Method of producing traffic signal information, method of providing traffic signal information, and navigation apparatus

• US 7,398,076 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Issued: 07/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Kubota, Tomoki, Miyazaki, Hideto
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh; Sonny
• Application Number:
  US11/176,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20060009188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 455/344, 455/345, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/457, 701/200, 701/207, 701/211, 701/214, 340/988, 340/990, 340/995.13, 340/425.5
• US Class Current: 455/344
• 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 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096725 where the received information generates an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle

Abstract

Systems, methods, and programs of producing and using traffic signal information take, when a vehicle is closely approaching a traffic signal, an image of traffic signal lamps disposed on the traffic signal. The systems, methods, and programs produce image data of the traffic signal lamps, based on the taken image and analyze the image data. The systems, methods, and programs produce traffic signal state information, the traffic signal state information including a state of the traffic signal as of the time of taking the image of the traffic signal lamps. The systems, methods, and programs store traffic signal information, the traffic signal information including the produced traffic signal state information, traffic signal location information, and time information in a memory.

Claims

1. A method of producing traffic signal information, comprising:

taking, when a vehicle is closely approaching a traffic signal, an image of traffic signal lamps disposed on the traffic signal;

producing image data of the traffic signal lamps, based on the taken image;

analyzing the image data;

producing traffic signal state information, the traffic signal state information including a state of the traffic signal as of the time of taking the image of the traffic signal lamps;

storing traffic signal information in a memory, the traffic signal information including the produced traffic signal state information, traffic signal location information, and time information; and

calculating a traffic signal control pattern of the traffic signal in each of a plurality of time zones by performing a statistical analysis on the stored traffic signal information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

taking the image of the traffic signal lamps disposed on the traffic signal comprises taking an image of the traffic signal lamps disposed on the traffic signal a plurality of times; and

producing the image data of the traffic signal lamps comprises producing image data for each of the plurality of taken images.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising detecting, based on the plurality of produced image data, a changing of the traffic signal, wherein:

analyzing the image data comprises analyzing each of the plurality of produced image data to monitor the status of the traffic signal lamps; and

producing the traffic signal state information comprises producing the traffic signal information when the changing of the traffic signal is detected.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the location of the traffic signal, the traffic signal being on a route from a current position of the vehicle to a destination, or being in the vicinity of the current position of the vehicle, based on map attribute information stored in the memory;

determining a distance between the vehicle and the traffic signal; and

transmitting, when the distance between the vehicle and the traffic signal is at least a predetermined value, instructions to a camera to start taking the image of traffic signal lamps.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the traffic signal information to a server, the server including a memory that stores the traffic signal information, the server connected to a network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a statistical analysis on a correlation in terms of the status of traffic signal lamps among a plurality of traffic signals based on plural pieces of traffic signal information of plural adjacent traffic signals; and

storing a result of the statistical analysis in the memory, the statistical analysis result linked to the traffic signal information.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

producing, when the vehicle is closely approaching the traffic signal, traffic signal guide information; and

outputting the produced traffic signal guide information based on the statistical analysis.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, when the vehicle is closely approaching the traffic signal, whether the vehicle will be stopped at the traffic signal for at least a predetermined length of time, the determination based on the statistical analysis of the traffic signal information;

searching, if the vehicle will be stopped at the traffic signal for at least the predetermined length of time, for a detour to avoid the traffic signal; and

outputting the detected detour on a display.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

producing, if when the vehicle is closely approaching the traffic signal it is impossible to identify of the state of the traffic signal, traffic signal guide information based on the statistical analysis of the traffic signal information associated with the traffic signal; and

outputting the produced traffic signal guide information based on the statistical analysis.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the produced traffic signal guide information indicates the state of the traffic signal.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

predicting, if when the vehicle is closely approaching the traffic signal a stop-lamp of the traffic signal is in an on-state, the length of a stop period at the traffic signal based on the statistical analysis of the produced traffic signal information; and

transmitting, if the predicted length of the stop period is at least a predetermined length of time, a control command to a controller disposed on the vehicle to control the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory is in an in-vehicle terminal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the memory is in a server, the server capable of communicating with an in-vehicle terminal.

14. A computer readable storage medium storing a set of computer-executable program instructions executable on a data processing device and usable to produce traffic signal information, the program comprising:

instructions for taking, when a vehicle is closely approaching a traffic signal, an image of traffic signal lamps disposed on the traffic signal;

instructions for producing image data of the traffic signal lamps, based on the taken image;

instructions for analyzing the image data;

instructions for producing traffic signal state information, the traffic signal state information including a state of the traffic signal as of the time of taking the image of the traffic signal lamps;

instructions for storing traffic signal information in a memory, the traffic signal information including the produced traffic signal state information, traffic signal location information, and time information; and

instructions for calculating a traffic signal control pattern of the traffic signal in each of a plurality of time zones by performing a statistical analysis on the stored traffic signal information.

15. An in-vehicle terminal, comprising:

a controller that;

produces image data of the traffic signal lamps, based on a taken image;

analyzes the image data;

produces traffic signal state information, the traffic signal state information including a state of the traffic signal as of the time of taking the image of the traffic signal lamps;

stores traffic signal information in a memory, the traffic signal information including the produced traffic signal state information, traffic signal location information, and time information; and

calculates a traffic signal control pattern of the traffic signal in each of a plurality of time zones by performing a statistical analysis on the stored traffic signal information.

16. The in-vehicle terminal of claim 15, further comprising the memory.

17. A traffic signal information system, comprising:

the in-vehicle terminal of claim 15; and

a camera that takes, the image of traffic signal lamps disposed on the traffic signal when a vehicle is closely approaching a traffic signal.

18. A traffic signal information system, comprising:

the in-vehicle terminal of claim 15; and

a server, the server comprising the memory.