Hierarchical Traffic Message Coding for Complex Event Representation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current traffic message channel (TMC) technologies struggle to represent complex traffic situations accurately, as individual events must refer to the same location and be sent simultaneously, making it difficult to combine reports from different sources or with overlapping events, leading to information overload and inefficient message processing.

Innovation Solution

A method for coding traffic reports that allows supplementary messages to be transmitted separately, enabling the representation of events with different locations and sources, with prioritization and compact display capabilities, using a message structure that includes main and supplementary reports with linked IDs and source information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If individual traffic events are transmitted as separate messages with the same location reference, then the message structure remains simple and easy to process, but complex traffic situations with overlapping or neighboring events cannot be accurately represented

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage structure complexityVSAvoidaccuracy of traffic situation representation
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments traffic events into hierarchical levels: main events at the top level and sub-events at lower levels. Each event type (traffic jam, construction site, lane narrowing) is separated into distinct message elements, allowing complex situations to be broken down into manageable components that can be processed individually while maintaining their relationships.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a nested message structure where sub-events are contained within main events. A main traffic event message can include references to multiple sub-event messages, creating a hierarchical nesting pattern that allows detailed representation of complex situations while maintaining a clear organizational structure for processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Reliability

If all individual events of a complex situation are transmitted simultaneously with the same location reference, then the complete situation can be displayed at once, but updates cannot be appended to already sent messages and reports from different sources cannot be combined

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of traffic situation informationVSAvoidflexibility to combine reports from different sources
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a dynamic message system where traffic event reports are not fixed but can be continuously updated and extended. The hierarchical structure allows new sub-events to be appended to existing main events, and messages can be updated as new information becomes available, making the system adaptable to changing traffic conditions and multiple information sources.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent designs a universal message structure that can accommodate events from different sources (police reports, third-party providers, radio stations) with different content and timeframes. The standardized hierarchical format allows diverse information sources to be integrated into a unified traffic situation representation, enabling the system to handle multiple functions and sources through a single framework.

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

3Loss of information

If multiple separate messages are transmitted for overlapping or neighboring events, then each event can be described in detail, but merging the messages for compact representation becomes very complex on the terminal side

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetail of event descriptionVSAvoidterminal processing complexity for merging messages
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-organizing traffic events into a hierarchical structure at the source before transmission. Events are pre-categorized as main events or sub-events with clear relationships defined in advance, so that terminal devices receive already-structured information that requires minimal processing to merge and display, significantly reducing terminal-side complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP1966780B1Method for coding messages, method for decoding messages and receiver for receiving and evaluating messages
Publication Date: 2010.08.11 ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
  • EP1966780B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3B
  • EP1966780B1 patent drawingFigure 2~5

AI summary

Method for coding messages which are to be transmitted, method for decoding messages and receiver for receiving and evaluating messages, in particular traffic messages, wherein the messages comprise message contents, and wherein a message has at least one reference to an additional supplementary message which is to be transmitted separately and contains supplementary message contents.