Road status data providing system

• US 7,047,130 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2002
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Sato, Tsuyoshi, Saito, Yukitaka, Watanabe, Tomo, Oda, Tamami
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US10/281,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20030083812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,296 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 701/209, 340/905, 340/934, 340/992, 340/995.13, 342/454
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

A road status data providing system includes a server for transmitting/receiving data via a communication line and a plurality of vehicle terminals. The server includes a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from the plurality of vehicle terminals, a vehicle trend management database for managing vehicle trends of the plurality of vehicle terminals, and a totaling unit for totaling status data indicative of a status of vehicles at a prescribed point on the basis of the vehicle trend management database. Each of the vehicle terminals includes a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from the server, a present position determining unit for determining the present position of the vehicle, and a creating unit for creating status data requesting information for acquiring the status data at the prescribed point.

Claims

1. A road status data providing system including a server for transmitting/receiving data via a communication line and a plurality of vehicle terminals, wherein:

said server comprises;

a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from said plurality of vehicle terminals;

a vehicle trend management database for managing vehicle trends of said plurality of vehicle terminals;

a totaling unit for totaling status data indicative of a status of vehicles at a prescribed point on the basis of said vehicle trend management database;

a route searching unit; and

an estimated route searching unit;

each of said vehicle terminals comprises;

a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from said server;

a present position determining unit for determining the present position of the vehicle; and

a creating unit for creating status data requesting information for acquiring the status data at said prescribed point; and

said totaling unit in the server totals the number of vehicles running toward said prescribed point on the basis of the status data requesting information transmitted by said vehicle terminal;

said route searching unit is for searching a route from the present position to the destination on the basis of destination information transmitted from said vehicle terminal;

said estimated route searching unit is for estimating the destination of a vehicle to search the route to said destination for the vehicle which is managed by said vehicle trend management database and is not conducting the route searching; and

said vehicle trend management database in said server also stores the route searching result by said route searching unit and the estimated route searching result by said estimated route searching unit.

2. A road status data providing system including a server for transmitting/receiving data via a communication line and a plurality of vehicle terminals, wherein:

said server comprises;

a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from said plurality of vehicle terminals;

a vehicle trend management database for managing vehicle trends of said plurality of vehicle terminals;

a totaling unit for totaling status data indicative of a status of vehicles at a prescribed point on the basis of said vehicle trend management database;

a route searching unit; and

an estimated route searching unit;

each of said vehicle terminals comprises;

a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from said server;

a present position determining unit for determining the present position of the vehicle; and

a creating unit for creating status data requesting information for acquiring the status data at said prescribed point; and

said totaling unit in the server totals the number of vehicles running toward said prescribed point on the basis of the status data requesting information transmitted by said vehicle terminals;

said route searching unit is for searching a route from the present position to the destination on the basis of destination information transmitted from said vehicle terminal;

said estimated route searching unit is for estimating the destination of a vehicle to search the route to said destination for the vehicle which is managed by said vehicle trend management database and is not conducting the route searching; and

said estimated route searching unit in the server estimates the destination of a vehicle on the basis of the running direction of said vehicle and history information stored in said vehicle trend management database.

3. A road status data providing system including a server for transmitting/receiving data via a communication line and a plurality of vehicle terminals, wherein:

said server comprises;

a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from said plurality of vehicle terminals;

a vehicle trend management database for managing vehicle trends of said plurality of vehicle terminals; and

a totaling unit for totaling status data indicative of a status of vehicles at a prescribed point on the basis of said vehicle trend management database;

each of said vehicle terminals comprises;

a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from said server;

a present position determining unit for determining the present position of the vehicle; and

a creating unit for creating status data requesting information for acquiring the status data at said prescribed point;

said totaling unit in the server totals the number of vehicles running toward said prescribed point on the basis of the status data requesting information transmitted by said vehicle terminals; and

said creating unit of said vehicle terminal creates said status data requesting information which includes position information for indicating said prescribed point, range information for specifying a prescribed range inclusive of said point and time information for setting a time when said status data is to be acquired.

4. The road status data providing system according to claim 3, wherein said totaling unit in the server defines roads crossing the outline of said range on the basis of said position information and range information with reference to said vehicle trend management database to total the number of vehicles which will run in said range using the roads at said time and set said point as a destination for each of the roads.

5. A system, comprising:

a server, comprising;

a first transceiver circuit that transmits data to and receives data from a vehicle terminal; and

a first control circuit that determines a status of vehicles at a prescribed point based on vehicle trend management data, wherein said vehicle terminal comprises;

a second transceiver circuit that transmits data to and receives data from said server; and

a second control circuit that determines the present position of a vehicle in which the vehicle terminal is located and that instructs the second transceiver to output a request of the status of vehicles at said prescribed point to said server;

wherein the first control circuit totals the number of vehicles traveling toward the prescribed point based on the request transmitted from the vehicle terminal

wherein said second control circuit creates the request; and

wherein the request comprises position information for indicating said prescribed point, range information for specifying a prescribed range inclusive of said prescribed point, and time information for setting a time when said status is to be acquired.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said first control circuit defines roads crossing an outline of said range based on said position information and said range information with reference to said vehicle trend management data to total the number of vehicles which will run in said range using the roads at said time and set said point as a destination for each of the roads.