Method and system for using real-time traffic broadcasts with navigation systems

• US 7,031,983 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2002
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navteq North America LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Israni, Vijaya S., Ashby, Richard A., Jaugilas, John M., Fernekes, Robert, Lampert, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Mofiz, Apu M.
• Application Number:
  US10/196,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20020194170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,372 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/100, 707/104.1, 707/102, 340/905, 340/995.19, 342/357.13, 455/186.1, 701/26, 701/117, 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 705/6
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096866 where the complete route is shown to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/92 Navigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed that allow a navigation system that uses a geographic database to also use the data in traffic messages broadcast by a traffic broadcast system. One aspect of a present system and method includes the formation, storage, and use of location reference data records in a geographic database used by a navigation system. These location reference data records identify certain other kinds of data records that represent physical geographic features, such as data records that represent segments of roads, as being associated with certain location reference numbers. These location reference records may be included in a geographic database installed in the vehicle or may be provided to vehicles via a wireless communication link. Another aspect of a present system and method includes the formation, storage, and use of one or more indices that relate location reference numbers used by a traffic broadcast system to location reference records in a geographic database used by the navigation system. Another aspect of a present system and method is the formation, storage, and use of data that identify, for each location reference number, the immediately previous and the immediately next location reference number. Still another aspect of a present system and method includes the programming, and methods of use thereof, that query the geographic database and return the data entities associated with certain identified location reference numbers.

Claims

1. A method of forming a geographic database stored on a computer-readable medium wherein the geographic database includes data that represent individual segments of roads and that can be used in a navigation system that also uses traffic messages broadcast by a traffic broadcast system that identify locations along roadways with location reference numbers wherein each of said traffic messages includes

a location reference number that indicates a starting location of a reported traffic condition, wherein said location reference number identifies a designated location selected from an ordered sequence of designated locations along a road to which location reference numbers have been assigned, and

data that indicates a physical distance that the reported traffic condition extends as an extent of the reported traffic condition, wherein said extent is expressed as a number of adjacent locations in said ordered sequence of designated locations extending from the starting location, the method comprising the steps of:

storing in the geographic database on the computer-readable medium data that represent each individual road segment located in a region; and

storing in the geographic database data that represent each location reference number, wherein the data that represent each location reference number identify

the road segment upon which the designated location identified by said location reference number is located,

the road segments leading to the road segment upon which the designated location identified by the location reference number is located,

the immediately previous location reference number in said ordered sequence, and

the immediately next location reference number in said ordered sequence, whereby the navigation system accesses the data in the geographic database stored on the computer-readable medium to relate the data contained in the traffic messages to road segments represented in the geographic database in order to use said traffic messages in said navigation system.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said data that represent each individual road segment located in a region are organized into a plurality of parcels each of which includes a plurality of data records that represent individual road segments.

3. The invention of claim 1 further comprising:

an index that relates location reference numbers with road segments.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said geographic database is comprised of separate types of geographic data.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said separate types of geographic data include routing and cartographic.

6. The invention of claim 1 wherein said geographic database is stored on a computer readable medium.

7. The invention of claim 1 wherein said traffic messages are broadcast on the Radio Data System-Traffic Message Channel.

8. The invention of claim 1 wherein said traffic messages conform to a standard format for ALERT-C messages established in the RDS-TMC system.

9. A method of operating a navigation application program that uses a geographic database that includes

data entities that represent geographic features in a geographic area and further that includes

traffic message location reference data of a first type that can be used with a respective first type of traffic message broadcast system and traffic message location reference data of a second type that can be used with a respective second type of traffic message broadcast system,

wherein each of said traffic messages received from the first type of traffic message broadcast system includes

data that indicates a starting location of a reported traffic condition, wherein said starting location is a location selected from an ordered sequence of designated locations along a road to which location reference numbers have been assigned, and

data that indicates an extent of the reported traffic condition, wherein said extent is expressed as a number of adjacent locations in said ordered sequence of designated locations extending from the starting location, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting one of said first type of traffic broadcast system and said second type of said traffic message broadcast system;

receiving traffic messages broadcast by the traffic message broadcast system of said selected type; and

using said location reference data in said geographic database that corresponds to said selected type to associate data in said traffic messages received from said traffic message broadcast system to said data entities that represent geographic features in a geographic area in said geographic database.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

an index that relates said location reference data with road segments.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said geographic database is stored on a computer readable medium.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said traffic messages from the first type of traffic message broadcast system are broadcast on the Radio Data System-Traffic Message Channel.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein said traffic messages from the first type of traffic message broadcast system conform to a standard format for ALERT-C messages established in the RDS-TMC system.

14. A geographic database used by a navigation system for route calculation in conjunction with traffic messages broadcast by either of two traffic condition broadcast systems, wherein each of said traffic messages from at least one of said traffic condition broadcast systems includes

a location reference number that indicates a starting location of a reported traffic condition, wherein said location reference number identifies a designated location selected from an ordered sequence of designated locations along a road to which location reference numbers have been assigned, and

data that indicates an extent of the reported traffic condition, wherein said extent is expressed as a number of adjacent locations in said ordered sequence of designated locations extending from the starting location, said geographic database comprising:

data entities of a first type that represent geographic features in a geographic region, including portions of a road network;

data entities of a second type each of which associates a location reference number assigned by one of the two traffic condition broadcast systems to a road segment upon which the designated location assigned to the location reference number has been assigned; and

data entities of a third type each of which associates a location reference number assigned by the other of the two traffic condition broadcast systems to a road segment upon which a designated location assigned to the location reference number has been assigned,

whereby the navigation system using said geographic database in conjunction with traffic messages broadcast by either of the two traffic condition broadcast systems can incorporate information from said traffic messages when using said geographic database for route calculation purposes.

15. The invention of claim 14 further comprising:

an index that relates location reference numbers with road segments.

16. The invention of claim 14 wherein said geographic database is comprised of separate types of geographic data.

17. The invention of claim 16 wherein said separate types of geographic data include routing and cartographic.

18. The invention of claim 14 wherein said geographic database is stored on a computer readable medium.

19. The invention of claim 14 wherein said a traffic messages from the first type of traffic message broadcast system are broadcast on the Radio Data System-Traffic Message Channel.

20. The invention of claim 14 wherein said traffic messages from the first type of traffic message broadcast system conform to a standard format for ALERT-C messages established in the RDS-TMC system.