Method for determining route data

• US 6,182,009 B1
• Filed: 06/02/1998
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sound View Innovations, LLC (Sound View Innovation Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Harrer, Stefan, Brocke, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US09/089,115
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/207, 701/208, 701/210, 701/211, 701/213, 701/117, 701/118, 701/216, 701/215, 701/214, 340/994, 340/990, 340/995, 340/998, 340/989, 340/991, 342/456, 342/457
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station

Abstract

A method for determining route data, in particular geographical coordinates (P1, P2 . . . Px, Px₁ . . . Pn) and route distances (S1, S2 . . . Sx₁ . . . S_n-1) for frequently traveled routes, wherein position data of a vehicle along a route are measured both with an external route transmitter and with an internal route transmitter. To reduce margins of error of the route data, the externally and internally measured position data of several trips and/or vehicles are compared with each other for characteristic points along the route, in particular stops (P1, P2 . . . Px, Px₁ . . . Pn), and statistically evaluated, and the evaluated data are provided to the internal route transmitter as route data.

Claims

1. A method for determining a vehicle route, the vehicle route being defined by vehicle route data including position data (P1, P2 . . . Px, Px₁ . . . Pn) indicating stops along the vehicle route, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) measuring the position data for several trips of the vehicle along the route both with an external route transmitter and with an internal route transmitter;

(b) comparing the externally and internally measured position data for the several trips of the vehicle with each other for particular stops (P1, P2 . . . Px, Px₁ . . . Pn);

(c) statistically evaluating the measured position data based on the result of the comparison of the externally and internally measured positions data so as to determine the position data to within an allowed margin of error; and

(d) providing as the position data of the vehicle route, the statistically evaluated measured position data and providing the vehicle route to the internal route transmitter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the external route transmitter is a DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) (2) and the internal route transmitter is an “

RBL”

on-board computer (Computerized Operations Management System) (3), and further wherein vehicles of the OPNV (Local Public Transit System) are equipped with the on-board computers (3).

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the measured position data are transmitted via a wireless LAN to an RBL center (5) for off-line evaluation and the route data are provided to the RBL on-board computer (3) via a data download.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the route data also indicates activation points (Px₁), such as for triggering “

LSA”

(Light Signal System (6)) data communications for preferential switching of traffic signals (LSA (6)).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the activation points (Px₁) are determined from the position data (Px) of the stops (11) and the route distances (Sx₁) to the respective closest neighboring stop (11).

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the route data also indicates activation points (Px₁), such as for triggering “

LSA”

(Light Signal System (6)) data communications for preferential switching of traffic signals (LSA (6)).