LEARNING ROAD FEATURE DELAY TIMES BASED ON AGGREGATE DRIVER BEHAVIOR
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
- receiving information about a plurality of prior vehicle trips along a plurality of roads in a geographic area, the plurality of prior vehicle trips involving a plurality of drivers of vehicles and each reflecting actual prior behavior of one of the plurality of drivers in traveling between a starting location in the geographic area and an ending location in the geographic area, the received information including, for each of the prior vehicle trips, indications of multiple data samples reported by a device in the vehicle as the vehicle travels between the starting and ending locations for that vehicle trip, each of the data samples indicating a road location and an associated time when the vehicle is at the indicated road location;
identifying multiple traffic flow impediments that each is a structural part of one of the plurality of roads and restricts traffic flow on that one road during at least some times to speeds below a posted maximum speed for that one road;
automatically analyzing the received information about the plurality of prior vehicle trips to determine actual time delays for the traffic flow impediments based on actual prior behavior of the plurality of drivers, the automatically analyzing being performed by at least one of one or more programmed computing systems and including, for each of the traffic flow impediments;
determining an expected amount of traversal time of the traffic flow impediment by a vehicle based on an average speed of traffic for the road of which the traffic flow impediment is a structural part;
identifying multiple of the plurality of prior vehicle trips that travel past the traffic flow impediment;
for each of the identified multiple prior vehicle trips, determining an amount of actual delay for the traffic flow impediment during the prior vehicle trip by calculating a numerical difference between an actual amount of traversal time of the traffic flow impediment during the prior vehicle trip and the expected traversal time amount for the traffic flow impediment, the actual amount of the traversal time of the traffic flow impediment during the prior vehicle trip being based in part on a first time at which a first road location of one of the multiple data samples for that prior vehicle trip is before the traffic flow impediment and on a later second time at which a second road location of another of the multiple data samples for that prior vehicle trip is past the traffic flow impediment; and
averaging the determined actual delay amounts for the identified multiple prior vehicle trips in order to generate the determined actual time delay for the traffic flow impediment; and
after the determining of the actual time delays for the traffic flow impediments, automatically using the determined actual time delays to improve routing of additional vehicle trips through the geographic area, the using of the determined actual time delays being performed by at least one of the one or more programmed computing systems and including, for each of multiple requests for a route between two indicated locations in the geographic area;
identifying multiple alternative paths between the two indicated locations for the request, the identified multiple alternative paths including one or more of the traffic flow impediments;
evaluating each of the identified multiple alternative paths based at least in part on the determined actual time delays for the one or more traffic flow impediments, and selecting a preferred one of the identified multiple alternative paths based on the evaluating; and
providing the selected one alternative path as the route for the request, the one alternative path being selected based at least in part on the determined actual time delays for the one or more traffic flow impediments.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques are described for generating and using information regarding road traffic in various ways, including by obtaining and analyzing road traffic information regarding actual behavior of drivers of vehicles on a network of roads. Obtained actual driver behavior information may in some situations be analyzed to determine actual delays for vehicles encountering various particular road features in the network of roads, such as for identified decision points at which drivers face choices corresponding to possible alternative routes through the network of roads (e.g., intersections, highway exits and/or entrances, etc.) and/or for other traffic flow impediments. The identified and determined information from the analysis may then be used in various manners, including in some situations to assist in determining particular recommended or preferred routes of vehicles through the network of roads based at least in part on actual driver behavior information.
117 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
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receiving information about a plurality of prior vehicle trips along a plurality of roads in a geographic area, the plurality of prior vehicle trips involving a plurality of drivers of vehicles and each reflecting actual prior behavior of one of the plurality of drivers in traveling between a starting location in the geographic area and an ending location in the geographic area, the received information including, for each of the prior vehicle trips, indications of multiple data samples reported by a device in the vehicle as the vehicle travels between the starting and ending locations for that vehicle trip, each of the data samples indicating a road location and an associated time when the vehicle is at the indicated road location; identifying multiple traffic flow impediments that each is a structural part of one of the plurality of roads and restricts traffic flow on that one road during at least some times to speeds below a posted maximum speed for that one road; automatically analyzing the received information about the plurality of prior vehicle trips to determine actual time delays for the traffic flow impediments based on actual prior behavior of the plurality of drivers, the automatically analyzing being performed by at least one of one or more programmed computing systems and including, for each of the traffic flow impediments; determining an expected amount of traversal time of the traffic flow impediment by a vehicle based on an average speed of traffic for the road of which the traffic flow impediment is a structural part; identifying multiple of the plurality of prior vehicle trips that travel past the traffic flow impediment; for each of the identified multiple prior vehicle trips, determining an amount of actual delay for the traffic flow impediment during the prior vehicle trip by calculating a numerical difference between an actual amount of traversal time of the traffic flow impediment during the prior vehicle trip and the expected traversal time amount for the traffic flow impediment, the actual amount of the traversal time of the traffic flow impediment during the prior vehicle trip being based in part on a first time at which a first road location of one of the multiple data samples for that prior vehicle trip is before the traffic flow impediment and on a later second time at which a second road location of another of the multiple data samples for that prior vehicle trip is past the traffic flow impediment; and averaging the determined actual delay amounts for the identified multiple prior vehicle trips in order to generate the determined actual time delay for the traffic flow impediment; and after the determining of the actual time delays for the traffic flow impediments, automatically using the determined actual time delays to improve routing of additional vehicle trips through the geographic area, the using of the determined actual time delays being performed by at least one of the one or more programmed computing systems and including, for each of multiple requests for a route between two indicated locations in the geographic area; identifying multiple alternative paths between the two indicated locations for the request, the identified multiple alternative paths including one or more of the traffic flow impediments; evaluating each of the identified multiple alternative paths based at least in part on the determined actual time delays for the one or more traffic flow impediments, and selecting a preferred one of the identified multiple alternative paths based on the evaluating; and providing the selected one alternative path as the route for the request, the one alternative path being selected based at least in part on the determined actual time delays for the one or more traffic flow impediments. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A computer-implemented method comprising:
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receiving information about a plurality of prior vehicle trips along a plurality of roads in a geographic area, the plurality of prior vehicle trips involving a plurality of drivers of vehicles and each reflecting actual prior behavior of one of the plurality of drivers in traveling between a starting location in the geographic area and an ending location in the geographic area, the received information including, for each of the prior vehicle trips, indications of multiple road locations of the vehicle for that vehicle trip as the vehicle travels from the starting location to the ending location for that vehicle trip and of an associated time for each of the indicated road locations; identifying multiple traffic flow impediments that each is a structural feature of one of the plurality of roads and restricts traffic flow on that one road during at least some times to speeds below an average speed for that one road; automatically analyzing the received information about the plurality of prior vehicle trips to determine actual time delays associated with each of the identified traffic flow impediments based on actual prior behavior of the plurality of drivers, the automatically analyzing being performed by one or more programmed computing systems and including, for each of the identified traffic flow impediments; for each of multiple of the plurality of prior vehicle trips that travel past the identified traffic flow impediment, determining an amount of traversal time delay for the prior vehicle trip that is associated with the identified traffic flow impediment by calculating a numerical difference between an actual amount of traversal time associated with the identified traffic flow impediment during the prior vehicle trip and an expected amount of traversal time associated with the identified traffic flow impediment, the expected traversal time amount associated with the identified traffic flow impediment being determined based at least in part on an amount of time to traverse at one or more selected speeds a distance that includes a length of the identified traffic flow impediment; and aggregating the determined traversal time delay amounts for the identified multiple prior vehicle trips in order to generate one or more average time delay amounts for the identified traffic flow impediment, and selecting at least one of the generated average time delay amounts as the determined actual time delay for the identified traffic flow impediment; and providing information about the determined actual time delays for the identified traffic flow impediments to enable future routing decisions for other vehicles to use those determined actual time delays in selecting preferred routes. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium whose stored contents configure a computing system to perform a method, the method comprising:
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receiving information about a plurality of prior vehicle trips along a road by a plurality of vehicles that reflect actual prior behavior of a plurality of drivers, the received information including, for each of the prior vehicle trips, indications of multiple road locations of the vehicle during the vehicle trip and of an associated time for each of the indicated road locations; automatically analyzing the received information about the plurality of prior vehicle trips to determine an actual time delay associated with a structural traffic flow impediment on the road based on the actual prior behavior of the plurality of drivers, the traffic flow impediment being associated with restricted traffic flow on the road in at least some situations, the automatic analyzing being performed by the configured computing system and including; for each of multiple of the plurality of prior vehicle trips that travel past the traffic flow impediment, determining an amount of delay in traversal time of the traffic flow impediment for the prior vehicle trip by calculating a numerical difference between an actual amount of traversal time of the traffic flow impediment during the prior vehicle trip and an expected traversal time amount for the traffic flow impediment if traffic flow on the road is not restricted; and aggregating the determined traversal time delay amounts for the multiple prior vehicle trips to generate a representative time delay amount to use as the determined actual time delay for the traffic flow impediment; and indicating the determined actual time delay for the traffic flow impediment. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A computing system, comprising:
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one or more processors; and a system that is configured to, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, automatically determine an actual time delay associated with a traffic flow impediment that is part of a road based on actual prior behavior of a plurality of drivers on the road, the automatic determining of the actual time delay including; receiving information about a plurality of prior vehicle trips along the road by a plurality of vehicles under control of the plurality of drivers, the received information including, for each of the prior vehicle trips, indications of multiple road locations of the vehicle during the vehicle trip and of an associated time for each of the indicated road locations; for each of multiple of the plurality of prior vehicle trips that include the traffic flow impediment, determining an amount of delay in traversal time of the traffic flow impediment for the prior vehicle trip by calculating a numerical difference between an amount of traversal time of the traffic flow impediment during the prior vehicle trip and an expected traversal time amount for the traffic flow impediment when traffic flow on the road is not restricted; aggregating the determined traversal time delay amounts for the multiple prior vehicle trips to generate a representative time delay amount to use as the determined actual time delay for the traffic flow impediment; and indicating the determined actual time delay for the traffic flow impediment. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification