Method for transmitting traffic information and devices for implementing said method

• US 6,255,963 B1
• Filed: 08/04/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sirius XM Connected Vehicle Services Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann AG (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Heimann, Josef, Schulz, Werner, Vieweg, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope, Daryl
• Application Number:
  US09/355,818
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 340/965, 340/539, 701/117
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/55 for traffic information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/13 radio data system/radio broadcast data system [RDS/RBDS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/20 digital audio broadcasting [DAB]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/40 for identifying broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/51 of receiving stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/53 of destinations

Abstract

The redundancy of transmitted traffic information or of traffic information which is to be transmitted is optimized by a method for transmitting traffic information from a traffic information center to at least one terminal device in a vehicle via a publicly receivable (e.g., DAB, RDS-TMC) communications channel or via a private communications channel (e.g., mobile radio), wherein a first reference zone is defined at or around the known or presumed stopping place of at least one vehicle to which information is to be conveyed at a first time point. At least a second reference zone is defined at or around at least one presumed stopping place of the vehicle at a second time point lying in the future in relation to the first time point. Traffic information generated for a reference zone and for a respective future time point with forecasting and/or traffic information determined for the current time point and for the respective current reference zone are/is compiled. Data representing traffic information with the time point to which it relates and/or the reference zone to which it relates are transmitted.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting traffic information from a traffic information center to at least one terminal device in a vehicle via a communications channel, comprising the steps of:

defining a first reference zone one of at and around one of a known and a presumed location of the vehicle to which information is to be conveyed at a first time point;

defining at least a second reference zone one of at and around at least one presumed location of the vehicle at a second time point lying in the future in relation to the first time point;

compiling traffic information, generated for a reference zone and for a respective second and additional future time point, with forecasting and traffic information determined for a current time point and for a respective current reference zone for reducing information to be transmitted in the traffic center; and

transmitting data representing the traffic information with at least one of the time point to which it relates and the reference zone to which it relates.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first time point is also a future time point.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first time point is the current time point, the method including taking current traffic information into account therefor.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting step includes transmitting traffic information concerning at least two reference zones to a terminal device with a receiver in the vehicle.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting step includes transmitting at least one of traffic information concerning more than two time points and traffic information concerning more than two reference zones.

6. A method according to claim 1, including transmitting from the traffic center to the terminal device via mobile radio in the vehicle.

7. A method according to claim 6, including transmitting from the traffic center to the terminal device via mobile radio as at least one of a short message and a cell broadcast message.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first time point is so close to a time point of the transmitting of the traffic information that the traffic information for the first reference zone approximately represents the current traffic information.

9. A method according to claim 1, including predetermining the first time point one of absolutely and relative to the current time point, the traffic information for the first reference zone describing a traffic situation forecast for the first time point.

10. A method according to claim 1, including generating a forecast for the second reference zone that relates to at least one time point in or after a time period within which a vehicle traveling at average speed during a trip from the first reference zone to the second reference zone would reach this second reference zone.

11. A method according to claim 10, including determining average speed of the vehicle by taking into account only a selection from a total number of road types existing in a road network.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second reference zone encloses the first reference zone substantially in a form of a concentric circle as seen from above.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second reference zone represents a section or segment of a region essentially one of concentrically surrounding and comprising the first reference zone.

14. A method according to claim 1, including preparing and transmitting traffic information for different reference zones at different spatial distances from the first reference zone, this traffic information comprising at least one forecasting period corresponding to a respective spatial distance.

15. A method according to claim 1, including surrounding the first reference zone with additional reference zones essentially as concentric surface areas.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the additional reference zones surround the first reference zone as circular surface areas.

17. A method according to claim 1, including surrounding first reference zone with additional reference zones which represent sections from concentric surface areas.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein the reference zones partially overlap.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein the traffic information describes a traffic situation at given time points having intervals of 10 to 60 minutes between them, the transmitted traffic information indicating given time points one of in an absolute time grid, in a time slot pattern and relative to the first time point.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the given time points have 30 minute intervals.

21. A method according to claim 1, including transmitting the traffic information to a receiver via a radio network.

22. A method according to claim 21, including transmitting the traffic information concerning the radio network by at least one central office to at least one terminal device so as to be individualized according to reference zones, the current traffic information concerns the current reference zones of the terminal device and forecasts relate to at least one spatially adjacent reference zone.

23. A method according to claim 1, including transmitting the traffic information via a cellular radio network, the traffic information being transmitted in an individualized manner according to reference zones defined by at least one radio cell, wherein traffic information from adjacent radio cells are taken into account in a radio cell as one of current traffic information and as forecasts by a terminal device receiving it corresponding to a distance of the radio cell from the terminal device.

24. A method according to claim 23, including transmitting the traffic information, when requested individually by a terminal device located spatially in a radio cell, one of to the terminal device via the radio cell and to all receivers in the radio cell by broadcast method.

25. A method according to claim 1, including preparing the traffic information in at least a partly identical manner for a plurality of reference zones, the traffic information comprises both current traffic information and forecast traffic information for given future time points, and transmitting the traffic information via a broadcast-capable radio network.

26. A method according to claim 25, including determining the first reference zone automatically by a terminal device based on the current position of the terminal device, evaluating the current traffic information for the first reference zone, and selecting information concerning other reference zones in a receiver from a totality of transmitted information in accordance with its spatial distance from the first reference zone and is evaluating the selected information in the receiver.

27. A method according to claim 25, including manually inputting the first reference zone.

28. A method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitted traffic information also comprises one of measured and calculated average speeds and travel times for stretches of road.

29. A method according to claim 1, including transmitting current and forecast average speeds to receivers in terminal devices in vehicles via at least one of a paging radio network and a short-range communications channel.

30. A method according to claim 29, including transmitting the current and forecast average speeds to the receivers in the vehicles via beacons.

31. A method according to claim 1, including transmitting over a publicly receivable communications channel.

32. A method according to claim 31, including transmitting over one of a DAG and RDS-TMC communications channel.

33. A method according to claim 1, including transmitting over a private communications channel.

34. A traffic center comprising:

a central station having relevance filter means for transmitting traffic information from a traffic information center to at least one terminal device in a vehicle via a communications channel, by defining a first reference zone one of at and around one of a known and a presumed location of the vehicle to which information is to be conveyed at a first time point, defining at least a second reference zone one of at and around at least one presumed location of the vehicle at a second time point lying in the future in relation to the first time point, compiling traffic information, generated for a reference zone and for a respective second and additional future time point, with forecasting and traffic information determined for a current time point and for a respective current reference zone for reducing information to be transmitted in the traffic center, and transmitting data representing the traffic information with at least one of the time point to which it relates and the reference zone to which it relates; and

transmitting means for transmitting information compiled in the relevance filter means of the central station from traffic information which is relevant for first, second and additional time points based on a respective reference zone.

35. A traffic center according to claim 34, wherein the transmitting means includes a mobile telephone.

36. A traffic center according to claim 34, wherein the transmitting means includes one of a DAB and an RDS-TMC-transmitting device.