Process for completing and/or verifying data concerning the state of a road network; traffic information centre

• US 6,236,932 B1
• Filed: 06/16/1999
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sirius XM Connected Vehicle Services Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann AG (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Fastenrath, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US09/331,102
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 701/120, 180/167, 340/425.5, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

Traffic status reports and traffic forecasts of a central traffic station are optimized by a central traffic station by a process for the completion and/or verification of data concerning the status of a traffic network in a central traffic station data of the following types are used for this purpose:

measurement data measured up to the present time;

status data that are calculated for at least a point in time prior to the current time concerning the status of the traffic network at this point in time; and

forecast data calculated for a time in the past and concerning a future time with respect to this time in the past.

Claims

1. A central traffic station, comprising:

a storage;

a program stored in the storage for carrying out process for completing and verifying data concerning a status of a traffic network in the central traffic station, the process including measuring measurement data about vehicles up to a present time, calculating status data for at least a point in time prior to the present time concerning the status of the traffic network at this point in time, calculating forecast data for a past time in the and concerning a future time with respect to the past time, using the measured and calculated data to complete and verify the traffic network status data;

a storage for the data;

a processor for running the program; and

a communication device for entering measurement data.

2. A central traffic station according to claim 1, and further comprising a mobile radio device for receiving measurement data.

3. A central traffic station according to claim 1, and further comprising a transmitter for reading out at least one of traffic reports and traffic forecasts.

4. A central traffic station according to claim 1, and further comprising a transmitter interface for reading out at least one of traffic reports and traffic forecasts.

5. A process for completing and verifying data concerning a status of a traffic network in a central traffic station, comprising the steps of:

measuring measurement data about vehicles up to a present time;

calculating status data for at least a point in time prior to the present time concerning the status of the traffic network at this point in time;

calculating forecast data for a past time in the and concerning a future time with respect to the past time; and

using the measured and calculated data to complete and verify the traffic network status data.

6. A process according to claim 5, including at least one of verifying and completing measurement data concerning at least a time in the past.

7. A process according to claim 5, including at least one of completing and verifying status data concerning the status of the traffic network at a time in the past.

8. A process according to claim 5, including calculating forecast data concerning a future status at a future point in time.

9. A process according to claim 5, including at least one of completing and verifying status data concerning the current status of the traffic network.

10. A process according to claim 9, including measuring the measurement data with at least one of stationary and mobile detectors.

11. A process according to claim 5, including filing statistical data concerning states in a historic database in the central traffic station and using at least one of the filed historic data and measurement data of the traffic network at times in the past.

12. A process according to claim 11, including storing at least one of profiles concerning time curves of measurement data and time curves of states in the historic database and using these data for completing and verifying at least one of measurement data and status data.