Methods of providing traffic information and supporting apparatus, readable medium, and memory

• US 9,251,703 B1
• Filed: 09/18/2006
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Mbekeani, Lumumba
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fan, Hongmin
• Application Number:
  US11/522,670
• Time in Patent Office: 3,424 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/995.13, 701117-119
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/092 Coding or decoding of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard

Abstract

A technique of providing traffic information to a navigation system that obtains (704) current traffic data having a current traffic condition associated with a location description on a road network. Historic traffic data associated with the location description are then obtained (708) from a historic traffic database to be compared (710) with the current traffic data. From the comparison, a traffic delta between the current traffic data and the historic traffic data is then provided (710), which is used to determine (714) whether this traffic delta corresponds in a predetermined way with a threshold. And if so, a traffic message is generated (716) with the current traffic condition associated with the location description.

Claims

1. A method of providing traffic information on a navigation system comprising:

obtaining a current location of the navigation system from a global positioning system (GPS);

determining, by a processor, whether a traffic message has been received at the navigation system, wherein the traffic message includes a traffic delta between current traffic data and historic traffic data for the current location;

providing, by the processor, a current traffic condition when the traffic message has been received by combining the traffic delta in the traffic message with historic traffic data having a time stamp corresponding to a current time, wherein the historic traffic data is obtained from a historic traffic database on the navigation system, and wherein the traffic delta is received when the traffic delta exceeds a threshold, and the threshold is variable and dependent on a speed of the current traffic or a speed limit at a current location of the navigation system; and

providing the historic traffic data from the historic traffic database on the navigation system when the traffic message has not been received.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining a current time,

wherein the current traffic data and the historic traffic data are based, at least in part, on the current time and the current location of the navigation system.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

prior to providing the current traffic condition, obtaining a location reference code from the traffic message, wherein the current traffic condition is based, at least in part, upon the location reference code.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the location reference code comprises any one or more selected from a group of a geographic location, a point of interest, and a local location of a geographic location.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the traffic message is broadcast using any one or more selected from a group of Radio Data System (RDS), Traffic Message Channel (TMC), Radio Data System-Traffic Message Channel (RDS-TMC), Vehicle Information and Communication System, digital radio, satellite radio, mobile Internet, mobile paging, and General Packet Radio Service/Global System for Mobile (GPRS/GSM) phone networks.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the traffic message uses any one or more selected from a group of an Alert-C protocol, Alert-Plus protocol, packet-based protocol, and Vehicle Information and Communication System message protocol.

7. An apparatus for providing traffic information comprising:

a receiver for receiving a traffic message having a traffic delta between current traffic data and historic traffic data, wherein the traffic delta is selected when a difference between the current traffic data and the historic traffic data exceeds a threshold, wherein the threshold is variable and dependent on a speed of the current traffic;

a memory for storing a historic traffic database having historic traffic data associated with a time stamp;

a processor;

a global positioning system (GPS) for obtaining a current location of the apparatus;

a program operably coupled to the memory and the receiver, wherein the program, when executed by the processor, provides current traffic conditions for the current location when the traffic message is received by the receiver by combining the traffic delta in the traffic message with the historic traffic data having a time stamp corresponding to a current time in the historic traffic database and provides the historic traffic data in the historic traffic database when the traffic message is not received by the receiver; and

a user interface operably coupled to the program for displaying the current traffic conditions and the historic traffic data to a user.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the apparatus is a navigation system.

9. A method comprising:

obtaining a current location of a vehicle from a global positioning system (GPS);

selecting, by a processor, current traffic data for the current location of the vehicle;

selecting, by the processor, historical traffic data for the current location of the vehicle;

comparing, by the processor, the current traffic data to the historical traffic data to determine a traffic delta;

comparing, by the processor, the traffic delta to a threshold, wherein the threshold is variable depending on a speed of the current traffic data or a speed limit for the current location of the vehicle;

when the traffic delta exceeds the threshold dependent on the speed of the current traffic data, generating a traffic message including the traffic delta; and

sending the traffic message to one or more user devices.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the traffic message uses any one or more selected from a group of an Alert-C protocol, Alert-Plus protocol, packet-based protocol, and Vehicle Information and Communication System message protocol.