Three-dimensional traffic report

• US 7,221,287 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2005
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Triangle Software LLC (Pelmorex, Inc.)
• Inventors: Waldron, Glenn, Levy, Paul, Gueziec, Andre
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAI T
• Application Number:
  US11/302,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20060158330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/906, 340/907, 340/995.24, 340/995.27, 340/994, 340/988, 701/117, 701/200, 701/202, 701/204, 701/20
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0125 Traffic data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/093 Data selection, e.g. prioritizing information, managing message queues, selecting the information to be output
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• 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 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• 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 1/096866 where the complete route is shown to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3822 specially adapted for use in vehicles H04B1/3827 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 : using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a traveler information monitoring and dissemination system. The system disclosed herein provides real time information to a traveler, wherein the real time information may be pre-selected by the traveler. The system ensures consistent and quality data are produced and issued to the traveler.

Claims

1. A road traffic report dissemination system, comprising:

at least one data source configured to provide current data relating to traffic conditions;

a data processing engine configured to generate quality traffic data, the quality traffic data comprising current data that is as complete and timely as is presently available; and

a publishing engine configured to generate a three-dimensional traffic report based on the quality traffic data, wherein the traffic report comprises traffic area images of a particular traffic area and a plurality of computer-generated traffic route images that follow the natural path of real-world traffic routes in the particular traffic area, the plurality of computer-generated traffic route images overlaid on the traffic area images.

2. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 1, wherein the quality traffic data comprises real-time traffic flow data.

3. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 1, wherein the quality traffic data comprises predictive traffic flow data.

4. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 1, wherein the quality traffic data comprises traffic incident data.

5. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 1, wherein the traffic report is animated.

6. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 1, wherein the traffic report is a still-frame image.

7. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 1, wherein the traffic area images comprise satellite images.

8. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 1, wherein the traffic area images comprise computer-generated images.

9. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 8, wherein the traffic area image of the three-dimensional traffic report comprises at least one computer-generated image representative of signage in the format of a road-side billboard.

10. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of computer-generated traffic route images are associated with at least one route identifier.

11. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 10, wherein the at least one route identifier corresponds to a signage format for a particular state or region.

12. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 1, wherein the traffic report comprises a plurality of computer-generated structure identifiers that correspond to real-world physical structures within the particular traffic area, the plurality of computer-generated structure identifiers overlaid on the traffic area images.

13. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of computer-generated structure identifiers that corresponds to a real-world structure within the particular traffic area comprises at least one computer-generated image representative of signage in the format of facility sponsorship.

14. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of computer-generated traffic route images are decomposed into one or more segments and the quality traffic data is mapped to each of the one or more segments.

15. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 14, wherein each of the one or more segments are color coded relative to particular quality traffic data mapped to each of the one or more segments.

16. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 14, wherein each of the one or more segments comprises geometric abstracts.

17. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 16, wherein the geometric abstracts are representative of traffic density as reflected by the quality traffic data.

18. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 16, wherein the geometric abstracts are representative of traffic speed as reflected by the quality traffic data.

19. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 16, wherein the geometric abstracts are representative of traffic flow as reflected by the quality traffic data.

20. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 14, wherein each of the one or more segments comprise three-dimensional representations of vehicles.

21. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 20, wherein the three-dimensional representations are representative of traffic density as reflected by the quality traffic data.

22. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 20, wherein the three-dimensional representations are representative of traffic speed as reflected by the quality traffic data.

23. The road traffic report dissemination system of claim 20, wherein the three-dimensional representations are representative of traffic flow as reflected by the quality traffic data.

24. A method for generating a traffic report, comprising:

collecting current data relating to traffic conditions from at least one data source;

generating quality traffic data, the quality traffic data comprising current data that is as complete and timely as is presently available;

decomposing a plurality of computer-generated traffic route images that follow the natural path of real world traffic routes in a particular traffic area into one or more segments;

mapping the quality traffic data to each of the one or more segments; and

generating a three-dimensional traffic report based on the quality traffic data.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the quality traffic data comprises real-time traffic flow data.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the quality traffic data comprises predictive traffic flow data.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the quality traffic data comprises traffic incident data.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising mapping one or more polygonal objects to each of the one or more segments, wherein the position, speed, and acceleration of the polygonal objects are associated with the quality traffic data.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising displaying a plurality of computer-generated structure identifiers representative of certain real-world structures within the particular traffic area.

30. A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for generating a traffic report, the method comprising:

collecting current data relating to traffic conditions from at least one data source;

generating quality traffic data, the quality traffic data comprising current data that is as complete and timely as is presently available; and

generating a three-dimensional traffic report based on the quality traffic data, wherein generating the three-dimensional traffic report includes;

displaying a plurality of computer-generated traffic route images that follow the natural path of real-world traffic routes in a particular traffic area;

decomposing the plurality of computer-generated traffic route images into one or more segments;

mapping the quality traffic data to each of the one or more segments; and

populating each of the one or more segments with one or more polygonal objects representative of traffic flow and as reflected by the quality traffic data.

31. A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for generating a three-dimensional traffic report based on quality traffic data and comprising traffic area images of a particular traffic area, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of computer-generated traffic route images that follow the natural path of real-world traffic routes in the particular traffic area, the plurality of computer-generated traffic route images overlaid on the traffic area images and comprising one or more segments;

mapping the quality traffic data comprising current traffic data that is as complete and timely as is presently available to at least one of the one or more segments, the quality traffic data having been generated by a data processing engine receiving current data relating to traffic conditions from at least one data source; and

displaying the current traffic data mapped to the at least one of the one or more segments, wherein the displayed current traffic data is color coded relative to particular real-world traffic conditions.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the current traffic data is displayed as a still-frame image.

33. The computer-readable of claim 31, wherein the traffic area images comprise satellite images.