System and method for real-time travel path prediction and automatic incident alerts

• US 8,548,734 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2007
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: University of South Florida (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of South Florida (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Barbeau, Sean J., Winters, Philip L., Perez, Rafael, Labrador, Miguel, Georggi, Nevine
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Application Number:
  US11/855,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20100070171A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,209 Days
• Field of Search: 701/411, 701/423, 701/424, 701/527
• US Class Current: 701/411
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement

Abstract

A path prediction method that uses a commuter'"'"'s travel patterns to predict their route and destination, and transmit road advisories via a GPS-enabled device. Once the user'"'"'s location data is transmitted via a GPS-enabled device it is then catalogued and stored in a GIS database. The user'"'"'s current travel path is then compared to their path history and statistics and a destination is determined based on related spatial and time properties. A warning is then automatically delivered to the user if there is an accident along their predicted path, without requiring any request or input form the user.

Claims

1. A method of notifying a user of an obstacle in a predicted path of travel, the method comprising:

receiving real-time location data for a user from a user'"'"'s mobile device, the real-time location data comprising a plurality of coordinates representative of a current path of travel by the user;

receiving a plurality of trip-polylines associated with the user, wherein each of the plurality of trip-polylines represents a previous path of travel by the user;

comparing the real-time location data to the plurality of trip-polylines to identify a trip-polyline that corresponds with the real-time location data of the user;

responsive to a trip-polyline being identified that corresponds with the real-time location data of the user, determining the identified trip-polyline to be a predicted path of the user; and

receiving an obstacle profile comprising coordinates related to at least one real-time obstacle;

determining if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user by comparing the predicted path of the user to the coordinates of the at least one real-time obstacle; and

transmitting a notification to the user'"'"'s mobile device if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user;

responsive to a trip-polyline not being identified that corresponds with the real-time location data of the user;

reducing the real-time location data by removing an oldest coordinate of the plurality of coordinates from the real-time location data of the user; and

if the reduced real-time location data comprises more than one coordinate;

comparing the reduced real-time location data to the plurality of trip-polylines to identify a trip-polyline that corresponds with the reduced real-time location data of the user

responsive to a trip-polyline being identified that corresponds with the reduced real-time location data of the user, determining the identified trip-polyline to be a predicted path of the user; and

 

receiving an obstacle profile comprising coordinates related to at least one real-time obstacle;

 

determining if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user by comparing the predicted path of the user to the coordinates of the at least one real-time obstacle; and

 

transmitting a notification to the user'"'"'s mobile device if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user;

responsive to a trip-polyline not being identified that corresponds with the reduced real-time location data of the user;

 

further reducing the real-time location data by removing a next oldest coordinate of the plurality of coordinates from the real-time location data of the user and if the further reduced real-time location data comprises more than one coordinate repeating the step of comparing the reduced real-time location data of the user to the plurality of trip-polylines;

or, if the reduced real-time location data comprises a single coordinate;

determining a direction of travel of the user;

identifying an offset coordinate at a predetermined distance from the single coordinate in the direction of travel of the user;

radially buffering the offset coordinate at a predetermined radius to create a radial beacon;

comparing the radial beacon to the plurality of trip-polylines to identify a trip-polyline that corresponds with the radial beacon;

 

responsive to a trip-polyline being identified that corresponds with the radial beacon, determining the identified trip-polyline to be a predicted path of the user; and

 

receiving an obstacle profile comprising coordinates related to at least one real-time obstacle;

 

determining if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user by comparing the predicted path of the user to the coordinates of the at least one real-time obstacle; and

 

transmitting a notification to the user'"'"'s mobile device if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the obstacle is selected from the group consisting of delay points, delay polylines and delay polygons.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time location data is represented by a real-time polyline constructed using the plurality of coordinates in the real-time location data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to identifying a plurality of trip-polylines that correspond with the real-time location data of user;

determining the predicted path of the user to be the best matching trip-polyline of the plurality of trip-polylines that correspond with the real-time location data of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to identifying a plurality of trip-polylines that correspond with the reduced real-time location data of user;

determining the predicted path of the user to be the best matching trip-polyline of the plurality of trip-polylines that correspond with the reduced real-time location data of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an alternate route to the user'"'"'s mobile device if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising buffering each of the plurality of trip-polylines by a predetermined radius.

8. A method of notifying a user of an obstacle in a predicted path of travel, the method comprising:

receiving real-time location data for a user from a user'"'"'s mobile device, the real-time location data comprising a plurality of coordinates representative of a current path of travel by the user;

receiving a plurality of trip-polylines associated with the user, wherein each of the plurality of trip-polylines represents a previous path of travel by the user;

comparing the real-time location data to the plurality of trip-polylines to identify a trip-polyline that corresponds with the real-time location data of the user;

responsive to a trip-polyline not being identified that corresponds with the real-time location data of the user;

reducing the real-time location data by removing an oldest coordinate of the plurality of coordinates from the real-time location data of the user; and

if the reduced real-time location data comprises more than one coordinate;

comparing the reduced real-time location data to the plurality of trip-polylines to identify a trip-polyline that corresponds with the reduced real-time location data of the user;

responsive to a trip-polyline being identified that corresponds with the reduced real-time location data of the user, determining the identified trip-polyline to be a predicted path of the user; and

 

receiving an obstacle profile comprising coordinates related to at least one real-time obstacle;

 

determining if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user by comparing the predicted path of the user to the coordinates of the at least one real-time obstacle; and

 

transmitting a notification to the user'"'"'s mobile device if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user;

responsive to a trip-polyline not being identified that corresponds with the reduced real-time location data of the user;

 

further reducing the real-time location data by removing a next oldest coordinate of the plurality of coordinates from the real-time location data of the user and if the further reduced real-time location data comprises more than one coordinate repeating the step of comparing the reduced real-time location data of the user to the plurality of trip-polylines;

or, if the reduced real-time location data comprises a single coordinate;

determining a direction of travel of the user;

identifying an offset coordinate at a predetermined distance from the single coordinate in the direction of travel of the user;

radially buffering the offset coordinate at a predetermined radius to create a radial beacon;

comparing the radial beacon to the plurality of trip-polylines to identify a trip-polyline that corresponds with the radial beacon;

 

responsive to a trip-polyline being identified that corresponds with the radial beacon, determining the identified trip-polyline to be a predicted path of the user; and

 

receiving an obstacle profile comprising coordinates related to at least one real-time obstacle;

 

determining if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user by comparing the predicted path of the user to the coordinates of the at least one real-time obstacle; and

 

transmitting a notification to the user'"'"'s mobile device if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

responsive to a trip-polyline being identified that corresponds with the real-time location data of the user, determining the identified trip-polyline to be a predicted path of the user; and

receiving an obstacle profile comprising coordinates related to at least one real-time obstacle;

determining if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user by comparing the predicted path of the user to the coordinates of the at least one real-time obstacle; and

transmitting a notification to the user'"'"'s mobile device if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the obstacle is selected from the group consisting of delay points, delay polylines and delay polygons.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the real-time location data is represented by a real-time polyline constructed using the plurality of coordinates in the real-time location data.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

responsive to identifying a plurality of trip-polylines that correspond with the real-time location data of user;

determining the predicted path of the user to be the best matching trip-polyline of the plurality of trip-polylines that correspond with the real-time location data of the user.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

responsive to identifying a plurality of trip-polylines that correspond with the reduced real-time location data of user;

determining the predicted path of the user to be the best matching trip-polyline of the plurality of trip-polylines that correspond with the reduced real-time location data of the user.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting an alternate route to the user'"'"'s mobile device if the at least one real-time obstacle is within the predicted path of the user.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

buffering each of the plurality of trip-polylines by a predetermined radius.