Patent ID: 7653480
Filing Date: 2010-01-26
Classification: G08G

Abstract:
1. A traffic information providing system for providing an information-provided vehicle equipped with a navigation system with traffic information on at least a traveling route between a current or start position of the information-provided vehicle and a destination position thereof by means of communications with the navigation system, the traffic information providing system comprising: branch point area information collection means for receiving information transmitted from a plurality of information providing vehicles that pass through a branch point area branching for at least first and second traveling directions composed of a branch point, a pre-branch route having at least first and second traffic lanes and at least first and second post-branch routes continuing from the first and second traffic lanes, respectively, the information providing vehicles passing through the pre-branch route and one of the first and second post-branch routes sequentially and transmitting information on a current position of the vehicles; required traveling time information generation means for calculating and updating information on a time required for the information providing vehicles to travel in the first traveling direction from a given point on the pre-branch route through the branch point to a given point on the first post-branch route and a time required for the information providing vehicles to travel in the second traveling direction from the given point on the pre-branch route through the branch point to a given point on the second post-branch route by processing the information collected by the branch point area information collection means; and traffic information transmission means for transmitting at least one of the information on the time required for traveling in each of the first and second traveling directions and the information used to determine the time required for traveling in each of the first and second traveling directions to the navigation system of the information-provided vehicle, upon receiving a request for providing traffic information on a traveling route including the branch point area between the current or start position of the information-provided vehicle and the destination position thereof from the navigation system, wherein the required traveling time information generation means generates, for each of the first and second traveling directions, a combination of a first time required for traveling from the given point on the pre-branch route to the branch point and a second time required for traveling from the branch point to the given point on the post-branch route corresponding to each of the first and second traveling directions as information on the time required for traveling in each of the first and second traveling directions, and wherein the traffic information transmission means includes: