Road status data providing system

• US 20030083812A1
• Filed: 10/28/2002
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Sato, Tsuyoshi, Watanabe, Tomo, Saito, Yukitaka, Oda, Tamami
• Granted Patent: US 7,047,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

A road status data providing system includes a server for transmitting/receiving data via a communication line and a plurality of vehicle terminals. The server includes a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from the plurality of vehicle terminals, a vehicle trend management database for managing vehicle trends of the plurality of vehicle terminals, and a totaling unit for totaling status data indicative of a status of vehicles at a prescribed point on the basis of the vehicle trend management database. Each of the vehicle terminals includes a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from the server, a present position determining unit for determining the present position of the vehicle, and a creating unit for creating status data requesting information for acquiring the status data at the prescribed point.

Claims

1. A road status data providing system including a server for transmitting/receiving data via a communication line and a plurality of vehicle terminals, said server comprising:

a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from said plurality of vehicle terminals;

a vehicle trend management database for managing vehicle trends of said plurality of vehicle terminals; and

a totaling unit for totaling status data indicative of a status of vehicles at a prescribed point on the basis of said vehicle trend management database, and.

each of said vehicle terminals comprising;

a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from said server;

a present position determining unit for determining the present position of the vehicle; and

a creating unit for creating status data requesting information for acquiring the status data at said prescribed point.

2. The road status data providing system according to claim 1, wherein said vehicle terminal transmits the present position information acquired by the present position determining unit at regular time intervals to the server;

and

wherein said server receives the present position information transmitted from the vehicle terminal and updates the vehicle trend management database as occasion demands on the basis of said present position information.

3. The road status data providing system according to claim 1, wherein said totaling unit in the server totals the number of vehicles running toward said prescribed point on the basis of the status data requesting information transmitted from said vehicle terminal.

4. The road status data providing system according to claim 1, wherein said server further comprises a route searching unit for searching a route from the present position to the destination on the basis of destination information transmitted from said vehicle terminal.

5. The road status data providing system according to claim 4, wherein said server further comprises an estimated route searching unit for estimating the destination of a vehicle to search the route to said destination for the vehicle which is managed by said vehicle trend management database and is not conducting the route searching.

6. The road status data providing system according to claim 5, wherein said vehicle trend management database in said server also stores the route searching result by said route searching unit and the estimated route searching result by said estimated route searching unit.

7. The road status data providing system according to claim 5, wherein said estimated route searching unit in the server estimates the destination of a vehicle on the basis of the running direction of said vehicle and history information stored in said vehicle trend management database.

8. The road status data providing system according to claim 1, wherein said creating unit of said vehicle terminal creates said status data requesting information which includes position information for indicating said prescribed point, range information for specifying a prescribed range inclusive of said point and time information for setting a time when said status data is to be acquired.

9. The road status data providing system according to claim 8, wherein said totaling unit in the server defines roads crossing the outline of said range on the basis of said position information and range information with reference to said vehicle trend management database to total the number of vehicles which will run in said range using the roads at said time and set said point as a destination for each of the roads.

18. A program for providing road status data, wherein it causes the computer included in said vehicle terminal in said road status data providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 as a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from said server;

a present position determining unit for determining the present position of the vehicle; and

a creating unit for creating status data requesting information for acquiring the status data at said prescribed point.

19. An information recording medium, wherein the program for providing the road status data according to claim 18 is recorded so as to be readable.

10. An information providing server for transmitting/receiving data for a plurality of vehicle terminals via a communication line, comprising:

a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving data to and from said plurality of vehicle terminals;

a vehicle trend management database for managing vehicle trends of said plurality of vehicle terminals; and

a totaling unit for totaling status data indicative of a status of vehicles at a prescribed point on the basis of said vehicle trend management database.

11. The information providing server according to claim 10, wherein said transmission/reception unit receives the present position information transmitted from said vehicle terminal, and

wherein said vehicle trend management database updates the vehicle trend management database as occasion demands on the basis of said present position information.

12. The information providing server according to claim 10, wherein said totaling unit totals the number of vehicles running toward said prescribed point on the basis of the status data requesting information transmitted from said vehicle terminal.

13. The information providing server according to claim 10, further comprising a route searching unit for searching a route from the present position to the destination on the basis of destination information transmitted from said vehicle terminal.

14. The information providing server according to claim 13 further comprising an estimated route searching unit for estimating the destination of a vehicle to search the route to said destination for the vehicle which is managed by said vehicle trend management database and is not conducting the route searching.

15. A vehicle terminal for transmitting/receiving data via a communication line for an information providing server including a vehicle trend management database for managing vehicle trends of a plurality of vehicle terminals;

and a totaling unit for totaling status data indicative of a status of vehicles at a prescribed point on the basis of said vehicle trend management database, said vehicle terminal comprising;

a transmitting/receiving unit for data to and from said server;

a present position determining unit for determining the present position of the vehicle;

a creating unit for creating status data requesting information for acquiring the status data at said prescribed point.

16. The vehicle terminal according to claim 15, wherein it transmits the present position information acquired by said present position determining unit to said server at regular time intervals.

17. The vehicle terminal according to claim 15, wherein said creating unit creates said status data requesting information which includes position information for indicating said prescribed point, range information for specifying a prescribed range inclusive of said point and time information for setting a time when said status data is to be acquired.