SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FASTER DETECTION OF TRAFFIC JAMS

• US 20110160988A1
• Filed: 07/01/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Rogers, Seth Olds
• Granted Patent: US 8,433,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/119
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• 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
• 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

Abstract

Devices located with moving objects (e.g., people or cars) can function as probes of traffic conditions. One way that such probes can operate is by making sporadic reports (e.g., for example, after a given road segment is traversed, a report can be made). However, in such a reporting scheme, a traffic incident that prevents or delays completion of that road segment would go unreported until the probe finished the segment. Thus, these aspects provide methods and systems to detect unexpected conditions that prevent/delay completion of such road segments, and responsively generate an out-of-cycle report that can be used in alerting others of such condition. Progress on that segment can continue to be monitored, with periodic updates, when the segment ultimately is finished, the probe can send a final report for that segment. The report can contain data indicative of an average speed on the road segment (or the portion of it completed, when detecting an unexpected condition).

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

an interface to a wireless network;

a memory storing data defining segments of roads; and

a traffic probe module coupled with the memory and with the interface to the wireless network and for

tracking traversal of the mobile device on a segment of road,

responsive to completing traversal of the segment of road, sending a report of the average speed of the mobile device on the segment of road, and

sending a report with data for an average speed and an indication of a portion, less than entirety, of the segment of road that has been traversed, responsive to determining existence of an unexpected condition on the segment of road.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the report of the average speed of the mobile device on the completed segment of road comprises an identifier for that segment and one or more of average speed information and traversal time information.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the sending of the report of the average speed responsive to completing traversal of the segment of road is further conditioned on determining that the average speed on the segment of road completed deviates from an historical average speed on that segment of road.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the reported data for the portion traversed of the segment of road comprises data indicating an offset from a start of the segment of road.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the determining existence of an unexpected condition comprises determining that an average speed is slower than an expected average speed by more than a threshold on the portion of the segment of road.

6. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the expectation of average speed of traversal is based on historical average speed measurements on the segment of road, gathered from one or more mobile devices.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the unexpected condition comprises a decrease in current speed of traversal by more than a threshold that persists at least for a least a defined minimum period of time.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, where the unexpected condition comprises an elapsed time on the segment of road that exceeds a threshold.

9. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the mobile device further is responsive to detection of the unexpected condition by entering an exception mode in which the mobile device repeatedly reports traversal progress until the segment of road is completed.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the mobile device is further operable to exit the exception mode on completing traversal of the segment of road, and report an average speed for the entirety of the now-completed segment of road.

11. A method of sending traffic information from a mobile device, comprising:

tracking traversal by the mobile device of a segment of a road that is defined by definition data store on the mobile device;

responsive to completing the road segment, reporting data from which an average speed of the mobile device on the road segment can be determined; and

responsive to determining that traversal progress of the mobile device on the road segment deviates from an expectation by more than a threshold, reporting an average speed for a completed portion of the road segment, prior to completing the road segment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the reporting of the data from which the average speed of the mobile device on that interval can be determined comprises reporting the average speed.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the reporting of the data from which the average speed of the mobile device on that interval can be determined comprises reporting a time to complete that interval, which a receiver of the report can use to calculate the average speed based on a known length of the interval.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the reporting of the data from which the average speed of the mobile device on that interval can be determined comprises reporting a time to complete that interval and a length of the interval.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising repeatedly reporting an average speed for a traversed portion of the interval, prior to completion of the original interval, responsive to determining the deviation in progress from the expectation.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the expectation includes that the average speed for the portion of the interval completed is greater than the threshold.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the threshold is set based on average speeds recorded for mobile devices that previously have traversed that road segment.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the threshold is set based on traffic congestion expectations for a current day of week and time of day.

19. A method for providing traffic information to mobile devices, comprising:

receiving, from a first mobile device, a message identifying a pre-defined road segment, a portion of the road segment traversed by the first mobile device, which is less than an entirety of the road segment, and data from which an average speed of traversal for that portion of the road segment can be determined;

determining existence of a traffic event for the road segment, based on the message;

identifying a second mobile device traveling towards the road segment; and

sending an alert to the second mobile device concerning the traffic event.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the determining of the existence of the traffic event comprises determining that the average speed of the mobile device on the traversed portion of the road segment was slower than an expected average speed by at least a threshold.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifying of the second mobile device is based on at least one report received from the second mobile device, which includes information about an average speed for traversal by that second mobile device of another road segment.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the sending of the alert comprises sending one or more of an email message, a short message service (SMS) message or an instruction for providing the alert in a maps program running on the second mobile device.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein the alert comprises a concise warning.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the alert comprises further details pertaining to the concise warning.

25. The method according to claim 19, wherein the alert comprises a tip for bypassing the congested zone.

26. The method according to claim 19, wherein the second mobile device is determined according to a continuity relationship between an upstream zone and an area around the traffic event.

27. The method according to claim 19, wherein the alert is used for displaying an indicator of the traffic event in a maps program on the second mobile device.

28. The method according to claim 27, further comprising displaying a detour route in the maps program.

29. The method according to claim 19, further comprising providing a pop-up window comprising at least one message pertaining to the traffic event.

30. The method according to claim 19, further comprising providing a copy of the alert to an other system, from the second mobile device, for outputting the alert using an output mechanism of the other system.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the other system comprises a sub-system of a vehicle in which the second mobile device is traveling.