Navigation system using a paging channel and a method for providing traffic information

• US 6,898,515 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2003
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kum, Dong-Jun, Choi, Sun, Kim, Jin-Won, Chun, Kyong-Joon, Lee, Yoon-Deock
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US10/653,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20040148092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 701/202, 701/201, 701/209, 701/210, 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 340/995.13, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA

Abstract

A navigation system utilizing a paging channel of a mobile communication service for a navigation apparatus including a mobile communication function is disclosed, which comprises: a BSC-based traffic server for periodically extracting/synthesizing traffic information in an area of a BSC, and then transmitting the traffic information of a peripheral area including the BSC; and a BSC for inserting the traffic information received from the BSC-based traffic server into the paging channel for a mobile communication terminal, and then transmitting it. In the navigation system, traffic conditions information in a corresponding area is transmitted by means of a paging channel, thereby utilizing real time traffic information while maintaining the architecture of the existing mobile communication network without an additional apparatus and communication cost.

Claims

1. A navigation system utilizing a paging channel of a mobile communication service for a navigation apparatus including a mobile communication function, the navigation system comprising:

a BSC-based traffic server for periodically extracting/synthesizing traffic information in an area of a BSC and then transmitting the traffic information in the area which is controlled by the BSC; and

a BSC for inserting the traffic information received from the BSC-based traffic server into the paging channel for a mobile communication terminal and then transmitting the paging channel.

2. The navigation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the traffic information is information in which an average travel speed of all links in the area of the BSC, which is divided into nodes and links between respective nodes, is extracted and synthesized.

3. The navigation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the paging channel for the mobile communication terminal includes a field representing paging channel information for a general mobile communication and a traffic information field including a Stt_Message representing a start of the traffic information, a Info_Message representing the traffic information and an End_Message representing an end of the traffic information.

4. The navigation system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the Stt_Message includes a Message Begin field for informing a start of a message, a BSC ID field, an area code field for an area which is controlled by a corresponding BSC, a Time Index field for storing collection time information of corresponding traffic information and a node number field for storing the number of nodes in a corresponding area.

5. The navigation system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the Info_message exists as many as the number of nodes in the BSC area and includes a Node Begin field for informing a start of a node, a Node ID field, an adjacent link number field of a corresponding node, an adjacent link ID field for all links adjacent to a corresponding node and an average travel speed field in a corresponding link.

6. The navigation system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the End_message includes an End_M Begin field for informing a start of an End_message and a Message End field for informing an end of a message.

7. A navigation apparatus including a mobile communication function for a navigation system utilizing a paging channel of a mobile communication service, the navigation apparatus including a mobile communication function comprising:

a paging channel analyzing means for analyzing a paging channel transmitted from a BTS and determining whether the navigation apparatus has entered a new BSC area or whether traffic information has been upgraded;

a decoding means for decoding the traffic information included in the paging channel for any one of a case in which the navigation terminal has entered the new BSC area and a case in which the traffic information has been upgraded, on the basis of the analysis result of the paging channel analyzing means; and

an optimal path calculation means for calculating an optimal path by means of the traffic information decoded by the decoding means.

8. The navigation apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the optimal path calculation means calculates the optimal path according to links in a BSC by means of the traffic information, thereby providing the calculated optimal path.

9. The navigation apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the optimal path calculation means determines a degree of congestion of traffic on a current path by means of the traffic information, and determines whether there exists an avoidance region which has an average speed below a predetermined speed set in advance, thereby providing an optimal path.

10. A method for searching for an optimal path in real time by means of a navigation system utilizing a paging channel of a mobile communication service, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) receiving entire optimal path information for a starting point and a destination and storing the entire optimal path information;

(2) receiving paging signals through a BTS, analyzing the paging signals, extracting traffic information included in the paging signals, and then storing the extracted information;

(3) when the extracted traffic information is updated traffic information, calculating an optimal path in a corresponding BSC area by means of the updated traffic information; and

(4) replacing a corresponding part of the optimal path in step (1) with the optimal path in step (3), and then storing the replaced optimal path.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein step (3) comprises:

(3-1) determining a target node in the corresponding BSC area; and

(3-2) searching for a partial optimal path to the target node by means of the traffic information.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein step (3) comprises:

(3-1) determining a target node in the corresponding BSC area;

(3-2) confirming whether an avoidance region, which has an average speed below a predetermined speed set in advance, exists in the optimal path stored in step (1); and

(3-3) as a result of confirmation in step (3-2), searching for a partial optimal path to the target node when the avoidance region exists, and employing the optimal path, which has been stored in step 1, as the partial optimal path to the target node when the avoidance region does not exist.

13. A computer-processible recording medium employed in a navigation system having a processor, the recording medium containing a program, the program comprising the following functions of:

(1) receiving entire optimal path information for a starting point and a destination and storing the entire optimal path information;

(2) receiving paging signals from a BTS, analyzing the paging signals, extracting traffic information included in the paging signals, and then storing the extracted information;

(3) when the extracted traffic information is updated traffic information, calculating an optimal path in a corresponding BSC area by means of the updated traffic information; and

(4) replacing a corresponding part of the entire optimal path with the optimal path in the corresponding BSC and then storing the replaced optimal path.