Method and apparatus for crowd-sourced traffic reporting

• US 9,047,774 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Tseng, Fling, Prakah-Asante, Kwaku O., Filev, Dimitar Petrov, Elwart, Shane, Lu, Jianbo
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US13/795,032
• Publication Number:
  US 20140266795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• Field of Search: 340/901, 340/902, 340/903, 340/904, 340/905, 701/23, 701/24, 701/117, 701/410
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096766 where the system is characterised by the origin of the information transmission

Abstract

A system includes a processor configured to project monitoring needs for a road segment. The processor is further configured to contact one or more vehicles traveling on the road segment during a time of monitoring need. The processor is additionally configured to instruct a first number, determined based on a projected monitoring need, of contacted vehicles to being monitoring and reporting traffic data for the road segment.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

project monitoring needs for a road segment;

contact one or more vehicles traveling on the road segment during a time of monitoring need; and

instruct a first number, determined based on a projected monitoring need, of contacted vehicles to being monitoring and reporting traffic data for the road segment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

compared received reporting data with projected traffic data for the road segment; and

adjust the number of contacted vehicles performing monitoring based on a deviance.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the volume of contacted vehicles performing monitoring is increased when traffic is greater than expected.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the volume of contacted vehicles performing monitoring is decreased when traffic is less than expected.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to instruct vehicles approaching the road segment to begin monitoring at some point when the vehicles have individually reached the road segment.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to determine if a vehicle is approaching a road segment based on a known vehicle route, a projected vehicle route, or a current vehicle heading and location.

7. A computer-implemented method comprising:

projecting monitoring needs for a road segment;

contacting one or more vehicles traveling on the road segment during a time of monitoring need; and

instructing a first number, determined based on a projected monitoring need, of contacted vehicles to being monitoring and reporting traffic data for the road segment.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

comparing received reporting data with projected traffic data for the road segment; and

adjusting the number of contacted vehicles performing monitoring based on a deviance.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the volume of contacted vehicles performing monitoring is increased when traffic is greater than expected.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the volume of contacted vehicles performing monitoring is decreased when traffic is less than expected.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising instructing vehicles approaching the road segment to begin monitoring at some point when the vehicles have individually reached the road segment.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining if a vehicle is approaching a road segment based on a known vehicle route, a projected vehicle route, or a current vehicle heading and location.