System and method for exchanging positioning information between vehicles in order to estimate road traffic

• US 8,239,123 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2011
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bauchot, Frederic, Clement, Jean-Yves, Marmigere, Gerard, Secondo, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kim T
• Application Number:
  US13/010,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20110112748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 701117-119, 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 701/451, 701/462
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method, system and computer program embarked in a vehicle, for estimating traffic conditions based on positioning information exchanged with other vehicles using wireless communication. A method in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes: receiving positioning information repeatedly broadcast by at least one vehicle, the positioning information for each vehicle including: information related to a current location of the vehicle; and information identifying the vehicle; calculating based on at least two successive locations of a same identified vehicle, a current speed and a current direction for the vehicle; and estimating current traffic conditions based on current location, speed and direction of identified vehicles.

Claims

1. A method for estimating a current traffic condition, the method comprising:

calculating, using a computer system, based on at least two successive locations of a same identified vehicle, a current speed and a current direction for the same identified vehicle; and

estimating, using the computer system, the current traffic condition based on a positioning information of each of a plurality of other vehicles and the two successive locations of the same identified vehicle, wherein the positioning information includes a current location, an identity, the current speed, and the current direction, wherein the positioning information is received, using a wireless communication device, from each of the plurality of other vehicles, and wherein, in response to a quantity of the plurality of other vehicles exceeding a threshold, a sensitivity of the receiving the wireless communication device is adjusted.

2. The method according to claim 1

wherein the positioning information is repeatedly broadcast by each of the plurality of other vehicles.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising, for each of the plurality of other vehicles:

repeatedly determining the current location of each of the plurality of other vehicles; and

broadcasting the positioning information comprising;

the information related to the determined current location; and

the identifying information.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the position information broadcast comprises a time associated with the current location of each of the plurality of other vehicles.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein receiving positioning information repeatedly broadcast further comprises:

associating a respective current time with each received positioning information.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the current location of each of the plurality of other vehicles further comprises:

a current latitude of each of the plurality of other vehicles; and

a current longitude of the each of the plurality of other vehicles.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, for each of the plurality of other vehicles:

storing, using a cartographic information repository, the positioning information for each of the plurality of other vehicles.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein estimating the current traffic condition further comprises:

representing each of the plurality of other vehicles on a geographical map with an indication of each of the plurality of other vehicles'"'"' respective speed and direction.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein estimating the current traffic condition further comprises:

aggregating the positioning information of each of the plurality of other vehicles within geographical zones; and

representing the aggregated positioning information on a map.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein estimating current traffic information further comprises:

generating navigation information based on the estimated current traffic condition.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein estimating the current traffic condition further comprises:

alerting a driver of an occurrence of predefined abnormal traffic conditions.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein estimating the current traffic condition further comprises:

recording successive traffic conditions to determine an evolution of the traffic conditions over time.

13. A system for use in a vehicle for estimating a current traffic condition, comprising:

at least one traffic manager device for implementing a method including;

calculating, based on at least two successive locations of a same identified vehicle, a current speed and a current direction for the same identified vehicle;

estimating the current traffic condition based on a positioning information of each of a plurality of other vehicles and the two successive locations of the same identified vehicle, wherein the positioning information includes a current location, an identity, the current speed, and the current direction, wherein the positioning information is received, using a wireless communication device, from each of the plurality of other vehicles, and wherein, in response to a quantity of the plurality of other vehicles exceeding a threshold, a sensitivity of the receiving the wireless communication device is adjusted.

14. The system according to claim 13, further comprising, for each of the plurality of other vehicles:

a system for repeatedly broadcasting to other vehicles the positioning information.

15. A program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, which when executed, estimates a current traffic condition, the computer readable medium comprising program code for:

calculating, based on at least two successive locations of a same identified vehicle, a current speed and a current direction for the same identified vehicle; and

estimating the current traffic condition based on a positioning information of each of a plurality of other vehicles and the two successive locations of the same identified vehicle, wherein the positioning information includes a current location, an identity, the current speed, and the current direction, wherein the positioning information is received, using a wireless communication device, from each of the plurality of other vehicles, and wherein, in response to a quantity of the plurality of other vehicles exceeding a threshold, a sensitivity of the receiving the wireless communication device is adjusted.

16. A method for deploying an application for estimating a current traffic condition based on positioning information exchanged between vehicles using wireless communication, comprising:

providing a computer system for;

calculating, based on at least two successive locations of a same identified vehicle, a current speed and a current direction for the same identified vehicle; and

estimating the current traffic condition based on a positioning information of each of a plurality of other vehicles and the two successive locations of the same identified vehicle, wherein the positioning information includes a current location, an identity, the current speed, and the current direction, wherein the positioning information is received, using a wireless communication device, from each of the plurality of other vehicles, and wherein, in response to a quantity of the plurality of other vehicles exceeding a threshold, a sensitivity of the receiving the wireless communication device is adjusted.