Representative road traffic flow information based on historical data
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for generating representative traffic flow information for roads to facilitate future travel, the method comprising:
- receiving an indication of a location on a road in a geographic area;
selecting multiple time-based categories for which representative traffic flow information will be distinctly generated for the road location, the multiple time-based categories each corresponding to one or more time periods based on day-of-week and time-of-day information;
selecting multiple other condition-based categories for which representative traffic flow information will be distinctly generated for the road location, the multiple condition-based categories each corresponding to at least one of multiple traffic-altering conditions that affect traffic in the geographic area;
obtaining one or more prior traffic flow values for the road location at each of multiple distinct prior times, at least some of the prior traffic flow values corresponding to one or more of the multiple traffic-altering conditions;
automatically generating representative traffic flow information for the road location, the automatic generating being performed by one or more configured computing systems and including;
for each of the at least some prior traffic flow values, associating the prior traffic flow value with at least one of the time-based categories and at least one of the condition-based categories, the at least one time-based categories being determined by matching the prior time to time periods to which the time-based categories correspond, and the at least one condition-based categories being determined by matching the one or more traffic-altering conditions to which the prior traffic flow value corresponds to traffic-altering conditions to which the condition-based categories correspond; and
for each of one or more traffic flow aggregation classifications that each includes at least one of the time-based and condition-based categories, generating representative traffic flow information for traffic at the road location corresponding to the traffic flow aggregation classification, the generating of the representative traffic flow information being based at least in part on aggregating the prior traffic flow values associated with the at least one time-based and condition-based categories of the traffic flow aggregation classification and on determining one or more typical traffic flow values based on the aggregated prior traffic flow values, the generating of the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification including using the aggregated prior traffic flow values only if the prior times at which the aggregated prior traffic flow values were obtained are automatically determined to include sufficient temporal diversity, the generating of the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification further including, if the prior times at which the aggregated prior traffic flow values were obtained for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification are not determined to include sufficient temporal diversity, generating the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification based at least in part on an expanded group of traffic flow values that corresponds to one or more other related road locations proximate to the road location; and
providing one or more indications of the generated representative traffic flow information for the road location for use in facilitating travel on the road at future times.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques are described for automatically analyzing historical information about road traffic flow in order to generate representative information regarding current or future road traffic flow, and for using such generated representative traffic flow information. Representative traffic flow information may be generated for a variety of types of useful measures of traffic flow, such as for average speed at each of multiple road locations during each of multiple time periods. Generated representative traffic flow information may be used in various ways to assist in travel and for other purposes, such as to determine likely travel times and plan optimal routes. The historical traffic data used to generate the representative traffic flow information may include data readings from physical sensors that are near or embedded in the roads, and/or data samples from vehicles and other mobile data sources traveling on the roads.
172 Citations
56 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for generating representative traffic flow information for roads to facilitate future travel, the method comprising:
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receiving an indication of a location on a road in a geographic area; selecting multiple time-based categories for which representative traffic flow information will be distinctly generated for the road location, the multiple time-based categories each corresponding to one or more time periods based on day-of-week and time-of-day information; selecting multiple other condition-based categories for which representative traffic flow information will be distinctly generated for the road location, the multiple condition-based categories each corresponding to at least one of multiple traffic-altering conditions that affect traffic in the geographic area; obtaining one or more prior traffic flow values for the road location at each of multiple distinct prior times, at least some of the prior traffic flow values corresponding to one or more of the multiple traffic-altering conditions; automatically generating representative traffic flow information for the road location, the automatic generating being performed by one or more configured computing systems and including; for each of the at least some prior traffic flow values, associating the prior traffic flow value with at least one of the time-based categories and at least one of the condition-based categories, the at least one time-based categories being determined by matching the prior time to time periods to which the time-based categories correspond, and the at least one condition-based categories being determined by matching the one or more traffic-altering conditions to which the prior traffic flow value corresponds to traffic-altering conditions to which the condition-based categories correspond; and for each of one or more traffic flow aggregation classifications that each includes at least one of the time-based and condition-based categories, generating representative traffic flow information for traffic at the road location corresponding to the traffic flow aggregation classification, the generating of the representative traffic flow information being based at least in part on aggregating the prior traffic flow values associated with the at least one time-based and condition-based categories of the traffic flow aggregation classification and on determining one or more typical traffic flow values based on the aggregated prior traffic flow values, the generating of the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification including using the aggregated prior traffic flow values only if the prior times at which the aggregated prior traffic flow values were obtained are automatically determined to include sufficient temporal diversity, the generating of the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification further including, if the prior times at which the aggregated prior traffic flow values were obtained for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification are not determined to include sufficient temporal diversity, generating the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification based at least in part on an expanded group of traffic flow values that corresponds to one or more other related road locations proximate to the road location; and providing one or more indications of the generated representative traffic flow information for the road location for use in facilitating travel on the road at future times. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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38. A computer-implemented method for generating representative traffic flow information for roads to facilitate future travel, the method comprising:
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receiving an indication of a location on a road in a geographic area; selecting multiple time-based categories for which representative traffic flow information will be distinctly generated for the road location, the multiple time-based categories each corresponding to one or more time periods based on day-of-week and time-of-day information; selecting multiple other condition-based categories for which representative traffic flow information will be distinctly generated for the road location, the multiple condition-based categories each corresponding to at least one of multiple traffic-altering conditions that affect traffic in the geographic area; obtaining one or more prior traffic flow values for the road location at each of multiple distinct prior times, at least some of the prior traffic flow values corresponding to one or more of the multiple traffic-altering conditions; automatically generating representative traffic flow information for the road location, the automatic generating being performed by one or more configured computing systems and including; for each of the at least some prior traffic flow values, associating the prior traffic flow value with at least one of the time-based categories and at least one of the condition-based categories, the at least one time-based categories being determined by matching the prior time to time periods to which the time-based categories correspond, and the at least one condition-based categories being determined by matching the one or more traffic-altering conditions to which the prior traffic flow value corresponds to traffic-altering conditions to which the condition-based categories correspond; and for each of one or more traffic flow aggregation classifications that each includes at least one of the time-based and condition-based categories, generating representative traffic flow information for traffic at the road location corresponding to the traffic flow aggregation classification, the generating of the representative traffic flow information being based at least in part on aggregating the prior traffic flow values associated with the at least one time-based and condition-based categories of the traffic flow aggregation classification and on determining one or more typical traffic flow values based on the aggregated prior traffic flow values, the generating of the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification including using the aggregated prior traffic flow values only if the prior times at which the aggregated prior traffic flow values were obtained are automatically determined to include sufficient temporal diversity, the generating of the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification further including, if the prior times at which the aggregated prior traffic flow values were obtained for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification are not determined to include sufficient temporal diversity, generating the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification based at least in part on an expanded group of traffic flow values that corresponds to one or more other related traffic flow aggregation classifications that include one or more other time-based categories corresponding to one or more other time periods related to the one or more time periods to which the traffic flow aggregation classification corresponds; and providing one or more indications of the generated representative traffic flow information for the road location for use in facilitating travel on the road at future times.
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39. A computer-implemented method for generating representative traffic flow information for roads to facilitate future travel, the method comprising:
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receiving an indication of a location on a road in a geographic area; selecting multiple time-based categories for which representative traffic flow information will be distinctly generated for the road location, the multiple time-based categories each corresponding to one or more time periods based on day-of-week and time-of-day information; selecting multiple other condition-based categories for which representative traffic flow information will he distinctly generated for the road location, the multiple condition-based categories each corresponding to at least one of multiple traffic-altering conditions that affect traffic in the geographic area; obtaining one or more prior traffic flow values for the road location at each of multiple distinct prior times, at least some of the prior traffic flow values corresponding to one or more of the multiple traffic-altering conditions; automatically generating representative traffic flow information for the road location, the automatic generating being performed by one or more configured computing systems and including; for each of the at least some prior traffic flow values, associating the prior traffic flow value with at least one of the time-based categories and at least one of the condition-based categories, the at least one time-based categories being determined by matching the prior time to time periods to which the time-based categories correspond, and the at least one condition-based categories being determined by matching the one or more traffic-altering conditions to which the prior traffic flow value corresponds to traffic-altering conditions to which the condition-based categories correspond; and for each of one or more traffic flow aggregation classifications that each includes at least one of the time-based and condition-based categories, generating representative traffic flow information for traffic at the road location corresponding to the traffic flow aggregation classification, the generating of the representative traffic flow information being based at least in part on aggregating the prior traffic flow values associated with the at least one time-based and condition-based categories of the traffic flow aggregation classification and on determining one or more typical traffic flow values based on the aggregated prior traffic flow values, the generating of the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification including using the aggregated prior traffic flow values only if the prior times at which the aggregated prior traffic flow values were obtained are automatically determined to include sufficient temporal diversity, the generating of the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification further including, if the prior times at which the aggregated prior traffic flow values were obtained for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification are not determined to include sufficient temporal diversity, generating the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the traffic flow aggregation classification based at least in part on an expanded group of traffic flow values that corresponds to one or more other related traffic flow aggregation classifications that include one or more other condition-based categories corresponding to one or more other traffic-alerting conditions related to the at least one traffic-altering condition to which the traffic flow aggregation classification corresponds; and providing one or more indications of the generated representative traffic flow information for the road location for use in facilitating travel on the road at future times.
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45. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents enable a computing device to generate representative traffic flow information for roads, by performing a method comprising:
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selecting multiple condition-based categories for which representative traffic flow information will be distinctly generated for a road location, the multiple condition-based categories each corresponding to at least one of multiple variable traffic-altering conditions; obtaining historical traffic flow values indicating prior traffic flow for the road location at each of multiple distinct prior times, each of at least some of the historical traffic flow values corresponding to one or more of the multiple traffic-altering conditions; associating the obtained traffic flow values with the condition-based categories by, for each of the at least some historical traffic flow values, associating the historical traffic flow value with at least one condition-based category having a corresponding traffic-altering condition that matches at least one of the one or more traffic-altering conditions to which the historical traffic flow value corresponds; and for each of one or more of the condition-based categories, generating representative traffic flow information for traffic at the road location that occurs during the one or more traffic-altering conditions corresponding to the category by aggregating the traffic flow values associated with the category and by determining one or more typical traffic flow values based on the aggregated traffic flow values, the generating of the representative traffic flow information including using the aggregated traffic flow values only if sufficient temporal diversity is automatically determined to be present in the prior times for which the aggregated traffic flow values indicate the prior traffic flow, the generating of the representative traffic flow information further including, if sufficient temporal diversity is not automatically determined to be present in the prior times for which the aggregated traffic flow values indicate the prior traffic flow, generating the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the one or more traffic-altering conditions corresponding to the category based at least in part on an expanded group of traffic flow values that corresponds to one or more other related road locations proximate to the road location. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A computing device configured to generate representative traffic flow information for roads, comprising:
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one or more memories; and a representative traffic information provider system configured to automatically provide representative traffic flow information for multiple locations on one or more roads by; associating historical traffic flow values that indicate prior traffic flow for the multiple road locations at multiple prior times with multiple traffic flow aggregation classifications that represent distinct representative traffic flow information, each of at least some of the historical traffic flow values being associated with one of the road locations and corresponding to prior traffic flow at the one road location that reflects one or more of multiple traffic-altering conditions at one of the multiple prior times, each aggregation classification corresponding to at least one time period and to at least one of the multiple traffic-altering conditions, the associating including, for each of the at least some historical traffic flow values, associating the historical traffic flow value with at least one aggregation classification having a corresponding time period to which the prior time for the historical traffic flow value corresponds and having a corresponding traffic-altering condition that matches at least one of the one or more traffic-altering conditions reflected by the prior traffic flow to which the historical traffic flow value corresponds; for each of one or more combinations of one of the multiple road locations and one of the multiple traffic flow aggregation classifications, generating representative traffic flow information for traffic at the road location that occurs during the time period and reflects the one or more traffic-altering conditions corresponding to the traffic flow aggregation classification by aggregating the traffic flow values associated with the traffic flow aggregation classification and with the road location and by determining one or more typical traffic flow values based on the aggregated traffic flow values, the generating of the representative traffic flow information including using the aggregated traffic flow values only if sufficient temporal diversity is automatically determined to be present in the prior times for which the aggregated traffic flow values indicate the prior traffic flow, the generating of the representative traffic flow information further including, if sufficient temporal diversity is not automatically determined to be present in the prior times for which the aggregated traffic flow values indicate the prior traffic flow, generating the representative traffic flow information for traffic at the road location that occurs during the time period and reflects the one or more traffic-altering conditions corresponding to the traffic flow aggregation classification based at least in part on an expanded group of traffic flow values that corresponds to one or more other related road locations proximate to the road location; and providing one or more indications of the generated representative traffic flow information for use in facilitating travel on the one or more roads. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52)
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53. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents include instructions that when executed configure a computing device to generate representative traffic flow information for roads, by performing a method comprising:
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selecting multiple condition-based categories for which representative traffic flow information will be distinctly generated for a road location, the multiple condition-based categories each corresponding to at least one of multiple traffic-altering conditions; obtaining historical traffic flow values indicating prior traffic flow for the road location at each of multiple distinct prior times, each of at least some of the historical traffic flow values corresponding to one or more of the multiple traffic-altering conditions; associating the obtained traffic flow values with the condition-based categories by, for each of the at least some historical traffic flow values, associating the historical traffic flow value with at least one condition-based category having a corresponding traffic-altering condition that matches at least one of the one or more traffic-altering conditions to which the historical traffic flow value corresponds; and for each of one or more of the condition-based categories, generating representative traffic flow information for traffic at the road location that occurs during a time period and during the one or more traffic-altering conditions corresponding to the category by aggregating the traffic flow values that are associated with the category and with the time period and by determining one or more typical traffic flow values based on the aggregated traffic flow values, the generating of the representative traffic flow information being performed by the configured computing device and including using the aggregated traffic flow values only if sufficient temporal diversity is automatically determined to be present in the prior times for which the aggregated traffic flow values indicate the prior traffic flow, the generating of the representative traffic flow information further including, if sufficient temporal diversity is not automatically determined to be present in the prior times for which the aggregated traffic flow values indicate the prior traffic flow, generating the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the one or more traffic-altering conditions corresponding to the category based at least in part on an expanded group of traffic flow values that corresponds to one or more other time periods related to the time period.
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54. A computing device configured to generate representative traffic flow information for roads, comprising:
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one or more processors; and a representative traffic information provider system configured to, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, automatically provide representative traffic flow information for multiple locations on one or more roads by; associating historical traffic flow values that indicate prior traffic flow for the multiple road locations at multiple prior times with multiple traffic flow aggregation classifications that represent distinct representative traffic flow information, each of at least some of the historical traffic flow values being associated with one of the road locations and corresponding to prior traffic flow at the one road location that reflects one or more of multiple traffic-altering conditions at one of the multiple prior times, each aggregation classification corresponding to at least one time period and to at least one of the multiple traffic-altering conditions, the associating including, for each of the at least some historical traffic flow values, associating the historical traffic flow value with at least one aggregation classification having a corresponding time period to which the prior time for the historical traffic flow value corresponds and having a corresponding traffic-altering condition that matches at least one of the one or more traffic-altering conditions reflected by the prior traffic flow to which the historical traffic flow value corresponds; for each of one or more combinations of one of the multiple road locations and one of the multiple traffic flow aggregation classifications, generating representative traffic flow information for traffic at the road location that occurs during the time period and reflects the one or more traffic-altering conditions corresponding to the traffic flow aggregation classification by aggregating the traffic flow values associated with the traffic flow aggregation classification and with the road location and by determining one or more typical traffic flow values based on the aggregated traffic flow values, the generating of the representative traffic flow information including using the aggregated traffic flow values only if sufficient temporal diversity is automatically determined to be present in the prior times for which the aggregated traffic flow values indicate the prior traffic flow, the generating of the representative traffic flow information further including, if sufficient temporal diversity is not automatically determined to be present in the prior times for which the aggregated traffic flow values indicate the prior traffic flow, generating the representative traffic flow information for traffic at the road location that occurs during the time period and reflects the one or more traffic-altering conditions corresponding to the traffic flow aggregation classification based at least in part on an expanded group of traffic flow values that corresponds to one or more other time periods related to the time period; and providing one or more indications of the generated representative traffic flow information for use in facilitating travel on the one or more roads.
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55. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents include instructions that when executed configure a computing device to generate representative traffic flow information for roads, by performing a method comprising:
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selecting multiple condition-based categories for which representative traffic flow information will be distinctly generated for a road location, the multiple condition-based categories each corresponding to at least one of multiple traffic-altering conditions; obtaining historical traffic flow values indicating prior traffic flow for the road location at each of multiple distinct prior times, each of at least some of the historical traffic flow values corresponding to one or more of the multiple traffic-altering conditions; associating the obtained traffic flow values with the condition-based categories by, for each of the at least some historical traffic flow values, associating the historical traffic flow value with at least one condition-based category having a corresponding traffic-altering condition that matches at least one of the one or more traffic-altering conditions to which the historical traffic flow value corresponds; and for each of one or more of the condition-based categories, generating representative traffic flow information for traffic at the road location that occurs during the one or more traffic-altering conditions corresponding to the category by aggregating the traffic flow values associated with the category and by determining one or more typical traffic flow values based on the aggregated traffic flow values, the generating of the representative traffic flow information being performed by the configured computing device and including using the aggregated traffic flow values only if sufficient temporal diversity is automatically determined to be present in the prior times for which the aggregated traffic flow values indicate the prior traffic flow, the generating of the representative traffic flow information further including, if sufficient temporal diversity is not automatically determined to be present in the prior times for which the aggregated traffic flow values indicate the prior traffic flow, generating the representative traffic flow information for the road location and the one or more traffic-altering conditions corresponding to the category based at least in part on an expanded group of traffic flow values that corresponds to at least one other traffic-alerting condition related to the one or more traffic-altering conditions to which the category corresponds.
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56. A computing device configured to generate representative traffic flow information for roads, comprising:
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one or more processors; and a representative traffic information provider system configured to, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, automatically provide representative traffic flow information for multiple locations on one or more roads by; associating historical traffic flow values that indicate prior traffic flow for the multiple road locations at multiple prior times with multiple traffic flow aggregation classifications that represent distinct representative traffic flow information, each of at least some of the historical traffic flow values being associated with one of the road locations and corresponding to prior traffic flow at the one road location that reflects one or more of multiple traffic-altering conditions at one of the multiple prior times, each aggregation classification corresponding to at least one time period and to at least one of the multiple traffic-altering conditions, the associating including, for each of the at least some historical traffic flow values, associating the historical traffic flow value with at least one aggregation classification having a corresponding time period to which the prior time for the historical traffic flow value corresponds and having a corresponding traffic-altering condition that matches at least one of the one or more traffic-altering conditions reflected by the prior traffic flow to which the historical traffic flow value corresponds; for each of one or more combinations of one of the multiple road locations and one of the multiple traffic flow aggregation classifications, generating representative traffic flow information for traffic at the road location that occurs during the time period and reflects the one or more traffic-altering conditions corresponding to the traffic flow aggregation classification by aggregating the traffic flow values associated with the traffic flow aggregation classification and with the road location and by determining one or more typical traffic flow values based on the aggregated traffic flow values, the generating of the representative traffic flow information including using the aggregated traffic flow values only if sufficient temporal diversity is automatically determined to be present in the prior times for which the aggregated traffic flow values indicate the prior traffic flow, the generating of the representative traffic flow information further including, if sufficient temporal diversity is not automatically determined to be present in the prior times for which the aggregated traffic flow values indicate the prior traffic flow, generating the representative traffic flow information for traffic at the road location that occurs during the time period and reflects the one or more traffic-altering conditions corresponding to the traffic flow aggregation classification based at least in part on an expanded group of traffic flow values that corresponds to at least one other traffic-alerting condition related to the one or more traffic-altering conditions to which the traffic flow aggregation classification corresponds; and providing one or more indications of the generated representative traffic flow information for use in facilitating travel on the one or more roads.
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Specification