Commuter Route Learning

• US 20090088973A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Watkins, Gary A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,014,968 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• 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 19/39 the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO

Abstract

A commuter route learning program learns a telematics subscriber'"'"'s common travel routes (e.g. work-home, home-school, etc.) and offers traffic reports based on the routes. In one aspect, three modes are used to establish routes and offer traffic reports. These modes include a Learn Mode during which the commuter route learning program learns new commuter trips, a Pattern Recognition Mode during which the commuter route learning program recognizes and categorizes routes from patterns of trips, and an Execution Mode during which the commuter route learning program automatically provides commuter route traffic congestion information to a subscriber.

Claims

12. A system for providing a customized traffic report via a telematics unit to a telematics subscriber, the system comprising:

a commuter route learning software application residing in a memory module of the telematics unit, wherein the commuter route learning software application is adapted to learn a route taken by the telematics subscriber in a vehicle associated with the telematics unit, and to automatically retrieve and convey to the subscriber a traffic report related to the route when the subscriber again starts the route;

a central processing unit within the telematics unit for running the commuter route learning software application;

a global positioning system that provide the location of the vehicle; and

a cellular device within the telematics unit to communicate across a wireless network.

1. A method for automatically providing traffic information for a commuter route to a telematics subscriber via a telematics unit associated with a subscriber vehicle, the method comprising:

instantiating a commuter route learning application on the telematics unit;

at the commuter route learning application, observing driving of the subscriber vehicle and thereby recording a plurality of trips taken in the subscriber vehicle;

based on the recorded plurality of trips, determining at the commuter route learning application one or more routes substantially matching the recorded plurality of trips;

automatically retrieving a traffic report at the commuter route learning application for at least one of the one or more routes; and

providing at least a portion of the retrieved traffic report to a driver of the subscriber vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein observing driving of the subscriber vehicle and thereby recording a plurality of trips taken in the subscriber vehicle comprises:

calculating a plurality of trip points along each trip at a specified interval;

storing calculated trip points in a memory of the telematics unit; and

analyzing each stored trip points to determine whether it is the same as a trip point calculated in a prior trip.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining one or more routes substantially matching the recorded plurality of trips comprises analyzing recorded trips to identify repetitive trips representing a route.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein analyzing recorded trips to identify repetitive trips representing a route comprises checking the number of common trips points between trips to determine repetitive trips to establish a route.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein analyzing recorded trips to identify repetitive trips representing a route comprises implementing recursive back tracking to determine repetitive trips to establish a route.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein analyzing recorded trips to identify repetitive trips representing a route comprises concatenating two or more trips to determine repetitive trips to establish a route.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein concatenating two or more trips to determine repetitive trips to establish a route comprises:

matching a start trip point of a first trip and an end trip point of a second trip to a start and end point of a third trip;

determining at least one other trip to be concatenated between the first trip and the second trip to produce a concatenated trip; and

determining whether the concatenated trip shares at least a threshold number of common trip points with the third trip such that if the concatenated trip shares at least a threshold number of common trip points with the third trip, the concatenated trip and the third trip are determined to be repetitive trips.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein automatically retrieving a traffic report at the commuter route learning application for at least one of the one or more routes comprises:

presenting a route identification to a subscriber upon vehicle ignition based on time of day, day of week, and established routes;

querying the subscriber to confirm the route identification and receiving confirmation of the route identification from the subscriber; and

requesting a traffic report for the confirmed route.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing at least a portion of the retrieved traffic report to a driver of the subscriber vehicle is based on the location of the vehicle, the time of day, and the day of the week.

10. The method according to claim 2, wherein trip points are recorded using a global positioning system.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein a trip is deemed to begin when the vehicle ignition is turned on and to end when the vehicle ignition is turned off.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the commuter route learning software application is further adapted to identify a trip as beginning when the vehicle ignition is turned on and as ending when the vehicle ignition is turned off.

14. The system according to claim 12, further comprising a database from whence the commuter route learning software application automatically retrieves one or more traffic reports.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the wireless network is selected from the group consisting of wireless wide area networks, wireless metropolitan area networks, wireless local area networks, CDMA2000, Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), GSM, WiFi, and WiMAX networks.

13-1. The system according to claim 12, further comprising a voice synthesis and recognition system within the telematics unit to query the subscriber and to present information to the subscriber.

16. A computer-readable medium having thereon computer-executable instructions for automatically providing traffic information for a commuter route to a telematics subscriber via a telematics unit associated with a subscriber vehicle, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

instructions for observing driving of the subscriber vehicle and recording a plurality of trips taken in the subscriber vehicle;

instructions for determining one or more routes substantially matching the recorded plurality of trips based on the recorded plurality of trips;

instructions for automatically retrieving a traffic report for at least one of the one or more routes; and

instructions for providing at least a portion of the retrieved traffic report to a driver of the subscriber vehicle.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the instructions for observing driving of the subscriber vehicle and thereby recording a plurality of trips taken in the subscriber vehicle comprise:

instructions for calculating a plurality of trip points along each trip at a specified interval;

instructions for storing calculated trip points in a memory of the telematics unit; and

instructions for analyzing each stored trip points to determine whether it is the same as a trip point calculated in a prior trip.

18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the instructions for determining one or more routes substantially matching the recorded plurality of trips comprises instructions for analyzing recorded trips to identify repetitive trips representing a route.

19. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the instructions for analyzing recorded trips to identify repetitive trips representing a route comprises instructions for concatenating two or more trips to determine repetitive trips to establish a route.

20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 19, wherein the instructions for concatenating two or more trips to determine repetitive trips to establish a route comprises:

instructions for matching a start trip point of a first trip and an end trip point of a second trip to a start and end point of a third trip;

instructions for determining at least one other trip to be concatenated between the first trip and the second trip to produce a concatenated trip; and

instructions for determining whether the concatenated trip shares at least a threshold number of common trip points with the third trip such that if the concatenated trip shares at least a threshold number of common trip points with the third trip, the concatenated trip and the third trip are determined to be repetitive trips.