Dynamic Location Referencing Segment Aggregation

• US 20150127244A1
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Published: 05/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Stenneth, Leon, Fowe, James, Giurgiu, Garvil
• Granted Patent: US 9,230,436 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0116 from roadside infrastructure, e.g. beacons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output

Abstract

In one embodiment, road segments are aggregated for DLR. A plurality of connected road segments and corresponding traffic information for each of the connected road segments are identified. A processor aggregates the connected road segments into a fewer number of dynamic location reference (DLR) segments than the plurality. By testing different possible combinations, road segments with similar congestion are grouped. The processor calculates a traffic value for each of the DLR segments. Each traffic value is a function of the traffic information for the connected road segments of the respective DLR segment. An indicator of the aggregated DLR segment and the traffic value for at least one of the DLR segments is output.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a plurality of connected road segments and corresponding traffic information for each of the connected road segments;

aggregating, by a processor, the connected road segments into a fewer number of dynamic location reference (DLR) segments than the plurality;

calculating, by the processor, a traffic value for each of the DLR segments, each traffic value being a function of the traffic information for the connected road segments of the respective DLR segment; and

outputting an indicator of the DLR segment and the traffic value for at least one of the DLR segments.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying comprises identifying a strand for a current location of a vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying comprises identifying a course for navigation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying comprises identifying the connected road segments as off-traffic message channel.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying comprises identifying the corresponding traffic information as a probe or navigation measure of speed within an hour of a request for the traffic information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein aggregating comprises grouping the connected road segments into connected groups based on the traffic information.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein grouping comprises:

assigning a congestion label to a first set of the road segments and a non-congestion label to a second set of the road segments;

grouping as a function of a ratio of a sum of lengths of the road segments with the congestion label to a sum of lengths of the road segments with the non-congestion label.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein grouping comprises grouping based on a comparison of the ratio for different possible groupings to a threshold.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein grouping comprises grouping with the different possible groupings all beginning and ending with the road segments having the congestion label.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein grouping based on the comparison comprises comparing the ratio for all of the connected road segments with a threshold, comparing the ratios for each of a single division of the connected road segments, and comparing the ratios for each of another single division of at least one of the single divisions.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising joining the DLR segments into a fewer number of the DLR segments.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality comprises at least five of the road segments, and wherein aggregating comprises aggregating the at least five road segments into at most two-thirds as many DLR segments.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating comprises averaging the traffic information for the road segments of the DLR segment or calculating the travel value from a length of the DLR segment and the traffic information for the road segments of the DLR segment.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein outputting comprises outputting end points of the DLR segment and the traffic value.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeating the identifying of the traffic information for the connected road segments, the traffic information for the repetition being different than for previous traffic information, repeating the aggregating with the different traffic information such that different DLR segments for the same connected road segments are aggregated, repeating the calculating with the different DLR segments using the different traffic information, and repeating the outputting with the different DLR segments.

16. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

combine road segments into groups based on dynamic traffic data; and

reporting a travel time or travel speed for the combined road segments.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the dynamic traffic data comprises separate probe or navigation device measures of road speed for each of the road segments, wherein the combined road segments are grouped as a function of a ratio of road segments corresponding to congestion and road segments corresponding to lack of congestion, the congestion and lack of congestion being a function of the road speed.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the road segments are combined by testing different groupings as a function of the dynamic traffic data in iterations from a largest grouping in a first iteration to divisions of the groupings in subsequent iterations and by joining resulting groupings after the iterations.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions that when executed by a processor, instruct the processor to:

calculate a ratio of congested links to total for each of different groupings of a collection of road segments including the congested links and non-congested links;

selecting one or more of the different groupings, the selecting being a function of the ratios for the different groupings;

determine travel information of vehicles for each of the selected different groupings; and

outputting the travel information for the selected different groupings.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, further comprising identifying the congested links and non-congested links as a function of travel speeds for the respective links, and wherein selecting comprises not selecting others of the different groupings.