Route guidance method and system for implementing such a method, as well as a corresponding computer program and a corresponding computer-readable storage medium

• US 8,620,575 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Vogt, Wilhelm, Varchmin, Axel, Mai, Kerstin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US12/305,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20100042314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,272 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701408-410, 701/412, 701414-415, 701/419, 701/423, 701/429, 701/431
• US Class Current: 701/410
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn

Abstract

The invention relates to a route guidance method and a system for implementing such a method, and a corresponding computer-readable storage medium, which in particular may be used for an adaptive route guidance, the travel routes being selected that offer the highest safety when following the required driving maneuvers. For this purpose, it is recommended to output driving recommendations as a function of the risk of calculated routes. To this end, information about the current traffic situation in the surroundings of the vehicle is evaluated, the risk of the driving maneuvers resulting from calculated routes is evaluated using the results of the evaluation by at least one computer program, and driving instructions are output as a function of the evaluation.

Claims

1. A route guidance method, comprising:

calculating at least one route by a navigation system based on information about destination and start location, wherein the at least one route is evaluated as a function of a dynamic risk, and wherein the dynamic risk is included in a route calculation at a short notice so that information about the current traffic situation in the surrounding of a user of the route guidance method is evaluated;

evaluating a risk of motion behavior resulting from the calculated at least one route using results of the evaluation by at least one computer program;

outputting driving recommendations as a function of the evaluation; and

outputting a plurality of alternative routes as a function of the risk of the motion behavior of the at least one calculated route.

2. The route guidance method according to claim 1, further comprising:

evaluating the at least one route as function of a static risk and the dynamic risk.

3. The route guidance method according to claim 2, wherein the static risk is taken into account already in an initial route calculation.

4. The route guidance method according to claim 2, wherein when evaluating the at least one route, risks are taken into account as a function of the route guidance.

5. The route guidance method according to claim 1, wherein the computer program includes at least one interface to the navigation system or is integrated in the navigation system, and wherein the driving recommendations are output by the navigation system as a function of the risk evaluation.

6. The route guidance method according to claim 1, wherein the calculating of the at least one route includes evaluating the routes as a function of time required to travel the route and route length, and evaluating the motion behavior resulting from the routes as a function of the risk and at least one of the time and route-length difference relative to the alternative routes.

7. The route guidance method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a timing of the outputting of driving recommendations as a function of the evaluation of risks of the motion behavior.

8. The route guidance method according to claim 7, further comprising:

when the risk of the motion behavior is high, outputting driving the recommendations for a travel route that is optimal in terms of at least one of time and distance earlier than when the risk of the motion behavior is low.

9. The route guidance method according to claim 7, further comprising:

when the risk of the motion behavior for an optimal route is high, outputting driving recommendations for a route that is suboptimal in terms of time and route length.

10. The route guidance method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a sequence of the outputting of driving recommendations as a function of evaluation of a respective route.

11. The route guidance method according to claim 1, further comprising:

outputting information about at least one of time and length of routes.

12. The route guidance method according to claim 1, wherein in an event that a vehicle driver uses the route guidance method, travel routes are determined by automatic coordination with neighboring vehicles.

13. The route guidance method according to claim 1, wherein when the driving recommendations are output visually, the driving recommendations are output in at least one of:

(i) one of different colors and gray-scale values, and (ii) different levels of brightness, as a function of the evaluation.

14. The route guidance method according to claim 1, wherein the information about the current traffic situation is obtained via at least one of radar sensors, video sensors, biometric sensors, vehicle environment sensors, vehicle-to-vehicle (Car2Car) sensors, vehicle-surroundings sensors (Car2Infrastructure sensors), a TMC system (TMC=Traffic Message Channel), a traffic control center, and a traffic control device.

15. The route guidance method according to claim 1, wherein the risk evaluation at least one of (a) is performed for at least one of (i) turning maneuvers required in order to follow a respective route and (ii) lane changes required in order to follow the respective route, and (b) takes into account at least one of (i) traffic density in the surroundings of a vehicle, (ii) speed of the vehicle, and (iii) alternative routes.

16. A system, comprising:

at least one of (i) at least one chip and (ii) at least one processor that is configured to calculate at least one route by a navigation system based on information about destination and start location, and configured to output a plurality of alternative routes as a function of a safety risk of the at least one calculated route, wherein the at least one route is evaluated as a function of a dynamic risk, and wherein the dynamic risk is included in a route calculation at a short notice so that information about the current traffic situation in the surrounding of a user of the route guidance method is evaluated.

17. The system according to claim 16, further comprising a navigation system.

18. The system according to claim 16, further comprising:

at least one of a radar sensor, a video sensor, a biometric sensor, a vehicle environment sensor, a vehicle-to-vehicle (Car2Car) sensor, and a vehicle-surroundings sensor (Car2Infrastructure sensor).

19. A computer readable non-transitory medium having a computer program, which is executable by a data processing device, comprising:

a program code arrangement having program code for providing route guidance method, by performing the following;

calculating at least one route by a navigation system based on information about destination and start location, wherein the at least one route is evaluated as a function of a dynamic risk, and wherein the dynamic risk is included in a route calculation at a short notice so that information about the current traffic situation in the surrounding of a user of the route guidance method is evaluated;

evaluating a risk of motion behavior resulting from the calculated at least one route using results of the evaluation by at least one computer program;

outputting driving recommendations as a function of the evaluation; and

outputting a plurality of alternative routes as a function of the risk of the motion behavior of the at least one calculated route.

20. A method for providing route guidance, the method comprising:

downloading a computer program from an electronic data network to a data-processing device connected to the data network, wherein the computer program, when loaded in a memory of the data processing device, executes a route guidance task, by performing the following;

calculating at least one route by a navigation system based on information about destination and start location, wherein the at least one route is evaluated as a function of a dynamic risk, and wherein the dynamic risk is included in a route calculation at a short notice so that information about the current traffic situation in the surrounding of a user of the route guidance method is evaluated;

evaluating a risk of motion behavior resulting from the calculated at least one route using results of the evaluation by at least one computer program;

outputting driving recommendations as a function of the evaluation; and

outputting a plurality of alternative routes as a function of the risk of the motion behavior of the at least one calculated route.