Transportation analytics employing timed fingerprint location information

• US 10,448,195 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2015
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hardin, Stephen Thomas, Becker, Thomas Rodger, Carey, Charles A., Morsbach, Zachary Orlynn, Webb, Johnathan Bradley
• Primary Examiner(s): Han, Charles J
• Application Number:
  US14/881,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20160033285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,463 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

The disclosed subject matter provides for traffic analysis employing timed fingerprint location information. In an aspect, TFL information can be associated with location characteristics for a UE. These location characteristics can describe the motion of the UE. As such, with proper analysis, the motion of the UE can be correlated to traffic patterns. Transportation analytics can employ TFL information to provide real time or near real time traffic information, forecast traffic conditions, or automate response to traffic conditions based on TFL information. Whereas TFL can provide advantages over other types of location information systems, leveraging TFL information in traffic analysis can reflect these advantages. Further, whereas TFL information can be gathered from nearly all modern and many legacy mobile devices, large volumes of TFL information can be employed in related transportation analytics.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving a differential time measurement for a user equipment and a first NodeB site pair of devices, wherein the first NodeB site pair of devices comprises a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device;

receiving first timed fingerprint location information comprising a historical differential timing measurement, correlated to a first historical geographic location value, for the first NodeB site pair of devices;

estimating a geographic location of the user equipment, resulting in an estimated geographic location, based on the differential time measurement, an intersection of possible locations determined from the first timed fingerprint location information for the first NodeB site pair of devices and second timed fingerprint location information for a second NodeB site pair of devices, historic geographic location values corresponding to the first NodeB site pair of devices, and a second historic geographic location value corresponding to the second NodeB site pair of devices;

generating a location characteristic associated with the user equipment based on the estimated geographic location of the user equipment to facilitate determining motion of the user equipment based on location analytics; and

determining motion segment information, based on location characteristics comprising the location characteristic, as a first function of a selectable variable, wherein the motion segment information indicates changes in the location characteristics for the user equipment, and wherein the location characteristic is determined as a second function of a type of transportation determined to be associated with the user equipment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining the motion segment information is determined as a third function of a time variable.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the determining the motion segment information comprises determining a position characteristic from the location characteristics at a first time interval.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the determining the motion segment information comprises determining a position characteristic from the location characteristics at a first time interval where a speed of the user equipment is determined to be less than a first speed.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the determining the motion segment information comprises determining the position characteristic from the location characteristics at a second time interval where the speed of the user equipment is determined to be at least a second speed.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the type of transportation is automotive transportation.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the type of transportation is bipedal locomotion.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the type of transportation is bicycle locomotion.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the determining the motion segment information is based on the location characteristics determined as a fourth function of a proximity variable.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the determining the motion segment information comprises determining a user equipment population density characteristic based on a proximity of the user equipment to a selected location.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising adapting a transportation management system based on the estimated geographic location and the user equipment population density characteristic.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the adapting the transportation management system comprises adjusting a cost of use based on the estimated geographic location and the user equipment population density characteristic.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, a differential time measurement for a user equipment coupled to a first NodeB site pair of devices comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device;

receiving, by the system, first timed fingerprint location information comprising a historical differential timing measurement, correlated to a first historical geographic location value, for the first NodeB site pair of devices;

determining, by the system, a geographic location of the user equipment based on the differential time measurement, an intersection of possible locations determined from the first timed fingerprint location information for the first NodeB site pair of devices and second timed fingerprint location information for a second NodeB site pair of devices, the first historic geographic location value for the first NodeB site pair of devices, and a second historic geographic location value for the second NodeB site pair of devices;

receiving, by the system, location characteristics comprising a location characteristic associated with the user equipment based on the geographic location of the user equipment, wherein the location characteristic was determined as a first function of a type of transportation determined to be associated with the user equipment; and

enabling, by the system, adaptation of a transportation management system in response to determining motion segment information, based on the location characteristics, as a second function of a selectable variable.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining the motion segment information is based on the location characteristic determined as a third function of a temporal variable.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining the motion segment information comprises determining a position characteristic from the location characteristic at a first time interval when the user equipment is determined to be moving at a speed that is less than a first speed and determining the position characteristic from the location characteristic at a second time interval when the user equipment is determined to be moving at another speed that is at least the first speed.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the type of transportation is vehicular transportation.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the type of transportation is railway transportation.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the enabling the adaptation of the transportation management system comprises adapting control of a signalized intersection based on the motion segment information.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

receiving a differential time measurement for a user equipment coupled to a first NodeB site pair of devices comprising a first NodeB device and a second NodeB device;

receiving first timed fingerprint location information comprising a historical differential timing measurement, correlated to historical geographic location values, for the first NodeB site pair of devices;

determining a geographic location of the user equipment based on the differential time measurement, an intersection of possible locations determined from the first timed fingerprint location information for the first NodeB site pair of devices and second timed fingerprint location information for a second NodeB site pair of devices, the historical geographic location values for the first NodeB site pair of devices, and other historical geographic location values, other than the historical geographic location values, for the second NodeB site pair of devices;

receiving a location characteristic associated with the user equipment based on the geographic location of the user equipment;

determining motion segment information based on the location characteristic as a first function of a temporal variable, wherein the location characteristic was determined as a second function of a type of transportation determined to be associated with the user equipment; and

adapting performance of a signalized intersection based on the motion segment information.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the determining the motion segment information is further based on the location characteristic as a function of a proximity variable related to a proximity of the user equipment to a determined location.