System and method for providing real-time traffic information

• US 8,334,790 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2009
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Rozum, Timothy C., Brunk, Scott J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US12/561,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20100010730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 340/901, 340/907, 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/995.13, 340/995.19, 701/117, 701/533
• US Class Current: 340/901
• 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

Abstract

A device and method for providing traffic information. In one embodiment, the device comprises a traffic component, a computing device coupled with the traffic component, and a display coupled with the computing device. The traffic component is operable to identify an upcoming traffic event expected to be first encountered by the device and select an icon corresponding to the identified category. The display is operable to present an indication of the selected icon.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a traffic component operable to receive traffic data corresponding to a plurality of traffic events;

a computing device coupled with the traffic component, the computing device operable to;

acquire a current geographic location of the device,

identify an upcoming traffic event expected to be first encountered by the device based upon the acquired current geographic location and the received traffic data,

identify a category of the upcoming traffic event, and

select an icon corresponding to the identified category; and

a display coupled with the computing device, the display operable to be controlled by the computing device to present an indication of the selected icon;

wherein the computing device is operable to present a plurality of traffic icons on the display corresponding to a plurality of the traffic events and the selected icon is a magnified icon having a size larger than any one of the traffic icons.

2. The device of claim 1, further including a location determining component operable to determine the current geographic location of the device, the computing device operable to acquire the current geographic location from the location determining component.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the computing device identifies the upcoming event as the first upcoming event that does not have a low severity.

4. The device of claim 1, further including a speaker coupled with the computing device, the speaker operable to provide an audible indication of the upcoming traffic event and the corresponding category.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a touch-screen display and the presented icon is operable to be selected by a user to request additional traffic information.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further operable to identify a road currently traveled by the device utilizing the acquired current geographic location and the upcoming traffic event is selected from traffic events corresponding to the identified road.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the identified road is associated with a route calculated by the computing device.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the traffic component is selected from the group consisting of a cellular telecommunications transceiver, a FM-RDS radio traffic receiver, and a Wi-Fi communications transceiver.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the received traffic data includes Traffic Message Channel (TMC) formatted information.

10. The device of claim 1, further including a portable and handheld housing for housing the traffic component, the computing device, and the display.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the location determining component and the computing device are integral.

12. A device, comprising:

a location determining component operable to determine a current geographic location of the device;

a traffic component operable to receive traffic data corresponding to a plurality of traffic events;

a memory including a map information database;

a computing device coupled with the location determining component, the traffic component, and the memory, the computing device operable to;

acquire the current geographic location of the device from the location determining component,

identify an upcoming traffic event expected to be first encountered by the device based upon the acquired current geographic location and the received traffic data,

identify a category of the upcoming traffic event,

select a magnified icon corresponding to the identified category, and

select one or more traffic icons corresponding to one or more of the other traffic events; and

a display coupled with the computing device, the display operable to be controlled by the computing device to present;

a map of an area in proximity to the current geographic location of the device,

one or more of the traffic icons on the map corresponding to the location of one or more of the other traffic events, and

the magnified icon corresponding to the identified category of the upcoming traffic event, where the magnified icon has a size larger than any one of the traffic icons.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the display comprises a touch-screen display and the magnified icon is operable to be selected by a user to request additional traffic information.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the computing device is further operable to identify a road currently traveled by the device utilizing the acquired current geographic location and the map information database, where the upcoming traffic event is selected from traffic events corresponding to the identified road.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the identified road is associated with a route calculated by the computing device.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the traffic component is selected from the group consisting of a cellular telecommunications transceiver, a FM-RDS radio traffic receiver, and a Wi-Fi communications transceiver.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the received traffic data includes Traffic Message Channel (TMC) formatted information.

18. The device of claim 12, further including a portable and handheld housing for housing the location determining component, the traffic component, the memory, the computing device, and the display.

19. The device of claim 12, wherein the location determining component and the computing device are integral.