Estimated time of arrival for vehicle navigation

• US 9,429,436 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2015
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Wippler, Erik Anthony III
• Primary Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US14/595,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20160202069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 705/13, 705/30, 701/400, 701/414, 701/300, 701/410, 701/533, 455/466, 340/928
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• 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

Abstract

Arrangements related to determining an estimated time of arrival for vehicle navigation are described. A travel route between an origin and a destination is determined. The travel route includes a toll road. It can be determined whether one or more toll payment areas are located along the toll road. A toll payment delay for the one or more toll payment areas can be determined. Responsive to receiving an indication of automatic toll payment, the toll payment delay for the one or more toll payment areas can be adjusted. An estimated time of arrival to the destination can be determined using the adjusted toll payment delay for the one or more toll payment areas. The determined estimated time of arrival can be presented to a user.

Claims

1. A method for estimating time of arrival for vehicle navigation comprising:

determining, using a processor, a travel route between an origin and a destination, the travel route including a toll road;

determining, using a processor, whether one or more toll payment areas are located along the toll road;

determining, using a processor, a toll payment delay for the one or more toll payment areas;

responsive to receiving an indication of automatic toll payment, adjusting, using a processor, the toll payment delay for the one or more toll payment areas based on at least one of;

a predetermined adjusted toll payment delay, a predetermined percentage, a predetermined amount of time, or a current actual delay time at an automatic toll payment area;

determining, using a processor, an estimated time of arrival to the destination using the adjusted toll payment delay for the one or more toll payment areas; and

presenting the determined estimated time of arrival to a user.

2. The method of claim 1, further including:

responsive to receiving an indication of automatic toll payment, presenting a warning that tolls will not be automatically paid.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of automatic toll payment includes receiving a user input corresponding to an indication of automatic toll payment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indication of automatic toll payment includes detecting the presence of an automatic toll payment device within a predetermined distance.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the toll payment delay includes reducing the toll payment delay.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the toll payment delay includes ignoring the toll payment delay.

7. The method of claim 1, further including:

identifying a type of the one or more toll payment areas located along the toll road, wherein, if the identified type of the one or more toll payment areas includes open road tolling, adjusting the toll payment delay includes ignoring the toll payment delay.

8. The method of claim 1, further including:

identifying a type of the one or more toll payment areas located along the toll road, wherein, if the identified type of the one or more toll payment areas includes a travel lane designated for automatic toll payments only, adjusting the toll payment delay includes reducing the toll payment delay.

9. The method of claim 1, further including:

identifying a type of the one or more toll payment areas located along the toll road, wherein, if the identified type of the one or more toll payment areas includes an automatic toll payment area,

determining whether or not there is an actual traffic delay at the automatic toll payment area; and

responsive to determining that there is an actual traffic delay at the automatic toll payment area, ignoring the indication of automatic toll payment.

10. The method of claim 9, further including:

responsive to determining that there is an actual traffic delay at the automatic toll payment area, determining an actual time delay at the automatic toll payment area; and

setting the toll payment delay to at least the actual time delay at the automatic toll payment area.

11. A system for determining an estimated time of arrival for vehicle navigation comprising:

a processor, the processor being programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

determining a travel route between an origin and a destination, the travel route including a toll road;

determining whether one or more toll payment areas are located along the toll road;

determining a toll payment delay for the one or more toll payment areas;

responsive to receiving an indication of automatic toll payment, adjusting the toll payment delay for the one or more toll payment areas based on at least one of;

a predetermined adjusted toll payment delay, a predetermined percentage, a predetermined amount of time, or a current actual delay time at an automatic toll payment area;

determining an estimated time of arrival to the destination using the adjusted toll payment delay for the one or more toll payment areas; and

presenting the determined estimated time of arrival to a user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the executable operations further include:

responsive to receiving an indication of automatic toll payment, presenting a warning that tolls will not be automatically paid.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein receiving the indication of automatic toll payment includes receiving a user input corresponding to an indication of automatic toll payment.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein receiving the indication of automatic toll payment includes detecting the presence of an automatic toll payment device within a predetermined distance.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein adjusting the toll payment delay includes reducing the toll payment delay.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein adjusting the toll payment delay includes ignoring the toll payment delay.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the executable operations further include:

identifying a type of the one or more toll payment areas located along the toll road, wherein, if the identified type of the one or more toll payment areas includes open road tolling, adjusting the toll payment delay includes ignoring the toll payment delay.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the executable operations further include:

identifying a type of the one or more toll payment areas located along the toll road, wherein, if the identified type of the one or more toll payment areas includes a travel lane designated for automatic toll payments only, adjusting the toll payment delay includes reducing the toll payment delay.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the executable operations further include:

identifying a type of the one or more toll payment areas located along the toll road, wherein, if the identified type of the one or more toll payment areas includes an automatic toll payment area,

determining whether or not there is an actual traffic delay at the automatic toll payment area; and

responsive to determining that there is an actual traffic delay at the automatic toll payment area, ignoring the indication of automatic toll payment.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the executable operations further include:

responsive to determining that there is an actual traffic delay at the automatic toll payment area, determining an actual time delay at the automatic toll payment area; and

setting the toll payment delay to at least the actual time delay at the automatic toll payment area.