Method of optimizing traffic content

• US 6,650,995 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2002
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bullock, James Blake
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US10/098,123
• Publication Number:
  US 20020120390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 701/200, 701/213, 701/23, 701/24, 342/357.06, 342/357.09, 342/357.1
• US Class Current: 701/117
• 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 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096822 where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096883 where input information is obtained using a mobile device, e.g. a mobile phone, a PDA
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases

Abstract

A method of optimizing traffic content includes providing a traffic flow algorithm (220) coupled to receive a set of solicited navigation route data (210) and a set of solicited traffic data (212) between a starting location (305, 405) and a destination location (310, 410), where traffic flow algorithm (220) is designed to compute a set of optimized traffic content (230) between a starting location (305, 405) and a destination location (310, 410). A set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data (215) is received and incorporated into traffic flow algorithm (220).

Claims

1. A method of optimizing traffic content in a distributed communications system, the method comprising:

providing a traffic flow algorithm coupled to receive a set of solicited navigation route data and a set of solicited traffic data between a starting location and a destination location, wherein the traffic flow algorithm is designed to compute a set of optimized traffic content between the starting location and the destination location;

receiving a set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data between the starting location and the destination location;

incorporating the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data into the traffic flow algorithm; and

calculating the set of optimized traffic content between the starting location and the destination location, utilizing at least the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data comprises a plurality of route segments between the starting location and the destination location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data comprises a set of time data for a remote communications node along one or more of the plurality of route segments between the starting location and the destination location.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data comprises a set of velocity data of a remote communications node along one or more of the plurality of route segments between the starting location and the destination location.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data comprises a set of position data of a remote communications node along one or more of the plurality of route segments between the starting location and the destination location.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring an unsolicited user-defined navigation route defined by the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data and communicating a set of traffic anomaly data pertaining to the unsolicited user-defined navigation route to a remote communications node.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of optimized traffic content comprises a set of optimized route recommendation content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of optimized traffic content comprises a set of traffic report content pertaining to an unsolicited user-defined navigation route defined by the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data.

9. A method of acquiring traffic content in a distributed communications system, the method comprising:

providing a traffic flow algorithm coupled to receive a set of solicited navigation route data and a set of solicited traffic data between a starting location and a destination location, wherein the traffic flow algorithm is designed to compute a set of optimized traffic content between the starting location and the destination location;

receiving a set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data between the starting location and the destination location; and

incorporating the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data into the traffic flow algorithm.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data comprises a plurality of route segments between the starting location and the destination location.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data comprises a set of time data for a remote communications node along one or more of the plurality of route segments between the starting location and the destination location.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data comprises a set of velocity data of a remote communications node along one or more of the plurality of route segments between the starting location and the destination location.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data comprises a set of position data of a remote communications node along one or more of the plurality of route segments between the starting location and the destination location.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising monitoring an unsolicited user-defined navigation route defined by the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data and communicating a set of traffic anomaly data pertaining to the unsolicited user-defined navigation route to a remote communications node.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising calculating a set of optimized traffic content between the starting location and the destination location, utilizing at least the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data.

16. A computer-readable medium containing computer instructions for instructing a processor to perform a method of acquiring traffic content in a distributed communications system, the instructions comprising:

providing a traffic flow algorithm coupled to receive a set of solicited navigation route data and a set of solicited traffic data between a starting location and a destination location, wherein the traffic flow algorithm is designed to compute a set of optimized traffic content between the starting location and the destination location;

receiving a set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data between the starting location and the destination location; and

incorporating the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data into the traffic flow algorithm.

17. The computer-readable medium in claim 16, wherein the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data comprises a plurality of route segments between the starting location and the destination location.

18. The computer-readable medium in claim 17, wherein the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data comprises a travel time for a remote communications node along one or more of the plurality of route segments between the starting location and the destination location.

19. The computer-readable medium in claim 17, wherein the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data comprises an average velocity of a remote communications node along one or more of the plurality of route segments between the starting location and the destination location.

20. The computer-readable medium in claim 17, wherein the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data comprises an instantaneous velocity of a remote communications node along one or more of the plurality of route segments between the starting location and the destination location.

21. The computer-readable medium in claim 16, instructions further comprising monitoring an unsolicited user-defined navigation route defined by the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data and communicating a set of traffic anomaly data pertaining to the unsolicited user-defined navigation route to a remote communications node.

22. The computer-readable medium in claim 16, the instructions further comprising calculating a set of optimized traffic content between the starting location and the destination location, utilizing at least the set of unsolicited user-defined navigation route data.