Method and device for fusion of traffic data when information is incomplete

• US 9,076,329 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Inventors: Fastenrath, Ulrich, Becker, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAPIRO, JEFFREY ALAN
• Application Number:
  US12/374,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20090287403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,113 Days
• Field of Search: 701117-120, 701/423, 701/473, 701/479, 340/995.1, 340/995.11, 340/995.12, 340/995.13, 382/104, 434/220, 434/305, 235/99.A
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0104 Measuring and analyzing of parameters relative to traffic conditions

Abstract

A method for merging imprecisely localized traffic reports with precisely localized traffic data includes obtaining a plurality of possible positions (x) of the localized traffic reports having imprecise position indications. The plurality of possible positions is evaluated using overlap functions. Substantially precise positions for the localized traffic reports are defined by solving an extremum problem.

Claims

1. A method for merging imprecisely localized traffic reports with precisely localized traffic data, comprising the following steps:

obtaining, by a traffic determination device, an imprecisely localized traffic report indicating a disturbance within a region between a first point and a second point;

obtaining, by the traffic determination device, a precise traffic report corresponding to a region between a third point and a fourth point, wherein the region between the third point and the fourth point at least partially overlaps the region between the first point and the second point;

determining, by the traffic determination device, a first portion between the first point and the second point where the precise traffic report confirms the imprecisely localized traffic report, a second portion between the first point and the second point where the precise traffic report refutes the imprecisely localized traffic report, and a third portion between the first point and the second point where the precise traffic report neither confirms nor refutes the imprecisely localized traffic report;

estimating, by the traffic determination device, locations of two endpoints for the reported disturbance by solving an extremum problem based on applying weighting criteria to the first, second, and third portions; and

merging, by the traffic determination device, the precise traffic report with the imprecisely localized traffic report between the estimated locations of the two endpoints, wherein the merging includes giving priority to the precise traffic report at locations where the precise traffic report conflicts with the imprecisely localized traffic report; and

providing, by the traffic determination device, the result of the merging as a traffic situation estimate.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third portions are represented by b(x), w(x), and n(x), respectively, and the extremum problem comprises:

Ax′

ε

[x₁,x₂];

{ƒ

apo(x′

)>

ƒ

apo(x)}{(ƒ

apo(x′

)=ƒ

apo(x))(x′

>

x)},

ƒ

apo(x)=g_bb(x)+g_nn(x)+g_ww(x),

x₁=min(km₁,km₃−

L),

x₂=min(km₁+L,km₃);

where;

g_b is a weight of confirmation criterion;

g_n is a weight of gap-closing criterion; and

g_w is a weight of refutation criterion.

3. A traffic determination device comprising a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing a method for merging imprecisely localized traffic reports with precisely localized traffic data, the method comprising:

obtaining an imprecisely localized traffic report indicating a disturbance within a region between a first point and a second point;

obtaining a precise traffic report corresponding to a region between a third point and a fourth point, wherein the region between the third point and the fourth point at least partially overlaps the region between the first point and the second point;

determining a first portion between the first point and the second point where the precise traffic report confirms the imprecisely localized traffic report, a second portion between the first point and the second point where the precise traffic report refutes the imprecisely localized traffic report, and a third portion between the first point and the second point where the precise traffic report neither confirms nor refutes the imprecisely localized traffic report;

estimating locations of two endpoints for the reported disturbance by solving an extremum problem based on applying weighting criteria to the first, second, and third portions; and

merging the precise traffic report with the imprecisely localized traffic report between the estimated locations of the two endpoints, wherein the merging includes giving priority to the precise traffic report at locations where the precise traffic report conflicts with the imprecisely localized traffic report; and

providing the result of the merging as a traffic situation estimate.