Transportation system arrival and departure time calculation and display system

• US 9,117,372 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lawo Informationssysteme GmbH
• Original Assignee: Lawo Informationssysteme GmbH
• Inventors: Kth, Karsten Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US13/787,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20130234868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/994, 340/993, 701/117, 701/468, 701/201, 701/209
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/133 within the vehicle ; Indicators inside the vehicles or at stops

Abstract

A system and method collects transit vehicle arrival and departure data sent from the transit vehicle to a stationary control center. The stationary control center continuously calculates, a medial time table, a medial travel time to a destination on a transit route and a medial travel time between transit stops on the route. The medial values may be calculated differently for rush hour, holiday, or certain weather conditions to increase the accuracy of the schedule forecast. Actual position and time information of a transit vehicle may be transmitted via wireless communication from a transit vehicle to the stationary control center. The position and time information is transmitted at least when the transit vehicle arrives and departs each transit stop on the transit route. The medial values can be displayed to transit vehicle users.

Claims

1. A method for providing a transit stop forecast in a self-learning transit system comprising a control center and a transit vehicle unit adapted to be installed into a transit vehicle traveling on a transit route, wherein the transit route comprises a plurality of transit stops, the method comprising:

a) providing a position information item of the transit vehicle unit to the control center, wherein the position information item is provided when a door sensor on the transit vehicle senses a first door status of a door changing from a closed status to an opened status, and wherein the position information item is also provided when the door sensor on the transit vehicle senses a second door status the door changing from the opened status to the closed status;

b) storing the position information item in a memory device of the control center;

c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until a predetermined number of position information items have been stored;

d) calculating by the control center a medial time table for each of the transit stops based on the stored position information items and storing the medial time table in the memory device; and

e) providing the medial time table to the transit vehicle unit as the transit stop forecast.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeating steps (a), (b), (d) and (e) after the predetermined number of position information items have been stored.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the position information item comprises the actual time and date and/or a transit stop name.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the position information item is provided to the control center as an arrival indication when the door sensor senses the first door status and the transit vehicle is determined to be positioned proximate to one of a plurality of transit stops, and wherein the position item is provided to the control center as a departure indication when the door sensor senses the second door status and the transit vehicle is determined to be positioned proximate to one of the plurality of transit stops.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the position information item is further provided to the control center on predetermined time intervals, when the transit vehicle is traveling along the transit route.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the position information item and the medial time table are stored in the memory device of the control center in a double compressed format.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the control center creates a plurality of databases in the memory device, wherein each position information item is stored in one of the databases dependent on preconfigured conditions, wherein the medial time table is calculated for each database separately and wherein the medial time table provided to the transit vehicle unit is selected dependent on the preconfigured conditions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the preconfigured conditions comprise a time of day, a day of the week, a date, a holiday flag, a season of the year, an identification of the transit vehicle, an identification of a driver of the transit vehicle, weather conditions and/or road construction data.

9. A self-learning transit system for providing a transit stop forecast for a transit vehicle traveling on a transit route, wherein the transit route comprises a plurality of transit stops, the system comprising:

a transit vehicle unit configured to be installed into the transit vehicle and to provide position information items of the transit vehicle unit when the transit vehicle unit determines, based on an open/close signal received from a door sensor on the transit vehicle, that a door status of a door changed from a closed status to an opened status and when the transit vehicle unit determines, based on the open/close signal received from the door sensor on the transit vehicle, that the door status of the door changed from the opened status to the closed status;

a control center connected to the transit vehicle unit via a wireless communication network and adapted to receive and store the position information items in a memory device comprised by the control center;

wherein the control center, as soon as a predetermined number of position information items have been stored, is further configured to calculate a medial time table for each of the transit stops based on the stored position information items, to store the medial time table in the memory device and to provide the medial time table to the transit vehicle unit as the transit stop forecast.

10. The transit system of claim 9, wherein the transit vehicle unit is further adapted to provide position information items that comprise the actual time and date and/or a transit stop name.

11. The transit system of claim 9, wherein the transit vehicle unit comprises the door sensor, an odometer and/or a geographical positioning system (GPS) to provide data to enable the transit vehicle unit to determine that the transit vehicle is arriving or departing from one of the transit stops or to provide information to enable the transit vehicle unit to determine that the transit vehicle is between transit stops.

12. The transit system of claim 9, wherein the transit system further comprises additional transit vehicle units configured for installation into additional transit vehicles, and wherein the control center is further configured to provide the medial time table to the additional transit vehicle units operating on the transit route or on different transit routes that intercept with the transit route at a transfer location.

13. The transit system of claim 9, wherein the control center is connected to the Internet and further adapted to provide the medial time table to devices connected thereto.

14. The transit system according to claim 9, wherein the transit vehicle unit further comprises:

an information handling device configured to provide a position information item associated with the transit vehicle unit, the position information item comprising the actual time and date and/or a transit stop name;

a time clock circuit configured to provide the actual time and date to the information handling device;

a vehicle control unit configured to provide the transit stop name and/or preconfigured geographical location data of the transit stop to the information handling device;

the door sensor configured to provide the open/close signal indicative of whether the door status has changed from the closed status to the opened status and when the door status has changed from the opened status to the closed status, and further when the door status has not changed from a closed status to an opened status to the information handling device;

a geographical positioning system (GPS) unit configured to provide geographical location information about a position of the transit vehicle to the information handling device;

wherein the information handling device is further configured to provide the position information item, when open/close signal indicates that the door status has changed from the closed status to the opened status or from the opened status to the closed status and the information handling device determines, based on geographical location information provided by the geographical positioning system (GPS) unit that the transit vehicle unit is substantially near to the preconfigured geographical location data of the transit stop.

15. A system for creating and providing a transit stop forecast for a transit route, wherein the transit route comprises a plurality of transit stops, the system comprising:

a first vehicle unit adapted for installation into a first transit vehicle, the vehicle unit comprising;

a vehicle position device configured to estimate the vehicle unit'"'"'s geographical location and provide geographical location data;

a door sensor configured to provide a open/close signal indicative of whether a door status for a door on the transit vehicle changes from a closed status to an opened status or from the opened status to the closed status;

a vehicle control unit configured to store a list of the plurality of transit stops and transit stop data associated with each of the plurality of transit stops on the transit route;

a clock circuit configured to provide date and time data;

a mobile data transceiver device configured to wirelessly communicate over a mobile data network;

an information handling device configured to receive geographical location data from the vehicle position device, configured to receive the open/close signal from the door sensor, configured to request and receive transit stop data for each transit stop from the vehicle control unit, and configured to receive date and time data from the clock circuit;

the information handling device further configured to determine, using the geographical location data and the open/close signal, whether the vehicle unit is arriving and proximate to or is leaving from a geographical location of one of the plurality of transit stops;

wherein, when the information handling device determines that the vehicle unit is arriving proximate to one of the plurality of transit stops, the information handling device is further adapted to create an arrival data package comprising a transit vehicle ID, a route ID, time and date data, and an indication that the transit vehicle arrived at one of the plurality of transit stops; and

wherein the information handling device is further configured to provide the arrival data package to the mobile data transceiver for wireless transmission over the mobile data network; and

wherein, when the information handling device determines that the vehicle unit is leaving from the geographical location of one of the plurality of transit stops, the information handling device is further adapted to create a departure data package comprising the transit vehicle ID, the route ID, time and date data, and an indication that the transit vehicle is departing from one of the plurality of transit stops; and

wherein the information handling device is further configured to provide the departure data package to the mobile data transceiver for wireless transmission over the mobile network; and

a control center configured to communicate over the mobile data network with the mobile transceiver, the control center comprising a database configured to initially operate in a learning mode for a predetermined amount of time, wherein during learning mode the control center receives the arrival data packages and departure data packages from the vehicle unit and stores the received data in the data base.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the control center is further configured to calculate an arrival medial time table of arrival times at each of the plurality of transit stops, a departure medial time table of departure times for each of the plurality of transit stops, and a travel time medial time table for the travel time from a first one of the plurality of transit stops to a second one of the plurality of transit stops.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the arrival medial time table, the departure medial time table and the travel time medial time table are stored in a double compressed format.

18. The system of claim of 15, wherein the control center is further configured to operate in a normal mode after the predetermined amount of time, wherein upon receiving a new arrival data package, the control center calculates and transmits an expected departure time over the mobile data network to the first vehicle unit for display on a first visual display connected to the first transit unit.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the control center is further configured adapted to operate in normal mode after the predetermined amount of time, wherein upon receiving a new departure data package, the control center calculates and transmits an expected arrival time at a next transit stop of the plurality of transit stops to the first vehicle unit for display on a first visual display connected to the first transit unit.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the expected arrival time at the next transit stop of the plurality of transit stops is further received by a second transit unit and displayed on a second visual display connected to the second transit unit.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the vehicle position device comprises a GPS device configured to estimate the vehicle unit'"'"'s geographical location and provide geographical location data.

22. A transit vehicle time table notification device comprising:

an information handling device configured to provide transit time table information to display to users of a transit system, the transit time table information to display comprising a selected transit stop name and an estimated time of arrival at the selected transit stop;

a vehicle control unit configured to store a list of N transit stop names comprising a first transit stop name to an Nth transit stop name and configured to store transit stop name geographical location information for each of the N transit stop names, the vehicle control unit configured to provide a selected transit stop name and geographical location information of the selected transit stop name from the list of N transit stop names to the information handling device;

a geographical positioning system (GPS) unit configured to provide geographical location information about a position of a transit vehicle in which the transit vehicle time table notification device is installed to the information handling device;

a time clock circuit that provides a time signal to the information handling device;

a door status sensor configured to provide a door open signal when a predetermined transit vehicle door is opened and a door close signal when the predetermined transit vehicle door is closed to the information handling device;

a telecommunication device configured to accept and transmit a transmit data package from the information handling device to a central controller, the telecommunication device further being configured to provide a received data package from the central controller to the information handling system;

wherein when the door status sensor transitions from providing the door closed signal to providing the door open signal at substantially the same time that the geographical location information is indicating that the transit vehicle is substantially close to the geographical location information of the selected transit stop name, then the information handling system provides a first transmit data package to the telecommunication device for transmission by the telecommunication device to the central controller, the first transmit data package comprises the selected transit stop name and an indication of the time that the transit vehicle arrived at the selected transit stop name.

23. The transit vehicle time table notification device of claim 22, wherein, after the transmit data package is transmitted by the telecommunication device, the telecommunication device is configured to receive a first data package from the central controller, the received first data package comprises an updated time estimation of when the transit vehicle will depart from the selected transit stop name.

24. The transit vehicle time table notification device of claim 22, wherein, after the transmit data package is transmitted by the telecommunication device and the door status sensor transitions from providing the door open signal to providing the door closed signal, the information handling system provides a second transmit data package to the telecommunication device for transmission by the telecommunication device to the central controller, the second transmit data package comprise the selected stop name and an indication of the time that the transit vehicle is departing the selected transit stop name.

25. The transit vehicle time table notification device of claim 24, wherein, after the second transmit package is transmitted by the telecommunication device, the telecommunication device is configured to receive a second data package from the central controller, the received second data package comprises an updated time estimation of when the transit vehicle will arrival at a next selected transit stop name to be provided by the information handling device for display to users of the transit system.

26. The transit vehicle time table notification device of claim 22, wherein the central controller comprises a data base and a microprocessor configured to organize and store indications of the times that the transit vehicle arrived at each of the N transit stop names in the data base;

the microprocessor further configured to calculate the updated time estimation of when the transit vehicle will depart from the selected transit stop name.

27. The transit vehicle time table notification device of claim 23, wherein the central controller comprises a data base and microprocessor configured to organize and store indications of the times that the transit vehicle departed from each of the N transit stop names in the data base, the microprocessor further configured to calculate the updated time estimation of when the transit vehicle will arrival at a next selected transit stop name based on the stored indications of the times that the transit vehicle departed from the selected transit stop name.

28. The transit vehicle time table notification device of claim 27, wherein the time of arrival and time of departure data for each of the N transit stop names are further organized by at least the day of the week and the time of day.