Device and method for reporting traffic jams

0001The invention relates to a device for informing Traffic disturbances with means for receiving with sensors Recorded traffic data as well as a method for Information about traffic disturbances.

0002To inform drivers have been around for some time Time spoken traffic announcements. These are with Various disadvantages, for example with Delays and inaccuracies caused by the manual And thus also subjective recording and transmission of the Information. This is the case, for example Before a car driver gets into a traffic jam, which (still) Was not announced, or that despite the congestion warning, On its arrival at the designated Place realtively disturbed.

0003A more accurate capture and faster delivery Has been established with the help of the knowledge gained in recent years System for the transmission of digitally coded traffic messages Has become possible. The structure and coding of these Traffic announcements and the local list are published in CEN pr ENV / 278/7/1/0012 and pr ENV / 278/7/3/0004, which shall be applicable to: The standard specification ALERT C, June 1996, edited by RDS ATT ALERT Consortium. The essential elements A traffic message is the location of the incident (Location) and the event (event). This information is Cataloged, that is, to any traffic-relevant place And any traffic-relevant event a unique code Is assigned. The chaining of the places in the place table Along existing roads is the course. Except The usual devices of a receiving device with a RDS decoders are used to use the traffic announcement channel TMC (Traffic Message Channel) Devices for decoding, Storing, processing and outputting the data Traffic notifications required.

0004Digitally encoded traffic announcements - in the following also TMC messages called - can use the radio data system (RDS), which is an additional and inaudible Transmission of digital data parallel to Broadcasting programs in a data channel. Specifications of the radio data system for FM radio Inter alia, in the publication Tech. 3244- E, March 1984 The European Run-of-the-Way (EBU). Broadcast receivers with suitable RDS decoders Transmitted data in addition to the audio reception with the Receive and decode the same receiving part.

0005Digital encoded traffic messages can also be applied to others As over radio transmitters and radiodata signals be transmitted. Thus, for example, is a transmission Of digitally encoded traffic messages via mobile radio networks possible. For example, in GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) parallel to the language Short messages (Short Messages), which also digitally coded Traffic reports.

0006These known systems serve primarily for the purposes of the invention Transmission of traffic reports, however, messages with Other content, for example General hazard warnings. Through the digital coding Is a processing of the received data before the output For example, a selection by area or region Roads.

0007Also with such a system, the input data in the Are essentially generated by sensors Failure estimates of the information output To be excluded. Thus, in the known systems Information on the information provided is limited Despite traffic disturbance possible speed or to the Duration of a traffic disruption.

0008DE 31 28 578 A1 discloses a method for automatic Congestion detection and stuprognosis for road traffic Has become. To this end, it is proposed that the form of the Speed ​​distribution of the vehicles with a Reference curve. Independent of exogenous Influences are stuck in the air when the Velocity distribution from the reference curve in Essential points. This information will be added Used, for example, on the roadside Communication means, such as warning signs, on the Stachtfahrung .

0009It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide the Not only static information accessible to drivers But information that makes the conclusion Actual traffic disability, for example The temporal development of a traffic disruption or the Despite traffic disruption Average speed on the affected Section.

0010This object is achieved with the device according to the invention Characterized in that means are provided for calculating output signals to be output Data showing the impact of traffic disruption From the received traffic data with the help of One valid for the respective section of the route Flow density diagram are provided.

0011The device according to the invention can be arranged in or in the Connection to a terminal device, for example Autoradio or a mobile radio, or in a central station Device. The calculation used Flow-density diagram is often also called Fundamental diagram of road traffic For example in "How a traffic jam develops" Spectrum of Science, 11/89, p. 182. It Represents the connection of the traffic flow q - frequently also And the traffic density k With the help of the flow-density diagram the data to be output Can calculate different sizes as input data Can be used, whichever is of the available Standing sensors and the specifics in a particular case . An advantageous embodiment of the invention Is that the received traffic data contains the respectively Measured traffic density, an identifier of the affected Section and the respective measured extent of the Traffic disruption.

0012This embodiment can also be designed such that, Characterized in that the received traffic data further comprises, Section of a valid flow-density diagram. This has the advantage that a central traffic computer is able to use the The flow-density diagram to be considered in the calculation To the respectively current road condition (for example Single-lane accessibility of a motorway). There The flow-density diagram is a parabola which is defined by the Coordinate zero point, a description is sufficient Two quantities, for example, by the coordinates of the Maximum

0013Another advantageous embodiment of the invention Device is that the received traffic data Advanced TMC messages. This allows the Existing facilities of the TMC system will. Furthermore, a disturbance of existing ones TMC receivers.

0014An advantageous further development of the inventive Means that the data to be output comprises the Average speed and / or the travel time on one Known route section. Additional or Alternatively, according to another advantageous embodiment The data to be output The change in the length of the traffic disturbance.

0015This makes a driver much better than with the Known information systems Traffic disturbances, for example Decide on which highway departure an alternative route Is to be selected.

0016Another development of the device according to the invention Is that in a memory, data for the description Of the flow-density diagrams of route sections are. Thus, for those stretch sections, Which are not subject to temporary changes, Transmission of the flow-density diagram Data not required. The storage of the data for the "Normal" flow charts can be easily stored in the Related to the decoding of TMC messages Place tables.

0017To further facilitate the planning and implementation of In particular longer motorways are programs for Calculation of route recommendations. Such Programs are, for example, for personal computers on the Market or integrated into navigation systems. Of the User enters start and destination, if necessary, further Waypoints, and then get either as a list or as a Marking on a road map a route recommendation. Even when calculating this route recommendation the Road condition and possibly existing Traffic disruptions can be taken into account Unfavorable route calculation can nevertheless be carried out, whereby the A route is displayed, which is only displayed at A waypoint reached after a long time because of a In the meantime greatly increased traffic disturbance as Wrongly.

0018In another embodiment of the invention, Apparatus are therefore also means for calculating Route recommendations are provided, whereby the calculated Data to be outputted.

0019In this embodiment it can be provided that the Equipment and means of calculation of Route recommendations are arranged in a terminal, the The traffic data from at least one central device Is obtained. This is merely a uni-directional one Data connection with the central device to the terminal As is the case, for example, with the radio data system Or in the broadcast channel of a mobile radio system. Alternatively It can be provided in this embodiment that the Equipment and means of calculation of Recommended routes in a central facility Data from a terminal device And from which the calculated Route recommendations to the terminal equipment. These Continuing education establishes a bi-directional data connection Such as mobile radio systems Will be provided.

0020The object according to the invention is achieved with a According to the invention Traffic disturbances, whereby traffic data with the help of Sensors are solved by the fact that from the Recorded traffic data by means of a Respective stretch section To be outputted, which is the effect Of the traffic disruption.

0021The invention further comprises a method of transfer Of information about traffic disturbances, whereby Traffic data are recorded using sensors Which is provided in such a way that the recorded traffic data is transmitted to the user Receiver and there with the aid of a Respective stretch section Data to be output from the transmitted traffic data Which are the impact of traffic disruption describe.

0022The measures described in further subclaims Are beneficial further training and improvements According to the invention.

0023Embodiments of the invention are given in the drawing By means of several figures, and in the following Description. It shows:<dl tsize="6"><dt>FIG</dt><dd>4 is a block diagram of a device according to the invention Device, preferably in a terminal Is arranged,</dd><dt>FIG</dt><dd>And FIG. 3 is flow-density diagrams,</dd><dt>FIG</dt><dd>4 is a block circuit diagram of a device according to FIG Further development of the invention in a terminal device and</dd><dt>FIG</dt><dd>In a central facility.</dd></dl>

0024Identical parts are given the same reference numerals in the figures provided.

0025The embodiment as well as parts thereof are as Block diagrams. This does not mean, however, That the device according to the invention is based on a realization By means of individual blocks corresponding to the blocks Circuits. The device according to the invention Is in a particularly advantageous manner with the aid of Highly integrated circuits. In doing so, Digital signal processors are used, which at Suitable programming in the block diagrams Processing steps. The According to the invention can be used together with further Circuitry within an integrated circuit Essential parts of a terminal, for example a Radio receiver.

0026In a receiver 1 are broadcasting signals, the RDS signals , Whereby also the demodulation, Error correction and decoding of the RDS signals and a Subsequent decoding of the TMC messages. In addition, a device for the Selection of the TMC messages according to user-adjustable Selection criteria, for example by individual roads And areas. The remaining TMC messages will be Is fed to a selection filter 2 which is connected to memories 3 to 5, 15 for the location LOC, the extent EXT, the Characteristic values ​​kmax, qmax of the flow-density diagram, respectively With the TMC message, the current traffic density k And the likewise extended extent 1 of the Traffic disruption. This information can be used for several TMC messages are stored.

0027At 7, from the local list 6 to the respective location (= Section section) stored FDD characteristic value kmax, qmax And the line length 1s is read out. The distance will be Is temporarily stored in a memory 8, while at 14 a Calculation of the FDD characteristic value in the event that the FDD characteristic values ​​in the local list Are stored. This may be the case if For example, a stretching section partly four, some six Lanes. This calculation can be used as Minimum formation (worst value) or as Average value formation.

0028The thus calculated FDD characteristic value is determined at 9 Buffered. At 10, a selection is made between The value at 4 and the FDD characteristic stored at 9. In this case, the transferred data stored at 4 FDD characteristic value, so that the value selected from the locality list 6 Read parameter is used only if no FDD characteristic value. This selection can also be made at 7 Taken by a dashed line Is indicated. The result of the selection at 10 as well as the Between the stored traffic density k and the extent 1 Are evaluated at 11.

0029In detail, the evaluation can also be performed with the aid of the 11, as described below With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The data to be output are then processed with the aid of a Output device (such as display) 12 is made visible And / or can, for example, be available via voice output Be made.

0030FIGS. 2 and 3 each show a flow-density diagram, The relationship between traffic flow q and Traffic density k. The traffic flow in Cars per unit time, while the traffic density k Cars per line. The flow-density diagram Represents a parabola which is derived from the coordinate origin Outgoing at kmax and qmax reaches its maximum and then Again decreases to k = 2 · kmax and q = 0. In FIGS. 2 and 3 Three points A, B, C are highlighted for each Low traffic density k1, an average traffic density k2 And a high traffic density k3.

0031The slope of the straight line shown in dashed lines in FIG Gives the average speed of the vehicles. At the Which is explained in conjunction with FIG Exemplary embodiments were kmax and qmax for one Predetermined section section as an FDD identifier, From which the complete curve is calculated. Reigns For example, a traffic density on the route section K2, which is also transmitted to the terminal, the Traffic flow. By dividing the Traffic flow through the traffic density will be the Slope of the straight line through the point B and thus the Average speed. Since the length 1 of the Traffic disruption has also been transferred Again the time to pass through the Traffic-related part of the route section And is provided by the output device 12 Be made. Other results can also be displayed , For example, the delay versus travel With "normal" speed or the time for the Entire section of the route.

0032In FIG. 3, tangents at the points A, B, Flow-density diagram. The slope of these tangents Yields the velocity of density waves and the slope A secant, for example, between the points A, And B, the speed of Shock waves. Density waves are more positive Slope of the tangents in the direction of travel; Slope opposite the direction of travel, the latter Thus influencing the subsequent traffic. Thereby Can be calculated whether a traffic jam in a Given time a connection point of a motorway in Direction of travel or opposite to the direction of travel.

0033After that, for example, a driver can decide or A terminal, which connection point to the Abandoned or used for retraction.

0034FIG. 4 shows a device, which is likewise also shown in FIG To a terminal, and by means of a device 16 for Calculation of route recommendations. To this A memory 17 is provided with a so-called digital Street map, which may also contain the list of places 6 Can be combined. With the aid of a keyboard 18, the User start, target and, if applicable, intermediate Waypoints to be passed on the trip, enter. From the device 16, the data stored in the receiver 1 Selection of the TMC messages, That all TMC messages that may be the calculation Of the route recommendation. For All these TMC messages will display the relevant data in the Save 3 to 5 and 15 stored.

0035The data belonging to a section section are respectively Can be called up by the device 16 from the memories, whereupon The result of the evaluation at 11 of the device 16 Can be supplied. In this way, Known route calculation traffic disturbances and their Impact. For example, Can be calculated whether a traffic disruption on a per se Recommended by the route calculation and from the vehicle Later to be reached Impairment, so that, if necessary, A different route is recommended.

0036FIG. 5 shows a device according to the invention, which is shown in FIG Central unit, for example in a central office In its most important Components of the device according to FIG.

0037Reports on individual sections of the route, Materially the same as in the case of Described above, are provided via a Communication network 21, for example ISDN, from one A plurality of sensors 22, indicated only in FIG Respectively. In the memories 3 to 5 and 15, the In each case for all sections of a Road network, so that the device 16 in the Location is, all reported traffic disturbances at the Calculation of any route recommendations.

0038Requirements for the calculation of a route recommendation and the Calculated route recommendations are given at the 5 via a mobile radio network Terminals 24. The keyboard 18 and the Display device 12 can be used for monitoring and monitoring Maintenance tasks.