Method and computer program product for estimating a travel time for a vehicle

• US 9,574,886 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2012
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volvo Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Volvo Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Claes, Pihl
• Primary Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US14/434,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20150292892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/31.4, 701/533
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• 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

Abstract

A method and software are provided for estimating a travel time for a vehicle including the steps of determining a route for which the travel time is to be estimated, dividing the route into route sections, wherein each route section has substantially constant road characteristics, selecting a vehicle configuration for the vehicle, retrieving, from a database, an estimated travel time for each route section based on each route section for the selected vehicle configuration, aggregating the estimated travel times for each route section from the database into a total travel time for the determined route. Furthermore a method for creating, and using, the database is provided.

Claims

1. A method for estimating a travel time for a vehicle comprising the steps of:

determining a route for which the travel time is to be estimated;

dividing the route into route sections, wherein each route section has substantially constant road characteristics;

selecting a vehicle configuration for the vehicle;

retrieving, via a computer, from a database, an estimated travel time for each route section based on each route section for the selected vehicle configuration; and

aggregating, via the computer, the estimated travel times for each route section from the database into a total travel time for the determined route,

wherein the database comprises traveling data corresponding to the vehicle accelerating up to a predetermined cruising speed, allowing for estimating the vehicle'"'"'s travel time for an accelerating portion of the route section

wherein the database comprises traveling data corresponding to braking the vehicle from a predetermined max speed to substantially standing still, allowing for estimating the vehicle'"'"'s travel time for a braking portion of the route section.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the database comprises traveling data corresponding to the vehicle traveling in a predetermined cruising speed.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the database comprises traveling data corresponding to the vehicle decelerating to a predetermined cruising speed.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the traveling data comprises distance, speed and time data.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the traveling data comprises acceleration and any one of speed, distance or time data.

6. Method according to claim 4, wherein the traveling data further comprises energy consumption or fuel consumption.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the estimated travel time for each route section is dependent on the traveling data of a previous route section, unless the route section is the first route section of the route.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein the estimated travel time for a route section is estimated by the partial steps:

determining the vehicle'"'"'s final speed at the end of the directly preceding route section;

assigning the final speed from the preceding route as an initial speed for the current route section.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the route sections are divided into vehicle speed curves, wherein each vehicle speed curve represent one of;

the vehicle accelerating up to a predetermined cruising speed;

the vehicle traveling in a predetermined cruising, speed;

the vehicle decelerating to a predetermined cruising speed;

or

braking the vehicle to substantially standing still.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein the estimated travel time for each route section is estimated by estimating each travel time for at least a portion of any relevant speed curve and subsequently aggregating the travel time for the portions of any relevant speed curves into a travel time for each route section.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein the selected vehicle configuration comprises at least one of motor power, weight, load, fuel consumption, energy consumption, tires and gear transmission.

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein the road characteristics comprise at least one of distance, inclination, rolling resistance, speed limits and bend of a curve.

13. Method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of determining, via the computer, the driver characteristics of the driver of the vehicle, and wherein the database further comprises traveling data corresponding to driver characteristics.

14. A method for creating a database for use of estimating a travel time for vehicles, comprising:

defining a plurality of vehicles, each vehicle with a plurality of configurations, for which the travel time is to be estimated;

defining a plurality of route sections, wherein each route section has substantially constant road characteristics; and

generating a database comprising traveling data corresponding the defined vehicles traveling along the route sections, wherein the traveling data comprise vehicle speed curves representing;

the vehicles accelerating to a predetermined cruising speed;

the vehicles traveling in a predetermined cruising speed;

the vehicles decelerating to a predetermined cruising speed; and

/or

braking the vehicles to substantially standing still.

15. Computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program for estimating a travel time for vehicle, wherein the computer program product comprises:

code for determining a route for which the travel time is to be estimated;

code for dividing the route into route sections, wherein each route section has substantially constant road characteristics;

code for selecting a vehicle configuration for the vehicle;

code for retrieving, from a database, an estimated travel time for each route section based on each route section for the selected vehicle configuration; and

code for aggregating the estimated travel times for each route section from the database into a total travel time for the determined route,

wherein the database comprises traveling data corresponding to the vehicle accelerating up to a predetermined cruising speed, allowing for estimating the vehicle'"'"'s travel time for an accelerating portion of the route section

wherein the database comprises traveling data corresponding to braking the vehicle from a predetermined max speed to substantially standing still), allowing for estimating the vehicle'"'"'s travel time for a braking, portion of the route section.