Method for describing and generating road networks and corresponding road network

• US 6,850,840 B1
• Filed: 11/02/2000
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PTV AG, gedas deutschland GmbH (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: PTV AG, Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: Mehlhaus, Ulrich, Ortgiese, Michael, Willenbrock, Ralf, Hubschneider, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Donnelly, Arthur D.
• Application Number:
  US10/129,864
• Time in Patent Office: 1,552 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/200, 701/24, 701/117, 340/905, 340/910, 340/995.13, 731/78.R
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/006 Representation of non-cartographic information on maps, e.g. population distribution, wind direction, radiation levels, air and sea routes

Abstract

A method is for describing and generating road networks for determining traffic information or road traffic data and/or for determining the traveling times on routes or stretches of routes by at least one mobile detector. The mobile detector includes a position determining device and a device for data communication with a control center. A road network is for determining traffic information and/or for determining the traveling time by at least one mobile detector, e.g., a vehicle. The road network and/or parts of the road network are substantially described by node and/or contour points.

Claims

1. A method of describing and generating road networks for ascertaining at least one of traffic information and driving times, at least part of the road networks including nodal points and links connecting the nodal points, comprising the steps of:

acquiring geographic data by a position-determination device of at least one mobile detector;

communicating data between the detector and a main station; and

forcing at least one link to approximate a real course of a road between two nodal points in accordance with at least one contour point if the distance between the two nodal points exceeds a predetermined distance.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detector includes a motor vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining each nodal point and contour point as a point in accordance with fixed coordinates, each point having a range determined in accordance with a coordinate range; and

evaluating coordinates of the coordinate range as belonging to the fixed coordinates of the respective one of the nodal point and contour point.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of establishing synchronous points between at least a portion of the nodal points at a selected distance from the nodal point, the synchronous points configured to identify one of a route and a link traveled by the mobile detector.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of determining a distance from the synchronous point to the nodal point in accordance with nodal geometry.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the distance from the synchronous point to the nodal point is determined in the distance determining step in accordance with an angle of an outgoing link and a complexity of the nodal point.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the synchronous point corresponds to a contour point that follows a nodal point on a link.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of defining the contour points of a link in accordance with extremal deviations of a linear connection of two nodal points from the real course of the road.

9. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of detecting a link in accordance with a last at least one of a nodal point and a contour point driven through and a synchronous point subsequently reached.

10. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

determining the synchronous points as points in accordance with fixed coordinates, each point having a ranged determined in accordance with a coordinate range; and

evaluating coordinate of the coordinate range as belonging to the fixed coordinates of the respective synchronous point.

11. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of determining dimensions of ranges of at least one of the nodal points, the contour points and the synchronous points in accordance with at least one of nodal geometry, an extension thereof, a road width and a locational accuracy.

12. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of determining dimensions of ranges of at least one of the nodal points, the contour points and the synchronous points in accordance with an average speed driven in the respective range.

13. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of at least one of determining and changing dimensions of ranges of at least one of the nodal points, the contour points and the synchronous points by the main station.

14. The method according to claim 4, wherein ranges of the nodal points, the contour points and the synchronous points do not overlap.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of defining adjacent at least one of nodal points and contour points having coordinate ranges that are not distinguishable with sufficient reliability as a single one of a nodal point and a contour point having a surrounding nodal range.

16. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

forming a lane on both sides of a link, the lane including coordinate that are within a predetermined distance of the link; and

exiting the lane to reveal exiting of the link.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the predetermined distance corresponds to a diameter of ranges of the synchronous points.

18. The method according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the nodal points, the contour points and the synchronous points are at least one of modifiable, insertable, deletable, activatable as a function of time, deactivatable as a function of time and shiftable.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the nodal points and the links has at least one of static and dynamic attributes.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the attributes include at least one of a type and a class of road and average transit times.

21. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

at least one of defining and modifying the road network in the main station; and

transmitting the one of the defined and modified road network to the mobile detector to identify traffic conditions on a route traveled by the mobile detector.

22. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of storing the road network in a device of the vehicle.

23. The method according to claim 21, further comprising the step of identifying the traffic conditions upon reaching an end of the link.

24. The method according to claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

at least one of ascertaining and detecting movement parameters of the mobile detector at the end of each link while traveling on the link;

comparing the movement parameters to reference values stored for the link; and

sending a status message by the mobile detector to the main station in response to an appearance of a predefined difference between the movement parameters and the reference values.

25. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

superimposing at least the nodal points, the contour points and the synchronous points on a digital map in a processing device; and

storing the nodal points, the contour points and the synchronous points by the processing device.

26. A road network for ascertaining at least one of traffic information and driving times in accordance with a mobile detector, comprising:

nodal points;

links connecting the nodal points; and

contour points configured to force at least one link to approximate a real course of a road between two nodal points if a distance between the two nodal points exceeds a predetermined length.

27. The road network according to claim 26, wherein the mobile detector includes a vehicle.

28. The road network according to claim 26, wherein at least one of the nodal points and the contour points include points having fixed coordinates, each point including a range determined in accordance with a coordinate range, coordinates of the coordinate range evaluated as belonging to the fixed coordinates of the one of the nodal point and the contour point.

29. The road network according to claim 26, further comprising synchronous points established between at least a portion of the nodal points at a selected distance from the nodal point, the synchronous points configured to detect one of a route and a link traveled by the mobile detector.

30. The road network according to claim 29, wherein a distance from the synchronous point to the nodal point is determined by nodal geometry.

31. The road network according to claim 30, wherein the distance is determined in accordance with an angle of an outgoing link and a complexity of the nodal point.

32. The road network according to claim 29, wherein the synchronous point includes a contour point that follows at least a portion of the nodal points on a link.

33. The road network according to claim 29, wherein a beginning and an end of the links are defined by at least one of at least two nodal points, at least two contour points, at least one nodal point and at least one contour point, at least two synchronous points, at least one synchronous point and at least one nodal point, and at least one synchronous point and at least one contour point.

34. The road network according to claim 29, wherein the synchronous points are determined as points having fixed coordinates, each point having a range determined by a coordinate range, coordinates of the coordinate range evaluated as belonging to the fixed coordinates of the respective synchronous point.

35. The road network according to claim 29, wherein dimensions of the ranges of at least one of the nodal points, the contour points and the synchronous points are determined by nodal geometry, an extension thereof, a road width and a locational accuracy.

36. The road network according to claim 29, wherein dimensions of the ranges of at least one of the nodal points, the contour points and the synchronous points are determined by an average speed driven in the respective range.

37. The road network according to claim 29, wherein a main station is configured to at least one of determine and change dimensions of the ranges of at least one of the nodal points, the contour points and the synchronous points.

38. The road network according to claim 29, wherein the ranges of the nodal points, the contour points and the synchronous points do not overlap.

39. The road network according to claim 26, wherein adjacent at least one of nodal points and contour points having coordinate ranges that are indistinguishable with sufficient reliability are defined as a single one of a nodal point and a contour point having a surrounding nodal range.

40. The road network according to claim 29, further comprising a lane formed on both sides of a link, the lane including coordinates arranged within a predetermined distance of the link.

41. The road network according to claim 40, wherein the predetermined distance corresponds to a diameter of ranges of the synchronous points.

42. The road network according to claim 29, wherein at least one of the nodal points, the contour points and the synchronous points are at least one of insertable, deletable, activatable as a function of time, deactivatable as a function of time and shiftable.

43. The road network according to claim 26, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the nodal points and the links includes at least one of static and dynamic attributes.

44. The road network according to claim 43, wherein the attributes include at least one of a type and a class of road and an average transit time.

45. The road network according to claim 26, further comprising a main station including a traffic computer configured to at least one of define and modify the road network, the main station configured to transmit the at least one of defined and modified road network to the mobile detector via a data-communications path to identify traffic conditions on a link traveled by the mobile detector.

46. The road network according to claim 27, wherein the vehicle includes a device configured to store the road network.