System and method for identifying portions of roads

• US 8,340,898 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2010
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dash Navigation (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Tzamaloukas, Assimakis, Currie, Robert Eldredge
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Assistant Examiner(s): FIGUEROA, JAIME
• Application Number:
  US12/887,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 701/204, 701/208, 701/209, 701/211, 701/213, 701/409, 701/400, 701/527, 701/465, 701/533, 701/428, 701/431, 701/468, 455/456.1, 455/456.6, 340/993
• US Class Current: 701/409
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3819 Road shape data, e.g. outline of a route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation
• 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 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data

Abstract

A system and method splices into, or replaces routes identified based on road geometry with routes taken by the same user or other users to create alternate routes that may be selected by a user to display, for example, on a map or for which driving directions can be displayed. Communication of routes traveled by different devices may be received from a server or from another device. A naming convention for road segments and ordered paths of road segments is described.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor;

a wireless network interface coupled with the processor for transmitting data to and receiving data from a wireless network;

a receiver of satellite positioning signals and capable of outputting position information, representative of a position of the mobile device, for use by the processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory storing instructions for programming the processor to perform a method, comprising;

using the position information to determine a first segment and a last segment of each road traveled by the mobile device on a route,

representing each first road segment and last road segment with a respective signature,

concatenating the respective signatures to form a signature for the route, and

transmitting the signature for the route from the mobile device via the wireless network interface.

2. The mobile device of 1, wherein the method further comprises transmitting a travel time on the route represented by the route signature.

3. The mobile device of 1, wherein the method further comprises transmitting travel times for portions of roads represented by the first road segment and last road segment signatures concatenated in the route signature.

4. The mobile device of 1, wherein the respective signatures of the first road segments and the last road segments comprise an identifier of the road of which that segment is a part, and a portion identifier representative of a location on the road of that segment.

5. The mobile device of 1, wherein the method further comprises storing a plurality of route signatures in the memory, and conditioning the sending of the route signature based on absence of the route signature in the memory.

6. The mobile device of 1, wherein each of the respective signatures of the first road segments and the last road segments comprises a numbers of bits responsive to a length of the road of which that segment is a part.

7. The mobile device of 1, wherein each road segment signature comprises an identifier of the road of which that segment is a part, and a portion identifier representative of a location on the road of that segment.

8. The mobile device of 1, wherein the method further comprises storing a plurality of route signatures in the memory with travel time information, and conditioning the sending of the route signature based on difference between the stored travel time and a current travel time.

9. The mobile device of 1, wherein the method further comprises recording, in the memory, a vote for each road segment comprised in the route identified by route signature.

10. A method for performance in a mobile device, comprising:

obtaining position information for the mobile device representative of a position of the mobile device;

determining a segment of a road corresponding to the position of the mobile device;

repeating the obtaining and determining for each road segment comprised in a route taken by the mobile device;

determining representative road segment signatures from which each portion of road traveled by the mobile device on the route can be determined;

concatenating the determined road segment signatures into a route signature; and

transmitting the route signature from the mobile device through a wireless network interface for reception by a server.

11. The method of 10, further comprising transmitting a travel time on the route represented by the route signature.

12. The method of 10, further comprising transmitting travel times for portions of roads represented by the first road segment and last road segment signatures concatenated in the route signature.

13. The method of 10, further comprising storing a plurality of route signatures in the memory, and conditioning the sending of the route signature based on absence of the route signature in the memory.

14. The method of 10, wherein each of the respective signatures of the first road segments and the last road segments comprises a number of bits responsive to a length of the road of which that segment is a part.

15. The method of 10, further comprising storing a plurality of route signatures in the memory with travel time information, and conditioning the sending of the route signature based on difference between the stored travel time and a current travel time.

16. The method of 10, further comprising recording, in the memory, a vote for each road segment comprised in the route identified by route signature.

17. A computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions for configuring a processor to perform a method, comprising:

obtaining position information for a mobile device representative of a position of the mobile device;

determining a segment of a road corresponding to the position of the mobile device;

repeating the obtaining and determining for each road segment comprised in a route taken by the mobile device;

determining representative road segment signatures from which each portion of road traveled by the mobile device on the route can be determined;

concatenating the determined road segment signatures into a route signature; and

transmitting the route signature from the mobile device through a wireless network interface for reception by a server.

18. The computer readable medium of 17, wherein the method further comprises storing a plurality of route signatures in the memory, and conditioning the sending of the route signature based on absence of the route signature in the memory.

19. The computer readable medium of 17, wherein each of the respective signatures of the first road segments and the last road segments is represented in the computer readable medium with a respective number of bits responsive to a length of the road of which that segment is a part.

20. The computer readable medium of 17, wherein the method further comprises recording, in the memory, a vote for each road segment comprised in the route identified by route signature.