SYSTEM FOR CLASSIFYING STREETS FOR VEHICLE NAVIGATION

• US 20130204524A1
• Filed: 08/16/2012
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Telogis Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Fryer, Mark, Bigot, Sebastien Sydney Robert
• Granted Patent: US 9,020,760 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/527
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/202 Dispatching vehicles on the basis of a location, e.g. taxi dispatching

Abstract

Vehicle management systems and associated processes can determine and consider street classifications when selecting routes for fleet vehicles. In one embodiment, a system for calculating routes for a plurality of vehicles in a vehicle fleet includes a computer system. The computer system is configured to receive custom data to classify streets of a network of streets in a geographic region for use in calculating routes. Based at least in part on the received custom data, the computer system can calculate custom routes on the network of streets between waypoint locations. In addition, the computer system can determine a classification for each street of the network of streets based at least in part on the calculated custom routes. The classification can include a score indicative of a hierarchical ranking of each street for calculating routes for the fleet vehicles on the network of streets in the geographic region.

Claims

1. A system for calculating routes for a plurality of vehicles in a vehicle fleet, the system comprising:

a street classification module comprising computer hardware, the street classification module configured to;

receive custom data to classify streets of a network of streets in a geographic region for the purpose of efficiently determining how to route a plurality of vehicles in a vehicle fleet,

based at least in part on the received custom data, calculate custom routes on the network of streets in the geographic region between waypoint locations,

determine a classification for each street of the network of streets in the geographic region based at least in part on the calculated custom routes, the classification comprising an assigned score indicative of a hierarchical ranking of each street for calculating routes for the plurality of vehicles in the vehicle fleet on the network of streets in the geographic region, and

store the determined classifications in a computer database; and

a route calculation module configured to;

calculate a first route on the network of streets in the geographic region for a first vehicle of the plurality of vehicles in the vehicle fleet using the stored classifications in the computer database to exclude a set of streets of the network of streets from evaluation for inclusion in the first route, and

output the first route to a navigation device associated with the first vehicle for presentation to a driver of the first vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the waypoint locations comprise an intersection between two or more streets of the network of streets in the geographic region.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the street classification module is configured to calculate only one custom route between any two waypoint locations on the network of streets in the geographic region.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each custom route comprises a starting waypoint location and an ending waypoint location, and

wherein the classification for each street of the network of streets in the geographic region is determined based on a first distance from each street of each calculated route to the starting waypoint location of each calculated route and a second distance from each street of each calculated route to the ending waypoint location of each calculated route.

5. A system for calculating routes for a plurality of vehicles in a vehicle fleet, the system comprising:

a computer system comprising computer hardware programmed to implement a street classification module configured to at least;

receive custom data to classify streets of a network of streets in a geographic region for use in calculating routes for a plurality of vehicles in a vehicle fleet;

based at least in part on the received custom data, calculate custom routes on the network of streets in the geographic region between waypoint locations;

determine a classification for each street of the network of streets in the geographic region based at least in part on the calculated custom routes, the classification comprising a score indicative of a hierarchical ranking of each street for calculating routes for the plurality of vehicles in the vehicle fleet on the network of streets in the geographic region; and

store the determined classifications in a computer database.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each custom route comprises a starting waypoint location and an ending waypoint location, and

wherein the classification for each street of the network of streets in the geographic region is determined based on a first distance from each street of each calculated route to the starting waypoint location of each calculated route and a second distance from each street of each calculated route to the ending waypoint location of each calculated route.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the assigned score is further indicative of the hierarchical ranking of each street for calculating routes of various lengths on the network of streets in the geographic region.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the street classification module is configured to classify each street of the network of streets into one group of a plurality of groups, the streets of each group correspond to a common degree of importance for calculating routes of a common length range on the network of streets in the geographic region.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the street classification module is configured to calculate only one custom route between any two waypoint locations on the network of streets in the geographic region.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the waypoint locations comprises an intersection between two or more streets of the network of streets in the geographic region.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the custom data comprises data input to a user interface of a fleet vehicle navigation system.

12. The system of claim 5, wherein the custom data comprises an indication of a fleet vehicle type, and

wherein a first fleet vehicle type results in different calculated custom routes and different determined classifications than the calculated custom routes and the determined classifications for a second fleet vehicle type, the first fleet vehicle type being different from the second fleet vehicle type.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein the custom data comprises an indication of a route optimization approach, the route optimization approach comprising one of at least a time optimization approach, fuel optimization approach, or a distance optimization approach,

wherein the street classification module is configured to calculate the custom routes using the route optimization approach, and

wherein the calculated custom routes and the determined classifications vary depending in part on whether the indication of the route optimization approach corresponds to the time optimization approach, the fuel optimization approach, or the distance optimization approach.

14. The system of claim 5, wherein the custom data comprises an indication of route conditions to avoid, the route conditions comprising one or more of at least tolls, ferries, and borders,

wherein the street classification module is configured to calculate the custom routes so as to avoid the route conditions, and

wherein the calculated custom routes and the determined classifications vary depending in part on whether the indication of the route conditions to avoid corresponds to tolls, ferries, or borders.

15. Non-transitory physical computer storage comprising instructions stored thereon for implementing, in one or more processors, a method of managing routing calculations for a plurality of vehicles in a vehicle fleet, the method comprising:

receiving a request to route a plurality of vehicles of a fleet of vehicles on a network of streets in a geographic region;

based on a characteristic of the request, accessing a street classification data set to classify the streets of the network of streets, the street classification data set built using custom data and comprising scores indicative of a hierarchical ranking of each street for calculating routes for the plurality of vehicles in the vehicle fleet on the network of streets in the geographic region;

calculating routes on the network of streets in the geographic region for the plurality of vehicles in the vehicle fleet using the street classifications to exclude a set of streets of the network of streets from evaluation for inclusion in one or more routes; and

outputting the calculated routes to navigation devices associated with the plurality of vehicles for presentation to drivers of the plurality of vehicles.

16. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 15, wherein the characteristic comprises an indication of a fleet vehicle type, and

wherein the accessed street classification data set and the excluded set of streets are different for different fleet vehicle types.

17. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 15, wherein the characteristic comprises an indication of a route optimization approach, the route optimization approach comprising one of at least a time optimization approach, fuel optimization approach, or a distance optimization approach, and

wherein the accessed street classification data set and the excluded set of streets vary depending in part on whether the indication of the route optimization approach corresponds to the time optimization approach, the fuel optimization approach, or the distance optimization approach.

18. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 15, wherein the characteristic comprises an indication of route conditions to avoid, the route conditions comprising one or more of at least tolls, ferries, and borders, and

wherein the accessed street classification data set and the excluded set of streets vary depending in part on whether the indication of the route conditions to avoid corresponds to tolls, ferries, or borders.

19. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 15, wherein the street classification data set is built at least partially using custom data provided by a transmitter of the request.

20. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 15, wherein the assigned score is further indicative of the hierarchical ranking of each street for calculating routes of various lengths on the network of streets in the geographic region.