Traffic information output device/method and traffic information distribution device/method

• US 6,931,320 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Issued: 08/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2001
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Mori, Kenji, Yurimoto, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behncke, Christine M.
• Application Number:
  US10/307,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20030125866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 340/995.13, 340/995.12, 340/995.15, 340/995.17, 340/995.27, 340/995.14, 340/996, 701/212, 701/117, 701/118, 701/211
• US Class Current: 701/212
• 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 1/09675 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

Abstract

A traffic information distribution system includes a distribution device for synthesizing pieces of traffic information supplied from a traffic information center, an output device for outputting pieces of traffic information distributed from the distribution device, and a data communicator that is connected to the output device and that can communicate with the distribution device in a bidirectional manner. The distribution device responds to a request signal transmitted from the output device via the data communicator, effectively synthesizes the pieces of traffic information in consideration not only of a request made by a user, recognizability at the time of output, a state of a map on a display screen and a range of the map, but also of various factors in which actual road conditions are reflected. The pieces of the traffic information that have been synthesized are distributed via the data communicator to the output device.

Claims

1. A traffic information output device, comprising:

a receiver that receives synthesized pieces of traffic information;

an output device that outputs the received pieces of traffic information;

a display screen; and

a transmitter that transmits a request signal for requesting a certain piece of the traffic information to a distribution device that distributes synthesized pieces of the traffic information to reduce an amount of synthesized pieces of traffic information displayed on the display screen, wherein;

the output device includes the display screen that displays a map, the transmitter transmits a signal indicating a scale of a map displayed on the display screen, as well as the request signal to the distribution device, and

the receiver receives pieces of the traffic information that have been synthesized in accordance with the scale of the displayed map.

2. The traffic information output device according to claim 1, wherein:

the pieces of traffic information are synthesized based on at least one of road type, road attribute, angle formed by intersecting roads, road width, and a number of roads.

3. The traffic information output device according to claim 1, wherein:

the output device prohibits those pieces of the traffic information from being outputted that have an amount equal to or less than a predetermined amount.

4. The traffic information output device according to claim 1, wherein:

the output device includes the display screen and displays a map, and

the receiver receives pieces of the traffic information that have been synthesized based on a scale of the map displayed on the display screen.

5. The traffic information output device according to claim 1, wherein:

the output device includes the display screen that displays a map, and

the receiver receives pieces of the traffic information that have been synthesized based on a display range of a map displayed on the display screen.

6. The traffic information output device according to claim 1, wherein:

the output device includes the display screen that displays a map,

the transmitter transmits a signal indicating a display range of the map displayed on the display screen, as well as the request signal to the distribution device, and

the receiver receives pieces of the traffic information that have been synthesized in accordance with the range of the displayed map.

7. A traffic information distribution device, comprising:

a controller that synthesizes pieces of traffic information;

a transmitter that outputs the pieces of the traffic information that have been synthesized by the controller; and

a receiver that receives a request signal for requesting a certain piece of the traffic information from an output device that outputs the pieces of the traffic information, wherein;

the receiver receives a signal indicating a scale of a map displayed on a display screen of the output device when receiving the request signal; and

the controller synthesizes the pieces of the traffic information based on the request signal for requesting a certain piece of the traffic information that has been received from the output device to reduce an amount of synthesized pieces of traffic information displayed on the display screen.

8. The traffic information distribution device according to claim 7, wherein

the receiver receives a signal indicating a range of a map displayed on the display screen of the output device when receiving the request signal.

9. A method of outputting pieces of traffic information, comprising:

receiving synthesized pieces of traffic information;

outputting the received pieces of the traffic information; and

transmitting a request signal for requesting a certain piece of the traffic information to a distribution device that distributes synthesized pieces of the traffic information to reduce an amount of synthesized pieces of traffic information displayed on a display screen, wherein a signal indicating a scale of a map displayed on the display screen for outputting received pieces of the traffic information is transmitted together with the request signal to the distribution device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein:

outputting the pieces of the traffic information further comprises prohibiting those pieces of the traffic information from being output that have an amount that is equal to or less than a predetermined amount.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting a signal indicating a scale of a map displayed on the display screen for outputting the received pieces of the traffic information,

wherein;

receiving the pieces of the traffic information further comprises receiving the pieces of traffic information that have been synthesized in accordance with the scale of the displayed map.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting a signal indicating a range of a map displayed on the display screen for outputting the received pieces of the traffic information,

wherein;

receiving the pieces of the traffic information further comprises receiving pieces of the traffic information that have been synthesized in accordance with the range of the displayed map.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein:

a signal indicating a range of a map displayed on the display screen for outputting received pieces of the traffic information is transmitted together with the request signal to the distribution device.

14. A method of distributing pieces of traffic information, comprising:

requesting a certain piece of the traffic information to a distribution device that distributes traffic information;

synthesizing the piece of the traffic information using a controller; and

outputting the piece of the traffic information that has been synthesized by the controller to reduce an amount of synthesized pieces of traffic information displayed on a display screen; and

receiving a signal indicating a scale of a map displayed on the display screen of an output device that outputs pieces of the traffic information, wherein;

synthesizing the piece of the traffic information further comprises synthesizing the piece of the traffic information in accordance with a scale of the map that is indicated by the received signal.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a signal indicating a range of a map displayed on the display screen of an output device that outputs pieces of the traffic information,

wherein;

synthesizing the piece of the traffic information further comprises synthesizing the piece of the traffic information in accordance with the range of the displayed map that is indicated by the received signal.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein

the piece of the traffic information is synthesized based on at least one of a plurality of road type, road attribute, angle formed by intersecting roads, road width, and a number of roads.

17. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

determining an amount of the pieces of the traffic information,

wherein;

the pieces of the traffic information that have an amount that is equal to or less than a predetermined amount are prohibited from being distributed.

18. A traffic information output device having a display screen on which a map is displayed, comprising:

a transmitter that transmits a signal for requesting transmission of a certain piece of traffic information to reduce an amount of synthesized pieces of traffic information displayed on the display screen, and a signal indicating a scale of the map displayed on the display screen to a distribution device that synthesizes pieces of the traffic information in accordance with a scale of the map on the display screen of the output device, and distributes the synthesized pieces of the traffic information;

a receiver that receives the certain pieces of the traffic information that have been distributed from the distribution device; and

an output device that outputs the received pieces of the traffic information to the display screen.

19. A traffic information output device having a display screen on which a map is displayed, comprising:

a transmitter that transmits a signal for requesting transmission of a certain piece of traffic information to reduce an amount of synthesized pieces of traffic information displayed on the display screen, and a signal indicating a range of the map displayed on the display screen to a distribution device that synthesizes pieces of the traffic information in accordance with a range of the map displayed on the display screen of the output device, and distributes the synthesized pieces of the traffic information;

a receiver that receives the pieces of the traffic information that have been distributed from the distribution device; and

an output device that outputs the received pieces of the traffic information to the screen.