A DESIGN FOR AN EXPERIMENTAL ROUTE GUIDANCE SYSTEM

THIS PAPER DESCRIBES AN EXPERIMENTAL ROUTE GUIDANCE SYSTEM (ERGS) DESIGNED BY GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION UNDER CONTRACT TO THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS. AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM WHICH WOULD AUTOMATICALLY PROVIDE DRIVERS WITH ROUTING INSTRUCTIONS AT DECISION POINTS IN THE ROAD NETWORK ALONG THE WAY TO THEIR RESPECTIVE DESTINATIONS WAS DEVELOPED. SYSTEM HARDWARE CONSISTS OF BOTH MOBILE AND FIXED ELEMENTS, WHICH AUTOMATICALLY ESTABLISHED TWO-WAY DIGITAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MOVING VEHICLES AND ANTENNAS EMBEDDED IN THE ROADWAY. THE SYSTEM IS DESTINATION ORIENTED. AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS TRIP, THE DRIVER ENTERS A CODE WORD REPRESENTING THE ADDRESS OF HIS DESTINATION INTO THE UNIT IN HIS CAR. AS HIS VEHICLE APPROACHES EACH INSTRUMENTED INTERSECTION, THE DESTINATION CODE IS TRANSMITTED TO THE ROADSIDE EQUIPMENT, WHERE IT IS DECODED IN ACCORDANCE WITH A STORED PROGRAM. AN APPROPRIATE MANEUVER INSTRUCTION IS CALCULATED, RETURNED TO THE VEHICLE, AND DISPLAYED TO THE DRIVER IN THE LENGTH OF TIME NECESSARY FOR THE VEHICLE TO TRAVEL A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY FIVE FEET AT INTERSTATE HIGHWAY DRIVING SPEEDS. / AUTHOR/