Method for determining traffic information, and a device arranged to perform the method

• US 20090037089A1
• Filed: 07/11/2005
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Tkachenko, Serhiy, Blazey, John
• Application Number:
  US11/920,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20090037089A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/118
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/04 using optical or ultrasonic detectors
• 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

Abstract

The present application relates to a method for determining traffic information. In at least one embodiment, the method includes receiving at least one photograph of a portion of the earth'"'"'s surface comprising at least one road segment using an input/output device, recognizing a number of vehicles on the at least one road segment in the at least one received photograph using a processor unit, and determining traffic information based on the at least one recognized vehicle.

Claims

1. Method for determining traffic information, comprising:

receiving at least one photograph of a portion of the earth'"'"'s surface including at least one road segment using an input/output device;

recognizing a number of vehicles on the at least one road segment in the at least one received photograph using a processor unit; and

determining traffic information based on the number of recognized vehicles.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the recognition of the number of vehicles is done using pattern recognition techniques.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein map data is used as input for the pattern recognition techniques.

4. Method according to claim 1, further comprising:

computing a speed of the number of recognized vehicles based on the at least one received photograph.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein the speed of the number of vehicles is computed by

determining a vehicle density for a road segment, and

estimating, from the vehicle density, an average speed of the number of recognized vehicles in the road segment.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle density for a road segment is determined by determining a ratio between a number of pixels in the photograph belonging to a road or road segment with a first color and a number of pixels with an other color.

7. Method according to claim 4, wherein the speed of the number of recognized vehicles is computed by

determining an amount of blur of the number of recognized vehicles.

8. Method according claim 4, further comprising:

receiving at least two photographs of a piece of the earth from a photographing device, the first photograph being made at a first point in time and the second photograph being made at a second point in time,

recognizing a number of vehicles in the first photograph,

recognizing a number of vehicles in the second photograph,

computing the distance traveled in between the first and second photograph by at least a part of the number of vehicle recognized in both the first and second photograph, and

computing a speed of the number of recognized vehicles using the computed distance and the first and second point in time.

9. Method according to claim 8, further comprising:

comparing the computed speed of the number of recognized vehicles to a reference speed associated with the road segment the number of recognized vehicles is recognized on.

10. Method according to claim 9, further comprising:

comparing the computed speed of the number of recognized vehicles to a predetermined minimum speed.

11. Method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining the positions of the at least one recognized vehicle;

comparing the determined position with map data, the map data comprising information about parking places, and

determining availability of the parking places.

12. Method according to claim 1, further comprising:

compiling a signal including the determined traffic information; and

transmitting the compiled signal.

18. Computer program, when loaded on a computer arrangement, arranged to perform the method of claim 1.

19. Data carrier, comprising a computer program according to claim 18.

13. Device comprising:

-

put-output device;

memory units; and

a processing unit to communicate with other devices using the input-output device, and to communicate with the memory units, the device being arranged to

receive at least one photograph of a portion of the earth'"'"'s surface comprising at least one road segment using the input-output device,

recognize a number of vehicles on the at least one road segment in the at least one received photograph using the processing unit, and

determine traffic information based on the number of recognized vehicles.

14. Device according to claim 13, wherein the device is a server, arranged to compile a signal based on the determined traffic information and transmit the signal using the input-output device.

15. Device according to claim 14, wherein the device is a navigation device arranged to plan a route.

16. Device according to claim 15, wherein the navigation device is arranged to plan a route based on the determined traffic information.

17. Vehicle, comprising a device according to claim 13.