Method of and system for determining route speed of a mobile navigation unit movable along a route segment of a route having a plurality of intersections

• US 10,386,196 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Igumnov, Alexei Vladimirovich, Saveliev, Fedor Grigorievich
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US15/323,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20170199048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,827 Days
• Field of Search: 701430
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity

Abstract

The route speed of a mobile global positioning satellite (GPS) navigation unit in a vehicle movable along one of a plurality of available route segments of a route having a plurality of intersections, is determined by locating a first and a second of the intersections, by locating a start boundary point, by locating a plurality of end boundary points for all the route segments, and by receiving geographic location information of the vehicle at an initial trajectory point located past the start boundary point, and a subsequent trajectory point past the end boundary point in the one route segment into which the vehicle moved. The trajectory points are associated with trajectory times. A server determines the route speed of the one route segment by dividing a differential distance between the trajectory points by a differential time between the trajectory times. The route speed of the other route segments is likewise determined to aid in route optimization.

Claims

1. A method of determining route speed of a mobile global positioning satellite (GPS) navigation unit along a route comprised of a plurality of route segments across a plurality of intersections, each route segment measured from a first location immediately after a prior intersection along a direction of travel to a second location immediately after a subsequent intersection along the direction of travel, the method comprising:

locating a first intersection of the plurality of intersections and a second intersection of the plurality of intersections following the first intersection in the direction of travel and along the route, identifying a first intersection start boundary point for all available particular route segments from immediately past the first intersection in the direction of travel to each available end boundary point immediately past each of a plurality of respective navigation options at the second intersection;

receiving, at an electronic processor of a control unit, geographic location information of the mobile navigation unit at an initial trajectory point located at the start boundary point, and at a subsequent trajectory point at one of the end boundary points associated with a selected one of the available particular route segments;

identifying, by the electronic processor of a control unit, an initial trajectory time at which the mobile navigation unit was at the initial trajectory point, and a subsequent trajectory time at which the mobile navigation unit was at the subsequent trajectory point;

obtaining, by the electronic processor of a control unit, a differential trajectory distance between the subsequent and the initial trajectory points;

obtaining, by the electronic processor of a control unit, a differential trajectory time between the subsequent and the initial trajectory times; and

determining, by the electronic processor of a control unit, a route speed of the selected one of the available particular route segments along the route by dividing the differential trajectory distance by the differential trajectory time.

2. The method of claim 1, and supporting the mobile navigation unit in a vehicle for joint movement therewith.

3. The method of claim 1, and repeating the method for a plurality of other navigation units to obtain a plurality of determined route speeds for the selected one of the available particular route segments;

and averaging the plurality of determined route speeds to obtain an average route speed for the selected one of the available particular route segments.

4. The method of claim 3, and repeating the method for a plurality of other navigation units to obtain a plurality of determined route speeds for each of the available particular route segments corresponding to each of the plurality of respective navigation options at the second intersection;

and averaging the respective plurality of determined route speeds to obtain average route speeds corresponding to each of the available particular route segments.

5. The method of claim 4, and subsequently determining an optimal route comprised of a plurality of the route segments from a new source to a new destination by selecting the route segments between the new source and the new destination determined to have a minimum total route time calculated as a sum of individual route times for individual route segments, the selected route segments including the selected one of the available particular route segments.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of respective navigation options at the second intersection include turning right via a right turn lane, turning left via a left turn lane, and driving straight via a non-turning lane.

7. A system for determining route speed of a mobile global positioning satellite (GPS) navigation unit movable along a route comprised of a plurality of route segments across a plurality of intersections, each route segment measured from a first location immediately after a prior intersection along a direction of travel to a second location immediately after a subsequent intersection along the direction of travel, the system comprising:

a server for locating a first intersection of the plurality of intersections and a second intersection of the plurality of intersections following the first intersection in the direction of travel and along the route, a first intersection start boundary point for all available particular route segments from immediately past the first intersection in the direction of travel to each available end boundary point immediately past each of a plurality of respective navigation options at the second intersection;

a transceiver for receiving geographic location information of the mobile navigation unit at an initial trajectory point located at the start boundary point, and at a subsequent trajectory point at one of the end boundary points associated with a selected one of the available particular route segments;

the server being operative for identifying an initial trajectory time at which the mobile navigation unit was at the initial trajectory point, and a subsequent trajectory time at which the mobile navigation unit was at the subsequent trajectory point;

the server being operative for obtaining a differential trajectory distance between the subsequent and the initial trajectory points;

the server being operative for obtaining a differential trajectory time between the subsequent and the initial trajectory times; and

the server being operative for determining a route speed of the selected one of the available particular route segments along the route by dividing the differential trajectory distance by the differential trajectory time.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the mobile navigation unit is supported in a vehicle for joint movement therewith.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the server and the transceiver are operative with a plurality of other navigation units to obtain a plurality of determined route speeds for the selected one of the available particular route segments, and for averaging the plurality of determined route speeds to obtain an average route speed for the selected one of the available particular route segments.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the server and the transceiver are operative with a plurality of other navigation units to obtain a plurality of determined route speeds for each of the available particular route segments corresponding to each of the plurality of respective navigation options at the second intersection, and for averaging the respective plurality of determined route speeds to obtain average route speeds corresponding to each of the available particular route segments.

11. The system of claim 10, and a database for storing the average determined route speed for each route segment, and wherein the server is operative to subsequently determine an optimal route comprised of a plurality of the route segments from a new source to a new destination by selecting the route segments between the new source and the new destination determined to have a minimum total route time calculated as a sum of individual route times for individual route segments, the selected route segments including the selected one of the available particular route segments.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the wherein the plurality of respective navigation options at the second intersection include turning right via a right turn lane, turning left via a left turn lane, and driving straight via a non-turning lane.