Navigation device assisting road traffic congestion management

• US 8,332,132 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Groenhuijzen, Lucien, Schuurbiere, Rob, Rutten, Ben
• Primary Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US12/073,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20080234921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/201, 701/213, 701/118, 701/119, 701/210, 701/117, 340/995.19, 340/995.21, 340/995.13
• US Class Current: 701/119
• 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 21/3492 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: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H

Abstract

A navigation device has a GPRS receiver for receiving real-time information about slow traffic flow or slow average speed on a stretch of motorway, indicating congestion. The device calculates a new itinerary to avoid the congestion, based on historically recorded speeds on secondary roads weighed by the current average speed in the congestion area.

Claims

1. A mobile navigation device configured for providing navigation information to a mobile user on a road network, depending on a geographic position of the device and upon being programmed to guide the mobile user to a pre-determined destination via an itinerary, wherein the device comprises:

a storage for storing information about a segment of the road network, including historical data representative of respective historical traffic progress on respective roads in the segment;

a wireless receiver for receiving data indicative of current traffic progress on a stretch of a specific road in the segment;

a data processor coupled to the receiver and operative to;

determine if the stretch is included in a portion of the itinerary to be traveled;

if the stretch is not included, to keep using the itinerary;

if the stretch is included, using the historical data to determine an alternative itinerary to the destination based on comparing a first expected travel time for the itinerary, given the current traffic progress, to a second expected travel time for the alternative itinerary; and

depending on a result of the comparing, starting to provide the navigation information with respect to the alternative itinerary;

wherein the second expected travel time is calculated by the processor based on scaling the historical traffic progress on a further road in the alternative itinerary with a quantity representative of the current traffic progress on the specific road.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the scaling quantity depends on

data indicative of the current traffic progress on the specific road, and

historical data representative of the historical traffic progress on the same road.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein

data indicative of the current traffic progress is the average of real-time speeds on the specific road, and

historical data representative of the historical traffic progress is the average of historical speeds on the same road.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the scaling quantity is the ratio of the average of real-time speeds on the specific road to the average of historical speeds on the same road.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein

the average of real-time speeds on the specific road is the average of real-time speeds on the sections of the road, and

the average of historical speeds on the specific road is the average of historical speeds on the sections of the road.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein

data indicative of the current progress is the average of real-time traffic flow on the specific road, and

historical data representative of the historical traffic progress is the average of historical traffic flow on the same road.

7. The device of claim 3, wherein the scaling quantity is the ratio of the average of all real-time speeds on secondary roads around the specific road, to the average of all historical speeds on the secondary roads around the same road.

8. Software for a mobile navigation device configured for providing navigation information to a mobile user on a road network, depending on a geographic position of the device and upon being programmed to guide the mobile user to a pre-determined destination via an itinerary, wherein the device comprises:

a storage for storing information about a segment of the road network, including historical data representative of respective historical traffic progress on respective roads in the segment;

a wireless receiver for receiving data indicative of a current traffic progress on a stretch of a specific road in the segment; and

a data processor coupled to the receiver; and

wherein the software comprises instructions for control of the processor to;

determine if the stretch is included in a portion of the itinerary to be traveled;

if the stretch is not included, to keep using the itinerary;

if the stretch is included, using the historical data to determine an alternative itinerary to the destination based on comparing a first expected travel time for the itinerary, given the current traffic progress, to a second expected travel time for the alternative itinerary; and

depending on a result of the comparing, starting to provide the navigation information with respect to the alternative itinerary;

wherein the software further comprises instructions for the processor to calculate the second expected travel time based on scaling the historical traffic progress on a further road in the alternative itinerary with a quantity representative of the current traffic progress on the specific road.

9. A method of providing navigation information to a user of a mobile navigation device, depending on a geographic position of the device, for guiding the user to a pre-determined destination via an itinerary, wherein the method comprises:

accessing a storage storing information about a segment of a road network, including historical data representative of respective historical traffic progress on respective roads in the segment;

receiving via a wireless receiver data indicative of a current traffic progress on a stretch of a specific road in the segment;

determining if the stretch is included in a portion of the itinerary to be traveled;

if the stretch is not included, using the itinerary;

if the stretch is included, using the historical data to determine an alternative itinerary to the destination based on comparing a first expected travel time for the itinerary, given the current traffic progress, to a second expected travel time for the alternative itinerary; and

depending on a result of the comparing, starting to provide the navigation information with respect to the alternative itinerary;

wherein the second expected travel time is calculated based on scaling the historical traffic progress on a further road in the alternative itinerary with a quantity representative of the current traffic progress on the specific road.

10. A method of providing navigation information to a user of a mobile navigation device, depending on a geographic position of the device, for guiding the user to a pre-determined destination via an itinerary, wherein the method comprises:

receiving data from the device representative of the geographical position;

determining a segment of a road network relevant to the itinerary;

determining information about the segment, including historical data representative of respective historical traffic progress on respective roads in the segment;

determining current traffic progress on a stretch of a specific road in the segment;

determining if the stretch is included in a portion of the itinerary to be traveled;

if the stretch is not included, using the itinerary;

if the stretch is included, using the historical data to determine an alternative itinerary to the destination based on comparing a first expected travel time for the itinerary, given the current traffic progress, to a second expected travel time for the alternative itinerary; and

depending on a result of the comparing, starting to provide the navigation information with respect to the alternative itinerary;

wherein the second expected travel time is calculated based on scaling the historical traffic progress on a further road in the alternative itinerary with a quantity representative of the current traffic progress on the specific road.