Identifying wrong-way travel events

• US 10,417,909 B1
• Filed: 02/26/2018
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Connect Development Limited
• Original Assignee: Verizon Connect Ireland Limited (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Sambo, Francesco, Bravi, Luca, Salti, Samuele, Taccari, Leonardo, Simoncini, Matteo, Lori, Alessandro, Sarti, Leonardo, Koch, Jason M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, Emily C
• Application Number:
  US15/905,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20190266893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 340905
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• 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: G08G 1/015 with provision for distinguishing between two or more types of vehicles, e.g. between motor-cars and cycles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/056 with provision for distinguishing direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A device can obtain acceleration data and GPS location data. The GPS location data can include a plurality of GPS location data samples relating to vehicles. The acceleration data can include a plurality of acceleration data samples relating to one or more of the vehicles. The device can determine, using the plurality of acceleration data samples or the plurality of GPS location data samples, a potential wrong-way travel event associated with a vehicle, determine whether the vehicle is associated with an industry in which vehicles legitimately engage in wrong-way travel after determining the potential wrong-way travel event, and perform one or more actions to cause information regarding the potential wrong-way travel event to be provided to a user device based on determining the potential wrong-way travel event and determining whether the vehicle is associated with an industry in which vehicles legitimately engage in wrong-way travel.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

one or more memories; and

one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, to;

obtain acceleration data and GPS location data,

the GPS location data including a plurality of GPS location data samples relating to a plurality of vehicles, and

the acceleration data including a plurality of acceleration data samples relating to one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles;

determine a potential wrong-way travel event based on comparing first heading values, included in the plurality of GPS location data samples and relating to a vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, and a plurality of second heading values relating to other vehicles that were previously located near a location corresponding to the potential wrong-way travel event,

wherein the plurality of GPS location data samples indicate a change in heading that is associated with wrong-way travel;

obtain, from a data structure and based on data identifying the vehicle, subscriber data relating to the vehicle;

determine, based on the subscriber data, whether the vehicle is associated with an industry in which vehicles legitimately engage in wrong-way travel after determining the potential wrong-way travel event; and

perform one or more actions to cause information regarding the potential wrong-way travel event to be provided to a user device based on determining the potential wrong-way travel event and determining whether the vehicle is associated with the industry in which vehicles legitimately engage in wrong-way travel.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, when obtaining the acceleration data and the GPS location data, are to:

obtain the plurality of GPS location data samples from the plurality of vehicles and obtain the plurality of acceleration data samples from the one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further to:

determine that an acceleration data sample, of the plurality of acceleration data samples, relating to the vehicle includes an acceleration value that satisfies a threshold;

or

determine that a pair of consecutive GPS location data samples, of the plurality of GPS location data samples, relating to the vehicle include third heading values that indicate a change of direction of the vehicle; and

wherein the one or more processors, when determining the potential wrong-way travel event, are to;

determine the potential wrong-way travel event based on determining that the acceleration data sample relating to the vehicle includes the acceleration value that satisfies the threshold or based on determining that the pair of consecutive GPS location data samples relating to the vehicle includes the third heading values that indicate a reversal of direction of the vehicle.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of acceleration data samples includes a maximum acceleration value.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the potential wrong-way travel event includes information regarding headings of the vehicle and respective location data associated with the headings;

and

wherein the one or more processors, when performing the one or more actions, are to;

perform the one or more actions to cause a visual representation of a path of travel of the vehicle to be presented on a user interface of the user device based on the information regarding the headings and the respective location data.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the visual representation is implemented using a color coding scheme in which different headings are represented by different colors.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the data identifying the vehicle is included in at least one of the plurality of GPS location data samples or the plurality of acceleration data samples.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

obtain acceleration data and GPS location data,

the GPS location data including a plurality of GPS location data samples relating to a plurality of vehicles, and

the acceleration data including a plurality of acceleration data samples relating to one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles;

determine, using the plurality of acceleration data samples or the plurality of GPS location data samples, a potential wrong-way travel event associated with a vehicle of the plurality of vehicles,

wherein at least one of;

at least one of the plurality of acceleration data samples indicate an acceleration value that is associated with wrong-way travel, or

the plurality of GPS location data samples indicate a change in heading that is associated with wrong-way travel; and

wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the potential wrong-way travel event, cause the one or more processors to;

determine the potential wrong-way travel event based on comparing heading values, included in the plurality of GPS location data samples and relating to the vehicle, and a plurality of other heading values relating to other vehicles that were previously located near a location corresponding to the potential wrong-way travel event;

obtain, from a data structure and based on data identifying the vehicle, subscriber data relating to the vehicle;

determine, based on the subscriber data, whether the vehicle is associated with an industry in which vehicles legitimately engage in wrong-way travel after determining the potential wrong-way travel event; and

perform one or more actions to cause information regarding the potential wrong-way travel event to be provided to a user device based on determining the potential wrong-way travel event and determining whether the vehicle is associated with the industry in which vehicles legitimately engage in wrong-way travel.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to obtain the acceleration data and the GPS location data, cause the one or more processors to:

obtain the plurality of GPS location data samples from the plurality of vehicles and obtain the plurality of acceleration data samples from the one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

determine that an acceleration data sample, of the plurality of acceleration data samples, relating to the vehicle includes an acceleration value that satisfies a threshold;

or

determine that a pair of consecutive GPS location data samples, of the plurality of GPS location data samples, relating to the vehicle include heading values that indicate a change of direction of the vehicle; and

wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the potential wrong-way travel event, cause the one or more processors to;

determine the potential wrong-way travel event based on determining that the acceleration data sample relating to the vehicle includes the acceleration value that satisfies the threshold or based on determining that the pair of consecutive GPS location data samples relating to the vehicle includes heading values that indicate a reversal of direction of the vehicle.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of acceleration data samples includes a maximum acceleration value.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the information regarding the potential wrong-way travel event includes information regarding headings of the vehicle and respective location data associated with the headings;

and

wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to perform the one or more actions, cause the one or more processors to;

perform the one or more actions to cause a visual representation of a path of travel of the vehicle to be presented on a user interface of the user device based on the information regarding the headings and the respective location data.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the visual representation is implemented using a color coding scheme in which different headings are represented by different colors.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the user device is a navigation device located in the vehicle.

13. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by a device, acceleration data and GPS location data,

the GPS location data including a plurality of GPS location data samples relating to a plurality of vehicles, and

the acceleration data including a plurality of acceleration data samples relating to one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles;

determining, by the device, a potential wrong-way travel event based on comparing first heading values, included in the plurality of GPS location data samples and relating to a vehicle of the plurality of vehicles, and a plurality of second heading values relating to other vehicles that were previously located near a location corresponding to the potential wrong-way travel event,

wherein

the plurality of GPS location data samples indicate a change in heading that is associated with wrong-way travel;

obtaining, by the device and from a data structure and based on data identifying the vehicle, subscriber data relating to the vehicle;

determining, by the device and based on the subscriber data, whether the vehicle is associated with an industry in which vehicles legitimately engage in wrong-way travel after determining the potential wrong-way travel event; and

performing, by the device, one or more actions to cause information regarding the potential wrong-way travel event to be provided to a user device based on determining the potential wrong-way travel event and determining whether the vehicle is associated with the industry in which vehicles legitimately engage in wrong-way travel.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein obtaining the acceleration data and the GPS location data comprises:

obtaining the plurality of GPS location data samples from the plurality of vehicles and obtaining the plurality of acceleration data samples from the one or more vehicles of the plurality of vehicles.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining that an acceleration data sample, of the plurality of acceleration data samples, relating to the vehicle includes an acceleration value that satisfies a threshold;

or

determining that a pair of consecutive GPS location data samples, of the plurality of GPS location data samples, relating to the vehicle includes third heading values that indicate a reversal of direction of the vehicle; and

wherein determining the potential wrong-way travel event comprises;

determining the potential wrong-way travel event based on determining that the acceleration data sample relating to the vehicle includes the acceleration value that satisfies the threshold or based on determining that the pair of consecutive GPS location data samples relating to the vehicle includes the third heading values that indicate a reversal of direction of the vehicle.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of the plurality of acceleration data samples includes a maximum acceleration value.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the information regarding the potential wrong-way travel event includes information regarding headings of the vehicle and respective location data associated with the headings;

and

wherein performing the one or more actions comprises;

performing the one or more actions to cause a visual representation of a path of travel of the vehicle to be presented on a user interface of the user device based on the information regarding the headings and the respective location data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the visual representation is implemented using a color coding scheme in which different headings are represented by different colors.