Method and device for generating, merging and updating of destination tracking data

• US 6,356,836 B1
• Filed: 04/06/2000
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Michael Adolph
• Original Assignee: Michael Adolph
• Inventors: Adolph, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARC-COLEMAN, MARTHE Y
• Application Number:
  US09/445,873
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/206, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/211, 701/213, 701/214, 701/215, 701/216
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3819 Road shape data, e.g. outline of a route
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096894 where input is assisted by the navigation device, i.e. the user does not type the complete name of the destination, e.g. using zip codes, telephone numbers, progressively selecting from initial letters

Abstract

A method and device for generating, merging and updating data for use in a destination tracking system which comprises, among others, the following steps: Generation of data by mobile units (vehicles) to model reality concerning route(s) and traffic, and storing this data for further use. A highly up-to-date and extremely reliable database is built-up in a simple and efficient way by merging data from many units. This database makes it possible to answer a number of complex problems, for example, about the passable route network and realizable travel times. On input of an origin and a destination node together with the intended travel time, destination tracking data is calculated from the stored data. Since the origin-destination relationships of the motions carried out by the mobile units in dependency of all conceivable parameters are known, the destination tracking recommendations for each individual participant can be given such that the sum of the times of movement of all participants is minimized.

Claims

1. A method for generating and updating data for use in a destination tracking system of at least one mobile unit comprising:

generating and storing traveled distance data in at least one storage device provided in said mobile unit at least at predetermined time intervals, wherein the traveled distance data represent traveled sections by at least a series of nodes P_i and to each node P_i geographical coordinates x_i and y_i are assigned;

generating and storing section data in the storage device provided in the mobile unit, said section data being generated by selecting, from the traveled distance data, nodes P_j and P_k, which define contiguous sections P_jP_k, to which at least their geographical starting point and end point are assigned; and

generating a section data file from the section data and storing the section data file in the storage device provided in the mobile unit, said section data file being continuously supplemented and/or updated with section data newly generated by the mobile unit.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of measuring and recording as section data a direction of motion ∝

_i of the mobile unit, in addition to measuring and recording the geographical coordinates x_i, y_i of the nodes P_i of the traveled distance data.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of deriving the direction of motion ∝

_i from the geographical coordinates x_i, y_i of the nodes P_i of the traveled distance data.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of detecting the direction of movement ∝

_i by means of at least one sensor provided in the mobile unit.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of interrupting the generation of section data in the mobile unit if the section data being generated are already stored in the storage device of the mobile unit and restarting the generation of data if the section data are not yet stored in the storage device of the mobile unit.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of preparing, via a data-processing device provided in the mobile unit, if requested by inputting at least a destination point into an input device provided in the mobile unit, a recommended route from a route data file already available in the storage device of the mobile unit, and representing said recommended route visually and/or acoustically in the mobile unit.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of utilizing, in the event either or both of the starting point and destination point are unknown, the data processing unit provided in the mobile unit or a central computer for processing either or both of the nearest known starting point and/or destination point from the section data file stored in the mobile unit or from the at least one overall route file stored in the central computer to calculate a recommended route.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of using coordinates to specify the starting point, the destination point, and/or another point lying between the starting point and the destination point.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the coordinates are represented by a bar-code.

10. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of restarting the generation of the traveled distance data by the mobile unit when the mobile unit takes a route not recommended by a central computer or by a data-processing device of the mobile unit.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of transmitting the section data files of more than one mobile unit to at least one central computer located in a location remote from said at least one mobile unit and having said central computer merge said section data files at least at predetermined time intervals into at least one overall route file.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of having said central computer check the file transmitted by a mobile unit for its update value before merging said file with the section data files and only merging said file with an overall route file if said file contains at least partially new information.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of adding a characteristic classifying each mobile unit to the files transmitted by said mobile unit, and generating via a central computer different overall route files corresponding to the different characteristics.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of adding an identification code identifying the mobile unit to the data transmitted by the mobile units and detecting, via a central computer, the update value of the data transmitted together with the identification code of the mobile unit for calculating a reimbursement fee for each mobile unit transmitting data.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of transmitting the section data file generated by a mobile unit immediately after motion of the mobile unit terminates.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of transmitting the section data file generated by a mobile unit to a central computer after a predetermined time interval.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of transmitting via a central computer at least one overall route file to the mobile units according to predetermined criteria.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of transmitting the overall route file automatically to the mobile units, preferably after a predetermined time interval.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of transmitting the overall route file via a central computer to a mobile unit upon a request by the mobile unit.

20. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of preparing and transmitting to a mobile unit, via a central computer, a recommended route calculated on the basis of the at least one overall route file stored in the central computer, if said central computer is so requested by said mobile unit, by transmitting at least a destination point.

21. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of terminating generation of the traveled distance data if motion of the mobile unit ceases.

22. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of determining absolute coordinates of the mobile unit using the Global Positioning System.

23. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of recording and storing a time T_i of arrival at a node P_i of the traveled distance data in addition to recording and storing geographical coordinates x_i, y_i in the storage device of the mobile unit.

24. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of assigning and storing an absolute time of motion T_jk to the sections P_jP_k of the traveled distance data.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising the step of suppressing duration of non-movement of the mobile unit when determining the duration of motion t_jk.

26. The method according to claim 24, further comprising the steps of averaging the section data with respect to time of day, day of week, position of the day in the month, and the month and storing computed averages together with the frequency distribution of the durations of motion t_jk.

27. The method according to claim 24, further comprising the steps of saving, in a short term section data file stored in a short term storage device of said mobile unit, the most recent section data, said short term section data file containing actually realized durations of motions t_jk relating to individual section data for a short past period.

28. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of assigning and storing an actual duration of motion t_jk to the sections P_jP_k of the traveled distance data.

29. The method according to claim 28, further comprising the step of aggregating geographically identical sections of different motions of the mobile unit for predetermined time intervals of a duration of motion t_jk in the section data file.

30. The method according to claim 28, further comprising the step of calculating mean values from the durations of motion t_jk.

31. The method according to claim 28, further comprising the steps of calculating a frequency distribution of the durations of motions t_jk for periods which are identical to typical traffic conditions and assigning said frequency distribution to the section data P_jP_k.

32. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of determining the nodes P_jP_k of a section P_jP_k in accordance with the occurrence of a change in direction.

33. The method, according to claim 1, further comprising the step of determining nodes P_jP_k of a section P_jP_k so that said nodes lie at the intersection of sections running in different directions.

34. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of storing supplementary data, said data comprising at least periods of non movement of the mobile unit, in the section data.

35. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of determining and saving the data within a vehicle representing a mobile unit.

36. A method for deriving destination tracking data from the data generated in accordance with claim 1, comprising:

requesting a desired trip from a computer with knowledge of a section file;

specifying said desired trip by inputting a starting point, a destination point, a starting or target time, and any special requirements;

calculating via said computer a route composed of individual sections using the section file and minimizing the duration of motion or the route length taking into account any special requirements; and

displaying the relevant data derived from the route determined as described above in a display unit and/or outputting said data acoustically.

37. The method in accordance with claim 36, further comprising the step of using, when the computer calculates a route, the most recent section data stored in the short term section file together with the corresponding section data from the section file which does not deviate typically from the corresponding recent section data.

38. A device for carrying out the method according to claim 1, for use in at least one mobile unit comprising:

a location sensor to determine the current geographical position of the mobile unit;

a milometer to generate a route signal corresponding to traveled distance;

an input unit;

a display unit; and

an electronic control device containing a microprocessor, a ROM and a RAM, said control device comprising;

a motion storage unit;

a section storage unit; and

a section data file storage unit;

said location sensor, said milometer, said input unit and said electronic control device being electrically connected to carry out said method.

39. The device according to claim 38 further comprising a short term section storage unit.

40. The device according to claim 39, further comprising a direction sensor provided to determine the current geographical direction of the mobile unit.

41. The device according to claim 38, further comprising a clock provided to generate time signals.

42. The device according to claim 38, wherein the input unit comprises a read unit to read an address information as a destination point from a data carrier.

43. The device according to claim 42, wherein said read unit is a facility for reading bar-codes.

44. The device according to claim 38, further comprising a transmission device built into the mobile unit for transmitting collected data and a central computer installed in a remote location from the mobile unit, said computer receiving and evaluating the data transmitted by the transmission device of the mobile unit and thereafter storing the evaluated data.

45. The device according to claim 44, wherein a receiving unit of the transmission device receives data from a central computer and an output device of the mobile unit outputs the data received from a central computer.

46. The device according to claim 44, wherein the transmission device contains an interface.

47. The device according to claim 44, wherein the transmission device contains a radio device.

48. The device according to claim 38, further comprising a recording device for recording the time of starting and ending of a motion and/or the day of the week on which the mobile unit is moved.

49. The device according to claim 38, further comprising a revolution detector for detecting the revolutions of a motor when said device is installed in a motor driven mobile unit.

50. The device according to claim 38, further comprising a fuel level detector for detecting the fuel level of a motor driven vehicle when said device is installed in said vehicle.

51. The device according to claim 38, wherein said direction sensor is a gyrometer and/or a compass.

52. The device according to claim 38, further comprising a Global Positioning System receiver for detecting a current absolute position of the mobile unit.

53. The device according to claim 43, wherein a central computer is part of a stationary navigational unit which in addition to the central computer contains a transmission device to receive and send data from and to a mobile unit and contains at least one storage unit.