Lane guidance assistance for efficient operation

Abstract

The automated lane management assist method, data structure and system receive unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway information, including lane use and speed limits, from traffic detectors in the roadway or from other sources, process and develop processed and/or processed predicted information from these sources and calculate the travel time savings in adjacent lanes using the threshold value for time savings set by the driver, thus improving (decreasing) the overall travel time by assisting the driver or the automated vehicle in the selection of driving lanes and target speeds for vehicles, including in partially and fully automated vehicles.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of assisting in selection of driving lanes and vehicle target speeds for travel time savings, comprising the steps of:
 a. selecting a look ahead time (LAT) period or a look ahead distance (LEN) for limited-access highway downstream traffic conditions for lane guidance;   b. receiving unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data from a traffic management center (TMC), advanced lane management assist management center (ALMAMC), or another data source;   c. combining the unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data with data from a static database to create intermediate lane-specific limited-access highway data;   d. generating at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data from the intermediate lane-specific limited-access highway data, the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data conforming to a spatial data structure comprising barrels divided into zones, wherein boundaries of the barrels are defined by physical roadway configuration changes and permanent changes in regulatory use of the limited-access highway lanes and wherein boundaries of the zones are defined by changes in traffic conditions along the limited-access highway resulting from entry ramps and exit ramps and locations of motorist information devices and regulatory devices that provide changeable information and active traffic management control of the limited-access highway;   e. If the look ahead time period is provided by a vehicle's operator or an automated vehicle, computing a look ahead distance (LEN) using the look ahead time period and the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data;   f. identifying zones for the look ahead distance;   g. computing average speed and travel time in adjacent lanes for the look ahead distance;   h. providing the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data to one or more vehicles, said at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data enabling an in-vehicle guidance assist vehicle module of the one or more vehicles to select a preferred lane and target speed for the preferred lane using a copy or a subset of the static database and the travel time difference between adjacent lanes for the selected look ahead distance or look ahead time.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data to the one or more vehicles is dynamic. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of computing average speed and travel time in adjacent lanes for the look ahead distance is performed by computing the average speed and travel time for each zone or part of each zone. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting the maximum desired speed in conjunction with the look ahead time period or the look ahead distance. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting a threshold value of travel time difference by the vehicle's operator or the automated vehicle in conjunction with the look ahead time period, wherein the vehicle's operator or the automated vehicle is notified of the recommended lane if the travel time difference exceeds the threshold value. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a message from the ALMAMC module as to the presence of automatic speed enforcement. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data provided to the in-vehicle guidance assist vehicle module includes one or more of lane volume, lane passenger car equivalent volume, lane average headway, lane density, lane speed, vehicle length by lane, passenger car equivalent volume, incident status information, lane status information, static and dynamic regulatory lane-use data. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein appropriate information decision zones relating to roadway geometrics and roadway traffic information devices are established, and wherein the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data corresponding to the information decision zones is provided to the one or more vehicles sufficiently in advance of an action required by the one or more vehicles or a vehicle operator of the one or more vehicles to facilitate safe lane changes and speed adjustments in conformance with individual motorist driving preferences. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising using the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-accessed highway data in conjunction with software in the one or more vehicles. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising using the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-accessed highway data in conjunction with data provided by the one or more vehicles. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising using the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-accessed highway data in conjunction with data provided by an occupant of the one or more vehicles. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the data provided by the occupant of the one or more vehicles includes one or more of vehicle characteristics, vehicle passenger occupancy, highway use preferences, toll preferences, threshold value of travel time difference, and maximum desired speed. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising periodically providing the data from the static database according to the roadway zone based data structures to the one or more vehicles to update the copy or the subset of the static database in the one or more vehicles. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data includes one or more of lane based traffic parameter data, TMC traffic incident report data, lane blockage information, lane closure information, limitations on lane use, shoulder information, regulatory lane use data, scheduled roadway closures, dynamic speed limits, current lane speed, volume and occupancy vehicle detector data, camera data, vehicle class based lane restrictions, vehicle overheight restrictions, vehicle overweight restrictions, vehicle occupant requirements, and toll information to assist in the generation of lane selection information and the target speed information for vehicles. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data is generated based on one or more factors selected from the group consisting of traffic information, limitations on lane use, shoulder information, regulatory lane use data, scheduled roadway closures, toll information, dynamic speed limits, current lane speed, volume and occupancy vehicle detector data, camera data, vehicle class, vehicle overheight restrictions, vehicle overweight restrictions, vehicle occupant calls, and toll information. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising performing one or more quality check of the processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data when the processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data is used and substituting current lane-specific limited-access highway data for the processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data if the processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data is not of sufficient quality. 
     
     
         17 . A non-transitory computer-implemented roadway zone based data structure for expressing traffic parameters, incident data, regulatory data and toll information in geographical segments that are appropriate for limited-access highway lane selection and target speed selection for travel time savings for the chosen lanes, said data structure comprising:
 a. at least one interface for receiving unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data from a traffic management center; and   b. a processor coupled to the at least one interface, wherein the processor receives the unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data through the at least one interface, processes the unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data, generates at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data conforming to a spatial data structure comprising barrels divided into zones, wherein boundaries of the barrels are defined by physical roadway configuration changes and permanent changes in regulatory use of the limited-access highway lanes and wherein boundaries of the zones are defined by changes in traffic conditions along the limited-access highway resulting from entry ramps and exit ramps and locations of motorist information devices and regulatory devices that provide changeable information and active traffic management control of the limited-access highway and transmits the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data to at least one vehicle in a form appropriate for limited-access highway lane selection and target speed selection for travel time savings for the chosen lanes based on travel time difference between adjacent lanes.   
     
     
         18 . The data structure of  claim 17 , further comprising a computer storage for storing the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data, wherein the processor receives the unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data through the at least one interface, processes the unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data, and outputs the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data to the computer storage in a form appropriate for limited-access highway lane selection and target speed selection for travel time savings for the chosen lanes. 
     
     
         19 . The data structure of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data is transmitted to the at least one vehicle from the computer storage. 
     
     
         20 . A system for assisting in selection of driving lanes and target speeds for vehicles for travel time savings, comprising:
 a. an interface for receiving unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data from a traffic management center (TMC), advanced lane management assist management center (ALMAMC), or another data source;   b. a processor coupled to the interface, wherein the processor receives the unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data through the interface, processes the unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data, generates at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data conforming to a spatial data structure comprising barrels divided into zones, wherein boundaries of the barrels are defined by physical roadway configuration changes and permanent changes in regulatory use of the limited-access highway lanes and wherein boundaries of the zones are defined by changes in traffic conditions along the limited-access highway resulting from entry ramps and exit ramps and locations of motorist information devices and regulatory devices that provide changeable information and active traffic management control of the limited-access highway, and transmits the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data to one or more vehicles; and   c. one or more of a lane closure guidance module, lane and speed limit requirements module, dynamic lane use requirements module, toll information module, module for checking detector values for accuracy, module for formatting traffic data, miscellaneous data module, and static database module, said one or more module operatively coupled to the processor for developing driving lane and target speed selection for travel time savings for chosen lanes based on travel time difference between adjacent lanes.   
     
     
         21 . A system of  claim 20 , further comprising a computer storage for storing the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data, said computer storage being coupled to the processor, wherein the processor receives the unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data through the interface, processes the unprocessed lane-specific limited-access highway data, and outputs the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data to the computer storage. 
     
     
         22 . A system of  claim 21 , further comprising a transmitter operatively coupled to the computer storage for transmitting the at least one of processed and processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data to the one or more vehicles. 
     
     
         23 . A system of  claim 22 , wherein the processor performs one or more quality check of the processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data when the processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data is used and substitutes current lane-specific limited-access highway data for the processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data if the processed predicted lane-specific limited-access highway data is not of sufficient quality.