JPH031299A - System of collecting and broadcasting traffic and parking informaiton - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To also enable study about detour to an initially intended road by broadcasting information concerning to the selected course and circumferential situation of roads on the way of the course. CONSTITUTION: The information gathering means 100 centralizingly concentrates information especially concerning to traffic situation of crowded areas and makes individual recordings of the centralized concentrated information correspond to respective territories of related areas and means 330, 340, 350 broadcast on-the-spot consecutive messages through the radio. A receiving means 360 receives the on-the-spot consecutive messages to be broadcasted and a discriminating means 240 selects messages being concern of a driver from among the received messages according to the fixed selection reference inputted by the driver. Thus, the study about the detour is made possible and a traffic snarl can be avoided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to a system for collecting and broadcasting information regarding vehicle traffic and parking, information aimed at arrogant drivers.

(Prior art) Ordinary radio broadcasts generally include breaking news to alert drivers to traffic problems (such as traffic jams and accidents) on highways and intersections in built-up, densely populated areas. It is.

However, this kind of information is, at best, mediocre news.
It is usually broadcast in the form of a flash, and not all messages broadcast are individualized or specific to each driver.

In recent years, special guidance methods have been developed that provide drivers with personalized information about their intended route, allowing them to navigate around difficult situations and locate their vehicle in towns, etc. This is because it is now possible.

I would like to specifically mention the Arisuf method developed by Siemens based on research conducted by the University of Berlin and Rohert Ponju. This method uses infrared light to communicate between guided vehicles and signs installed at each intersection. , based on two-way exchange of data.

In the above directions, each vehicle is equipped with various sensors (mileage sensor, vehicle speed sensor, road compass, etc.) and a transceiver that acts as a transponder.

As the vehicle approaches an intersection, the intersection sign sends out an inquiry signal, and a response device mounted on the vehicle sends the information read by the vehicle's sensors to the sign. This information is then sent by the sign to a central computer, where it is compared with the information given to the next sign from the same vehicle. In this way, the traffic flow, the current route of the vehicle, the time required for the journey, and the maximum? The difference between the route intended for 7J and the travel time is determined.

The service center transmits guidance information to the sign, which then transmits it to the vehicle. This guidance information may be displayed, for example, as arrows on the screen, indicating to the driver which road to take to reach a road sign (or
If the service center determines that it is prudent to avoid congestion, directions will be provided to reach the congestion avoidance route markings. ) and at the same time the distance is also indicated by the movement of the black dot on the screen.

The above-mentioned system is used, for example, in the LISB transmission and information system Berlin-UNDLNl at the Großsfeldfuerzuf of Siemens AG.
'ormaLion system Berlin-A
liscout im Groβ “eldversu
ch) J No. A 1900-N9-11 and European Patent E11-10029201. [SiP-11-
No. 0292897.

Although the above method is certainly effective, it is of course extremely crude and expensive to introduce.

Also, considering the structure of the lower part of the road and underground, it is necessary to introduce a completely new system (such as the current system that controls traffic using traffic signals), and it is necessary to reintroduce various equipment that is currently frequently used. It can be introduced immediately rather than in stages, and in order to achieve satisfactory operation in urban areas, it is necessary to place intersection signs at a high density, which is subject to local government control. This will lead to an increase in the costs borne by the company.

L, the above system 11 requires a large number of two-way connecting lines between the sign and each vehicle, and between the sign and the service center, and as the number of intersection signs increases, the size of the network increases accordingly. However, considering the underground wiring and structure, the cost and complexity of the underground wiring and structure limit the opportunities for immediate widespread adoption of the system.

Additionally, vehicles that wish to use the above system are required not only to have an infrared transmitter/receiver and various sensors to notify vehicle misalignment, but also to have an advanced interface that can guide the driver using a screen and voice synthesizer. . In addition, deploying such a complete system requires high costs for each vehicle.

On the other hand, there are drivers who only expect accurate and personalized information about the traffic situation on their route. By changing the route based on this information, the driver no longer has to follow an automatic guide that he or she cannot control.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Therefore, an object of the present invention is to improve the drawbacks of the above conventional system and provide a new system for information collection and broadcasting.

According to the system of the present invention, in addition to or as a modification of the existing systems described above, information can be provided using other techniques and data acquisition methods, in particular the current system of controlling traffic by synchronizing traffic lights.

In addition to the guidance system provided only to desired lines, information broadcast from special broadcast channels can be provided to a wide range of unspecified people.

In addition, the system of the present invention is simpler than the conventional system, which is desirable! 1 [
It can be introduced at a reasonable cost for both.

Furthermore, as explained below, the system of the present invention has been introduced'4
Even if the number of vehicles increases, there is no need to increase the transmission capacity of the network leading to the service center.

As will be explained later, furthermore, a driver equipped with a receiver for receiving broadcast information of the system of the present invention can be provided with traffic conditions regarding the entire intended route, and [information about neighboring areas of one route]. will also be provided as needed.

By selectively providing information according to the driver's selected journey, very detailed information can be provided.

(For example, a given set zone can be subdivided into approximately 1000 related sections or areas, and individual information can be obtained for each subdivision or area.) At the same time, when a driver enters a particular itinerary, the Only the information of interest, for example, information about about 12 relevant sections or areas, is obtained.

(Means for Achieving the Object) In order to achieve the above object, the system of the present invention centralizes information regarding traffic conditions in a specific area, particularly in a densely populated area, and refers to individual records in the central information. and means for converting the central information into a series of individual digital messages, each of which includes a determiner for identifying an interval and a direction of travel through the interval; and situational variables representing the traffic conditions in the above section.

The system of the present invention further includes means for generating continuous live messages based on the series of individual digital messages. The live continuous message is continuous.
It is periodic and consists of daily messages corresponding to the section under consideration, and is regularly updated according to changes in collected information. Further, the system of the present invention includes a means for radio broadcasting the continuous live message, a means for receiving the continuous live message broadcasted by the above method as a device installed in the vehicle, and a means for radio broadcasting the continuous live message, and a means for receiving the continuous live message broadcast by the above method. A discriminating means for selecting a message judged to be of interest from among all received messages, and a means for presenting the selected message to the driver.

Said information collection means consist of transmitting and/or receiving signs cooperating with response devices installed on traffic sample vehicles, which are a sample of all vehicles forming the traffic. The traffic sample vehicle, on the other hand, comprises means for providing information about the progress within the area to the sign via the response device.

For example, the information collecting means may be constructed using the Arisuf method described in IFj. That is, the means include sensors for distance traveled and direction of travel as a means of returning information to the sign about the progress of the traffic sample vehicle within the area, so that the sign responds each time it generates a makeshift signal. The device returns information to the indicator.

However, in the case of J-book, only a limited number of vehicles are suitable as traffic sample vehicles (hereinafter referred to as patrol vehicles), and they are selected from frequently used vehicles (takuns, buses, delivery vehicles, public service cars, etc.). It turns out.

(Function) By using the information collection system of the present invention described above, the following becomes possible. In other words, the system can be utilized as a whole, and the patrol vehicle that most needs guidance can be guided.

In addition, only one-way transmission is required from the sign to the service center, and there is no need to equip the patrol vehicle with the necessary system for encoding and displaying guidance information, making it possible to use a simple system. Furthermore, even with such a simple information collection system, it is possible to track patrol vehicles and provide traffic situation analysis functions necessary and sufficient for carrying out the system of the present invention.

Further advantageously, the live message series can be radio broadcast using digital data broadcasting methods, with additional subcarriers added to the normal radio broadcast. The receiver mounted on the vehicle may be a radio broadcast receiver with a decoder that separates the digital signal from the audio program signal.

The system of the present invention can be implemented by the Radio Data Nostem (RDS), which broadcasts digital data on 1M radio, such as the European Radiocommunication Union, in particular by "Technology No. 3244" published by the European Union in March 1984. .

In addition to various information markers (transmitter model and name, information on other frequencies on which the same program is broadcast, time, date, radio text), It also suggests the possibility of providing a data channel, which would allow the sending of messages represented by a number of characters or other forms of digital data of arbitrary length and style.

The use of RDs for receiving road traffic information is described in, for example, EP-A-0290678, EP-A-026333.
2, described in European patents E13 to A03Q0205.

The advantage of RDS is that an ordinary car radio with a suitable decoder can be used. In fact, several models already exist, and others are under development. To utilize the guidance information of the invention, it is sufficient to connect the audio data output of the car radio to a box containing suitable control means and circuitry.

Compared to the above-mentioned ARISF method, the guidance system of the present invention does not require a special data broadcasting system, does not require a special receiver in contact with the vehicle, and can be used with a car radio equipped with an RDS decoder. Just attach it to your vehicle. This is because in the present invention, an FM radio transmitter can be used, provided the transmitted signal is properly coded.

As a variant, instead of using the carrier frequency of one or more radio stations, it is possible to use other radio frequencies.

Other advantages of the present invention include the following.

A means for transmitting information regarding the level of crowding of the parking area belonging to the reference position and the vehicle availability rate can be included in the bipedal information collecting means. And 111f? The certain criteria that serve as the basis for determining the different means include whether the distance used is a journey consisting of a continuous section determined by the previously input selection data, and the distance used corresponds to the viewing position or section on this journey.
Only the digital mesocenes that are present are selected by the above-mentioned discriminating means, and depending on the selection, the mesocenes related to the reference positions and sections that are close to the bipedal process are selected.

(Example) An example of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 100 generally represents an information collection system, which, as previously described, may be comprised of a complete or simplified system connected to a ring system for synchronizing traffic signals and controlling traffic.

The Nostem according to the present invention is basically an element unit 11 mounted on a patrol vehicle (a predetermined number of traffic sample vehicles selected from among the vehicles that frequently travel within the area).
0, signs 120 installed at each intersection, and a service center 130 that centrally processes information read from the signs.

The element unit 110 mounted on the patrol vehicle is composed of an onboard computer Ill and an odometer ti3, and the computer Ill receives a signal from an electronic compass 112 indicating the vehicle's traveling direction with respect to the north of the earth's magnetic field, and The distance meter 113 counts the number of revolutions of the vehicle's wheels (therefore, the distance traveled #I) from the last sign passed. Information such as the designated vehicle is input from the keypad 114, and this information allows the vehicle to be recognized and tracked from the - sign to other signs.

The computer I11 is connected to an infrared transponder L15 that receives the make-shift signal from the marker 120, and after receiving the make-believe signal, transmits the measurements of the various sensors to the marker 12.
Send back to 0.

Each sign 120 includes an infrared transceiver 122 (eg, incorporated into a traffic signal 121) with which it exchanges information with the system vehicle.

Valley marker 120 also includes a computer 123 that controls the exchange of information, ie, acts as an interface to service center 130.

The service center 130 analyzes the traffic based on the read information and displays the analysis results if necessary (block 132
). When providing itinerary guidance to patrol vehicles, there is a section called "JZokul 3" which has the function of calculating the itinerary.
This is done by 1. (The provision of itinerary guidance as described above is not necessary in the practice of the present invention.) In this case, the information is returned to the vehicle via signage 120.

As a feature of the invention, the information generated in block 132 is used to generate individual digital records representing the traffic conditions for each reference location or section of a given set zone.

The reference positions represent various positions within a predetermined set area and are used to determine the vehicular direction interval (vector determined between the first and last reference position). This vehicle direction zone indicates which zone the vehicle is traveling on and is of paramount importance in determining the traffic situation. Control traffic in the district. Further, the reference position is provided corresponding to each parking area, and the vehicle occupancy rate can be used as key information for traffic regulation.

The reference positions and sections are determined to cover the entire area of a predetermined set area, and almost all possible routes are displayed simply and clearly in a grid.

Therefore, in order to obtain complete and detailed information on the traffic situation, in a densely populated area such as Paris, it is necessary to consider approximately 1000 sections and parking areas.

It is also important to provide a parameter that specifies the running direction. The traveling direction can be expressed, for example, by using a special code pit, but it can also be expressed by the order of display when displaying both ends of a section. (For example, A13 indicates one direction, and BA corresponds to the opposite direction.) By the way, even if traffic is flowing smoothly in one direction, it often becomes paralyzed in the opposite direction. . Therefore, without distinguishing between driving directions, the information received by the driver may not represent the true situation.

Each direction designated section (in the case of a parking area, each reference position) is provided with a situation variable that represents the traffic situation in the section (in the case of a parking area, the float rate).

In order to judge the traffic situation, it shows the degree and degree of stagnation4
- Stages are determined and expressed as a value relative to the time required to travel a certain section. This situational variable is a numerical value that specifies the situational stage to which the current degree of stagnation belongs, that is,
It is a value calculated at a given moment based on information collected up to that point.

The above situation variables can minimally be coded into a single bit (
(can provide two situations, smooth or jammed) or it is preferable to encode in 4L multiple bits, for example 2 or 3 hints. This is because more situational stages can be provided. (4 situations with 2 bits, 8 situations with 3 bits)
Currently, the travel time (minimum travel time given speed limits, traffic lights, etc.) under conditions where vehicles are flowing completely smoothly is tm in a certain direction specified section. (minutes), the degree of stagnation is defined, for example, in five stages as follows.

When the relative stagnation rate is between 0% and 10%, it is "smooth" (that is, the actual running time is within the range of tm to 1.1 (lt+n)).

When the relative stagnation rate is between 10% and 50%, it is "overcrowded" (that is, the actual travel time is within the range of 1.lotm to 2Lm).

When the relative stagnation rate is between 50% and 75%, it is "stagnation" (that is, the actual running time is within the range of 2Ls to 3Lm).

When the relative stagnation rate exceeds 75%, “paralysis” (i.e.,
(When the actual running time exceeds 3tI11).

If it is impossible to judge the degree of stagnation, or if the judgment value is immeasurable and meaningless, it is “unknown”.

The above numerical values are of course illustrated. Further, the numerical value is not necessarily the same within the network, and it is preferable to finely adjust the stagnation degree 1^ to vary depending on the section.

In particular, it is desirable to finely adjust the values depending on the topography of the land on which the section runs and the type of road (highway or road with junctions).

Furthermore, in order to avoid actual display instability, it is possible to reduce the a-effective value of the threshold value by 10% when congestion increases, and increase it by the same amount when the situation eases to normal.

As mentioned above, situational variables consist of digital values representing the degree of stagnation at a certain moment or the situational stage to which it belongs. For example, “smooth” is expressed as 001°, “overcrowded” as 010°, “stagnant” as 0110, “paralyzed” as 100°, and “unknown” as +01°.

In all cases, the above-mentioned situational variables are determined on a relative basis. In other words, although situational variables are expressed quantitatively, they are not provided to the driver as the total journey time, but are always relative values with respect to the traffic flow (“
It is given in the form of "smooth,""overcrowded,""stagnation," and "paralysis," and triva can be known easily and directly.

Further, even if it is impossible to determine the information corresponding to a situation variable, the situation variable will not have an ambiguous value. Therefore,
Vehicles equipped with this system can sense gear shifting situations, such as when an output value such as "000" is obtained, and promptly notify the driver of this.

If the situation variable represents the float rate of a parking area that can accommodate 0 vehicles, for example, the following five values are applied.

When the effective float rate is θ~0°2C, “00ji”.

“010” when the effective float rate is between 0.2 and 0.70.

01 Bi when the effective float rate is 0.7 to 0.90.

When the effective float rate is 0.9C-C, it is "100'.

When the float rate is unknown, “lObi.”

As in the previous case of representing the stagnation degree, in practice, to avoid ambiguity in the display, the effective value of the threshold is 10% lower when congestion is increasing, and vice versa when returning to normal conditions. In some cases, it may be increased by 10%.

The above situational variables can be obtained from various sources. In other words, Bato [! - The path of both the lines IF and 120 corresponding to several reference positions is analyzed by the system +00 shown in FIG. 1, and variables are obtained based on the analysis results. Alternatively, it can be obtained from magnetic pickups used to control traffic lights. Alternatively, it may count the number of vehicles entering and exiting a parking lot, or it may be obtained from information provided by police cars or the like.

To simplify the information formation at block 210, it is desirable to collect the information from a system that is as automated and constant as possible.

Therefore, it is desirable to use the information obtained from the signs by arriving at the patrol vehicle as most of the necessary information, but in the system of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned method of obtaining information, or the method described in 1. Additionally, other data collection methods may be employed.

In addition, in order to carefully change the traffic, apart from the current traffic situation, some situational variables or manual changes can be made, for example, on the input operation panel 23.
It is preferable to be able to input from 0.

A typical example of this is, for example, by turning a vehicle that was about to pass through a certain intersection.
Congestion at the intersection can be alleviated.

The above-mentioned situation variables may further include, for example, a “signal indicating a detour” 11
0" or a signal "11 bit" representing "closed" can be added.

In this case, the situation variable is no longer the actual situation (degree of stagnation)
It does not represent a count value that represents , but represents information forcibly input from the control unit.

Block 210 may also attach significance to the information it generates through various parameters to adapt the broadcast message to the environment or to respond to expected changes.

Appropriate importance-adding factors/elements are, in particular, the amount of change between the current situation variable and the previous situation variable, the value shown by the situation variable at the same time on a recent similar occasion (weekend, holiday, etc.), and the year of Moe. The value of the situation variable on the same day, and the value of the situation variable at several nearby reference positions or intervals (chain reaction, e.g.
(in anticipation of a chain reaction in the event of an accident at a certain point on the main road).

All individual digital messages formed in block 210 are fed into block 220 to form a continuous message. This continuous message is formed by continuously generating individual messages for the entire section of the crowded area (or individual messages for the reference position of the parking area where it is desired to broadcast the level of crowding). The continuous messages generated in this way become live continuous information, which is continuous and periodic as described above, and is preferably encoded by RDS.

The type of modulation used for It D S is carrier-stop double-bandwidth modulation, with separately coded biphasic signals. When operating at an overall transmission rate of 1187.5 bits/s, this type of coating ensures an advantageous transmission rate of 730 bits/s for all the information transmitted, of which 80 bits/s can reserve one data channel for external use. In the system of the present invention, the external data channel is used for broadcasting traffic status messages.

The continuous messages are constantly updated, and if the periodic time required to completely send one message is also updated, the periodic time of the messages is updated accordingly.

In this example, 1000 sections and parking areas are provided, but if there is a situational variable of lO value,
Individual dinotal messages are encoded into 16 bits and when collected are 16,000 consecutive bits. If RD
If s-coding makes it possible to broadcast information at 80 bits/second, the system cycle time (information update time)
is 200 seconds, or 3 minutes and 20 seconds, which is sufficient to keep traffic information up-to-date even when traffic conditions change very quickly and to provide effective guidance in dense areas.

Of course, the above figures are given by way of example; in special cases, when operating within the maximum permissible data rate of the data broadcasting system, the number of sections and parking areas, situational variables It is necessary to set appropriate values for the number N and the cycle time for one continuous message broadcast.

The series of coded individual digital data is thus broadcast by a radio broadcast system including three transmitters 310-350 and a receiver 360.

During transmission, the audio signal from the program section (block 310) is converted (at block 320) into a modulated signal in a conventional manner, for example using stereo encoding with pilot frequencies. Then the audio signal is RD
The signal from the S encoder (J350) is multiplexed with, for example, a 57KIIz subcarrier (the third harmonic of the 19KHz subcarrier of the pilot stereo pilot signal).

The above multiplexed signal is transmitted by a conventional frequency modulation radio broadcast transmitter 33.
Sent to 0.

Each vehicle is equipped with a receiver 360, which is a car radio with a conventional RDS decoder.

The digital output of the data channel for external use from RDS receiver 360 is connected to box 240, which is a feature of the present invention. The live information continuously broadcast from the output is received here.

The individual digital message will then be decoded and clearly presented to the driver on the screen or via voice synthesizer 260.

However, the driver does not receive all of the broadcast information.

A large number of parking areas and reference sections (in this example, approximately
If the message update rate is relatively high (3 or 2 minutes), the driver will receive messages without interruption, making it difficult to pick up or hold messages that are of interest to him. This is dangerous as it may lead to the driver's inattention.

Therefore, in the first invention, the box 240 is provided with a determining means, which selects only messages that are of interest to the driver from among all Dinotal messages according to one or more criteria input by the driver from the keypad 250. I'm sorting.

As mentioned above, in the present invention, appropriate messages are selected and only the selected appropriate messages are played back.

The above criteria are based on the line ri input directly by the driver from the keypad 250 (or based on information input by the driver).
As explained below, it consists of indirectly selected steps). For input at this time, a map is used in which the relevant sections of the densely populated area are indicated by identification codes (that is, a map which indicates the codes that the driver should input).

For example, suppose the driver inputs the stroke ABCDE (
Figure 2).

In this case, the messages received in box 240 are compared within the box to see which section they each belong to, and only if that section matches the previously selected section is the corresponding situation variable given to the driver. (In other words, in this example, only the situation variables of four consecutive intervals AB, BC, CD5DE are provided to the driver.) In this way, only appropriate messages are provided to the driver. In this example, 1000
Out of all the messages, only four are selected.

In addition to the above, various modifications and improvements are also possible.

Multiple existing routes can be stored in memory so that they can be called up with fewer keystrokes, or multiple alternative routes with the same starting point and destination can be coded and drivers can test the alternative routes. It is conceivable to make it possible to do so, or to add a modified route to a fixed route, and to simultaneously reproduce the modified route and the modified route. It is also conceivable to make it possible to make inquiries about sections and parking areas in remote locations. Furthermore, it is possible to not only broadcast information regarding a designated section of the route (AJ3 CD E in this embodiment), but also provide information regarding the adjacent section. (The black dots in FIG. 2 indicate adjacent sections, and the white dots indicate reference positions that are not reproduced by the driver.) As described above, according to the present invention, a designated route can be determined with some width on either side. Further, the width in the left and right directions is determined by the number of intermediate points between the starting point and the ending point specified by the driver.

(Effects of the Invention) Therefore, in the present invention, by broadcasting information regarding the selected route and the environmental conditions along the route to the driver, it is possible to consider a detour for the originally intended road.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing various functional parts of the system of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a route selected by a driver and reference positions in the vicinity thereof. 100... Information gathering means, 210... Message forming means, 220... Message forming means, 330340
．． 350...Message broadcasting means, 360...Message forming means, 240...Discrimination means.

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) A traffic and parking information collection and broadcasting system consisting of: - Centralizing information on traffic conditions in a certain area, especially in a densely populated area, and recording individual records within the centralized information. - means (210) for converting said central information into a series of digital messages, comprising: identifying the sections and the direction of travel through said sections; - means for outputting situational variables indicating the traffic conditions of each section in each direction of travel; - consisting of the individual digital messages described above corresponding to each section under consideration, updated periodically according to changes in the collected information; , means (220) for forming a continuous and periodic live broadcast message; - means for radio broadcasting the live stream message (33);
0, 340, 350); and - a vehicle equipped with the following means: ・Means for receiving live continuous messages broadcast by the above method (360); ・According to certain selection criteria input by the driver, Discriminating means (240) for selecting a message from among the received messages; - Means for presenting the individual messages selected in the above method to the driver. (2) In the system according to claim (1), the information and collection means cooperates with a transponder (115) mounted on a traffic sample vehicle that is a sample of all vehicles forming the traffic, and the transmitter and a receiver, and the traffic sample vehicle is configured to provide the sign with information regarding the progress of the vehicle in the area by means of a transponder. traffic and parking information collection and broadcast system. (3) In the system according to claim (2), the means for returning information regarding the progress of the traffic sample vehicle within the area to the sign is at least one of a mileage sensor (113) and a forward direction sensor (112). 1. A system for collecting and broadcasting traffic and parking information, comprising one sensor, and configured such that the information is returned to the sign by a transponder every time the sign issues an inquiry signal. (4) In the system according to claim (1), the continuous live message is radio broadcasted by a digital data broadcasting method using a subcarrier added to a radio broadcast transmission signal, and Machine (360)
A system for collecting and broadcasting traffic and parking information, comprising: a decoder for separating a digital signal from an audio program signal. (5) The system according to claim (1), wherein the information collecting means includes means for transmitting information regarding the occupancy rate of a parking area attached to a reference position; broadcast system. (6) In the system according to claim (1), the discrimination criterion of the discrimination means is a continuous section (AB-BC-CD-
DE), and the discriminating means includes individual digital messages corresponding to the relevant districts and sections of the route, or individual digital messages corresponding to the relevant districts and sections of the route, or in addition to these digital messages, information regarding the relevant districts and sections near the route. A traffic and parking information collection and broadcasting system characterized by message selection.