FR2550876A1 - Device for guiding a vehicle in a town, a district, a built up area, etc. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for guiding a vehicle between a departure point and an arrival point where its driver wishes to be, for example in a town, or a direction which he wishes to take, for example in order to leave the town. The device is characterised in that it comprises coder means provided with means of selection of the point of arrival, which transmit to memory means information corresponding to an optimum advised route, as well as decoder means provided with means of display which deliver to the driver, on the basis of information contained in the memory means, indications on the route which he has to follow as he progresses on this route.

Description

The invention relates to a vehicle positioning device
between a defined starting point and an ending point where its driver
wants to go, within the limits of a defined perimeter, for example
a city, an agglomeration, a district, a region ..., or also
between a defined starting point and a desired direction, for example
to get out of one city towards another.

More specifically, the device according to the invention makes it possible to deliver
to the driver, depending on the point of arrival or the direction he
wishes, directions on the path he should follow, the streets he
must borrow, as it progresses on this path.

Currently, to find your bearings in a city, a neighborhood
or an agglomeration of maps or plans that we can have on board
of the vehicle, or plans located on the edge of certain major axes
or certain places. These means have several drawbacks.

The driver must choose the route he is going to himself
follow without knowing if it is the best, or the fastest. In addition
these means require attention from the driver
very important because it must memorize the tool path will take, and
while driving, he must relate this path to the streets
that he has before him. Most often, intermediate stops are
necessary to take stock, request information, read the
name of a street .....

Regarding the plans themselves, they are often used
not very practical. Indeed, to define a point, it is necessary to refer to - an alphabetical list, to deduce the coordinates of a sone of the plan,
locate this area on the map itself, and search in this area
the desired point. They therefore require several operations relatively
complex.

Finally, it should be noted that a driver using such modes
guide often leads hesitantly even nangereiase,
performs bwltawx direction changes, slowdowns
abrupt because his attention is divided between the conduct of his
vehicle and the path it must follow, the choices it must make
One of the aims of the present invention is to facilitate driving
of the vehicle and improve driver safety by a mode of
dynamic guidance, which automatically delivers the indications
on the road to follow as the progress of the
vehicle on this road.

 Another object of the invention is to avoid the driver having to pay particular attention to identifying and memorizing the end point or the desired direction automatically, by selecting and memorizing the optimum path automatically. to follow.

Thus, the attention of the driver can be focused almost exclusively on the driving of his vehicle because the device according to the invention will give him, as and when he advances, indications on the road to be followed, the changes of direction to be made.
The guiding device according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises, in combination with coda @ rs means capable of determining according to the starting point and the ending point or the desired direction an optimum recommended path, a translate this optin path into coded information, and transmit this coded information to storage means, storage means capable of receiving and remembering said coded information, and decoder means located on board the vehicle, capable of translating said coded information contained in the storage means there are indications intended for the driver of the vehicle on the path he must follow, and to deliver these indications at the tar and as the vehicle progresses on the recommended path.

 The invention will be better understood if reference is made to the description below, as well as to the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding of the invention, the description will be made with reference to the plan of an igaginary district shown in FIG. 4. Naturally, this is given only by way of illustration and is not limiting for the invention .

 FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically by way of illustration an input-output terminal of the encoder means, in a non-limiting mode of implementation of the invention.

 FIG. 2 shows diagrammatically by way of illustration a terminal of the decoder means.

 FIG. 3 shows diagrammatically by way of illustration the erasable storage means.

 Figure 4 shows the plan of an imaginary district.

 Figure 5 is a block view of the device according to the invention.

 The device according to the invention will now be described in the non-limiting case of a vehicle I whose driver wishes to go to an arrival point 3 in the district shown in FIG. 4.

 The quarter of Figure 4 is assumed to be equipped with the device according to the invention, as well as the vehicle I of the driver.

 To do this, the district has, at strategic locations, that the Man of the Art is able to determine, terminals, 4 to 8, which constitute the input-output terminals of the coding means. These terminals preferably feel easy to access for a vehicle and its driver, and are for example located on the edge of major traffic axes, near places .... They are preferably irremovable.

 By way of nonlimiting illustration of the invention, a terminal 9 is represented in FIG. L It includes for example a plan 10 of the district represented in FIG. 40 with possibly the names of the streets, certain additional indications on the location at public tédifloes. The person skilled in the art will easily determine the most appropriate nature of this plan.

 Terminal 9 also has means for selecting the desired arrival point, here point 3 shown in FIG. 4. These means allow the selection of a street, possibly a street number.

The selection means can be in the form of a keyboard
II, provided with keys I2 for the selection of streets in the district, possibly with keys I3 for the selection of a street number, with keys I4 for the selection of particular directions for leaving the district, for example in the direction of another city or highway.

The keyboard II can also include keys not shown, allowing the selection of particular places, public buildings, parking, etc., and other functional keys for the validation of data entered on the keyboard, for the partial or total erasure of wrong data ... This is within the reach of ordinary skill in the art.

Many variations are naturally possible, in particular at the level of the visualization on the map of the selected point of arrival, of the recommended optimum path
Terminal 9 further comprises connection means 15 for the storage means. Their role will be described later.

 The terminals 4 to 8, constituting the coding means can be independent, or else connected to general coding means, for example, a central computer.

 The driver's vehicle I, for its part, is equipped with decoder means. As an illustration, a terminal of the decoder means is represented in FIG. 2 in the form of a box 16. This box has display means 17, for example made up of different IES light flares which are controlled by the decoder means to on and off.

 The display means are placed in the vehicle in full view of the driver and are able to provide the latter as clearly as possible with indications of the directions he should take, the changes of direction he should make.

 FIG. 2 shows the Deans of visualization of the ground in the drill of fisohes 18 whose substantially common origin corresponds to the vehicle. In addition, in the direction corresponding to a movement of the vehicle in a straight line, several parallel arrows I9 have been shown corresponding to the different traffic queues that the vehicle may encounter, in particular on major road axes.

 The indications provided to the driver are, for example, in the form of an alternating continuous ignition of one of the arrows, the others being extinguished, or by continuous lighting of the cards corresponding to the different possibilities of direction that the vehicle can take. , for example in a crossroads, and by alternative ignition corresponding to the recommended direction to take, or vice versa.

 In the Deans of display, the Number of arrows, their relative arrangement and their method of lighting will be determined so as to provide the driver with indications as clear as possible.

Optionally, the display means will be supported by sound signaling means.

 In addition to the signaling Deans, the decodeloys include means for integrating the movement of the vehicle, possibly its changes of direction. For example, these means count the quarter turn of the wheel made by the vehicle. The vehicle movement integration means provide information on the movement of the vehicle, possibly on its changes of direction, which can be compared to coded information provided by the coding means.

 The decoder means also comprise connection means 2C which are substantially identical to the connection means I5 of terminal 9.

 The connection means 15 and 20 are of any suitable type and allow the connection of the storage means. These are equipped with additional connection means.

k By way of illustration, the storage means are represented in FIG. 3 in the form of a box 21. This box is for example similar to a standard cassette, or to a video game cassette. Naturally any other type of suitable case could also be suitable. Preferably, the storage means are removable
The storage means are intended for title connected in preaier time to the encoder means for receiving and storing coded information corresponding to the optimum recommended path. In a second step, they are connected to the decoder means. klors, by comparative processing of the coded information coming from the coding means, and memorized by the memorization means, and of information coming from the Deans of integration of the movement of the vehicle, the decoding means deliver to the driver indications on the direction that he must follow or on a change of direction which he must carry out as the vehicle progresses on the optimum recommended path. This is schematically shown in Figure 5.

 The storage means are preferably erasable, in order to be able to reuse them pressure indefinitely, and are produced, for example based on electronic memories of the "R.Â.X." type. ouMi.O.X.t erasable.

Referring to FIG. 4, the driver of vehicle I, wishing to go to point 3, whose address is for example 25, rue de la gare, must first stop in the immediate vicinity of a terminal of the encoder means, here, terminal 4. The terminal is in principle the starting point for guidance
First of all, it connects the 2I box which it has in its possession, and which constitutes the storage means, to the terminal, by the 15th connection means. It then selects on the keyboard Il of the terminal the street where it wish to go, here "rue de la gare", possibly the street number here "25".

 The coding means then determine the optimum recommended path, and after processing, translate this path into coded information which they transfer to the storage means.

 This constitutes the first phase of guidance. Many variations are also possible.

 At the level of the coding means, the processing is carried out electronically or by computer. Those skilled in the art are able to determine the most appropriate means of treatment.

 The determination of the optimum recommended route takes into account, preferably the general traffic plan of the city or district, various prohibitions, prohibited directions, for example that shown in 22. It can also take into account the density of traffic at the time considered, congestion, streets under construction ... Thus, preferably, the coding means are connected to ur. central computer cui manages the traffic in the district or the city in order to guarantee the user of the device optimal traffic conditions.

of the vehicle is taken into account by the means for integrating the movement of the vehicle. At the level of the decoder Deans, this makes it possible to assure that the vehicle has carried out the recommended maneuver and to reset the comparison of a distance traveled with a new distance to be traveled before the next change of direction.

 The process is similar for the following intersections. However, before the crossroad 29, it is the arrow 30 which will light up on the terminal 16. The decoder means will also warn the driver of the approach of his arrival point 3.

As a variant, the guidance could continue to a nearby car park, shown diagrammatically in 3I in FIG. 4,
Naturally, the present invention is capable of presenting numerous variants. Thus, in certain cases, for example for certain specialized vehicles, emergency and dtinterventiony taxi vehicles, etc., one can imagine specialized fixed terminals, and a transmission of the information coded by a cord connecting directly during the transfer the coding means to the decoder means. In this case, the storage means are integrated with the decoder means.

 In addition, the signaling means, on board the vehicle, could be constituted by means synthesizing the human voice. The indications would then be transmitted to the driver in clear.

 Other variants are still possible, while remaining within the scope of the present invention, the present description having been given for information only.

 Thus, the device according to the invention allows a driver to easily guide himself in a city, a district, an agglomeration that he knows little or not at all, while reserving his attention almost exclusively to driving his vehicle, since indications are given to him as his vehicle progresses, allowing him to plan his maneuvers in advance.

 The coded information, for its part, comprises a succession of information relating to a distance to be traveled and to a direction to be taken or a change of direction to be made once this distance has been traveled. They can naturally include other information, for example, indication of arrival at the desired point, indication of a recommended parking space ... t are coded in a form compatible with the coding means, the storage means and the decoding means .

 in the second phase of the guidance, the driver resumes his box 21 containing the coded information, and connects it to the terminal 16 decoder means including his vehicle silt equipped and then begins to roll.

 At the level of the decoder means, the information provided by the means for integrating the movement of the vehicle is compared with the coded information provided by the storage means as the vehicle progresses. In other words, the distance traveled by the vehicle is compared to the theoretical distance it must travel before the next change of direction.

 preferably, when the distance traveled is less than the theoretical distance by a defined value, that is to say as a general rule at a defined distance from a crossroads, the decoder means transmit to the driver, via the means of light and / or sound signals indicating the direction the driver should follow at the crossroads. Said defined distance must allow the driver to prepare a possible maneuver in complete safety.

In addition, in the case of a street with several lanes of traffic, the decoder means will have guided the vehicle on the lane most suitable for the direction to follow in the intersection preferably well before arriving at the intersection, for example, by means of the arrows 19.

 in taking again the example of figure 4, the advised optimum path is represented by the solid line 23 made up of a plurality of segments.

This path takes into account prohibition 22, as well as other parameters.

 When the vehicle has reached point 24, located before junction 25, the pin 26 of terminal I6 lights up and indicates to the driver that he will have to turn left at the next junction, that is to say junction 25. If the Street 27 has several traffic lanes, the arrow 28 will have lit before the arrow 26 to place the vehicle in the queue located on the far left of the street.

 Preferably, at the intersection 25, the change of direction

Claims (8)

 I. Device for guiding a vehicle between a defined starting point and a desired arrival point within a defined perimeter, for example a conurbation, a city, a district, n between a defined starting point and a desired direction outside at the enclosure, for example to leave one city in the direction of another, characterized in that it includes coding means (9), capable of determining according to the starting point, from the point d arrival (3) or of the direction desired an advised optimum path (29), to translate this optimum path into coded information, and to transmit this coded information to Deans of memorization (21), means of memorization (21 ), capable of receiving and storing the coded information from the coding means (9) and of storing it, and of the decoding means (I6), located on board the vehicle (1), capable of translating the coded information contained in the memorization means in directions to the driver of the v hitched on the path it must follow, and to deliver these indications as the vehicle progresses (I) on the recommended path, depending on it.  2. Guidance device according to claim I, characterized in that the coding means (9) comprise selection means  (I7) from the end point (3) or the desired direction.  3, guiding device according to claim I, characterized in that the decoder means (I6) comprise means for integrating the movement of the vehicle (I).  4. Guidance device according to claim 3, characterized in that the means for integrating the movement of the vehicle comprise means for detecting its changes in direction.  5. Guide device according to claim I; characterized by the fact that the decoder means (I6) comprise visual and audio signaling means (I7) intended for the driver.  6. Guidance device according to claim I, characterized in that the storage means (2I) are removable and have complementary connection means of the connection means (I5, coding means (9) and decoding means ( I6)  7. Guidance device according to claim I, characterized by the fact that the storage means are integrated into the decoder means  (16), and that they have a cord connectable to the coding means (9) for the transmission of the coded information.  8. Guidance device according to claim I, characterized in that the storage means are erasable.