SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMPUTING NECESSARY TIME FOR TRAVEL BASED ON WAITING TIME

• US 20120004840A1
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Original Assignee: NHN Corporation
• Inventors: LEE, Chae Hyun, LEE, Seong Su
• Application Number:
  US13/173,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20120004840A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3423 Multimodal routing, i.e. combining two or more modes of transportation, where the modes can be any of, e.g. driving, walking, cycling, public transport

Abstract

Provided are a system and method for computing a total travel time according to a transportation type, based, in part, on a waiting time to wait for traveling in the transportation. A system for computing a necessary time for travel may include an input unit to receive a starting point and a destination point, and a necessary time computing unit to compute a necessary time taken to travel from the starting point to the destination point, by adding a waiting time and a travel time, thereby minimizing an error in computing the necessary time for travel.

Claims

1. A system to compute a necessary time for travel, the system comprising:

an input unit to receive a starting point and a destination point;

a necessary time computing unit to compute, for each transportation, a necessary time, the necessary time comprising a travel time from the starting point to the destination point, and the waiting time comprising a time until a user rides in a transportation; and

a display unit to display each transportation and a necessary time for each transportation, based on the necessary time computed by the necessary time computing unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the necessary time computing unit comprises:

a taxi necessary time computing unit to compute the necessary time if the transportation is a taxi;

a subway necessary time computing unit to compute the necessary time if the transportation is a subway; and

a bus necessary time computing unit to compute the necessary time if the transportation is a bus.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the taxi necessary time computing unit comprises:

a taxi waiting time computing unit to compute, based on the starting point, a taxi waiting time corresponding to a period of time for waiting for a taxi;

a taxi travel time computing unit to compute, based on real-time traffic information, a travel time taken by the taxi to travel from the starting point to the destination point; and

a taxi'"'"'s total necessary time computing unit to compute a total necessary time for the taxi by adding the taxi waiting time and the travel time.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein, in response to the starting point being in a zone where location information of a taxi is provided, the taxi waiting time computing unit identifies a taxi in a location closest to the starting point, and computes, as a taxi waiting time, a travel time taken by the identified taxi to travel to the starting point.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a statistical information collector to determine a location from where the taxi is called, a time when the taxi is called, and a call waiting time corresponding to a time for waiting for the called taxi; and

a zone generator to group the location of the caller based on the call waiting time, to generate a waiting time zone, and to set the call waiting time as a group waiting time in the waiting time zone,

wherein the taxi waiting time computing unit determines whether the starting point is included in the waiting time zone, and computes, as the taxi waiting time, a group waiting time of the waiting time zone in which the starting point is included.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein, in response to the starting point being outside the waiting time zone, the taxi waiting time computing unit computes, as the taxi waiting time, a group waiting time of a waiting time zone closest to the starting point.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein, when the starting point is in a plurality of waiting time zones, the taxi waiting time computing unit computes, as the taxi waiting time, an average value of group waiting times of the plurality of waiting time zones.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the zone generator provides a waiting time zone for each time, based, at least in part, on the time that the caller calls the taxi, and

wherein the taxi waiting time computing unit identifies a zone in which the starting point is included from a waiting time zone corresponding to a time that the starting point is input.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the subway necessary time computing unit comprises:

a subway walking information collector to compute a first subway walking time and a second subway walking time, the first subway walking time comprising a time to walk from the starting point to a subway station closest to the starting point, and the second subway walking time comprising a time to walk from a subway station closest to the destination point, to the destination point;

a subway waiting time computing unit to compute, based on subway arrival estimation information for each subway station, a subway waiting time corresponding to a period of time for waiting for a subway in the subway station closest to the starting point;

a subway travel time computing unit to compute a subway travel time, the subway travel time comprising a time for the subway to travel from the subway station closest to the starting point to the subway station closest to the destination point; and

a subway'"'"'s total necessary time computing unit to compute a total necessary time for the subway by adding the first subway walking time, the subway waiting time, the subway travel time, and the second subway walking time.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a subway transfer time computing unit to compute a transfer time by adding up a transfer walking time and a waiting time in response to a subway transfer being required in a route between the starting point and the destination point, the transfer walking time comprising a time for transferring from a first subway train to a second subway train in a transfer station, and the waiting time comprising a time to wait to board the second subway train in the transfer station,

wherein the subway'"'"'s total necessary time computing unit further adds the transfer time, and computes the total necessary time.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the bus necessary time computing unit comprises:

a bus walking information collector to compute a first bus walking time and a second bus walking time, the first bus walking time comprising a time to walk from the starting point to a bus stop closest to the starting point, and the second bus walking time comprising a time to walk from a bus stop closest to the destination point, to the destination point;

a bus waiting time computing unit to compute, based on bus operation information, the bus waiting time corresponding to a period of time for waiting for a bus in the bus stop closest to the starting point;

a bus travel time computing unit to compute a bus travel time, the bus travel time comprising a time for the bus to travel from the bus stop closest to the starting point to the bus stop closest to the destination; and

a bus'"'"'s total necessary time computing unit to compute a total necessary time for the bus by adding the first bus walking time, the bus waiting time, the bus travel time, and the second bus walking time.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the bus travel time computing unit collects travel speeds of an exclusive bus lane during each time slot, and computes the bus travel time based on the collected travel speeds.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the display unit displays, first, a transportation requiring a shortest necessary time, and displays other transportations in an order from second shortest to longest necessary times.

14. A method for computing a necessary time for travel, the method comprising:

receiving a starting point and a destination point;

computing, for each transportation, a necessary time, the necessary time comprising a time to travel from the starting point to the destination point, and the waiting time comprising a time until a user rides in a transportation; and

displaying each transportation and a necessary time for each transportation, based on the computed necessary time.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the computing of the necessary time comprises:

computing the necessary time if the transportation is a taxi;

computing the necessary time if the transportation is a subway; and

computing the necessary time if the transportation is a bus.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein computing the necessary time if the transportation is the taxi comprises:

computing, based on the starting point, a taxi waiting time corresponding to a period of time for waiting for a taxi;

computing, based on real-time traffic information, a travel time being taken by the taxi to travel from the starting point to the destination point; and

computing a total necessary time for the taxi by adding the taxi waiting time and the travel time.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein computing the taxi waiting time further comprises:

identifying a taxi in a location closest to the starting point in response to the starting point being in a zone where location information of a taxi is provided; and

computing, as a taxi waiting time, a travel time taken by the identified taxi to travel to the starting point.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a location from where a taxi is called, a time when the taxi is called, and a call waiting time corresponding to a time for waiting for the called taxi; and

grouping the location of the caller based on the call waiting time, and generating a waiting time zone; and

setting the call waiting time as a group waiting time in the waiting time zone,

wherein the computing of the taxi waiting time comprises determining whether the starting point is in the waiting time zone, and computing, as the taxi waiting time, a group waiting time of the waiting time zone in which the starting point is included.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein computing the taxi waiting time comprises computing, as the taxi waiting time, a group waiting time of a waiting time zone closest to the starting point in response to the starting point being outside the waiting time zone.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein, in response to the starting point being included in a plurality of waiting time zones, the computing of the taxi waiting time comprises computing, as the taxi waiting time, an average value of group waiting times in the plurality of waiting time zones.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the grouping comprises providing a waiting time zone for each time based on the times that the caller calls the taxi, and

wherein computing the taxi waiting time comprises identifying a zone in which the starting point is included from a waiting time zone corresponding to a time that the starting point is input.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein computing the necessary time if the transportation is the subway comprises:

computing a first subway walking time, the first subway walking time comprising a time to walk from the starting point to a subway station closest to the starting point;

computing, based on subway arrival estimation information for each subway station, a subway waiting time corresponding to a period of time for waiting for a subway in the subway station closest to the starting point;

computing a subway travel time, the subway travel time comprising a time for a subway to travel from the subway station closest to the starting point to the subway station closest to the destination point;

computing a second subway walking time, the second subway walking time comprising a time to walk from a subway station closest to the destination point, to the destination point; and

computing a total necessary time for subway by adding the first subway walking time, the subway waiting time, the subway travel time, and the second subway walking time.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

in response to a subway transfer being required in a route between the starting point and the destination point, computing a transfer time by adding a transfer walking time and a waiting time, the transfer walking time comprising a time for transferring from a first subway train to a second subway train in a transfer station, and the waiting time comprising a time to wait to board the second subway train in the transfer station,

wherein the computing of the total necessary time further comprises adding the transfer time, and computing the total necessary time.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein computing the necessary time when the transportation is the bus comprises:

computing a first bus walking time, the first bus walking time comprising a time to walk from the starting point to a bus stop closest to the starting point;

computing, based on bus operation information, the bus waiting time corresponding to a period of time for waiting for a bus in the bus stop closest to the starting point;

computing a bus travel time, the bus travel time comprising a time for the bus to travel from the bus stop closest to the starting point to the bus stop closest to the destination;

computing a second bus walking time, the second bus walking time comprising a time to walk from a bus stop closest to the destination point, to the destination point; and

computing a total necessary time for bus by adding the first bus walking time, the bus waiting time, the bus travel time, and the second bus walking time.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein computing the bus travel time further comprises collecting travel speeds of an exclusive bus lane for each time slot, and computing the bus travel time based on the collected travel speeds.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein displaying comprises displaying, first, a transportation requiring a shortest necessary time, and displaying other transportations in an order from second shortest to longest necessary times.