EP0944891A1

EP0944891A1 - Process for transmitting route information which defines a proposed route for a vehicle in a road network and serves as a navigation aid from a traffic information centre to a terminal in a vehicle, traffic information centre and terminal

Info

Publication number: EP0944891A1
Application number: EP97952699A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Josef Meis; Andreas Parra; Peter Stangier
Original assignee: Mannesmann AG
Current assignee: Vodafone Holding GmbH
Priority date: 1996-12-16
Filing date: 1997-11-27
Publication date: 1999-09-29
Also published as: US6256580B1; WO1998027526A1

Abstract

A comfortable navigation with a reduced amount of transmitted information is enabled by a terminal, a traffic information centre and a process for transmitting (15) from a traffic information centre (14) to a terminal mounted in a vehicle, route information which completely defines a proposed route (1, 5, 6) for the vehicle (13) in a road network (1 to 6) and which serves as a navigation aid (13). The route information concerns points (7, 12) lying in the proposed route (1, 5, 6). A point (7, 12) is defined as the place where the traffic information centre (14) advises (15) the vehicle (13) to turn (13-5; 5-6) away from a road (1; 5). Additional information which defines the next point (12) of the proposed route, in the driving direction (1, 5, 6) (23 km, "third possibility to turn left, turn left"), is transmitted together with the route information on each point (7, 12) of the route.

Description

Method for transmitting route information defining a route of a vehicle proposed as navigation aid in a traffic network from a traffic control center to a terminal in a vehicle, a control center and a terminal

description

The invention relates to a method for transmitting route information defining a route proposed by a vehicle in a traffic network from a traffic control center to a terminal in a vehicle, a control center and a terminal.

The transmission of route information defining a route of a vehicle proposed as navigation aid in a traffic network from a traffic control center to a terminal in the vehicle is usually carried out by mobile radio, so that the amount of route information transmitted increases

Telecommunication costs are contingent. However, for the convenience of end use and for a reliable, unambiguous definition of a route, it is necessary to describe complex intersections as ergonomically and completely as possible. If a complete digital map of the transport network is present in a terminal device of a vehicle, a complex, in

The direction of travel in front of the end device user can be displayed completely and thus with a high level of end-use convenience and a low probability of errors. Here, however, there is the problem that the digital map in the terminal device deviates from the digital map in the central office after some time due to construction sites, major events, new roads, changes in direction of travel in roads, etc.

The object of the present invention is to enable comfortable navigation with as little information transmission as possible. The object is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims.

REPLACEMENT B π (RULE 26) The invention enables comfortable navigation. The scope of the route information to be transmitted from a traffic control center to a terminal for navigation aid is small. With route information for a waypoint, information about the route between two waypoints is transmitted. The route proposed by route information as a navigation aid, for example on request from a terminal to a central office, stating the terminal location and the desired destination, is transmitted by waypoints on the suggested route, waypoints being defined in each case where the vehicle turns off a road, on which it is located is recommended. This means that it is not necessary for the vehicle to be continuously informed about its direction of travel at junctions etc. between two waypoints.

The additional information corresponding to the one proposed in the direction of travel

Route next waypoint defined can be specified in different ways. In particular, the additional information can define the route length of the road to be driven between two waypoints. The user of a terminal who is informed about the route length can thus adjust to the time of the next turn. The additional information for the next one

Waypoint after a waypoint include information about the turn between the two waypoints; The information about turning options can include in particular the number of turning options to the left and / or the turning options to the right; When such bending options are presented (in acoustic and / or optical form) in the terminal, information that can be easily evaluated by the user can be generated.

The direction in which the vehicle has to turn on the proposed route is expediently transmitted at a waypoint, whereupon the terminal can display it to a user; the direction can be transmitted by left / right / straight / sharp to the left etc. or by a cardinal direction such as north / west / east / south / southwest etc. or in both forms, from which clear turning information can be generated for the user of the terminal. In particular, if there is no digital map of the traffic network in the terminal, it is expedient if the name of the street into which the vehicle is to be turned is transmitted in order to provide information about this to the terminal user.

The transmission from the traffic control center to the terminal is expediently wireless, in particular by mobile radio.

The method can be implemented as a program in a control center and in a terminal.

Further features and advantages of the invention result from the further subclaims and the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the drawing. It shows:

Fig. 1 shows a section of a transport network and

Fig. 2 is an abstracted representation of this section of the transport network.

The traffic network shown in detail in FIG. 1 shows the streets: 1 = Cologne

Straße, 2 = Verdi-Straße, 3 = Mozart-Straße, 4 = Hinterer Waldweg, 5 = Beethoven-Straße, 6 = Bachstraße. Furthermore, a compass 7a is shown for this purpose, which indicates that in FIG. 1 the compass direction north is in the traffic network (1 to 6). Coming from the south on Kölner Straße 1, turn 11 is possible to the right into Beethoven-Straße 5. When driving onto Beethoven-Straße 5, starting from the

Turn 7 from Cologne's Landstrasse in an easterly direction, i.e. to the right in Fig. 1, there are turn options 8 to the left in Verdi-Strasse 2, 11 in Hinteren Waldweg 4, 12 in Bachstrasse 6 and turn options 9 in to the right Verdi-Strasse 2, and 10 into Mozart-Strasse 3.

A vehicle 13 with a terminal device, not shown here, moves northward on Kölner Straße 1, that is to say in FIG. 1, from below towards the turning option 7. The driver of the vehicle 13 requests from the traffic control center 14 a navigation aid for a route which he indicates by his current position and by the desired destination. The traffic center 14 calculated with a route calculation program based on a digital map of the traffic network 1 to 6, the specified start and destination and based on further information (such as the distribution of average speeds, vehicle densities, traffic jams, which are determined on the basis of stationary or mobile detectors in the traffic network) of accident reports, historical

Databases in the central office 14, etc.) a proposal for an optimal route of the vehicle 13 to its desired destination. For this purpose, route information is transmitted from the traffic control center 14 to the terminal in the vehicle 13 to the terminal in the vehicle 13 via mobile radio 15. The route information defines the route developed in the traffic center 14 on the basis of waypoints lying on it, such a waypoint being defined in each case where the vehicle from the traffic center 14 has the turn when turning options 7, 12 from a street 1, 5 into another street 5, 6 is recommended. A first waypoint 7 is thus defined at the turning possibility at which the vehicle 13 is to turn from the Kölner Strasse 1 into the Beethoven-Strasse 5 on the suggested route. A second waypoint 12 is defined at the turning option at which the vehicle 13 is to turn from Beethovenstrasse 5 into Bachstrasse 6 in order to follow the proposed route. For the complete information of the driver of the vehicle 13 with the terminal device, it is necessary to inform the driver how he should behave at the turning options 8, 9, 10, 11.

For this purpose, the driver is transmitted to a waypoint 7 each additional information defining the next waypoint 12 in the direction of travel of the proposed route 1, 5, 6. This additional information can contain, for example, the information that the distance from waypoint 7 to the next waypoint

(12) is 23 km. Thus, after waypoint 7 (on Beethovenstrasse 5), the driver has to follow the same road 5 for 23 km without turning. Furthermore, it is possible to transmit to waypoint 7, in addition to the information on how to turn, the information that the next waypoint 12 is the third possibility to turn left (that is to say to the left-turning options 8, 11) or the second

Possibility to turn left after two options 9, 10 is to turn right. The additional information can thus also be given by turning options located between two waypoints, in particular by the number of turning options to the left and / or to the right. 2 shows an abstracted representation of the detail of the proposed route. Such an abstract representation can be used, for example, in the traffic control center 14 and / or for the visual information of a driver of a vehicle with a terminal. However, additional or alternatively acoustic information of the driver of the vehicle 13 is also possible.

2 schematically shows the waypoints 7, 12 at which the vehicle according to the proposed route from a road 1; 5 has to turn as well as turning options 8, 11, at which it is not necessary to turn left, between two waypoints 7, 12.

The representation of the waypoint 7 informs by a symbol, here by a circle, that a road 1 is to be turned here. The streets at waypoint 7 are shown as the direction of the compass indicates their course there. Furthermore, it is possible, in particular, to present the current direction of travel in a vehicle running from bottom to top.

At waypoint 7, the vehicle comes from below on Kölner Straße 1, which should not continue on Kölner Straße 1, but (in 7) should turn right or east into Beethoven-Straße 5 in the direction of arrow 20 in 7. Accordingly, it is specified for the turning option 12 that the vehicle should turn from Beethovenstrasse 5 in the direction of arrow 21 into Bachstrasse 6. The turning options 8 to 11 (not circled) indicate that the road 5 should not be turned here.

Transmitted information can have the following form, for example: The information which is given to the vehicle 13 at the position in the traffic network approximately shown in FIG. 1 can for example “turn right”, “turn right after 3 km” (if, for example, the position of the vehicle determined by the latter via GPS etc. and reported to the traffic control center 14 by mobile radio etc., so that the latter 14 can determine the distance 3 km by subtracting from the position from the waypoint 7), “next turn right into Beethoven-Straße”, "Next possible right in the Beethoven-Straße to the east". In addition to information about waypoint 7, information about the route to the next waypoint 12 after waypoint 7 is also transmitted. The transfer 15 from Information from the traffic control center 15 to a terminal in the vehicle 13 can be provided, for example, in such a way that predetermined codes are used for certain information in the traffic control center 14 and in the vehicle 13. For example, a right turn can be assigned a 1, a left turn a 2; West can be 3, east can be 4, and so on; the number of left and / or right turn options between two waypoints can be transmitted as a number according to a specific code for this.

The display for the driver of the vehicle 13 can take place from the terminal in the vehicle 13, for example graphically as shown in FIG. 2. Alternatively or additionally, acoustic information can be given.

Claims

claims

1. Method for the transmission (15) of a route (1, 5, 6) of a vehicle (13) proposed as a navigation aid in a traffic network (1 to 6) completely defining route information from a traffic center (14) to a terminal in the vehicle (13 ), the route information relating to waypoints (7, 12) lying on the proposed route (1, 5, 6), a waypoint (7, 12) being defined in each case where the vehicle (13) from the traffic center (14) turning (13-5; 5-6) from a road (1; 5) is recommended (15), whereby for route information to a waypoint (7, 12), one in each case in the direction of travel (1, 5, 6) additional route defining the proposed route next waypoint (12) (23 km; "3. turn left to the left") is transmitted.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the additional information (23 km, "between this and the next turning possibility two turning options to the left happen") the

Distance (23 km) defined between the first waypoint (7) and the next waypoint (12).

3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the additional information ("there are two turning options to the left between the following turning and the next transmitted turning option") the next waypoint (12) after the first waypoint (7) by specifying the turns between these two waypoints (8, 11 left; 9, 10 right; 8, 9, 10, 11).

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the number (two) of the turning options (8, 11) is indicated to the left.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the number of turning options (9, 10) is indicated to the right.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the turning direction required for the route ("right", "east") is also transmitted at a waypoint (7).

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in each case the name ("Beethoven Street") of the street (5) into which it is turned is transmitted.

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a waypoint (7, 12) is defined where in the digital map of the transport network (1 to 6) a street (Cologne street; Beethoven street) with a certain name is left.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transmission (15) from the traffic control center (14) to the terminal in the vehicle (13) is wireless, in particular via mobile radio.

10. Control center with a memory for a program for carrying out the method according to features of at least one of the preceding claims or according to one of the preceding claims, with a processor for executing the program, with a memory for a digital map of the transport network (1 to 6), with a route calculation program and with a

Communication device for transmitting (15) route information to a terminal.

11. Terminal with a memory for a program by performing the method according to features of at least one of claims 1 to 9 or according to one of claims 1 to 9, with a processor for processing the program, with a communication device for receiving route information from the center and with a user interface.

12. Terminal according to claim 11, characterized in that an optical and / or acoustic user interface is provided.