Monitoring a mobile device

• US 8,718,907 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2012
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Maryland Office of Technology Commercialization
• Original Assignee: University of Maryland Office of Technology Commercialization
• Inventors: Young, Stanley E., Tarnoff, Philip, Ganig, Nicholas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Algahaim, Helal A
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, SHARDUL D
• Application Number:
  US13/609,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20130006509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/119, 340/907
• US Class Current: 701/117
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0125 Traffic data processing
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/095 Traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for monitoring traffic, such as vehicle traffic on a roadway, using identification information acquired using a Bluetooth protocol. A sensor is configured to scan for discoverable Bluetooth devices within a flow of vehicle traffic and to create a log of identified Bluetooth devices. A system includes multiple sensors at known locations along a route and is operable to identify a Bluetooth device identified at multiple sensors.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a first sensor disposed at a first location along a roadway, first records that include information concerning a first device identifier associated with a first mobile device, a first sensor identifier associated with the first sensor and a first time stamp indicating a first time at which communications are established between the first mobile device and the first sensor;

receiving, from a second sensor disposed at a second location along the roadway, second records that include information concerning a second device identifier associated with a second mobile device, a second sensor identifier associated with the second sensor and a second time stamp indicating a second time at which communications are established between the second mobile device and the second sensor;

determining, for pairs of first and second records, whether the second device identifier included in the second record is same as the first device identifier included in the first record such that the respective first and second records are associated with a same mobile device;

based on determining that pairs of first and second records are associated with the same mobile device, generating paired detection records based on the first records and second records, wherein a paired detection record includes the first device identifier from a first record, the first time stamp from the respective first record, and the second time stamp from a second record that is associated with the respective first record;

determining passage times associated with the paired detection records, wherein a passage time associated with a paired detection record is a difference between the first time stamp and the second time stamp included in the respective paired detection record; and

filtering the paired detection records based on the determined passage times to yield filtered paired detection records that are associated with passage times within a pre-determined range relative to a measured value associated with the paired detection records.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

using the filtered paired detection records for deriving at least one travel statistic.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one travel statistic includes origin-destination (OD) analysis.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one travel statistic includes turning movement proportions that are based on at least one of a number of vehicles going straight, a number of vehicles turning left and number of vehicles turning right.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

discarding paired detection records associated with passage times outside the pre-determined range from the measured value associated with the paired detection records.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-determined range includes a percentile-based range.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the measured value includes a central tendency measure of the passage times associated with the paired detection records.

8. A system comprising:

a processor; and

an instruction module including instructions that are stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by the processor and configured to cause the processor to perform operations including;

receiving, from a first sensor disposed at a first location along a roadway, first records that include information concerning a first device identifier associated with a first mobile device, a first sensor identifier associated with the first sensor and a first time stamp indicating a first time at which communications are established between the first mobile device and the first sensor;

receiving, from a second sensor disposed at a second location along the roadway, second records that include information concerning a second device identifier associated with a second mobile device, a second sensor identifier associated with the second sensor and a second time stamp indicating a second time at which communications are established between the second mobile device and the second sensor;

determining, for pairs of first and second records, whether the second device identifier included in the second record is same as the first device identifier included in the first record such that the respective first and second records are associated with a same mobile device;

based on determining that pairs of first and second records are associated with the same mobile device, generating paired detection records based on the first records and second records, wherein a paired detection record includes the first device identifier from a first record, the first time stamp from the respective first record, and the second time stamp from a second record that is associated with the respective first record;

determining passage times associated with the paired detection records, wherein a passage time associated with a paired detection record is a difference between the first time stamp and the second time stamp included in the respective paired detection record; and

filtering the paired detection records based on the determined passage times to yield filtered paired detection records that are associated with passage times within a pre-determined range relative to a measured value associated with the paired detection records.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform further operations including:

using the filtered paired detection records for deriving at least one travel statistic.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions for deriving at least one travel statistic includes instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

performing origin-destination (OD) analysis.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions for deriving at least one travel statistic includes instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

deriving a traffic statistic that includes turning movement proportions that are based on at least one of a number of vehicles going straight, a number of vehicles turning left and number of vehicles turning right.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform further operations including:

discarding paired detection records associated with passage times outside the pre-determined range from the measured value associated with the paired detection records.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the pre-determined range includes a percentile-based range.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the measured value includes a central tendency measure of the passage times associated with the paired detection records.

15. A computer program product, embodied in non-transitory computer-readable media and including instructions executable by one or more processors, the instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

receiving, from a first sensor disposed at a first location along a roadway, first records that include information concerning a first device identifier associated with a first mobile device, a first sensor identifier associated with the first sensor and a first time stamp indicating a first time at which communications are established between the first mobile device and the first sensor;

receiving, from a second sensor disposed at a second location along the roadway, second records that include information concerning a second device identifier associated with a second mobile device, a second sensor identifier associated with the second sensor and a second time stamp indicating a second time at which communications are established between the second mobile device and the second sensor;

determining, for pairs of first and second records, whether the second device identifier included in the second record is same as the first device identifier included in the first record such that the respective first and second records are associated with a same mobile device;

based on determining that pairs of first and second records are associated with the same mobile device, generating paired detection records based on the first records and second records, wherein a paired detection record includes the first device identifier from a first record, the first time stamp from the respective first record, and the second time stamp from a second record that is associated with the respective first record;

determining passage times associated with the paired detection records, wherein a passage time associated with a paired detection record is a difference between the first time stamp and the second time stamp included in the respective paired detection record; and

filtering the paired detection records based on the determined passage times to yield filtered paired detection records that are associated with passage times within a pre-determined range relative to a measured value associated with the paired detection records.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform further operations including:

using the filtered paired detection records for deriving at least one travel statistic.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions for deriving at least one travel statistic includes instructions that are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

performing origin-destination (OD) analysis.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the instructions for deriving at least one travel statistic includes instructions that are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

deriving a traffic statistic that includes turning movement proportions that are based on at least one of a number of vehicles going straight, a number of vehicles turning left and number of vehicles turning right.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform further operations including:

discarding paired detection records associated with passage times outside the pre-determined range from the measured value associated with the paired detection records.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the pre-determined range includes a percentile-based range.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the measured value includes a central tendency measure of the passage times associated with the paired detection records.