System and method for controlling public transportation

• US 7,394,404 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2005
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jae-Ho Kim
• Original Assignee: Jae-Ho Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Jae-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout; Brent
• Application Number:
  US11/228,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20060074545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 340/994, 340/988, 340/991, 340/993, 701/117
• US Class Current: 340/994
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968

Abstract

A public transportation control system controls a suitable distance between public buses traveling on a road with traveling data of the buses through collection of the traveling data of the buses and transmission of transportation information of a target bus based on the traveling data to the target bus, and transmits the transportation information of the bus to respective bus stops on the basis of the collected traveling data of the bus in order to provide guidance of arrival schedule of the bus at the bus stops to passengers waiting for the bus, thereby preventing clumping of the buses and allowing the passengers to efficiently use a bus wait time through guidance of accurate transportation information.

Claims

1. A public transportation control system, comprising:

an on-board terminal equipped to each public bus traveling on a road to transmit bus information of an associated bus and to display transportation information for adjusting a traveling distance between the buses after receiving the transportation information created based on the bus information from outside through wireless communication;

a plurality of transportation information guidance centers installed to bus stops to transmit the bus information to the outside after collecting the bus information transmitted from the on-board terminals of the buses, and to transmit transportation information of the associated bus to the on-board terminal of the associated bus while supplying transportation guidance information of the associated bus to passengers waiting at the bus stops after receiving the transportation information and the transportation guidance information created on the basis of the bus information from the outside through the wireless communication;

a transportation management server to store the bus information after receiving the bus information transmitted from the on-board terminals through the transportation information guidance centers via a dedicated communication network, and to transmit the transportation information and the transportation guidance information to the transportation information guidance centers installed to the bus stops after creating the transportation information for adjustment of the distance between the buses and the transportation guidance information for guidance of arrival schedules of the buses; and

at least one transportation information collecting device installed at a certain position on the road, where the public buses travel, to transmit the bus information to the transportation management server after collecting the bus information transmitted from the on-board terminals, and to transmit the transportation information of the associated bus to the on-board terminal of the associated bus after receiving the transportation information created on the basis of the transmitted bus information from the transportation management server;

wherein the bus information collected by the on-board terminal and stored in the transportation management server comprises basic information as to a bus number and a line number of the associated bus, road condition information as to construction and accident blocks, and bus condition information as to whether the associated bus is a last bus, a defective bus or an accident bus.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transportation information created by the transportation management server and transmitted to the on-board terminal of the associated bus comprises bus and manager command information as to the basic information of the associated bus, updated data receipt time, and a command from a manager of a line of the associated bus, leading/following-bus information as to a leading bus and a following bus with respect to the associated bus, distance guidance information as to distances from the associated bus to the leading bus and to the following bus, traveling distance guidance information as to block travel times corresponding to the distances from the associated bus to the leading bus and to the following bus, leading/following-bus travel correction value guidance information as to travel correction values of the leading and following buses, and self-travel correction value guidance information as to a travel correction value of the associated bus.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the transportation guidance information transmitted to the transportation information guidance centers after being created by the transportation management server comprises short distance arrival schedule information to notify that, since the associated bus arrives at a bus stop immediately preceding an associated bus stop or is a predetermined distance or less from the associated bus stop, the bus will arrive at the associated bus stop shortly, long distance arrival schedule information to notify arrival schedule of all public buses at the associated bus stop except for the short distance arrival scheduled bus, and subsidiary-bus stop arrival schedule information to notify arrival schedule of other buses at a subsidiary bus stop near the associated bus stop, the other buses traveling along a similar line corresponding to a target line.

4. The system as set forth in claim 3, wherein the transportation management server supplies the transportation information and the transportation guidance information to a bus company of the associated bus or citizens as shared information through an Internet network after creating transportation information and the transportation guidance information.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4, wherein, among the transportation information created by the transportation management server and transmitted to the on-board terminal,

the block travel time corresponding to the distance between the associated bus and the leading bus is calculated by subtracting a time when the associated bus passes a bus information collecting position from a time when the leading bus passes the position,

a satisfactory travel value of the associated bus is calculated using an average block travel time of a predetermined number of leading buses with respect to the associated bus, and

the travel correction value of the target bus is calculated by subtracting the block travel time corresponding to the distance between the associated bus and the leading bus from the satisfactory travel value.

6. The system as set forth in claim 5, wherein, among the transportation information created by the transportation management server and transmitted to the on-board terminal, the travel correction value transmitted to the associated bus when the associated bus is in clumping state due to widening of the leading bus is calculated by subtracting the block travel times of the leading bus and the associated bus from two times of the satisfactory travel value of the leading bus.

7. A method for controlling public transportation, comprising the steps of:

a) collecting bus information transmitted from on-board terminals of public buses through at least one transportation information collecting mechanism, and storing the bus information;

b) determining a current traveling position of each bus using positions of collecting the bus information;

c) determining whether there occurs a line deviation at which a leading bus is passed by a following bus on a line on the basis of the current traveling positions of the respective buses, followed by transmitting a correction command to the on-board terminal of a target bus through the transportation information collecting mechanism if line deviation occurs;

d) calculating a satisfactory travel value and a travel correction value of each bus using the collected bus information, followed by transmitting transportation information comprising the satisfactory travel value and the travel correction value to the on-board terminal of each bus through the transportation information collecting mechanism;

e) determining whether the target bus is in a normal traveling condition within an acceptable degree or not on the basis of the collected bus information; and

f), if the target bus travels out of the acceptable degree, calculating a travel correction value of the target bus, and transmitting the travel correction value and a self adjustment command to the on-board terminal of the target bus through the transportation information collecting mechanism, the self adjustment command being provided for urging a driver of the target bus to adjust the traveling condition with reference to the travel correction value,

the above steps being performed by a transportation management server.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the bus information collected by the on-board terminal and stored in the transportation management server at the step a) comprises basic information as to a bus number and a line number of an associated bus, road condition information as to construction and accident blocks, and bus condition information as to whether the associated bus is a last bus, a defective bus or an accident bus.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the transportation information transmitted to the on-board terminal at the step d) comprises bus and manager command information as to the basic information of the target bus, updated data receipt time, and a command from a manager of the line of the target bus, leading/following-bus information as to a leading bus and a following bus with respect no the target bus, distance guidance information as to distances from the target bus to the leading bus and no the following bus, traveling distance guidance information as to block travel times corresponding no the distances from the target bus to the leading bus and to the following bus, leading/following-bus travel correction value guidance information as to travel correction values of the leading and following buses, and self-travel correction value guidance information as to a travel correction value of the target bus.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9, wherein, among the transportation information transmitted to the on-board terminal at the step d),

the block travel time corresponding to the distance between the target bus and the leading bus is calculated by subtracting a time when the target bus passes a bus information collecting point from a time when the leading bus passes the bus information collecting point,

the satisfactory travel value of the target bus is calculated using an average block travel time of a predetermined number of leading buses with respect to the target bus, and

the travel correction value of the target bus is calculated by subtracting the block travel time corresponding to the distance between the target bus and the leading bus from the satisfactory travel value.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein, when determining whether the target bus is in the normal traveling condition within the acceptable degree or not at the step e), a determination is made that the target bus is in the normal traveling condition when the block travel time of the target bus is in the range of ±

30% or more than an average block travel value of the three leading buses.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

g), if the target bus travels our of the acceptable degree on the basis of the collected bus information, determining whether the leading bus is in a widening state with respect to the target bus or not;

h) if the widening state does not occurs between the target bus and the leading bus, performing the step f), and if the leading bus is in the widening state with respect to the target bus, determining whether the widening condition of the leading bus satisfies a predetermined acceptable widening reference or not;

i) if the widening state of the leading bus satisfies the acceptable widening reference, calculating a travel correction value of the target bus, followed by transmitting the travel correction value to the on-board terminal of the target bus for reference of the driver of the target bus without a distance adjustment command; and

j) if the widening state of the leading bus does not satisfy the acceptable widening reference, calculating a travel correction value for widening the distance between the target bus and the following bus to correct clumping state of the target bus due to widening of the leading bus, followed by transmitting the travel correction value and the self-adjustment command to the on-board terminal of the target bus in the clumping state through the transportation information collecting mechanism, the self-adjustment command being provided to urge the driver of the target bus to adjust the traveling condition of the target bus on the basis of the travel correction value,

the above steps being performed by the transportation management server.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

k), after transmitting the travel correction value and the self-adjustment command at the steps f) and i), reviewing the traveling condition of the target bus using the bus information transmitted from the on-board terminal of the target bus directed to travel according to the travel correction value and the self-adjustment command, followed by determining whether the traveling condition of the target bus is corrected (self-adjusted) or not; and

l), if the traveling condition of the target bus is not corrected to satisfy the self-adjustment command, transmitting a compulsory adjustment command together with another travel correction value according to the traveling condition to the on-board terminal of the target bus, and storing a traveling record of the target bus according to transmission of the compulsory adjustment command for notifying a manager of the target bus,

the above steps being performed by the transportation management server.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13, wherein, when determining whether the leading bus is under the widening state with respect to the target bus or not at the step g), it is determined that the leading bus is in the widening state when the block travel time of the target bus is increased or decreased by ±

30% or more of an average block travel time of the three leading buses, and

when determining whether the widening state of the leading bus satisfies the acceptable widening reference or not at the step h), it is determined that the widening state of the leading bus satisfies the acceptable widening reference when a sum of the block travel times of the widening bus and the target bus under the clumping state is two times or less of the average block travel time of the three leading buses under the widening state with respect to the target bus.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein a travel correction value for widening the distance between the target bus and the following bus transmitted to the target bus when the target bus is in the clumping state due to widening of the leading bus is calculated by subtracting the block travel times of the leading bus and the target bus from two times of the satisfactory travel value of the leading bus.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

m-1) retrieving and extracting the bus information of all buses scheduled for arrival at the respective bus stops through the bus information transmitted from the on-board terminals of the buses traveling on the road;

m-2) calculating an average traveling time of leading buses in each travel block with respect to the buses scheduled for arrival at the respective bus stops through the extracted bus information;

m-3) calculating arrival schedules of the buses scheduled for arrival at the respective bus stop on the basis of the average travel time of the leading buses in each travel block;

m-4) classifying the arrival scheduled buses into a short distance arrival scheduled bus and a long distance arrival scheduled bus according to current locations of the buses scheduled for arrival at the respective bus stops; and

m-5) transmitting information about the short distance arrival scheduled bus and the long distance arrival scheduled bus, and information about the arrival schedule of the buses scheduled for arrival to transportation information guidance centers of the respective bus stops,

the above steps being performed by the transportation management server.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the transportation guidance information transmitted to the transportation information guidance centers at the step m-5) comprises short distance arrival schedule information to notify that, since the target bus arrives at a bus stop immediately preceding an associated bus stop or is running at a near position in a predetermined distance or less from the associated bus stop, the bus will arrive at the associated bus stop shortly, long distance arrival schedule information to notify arrival schedule of all public buses at the associated bus stop except for the short distance arrival scheduled bus, and subsidiary-bus stop arrival schedule information to notify arrival schedule of other buses at a subsidiary bus stop near the associated bus stop, the other buses traveling along a line corresponding to a target line.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

m-6) retrieving lines intersecting the respective bus stops, and the similar line corresponding to the target line intersecting the associated bus stop;

m-7) retrieving information about a current traveling position of public buses traveling on the similar line, followed by determining whether a bus scheduled for arrival at the subsidiary bus stop near the associated bus stop is present among the buses traveling on the similar line or not; and

m-8) calculating an arrival schedule of the bus scheduled for arrival at the subsidiary bus stop of the similar line near the associated bus stop among the buses traveling on the similar line, followed by transmitting information about the bus of the similar line scheduled for arrival at the bus stop of the similar line near the associated bus stop, and the arrival schedule of the bus scheduled for arrival at the subsidiary bus stop of the similar line near the associated bus stop to the transportation information guidance center of the associated bus stop,

the above steps being performed by the transportation management server.