Commuter route learning

• US 9,014,968 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Watkins, Gary A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shafi, Muhammad
• Application Number:
  US11/864,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20090088973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,762 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-226, 701/25, 701400-541, 340984-996, 382/104, 348/113, 348/118, 348/119
• US Class Current: 701/410
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/39 the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO

Abstract

A commuter route learning program learns a telematics subscriber'"'"'s common travel routes (e.g. work-home, home-school, etc.) and offers traffic reports based on the routes. In one aspect, three modes are used to establish routes and offer traffic reports. These modes include a Learn Mode during which the commuter route learning program learns new commuter trips, a Pattern Recognition Mode during which the commuter route learning program recognizes and categorizes routes from patterns of trips, and an Execution Mode during which the commuter route learning program automatically provides commuter route traffic congestion information to a subscriber.

Claims

1. A method for providing traffic information for a commuter route to a user via a telematics unit associated with a subscriber vehicle, the method comprising:

instantiating, by the telematics unit, a commuter route learning application;

observing by the telematics unit, driving of the subscriber vehicle and recording a plurality of trips taken in the subscriber vehicle, each of the plurality of trips including a plurality of trip points;

determining, by the telematics unit, a route from the recorded plurality of trips, wherein the determining comprises analyzing the trip points of the plurality of recorded trips to identify repetitive trips corresponding to the route and to identify time of day and day of week information corresponding to the route, wherein the analyzing includes matching multiple trips having the same start and end trip points and further having at least a threshold amount of common trip points;

identifying, by the telematics unit, the route to the user based on comparing current time of day and day of week information when vehicle ignition is turned on to the time of day and day of week information corresponding to the route; and

requesting, by the telematics unit, a traffic report comprising traffic information for the route, and receiving the traffic report comprising traffic information for the route; and

providing, by the telematics unit, at least a portion of the received traffic report to the user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein observing driving of the subscriber vehicle and recording a plurality of trips taken in the subscriber vehicle comprises:

identifying a plurality of trip points along each trip at a specified interval;

storing calculated trip points in a memory of the telematics unit; and

analyzing each stored trip point to determine whether it is the same as a previously identified trip point.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein trip points are recorded using a global positioning system.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein analyzing the plurality of recorded trips comprises checking a number of common trips points between trips.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein analyzing the plurality of recorded trips includes recursive back tracking.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein analyzing the plurality of recorded trips comprises:

matching a start trip point of a first trip and an end trip point of a second trip to a start and end point of a third trip;

determining at least one other trip to be concatenated between the first trip and the second trip to produce a concatenated trip; and

determining whether the concatenated trip shares at least a threshold number of common trip points with the third trip such that if the concatenated trip shares at least a threshold number of common trip points with the third trip, the concatenated trip and the third trip are determined to be repetitive trips.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising comprises:

presenting an identification of the route to the user; and

querying the user to determine whether the user desires traffic information for the identified route;

wherein the requesting and receiving the traffic report are in response to receiving a user input indicating that the user desires traffic information for the identified route.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein a trip is deemed to begin when the vehicle ignition is turned on and to end when the vehicle ignition is turned off.