Inferring static traffic artifact presence, location, and specifics from aggregated navigation system data

• US 7,519,472 B1
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Seacat, Lisa A., Grigsby, Travis M., Morris, Daniel E., Miller, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith; Jack
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Chuong P
• Application Number:
  US12/120,883
• Time in Patent Office: 334 Days
• Field of Search: 701116-118, 701/200, 701/207, 701/213, 340/995, 340/995.13, 340/909, 340/917, 340/919, 340/920, 340/922, 342/357.13, 342/454, 342/457
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/127 to a central station ; Indicators in a central station

Abstract

Aggregated navigation system data can be used by an artifact repository to infer the presence of a static traffic artifact. Static traffic artifact can include traffic lights, traffic signs, special traffic zones, railroad crossings, and the like. Metric data collected from multiple global positioning systems (GPS) devices can provide sampling data for inferring a static traffic artifact on a road. Metrics can include driving behavior, travel direction, velocity, timestamps, delay, and the like. For example, if thirty percent of the data collected about an intersection indicates drivers come to a stop at an intersection, the system can infer a traffic light exists at the intersection. Each traffic artifact can have an associated confidence factor which can indicate the degree of accuracy of the inferred artifact. Confidence factor can be increased or decreased based on the re-evaluation of sample data for the artifact.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing data from a plurality of global position system (GPS) equipped devices to determine static traffic artifact specifics comprising:

providing a navigation database common to a plurality of users;

receiving GPS session data from a plurality of mobile global position system devices;

using the received GPS session data from said plurality of mobile global position system devices to infer an existence, position, and type of a plurality of static traffic artifacts based only upon the received GPS session data; and

updating geographic information in the navigation database used for vehicle navigation purposes to include the inferred static traffic artifacts.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said inferred static traffic artifacts comprise stop signs and traffic lights.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the static traffic artifacts comprise stop signs, said method further comprising:

inferring a direction relative to traffic flow for each of the stop signs based upon the received GPS session data.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the static traffic artifacts comprise traffic lights, said method further comprising:

determining a cycle of said traffic lights in each direction relative to traffic flow based upon the received GPS session data.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the inferred static traffic artifacts further comprise school zones, railroad crossings, cross walks and drawbridges.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said mobile global position system devices comprise a network transceiver, said method further comprising:

receiving GPS session data over a network, which is transmitted by a plurality of said network transceivers.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

conveying said inferred static traffic artifacts to at least one of the mobile global position system devices, wherein said mobile global position system device are configured to present visual artifacts for the static traffic artifacts upon a user interface.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying at least one inferred static traffic artifact for which additional data is needed;

generating an inquiry for additional information concerning the identified traffic artifact;

conveying the inquiry to a plurality of the mobile global position system devices;

receiving responses to the inquiry from at least one of the mobile global position system devices; and

adjusting data regarding the identified traffic artifact based upon the received responses.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the GPS session data received from each of the plurality of mobile global position system devices represents metrics captured by the global position system devices regarding travel details of a vehicle along a travel path, wherein said travel details comprise a plurality of points at which the vehicle stopped moving, a duration for which the vehicle was stopped, and data concerning a travel direction along the travel path when each stop occurred.

10. A computer program product for utilizing data from a plurality of global position system (GPS) equipped devices to determine static traffic artifact specifics, the computer program product being stored in a storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code configured to provide a navigation database common to a plurality of users;

computer usable program code configured to receive GPS session data from a plurality of mobile global position system devices;

computer usable program code configured to use the received GPS session data from said plurality of mobile global position system devices to infer an existence, position, and type of a plurality of static traffic artifacts based only upon the received GPS session data; and

computer usable program code configured to update geographic information in the navigation database used for vehicle navigation purposes to include the inferred static traffic artifacts.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said inferred static traffic artifacts comprise stop signs and traffic lights.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the static traffic artifacts comprise stop signs, said computer program product further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to infer a direction relative to traffic flow for each of the stop signs based upon the received GPS session data.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the static traffic artifacts comprise traffic lights, said computer program product further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to determine a cycle of said traffic lights in each direction relative to traffic flow based upon the received GPS session data.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the inferred static traffic artifacts further comprise school zones, railroad crossings, and drawbridges.

15. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein at least one of said mobile global position system devices comprise a network transceiver, said computer program product further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to receive session data over a network, which is transmitted by a plurality of said network transceivers.

16. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to convey said inferred static traffic artifacts to at least one of the mobile global position system devices, wherein said mobile global position system device are configured to present visual artifacts for the static traffic artifacts upon a user interface.

17. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying at least one inferred static traffic artifact for which additional data is needed;

computer usable program code configured to generate an inquiry for additional information concerning the identified traffic artifact;

computer usable program code configured to convey the inquiry to a plurality of the mobile global position system devices;

computer usable program code configured to receive responses to the inquiry from at least one of the mobile global position system devices; and

computer usable program code configured to adjust data regarding the identified traffic artifact based upon the received responses.

18. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the GPS session data received from each of the plurality of mobile global position system devices represents metrics captured by the global position system devices regarding travel details of a vehicle along a travel path, wherein said travel details comprise a plurality of points at which the vehicle stopped moving, a duration for which the vehicle was stopped, and data concerning a travel direction along the travel path when each stop occurred.

19. A system for utilizing data from a plurality of global position system (GPS) equipped devices to determine static traffic artifact specifics comprising:

a bus;

a memory connected to the bus, wherein the memory contains a set of instructions; and

a processor connected to the bus, wherein the processor is operable to execute the instructions, wherein said processor is configured to provide a navigation database common to a plurality of users;

to receive GPS session data from a plurality of mobile global position system devices;

to use the received GPS session data from said plurality of mobile global position system devices to infer an existence, position, and type of a plurality of static traffic artifacts based only upon GPS session data; and

to update geographic information in the navigation database used for vehicle navigation purposes to include the inferred static traffic artifacts.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the GPS session data received from each of the plurality of mobile global position system devices represents metrics captured by the global position system devices regarding travel details of a vehicle along a travel path, wherein said travel details comprise a plurality of points at which the vehicle stopped moving, a duration for which the vehicle was stopped, and data concerning a travel direction along the travel path when each stop occurred.