Traffic flow data collection agents

• US 7,124,023 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2003
• Issued: 10/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Peeters, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US10/734,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20050131628A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/204, 701/209, 701/210, 701/211, 701/213, 701/117, 340/992, 340/995.13, 340/995.23, 340/994, 340/995.17, 340/995.19, 340/995.25
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• 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 1/0104 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 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• 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 method and apparatus to compute a fastest route is described. The method uses the speed of a plurality of informer vehicles as data collection agents to summarize traffic conditions. A central processing point collects the data. Navigation systems in receiving vehicles use the summarized traffic conditions data to generate faster routes from a current location to a destination.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a receiver to receive updated route speed information;

an input device to receive a destination point from a driver,

a GPS locator to identify the position of the receiver;

a computational system to select a fastest route from the position of the receiver to the destination point using the updated route speed information; and

,

an output device to communicate the fastest route to the driver wherein the route speed at a point is computed based on the fastest moving vehicle near the point.

2. The navigation system of claim 1 wherein the location of a vehicle is used to determine whether a fastest moving vehicle that is in a carpool lane thereby enabling a driver to select routes based on carpool lane speeds.

3. A system in a vehicle, the system comprising:

a receiving unit in the vehicle, the receiving unit for receiving transmission signals from a plurality of other vehicles, each other vehicle transmitting a location and a speed;

a processing unit in the vehicle, the processing unit that processes the location and speed of each of the other vehicles to determine a route speeds at various points on streets in a region; and

,

a transmitting unit in the vehicle, the transmitting unit to transmit route and speed information of the vehicle to the other vehicles.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising:

a navigation unit to receive the route speed information and to combine the route speed information with a current position received from a GPS signal to plot a fastest route to a destination from the current position received from the GPS signal.

5. The navigation system of claim 4 wherein the speed data is received from a speed sensing sensor.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the transmitting unit receives signals from a navigation unit and only transmits route speeds at points requested by a navigation unit in one of the other vehicles.

7. A method of computing a fastest route in a vehicle from a current location of the receiving vehicle to a destination comprising:

determining a current location using a GPS system;

receiving information on a destination point;

receiving updated route speed information from other vehicles and determining a fastest route based on a speed of the fastest moving vehicle near each point; and

,

computing a fastest route from the current location to the destination point taking into account the updated route speed information.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the receiving of updated route speed information is received from a central processing point.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the receiving of updated route speed information is received from a informing vehicle.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the updated route speed information is generated by monitoring the speed of informer vehicles along the fastest route.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the receiving vehicle also serves as an informing vehicle, the method further comprising:

generating updated route speed information by monitoring the speed of the receiving vehicle; and

,

transmitting the position and speed of the receiving vehicle.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising determining if the fastest moving vehicle is in a carpool lane thereby enabling a driver to select routes based on carpool lane speeds.