Patent ID: 7487074

Claim:
A computer implemented road traffic simulation apparatus representing a plurality of mobile units and traffic environments on a computer for simulating traffic situations in association with the mobile units, comprising: a mobile unit model including a driver model, a model of driving operations by a virtual driver, and a vehicle dynamics model, a model of physical behavior of each mobile unit; means for assigning impassability levels in terms of numerical values to impassable zones and other mobile units and to restrictions by traffic regulations and by traffic facilities which restrict movement of one mobile unit of said mobile unit model and which are unitarily represented by the impassability levels indicating levels of difficulty for said one mobile unit to travel; and means for moving said one mobile unit in said traffic environments in accordance with distribution of said impassability levels and a set route or a target route of said one mobile unit; wherein the impassability level is a relative value with areas where the mobile unit cannot travel or not allowed to travel given a maximum value and with areas where the mobile unit may travel without difficulty given a minimum value.