Traffic information calculation device, traffic information calculation method, traffic information display method, and traffic information display device

• US 20070171095A1
• Filed: 02/04/2005
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mochizuki, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 7,576,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/995.130
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

A traffic information calculation device includes: a probe information database for accumulating vehicle information including a vehicle position and the time of the vehicle position; a branch judgment unit for judging the branch direction of the vehicle at an intersection according to the position of the intersection on the map database and the vehicle information; and intersection traffic information calculation unit for calculating the wait time or jam length of the branch direction at the intersection from the vehicle information. Thus, the intersection traffic information calculation unit can calculate the traffic information for each branch direction at the intersection and it is possible to obtain accurate traffic information for each branch direction even at an intersection having five directions or more.

Claims

1. A traffic information calculation device, comprising:

vehicle information acquisition means that acquires vehicle information including a position of a vehicle, and a time at the position of the vehicle;

branch determination means that determines, from a position of an intersection on a map database and the vehicle information, a branch direction of the vehicle at the intersection; and

intersection traffic information calculation means that calculates, from the vehicle information, a waiting time or a jam length at the intersection for each of the branch directions.

2. The traffic information calculation device according to claim 1, characterized in that

the intersection traffic information calculation means calculates the waiting time or the jam length at the intersection for each of the branch directions using a driving speed of the vehicle derived from the vehicle information.

3. The traffic information calculation device according to claim 2, characterized in that

the driving speed of the vehicle is derived based on at least either a vehicle speed pulse signal or positioning satellite information.

4. A traffic information calculation method,

acquiring vehicle information including a position of a vehicle and a time at the position of the vehicle, determining, from a position of an intersection on a map database and the vehicle information, a branch direction of the vehicle at the intersection, and calculating, from the vehicle information, a waiting time or a jam length at the intersection for each of the branch directions.

5. A traffic information display method in which an intersection is displayed on a map, and in accordance with the intersection on the map, a waiting time or a jam length at the intersection is displayed for every branch direction.

6. A traffic information display device, comprising:

cartographic information storage means that stores cartographic information including an intersection, and display means that displays, in accordance with the intersection on a map stored in the cartographic information storage means, a waiting time or a jam length at the intersection for every branch direction.