Process for the specification of position data

• US 6,292,746 B1
• Filed: 12/09/1998
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Weisbier, Peter, Schiehser, Günter, Oster, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US09/207,612
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 701/206, 701/208, 701/117, 701/19, 701/20, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 731/78.R
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3446 Details of route searching algorithms, e.g. Dijkstra, A*, arc-flags, using precalculated routes

Abstract

A process for the specification of position data, in particular geographic coordinates, for several routes of at least one vehicle. In order to reduce the necessary volume of data, the routes are divided into partial routes such that route sections that are common to at least two routes form common partial routes, with at least one point of each partial route being used for the specification of position data.

Claims

1. A process for specifying position data of several rail routes of at least one vehicle traveling in a rail-bound system, comprising:

dividing said rail routes into partial routes, wherein rail route sections that are common to at least two of said rail routes form common partial rail routes; and

selecting no more than two switchpoints of each of said partial rail routes for specifying the position data of the partial rail routes.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein at least one bypass is incorporated into the partial rail route formation.

3. The process according to claim 1, further comprising the step of entering the position data into at least one of a central control unit and an on-board computer of the vehicle.

4. The process according to claim 3, wherein the position data of said rail routes including the at least one bypass when applicable is entered into the on-board computer of the vehicle by means of a mobile data storage medium.

5. The process according to claim 4, wherein the position data of said rail routes including the at least one bypass where applicable is entered into a respective mobile data storage medium for each route.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the position data comprise geographical coordinates.

7. A method for reducing a data volume of identification data of a plurality of routes, comprising:

subdividing each of the routes into partial routes;

specifying at least one point in each of the partial routes to identify the respective partial route, the at least one point of each of the partial routes forming a data group for the respective partial route; and

supplying a vehicle traveling on at least two routes of the plurality of routes with the data groups of the respective partial routes of the two routes, wherein, for each partial route of the two routes that is common to the two routes, only one respective data group is supplied to the vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein at least one bypass is incorporated into the partial route formation.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of entering the identification data into at least one of a central control unit and an on-board computer of the vehicle.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the identification data of the plurality of routes including at least one bypass, when applicable, is entered into the on-board computer of the vehicle by means of a mobile data storage medium.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the identification data of the plurality of routes including the at least one bypass, when applicable, is entered into a respective mobile data storage medium for each route.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein the identification data comprise geographical coordinates.

13. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one point in each of the partial routes comprises a switchpoint.