Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
  • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
  • G08G1/09—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions
  • G08G1/091—Traffic information broadcasting
  • G08G1/093—Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08G—TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS
  • G08G1/00—Traffic control systems for road vehicles
  • G08G1/09—Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions
  • G08G1/091—Traffic information broadcasting
  • G08G1/094—Hardware aspects; Signal processing or signal properties, e.g. frequency bands

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method and arrangements for selecting traffic information services receivable with at least one mobile receiver, which are relevant for a route previously determined by a navigation device connected with at least one receiver.
• Traffic information services can also be transmitted via transmission media other than RDS broadcasting, for example via digital radio (DAB) or via mobile radio networks in accordance with the GSM standard.
• DAB digital radio
• this object is achieved in that for the determined route, service information is identified from a stored list, which identifies the services with traffic reports relevant to the route. that in the case of several services, a table is created which contains the service information which has been read out sorted according to an evaluation and which can be changed when the route is being followed, and that a receiver is set in each case to the most highly rated service.
• the evaluation can take place according to features which characterize the services and can be received together with the services themselves or can be read out from a memory at the receiver.
• the DAB tuner can preferably be set, for example, in areas which are supplied by the DAB, in the remaining areas the RDS tuner and on selected routes or on special request of the user, commercial services which are transmitted via GSM. It is also possible to save and use traffic reports received by several services for each area.
• a further development of the present invention makes it possible, when searching for a route, with the aid of a navigation device, to select the service which can be received by a receiver such that the reception of relevant traffic reports is optimized as far as possible over the entire route.
• At least one receiver is a radio receiver for receiving stations with traffic reports, for the determined route, program identification codes are read out from a stored list, which transmitters identify traffic reports relevant to the determined route that in the case of several read program identification codes, a table is created which contains the read Contains program identification codes sorted according to an evaluation and which can be changed when the route is being followed, and that the radio receiver is set in each case to the most highly rated receivable transmitter.
• this method can be used after a slight adjustment to the technical specification of the service.
• Navigation devices which also calculate the route taking into account the current traffic situation, can - provided that traffic reports are supplied to them to a sufficient extent - correct the route based on the traffic reports both when starting a journey and when a route is initially calculated during the journey. Furthermore, a recalculation of the route may be necessary during a journey if the vehicle (whether wanted or unwanted) deviates from the calculated route. Regardless of this, the method according to the invention enables the setting of the best transmitters available for this purpose.
• the stored list for the program identification codes contains information about the reception area, the area covered by the message content (message area), the known frequencies and about any other message selection carried out by the transmitter.
• the table of the stations to be set is determined and updated by comparing positions on the route with area information in the list.
• the entries in the table determined in this way are sorted in such a way that transmitters with the most suitable message content are at the top.
• the sorted table is transferred to a control device of the radio receiver and is used there as the basis for a station search, the station at the top being searched for first.
• Broadcasters often have different preferences when selecting the traffic reports they broadcast. For example, there are stations that only broadcast local traffic reports or those that broadcast traffic reports for a larger area. These properties of the transmitters can be used with another further development in that when sorting the respective class of the roads to be driven is related to the other message selection of the transmitter, which identifies the road classes for which the respective transmitter sends traffic reports.
• a particularly favorable option for the geographic selection of the various transmitters or PI codes without the relatively complex storage of coordinates can be done according to an advantageous embodiment in that the list of geographic areas into which a digital road map for the navigation device is divided, the associated
• Program identification codes are listed and that when the route is tracked, the program identification codes are read out and sorted in regions.
• the radio receiver has two receiving parts which can be set independently of one another.
• Fig. 1 a radio receiver and a
• Fig. 2 shows a section of a road map
• FIG. 4 shows as a flowchart a program designed to carry out the method according to the invention for a microprocessor located in the navigation device.
• the radio receiver shown in FIG. 1 has a receiving part 2 with an antenna 1, the output of which is connected on the one hand via an LF processor 4 and output stages 5, 6 to speakers 7, 8 and on the other hand via an RDS decoder 3 to a microprocessor 13 ,
• This is used to control the entire radio receiver and is designed, among other things, to select and decode individual information, for example program identification codes (PI codes) and digital traffic reports, from the 3 decoded RDS signal.
• PI codes program identification codes
• digital traffic reports from the 3 decoded RDS signal.
• the microprocessor 13 is also connected to a keyboard 14 and a display 15, with which various inputs (transmitter setting, volume, muting received stations) and required information (operating state of the receiver, station set, traffic reports shown as text) can be given.
• the microprocessor 13 also has an output which is connected to a control input of the receiving part 2 so that the receiving part 2 can be set to 14 by hand or to transmitters stored in the microprocessor 13.
• the microprocessor 13 of the radio receiver is connected via a bidirectional data connection 10 to a navigation device which can also be controlled by a microprocessor, not shown.
• the information required for the route search or for adapting the route search to the respective course of the journey is taken from a mass storage device 18, for example a CD-ROM, and a GPS locating device 17.
• TMC messages In addition to a digital road map, a section of which is shown in FIG. 2, there is a list in the mass memory 18 of those transmitters which broadcast digitally coded traffic reports (TMC messages).
• the list is arranged according to Pl codes and contains for each Pl code a reception area, a message area, frequencies on which programs are broadcast with the respective Pl code, and the other message selection carried out by the broadcaster - e.g. only local, regional and national reports.
• the list shown in detail in FIG. 3a) shows entries of the five transmitters Sa to Se with the PI codes PI1 to PI5.
• the reception areas of the transmitters Sa to Se are shown in FIG. 2 in the same way as the transmitters.
• the file is particularly simple in that areas of the digital map (FIG. 2) are subdivided into areas - also called PI areas in the following - and that the responsible transmitters are identified in the list for each of these areas.
• the list according to FIG. 3a) shows, for example, that the transmitter Sa transmits traffic reports for the area C2 and the transmitter Sb transmits traffic reports for the areas C1, C2 and B2. This eliminates the need to assign the message areas of the individual transmitters to the geographic coordinates.
• the navigation device 16 determines on the basis of its own position in which PI area the vehicle is located and can then jump directly to the corresponding section of the PI code table, where it then finds one or more PI codes, for example in 3a) for the area C2, the PI codes PH to PI4.
• the route is first checked to determine which road classes are used, whether they are highways or inner-city roads, for example. This process is explained in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. 2 shows a section of a total of 16 PI areas A1 to D4 of the digital road map. For a journey from a location X to a location Y, a route search has shown that first of all an inner-city road 21 to an autobahn interchange 22, then a journey on the freeway 23 to the interchange 24 and finally an inter-urban road 25 are used again becomes. Another road 26, which also leads from X to Y, is not proposed to the driver, since this winding route is longer and also takes more time.
• the reception areas of the transmitters Sa to Se are indicated as circles or ellipses. If the largest part of a PI area falls within the reception area, this is listed in the table according to FIG. 3a) for the respective transmitter.
• the transmitters Sa and Se are local transmitters, while the transmitters Sb, Sc and Sd can be received nationwide.
• the receiver is in area C2.
• the stations Sa to Sd should be receivable there. Since the first route 21 is not a freeway, the local transmitter Sa is first given the highest priority. The remaining stations are evaluated in the subsequent PI areas B2 and A2 after evaluating their reception. Since the Transmitter Sd can be received in all three PI areas, the transmitters are transferred to the microprocessor 13 of the radio receiver in the order Sa, Sd, Sb, Sc shown in FIG. 3b).
• transmitter Sd Even before reaching the freeway at 22, the ratio between inner-city or local streets 21 to the freeway 23 drops so much that the prioritization of the transmitter Sa is omitted. This will set transmitter Sd next, although transmitters Sb and transmitter Sc may offer higher field strengths. The transmitter Sd remains set until the transition to the PI area A2. There, the navigation device determines that predominantly secondary routes are used for the remaining route, and therefore prioritizes the transmitter Se (FIG. 3c) which is cheapest for this PI area, which then remains tuned to the destination Y.
• FIG. 4 shows as a flow chart a program which is provided in a microprocessor of the navigation device for carrying out the method according to the invention.
• the route is calculated at 33 with the result X, 22, 24, Y.
• the program then waits for an entry as to whether dynamic route guidance is desired. If this is not the case, the program is ended at 35. However, if dynamic route guidance is desired, the PI areas are determined at 36, in the present case C2, B2 and A2.
• associated PI codes are then determined using the table in accordance with FIG. 3a.
• the program branches depending on whether the number of NPI of the PI codes determined is greater than zero. If no suitable PI code was found beforehand, no list is passed on to the radio receiver. In this case, the radio receiver must be on its own - that is, with the usual procedure - search for suitable stations with traffic reports.
• branch 38 is followed by the transfer of the PI list (FIG. 3b) to the radio receiver.
• the program ends at 35.
• the position and thus the route still to be traveled are updated at 41.
• Received TMC messages are also taken into account, so that other routes may be selected in the event of traffic disruptions. If the receiver has come into a new PI area due to the trip on the originally calculated route or on a newly calculated route, after branching 42 it is again detected at 36 which PI areas the further trip is going to be followed by a new one at 37 The associated PI codes are determined. As long as the receiver has not yet reached a new area at 42 and the destination has not yet been reached, the position and the route are updated at 41 without the PI codes having to be redetermined.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• Navigation (AREA)
• Circuits Of Receivers In General (AREA)
• Traffic Control Systems (AREA)
• Stored Programmes (AREA)
• Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=7916761

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (15)

Family Cites Families (9)

• 1999
  • 1999-07-31 DE DE19936114A patent/DE19936114A1/de not_active Ceased
• 2000
  • 2000-07-06 EP EP00956071A patent/EP1118068B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-07-06 AT AT00956071T patent/ATE286609T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-07-06 US US09/806,642 patent/US6535813B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-07-06 AU AU68180/00A patent/AU782308B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2000-07-06 ES ES00956071T patent/ES2233427T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-07-06 WO PCT/DE2000/002227 patent/WO2001009858A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2000-07-06 DE DE50009157T patent/DE50009157D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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