DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MOBILITY

• US 20160231136A1
• Filed: 09/10/2014
• Published: 08/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Original Assignee: Volkswagen AG
• Inventors: HOCH, Nicklas
• Granted Patent: US 10,386,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 21/3605 Destination input or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2240/00 Transportation facility access, e.g. fares, tolls or parking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00

Abstract

Methods and devices for controlling mobility in which a server arrangement determines the market prices for mobility resources. In devices associated with the vehicles, a route recommendation is then calculated based on market prices and a preference specified by the vehicle occupants.

Claims

1. A method for mobility control, comprising:

determining market prices for mobility resources in a server arrangement based on a demand for the mobility resources;

receiving at least one of the market prices from the server arrangement in an apparatus associated with a vehicle;

stipulating a preference by a user of the vehicle; and

determining a route recommendation based on the at least one received market price and the preference in the apparatus associated with the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of the market prices comprises an instance of determination of the market prices based on a utilization level of the mobility resources.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of the market prices comprises an instance of determination of the market prices based on costs of the mobility resources.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobility resources comprise one or more resources selected from the group consisting of traffic routes, traffic route segments, parking spaces, filling stations;

and charging columns.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the route recommendation is determined based on market prices for at least two different types of mobility resources.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stipulation of a preference comprises an instance of weighting optimization parameters.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving information about the mobility resources by the server, wherein the determination of market prices comprises an instance of determination of the market prices based on the received information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the apparatus associated with the vehicle is arranged in the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising an instance of reception of demand information from the apparatus associated with the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the demand information comprises information relative to a maximum accepted price.

11. An apparatus for a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a communication interface for sending a demand information item to a server arrangement and for receiving at least one market price, which is dependent on the demand information item, for a mobility resource from a server arrangement;

a user interface for receiving a preference of a user; and

a computation device for determining a route recommendation based on the at least one received market price and the received preference.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus comprises a navigation system and/or an infotainment system for the vehicle.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is set up to send information relative to at least one mobility resource to the server arrangement.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the demand information item comprises an information item relative to a maximum accepted price.

15. A server arrangement, comprising:

a communication interface for receiving information about mobility resources comprising information relative to a demand for the mobility resources and for sending market prices from mobility resources to apparatuses associated with vehicles; and

a computation device for computing the market prices based on the information.

16. The server arrangement of claim 15, further comprising a multiplicity of devices arranged on different levels and interchange information that is relevant to market prices with one another, wherein devices on the bottommost level are set up to send market prices to apparatuses associated with vehicles.

17. The server arrangement of claim 16, wherein devices on a further level, which is arranged above the bottommost level, are set up to receive information relative to parking space availability and/or filling stations and/or charging stations and to take the received information as a basis for determining area market prices, and to forward the area market prices to devices on the bottommost level to determine the market prices.

18. The server arrangement of claim 16, wherein devices on an additional level arranged above the bottommost level, are set up to receive information relative to the utilization level of traffic routes and/or relative to an energy network.

19. The server arrangement of claim 15, wherein the information about mobility resources comprises information about maximum prices accepted for the mobility resources by road users.