Method and device for obtaining relevant traffic information and dynamic route optimizing

• US 6,654,681 B1
• Filed: 01/15/2002
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Definiens AG (Astrazeneca PLC)
• Original Assignee: Definiens AG (Astrazeneca PLC)
• Inventors: Kiendl, Robert, Schmidt, Gunter
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US09/890,644
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117-119, 701/200, 701/201, 701/208-210, 340/904, 340/905
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for dynamically obtaining relevant traffic information and/or for dynamically optimizing a route followed by a first vehicle which belongs to a self-organizing traffic information and/or traffic guidance system to which other vehicles belong as well. Said method consists of the following steps: generating own data by means of vehicle-mounted sensors and/or other information sources in the first vehicle; transmitting data relevant to the first vehicle or other vehicles; receiving data transmitted by other vehicles; storing data obtained from received and/or own data; generating and transmitting requests regarding data which can possibly be provided by other vehicles; and potential relaying received data by retransmitting said data in processed or unprocessed form.

Claims

1. A method for at least one of dynamically obtaining relevant traffic information and for dynamic optimization of a route of a first vehicle pertaining to at least one of a self organizing traffic information system and traffic guidance system to which further vehicles pertain, comprising the steps performed by the first vehicle;

[a] creating own data on the basis of at least one of on-board sensors and other information sources in said first vehicle;

[b] emitting data that are relevant for said first vehicle or for other vehicles;

[c] receiving data transmitted by other vehicles;

[d] storing data obtained from at least one of received and own data;

[e] relaying of received data by re-transmission of these data in a processed or unprocessed form, and

[f] creating and transmitting inquiries concerning data which may possibly be furnished by other vehicles.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein inquiries are at least one of answered, partly answered, relayed and partly relayed by receiving vehicles.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein at least one of answering inquiries and relaying inquiries and other data are performed by vehicles having a suitable/optimum information status or having a favorable/optimum current position for relaying.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein in steps [a] and [d] travel history data are additionally created by said vehicles.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein in steps [b] and [c] a source group of vehicles associated with said first vehicle is designated for receiving data from respective vehicles, wherein said data is stored, accumulated and pre-processed in said receiving vehicles for the purpose of generating source data for the subsequent steps.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein in pre-processing said source data, at least one of mean velocities, maximum velocities, traffic density measures, backup sensitivities, bundled up-to-dateness measures and bundled relevance measures may be calculated.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein designation of said group of vehicles is performed by designating an adjustable transmitting field strength or transmitting range of said first vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said adjustable transmitting field strength is controlled suds that on the average a predetermined criterion with respect to a parametrizable number of vehicles within reach is satisfied.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the transmitting field strength control may incorporate positions and employed transmitting field strengths of neighboring vehicles encoded into the received signals.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein the route of said first vehicle from its current position to a selected target is determined with the aid of stored way data, and said route is subdivided into way segments.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said first vehicle transmits inquiries for information relating to a practicability and other traffic-relevant quantities on candidate way segments to be travelled later on.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein replies to inquiries by said first vehicle are return ad to said first vehicle directly or via relaying, wherein said information in said replies is also stored, accumulated and processed for suitable further use by transmitting vehicles and by vehicles which also receive said replies.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the travel history data, source data, buffer memory data which in particular contain the stored, accumulated and processed information, and reply data are each stored in said vehicles in an individual map structure which supersedes a static global map structure or exists in parallel therewith.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein from running condition data, travel history data and data obtained by pooling running data of several vehicles, it is possible to also a create, modify or delete new map structure elements in said individual map structure data, and also extract them from said traffic guidance system for external utilization.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein for purposes of internal processing and referencing in transmission signals, a subdividing of said individual map structure into way segments satisfying a predetermined criterion with regard to a length is performed.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein combining way segments of said individual map structure is carried out for purposes of internal processing and referencing in transmission signals into groups and superordinate groups each having their own identifications.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein a first calculation of the route of said first vehicle from its current position to a selected target is carried out with the aid of statically stored or already available dynamic distance data.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein a recalculation of the route is carried out based on modified data in said individual map structure for the purpose of iterative optimization of the route.

24. The method according to claim 18, wherein an assessment is carried out whether an inquiry is to be created for a particular way segment.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein said assessment whether an inquiry is to be created for a particular way segment is carried out in dependence on at least one of the distance of the way segment from a current location of said first vehicle, the estimated time until arrival at the way segment, a weighting factor of the way segment, a backup frequency known from the past and the up-to-dateness of already available data relating to said way segment.

26. The method according to claim 10, wherein transmitted data contain information concerning a signal type, a vehicle identification, the transmitting field strength used, a location of said vehicle, an unambiguous action code and a list of identifications of previously used transmitter vehicles in the form of a history list.

27. The method according to claim 10, wherein transmitted data contain information concerning at least one of way segment identifications, a moving direction, a proportion of a covered way segment, a mean velocity, a maximum velocity, the vehicle density, and an up-to-dateness/time marking of said information.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein handing back a reply to an inquiry is carried out by using said history list.

29. The method according to claim 26, wherein handing back a reply to an inquiry by a relaying method is carried out in analogy with forwarding said inquiry.

30. The method according to claim 10, wherein said first vehicle creates and transmits a plurality of inquiries relating to single way segments, which are each at least one of individually answered and relayed as well as returned with a reply, or an inquiry relating to the entirety of way segments, wherein said inquiry relating to the entirety of way segments includes a plurality of partial inquiries relating to single way segments, which are successively answered or relayed by the vehicles of a chain of transmitter vehicles.

31. The method according to claim 10, wherein one or several groups of vehicles are formed which are each in possession of data of particular neighboring way segments, with group relevant data common to respective vehicles being available such that an inquiry concerning data of such groups may be answered by each vehicle of the group, or answering may be effected through few instances of relaying.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein from said groups one or several superordinate groups are formed which are each in possession of data of particular neighboring way segments, wherein supergroup-relevant data common to the respective vehicles are available, such that an inquiry concerning data of such superordinate groups may be answered by each vehicle of the superordinate group, or answering may be effected through few instances of relaying.

33. The method according to claim 31, wherein vehicles of said group create and transmit data containing information relating to a position, extension and minimum lifetime of said group.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein group data contain at least on of mean velocities, maximum velocities, vehicle density measures, up-to-datenesses/time markings and information relevance measures with respect to the entirety of the vehicles of said group.

35. The method according to claim 31, wherein group formation takes place in that group formation applications by one or several vehicles or subgroups are accumulated, and that the actual group formation is only determined when a threshold is exceeded.

36. The method according to claim 10, wherein to a vehicle or to a group of vehicles external data are supplied for directional or non-directional relaying, wherein a group formation may also be brought about through these external data.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein said external data contain information relating to a back up prognosis.

38. The method according to claim 36, wherein information relating to a backup prognosis or other traffic-relevant quantities is extracted and stored externally, wherein it is also possible to cause a group formation from inside or from outside of said system in order to obtain the relevant quantities.

39. The method according to claim 36, wherein said external data contain information relating to connectivity with other traffic systems, such as at least one of railway, subway, urban railway, air and boat traffic.

40. The method according to claim 10, wherein information relating to a backup prognosis due to events detected in the past and occurring cyclically is generated from vehicle data signals and transmitted, wherein group formation may also be initiated for the purpose of cyclic backup prognosis.

41. The method according to claim 10, wherein information relating to a backup prognosis due to events detected in the recent past is generated from vehicle data signals through extrapolation of the traffic flows or simulation and transmitted, wherein group formation may also be initiated for the purpose of simulative backup prognosis.

42. The method according to claim 10, wherein the information relating to at least on of a backup prognosis and other traffic-relevant quantities is stored within a group of vehicles to be designated and continues to exist there.

43. The method according to claim 10, wherein data relating to a dangerous approach of said first vehicle to another vehicle pertaining to said traffic guidance system or to a group pertaining to said traffic guidance system is generated and transmitted.

44. The method according to claim 10, wherein harding back of inquiries that have not been answered takes place in the form of specially marked pseudo-replies.

45. The method according to claim 41, wherein the fact that a relayed inquiry has not been answered is detected in that when an inquiry is relayed by a particular vehicle, emission of a pseudo-reply is concurrently determined with a high delay time.

46. The method according to claim 45, wherein emission of said pseudo-reply from said particular vehicle is stopped in that another particular vehicle located within reach of said particular vehicle in its turn answers or relays said relayed inquiry, which fact may be recognized by said particular vehicle on account of an action code of said inquiry.

47. The method according to claim 1, wherein information is combined upon return of replies to inquiries or upon intermediate storage in transmitter vehicles, so that data from a greater distance may be compressed more strongly/resolved more roughly by an inquiring party.

48. The method according to claim 1, wherein emitted data signals are relayed, in analogy with processing inquiries, both along a one-dimensional channel up to a target location and also two-dimensionally into a more extended target area encoded into said data signal.

49. The method according to claim 1, wherein data signals contain information which, on account of a particular event, is created by a vehicle and transmitted directionally or non-directionally.

50. The method according to claim 1, wherein said vehicles are land vehicles for road or rail traffic, water vehicles, aircraft or other mobile, manned or unmanned units moving in a jointly utilized traffic space and capable of being equipped with limited range communication means.

51. The method according to claim 1, wherein vehicles may also be particular pseudo-vehicles having a special communicative purpose of sending data signals out of said traffic guidance system or into said traffic guidance system, feeding in third data, need not necessarily be mobile, but at least are equipped with compatible communication means.

52. The method according to claim 51, wherein via a pseudo-vehicle or a station a connection with another telecommunications network is established.

53. The method according to claim 51, wherein pseudo-vehicles or stations are created which are linked among each other by an external communication network and establish a more favorable mutual connection of said vehicles or between said vehicles and a transmitter/receiver located outside said traffic guidance system.

54. The method according to claim 51, wherein through at least one of said communication means and pseudo vehicles/stations a general telecommunications network is created.

19. The method according to claim to 12, wherein in creating inquiries, a desired up-to-dateness is encoded into the inquiry.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein answering an inquiry is carried out, depending on a desired up-to-dateness, from source data of vehicles in the vicinity of the target area of the inquiry, or from buffer memory data in particular containing the stored, accumulated and processed information, of vehicles far removed from the target area and closer to the inquiring vehicle.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein a favorable vehicle from among said group of vehicles which is capable of at least one of answering and relaying said inquiry, is determined through an evaluation method, wherein an evaluation measure is determined in dependence on at least one of the up-to-dateness or a relevance of data already available to the respective vehicle and concerning way segments in question, the number of inquiries which can be answered on the basis of already available data, and the distance of the respective vehicle whose inquiry cannot be answered from the next way segment.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein in dependence on said evaluation measure, a delay period for emitting at least one of a reply and relaying is set which becomes shorter with an increasing evaluation measure, so that vehicles are enabled to transmit earlier with a better evaluation measure.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein a particular vehicle with an intention to transmit concerning at least one of a reply to an inquiry and relaying an inquiry with respect to a particular inquiry characterized by an action code stops the intended emission if i receives a signal concerning said same inquiry and having the same action code from another particular vehicle which has preceded said particular vehicle due to a shorter delay period.

55. A system for at least one of dynamically obtaining relevant traffic information and dynamic optimization of a route of a first vehicle pertaining to at least one of self-organizing traffic information system and a traffic guidance system to which further vehicles pertain, comprising in the first vehicle:

means for creating own data on the basis of at least one of on-board sensors and other information sources in said first vehicle;

means for emitting data that are relevant for said first vehicle or for other vehicles;

means for receiving data transmitted by other vehicles;

means for storing data obtained from at least one of received and own data;

means for relaying of received data by re-transmission of these data in a processed or unprocessed form; and

means for creating and transmitting inquiries concerning data which may possibly be finished by other vehicles.