Apparatus for providing traffic information for each lane and using the information

• US 7,930,095 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Sun Min
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen; Shelley
• Application Number:
  US11/831,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20080033632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117
• US Class Current: 701/119
• 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 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/092 Coding or decoding of the information

Abstract

A method and device for providing traffic information (e.g., congestion & travel-time information, road obstruction information, etc.) for each lane. The method includes encoding traffic information, including creating status information including traffic information on each individual lane belonging to a road link, creating location information about the road link, and creating a traffic information message including the status information and location information. This method includes wirelessly transmitting the message from a server to a terminal.

Claims

1. A method for providing traffic information from a server to a motor vehicle via a wireless network, comprising:

wirelessly transmitting, from the server to the motor vehicle, a traffic information message including status information about a road link toward a predetermined destination and corresponding road link location information, the status information including traffic information about a first lane of the road link toward the predetermined destination and traffic information about a second lane of the road link toward the predetermined destination, the traffic information including each of lane-specific time-to-destination information, lane-specific speed information and lane-specific directionality information for each of the first and second lanes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information includes an identifier for identifying the road link.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the location information further includes information identifying a number of the lanes belonging to the road link.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic information message includes event information including information on an obstruction on one of the first and second lanes.

5. A method for providing traffic information from a server to a motor vehicle via a wireless network, comprising:

wirelessly receiving, by the motor vehicle from the server, a traffic information message including the status information about a road link toward a predetermined destination and corresponding road link location information, the status information including traffic information about a first lane of the road link toward the predetermined destination and traffic information about a second lane of the road link toward the predetermined, the traffic information including each of lane-specific time-to-destination information, lane-specific speed information and lane-specific directionality information for each of the first and second lanes; and

simultaneously displaying, on a display in the motor vehicle, the status information for each of the first and second lanes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the location information includes an identifier for identifying the road link.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the location information further includes information identifying a number of the lanes belonging to the road link.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the traffic information message includes event information including information on an obstruction on one of the first and second lanes.

9. An apparatus for decoding traffic information, comprising:

a communication device configured to wirelessly receive a traffic information message including the status information about a road link toward a predetermined destination and corresponding road link location information, the status information including traffic information about a first lane of the road link toward the predetermined destination and traffic information about a second lane of the road link toward the predetermined destination, the traffic information including each of lane-specific time-to-destination information, lane-specific speed information and lane-specific directionality information for each of the first and second lanes;

a display configured to simultaneously display the status information for each of the first and second lanes; and

a controller operatively connected to the communication device and the display.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the location information includes an identifier for identifying the road link.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the location information further includes information identifying a number of the lanes belonging to the road link.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to control the display to display a predicted arrival time to a specified destination for each of the lanes.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the predicted arrival time based on a sum of received traffic information of road links belonging to a path leading to the specified destination.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to control the display to display traffic information on a present road link or a next road link lying in a path direction separately for each of lanes.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to control the display to display a lane of the road link leading to a specific destination distinctively from another lane of the road link.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein if a number of lanes on a path leading to a specified destination is reduced or if a number of lanes on a next road link is reduced, the controller is configured to display a corresponding disappearing lane distinctively from another lane.

17. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the traffic information message includes event information including information on an obstruction on one of the first and second lanes.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the traffic information message includes information about an accident or roadwork on the road link.