Navigation system with congestion estimation mechanism and method of operation thereof

• US 8,620,568 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TeleNav Incorporated
• Original Assignee: TeleNav Incorporated
• Inventors: Shirahatti, Nikhil, Eckstein, Ilya, Mazare, Pierre-Emmanuel, Estevane, Munir
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US13/338,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/118, 701/119, 701/200, 340/907, 340/910, 340/931
• US Class Current: 701/118
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

A method of operation of a navigation system includes: receiving a real-time traffic flow of road links; determining congestion candidate links from the road links by thresholding the real-time traffic flow of the road links; smoothing spatially the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links; calculating a flow confidence of the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links; determining a congested segment by tracking the real-time traffic flow and the flow confidence of the congestion candidate links over a time period; and generating a congestion message for the congested segment for displaying on a device.

Claims

1. A method of operation of a navigation system comprising:

receiving a real-time traffic flow of road links;

determining congestion candidate links from the road links based on comparing a speed threshold and the real-time traffic flow of the road links;

smoothing spatially the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links with a control unit;

calculating a flow confidence of the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links;

determining a congested segment by tracking the real-time traffic flow and the flow confidence of the congestion candidate links over a time period; and

generating a congestion message for the congested segment for displaying on a device.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising filtering the congestion candidate links based on the speed threshold and the real-time traffic flow after the real-time traffic flow are smoothed.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein calculating the flow confidence includes calculating the flow confidence of the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links based on a vehicle count of the congestion candidate links.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein calculating the flow confidence includes calculating the flow confidence of the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links based on an age of the real-time traffic flow.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein calculating the flow confidence includes calculating the flow confidence of the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links based on the real-time traffic flow of a neighbor link of the congestion candidate links.

6. A method of operation of a navigation system comprising:

receiving a real-time traffic flow of road links;

determining congestion candidate links from the road links based on comparing a speed threshold and the real-time traffic flow of the road links;

smoothing spatially the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links with a control unit;

calculating a flow confidence of the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links based on a neighbor link of the congestion candidate links;

determining a congested segment by tracking the real-time traffic flow and the flow confidence of the congestion candidate links over a time period; and

generating a congestion message for the congested segment for displaying on a device.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein determining the congested segment includes determining the congested segment based on a physical length of the congestion candidate links.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein determining the congested segment includes determining the congested segment based on an average speed limit of the congested segment.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6 wherein determining the congested segment includes smoothing temporally the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links over the time period.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6 further comprising filtering out a portion of the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links when the flow confidence of the portion is below or equal to a minimum confidence.

11. A navigation system comprising:

a flow receiver module, for receiving a real-time traffic flow of road links;

a threshold module, coupled to the flow receiver module, for determining congestion candidate links from the road links based on comparing a speed threshold and the real-time traffic flow of the road links;

a smooth filter module, coupled to the threshold module, for smoothing spatially the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links;

a source confidence module, coupled to the smooth filter module, for calculating a flow confidence of the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links;

a tracker module, coupled to the source confidence module, for determining a congested segment by tracking the real-time traffic flow and the flow confidence of the congestion candidate links over a time period; and

a congestion reporter module, coupled to the tracker module, for generating a congestion message for the congested segment for displaying on a device.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11 further comprising an aggregator module, coupled to the source confidence module and the smooth filter module, for filtering the congestion candidate links based on the speed threshold and the real-time traffic flow after the real-time traffic flow are smoothed.

13. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the source confidence module is for calculating the flow confidence of the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links based on a vehicle count of the congestion candidate links.

14. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the source confidence module is for calculating the flow confidence of the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links based on an age of the real-time traffic flow.

15. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the smooth filter module is for smoothing spatially the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links based on a neighbor link of the congestion candidate links.

16. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the source confidence module is for calculating the flow confidence of the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links based on a neighbor link of the congestion candidate links.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the tracker module is for determining the congested segment based on a physical length of the congestion candidate links.

18. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the tracker module is for determining the congested segment based on an average speed limit of the congested segment.

19. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the tracker module is for smoothing temporally the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links over a time period.

20. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the source confidence module is for filtering out a portion of the real-time traffic flow of the congestion candidate links when the flow confidence of the portion is below or equal to a minimum confidence.