# US 2014/0197967 A1 · Real-time vehicle spacing control > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0197967 A1 - Document ID: US20140197967A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/739,709 - Filed: 2013-01-11 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-11 - Assignees: Navteq B.V. - Applicants: Navteq B.V. - Inventors: Leo Modica; Leon Stenneth - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140197967A1 ## CPC - G08G 1/09: Arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions ({railroad crossing signals B61L; reflectors E01F, G08B}; indicating arrangements for variable information by selection or combination of individual elements G09F9/00) - G08G 1/0112: {from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]} - G08G 1/0133: {for classifying traffic situation} - G08G 1/0141: {for traffic information dissemination} - G08G 1/096775: {where the origin of the information is a central station} - G08G 1/096844: {where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data} - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract In an embodiment, a system detects when vehicle bunching is about to occur or is already occurring within a given transit system. The system resolves the bunching using an event and tone based system which regulates the arrival and departure times of vehicles at vehicle stops. Also, an embodiment includes a method for receiving location information for a plurality of vehicles along a route, determining a relative distance between a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and at least a second vehicle of the plurality of vehicles as a function of the received location information, and generating an action signal for at least one of the plurality of vehicles located on the route, wherein the action signal is in response to the determined relative distance. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: receiving location information for a plurality of vehicles along a route; determining, with a controller, a relative distance between a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and at least a second vehicle of the plurality of vehicles as a function of the received location information; and generating an action signal for at least one of the plurality of vehicles located on the route, wherein the action signal is in response to the determined relative distance. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the determined relative distance correlates to a relative time between the first and second vehicles on the route. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the action signal is configured to achieve a preferred relative distance between the plurality of vehicles along the route. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3 further comprising: determining a vehicle capacity measure configured to trigger an action signal to at least one of the plurality of vehicles located on the route to achieve the preferred relative distance. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the action signal is an audible action signal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4 wherein the audible action signal includes at least one audible tone at a predetermined frequency. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the action signal comprises at least one of the actions of go, stop, wait, speed up, slow down, skip-stop, or pass. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the route is comprised of stop segments and regular segments, wherein stop segments correspond to locations with transit stops. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: determining when the at least one of the plurality of vehicles has not performed an action correlated to the action signal; and repeating the action signal when the at least one of the plurality of vehicles has not performed an action correlated to the action signal. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions that when executed are operable to: receive current locations of a plurality of mobile devices currently on a route; determine a relative distance between a first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices and at least a second mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices as a function of the received current locations; and generate an action signal for operation of a at least one vehicle associated with one of the plurality of mobile devices based on the determined relative distance. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 further comprising: determining a time for the vehicle associated with one of the plurality of mobile devices to travel the determined relative distance, wherein the action signal for operation of the at least one vehicle associated with one of the plurality of mobile devices is further based on the determined time. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the action signal is selected from the group comprising go, stop, pass, wait, speed up, speed down, and take out of service. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10 further comprising: determining when the at least one of the vehicles associated with the plurality of mobile devices has not performed an action correlated to the action signal; and repeating the action signal when the at least one of the vehicles associated with the plurality of mobile devices has not performed an action correlated to the action signal. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the action signal is an audible action signal or a visible action signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the action signal is comprised of audible language or audible tones. ### Claim 16 An apparatus comprising: a memory configured to store data representing a plurality of locations comprising a transit route, and data representing the current locations of a plurality of vehicles currently traveling along the transit route; and a controller configured to determine a relative distance between a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles and a second vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, and generate an action signal for operation of at least one of the plurality of vehicles based on the determined relative distance. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the action signal is comprised of a visible signal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the action signal is an audible signal. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the location of a third vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, and the action signal is further based on the third vehicle location. ### Claim 20 An apparatus comprising: a communications interface configured to receive data indicative of a calculated relative distance between a first vehicle of a plurality of vehicles traveling along a route and at least a second vehicle of the plurality of vehicles traveling along the route; position circuitry configured to determine the current location of the apparatus; a controller configured to generate an action signal for operation of the first vehicle or the second vehicle based on the calculated relative distance and the current location; and an output interface configured to present the action signal for the operation of the first vehicle or the second vehicle.