Detecting deviation from planned public transit route

• US 10,060,752 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2016
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Salowitz, Elizabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Rodney A
• Application Number:
  US15/191,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20170370735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3423 Multimodal routing, i.e. combining two or more modes of transportation, where the modes can be any of, e.g. driving, walking, cycling, public transport
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3446 Details of route searching algorithms, e.g. Dijkstra, A*, arc-flags, using precalculated routes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/123 indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, tramstransmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968

Abstract

A mobile computing device is provided that includes a processor configured to determine a recommended route for a user of the mobile computing device to travel from a first location to a second location, the recommended route including at least a public transportation segment. The processor is further configured to detect position information for the user of the mobile computing device, detect an off-route condition during the public transportation segment based on the position information, the off-route condition indicating that the user has deviated from the recommended route during the public transportation segment by a predetermined threshold, and based on at least detecting the off-route condition during the public transportation segment, programmatically determine a new route to the second location.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine a recommended route for a user of the mobile computing device to travel from a first location to a second location, the recommended route including at least a public transportation segment;

detect position information for the user of the mobile computing device;

retrieve route data for a public transit vehicle corresponding to the public transportation segment, the route data including a route of the public transit vehicle;

detect an off-route condition during the public transportation segment based on comparing the position information for the user of the mobile computing device to the retrieved route data, the off-route condition indicating that the user has deviated from the recommended route during the public transportation segment by a predetermined threshold; and

based on at least detecting the off-route condition during the public transportation segment, programmatically determine a new route to the second location, wherein the public transportation segment of the recommended route includes a recommended public transit entrance stop for the user to enter the public transit vehicle, and the off-route condition includes a missed public transportation condition indicating that the user did not enter the public transit vehicle at the recommended public transit entrance stop.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein to detect the missed public transportation condition, the processor is configured to:

determine that the public transit vehicle has arrived at the recommended public transit entrance stop based on the route data; and

determine that the position information for the user indicates that the user has not followed the route of the public transit vehicle for a predetermined threshold time period.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the public transportation segment of the recommended route further includes a recommended public transit exit stop for the user to exit the public transit vehicle, and the off-route condition further includes a missed stop condition indicating that the user did not exit the public transit vehicle at the recommended public transit exit stop.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein to detect the missed stop condition, the processor is configured to:

determine a post exit portion of the route of the public transit vehicle beyond the recommended public transit exit stop; and

determine that the position information for the user indicates that the user has followed the post exit portion of the route for a predetermined threshold time period.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein the off-route condition further includes a premature exit condition indicating that the user exited the public transit vehicle before the recommended public transit exit stop.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 5, wherein to detect the premature exit condition, the processor is configured to:

determine a pre exit portion of the route of the public transit vehicle before the recommended public transit stop; and

determine that the position information for the user indicates that the user has not followed the pre exit portion of the route of the public transit vehicle for a predetermined threshold time period.

7. A mobile computing device comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine a recommended route for a user of the mobile computing device to travel from a first location to a second location, the recommended route including at least a public transportation segment;

detect position information for the user of the mobile computing device;

detect an off-route condition during the public transportation segment based on the position information, the off-route condition indicating that the user has deviated from the recommended route during the public transportation segment by a predetermined threshold; and

based on at least detecting the off-route condition during the public transportation segment, programmatically determine a new route to the second location;

wherein a route of a public transit vehicle for the public transportation segment is selected based on user difficulty metric data for that route of the public transit vehicle; and

based on at least detecting the off-route condition during the public transportation segment, the processor is further configured to modify the user difficulty metric data for the route of the public transportation segment based on the detected off-route condition, such that the route of the public transit vehicle is less likely to be selected.

8. A method comprising:

determining a recommended route for a user to travel from a first location to a second location via a processor of a mobile computing device, the recommended route including at least a public transportation segment;

detecting position information for the user via sensors of the mobile computing device;

retrieving route data for a public transit vehicle corresponding to the public transportation segment, the route data including a route of the public transit vehicle;

detecting an off-route condition during the public transportation segment based on comparing the position information detected via the sensors of the mobile computing device to the retrieved route data, the off-route condition indicating that the user has deviated from the recommended route during the public transportation segment by a predetermined threshold; and

based on at least detecting the off-route condition during the public transportation segment, programmatically determining a new route to the second location via the processor of the mobile computing device, wherein the public transportation segment of the recommended route includes a recommended public transit entrance stop for the user to enter the public transit vehicle, and the off-route condition includes a missed public transportation condition indicating that the user did not enter the public transit vehicle at the recommended public transit entrance stop.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein detecting the missed public transportation condition further comprises:

determining that the public transit vehicle has arrived at the recommended public transit entrance stop; and

determining that the position information for the user indicates that the user has not followed the route of the public transit vehicle for a predetermined threshold time period.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the public transportation segment of the recommended route further includes a recommended public transit exit stop for the user to exit the public transit vehicle, and the off-route condition further includes a missed stop condition indicating that the user did not exit the public transit vehicle at the recommended public transit exit stop.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein detecting the missed stop condition further comprises:

determining a post exit portion of the route of the public transit vehicle beyond the recommended public transit exit stop; and

determining that the position information for the user indicates that the user has followed the post exit portion of the route for a predetermined threshold time period.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the off-route condition further includes a premature exit condition indicating that the user exited the public transit vehicle before the recommended public transit exit stop.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein detecting the premature exit condition further comprises:

determining a pre exit portion of the route of the public transit vehicle before the recommended public transit stop; and

determining that the position information for the user indicates that the user has not followed the pre exit portion of the route of the public transit vehicle for a predetermined threshold time period.

14. A method comprising:

determining a recommended route for a user to travel from a first location to a second location, the recommended route including at least a public transportation segment;

detecting position information for the user;

detecting an off-route condition during the public transportation segment based on the position information, the off-route condition indicating that the user has deviated from the recommended route during the public transportation segment by a predetermined threshold; and

based on at least detecting the off-route condition during the public transportation segment, programmatically determining a new route to the second location;

wherein a route of a public transit vehicle for the public transportation segment is selected based on user difficulty metric data for that route of the public transit vehicle; and

based on at least detecting the off-route condition during the public transportation segment, the method further includes modifying the user difficulty metric data for the route of the public transportation segment based on the detected off-route condition, such that the route of the public transit vehicle is less likely to be selected.

15. A mobile computing device comprising:

a processor configured to;

determine a recommended route for a user of the mobile computing device to travel from a first location to a second location, the recommended route including at least a public transportation segment;

detect position information for the user of the mobile computing device;

retrieve route data for a public transit vehicle corresponding to the public transportation segment, the route data including a route of the public transit vehicle;

detect an off-route condition during the public transportation segment based on comparing the position information for the user of the mobile computing device to the retrieved route data, the off-route condition indicating that the user has deviated from the recommended route during the public transportation segment by a predetermined threshold; and

based on at least detecting the off-route condition during the public transportation segment, present the user with an off-route notification indicating that the user has deviated from the recommended route, wherein the public transportation segment of the recommended route includes a recommended public transit entrance stop for the user to enter the public transit vehicle, and the off-route condition includes a missed public transportation condition indicating that the user did not enter the public transit vehicle at the recommended public transit entrance stop.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 15, wherein the off-route notification includes a reroute input, and the processor is further configured to:

receive the reroute input from the user of the mobile computing device; and

programmatically determine a new route to the second location.