Traffic flow and route selection display system for routing vehicles

• US 6,911,918 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Issued: 06/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shawfu Chen
• Original Assignee: Shawfu Chen
• Inventors: Chen, Shawfu
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US10/324,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20040119612A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/995.12, 340/995.13, 340/995.19, 701/208, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/212, 701/213, 701/119, 701/117, 701/118
• US Class Current: 340/995.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

A real-time vehicular traffic flow display system employs groups of monitor stations positioned at spaced-apart locations along vehicular roadways, to sense the speed of traffic flow on a given portion of a route. Individual section stations each serve a sequential group of different monitor stations. Each monitor station senses the speed of vehicular traffic a given road portion and transmits corresponding information to an associated section station; each section station processes the received signals, and transmits them to display stations on board vehicles in addition to sending the signals to an optional geographic area central station. The signals transmitted to vehicles present information concerning traffic speed for each monitored portion of a road in addition to identifying the road portion; traffic speed information is processed to identify predetermined ranges of average speed in selected colors. Each vehicle station includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and visual display device with access to both the GPS including a database of local area road maps for display. All portions of each monitored route on a displayed map are shown in a color corresponding to the average speed of traffic monitored on the corresponding route portion. The current position of the vehicle station is shown on the map, and a “preferred” route from that location to an optionally selected destination is highlighted; both functions are accomplished in accordance with known GPS technology. An optional geographic area central station stores information not usually available in the on-board vehicle station, such as wide-area maps, and also receives traffic condition signals from various section stations including those beyond the range of the vehicle station. The central station correlates these two sources of information and makes the combined results available for separate access by users of the system.

Claims

1. A method of operating an electronic vehicular traffic flow display system using mobile receiving stations in vehicles in cooperation with the methods of the existing Global Positioning System, said method comprising the steps of:

monitoring the speed of traffic, over a given period of time, in a given direction, on serial sub-sections of given roads in a given geographic area;

calculating the average speed of said traffic;

creating signals representing the average monitored traffic speed for specific portions of said given roads, and associating identifying signals for each said specific road portion associated with each said average traffic speed signal;

transmitting said traffic speed signals, and said specific road portion identification signals to a mobile vehicular receiving station;

determining the average speed of each of said traffic speed signals;

assigning a different color code to each one of a plurality of pre-determined average speed ranges;

providing each mobile station with pre-defined, stored road map signals representing road maps of geographic areas;

providing signals from said section stations to said mobile stations identifying the appropriate map to display for the geographic area of said section station;

selecting and displaying said appropriate one of said road maps at said mobile vehicular receiving station;

applying said color codes to said displayed road map to show said specific road portions in colors corresponding to said average speed for each said specific road portion,

making destination data signals available to one of said mobile receiving stations to identify a specific destination location;

identifying the then-current location of said mobile receiving station by accessing signals from said GPS;

accessing said GPS to identify a preferred GPS route from said then-current location to said specific desired location; and

displaying said preferred route in highlighted fashion in accordance with existing display algorithms of said GPS;

accessing data in said system data to determine if a first GPS preferred route between the known location of a mobile receiving station and a selected destination location has been identified;

periodically determining if the current average speed for any given portion of said first GPS preferred route is less than a predetermined minimum value;

in response to identification of any such given route portion, accessing the GPS standard travel time value routinely assigned to said such given route portion by said GPS and temporarily resetting said travel time value to a given maximum value such that said given route portion does not meet the requirements for inclusion by said GPS in a GPS preferred route.

2. A method of operating an electronic vehicular traffic flow display system using mobile receiving stations in vehicles, in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing said destination data signals identifying said specific destination location in one of said mobile receiving stations by accessing said signals from said GPS while said mobile receiving station is located at said specific destination; and

making said stored destination data signals available selectively for use in identifying said desired specific destination location.

3. A method of operating an electronic vehicular traffic flow display system using mobile receiving stations in vehicles, in accordance with claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

storing said destination data signals identifying said specific destination location in one of said mobile receiving stations by accessing said signals from said GPS while said mobile receiving station is located at said specific destination;

making said stored destination data signals available selectively for use in identifying said desired specific destination location,

temporarily storing identification data for said given route portion, while periodically comparing the reported current average speed data value for said given route portion to the GPS standard travel time value for said rejected route portion until said current average speed data corresponds to a value within the range of said GPS standard travel time value for said rejected route portion; and

accessing said temporarily set maximum time value and resetting said maximum time value to said GPS standard time value, so that said rejected route portion again qualifies for inclusion in a GPS preferred route.

4. A method of operating an electronic vehicular traffic flow display system using mobile receiving stations in vehicles, in accordance with claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

causing said GPS to select a second GPS preferred route to said given destination following said step of temporarily resetting said GPS standard travel time value to a maximum value; and

highlighting said second GPS preferred route on said one of said road maps that is on display.