Method for determining the length of the route travelled by a vehicle

• US 8,972,173 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2011
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Original Assignee: Kapsch TrafficCom AG (Datax Handelsgmbh)
• Inventors: Tijink, Jasja, Nagy, Oliver, Kaes, Katharina
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Do, Truc M
• Application Number:
  US13/228,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 701/409, 701/446, 701/460, 701/521, 701/532, 701/533, 340/460, 340/933, 340/988, 340/995.1, 340/990
• US Class Current: 701/416
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/00 Measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, persons, animals or other moving solid bodies, e.g. using odometers, using pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G

Abstract

A method for determining the length of the route travelled by a vehicle using a position measuring device that records positions of the vehicle and a digital road map, which is composed of road segments of known segment lengths. The method including recording positions of the vehicle on the route by means of the position measuring device, matching the recorded vehicle positions to a sequence of road segments, and determining the route length from the segment lengths of these road segments, wherein from the angle between at least two consecutive road segments and an assumed road width of the two road segments, a turn-off route of the vehicle from the one road segment into the other road segment is calculated. The calculated turn-off route is taken into consideration in the determination of the route length.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for determining a length of a route travelled by a vehicle using a position measuring device that records positions of the vehicle, and a digital road map including road segments of known segment lengths, the method comprising:

recording positions of the vehicle on the route by the position measuring device;

matching the recorded vehicle positions to a sequence of road segments travelled by the vehicle, by a processor;

calculating by a processor, from an angle between two consecutive travelled road segments of said sequence of road segments and an assumed road width of the two consecutive travelled road segments, a turn-off route length travelled by the vehicle from the first consecutive travelled road segment into the second consecutive travelled road segment of the two consecutive travelled road segments; and

determining the length of the route travelled by the vehicle from segment lengths of the sequence of road segments travelled by the vehicle, and the calculated turn-off route length travelled by the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one road segment of the digital road map represents a road with at least two lanes assigned to opposing travel directions, and wherein calculating a turn-off route comprises calculating a turn-off route to/from a lane assigned to the direction of travel of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one road segment of the digital road map represents a road with at least two lanes, of which at least one lane is assigned to a specific turn-off direction, wherein calculating a turn-off route length comprises calculating a turn-off route to/from a lane assigned to the turn-off direction of the vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the turn-off route length is calculated as a polygonal line.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the turn-off route length is calculated as an arc of a curve.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the assumed road width is taken from the digital road map.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined value is assumed as the assumed road width.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein possible turn-off route lengths between road segments of the digital road map are pre-calculated and stored in a table, from which the respective turn-off route lengths to be taken into consideration between the two consecutive travelled road segments is then taken.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein a turn-off route length between two consecutive travelled road segments is calculated and taken into consideration in determining the route length, when the angle between the two consecutive travelled road segments exceeds a predetermined value.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein turn-off route lengths over the course of the travelled route are calculated and taken into consideration in determining the length of the route travelled by the vehicle, when a number of the turn-off route lengths exceeds a predetermined number, or when a sum of the turn-offs exceeds a predetermined value.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein no turn-off route lengths are calculated and taken into consideration in determining the length of the route travelled by the vehicle between more than two consecutive road segments with approximately equal angles alternating in respective turn-off direction.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the turn-off route lengths are only calculated and taken into consideration in determining the length of the route travelled by the vehicle, for travelled road segments in specific areas of the digital road map in urban areas.