Safety navigation system applying wireless communication technology and method therefor

• US 7,739,041 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2007
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MiTAC International Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: MiTAC International Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Chang, Yu-Jen
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby; Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US11/686,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20070219717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 701207-213, 701/330, 701/301, 34099512-99521
• US Class Current: 701/210
• 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: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/092 Coding or decoding of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 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 1/096822 where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn

Abstract

A safety navigation system applying wireless communication technology and a method therefor are provided, wherein road information transmitted by wireless communication technology is received and statistically analyzed to learn about road sections that are inconvenient for driving or cannot be passed through, so as to decelerate when driving on the road section or avoid the road section altogether when planning routes, thereby ensuring a driver'"'"'s safety.

Claims

1. A safety navigation system for conducting safe navigation by applying wireless communication to transmit road information, comprising:

a data signal receiving module for receiving a data signal transmitted through the wireless communication;

a data signal transfer module for transferring the data signal into road information having at least a traffic event and a road section where the traffic event has occurred;

a database for storing the road information;

a specific road section determination module for statistically analyzing the road information after the road information has been stored, so as to determine at least one specific road section, and then classify one of at least the specific road sections into those which are inconvenient for driving or those which cannot be passed through according to the traffic event in the road information as two severity levels;

a route planning module for re-planning a route and determining whether each of the specific road sections is included in the route or not according to the classification of the specific road sections; and

a suggestion module for displaying the re-planned route.

2. The safety navigation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the specific road section determination module further filters, selects and statistically analyzes the road information according to each of the severity levels.

3. The safety navigation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the road information stored in the database further comprises an occurrence time and ending time corresponding to the traffic event.

4. The safety navigation system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the database stores at least one speed limit in advance, and the speed limit corresponds to one of the specific road sections.

5. A safety navigation method, applying wireless communication to transmits road information, comprising:

(a) receiving a data signal transmitted through the wireless communication;

(b) analyzing the data signal into road information having at least a traffic event and a road section where the traffic event has occurred;

(c) storing the road information in a database;

(d) reading at least one item of road information from the database and statistically analyzing the road information, so as to pick up at least one specific road section, and then classifying one of the specific road sections into at least the road sections inconvenient for driving and the road sections that cannot be passed through according to the traffic event in the road information;

(e) re-planning a route and determining whether each of the specific road sections is included in the route or not according to the classification of the specific road sections; and

(f) suggesting the re-planned route.

6. The safety navigation method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the statistically analyzing the road information in step (d) further comprises a step of determining a road has at least one record having the road information, defining the road as the specific road section.

7. The safety navigation method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the determination criteria in step (d) further comprises a step of determining the times a road section being classified and if the classified times accumulated bigger than a default value, picking up the road section as the specific road section.

8. The safety navigation method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the determination criteria in step (d) further comprises a step of:

determining a severity level for each of the traffic events, filtering and selecting the read road information according to each of the severity levels, and then statistically analyzing the road information.

9. The safety navigation method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the road information stored in the database in step (c) further comprises an occurrence time corresponding to the traffic events.

10. The safety navigation method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the determination criteria in step (d) further comprises a step of:

filtering and selecting the read road information according to the occurrence time and then statistically analyzing the road information.

11. The safety navigation method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the database further stores at least one speed limit in advance, and the speed limit corresponds to one of the specific road sections.

12. The safety navigation method as claimed in claim 11, wherein step (e) further comprises a step of:

reducing the speed limit for at least one of the road sections inconvenient for driving in the re-planned route.

13. The safety navigation method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the road information further comprise a period information to show a period a traffic event supposed to last.

14. The safety navigation method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the database stored previous road information, and step (c) further comprise a step to update the road information according to the period information in road information.

15. A safety navigation method, applying wireless communication to transmits road information, comprising:

receiving a data signal transmitted through the wireless communication

analyzing the data signal into road information having at least a traffic event and a road section where the traffic event has occurred;

statistically analyzing the road information according to a predetermined criteria, so as to pick up at least one specific road section, and then classifying the specific road sections into at least the road sections inconvenient for driving and the road sections that cannot be passed through according to the traffic event in the road information;

re-planning a route and determining whether each of the specific road sections is included in the route or not according to the classification of the specific road sections; and

re-planning a route.