Travel-time prediction apparatus, travel-time prediction method, traffic information providing system and program

• US 8,090,523 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Solution Innovators, Ltd (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation, NEC Soft Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Junichi, Nakata, Takayuki, Fujita, Takashi, Sugisaki, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner, Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/907,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20080097686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,541 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 340/906, 340/995.13
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

Disclosed is a travel-time prediction apparatus that is capable of making a mid-term prediction of travel time accurately by combining present conditions and statistical information. The apparatus includes a travel-time transition pattern database storing travel-time transition patterns obtained by statistically processing past time-series data of each road link according to type of data. Upon accepting a travel-time transition pattern corresponding to a specified link and day type from the database, the apparatus calculates conversion parameters of a travel-time transition pattern for which an error between the travel-time transition pattern and a sequentially input travel-time time-series data will be reduced, and then makes a prediction using a prediction function obtained by converting the travel-time transition pattern by the calculated conversion parameters. The calculated predicted value and the conversion parameters are distributed as traffic information.

Claims

1. A travel-time prediction apparatus, to which are input a link specified as a prediction target from a set of all links, date and time of the prediction target and travel-time time-series data that is input sequentially in relation to the specified link, for outputting predicted travel time in the specified link and at the date and time, wherein said apparatus comprises:

a database that stores travel-time transition patterns obtained by statistically processing past time-series data of each link according to at least day type, said data base supplying a travel-time transition pattern corresponding to the specified link and day type;

a conversion parameter calculating unit that calculates conversion parameters of a travel-time transition pattern for which an error between the travel-time transition pattern and sequentially input travel-time time-series data will be reduced, wherein calculation is performed of conversion parameters of a travel-time transition pattern for which the sum of a penalty term and a weighted error between the travel-time transition pattern and the sequentially input travel time will be reduced; and

a prediction unit that makes a prediction using a prediction function obtained by converting the travel-time transition pattern by the calculated conversion parameters.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus optimizes a weighting coefficient of the weighted error and the size of the penalty term by reducing predictive stochastic complexity.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein calculation is performed of at least a constant-multiple parameter and a translation parameter of the travel-time transition pattern as the conversion parameters.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein calculation is performed of at least a vertical-displacement parameter and a translation parameter of the travel-time transition pattern as the conversion parameters.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein on the basis of probability of appearance of an error between a prescribed number of items of serially input travel-time time-series data measured in a fixed past period of time and a predicted value calculated using provisional conversion parameters of a plurality of patterns to which provisional fluctuation ranges determined so as to diminish with each computation have been applied/not applied, said apparatus repeats updating of the provisional conversion parameters and calculation of the error a prescribed number of times, thereby deciding conversion parameters of the travel-time transition pattern.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising short-term prediction means for making a short-term prediction of travel time up to a prescribed time ahead utilizing an autoregression model;

wherein a mid-term prediction of travel time using the prediction function is made with regard to a portion that exceeds the prediction range of said short-term prediction means.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein in each of the short- and mid-term predictions, said apparatus executes a prediction only when there is a significant difference between the serially input travel-time time-series data and a travel-time transition pattern that has been stored in the database.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said apparatus groups all prediction-target links into groups determined in advance and obtains the conversion parameters with regard to a representative link per each group;

and

makes a prediction using values of the conversion parameters with respect to a link belonging to a group the same as that of the representative link.

9. A traffic information providing system, comprising:

a travel-time prediction apparatus, to which are input a link specified as a prediction target from a set of all links, date and time of the prediction target and travel-time time-series data that is input sequentially in relation to the specified link, for outputting predicted travel time in the specified link and at the date and time, wherein said apparatus comprises;

a database that stores travel-time transition patterns obtained by statistically processing past time-series data of each link according to at least day type, said data base supplying a travel-time transition pattern corresponding to the specified link and day type;

a conversion parameter calculating unit that calculates conversion parameters of a travel-time transition pattern for which an error between the travel-time transition pattern and sequentially input travel-time time-series data will be reduced, wherein calculation is performed of conversion parameters of a travel-time transition pattern for which the sum of a penalty term and a weighted error between the travel-time transition pattern and the sequentially input travel time will be reduced; and

a prediction unit that makes a prediction using a prediction function obtained by converting the travel-time transition pattern by the calculated conversion parameters; and

means for providing traffic information connected to the travel-time prediction apparatus, which includes the predicted travel time that has been output from said travel-time prediction apparatus, to a prescribed terminal.

10. The system according to claim 9, further comprising billing means of a fixed payment system in which a traffic information distribution period has been decided.

11. The system according to claim 9, further comprising billing means of a pay-as-you-go system that conforms to the number of times traffic information is distributed.

12. The system according to of claim 9, wherein values of the conversion parameters used in conversion of the prediction function are provided together with the traffic information.

13. A travel-time prediction method using a computer, to which are input a link specified as a prediction target from a set of all links, date and time of the prediction target and travel-time time-series data that is input sequentially in relation to the specified link, for outputting predicted travel time in the specified link and at the date and time, said method comprising the following steps executed by the computer:

accepting a travel-time transition pattern corresponding to the specified link and type of day from a database storing travel-time transition patterns obtained by statistically processing past time-series data of each link according to at least day type;

calculating conversion parameters of a travel-time transition pattern for which an error between the travel-time transition pattern and sequentially input travel-time time-series data will be reduced, wherein calculating is performed of conversion parameters of a travel-time transition pattern for which the sum of a penalty term and a weighted error between the travel-time transition pattern and the sequentially input travel time will be reduced;

obtaining a prediction function by converting the travel-time transition pattern by the calculated conversion parameters; and

predicting and outputting predicted travel time in the specified link and at the date and time using the prediction function.

14. A program executed by a computer, to which are input a link specified as a prediction target from a set of all links, date and time of the prediction target and travel-time time-series data that is input sequentially in relation to the specified link, for outputting predicted travel time in the specified link and at the date and time, said program causing the computer to execute the following processing:

processing for accepting a travel-time transition pattern corresponding to the specified link and type of day from a database storing travel-time transition patterns obtained by statistically processing past time-series data of each link according to at least day type;

processing for calculating conversion parameters of a travel-time transition pattern for which an error between the travel-time transition pattern and sequentially input travel-time time-series data will be reduced, wherein processing for calculating is performed of conversion parameters of a travel-time transition pattern for which the sum of a penalty term and a weighted error between the travel-time transition pattern and the sequentially input travel time will be reduced;

processing for obtaining a prediction function by converting the travel-time transition pattern by the calculated conversion parameters; and

processing for predicting and outputting predicted travel time in the specified link and at the date and time using the prediction function.