Use of Pattern Matching to Predict Actual Traffic Conditions of a Roadway Segment

• US 20090079586A1
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Trafficcom Incorporated (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Shokoufandeh, Ali, Bespalov, Dmitriy
• Granted Patent: US 7,755,509 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

Actual traffic conditions of a roadway segment are predicted by providing a plurality of historical roadway condition patterns of the roadway segment in a database, obtaining an electronic representation of a current roadway condition pattern of the roadway segment, identifying one or more of the historical roadway condition patterns that closely matches the current roadway condition pattern, and predicting the future actual traffic conditions of the roadway segment by using the conditions associated with the one or more identified historical patterns.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of predicting actual traffic conditions of a roadway segment, the method comprising:

(a) providing a plurality of historical roadway condition patterns of the roadway segment from a database;

(b) obtaining an electronic representation of a current roadway condition pattern of the roadway segment;

(c) using a processor connected to the database and the electronic representation of the current roadway condition pattern to;

(i) identify one or more of the historical roadway condition patterns that closely matches the current roadway condition pattern, and

(ii) predict the future actual traffic conditions of the roadway segment by using the conditions associated with the one or more identified historical patterns.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c)(i) further comprises identifying the one or more historical roadway condition patterns that most closely matches the current roadway condition pattern.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c)(i) is performed by curve-matching of the patterns.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c)(i) is performed by vector-matching of the patterns.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic representation of the current roadway condition pattern is an estimated representation.

6. A computer-implemented apparatus for predicting actual traffic conditions of a roadway segment, the apparatus comprising:

(a) means for providing a plurality of historical roadway condition patterns of the roadway segment from a database;

(b) means for obtaining an electronic representation of a current roadway condition pattern of the roadway segment;

(c) a processor connected to the database and the electronic representation of the current roadway condition pattern that;

(i) identifies one or more of the historical roadway condition patterns that closely matches the current roadway condition pattern, and

(ii) predicts the future actual traffic conditions of the roadway segment by using the conditions associated with the one or more identified historical patterns.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the processor further identifies the one or more historical roadway condition patterns that most closely matches the current roadway condition pattern.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the identifying that occurs by the processor is performed by curve-matching of the patterns.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the identifying that occurs by the processor is performed by vector-matching of the patterns.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the electronic representation of the current roadway condition pattern is an estimated representation.

11. An article of manufacture for predicting actual traffic conditions of a roadway segment, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

(a) providing a plurality of historical roadway condition patterns of the roadway segment from a database;

(b) obtaining an electronic representation of a current roadway condition pattern of the roadway segment;

(c) using a processor connected to the database and the electronic representation of the current roadway condition pattern to;

(i) identify one or more of the historical roadway condition patterns that closely matches the current roadway condition pattern, and

(ii) predict the future actual traffic conditions of the roadway segment by using the conditions associated with the one or more identified historical patterns.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein step (c)(i) further comprises identifying the one or more historical roadway condition patterns that most closely matches the current roadway condition pattern.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein step (c)(i) is performed by curve-matching of the patterns.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein step (c)(i) is performed by vector-matching of the patterns.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 11 wherein the electronic representation of the current roadway condition pattern is an estimated representation.