Directional Traffic Message Encoding for Navigation Route Accuracy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing navigation systems cannot accurately encode and account for traffic disruptions that affect specific directions of travel at intersections, leading to suboptimal route calculations.

Innovation Solution

The method involves coding traffic reports based on the direction of travel by separating traffic flows and adding additional information to ensure that disruptions are only applied to the specific segments and maneuvers mentioned in the report, allowing navigation systems to consider these directional impacts during route calculations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If traffic disruptions are encoded for all directions on a road segment, then the coverage of traffic information is improved, but the accuracy of directional route guidance deteriorates because disruptions affecting specific directions cannot be distinguished

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetraffic information coverageVSAvoiddirectional disruption accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments traffic disruptions by direction of travel, separating the road network into multiple directional lanes. Each lane is treated as an independent entity for disruption encoding, allowing the system to track disruptions specific to each direction while maintaining comprehensive coverage across all directions through the segmented structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by assigning different disruption states to different directional lanes of the same road segment. Instead of applying a uniform disruption state to an entire road segment, the system allows each directional lane to have its own disruption characteristics, enabling precise representation of direction-specific traffic conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Measurement precision

If traffic reports are made specific to certain directions and maneuvers, then the accuracy of route calculation is improved, but the complexity of encoding and processing traffic reports increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveroute calculation accuracyVSAvoidencoding complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent reduces encoding complexity by segmenting the road network into predefined directional lanes with unique identifiers. This segmentation allows the system to reference specific directions using simple lane identifiers rather than complex descriptions of road geometry and maneuver types, simplifying the encoding process while maintaining directional specificity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal lane reference system that can be applied across different road types and intersection configurations. The lane identifier structure serves multiple functions: it identifies the road segment, specifies the direction of travel, and indicates the maneuver type, thereby reducing the need for separate encoding mechanisms for each of these attributes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Measurement precision

If the road is divided into multiple directional lanes, then the precision of disruption location is improved, but the complexity of the digital map structure increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisruption location precisionVSAvoiddigital map structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal lane identifier structure that integrates multiple pieces of information (road segment ID, direction, maneuver type) into a single reference system. This multi-functional identifier reduces digital map complexity by eliminating the need for separate data structures to represent each attribute, while still enabling precise disruption location through the combined information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies a nested structure where directional lanes are nested within road segments, and maneuvers are nested within lanes. This hierarchical nesting allows the system to represent complex directional information through layered identifiers, reducing overall digital map complexity by organizing data in a structured, hierarchical manner rather than requiring separate representations for each level of detail.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentEP2054867B1Method for encoding traffic messages on the basis of direction of travel and taking them into account for route calculation
Publication Date: 2009.12.09 ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
  • EP2054867B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2054867B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The invention relates to a method (100) for encoding traffic messages on the basis of direction of travel and taking them into account for route calculation using a navigation system (10). To provide a method which also detects the position of traffic disruptions taking account of the direction of travel, the invention proposes encoding a street (12) made up of segments, where the encoded street (13) has a piece of digital information added to it stating that the traffic message can be used only if all the segments of the encoded street (22) are part of a journey route. In this case, the encoded street is decoded and the digital information is evaluated in a navigation appliance.