Bandwidth and memory conserving methods for a vehicle navigation system

• US 7,451,042 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2007
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Ohki, Eric Shigeru, Tamura, Kazuya, Uyeki, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US11/750,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20070219715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/209, 701/211, 701/213, 701/117, 340/995.13, 340/995.19, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.06, 455/456.6
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• 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

The present invention is directed specifically to methods for reducing the bandwidth requirements for broadcasting traffic information to a vehicle navigation system. The traffic information broadcast to the system using the bandwidth conserving methods of the present invention generally includes traffic flow information and traffic incident information. In one embodiment, the vehicle navigation system filters traffic information to a certain range to expedite traffic calculation, to save on processing hardware, and to reduce bandwidth needs. Alternately, bandwidth conservation may be achieved by providing weight factors and threshold prioritizing when a broadcast limit is close to being reached or exceeded. In another embodiment, bandwidth reduction is achieved by not broadcasting free-flow traffic information and/or displaying only traffic information that indicates a traffic problem. Another method of the present invention to reduce bandwidth needs is directed to reducing broadcast of static traffic information.

Claims

1. In a vehicle navigation system, a method for displaying a travel route, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a current location of the vehicle navigation system;

(b) receiving traffic information packets from a remote location, each traffic information packet comprising at least one assigned weight factor;

(c) determining for each traffic information packet received in said step (b) whether the at least one assigned weight factor meets a threshold priority level;

(d) filtering any traffic information packets for which the respective at least one assigned weight factor does not meet the threshold priority level;

(e) calculating the travel route, based at least in part on any traffic information packets for which the respective at least one assigned weight factor meets the threshold priority level; and

(f) displaying the calculated travel route on a visual display screen.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (c) comprises determining whether the at least one assigned weight factor meets a threshold priority level relating to location of at least one traffic incident.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (c) comprises determining whether the at least one weight assigned factor meets a threshold priority level relating to time when at least one traffic incident occurred.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (c) comprises determining whether the received traffic information packets relate to traffic conditions within a threshold distance from the vehicle navigation system.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising adjusting the threshold priority level based on time of day during which a user of the vehicle navigation system is commuting.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (d) comprises discarding traffic information packets for which the respective at least one assigned weight factor does not meet the threshold priority level.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (a) comprises receiving positioning information from a satellite navigation system.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein receiving positioning information comprises receiving the positioning information from the satellite navigation system at the start-up of the vehicle navigation system.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said step (a) comprises obtaining positioning information from a memory device of the vehicle navigation system.

10. In a vehicle navigation system, a method for displaying at least one travel route, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a current location of the vehicle navigation system;

(b) receiving traffic information from the remote location;

(c) determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) relates to traffic conditions located within a first distance from the vehicle navigation system;

(d) filtering traffic information that is determined in said step (c) to relate to traffic conditions located farther than the first distance from the vehicle navigation system;

(e) calculating a first travel route, based at least in part on any traffic information received in said step (b) that relates to traffic conditions located within the first distance from the vehicle navigation system; and

(f) displaying the calculated first travel route on a visual display screen.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said step (c) comprises determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) relates to traffic conditions located within a predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said step (c) comprises determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) relates to traffic conditions located within a user selected distance from the vehicle navigation system.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said step (c) comprises determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) relates to traffic conditions located within an approximately fifteen mile distance from the vehicle navigation system.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

(g) determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) relates to traffic conditions located within a second distance from the vehicle navigation system;

(h) filtering traffic information that is determined in said step (g) to relate to traffic conditions located farther than the second distance from the vehicle navigation system; and

(i) calculating a second travel route, based at least in part on any traffic information received in said step (b) that relates to traffic conditions located within the second distance from the vehicle navigation system.

15. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said step (d) comprises discarding traffic information that is determined in said step (c) to relate to traffic conditions located farther than the first distance from the vehicle navigation system.

16. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said step (a) comprises receiving positioning information from a satellite navigation system.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein receiving positioning information comprises receiving the positioning information from the satellite navigation system at the start-up of the vehicle navigation system.

18. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said step (a) comprises obtaining positioning information from a memory device of the vehicle navigation system.

19. In a vehicle navigation system, a method for displaying at least one travel route, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a current location of the vehicle navigation system;

(b) receiving traffic information from the remote location;

(c) determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) exceeds a first level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system;

(d) filtering the traffic information received in said step (b) when it is determined in said step (c) that the traffic information exceeds the first level;

(e) calculating a travel route between a first location and a second location, based at least in part on the traffic information received in said step (b); and

(f) displaying the calculated travel route on a visual display screen.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein filtering the traffic information in said step (d) continues until the traffic information does not exceed the first level.

21. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein said step (c) comprises determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) exceeds a predetermined level of the memory capacity.

22. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein said step (c) comprises determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) exceeds a user selected level of the memory capacity.

23. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein said step (c) comprises determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) exceeds approximately ninety percent of the memory capacity.

24. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein filtering the traffic information in said step (d) comprises:

(i) separating the traffic information received in said step (b) into traffic information relating to traffic conditions located within a predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system and traffic information relating to traffic conditions located farther than the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system;

(ii) discarding the traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located farther than the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system;

(iii) determining whether the traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located within the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system exceeds the first level of the memory capacity; and

(iv) repeating said steps (i), (ii) and (iii) until it is determined in said step (iii) that the traffic information does not exceed the first level of the memory capacity, wherein each time said step (i) is repeated the predetermined distance from the vehicle navigation system is reduced.

25. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein step (i) comprises separating traffic information relating to traffic conditions located within approximately fifteen miles from the vehicle navigation system when the traffic information is separated in said step (i) a first time.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein step (i) further comprises separating traffic information relating to traffic conditions located within approximately ten miles from the vehicle navigation system when the traffic information is separated in said step (i) a second time.

27. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

(g) determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) exceeds a second level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system; and

(h) filtering the traffic information received in said step (b) when it is determined in said step (g) that the traffic information exceeds the second level.

28. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein said step (d) comprises discarding traffic information that is determined in said step (c) to exceed the first level of the memory capacity.

29. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein said step (a) comprises receiving positioning information from a satellite navigation system.

30. The method as recited in claim 29, wherein receiving positioning information comprises receiving the positioning information from the satellite navigation system at the start-up of the vehicle navigation system.

31. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein said step (a) comprises obtaining positioning information from a memory device of the vehicle navigation system.

32. In a vehicle navigation system, a method for displaying a travel route, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining a current location of the vehicle navigation system;

(b) receiving traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located within a first distance from the vehicle navigation system from a remote location;

(c) determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) exceeds a first level of memory capacity of the vehicle navigation system;

(d) acquiring additional traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located within a second distance from the vehicle navigation system from the remote location, when it is determined in said step (c) that the traffic information does not exceed the first level of the memory capacity;

(e) calculating the travel route, based at least in part upon the traffic information received in said step (b) and any additional traffic information acquired in said step (d); and

(f) displaying the calculated travel route on a visual display screen.

33. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein said step (c) comprises determining whether the traffic information received in said step (b) exceeds approximately ninety percent of the memory capacity.

34. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein step (b) comprises receiving traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located within approximately fifteen miles from the vehicle navigation system.

35. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein step (d) comprises receiving traffic information that relates to traffic conditions located within approximately twenty-five miles from the vehicle navigation system.

36. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein said step (a) comprises receiving positioning information from a satellite navigation system.

37. The method as recited in claim 36, wherein receiving positioning information comprises receiving the positioning information from the satellite navigation system at the start-up of the vehicle navigation system.

38. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein said step (a) comprises obtaining positioning information from a memory device of the vehicle navigation system.