Method for informing motor vehicle drivers

• US 6,477,459 B1
• Filed: 03/27/2000
• Issued: 11/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tomtom Global Content B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Wunderlich, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US09/535,329
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/200, 701/117, 701/120, 701/36, 731/78.R, 340/901, 340/905
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/092 Coding or decoding of the information
• 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]

Abstract

In a method for informing motor vehicle drivers, in which digitally coded traffic messages are received and buffered, a time stamp is stored in memory with each of the traffic messages received. A measure for the duration of the event and/or the change of its extent is derived from extents and the time stamps of stored traffic messages relating to the same event. The change is displayed.

Claims

1. A method of informing a motor vehicle driver, comprising the steps of:

receiving and buffering digitally coded traffic messages;

storing a time stamp in a memory with each of the received traffic messages;

deriving at least one of;

(a) a measure of a duration of an event and (b) a change of an extent, from extents and time stamps of a plurality of stored traffic messages relating to a same event; and

displaying the change.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extent is a length of a traffic jam.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the time stamps include a particular clock time.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of providing subsequent messages relating to the same event with the time stamp of a first message relating to the same event.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of using at least one of:

(a) the measure of the duration of the event and (b) the change of the extent, as a resistance value assigned to a respective road for a route search.