Method and apparatus for providing a confidence-based road event message

• US 10,311,728 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2017
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (HERE Holding Corporation)
• Inventors: Stenneth, Leon, Averbuch, Alex, Giurgiu, Gavril
• Primary Examiner(s): Small, Naomi J
• Application Number:
  US15/675,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20190051172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 662 Days
• Field of Search: 340905
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/06 giving a combined indication of weather conditions catathermometers for measuring "cooling value" related either to weather conditions or to comfort of other human environment G01W1/17; computers per se G06
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 2001/006 Main server receiving weather information from several sub-stations
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/106 Packet or message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/44 for communication between vehicles and infrastructures, e.g. vehicle-to-cloud [V2C] or vehicle-to-home [V2H]

Abstract

An approach is provided for a confidence-based road event message. For example, the approach involves aggregating road event reports (e.g., slippery road event reports) from vehicles traveling in an area of interest. The approach also involves retrieving weather data records for the area of interest for a time period corresponding to the reports. The approach may further involve determining a data freshness parameter based on an age of the reports, and a number of vehicle generating the reports. The approach further involves calculating a confidence level for the road event based on the weather data records, data freshness parameter, number of the one or more vehicles, or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for transmitting a road event message comprising:

aggregating one or more reports of a road event reported from one or more vehicles traveling in an area of interest;

calculating a data freshness parameter W_TIME for the one or more reports based on an equation

W_Time=1−

e<sup>−

t0/t</sup>,

wherein t is an age of each of the one or more reports and t₀ is a configurable parameter that controls how fast the data freshness parameter decreases with the age;

calculating a confidence level for the road event based, at least in part, on the data freshness parameter; and

transmitting the road event message for the area of interest based on the confidence level.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a quality factor associated with the one or more vehicles, a vehicle type of the one or more vehicles, a manufacturer of the one or more vehicles, or a combination thereof,

wherein the confidence level is further based on the quality factor.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving weather data records for the area of interest for a time period corresponding to the one or more reports;

calculating a road condition level based on the weather data records; and

determining a road condition weighting factor W_Weather based on the road condition level, wherein the confidence level is calculated based on an equation

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

determining an air temperature parameter, a precipitation intensity parameter, a visibility parameter, or a combination thereof from the weather data records,

wherein the road condition level is based on the air temperature parameter, the precipitation intensity parameter, the visibility parameter, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the road condition level includes a slippery level of a roadway in the area of interest, and the method further comprising:

calculating a slippery weight based on time timeWeight and a slippery weight based on distance distWeight of one or more surrounding vehicle sensor data reports of the road event using equations;

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining one or more inferred negative reports of the road event,

wherein the confidence level is further based on the one or more inferred negative reports.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining one or more links of a geographic database associated with the road event,

wherein the confidence level is calculated based on a product of the data freshness parameter and the quality factor,

wherein the road event message is transmitted for the determined one or more links, and

wherein W_i is the quality factor for a single vehicle i, and the confidence level is calculated based on an equation

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a map tile associated with the one or more reports, one or more other map tiles within a distance threshold of the map tile, or a combination thereof,

wherein the road event message is transmitted for the map tile, the one or more other map tiles or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

calculating another weight for a single vehicle W_ii based on an equation

W_ii=distWeight*timeWeight*W_i

wherein W_i is the quality factor for a single vehicle i, and

wherein the one or more reports of the road event are aggregated based on a predetermined time epoch.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the confidence level is calculated based on an equation

11. An apparatus for transmitting a road event notification comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

determine one or more vehicles traveling in an area of interest that report a road event;

determine a quality factor associated with the one or more vehicles, a vehicle type of the one or more vehicles, a manufacturer of the one or more vehicles, or a combination thereof;

calculate a confidence level for the road event based on an equation

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

calculate a data freshness parameter for the one or more reports of the road event from the one or more vehicles based on an age of each of the one or more reports,

wherein the confidence level is further based on the data freshness parameter.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

calculate a slippery weight based on time timeWeight and a slippery weight based on distance distWeight of one or more surrounding vehicle sensor data reports of the road event using equations;

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

calculate the weight for a single vehicle W_ii based on an equation

W_ii=distWeight*timeWeight*W_i

wherein W_i is a quality factor associated with the one or more vehicles, a vehicle type of the one or more vehicles, a manufacturer of the one or more vehicles, or a combination thereof.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine weather data records for the area of interest for a time period corresponding to one or more reports of the road event from the one or more vehicles; and

determining a road condition weighting factor W_Weather based on the weather data records,

wherein the confidence level is calculated further based on a product of the road condition weighting factor W_Weather and the quality factor.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the confidence level for the road event is calculated based on an equation

Confidence=1−

(1−

Quality Factor)×

(1−

W_Weather).

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for configuring an autonomous function of a vehicle based on a slippery road event, carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to perform:

aggregating one or more reports of the slippery road event reported from one or more other vehicles traveling in an area of interest;

determining weather data records for the area of interest for a time period corresponding to the one or more reports;

determining a road condition weighting factor W_Weather based on the weather data records;

calculating a confidence level for the slippery road event based on an equation

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform:

determining a quality factor associated with the one or more vehicles, a vehicle type of the one or more vehicles, a manufacturer of the one or more vehicles, or a combination thereof,

wherein the confidence level is calculated further based on a product of the road condition weighting factor W_Weather and the quality factor.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform:

calculating a data freshness parameter for the one or more reports based on an age of each of the one or more reports,

wherein the confidence level is further based on the data freshness parameter.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform:

determining an air temperature parameter, a precipitation intensity parameter, a visibility parameter, or a combination thereof from the weather data records,

wherein the road condition level is based on the air temperature parameter, the precipitation intensity parameter, the visibility parameter, or a combination thereof.