Navigation information distribution systems, methods, and programs

• US 7,925,425 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2007
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Tomita, Hiroshi, Nagase, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US11/727,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20070229309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: 701117-210, 340/995.13, 340/995.14, 340/995.17, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 701/118
• 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 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• 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

Abstract

Navigation information distribution systems, methods, and programs transfer a piece of vehicle position information to an information distribution center every predetermined time period, the piece of vehicle information including a vehicle position and a time when the vehicle passes through the vehicle position. The systems, methods, and programs receive pieces of vehicle position information and traffic information including congestion information, store the received pieces of vehicle position information in order of arrival, and specify a congested road section on the basis of congestion information. The systems, methods, and programs assign a weight of a first travel distance within the congested road section, the weight of the first travel distance calculated on the basis of two of the received pieces of vehicle position information received from the navigation apparatus and congestion information about the congested section. The systems, methods, and programs calculate a first travel time corresponding to the first travel distance, calculate the congested section travel time necessary for passing through the congested section based on the calculated first travel time, and distribute the calculated congested section travel time to a navigation apparatus.

Claims

1. An information distribution center for use with a navigation apparatus, the navigation apparatus including a communication device that transfers a piece of vehicle position information to the information distribution center, the piece of vehicle information including a vehicle position and a time when the vehicle passes through the vehicle position, the information distribution center comprising:

a communication device that receives pieces of vehicle position information and traffic information including congestion information and distributes a calculated congested section travel time;

a memory that stores the received pieces of vehicle position information in order of arrival; and

a controller that;

specifies a congested section based on the congestion information;

weights a first travel distance within the congested section according to the congestion information about the congested section, the first travel distance calculated based on two of the received pieces of vehicle position information received from the navigation apparatus and the congestion information about the congested section;

calculates a first travel time corresponding to the first travel distance; and

calculates the congested section travel time necessary for passing through the congested section based on the calculated first travel time.

2. The information distribution center of claim 1, wherein:

one of the two pieces of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section;

the other of the two pieces of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus when the navigation apparatus is located within the congested section;

the controller calculates the first travel distance between a start point of the congested section and a vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received when the navigation apparatus is located within the congested section;

the controller calculates a travel time from a vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section to the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received when the navigation apparatus is located within the congested section;

the controller calculates the first travel time based on;

the calculated travel time;

a travel distance between the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section and the start point of the congested section; and

the weighted first travel distance; and

the controller calculates the congested section travel time based on the calculated first travel time, the calculated first travel distance, and a distance of the congested section.

3. The information distribution center of claim 2, wherein:

when an additional piece of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus that is within the congested section;

the controller calculates a travel time from a vehicle position according to a previous piece of vehicle position information which is received when the navigation apparatus is located within the congested section to a vehicle position according to the additional piece of vehicle position information;

the controller calculates a second travel time by adding the calculated travel time from the vehicle position according to the previous piece of vehicle position information to the vehicle position according to the additional piece of vehicle position information to the first travel time; and

the controller calculates the congested section travel time based on;

the second travel time;

the distance between the start point of the congested section and the vehicle position according to the additional piece of vehicle position information; and

the distance of the congested section.

4. The information distribution center of claim 3, wherein:

when a piece of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus has passed through the congested section,

the controller calculates a travel time from a vehicle position according to a last piece of vehicle position information that is received from the navigation apparatus within the congested section to a vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information that is received from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus has passed through the congested section;

the controller calculates a second travel distance between the vehicle position according to the last piece of vehicle position information and an end point of the congested section

the controller weights the second travel distance according to the congestion information about the congested section;

the controller calculates a third travel time corresponding to the second travel distance based on;

the calculated travel time from the vehicle position according to the last piece of vehicle position information to the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information that is received from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus has passed through the congested section;

the weighted second travel distance; and

a travel distance between the end point of the congested section and the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information that is received from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus has passed through the congested section; and

the controller calculates the congested section travel time by adding the third travel time to the second travel time.

5. The information distribution center of claim 1, wherein:

one of the two pieces of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section;

the other of the two pieces of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus passes through the congested section section;

the controller calculates the first travel distance between a start point of the congested section and an end point of the congested section;

the controller calculates a travel time from a vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received between the navigation apparatus enters the congested section to the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received after the navigation apparatus passes through the congested section;

the controller calculates the first travel time as the congested section travel time based on;

the calculated travel time;

a travel distance between the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section and the start point of the congested section;

a travel distance between the end point of the congested section and the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received after the navigation apparatus passes through the congested section; and

the weighted first travel distance.

6. The information distribution center of claim 1, wherein:

when the information distribution center receives a request to distribute the congested section travel time from the navigation apparatus, the controller causes the communication device to distribute the congested section travel time to the navigation apparatus.

7. The information distribution center of claim 1, wherein:

the communication device distributes the congested section travel time to the navigation apparatus at a predetermined interval different from the predetermined time period.

8. The information distribution center of claim 1, wherein:

the communication device distributes the congested section travel time to the navigation apparatus every time the congested section travel time is calculated.

9. A non-transitive computer-readable storage medium storing a set of computer-executable program instructions usable to distribute information, the program comprising:

instructions for transferring a piece of vehicle position information to an information distribution center, the piece of vehicle information including a vehicle position and a time when the vehicle passes through the vehicle position;

instructions for receiving pieces of vehicle position information and traffic information including congestion information;

instructions for storing the received pieces of vehicle position information in order of arrival;

instructions for specifying a congested section based on the congestion information;

instructions for weighting a first travel distance within the congested section according to the congestion information about the congested section, the first travel distance calculated based on two of the received pieces of vehicle position information received from the navigation apparatus and the congestion information about the congested section;

instructions for calculating a first travel time corresponding to the first travel distance;

instructions for calculating the congested section travel time necessary for passing through the congested section based on the calculated first travel time; and

instructions for distributing the calculated congested section travel time to a navigation apparatus.

10. An information distribution method, comprising:

transferring a piece of vehicle position information to an information distribution center, the piece of vehicle information including a vehicle position and a time when the vehicle passes through the vehicle position;

receiving pieces of vehicle position information and traffic information including congestion information;

storing the received pieces of vehicle position information in order of arrival;

specifying a congested section based on the congestion information;

weighting a first travel distance within the congested section according to the congestion information about the congested section, the first travel distance calculated based on two of the received pieces of vehicle position information received from the navigation apparatus and the congestion information about the congested section;

calculating a first travel time corresponding to the first travel distance;

calculating the congested section travel time necessary for passing through the congested section based on the calculated first travel time; and

distributing the calculated congested section travel time to a navigation apparatus.

11. The information distribution method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving one of the two pieces of vehicle position information from the navigation apparatus before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section;

receiving the other of the two pieces of vehicle position information from the navigation apparatus when the navigation apparatus is located within the congested section;

calculating the first travel distance between a start point of the congested section and a vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received when the navigation apparatus is located within the congested section;

calculating a travel time from a vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section to the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received when the navigation apparatus is located within the congested section;

calculating the first travel time based on;

the calculated travel time;

a travel distance between the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section and the start point of the congested section; and

the weighted first travel distance; and

calculating the congested section travel time based on the calculated first travel time, the calculated first travel distance, and a distance of the congested section.

12. The information distribution method of claim 11, further comprising:

calculating, when an additional piece of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus that is within the congested section;

a travel time from a vehicle position according to a previous piece of vehicle position information which is received when the navigation apparatus is located within the congested section to a vehicle position according to the additional piece of vehicle position information;

a second travel time by adding the calculated travel time from the vehicle position according to the previous piece of vehicle position information to the vehicle position according to the additional piece of vehicle position information to the first travel time; and

the congested section travel time based on;

the second travel time;

the distance between the start point of the congested section and the vehicle position according to the additional piece of vehicle position information; and

the distance of the congested section.

13. The information distribution method of claim 12, further comprising:

when a piece of vehicle position information is received from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus has passed through the congested section;

calculating a travel time from a vehicle position according to a last piece of vehicle position information that is received from the navigation apparatus within the congested section to a vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information that is received from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus has passed through the congested section;

calculating a second travel distance between the vehicle position according to the last piece of vehicle position information and an end point of the congested section

weighting the second travel distance according to the congestion information about the congested section;

calculating a third travel time corresponding to the second travel distance based on;

the calculated travel time from the vehicle position according to the last piece of vehicle position information to the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information that is received from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus has passed through the congested section;

the weighted second travel distance; and

a travel distance between the end point of the congested section and the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information that is received from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus has passed through the congested section; and

calculating the congested section travel time by adding the third travel time to the second travel time.

14. The information distribution method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving one of the two pieces of vehicle position information from the navigation apparatus before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section;

receiving the other of the two pieces of vehicle position information from the navigation apparatus after the navigation apparatus passes through the congested section;

calculating the first travel distance between a start point of the congested section and an end point of the congested section;

calculating a travel time from a vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received between the navigation apparatus enters the congested section to the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received after the navigation apparatus passes through the congested section;

calculating the first travel time as the congested section travel time based on;

the calculated travel time;

a travel distance between the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received before the navigation apparatus enters the congested section and the start point of the congested section;

a travel distance between the end point of the congested section and the vehicle position according to the piece of vehicle position information which is received after the navigation apparatus passes through the congested section; and

the weighted first travel distance.

15. The information distribution method of claim 10, further comprising:

causing the communication device to distribute the congested section travel time to the navigation apparatus when the information distribution center receives a request to distribute the congested section travel time from the navigation apparatus.

16. The information distribution method of claim 10, further comprising:

distributing the congested section travel time to the navigation apparatus at a predetermined interval different from the predetermined time period.

17. The information distribution method of claim 10, further comprising:

distributing the congested section travel time to the navigation apparatus every time the congested section travel time is calculated.