Method for determining traffic data and traffic information exchange

• US 6,329,932 B1
• Filed: 08/16/1999
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sirius XM Connected Vehicle Services Inc. (Liberty Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mannesmann AG (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Fastenrath, Ülrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huang, Sihong
• Application Number:
  US09/367,551
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 340/934, 340/936, 340/905, 340/988, 701/117, 701/118, 701/119
• US Class Current: 340/934
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

A method for determining traffic data at points of interest in a traffic system from:

vehicle data which are transmitted to a center from a plurality of vehicles relating to mean speeds (which have been determined over a time interval) of in each case one vehicle;

stationary detector data which are transmitted to the center by stationary detectors in each case relating to the mean speed of vehicles passing a stationary detector in a time interval,

wherein vehicle speeds at a point of interest are determined in the center,

with the speeds which have been transmitted as vehicle data to the center being associated with defined points in the traffic system, and

with vehicle speeds being calculated at in each case one point of interest by interpolation of at least two vehicle data items, namely by interpolation of stationary detector data measured in each case at at least one point in the traffic system and/or of vehicle data associated with at least one point in the traffic system.

Claims

1. A method for determining traffic data at points of interest in a traffic system, comprising the steps of:

transmitting vehicle data to a center from a plurality of vehicles, relating to mean speeds which have been determined over a time interval of in each case one vehicle;

transmitting stationary detector data to the center by stationary detectors in each case relating to mean speed of vehicles passing a stationary detector in a time interval;

determining vehicle speeds at a point of interest and for a specific point in time at the center;

associating the speeds which have been transmitted as vehicle data to the center with defined points in the traffic system; and

calculating vehicle speeds at in each case one point of interest by interpolation of at least two vehicle data items, including interpolating at least one of stationary detector data measured in each case at at least one point in the traffic system and vehicle data associated with at least one point in the traffic system.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of calculating speeds at points of interest includes weighting the at least one of the vehicle data and the stationary detector data.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, including determining the speed at a point in time at a point of interest by linear interpolation of two speed values which are adjacent in terms of at least one of position and time.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein additional information is included in the interpolation.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, including associating vehicle data by definition of the speed which in each case represents one vehicle in the vehicle data as the speed at a specific position in a road segment at which the vehicle is currently located.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further including associating a traffic jam indicator with points of interest in the traffic system based on the calculated vehicle speeds and measured vehicle speeds.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, further including determining and issuing traffic information relating to traffic system segments based on a plurality of traffic jam indicators which are associated in terms of position with these traffic system segments.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, including transmitting at least one of the vehicle data and the stationary detector data to the center by radio.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the vehicle data relates to speeds which have been averaged over a longer time interval than the stationary detector data.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, including averaging the vehicle data over a time interval of 10 minutes for the respective vehicle.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, including determining stationary detector data over a time interval of 30 seconds, averaging the determined stationary detector data and then transmitting the data after the time interval.

12. A traffic information center, comprising:

a computer;

an input apparatus for vehicle data and stationary detector data; and

a program for carrying out a method for determining traffic data at points of interest in a traffic system by transmitting vehicle data to a center from a plurality of vehicles, relating to mean speeds which have been determined over a time interval of in each case one vehicle;

transmitting stationary detector data to the center by stationary detectors in each case relating to mean speed of vehicles passing a stationary detector in a time interval;

determining vehicle speeds at a point of interest and for a specific point in time at the center;

associating the speeds which have been transmitted as vehicle data to the center with defined points in the traffic system; and

calculating vehicle speeds at in each case one point of interest by interpolation of at least two vehicle data items, including interpolating at least one of stationary detector data measured in each case at at least one point in the traffic system and vehicle data associated with at least one point in the traffic system.