Method of processing positioning data

• US 8,958,983 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2008
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Traffic B.V. (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Hilbrandie, Geert, Schfer, Ralf-Peter, Mieth, Peter, Atkinson, Ian Malcolm, Wolf, Martin, Rutten, Ben
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ROBERT T
• Application Number:
  US12/734,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20100286907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,309 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701/408, 701/409, 701/410, 701/411, 701/412, 701/414, 701/416, 701/423, 701/450, 701/451, 701/461, 701/468
• US Class Current: 701/414
• 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: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/052 with provision for determining speed or overspeed speed measuring in general G01P
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096844 where the complete route is dynamically recomputed based on new data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096888 where input information is obtained using learning systems, e.g. history databases

Abstract

A server arranged to process GPS data to generate enhanced map data is disclosed. The enhanced map data includes a plurality of navigable segments representing segments of a navigable route in an area covered by a map. In at least one embodiment, the server is connected with a wireless telecommunications transceiver arranged to receive GPS fixes by wireless telecommunication from a plurality of navigation devices and send the received GPS fixes to the server, the server includes a processor arranged to generate at least one speed profile for each segment from the GPS fixes from at least two of the plurality of navigation devices, each speed profile comprising an expected speed of travel through the segment, and the server is arranged to subsequently cause the transceiver to send the speed profiles to the navigation devices.

Claims

1. A method of processing map data comprising a plurality of the navigable segments representing segments of a navigable route in an area covered by the map data, wherein at least some of the navigable segments have speed data associated therewith representative of a measured speed profile, said measured speed profile comprising a plurality of average speeds of a plurality of navigation devices through the segment for different recurring time periods, the method comprising:

receiving position data from a plurality of navigation devices by wireless telecommunication, the position data for each of the navigation devices being representative of the position of the navigation device over time;

generating, by at least one processor, at least one updated speed profile indicative of current traffic behavior for a plurality of segments by processing the position data from at least two of the plurality of navigation devices, each updated speed profile comprising data representative of an average speed of travel through the segment for a time period that has recently passed;

comparing, by the at least one processor, each updated speed profile with a respective average speed of the measured speed profile for the segment to determine if the average speed difference is above a predetermined threshold;

identifying, by the at least one processor, for each navigation device, the segments within a predetermined distance of a current position of each of the navigation devices; and

sending the at least one updated speed profile determined to have an average speed difference above the predetermined threshold for any identified segments to each navigation device by wireless telecommunications.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data representative of an average speed of travel through the segment for a time period that has recently passed of each updated speed profile comprises:

(i) an average speed;

or (ii) a speed differential to be added to the respective average speed of the measured speed profile for the segment.

3. A non-transitory computer readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for processing map data comprising a plurality of the navigable segments representing segments of a navigable route in an area covered by the map data, wherein at least some of the navigable segments have speed data associated therewith representative of a measured speed profile, said measured speed profile comprising a plurality of average speeds of a plurality of navigation devices through the segment for different recurring time periods, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

receiving position data from a plurality of navigation devices by wireless telecommunication, the position data for each of the navigation devices being representative of the position of the navigation device over time;

generating at least one updated speed profile indicative of current traffic behavior for a plurality of segments by processing the position data from at least two of the plurality of navigation devices, each updated speed profile comprising data representative of an average speed of travel through the segment for a time period that has recently passed;

comparing each updated speed profile with a respective average speed of the measured speed profile for the segment to determine if the average speed difference is above a predetermined threshold;

identifying for each navigation device, the segments within a predetermined distance of a current position of each of the navigation devices; and

sending the at least one updated speed profile determined to have an average speed difference above the predetermined threshold for any identified segments to each navigation device by wireless telecommunications.

4. A server arranged to process map data comprising:

a memory comprising map data comprising a plurality of navigable segments which may be selected to define a navigable route in an area covered by the map data, at least some of the navigable segments having speed data associated therewith representative of a measured speed profile, said measured speed profile comprising a plurality of average speeds of a plurality of navigation devices through the segment for different recurring time periods; and

a processor arranged to;

receive position data from a plurality of navigation devices, the position data for the plurality of navigation device being representative of the position of each navigation device over time;

generate at least one updated speed profile indicative of current traffic behavior for a plurality of segments by processing the position data from at least two of the plurality of navigation devices, each updated speed profile comprising data representative of an average speed of travel through the segment for a time period that has recently passed

compare the updated speed profile with the respective average speed of the measured speed profile for the segment to determine if the average speed difference is above a predetermined threshold;

identify, for each navigation device, the segments within a predetermined distance of a current position of the navigation device; and

subsequently cause the transceiver to send the at least one updated speed profile determined to have an average speed difference above the predetermined threshold for any identified segments to each of the navigation devices.

5. The server of claim 4, wherein the predetermined distance is determined based on a current speed of travel for the navigation device.

6. The server of claim 4, wherein the predetermined distance is determined based on a bandwidth for a transmission of signals between the navigation device and a server.

7. The server according to claim 4, wherein the data representative of an average speed of travel through the segment for a time period that has recently passed of each updated speed profile comprises:

(i) an average speed;

or (ii) a speed differential to be added to the respective average speed of the measured speed profile for the segment.