Three-dimensional traffic flow presentation

• US 8,676,480 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2012
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navteq B.V.
• Inventors: Lynch, James D., Gale, William N.
• Primary Examiner(s): FREJD, RUSSELL WARREN
• Application Number:
  US13/408,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20130226442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• Field of Search: 701117-119, 340/995.12, 340/995.13
• US Class Current: 701/119
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3694 Output thereof on a road map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

Traffic flow is viewed in mapping or navigation. A processor generates a two-dimensional map from a perspective view. The perspective view is at an angle, which is not a normal to the map, looking down on the two-dimensional map. At least one road or pathway represented on the two-dimensional map is identified. Traffic flow information is obtained for a plurality of locations along the at least one road or pathway. A line is projected along a third dimension on the two-dimensional map. The line is above the road or pathway from the perspective view. A height of the line is a function of the traffic flow information for the locations such that the height for a first of the locations is greater than for a second of the locations. The map is displayed with the line.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, with a processor, a two-dimensional map from a perspective view, the perspective view being at an angle, which is not a normal to the map, looking down on the two-dimensional map;

identifying all of the roads represented on the two-dimensional map;

obtaining traffic flow information for a plurality of locations along all of the roads;

projecting, along a third dimension, lines, including a line, for all of the respective roads on the two-dimensional map, the line being above the road or pathway from the perspective view, a height of the line being a function of the traffic flow information for the locations such that the height for a first of the locations is greater than for a second of the locations; and

displaying the map with the line.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating comprises generating the two-dimensional map from the perspective view at an angle between 10-60 degrees from the normal to the map.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating comprises generating the two-dimensional map as a two-dimensional road map graphic of a represented region.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying comprises identifying the one road and other roads along a navigation route, wherein obtaining comprises obtaining the traffic flow information for the locations along the navigation route, and wherein projecting comprises projecting the line along the navigation route.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining comprises obtaining probe data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining comprises obtaining historical traffic pattern data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein projecting the line comprises projecting different values of the traffic flow information for each location such that the line is a top of a wall of projected values.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the traffic flow information for each location is averaged, and wherein projecting the line comprises spatially low pass filtering the averages, the line projected from the averages.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the traffic flow information comprises obtaining the traffic flow information representing a plurality of different time periods;

further comprising;

repeating performing the projecting and displaying for the traffic flow information of the different time periods in sequence.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the traffic flow information comprises obtaining velocities, and wherein the height of the line at the different locations is based on the velocities.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying comprises displaying the line with a color mapped from the traffic flow information.

12. In a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, executable by a processor, the instructions comprising:

identifying a region for a map;

displaying traffic flow in elevation on the map, the traffic flow information for each location being averaged and the averages being spatially low pass filtered such that the spatially low pass filtered averages are displayed as the traffic flow in the elevation.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein displaying comprises displaying the map as a computer generated graphic, and displaying the traffic flow as a projection above the map, the projection being for a route on the map.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein displaying comprises displaying a line as appearing to be above one or more streets, a height of the line being a function of the traffic flow.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein displaying comprises providing a colored line along one or more streets on the map.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein displaying comprises displaying the traffic flow in elevation for streets on the map regardless of any navigation route.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein displaying comprises displaying the traffic flow as velocity for different locations along one or more roads or pathways.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a memory having stored therein traffic flow data representing a plurality of different time periods;

a processor configured to generate a sequence through the different time periods of two-dimensional images, each of the two-dimensional images of the sequence comprising a line above a road or pathway, a height of the line above the road or pathway being a function of the traffic flow data for the respective time period; and

a display operable to display the image.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the traffic flow data comprises velocities, wherein the two-dimensional image includes a map, the line above the road or pathway included in the map.