US 7,742,873 B2Granted

Navigation system

AssigneeYeoman Group PLC

InventorsHugh John Agnew, Vincent Geake, Simon Geoffery Hancock

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A navigation guidance system is provided which provides direction information from a remote server to a mobile user unit for guiding user to a desired destination. The navigation guidance system maintains time-related models for traffic speeds expected on road segments of a road database. By maintaining such time-related models, the system can more accurately provide the user with road guidance instructions to arrive at a chosen destination by a given time. The system can also provide more accurate route guidance information to a destination over different routes, even during rush hour or at off peak times. These time related models can be changed as a result of changing traffic patterns or as a result of an incident on a road segment. In a preferred embodiment, therefore, the system continuously monitors each calculated route and advise the users of alternative routes or of updated departure or arrival times as appropriate.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A navigation guidance system comprising:

a road network database operable to store data defining a road network within a geographical area;
a traffic database operable to store data defining speed-time characteristics for roads of the road network, which speed-time characteristics define traffic speeds along the roads in the network at different times;
a receiver operable to receive data from a user defining a travel plan including a source location, a destination location and a proposed travel time;
and
a route calculator comprising:
(i) a route determining circuit operable to determine traffic speeds for the roads of the road network in dependence upon the proposed travel time and said data defining said speed-time characteristics;
and
(ii) a calculating circuit operable to calculate a route from the source location to the destination location defined in the travel plan at the proposed travel time using the data defining the road network and the determined traffic speeds for the roads of the road network.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/185,743Filed 21 Jul 2005 · continuation
Priority: GB 0011797.816 May 2000
Published: US 2006/0031007 A19 Feb 2006
Granted: 22 Jun 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G08G 1/096811
Where the transmitted instructions are used to compute a route: where the route is computed offboard
G01C 21/3492
Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments: employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or…
G08G 1/096816
Where the route is computed offboard: where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
G08G 1/096838
Where different aspects are considered when computing the route: where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route…

Family

PCT/GB01/02182Parent of this continuation · filed 16 May 2001
US 2006/0031007 A1Pre-grant publication · published 9 Feb 2006
Application10/276,718Parent of this continuation
US 6,950,745 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2003/0187573 A1Published application
US 7,742,873 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.