Daimler Chrysler Ag

Malte Roediger

Gerhard Noecker

A method and a device for extensive traffic situation monitoring of a road network on which vehicles can travel is provided. Remote photographs are taken by aircraft of the area to be monitored, and the images thus taken are subjected to an image-processing process to localize the roads in the road network and to recognize vehicles on them. On the basis of the detected vehicles, conclusions are then drawn about the traffic situation. A device for performing this method incorporates an evaluation center to which the data from the pictures taken by the aircraft are supplied and which has a suitable image-processing system.

Method and device for extensive traffic situation monitoring

A process for detecting and reporting traffic situation data of a road system via a respective sample vehicle is provided, in which case an automatic position determination is carried out in the respective sample vehicle at definable points in time and, as a function thereof, pertaining traffic situation data are detected and reported. The road system, together with drive duration data concerning the drive duration to be expected for partial routes of the road system, is stored in the sample vehicles. After a respective position determination, the partial route travelled since the preceding position determination and the pertaining actual drive duration are detected, and via the stored drive duration data, the position to be expected for the actual drive duration and/or the drive duration to be expected for the determined position is determined. Then the deviation is determined between the actual position or drive duration and the expected position or drive duration, after which a traffic situation data reporting operation is triggered only if the deviation is larger than a definable threshold value. The process can be used for obtaining traffic situation data for a highway system.

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Ulm, Germany

Malte Roediger