Historical data based navigational routing

• US 8,548,736 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2009
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Chan, Janny
• Primary Examiner(s): SEOH, MINNAH L
• Application Number:
  US12/382,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20100235077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,663 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-217, 701117-119, 701/412, 701/414, 701/423, 701/425
• US Class Current: 701/414
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968

Abstract

Navigational routing is generated incorporating an estimation of future traffic conditions. The future traffic conditions are estimated based on historical traffic data, e.g., obtained over a recent period of time. The system provides navigational routing based on historical traffic data incorporated into a calculated route of travel. The historical data is used to calculate a probability that given roads along the route will be problematic at a certain time of the day, i.e., at the time, day of week, and place that you would be expected to be traveling on that certain road. Accordingly, historical traffic data is used to help determine a best route based on the probability of certain roads being problematic at a certain time of day.

Claims

1. A navigation system for providing driving directions, comprising:

a navigation system module to calculate a best route between an origin and a destination; and

a historical traffic database containing entries relating an expected speed based on historical traffic conditions for a plurality of road segments, at a given time;

wherein said navigation system module, accesses said historical traffic database to calculate a deviation in speed between a time of travel based on a posted speed limit and a time of travel based on a predicted speed for a particular road segment associated with said historical traffic conditions, calculate a deviation in travel time for said particular road segment, and eliminate said particular road segment from said best route calculation when said deviation in travel time exceeds a threshold deviation percentage.

2. The navigation system for providing driving directions according to claim 1, further comprising:

a historical data maintenance system to provide periodic updates to said historical traffic database that revise predicted speeds due to recent traffic on relevant road segments.

3. A method of providing driving directions to a driver, comprising:

obtaining, at a navigation system, a destination of a trip to be taken;

obtaining, from a historical traffic database, an entry relating an expected speed based on historical traffic conditions for a plurality of road segments, at a given time;

obtaining, at said navigation system, a time of departure of said trip, said time of departure being in the future;

accessing a historical traffic database;

calculating, with said navigation system, a deviation in speed between a time of travel based on a posted speed limit and a time of travel based on a predicted speed for a particular road segment associated with said historical traffic conditions;

calculating a deviation in travel time for said particular road segment; and

when said deviation in travel time exceeds a threshold deviation percentage, eliminating said particular road segment from a best route calculation.

4. The method or providing driving directions to a driver according to claim 3, further comprising:

calculating a deviation in duration of said trip between a duration calculated based on posted speed limits of road segments to be traveled, and a duration calculated based on historical data at expected times of use of relevant road segments.

5. The method of providing driving directions to a driver according to claim 4, further comprising:

essentially closing at least one road segment from consideration of use on said trip when a speed along said at least one road segment is slower than a given threshold percentage of a posted speed limit along said at least one road segment; and

recalculating said best route without use of said at least one closed road segment.

6. The method of providing driving directions to a driver according to claim 3, further comprising:

obtaining an origin of said travel.

7. The method of providing driving directions to a driver according to claim 3, wherein:

said future time is at least a day in the future.