Patent ID: 6341255
Filing Date: 2002-01-22
Classification: G08G

Abstract:
A route guidance system, for providing individualized route guidance to from at least one and up to each one of a plurality of selected individual vehicles, which are system participants, and which are moving in at least one traffic stream of a plurality of vehicles, the route guidance system comprising:a.) a traffic velocity computer: i.) for receiving and storing at least one item of information from up to each one of the at least one selected vehicle, the at least one item of information being selected from the group consisting of: starting location information, including the starting position, for each one of the at least one selected vehicle to which route guidance is to be provided; destination location information, including the destination position, for each one of the at least one selected vehicle to which route guidance is to be provided; a plurality of pieces of intermediate location information for each one of the at least one selected vehicle to which route guidance is to be provided, with each piece of intermediate location information relating to a different intermediate position of the selected vehicle that is between the selected vehicle's stating position and its destination position, each piece of intermediate location information being measured at a different known time, and such that pairs of pieces of location information are utilized to determine segments of a recommended route of travel for each vehicle to which route guidance is to be provided, with each pair of pieces of information being selected from the group consisting of: information relating to two of the plurality of intermediate vehicle positions for each selected vehicle, the staring position and one intermediate position for each selected vehicle, and one intermediate position and the destination position for each selected vehicle, and with each pair of pieces of location information having a predetermined time interval for travel therebetween at a measured vehicle velocity for the selected vehicle; and a predetermined route, between a selected vehicle's starting location and its destination location, assigned to each of the at least one selected vehicle to which route guidance is to be provided; and ii.) for computing and storing at least one velocity characteristic of the traffic stream in which a particular vehicle to which route guidance is to be provided is moving; b.) a route selecting computer: i.) for receiving and storing destination location information from each of the at least one selected vehicle moving in the at least one traffic stream and a current location information from each of the at least one selected vehicle, moving in the traffic stream; and ii.) for computing a route for each selected vehicle moving in the at least one traffic stream, to which route guidance is to be provided, the route being composed of a plurality of route segments, such that each route segment is determined between a vehicle's current location and that vehicle's destination, the route being computed at least partly as a function of the at least one velocity characteristic of the traffic stream; c.) at least one vehicle information transmitting means, such that there is a vehicle information transmitting means located in each one of the at least one selected vehicle moving in the traffic stream, the at least one vehicle information transmitting means being for transmitting at least one item of information about the vehicle in which that vehicle information transmitting means is located to at least one of the traffic velocity computer and the route selecting computer; and d.) at least one vehicle on-board computer, located in each of the at least one selected vehicle moving in the traffic stream, for receiving and storing route information for that vehicle from the route selecting computer.