising selecting a subset of one or more of the possible routes for recommendation to a user.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting data indicative of at least one of the one or more possible multi-modal routes to a user.

24. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to operate according to the method of claim 1.

25. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more preferences include a preference specifying that the interchange point is within a given distance of at least one of:

the origin;

the destination; and

a home of the user.

26. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more preferences include a preference specifying that the interchange point has parking provision.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein data is output in respect of a recommended route selected from a plurality of possible multi-modal routes.

2. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

6-7. -7. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

18. A system arranged to perform routing in a multi-modal transportation network, comprising:

a data store comprising data indicative of a plurality of segments, each being indicative of a navigable segment of the network, and each segment having data indicative of a traversal time for the segment associated therewith, wherein the plurality of segments representative of the multi-modal transportation network includes;

a first subset of segments indicative of a first transportation sub-network of the multi-modal transportation network, the first transportation sub-network being a network which may be joined, left and travelled through by a user only at specific times; and

a second subset of segments indicative of a second transportation sub-network of the multimodal transportation network, the second transportation sub-network being a network which may be joined, left and travelled through by a user substantially at any time, the traversal time data associated with at least some of the first subset of the plurality of segments indicative of navigable segments of the first transportation sub-network of the multi-modal transportation network being based on a transit time indicative of a time taken to travel along the segment, and an additional time based on a frequency at which travel along the segment occurs; and

a processor arranged to perform a route search between an origin and a destination within the multi-modal transportation network using the traversal time data associated with the segments of the network in order to obtain one or more possible multi-modal route from the origin to the destination through the transportation network.

19-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method of creating a data product storing digital map data representing a multi-modal transportation network, the method comprising representing the multi-modal transportation network using a plurality of segments, each being indicative of a navigable segment of the network, and each segment having data indicative of a traversal time for the segment associated therewith, wherein the plurality of segments representative of the multi-modal transportation network includes:

a first subset of segments indicative of a first transportation sub-network of the multi-modal transportation network, the first transportation sub-network being a network which may be joined, left and travelled through by a user only at specific times; and

a second subset of segments indicative of a second transportation sub-network of the multimodal transportation network, the second transportation sub-network being a network which may be joined, left and travelled through by a user freely at any time, the traversal time data associated with at least some of the first subset of the plurality of segments indicative of navigable segments of the first transportation sub-network of the multi-modal transportation network being based on a transit time indicative of a time taken to travel along the segment, and an additional time based on a frequency at which travel along the segment occurs.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the data product further comprises data indicative of one or more point at which interchange is possible between the first and second transportation sub-networks, wherein each interchange point corresponds to a node of the multi-modal transportation network at which there is at least one incoming or outgoing segment of the first transportation sub-network and at least one incoming or outgoing segment of the second transportation sub-network.

28. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to operate according to the method of claim 21.

23. (canceled)