DE102017009977A1 - Method for determining a route - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining a route for a navigation device (N1, N2, N3) of a vehicle having a route calculation system which calculates the route in consideration of map data and external information (V). The invention is characterized in that the users of the route thus calculated during and / or after the use of the possibility of evaluation of the route is offered, after which a successful evaluation is transmitted to a central server (C), and then the evaluation for subsequent calculations of travel routes together with the external information (V).

Description

The invention relates to a method for determining a route for a navigation system of a vehicle according to the closer defined in the preamble of claim 1.

The calculation of routes in navigation systems is as far known from the prior art. It is now common and common for external information to be taken into account in addition to the map data when calculating the route. Such external information may in particular be traffic information, that is, for example, traffic jam messages or also information about the respective traffic density, which can be generated, for example, from a multiplicity of navigation devices which report their current position and speed back to a center or comparable mobile phones. In this context can be exemplified on the DE 100 41 800 A1 reference is made, which shows a method for operating a navigation device taking into account external information.

In addition to the collection and provision of external information, such as traffic jams and the like via central server, such as cloud server or the like is also known and customarily outsource the calculation of the route in such central server which then stand with the vehicle only in a communication link to the appropriate route to the vehicle to transfer. The advantage here is the always up-to-date map data and the presence of the external information on the server, so that they can be taken into account easily and efficiently. The prior art in this context can again purely by way of example DE 60 2004 010 084 T2 be pointed out.

In practice, the availability of external information and the data quality of this external information always depends on the sources that supply them. In the normal case, these are for example traffic control centers which collect and make available data, for example central servers for forwarding in navigation devices, but also radio stations for the purpose of distributing the corresponding traffic jam information from traffic announcements to navigation devices. In practice, it is often the case that this information is temporally dependent on the actual situation on site. This may mean that, for example, on proposed bypass routes in the meantime stagnant traffic or congestion, which the traffic control center is not yet known at this time. It may also be that the original route is already free again, for example, if the congestion has resulted from a minor accident and the accident site could be cleared accordingly quickly. In practice, this often causes users of such systems to accidentally get stuck in a traffic jam and, if they follow the instructions of their navigation device, use a more time-consuming route than would actually be necessary. In addition to the time losses for individual users, this also causes economic damage through increased consumption of time and resources.

The object of the present invention is now to provide an improved method for determining a route for a navigation system, taking into account external information.

This object is achieved by a method having the features in claim 1, and in particular in the characterizing part of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the idea emerge from the subclaims dependent thereon.

The core of the method according to the invention is the fact that users use travel routes which, taking account of the map data and external information, such as the traffic data, traffic flow and congestion mentioned above, are used. Users are then offered the option of evaluating the route. An evaluation carried out is transmitted to a central server and is then available for the subsequent calculation of the route in addition to the external information. Thus, if corresponding users are traveling on a route, and according to an advantageous development of the idea, this can be an alternative route, for example, a traffic jam avoidance to the standard route, then the inventive method calls on the users during or after driving through the route this accordingly rate.

In this case, according to an advantageous development of the idea, the evaluation can take place in two stages, that is to say merely positive and negative, in order to make the evaluation extremely simple and efficient. For example, the rating can be symbolized by known and proven symbols such as a plus and a minus or a thumb extended up or down. The user can then very easily and quickly submit a rating. If a large number of users make use of this option, then a corresponding assessment with a high statistical quality will very quickly be available in the central server, which may be designed in particular as a cloud server. For example, in the case of continuous negative Assessments of congestion avoidance are recognized that the congestion avoidance is obviously already affected by traffic or traffic jams. This information can then be included in the calculations of other routes on the same route, so that subsequent users are offered a different calculation and so for example can safely and quickly avoid both the original traffic jam and on the first suggested bypass route.

By this proposed and evaluated according to the method of the invention additional evaluation of routes, and in particular of alternatives to standard routes, ie, for example, bypass routes to a traffic jam, so a total for the whole much smoother flow of road traffic can be guaranteed, with the corresponding advantages in terms the time savings, the lower fuel consumption and the like.

The route calculation itself can take place taking into account the corresponding information both in the respective navigation device in the vehicle and, and this would be a particularly advantageous embodiment of the idea, on the central server, since a correspondingly large computing capacity is available, and the corresponding data the evaluation can be included in the calculation in a timely manner.

Two particularly favorable embodiment variants of the inventive method will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS.

Showing:

1 a first conceivable scenario for which the route is calculated centrally in a cloud server, the subfigures a) to e) being to be understood as successive in terms of time;

2 a comparable scenario in which the route is calculated locally in the navigation system of the respective vehicle.

In the 1a ), a traffic control center V is shown, which sends data to a cloud server C, for example, of a navigation device manufacturer, so that more detailed information about the Traffic Control Center V known traffic obstructions, congestion and the like as external information for the calculation of a route are available. In the scenario of 1a ) It is such that by way of example three navigation devices N ₁ , N ₂ , N ₃ , which are intended to symbolize a large amount of navigation devices by way of example, each make a route request to the cloud server C. In the chronological following 1b ), the route for the respective navigation system N ₁ , N ₂ , N ₃ in the cloud server C was taken into account in consideration of the information of the traffic control center V and is used as a route from the cloud server C to respective navigation device in N ₁ , N ₂ , N ₃ reflected back. In particular, it should be a bypass of an existing traffic jam on a standard route.

Now it is the case that the users of the vehicles with the three navigation systems N ₁ , N ₂ , N ₃ follow this route purely by way of example, or also different routes, which have been calculated by the cloud server C. Thereafter, during or after the users of the navigation devices N ₁ , N ₂ , N _{3 have followed} the route, they are requested to rate the route accordingly. This is in the 1c ) are shown accordingly. The users have the opportunity to rate these routes, for example via corresponding icons thumbs up / thumbs down. This is extremely easy and efficient, as the user ultimately only has to indicate whether he was satisfied with the route and the local traffic conditions or not.

In particular, this therefore concerns the question of whether the route suggestions could be traveled without further hindrances, which is then highly valued with a thumbs up or not, which in turn would be evaluated with a thumbs down, for example, when the users have driven into a traffic jam, which is the traffic control center V has not yet been reported and therefore was not yet known to the Cloud Server C when calculating the route alternative.

The ratings are transmitted anonymously to the Cloud Server C. With an evasive amount of evaluations, a corresponding aggregate score can then be created in the systems of cloud server C, which then flows into the route selection of further routes to be calculated.

In the presentation of the 1d ), after issuing the evaluations to the cloud server C, a route request of a navigation device N _{4 is} shown. In the cloud server C, the corresponding calculation of the route then takes place, in which case not only the information provided by the traffic control center V but also the previously stated ratings of the users of the navigation systems N ₁ , N ₂ , N _{3 are} taken into account. If, for example, a congestion has already formed in a congestion recommendation about a congestion reported via the traffic control center V, which is not yet known to the traffic control center V, then corresponding negative evaluations are available, so that the route calculation for the user of the navigation device N _{4 has} this Detour route is not taken into account. Rather, another detour route can be taken into account, or if individual users have traversed the place with the reported congestion on the original route and have lost little time, a whereabouts on the standard route may be the result of such a calculation.

In the presentation of the 1e ) this calculation is reflected back to the navigation device 4, which then uses the travel route calculated in this way. Of course, a rating can be made here as well, so that the currently available evaluations always benefit the following routes to be calculated.

In the presentation of the 2 In a comparable presentation, an alternative scenario can be recognized. In this scenario, the route calculation via a corresponding route calculation system does not take place in the cloud server C, as in the scenario of FIG 1 was the case, but in the respective navigation system N ₁ , N ₂ , N _{3 of} the respective vehicle itself. In this case, it is so that in turn from the traffic control center V, the data is transmitted to the central cloud server C. This transmits the data to the individual navigation devices N ₁ , N ₂ , N ₃ . In this case, based on these traffic data, alternative routes for bypassing congestion are calculated if necessary. This is followed by a rating on the icons thumbs up / thumb down, which is in the 2 B ), and what is essentially analogous to that in the 1c ).

In the presentation of the 2c ) the final step is shown. Here, just no route request and subsequent transmission of the calculated route between the navigation device N ₄ and the cloud server C, but with the ratings additionally enriched or compressed traffic information of the traffic control center V are again transmitted to the navigation device N ₄ , which then taking into account Complexity of the information and the evaluations computes its own route within the device.

Of course, combinations of the two ideas are conceivable, for example, that some devices use a central calculation in the area of the cloud server C and other devices not or that certain steps from the in 1 described scenario with the in 2 described scenario can be combined accordingly.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 10041800 A1 [0002]
• DE 602004010084 T2 [0003]

Claims (5)

Method for determining a route for a navigation device (N ₁ , N ₂ , N ₃ ) of a vehicle having a route calculation system which calculates the route in consideration of map data and external information (V), characterized in that the users of the route thus calculated during and / or after use, the possibility of evaluating the route is offered, after which a completed evaluation is transmitted to a central server (C), and then the evaluation for subsequent calculations of routes are used together with the external information (V). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the external information (V) comprises at least congestion information. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the evaluation takes place in two stages. A method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the route calculation system is arranged as an external route calculation system in the central server (C) and communicates with the navigation devices (N ₁ , N ₂ , N ₃ , N ₄ ) in vehicles via a telecommunication link , Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that preferably alternative routes to a standard route, which were determined based on the external information, are offered for evaluation.

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