Methods and device for managing traffic disturbances for navigation devices

• US 6,873,908 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2001
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Hahlweg, Cornelius, Draeger, Gerd, Petzold, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broadhead, Brian J
• Application Number:
  US09/958,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20020161518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 701/210, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 340/990, 340/991, 340/995.12, 340/995.13, 340/995.19, 340/905, 340/993, 340/995.16, 340/995.18
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968

Abstract

A method and a device are described for managing traffic-relevant events in a vehicle-based navigation system. A traffic information database, which can be updated by the driver in particular through prioritized driver queries initiated by the system concerning the traffic situation is managed in the navigation system. Thus observations made by the driver during his trip can be stored in the database as traffic information and used for updated route planning.

Claims

1. A method for managing a traffic-relevant event in a vehicle-based navigation system, comprising:

detecting an event associated with at least one road segment of a route from at least one of an event horizon of a vehicle and an event horizon of a driver;

storing information representing the event;

analyzing the event;

processing the analyzed event in order to provide an up-to-date route plan; and

enabling a dialog between the driver and the vehicle-based navigation system if the driver abandons a route suggested by the vehicle-based navigation system to make an empirical observation of the driver concerning the at least one road segment available to the vehicle-based navigation system for a driver-specific route planning;

wherein the dialog is used to record a reason why the driver has deviated from the route.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dialog takes place via a voice-controlled system.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the event automatically from the event horizon of the vehicle from a measurement during travel; and

storing the event with a respective one of the at least one road segment as an attribute thereof.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

a measurement of the analysis of the event includes at least one of the following quantities;

an average speed of the vehicle on a respective one of the at least one road segment,

an evenness of a speed of the vehicle,

an ambient temperature, and

a mechanical vibration of the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing at least one of a time of day and a day of a week as an attribute with the at least one road segment.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

assigning the at least one road segment of the route with an attribute that can be input by the driver of the vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the step of analyzing the event includes the step of evaluating the event to determine a relevance of the event as a traffic problem.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding information obtained from the step of analyzing to an external traffic information center.

9. A device for managing a traffic-relevant event in a vehicle-based navigation system, comprising:

an arrangement for detecting an event associated with at least one road segment of a route from at least one of an event horizon of a vehicle and an event horizon of a driver;

an arrangement for storing information representing the event;

an arrangement for analyzing the event;

an arrangement for processing the analyzed event in order to provide an up-to-date route plan; and

an arrangement for enabling a dialog between the driver and the vehicle-based navigation system if the driver abandons a route suggested by the vehicle-based navigation system to make an empirical observation of the driver concerning the at least one road segment available to the vehicle-based navigation system for a driver-specific route planning;

wherein the dialog is used to record a reason why the driver has deviated from the route.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the event is automatically obtained from the event horizon of the vehicle from a measurement during travel, and is stored with a respective one of the at least one road segment as an attribute thereof.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein a measurement of the analysis of the event includes at least one of the following quantities:

an average speed of the vehicle on a respective one of the at least one road segment,

an evenness of a speed of the vehicle,

an ambient temperature, and

a mechanical vibration of the vehicle.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein at least one of a time of day and a day of a week is stored as an attribute with the at least one road segment.

13. The system according to claim 9, wherein the at least one road segment of the route is assigned with an attribute that can be input by the driver of the vehicle.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the analyzing of the event includes evaluating the event to determine a relevance of the event as a traffic problem.

15. The system according to claim 9, wherein information obtained from the analyzing is forwarded to an external traffic information center.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein the dialog takes place via a voice-controlled system.

17. A motor vehicle navigation system, comprising:

device for managing a traffic-relevant event in a vehicle-based navigation system, the device including;

an arrangement for detecting an event associated with at least one road segment of a route from at least one of an event horizon of a vehicle and an event horizon of a driver,

an arrangement for storing information representing the event,

an arrangement for analyzing the event,

an arrangement for processing the analyzed event in order to provide an up-to-date route plan; and

an arrangement for enabling a dialog between the driver and the vehicle-based navigation system if the driver abandons a route suggested by the vehicle-based navigation system to make an empirical observation of the driver concerning the at least one road segment available to the vehicle-based navigation system for a driver-specific route planning;

wherein the dialog is used to record a reason why the driver has deviated from the route.

18. A method for managing a traffic-relevant event in a vehicle-based navigation system, comprising:

detecting an event associated with at least one road segment of a route from at least one of an event horizon of a vehicle and an event horizon of a driver;

storing information representing the event;

analyzing the event; and

processing the analyzed event in order to provide an up-to-date route plan;

wherein the driver assigns specific attributes to the at least one road segment of the route.