Co-operative traffic notification

• US 8,760,314 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2012
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ramachandran, Prashanth
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US13/493,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20130328698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 340/995.13, 340/905, 701/414
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination

Abstract

Upon detecting a request for traffic information or abnormal motion, a mobile electronic device can generate and transmit a first signal to a remote traffic-information generator, the first signal identifying a location and motion of the device. The remote traffic-information generator can aggregate this type of data across devices and estimate traffic information, assuming that traffic is normal along roads not associated with first signals. The remote traffic-information generator can transmit a second signal with estimated traffic information back to the device. The conditioned transmission can allow real-time traffic information to be efficiently estimated while conserving devices'"'"' power usage and the remote traffic-information generator'"'"'s processing and storage resources.

Claims

1. A method of determining traffic information, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a request from each mobile electronic device of a set of mobile electronic devices, the request being for traffic information that relates to an estimate of a traffic speed of interest to a user of the mobile electronic device;

receiving, at the server, data from each mobile electronic device of the set of mobile electronic devices, wherein the received data indicates a velocity and location of the mobile electronic device;

aggregating, by the server, the data from the set of mobile electronic devices in a location-specific manner, wherein the aggregated data includes data indicative of velocities of only mobile electronic devices associated with requests for traffic information occurring within a time period;

determining, by the server, the traffic information based on the aggregated data; and

communicating, by the server, the traffic information to a first one of the mobile electronic devices.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of mobile electronic devices includes the first one of the mobile electronic devices.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the request for traffic information represents an implicit or explicit permission to collect the data from the mobile electronic device from which the request is received.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, for each mobile electronic device of the set of mobile electronic devices, a road coinciding with an absolute location of that one of the mobile electronic devices, the location of the mobile electronic device including the absolute location,

wherein the data is aggregated in a road-specific manner.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the traffic information includes implementing an assumption that traffic is normal along a road portion associated with relatively few traffic-information requests.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, by the server, a location of a congestion source based on the aggregated data,

wherein the traffic information includes the location of the congestion source.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, at the server and for each mobile electronic device of the set of mobile electronic devices, that a data-transmission condition has been satisfied based on the receipt of the request; and

requesting, by the server and in response to the determination that the data-transmission condition has been satisfied, the data from each mobile electronic device of the set of mobile electronic devices.

8. A system, comprising:

one or more data processors; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing instructions which when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform actions including;

receiving a request from each mobile electronic device of a set of mobile electronic devices, the request being for traffic information that relates to an estimate of a traffic speed of interest to a user of the mobile electronic device;

receiving data from each mobile electronic device of the set of mobile electronic devices, wherein the received data indicates a velocity and location of the mobile electronic device;

aggregating the data from the set of mobile electronic devices in a location-specific manner, wherein the aggregated data includes data indicative of velocities of only mobile electronic devices associated with requests for traffic information occurring within a time period;

determining the traffic information based on the aggregated data; and

communicating the traffic information to a first one of the mobile electronic devices.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the set of mobile electronic devices includes the first one of the mobile electronic devices.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the request for traffic information represents an implicit or explicit permission to collect the data from the mobile electronic device from which the request is received.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the actions further include:

determining, for each mobile electronic device of the set of mobile electronic devices, a road coinciding with an absolute location of that one of the mobile electronic devices, the location of the mobile electronic device including the absolute location,

wherein the data is aggregated in a road-specific manner.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein determining the traffic information includes implementing an assumption that traffic is normal along a road portion associated with relatively few traffic-information requests.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the actions further include:

determining a location of a congestion source based on the aggregated data,

wherein the traffic information includes the location of the congestion source.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the actions further include:

determining, for each mobile electronic device of the set of mobile electronic devices, that a data-transmission condition has been satisfied based on the receipt of the request; and

requesting, in response to the determination that the data-transmission condition has been satisfied, the data from each mobile electronic device of the set of mobile electronic devices.

15. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause one or more data processors to perform actions including:

receiving a request from each mobile electronic device of a set of mobile electronic devices, the request being for traffic information that relates to an estimate of a traffic speed of interest to a user of the mobile electronic device;

receiving data from each mobile electronic device of the set of mobile electronic devices, wherein the received data indicates a velocity and location of the mobile electronic device;

aggregating the data from the set of mobile electronic devices in a location-specific manner, wherein the aggregated data includes data indicative of velocities of only mobile electronic devices associated with requests for traffic information occurring within a time period;

determining the traffic information based on the aggregated data; and

communicating the traffic information to a first one of the mobile electronic devices.

16. The computer-program product of claim 15 wherein the set of mobile electronic devices includes the first one of the mobile electronic devices.

17. The computer-program product of claim 15 wherein the request for traffic information represents an implicit or explicit permission to collect the data from the mobile electronic device from which the request is received.

18. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the actions further include:

determining, for each mobile electronic device of the set of mobile electronic devices, a road coinciding with an absolute location of that one of the mobile electronic devices, the location of the mobile electronic device including the absolute location,

wherein the data is aggregated in a road-specific manner.

19. The computer-program product of claim 15 wherein determining the traffic information includes implementing an assumption that traffic is normal along a road portion associated with relatively few traffic-information requests.

20. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the actions further include:

determining a location of a congestion source based on the aggregated data,

wherein the traffic information includes the location of the congestion source.

21. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the actions further include:

determining, for each mobile electronic device of the set of mobile electronic devices, that a data-transmission condition has been satisfied based on the receipt of the request; and

requesting, in response to the determination that the data-transmission condition has been satisfied, the data from each mobile electronic device of the set of mobile electronic devices.