Route bus service controlling system

• US 4,799,162 A
• Filed: 10/24/1986
• Issued: 01/17/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Hayakawa, Hideki, Shinkawa, Kiyoshi, Mori, Masaru, Kawahara, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Application Number:
  US06/923,093
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 364/436, 364/424, 340/916, 340/917, 340/994, 343/457
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station

Abstract

The route bus operation controlling system of this invention includes mobile radio units, ground radio unit and central processor, wherein the central processor is provided with a memory for storing the actual running time of buses in specific section of each bus service route and other service information and a processing unit which reads out the service information stored in the memory to calculate coefficient data which allows comparison among delays in each bus route, applies a weight to the calculated result basing on the old and new actual values, calculated as sample values the average movement values of buses which have run in the specified section, calculates as sample values the expected values of the bus under forecast, and cumulates the expected running time for each specified section, and wherein the mobile radio units and ground radio units are provided with display units for displaying service information of a specific section of route and the entire route.

Claims

1. A route bus service controlling system including a mobile radio unit equipped on a route bus, ground radio units installed at certain intervals of distance along the entire route of the bus, a central processor which calculates expected operational information for a specific section of said route based on passage information provided by said mobile radio unit and ground radio units, and a plurality of display units for displaying said expected operational information, wherein said central processor comprises:

(a) a memory for storing service plan basic information, passage information, actual running time in said specific section, standard running time, and actual service interval; and

(b) a processing unit which;

(1) adds a passage time of a bus under forecast at the arrival at a latest ground radio unit to a sum of expected running time for divided unit segments of route where the bus has not yet run,

(2) sets a finite time frame for providing the running time of buses which have run in the past,

(3) calculates an average movement value of a plurality of buses which have passed in said specific section before the bus under forecast by using a delay coefficient normalized for the standard running time and a weight value for the actual running time,

(4) determines a sample value showing an average movement value of each specific section for the bus under forecast from the calculated average movement value,

(5) calculates an expected running time in each specific section by multiplying said sample value by said standard running time, and

(6 ) calculates arrival time at a specific location by cumulating expected running time of each specific section in a portion of route where the bus has not yet run through a similar computational process; and

(c) wherein arrival time at a specific location and information of route bus operation calculated by said processing unit is displayed on display units provided in each location of the bus route and on each route bus.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said central processor comprises a processing unit which calculates a bus service interval at a certain time interval, based on an actual number of buses which have passed in a certain time length in the past in front of a road unit incorporating the ground radio unit installed at each location of the bus route and an expected number of buses which will pass in a certain time length in the future, from a sum of the actual number of buses and the expected number of buses and from a sum of each certain time length, and wherein an approach guidance display unit for displaying the result of calculation is incorporated in said road unit.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said central processor comprises a processing unit which:

(a) sets the time frame of running time in the past (actual value),

(b) calculates average movement values li (will be termed sample values;

i=0, -1, -2, . . . ) of buses which have passed a specific section of route before the bus under forecast by using a delay coefficient D normalized for a standard running time and a weight value W for the actual running time as;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">l.sub.0 =W.sub.0 D.sub.0 +(1-W.sub.0)l.sub.-1

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">l.sub.-1 =W.sub.1 D.sub.-1 +(1-W.sub.-1)l.sub.2 (i=0, -1, -2, . . . )

(where suffix 0, -1 and -2 signify values for the previous bus, preceding bus and more preceding bus),

(c) confines the entry time S of the bus under forecast and buses which have run into a unit segment of the route,

(d) sets the time frame of forecast, calculates a sample value l₁ of the bus under forecast in the specific section from the calculated sample values l₀ and l_-1 as;

##EQU7## (where suffixes 1, 0 and -1 signify values for the bus under forecast, the previous bus and the further preceding bus),

(e) calculates an expected running time in the specific section by multiplying the sample value l₁ and standard running time T_s, and

(f) calculates the arrival time at a specific location by cumulating running time of each specific section in a portion of route where the bus has not yet run.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said central processor comprises a processing unit which:

(a) sets the time frame of running time in the past (actual value),

(b) calculates average movement values li (will be termed sample values;

i=0, -1, -2, . . . ) of buses which have passed the specific section of route before the bus under forecast by using a delay coefficient D normalized for a standard running time and a weight value W for the actual running time as;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">l.sub.0 =W.sub.0 D.sub.0 +(1-W.sub.0) l.sub.-1

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">l.sub.1 =W.sub.1 D.sub.-1 +(1-W.sub.-1)l.sub.-2

where suffixes 0, -1 and -2 signify values for the previous bus, preceding bus and more preceding bus),

(c) confines the entry time S of the bus under forecast and buses which have run into the unit segment of route, limits the time frame of forecast, calculates a sample value l₁ of the bus under forecast in the specific section from the calculated sample value l₀ and l_-1 as;

##EQU8## (where suffix 1, 0 and -1 signify values for the bus under forecast, the previous bus and the further preceding bus),

(d) calculates an expected running time in the specific section by multiplying the sample value l₁ and standard running time T_s,

(e) calculates the arrival time at a specific location by cumulating running time of each specific section in a portion of route where the bus does not yet run; and

wherein said display unit is provided in a road unit on the bus route incorporating said ground radio unit so as to constitute an approach guidance unit for displaying the arrival time or departure time of the route bus.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said display means is provided in a road unit on the bus route incorporating said ground radio unit so as to constitute an approach guidance display unit for displaying the arrival time or departure time of the route bus.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said central processor comprises a processing unit which:

(a) sets the time frame of running time in the past (actual value),

(b) calculates average movement values li (will be termed sample values;

i=0, -1, -2, . . . ) of buses which have passed the specific section of route before the bus under forecast by using a delay coefficient D normalized for a standard running time and a weight value W for the actual running time as;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">l.sub.0 =W.sub.0 D.sub.0 +(1-W.sub.0)l.sub.-1

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">l.sub.-1 =W.sub.1 D.sub.-1 +(1-W.sub.-1)l.sub.-2

where suffixes 0, -1 and -2 signify values for the previous bus, preceding bus and more preceding bus),

(c) confines the entry time S of the bus under forecast and buses which have run into the unit segment of route,

(d) sets the time frame of forecast, calculates a sample value l₁ of the bus under forecast in the specific section from the calculated sample values l₀ and l_-1 as;

##EQU9## where suffix 1, 0 and -1 signify values for the bus under forecast, the previous bus and the further preceding bus,

(e) calculates an expected running time in the specified section by multiplying the sample value l₁ and standard running time T_s, and calculates the arrival time at a specific location by cumulating running time of each specified section in a portion of route where the bus has not yet run; and

wherein a road unit is installed at each of an expected arrival location in the vicinity of a bus terminal, a final arrival location immediately before the bus terminal, an incoming instruction information reception location and a bus stop in the bus terminal, said central processor operating to;

(f) estimate the arrival time of a bus at the bus terminal when the bus has arrived at the expected arrival location,

(g) produce a service time table for the next cycle of service (from the bus terminal to a turning point and back to the terminal),

(h) fix the service time table for one cycle of service when the bus has arrived at the final arrival location immediately before the bus terminal based on the actual running time experienced in this service,

(i) produce service instruction information (incoming instruction information for moving the bus to the bus stop in the terminal in the next service, service time table and other information),

(j) transmit the incoming instruction information to a road post at a reception location for the information and other information to a road post at the bus stop in the terminal, and

(k) display the service instruction information on the service instruction unit on the vehicle through communication with the road unit during the entry of the bus to the terminal.