EP1041755B1 - Method for transmitting and processing traffic information - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for informing motorists, wherein digitally coded traffic reports are received and buffered.

The Radio Data System (RDS) enables additional and inaudible transmission of digital data in parallel to broadcast programs in one data channel. Specifications of the radio data system for VHF radio are inter alia in the publication Tech. 3244 - E, March 1984 of the European Union of Run-Down Radio Union (EBU). Radio receivers with suitable RDS decoders can record and decode transmitted data in addition to audio reception with the same receiver. For data transmission, 32 groups of 104 bits each are provided, with each of the transmitted groups being assigned a specific service. The group 8a is currently provided for the transmission of digitally coded messages, in particular traffic reports.

The structure and coding of these traffic reports are in CEN ENV 12313-1, which is based on the standard proposal ALERT C, November 1990 , published by the RDS ATT ALERT Consortium, based. The essential elements of a traffic report are the location of the event and the event. This information is cataloged, which means that every traffic-relevant location and every traffic-relevant event is assigned a unique code. The concatenation of the places in a place database along existing roads reflects the course. In addition to the usual facilities of a receiver with an RDS decoder facilities for decoding, storage, processing and output of the traffic reports are required to use the traffic message channel TMC (Traffic Message Channel).

Digitally coded traffic reports - also referred to below as TMC messages for the sake of simplicity - can not only be transmitted with the aid of the radio data system, but also, for example, within the digital audio broadcasting (DAB), in particular in the FI channel (fast-forwarding). information channel). Furthermore, a transmission of messages via mobile networks is provided, with the broadcast channel and the SMS channel are suitable (SMS = Short Message Service). At present, a Global Automotive Telematic Standard (GATS) is being developed in this regard. This is a packet-oriented data channel that can be handled in parallel with the spoken telephone call. While in the broadcast systems, that is, in the unidirectional networks, successively all TMC messages are sent, the bidirectional networks, a request transmission (request) is possible.

Each TMC message is stored in a memory in the respective receiver and remains there until it loses its validity. This is implicit after a quarter of an hour (when transmitted via GSM after half a Hour) the case. For longer periods, the period of validity is explicitly transferred, for example, "another two hours". If an obstacle lasts longer than initially assumed, the same message is sent repeatedly before it expires (update message).
Traffic jams are usually reported in terms of kilometers. Frequently, however, it is much more interesting for the driver to know how long the traffic jam or other traffic obstruction still exists. When considering the use of a redirection, which is usually more complicated than the direct route, the timing of a traffic jam also plays a role.
The EP-A-0 725 500 discloses a device for managing digitally encoded traffic reports, in particular TMC traffic jam messages, in which received and valid traffic messages are stored in a memory and for each traffic message a management record is stored, the time of first receiving the traffic message and the serial number of Traffic message according to the order of first reception.
The DE-A-197 08 106 discloses a method for informing motorists of traffic disruptions, wherein traffic disturbance messages are received, for example as TMC traffic announcements via RDS broadcasting. Not only static information should be made available to the driver, but also information that allows conclusions to be drawn about the development of traffic disruptions over time. For this purpose, the traffic disturbances that are received, which concern a specific route section, are evaluated by means of a traffic flow-density diagram valid for this route section, which represents the connection between traffic flow and traffic density.
The object of the present invention is to provide the motorist with information on the development of a traffic jam or another obstacle on the basis of the received TMC messages.

This object is achieved with the method for providing a message in a vehicle to inform a driver about traffic related events according to claim 1, with the method for assigning a resistance value to a road for performing a route search on a navigation device for use in a vehicle according to Claim 2 and with the car radio according to claim 3 solved.

The output can be visual or audible, with both a general tendency display and a more accurate display, for example in kilometers per unit time, is possible.

By the method according to the invention, for example, the importance of a traffic jam of perhaps only 5 kilometers in length, but already for several hours in memory and possibly even the traffic jam length by an update message (which lands at the same position in the TMC memory ) was increased. This traffic jam is very tough and worth driving around. Other messages, such as roadblocks, can be evaluated in this way more practical compared to the mere statement "road closed".

In navigation devices with automatic route search, the individual streets are assigned a resistance value. In the inventive method of claim 2, the duration and tendency are suitable to be used as a resistance value for a route search.

Fig. 1

eine Tabelle empfangener und im Speicher abgelegter TMC-Meldungen für einen ersten Fall,

Fig. 2

den Inhalt von empfangenen und im Speicher abgelegten TMC-Meldungen für einen weiteren Fall und

Fig. 3

ein Blockschaltbild eines für das erfindungsgemäße Verfahren geeigneten Empfängers.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawing with reference to several figures and explained in more detail in the following description. It shows:

Fig. 1

a table of received and stored TMC messages for a first case,

Fig. 2

the content of TMC messages received and stored in memory for another case and

Fig. 3

a block diagram of a suitable for the inventive method receiver.

In the table below Fig. 1 It is assumed that at 12:00 o'clock a new message with the content "Ax between ... and ... 5 km congestion" arrives and is marked with a time stamp TST = 12:00. Ax means a street number. The dots represent places on the street, especially junctions of a highway. This message has been refreshed twice, at 12:25 and 12:50, with an update message according to the ALERT C standard. The timestamp is then retained because the newly arrived message is an update message. From the non-changing amount of congestion (extent) the tendency "consistent" is derived on arrival and displayed in a suitable manner. If, for example, a message output takes place at 13:05, the time stamp indicates that the message has already been present for one hour and five minutes, but the jam no longer becomes.

At the in Fig. 2 Example shown arrives at 15:00 clock a new message and receives this time as a time stamp TST. Update messages arrive at 3:25 pm and 3:50 pm, but include increasing information about the traffic jam length. Therefore, the trend "rising" is derived when the update messages arrive. The issue at 15:55 then includes that the message is already 55 minutes and the congestion is also longer. Here it makes sense to follow a diversion recommendation.

Fig. 3 represents a suitable for the inventive method receiver - preferably a car radio. An antenna 1 is connected in a conventional manner with a receiving part 2, at whose output a stereo multiplex signal MPX is present, which is a stereo decoder 4 and an RDS decoder 3 is supplied. Outputs of the stereo decoder 4 are connected to a low-frequency amplifier 5, to each of which an amplifier 6, 7 speakers 8, 9 are connected.

The RDS decoder selects RDS signals from the multiplex signal and decodes them. A microprocessor 13 performs a number of functions, including the control of the entire receiver, with only those functions which are essential to the method according to the invention being mentioned below. The microprocessor 13 receives RDS signals from the RDS decoder and is connected to a control unit 14, a display 15, a memory 16 and a clock 17. The received TMC messages are as in the Figures 1 and 2 shown stored in memory 16. To output the TMC messages, the display 15 can be controlled by the microprocessor 13. However, it is also a voice output, for example in the form of a speech synthesis, possible, for which the synthesized audio signals can be supplied via an input 10 to the low-frequency amplifier 5.

In the microprocessor 13 various programs are executed, which perform the individual process steps. Thus, for example, when a new TMC message arrives from the clock 17, the time is read out and stored in the memory 16 together with the received TMC message. If an update message arrives, the time stamp TST stored in connection with the new message is read out of the memory 16 and stored together with the new message in the memory. To output this stored update message, this is from the memory 16 read and displayed on the display 15 and the speaker 8, 9. The events (contents) of the update message and the previously received update message or new message are compared with each other and the tendency is determined and also reproduced.

Claims (3)

1. Method for providing a message in a vehicle in order to inform a car driver about traffic-related events, involving:

   receiving and buffer-storing digitally coded traffic reports concerning traffic-related events, wherein each traffic report comprises information identifying the event and a length dimension of the event, and wherein at least one of the traffic reports is an update traffic report (report type) concerning the same event as a first previous traffic report;

   providing a time of day (time of day) for the received first traffic report of an event, which time of day displays the time of reception of the traffic report;

   storing a time stamp (TST) and the length dimension (content) for each received traffic report in a memory, wherein the time stamp (TST) for a first traffic report is the provided time of day and, for an update traffic report, is the time stamp (time of day) of the first received traffic report of the event, and wherein the length dimension is the length dimension of the received traffic report;

   when a traffic report concerning an event is output, deriving

   (a) a duration of the event based on the time stamp of the received traffic report of the event and the present time of day, and

   (b) a tendency displaying the change in the length dimension of the relevant event based on a comparison of the length dimension of the output traffic report and the length dimension of the previous traffic report concerning the event, and

   outputting a message containing the derived duration and tendency, together with the traffic report, by using a screen or loudspeaker of the vehicle.
2. Method of assigning a resistance value to a road for performing a route search on a navigation device for use in a vehicle, involving:

   receiving and buffer-storing digitally coded traffic reports concerning traffic-related events, wherein each traffic report comprises information identifying the event and a length dimension of the event, and wherein at least one of the traffic reports is an update traffic report (report type) concerning the same event as a first previous traffic report;

   providing a time of day (time of day) for the received first traffic report, which time of day displays the time of reception of the traffic report;

   storing a time stamp (TST) and the length dimension (content) for each received traffic report in a memory, wherein the time stamp (TST) for the first traffic report of an event is the provided time of day and, for an update traffic report, is the time stamp of the first received traffic report of the event, and wherein the length dimension is the length dimension of the received traffic report;

   for one or more events, deriving

   (a) a duration of the event based on the time stamp of the received traffic report of the event and the present time of day, and

   (b) a tendency displaying the change of the length dimension of the relevant event based on a comparison of the length dimension of the traffic report received most recently before the derivation and the dimension of the previous traffic report concerning the event, and

   using the derived duration and the tendency for the one or more events in order to assign roads a resistance value for the route search.
3. Car radio having:

   an RDS decoder (3) for receiving and buffer-storing digitally coded traffic reports concerning traffic-related events, wherein each traffic report comprises information identifying the event and a length dimension of the event, and wherein at least one of the traffic reports is an update traffic report (report type) concerning the same event as a first previous traffic report;

   a means (17) for providing a time of day (time of day) for the first received traffic report of an event, which time of day displays the time of reception of the traffic report;

   a means (16) for storing a time stamp (TST) and the length dimension (content) for each received traffic report, wherein the time stamp (TST) for the first traffic report is the time of day displaying the time of reception of the traffic report and, for an update traffic report, is the time stamp (time of day) of the first received traffic report of the event, and wherein the length dimension is the length dimension of the received traffic report;

   a means (13) for deriving, when a traffic report concerning an event is output,

   (a) a duration of the event based on the time stamp of the received traffic report of the event and the present time of day, and

   (b) a tendency displaying the change in the length dimension of the relevant event based on a comparison of the length dimension of the output traffic report and the length dimension of the previous traffic report concerning the event, and

   a screen (15) or loudspeaker (8) for outputting a message containing the derived duration and tendency together with the traffic report.

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