Transmission of localized traffic information

• US 6,292,742 B1
• Filed: 08/06/1999
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sirius XM Connected Vehicle Services Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann AG (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Schulz, Werner, Vieweg, Stefan, Heimann, Josef
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US09/367,142
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 701/209, 701/211, 340/995
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

Condensing of information is achieved by a terminal device, a traffic center and a method for informing a user of a terminal device about the traffic situation in a traffic network using traffic information transmitted from a traffic center to the terminal device over a communications channel. Traffic information relating to at least one section in the traffic network is converted to information relating to zone in the traffic network, and zone-oriented traffic information is displayed to the user of the terminal device.

Claims

1. A method for informing a user of a terminal device about a traffic situation in a traffic network comprising the steps of:

transmitting traffic information from a traffic center to the terminal device over a communications channel;

converting transmitted traffic information referring to at least one route section-oriented information in the traffic network into zone-oriented information relating to a zone in the traffic network, said step of converting being performed by a data processing unit;

displaying the zone-oriented information to the user of the terminal device, said step of converting being performed in the traffic center, and said traffic information being transmitted to a receiver in the terminal device as the zone-oriented information;

pre-categorizing route section-oriented information according to a type of road or roads to which it relates;

converting the route-section oriented traffic information to zone-oriented traffic information separately for each road type, the type of road or roads comprise at least one from a group consisting of highway, inter-regional major roads and inner city roads, and the route section-oriented traffic information comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of current speeds, possible speeds based on calculations in the traffic center used on respective route sections and measured values derived from the respective route sections;

forming an average value for the route section oriented traffic information data for a limited spatial zone route sections locating in this zone; and

defining the formed average value as the traffic information for this zone.

2. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein said step of transmitting is performed over a communications channel, and said step of converting is performed in the terminal device.

3. The method set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

determining the route section oriented speeds relative to possible and permitted speed on the route section distinguished by these speeds; and

determining information representing a relative hindrance to a vehicle in the route section when averaging the route sections.

4. The method set forth in claim 1, further comprising supplementing traffic information for route sections having no measurement data with assumptions based on typical values corresponding to the type of road.

5. The method set forth in claim 4, wherein said step of supplementing comprises forming assumptions based on selecting information from a group of information consisting of at least one of road type, structural features, and empirical values depending on the time of day.

6. The method set forth in claim 1, further comprising predetermining the spatial zone arbitrarily and on geographic factors, wherein said averaging is performed over this predetermined spatial zone.

7. The method set forth in claim 1, further comprising predetermining the spatial zone based on predefinable conditions and on geographic factors, wherein said averaging is performed over this predetermined spatial zone.

8. The method set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

determining spatial zones having substantially identical traffic data in the processing unit for conversion of route section-oriented traffic information to zone-oriented traffic information;

defining control parameters in the processing unit for enabling control of spatial resolution and control of a permissible deviation for said step of averaging, wherein said step of displaying provides the traffic information in the form of zones with substantially identical traffic conditions.

9. The method set forth in claim 8, wherein said step of displaying provides the traffic information in the form of contour surfaces having identical average values.

10. The method set forth in claim 8, wherein said step of displaying provides the traffic information in the form of isotachs.

11. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein the zone-oriented traffic information represents a measurement for the probability of a traffic backup in a zone.

12. The method set forth in claim 11, wherein the traffic information represents restrictions in the zone, the restrictions in the zone being at least one selected from a group consisting of an applicable speed limit in the zone, access and transit restrictions relating to the type of vehicle and vehicle cargo, restrictions relating to non-resident traffic, heavy trucks, hazardous materials traffic, and toll charges applicable in this zone for use of the traffic network.

13. A terminal device having a receiver for receiving route section-oriented traffic information transmitted over a communications channel comprising:

a data processing unit for converting the route section oriented traffic information into zone-oriented traffic information;

a user interface comprising at least one selected from a group consisting of an optical interface and acoustic interface for outputting the zone-oriented traffic information; and

a graphic display for displaying zone-oriented traffic information in the form of contour surfaces having identical average values, said contour surfaces which can be displayed comprising at least one selected from a group consisting of an identical speed between areas, identical traffic backup possibilities and identical toll charges for a section of a road network.

14. The terminal device in accordance with claim 13, wherein the terminal is installed within a vehicle and further comprise a mobile radio receiver.

15. The terminal device in accordance with claim 14, further comprising:

a device for planning and enabling navigation along a route, said device being in communication with said radio receiver, said device being adapted to provide a digital road map to a user;

a converting unit for converting zone-oriented information into route section-oriented information based on the digital road map, said zone-oriented information and route section-oriented information being incorporated into said route planning and navigation by said device.