Selective exchange of vehicle operational data

• US 8,793,063 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2012
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Horvitz, Eric J., Canan, Jonathan David, Kimchi, Gur
• Primary Examiner(s): BEAUCHAINE, MARK J
• Application Number:
  US13/666,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20130124074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 701/119, 701/117, 701/515, 701/516, 340/905, 340/466, 340/935, 340/936
• US Class Current: 701/119
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• 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 1/00 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 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0968 Systems involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

Velocity information can be beneficial to various entities including other vehicles and a central traffic monitoring and routing system. Vehicles with sensors can serve as velocity probes to update speeds that are shared via a more global service. However, individuals may be reluctant to provide location and velocity information given privacy preferences. Local policies about sharing personal data are described that can be harnessed to enhance privacy while minimizing communication costs. The local data-sharing policies allow devices to monitor their own speeds and locations and to employ models and analyzes that determine the value of sharing flow information with a larger service in accordance with privacy preferences, and to make local decisions as to when to respond to broadcasted queries for specific information, while minimizing the redundancy of signals from multiple vehicles.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining velocity information of a vehicle;

associating the velocity information with a location;

comparing the velocity information for the location to a baseline velocity for the location, wherein the baseline velocity is determined based at least in part on a traffic model that determines speed based on one or more factors including aggregated velocity information of a plurality of vehicles;

determining whether a difference between the velocity information and the baseline velocity reaches or exceeds a threshold variance for the location; and

in response to the determining that the velocity information reaches or exceeds the threshold variance for the location, transmitting the velocity information to a remote computing device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the remote computing device is included in another vehicle.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the velocity information includes a direction of travel.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving at least one of the baseline velocity or the threshold variance from the remote computing device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the baseline velocity information is determined by the remote computing device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the location is a segment of a roadway.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising revising the threshold variance for the location based at least in part on velocity information collected over time.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more factors include an indication of weather at the location.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more factors include an indication of a day of week.

10. One or more computer storage media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors within a computing device, direct the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

determining velocity information of a vehicle;

associating the velocity information with a location;

comparing the velocity information for the location to a baseline velocity for the location, wherein the baseline velocity is determined based at least in part on a traffic model that determines speed based on one or more factors including aggregated velocity information of a plurality of vehicles;

determining whether a difference between the velocity information and the baseline velocity reaches or exceeds a threshold variance for the location; and

in response to the determining that the velocity information reaches or exceeds the threshold variance for the location, transmitting the velocity information to a remote computing device.

11. The one or more computer storage media of claim 10, wherein the remote computing device is included in another vehicle.

12. The one or more computer storage media of claim 10, wherein the acts further comprise:

receiving at least one of the baseline velocity or the threshold variance from the remote computing device.

13. The one or more computer storage media of claim 10, wherein the baseline velocity information is determined by the remote computing device.

14. The one or more computer storage media of claim 10, wherein the location is a segment of a roadway.

15. The one or more computer storage media of claim 10, wherein the acts further comprise:

revising the threshold variance for the location based at least in part on velocity information collected over time.

16. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors;

one or more sensors to detect travel information of a vehicle; and

executable instructions stored in the memory and operable on the one or more processors to;

determine velocity information of the vehicle based at least in part on the detected travel information;

associate the velocity information with a location;

compare the velocity information for the location to a baseline velocity for the location, wherein the baseline velocity is determined based at least in part on a traffic model that determines speed based on one or more factors including aggregated velocity information of a plurality of vehicles;

determine whether a difference between the velocity information and the baseline velocity reaches or exceeds a threshold variance for the location; and

in response to the determining that the velocity information reaches or exceeds the threshold variance for the location, transmitting the velocity information to a remote computing device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the remote computing device is at least partly included in another vehicle.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the executable instructions are further operable to:

receive at least one of the baseline velocity or the threshold variance from the remote computing device.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the baseline velocity information is determined by the remote computing device.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the executable instructions are further operable to:

revise the threshold variance for the location based at least in part on velocity information collected over time.