WO2009104169A1

WO2009104169A1 - In-vehicle traffic navigation terminal

Info

Publication number: WO2009104169A1
Application number: PCT/IB2009/050716
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ni Ma; Xiaobo Zhang; Gang Wu
Original assignee: Nxp B.V.
Priority date: 2008-02-21
Filing date: 2009-02-21
Publication date: 2009-08-27

Abstract

An in-vehicle navigation terminal to identify a route of travel based on a combination of navigation signals and current traffic information. The in-vehicle navigation terminal includes a geographical positioning information receiver, a traffic information receiver, and a signal processing unit. The geographical 5 positioning information receiver receives a navigation signal from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The traffic information receiver receives current traffic information from a local traffic information system. The signal processing unit is coupled with the geographical positioning information receiver and the traffic information receiver to identify a route of travel based on the 10 navigation signal and the current traffic information.

Description

IN-VEHICLE TRAFFIC NAVIGATION TERMINAL

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to navigation systems and, more particularly, to identifying potential routes of travel which account for current traffic information.

Many satellite-based navigation systems exist at various levels of development and application. The most widely know and implemented system is the Global Positioning System (GPS) developed by the United States. GPS uses multiple satellites in space to locate an objective geo-spatially. Other comparable systems exist, including the Galileo Positioning System under development in

Europe, Russia's GLONASS, and the CNSS of China. For convenience, satellite- based positioning systems are generally referred to as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). GNSSs have many applications such as, for example, roadway navigation. In general, a GNSS generates a navigation signal which is detected by a terminal. Portable GNSS terminals are commonly used to provide a route guideline for users who are traveling from one location to another. The GNSS terminal can be a vehicle mounted terminal as well as a hand-held device.

Conventional GNSS terminals offer a one-time persistent route dictated by selected criteria for users utilizing a GNSS terminal. A route is selected based on shortest travel time, shortest distance, etc. Although different routes may be generated based on a user's location and destination, the routes rely on static, geographical maps. Present systems are not able to adapt to changing travel conditions such as traffic jams, temporary road closures, traffic accidents, etc. Fig. 1 depicts a schematic process flow chart diagram of a conventional navigation system 10. The conventional navigation system 10 includes a terminal 12 and a GNSS 14. The terminal 12 receives a destination from a user. The information that describes the destination may be input, for example, via a touch screen, a voice command, a keypad, or some other class of input/output (VO) device. The terminal 12 also receives a consistent navigation signal from the GNSS 14. Using the navigation signal from the GNSS 14, the terminal 12 computes the current location of the terminal 12. The terminal 12 then generates a suggested route of travel from the current location of the terminal 12 to the destination based on a fixed geographical map stored within the terminal 12. At block 16, the terminal 12 occasionally recalculates the current location data to determine if the location of the terminal 12 changes. If the location of the terminal 12 does not change, then the terminal 12 maintains the previous route. Otherwise, if the location of the terminal 12 changes, then the terminal 12 calculates a new route to the destination based on an updated navigation signal from the GNSS 14.

Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are recognized as integrated solutions to traffic issues in problematic regions. Present ITS implementations focus on system-global solutions. Transportation commanding or bulletin board systems are the current implementation of ITS. The current ITS solutions are designed to address system performance of the transportation system as a whole.

Embodiments of a system are described. In one embodiment, the system is an in-vehicle navigation terminal. The in-vehicle navigation terminal includes a geographical positioning information receiver, a traffic information receiver, and a signal processing unit. The geographical positioning information receiver receives a navigation signal from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The traffic information receiver receives current traffic information from a local traffic information system. The signal processing unit is coupled with the geographical positioning information receiver and the traffic information receiver to identify a route of travel based on the navigation signal and the current traffic information. Other embodiments of the system are also described.

Embodiments of an apparatus are also described. In one embodiment, the apparatus is a signal processing unit. The signal processing unit includes a route computation engine and a route comparison engine. The route computation engine generates potential travel routes based on geographic navigation information and current traffic information stored on a memory device. The route comparison engine compares the potential travel routes generated by the route computation engine based on a route selection parameter stored in the memory device. Other embodiments of the apparatus are also described. Other aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrated by way of example of the principles of the invention.

Fig. 1 depicts a schematic process flow chart diagram of a conventional navigation system. Fig. 2 depicts a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of an in-vehicle navigation terminal.

Fig. 3 depicts a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of an implementation of a traffic navigation system.

Fig. 4 depicts a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of the signal processing unit of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 depicts a schematic process flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a traffic navigation process using the traffic navigation terminal of Fig. 2.

Throughout the description, similar reference numbers may be used to identify similar elements.

Although many embodiments are described herein, some embodiments provide an in-vehicle traffic navigation terminal to generate a dynamic travel route guideline. The terminal includes a geographic positioning information receiver to receive a navigation signal from a global navigation satellite system. The terminal also includes a traffic information receiver to receive current traffic information from a local traffic information system. The terminal also includes a signal processing unit coupled to the geographical positioning information receiver and the traffic information receiver. The in- vehicle traffic navigation terminal combines information from the geographical positioning information receiver with information from the traffic information receiver to identify a route of travel.

In one embodiment, the signal processing unit includes a route computation engine to generate potential travel routes based on geographic navigation information. The signal processing unit also includes a route comparison engine to compare the potential travel routes generated by the route computation engine. The route selection is based on a route selection parameter stored in the memory device. As one example, a user may input a destination, and the traffic navigation terminal may identify one or more routes based on the geographic positioning information. Additionally, the traffic navigation terminal may receive current traffic information about, for example, traffic congestion, traffic accidents, and other traffic conditions. The traffic navigation terminal may use the current traffic information to modify the route identified based on the geographic positioning information. Alternatively, the traffic navigation terminal may use the current traffic information to select one of multiple routes identified based on the geographic positioning information. For example, the current traffic information may indicate a traffic accident along a previously selected route and, in response, a traffic navigation terminal may identify an alternative route to avoid the traffic accident. In some embodiments, the user may specify a user parameter, or a route selection parameter, to indicate a specific type of traffic information which may influence the route selection by the traffic navigation terminal. In this way, the terminal calculates the route and presents it to the user based on the current location of the terminal, as well as the current, local traffic information.

Fig. 2 depicts a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of an in-vehicle navigation terminal 100. The in- vehicle navigation terminal 100 includes a GNSS receiver 102, a traffic information receiver 104, a signal processing unit 106, a display device 108, and a user interface 1 10. Although the illustrated in-vehicle navigation terminal 100 includes several functional blocks described herein, other embodiments of the in-vehicle navigation terminal 100 may include fewer of more functional blocks to implement more or less functionality. The traffic information receiver 104 is coupled to an antenna 1 14 to receive current traffic information from a local traffic information system (refer to Fig. 3). Similarly, the GNSS receiver 102 is coupled to an antenna 112 to receive a navigation signal from the GNSS. In one embodiment, the antennas 112 and 1 14 are wireless signal receivers that support wireless operations. The GNSS receiver 102 may have one or two antennas 112, although the GNSS receiver 102 is not limited to two antennas 112. In other words, the GNSS receiver 102 can include more than one antenna 1 12. The traffic information receiver 104 also may have more than one antenna 114. Other embodiments of the in-vehicle navigation terminal 100 may implement other wireless schemes to receive the navigation signal from the GNSS.

The navigation signal received by the navigation terminal 100 may include a 50 bit/second navigation message which is made up of three portions or segments. The first portion gives the time of day and the GNSS week number, as well as satellite status information. The second portion is an ephemeris. The third portion of the navigation signal is typically an almanac. Each navigation signal generally takes approximately 30 seconds to transmit. The first 6 seconds of the navigation signal transmits data regarding the satellite clock and its relationship to GNSS time. The subsequent 12 seconds contain the ephemeris data, relaying the individual satellite's own precise orbit or location. A new part of the almanac is transmitted during the last 12 seconds of the 30 second navigation signal transmission. The almanac includes general orbit and status information for each satellite in the group of orbiting satellites. The almanac also includes information to relate GNSS time to coordinated universal time (UTC). Each navigation signal contains one-twenty-fifth of the almanac, so the entire almanac is received from a single satellite over 12.5 minutes.

In one embodiment, the signal processing unit 106 of the navigation terminal 100 of Fig. 2 receives the signals from the GNSS receiver 102 and the traffic information receiver 104. The signal processing unit 106 uses these signals to calculate a route of travel corresponding to user input parameters such as, for example, shortest distance, fastest time, etc. An exemplary embodiment of the signal processing unit 106 is shown in Fig. 4 and described in more detail below. In one embodiment, the display device 108 communicates the route of travel to the user. The route of travel may be communicated through, for example, sound, voice, or visual means. Also referred to as a display device 108, some embodiments of the navigation terminal 100 may include only non-visual communication means. In one embodiment, the user interface 110 allows a user to interface with the terminal 100. For example, the user interface 110 may allow a user to input information such as a target destination into the terminal 100.

Exemplary embodiments of the user interface 110 include a touch screen, a handheld remote, a microphone, or another audible or tactile interface. Fig. 3 depicts a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of an implementation of a traffic navigation system 120. The illustrated traffic navigation system 120 includes a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) 122, a navigation terminal 100, and a local traffic information system 126. In general, the terminal 100 receives geographical positioning information via the navigation signal from the GNSS 122 to identify a potential route of travel 124 to a destination. The terminal 100 also receives current traffic information from the local traffic information system 126. In the depicted embodiment, the current traffic information indicates a traffic jam 130 detected by the local traffic information system 126. In this way, the local traffic information system 126 transmits the real-time road status information (e.g., the traffic jam 130) to the terminal 100. The navigation terminal 100 then identifies a modified route of travel 128 to avoid the traffic jam 130. The modified route of travel 128 may be identified based on the current traffic information from the local traffic information system 126 and the navigation signal from the GNSS 122. The current traffic information may include information about, for example, heavy traffic congestion, traffic accidents, road construction, road closures, poor road conditions such as icy roads or standing rainwater, and other traffic conditions. Fig. 4 depicts a schematic block diagram of one embodiment of the signal processing unit 106 of Fig. 2. The illustrated signal processing unit 106 includes a memory device 140, a route computation engine 144, and a route comparison engine 146. Although the depicted signal processing unit 106 includes several functional blocks described herein, other embodiments of the signal processing unit 106 may include fewer or more functional blocks to implement more or less functionality. For example, in some embodiments, the signal processing unit 106 omits the memory device 140 and is coupled to one or more external memory devices.

In one embodiment, the memory device 140 stores route calculation rules 142. The route calculation rules 142 facilitate the comparison and calculation of a route of travel. The memory device 140 also stores one or more route selection parameters. In one embodiment, the route selection parameters include user parameters. For example, the user may specify a time-dependent parameter so that the proposed route is the fastest route available, or another relatively fast route. Alternately, the user may specify a distance-dependent parameter so that the proposed route is the shortest route to the destination, or another relatively short route. The memory device 140 also may store data that includes road map information, GNSS satellite information such as a satellite almanac and ephemeris information, as well as general satellite status and orbit information, or similar data. Additionally, the memory device 140 may store geographic navigation information from the GNSS 122 and/or current traffic information from the traffic information system 126.

Depending on where the memory device 140 is implemented (i.e., on or off the signal processing unit 106), the memory device 140 may be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system. Examples of a memory device include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk, and an optical disk. Examples of optical disks include a compact disk with read only memory (CD-ROM), a compact disk with read/write (CD-R/W), and a digital video disk (DVD). In one embodiment, the route computation engine 144 of the signal processing unit 106 calculates at least one potential route of travel using the information stored on the memory device 140. The route comparison engine 146 combines potential traffic routes with current traffic information and then compares the potential routes of travel using the route calculation rules 142 stored on the memory device 140.

Fig. 5 depicts a schematic process flow chart diagram 150 illustrating one embodiment of a traffic navigation process using the traffic navigation terminal 100 of Fig. 2. The diagram 150 includes a terminal 100 and a GNSS 122. The terminal 100 receives a destination from a user. The information that describes the destination may be input, for example, via a touch screen, a voice command, a keypad, or some other class of input/output (I/O) device. The terminal 100 also receives consistent navigation signals from the GNSS 122. The terminal 100 calculates the current location of the terminal 100 and then determines a suggested travel route, based on the current location of the terminal 100 and the destination, and conveys the suggested route of travel to the user. At block 152, the terminal 100 occasionally checks for new traffic information corresponding to current traffic conditions. If new traffic information is available, then at block 154 the terminal computes a new route of travel based on possible routes and the new traffic information. New traffic information can be received according to an occasion such as, for example, a measure of time, an input at the terminal, or a signal sent from a local traffic information system. If no new traffic information is available, then at block 156 the terminal 100 recalculates the current location. If there is no change in the current location, then the navigation terminal 100 stands by for new traffic information. If the current location changes, then the terminal 100 recalculates the current location, the potential routes, and the suggested route of travel based on the most recent traffic information. If the navigation terminal 100 receives no new traffic information, and no change in location is detected, then the terminal 100 continues, for example, to execute a routine for checking for new traffic information and verifying the current location until powered down by a user.

In some embodiments the processing unit calculates a potential traffic route based on the navigation signal received from the GNSS. In some embodiments the signal processing unit calculates a modified route of travel based on the current traffic information and the potential traffic route. In some embodiments the signal processing unit calculates the modified route of travel to avoid a traffic condition indicated by the current traffic information. In some embodiments, the traffic condition is traffic congestion. In some embodiments, the traffic condition is a traffic accident. In some embodiments the signal processing unit calculates the modified route of travel according to a user parameter. In some embodiments, the user parameter is time dependent, and the modified route of travel is a faster route of travel relative to the potential route of travel in light of the current traffic information. In some embodiments, the user parameter is distance dependent, and the modified route of travel is the shortest route of travel other than the potential route of travel. In some embodiments, the navigation terminal also includes a display to receive route data from the signal processing unit and to communicate the route of travel to a user. In some embodiments, the terminal is a mobile phone. In some embodiments, the terminal is a personal digital assistant. In some embodiments, the navigation terminal also includes a memory device coupled to the signal processing unit to store a set of rules to govern destination selection by the user.

In some embodiments, the route selection parameter is time, and the signal processing unit identifies a fastest route of the potential travel routes. In some embodiments, the route selection parameter is distance, and the signal processing unit identifies a shortest route of the potential travel routes. In some embodiments, the route computation engine computes a modified travel route in response to new traffic information indicative of a dynamic change in traffic conditions.

In some embodiments, the traffic navigation system includes means for generating potential travel routes based on geographic navigation information and current traffic information. In some embodiments, the traffic navigation system includes means for comparing the potential travel routes based on a route selection parameter. In some embodiments, the traffic navigation system includes means for identifying a selected route based on the route selection parameter. In some embodiments, the traffic navigation system includes means for computing a modified travel route in response to new traffic information indicative of a dynamic change in traffic conditions. Although the operations of the method(s) herein are shown and described in a particular order, the order of the operations of each method may be altered so that certain operations may be performed in an inverse order or so that certain operations may be performed, at least in part, concurrently with other operations. In another embodiment, instructions or sub-operations of distinct operations may be implemented in an intermittent and/or alternating manner. Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts so described and illustrated. The scope of the invention is to be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An in-vehicle navigation terminal comprising: a geographical positioning information receiver to receive a navigation signal from a global navigation satellite system; a traffic information receiver to receive current traffic information from a local traffic information system; and a signal processing unit coupled with the geographical positioning information receiver and the traffic information receiver, the signal processing unit to identify a route of travel based on the navigation signal and the current traffic information.

2. The in-vehicle navigation terminal of claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit is further configured to calculate a potential traffic route based on the navigation signal received from the global navigation satellite system.

3. The in-vehicle navigation terminal of claim 2, wherein the signal processing unit is further configured to calculate a modified route of travel based on the current traffic information and the potential traffic route.

4. The in-vehicle navigation terminal of claim 3, wherein the signal processing unit is further configured to calculate the modified route of travel to avoid a traffic condition indicated by the current traffic information.

5. The in-vehicle navigation terminal of claim 4, wherein the traffic condition comprises traffic congestion.

6. The in-vehicle navigation terminal of claim 4, wherein the traffic condition comprises a traffic accident.

7. The in-vehicle navigation terminal of claim 3, wherein the signal processing unit is further configured to calculate the modified route of travel according to a user parameter.

8. The in-vehicle navigation terminal of claim 7, wherein the user parameter comprises time, and the modified route of travel comprises a faster route of travel relative to the potential route of travel in light of the current traffic information.

9. The in-vehicle navigation terminal of claim 7, wherein the user parameter comprises distance, and the modified route of travel comprises a shortest route of travel other than the potential route of travel.

10. The in-vehicle navigation terminal of claim 1, further comprising a display coupled to the signal processing unit, the display to receive route data from the signal processing unit and to communicate the route of travel to a user.

11. The in-vehicle navigation terminal of claim 1, wherein the terminal comprises a mobile phone.

12. The in-vehicle navigation terminal of claim 1, wherein the terminal comprises a personal digital assistant.

13. The in-vehicle navigation terminal of claim 1, further comprising a user interface coupled to the signal processing unit, the user interface to facilitate selection of a destination by a user.

14. The in-vehicle navigation terminal of claim 13, further comprising a memory device coupled to the signal processing unit, the memory device to store a set of rules to govern destination selection by the user.

15. A traffic navigation signal processing unit comprising: a route computation engine to generate potential travel routes based on geographic navigation information and current traffic information stored on a memory device; and a route comparison engine to compare the potential travel routes generated by the route computation engine based on a route selection parameter stored in the memory device.

16. The traffic navigation signal processing unit of claim 15, wherein the route selection parameter comprise time, and the signal processing unit is further configured to identify a fastest route of the potential travel routes.

17. The traffic navigation signal processing unit of claim 15, wherein the route selection parameter comprises distance, and the signal processing unit is further configured to identify a shortest route of the potential travel routes.

18. The traffic navigation signal processing unit of claim 15, wherein the route computation engine is further configured to a modified travel route in response to new traffic information indicative of a dynamic change in traffic conditions.

19. A traffic navigation system comprising: means for generating potential travel routes based on geographic navigation information and current traffic information; means for comparing the potential travel routes based on a route selection parameter; and means for identifying a selected route based on the route selection parameter.

20. The traffic navigation system of claim 19, further comprising means for computing a modified travel route in response to new traffic information indicative of a dynamic change in traffic conditions.